Evidence from Beyond: An Insider's Guide to the Wonders of Heaven--And Life in the New Millennium More After-Death Communications Received from Theologian A.D. Mattson

Rating:
Summary: must have this evidence from beyond
Review: Absolutely loved this book. After the passing of my grandmother it really helped me feel better about where she is and where we are going. Will give anyone a better understanding of life and the "afterlife". Have passed it on to friends and recommended it to many others.

Rating:
Summary: must have this evidence from beyond
Review: Absolutely loved this book. After the passing of my grandmother it really helped me feel better about where she is and where we are going. Will give anyone a better understanding of life and the "afterlife". Have passed it on to friends and recommended it to many others.

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Fantasy
Review: As a big fan of Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God books, I am open to the concept of information being "channeled" from the other side to human hosts, and so I read this book with an open mind. By the time I finished, however, I have to say I was a little more than skeptical.

The book portends to be a description of the spiritual realm as told by a long-dead Lutheran theologian named A.D. Mattson to British psychic Margaret Flavell, who relates a view of the afterlife that seems remarkably "earth-like", complete with universities, classes, concerts, and even jazz bands and theaters. I was especially surprised the afterlife is so time driven, with "A.D." telling his host that he is leaving in May and will return in December. Apparently, there are even calendars in Heaven.

Okay, so why not. Maybe A.D. just brought a little bit of Earth with him into the afterlife (sort of his way of adjusting to his new existence, etc.) Where they lost me, however, was later in the book where A.D. talks about his expedition into outer space where, in order to survive, he was forced to take on an insect-like body (complete with bug eyes) while he visited human-like creatures living on the surface of Venus (there were no people living on Mars, however, A.D. informs us sadly, lest we imagine he is making all this up.) Now I consider myself a pretty reasonable fellow about these sorts of things, but even I have to draw the line somewhere, and bug bodied ghosts visiting Venusians is where I draw it.

Clearly this book is nothing more than a fantasy invented from the fertile imagination of two elderly women who seem to enjoy all the attention immensely (this is not their first book on the subject apparently). Not that they are doing this knowingly-I really believe they are convinced every word they got from A.D. was the gospel and they wrote it down faithfully. I just think they conjured up this fantasy from years of studying the paranormal (Flavell, after all, is a life-long psychic) without realizing it was simply a reflection of their own beliefs externalized in the form of a communication from a dear friend who has been dead a very long time. Pity too, because I was really enjoying the whole thing until the last few chapters, which is where the wheels fell off.

That's not to say this book didn't have some interesting things in it. I liked some of the stuff about reincarnation and interaction with the Earthly plain, though there wasn't anything in it that was particularly original or hadn't been written about extensively by other New Age writers over the years (obviously to serve as the source for some of their own imaginings.) As far as "evidence" from beyond, however, the book is a disaster which is more likely to dissuade rather than convince anyone who considers logic a good thing. The "evidence" is purely anecdotal in any case, and consists of nothing more than how closely the ideas expressed by A.D. from the afterlife corresponded to the beliefs and opinions he held before he died (what a surprise!) Fortunately, there is no real harm done as long as one takes Miss Flavell-like most "channelers" making the rounds nowadays-with a very large grain of salt. Stick with Walsch; you get everything you would out of this book without all the goofiness.

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Fantasy
Review: As a big fan of Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God books, I am open to the concept of information being "channeled" from the other side to human hosts, and so I read this book with an open mind. By the time I finished, however, I have to say I was a little more than skeptical.

The book portends to be a description of the spiritual realm as told by a long-dead Lutheran theologian named A.D. Mattson to British psychic Margaret Flavell, who relates a view of the afterlife that seems remarkably "earth-like", complete with universities, classes, concerts, and even jazz bands and theaters. I was especially surprised the afterlife is so time driven, with "A.D." telling his host that he is leaving in May and will return in December. Apparently, there are even calendars in Heaven.

Okay, so why not. Maybe A.D. just brought a little bit of Earth with him into the afterlife (sort of his way of adjusting to his new existence, etc.) Where they lost me, however, was later in the book where A.D. talks about his expedition into outer space where, in order to survive, he was forced to take on an insect-like body (complete with bug eyes) while he visited human-like creatures living on the surface of Venus (there were no people living on Mars, however, A.D. informs us sadly, lest we imagine he is making all this up.) Now I consider myself a pretty reasonable fellow about these sorts of things, but even I have to draw the line somewhere, and bug bodied ghosts visiting Venusians is where I draw it.

