Are the Christic teachings effete? Are they no longer applicable to the direction and control of men's thoughts, desires and actions?
Has the Divine Law ceased to operate? Are men free to do as they please, without the necessity of paying their indebtedness "unto the uttermost farthing?"
Are we to wholly disregard the inner, the esoteric teachings of the Masters, and the outer inculcations of the Lawgivers, which have guided and, to a greater or lesser degree, controlled the actions of men in their relationship with other men throughout the ages? Have the gates of Sheol now been opened wide to permit the demons free action in influencing men and women of the present day toward the degradation and destruction not only of their fellow-beings, but THEMSELVES AS WELL?
The answer appears in the affirmative. We emphasize the word "appears" because it is in appearance only; a passing cycle in the history of humanity - a proof that the Apostles and St. John knew what they were writing about - a gradual but certain separation of the "wheat from the chaff" of REVELATION.
Despite all appearance, this is no more than a passing phase in the world's progress.
Man must again begin to direct his efforts toward the constructiveness so clearly indicated in the inculcations found throughout the present work, and away from the dishonor and destructiveness which had its beginning less than fifty years ago. Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul warned Timothy that the time was coming "when people would no longer seek sound teachings, but with itching ears, would themselves formulate teachings to suit their own liking, turning from truth to wander into myths."
This was a mild statement of present conditions. If humanity simply wandered into "myths," would conditions would not be so serious as they are. Myths alone would never have brought about gangsterism, even in high places, world wars which destroyed towns, villages and cities, countless thousand and which degraded to the lowest levels even a greater number.
Myths alone would not have eliminated from the hearts of men all semblance of manhood and honor; replacing it with utter selfishness; leading men to stoop to the lowest level; selling their friends and their country for a fragment of the "Golden calf" or for so-called "high places." Present-day humanity has all but eliminated from the mind and heart all sense of God and the Divine Law. Many of those in power are steeped in atheism, and not content with that for themselves, compel others to adopt their views under the penalty of death or worse.
No one relishes the all-too-familiar phrase: "I told
you so." Yet we did foresee all of this more than forty years
ago, when the Church of Illumination was first established. Almost
ever line in the present work clearly confirms this. It was hoped
that, by establishing this Church, we might turn aside or ward
of the evil cloud of destructiveness then gathering. But it was
to late. The mass would not listen. The formal religious groups,
whatever its denomination, although losing thousands of members,
gave no heed. Many things have happened in the past forty years.
At least, light is breaking through the clouds of formalism. Men
of the church are beginning to glimpse the truth so clearly pointed
out in an earlier work. (1)
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(1) See Interpretation of St. Matthew. Philosophical
Publishing Company, Quakertown, Penna.
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An awakening to these conditions seems to be taking place within at least a part of the orthodox church. We therefore feel it pertinent to quote from an article written by The Rev. Albert J, Penner, of the Broadway Tabernacle, New York City. This article, entitled "Preaching to Itching Ears," and published in the Minister's Quarterly, 1950, reads, in part as follows:
There are many who maintain that such a time (that prophesied by Paul) has now come. Charles Clayton Morrison, editorializing in the Christian Century Pulpit for September, 1950, writes as follows:
"‘The Christian preacher confronts a situation today which is without precedent. He has to present the gospel to a society that once believed it, but believes it no more.'"
In this one statement - aye, in just two words - is contained the crux of the matter, i.e., the statement which is evidently a conviction, that the minister HAS TO present the gospel to a society that once believed it. The admission reveals a glaring weakness which has been a part of formal religion.
The preachers of today must seemingly preach to the people that which they are pleased to hear. He cajoles and flatters his congregation, meticulously avoiding any direct EXPOSITION OF THE DIVINE LAW BY WHICH MEN BECOME CHRISTIANS (like Christ), not by mere faith, not by accepting the word which to them is dead, and refusing to follow the spirit, but by faith and works.
"Why is this?" you may ask. Because people seemingly
dislike the truth when it is first brought home to them and, all
too often, arouses a guilty conscience. (2) By teaching the truth,
ministers often, but only for a time, lose the greater part of
their congregations, since only the few are seeking the Truth,
the Way and the Life.
