3 out of 4 stars
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Peace.........the final frontier. Lyle R. Strathman tries to boldly take us where no man has gone before in his book Toward Peace (Truth is the Agent That Mediates Harmony). Strathman philosophically and scientifically expounds upon that title and his ideas for human achievement of peace and harmony for the remainder of the book. This book is very heavy and in-depth and is not for the casual reader. However, if you are a reader who is intrigued by philosophy, science, and differing political and religious viewpoints then this is the book for you.
There is hardly an area of political or religious/secular thought that is not touched upon in this book. The author covers Laissez-faireism, Fundamentalism, Collectivism, Liberalism, Socialism, Democratism, Republicanism and even Communism. He even goes so far as to explain each idealogical system and then break down the differences and subcategories in each system (i.e. majority rule democratism, that is proletariat democratism whether Fundamental or Laissez-faire majority ruled. Fundamental or Laissez-fair singular, secular socialism). While this all may sound like a buzzkill to most of us, it is a huge eye opener and one that is needed for the majority of our population who have no idea what any of this means and how it is affecting us. The religious aspect was covered quite nicely for most of the book, I thought. The author notes that most religions over the years have agreed on the main points of living a peaceful lifestyle, and although he divulges his religious thought later in the book, he acknowledges that all of these religions had a picture of God that was incomplete and that they were trying to reach out to God. I love that even as a religious man, he does not condemn others at any point. That is true religion and true peace. I learned a ton, and anyone interested in these things would enjoy the analytical yet descriptive style the author displays.
I liked this book for as many reasons. I grew up in a religious home, but one that truly showed what love and respect and service were all about. Therefore, I do not have the disdain for religion that some people do (not all religion is bad anymore than all cops are bad or all lawyers or doctors are bad ). I have also come later in life to be intrigued by science and philosophy, as well as politics, and how all of these things relate. I think that these things were all balanced really well in this book, even if the author does not always reach the same conclusions as any one reader would. One really interesting section which shows how much thought Mr. Strathman went to in giving this book life, highlights the author's idea that Panocracy (i.e. rule by all, or a system in which individual rights are supreme, where as in democracy we have majority rule. This is too deep to cover here) is the supreme political ideal. He even goes so far as to formulate his own Constitution for a Federated Panocratic Republic. Now that is dedication to an ideal.
IF I were to take issue with anything about this book, other than minor idealogical differences, it would be that the book sometimes seems disjointed due to the sheer subject matter that is tackled. Everything from politics to religion and all forms of evolutionary thought. There was a section later in the book that explained the author's religious thought and the history of the early Christian Church, that while expansive and informative, seemed out of place and slowed the reading down immensely. I began to wonder if after all that was covered, the subject matter of peace was ever going to be tied together at the end. The ending finally came, and I must say was slightly disappointing. I did not expect the author to bring about world peace, but I was hoping for something a little more applicable. However, the overall point that truth in human action (whether personal, poitical or religious) is the only true road to peace, still came across in the end.
If you appreciate social, political, philisophical and scientific ideals and do not shy away from listening to someone's religious thinking, then this is the book for you. If however, you are one that cannot agree to disagree and still garner what nuggets of truth you can from someone different from you, then this is one that you may want to pass by. For instance the author does not scientifically or personally believe in abortion, and yet being a religious man mentions all of the major religions and even states that Christians should realize that their views cannot be forced upon humanity. He even gives a "positive" corollary to the "negative" Ten Commandments (i.e. Thou shall instead of Thou shall not...).
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars based upon it's scope and the author's dedication in putting together such a detailed, analytical and mostly balanced epic undertaking. Again, by balanced I don't mean that you'll agree with him, but that he does not condemn any other viewpoint, which in this day and age is very refreshing.
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Toward Peace
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It was tough, but the author put so much time into it that I thought it was only fair to balance out what the book was about. World peace by truth in human action and interaction, what could be better?
The book was an outpouring of the author's soul, and as such (especially being so accepting, while still religiously principled) I have great respect for what the author has done.
