Pious Fraud: How Religion Has Evolved Throughout History

Pious Fraud:

How Religion Has Evolved Throughout History

By Irene McGarvie

Smashwords Edition

Published by Ancient Wisdom Publishing on Smashwords

Copyright © 2011 by Irene McGarvie

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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ISBN: 978-1-926826-13-4

Published by Ancient Wisdom Publishing (A division of Nixon-Carre Ltd., Toronto, ON)

www.learnancientwisdom.com

www.irenemcgarvie.com

Disclaimer:

Nixon-Carre Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or take any responsibility for any private business transactions between the author and the public. This publication is sold with the understanding that the publishers are not engaged in rendering legal, medical or other professional advice. The information contained herein represents the experiences and opinions of the author, but the author or the publisher are not responsible for the results of any action taken on the basis of information in this work, nor for any errors or omissions.

"There are many things which are true which it is not useful for the vulgar crowd to know; and certain things which although they are false it is expedient for the people to believe otherwise."

St. Augustine, 354-430 CE

Bishop of Hippo Regius, one of the most important figures in the development of Christianity

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 - How It All Began

Chapter 2 - The Geocentric System of Nature

Chapter 3 - Solar Worship and Christianity

Chapter 4 - The Anniversaries of Solar Worship

Chapter 5 - The Divisions of Time

Chapter 6 - Zodiac Symbols of Solar Worship

Chapter 7 - Future Rewards and Punishment

Chapter 8 - Judeo-Christianity

Chapter 9 - Roman or Modern Christianity

Chapter 10 - Druidism and Freemasonry

Chapter 11 - Creation Myths

Chapter 12 - The Dark Side of Religion

Chapter 13 - Pagan Saviors

Chapter 14 - Is There a Place for Religion

Chapter 15 - Recommended Reading

Chapter 16- Why I am an Agnostic by Robert Green Ingersoll

Other Books from Ancient Wisdom Publishing

Introduction

There is nothing new in this book. I do not claim to have created or discovered any of the information compiled here. While much of this book is taken from the classic book Astral Worship by J.H. Hill, the information has been in front of us for centuries, in numerous forms from varied sources. This is not a scholarly tome. I have attempted to make it clear and easy to understand in order to make this information available to the widest group of readers possible.

Like most people in our society, I grew up exposed to all of the Sunday school stories; Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, Noah and the ark, and Jesus’ birth in a manger in Bethlehem. I was told that these were historical events and I believed what I was told. Early in my adult life I was exposed to Evangelical Christianity and I believed what I was told, and even taught these same stories to my children.

Sure, in reading the Bible I noticed certain inconsistencies, but it was easy for me to blame it on problems of translation or cultural misunderstandings. Besides, I was told to just believe and have faith.

It was not until I began to learn about other world religions, in particular the earlier pagan teachings, that I realized that the Bible was not a history book but rather a collection of allegorical stories compiled from earlier religious traditions. There were many examples of stories that were too similar to earlier stories for it to be a coincidence. This changed my entire perception of religion in general, and Christianity in particular.

I hope that you will read this book with an open mind. I think that as you read you will be as amazed as I was to realize how obvious it is that we have all been victims of a Pious Fraud.

Irene McGarvie

May 7, 2010

Chapter 1: How It All Began

Universal questions

Since the beginning of time human beings have sought answers to the universal questions What is the purpose of life?, Why am I here?, and What happens after death? Religion developed as man’s attempt to answer these universal questions.

In this book I will show how all of our present day religious beliefs, and Christianity in particular, came from one early form of religion. How religious leaders throughout history have adapted these religious beliefs in an attempt to control their followers.

Generally, all of our western religions are based on the premise that God, the creator and boss of the universe (the man in the sky), spoke directly to some prophet explaining the mysteries of life and giving him (the prophets were usually men) the rules that we mortals must live by. Each religion believes that their founder got these rules directly from God and that while other religions may have gotten some of it right, theirs is the only true and complete version.

However, as you read through this book you will be amazed to discover that the literal truths and historical events that are espoused by our present day Christian churches, and have formed much of our present day religious beliefs, were actually based on much earlier pagan myths.

So, let’s step back in history and look at how these beliefs got started.

A geocentric universe

The founders of the early belief system that forms the basis of our present day religions were a sect of philosophers, known as magi or wise men, from central Asia. Through their contemplation and study of nature they formulated the belief that everything in the universe is animated by a great soul or spirit.

These ancient magi were the astronomers of their day. They observed the movement of the stars, the planets and the patterns in the sky, and concluded that the universe was earth centered, or geocentric. One of the first truths that they observed was that the sun, the moon and the planets all rotated around the earth.

Astrolatry or Sabaism

The earliest religion, what we commonly refer to as paganism, was the worship of nature. Humans observed the seasons, and the cycles of nature, and realized how dependent we are on the energy of the sun. Although they paid homage to all the elements, special respect was reserved for the divinity believed to reside in the sun. Worship of the sun or other heavenly bodies is referred to as Astrolatry or Sabaism.

Astronomical allegories

An allegory is a story, a fable, which has a deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. Allegories are used in an attempt to explain an abstract or spiritual concept in a more concrete manner, a way of making difficult to understand concepts easier to grasp. The ancient wise men created a religion based on allegorical astronomy. They personified the objects of worship. In other words, they created stories about man-like gods to explain the forces of nature in a manner that the common man could more easily understand.

Unfortunately, to give these stories an air of credibility they claimed to have composed them under the inspiration of the gods. They called these allegorical stories sacred records, or scriptures, and taught the ignorant masses that they were literal histories, about real people, who, having once lived upon earth, and for the good of mankind, performed the wondrous works imputed to them, and were now back in heaven from whence they came.

Heaven and Hell

Originally, none of the early pagan religions taught anything about a future life. The original belief was that immediately after death the soul was absorbed back into the energy source of nature where all personal identity was forever lost, similar to water flowing from a stream into a river where it merges with the other water and is no longer distinguishable.

The Sadducees

At the beginning of the Christian era there was still in existence a sect of Jews known as Sadducees, who were strict adherents to a primitive form of worship. Their belief regarding the state of the dead is recorded in Ecclesiastes 12:7, which reads: Then shall the dust return to earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.

An example of this form of religion was ancient Judaism as portrayed in the Old Testament, more especially in the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Old Testament. You will notice that in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, which is a general summing up of the blessings and curses to be enjoyed or suffered for the observance or violation of God’s laws, there is no mention of heaven or hell. All the rewards are of an earthly nature.

Deuteronomy 28 (King James Version)

I have included the entire chapter here because I think it is important for understanding the purpose of religion, which is to control the population.

It takes 68 verses to say basically obey the rules and you will receive blessings during your life, disobey the rules and you will have trouble. It is the carrot and the stick. Behave and you will get a treat, violate the rules and you will be punished. But absolutely nowhere in this chapter is there any mention of a life after death.

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

10 And all people