Vol 7 No 1 2020 A Forum for Theology in the World. The frontiers of religion and science have always been pushed forward by curious and obsessed individuals, like: the monk who kept banned books in a secret library under the nose of the pope; the explorers who searched for the lost tribes of Israel but found a new continent instead; the eccentric doctor and a mad monk who intuited scientific truths well before future generations would prove their theories correct; the archaeologists who discovered the goddess just in time for feminism; the utopians who never quite found what they were looking for; and a current flock of priests and nuns who go wherever knowledge takes them. It is a delicious quirk of history that individuals dismissed by their contemporaries as eccentrics and troublemakers are often those with the most impact on the world. Curious Obsessions in the History of Science and Spirituality is a captivating look at the famous and the forgotten who emerged in times of extreme change and social disruption to change science and spirituality for ever. During our current Covid19 pandemic, this collection is highly relevant to a world still seeking novel answers to the human condition and also drawn to old theories long ago debunked.
Dr Rachael Kohn, AO, FRNSW and LLD lectured in religion in Canada, the UK and Australia before joining the ABC, producing and presenting programs on religion, such as The Spirit of Things and The Ark. Her previous book is The New Believers: Re-Imagining God.
"Curious Obsessions is one of those rare books you just dont want to put down. It is full of delicious stories, enlightening insights and valuable information ... From the very beginning the reader is drawn in by Rachaels quiet approach respectful, keenly insightful often very funny!" -- Maireid Sullivan, GlobalArtsCollective
"About her previous book, The New Believers: Re-imagining God, Kohn has the ability to weave together material from a wide variety of traditions and denominations, genres and sources, beliefs and opinions. However the work remains accessible and readable." -- Tracey Edstein, Aurora, the Catholic Diocese of Newcastle-Maitland
"Rachael Kohn is alert to the delusions that masquerade as truths in the marketplace of religious products ... She has a fine ear for discerning authentic from false notes" -- David Tacey, The Bulletin