Is the foundation of the three major monothestic religions false?

originally posted by: daskakik

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
You lost me on the whole "you are God thing".

Don't sweat it too much. Some are like that.

You have stopped making excuses or performing mental gymnastics to make things fit. That is a good start.

I noticed that earlier you said that you were a die hard researcher into WHY? What? How? and this is fine but what if there are things you just can't know?

Better yet, what if there are things you don't need to know?

Like the twist in the plot of a movie, nobody wants to watch the spoiler.

Because if I just accepted that "I don't need to know", I wouldn't be who I am. I'm wired to want to know. Always have been. I know I'll never figure it all out. But, I'll keep trying to. Can't help myself, lol. I'm sure there are many on this website wired the same way, otherwise we wouldn't be here.
You know what? Life shouldn't be like this. That I know. Whatever I encountered in 1993, was so good and full of love and filled me till I was about to burst. I have no explanation for it, other that at the time I was a complete destitute mess and needed something to truly care that I was. I asked if there was a "god" that was there, I wanted to know his son, Jesus. That's where it all started. From there I had a voracious desire to read the Bible. I was only drawn to certain parts though. The rest didn't interest me, though I did try to digest it. Paul's epistles were one. He irritated the crap out of me from the get go. This was "pre-church". Then, I got involved in church and the indoctrination began.
I never felt like I fit in. The going terms for all of that in "christanese" would be being "born again" and "filled with the holy spirit". I believe now that it was even more, deeper, than that.
Fast forward to now. I haven't cracked my bible in months. Bunch of reasons for that, but the main reason was I figured out (just by reading my bible), that Paul was a shyster and many other things in it were lies. So, I set it down and started digging through other means. There's way more to all of that story, but anyway, I found out that so much I thought was true, wasn't. The way the real God showed me this was through animals.
Example....about 6 months ago, one of those "God thoughts" kept coming to my mind/spirit. It was this one question, "WHO is the god of this world?". It wouldn't go away. Now, this was (of course) mixed in with numerous other things that some would call "synchronicity" or what have you. But, truth be told, I know when something is trying to get my attention about something important. Think Neo needing to follow the "rabbit". Anyway, I HAD to understand that question.
So, what have I found out? Ha. Well, that the god of this world (and I'm not talking about Paul's definition or even "satan")....is NOT the true Most High God that Jesus came to show us. I've studied the Gnostic stuff. Makes a whole lot more sense to me than the Bible. I still have questions, though. Many, many questions. Probably will till I take my last breath.
I probably didn't answer your question. I guess when my day winds down and I need to vent, this is the place. During the day, I hide it well.

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
I probably didn't answer your question.

No problem, they were rhetorical.

Just trying to get you to think about them or rethink them in your own terms before putting out any of my own ideas. Well, actually ideas that I came across that made more sense to me.

I was also a christian but I started at a young age. At around 10 I was really drawn into it and also wanted to find answers. In my early teens I had a couple OOBEs. These of course opened up the scope of reality to me and in my christian mind I thought maybe I was chosen to do something special. Maybe just spread the word but with a degree of certainty.

Dove into the bible and noticed many inconsistancies, never made the Paul was a shyster connection but it wasn't necessary. The doubt was there.

One day someone that I had never met but that somehow knew my mom handed me a copy of Carlos Castaneda's "Fire from Within" and said "I think you might like this". It showed a very different way of seeing the world. Up to that point I had looked into other things but I kept trying to shoehorn anything I came across into the bible's framework. At some point I felt that it was futile and just stopped thinking that the bible was the truth that I once thought it was.

a reply to: CB328

Here are some examples of what's wrong with the Jewish religion:

Your entire concept is not correct.
Noah was not a Jewish concept. Noah was partly the basis of the Hebrew concept.

Abram/Abraham was not a Jewish concept. Abram/Abraham was the basis of the Hebrew concept.

Yahweh/Yahusha (The Most High EL) was not the Creator of terrestrial life. The Creator was His Word (Yahuah) who became Jesus. John 1:1-5 --

Hebrews as well as most other cultures were at one time Polytheists. Hebrews were of the first cultures, through Abram/Abraham to become Monotheists but the basis of Judaism did come from Abram after he fathered monotheism and not before he fathered monotheism so the basis of Judaic adoption came from monotheism.

