Blind Faith is a "squandered and wasted mind set". This book points out that most beliefs that we have are put there and "sealed in concrete" in early childhood. They are usually based on our parents or others' beliefs and are seldom questioned by us. In order to have valid beliefs, it is necessary to re-examine those beliefs from a reasoned viewpoint. If I Had Been Born a Muslim, asks you to consider that your beliefs would be different if you had been born and brought up in a faith different from yours. What if you had been born a Muslim, for example? The idea is equally valid if you asked, "What if I had been born a Hindu or a Jew or xxx?" The author looks at basic beliefs from a reasoned and logical viewpoint, attempting to discard biases as much as possible. Many conclusions are startlingly obvious when "pure logic" is used instead of "ancient, stale restatements". The author is Catholic, but if a Muslim was writing this, it would be "If I had been born a Catholic or Jew, etc." Throughout the book, the author, using reason and a splash of humor, attempts to come to the truth concerning basic beliefs and urges you to do the same. The book will open your eyes to blind faith. It will challenge you to re-evaluate the Old Testament and New Testament miracles. What do you believe about Jesus? Why? And, watch out if you never questioned your faith! A major portion of the book is dedicated to the important question, "Did the Universe/matter/time always exist or was it started at some point - needing help from a causative force - God?" The author feels that he has absolutely proven the latter, through logic and reason alone. A renewed vision of God is portrayed. The author's purpose in writing If I Had Been Born a Muslim is to provoke the reader into looking at their religion or non-religion, as the case may be, with an unbiased attitude. And, to hope that the reader, using thought, reason, and non-bias, will question their old "drummed into you from birth" beliefs - with a little help from God.
About the Author: Paul E. Williams was brought up as a Protestant in the "Disciples of Christ" denomination. He was very dedicated to religion and even studied, briefly, for the ministry - until he realized that this was not his best career field. Paul's mind was filled with reason and logic. With a degree in mathematics, he was drawn to computers in the early days of programming and development. In the early 1970s, he was the chief architect of and directed the development of a comprehensive hospital information system which was in use in more than 200 hospitals in the U.S. and Great Britain and is still used at approximately 50 hospitals worldwide, even though it is 40-years old. Paul's wife, Rosemary, was a member of the Catholic Church and in the 1970s, he, too, joined the Church. He and Rosemary had been married for 44 years when she started developing Alzheimer's disease. He says that Rosemary was a wonderful partner, mother, and grandmother in every way. "She has never done anything wrong - that I know about." Throughout the 11 years that the disease progressed, Paul's faith in God never diminished. It was during this time that Paul started writing If I Had Been Born a Muslim. Alzheimer's eventually took Rosemary's life in January 2010; but she still lives in all that Paul Williams thinks and does, and is an inspiration for his next book. A U.S. Air Force veteran, father of five, grandfather to 13 and great-grandfather to one, Paul Williams keeps busy with family, friends, community, and church. He is at home in Saratoga, California where he has lived for more than four decades.