PAGE 2Some Errors of Pedantic and Dogmatic ReligionPage TwoEarthbound spiritsHowever, there are also always those disembodied souls who do not know God. Many are earthbound and are simply wandering around confused, often not even realising they have left the body of flesh (perhaps even thinking they should be "asleep"). These could be depressed and when they draw near to one in the flesh who is sensitive, a great sadness might come over that one not knowing from whence it has come. If it was a suicide case, for instance, that case might be seeking some kind of comfort from a relative, and this explains much as to why there appears to be depression in certain families. "Seducing" spiritsBut worse, there are those who have fallen so far, that they only seek to bring down anyone else. They know only hatred and jealousy, and because of their own chained condition, they wish others to be like them. These often have the ability to know something of what is going on in the mind of the person in a body of flesh, and can be very subtle and cunning, and by their thoughts, can influence or "seduce" the individual in the physical body, to the extent of making him or her think that he or she is doing the right thing, when the disembodied spirit knows very well that it will cause trouble for the one in the earth body. A fallen spirit will always be found around those who have materialistic power because most damage can be done there, and some of those wicked souls are bent on destruction. That is why a person should always try to link to God, and pray for direction in everything, when he or she can receive inspiration from God and His host, thereby never allowing the material influence of the fallen spirits to gain a foothold in the heart and mind. These dark souls thrive on people who harbour the baser emotions such as desire for unnecessary materialistic possessions and power, vanity, conceit, selfishness, jealousy, hatred, sexual immorality, and anger. It seems more than clear why it is essential to follow the principles and example laid down by Christ when He walked the earth, in the light of these facts. "Familiar spirits"It should also be very apparent to anyone who has understood the last few paragraphs, why God prohibited the ignorant and backward people of the Old Testament from allowing anyone to use their abilities to link up with those spirits who possessed similar characters to their own immoral and wicked characters - spirits that were familiar by nature with the characters and attitudes of those in the flesh, and who would find it very easy to control them - "familiar spirits". New Testament Christians are led by the Spirit not Mosaic Law(Rom.13:8,9 - Rom.7:6 - Rom.3:21 - Rom.13:8 - Rom.13:10 - 2Cor.3:5,6 - 2Cor.3:13,16 - Gal.2:12 - Gal.2:21 - Gal.3:2,3 - Gal.3:5 - Gal.3:10 - Gal.3:11 - Gal.3:19 - Gal.3:23 - Gal.3:24,25 - Gal.4:31 - Gal.5:2 - Gal.5:3,4 - Gal.5:14 - Gal.5:18 - Eph.2:15 - Eph.3:4,5 - Phil.3:8,9 - Col.2:14 - Col.2:16 & 20 - Heb.8:7,8 - Heb.8:13 - Heb.10:20)Those people who have completely ignored the knowledge to be found through God-ordained Spirit Communion and Spirit Return as given through the Greater World, can often be heard saying such things as: "But all this is forbidden because the Bible says so!" These people must surely have misread the Bible. On one hand, they claim that certain laws in the Law of Moses must be adhered to, and on the other hand, they claim that Law of Moses was abrogated through Christ and replaced it with His Gospel of Love. They do not follow the Law of Moses and yet quote the Mosaic Law to deny the Divine authenticity of God's Truth revealed to humanity through Spirit Agencies (highly evolved spiritual messengers) by the power of the Holy Spirit - and not only deny but condemn - and they seem perfectly satisfied with such illogical reasoning. Such people are not Israelites but Christians, and yet they advocate Israelite Law which is for Israelites who had not known the Christ Spirit. They wear clothes of more than two weaves and they openly condemn slavery, and yet Mosaic Law forbids the wearing of more than two types of material, and condones slavery even to the extent of permitting the beating of slaves with a heavy metal bar (Exodus 21:20,21)! Such people also condemn the raping of women but the Law of Moses states that if a woman is raped in a town then she must be put to death! The thinking of such people is somewhat twisted to say the least. Such people have misunderstood Christ and the Bible, and indeed work against God when they condemn The Christ Mission as given through the Greater World. Sadly, with such as these, it is often best to let the dead bury the dead, and to pray that their minds and hearts are opened to knowledge of God's Truth. Those dogmatists and fundamentalists need to understand that much of their teaching is based on Paul's interpretation of Divine Truth, and it is Paul who said that those who followed Mosaic Law had made Christ of no effect to themselves. So, they should ask themselves: do they follow Mosaic Law or do they follow Christ? The uninformed and ignorant assume mediumship is witchcraftSome so-named "Biblical Christians" claim Christian mediumship to be witchcraft, but these people are thinking from an uninformed position. Such people are bereft of any realization of the immense demonstration of mediumistic powers in the Bible. The Bible would not exist in its present form were it not for the gifts of mediumship. The Old Testament consists of large passages of messages given directly by spirit agency through the prophets of old. Bearing in mind the attitude of the ignorant who were prohibited from contacting fallen souls due to their own ignorance and for their own safety, it is hardly surprising that the majority of recorders of spiritual messages found in the Bible - which is filled to the brim with spirit messages - mainly report their messages rather than explicitly state the method of reception, although there are numerous mentions of direct spirit intervention which the Literalists choose to ignore. A cursory glance at Revelations reveals a number of such occurrences for