Coils of the Serpent Cover
357 pages, softcover.

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The Author:

Headshot of Raymond Lutz
Author Raymond Clark Lutz
relaxing in La Jolla.
Raymond Lutz is an active contributor to the technical and scientific community, and he has published hundreds of papers, technical documents, user manuals, and public standards. Knowledgeable in science, engineering, and marketing, Mr. Lutz holds several patents, has been part of numerous start-up enterprises, and is involved in the latest developments in biotechnology and physics. His interest in the science versus religion controversy extends back many years. A keen marketer and public speaker, Mr. Lutz has organized many industry conferences and development groups. He holds a Master of Science degree in Electronics Engineering.

 

My Story:

In the mid-1990s, I was involved in the office equipment industry, more specifically, the printer, scanner, fax, and copier industry, and I was the leader of an organization called MFPA, the Multifunction Products Association. I was in Atlanta in a large hotel with a ballroom on a lower level. I had flown in the night before from San Diego, my usual practice so I could recover from jet-lag before the meeting the next day. That evening, I took a walk around the city near the hotel and upon my return, found myself just outside the ballroom. I noticed a symposium of some kind was nearly completed for the day. Over the years of attending standards meetings in hotels across the country, I've found it quite interesting to look into exactly what groups hold meetings at the hotels. I've run across an amazing array of distinctive organizations with unbelievable specialties.

Just outside the ballroom where they held their meeting, they had a number of panels with life-sized graphics. Each one discussed a religion or practice of some kind and compared it with Christianity. It was Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. I looked into the room and could not help but immediately notice their charismatic leader, Ravi Zacharias, an exceptionally tall and striking gentleman of dark Indian complexion but with jet white hair. He moved through the crowd, smiling and interacting with his followers.

Then, I began to understand the power of his testimony. He was obviously a man from India, but what was striking was that he was not a Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist. Instead, he was a Christian. The life-sized panels outside the hotel ballroom made the case clear--Christainity was true and the other religions false. One panel was particularly troubling to me. They said that the practice of meditation was a hazard--Satan would enter your mind during your quiet period of relaxation.

As a meditator of many years, I do not regard meditation as a religion at all but simply a practice that allows the mind to relieve itself of stress and worry. Their display did not come close to my experience with the technique, and I felt they were preying on the ignorance of the technique among the public.

Let me reassure you that I have no axe to grind with the RZIM group as they indeed inspired my quest of many years. After I left the foyer of the ballroom, I went up to my room and took out Gideon's Bible and started reading. "They are so sure of themselves," I thought. "They say the other religions are inconsistent and impossible. I wonder how inconsistent the Bible actually is?"

As a typical American, I had grown up with Christian roots. I had attended Sunday School and studied the Bible. But it was indeed quite a time since I had read that ancient volume. "If I start reading from the beginning, how long will it take before I come to an impossible inconsistency?"

Indeed, it does not take very long. You learn that eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would cause immediate death... God said clearly that on that day, you would surely die. Then, when Eve interacted with the Serpent, she said that if you even touch it, you would die immediately.

Of course we know the story. Eve eats the fruit and so does Adam. But they don't die on that day. In fact, they live for another 930 years, described clearly in subsequent chapters. Being a logical person and knowing the systems of the world follow strict and consistent laws, there are only three options. First, the word "die" doesn't really mean die. Second, day might not mean day. And finally, God could be just pulling our leg.

I discovered later that this question was not new in the hallowed halls of theology. In fact, this very question had been discussed for literally thousands of years. I discussed it with a dear friend of mine who was in seminary at the time, and he produced a thick stack of documents describing the issue and the various schools of thought about it. In the end, theologians decided to say that die does not mean die--not a physical death. Instead, it means a "spiritual death." Adam and all his offspring were doomed to eternal damnation for this one act.

Later, I started to reflect on the various stories in Genesis and their connection to the pattern of DNA and life, as exposed by the rigors of science. In 1997, I wrote a ten-page summary of the possible connection. Then, I researched the question for the next several years, realizing the tremendous implications of my discovery.

At first, I wrote a nonfiction treatment of the pattern match but realized it would be much more fun and accessible if it were a novel. In 2003, I started to work diligently on the project and am now quite happy with the result, as I know you will be. This is not just another contrived story. I believe it is a very important contribution to our culture and will be the source of much discussion and reflection.

I encourage you to set aside your strong beliefs and open your mind to other possibilities...

-- Raymond Clark Lutz

 

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