Simply because no discovered records are available does not establish any facts or basis of untruth. Rome has not one record of Pontius Pilate ever existing yet he did exist by discovery of archeology. Wars and cultures change history many times over.

The conquest of Jericho is a matter of what you want to believe. I notice that you even have doubts when you say the word probably. That word fits your agenda in disbelief and has nothing to do with a fact. We are in theology are we not?

When you say Jews accepted Polygamy until recently, what do you mean by Jews and what do you mean by recently. Neither Jesus or James approved of Polygamy and taught only one wife. Was over two thousand years ago considered recently?

Now about this of what you have postulated, You are a one world government dreamer the same as many before you were. This has been tried many times before and has never brought lasting results. You would have to purge all the minds of all the people into one mindset and then keep that mindset from drifting into other avenues. Do you understand that this is impossible without total mind control of every person?

Do you now understand exactly that is what Jesus taught? But even Jesus knew this would not be accomplished in this world but by free choice in His kingdom of heaven. It has to be desired by each one and not by force. What you want on this earth is not even remotely possible.

originally posted by: daskakik

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
I probably didn't answer your question.

No problem, they were rhetorical.

ItTextJust trying to get you to think about them or rethink them in your own terms before putting out any of my own ideas. Well, actually ideas that I came across that made more sense to me.

I was also a christian but I started at a young age. At around 10 I was really drawn into it and also wanted to find answers. In my early teens I had a couple OOBEs. These of course opened up the scope of reality to me and in my christian mind I thought maybe I was chosen to do something special. Maybe just spread the word but with a degree of certainty.

Dove into the bible and noticed many inconsistancies, never made the Paul was a shyster connection but it wasn't necessary. The doubt was there.

One day someone that I had never met but that somehow knew my mom handed me a copy of Carlos Castaneda's "Fire from Within" and said "I think you might like this". It showed a very different way of seeing the world. Up to that point I had looked into other things but I kept trying to shoehorn anything I came across into the bible's framework. At some point I felt that it was futile and just stopped thinking that the bible was the truth that I once thought it was.

You are kind....and thank you for sharing your own experiences. I prefer people to speak from their hearts and how they got to where they are.
I looked up the book you mentioned. I'm going to order it. Sounds interesting. I find it funny that I've done a complete 180 from my old thinking (or programming). Before, like you said, I tried to fit EVERYTHING into a biblical parameter. I was a very deep scripture studier....going to the original language, etc. I believed I was called to be a "watchman"...had god speak to me many times on many things from the word. I felt like I had a purpose and all I wanted to do was serve "him". I loved this god...I mean, head over heels in love with him. Now, I'm questioning WHO the heck was talking to me. I mean, IF there is a "god of this world"...and I don't mean the "satan" from scripture. I'm talking about the god of the OT. If YHWH is real (probably Baal just renamed), then the stuff he ordered, did, and caused was NOT good. Jeez, just reading Leviticus should tell you that (or Job). Now, I've also thought that much of the OT was written by corrupt priests who were influenced by Babylonian captivity. Either way, it's all so cruel and evil. I have honestly gotten to the point that I think ALL religious books are mixtures of truth and lies.
I look around at this world and think, if you are real God and you care....then why do let so much evil continue? I know, I know....the Christian response is "free will". But, that doesn't make sense to me anymore. You can't be GOOD and not help. Or, pick and choose who you help and who you don't.
Mostly, it really upsets me. I think the main "push me completely over the edge" catalyst, was watching a documentary called "Earthlings". I cried for three days after watching that. What it left me thinking was....we wouldn't DO THAT if it wasn't condoned in the Bible. You'd think a true good, loving, God, would have been VERY Clear about hurting other beings (not just humans). He'd be VERY clear about so many other things. But, the Bible isn't clear. It creates conflict and division, because it contradicts itself constantly. I laugh now at the "bible study groups". So, his followers have to sit in groups for an hour or more and try to figure out what exactly it is that "god" wants from them. This is done weekly, all over the world. The harder you strive to "know him" the better Christian you were. Now, it looks like a dang hamster wheel to me.
Ok, I'm just a tad jaded, lol.
Hey, I'd love to hear more of your OBE's. PM me if you don't want to talk about them here.

