Many millions - more than one-third of the earth's population - believe in Reincarnation, the Soul's return to earth again and again, much as the child returns to school time and again- year after year - in order to complete its education. Despite this fact, the people of the Western world, with few exceptions, have given little or no thought to this all-important subject. The church of the Western world, has not approved of this tenet in religious thought and education.

Much of the Eastern world, beginning ages ago, made this tenet part of their religious teachings. The churches of the Western world, however, have eliminated this belief from their religious teachings. This Law was discarded because it contradicted the doctrine of Vicarious Atonement, even though it taught the Law of Personal Responsibility, or: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." The Nazarene, educated and trained in Egypt, repeated this Law again and again and made it a fundamental of his teachings.

As the sun rises in the East, so from the East came all of the true prophets, teachers and Messiahs. Man has accepted all true religious thought and spiritual philosophy, at least to the extent of belief in these Eastern teachings. In time, he will also accept the Doctrine of Reincarnation; recognizing that the Soul returns to earth again and again, until it reaches a state of perfection which is called Christlike, or, in other words, Godhood.

If we accept the legend of the birth of the Nazarene as a fact; his descent, entering into Mary, passing through gestation and the first birth, we will have the greatest story of Reincarnation known to man.

In the beginning, the Soul which is now part of man, was with God. As a result of its desire to know and to experience both good and evil, it was drawn, by its desire, into the world of matter and flesh. Here it had the opportunity to lean and to know; to experience and to overcome the undesirable, to be tried and tempted by the passions of the flesh and the carnality of the animal self. Born in conjunction with, or as a part of the Soul both as its protector and judge3, was the great Law sent forth by God. This is the Law of Justice, known as Karma; "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." __Gal. 6:7.

We can accept and permit ourselves to be guided by this great all-pervading Law. Each Soul, throughout the ages, has gone forth from the Father of all to come down to earth into the very depths of materiality and "sin," so that here, by experience, the carnal self and, finally, through self-mastery, return to the Father as a conscious Soul, His Son.

By overcoming evil with good, and thereby gaining knowledge of good and evil, the Soul proves its divine right to return, as the true Son, back to the "house" or source from whence it came.

In the light of this understanding, our earthly life may well be compared to a properly-equipped and correctly-systematized school, where we must creditably pass through many grades before we can hope to attain the necessary knowledge with which to meet the earthly conditions that confront us. What are the lessons to be learned, unless they are experiences through which we must pass? If we are to learn our lessons well, to profit by our experiences, then we must be studious and apply ourselves, and as a result, pass on to higher grades where still other lessons, other experiences, teach still greater truths and supply us with a fuller knowledge of those things which are necessary for our spiritual perfection.

If we are indolent, inert, negative and irresponsible, if we refuse to study and learn, if we fail to apply the knowledge gained from our experiences, how can we expect to pass into the higher grades of knowledge and truth?

Each one must, as it were, furnish his own motive. Each one has his own special mission to fulfill and none but he can do this work. The mundane school is part of life's school.

If during our short term of life we have failed to learn our lessons as we should, if we have neglected to study and profit by our experience, we must expect to return to the same lessons, and pass through like experiences, until finally we become conscious of our neglect and enter seriously into life's study and our duty, and by mastering them, become eligible to higher grades. The question is: how is it possible, aye, permissible, to make up our deficiencies, other than by means of a return to school, i.e., through Reincarnation?

As dissatisfied Souls but with a desire to learn, we placed ourselves into God's great mundane school, or earthly school of life. In doing this, we have learned, or must learn that the Soul can only experience and learn life's lessons while in the material, or body of flesh. Governing this universal school of mankind, is the one all-sufficient and all-embracing Law; the Law of Justice: "as ye sow so shall ye reap."

All flesh, all that belongs to the material realm, is subject to change. Change is the law of progress. Should the change which we know as "death" come upon us before we have made use of our opportunities to comply withy the requirement of the great Law, we cannot be permitted to permanently remain away from this school which we call life. We must return again; gain additional experience and the knowledge of good and evil before we can graduate and, as a result of our efforts, advance from our status as sons of men, to become the Sons of God. No man "graduates" honorably from any "school" until he has met its full requirements and has learned all of its lessons.

In His Love and Mercy, and so fulfill the requirement of the Law, God permits each and every one to again and again take on an earthly body; a physical habitation; repeatedly passing through the state of physical birth, and reentering life's school; reaping the experience of past sowings; both good and bad; gaining, as a result, greater and deeper experience; acquiring a broader understanding until, finally, he graduates "with honors" and enters greater and higher realms of service.

