Though saddled with the burden of tangible proof, Alexander’s impassioned report nevertheless forms a buoyant testimonial.
An afterlife proponent expounds upon the existence of heaven.
Academic neurosurgeon Alexander (Proof of Heaven: A Journey into the Afterlife, 2012) further mines the metaphysical terrain he claims to have encountered while in a coma in 2008 as well as the transformational effects it had on his mental and spiritual perceptions. With generous references to the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, the author also includes theories from an array of historic physicists and scientists, along with supportive letters and stories from people who endured near-death experiences and emerged psychologically transformed. Most support his belief in the existence of “a series of supraphysical realms” beyond the physical plane, which he believes carries answers to our true origins and our future. Alexander believes all earthbound human beings possess latent suppressed memories of visiting a heavenly dominion, and both belief and acceptance will spiritually usher us to return to it. Doing so, he writes, also requires a basic understanding of a series of complimentary, self-explanatory “gifts”: knowledge, meaning, vision, strength, belonging, joy and hope. Though neuroscience is Alexander’s field, his newly enhanced spirituality and belief in the preternatural are firmly asserted throughout a text written with assertive yet compassionate prose. An optimistic visionary, the author believes the coming era will be challenging, tarnished with the kind of anxious concern that could very well be mitigated by a belief in heaven and the afterlife. Skeptics will have a field day with the author’s frequently nebulous correlations and real-life anecdotes of post-mortem butterflies and levitating orbs, but Alexander does provide a larger concept of collective consciousness moving souls onward toward an otherworldly plane where serenity, compassion and goodness prevail. However, Alexander argues, courage, a true heart and an open mind are required to appreciate these gifts.
Though saddled with the burden of tangible proof, Alexander’s impassioned report nevertheless forms a buoyant testimonial.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1476766393
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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