A Special Message

Disclaimer
A note on our rejection of Atheism
Who are we and what was the inspiration for creating this website?

Disclaimer

First, as to the title, "Tomb Master," that title has nothing to do with any self-perceived "masterfulness" or any such arrogant notion. When we began learning how to build a web page, we quickly realized that we would probably never become "webmasters." We were, of course, happy that we were able to learn enough about web building (using a "what you see is what you get" software program) so that we could construct what we think is a fairly decent website.

We noticed that the contact person at most websites was always called "webmaster." Well whether or not that word was meant to indicate a high level of expertise with regard to website-building, we did not feel comfortable dubbing ourselves as "webmasters." So we decided to use the word, "tombmaster," instead. We thought that since everyone was familiar with the word "webmaster" that it wouldn't be too hard for people to conclude that the "tombmaster" was the person who could be contacted for questions, comments, hate mail, whatever.

Our second disclaimer is as follows: This is not a money-making venture, though our detractors have "informed" us that that is our intention. The extremely important book that we sell, Saving the Savior, is an important extension of this work that allows our readers to have a convenient paperback in their hands, and that they can give to their friends. The purpose of the Amazon.com boxes at our site is to provide an easy way for those wishing to further study the issue of the post-crucifixion life of Jesus Christ to obtain the books for themselves. We recommend that the reader also consider obtaining books from the library.

Our third disclaimer is as follows: Although our wish is that this issue never be commercialized, we also realize that despite our efforts, if this issue becomes "hot," then there will be those who will seek to capitalize on it, perhaps even selling tomb of Jesus T-shirts, etc., as is now the case with the Shroud of Turin issue. As such, we wish to tell the reader that we do not support any commercialization of this issue. We do not consider the selling of a paperback book on this issue as commercialization (although, quite frankly, there is nothing *inherently* wrong with commerce!) Also, should there appear any advertising for any product with the name "Tomb Master" or any name that claims to be associated with our website, the reader should know that we are not connected with that. This site was created for two reasons: First, our own personal interest in the subject matter, and secondly, our desire to share the information with others.

Our fourth disclaimer is as follows: Our site is not connected with any parochial concern. Our site is an independent website, built by people who believe in freedom of speech and the spread of knowledge. We have not and will not recommend any particular religion, practice or ism so long as we remain on the web.
[UPDATE] So, for emphasis, please understand the following: This site, and the information it contains, is NOT the property of any particular belief or ism or organization, nor is the idea of a post-crucifixion life of Jesus the invention of any ONE individual. From St. Iraneous (125 A.D. to 202 A.D.) all the way to Dr. Fida Hassnain, a living scholar, there have been many people who have contributed information concerning the idea of a possible post-crucifixion life of Jesus Christ. A few people have contacted us asking us "who do you belong to," or similar such questions. We belong to God.

A Note on Atheism

We are not atheists. We are believers in God, and we disagree with the suggestion put forth by atheist scholars that the wars that have been waged by human beings in human history in the name of religion "prove" that religion is fundamentally bad, and that the ideals of strict "rationalism", humanism and atheism are somehow enlightened notions that contain ideas that are superior to ideas that can be found in religion.

During the 20^th century alone, a whopping 175,000,000 human beings [reference for that figure will be given below] were killed in that one century, and this was due directly, in large part, to the notions of "rationalism" as birthed during the French Revolution, and later re-shaped into what Zbigniew Brzezinski called the "grand transcendental fiction," or "totalitarian metamyth". If there is any historian out there that can give us a reference about any century in human history when 175,000,000 human beings were killed in less than 100 years, please inform us. And these people were killed in large part directly due to the ideas of pure rationalism devoid of a spiritual base.

