Review: A Sceptic's Search for Meaning

A Sceptic's Search for Meaning by Mike Willesee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not converting to Christianity any time soon but WOW did this give me some endless thought chains to pursue.

Also just so fantastic to read about this cynical dude who found something to believe in, that gave him peace at the end of his life. Whether you believe him or not is irrelevant.

Okay. Let me break it down.

Firstly, MISLEADING TITLE ALERT. This is not about a dying man's search for meaning. It's about a sceptical journalist who chased down 'miracles' with the intention of exposing them as fraudulent.

I'm not old enough to have ever encountered Mike Willesee before this book, but it seems he was quite well known here in Australia and did some pretty decent investigative journalism in his heydays. This book skims over those early years of success and hones in on when Mike was convinced to investigate an incident in Bolivia that involved a bleeding statue of Christ.

What follows is a bizarre account of Mike's witnessing various 'miracles' that were deemed 'proof of God'. This book also includes premonitions, weeping and bleeding statues, stigmata, and hearing the voice of Jesus, among other things.

It's really fascinating to read about these things, and I think even if you don't believe the author recounted things truthfully it raises some really interesting theological questions. I'm sceptical about religious 'miracles' myself as I don't believe in God, and I have my own theories about Jesus and religion. But they do use scientific testing and Mike really does question everything. It's evident that his scepticism in those early days was legitimate.

At the same time, when his conversion comes, it's quite sudden. I have mixed feelings about that. Because his scepticism is what made this such a fascinating story, so when he stopped questioning everything it was almost a disappointment for me the reader, and it suddenly made me doubt things more. But this is a biography, and knowing that he finally just relinquished his scepticism and allowed himself the comfort of absolute faith is really uplifting for me. Faith is such a powerful thing in that it doesn't matter what the truth is - the faith you have in your own beliefs is enough. So whether you believe his story or not, whether you believe in the holiness of the things he experienced or believe it all to be fake, it absolutely does not matter because this man believed, and that belief gave him a comfort at the end of his days that no tangible truth could.

This book is not trying to convert you. This is the story of a cynical man who was transformed by his experiences of too many things he couldn't explain. No matter what your own beliefs are, this is a truly fascinating story written by an intelligent man.

Aaaaaand this is the part where I end my review instead of rambling on about my own beliefs.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thought-provoking biography, and I'm keen to hear the opinions of people who hold different religious beliefs. Personally I think it's worth a read for everyone, and it's definitely one that will stay with me.

Many thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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