Synopses & Reviews
“Part Kurt Vonnegut, part Douglas Adams, but let’s be honest, Matheson had me at ‘Based on the Bible.’” —Dana Gould, comedian and writer
The Bible offers some clues to God’s personality—he’s alternately been called vindictive and just, bloodthirsty and caring, all-powerful and impotent, capricious and foresighted, and loving and hateful. But no one has ever fully explored why God might be such a figure of contrasts. Nor has anyone ever satisfactorily explained what guides his relationship not just with angels, the devil, and his son, but also with all of creation. Might he be completely misunderstood, a mystery even to himself? Might his behavior and actions toward humankind tell us much more about him than it does about us? Enter the mind of the creator of the universe, travel with him through the heavenly highs and hellish lows of his story, from Genesis to Revelation, to better understand his burdensome journey: being God isn’t easy. After hearing his story—at times troubling and tragic but always hilarious in its absurdity and divine in its comedy—you’ll never look at a miracle or catastrophe—or at our place in the universe, or God’s—the same way again.
Review
"Part Kurt Vonnegut, part Douglas Adams, but let's be honest, Matheson had me at 'Based on The Bible.'" —Dana Gould, comedian and writer
Review
"It isn’t easy being God, as this book makes quite clear. It’s a full-time job and any screwups can haunt you for an eternity. What Life of Brian did for Jesus, The Story of God may do for the father . . . or the Son, or the Holy Ghost. It humanizes the poor guy, which, after all, is appropriate since he was created in the image of man." —Lawrence M. Krauss, Director, Origins Project at Arizona State University, author, The Physics of Star Trek and A Universe from Nothing
Review
“Matheson punctures the pretensions of organized religion with unremitting hilarity.” —Jerry Coyne, author, Why Evolution Is True and Faith versus Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible
Review
“Half the people who read this book will laugh out loud, certain Chris Matheson is a twisted comic genius; the other half will laugh silently, equally certain that he will spend eternity writhing in hell.” —Ed Solomon, screenwriter, Men in Black
Review
“If there is a God who wrote the Bible, when he reads this he’s going to wonder why his editors didn’t point out all the problems in his text before publication. Brilliant and irreverent.” —Michael Shermer, publisher, Skeptic magazine; monthly columnist, Scientific American; author, The Moral Arc
Review
“This is the version of the bible Gutenberg should have printed. Only difference is, it’s much more fun. Hilarious. Irreverent. Timeless.” —Peter Boghossian, author, A Manual for Creating Atheists
Review
“At times the story Matheson tells of God is not just funny, but laugh out loud funny. It’s thought provoking too. I loved it!” —John Loftus, author, Why I Became an Atheist and The Outsider Test for Faith
Review
“The Story of God is an original, funny, and devastating book.” —Jay Phelan, co-author, Mean Genes
Synopsis
Part Kurt Vonnegut, part Douglas Adams, but let s be honest, Matheson had me at Based on the Bible. Dana Gould, comedian and writer
The Bible offers some clues to God s personality he s alternately been called vindictive and just, bloodthirsty and caring, all-powerful and impotent, capricious and foresighted, and loving and hateful. But no one has ever fully explored why God might be such a figure of contrasts. Nor has anyone ever satisfactorily explained what guides his relationship not just with angels, the devil, and his son, but also with all of creation. Might he be completely misunderstood, a mystery even to himself? Might his behavior and actions toward humankind tell us much more about him than it does about us? Enter the mind of the creator of the universe, travel with him through the heavenly highs and hellish lows of his story, from Genesis to Revelation, to better understand his burdensome journey: being God isn t easy. After hearing his story at times troubling and tragic but always hilarious in its absurdity and divine in its comedy you ll never look at a miracle or catastrophe or at our place in the universe, or God s the same way again."
About the Author
Chris Matheson is a screenwriter whose credits include Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and Rapture-Palooza. He lives in Portland, Oregon.