Is that an idle charge? Let us quote from someone who would know. He is a man who sat at the very heart of the secular world in his capacity as the director of the National Security Council under President Jimmy Carter, former President of the most powerful country on earth, the United States of America. Perhaps no one on earth could have been in a better position to assess the impact of the notions espoused by pure rationalism and pure secularism on the 20^th century than the man who was partially responsible for the national security of the United States. Such an individual would have to have his nose to the ground, right down hear on earth, and be extremely knowledgeable of history and how that history shaped current thought, especially in the geopolitical arena. In his 1993 book, Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the 21^st Century, Zbigniew Brzezinski states the following:

Brzezinski defines a metamyth, which he also calls a "grand transcendental fiction," as follows:

And as Brzezinski states with regard to this rationalist, "grand transcendental fiction":

We find it very interesting that while atheists and hard-core rationalists and secularists attempt to distinguish themselves from what they would consider the "irrational" ideas of religion, no less an individual than Zbigniew Brzezinski has characterized their beliefs and goals as based on "utopian doctrines" that can be "understood as an irrational but compelling blend of the religious impulse to seek salvation, of the nationalistic self-identification as being superior to outsiders, and of the utopian doctrines reduced to the level of populist slogans."

While some rationalists and atheists may not be fond of "populist slogans," they certainly do carry a religious impulse, despite claims to the contrary, that causes them to be as forceful, oppressive, and dogmatic as any fundamentalist of any religion. The only difference with these people is that while most of the major religions believe in a God that is essentially invisible to the human eye, atheists, rationalists, and some secular humanists believe in a god that is visible--the human brain. And many, many of them are no less passionate about their god than the most hardened Christian or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu religious zealot or fanatic.

In fact, perhaps that's why rationalists felt the need to wipe out 175,000,000 human beings during the 20^th century: to catch up with a religious world that they perceive as wholly "irrational" and inherently violent. Well, they've certainly done a "good job", and, I dare say, have probably surpassed those "religious" people in history who used the good name of religion to lend "sanctity" to their dastardly deeds. Atheism had 100 years and more to prove itself, and it failed utterly. Shall we give it yet another 100 years? We do not think so. Stalin was the head of an officially atheist geopolitical entity, the Soviet Union, and now even the former Soviet Union's own archivists admit openly that Stalin wiped out 20,000,000 of his own people, the Russian people, in order to create his utopian atheist paradise. Yet atheists swear up and down that "religion" is inherently violent, inherently bad, inherently "evil".

This is a message for young people, especially in the West: While some of you, especially on college campuses, have adopted atheism as "chic", and often lambaste religion as "irrational", we strongly suggest that you read Mr. Brzezinski's book. Atheism is a failure. It succeeded in doing in 100 years what probably has never occurred within that same number of years at any time in human history: killing 175,000,000 human beings--about 200 people every hour!! This is because human beings began to place their faith in a new god--themselves. And judging from the number of people killed during the 20^th century, the new god must be rated as far more destructive than any of the other gods that pure rationalists and atheists claim to be so destructive.

It is best expressed, again, by Brzezinski:

The fact is, dear reader, that there is nothing better to be found than the pure guidance that is offered by religion. It is not the fundamental teachings of religion that have caused harm to humanity. It is humanity's own conscious decision to ignore the high principles inherent in religion in order to achieve selfish goals that has caused war and violence.

Choose any god you wish: call him the brain; call him "Allah"; call him "God"; call him "Jehovah"; call him anything you want. No matter what he has been called, or no matter how he has been characterized, human beings have, throughout history, used (MIS-used) one god or another to justify their wrongdoing. In the name of rationalism, 175,000,000 human beings were sacrificed at the altar of the human brain. In the name of "Allah," the Iran/Iraq war (in which both factions were praying, from the same religious tradition, to the same God) wiped out a whopping one million human beings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Pope Nicholas V issued an official Papal Bull that sanctioned the slave trade, during which tens of millions of Africans lost their lives.

It seems that human beings are always capable of finding a god who, they would claim, has lent His blessing to murder. Atheism has lied against religion. And when it finally had its chance to create paradise on earth through the establishment of the second most powerful geopolitical entity in world history--the Soviet Union--it failed miserably, contributing to the carnage that took place during the century that Brzezinski labeled, "The Century of Megadeath."

