The proven continuity of life; its relation to Jesuitism and the Christian religion

Author's Preface

The sole object in writing this book, at a time in life when the purity of motive could not admit of a question, is to benefit humanity, and not for applause, nor to gain believers in any doctrine, nor to make war against persons; but against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in the church, crime, disease, folly, and craft in the state'; to overthrow things, and institutions, evil, and substitute therefor things just and good.

The book contains a comprehensive compilation of but a small portion of works entitled "Antiquity Unveiled," by Jonathan M. Roberts, Oriental Publishing Co., Phila.; the Buddhist Review, Luzac & Co., London; Butler's "Mexico in Transition," Eaton and Mains, New York; "Mexico and the United States," by G. D. Abbot, LL.D., G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York; "The Double Doctrine of the church of Rome," by Baroness von Zedtwitz, F. H. Revell Co., New York; "The Age of Reason," by Thomas Paine, and other well known writers, to whom the reader will see I am under great obligations, and acknowledge my obligations in this manner rather than by detailed references. "Antiquity Unveiled" contains one hundred and sixty communications from people proving the continuity of life to be a reality, which, with biographical references, comments, and review

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of Mr. Roberts, shows great research, most painstaking, interesting, and valuable information relative to the history, character, and standing of those making the communications, and covers over six hundred pages. The book is invaluable for accuracy of statement, historical research as to various religions, notably the Christian religion, for fearless advocacy of and consecration to a work comparatively unknown to the masses, viz., proving the continuity of life and obtaining data of the greatest value to all humanity; a fitting monument to Mr. Roberts' life work; it is regretted time and space prevent giving but a small portion of same.

After years of doubt and unceasing controversy it is now claimed the origin and makers of the Christian gospels is settled beyond question; that these are the original Indian gospels from which the Christian Gospels have been fabricated by Christian plagiarists (literary theft), interpolated and changed by Eusebius, the acknowledged forger and interpolater of manuscripts, and others, in the making of their theological scheme before and after the Nicene conference, 325 A. D.

It is also claimed that on account of the proven destruction of valuable libraries and priceless manuscripts from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has to this time rested in fancied security because of the lack of evidence to disprove the hollowness and falsity of its claims to represent God Almighty; but the cunning and duplicity of these makers of the Christian religion is now laid bare to the eyes of the world, their chang-

Author's Preface 5

ing and interpolations of the gospels acknowledged and proven, and the Christian plagiarism and delusion is at an end.

It is hoped the reader will consider its contents free from sectarian or religious prejudice, believing and supporting as I do, the right of every person to his opinion or religious belief however different it might be to mine; that it is necessary for happiness everyone should be mentally faithful to himself; that there can be no progression without full and unrestrained privilege to reason upon any and all subjects; that no faith or belief not founded on reason will avail anyone. Blinded by zeal, which takes the place of reason, then follows bigotry and untruth. As an illustration, Martin Luther, on his first visit to Rome, says : "Everything seemed true, and nothing was so preposterous or false that I did not accept it gladly." Long afterward, he said: "I was so filled, so intoxicated with the teachings of the Pope that I should have been ready with great eagerness to murder, or at least to assist in the murder, of all that did not obey and submit to him in every last syllable." That no mortal can make you what you are, but your own thoughts; that no one can save you but the saving power within yourselves; that purity can only be obtained by right actions; that action with a real purpose for improvement is the motive power to spirit growth and progression; that you worship no books save the book of Nature; that strength of character, love of truth and reliance on your own efforts alone avail ; that there is no escape whatever from the conse-

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quence of one's evil or good deeds, for deeds done in the past follow one, even after what is called death, which is merely another form of birth; that is, each one makes his own character and gathers the fruit thereof, alone.

