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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. Once the author shows that modern science proves that Judeo-Christians should see the Qur'an as the Bible's third testament , this book offers compelling support for somewhat unique interpretations of the Noah's Ark, Garden of Eden, Armageddon, and the crucifixion stories.
While most people believe that being far more cooperative, compassionate and long term oriented goes against human nature, this book demonstrates that we only believe this because people have behaved in an atypically greedy, violent, and predatory way for the last few thousand years. By carefully considering the evidence of biology and anthropology, this book shows that most animals, including humans for 95% of our time on earth, cooperate far more with members of their own communities than we do. In fact, our descent into an excessively predatory and fear based interactive pattern was a situation specific response to living in farming based and hierarchically organized nation states. But now that we live in an inter-dependent post-atomic era, it is appropriate for us to adopt an interactive pattern which could be characterized as "working cooperatively for mutually advantageous gains is an enlightened form of selfishness." The book then shows 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.
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 –As we follow this path, we will evolve from the somewhat predatory animals that we are to becoming like angels living in paradise.
The dec 2023 edition of "Small Press Bookwatch" features the following review of this book: "Eloquent, erudite, Informative, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Becoming Angels in Paradise" is an inherently fascinating read." Similarly, Kirkus says:
"While not all readers will be convinced by the author's religious interpretations, the book nevertheless poses compelling questions about the intersection of religious and scientific ideas, from computer simulations to multiverse theories. While critical of traditional Christianity—arguing, for instance, that Christians since the fourth century have stripped Jesus of his core socialist message—Freeman is generally inclusive of multiple religions, blending Abrahamic doctrines with Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Greek mythology. An idiosyncratic, frequently intriguing study of angels and humanity's future."
In summary, "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.
