Religion, Illusion, Reality, Perception


Book Description

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.




The Reality Illusion


Book Description




God...the Grand Illusion


Book Description

The question is this, what do we accept as the truth of what we believe in? We take many things by mere faith, but is faith the right path in putting our trust in a matter just because someone says so? Do we dig into a matter with an open mind rather than prejudice and influences from others as we were growing up? Does our relationship with others influence our perception of what is truth and what is not the truth? Do we tend to accept something as truth because we don't have time or resources to check it out? Or is it because of an emphatic speech by a cleric that proclaims the Bible is "without error" when in fact outside sources point to errors in dates, events, and even interpretation, yet we close our eyes and ears because we ask, "How can this be?" Many times the excuse is made that if so many people believe in a particular biblical statement or condition, then it can't be wrong! Or can it? Debate on biblical issues end up boggling the general populous, and many just walk away from it with disgust, won't deal with it, or dogmatically hold a position of biblical inerrancy. This brings us down to getting into the trenches of discovering the truth, as ugly and contentious it may seem. This is especially true when ufology is brought into the picture, especially when the topic of God or a God is introduced and examined in the light of various scientific disciplines.




The Conquest of Illusion: An Exploration of Human Consciousness and the Reality of Life Through Yoga (Hardcover)


Book Description

The Conquest of Illusion is an outstanding investigation of reality and how our perceptions shape it, by author, theosophist and yogi J. J. Van Der Leeuw. This edition contains his original illustrations. An eclectic work which cites relevant works of both Eastern and Western philosophy, The Conquest of Illusion aims to teach those in the modern world - an existence dominated by physical things and technological achievement - of a consciousness which has and will always exist. This essential mystery, scarcely penetrated by most human beings, is this book's central theme. Rather than be an intensive book of dense and philosophically rich arguments, Van Der Leeuw instead opts to inform the reader of his own experiences as a yoga practitioner. These intense experiences result in the book you hold in your hands, which aims to prove that what we outwardly perceive as real and tangible are quite different from the inner truths of time and space that underpin every moment of our existence.




Is God an Illusion?


Book Description

In this title, the author argues that there is design in our universe and a deep intelligence behind life. Without defending organised religion, he debunks randomness as an explanation for how Nature evolves and shows how consciousness comes first and matter second.




God?s Illusion Machine


Book Description

In the tidal wave of intellectual argument that followed the 2006 release of Richard Dawkins's God Delusion book, a fierce debate has raged between atheism and religion over the existence of God, leaving the world's scientists and laymen largely undecided in their opinion. God's Illusion Machine presents a fascinating alternative to a debate that has largely been argued within the framework of Christian versus science concepts. Drawing upon the world's oldest body of knowledge (the Vedas), the author describes the massive illusion to which we are all subjected as we mistakenly believe ourselves to be physical creations of the material world. In God's Illusion Machine, the material world is gradually exposed as the ultimate virtual reality machine for wayward souls who prefer a self-centred, rather than a God-centred, existence. In contrast to Richard Dawkins's assertion that the religious are suffering a delusion for believing in God, the author argues that both the atheists and the religious are under the spell of God's deluding energy called Mäyä, which acts in reciprocation with a soul's desire to be in illusion within the physical realm. By applying the profound spiritual insights of Vedic knowledge along with a healthy dose of common sense and good humour, God's Illusion Machine is an enthralling exposé of the deceptive nature of the material world and the false claims of materialists regarding the nature of life and love. It is a triumph of spirituality over both atheistic materialism and religious dogmatism. God's Illusion Machine is a work of major importance realigning Western religion, philosophy, and science with eternal spiritual truths, an enlightening read for both the atheist and the religious, bringing spiritual certainty and true love to bewildered souls in troubled times. For atheists who like a good argument, for the religious who are stuck for a reply to Richard Dawkins, for fans of fantasy and sci-fi where forces of light and illusion contend in battle, and for you, the reader, whatever your disposition, this book will forever change your outlook on life and its meaning. As the rising sun disperses the darkness of night, so in the presence of Krishna (The Absolute Truth), mäyä (illusion) cannot stand.




