The difference between the scientific and the religious views of the world comes down to context. Those who want to believe in something unchanging can’t afford to contextualize their ideas, because our knowledge of the universe is always changing. An idea that looked reasonable to an illiterate herder (“the earth is flat”, say, or “the sun and the moon are the same size”) becomes untenable with increased information.

A child's understanding of the relative sizes of the Sun and Moon

Religious people want to hold on to old ideas, and they can only do that by refusing to place them in the new context of understanding – even when they accept the new understanding. So they develop this split world, one of mundane reality and the other of a magical world of angels and fairies. Historical people and events, if they have become important in a religious context, gradually get moved by their adherents into the magical world.

“The Gospel According to the Romans” is an attempt to undo some of this, and reconcile some major religious figures with the historical realities of their lives. In contextualizing them, their words and actions take on new meanings. We lose the magic, but we gain a richer understanding of our cultural history and identity.

It is all a part of understanding our place in the universe. And here is your place in the universe, to scale: http://t.co/uZzylwnF

It is truly amazing. Enjoy!