User:Tonibbad/ITBTWM

In The Beginning, There Was... ME is a book first published in 2009 by Samson Soledad, in which he contends that God, or the Creator of the Universe, willed him to write down the thoughts that came to him, or to research those thoughts and then write down his post-research thoughts. While admitting no background or formal training in theology, or literature for that matter, he did spend time as a technical writer of industrial equipment manuals.

According to the publisher, Soledad researched and wrote down, on hundreds of yellow writing pads, the thoughts he was compelled to explore. Presented as if by God in the first person, the book attacks the sacred cows of organized religion, and presents a modern, and sometimes sarcastic view of himself and the world we live in. While uniquely different from other books exploring religion and spirituality, the theme does relate to elements of Gnosticism interwoven with a dose of relativity physics.

The author provides a credible explanation of the non-existence of “Time,” and its replacement with “Space-Time.” The premise does give a layman’s explanation that is enough to present a difficult concept to the uninitiated public.

In another theme, the author paints all organized religions as monolithic villains. He spends most of that time concentrating on the progression of the Church of Rome. The book also discusses other explosive issues: right to life, prejudice, fate, miracles, material wealth, gays, tithing and evolution.

Reception
The book has not surfaced on the shelves of any major bookstores, but rather has only been available at independent book sellers, Amazon and other Internet sites. Reviews are almost non-existent, which may point to a lack of any marketing of the book. According to the publisher, since the film rights have been sold, the marketing of the book will commence when the film is released.

Criticism
Midwest Book Review wrote: “What's really the difference between a prophet and a ranting madman? "In the Beginning, There Was... Me: God's Official Autobiography" are the reflections of Samson Soledad as he waxes philosophical on the many unanswered questions of life. Drawing upon his inspiration one day to process his thoughts to paper, Soledad offers readers a fresh insight to the many things of the world, saying that thought is an inspiration from God. As such he speaks on everything, from the divine to the mundane. "In the Beginning, There Was... Me" is a fine and entertaining religious pick.”

Inspiration and influences
The inspiration appears to be back pocket common sense discussion of the issues. In some circumstances, the conclusions are rather predictable. In others, fresh and inspired. If nothing else, a reader will be forced to think.

Release details
The hardcover edition was released April 2009.
 * (US) In The Beginning, There Was… ME, April 2009 (First edition), Desperado Press, ISBN-10: 1934613002; ISBN-13: 978-1934613009ISBN 0-385-50420-9.

Film
Zepper Pictures adapted the book to film, with a screenplay also written by Samson Soledad. The film is expected to be released in May 2011.