Diane Donovan Book Review Deceptions of the Ages: "Mormons" Freemasons and Extraterrestrials

Deceptions of the Ages  
"Mormons" Freemasons and Extraterrestrials
Matthew D. Heines

Print ISBN 9780990879329     
Print Edition $18.99
 516 pages
  Deceptions of the Ages: "Mormons" Freemasons and Extraterrestrials doesn't continue Matthew Heines' previous travelogue/teaching books covering intercultural relationships and discoveries: instead, it analyzes a different kind of relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aliens, and Freemasons.

If this approach seems a 'stretch', for some readers - it will be. Deceptions comes from a teacher who takes five thousand years of history and brings a variety of disparate forces together, using a blend of historical texts, philosophical reflections, holy writings, and more to provide factual historical insights into traditional conflicts between science and religion - and he does so with an added measure of humor to make his approach more palpable.

From the incongruities of a secret society that claims the ambiguous situation of not being a 'secret society' so much as a 'society with secrets' to the great dig under the Temple of Solomon, why it happened, and the contrast of various theories about what they found (or didn't find), Heines takes a step-by-step approach in examining various facets of history and its deceptions.

And perhaps that's the most intriguing approach of all: not just the evidence of deceptions and how they evolved over the eons, but why they happened and how their stories were perpetuated and changed over time.

Few new age or historical discussions take the form of closely analyzing the gaps between science, history and religion. Too few pinpoint exactly where and how these gaps occurred, why they widened, and the various controversies that sprung from them, creating in and of themselves new perspectives and even religions and belief systems.

And few such considerations skirt the line between history, new age analysis, and philosophy, incorporating elements of all in a compendium that is, ultimately, greater than any of its individual parts.

Despite Heines' attempts to inject humor and readability into the text, this is by no means a light read. Typical new age readers (the book's most likely audience) will find it dense, packed with historical, philosophical and spiritual references, and filled with evidence that points to the obvious fact that "we are not alone".

An index to its many references and approaches would have made Deceptions of the Ages even more useful for readers who want to cross-reference strings of thought and different historical figures - but would have been a weighty undertaking in a discussion of this magnitude.

Suffice it to say that Deceptions of the Ages offers much food for thought, will find its most enthusiastic readership among new age circles who appreciate wide-ranging discussions pulling together facts from a range of disciplines, making for a powerful, thought-provoking read.

Simon Barrett Book Review of Deceptions Of The Ages by Matthew D. Heines

Book Review: Deceptions Of The Ages by Matthew D. Heines

Posted on February 16th, 2015

by Simon Barrett in All News

“Mormons” Freemasons & Extraterrestrials

Deceptions of the Ages:...

$17.00

Shop now

I was a little leery when I read the subtitle, it sounded more like a description of Art Bells famed radio program Coast to Coast AM, a conspiracy theorists sand box. However as I had greatly enjoyed Matthew Heines other books detailing his adventures in Oman and Saudi Arabia I threw caution to the wind and settled down on my front porch to discover what possible connection there might be between “Mormons” the wriggly finger mob and good old ET.

Deceptions Of The Ages turned out to be quite an interesting read, a journey through history, well researched and well reasoned. Sure there are a few ‘leaps of faith’ and some speculation, but you find that in every non fiction book.

The one thing that the Mormons, Freemasons and UFO’s do most certainly have in common is mystery. Mystery always breeds speculation, and speculation in turn breeds conspiracy. A great example is the assassination of JFK, I have lost count of the number of books and documentaries I have read or watched on the subject. Some have plausible plots, some are just out and out ridiculous. But as long as you have a situation where there is mystery, you will find speculation and conspiracy theories.

The Mormons are a good example. If you were to ask people at random to write a short description about them you might get something along the lines of:

Founded by some dude named Joseph Smith who found a bunch of gold tablets and wrote his own bible, Silly man lost the tablets so all we have to go on is his word. They all live in Utah, wear funky underwear and have a dozen wives each. Young Mormon teenagers of 16 dress in black pants a white dress shirt and black tie, carry a small briefcase, travel in pairs and knock on strangers doors to elicit new members, particularly young girls in order to maintain the supply of breeding stock.