Considered in this light, the Law governing Reincarnation, or man's return to earth's school, is neither an absurdity nor an injustice. On the contrary, it offers a fair and just solution of life's numerous and mystifying problems; "squaring" life's many injustices. Are we not taught that God is just, that He is love and mercy; that not even a sparrow falls, but within the working of the Law?

Without accepting Reincarnation, what explanation is there for the conditions as they exist among men of today? What other means is there for exacting payment for debts incurred? If it were not for such a law, who could honestly believe in justice? Is ti just that, apparently without reason, one should be born into a squallor of poverty, misery and disease, while another, without any apparent worthiness on his part, is offered freely all that life has in store in the form of health, wealth, success and happiness?

Is it justice, that without prior reason one should be born a genius; gifted with unlimited talent; while apparently god sees fit to send another Soul into life with not a single means of attaining the desired goal in life' Can we witness the innocent and pure in heart wronged and degraded by veritable demons in the flesh without an explanation of the wrongs committed against them, without just punishment to the wrong-doer, and still believe in a Father who is all-merciful, all-loving and absolutely just?

To do so is to irrationally hold to a blind belief. No one, truly alert to the unhappy, sinful, evil conditions existing among mankind today, can refrain from crying aloud to God in response to the anguish within his Soul: "Where, Oh Lord, is justice?" Man must become conscious of the fact that there is a just cause for it all; that man is "the captain of his soul;" that men are "reaping as they have sown' at one time or another, and that they will continue to so reap until they become wise and change their "seed" or the manner of sowing.

To the man of deeply sorrowing hear, the man filled with love and compassion for his fellow man, as was the heart of the Nazarene, and as is the heart of every one who has attained to the Soul's Consciousness, there is but on answer: man works out his destiny through the working out of the Law of Karma by means of reincarnation- through rebirth in the body that he may be reborn in the Spirit.

Experience teaches us that in this world of ours there are many Souls, widely varying in their respective stages of growth and experience. Some Souls are buried deep in the depths of materiality, sowing seeds of hate, malice, licentiousness and every form of destructiveness. These Souls, at some time or another, must, like other Souls here, reap the results of their vil sowing; suffering seeming injustice and undeserved punishment in one form or another. Some Souls sow the seeds of labor and effort, the fruits of which are not to be enjoyed here and now, but in lives yet to come. Or, conversely, they may experience what seems to be unearned success, but which actually is a reward for efforts made in the past.

With such an understanding, man can look upon a world of peace and happiness for some; misery and degradation to others, and yet know that despite all appearances, God is, in truth, a just, loving and merciful father. No one is punished unjustly without compensation and no one escapes the punishment due him. Divine Lllaw regulates all things so that the sower of wheat shall have bread to eat; while he who sows tares must suffer the "hunger" of his guilt.

Under this Law it is understandable why on individual comes upon earth and in due course and with seemingly little effort on his part, attains to the heights of success and fame. As an example, we might consider Edision who, at an early age, became one of the world's greatest inventors and benefactors. We must not overlook the fact, moreover, that in Edison's youth there was everything to discourage him; experiences which could or would have wholly discourage millions who were mentally, morally and spiritually7 weaker than he.

Does any reasoning person believe that Edison's ability was developed during gthis one life and in so short a time? In the light of Justice it is reasonable to assume that, in past lives such asn one labored, suffered and deprived himself of the pleasures and luxuries, in order to gain the mastery of the Laws which he must obey in bringing into manifestation the ideas for which he labored. As a result of earnest, heart-whole desire and hard work, long and laborious hours in a past life, or past lives, he reaped, in this life, the results and the rewards of this past "sowing."

In all of this, there naturally arises the question: If Reincarnation is a Law and a fact, if we have lived before, why have we no memory of our past life or lives? In a sense, this was answered by the Nazarene: Let the dead bury the dead. That is, let the past be forgotten. The past belongs to God, our is today and tomorrow. However, once we fulfill the law and, as a result, are strong enough to look back, then will we be able to read that past, if we are desirous of doing so. When that time arrives, however, there will be no desire to look backward as nothing would be gained in the process.

All efforts will be, must be, forward - ever forward - to greater things than have been experienced in the past. As it is, we are mostly weaklings. If we were able to look back and actually see our evil deeds of the past, our failures, our lack of honor and morality, we would probably lose all courage; even lose the desire to press forward and work toward a nobler end; a destiny of honor and achieved perfection.

