| Reader Views is very excited to talk with Heather and | | | | say, “Hurt not others with that which pains |
| Verne Thomas, co-authors of “The Path: A | | | | yourself.” And so on. |
| Spiritual Journey.” Their novel explores some the | | | | Heather: We are also great believers in the old saying |
| world’s great religions within the context of a | | | | that knowledge and understanding are antidotes to |
| great adventure story. Thank you for talking with us | | | | fear and hatred. We hoped that if people read about |
| today. | | | | these different religions, and understood them better, |
| Heather and Verne Thomas are being interviewed by | | | | they would be less afraid of them and less likely to |
| Juanita Watson for Reader Views. | | | | view them with hatred and suspicion. |
| Juanita: You have co-written a very unique story in | | | | Juanita: Who is the reading audience for “The |
| “The Path: A Spiritual Journey.” What was | | | | Path?” |
| your inspiration for writing this book? | | | | Heather: Individuals who are quietly seeking their own |
| Verne: I taught Comparative Religion at the high school | | | | spiritual path. People who want to understand their |
| level for fifteen years, and it was always one of my | | | | neighbors better. One person, a librarian, said, “I |
| favorite subjects. Then, when I first got involved in | | | | wish everyone would read The Path. We should all |
| writers’ groups, I always heard that your first | | | | have read this when we were young and open.” |
| novel should be about something you know. So it just | | | | We’ve heard comments that the novel appeals |
| seemed natural to weave a story about different | | | | to both high school age and adult readers, because it |
| religions. But I’m a textbook writer—my | | | | combines a compelling and fast moving story line with |
| previous book was a best selling textbook on | | | | an introduction to the various religions. |
| sociology, which is really my field. So this new book | | | | Verne: The book has been very popular with groups, |
| was sounding more and more like a textbook, even | | | | too. There are four church groups currently involved in |
| though I was trying to write a novel. So I asked | | | | studying world religions, in courses based on |
| Heather for some help, and that’s what started | | | | “The Path.” And the book has been |
| our collaboration. | | | | discussed by book clubs. |
| Heather: I’m the novel reader in the family. I love | | | | Juanita: For your readers that have not heard of the |
| mysteries, romances, historical novels, literary fiction, | | | | Silk Road, please elaborate about this historical trade |
| science fiction, whatever. Plotting, character | | | | route. |
| development and dialogue come naturally to me. I am | | | | Heather: By tradition, the Silk Road was in operation as |
| also interested in the local color authors put into their | | | | early as 200BCE (Before the Common Era). The |
| novels, so I was thrilled to research the ancient towns, | | | | production of silk was then a secret closely guarded |
| countries and customs our character, Nathan, was | | | | by China, and the story of how that secret gradually |
| exposed to. Essentially our collaboration ended up | | | | spread to the West is a drama in itself. The old stories |
| being with Verne setting the stage with his knowledge | | | | say the Romans first saw the fabric about 53 BCE, on |
| of world religions, and me developing the story line. | | | | one of their campaigns against the Parthians. The |
| Juanita: Tell us, in your words, the storyline of | | | | Parthian troops carried bright silken banners, which so |
| “The Path.” | | | | awed the Roman soldiers that they fled in panic. On |
| Heather: The story opens with Nathan as a devout, | | | | closer inspection, the Romans were amazed at the |
| ten year old Jewish boy, living in Jerusalem at the time | | | | fabric’s softness and strength. Demand for silk |
| of Jesus. His only living relative, his father, dies saving | | | | skyrocketed in the west and accelerated the existing |
| the life of a visiting Indian merchant, and in gratitude the | | | | trade with China. |
| merchant takes a reluctant Nathan on an adventurous | | | | However the trade routes did not come to be called |
| journey on the old Silk Road back to India. He promises | | | | “the Silk Road” until the nineteenth century |
| to provide for Nathan and give him a fine education, | | | | CE (Common Era), when a German geographer |