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
I looked up the book you mentioned. I'm going to order it. Sounds interesting.

The author, Carlos Castaneda, has a whole series of books but has come under fire for making the whole thing up. Makes no difference. The first books in his bibliography are pretty good reads but the later ones seem to get a bit more forced or gimmicky.

You can find them on the net if you don't mind reading on a screen.

I really only took a few things away from those books and that is the idea of lucid dreams, the double (which sounds alot like oobes) and the idea that there is the known, the unknown and the unknowable.

a reply to: daskakik

I really only took a few things away from those books and that is the idea of lucid dreams, the double (which sounds alot like oobes) and the idea that there is the known, the unknown and the unknowable.

I think we will know the "unknowable" when we shed these bodies. I'm not afraid. I'm actually less afraid now than I was as a Christian. Kinda looking forward to it.

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
a reply to: daskakik

I really only took a few things away from those books and that is the idea of lucid dreams, the double (which sounds alot like oobes) and the idea that there is the known, the unknown and the unknowable.

Ok, I read some of Carlos' quotes online. Oh wow....um, talk about hitting home with me. Love his talk of "warrior's". Totally identify with that. Thank you.

a reply to: Matrixsurvivor

Yeah but then comes the bubble bursting, the universe, according to Castaneda, is predatory. Well maybe not that surprising since that is the way it seems.

The other thing is that, and I think people who follow Castaneda, or any of the new age type groups that include his ideas into their way of thinking, either missed or chose to miss a point in the books where Don Juan tells him that much of the practices were ad hoc and just used to keep him interested.

IIRC, Castaneda says something like (paraphrasing here) "none of that was necessary" to which the old guy says "of course it was necessary, how else was I going to get you to keep coming back".

I also remember him telling Castaneda that the real lesson was the work in lucid dreaming but that he never made it a big deal to keep him from obsessing over it.

I'm a bit torn between believing that Castaneda is telling the truth about what he experienced or if he made it up but I figure that it doesn't really matter. I have read critics say that he was seen in the library at UCLA on dates given in his books when he was supposed to be out running around with Don Juan. Either way it got me thinking outside the christianity box and it meshed better with the lucid dreams and oobes that I had experienced first hand.

Plus it was the second time my "truth" was standing on thin ice and I knew that if it plunged then so be it.

originally posted by: daskakik
a reply to: Matrixsurvivor

Yeah but then comes the bubble bursting, the universe, according to Castaneda, is predatory. Well maybe not that surprising since that is the way it seems.

The other thing is that, and I think people who follow Castaneda, or any of the new age type groups that include his ideas into their way of thinking, either missed or chose to miss a point in the books where Don Juan tells him that much of the practices were ad hoc and just used to keep him interested.

IIRC, Castaneda says something like (paraphrasing here) "none of that was necessary" to which the old guy says "of course it was necessary, how else was I going to get you to keep coming back".

I also remember him telling Castaneda that the real lesson was the work in lucid dreaming but that he never made it a big deal to keep him from obsessing over it.

I'm a bit torn between believing that Castaneda is telling the truth about what he experienced or if he made it up but I figure that it doesn't really matter. I have read critics say that he was seen in the library at UCLA on dates given in his books when he was supposed to be out running around with Don Juan. Either way it got me thinking outside the christianity box and it meshed better with the lucid dreams and oobes that I had experienced first hand.

Plus it was the second time my "truth" was standing on thin ice and I knew that if it plunged then so be it.