While most of that statement is untrue, it is the perception. There is an air of distrust about what happens behind the closed doors of the Mormon church, so theories abound.

Perception also plays a big part in thinking about the Freemasons.

Oh, the wriggly finger handshake mob, they cavort naked in their lodges, performing all kind of sexually deviant acts, and form part of the ‘shadow government’, they are the new world order. They used to sacrifice virgins, but the supply of virgins ran out in the 60’s with the sexual revolution.

And of course the always popular UFO. You can blame UFO’s on almost anything. In the 70s I recall working for the Xerox corporation. Phil was a guy that would be late for his own funeral. One morning he tuned up late and while waiting for the elevator a vice present walked in. “late again Weigard” the man remarked, “Yes, so am I” he replied in his Aussie twang. His best one however, occurred a couple of weeks later, when asked why he was late, he explained that he had been on the London Underground and Aliens had abducted him.

Space is a really big place, to think that we are the only planet with life on it is statistically very unlikely. But would an intelligent lifeform want to visit us? We don’t have a unified language, we spend most of our time blowing each other up, watching sitcoms, and generally doing our best to destroy the planet. If I was an alien I certainly would not want to come visit.

The delightful part about the whole extraterrestrial gig is that you can’t prove or disprove it. Some are convinced that it is a huge government cover up.

All three subjects make for great subjects for a book, Mathew Heines takes it one stage further and interconnects them.

I enjoyed the history lesson, particularly that of the Freemasons. Yes I can see how the dots can be traced back to the Crusades and The Knights Templar. It is when you journey further back in time that, for me at least the dots and lines become blurry. We get into the whole Holy Grail discussion, one that made Dan Brown a very rich man with his book The Da Vinci Code. I am also not convinced of the connection of the Freemasons to early Egypt. But many are, so I bow down to more learned people.

Deceptions Of The Ages is a book that I can recommend, however, it will not appeal to everyone. It requires an open mind and an inquisitive nature. Matthew Heines opens some interesting doors, peek behind them if you dare.

To order your copy of Deceptions Of The Ages click on the Amazon link above.

Simon Barrett

Let Others Know About This Post

•              

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Diane Donavan Book Review: Killing Time in Saudi Arabia: An American Experience

Review

Killing Time in Saudi Arabia: 

An American Experience

Matthew D. Heines

Print ISBN 9780990879374 

Print Price $18.99 

Now, Killing Time in Saudi Arabia demonstrates perfectly the reason why some books written as a trilogy should be viewed as 'one', read in order, considered as a unit, and stronger as part of a package production. For without the background provided in My Year in Oman and Another Year in Oman (which documents the author's experiences from 2001-2003) this third book would not feel nearly as rich and fulfilling in background, setting and sentiment as it covers eighteen months of life from 2004-2005, when some of the heaviest fighting of the War on Terror occurred - right under the author's nose.

In Killing Time in Saudi Arabia Heines has left Oman and taken a job as an English teacher, training national guard officers for the Saudi Arabian military. Amidst the backdrop of educational progress are the uncertainties and threats of war: gunfire erupting and changing lives, drives through the streets of Riyadh, reflections on life, death, and independence ("...I had become a person who was somewhat in control of his situation...I suddenly realized that the act of buying a car had changed in one night, my entire Saudi Arabian experience.")

New reports of gunfire, killings, and terror are a very effective conclusion to every chapter, documenting daily life in the Middle East and placing the author's experiences within the context of a wider world's troubles and a culture's psychology and wonders.

This isn't just about serious life-threatening moments, as readers might expect: there is much humor to be found in cultural misunderstandings - as when Heines believes he has contracted to tour a camel farm and gets something far different: "The worst thing I thought could happen was a terror attack. I had been concerned about being killed when I should have been concerned about being embarrassed and humiliated. "I did everything I could to make it clear that we wanted to see a camel farm," I explained. "I must have asked him three different times...Wouldn't you just assume that a camel farm would include camels?" It's one thing to fail to arrange to see camels. It's quite another to bring a group of eager tourists along for the ride: a group interested in the trappings of culture, not the culture itself: "With few exceptions, most of the group was not interested in Saudi culture at all, which made my appearance in Saudi clothes just one more bizarre detail in an increasingly bizarre story."

