Bill Bryson

Bryson authored bestsellers such as A Walk in the Woods and A Short History of Nearly Everything.

In a March 10, 2005 Guardian article [1], Bryson answers questions from readers.

"Cathleen Kirkwood asks: With all the places you've been to, the research you have conducted, and the things you've seen, what's your position on the existence or not of a god/spirit/creator?

"Bill replies: I'm not a spiritual person, and the things I've done haven't made me one, but the one thing I did appreciate when I was writing A Short History was that conventional science and a belief in god are absolutely not incompatible. You can be a scientist and believe in god: the two can go hand in hand. What certainly struck me during my research was that the very fundamental creationist views - the literal biblical interpretation of how the world was created - is much, much less exciting than real science. If you believe in god, it's much more fantastic to believe that he created this universe billions of years ago and set in motion this long train of activities that eventually resulted in us. I think that's so much more satisfying, more thrilling, than the idea that it was all done in seven days."