Seven Types of Atheism


Book Description

From the provocative author of Straw Dogs comes an incisive, surprising intervention in the political and scientific debate over religion and atheism When you explore older atheisms, you will find that some of your firmest convictions—secular or religious—are highly questionable. If this prospect disturbs you, what you are looking for may be freedom from thought. For a generation now, public debate has been corroded by a shrill, narrow derision of religion in the name of an often vaguely understood “science.” John Gray’s stimulating and enjoyable new book, Seven Types of Atheism, describes the complex, dynamic world of older atheisms, a tradition that is, he writes, in many ways intertwined with and as rich as religion itself. Along a spectrum that ranges from the convictions of “God-haters” like the Marquis de Sade to the mysticism of Arthur Schopenhauer, from Bertrand Russell’s search for truth in mathematics to secular political religions like Jacobinism and Nazism, Gray explores the various ways great minds have attempted to understand the questions of salvation, purpose, progress, and evil. The result is a book that sheds an extraordinary light on what it is to be human.




The Illusion of God's Presence


Book Description

An essential feature of religious experience across many cultures is the intuitive feeling of God's presence. More than any rituals or doctrines, it is this experience that anchors religious faith, yet it has been largely ignored in the scientific literature on religion.Starting with a vivid narrative account of the life-threatening hike that triggered his own mystical experience, biologist John Wathey takes the reader on a scientific journey to find the sources of religious feeling and the illusion of God's presence. His book delves into the biological origins of this compelling feeling, attributing it to innate neural circuitry that evolved to promote the mother-child bond. Dr. Wathey argues that evolution has programmed the infant brain to expect the presence of a loving being who responds to the child's needs. As the infant grows into adulthood, this innate feeling is eventually transferred to the realm of religion, where it is reactivated through the symbols, imagery, and rituals of worship. The author interprets our various conceptions of God in biological terms as illusory supernormal stimuli that fill an emotional and cognitive vacuum left over from infancy. These insights shed new light on some of the most vexing puzzles of religion, like the popular belief in a god who is judgmental and punishing, yet also unconditionally loving; the extraordinary tenacity of faith; the greater religiosity of women relative to men; religious obsessions with sex; the mysterious compulsion to pray; the seemingly irrepressible feminine attributes of God, even in traditionally patriarchal religions; and the strange allure of cults. Finally, Dr. Wathey considers the hypothesis that religion evolved to foster reproductive success, arguing that, in an age of potentially ruinous overpopulation, magical thinking has become a luxury we can no longer afford, one that distracts us from urgent threats to our planet.Deeply researched yet elegantly written in a jargon-free and accessible style, this book presents a compelling interpretation of the evolutionary origins of spirituality and religion.




Facing Life's Genuine Illusions


Book Description

"Facing Life's Genuine Illusions" invites readers on a philosophical journey through the complexities of perception and reality. In this thought-provoking collection, author Warren H. Berg explores the myriad ways in which our lives are shaped by illusions-those subtle distortions of truth that define our experiences and beliefs. From the deceptive allure of success to the fleeting nature of happiness, each chapter delves into a different facet of human existence, challenging readers to question their assumptions and confront the illusions that often masquerade as truth. Through introspective essays and poignant narratives, Berg navigates the landscapes of identity, love, and mortality with wisdom and sensitivity, offering profound insights into the human condition.




Human Creation Between Reality and Illusion


Book Description

Identifying quickly illusion with deception, we tend to oppose it to the reality of life. However, investigating in this collection of essays illusion's functions in the Arts, which thrives upon illusion and yet maintains its existential roots and meaningfullness in the real, we might wonder about the nature of reality itself. Does not illusion open the seeming confines of factual reality into horizons of imagination which transform it? Does it not, like art, belong essentially to the makeup of human reality? Papers by: Lanfranco Aceti, John Baldacchino, Maria Avelina Cecilia Lafuente, Jo Ann Circosta, Madalina Diaconu, Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei, Brian Grassom, Marguerite Harris, Andrew E. Hershberger, James Carlton Hughes, Lawrence Kimmel, Jung In Kwon, Ruth Ronen, Scott A. Sherer, Joanne Snow-Smith, Max Statkiewicz, Patricia Trutty-Coohill, Daniel Unger, James Werner.