| but Nathan vows to remember his Jewish identity and | | | | coined the name. We tend to think of one single road |
| to return to Jerusalem one day. He meets a Confucian | | | | that stretched from eastern China to the |
| cook, studies with a Hindu guru, enters a Buddhist | | | | Mediterranean Sea, and of caravans that traveled the |
| monastery, works for a Taoist inn-keeper, and meets | | | | whole way. In fact, there were many different trade |
| Zoroastrian magi. Finally, as a young man, he struggles | | | | routes and usually caravans traveled only one section |
| back to the land of Israel. There he finds refuge in the | | | | of the whole distance, trading their goods to the next |
| Essene monastery at Qumran, meets John the Baptist | | | | caravan, which would carry them to the next market |
| and encounters Jesus of Nazareth. The final chapter | | | | city. In “The Path,” Mohan conceives the |
| sees Nathan’s family active in the different | | | | idea of personally escorting his caravan the whole |
| factions of the early Christian church. What Nathan | | | | distance from India to Jerusalem, and setting up a |
| learns from his long journey is that there is truth and | | | | system of contacts with the officials of territories he |
| beauty in all the religions he studied, and that their | | | | passed through---a man ahead of his time! Ancient |
| ethical teachings have much in common. | | | | records show that caravans traveling from east to |
| Juanita: How similar is the journey of Nathan, in | | | | west carried such goods as silk, furs, ceramics, jade, |
| comparison to what any of us may personally face in | | | | lacquer work, bronze and iron. From west to east, |
| our lives? | | | | caravans might carry gold and other metals, ivory, |
| Verne: We live in a very different culture from Nathan, | | | | gemstones and glass. |
| and to compare his time and ours is to compare | | | | Verne: Don’t forget the Silk Road was also the |
| apples and oranges. But we each meet people who | | | | way religion spread in those days. Buddhist |
| belong to different religious and cultural traditions, and it | | | | missionaries traveled from India to China, and Christian |
| helps us relate to them if we understand something of | | | | missionaries traveled east from Judea. |
| what they believe. Also, Nathan lived in Jerusalem, | | | | Heather: What brought the Silk Road era to a close |
| which was a crossroad of many early trade routes, | | | | was the discovery of sea routes from Europe to Asia. |
| and he traveled through many different cultures. So he | | | | Merchants found that transporting goods by sea was |
| was exposed to many religions, just as we are in the | | | | generally easier and cheaper than the long routes by |
| United States today. | | | | land. By the seventh century CE, many of the stopping |
| Heather: Another similarity is that all of us, like Nathan, | | | | places along the Silk Road fell into disuse, and were |
| are on some kind of spiritual journey. I believe this is | | | | gradually covered by sand. Imagine the amazement of |
| true for people who are convinced of the truth of their | | | | nineteenth century archaeologists when they |
| religion, or people who are seeking answers, or people | | | | uncovered these ancient ruins, and began to |
| who deny their spirituality altogether. There are many | | | | understand the vibrant commercial life that once |
| different paths, but I believe they are all spiritual | | | | existed there. |
| journeys, and we must honor their importance in our | | | | Juanita: It is so interesting that “The Path: A |
| lives. | | | | Spiritual Journey,” a story set in an era long ago, |
| Juanita: The depth of knowledge you have for so | | | | can be so relevant to the times in which we live. Can |
| many different religions really comes across in | | | | you speak on religious intolerance happening today, |
| “The Path.” What are the religions that | | | | and what your book may teach us about the world |
| Nathan encounters and what kind of research did you | | | | we now find ourselves in? |
| do in preparation for writing your novel? | | | | Verne: We used to live in little homogeneous |
| Verne: Well, of course, the religions include Judaism, | | | | neighborhoods, where everyone believed the same |
| then Confucianism, which some people regard as a | | | | thing. For most people, that’s not true anymore. |
| philosophy rather than a religion. Hinduism and | | | | Our world—our country—our neighborhood, |
| Buddhism, which have millions of adherents in the East. | | | | contain Christians, Jews, Moslems, and people from |
