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Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 06/2019
  • 9781641824316
  • 314 pages
  • $33.95
Hardcover Book Details
  • 06/2019
  • 9781641824323
  • 314 pages
  • $46.95
Ebook Details
  • 06/2019
  • 9781645364320
  • 313 pages
  • $4.23
Walt Runkis
Author, Illustrator
Three Proofs That God Exists
Walt Runkis, author

Adult; Spirituality/Inspirational; (Market)

Three Proofs That God Exists is a distillation of over 60-years’ experience. Part of it chronicles Walt’s spiritual and professional journey, but it's not really about him. It is about adventures he experienced during his life and the non-ordinary events he calls “cracks in the laws of physics,” which accompanied them. He had his first “brush with the Cosmos” in 1967, during a near-death experience, when he strolled in a celestial garden and communed with a formless Being of masculine voice. The Being admonished him to “Look to beauty, look to the East, and never become a part of an organized religion.” This and other such experiences profoundly changed his life and continue to provide him with a wellspring of artistic and scientific abilities conventional wisdom cannot explain.
Plot/Idea: 6 out of 10
Originality: 6 out of 10
Prose: 6 out of 10
Character/Execution: 7 out of 10
Overall: 6.25 out of 10

Assessment:

Idea/Concept: At the basis of this thought-provoking presentation are Buddhism and Hinduism, popular philosophical and spiritual journeys for people who have rejected traditional Judeo-Christian ideology, a stance apparent throughout this book. Experiences and revelations intertwine with deep enlightenment on a spiritual plane of existence.

Prose: Steeped in heady verbiage that lulls the reader, perhaps intentionally, the stylistic mode is suitable for open-minded individuals seeking an alternative window to the soul, and ultimately, a higher power. A touching look at human vulnerability clarifies the experience.

Originality: Books that search for an inner purpose, or God, from a borderline scientific standpoint, have increased in popularity as the interest in faith-driven doctrine dwindles, quite evident in this intriguing self-help memoir. Buddhist ideology, however, is nothing new to the publishing industry, as innumerable titles grace the market.

Execution: This word-heavy cross between a memoir and a theological exploration preaches as much as it educates. Addressing serious health concerns, along with a dire need to resolve a common unanswered question—does God exist?—every chapter zig-zags through a maze of celestial discussions, leading to a transcendental conclusion.

Blurb: Discover evidence that God may exist in this illuminating journey to the heart of humanity.

Date Submitted: January 27, 2020

Reviews
Runkis (The Golden Cord of Arram) mixes up a potent blend of memoir and philosophical New Age self-help guide in an effort to prove the existence of a divine entity. As a young man in the 1960s, Runkis had no use for organized religion, instead placing his faith in science. But after a vivid vision of the Divine Mother-Father followed by a near-death experience, Runkis “burned for God-Realization.” After undergoing a vision quest in rural California, he developed a unique spiritual philosophy incorporating elements of several Eastern and Western religions.

Runkis divides his work into “the microcosm,” an account of experiences that he believes are proof of a “non-mechanical universe” where miracles happen, and “the macrocosm,” an accumulation of philosophical knowledge and spiritual insights. In persuasive prose illustrated by his own digital artwork, Runkis exhorts open-minded readers to believe that reality extends beyond what can be sensed. “This book offers a way of recognizing miracles in events that often pass for ordinary experience,” he explains, giving the example of someone appearing to help him and his wife while they were stranded on a mountain and their car wouldn’t start. He also posits that encounters with evil are necessary for spiritual evolution.

Runkis is extremely open-minded when it comes to methods of enlightenment. He advises readers to explore spiritual books of all kinds and discusses the use of psychotropic substances such as LSD (though he prefers meditation and breathing exercises as sources of altered states). Some may be put off by his belief in alien UFOs visiting Earth and his insistence that reincarnation is a fact, not fiction. Others may interpret his visions as mere hallucinations brought on by drugs or physical privation. But there are some intriguing spiritual concepts here for seekers willing to comb through and find them.

Takeaway: Readers open to DIY religion will find wisdom in this thought-provoking memoir of spiritual seeking.

Great for fans of Raymond Moody, John Edward.

Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: B
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 06/2019
  • 9781641824316
  • 314 pages
  • $33.95
Hardcover Book Details
  • 06/2019
  • 9781641824323
  • 314 pages
  • $46.95
Ebook Details
  • 06/2019
  • 9781645364320
  • 313 pages
  • $4.23
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