PREFACE
They say life's a journey, that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, that nothing is really what it appears to be. Cliché right? Like it or not, behind each of these mantras looms a specter of reality, a glimmer of undeniable truth. Looking back throughout the relatively brief span of my years, I can say without hesitation that all these notions are profound in the ramifications of what we all have experienced, the implications of what happens to each of us now, and the promise of what is yet to come…
My life, perhaps like those of so many others, has taken a course far different than what I had anticipated. Whatever that path may have once been expected to be, I have since come to find myself utterly dedicated to exposing the often hidden connections between ancient ideologies and new dogmas, and discussing why we absolutely must recognize the significance of each both separately and together as a whole. This quest of mine, brought to life in this volume and beyond, is about revealing ages and locales both familiar and foreign, illuminating high notions and deceitful ambitions, tangibly demonstrating noble promises and primal lies. My work as a whole is one of rebellion and turmoil and fateful catastrophe, the great raging storm and a fresh iteration beyond. It is about dragons, about beast and fowl and man, about our origins, generations, and legacies. It is a work of ascended myth and timeless truths, ancient, present, endless. Most of all, this quest of mine, this work I am so dedicated to - reflected extensively here in this volume - is for all those who have never seen the Light, for those who unknowingly long to be led by it, and for those who need to see it again…
I understand that, for many, my calling is regrettably quixotic; a tragic fool’s errand. Even so, I have my reasons, and they are as imposing to me as a vast mountain, and as nonnegotiable as death in their sway. To understand for yourself why I have pursued this quest it is crucial that you first know me, and that is where our adventure begins in this volume, with my own story. I was a much different person in the past, a man so sure of nature’s ability that I left no room for God, so much so that I was hostile toward the whole notion of His being. My calling now, it seems, is inexorably anchored to my former self, who I was, where I have been, and of how through the sin and confusion of the world in which I wallowed, God reached forth and drew me to Him, opening my eyes and my heart and my mind so that I could at last recognize the truth before me. That truth of course is that this reality in which we live may only be a shadow thinly covering the real nature of our existence. That perspective, painted in vivid shades of clear evidence and careful inference, make up the remainder of this particular volume.
We invariably are assured by the great secular thinkers of our society that nature is, in effect, god-like. Nature, many say, is unfathomably ancient in span, boundless in size, unimaginably creative in her capacity to spawn life and fill ecological voids. From this position is born naturalism, a worldview devoid of any bothersome supernatural intrusions. Does the sum of the evidence actually attest to this notion? Is naturalism, with its pillars of evolution and deep-time, as solid as it is proclaimed? Alternatively, is there some greater reality that we are missing?
Daniel Kahneman, the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and the Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Princeton University wrote that “We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness.”1 Yes, it’s abundantly easy to miss the obvious sometimes, but for many there is a whole other level of blindness at work. How many overlook those evident features not because of their own failings, but because others even blinder than themselves have led them to such false conclusions? How long does the deception persist, how deep does the rabbit hole go? After generations of blind thought and a stubborn reliance upon naturalism as the best and most scientific perspective of our reality, is it possible that many among the intelligentsia have simply been shielded to the obvious by their teachers and peers, people who themselves were blinded by their teachers and peers and so-on, until now theirs is a calling to perpetrate the same notions in the broadest mediums possible, essentially obscuring the vision of those who look up to them for answers? Is there any hope at all to break the cycle? I am living proof of the possibly.
Looking critically at the disparate fields of science, history, and philosophy, even taking into consideration various personal experiences, one is hard-pressed to simply and easily accept those secular notions any longer. Something, it seems, is being lost in transmission between the critical evidences and the interpretations we are fed concerning them.
Have we all been blinded to a degree? Do we all, each and every one of us, stand on ground that has - at least to some extent - been built upon misconceptions? As Edmund Spencer warned us, “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance. That principle is condemnation before investigation.” We must be diligent. We absolutely cannot allow ourselves to rule out any given scenario simply because it doesn’t seem to fit our expectations, or we may very well miss the truth we seek. Truth, you see, must account for all of the evidence, physical and Scriptural, not just that which is convenient, for fact remains sound no matter what one’s interpretation of it may be.
Could it all just be coincidence, these “evidences” that contest the status quo? If so, at what point does coincidence transcend the boundary of doubt, when all rational consideration turns on itself, leaving the incredible as the only viable answer? Sometimes, in spite of the naturalists’ most ardent protestations, the most logical answer is, in fact, the least rational. It is only then, when the evidence is thoughtfully considered in whole, that the reality of the situation become apparent; partial considerations only lead one away from the truth. How many though, ignore portions of reality - overlooking various aspects of our world - in order to accommodate their preconceptions? Such limited conclusions are, as a result, inadequate to address the true nature of things. After all, a valid conclusion should be the very moment in time and reasoning where multiple lines of inquiry intersect at a common point, where doubts can be dismissed in the light of cumulative knowledge. It is to see the big picture with clarity, and know it is the truth. There can only be one truth, and it renders all other options obsolete. How can such a point be achieved without honestly and carefully considering every aspect of a given question?
In preparing for this book, I relied on my experience in research, seeking unconventional sources as often as those of the mainstream, peeking beneath each rock and bush to see what scurried around in the dark. My fascination with science came to the forefront time and again, and everywhere I looked offered up another sign of hyperdimensional intent. I didn’t take long at all to realize that what stood to be said would be nothing short of daunting in terms of scope and implication.
In many ways, this has been a process of refinement. I changed, as a writer and artist, into a more capable individual than I once was. I changed, as a researcher, by understanding that the limitations we impose on the world may only in fact be limitations to our own ability to recognize reality as it truly is. I changed, as a believer, in learning to see beyond my natural doubt. I am yet changing, even now, into something more as I yield to a particular beckoning…
It hasn’t always been easy. There were several instances where I came face to face with problems concerning my expectations, conflicts between my understanding of science and history and the narrative of Scripture. In these moments I found it best not to fall prey to the ravages of doubt, effectively casting my faith out the window in order to accept the popular, easy answer. I moved on. I tackled the next issue, and the one beyond that, until at last something would break through and an epiphany would light up the darkness. Each time as I revisited that old conflict I found a promising answer now ready. Time and again, the answers came; it often made me think of Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God…”
In the end, allow me to make it abundantly clear that this work is not just another attack on secular naturalism. This work is a personal quest to share that which brought me to the faith, to demonstrate that this world is much different than any secular source is comfortable with, or even capable of, admitting. It is for opening the eyes of those who may yet be blind, those lingering in bondage to the sway of sin, just as it is for those failing believers who, in facing mountains of purported “evidence” in favor of naturalism, may need a touch of hope. A whole new reality lies in wait for those who can trust long enough to glimpse the truth. I was completely unprepared for it when it was revealed to me, and it took great effort to adjust to the new reality around me afterwards. Looking back, it couldn't have been...