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    Searching for Reincarnation in Christianity
    Searching for Reincarnation in Christianity
    Searching for Reincarnation in Christianity
    Ebook152 pages1 hour

    Searching for Reincarnation in Christianity

    By Pius M. Sumaktoyo

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    About this ebook

    (This is the first of three in series.)
    Pius M. Sumaktoyo was born a Catholic. He lives in Indonesia. As a young man, Pius favored logic and freedom. His desire to understand more about Christianity led him to be an atheist. However, being a victim of black-magic made him realize not all that is invisible is unreal. He believes again in God.
    As he was living a peaceful life in the salvation through Jesus, someone introduced him to the truth of reincarnation. Unfortunately, the Church did, and still does, not acknowledge reincarnation. For 20 years he struggled to find explanations and reconcile the seeming differences between reincarnation and the Church’s teachings. He now understands that reincarnation is not against his Christian beliefs.
    He writes a book, he draws a schematic, the Scheme of Opportunities. It describes a path of human life that recognizes both the truth of reincarnation and the truth of Christianity. Humans have to know the true God, otherwise they are destined to reincarnate for an unknown times or until the judgement day. Jesus Christ, the book argues, is the way to know the true God and to end this cycle of reincarnations.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPius M. Sumaktoyo
    Release dateJan 4, 2016
    ISBN9781310830617
    Searching for Reincarnation in Christianity
    Author

    Pius M. Sumaktoyo

    Pius M Sumaktoyo was a software developer who is interested in the truth of the gospel. Pius was born into a Catholic family, briefly becoming an atheist in his twenties. He believed that salvation existed only in and through Jesus Christ, however, he found many of Jesus' teachings still waiting to be opened. Pius believed that Christ's people needed to know the truth that Jesus had come to testify.

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      Book preview

      Searching for Reincarnation in Christianity - Pius M. Sumaktoyo

      Searching for Reincarnation

      in Christianity

      By Pius M. Sumaktoyo

      Copyright 2016 Pius M. Sumaktoyo

      Published by Pius M. Sumaktoyo at Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Discover other titles by Pius M. Sumaktoyo

      Yes, Jesus Taught Reincarnation

      Jesus’ Extreme Limits

      Table of Contents

      Preface

      Chapter 1: Motivation to Understand about the Truth of Faith

      Chapter 2: The Paradoxes of the Faith Teachings

      Chapter 3: A Hypothesis to Solve the Paradoxes

      Chapter 4: Examine the Schematic of Opportunities

      Chapter 5: Examine Christianity as the Way of Salvation

      Chapter 6: Believe in the Triune God

      Chapter 7: Live in Intimacy with God

      Chapter 8: References to the Hypothesis

      Ending Words

      Bibliography

      Preface

      This book is about Christianity and reincarnation. It comes from my contemplation from the period between 1975 - 1999, from 21 to 45 of my age.

      What is the difference between faith and belief? When we try to look for in the Indonesian Dictionary, we will not find them differently, but in this book they are different.

      Faith needs nothing to prove it, belief needs a proof or a logical justification.

      A religion follower will find it a big problem to ask about the truth of faith. It will be more difficult if one tries to examine the truth of faith using logical true or false criteria. If faith has to conform the logical thinking, he or she might worry because the dogma of truth will restrict.

      Some people are living peacefully in their faith, without asking about the truth. Some others are facing temptations. Especially in this era where more people put the logic as the main point, temptations are more often to appear. Those who have no faith temptation can easily advise the others not to worry about, Leave it to God's will.

      When my age was about twenty to forty, I was a Catholic trying to apply my logical on my faith. I did try to follow the ease advice but soon I faced a fact of life that was not in line with the Catholic teaching.

      I encouraged myself, to enter the jungle of life which is not in line with the Catholic teachings. I meditated to know the truth. I put myself to the goodness of God, to find God to be reached. My meditation has changed me from faith to belief.

      It took me a couple of years to get the answers of my faith problems and questions. Now, I think that I got the answers. It is useless if I keep them for myself without trying to share it to all brothers and sisters in faith, whom are facing many of both the same and the different problems.

      This book contains the result of my logical development in support of my Christian faith. It might break through the basis of obedience and the honor to the Church authority. However, I dedicate this book to all the believers, who are having many questions to think about their faith. I also dedicate it, to those who are still in doubt of their faith in Jesus, those who are being tempted to change their faith.