All that religion needs is that it be followed. It's a simple statement, though seemingly a hard one to practice, especially in today's' world. So, again, to the young people: Don't be deceived by fundamentalist fanatics of any belief, including atheism. There is a God, but he doesn't sanction force, nor does he sanction murder. You can find fulfillment in the belief in the God of the universe, but nothing but emptiness in the belief in the human brain as the "ultimate" and "highest" creation.Last, the notion that religion and rationality cannot exist hand in hand is ridiculous.

Who are we and what was the inspiration for creating the site?

It does not matter who we are. But let us just say that we are Hindus; we are Buddhists; we are Zoroastrians; we are Christians; we are Muslims. That will suffice.

As regards the inspiration for creating this site, although we can tell different stories, the story of one of us--the Tomb Master--will suffice to explain the inspiration for this site. First, I am proud of the fact that my interest in this matter began when I was a child through love, not through any "anti-Christian" or anti-religion influences. I had not read any anti-Christian or anti-religious books, and such a thing would have been unthinkable to me even if I had known that such books existed.

Though no longer a Christian, I was raised a Roman Catholic, from kindergarten through high school. I loved my religion. Unlike many people I've met who "leave" Christianity for another belief or who become atheists, I did not have parents who were overbearing religious zealots. In fact, my father would not even let me get baptized until he was certain that I was old enough to make a rational decision about such an important matter. Although he was not particularly "religious" in the sense of reading the Bible everyday, etc., he believed in God. But, in all truth, he'd go to Sunday mass with me for my benefit alone.

I was raised during the pre-Vatican II era when the Catholic Church had intact all of its beautiful rituals: the Tridentine mass, the Latin Gregorian Chant, the mystery of the celebration of the mass, where the priests often had his back to the congregation during certain parts of the mass, the dark confines of the confession booth, the midnight mass at the approach of Easter, etc.

I spent eight years in grammar school. Our school was part of a large complex that included the school, the church, the rectory and the convent. It was totally self contained. Each day at 9:50 a.m., the good nuns would line us up in single file line in the hallway of the second floor of the school. We'd walk across an enclosed bridge that connected the school to the church. Once inside the church, we'd sit or kneel in prayer, waiting for the priest to come out and conduct 10:00 mass. After mass, we'd return to school--in single file line again--across the same enclosed bridge.

Everything was lovely. Everything was orderly. There is no explaining the mystery and beauty of the Latin Gregorian chant. Some of you may be familiar with the fact that in recent years a group of Spanish monks have become very popular, at one point topping the charts, for a CD they produced containing their rendition of the Gregorian chant.

The church I attended was patterned after the cathedrals of Europe, with stained-glass artwork reflecting scenes of heaven as have been represented in Christian art and iconography for centuries, as well as statues of saints, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, etc., in just about every corner of the church. Incense was also burned during the mass. The Gregorian Chant, the stained glass windows, the incense, the mass itself as led by the priest , the statues were something I looked forward to each and every day. Those where the days when nuns dressed like nuns--if you know what I mean.

They were so covered that, in truth, they would probably put any Saudi Arabian or North African Muslim woman to shame. Then I had other rituals such as the performance of "the rosary," lighting of candles (I think it was called "Novenas"), the Stations of the Cross. It was a religious life that was an entire world in itself, completely satisfying. The thought of leaving it would have killed me.

As I got older, my love for my religion remained. Between the ages of 9 and 12 years old, I got heavily involved in the sport of baseball, and became a very good first basemen. I could also hit the ball in any direction I wished. We played hardball, behind a YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) facility in a very large field. We were rough and tumble kids who played hard and played long.

Such was my love for my religion, that on Saturdays while we were in the midst of our weekly baseball game, I would suddenly leave the baseball field and walk to church. All the guys would scream, "Aw, man! C'mon!! Can't you go LATER!! Can't you WAIT until Sunday!!?" I'd just ignore them, take my first baseman's mitt, and leave. There wasn't much they could do--they couldn't find a permanent replacement for me because I was the best first basemen around in our neighborhood. I would go to church and just sit in the pews quietly, even if there were no mass being performed. Those were the days when all Catholic Churches kept their doors open 24 hours per day.

