Religion and science: Controversy
behind "A Wrinkle in Time" book
By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.16.18
Word Count 418
Level 580L
A movie poster for "A Wrinkle in Time" released in 2018. Image from Disney
Madeleine L’Engle's book "A Wrinkle in Time" came out in 1962. Since then, it has upset many
people. It has been taken out of some libraries. It has been kept out of some classrooms.
Some just say the book is too hard for kids. Many Christians see a different problem, though. For
them, the biggest problem is the way the book mixes science and religion.
"A Wrinkle in Time" tells the story of a girl named Meg Murry. She saves her father from evil
forces. To rescue him, she travels through time and space.
Story Filled With Religious Ideas
L’Engle was a Christian herself. She filled her story with religious ideas. Yet in her time, many
Christians found those parts of the book very troubling.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
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L’Engle was trying to reimagine Christianity, says professor Marek Oziewicz. She saw
Christianity as a form of science. L’Engle also saw science as a way of searching for religious
truth.
Science Vs. Christianity
Many U.S. Christians did not agree with her at all. They believed science and the Bible were
against each other.
L’Engle felt differently. She believed in both science and religion. When scientists discovered
something new, she didn't see it as going against the Bible. Instead, she saw it as learning more
about what God had made.
One scene in L’Engle's book particularly upset some Christians. In it, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi,
Albert Einstein and the Buddha all appear. The four come together to fight evil.
Questions Of Faith And Love
Some readers thought L’Engle was saying the other three are as important as Jesus. Einstein
was a scientist. Gandhi worked for Indian rights. Buddha started the Buddhist religion.
Oziewicz says L’Engle was not saying all four are the same. She was questioning the idea that
people know how God thinks. Who can say whom God loves? Maybe he does love Buddha as
much as Jesus.
New Film Leaves Out Book's Religious Parts
This month, a movie based on L'Engle's book was released. The movie left out some of the
book's religious parts. Surprisingly, some Christians are not happy about that.
Before the film opened, one Christian journalist wrote an article about it. She said she hoped it
hadn’t dropped the story's religious parts. She called "A Wrinkle in Time" a good Christian book.
Of course, there are still Christians who do not feel that way. Yet, now there are more who like "A
Wrinkle in Time." They like it for the very same religious ideas that once upset so many
Christians.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
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Quiz
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Why was the book "A Wrinkle in Time" taken out of some libraries?
(A)
The story in the book upset some people.
(B)
The book was filled with too much science.
(C)
The book has a character who must be saved.
(D)
The story in the book was written a long time ago.
How is the movie about "A Wrinkle in Time" different from the book?
(A)
The movie has many religious parts, but the book has none.
(B)
The book has many religious parts, but the movie has none.
(C)
The movie is missing some of the religious parts that the book has.
(D)
The book is all about science and the movie is all about religion.
Which section gives information about the movie that is based on the book "A Wrinkle in Time"?
(A)
Introduction [paragraphs 1-3]
(B)
"Story Filled With Religious Ideas"
(C)
"Questions Of Faith And Love"
(D)
"New Film Leaves Out Religious Parts"
What information will the reader find in the article's introduction [paragraphs 1-3]?
(A)
when the book "A Wrinkle in Time" first came out
(B)
when the movie based on "A Wrinkle in Time" came out
(C)
why Gandhi, Einstein and Buddha come together with Jesus in "A Wrinkle in
Time"
(D)
why Gandhi, Einstein and Buddha appear in the book "A Wrinkle in Time"
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
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