Religion, Illusion, Reality, Perception

By Simon P. Bargetzi

We received by birth the gift of free will: the inner urge, drive, or the inner desire, through faith, to have a communion with God. Humans are driven by many urges, but none stronger than the urge to love and to be loved.

Hunger (as part of the survival instinct) and sexual cravings (survival of the species) are well developed in humanstwo instinctive urges that humans share with the animal world. Nature demands survival, but the art of civilization increases the pleasures of living and the satisfactions derived from family life. To find meaning in life is a valuable and ultimate endeavor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543481969

Simon P. Bargetzi

Simon Peter Bargetzi, Author of several books lives in Canada half of the year and the rest in Europe and the USA. He brings a share of knowledge and embraces these perception and philosophies in this book. He is retired and enjoys travelling, gardening, and writing.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Simon P. Bargetzi.

Library of Congress Control Number:      2018901363

ISBN:                  Hardcover                        978-1-5434-8194-5

                            Softcover                           978-1-5434-8195-2

                            eBook                                978-1-5434-8196-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

All pictures are taken by the author unless mentioned otherwise.

Rev. date: 02/08/2018

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

772881

Venture

We are going on

a journey

into the world

of popular religious opinions, myths, deceptions,

faiths, beliefs, values,

and misconceptions.

Fundamental Questions:

o Why are we here on this planet?

o Do we have a destiny?

o What is our deepest desire? Is it our inner urge to love and to be loved?

o Is death the final stage of our existence?

o Is there existence after death?

o Why are we created like this?

2.jpg

Our world is a dangerous place if hate, greed, and despair dominate. It will separate instead of

unify.

Life is fraught with trials, errors, and turbulence—

but love

conquers all adversity.

—Simon P. Bargetzi

To my father-in-law,

Gilles Joseph Pacifique CHAVAILLAZ

Brigadier General

(† 2nd of January 2014),

who dedicated his life to his family,

friends, and fellow humans

with love.

He was a great man.

—Simon P. Bargetzi

The really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.

—Mark Twain

To all humans

in search of finding the meaning of life

to decipher the riddle of faith, myth, and deception

and to find peace, joy, and happiness.

Love, honesty, respect, kindness, compassion, concern, consistency, virtue, morality, justice, and decency are the universally common ingredients for happiness.

—Simon P. Bargetzi

CONTENTS

0. Notes

A. Initial Remarks

• Outlook

B. Preface

C. Acknowledgment

D. Introduction

E. Questionnaire About Myths, Misconceptions, And Religious Beliefs

a. General Overview

b. Recognized Religion

c. About Christian Beliefs

d. The Roman Catholic Church

e. To the Order of Catholic Monks

f. About Jewish Beliefs

g. About Islamic Beliefs (Mohammedanism)

h. About Buddhism

i. To the Order of Buddha Monks

j. About Hinduism/Sikhism

F. What Do Religions Have In Common?

G. Problems Of Human Freedom Of Religion In Our Society

a. Women in Our Time

b. Authority over Women

H. What Is Our Life’s Purpose?

a. Why Are We Here on Earth?

b. Contemplations

c. The Law of Energy

I. Human Development And Art Of Living

J. The Meaning Of Life

a. Attitude

b. Perception and Meaning

K. Reality Check

L. Our Body And Soul

M. Our Existence

N. Death And Spiritual Survival

O. Does A Supreme Being/God Exist?

a. Elaboration

b. Point of View of the Expression I AM

P. Was Jesus A Son Of Man Or A Son Of God Or Both?

Q. What Is The Solution?

(Suggestion for a New Way)

a. Abandon Religion?

b. Believe in Religious Superiority

c. Start Listening to the Inner Urge for Truth?

