7/27/2019 A Challenge to Readers Think

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A challenge to Readers ThinkTO MAKE the book ["On Christianity, New Age and Reincarnation (New Perspectiveson Old Religious Issues)"] interesting and titillating enough for the average reader, I even included answers to such intriguing questions as, "What was reallythe fruit of the tree of knowledge that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat in the Garden of Eden?" Also, "Was there really a romantic relationship between Jesusand Mary Magdalene?" "Where did Jesus Christ get all those new teachings he waspreaching about?" and many others.

After I had put together all the materials for this book, and read them as a whole, I knew that I had written an explosive book, because it contained topics andanswers to religious questions that were different from the traditional teachings of the Church and yet were not really irreconcilable with them.For those whoare used to hearing only the official answer to those questions, this book may be mentally disturbing, as Sir Jason Winters pointed out in his Foreword.

But those who are searching for a more satisfactory explanation to them will find the book a great source of intellectual delight.In anticipation of the objections that will surely be raised by the religiously conservative readers, I have included six pages of numerous bibliography and references so that they can checkout the sources I have used in writing this book. And there are indeed a lot ofthem.I hope that these readers will take time to read some of these references.They will find that I have said nothing new in this book.

These have been said before and probably said much more powerfully by others. But the average Filipino reader has no access to these sources. I hope to fill thegap in information with this book.Finally, I would like to explain why I have dedicated this book to Socrates, the great ancient Greek Philosopher, who was considered by the Oracle of Delphi to be the wisest of men.I consider myself in thesame situation as Socrates 2,400 years ago.

He used to question the religious assumptions and political beliefs of his people. They considered him a pest, a gadfly--and so they put him to trial and condemned him to death by drinking hemlock, a powerful poison.

He was falsely accused of teaching false gods and corrupting the youth. If he had lived during the Middle Ages, he would have been burned at the stakes, accused

of witchcraft; and if he had lived in this century, he would have been accusedof engaging in New Age and occult practices.Like Socrates, my objective in writing this book is not to change people's religious beliefs, but simply to challenge them to think through the various assumptions they make regarding their religion to see if they still make sense to them. If they do not, they had better lookelsewhere for better answers, instead of following blindly religious authorities who may be as blind as themselves.

For as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Conformity in behavior is a human necessity, but conformity in ideas a human danger."The new book is now available in all branches of National Book Store, PowerBooks and Mag:net.Address letters to this column to 308 Prince Plaza I, 106 Legaspi St., Greenbelt, Makati City. Call 8107245or 8926806 . E-mail jlicauco@edsamail.com.ph. Visit my website at http://j.licau

co.tripod.com. Listen to my DZMM radio program every Sunday, 6-8 p.m.