Subtle Deceit

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

Jim Jones developed a belief called "Translation" in which he and his followers would all die together, and would move to another planet for a life of bliss. He was able to "Brainwash", 900 people into committing suicide simply by misusing the Bible and by being charismatic.

David Koresh said that he was now head of the biblical "House of David". He led 1400 people by twisting the doctrine of the Bible to fit his agenda. Now I know that most people will say that they are smarter than that. Most people are able to differentiate between a doctrine that crosses the boundaries of religious faith, and something that could be labeled psychotic. This then would raise another question. What if you had been taught this doctrine from the day you were born? A prime example of what I am talking about would be the myth of Santa or the tooth fairy. Children in America grow up, some of which make it to their teens before they know that these things are fairy tales. Now imagine that for hundreds or thousands of generations, before your birth. Your ancestors were told that they are God's chosen people on this planet. Not only would you believe in this myth, you would convince others that it is the truth also.

In the American household, the parents are aware that Santa and the tooth fairy are simply a myth. Eventually, the parents do inform their children and the game is over until the next generation. But if themyth is never revealed and the parents continue to believe in Santa and the tooth fairy, so will the children. Eventually this myth will build some momentum and some people outside of the house will begin to believe this myth as well.

Just as the examples that I have presented. These myths have grown from the beliefs of one man to 900 hundred people. It went from having a dozen or so converts to 1400 people. If Nazism can envelop an entire nation in less than one man's life time, what would happen if a particular belief was left unchecked for hundreds of generations?

My intent is to expose this myth. Because there have been millions of people that live "outside the house," that are still believing in it. This is not another book written by an Atheist. I am not anti-Semitic or anything of that nature. I wholeheartedly believe in God and I want people to know that he loves and recognizes all the people of the earth.

God is the Great Architect. No, I am not a Free Mason, but I understand how they came to apply this name to God. I have also learned that God has not chosen, one blood line or nation over another. But because Christianity is based on Judaism, thisbook will primarily cover what is known to Christians as the Old Testament.

First I would like to point out something that I feel in very important. Most of the Christians that I am acquainted with know very little about the Old Testament. In my experience, most Christians believe that the Old Testament does not apply to them. Jesus stated:

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that 1 came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. 1 did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

With Judaism being the foundation of Christianity, it is important to know what your religion is built upon. Had the ancient Egyptians not insured a good solid base for the Pyramid of Giza. This awe inspiring structure, one of the wonders of the world, would have become the largest blunder of the world.

When I began writing this book, I decided to present the material in a manner so that you the reader would not need to go and look for anything. So I have quoted the scriptures verbatim and indicated which translation it is taken from, if it is not theNew King James Version Bible.

All of the information in this book can be found with little effort. Keep in mind, there are between one hundred and one hundred and four contradictions in the Bible alone. Then when you add in the books that are not included in the Canon the number is phenomenal.

I understand that everyone is told that the Bible is the absolute word of God. I believed that as well for a good number of years. Then I began to pray and study very hard. I started to go through the text with a fine tooth comb and to compare what I was studying with what archeologist had found. One thing that I found during my studies was that people, myself included, listened to the traditions that were passed on by elder generations and followed their religious practices. This is not always a bad thing and I havelearned a lot from listening. You will never hear me tell anyone, not to listen to people that are older or wiser than they are. I like to believe that with age there comes some wisdom. With that being said, we do need to evaluate the information that we come in contact with. I believe that this philosophy applies heavily when we are talking about religion and sacred texts. There are a lot of preconceived notions that have been handed down from generation to generation. These notions have been accepted and believed as being truth. Yet these things need to be looked at and studied. Then if you have a religious question, do not accept the answer, "you are not to question that".

There is no such thing as a stupid question and I would rather that the God in heaven ask me why I was questioning these things, as opposed to asking me why I believed something that was not true.

There are two reasons that I have chosen the title "Subtle Deceit - A Layman Perspective". The first reason is because there is in fact a subtle deceit contained in the Bible. This deceit has ever so slowly and methodically manifested itself over a vast area of the earth. One could even say it is as subtle as a snake or "Serpent". I feel that I have found this proverbial snake in the grass and intend you let you know where it is located.

The second reason for this title is very simple. My college days were spent taking business management and law enforcement courses. I have not attended seminaries or theological schools. With that being said, I have studied just about every English translation, of every ancient text pertaining tobiblical subjects, I can get my hands on. I have watched hundreds of documentaries and listened to countless debates and lectures given by scholars. Finding the truth has been my passion.

During the course of my studies I have questioned both Rabbis and Ministers, young and old. I have held many conversations with men that hold doctorate degrees in different areas of religious studies.

One of the greatest resources available to us, are the debates between religious scholars. There are university web sites that actually record these debates and you can go online and view them. Some of these debates are between Agnostics and Doctors in various fields of religion. To most people these debates would be boring and there are a lot of people that attend church every Sunday, but never read the Bible. This is another reason for this book. It hits the highlights of my studies, and will save the reader time.

The Bible verses that I quote are taken from the New King James Version, unless indicated otherwise. The reason for this is because there are several different translations available. I personally use the original American Standard Version 1901, (Copyright 1901, Thomas Nelson & Sons). But it is agreed upon by most scholars that the ASV 1901 and the King James Version are the most concise translations.

This book is intended to reveal truth and nothing...