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(2) Those ordained, as well as those who have elected themselves
to instruct the people in Religious Concepts, or the Divine Law,
MUST become cognizant of the immortal truth that it is a strange
"quirk" of human nature that the mass; almost as a whole,
have and cringe at the truth when first forced to face it, but
at the same time, and in total contradiction, first question the
honesty, then distrust, and finally despise those they feel should,
but do not, give them the truth, however shocking to them it may
be.
At first those who have the courage and hardihood to teach
the truth that has a direct bearing on their own physical, mental,
and spiritual welfare are damned, defamed, shunned, persecuted
and even prosecuted in many ways; then gradually believed, respected
and finally followed. Let the reader, priest, minister or layman
search within his own inner self and see if he will not, consciously
or unconsciously, agree.
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"‘This statement is an exaggeration, of course, for many do believe, and even among those who do not, there remains a certain residuum of respect for the church and its message..'"
Respect is in no wise sufficient for man's salvation, his REgeneration; his second, or REbirth. There must be active faith in the truths taught; faith sufficiently strong to impel the hearer to change his way of life and follow the Law. This alone will bring the desired results and change man's "mortality into Immortality." The Nazarene never hesitated to speak the plain, unembellished truth, whether he had one of a thousand listeners. If modern preachers and leaders followed his example, today's picture of humanity might be far different.
"‘But, if you read the sermons of mid-nineteenth-century preachers, you sense an assurance; by and large, their auditors acknowledge the truth of Christianity and needed only to be persuaded to act upon it. This is not the case today. But the modern preacher in Western society has to present the Gospel to a generation which regards it with disillusioned indifference, as something outworn and laid aside.'"
This is a clear confession of utter failure. Here is a forthright admission that the preacher no longer considers Christ, the Christos, whom he is to bring into manifestation from WITHIN HIMSELF, and the Laws which he is to give to mankind in a manner that impresses these Laws and bing Truth; but that instead of the Truth, the Way, the Life, he must, has to, teach something which is neither true mor logical; does not impress his hearers as truth, and is not acceptable as truth; hence not to be given other than passing attention.
The mass, irrespective of its lack of respect for God and
all that is sacred, still respects truth when uttered by the sincere
preacher or teacher, even though it will not at once follow through.
(3)
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(3) Refer forward to second footnote.
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This "has to" preaching is polite hypocrisy and not a dissertation and exemplification of the truth, the Divine Law. Therefore, and naturally, there is neither respect for the preacher nor for the platitudes he hands out to his listeners. THIS IS WHY millions have left the church and are turning to other sources for hope and consolation.
"‘The preacher can neither presuppose a fundamental, acknowledge it as truth, nor hope to arrest attention as the bringer of ‘good news'.'"
Why not? He is ordained - that is, "called by God" - to teach religion; to instruct His children in the fundamental Laws, and the truths that will, if followed, change "mortality into Immortality." Yet he confesses that he CANNOT propose a fundamental or acknowledge a truth. Is it not because of petty selfish interest, a fear that he will lose his congregation and his means of livelihood? Yet this is exactly what happens. Is he not betraying the Christ, as certainly as did Judas and Saul? "Ye know the truth, but the truth is not in you," might well be said of these who, blinded by self-interest, cannot see clearly, hence cannot show others the Way.
Paul and St. John did not fear nor hesitate for one moment to teach the truth. They did not hesitate to proclaim the fact that there is a Divine Law, a Law of God, and that those who refused to follow this Law would be among the "chaff" to be burned up - utterly destroyed. They told the truth, whether their hearers liked it or not. Either despite, or because of this, they still live after two thousand years and will continue to live in the hearts of men after the present Dispensation ends and a new one takes its place.
"‘The gospel, for our society, is no longer ‘news','" - it that which will help man always news?
Why not? The answer is plain and simple. The gospel as taught throughout the ages long before the Christian era and re-worded by the Nazarene and his followers, has NEVER been simply and fully taught. That which will help the people is always new; but this "news" is no longer given to the people, except in a few isolated instances; a substitute was given to them instead. Desperately in need of bread, they received a stone. At last, they have grown tired of this kind of diet and now want - aye, demand - THE BREAD OF LIFE.
"‘It has been relegated, so to speak, from the front page to an obscure corner in the back part of the newspaper.'"
