BOOKS IN A BLOG

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Man and his Planet: An Unauthorized History

In his book, ‘Man and his Planet: An Unauthorized History,’ James E. Strickling Jr. presents an analysis of a topic that has been debated by scholars, scientists, and religious leaders for generations - Creation versus Evolution. In his book, he examines both sides and provides an argument that refutes both their conclusions. His argument is based on the following specific line of reasoning: “Natural selection is Science’s equivalent to religious fundamentalism and Creationist’s interpretation of the origin of life as the ‘Great Mistake.’” The overall objective of ‘Man and his Planet’ is to show that the creationists’ “fixity of species” and the evolutionists’ “very orderly gradual evolution of life on earth” are in error, and it is disadvantageous for them not to listen to opposing views as there is another potential alternative to how life emerged and evolved.

Strickling contends that “the creationist system of belief offers little value to our understanding and enlightenment.” He also challenges the evolutionary concept of speciation by natural selection by arguing: “By surviving, it produces a circle; the surviving species survive because they are the fittest, and they are adjudged to be the fittest because they survive. Explains nothing - survived has survived. There are no facts to support speciation by natural selection.” Instead, Strickling argues that natural selection allows a species to maintain its identity by means of natural selection.

Strickling provides an account of the Standard Geological Column Geological Record where the picture presented is a very orderly gradual evolution of life on earth. He details an assessment of Uniformitarianism vs. Catastrophism and argues that speciation is accelerated in times of catastrophe such as the ends of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods that were marked by extinction on a global scale. He contends Uniformitarianism does not satisfactorily explain evolution by natural selection.

Strickling provides a possible alternative that takes into account ancient documents that reveal natural electrical phenomena. The idea is that matter emerged from energy. That is, a burst of energy erupted and subsequently transformed to matter. This theory is comparable to the scientific ‘Big Bang Theory’ as well as to Deepak Chopra’s spiritual system of beliefs pertaining to energy which asserts that there is an elaborate connection between quantum physics and consciousness. According to Chopra, "We are each a localized field of energy and information with cybernetic feedback loops interacting within a non-local field of energy and information."

‘Man and his Planet: An Unauthorized History,’ provides an intriguing look into the origins of life with a compelling critique of established religious and scientific explanations. I found myself appreciating the arguments presented while agreeing with some and disagreeing with others, such as Man’s inability to impact the global climate. ‘Man and his Planet: An Unauthorized History’ is highly recommended as a book well worth debate and readers will gain insight into another way of looking at how the earth evolved without feeling like their own beliefs are being judged or ridiculed.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Breaking Ground: The Horeb Anomaly



In his novel, ‘Breaking Ground: The Horeb Anomaly,’ author Robert J. Cornell tells a story of a quest to decipher and locate an ancient artifact known as the “Perfection of Paradise” This ancient artifact holds the key to learning the truth about the history of mankind.

The novel begins by providing a historical account of the significance of the “Perfection of Paradise” which dates back to Egypt, 2150 BC. Readers will learn how Moses the Priest, the last priest of the ancient knowledge and protector of the artifact, steals it from the Pharaoh to keep it out of hands of those seeking tyrannical power, as the ‘Perfection of Paradise’ is a great source of immense power. As well, an account is given of those, who throughout history, have gone to great measures to get rid of ancient artifacts.

The plot of the story begins in 2021, where Victor Finn, a wealthy businessman and head of the organization The Finn Group, discovers an ancient scroll in an unknown language and assembles a team of scientific researchers and military personnel to translate the scroll. He finances an excavation quest to Jordan to learn the secrets of the scrolls and locate the “Perfection of Paradise.” The central characters Jack Butler, a former special –ops officer, and Holly Webster, an expert in ancient language translation, along with the rest of the team begin a dangerous journey of following the clues the scroll offers to locate the ‘Perfection of Paradise’ and  acquire knowledge that would change Man’s view of the history of humanity. Their journey becomes dangerous and even life threatening as they contend with an ominous group known as the ‘Brotherhood,’ and their leader Al Fatima who tries to stop them from securing the artifact so that he can suppress historical knowledge that is not consistent with Man’s long held beliefs about the history of human civilization.

‘Breaking Ground: The Horeb Anomaly,’ is an exciting adventure story that integrates Biblical accounts and themes, particularly the theme based on the narrative from the Book of Exodus about the making of a golden idol by Aaron at Mount Sinai for the Israelites to worship. As well, the action and plot is a much like a blend of the ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘The Davinci Code’ adventure movies. Readers will enjoy following the quest and the obstacles the characters must overcome both personally and professionally in order to complete their quest. The outcome of the quest and the climatic conflict will surprise readers. The story is filled with vividly described settings and action packed scenes that will engage readers’ imaginations. ‘Breaking Ground: The Horeb Anomaly,’ is highly recommended to readers who enjoy page-turning action packed stories written within a biblical and historical framework.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services