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All In The Mind

ALL IN THE MIND
By Ludovic Kennedy
Hodder & Stoughton. 302 pages. £18.99.
ISBN 0 340 68063 6

Ludovic Kennedy, one of our most distinguished writers and journalists who has been the presenter and interviewer on programmes like This Week and Panorama, has now published a new book: All in the mind - A farewell to God.
He tells us: 'I wrote this book because I've heard so much balls talked by parsons that I felt someone should strike a blow for atheism.' He presents his case with characteristic wit and finely honed writing skills that have made him a most formidable communicator.
This is a major assault on any belief in God anywhere by anyone. He examines the origins of gods throughout the ages and attacks both the Old and New Testaments His crusade continues unabated as he records the development of European atheism from before the Reformation to the present day. Interspersed with this, he offers humorous insights into his own upbringing, and the final chapter speaks of how he has found his own way to spiritual fulfilment through nature and art.
The back cover tells us that the author explores 'one of the central questions being asked as we approach the end of the second millennium'. Indeed, this is one of the most crucial questions, but has Ludovic Kennedy got the answer right?
The danger with gifted communicators like this proffering their views on religion is that because we think they are good at writing, we can be fooled into thinking that what they are writing is true. When looked at in more detail, his arguments do not offer anything new - they are a rehash of what atheists have often expressed.
Many of the ridiculous absurdities he attacks within the unbiblical sections of the church deserve his demolition treatment. But what is lacking is a dealing with the serious arguments and evidence for a belief in God in general and Jesus in particular.
In his previous books campaigning on behalf of innocent people convicted on flimsy grounds, such as the Birmingham Six, he sifts the evidence. In this book, we find the work of someone reacting against his religious upbringing in a blinded way.

Jonathan Skinner,
Bath