Against the backdrop of love, war, tourism and teaching, the gaps between West and Middle East are highlighted. Under Heines' deft hand these cultural interactions and misunderstandings come to life and ultimately serve to provide a better understanding not only of Middle East atmosphere and culture, but of the psychology and perspectives of ordinary people living in a very different world.

A series of misadventures and ironies emerges; even more so than in the two Oman books - which is unexpected, because by Book Three readers would anticipate that Heines has likely penetrated the Middle Eastern veil and is settling in. Nothing could be further from the truth: he's now in a different region and his understanding is still uncertain, his grasp of politics and peoples still tenuous, and his experiences greatly different than in the comparatively isolated medieval town atmosphere of Oman, with its very different world.

Again, humor is embedded in every chapter; so if you don't want quirky observations and tongue-in-cheek wry remarks, look elsewhere ... though that would be a shame, because this approach is what lends all three books a personal, interactive, intimate perspective lacking in most other accounts of the Middle East: "...except for the threat of a large-scale attack by a battalion of terrorists, car combings, or random acts of terror, I had little to fear."

Another difference between these books and other Middle East accounts is that Heines always seeks to think - and act - outside the box. Thus, he often arranges for expeditions beyond his teaching objective and his comfort zone: "...we made plans for yet another expedition into the far reaches of Saudi Arabia with the Riyadh Rovers. With no map, and no GPS, all I knew six days later, was that we were somewhere in the north, near Kuwait."

His expeditions, as with his teaching goals, are all about breaking through these boundaries of comfort, and bring readers along for the bone-rattling jeep rides and cultural encounters introduced by romance and experience alike.

Some might fault Heines for including romance in every book. Some might look for more background history, or more cultural insight, or even more teaching encounters (if the reader intends on teaching abroad and is seeking pointers) - but that's not the objective of this trilogy.

Its purpose is to profile the author's cultural encounters and his immersion in foreign lands and perspectives, and it's here that this trilogy shines.

It's life in the middle of war, life in the middle of cultural incongruities, and most of all, it's about reaching out of one's familiarities to grasp for more. Individually each book in the set stands alone as an engrossing saga. Taken together, they form the nexus of a cultural investigation not undertaken in your usual Middle East books written by commentators, observers, and military personnel.

Any who would truly understand the region and its psyche would do well to enjoy the combination of rollicking adventure and cultural insights that permeate all three stories, defying the usual labels of 'travelogue', 'teacher's experience', 'romance' or 'social analysis' to embrace elements of all four approaches.

