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
About the Author: John Garland Biggs John graduated from Webb City High School and studied art and marketing at several schools including Missouri Southern State University. The U.S. Army drafted John during the Vietnam era and for most of his career he served at Fort Detrick, a medical, chemical and biological research site. He painted murals in the NCO club as a part time job which led to his painting other murals in the army complex. After military service John's jobs included manufacturing quality control for one manufacturer and production control for another. He then accepted jobs in distribution and retail operations. One of John's early jobs was managing a retail store in Portland OR. He assisted managing a franchise chain of retail outlets in the Northwestern USA. Over time John performed as the marketing manager for three medium sized companies and was promoted from Marketing Director to General Manager for an automotive parts manufacturing business. Each of these businesses employed over 400 people. John took a six month break from his business life and Traveled with a group called The Master Artist Touring Association painting and displaying his artwork from Oklahoma to New Hampshire and from New York to Florida. During this period he studied the techniques of thirty other dedicated and talented artists from the US and Canada... Touring was rewarding but family obligations were more important, so art shows were delayed. John still paints murals and enjoys a good portrait business. Prints from his landscapes, floral and other paintings contribute to the studio business in Webb City, MO John was appointed to the Webb City, MO-City Council in 2002 and elected Mayor in 2006. He was re-elected as Mayor in 2014 for a third term, which will end in 2018. John has maintained notes about interesting people and events throughout his life. He includes many of these in his books. His continues his effort to understand and explain what we believe and why. The gallery located at 126 North Webb Street is open to the public by appointment, Monday through Friday. You can also see samples of his work on the web site; http: //www.bookartprint.com.