This audio/book, written for "Jugendliche und Erwachsene," is too advanced for J, but he seemed to enjoy listening to the first short snippet, about which he asked a lot of questions. We ended up playing the seven minutes over the course of about half an hour, pausing to discuss every few sentences.
Among other things we talked about whether its possible to believe in the biblical creation and the big bang (Urknall) at the same time (J thought so); what the difference is between the Urknall and that other big Knall, namely when the asteroid that was later to form part of the moon crashed into the earth; and the meaning of the fascinating statement by the narrator: Jeder, der neben mir auf der S-Bahn sitzt, kann sein Leben bis auf den Urknall zurückführen ("Everyone sitting next to me in the S-Bahn can trace his existence back to the big bang.")
By the way, the author identifies himself as a frommer Atheist (1:00), a "pious" or "spiritual atheist." He doesn't say he's an atheist because he doesn't believe in god, but because he doesn't believe in Gottesbilder, "images of god." The reason is because Gottesbilder can become dangerous if you cling to them. But as an atheist he doesn't want to have to live—not a single moment!—without a "feeling of spirituality" (Gefühl der Frömmigkeit). As for what that feeling is supposed to be exactly, he doesn't yet explain. Is it that he's "spiritual, not religious"? Or is this related to the "sense of wonder" atheists claim to feel when contemplating the universe? We'll see.
As for me and my family, we will serve the Golden Rule. Besides literary-cultural reasons, the main impulse behind my Sunday school is to cultivate deep empathy for others, not a private-emotional sensibility.
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