The problems of morality, ethics and religion have befuddled mankind for a long time. They, over the years, have tried to create order and some sense of reason out of the chaos of life.

They have worshiped stones, the sky, the earth, rivers, mountains, fire and animals. They have invented all-powerful gods with human frailties and appetites like the Greeks and Romans. In their quest for truth, they have married various religious thoughts and practices, always claiming the newest thing has the inside track with God and all the others are wrong or misguided.

Hal Seed and Dan Grinder tackle all these ideas in their book, The God Questions: Exploring Life's Great questions about God, published by Outreach.

It is a scholarly work written so that a Christian layman can address those sometimes annoying questions posed by the "intellectuals." If you have trouble initiating a conversation with those "smarties," you can gift them this book and invite them to discuss their opinions and thoughts afterwards.

The authors address the topics of the reality of God, the truth of the Bible, do all roads lead to heaven, suffering, the exclusivity and truth of Christianity or whether it is just a cop out for weak people.

For example, in addressing the question of why there is only one way to heaven, they aptly respond, "Suppose that God offered his Son's murderers complete forgiveness, transcendent peace and eternal life as a free gift. Suppose God said I demand only one thing in return that you honor my Son who gave his life for you. If God did all this, would you still say, God you are not being fair. You haven't done enough. I want another option. The wonder is not why there is only one way, it's why is there any way at all."

This is typical of the provocative type of query offered by the book. While it will not and may not satisfy every thinker or seeker, it engenders discussion about the pros and cons of the subject.

Therefore, you have a starting point to debate the merits of Christianity because most people, including Seed and Grinder, believe that it withstands scrutiny better than all other religions.

The God Questions can easily be employed in your small group study especially if you have fence sitters, agnostics and non-Christians in attendance. It is intended to be used over a series of weeks so as to maximize your attention to each topic so that everyone has his or her concerns handled.

Each chapter ends with "something to chew on," "a verse to remember," "a thought to ponder" or " thoughts on the subject."

Of note, it is not intended to be inflammatory, degrading or disrespectful of any faith. It is a clever, thought- provoking publication of why one would choose Christianity above any other religion.

No one book can answer all the questions about God to the satisfaction of every human being on the planet. This book does not do that or pretend to do so.

However, it does offer a snapshot of all the world's major religions and the foundations of their belief systems, so you can't really make a comparative analysis with Christianity.

For the honest seeker of truth, this book will aid him on his journey. If he or she is logical, reasonable and objective as well as not prejudiced or blinded by his or her historical, religious or cultural persuasions, we are confident they will arrive at the right conclusion.

So if you have friends or family with questions, you've got answers in the book, The God Questions.

I rate this 3 New Yorks and 1 Miami.

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V. Knowles is a husband and father with an interest in penning issues that serve to uplift mankind. He melds his love for Classic literature, The Bible and pop culture - as sordid as it may be - into highly relatable columns of truth, faith and justice. Hence the name: Just Thinking. If he's not buried in a book or penning his next column, you may find him pinned to his sectional watching a good old Country and Western flick.