      Additional notes, prior to Smashwords edition, 2016: My personal Christian faith is developing. I have written three books on the same topic. Now, I am writing my fourth book. Purposely, I did not melt and rewrite the three into one book. I deliberately let the books remain to be in its original contemplation period. The books show the track of my development, with that, I like to encourage anyone to be courageous and to be honest to find God. God is good. God loves humanity. God will help. One thing I am sure, there are Christian treasures, Jesus’ teachings, await to reveal.

      -----------------------------

      Unless otherwise indicated, the Bible quotations throughout this book were taken from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com

      -----------------------------

      Chapter 1:

      Motivation to Understand

      about the Truth of Faith

      When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, ....

      --- (Jeremiah 29:13-14)

      Shortcuts:

      Introduction;

      The Background and Chronology;

      Being an Agnostic;

      Reincarnation, a Challenging to the Redeemer’s Role

      Introduction

      Jeremiah 29:13-14 tells that God will not hide Himself from whomever, with his or her heart and soul, asks for Him.

      This book contains the result of contemplations, which I have done to know and to understand the relationship of my life and God.

      My contemplations was quite different from what a believer usually do. It run beyond the frame of the doctrine of the faith. I tried to find the answers of the truth which is beyond the Catholic teaching. It was not easy to do because there were so many challenges to face.

      My contemplation was begun with the existence of reincarnation, which for me can no longer be buried in faith.

      As a Catholic, my acknowledgment to the existence of reincarnation implicates the role of salvation in Jesus Christ and the true meaning of human life.

      With the Catholic faith instilled in me, and the existence of reincarnation which I cannot deny, I began to do a long spiritual wandering. It was full of inner conflicts. At the end, I concluded reincarnation is not against the hope of the salvation in Jesus Christ.

      I did open myself to get answers to the what-and-why. Now, my faith strengthened and transformed into belief.

      This book contains the result of contemplation and wandering I have done, to ask God in honesty. This book covers the last ten years of my twenty years of wandering, mostly about my age of thirty to forty.

      I realize this writing may touch on and disturb the settled condition. On reading this book, you need to be in a neutral of a seeker.

      If anywhere I mention God’s interference, it is not objected to influence you psychologically. I just want to be honest about the limit of my brain capacity. I want to say, in trying to understand the mysteries, faith as the basis of submission should have its space in the relation of human being and God.

      This book is about a spiritual quest. It will be good to write it in chronological, however, it is impossible for me to do. Therefore, for you to understand more easily, I’ll first try to write a short summary. The short summary is about the background, about the result and the motivation to get the answers of the seeking. I hope, the summary will prepare you to be a neutral of a seeker, without any suspicion.

      In chapter 2, I present some criticisms about parts of the Church teaching or of the Bible. I understand there are paradoxes and contrary to the meaning. It was impressed that beside God is good, God is also grudge. My criticisms had unavoidably led me to be different in interpreting the doctrine of the faith. Please do not stop reading just to this chapter, instead, it will lead you to a doubt. Reading must go on at least up to the next two chapters where it give the answers to the criticisms.

      In chapter 3 and 4, I write the result of my quest. In chapter 3, I write the results, and in chapter 4, I write my logical examination to the result.

      I found human identity that differs to what’s described in the Bible and the Church faith teachings. I found that reincarnation is not a contrary to the Christian faith. By accepting reincarnation, I am open and more capable to explain the controversies of human identity and the relation of human and God.

      What I found and write in chapter 3 and 4, they lead me to know God better, and as the result, now it is easier for me to love Him. Now, I had transformed my frequent hesitations, caused by logical way of thinking, into joy, because I think and I believe that God is good. I think the two chapters are good to share. My understanding are in support of the conviction of Christianity to be the true way of salvation.

      In chapter 5, I write a deeper thought about the way of salvation and Christianity. The following questions are tried to answer: Is there any other way of salvation out of Christianity? If Christian faith is to be proclaimed, in what way shall it be?

      In chapter 6, I write the result of my quest about the truth of the Triune God. I have tried to understand and to believe, and not just to accept it in faith.

      Finding God and the truth of faith is encouraging and cheered me up. However, the value

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