Part I

General Remarks

In the first part of my work I would like to tell my readers where I come from and how I came to seek the truth.

    The Moon Organization, whose meetings I attended for a while, serves as an example to show the dangers emanating from sects and cults and at the same time to explain why so many people end up in sects and why these sects are so successful.

    From the factual report, which I studied extensively, I would like to demonstrate that considerable errors can be made even where there is good will, longing for the truth and honest intentions. The combination of certain circumstances and facts as well as the immaturity of the time may be enough to induce humans to draw false conclusions and do the wrong things. I would also like to show from the factual report that there may be other explanations why no authentic works by and about Christ exist and why so many documents were falsified and predated.

    Finally I would like to quote critical voices such as Joachim Kahl and Gustav Wyneken, who have investigated and described the basics of the Church and its work. I deem it necessary to criticize the mentality of the Church once again. The time has come to finally throw the predominant ideas about faith overboard and to strive for coexistence in a truthful spirit.

    Furthermore, I would like to present books that discuss the exploration of the spirit and of spiritual phenomena in a scientific way. These works are clear signs that the questions of life and a life after death can also be discussed objectively and free from religious ideas.

    Finally, I attach importance to bringing to the reader's attention to personalities who in the past sought the truth and worked for the benefit of mankind. These people may serve as models of a love for truth and for our neighbors and as examples of the fact that great spirits are faced with problems, may also be subject to the natural limits of earthly life and thus may be mistaken too.
  

The Years Before My Search for the Truth 

My parents were mountain farmers in the Saualpe mountains in Carinthia. My father, born in 1895, was already fifty years old when I was born, and I remember him dearly. He was a brilliant storyteller and a popular entertainer, a progressive man and a good father. On long winter evenings he had to recount over and over again his experiences during the two World Wars, and we children, the neighbors or friends, listened to him carefully when he told us about his imprisonment in Russia, the cold winters and his attempts to help his fellow prisoners, his escape, his deployment on the home front during World War II and his adventures with partisans.

    My three brothers, my sister and I attended the elementary school in Greutschach. The nearest secondary modern school was in Griffen, a two-hour walk away, so none of the children actually considered attending it. When I was ten years old I badly wanted to attend this secondary school although I had hardly heard anything about it. My parents advised me not to go there, but finally gave in. However, it was not long before I had to return to the elementary school, because I simply could not afford to buy the things I needed, and so I did not own the book from which the English teacher examined me after a fortnight’s time. Besides, I repeatedly felt sick at that time so that I burst into tears when the English teacher, who was totally unaware of my troubles, failed me.

    As the first-born son, my older brother Erich was supposed to take over my parents' farm. My younger brother Richard was lucky, because our priest sent him to Tanzenberg to be trained as a priest (although this never happened). And according to my parents' wishes I, the second child, should marry into some farm. But even when I was a boy there was something in me that I still cannot fully explain. On the gate of the churchyard I saw a poster proclaiming that »late starters« still had opportunities to make their way. When I was fifteen years old I wanted to take my chance and work in retailing. While I was shopping, my future boss asked me whether I wanted to go into the retail trade. I was immediately enthusiastic and urged my parents to let me go. Finally it actually happened, I became an apprentice, and on my first day I had the chance to pick currants. Later I often did some odd jobs for my boss and helped him with some bricklaying work. Although I was quite successful in my job, I took the first opportunity that arose to make a change.

    During my apprenticeship I attended a typewriting course and often studied the posters of »Maturaschule Dr. Roland«, a school that advertised the opportunity to obtain a high-school diploma via evening courses. But as I did not have enough money to finance it, I decided to wait and tried to have myself drafted into the army as soon as possible. I was sent to Villach and later to the Military Headquarters in Klagenfurt, where I was placed in the office of the Company Commander because I had a good command of typing and knew how to touch-type.

    At that time I enrolled at Dr. Roland’s school, received textbooks, studied English and Latin, mathematics and German. I decided to stay in an office job within the army for some years, but wanted to be transferred to Vienna. Although I explained my reasons to the Commander, he rejected my request because he wanted to keep me in his office. So, without really being aware of it at that time, I became acquainted for the first time with nepotism and opportunism. I shared my room with a soldier who had good contacts to the school inspector and who supported my cause via his political party in the Ministry of Defense. But as the Minister belonged to another party, his intervention »only« resulted in my transfer to Group Command I in Vienna. Briefly after my transfer to the Group Command, the Commander called me into his room - I still do not know exactly why he did so - and asked me whether I had certain friends in a certain party. I told him the truth and also mentioned that my father was a farmer and had actually always voted for that other party. Only shortly afterwards I was moved to the Ministry of Defense and was employed in the office of a Major from Carinthia who understood and supported me.

    Within about three years I passed my high school finals, but I was under such strain that I had to hold my cup with both hands so as not to spill my coffee. Even several months after the exams I still dreamed about them and in the mornings I woke up and was no longer sure whether or not I had actually passed them. What was even worse was that at that time my father died in sad circumstances so that I often dreamed about him. I dreamed that he was with us again, how he lived and died again…

    My contract with the army expired, and I found myself a job in personnel accounting. I started to study law because I wanted to become a judge or a human resources manager of a big company, and because I could hardly see any other opportunities to study. After one year I passed the first of three state examinations. The subjects examined also comprised Canon Law and Church history.

    I attended a private school offering law courses. The teacher was a somewhat amusing man who well understood how to point out and explain in a rather witty manner all the inconsistencies of the church. He talked about falsifications and even more falsifications and I could hardly believe my ears. I could not understand that priests talked about truth while knowing full well that all these falsifications existed and keeping quiet about all the other circumstances. But as this was none of my concern, I would probably have put these contradictions aside and would not have bothered about them any longer if I had not come across the Moonies.

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