Reader Armando de Guzman sent in the following intriguing questions about the origins of man, which differ from the common belief. He asks, ‘’Which one should we believe?’’
Here’s his letter, slightly edited:
“I read ‘The Earth Chronicles’ by Zecharia Sitchin and ‘Forbidden Mysteries of Enoch’ by Elizabeth Prophet. I was completely at a loss, since the (point of view) presented in these books is totally contrary to established beliefs. The books point out the following: The books’ contents are based on cuneiform writings inscribed in clay tablets, which were found through archaeological sites somewhere in Iraq (which was called Mesopotamia in olden days).
‘’The Earth was visited some 400,000 years ago by Celestial Beings from Planet Nibiru that orbits our solar system every 3,600 earth years.
“Somewhere between 35,000 to 100,000 years ago, the Celestial Beings created homo sapiens through manipulation of DNA. The DNA of Cro-
Magnon man was combined with the DNA of the Celestial Beings and placed in the garden between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Priest
“During those days the created homo sapiens multiplied, guided and watched by the Celestial Beings, who chose a Priest to act as intermediary and give information to the civilization at that time. The Sumerians called the Celestial Beings God.
“There are many other details that were in contrast to present-day belief. There’s not enough space to discuss these issues.
“Please give me your opinion on these, because I do not know now which to believe. Is it possible that the God we address today is the same God that our ancestors called the Celestial Beings?”
These are, indeed, very intriguing questions you have raised. I myself have struggled with them for a long time, having been educated in the Catholic religion from elementary to college. I suggest you also read the earlier books of Sitchin titled “The 12th Planet” and “Genesis Revisited.” These may clarify some of the questions you have raised.
As to your question which one to believe regarding man’s creation, the Bible or Sitchin’s theory, frankly, I see no real conflict between the two versions, because what it says in Genesis about how man was created is simply a summary or condensed account of the Sumerian creation story as gathered from cuneiform writings on clay tablets. Anyone who can read the cuneiform writings (and there are not many of them) can verify them.
In cases where the Biblical account differs from archaeological findings, or as reported by Zecharia Sitchin, who has done a tremendous job in elucidating the real historical origins of man, I would tend to believe in Sitchin more because he had no religion to defend or establish, whereas the Bible was written primarily to establish a new religion and defend it against opposing views. Except, perhaps, for Moses and Solomon, we don’t really know who wrote the other parts of the Bible and when.
In contrast, the beliefs and practices of the Sumerian people can be verified from hundreds of thousands of clay tablets found in modern Iraq. They suggest strongly that the authors of the Christian Bible based their story of creation on the Sumerian people, who existed much earlier than the authors of the Bible.
Authentic and accurate
In a similar way, what would I answer if asked, “Which do you believe more, the Gnostic gospels written by Christ’s disciples and found in Nag Hammadi caves in Upper Egypt in 1945, or the gospels included in the Christian Bible?” My reply would be: I believe more the Gnostic gospels than the official Biblical version because the former were not reviewed, edited or censored by the Christian Church. For me, they represent the more authentic and accurate teachings of Christ compared to the edited version included in the Christian Bible.
Although many of the passages in the Gnostic gospels parallel those found in the Bible, there are significant differences that one can really observe. The Christ of the Gnostic gospels appears more like an Eastern spiritual guru, giving counsel to his followers, rather than a harsh and condemnatory Jesus that appears in the Bible.
“The living Jesus of these (Gnostic) texts,” according to religious historian Dr. Elaine Pagels, “speaks of illusion and enlightenment, not of sin and repentance, like the Jesus of the New Testament. Instead of coming to save us from sin, he comes as a guide who opens access to spiritual understanding. But when the disciple attains enlightenment, Jesus no longer serves as his spiritual master: The two have became equal—even identical.”
The emerging Orthodox Christian Church regarded the Gnostic teachings heretical and had their books and gospels destroyed. Fortunately, some of these Gnostic texts were discovered in the Nag Hammadi caves in Upper Egypt in 1945. INQ Note: Our next Basic ESP Seminar will be held on Feb. 8-9, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For details and information on seminars, books, past life regression and consultancy, call 88107245, 0998-9886292; email
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