CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., Dec. 15, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- A rebirth in the new age is set to begin as Xlibris announces the release of Renaissance II, a compelling new book exploring mankind's existence and purpose written by author Donn O'Connor. The text is a synthesis of: Christianity; the philosophy of Plato; deism, which holds that God allows us to determine our own destiny, a belief held by Founding Fathers Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and also by President Lincoln; and certain principles of science -- all of which tend to contribute toward a rational explanation of human existence.
The author had not seriously explored Plato's philosophy until a speaker at a business seminar spoke of Plato's teachings, including reincarnation. The concept was sufficiently intriguing for him to investigate what the Bible said regarding the subject. What he found to be most startling was Jesus' emphatic statement that John the Baptist was Elijah, the Old Testament prophet. In addition, there appeared to be many more favorable indications -- Jesus' prolonged discussion with Nicodemus regarding rebirth, for example -- than there were unfavorable references. Another unusual result was produced: when the reading was finished, the author had independently recreated 17th Century deism, a belief of which he had no prior knowledge.
Surprises continued when his research indicated that Christian theology itself was based primarily on Platonism -- except that Plato's central principle, reincarnation, had obviously been ignored. Yet, as such theology was being developed, a belief in reincarnation had been openly accepted and disseminated by the prominent Church Father Origen, virtually all of the Greek Church Fathers, several bishops, some canonized saints, and it was even being taught essentially as a doctrine in several Christian schools of the early period. Also, St. Augustine had predicted that Platonism would "unlock the treasures of the faith," and we must wonder, why had Augustine concluded that at least certain Christian truths had not been revealed? It appears that reincarnation may have been locked out of Christian belief, and its exclusion may have resulted not because of the decisions of Church authorities but by actions of Roman Emperor Justinian I, who by historical evaluations was not a good Christian. The final irony is that religious scholars apparently can find no evidence that non-doctrinal reincarnation has ever been condemned by a Church Council. Stranger yet is that two Councils, meeting in 1274 and 1439, apparently assumed that reincarnation previously had been condemned.
The book also investigates how recent scientific discoveries in quantum physics assist in clarifying certain philosophical/religious aspects of our existence, such as how free will, grace, and human thought processes may function, which, by logical extension, indicate that evil cannot exist within the perfect creation of a benign God. While this claim may seem obviously to be at variance with what we observe in the world, the Bible explicitly states that God does in fact convert evil into good, just as Christian theologians also claim in attempting to justify the suffering of innocents, but how such conversions come about remains unexplained -- while disbarred reincarnation readily resolves the matter. Of course, if evil does exist in the world, we must conclude either that God causes the evil or, perhaps even worse, that he stands idly by while humans perform the deeds.
Those who are interested in how such strange matters might work out can order a copy of Donn O'Connor's Renaissance II online at Xlibris.com or by visiting their nearest book retailer.
About the Author
The author is a decorated veteran of the Korean War and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, having earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He has devoted his career to the insurance industry, serving in administration, marketing, and sales, and is now retired and living on the Blue Ridge Mountains in West Virginia. In addition to Renaissance II, he has had two short stories published, hopes to have a collection of stories published, and is presently working on a novel.
Renaissance II * by Donn O'Connor
Rebirth in the New Clear Age
Publication Date: December 13, 2006
Trade Paperback; $26.99; 553 pages; 1-4257-2596-1; 978-1-4257-2596-9
Cloth Hardback; $36.99; 553 pages; 1-4257-2597-X; 978-1-4257-2597-6
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 472. Tearsheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x.876.
Xlibris books can be purchased in any major bookstore, or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders or Xlibris. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.