Review of Exploring The Soul - And Brother Jesus
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Exploring The Soul - And Brother Jesus" by Francis William Bessler.]
Exploring the Soul and Brother Jesus by Francis William Bessler is a book that expresses the author’s depiction of the soul and Jesus from his personal research. Bessler attended seminary but was dismissed because his views differed from those of the Catholic priesthood.
The author predominantly uses two books as references: "The Gospel of Thomas" and "The Gospel of Mary." Neither text is part of the New Testament canon. The development of the biblical canon was a gradual process that took place over several centuries.
The book is thought-provoking, but many of the author’s views drastically deviate from traditional Christian beliefs. For example, the author states, “Since God is really everywhere, that makes heaven also everywhere” (Kindle location 1311). This challenges the Christian understanding of heaven and is hard to imagine with the biblical description of heaven being in the present with all the pain, suffering, and difficulties that are faced in life.
Bessler believes in divine naturism, which is the philosophical belief that nature is sacred or divine. He holds the view that everything is divine and is not in need of a savior. Bessler goes on to say that since God is present in everything, everything is divine.
The first section of the book is devoted to a discussion of the soul. Bessler believes in what he calls the natural soul and provides his reasoning and support for this concept. This concept teaches that God did not create the soul; rather, the soul developed from nature. He also believes that judgment for a soul is experienced through the continuation of its state of mind after the death of the body. However, because Bessler believes there is always the possibility of change, he does not believe anyone needs to fear a permanent hell.
The next section focuses on Jesus. Bessler discusses "The Gospel of Thomas" and bases much of his interpretation of Jesus on this text. Bessler asserts that Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, authored the book. The text was discovered in Egypt in 1945. Bessler also references "The Gospel of Mary," which was discovered in Egypt in the late nineteenth century and is attributed to Mary Magdalene. Neither text is part of the New Testament canon. Both are generally regarded as later Christian writings, and much of the teaching is in direct conflict with Christian beliefs.
The final section of the book contains essays by Bessler on topics such as sin, heaven, and “Brother Jesus.” The author does not believe that sin is a transgression against God but rather a transgression against another creature. He argues that it is a sin to believe that we need salvation from God.
There are several sections of the book in which Bessler asks a series of questions one after another. I found the repetition to be a detraction from the flow of the book. Bessler also includes several poems that he has written, along with a link to his website. There is a disclaimer included that states that the ideas presented are his interpretations. I appreciated this disclaimer because many of the concepts presented are very different from traditional Christian teaching. I do not agree with many of the conclusions, but Bessler presents them as his interpretation rather than claiming they represent absolute fact.
The book contains some repetition, and I found the series of questions early in the book distracting. I also think the book would have a better flow if the poems were included in a separate final section rather than placed throughout the text. For these reasons, I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars.
******
Exploring The Soul - And Brother Jesus
View: on Bookshelves
Exploring the Soul and Brother Jesus by Francis William Bessler is a book that expresses the author’s depiction of the soul and Jesus from his personal research. Bessler attended seminary but was dismissed because his views differed from those of the Catholic priesthood.
The author predominantly uses two books as references: "The Gospel of Thomas" and "The Gospel of Mary." Neither text is part of the New Testament canon. The development of the biblical canon was a gradual process that took place over several centuries.
The book is thought-provoking, but many of the author’s views drastically deviate from traditional Christian beliefs. For example, the author states, “Since God is really everywhere, that makes heaven also everywhere” (Kindle location 1311). This challenges the Christian understanding of heaven and is hard to imagine with the biblical description of heaven being in the present with all the pain, suffering, and difficulties that are faced in life.
Bessler believes in divine naturism, which is the philosophical belief that nature is sacred or divine. He holds the view that everything is divine and is not in need of a savior. Bessler goes on to say that since God is present in everything, everything is divine.
The first section of the book is devoted to a discussion of the soul. Bessler believes in what he calls the natural soul and provides his reasoning and support for this concept. This concept teaches that God did not create the soul; rather, the soul developed from nature. He also believes that judgment for a soul is experienced through the continuation of its state of mind after the death of the body. However, because Bessler believes there is always the possibility of change, he does not believe anyone needs to fear a permanent hell.
The next section focuses on Jesus. Bessler discusses "The Gospel of Thomas" and bases much of his interpretation of Jesus on this text. Bessler asserts that Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, authored the book. The text was discovered in Egypt in 1945. Bessler also references "The Gospel of Mary," which was discovered in Egypt in the late nineteenth century and is attributed to Mary Magdalene. Neither text is part of the New Testament canon. Both are generally regarded as later Christian writings, and much of the teaching is in direct conflict with Christian beliefs.
The final section of the book contains essays by Bessler on topics such as sin, heaven, and “Brother Jesus.” The author does not believe that sin is a transgression against God but rather a transgression against another creature. He argues that it is a sin to believe that we need salvation from God.
There are several sections of the book in which Bessler asks a series of questions one after another. I found the repetition to be a detraction from the flow of the book. Bessler also includes several poems that he has written, along with a link to his website. There is a disclaimer included that states that the ideas presented are his interpretations. I appreciated this disclaimer because many of the concepts presented are very different from traditional Christian teaching. I do not agree with many of the conclusions, but Bessler presents them as his interpretation rather than claiming they represent absolute fact.
The book contains some repetition, and I found the series of questions early in the book distracting. I also think the book would have a better flow if the poems were included in a separate final section rather than placed throughout the text. For these reasons, I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars.
******
Exploring The Soul - And Brother Jesus
View: on Bookshelves
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