| Taoism, which has fascinating and enigmatic teachings. | | | | other faiths and cultures. Even within each religion, |
| The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, which greatly | | | | ideas differ markedly. People in different groups of the |
| influenced Judaism and Christianity. And finally, | | | | Christian church, for example, may have decidedly |
| Christianity, which branched in different directions even | | | | different beliefs. “The Path” raises the |
| in its early years. | | | | possibility that no one has the absolute answer, that |
| We were unable to include Islam, since the Prophet | | | | we can learn from each other, that we can respect |
| Mohammed was not even born till about six centuries | | | | and tolerate those who have different ideas. |
| after the time of our novel. However I am in the | | | | Heather: “The Path” teaches us that many |
| process of writing a supplement to the book which will | | | | religions have great value, and that many religions have |
| have a summary of Mohammed’s life and | | | | similar ethical teachings. This is a difficult concept for |
| teachings, and a history of the development of Islam. | | | | people who believe their religion has the one and only |
| This will be on our web site at [ | | | | truth. But believing that your version of religion is the |
| Heather: You asked about research for the book. Well, | | | | only true version leads you onto dangerous ground. It |
| I hung out a lot listening to Verne, who after all taught | | | | can take you to a place where other people are |
| this subject for fifteen years and is keenly interested in | | | | condemned to hell for not believing as you do, or even |
| all things religious. I also read a lot—you can see a | | | | to a place where you are justified in killing them |
| partial list of the books in the bibliography at the end of | | | | because of what they believe. |
| the novel. I found some fascinating stuff in | | | | Verne: When you read “The Path,” I |
| libraries—did you know there is a book on fashions | | | | encourage you to ask yourself: how long do you |
| and hair styles in India in the first century CE? And I | | | | expect to live? Fifty more years? Thirty? Ten? The |
| browsed on the internet a lot—you’ll find a | | | | question is, what are you going to do with those |
| short list of helpful links on our web site. | | | | years? “The Path” shows us what some |
| One of the most important things we did was to ask | | | | great religions have taught about the meaning of life, |
| representatives of the religions covered in the book to | | | | how you can live the years remaining to you, how you |
| read selected passages or the whole book and to | | | | can relate to other people and to your concept of |
| comment from the perspective of their religion. That | | | | God. |
| led to some very insightful and illuminating discussions, | | | | Juanita: You have very clearly conveyed an in-depth |
| and we are profoundly thankful to our Readers, who | | | | and educational story to your readers. What is the |
| are listed in the book. | | | | underlying message/s in “The Path?” |
| You will find a summary of a lot of our research in the | | | | Heather: Tolerance. Respect for others’ beliefs. |
| History Lovers’ section that follows the end of | | | | Doing unto others as you would have them do unto |
| the novel. | | | | you. It’s as simple as that. |
| Juanita: What did you want to suggest to your readers | | | | Juanita: Your book “The Path: A Spiritual |
| by including so many different religions into | | | | Journey” carries such profound yet simple |
| Nathan’s journey? | | | | statements that are very relevant to our times. This is |
| Verne: Basically we wanted to point out that the | | | | truly a great novel with a significant message. We |
| ethical teachings of many of the world’s great | | | | would like to thank you for talking with us today. |
| religions are very similar. For example, each religion | | | | Reader Views wishes much success for you and |
| covered in the book has its own version of the Golden | | | | “The Path.” Please tell your readers once |
| Rule. Christians quote Jesus as saying, “Do unto | | | | again how they may find our more of “The |
| others as you would have them do unto you . . .” | | | | Path” and your endeavors, and please share any |
| In Judaism, the teaching is, “What is hurtful to | | | | last thoughts? |
| yourself do not to your fellow man . . .” Buddhists | | | | |