It is not difficult to understand how people who have spent the larger portion of their lives in intellectual adherence to dogmas and doctrines, whose blood is saturated with a belief in some special mission from the Creator to certain individuals, can have acquired an attitude that leads them with perfect sincerity to appeal to the scriptures as an authority, and not as a mere matter of faith, even if faith should enable them to believe in what to others seems unreasonable. "For instance, in prayer for favors: Some people think it reasonable to suppose that when we have violated laws and merit certain consequences, God is going to upset the laws of the universe to make a special dispensation to do us a favor ; to others who believe in a Creator, a Supreme Intelligence, it seems strange that such a system, so contradictory to the character of the person whose name it bears, should ever dare to be called by the sacred name of religion." Perhaps there should be more reason, and less emotion, and perhaps our education is so much at fault that we may be thinking on wrong lines, and so, unable to study and understand things correctly as we might from the standpoint of reason.

Introduction

Religion is defined as being any system of faith and worship. It is said that to know religious truth requires rare insight, that no knowledge is possible without morality, and no morality is possible without knowledge tried by the standard of right. Ignorance is always pitiful, and the truth should be broken to the ignorant quickly as possible. Christianity starts with the claim that man was made in the divine image, that our first parents yielded to the seductions of the devil and that the curse of Adam passed to every soul, but divine mercy contrived a scheme of salvation whereby a remnant might be saved. Says the Buddhist Review : "Christianity is responsible in large measure to the belief of its followers in its sacred literature and the moral value of assent to its theological propositions and the wickedness of denying the same. It is the faith element that has proved the mischief-maker. Christianity is built on the claimed history of a person which naturally appeals more vividly to the imagination." In Buddhism ( from whence come our Original Gospels before their interpolations and incorrect translations), Faith is purely the product of knowledge; the origin of Nature it puts aside unsolved, as not tending to edification. "Nature is, that we are of nature and must study her laws if we would be her masters, rather than her slaves."

The Buddha never denied the existence of a Deity, for such denial does not come within the scope of his system; he only speaks of things he can prove. In place of the supernatural Buddha has recourse to Law, and this law is Karma, the Law of cause and effect, of action and re-action, which is not a remorseless tyrant to which man must bend despairing. Ignorance is synonymous with illusion; knowledge with truth; the real eternity is with us, in us, as matter; but about God, about matter outside of relativity, if such a thing is, what is it? The answer is unbroken silence (God being beyond the comprehension of mortals). Buddhism stands on the great principle of evolution; all things are in a state of flux; we cannot strictly speak of being, but only a continual becoming; that behind our thoughts there is a thinker. To a Buddhist, what will become of myself ceases to have any meaning; he wishes to lose himself in the great ocean of life, must show compassion to all beings, and the better he grasps the meaning of existence the more will his compassion grow.

Buddha says, "Let us overcome hatred with love, evil with good, the stingy with a gift, the liar with the truth. Cultivate love without measure to all human beings, a heart of love unstinted, unmixed with the sense of opposing interests. The Buddha religion gives not faith, but reasoned hope for future progress and supreme attainment; a religion on observation and attainment, asking of its followers, not faith, but understanding; devotion to this creed follows because it is so beautiful and true :

empty of dogma and prayer, yet giving the solace prayer so surely brings. It teaches that the cause of sorrow lies in self-desire alone; wherever there reigns no thought of self there lies the path of peace; where wisdom is, is perfect tolerance; Life is regarded as a series of potentialities which only lead to others; only a change of circumstance and desire. None can destroy truth; he but compasseth his own destruction, not understanding he is therefore more in need of our compassion."

Twenty-five years ago the supreme summit of spiritual development was reached by the Buddhists with a following of over two hundred million souls. Christianity owes its origin to Buddhism. Everything that would show this has been suppressed by Christian commentators. The time has arrived when the original Buddhistic and Gymnosophic religions will be given to the world, and the Christian delusion at an end. As a nation we are very slow to learn of other nations what they are doing, and our conceit concerning religious matters makes us the laughing stock of the rest of the world, which is wiser from dearly bought experience with the managers, the would-be God's representatives, and while the teachings of certain so-called religious organizations are known to be false and fraudulent its leaders are allowed to scheme for power, money and public aggrandizement, and to conspire against governments because of their claim to be religious organizations ; glorify our country because it is free even to exhibiting for money the bones of would-be saints, pieces of the Cross, and if interfered with raise a howl of persecution, on the principle I may hit you, but if you hit back I am a martyr. But the overwhelming desire for a future life is alone sufficient to induce belief in doctrines harmonizing with it, and religious conviction is born from the sentiment of veneration and awe which encourages belief in whatever tends to excite them.