As it now is, man spends altogether too much time and energy in reviewing the events of the immediate past. In this manner he retards, rather than furthers, his progress. On the other hand, could he remember only the lessons learned from his past errors and forget all else he would be measurably better able to advance.

This being admittedly true, what would happen if the incidents, blunders and misdeeds of the past were suddenly revealed to us? For the most part, we would not only be restrained from making sufficient effort to regain our lost heritage, but without doubt, would feel it of little use to make such effort in the present life.

In this we again see God's justice and His wisdom. It is the desire of the Most Wise Creator that His creatures look to the present and into the future, and not, like Lot's wife, backwards. To look backward is retrogression. Progression - looking forward - is the Law of life and attainment.

In the process of time, through the gradual building up of the Soul's power and vision, man may in time become sufficiently strong to gaze upon the record of his past and there read the experiences of past lives without being adversely affected.

For the immediate present, this is neither desirable nor of any advantage or benefit. It is wisdom to forget the past in all respects except the lessons learned. We can profit best if, at this very hour, we begin life anew as of the immediate present and, by means of new ideas, higher ideals, a keen desire to work toward amending the errors of the past - irrespective of what these may have been - build toward perfection, peace, and a higher standard of living and being.

Reincarnation is by no means a novel or newly-advanced idea. Rebirth of the Soul, or return of the Soul to the earth sphere and renewal of effort was not unknown to the Nazarene; not denied by him; but, on the contrary, accepted and taught by him. Speaking of John, the Baptist, he said:

"And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come." __Matt. 11:14.

In this manner he indicated as plainly as words could convey, the idea that John was a return of Elias. Elias was one of the prophets who had lived some five hundred years before the birth of John. Today, as in the past, there are few who realize the full meaning of the teachings of the Nazarene. There are those, however, and the number is steadily increasing, who are beginning to see the inner, the esoteric meaning of his parables and becoming conscious of their real truth.

No Master-teacher, Initiate or Priest of the Mysteries - the esoteric meaning of Religious teachings - ever taught more clearly the Law of being, the Law of Justice, and the need of satisfying Justice, than did the Nazarene. His wording of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would that they do unto you," is but another way of expressing the Law: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Both of these laws are do plain and so simple that it seems incredible that anyone could misunderstand or misinterpret them.

The Nazarene, in the foregoing and other statements, taught the Law of absolute Personal Responsibility of the Soul' that each and every individual must, as the result of his own sowing of deeds, reap the results or reactions ( the returns) of his sowing, whether these be good or evil, pleasant or unpleasant. Nowhere did he teach that he came to release anyone from the effects of their evils as a result of their faith in him. This is most clearly indicated in his statement:

"Faith without works is dead." __James 2:20.

The Nazarene, as had other Avatars before him, came as a teacher, a leader, a "shower of the Way," so that all who would, might follow in his footsteps. His mission, as should be that of the church today, was to teach mankind how to sow, so as to avoid undesirable reaping. Never did he teach that simple belief or full faith in itself would cancel past debts. The Nazarene taught a full manhood in order that Christhood may follow in its wake.

The false doctrine of Vicarious Atonement, i.e., faith without works, has today come into full fruition. It is no longer commendable to the frugal in order to be self-supporting and free from obligation ot others. Instead, the beggar is coddled, while the self-supporting and frugal are penalized and compelled to support him, by one means or another now all too familiar to everyone.

It seems likely that in the near future, mankind, with few exceptions, will be subsidized, i.e., under the control of those subsidizing them, hence slaves or serfs to a degree and manner never before known. This must necessarily follow, since no man can be indebted to another, to an institution or to the state and be free. The Soul of man cannot free itself if the body is enslaved. This is a spiritual and religious problem no less than it is a political problem , and it is the responsibility of ministers, priests and church to explain the true facts.

The Nazaerene came to help men to become free; free from every form of bondage. To be really and truly free, man must free himself from both sin and indebtedness to other men. The Nazarene never taught a doctrine of Vicarious Atonement, but instead, freedom through good deeds. Viewed in the light of justice, it will be clearly perceived that any other belief is based on an entirely false premise; one wholly contrary to the Divine Law, as well as to every human, individual right.

If the Nazarene, on the one hand, taught the Law that "as we sow so shall we reap: and, on the other hand, contradicted his own inculcations, we must throw aside the entire new testament as a forgery. Does it seem reasonable to believe that he would have deliberately contradicted this Law and his oft-repeated statements, by teaching, or endorsing, the doctrine of Vicarious atonement? Could he conceivably have been able to teach individual responsibility for every though, desire and deed, and then in the next breath, contradict this statement of the Divine Law by offering to atone for sins committed upon the mere profession of faith or statement of regret on the part of the sinner?