instance. Spiritual gifts do not always come to everyone at once. The growth of mediumistic powers is portrayed by Paul, who having had a number of experiences of spiritual phenomena with the release of his mediumistic powers which began on his way to Damascus while on a mission to persecute Christians, was now in the position to recognize that his enlightenment was only partial. Indeed, the more these experiences went on, the more he realized how little he was able to actually see, and so he could confidently state: "Now, I see through a glass darkly". Paul was beginning to realize that Christian mediumship was an integral and essential part of God's great Plan, and his (Paul's) weighty religious indoctrination was beginning to lessen as shown by his mentioning in Galatians of idolatry, witchcraft (black magic and Satanism), hatred, murders, drunkenness and the such like, and not mentioning "mediumship" along with these commonly quoted forbidden evils from the Old Testament. Paul knew that the prohibition placed upon the ignorant Israelites with regard to contact with the departed was for the benefit of all because they would have only attracted extremely debased souls because of their own selfishness and wickedness. It was becoming so very clear to Paul. Paul then contrasted these things with the fruits of the Spirit - those which a true Christian Spiritualist seeks to acquire, develop and follow c.-à-d.. love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. One who truly wishes to follow Christ, knows that any power used to hurt or harm another will return to the one who uses it and pierce himself through the heart, so to speak, and so the Christ teaching of forgiveness is of colossal importance as well as being unparalleled in wisdom. However, there, in the Bible, for every one to see plainly, is the "taking control" of the voices of men in the flesh by beings in Spirit. People gave themselves over to God's Spirit which enabled their vocal chords to be used by spiritual powers to do God's work. These people did not speak themselves but were used by others in Spirit. This is the real meaning of the gift of "tongues" which has been incorrectly interpreted by many of the so-named charismatic Christians who seem so impressed with their excursion into the supernatural that they overlook the obvious. Who were these people who allowed other tongues to use their physical bodies? Evil and debased tricksters? Witches? No. They were the first disciples of Jesus the Christ: "They spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2: 1-11). The first disciples did not utter strange incomprehensible sounds (which some people think is the meaning of "tongues") but actually conversed fluently in foreign languages which were unknown to them because language is no barrier at all to the Messengers of the Spirit, who spoke for them. The main principle should be simple to understand: Moses and the prophets of old were used by messengers of Spirit to receive and pass on messages ("...Who have received the law by the disposition of angels" Acts 7: 53; "...and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator" Gal. 3:19), and the disciples of Christ were also used by messengers of Spirit. Purblind and superstitious Christians who oppose God's gift of Spirit Communion are indeed acting as enemies of Christ Himself and of His mighty Purpose. "Cursed" for "adding" to Scripture?A common misconception of the Fundamentalists is that the revelation by the Holy Spirit as shown through the gifts of Spirit Communion, is in fact "adding" to the Bible. This, they assume, contravenes John's injunction that a "curse" should fall upon the one who should add or take away anything from the "book". But these people need to consider a few things first before they dismiss God's revealed Truth through His Holy Spirit so quickly. To begin with, when John wrote those words, the New Testament as we know it today was not in existence. John wrote those words in the first century, but the books which compose the New Testament almost as it stands today, were put in that form in AD 400, by a council of Christian Bishops, presided over by Augustine. These people accepted and rejected scripts and narratives which were to form the Canon (even the Epistles, 2 Peter, and James, and the book of Revelation were placed outside the Canon at this time), and finally an agreed version was authorized. Were these people "adding" or "taking away" from the "book" spoken of by John? If so, a "curse" is upon them according to the Fundamentalist viewpoint. However, when John received his visions and underwent his spirit travels (many times he was taken by an angel on journeys in his spiritual body), he was only too aware of the importance of these Divine inspirations and realizations, and he was determined to preserve (as nearly as he was able) these revelations as they were given. The book which John referred to when he gave his warning, was not the Book which mankind on Earth today calls the Bible, but it was the book which he, John, had written himself which was composed of various scripts of revealed truths - truths revealed by the gifts of Spirit Communion to himself; truths revealed by spiritual trance, clairaudience, clairvoyance (internal visions and external visions), and spirit travel, among other "diverse manners" utilized by communicating spirits or messengers (Spirit Agency). The overview is that Truth, Divine Truth, is limited by the limitations imposed upon it by the physical mind of man in the flesh with his dogmas, doctrines and theories - which he calls "Truth". The movement of the Holy Spirit is choked and suffocated by traditional thought as well as a somewhat misplaced self-satisfaction with what has been given out as absolute Truth by man throughout the generations. Yes, of course, Truth is inherent in the Bible - it is all there. But for the sake of understanding, consider the following analogy: That all words are also to be found in the 26 letters of the English alphabet, and that all words are constructed from the 26 letters of the alphabet (the alphabet, in this analogy, being the core of truth). Explanation, learning