Falling Back to Earth

"Although Doug has been an acolyte helping his father conduct services in the church where the latter preaches, conscience drives him to state one Sunday at dinner that he does not believe there is a God. His father, Craig, is deeply hurt, feeling himself a failure, yet he declines to damage the family by contesting the point with Doug;. Months later, Craig astonished Doug by saying he has come to agree. He resigns his ministerial appointment and his church. Learning the reason, the community is in an uproar; Craig finds a modest job. His wife returns to work so they can afford a small apartment and used car.

Now first one new event, then another, confirm the opinion of many in the community that an angry God has shown his wrath.
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John T. Goldthwait grew up in Pennsylvania, went to college in Georgia, and served in the Navy in the Pacific in wartime. Once ashore again, he took a Ph.D. in philosophy, helping to pull together a very broad education. He then taught philosophy and the humanities in universities in California and New York. Living the examined life, he worked out for himself the worldview known as secular humanism, stressing the meeting of human needs as the basis for ethics. In retirement, he undertook writing novels as an attractive way to communicate his beliefs. These are first of all good stories, as well as presentations of humanistic ideas.