December 2023 MBR The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Becoming Angels in Paradise
Benjamin Freeman
Book Baby Publishers
www.bookbaby.com
9798350912791, $18.99, PB, 262pp

https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Angels-Paradise-how-book/dp/B0CKL151V5

Synopsis: Recently found scientific facts allowed Benjamin Freeman to use a scripturally supported variant of the scientific method to meld the major holy books with each other and with overlapping secular truth.

With the publication of "Becoming Angels in Paradise", Freeman shows that modern science proves that Judeo-Christians should see the Qur'an as the Bible's third testament, this book then offers compelling support for somewhat unique interpretations of the Noah's Ark, Garden of Eden, Armageddon, and the crucifixion stories.

A major overarching theme of "Becoming Angels in Paradise" is that working cooperatively for mutually advantageous gains is an enlightened form of selfishness in our inter-dependent post-atomic era. While most people believe that being far more cooperative, compassionate and long term oriented goes against human nature, this book suggests that we only believe this because people have behaved in an atypically greedy, violent, and predatory way for the last few thousand years.

Because of the circumstances of the pre-modern era, the uniquely violent, predatory, greedy, and oppressive ways of thinking of our post-nation state ancestors eventually spread to the entire world. But just as the circumstances which prevailed in pre-modern hierarchically organized nation states generated an atypically oppressive, mistrustful and overly selfish interactive pattern, objective post-modern circumstances make it advantageous to become far more cooperative, long-term oriented and compassionate.

By carefully considering the evidence of biology and anthropology, "Becoming Angels in Paradise" shows that most animals, including humans for 95% of our time on earth, cooperate far more with members of their own communities than we have since the ruling classes of early middle eastern farming-based nation states reversed this more normally cooperative interactive pattern.

"Becoming Angels in Paradise" then goes on to show that the complementary teachings of Jesus, Buddha, neurology, and psychology suggest a pathway to becoming so cooperative and compassionate that our attitude could be characterized as universal loving compassion.

In these and related ways, "Becoming Angels in Paradise" demonstrates that God, post-modern circumstances, and secular evidence jointly generate a blueprint for replacing the "unparalleled catastrophe" we are currently heading towards with the creation of a much more cooperative, compassionate, fulfilling, and sustainable future.

Based on the evidence alluded to so far in the first half of this book, the next few chapters present a specific action plan for replacing what Einstein and an increasingly large percent of humanity see as the "unparalleled catastrophe" we are heading towards with a sustainable near future. By continuing in the same more cooperative and compassionate direction, the last third of the book suggests how the much more fulfilling and appropriately modified world of 2060 could change further to resemble the "kingdom" which Jesus lived and died to promote - which the Qu'ran calls "paradise" and Buddha called "the golden age."

By combining the suggested changes in behavior, attitudes, social morays, spiritual/religious growth, and societal systems with predictable medical and related advances, we can see how we could eventually become like the angels who God empowered to watch over evolution and then humanity.

As we see, the divinely supported blueprint for post-modern change becomes a specific plan for evolving from predatory tools wielding individual animals to a cooperative collective of angels living in harmony with the biosphere and the larger cosmos. In this sense, it is a "how to" book for creating real hope that we can co-create a much better future if we just followed what God, post-modern circumstances, and science suggest?

Critique: Eloquent, erudite, informative, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Becoming Angels in Paradise" is an inherently fascinating read and especially recommended for personal, community, seminary, and academic library Comparative Religion & Theology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Becoming Angels in Paradise" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review