and instruction are all necessary to unfold the truth contained within the letters of the alphabet. A certain development of knowledge of the alphabet comes at primary school, then again further progress is made at secondary level, and again the advancement of the revelation of the knowledge inherent in the letters of the alphabet is furthered during a literary degree, and so on. And so it is where unlimited Divine Truth is concerned. The Bible contains spiritual teachings and illuminations, but their explanation and unfoldment come to each individual according to the stage of spiritual development to which he or she has attained at that same time. Unfortunately, many have dogmatized what in essence cannot be captured by the physical mind in temporal existence, and such people refuse to depart from what they themselves have considered to be unalterable. They are satisfied with a teaching which is limited and even cruel in relation to unlimited Divine love. The Sacred Record has within its pages unlimited Divine Truth, and the consciousness of humankind must be prepared and developed to receive the higher truths of spiritual revelation which are gradually unfolded by decree of the Master Christ, through His ordained gift of Communion through the power of the Holy Spirit - Spirit communication or Spirit-Return. Do not ever fear GodThe stalwarts of the letter may dogmatically claim something along the lines of: "God may be love, but He is also to be feared!". This attitude is another leftover from a bygone age of deeply entrenched traditional thought which needs to be addressed. Where the word "fear" appears in the New Testament, it is either pointing out that we should be very careful with regard to the Law of Consequences ('as you sow so shall you reap'); or it is perhaps used in connection with those not yet quite developed enough in a spiritual sense to receive the higher spiritual education and teachings of a God Who is Absolute Love. The references to fear God Himself are generally part of the inherited idea from the pre-Christ era, where the Lord Jehovah required strict adherence from an ignorant, very lost and primitive people - to a set of rules and regulations to bring them into line, or at least, make them violate Divine Law less. Such people were only capable of seeing God as possessing human characteristics. That is the only way they could possibly understand anything remotely like a Supreme Being. All this changed with His Christ's Manifestation. A new Law was brought into being - a Christian Spiritual Law - and those who followed even one law of the Law of Moses (the law of circumcision for instance) are told in the New Testament records a score of times, that they are without knowledge, understanding, the blessing of the freedom in Christ, and the greater awareness of the overwhelming love of God. To such as these, Christ had really become of "none effect", and they were therefore only capable of following a written law which was not of the Christ-Spirit in itself. If they could not follow the Christ-Law as exemplified by Jesus or if they did not understand how the Christ-Spirit was to lead them, then they would continue to follow a strict written Law. Anyone who was led by the Spirit did the Father's Will, and knew the doctrine, which was the Christ Way, the way He laid down. How the disciples of Christ tried to put into words their feelings about the love of God! Nothing could separate them from the love of God - not death, powers of darkness, angels, height, depth nor breadth - nothing. "God is love" says one disciple. "There is no fear in God" he informs us. How different to the earlier ideas of God. God's love was overwhelming, it was unfailing, and yet, it took many years for the old ideas of a God of wrath used to reshape a fallen people, to fade. This can be seen with a careful study of the sacred Record. But what would Paul write today if he had the chance now that he no longer "sees through a glass darkly"? Now Paul is no longer in the half-light, he might change a few things. Where he wrote: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling", he might write: "work out your own salvation with faith and trust in God". Of course, one has to be very careful when working out ones own salvation, but one should do this not as a cringing slave under a cruel and vicious dictator, but with full knowledge that God's love is unbounded and will never be taken away. Never fear God, just be careful not to oppose Divine Law, which was brought into being for humanity's own good, so that man could evolve and finally achieve that likeness to Christ which the Bible tells us is our goal. God and Divine Law are separate. Divine Law is not God, and God is not Divine Law. And God is Love. If someone says that God must be feared then he or she has not known or experienced the love of God in a fuller measure, for they would simply know that in Love there is no fear; nor have they realised the truth as seen in Christ which He came to bring, namely, that "in Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily", that Jesus was Love made flesh, and that God is Love (and that, incidentally, is, or should be, one of the most enlightening statements in that most holy and precious sacred Book, the Bible). Do not ever fear God because 'God is Love' and 'there is no fear in God'. Indeed, 'God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him' (1 John 4:16) and 'he that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love' (1 John 4:8). The progression of the soulSpirit is alive and cannot remain inert, therefore there exists involution and evolution of the soul for God's children; progression of the soul, which is achieved by following the principles for living which Jesus laid down for humanity to follow for its own good. These include compassionate understanding and sympathy, unconditional forgiveness, loving God and ones neighbour (and, of course, seeking to love ones enemies), sacrifice and suffering for others, praying and healing, making an extra effort, practising self-denial, and being charitable in heart and mind, among other principles. |