R. Suggestion Of A Free Faith

S. Conclusion

T. Addendum

Definition of Equality, Sameness, Uniqueness, and Religions

1. Equal

2. Equality

3. Overview of Different Religious Beliefs and Their Leaders

a. Islam

b. Shia Islam

c. Baha’i

d. Seventh-day Adventist (Mormons)

e. Esotericism

f. Christianity

4. Headgear (Outward Symbolism)

5. List of Renowned Scientists

7. Definition of Thought Adjuster

8. Definition of Astral Energy

8. Definition of Soul

9. Definition of Maturity

10. Definition of Fear

11. Andon and Fonta

12. The Idea of Reincarnation

13. Superstition

U. Bibliography

V. About The Author

0. NOTES

T HIS BOOK CONTAINS quotes and interpretations from the following:

a. The Urantia Book. Any interpretations, opinions, or conclusions, whether stated or implied, are those of the author and may not represent the views of the Urantia Foundation or its affiliates.

• The author used quotes and passages from The Urantia Book by permission from the Urantia Foundation, which owns the copyrights.

b. Dr. Viktor Frankl’s book: logotherapy; the stated text by the author is an interpretation and understanding of Frankl’s book, which may not fully represent Frankl’s perception.

c. Dr. Ann V. Graber book, Dr. Victor Frankl’s Logotherapy: Method of Choice in Ecumenical Pastoral Psychology (Wyndham Hall Press, 2004). Her opinion and meaning of life are not fully represented in the author’s statements.

d. Dr. Victor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (Boston: Beacon Press, 2006).

e. Yahiya Emerick: Understanding Islam; second Edition; Alpha Penguin Group Inc. USA 175 Hudson Street, New York,10014.

1.jpg

Nature withstands the hardship of time, so can we!

We received by birth the gift of free will—the inner urge, the inner drive, or the inner desire to, through faith, communion with God. Humans are driven by many urges but none stronger than the urge to love and to be loved.

Hunger, as part of the survival instinct, and sexual cravings, survival of the species, are well developed in humans—two instinctive urges that humans share with the animal world. Nature demands survival, but the art of civilization increases the pleasures of living and the satisfactions derived from family life. To find meaning in life is a valuable and ultimate endeavor.

A. INITIAL REMARKS

• Outlook

I T IS NOT my intention with this book to confuse or directly influence the religious believers in one way or another. Neither is it an attempt to discredit organized religions. What would become of our world without the churches? The churches should, however, contemplate what is being said in this paper, in particular, the remarks regardin rigid doctrines, manipulations, and half-truths. Rather, the intent of this book is to explore differences in religious beliefs through a lens that is often neglected or prohibited. Religion is a personal experience; each person has to come to his own conclusion free of any influence by a third party.

The author expresses his experience with religion and how he perceived it and concludes that life is tainted with riddles. His religious background and experience is from the European Roman Catholic churches’ upbringing during and after the WWII.

He questions the conduct of the past (atrocities, inquisitions, crusades, etc.) of the Roman Catholic Church as the basis of their assumed supremacy and infallibility. As God is no respecter of persons, either spiritual or material, how can he respect self-proclaimed church leaders as his representatives?

This book does not claim to always view correctly the historical, spiritual, and ecclesiastical total practice of belief and faith of yesterday or today.

Furthermore, it is not my intention to attack or to attempt to discredit organized religions or congregations that have their conviction of believers.

This would be an unachievable task. Neither can it represent the historical events and conveyance in the generally accepted manner. It is noteworthy to understand that the validity of the scriptures, texts, and interpretations cannot be confirmed. The Bible, Koran, and other sacred scriptures were written by mortal beings (mainly religious leaders, prophets) without involvement of a supreme being. The Gospel is reputed to have been written by the apostles of Jesus. Handwritten notes and memories of the events with Jesus as told by the apostles Luke, Matthew, Mark, and John are apparently recorded. Their record of events, however, differs in some places and has another interpretation memento.

The Jewish scriptures are mainly recordings by prophets.