Man, your experiences parallel mine. We just had different sources that influenced "our truth's". The universe being predatory is one of the MAIN things that made me doubt a good god creating it.
The first one for me was outing Paul, though. Once I got the huevo's to actually QUESTION him, it snowballed from there.
That was 4-5 years ago. It was one of my last few months at my old church. I heard ANOTHER Roman's 13 sermon. As I sat there feeling my blood pressure rise,I was thinking, "this is such BS". I went home, got online, googled "Paul false apostle", and BOOM....turned out I wasn't the only person out there who had these thoughts that were believers. I don't think I came up for air for the next 2 years digging into that. Best place I started was a site called "Jesus' Words Only".
From there, I went into studying the Torah...since Paul abdicated the law and taught his own version of the "gospel"...basically making it all about Christ crucified, rather than anything Jesus actually taught.
From there I hit the huge road bump over animal sacrifice. Dug and dug more. Found more contradictions in the OT.
Now I'm thinking, "REALLY???" (enter church lady voice) "Well isn't that special?" I was also having some interesting things occur that showed me I was on the right track. Like I said, it had to do with animals.
I read up on the Essenes/Ebionites, then on to the Gnostics, and on and on and on, lol.
Yup....totally get the thin ice thing. Heck, I think I'm swimming in the freezing water at the moment. LOL. That's ok, though. Once you see truth (or a lie), you can't go back to "unseeing" it. Where I'll wind up, I don't know. It's been hard at times, to realize all I thought was true, isn't. I keep going back to the "god encounters" I've had. I know there's SOMETHING good out there. I just don't define it biblically anymore.
The even suckier thing is to have ALL friends who are Christians. Now, they are good folks. But, it's not like I can have deep conversations with them over this stuff. Good god, you should have seen their reactions when I tried to show them what I was learning about Paul. It's like this fear/anger takes over and you are all of a sudden the anti-Christ.
I started to really pay attention when online, to Christian's responses to others who DO question. Not just here, but other boards. Man, talk about eye opening. Pretty ugly...and I used to be just like that. I used to think it was my job to defend God's word and his truth. Now, I realize it's just plain obnoxious.
This planet is beautiful....and deadly. It's one of the things that is a dead give away for it NOT being created by something loving. It's one thing to have humans with both good and evil in them. But, that doesn't explain the animal kingdom and that they eat each other. It doesn't explain the planet's upheavals. It doesn't explain innocents being murdered or killed by all kinds of ways. Paul's explanation would have one believe that "GOD" subjected this creation to bondage and decay, BECAUSE of Adam and Eve. Paul was a liar. So, WHY is it this way? I want to figure that out.
Ok, I'm rambling again. Too much coffee this morning.
By the way, what did you encounter during your OBE's?

a reply to: CB328

I was under the impression that the Hebrew religion is an off shoot of ancient Saturn worship. For instance, the Hebrews recognize Saturday as the Sabbath (as opposed to Christians, Sunday). Saturday = Saturn's Day. Jordan Maxwell talks all about this. But then you get into a rabbit hole of Saturn being Earth's first Sun or something or other. Immanuel Velikovsky goes into this pretty well.

Do you think its possible that the orientation of the solar system is inherently unstable, and the planets can change their positions/orbits?

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
I used to think it was my job to defend God's word and his truth. Now, I realize it's just plain obnoxious.

Everyone pushing their truth gets that way sometimes.

This planet is beautiful....and deadly. It's one of the things that is a dead give away for it NOT being created by something loving. It's one thing to have humans with both good and evil in them. But, that doesn't explain the animal kingdom and that they eat each other. It doesn't explain the planet's upheavals. It doesn't explain innocents being murdered or killed by all kinds of ways. Paul's explanation would have one believe that "GOD" subjected this creation to bondage and decay, BECAUSE of Adam and Eve. Paul was a liar. So, WHY is it this way? I want to figure that out.

I like the answer that I found in Robert Monroe's books.

By the way, what did you encounter during your OBE's?

My first lucid dream was a celestial scene with me sitting on pastel colored clouds and waves of music washing over me. Light the enveloped the place that felt like pure love.

I've had lots of OBEs over the years but they are usually just me popping out looking at myself and thinking oh did it again. Then just going out to explore a bit before being snapped back.

Now the first OBE I had was of me floating above my bed looking down at myself then flying upwards until I was in front of this being that glowed with the same light as my lucid dream of "heaven". I don't recall being told anything. Just thinking that this was the sign of the calling, for me.

Years ago I had a similar experience except it started out with me sitting up with my body remaining prone. I saw something dart across the room and land on my face. It started to suck at my left eyeball. Terrified is probably the closest word to describe that fear. The that came to mind were the ideas from castaneda's books and gnosticism about the archons feeding on emtions. Just like flicking a switch the fear stopped.

Whatever it was it let go, hung in the air for a couple of seconds and then spun and vanished into a corner of the room. I felt a pull upwards and in a blink of an eye I was in complete darkness. It felt like the place where I had seen that being of light during my first OBE but it was no longer there.

