I cannot recommend this book too strongly for anyone serious about understanding both our human past and the implications of it for our current evolution of consciousness and improvement of society. I do a lot of reading in several related disciplines and this has been the single most helpful book I have read in many years. It has connected the dots in some key areas where I had yet had "blanks."
My extensive formal and personal study in Christian theology/Biblical studies, psychology, cosmology, the "paranormal," and such have led me to find that virtually every element of the author's historical reconstruction rings true. That is not to deny that some aspects of it are necessarily a bit speculative, as Von Ward would acknowledge. But the critical outline of the story is significantly in tune with the clear implications coming out of the fields mentioned, and others, particularly archaeology.
Especially helpful and on-the-money is Von Ward's explanation of how and why theology and science, via the institutions that drive them, both avoid the kind of observations he brings out. This is massively important for our society and the world. He has new conclusions I've not encountered before, but they are based on solid work by many scholars in various fields. Now, these scholars are often not in the mainstream for the very reason that the mainstream tends to avoid looking at the larger picture.
So, if you are tied to only conventional, "accepted" authorities, this book may not be convincing. Still, I'd hope you would give it a hearing, and perhaps follow up on some of the many great footnotes and bibliography, which are extensive. All readers: do take the time to look up the footnotes, even if you read them all at once as I tend to often, to avoid constant flipping back and forth--there are many gems there.
This book is so valuable, I wish there were a way to get it to be standard reading, at least in the many relevant courses in a college curriculum. It is important as a stimulator of further questioning and research, as well as in its conclusions. Besides academia, it is a must-read for all serious seekers of an understanding of where we come from and where we are going--and OUR OWN POWER to affect that.
(5 of 5 Bookmarks!)
