Into the Fire

An historical novel is an attempt to make an historical period come to life in the imagination of the reader. "Into the Fire" is an attempt to make the spirit of the five major contemporary religions, as well as religion itself, come to life in the minds and hearts of its readers. One's religion is what one holds to be of supreme value and ultimately real. Scientific materialism is the religion of most people in the modern world. Pagan polytheism was the religion of most people in the ancient world. However different they may seem on the surface, both these world views have one thing in common: they are about competition, for survival as the bottom line, power as the meaning of it all, and pleasure and glory as the icing on the cake. Pagan polytheism developed as human beings broke away from their aboriginal roots, where harmony with nature was the keynote, and sought dominance over their environment. Unlike the human ego, however, the human soul does not feed upon power. It seeks a more profound understanding of life, one that sees human existence as an intimate and essential part of a larger truth, a truth embracing the entire breadth and depth of the universe. And so Hinduism and Judaism arose, the one emphasizing the mystical unity of all being, the other the moral righteousness and concern of a transcendent and almighty God. Once started, this drive toward universal relevance, moral grandeur and ultimate meaning could not be stopped; so the cultural religion of Hinduism gave birth to Buddhism, while Judaism mothered Christianity and Islam. Today most people in the world belong nominally to one of these five religious traditions, yet most still live as if pleasure and competition for power were what life is all about. We are 'consumers' who devour life rather than give ourselves to it. At heart, the world religions are different ways of giving oneself to life. Certainly this self-giving has its dark side, as the history of religion, with its overtones of fanaticism, persecution and brutality, makes painfully obvious. Yet we do not really have the choice of being religious or irreligious, because religion is a dimension of our being. The human soul can never be satisfied with a way of life that ignores the call of the spirit. Ariana, whom you will shortly meet, is the spirit of the coming age. She is also the human soul, desperately seeking a way of life that makes for greater life, rather than death. What she finds and what she decides will have more effect upon the future of the world than all our scientific discoveries, technological advancements, and political and economic systems put together. We are all Ariana. This book is an invitation to you to take spiritual responsibility for yourself. It offers a survey of your spiritual possibilities, shows you their ramifications, and asks you to make an informed and conscientious decision about the meaning of life from the depths of your heart. The alternative is taking the path of least resistance. Even as modern science affirms with its law of entropy, that is the path to death.