The true mission of the Nazarene was to teach man his relation to his fellow man and to God, as well as man's duties to himself. He came to teach man how to think, desire and live, that he might attain to a better understanding of himself; become fully conscious of his purpose on earth, and be brought into a realization of his own individual responsibility in shaping his own life and destiny.

At the time of his ministry there were only a few who accepted his teachings in the sense intended and who applied them in their own lives. The rew who did, became true masters and leaders of men. By far the greater majority were unwilling to apply the Master's teachings in thought, desire and action.

They preferred to interpret his teachings to their own liking and proceeded to set up false standards of religion. They made an idol of the Nazarene, the Man, to be worshiped and adored by men, rather than the Christos of the heart; the Soul to be brought into the second, or Spiritual birth; the state recognized as Soul Consciousness.

The majority then, as now, were like moral and spiritual cowards seeking to hide behind the Nazarene's merits and good deeds by pretending to be what they only believed. They, in their blindness, glorified his life and claimed it as their own. These, then and now, would try to reach Eternal life, "by some other way" - not by earning it, but by allowing another to bear their sins, while they escaped free of all punishment. By means of cunning and deceit they sought then, as many do today, to eveade even defy, the absolute Law of Justice and think to defraud God, by accepting the man instead of his Law; by mere faith instead of manifesting that faith by good works.

Time has changed neither man not his desires. Man still seeks to evade, by every means humanly possible, the payment of his just debts, whether these be moral, physical, financial or spiritual. There are those on earth today who would gladly teach man the Law - the reaction of every word, desire and deed. These men would, if given the opportunity, beach man that his Soul was sent forth from God to gain knowledge and wisdom enabling him to become a man in truth and in fact; evading no responsibility; paying every debt, and through desire and effort, winning his Divine Sonship and acceptance into the realm of light. There are those whose understanding of the Divine Laws, governing the growth and development of man's spiritual nature qualify them to help the individual to a knowledge of his own Soul - but always by meas of living in accordance with the Laws taught by the Nazarene. Unfortunately, even today, only a few are ready to accept such a responsibility.

These masters and teachers of the Divine Law are earnestly striving to bring mankind to an understanding of the Divine truth, that man may know and understand the workings of the inimitable law of justice and be able to shape his life and actions in harmony with the law. These teachers fully realize that only through recognition and understanding of the law governing Reincarnation is it possible to understand the workings of the Law of Justice. Only such an understanding will bring to man the realization that everything about him - his conditions, his environments, his failures and his successes are his exact due, and come to him as rewards or penalties for what he has done, or failed to do, in times past.

Such an inculcation discloses the fallacy and injustice of any ceremonial doctrine, creed or form of faith, that leads man into the erroneous belief that he is able to gain anything and everything, even Eternal life, Through the efforts, or at the expense, of another. It teaches clearly and without evasion or qualification, that each individual is a separate entity, apart from his fellow man, and is absolutely and solely accountable to God for his own soul and its development into conscious Sonship with the Father.

The religious inculcation of the New (present) Dispensation has as its basic, fundamental principle, the law of absolute justice, "as ye sow, so shall ye reap." This is not a mere statement, but a constantly-active Law, expressing the certainty and the necessity of repeated Reincarnations to complete the Soul's destiny. It recognizes that the one is not complete without the other, for without Reincarnation there could be no Justice. Reincarnation is the only meas whereby the Law of Justice can be fulfilled in the life of each and every individual.

This new interpretation does no demand that those sincere in their search for truth must accept Reincarnation as a fact, but that they must accept the Law: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." By accepting this Law, they will become conscious of the truth of Reincarnation as a means to the fulfillment of the Law.

Reincarnation explains why a certain condition, an unforeseen event, or an "accident' is brought about. Without such explanation, man must indeed look upon the conditions and scenes of misery about him as being the capricious pranks of an unmerciful God who plays with the deepest feelings of man much like the ferocious beast of the jungle with its prey.

This interpretation is comparable to, and in harmony with, the teachings of the Nazarene and indicates clearly how man may sow so that he can reap according to his desires, both in the preset and the future. Such an interpretation instructs and guides man in the school of life, teaching him to be a man; to stand upon his own merits; to honestly pass his own self-examination with satisfaction and honor. It clearly illustrates how utterly foolish is the wasting of leisure hours in idleness and mischief, vainly hoping in the final examination, that the efforts, suffering and sacrifice of another will assure one's own Soul salvation.

