Publisher's Synopsis
The Serpent Poured Water, by John G Biggs This story is about belief in the United States, a story that starts with my family, what they came to believe and why they changed even after decades of Methodist tradition. I was living with my grandmother as her 5 children and 24 grandchildren divided over disagreements about the "true religion." Family members became Mormon, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and various types of Baptists leaving grandmother wondering what had caused such confusion. Most say they believe the King James Bible defines God and his plan for Humankind. My attempt to understand their reasons for picking a particular doctrine over others has spanned several years and led me to examine many different beliefs. The IRS estimated the number of protestant denominations to be around 400 in 1996, and estimates grew to over 23,000 in 2012. Protestants represent only one segment in this amazing proliferation of religions. What do these movements teach? Where do they find their revelation? How do they spread their message and do logic, truth, or fact matter; is there any truth at all in the chaos called religion. The results are surprising and according to the first reader, "everyone needs to read this book." The book focuses on 18 larger religions and attempts to show what their practitioners believe. It examines the likely sources of their belief, and more importantly, how these doctrines affect their behavior...? The Book contains references from several Bible translations, the Koran, The Book of Mormon, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Clergy interviews and other religious or church documents. It examines the origins of the bible and religious traditions. The quotes from the Koran help us understand Muslim behavior and the number of its translations; the confusion. My experiences with religion in the US Army's Fort Detrick chemical and biological research center informed me about life in a way that may have jaundiced my views; readers can decide. In the early part of the book, I tell personal stories, some funny and others touching, all told to help readers understand any bias I may have. Some stories are about people with views formed by eastern religion. I tell stories about results in cellular biology and in quantum physics research. It is impossible to fathom how those results will affect belief once they become widely known. In April 2014, I completed a second 4 year term as Mayor of a town with a population of about 12,000 people. I was re-elected in 2014 and continue to witness religious differences among constituent affect their politics. As only one example, My Catholic friends helped me with a smoking ban. My Baptist friends opposed it; losing an unbinding vote of the people but defeating the issue by a vote of one city council person who sincerely believes that the freedom of business outweighs the health of employees and citizens, contending that we are all free to avoid such businesses. "We are all free to choose but we are not free from the consequences of our choices." John G. Biggs http: //www.bookartprint.com Amazon.com ISBN-13:978-1500837334
