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Reader’s Club Guide for Eden Found by Steve Hart

SummaryLenny Cronin was Bostonís most renowned investigative reporter until he ran astory that falsely implicated the mayor in a political scandal. Now heísconsigned to the boredom of reporting science news. Little does he know that thedullest job heís ever had will lead to the most exciting and dangerousadventure of his life. Like a naÔve shopper in a downtown bazaar, Lenny becomesengulfed by the sandstorm called the Middle East conflict. Unforeseenconsequences follow him to America, threatening lives of friends and innocentbystanders, including that of his dream girl Sheila Snow.In Eden Found Steve Hart digs deeply to unearth ancient mysteries, explore oldwounds, and reveal what it will take to quench the hell-storm. It’s a picture ofloyalty, honor, courage, and love painted on a canvas of hatred, revenge andbigotry.What others are saying:”Mr. Hart tells a fascinating story thatís as old as time and as fresh astodayís headlines. He reveals ancient secrets against a background of modernmysteries while taking us on an adventure of the spirit and a roller coasterjourney for the mind.”Rosemarie Bishop, Author Moral Vampire Series”A multi-layered story centered on ancient history and a modern day searchfor it. A blend of history, science, and current events boiling in a pot of puresensation. A wild finale…a tight weave…unravels like an action film.”ForewordReviews.comAuthor BiographySteve Hart lives in southern New Hampshire with Roxanne, his wife of twentyyears. He is a lifelong student of religion and the ways that its misuse andmisinterpretations have impacted society. He strongly believes that many of ourcurrent world problems can be traced to animosities fostered and engendered bythe painting of ancient documents with the brush of infallibility; that thesetexts have been altered, translated, and mistranslated so many times it isirresponsible and spiritually lazy to consider them to be without error. Hebelieves that these “sacred texts” must be seen for what they are:parables, fables, allegories that were handed down from generation to generationas oral tradition before being transcribed, translated and transposed by scribesboth ancient and modern. Many are mere reflections of the eternal truths thatsome take them to describe without error. He believes that religion is meant tobring people together under the umbrella of the Creator, no matter by what nameHe/She be known, and that all religions err when they separate people intobelievers and nonbelievers/infidels/gentiles/pagans/etc.Topics to ConsiderReligion1. Many religions divide the world into two groups, “the faithful” and”the unbelievers.” How do you think this contributes to theanimosities prevalent in todayís world?2. Eden Found posits some examples of errors found in ancient texts, such as:Adam and Eve being real people, but not the first humans, Lucifer, Satan, andBeelzebub actually existing, but as three distinct individuals, not theconglomerate called the “Devil.” Can you discuss, without causingoffense, other examples of sacred dogma found in ancient texts, that might beunderstood as allegory instead of literal truth? Did God really test Job at theinstigation of Satan? Or was that such an example?3. In what ways can we take these questions and use them to help us understandtodayís problems? If religious fanatics could understand that the Creator isthe Heavenly Parent to all of humanity, would they still hate those who believeddifferently than them? Or is their hatred so deeply held that religion is onlytheir excuse?4. What examples of religious people, from many faiths, working together tosolve problems can you think of?5. What about humanists? Does one have to believe in God to be good? To besaved?6. The word holy is defined as having divine attributes. Palestine is considered”Holy Ground” by three religions. Can land really be holy? Justbecause certain events occurred there, does that mean the land itself is sacred?7. Assad, Mazen, and the other terrorists were fond of using their faith tojustify their actions. Do you think they were reflecting their beliefs? Or werethey using religion as a tool to further their ends?8. Reverend Graves likens his spiritual philosophy to entering a vegetablegarden, “pick carefully what you choose to believe.” Does thisrepresent a valid viewpoint? Must we rely on others, ministers, priests, rabbis,etc to define for us what to believe and what not to believe? Can a catholicdeny the virgin birth and still be Catholic? Can a Protestant deny that Jesuswas required to die on a cross by God for the saving of mankind and still be aProtestant? Can a Jew believe that the Messiah will never come and still be aJew? Must we believe what we are told by those who are in positions of authorityin order to be a member of that community?Politics/History/Morals9. Lenny, Bruce, and Roxanne cite many true facts about findings at ancient digsthat lead to the conclusion that an ancient society existed that had advancedknowledge. The Baghdad Battery, the exquisite alignment of the pyramids of Gizawith Orionís belt at 10,000 BC, the concrete roads in South America thatpre-date the invention of the wheel, and many other historical anomalies tend toshow this. Do you believe itís possible that a lost civilization once existedin ancient times? Do you think that the many ancient stories of people like theSumerians, the Mayans, the Egyptians telling of knowledge delivered from”those on high” could reflect truth? If not, how did these peopleslearn to smelt metals as pure as what we can produce today? How could they havecreated the Baghdad Battery? How could the ancient Egyptians have known whatOrionís Belt looked like 8,000 years before they built the pyramids of Giza?10. Lenny risks life and limb on more than one occasion to save his friends. Washe doing the right thing? Is he a hero, or was he risking the deaths of the verypeople he was trying to save by acting rashly?11. Should Lenny have told Sheila about the wild night with Bruce and Roxanne?Is it better to keep such things private? Or is total honesty always the bestpolicy?12. Lenny experiences the gauntlet of reporters twice during the story. Thiscauses him to consider those times when he was a member of thatmicrophone-carrying, note-taking, mis-quoting crowd. What examples of your ownlife can you think of when you saw something from both sides of the fence andhad to rethink your position? What can we learn from, “walking a mile inyour adversaries moccasins”?13. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that all people are alike attheir centers; that we all want the best for our children; that we all want tolive in peace; that we all want to live our lives without fear; that everyone ispart of the same large family? If so, where has all the hatred come from? Ifnot, how can we ever hope that people will get along with each other?14. Lenny didnít want to get married until he had his old job back. Sheiladidnít care what his job title was; she loved him for who he was, not what hewas. Was Lenny being selfish by waiting?15. Bruce and Roxanne were sexual adventurers. Reverend Graves advised Sheilathat they could still remain friends even after they had made a “move”on her, provided they understood Sheila was not interested. Do you think thatwas sound advice? Or should he have told Sheila to keep her distance from them?Can we remain friends with people who we have fundamental disagreements with?Can you think of examples to support both sides of this question?16. The Palestinians have been the pawns of the Arab leaders in the chess gameof the Middle East. Do you agree with this statement? Or does the ordinaryPalestinian bear the burden of responsibility for the current crisis?17. What responsibility do the Israelis bear? How would you feel if a foreignentity suddenly declared the land you lived on to be its sovereign territory ashappened in 1948? Would you fight this authority? Or would you seek a negotiatedsettlement?