PBS is doing a documentary called the Question of God. It's a documentary that chronicles the journeys of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud.

I watched part of it yesterday and I suppose it was okay. They did quite a bit of re-enactment with actors speaking the words of C. S. Lewis and Freud. My wife was not pleased with that. I think she didn't like it because she had Anthony Hopkins, who played C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands, in mind.

One interesting thing about the program was that it made me think about the manner of conversions of 19th and 20th century thinkers in both England and Germany. You hear about the English conversions, but not much about Germans. Also the English route spiritual conversion tends to be very jumbled, earthy, experiential, and common sensical. The German conversions I can think of, from the early 20th century, Edith Stein, etc, tend to be more rational.

As part of the program, they had a panelist of atheists and Christians discuss questions. I thought it was quite interesting if not a touch cheesy. But, to my surprise, I agree with many of them, even the atheist. Rational proofs, so called, of God's existence are not a preliminary step to God. Belief in God demands a leap into an unknown realm. A rational or intellectual conversion may precede the actual faith conversion. What that does is open up intellectual space. But such a step is not necessary as a preliminary step. So much for Aquinas' five ways.