I was enjoying the peacefulness of nothingness when a thought entered my mind. There was a spot in all that darkness where I had to go back to. I thought about it and awoke with a jump.

a reply to: daskakik
Big fan of Robert Monroe (good for you).

a reply to: TerryDon79

www.academia.edu...

a reply to: CB328

Religions are theories on paper.

It’s the people who distort the original teachings of the founders and don’t follow the best of the teachings regarding doing good to others.

Also the Jews distorted the idea of God’s universality and doctored some false idea that God made them, the Jews, his chosen people.

One thing Jesus did was refute that nonsense

originally posted by: daskakik

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
I used to think it was my job to defend God's word and his truth. Now, I realize it's just plain obnoxious.

Everyone pushing their truth gets that way sometimes.

This planet is beautiful....and deadly. It's one of the things that is a dead give away for it NOT being created by something loving. It's one thing to have humans with both good and evil in them. But, that doesn't explain the animal kingdom and that they eat each other. It doesn't explain the planet's upheavals. It doesn't explain innocents being murdered or killed by all kinds of ways. Paul's explanation would have one believe that "GOD" subjected this creation to bondage and decay, BECAUSE of Adam and Eve. Paul was a liar. So, WHY is it this way? I want to figure that out.

I like the answer that I found in Robert Monroe's books.

By the way, what did you encounter during your OBE's?

My first lucid dream was a celestial scene with me sitting on pastel colored clouds and waves of music washing over me. Light the enveloped the place that felt like pure love.

I've had lots of OBEs over the years but they are usually just me popping out looking at myself and thinking oh did it again. Then just going out to explore a bit before being snapped back.

Now the first OBE I had was of me floating above my bed looking down at myself then flying upwards until I was in front of this being that glowed with the same light as my lucid dream of "heaven". I don't recall being told anything. Just thinking that this was the sign of the calling, for me.

Years ago I had a similar experience except it started out with me sitting up with my body remaining prone. I saw something dart across the room and land on my face. It started to suck at my left eyeball. Terrified is probably the closest word to describe that fear. The that came to mind were the ideas from castaneda's books and gnosticism about the archons feeding on emtions. Just like flicking a switch the fear stopped.

Whatever it was it let go, hung in the air for a couple of seconds and then spun and vanished into a corner of the room. I felt a pull upwards and in a blink of an eye I was in complete darkness. It felt like the place where I had seen that being of light during my first OBE but it was no longer there.

I was enjoying the peacefulness of nothingness when a thought entered my mind. There was a spot in all that darkness where I had to go back to. I thought about it and awoke with a jump.

I apologize for going "Awol"....had a friend go into the hospital and had to take care of his son. It's been a rough few days.
I just want to say (before crashing out), that I've had many encounters with those buggers. I was a Christian then, and found that the name "Jesus" works quite well in beating their arses. But, those are other "long stories" and if I wasn't so exhausted, I'd expound on them a little more. I will say that I've come to the conclusion that something really evil and bad loves to not only mess with the humans on this planet, but feeds off it as well. It's the only thing that explains the "dualities" and predator type world we live in. Where a good god fits into that...well, I'm still seeking that out. But yea, I've done some serious battles with those things. When I stopped being afraid and started getting mad...they lost.
I haven't had any trouble from them since then.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I do appreciate it. Take care.

originally posted by: Willtell
a reply to: CB328

Religions are theories on paper.

It’s the people who distort the original teachings of the founders and don’t follow the best of the teachings regarding doing good to others.

Also the Jews distorted the idea of God’s universality and doctored some false idea that God made them, the Jews, his chosen people.

One thing Jesus did was refute that nonsense

You are so correct.

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor

originally posted by: daskakik

originally posted by: Matrixsurvivor
I used to think it was my job to defend God's word and his truth. Now, I realize it's just plain obnoxious.

Everyone pushing their truth gets that way sometimes.

This planet is beautiful....and deadly. It's one of the things that is a dead give away for it NOT being created by something loving. It's one thing to have humans with both good and evil in them. But, that doesn't explain the animal kingdom and that they eat each other. It doesn't explain the planet's upheavals. It doesn't explain innocents being murdered or killed by all kinds of ways. Paul's explanation would have one believe that "GOD" subjected this creation to bondage and decay, BECAUSE of Adam and Eve. Paul was a liar. So, WHY is it this way? I want to figure that out.

