The Hand of God: Thoughts and Images Reflecting the Spirit of the Universe Paperback – September 1, 2011

This work brings home the grandeur of our universe (and the creator behind it) as best as any book, video or special I have ever seen. The quotes from theologians, astronomers and prophets that accompany the images do not all point to a singular philosophy or faith, so do not be too hasty to write this tome off as a religious work or creationist propaganda. The photo prints are of superb quality and the quotations are well matched. My personal favorite quote is found on page 128, next to an image of a cluster of Massive Infant Stars: "I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science. And there is certainly no scientific reason why God cannot retain the same relevance on our modern world that he held before we began probing His creation with telescope, cyclotron and space vehicles." -Wernher BraunThis text is also a fresh reminder that while popular, secular science writers often demonstrate a lack of wonder and exaggerate the claims of their theories, the real scientists, the Einsteins, Newtons and Keplers, regarded themselves as full of wonder and mere children who had stumbled upon a few pretty pebbles upon the ocean's beach (a paraphrase from Abraham Heschel's "A Philosophy of Judaism"). Regardless of your personal faith proclivities, if you understand that no human has all the answers (and perhaps not even very many) you will enjoy this book, guaranteed.

A visually beautiful book that makes you think about the wonders of the universe.

Amazing photos and thought-provoking quotes.

The stunning images in this book are like looking into the mind of a divine artist and seeing firsthand the beauty and grandeur that only an infinite intelligence could dream up for the creation of the cosmos. The photos are peppered with uplifting quotations from famous scientist and philosophers concerning Gods design and shows , contrary to modern propoganda, that many of the greatest of these thinkers saw in science a completey reasonable case for faith.

I dare you to ponder these thoughts from some of our greatest & most respected minds...then gaze at the awesomeness of the universe beyond us and not feel humbled and inspired.

So glad I bought it. It sent me on a long quest to google interesting nebulas and learn more about them. I felt more connected to the universe. It added to not only the night sky, but life in general. I kinda feel like a changed person. For the better. You can find some trippy images inside nebulas. If you thought cloud watching was trippy, seeing what things look like, wait til you apply that to nebulas and start researching these things. It's the coolest. If you don't get what I mean, read Alice O Howell.

No matter what your religious beliefs, you will be stunned by the deep space photographs in this book. The quotes are thoughtful and very deep - it is a very positive book in so many ways. If any house guests pick it up, they will want to take it home with them - so buy a couple extra!

My book arrived much earlier than I expected and it is in great shape. "The Hand of God" is a wonderful book.