Well said Birdie. I do hope you guys will put this behind you now and that Khandro will accept your apology, Birdie, and rethink his decision. I’m still reading the book he recommended, so his disappearance from AB would do no good at all! :o)
Khandro, as far as the book goes, I think it’s a shame the author has a pre-existing spiritual agenda. I’d much prefer the subject be explored from a purely investigative viewpoint because many of the issues he raises appear to be clouded by his own pre-judgement of the information at our disposal – which doesn’t include the texts he bases his claims on. For example, he declares that certain quotes from the Gospels can be authentically ascribed to Jesus, but I know of no source that can verify that. I strongly suspect that Jesus survived the crucifixion, and I do think it entirely possible that he ended his days in India, but my conclusions have been reached via a very different route to that employed by the author, and I find separating the possible fact from the probable fiction in this book rather a laborious task. That’s always a problem with books that have been written by people with pre-conceived ideas. Just as those who claim the Bible and the Koran contain the ultimate truth, rather than assess the naked facts, such authors attempt to bend the available information in order to make it appear to fit the story they WANT to believe. Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating subject – and one that is, in my opinion, well worthy of Miss Marple’s undivided attention – and so I will continue to read. :o)