Simon Barrett Book Review: Killing Time In Saudi Arabia by Matthew D. Heines

Posted on November 19th, 2014 

by Simon Barrett in All News, Book Reviews, Reviews

An American Experience
I think it is fair to say that Killing Time In Saudi Arabia was not quite what I expected. I have known several PMC’s (Private Military Contractors) over the years. They are a unique breed, often working at the behest of a government but somehow not quite getting the respect and protection deserved. It was with this preconceived notion that I started to read Killing Time In Saudi Arabia.
While names and places have been changed to protect those still in the region Matthew Heines maintains that the story is factual. The first thing I noticed was that Matthew Heines was not a wanna be Rambo, he is a teacher of the English language, a noble task and unfortunately one not often appreciated.
The book opens in a rather strange way, Matthew has completed a two year contract in the Sultanate of Oman, a place that he rather enjoyed, however, due to a non-compete clause with his employer Matthew is prevented from seeking employment in Oman for a period of two years.
Good at his job and few openings for his skills in his hometown of Seattle, he accepts an 18 month contract to teach English to the Saudi Arabia National Guard as an employee of BF Milicon a company that provides a number of services, mainly of the military nature in the country.
The terms of the contract seemed favorable, a decent wage, free lodging, use of company vehicles, etc, etc. Although Mathew plays it down somewhat he must have been impressed by the method of transportation to Saudi. A 747 in the livery of the Saudi national airline. While this in itself may not be strange, the passenger manifest certainly was. It was just Matthew and three other BF Milicon employees. Now that is what I call leg room on a flight!
I think it is fair to say that this was the highlight of the entire contract, once in Saudi Arabia life was not so exotic. Life in Saudi was completely different to Oman. In a strange way, it was not the culture difference between countries so much as the culture system inflicted by BF Milicon that caused most distress. At the apex of unreason lay a gentleman by the name of Garth Viller. Darth Vader oops Garth Viller seemed to have a particular dislike for English Teachers and one Matthew Heines in particular.
Killing Time In Saudi Arabia is billed as humor, and indeed there is a surface layer , a veneer that does indeed reflect that concept. Being an ex-pat Brit I love dry humor. However, when you strip that layer off a very different book is revealed.
The question becomes how do you maintain a sense of normalcy in an environment that is essentially alien to you? You can hardly nip off to the local bar for a couple of drinks and maybe find some female companionship. Dating local women is off the list, that will just get you on the fast track to a very short and unhappy life.
Matthew Heines took a different approach, he joined a local Hash House Harriers group. I have to admit that I had not heard the term for decades. At its most basic form it is a drunken treasure hunt. Purists may disagree and explain that it is all about cross country running crossed with a dose of cartography, although it has been my experience that the map reading was limited to the next place that had beer! Of course in Saudi such activities would have been frowned upon. For the Hashers however there was a silver lining, the Hash became a social event that western nurses would come and watch. Anything to get out of the city and enjoy both the rugged landscape and company of fellow westerners.
The Hashers are just one aspect of Killing Time In Saudi Arabia. The book is rich in strange tales. Many are humorous, but taken as a whole it is a book that anyone planning on taking a contract in the middle east should take some time and read.
You can order your copy from Amazon by using the link above.
Simon Barrett

.

Let Others Know About This Post

• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 
 
• 

Diane Donovan Book Review Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a Hard Place by Matthew D. Heines

Review

Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a Hard Place
Matthew D. Heines


Print ISBN 9780990879312      
Print Edition $11.99
$3.99 Kindle/iBook/Ebook

Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a Hard Place is the second of a three-book series that describes the author's life in the Middle East and once again offers a powerful perspective, continuing the saga begun by Heines' venture into Oman post-9/11.
At this point the U.S. is about to invade Iraq, and Heines is the only American in the region - so he's viewed with undue suspicion and faces the additional challenges of being involved in a clandestine relationship with an Arab woman and struggling with a very different culture.
Like My Year in Oman, this book is neither 'fish nor fowl' - it's not a travelogue; so don't anticipate that direction. Neither is it strict autobiography: there's a lot of cultural observation and history that would be lacking in a more egocentric production and it's this cultural interaction that forms the backbone of Heines' experience and story.
It's about Muslim faith, cultural values, the interaction of Arab countries with the rest of the world, and how Heines' decision to live in Arabia succeeds in changing not only his life, but those around him.
Expect more details about Omani culture than were provided in the first book, expect more rich viewpoints of male and female lives and how they are changed by Muslim faith and politics, and most of all, anticipate a deepening romance set against the backdrop of protests and heightening tensions in the Middle East.
Most accounts of the region come from relative outsiders. Even reporters who have extensively traveled throughout the Middle East and who have more in-depth background in the region's political turbulence don't have the personal associations that Matthew Heines develops in the course of working and developing a love relationship in Oman.
Another Year is about adventure and romance - but more importantly, it's about one average American's understanding of the underlying forces that drive Muslim culture and heritage, offering a rare opportunity for understanding based not on so much on history or politics as upon personal interactions.

And that's a rare perspective, indeed - especially in a post-9/11 world which too easily equates 'terrorism' with 'Muslim' and negates individual matters of the heart.
  D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, MBR