If I were lucky, I'd arrive there while the nuns were rehearsing the Gregorian Chant in preparation for Sunday mass the next day. Also, if I had been "bad" (the most I'd ever done was steal a toy from the dime store--which I promptly returned out of an extreme feeling of guilt. Later, of course, came the greatest "crime" of all: looking at girls!!), I'd go to confession and confess my sins to the priest. He (nuns were not allowed to hear confession) would listen to me explain all the sins I had committed, then give me my penance. It would usually go something like, "Say 30 Our Fathers, 30 Hail Marys, 30 Glory Be's. Now go and sin no more." Some may laugh, but this ritual provided, at least for me, a great deal of relief, as I would always feel that I had been given another chance to mend my erring ways.

But despite my total devotion to the Catholic religion, Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, and to God, during my entire Catholic experience (which included eight years in grammar school and four years in high school) there was something that always bothered me; something that I was never able to feel totally comfortable with, though I accepted it as a part of my religion.

Each year on Good Friday, I would literally cry so much that my stomach would hurt. "Good Friday" is the day that Catholics and other Christians celebrate as the day that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross at Golgotha. What was I crying about? I could never understand why the Good God, despite the prayers that were prayed by his "son," Jesus Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane, would force his own son to go through with an execution for which Jesus, apparently, did not want to be the victim. Jesus had prayed in that Garden of Gethsemane that his Father, God, save him from such a horrible execution.

I would always ask the good nuns, "Why did God let his son die on the cross?" Of course, I knew the answer: as a blood atonement for the sins of the world. The nuns would look at my wet eyes and reply, "My son, this is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But it is our faith, and we must accept it. And that I did--or so I thought.

Then, in the 7^th grade, something strange happened. I was daydreaming, staring out of the window into this beautiful enclosed garden that was part of our complex. It included flowers, shrubs, trees and, of course, statues of Catholic saints, etc. There seemed to be nothing on my mind. But suddenly I turned to face the front of the room, raised my hand, and when the good nun acknowledged me, I stated, "Something is missing." She looked at me and answered, "What is it, my son? What do you mean?" I answered in the following manner: "I do not know. But I'm going to find out."

That is how this whole thing started. It all came from inside my being. I had been totally sheltered within the Catholic system, with no outside religious influence whatsoever. But something was stirring inside of me. I now believe that that "something" was God, or perhaps just my soul telling me that I had better begin to realize that a grave mistake had been made.

The next major thing happened in my junior year in high school. In high school, we still went to mass each morning, though I can't remember now whether it was 10:00 mass or even earlier--maybe later. During my junior year in high school, I and a friend of mine who I will simply call "D" used to meet in the basement of his parents' brick home for Bible reading each Friday evening. There was nothing special here. We'd simply meet and read the Bible, and when the session ended, I'd go home.

Well, one Friday evening something absolutely astonishing occurred. It so happened that we were reading about the Passion of Jesus Christ. We got to the part in the Bible, after the crucifixion, when Jesus has risen from the dead. He meets his disciples. They are shocked, and it is difficult for them to believe that Jesus is actually standing before them. So to convince them, he states:

I do not remember which one of us, D or myself, had been reading the Bible out loud. But after the above passage was read, the strangest thing occurred--and this had never happened before. We both were sitting there staring down at our respective Bibles that we held in our hands. We were silent. Both of us were silent, staring at the pages.

Suddenly, D looked up at me and said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" We were both now looking at one another, and one of us shouted, "HE WAS ALIVE!" It was a shout that came more from inside the soul than the head. At that point, I inadvertently dropped the Bible onto the floor and we both let out something like a short, muffled scream--it's hard to explain. I guess you can say that we gasped. After that, we picked up the Bible and started reading it from a new perspective. I was absolutely frightened. My mind was spinning. What on earth does it mean? But suddenly--in one evening--I had found the answer that had troubled me for 11 years: Jesus Christ had survived the crucifixion, and it was right there all the time--in the Bible. The only difference is that for some reason this particular day something caused our minds to read the material as it appeared, stripped of any religious interpretations.

