I recently read Master of the World by Jules Verne. The book was interesting, but most interesting was the introduction. This stated:
"And the irony is that Edgar Allan Poe, a materialist, is best know (sic) for his tales of the supernatural; while Jules Verne, a convinced Catholic, has no supernatural elements in his stories. Verne believes in God, but expresses his belief in divine Providence through reason and explorations of the wonders of a logical and orderly universe, where science is the key to greater understanding of reality and of human progress." (Introduction by Robert A W Lowndes).
I don't think that this is ironic. Edgar Allan Poe was determined to deny the reality of God. In order to deny that reality he was willing to admit the supernatural. In contrast, Jules Verne (who was far from perfect in his view of God) believed that God had ordained laws, and that just as we can depend on God we can depend on His laws for a consistant reality. Gravity consistently applies, because God is who He is.
There are few things as reality-denying as a hardened atheist.
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