Theologian and religious leader, Luis Palau, met with press in
Beijing yesterday to discuss his latest book. Co-authored with Zhao
Qizheng, former minister of the State Council Information Office,
the book titled Riverside Talks: A Friendly Dialogue Between an
Atheist and a Christian has been published in Chinese by the
Beijing-based New World Press, a subsidiary of the China
International Publishing Group.
Based on a series of in-depth conversations between Palau and
Zhao when the former paid a courtesy visit to Zhao in Shanghai in
May 2005, the book was born out of the two men's differing views on
the Bible. "I asked the minister about his comment on the
Bible and was amazed by his answer, so I joked 'Let's
write a book on this.' The minister took it seriously and we had
altogether three discussions of over eight hours," quipped Palau.
Palau and Zhao met on November 17, 2005 and signed a pledge to
publish a book on their discussions in both English and
Chinese.
The Chinese version of the book was formally published today in
Beijing with its contents weaving between philosophy, religion,
science and culture. The two authors' topics of interest range from
the Bible and the Analects of Confucius to the
scientific theories of Newton and Einstein, and from ultimate
concern to the "harmonious society."
Speaking of his impression of the general atheists, Palau
praised them as hard thinkers and as viewing life seriously. "I
respected the minister who is an atheist. He is a
thought-provoking, intelligent and philosophical man." Palau's
co-author Zhao described the book as representing the inevitability
for the need of "communication between different nations and
cultures to get to know each other better." While both authors
admitted they do not agree on all aspects in their discussions,
they enjoyed and appreciated the frankness and mutual respect
between each other. The publishing of this book showed that "you
can disagree intellectually without insulting each other," said
Palau.
The book is the first of its sort in China and it testifies the
extent of understanding, communication and goodwill existing
between believers and atheists, and between different cultures.
"Confrontation is not inherent for atheists and theists although
they may disagree with each other," Zhao said.
A decade ago, it would have beggared belief that a senior
Chinese official might openly discuss this topic with a foreign
religious leader. However, it is often the case that Chinese
officials and scholars now like to open discussions on sensitive
topics with people of different cultures, showing a culturally open
society embracing diversity.
(China.org.cn by Wind Gu August 30, 2006)