[Of course, rationalists, atheists, and "mythicists" (people who claim that Jesus Christ never even existed and that the New Testament is totally unreliable) would state that I was "basing" my beliefs on an account in the Bible about Jesus' post-crucifixion appearance, and that since the Bible is wholly unreliable, that my belief is flawed. They would even laugh at the above account. Firstly, the basis of my belief comes from my soul. That is what I have stated, and that is what I believe. Secondly, as we've shown throughout the website, there exists an accumulation of evidence that includes non-Christian Eastern writings within Buddhism and Hindiusm, that demonstrates that Jesus was a human being--he existed--who, after the ordeal of the cross, took on the name Yuz Asaf. Thirdly, though the critics of the Bible are no doubt correct about the many errors and interpolations that appear in the Bible, particularly the New Testament, we do not believe that each and every single word is fabricated. We believe that there remains in the Bible some clues regarding the truth of the crucifixion, even though other parts of the Bible have been tampered with. The above verse of the Bible fits well with the non-Christian sources that state that Jesus survived the crucifixion].

I want to re-emphasize that these Friday meetings were not held to "debunk" religion or to pick the Bible apart. They were held as what we felt to be a religious duty--to read our scripture. I can only guess, and I think I'm correct, that for some reason, God Himself wanted D and myself to know that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross. That, dear reader, is how this entire thing started.

The next day D and I arrived at school, and we were on fire! More so myself than D. I could not wait until religion class!! From that day onward I entered into constant religious debates with the priests at the high school, and so much disturbed the school that I almost did not graduate! My father--a very wise construction carpenter--was called to the school and asked, "Do you approve of the things your son is saying!?" I clearly remember my wise father--after what I realize now was a planned, poignant silence as he stared at the priest through his dark sunglasses--stating the following: "You all are teaching him. You are his teachers." What dad was telling them was clear: These Franciscan fathers were among the elite within the Catholic priesthood. They taught us students to think; to challenge; to debate; to not believe everything we were told, but to do research. But suddenly they now wanted one of their students--me--to just forget all that they had taught me, because now their belief was being challenged, and their system was being debated. And, of course, that would not do! Dad was wise! And there was nothing that they could say to him!

Well, despite their threats, I did manage to graduate from high school. That's how this story began. After high school, I continued wondering about this Jesus thing and eventually, through circumstances I can't even explain, I eventually came to know of various theories relating to the post-crucifixion life of Jesus Christ.

In summary, dear reader, I will tell you clearly that my primary belief regarding a post-crucifixion life of Jesus Christ does not rely solely on the theories of any individual--whether from the East or the West--but, rather, comes from the depths of my very soul through the Mercy and Love of God. That is my belief. Now, the material I present here is important, though, because had I created a website in which the only thing that I mentioned was my personal experience that I have just related to you above, then critics would state, "You are trying to convince us to believe in your subjective experiences that you claim are experiences that come from your soul? Please!"

Or were I to relate to you that during my lifetime, after high school, I have either known of or have personally met people who state that they have had visions in which "Jesus" appeared to them and stated, "Please clear my name of the charges against me that I am the son of God," then most certainly I would be dismissed as a lunatic.

In fact, I caution any new reader who has not yet read any of the information on the Major Players page to not assume that the information is based on subjective, spiritual experiences. The authors I introduce throughout this site are competent scholars who, through their hard research, have come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion and is dead and buried in the Roza Bal tomb. I believe that he is dead, but that his soul is alive with God, as are the souls of other saintly people and prophets, etc.

We want to emphasize, again, that though the material presented at our website seems very extensive, it is not. What we have presented is a mere introduction. And we have done so purposely for two reasons. First, so as not to overburden the reader, and secondly so that the serious reader can do further study for himself or herself, using the many references we present.

We at The Tomb of Jesus Christ Website would like to thank all of you who have supported our site. "Support" for our site, in our minds, means that you continue to visit the site and study the material at the site, as well as inform others about the material.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this special message.

Yours,

The Tomb Master

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