The interpretation of the New Dispensation displays to the seekers after Truth and the Light the one standard: that of love and honor; helping him to feel for his neighbor as he does for himself. This is made possible only through an understanding of the law of Reincarnation. In seeking justice when others prosecute or persecute him he will be able, as sis the Nazarene, to say: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." __Luke 23:34.

Such a man will be able to defend himself and his rights without harboring any feeling of malice or hate, and with the sole purpose that exact justice may be brought about. He will realize that all men are brother Souls, who act according to their understanding and spiritual development and that, in truth, very few know that they are about.

He is able to look beyond their deeds and to show impartiality, compassion and tolerance toward them; understanding full well that the Law will make certain they reap as they have sown and that, in this reaping, each will receive his full punishment. In the light of this understanding, an individual will realize that it is both foolish and unprofitable to hold ill-will or malice against his fellow man; that justice must be sought in complete impartiality.

This was the life that the Nazarene, like others before him, tried to teach the people. Is it any wonder that the forces of evil and self-interest tried, by every means in their poser, to frustrate his every plan and effort? How was this done? By inducing the people to suspect him and to help persecute him. Well they knew - these evil-doers - that there is no easier way to destroy than to instill suspicion of motive, and to create the impression that every effort is for self-interest.

This method is as old as the world and was never more flagrantly active than at the present moment when it is being used assiduously by those who see to destroy nations and Christianity. These perverters of truth and justice actually charge those who labor in the interests of humanity and true religion with all of the evils in which they, themselves, are engaged; and now as in ages past, the mass is blinded and misled into accepting what appears to be the easier way.

How successful the ever-operating forces of evil have been in blinding the people throughout the ages, including the present, is easily recognized in our materialistic sciences, our religious observances and blind faith, and the willful, wholesale destruction of men and property.

These evil forces have cunningly appealed to the selfishness of men, making them more and more conscious of the exterior, materialistic, unimportant issues of life. At the same time, they have blinded man to the importance of developing his own manhood, assuming his responsibilities and awakening the Soul within. They have lulled mankind into a sense of complacency and have minimized the importance of establishing responsibility and justice on earth - not for a few men, but for all men.

These selfish leaders are motivated only by their own desires; desires that are born of an unearthly fire of selfishness and brutality within themselves. They have built up a fetish, a God outside of themselves and apart from them; one to be feared and dreaded, instead of a God gently leading them to know the Divinity that dwells within; a god who would be their guide, strength and protector against all evils, within and without.

Let any great teacher of leader come among men to teach them the truth so as to free them from error and the evils that beset men and see how quickly, and with what cunning, these self-appointed leaders snatch the kernel of truth from the mouths of hungry men and give them chaff instead - the empty husks of doctrines, creeds, ceremonies and ease of life. While not essentially evil in themselves, these contain nothing of sustenance in themselves upon which the starving Soul may feed.

The forces of evil are no different today than at the time of the Nazarene. By working through evilly-minded and egotistical men, these forces center the attention of the people upon the artificialities of existence rather than on the realities of life. Holding before their eyes the dazzling picture of sensual pleasures or ill-gotten gains, they - the evil forces working through human agencies - lead thousands to their doom.

The evil leaders know, only too well, that once man awakens to the real truth - once he is brought to a realization of the existence of a Soul within himself and its close affinity with God - the allurements of evil will no linger tempt him. Well they realize that once man discovers the strength of the Soul within himself, he will become the master and no longer be enslaved by any man, thing or condition.

Knowing these truths, which appear to be self-evident, should we be surprised that the forces of evil permeate our materialistic science, our philosophies and our religions? Can we wonder that religion and belief in God are being outlawed to millions, and may soon be non-existent among the most enlightened people on earth - unless man bethinks himself and is made to realize the dangers ahead?

Should we wonder that our sciences embody and support such false ideas as belief in the element of chance; of fate not based on justice; of destiny without reason? Should we assume that man's success is measured wholly by his cunning ability to outwit his fellowman? Our present-day interpretation of religious inculcations teach everything but Truth and Divine Law. All manner of false beliefs are held before the people to enslave them, to prevent them from thinking for themselves and recognizing the true self within, and their divine possibilities.

There is both safety and hope in the fact that whenever a people have been wholly misled and hope is all but lost, when conditions in life become so unjust as to be almost unbearable, there is born within man a desire so strong and undeniable that a new Messiah, a new Interpreter of the Law, comes to earth, and through his birth, the evil forces themselves are destroyed. This has been so throughout the ages; it was so at the time of the birth of the Nazarene, and such a time has now again come upon us.
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