This book, written by authors Lynn Pickett and Clive Prince, is an intriguing look at some of the historical threads which have persisted throughout history since biblical times. The overall view is that there are, and have always been, wide diversity in how the stories about Jesus’ time on earth have been revered and interpreted. “We had to remind ourselves, however, that there are always pilgrims, always fervent believers, in any or in every, thing, and that belief is in itself not a measure of historical authenticity.” (p 58)

The authors basically let the reader in on their own exploration of various “heretical” (to the Church, at least) beliefs, sharing with us the paths down which their questioning led them. They discuss the Knights Templar, the subsequent developments of this movement, such as the Free Masons and its many iterations, the Priory of Sion, etc. They look at the truths contained in extra-bibilical sources, such as the Gnostic Gospels, as well as looking at the biblical accounts themselves. They explore traditions rejected (and persecuted) by the Church, such as the Cathars and others. They look at some works of art, particularly those of Leonardo da Vinci. Apparently da Vinci was a Grand Master of the Priory of Sion.

This book looks at traditions surrounding the biblical characters of John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, etc. They look at ideologies such as Sophia, or wisdom, usually treated as female wisdom. And they look at some possible historical roots of these various ideas, usually being able to connect them to ancient Egyptian beliefs. The stories of Isis and Osiris in this tradition often come to the forefront in the authors’ investigations.

Underlying the threads of their investigation is the fact that throughout history much of this truth has been considered threatening to the Church. So, to avoid persecution from organized religion, these secrets have been zealously guarded.

One way or another, the Magdalene holds the key to a great mystery, one that has been jealously and ruthlessly guarded for centuries. And part of this secret intimately involves John the Baptist (and/or perhaps John the Evangelist). Once we realized that there was such a secret, we were keen to dust off the cobwebs of history as quickly as possible and throw some light on it. . . . All we knew was that all the evidence points to the mystery being constructed over foundations that essentially comprised Sophia and John. Those themes were central–but we had no idea why, although one clue lay in the fact that whatever the secret is, it is certainly not one that would reinforce the Church’s authority. Indeed, this great unknown heresy would seem to pose the greatest threat, not just to Catholicism, but to Christianity as we know it. The groups who kept the secret clearly believed themselves to have been in possession of some knowledge about the real origins of Christianity, and even about Jesus himself. (p 222)

In a sense, this book continues the line of thinking begun by The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, a book by Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln. Ideas such as Jesus and Mary Magdalene being married, Mary Magdalene living out her life in southern France, are all considered. These themes were later taken up by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, and then made into a movie.

As Picknett and Prince conclude their book, The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ, they state this:

We have traced the continuing line of ‘heretical’ belief in Europe, the underground stream of goddess mystery, of sexual alchemy and of the secrets that surround John the Baptist. The heretics have, we believe, held the keys to the truth about the historical Church of Rome. We have presented their case in these pages, step by step as we ourselves made the discoveries and saw the overall picture emerging from the welter of information–and, indeed, of misinformation. (p 364)

 

Yet if any one lesson can be gleaned from the journey we undertook in this investigation and the discoveries we made, it is not so much that the heretics have been right and the Church wrong. It is that there is a need, not for more jealously guarded secrets and holy wars, but for tolerance and an openness to new ideas, free from prejudice and preconception. (p 365)

There is a lot of information in this somewhat lengthy treatment of the subject, but it is well worth wading through for those interested in such esoteric ideas. It will make you think, and perhaps reconsider and inform some long-held beliefs. Let me know what you think!

Love Wins, by Rob Bell, is a refreshing look at conservative, evangelical theology. Bell articulately addresses some of the core problems of this brand of Christianity, and gently leads his readers into a new way of looking at some of the pet doctrines which have become so divisive among Christians. The title says it all. Love wins! God is love. Period. Bell goes through all the doctrines of heaven, hell, judgement, who God is, who Jesus is, etc. He gives us a different way of looking at these ideologies, and does it in a way completely consistent with biblical theology.

For me the most powerfully compelling section of the book is the second last chapter where he provides some intriguing persecutive on the biblical story of the prodigal son. If we are honest within ourselves, we have to admit that most of us are closer to the elder son than to the younger. We have defined God as one whom we serve, whose word we never disobey. We also do not believe that we deserve anything better than a small goat (which doesn’t give a whole lot of meat!!!) with which to celebrate. And so we resent our brother who lives a self-indulgent life of dissipation, and receives a fatted calf. Our view of God defines how we live our lives, how we experience life, how we experience God, heaven, hell.

For myself, I have already moved well beyond the biblical concepts I was raised in, and have spent most of my life believing and living out. So in my case Rob Bell is “preaching to the choir”! But for anyone still struggling to reconcile their often conflicting ideas of God, this is a refreshing read. I recommend this little book to all my evangelical, conservative friends!!! And I would welcome discussion of Bell’s view of God and judgement.

