This orderliness is often taken as evidence for an intelligence beyond our experience - a "creator" responsible for the first moment in time and all ensuing infinite patterns of the universe. Yet the science of the origin of the universe is still highly speculative and incomplete. How did the universe begin? According to Professor Victor J. Stenger, the simplest hypothesis so far is that it began by accident.Stenger insists that the existence of order does not necessarily imply that it is the result of design. Nothing currently known about the universe, he writes, requires that its structure was somehow imposed upon it from the outside. The universe is complex, but the laws of nature are simple; in fact, the universe may have originated because of a series of spontaneous random events.The book begins with a discussion of the meaning of order and examples of orderly patterns generated by chance. (Play enough poker hands, Stenger writes, and one day you will be dealt four aces.) Subsequent chapters introduce readers to the unique perspective of the universe provided by physics, with historical and philosophical material intertwined with a systematic but nontechnical presentation of basic physics. This leads to a description of the basic structure of the universe and the way in which symmetries of space, time, and inner dimensions account for the "laws" obeyed by particles.The origin of the universe is then described as a chance event, with space, time, matter, and the laws of nature the result of a spontaneous process of symmetry-breaking. Focusing on the question of planned versus unplanned origin, Stenger shows that the issue is not philosophical but scientific and that order can and does happen every day - by chance.

    Photographs.

    Cohen thought himself advanced beyond such illusions. But a decade ago, when he found himself among the militant "born-again" Christians, he fell under the influence of powerful factors against which his extensive academic knowledge about religions and all his intellectual arguments were no defense. The "born-again's" religious experience seemed so real and salutary to Cohen that, for several years, he was a dedicated "born-again" believer.Eventually, Cohen broke free of the psychological stranglehold of Christian fundamentalism. In so doing, he gained the insights necessary to write this book. In his investigations into the phenomenon of Bible-belief, he realized that New Testament Christianity is history's most successful psychological manipulation. Unraveling the psychological devices around which the New Testament was built, Cohen's book illustrates in great detail how these ploys function.Cohen sees much harm arising from the huge explosion of the Christian Right during the last two decades. He demonstrates how the indoctrination received in these churches undermines the mental health of individuals, causing widespread suffering, due to the vistims' reluctance to speak out. He also shows how this indoctrination makes bible-believers into unwitting supporters of far-right political causes they would otherwise reject.Beginning in 1984, Cohen conducted a videotape monitoring of Pat Robertson. In 1987, he joined forces with Gerard Thomas Straub (a former producer of the 700 Club and author of Salvation for Sale) to expose Robertson's extremist tendencies.Cohen made important behind-the-scenes contributions to stories about Robertson aired on NBC News with Tom Brokaw and West 57th Street, and to two front-page stories in the New York Times. In the course of his investigation, Cohen made numerous radio and television appearances. The final chapter in The Mind of the Bible-Believer chronicles that effort.