{Book} Review: How Do We Know God Is Really There?

As a child it never occurred to me to ask deep questions about life and God and the Universe. I was content to marvel at Nature and appreciate its beauty without asking many questions about how things worked or where they came from. So when my six-year-old comes asking questions like: "Why am I here? What am I here for? How do I know I am really me?" I'm completely flabbergasted! When she recently began asking questions about how we know there really is a God, I pulled out a brand new book from Apologia Press called How Do We Know God Is Really There?



How Do We Know God Is Really There?
Written by Melissa Cain Travis
Illustrated by Christopher Voss
Published by Apologia Press
ISBN: 978-1-935495-96-3
Price: $16.00
Sample pages

This wonderful book by Melissa Cain Travis is designed to answer the question of God's existence in a way even small children can understand. It is the first in a new series of picture books that will introduce kids to the answers to important questions of the Christian faith.

In the story, a young boy named Thomas and his dad spend time together every evening in the treehouse in their backyard. They tell each other about their day and do some stargazing together. In the comfortable darkness, Thomas tells his dad about a friend who says there is no God and asks his dad how you can know that God is really there.

Thomas' dad gives Thomas some evidence of God's existence based on what we know of the Universe. He shares with Thomas about the Hubble Space Telescope and the evidence we've gathered about space. Throughout the conversation he doesn't bulldoze over Thomas with a big announcement of The Answer. No: This is the way it is, Son; you'd better believe it. (you read that in a deep, stuffy voice, right?) But instead, he gently presents him with piece after piece of evidence so Thomas can build up to the conclusion himself.

If the text wasn't good enough, the illustrations really make this book something special! Christopher Voss illustrated How Do We Know God Is Really There? with some gorgeous artwork that really appeals to kids! We all laughed at the page with Thomas running through the dark backyard with his flashlight and scaring up the orange tabby cat that was prowling around there.



Hubby, who loves a good debate and is always willing to play devil's advocate, feels the arguments presented in the book are too simplistic and somewhat weak. He'd like to see an opposing view presented (and quashed). He says a persuasive argument always presents the other side as well as its own. He also feels the kid was a pushover and would have liked to see him cling to skepticism a few pages longer before accepting his dad's logic.

I think this is a great book to introduce kids to the idea that "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).