For centuries the world has been promised pardon of sins with a future home with God conditioned on belief in certain creeds; but those creeds have had their day, and the claims of the church are palpably inconsistent with facts known at the present day: That the gospels containing pretended church authority were not written by the persons to whom they are ascribed ; that they were mutilated and interpolated by designing men has long been known to unprejudiced and thoughtful minds; until the nineteenth century the Christian church has resorted more or less to Scripture evidence, and Bible authority to help it out, and though Christians have disputed and wrangled about its supposed meaning their position to the world was considered impregnable, as the most valuable manuscripts, except those now in possession of the Catholic Church, have been destroyed by those who formulated the Christian doctrines, and though priests and their followers have hidden their tracks well, evidence from a source little expected draws aside the veil and lets the light of Truth shine upon its history, as is fully set forth in the revelations contained in following pages, correcting the history of the world and unlocking the mysteries of past ages.

Discredit the source of these communications as you may, but this does not dispose of the subject matter doubly proven by the collateral facts of history. No scholar however learned at the present day, indeed, the mortal does not live, who, unaided by the higher intelligences, could Ahus have laid bare the facts in this connection. These facts are attested by witnesses from whose testimony there can be no appeal ; testimony irrespective of its source so overwhelming that it not only cannot be disproved, but demands unqualified recognition and challenges proof to the contrary. The value of this testimony, not only to the present generation but to the millions unborn, is beyond expression; indeed, there is nothing of equal value to mankind in any century of the world's history. The managers of the church at Rome, veiled prophets behind the throne, may dissemble and ridicule, but the day of settlement has arrived; they may continue for a season, but there is no escape; their spurious and false claims of "Divine Authority" so long acknowledged through the indolence and ignorance of the masses are no longer to be countenanced or believed; nor their political power be feared or tolerated by the intelligence of the twentieth century. The whole and complete history of their man-made religion, their duplicity and double dealing, interpolating of manuscripts, destruction of libraries containing priceless manuscripts in carrying out their schemes for power and money, all are now laid bare to the gaze of the world and admit of no controversy. The wealth of the nations has been drained for centuries to support this ghastly religious fraud. In France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and South America already their power is tottering; with an army of seventeen thousand priests in our country to do its bidding, safe vaults plethoric with gold wrung from the poor, with votes of thousands of its ignorant followers landing on our shoes the church is now making in our country its last great struggle for existence. It has largely secured control of the press, and humiliating to admit, prevents books exposing its methods and history from reaching the public libraries and the people. Its vote is for sale, as in foreign countries, for a consideration; and with never before so much money at its control to support its leaders in luxury, and control the policy of governments.

The searchlight of Truth now exposes to the American people the practices of this so-called religious organization, this great financial octopus, the greatest and most powerful Trust in existence in its scheming for political power and money. Of the result of this struggle there can be no question, for with the dawn of the new light and invincible aid of the unseen powers there has indeed come a new heaven and a new earth, and with these the liberation of millions of human beings held in mental and spiritual bondage.

For the Roman Catholics I have personally no animosity, but most kindly regard and deepest sympathy; with the historical pretensions and political aims of the Roman Hierarchy, and managers of the "system," at Rome, called the church, I have no sympathy;. With their present avocation gone other fields of usefulness may be opened, enabling them to make some restitution to the world they have injured and thus lighten the load to be borne on leaving the physical body, for there is no rest for them here nor elsewhere, until with good deeds done in spirit life the full penalty is paid. In paying this penalty they will always have our love and assistance, which, when further enlightened, they will the better understand and appreciate the unselfish labors of those instrumental in releasing them from the darkest night of mental and spiritual bondage.