Author Daniel Parmeggiani compares false and real faith, and shares the three core beliefs that empower and facilitate our search for spiritual Truth.

Many people choose not to think for themselves. They would rather unquestioningly believe what others tell them than venture through life on their own, afraid they will get lost. They believe in whatever their Church tells them, or their politicians, or even their spiritual “gurus.” Then they turn around and tell you that they have “faith,” and that you should be just like them.

But that is not real faith.

The unquestioning and irrational thought-control demanded by most religions and cults is blind, false faith, and it does not lead to any real learning or understanding. Instead, this fear-based, closed-minded attitude prevents you from growing and destroys your natural curiosity and intuition.

Real faith is very different. It is the confident and optimistic trust in concepts that empower you and that open the doors to growth and possibility. It is saying, “I trust that life and the universe are good!” It is the relinquishment of pessimism and negativity, and the embracing of optimism and positivity. It is an attitude that says, “I give God and life the benefit of the doubt. I choose to believe that being alive is great, that the Truth of my existence and of who I really am is magnificent, and that I am entitled and capable of knowing that Truth!”

While blind, false faith is cowardly, real faith requires courage. To hide behind rigid, set beliefs and refuse to look at anything else closes all doors. But to open one’s mind and dare to actively and honestly look for Truth opens all doors and enables our highest dreams of happiness, love and fulfillment.

When I began my spiritual quest, I was empowered by faith in the following three beliefs:

I had faith that I was entitled to know the truth
I had faith that the universe would assist me in my quest
I believed that the Truth is magnificent and absolutely fulfilling

These three beliefs were essential to the success of my journey. Let’s briefly look at each of them…

You are entitled to know the Truth of Your Existence

One of the major psychological and spiritual obstacles we face today is the widespread subconscious belief that we are not supposed to figure things out on our own. We have become mentally passive and disempowered as individuals, always waiting for the Church, science, society or some other “authority” to tell us how things are and how we should think. Consequently, we feel incapable of personal discovery and the concept of self-realization seems unrealistic. We think that if it isn’t already out there as common knowledge then who are we to know any better? For this reason, we think that our deepest, most fundamental questions, upon which our very sense of inner peace and fulfillment depend, are unanswerable by us. We conclude that these answers are available only to the enlightened “chosen” ones such as Jesus, Krishna, Buddha or Mohammed and all we can ever hope to do is try to follow their faded footsteps.

We need to get away from this pessimistic and dependent mentality and believe in our ability and entitlement to discover our own Truth. Actually, what is really quite amazing is that we do not know these things already; I mean these are basic, essential questions! How could knowing yourself be beyond your reach? How could we believe in the absurdity that it is impossible to know why we’re really here; what our true purpose is? Come on people, you have the right and the ability to know these things! You just have to believe that you can. You just have to feel entitled. Knowing who you really are and your real purpose is your birthright and the key to real fulfillment. Do not be hesitant to strive for what is rightfully yours.

Is the road difficult? Is the task monumental? The good news is that, in my experience, adopting the principles being presented here is half the battle. Overcoming our ingrained negativity and becoming pure in desire and attitude is the hard part. After that, Truth comes easily. The answers are actually very simple and obvious. You will discover that they were inside of you the whole time. All it takes is faith that you can really do it.

The Universe will assist you in Your Quest

If God, the universe, the Creator, the One Life (or whatever you want to call it) is fair and loving, how could It frown upon someone who is earnestly in search of Truth? This is not “blasphemy”. The honest search for the fundamental truths of our existence is a sincere quest to understand ourselves and how we fit in, so that we can finally find meaningful happiness and satisfaction. What could be nobler than this?

As truth-seekers, we must have faith that God and the entire universe are on our side and will continuously lend us a hand in our search for meaning and purpose. Let’s adopt for a minute the traditional view of God as “that old man up there in Heaven.” Now put yourself in God’s shoes for a moment (relax, this is not blasphemy either!). Imagine that you created an intelligent life-form that had feelings that depended heavily on knowing the Truth about its existence. If some of those beings consciously acted on their built-in need to find more meaning to their existence, would you punish them for it? Quite contrarily, if you loved your creation, I’m sure you would feel rather touched by any sincere and earnest attempt by them to figure out who they really are and why you created them in the first place. Would you discourage their quest or encourage it? Would you condemn them or assist them?

As a result of my own seeking, I have come to know that judgment, guilt and punishment are concepts created by us as a result of ignorance of our own true nature. But even if you believe in a God that judges His creation, have faith that He (or She) will assist you in your sincere quest for Truth.

The Truth Is Wonderful and Fulfilling

What stops us from going after Truth? As we just learned, we may feel discouraged because we think we’re not supposed to; we may imagine that there’s something wrong with asking too many questions and digging too deep. We may also feel incapable; we may conclude that it is just out of our reach. We saw how we can overcome these objections, but there’s still one more obstacle that we must conquer. The final hurdle that we must rise above is pessimism as to what the Truth may actually be, and once again, only faith can see us through.

The type of faith that’s called for here is the unflappable belief that life is supposed to be wonderful and that we are meant to exist in a state of permanent happiness and total fulfillment. I know it can sometimes be hard to hold such an attitude in the face of the current landscape and mentality. Our modern worldview has created a skeptical and cynical society which has given up on lofty concepts such as unconditional love, inner peace or “Heaven on Earth”. But what you need to keep in mind is that this sad state humanity finds itself in is illusory. All this negativity and suffering is based on ignorance, and it will go away once all the misunderstandings are replaced with Truth.

So tell yourself right now:

“Yes, I am entitled to know who I really am!”
“Yes, I am capable of arriving at the answers to my most important questions!”
“Yes, my creator loves me and is always on my side!”
“Yes, I believe that the Truth of life, of God, of the universe, of who we really are and where we’re going is magnificent and more fulfilling than I ever dreamed it could be!”

Start your day with these positive, empowering words and repeat them every time you feel discouraged on your spiritual path. This is Real Faith, and yes, it can actually move mountains. Thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

Faith was the catalyst that ignited my journey of self-discovery. I invite you to join me on this ultimate journey on April 29th 2014, when my book The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence becomes available. The book is now available for pre-order at a specially discounted rate of 20% off for a limited time. Please click the link on the right side of this article and your copy will be mailed to you on 4/29/2014.

What is your definition of real faith? What have been your experiences? Leave your comments below!

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Daniel Parmeggiani
28th March 2014

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