I have read so much about near-death experiences. This book, The Afterlife of Billy Fingers, is about an after-death experience. A few weeks after his death, William Cohen, aka Billy Fingers, begins communicating with his sister, Annie Kagan, sharing with her his experiences in the afterlife he finds himself in.

Annie’s brother Billy had lived a life most people would classify as loser: homeless, a drug addict, shiftless, he was killed by a car he drunkenly ran out in front of. His entire 62 years of life had been spent in reaction to his addictions, never amounting to anything. After hearing of his death from the police, Annie begins hearing Billy’s voice. He tells her what he is experiencing in his afterlife.

Several reactions: first, Billy’s experience is entirely consistent with everything else I have ever read on the afterlife. While each person’s experience is unique in some ways, there is entirely too much consistency in all these experiences to be brushed aside. Billy’s tale only solidifies the knowledge which exists about what happens to us after we die. Whether it is through near-death experiences, after-death experiences (like Billy’s), out-of-body experiences, soul-regression experiences (such as I have had), all show a remarkable consistency. Yes, our uniqueness carries through after we die, and each of our after-life experiences will reflect this uniqueness; but there is so much that is similar, that there is undeniable consistency in what we go through after our life on earth is complete.

Second, Billy’s experience teaches us we cannot judge another person’s life based on worldly values of success and failure. Billy apparently had agreed to live this life which society labels “loser”. Again, this is entirely consistent with what I have learned so far about the contracts we agree to before being born into our lives.

A third reaction: Annie’s story of her encounters with her brother from his afterlife is so well written, so entertaining to read, and accessible on so many levels, that this is a worthwhile book to pursue no matter what your interest may be on such subjects. It is a beautiful story, so full of hope, so full of joy and encouragement, anyone would benefit from reading this delightful little story.

I wrote a review on the first of five books titled Millennial Hospitality a couple months ago. As anticipated in that review, I have thoroughly enjoyed the subsequent books, Millennial Hospitality II, III, IV, V. They continue the fascinating story of the first book, the author’s interactions with alien beings in the Nevada desert during his tour of duty in the ’60’s as a weather observer.

MH III tells the story of Charlie Hall’s tour of duty in Vietnam, where he went after a couple years at Nellis AFB in Nevada. That story alone is a fascinating inside account of that war, which my generation is still trying to come to grips with.

But, obviously the most fascinating part of Hall’s stories have to do with his encounters with aliens from other planets.

Apparently the tall whites, the race he had most of his experiences with, have had a base in the southern Nevada desert for centuries. The Teacher, a tall white with whom he had many encounters, had seen the first settlers arriving in that part of the country. These beings live a lot longer than humans, often to seven or eight hundred years. And as a young girl, the Teacher had watched from the darkness as pioneers gathered around campfires in the evening.

Hall assisted the Teacher and another young female alien to gain a sense of what humans wear, especially human females. He would leave catalogues out for them to peruse. They would apparently then go shopping in nearby Las Vegas, sometimes appearing to him when he was off duty at one of the casinos, to get his appraisal of their appearance. With enough makeup, and dark glasses, they could meld with the crowds and not attract attention. Their chalk-white skin could be somewhat covered up. They learned to walk in earth gravity without appearing awkward. But they could not play the tables without attracting undue attention because of their ability to sense which cards were coming up!

In book V Hall is given another assignment, in another part of the desert, where he encounters another race of aliens. He calls these the Grays. His encounters with them were not near as extensive as his months and months of encounters with the Tall Whites. He was in the vicinity of the Grays only for a few weeks. And they were somewhat different from the tall whites, seemingly not quite as advanced technologically. But like the Tall Whites they had structures hidden in the desert. They also were quite nervous about approaching a human at close range, and Hall had to learn how to allow them space for encounters.

In the last part of book V Hall presents some conjecture about what could have happened at Roswell, based on his knowledge and experience from his encounters with the alien races. It is a fascinating proposal, and one which is entirely consistent with what he learned about how they come and go, how their society is structured and so on.

I am left with a few questions after reading these five books. The main one is that there were accounts of American Generals knowing about these aliens, and interacting with them. Indeed the Generals were often instrumental in helping the aliens attain their objectives in encountering humans.

This begs the question of why the aliens were so frightened of encountering a human out in the desert. They already had a history of interacting with the Generals, and would make their wishes known to someone in the Pentagon. Hall would receive orders originating in the Pentagon which his immediate superiors at Nellis could not go against. They were not allowed to question Hall, but to allow him to do pretty much as he chose within certain guidelines understood by all.

Charles Hall picked up enough tidbits of information that led him to believe that American Generals had been taken by alien spacecraft to the moon and beyond.

Now I have absolutely no problem believing that there is a lot going on behind the scenes dealing with very powerful interests. Some of the things strain my credulity a bit. But I am trying to be open about what could very well be happening. This just makes me wish the American government would come clean, and disclose to the public the extent of their dealings with alien races. I am convinced it is happening, and has happened for decades, but would like to know more details.