Review: Pondering the Mystery of Life by Audrey C. Shields

Offering a thorough and unbiased portrait of spiritual origins and belief throughout history, Pondering the Mystery of Life by Audrey C. Shields addresses some of the greatest questions we face as human beings with consciousness and self-awareness. With an engaging tone, impressively deep research, and a stated desire for clarity and good-faith exploration, this is a unique read in the increasingly crowded genre of spiritual guidance.

Beginning with early analyses of the religious instinct to create religion as a means of putting order to chaos, and the counterpoint of seeing God as a concept, rather than an omnipotent, immortal, or all-knowing Being, Shields lays a solid foundation for the more nuanced religious examinations that follow. Moving through mysticism in its many forms, the essential nature of hope, and the existential questions that underpin all quests for enlightenment and higher understanding, readers are taken on a journey of philosophy and theology, with some anthropology and social theory thrown in for good measure.

Even long-time students of religion and spirituality will find the author’s linkages refreshing and unexpected, without injecting herself or her opinions into the mix. The prose is driven by facts and history, not opinions or judgments, and the chosen statistics are revelatory, at times, e.g. approximately 30% of the global population is a nonbeliever of some kind. While the curation of some sections can feel abrupt, notably the brief section on Buddhism, there is a broader spectrum of stances and a deeper investigation of those modern approaches than casual readers might expect.

Unlike so many other books that turn an analytical eye towards religion and belief in a higher power, this book gives well-deserved weight and attention to progressive ideologies, from atheists and agnostics to secular humanists, along with dozens of thinkers and philosophers who were considered heretics or radicals in their own time. Nonbelievers are often reduced to an unimportant anomaly in discussions about religion, but Shields delves into the philosophical and sociological contributions of Humanists, Atheists, and Stoics in addition to religious thinkers.

One of the most interesting chapters is “Tapping Into the Mystery,” which attempts to bridge the traditional divide of science and religion, celebrating the pursuit of knowledge as the highest calling of man. Referencing Einstein, Darwin, Bertrand Russell, John Keats, and more, these closing chapters of the book “do not claim certitude,” but they do summarize this timeless debate in stark terms: “Reasoning alone will not arrive at metaphysical truth. Atheists’ faith in nature is as reasonable as believers’ faith in God.”

Not only is the text meticulously referenced, but it is impeccably edited, without any obvious typos, redundant/rephrased ideas, or tangential distractions. Every section is dense with essential information, yet there is also an easy accessibility to the presentation that feels more conversational than academic. Readers might not expect to sit down and consume a book this deep in a single sitting, but it’s surprisingly page-turning, marked by brief but comprehensive chapters.

A refreshingly thorough review of spirituality and modern belief, Pondering the Mystery of Life is a clear, concise, and critical examination of humanity’s search for purpose in the modern age.