Terry R Halfhill Ph.d

The Discerners: Copperhead Road Terry R Halfhill Ph.d

Christen Reed has been selected by God to advance human progress on earth. As the next Discerner he follows the likes of Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, DaVinci and Tesla among others. Discerners serve as God?s catalysts. The story begins with Christens death. As he transitions to his next life he finds himself in a peculiar place similar to purgatory where he learns he has been chosen to be God?s next Discerner. His Discerning life begins in 1970?s southwestern Pennsylvania. In graduate school he learns to control a part of his brain responsible for manipulating pain and pleasure in both himself and others, nearly killing himself several times in the process. This ability was never realized by mankind due to an evolutionary detour necessary for survival. The detour must be righted for God?s ultimate plan to progress and only Christen has the ability to accomplish such a feat - unbeknownst to him. He becomes increasingly dissatisfied with his career as a college professor and eventually leaves the university. At the same time he learns that his friend Rich has tragically died. Crushed by the loss his emotional instability lands him in an interesting relationship with a much younger woman while on a motorcycle trip through the southeastern U. S. While the relationship fills the void vacated by the passing of his friend it also brings unintended but severe consequences. All of the events in Christen?s life to this point pave the way for his transition into his new career where he uses his abilities to influence history as God intended. An explosive moral dilemma forces him to choose between his dying son and fulfilling his duty as a Discerner. While dealing with this tragedy he learns his abilities provide crucial insight to understanding and unlocking the brains of the autistic and idiot savant. Whether he succeeds in the end or not, the price he must pay leaves the sympathetic reader rooting for him ? not God. In the epilogue Christen returns to the place he started his journey. Meeting with several previous Discerners he is debriefed and able to see the impact his choices have made on mankind. Answers are provided to questions the educated reader might ask, including the conspicuous absence of potential Discerners of our time not included in the group (e.g., Hawking). Why did the brain take an evolutionary detour, and how did this detour preclude man from realizing these specific abilities? How does the revelation of these abilities lead to the end of autism and idiot savants? It is not necessary for the reader to have a background in neuropsychology or religion to appreciate the scientifically based premises to the above questions. However, those who do will find an intriguing synthesis of current theories across disciplines, completely viable theories that would never be published in academic circles.