The Koran states that the words came from Muhammad, a former military leader and later religious leader, a human prophet. The Koran has mainly borrowed text from the Bible and from the Jewish scriptures formed by Muhammad’s own dreams and beliefs. No text of faith written by mortal humans can be divine. They were made into essentially written doctrines and even mental manipulators. Certainly, they share the good purpose of compassion and love for their God. They have brought humans closer to God.¹

Each religion claims to have found the only truth and the key to heaven. They even fight one another for that claim. However, without the belief in a supreme being, society would be worse off. As much as their philosophies may differ, belief in a supreme being contributes to the betterment of society despite often hindering progress. The scriptures have largely postulated moral values, respect in and even fear of a supreme being, and, unfortunately, the threat of punishment for disobedience or nonbelief. The derogatory terms gentiles, infidels, sectarians, or heathens come to mind.

The reader will find discussion with regard to the validity of faith and what it really should mean. We know that the meaning of life goes beyond human understanding. Faith will, however, always be a personal choice. Faith leads to finding God.

B. PREFACE

G OING THROUGH LIFE, we experience many trials and tribulations. Increasingly, we question what to believe, what the truth is, and what myth or fiction is. There exist so many religious beliefs, and each believer is convinced that they own the truth. They are so convinced that they are unable to open their minds to other ideas. Practically all religions contain a certain truth but also encompass religious myths, popular misconceptions, deceptions, superstitions, and half-truths. Where do religious beliefs come from, and who did the historical writing?

From history, we know that only a few men in ancient times (more than two thousand years ago) could read or write. Many religious scriptures were written by the clerics called prophets. Their writing was mostly based on events and stories handed down through word of mouth, convictions, dreams, and visions. They, therefore, had the freedom to interpret these stories and write what was fitting into their beliefs, hopes, and opinions. Some scriptures were full of predictions and prophecies. As mentioned before, the Bible was written by the scribes because at that time, only a few had writing skills. Even Apostle John, because of blindness in his old age (his views of the events recorded in his nineties), needed the help of a young disciple, who apparently brought John’s version to the Jewish scribes. The Bible is declared as a holy book.

We are living in a world full of half-truths, superstitions, myths, and delusions. We are lost in the jungle of daily difficulties, stresses, and discontentment. Increasingly, we search for a solution to become happy. The craving to be loved and respected troubles our existence. The search for something to satisfy this craving leads people into philosophy, esotericism, hedonism, and mythology. To a certain degree, humans find in these fields a distractor from stress and despair. Others turn to religion for a solution. Since the dawn of mankind, humans have devoted much time to fight ghosts and demons. They were controlled by clerics or shamans and lived in fear of retribution from a higher being or from nature. The shock of death inspired fear. Today’s man has not completely eliminated the fear of the dead. Also, modern man of Western society is not supposed to fear ghosts and spirits, but custom is strong, and much time is still consumed on funeral rituals. Modern funerals in the Western world are seen as a way for the living to find closure and say goodbye in a symbolic sense.

The fear of dying and dread of the dark stems from the uncertainty of what happens after death. This causes some inexplicable behaviors. We have to differentiate mainly between two fears: instinctive fear of dying (animal fear) and mental fear of the unknown (superstition). These fears are connected. Both can be overcome by eliminating the superstitions and the challenges of living (animalistic fear of natural forces) as much as possible. It is not easy because conditioning lingers deep in our memory.

However, our society has made significant advancements intellectually and psychologically. But superstitions, myths, misconceptions, and deceptions still flourish. Even today, people are still vulnerable to religious myths and indoctrinations as they search for consolation in esoteric and occult practice, such as horoscopes and psychic counsel. Are such pursuits perhaps an escape from a sometimes brutal reality?

Besides the well-intentioned help given to the seekers by leaders of different religious denominations, often, their counsel is not free of misconceptions and personal beliefs, contains only half-truths, and especially prevents the free will of an individual conviction.

Is it lack of self-esteem,