Clearly this book is nothing more than a fantasy invented from the fertile imagination of two elderly women who seem to enjoy all the attention immensely (this is not their first book on the subject apparently). Not that they are doing this knowingly-I really believe they are convinced every word they got from A.D. was the gospel and they wrote it down faithfully. I just think they conjured up this fantasy from years of studying the paranormal (Flavell, after all, is a life-long psychic) without realizing it was simply a reflection of their own beliefs externalized in the form of a communication from a dear friend who has been dead a very long time. Pity too, because I was really enjoying the whole thing until the last few chapters, which is where the wheels fell off.

That's not to say this book didn't have some interesting things in it. I liked some of the stuff about reincarnation and interaction with the Earthly plain, though there wasn't anything in it that was particularly original or hadn't been written about extensively by other New Age writers over the years (obviously to serve as the source for some of their own imaginings.) As far as "evidence" from beyond, however, the book is a disaster which is more likely to dissuade rather than convince anyone who considers logic a good thing. The "evidence" is purely anecdotal in any case, and consists of nothing more than how closely the ideas expressed by A.D. from the afterlife corresponded to the beliefs and opinions he held before he died (what a surprise!) Fortunately, there is no real harm done as long as one takes Miss Flavell-like most "channelers" making the rounds nowadays-with a very large grain of salt. Stick with Walsch; you get everything you would out of this book without all the goofiness.

Rating:
Summary: A book to share with others
Review: EVIDENCE FROM BEYOND has confirmed my own spiritual journey. As A. D. Mattson expressed it, I, too, know I am a spiritual being spending time in this physical body, but I am not this body. Thank you, A. D., Margaret, and Ruth for bringing us a book of wisdom, love and concern for humanity and our beautiful planet! "Must reading" for spiritual seekers! Jeanne G. Lewis, Reviewer for Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, Int'l.

Rating:
Summary: Experiencing the Beyond and More
Review: EVIDENCE FROM BEYOND has truly confirmed my own spiritual journey. As A. D. Mattson expressed it, I, too, know I am a spiritual being spending time in this physical body, but I am not this body! Thank you, A. D., Margaret, and Ruth for bringing us a book of wisdom, love, and concern for humanity and our beautiful planet. "Must reading" for spiritual seekers! -Jeanne G. Lewis, Reviewer for Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, Int'l.

Rating:
Summary: For believers and non-believers
Review: Readers of Ruth Taylor's EVIDENCE FROM BEYOND, will be inspired as she recounts messages from her father and family as received by widely acclaimed clairvoyant, Margaret Flavell Tweddell. Sceptics who refuse to believe in continuing life after death will be challenged to reconsider their thoughts as Ruth Taylor describes incident after incident requiring more than a "this world only" explanation. Her father's definition of soul, at birth and in the hereafter, has excitement, depth and detail, such I have never found during years of research This book can be a great blessing to those in mental quandary after losing a loved one.

Rating:
Summary: A book to share with others
Review: There are too many tales out there for us to deny our spiritual side and this one was most intriguing. I have sent copies to friends who have lost loved ones in hopes it answers some questions. Yet it raises questions as well. Our life at the next level appears involve our personal life experiences. A.D's experience reflects the values of his time and place on earth. It's very Westernized.. I have to believe a soul from the Indian sub-continent or one from a recent life in China, would be unlikely to reflect similar experiences to Margaret Flavell in the same circumstances. In fact, I'd love to hear their stories as well. A cynic from a conservative, controlling religious viewpoint might suggest the entire book is a hoax used to justify political positions such as pro-choice, gun control and world peace. Yet, it is exactly for those reasons I want to believe I have just read a book which has enhanced my life. This one, and the next.

Rating:
Summary: Evidence from Beyond
Review: This book has become a guide to both the present and the future for me. A.D's messages are for everyone who believes in the nature of God as Love. What a wonderful demonstration in this unrest world that life after death is no fantasy. This book is a guide to lead us into the new century. A must read for all believers and non believers alike. If never before you believed, after you read this book, you will! And you will be determined to help change the world for the better.