I like the answer that I found in Robert Monroe's books.

By the way, what did you encounter during your OBE's?

My first lucid dream was a celestial scene with me sitting on pastel colored clouds and waves of music washing over me. Light the enveloped the place that felt like pure love.

I've had lots of OBEs over the years but they are usually just me popping out looking at myself and thinking oh did it again. Then just going out to explore a bit before being snapped back.

Now the first OBE I had was of me floating above my bed looking down at myself then flying upwards until I was in front of this being that glowed with the same light as my lucid dream of "heaven". I don't recall being told anything. Just thinking that this was the sign of the calling, for me.

Years ago I had a similar experience except it started out with me sitting up with my body remaining prone. I saw something dart across the room and land on my face. It started to suck at my left eyeball. Terrified is probably the closest word to describe that fear. The that came to mind were the ideas from castaneda's books and gnosticism about the archons feeding on emtions. Just like flicking a switch the fear stopped.

Whatever it was it let go, hung in the air for a couple of seconds and then spun and vanished into a corner of the room. I felt a pull upwards and in a blink of an eye I was in complete darkness. It felt like the place where I had seen that being of light during my first OBE but it was no longer there.

I was enjoying the peacefulness of nothingness when a thought entered my mind. There was a spot in all that darkness where I had to go back to. I thought about it and awoke with a jump.

I apologize for going "Awol"....had a friend go into the hospital and had to take care of his son. It's been a rough few days.
I just want to say (before crashing out), that I've had many encounters with those buggers. I was a Christian then, and found that the name "Jesus" works quite well in beating their arses.

But, those are other "long stories" and if I wasn't so exhausted, I'd expound on them a little more. I will say that I've come to the conclusion that something really evil and bad loves to not only mess with the humans on this planet, but feeds off it as well. It's the only thing that explains the "dualities" and predator type world we live in. Where a good god fits into that...well, I'm still seeking that out. But yea, I've done some serious battles with those things. When I stopped being afraid and started getting mad...they lost.
I haven't had any trouble from them since then.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I do appreciate it. Take care.

Oh, and one other thing, when I get some decent sleep (and have a little extra time) I'll share with you the experiences I had when encountering this "love" of something?? that blew me away.

One last question Das....did you learn to leave your body, or was it something that happened to you? I'm curious about the process. Probably cause I'd like to try it. I have been in an altered state when fighting some seriously bad, pain in the arse entities. But, I was totally coherent. I didn't feel like I was "out of my body", but I felt like everything was surreal. Plus, I saw some stuff that would put most supernatural horror flicks to shame.

a reply to: Matrixsurvivor

The first times it happened spontaneously but then I had to find out if there was some way to make it happen. Tried many things but nothing really worked all the time.

To me there is a thin line between lucid dreams and OBEs. Lucid dreams are dreams where one becomes aware and the dream feels as real as this life while OBEs happen in this reality and you are able to see yourself and things happening here.

Robert Monroe claimed to have been able to use a set of binaural beats that would make people pop right out but that it was not used by his institute because it was too abrubt, instead other binaural beats were used to ease people into having OBEs.

originally posted by: daskakik
a reply to: Matrixsurvivor

The first times it happened spontaneously but then I had to find out if there was some way to make it happen. Tried many things but nothing really worked all the time.

To me there is a thin line between lucid dreams and OBEs. Lucid dreams are dreams where one becomes aware and the dream feels as real as this life while OBEs happen in this reality and you are able to see yourself and things happening here.

Robert Monroe claimed to have been able to use a set of binaural beats that would make people pop right out but that it was not used by his institute because it was too abrubt, instead other binaural beats were used to ease people into having OBEs.

I read Monroe's bio on Wiki. Interesting stuff. Do you know what it makes me think of (the binaural beat thing)?...music.
Music moves people. It can inspire you, calm you, anger you, make you cry...even cause you to worship your god). I have often wondered if these "entities" (good or bad), know how to manipulate the human psyche through music. Music is able to touch not only our emotions, but our spirits/soul. So, it's not surprising to me that certain "beats" could enable a person to have an OBE.
There is so much more to this reality and world than we realize.