Monica Migliorino Miller is a Catholic scholar who always delights the reader with a perfect balance between fact, opinion, and education. This slim book did not disappoint. Covering the first three chapters of Genesis, In the Beginning takes us on a journey through the love of God, the existence of the human person, and the propensity man has to fall so easily from grace. Miller tells us that the real crisis confronting every thinking human being is the clash between the majesty of God’s perfect creation and man’s desire to be the only god that matters.
This attitude reflects the tenets of Gnosticism, a pagan belief that, among other things, espouses that Jesus was fiction and that the God of the Old Testament was evil. Through Miller’s insights we encounter Gnosticism in the context of creation itself, and we begin to recognize the deep-seated nature of sin. As she writes, “The modern Gnostic feminist sees differentiation, most especially the differences between embodied males and females, as the foundation of inequality and injustice.”
The unpacking of this outrageous tenet alone is enough to make this book a must read for any believer, but this is only a taste of what is to come. In her exploration of God’s miraculous plan for the procreation of children, Miller tells us that Genesis 1:26 blows away any idea the Gnostic feminist may have about fertility being a curse rather than a blessing. The biblical verse states, “God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
In other words, nothing happens by accident because all of creation flows from God’s creative mind. It is on this basis that Miller challenges the very idea of contraception and exposes the rotten underbelly of that attack on a woman’s ability to bear children.
Though many claim contraception is a “good,” In the Beginning addresses why Catholic teaching prohibits its use. Miller relies on papal teaching, the brilliance of Saints Augustine and Aquinas, and the common sense associated with objective examination of the facts regarding human sexuality and nature as God intended.
Miller’s examination of the first three chapters of Genesis is crammed full of nuggets. Because she is a professor, her craft contributes to a deep analysis of what it means to be a human person and why God matters.
Without giving away the glorious conclusion of this masterpiece, let me say that it was an honor to read this book and to share just a snippet of its awesome content with you. Every pro-life person should not only read this but should thank God for Dr. Miller’s insights.
In the Beginning by Monica Migliorino Miller, Catholic Answers Press, 2024, 170 pp.
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