This is all too true, but WHO relegated to the background the religion taught by the lowly Nazarene? Was it the people, or has the clergy long since lost the strength and the spirit to give these truths, to interpret the Divine Law to the people? It was not the mission of the people to interpret the teachings of Paul, John, Matthew and REVELATION. It is the duty of the ministers and priests to interpret these Laws. Because they, of THEIR OWN FREE WILL, ASSUMED THIS RESPONSIBILITY AND THEM BECAME, BY FEAR AND SELF-INTEREST, RECREANT TO THEIR DUTY AND OBLIGATION.
"‘Large sections of the community, including more church members than we like to think, do not take seriously the offer of salvation through Christ, as a realistic answer to the deep needs of the human Soul.'"
This is all too tragically true. And why? Because they feel, as thousands did before them, that the offer is based on false premises.
They somehow suspect or sense that the interpretation of the Law of God, the Christic inculcations, are grossly misinterpreted. They have come to realize that if the present popular interpretation and application of Divine Law were true, it would dishonor manhood, eliminate personal responsibility, and allow the guilty to shift to others the responsibility of atoning for their guilt. Men who think, men who have a sense of honor, men who are men, expect a Divine Law to be a LAW OF STRICT JUSTICE.
Reason, which God gave to man, no longer allows thiking
individuals to accept a God who is Himself unjust. Once the clergy,
irrespective of denomination, awakens to this fact, and teaches
the Law as the old Prophets and the Nazarene taught it, the multitude
will flock back to the church to be instructed in the WAY, the
TRUTH and the LIFE. (4)
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(4) Refer forward to second footnote.
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The clergy, throughout the centuries - and this in o sense is a condemnation - failed pathetically in several other ways:
1. Its members have taught, or at least left the mass under the impression, that religion concerned only the welfare or the salvation of the Soul; that it had little or nothing to do with man's physical welfare, or his economic problems.
2. They have consistently taught that man, instead of developing his own manhood by assuming personal responsibility for his acts, and developing his own possibilities and potentialities, can ignore such responsibilities and depend upon others to look after his welfare and his needs. This teaching has reduced its subjects to the welfare state, to subjection and abject slavery.
3. They have failed to teach the people that WITHIN MAN IS INHERENT A DIVINE SPARK, A CHRISTOS, WHICH MUST BE AWAKENED AND DEVELOPED INTO CONSCIOUSNESS. In the simple words of the Nazarene, the KINGDOM OF GOD, or Heaven, MUST BE FOUND WITHIN MAN HIMSELF. No one except man himself can awaken this Christos; fan the Divine spark into a Flame, and establish this Kingdom of God, or Heaven, WITHIN himself. No one, however great or Divine he may be, can do this for another. This is so very clearly pointed out, WITHOUT QUALIFICATION, in the simple statement made by the Master to Nicodemus:
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." __John 3:3
He did emphatically not state: "I will give you rebirth," or, "I will bring you rebirth." He did say in John 3:7: "YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN," if you desire to enter into the kingdom of Heaven; that is, find salvation, i.e., REgeneration of Soul - God Consciousness.
Religion, reduced to its simplest terms, is nothing more or less than an exposition of the Divine Law in a way that the common man can understand and apply in his daily life. Religion is threefold; applying, as it does, to the WHOLE MAN - body, mind and Soul. In its essence, it is best defined in the Nazarene's simple statement:
"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." __Gal. 6:7
1. Religion teaches the Law - the way of life - a way which makes man aware of the all-important truth that he is, in fact, a child of god and that within him, buried by much debris, is a spark of the Divine. The Divine spark is the CHRISTOS - the unconscious Soul - which may be awakened and brought into consciousness - a second or Rebirth. This is the "talent" entrusted to man and for which he is responsible to his Creator. Neglected, it remains just as it is - a tiny spark. Recognized, aroused, awakened and brought to consciousness, it becomes an inexhaustible source of wisdom achievement. The process that makes all this possible is, in reality, the Second Birth. It is the process of REgeneration - mortality taking on Immortality - the means whereby the son of man actually and literally becomes the Son of God.
2. The second part or phase of Religion is closely linked, and in harmony with, the first. By obedience to the Law already stated, man gradually establishes health - harmony within his being. That is to say, he establishes a condition of wholeness in his life and affairs, and in proportion as this condition is realized, weakness and illness, with their attendant phases of pain, sorrow, depression, personal and financial distress, are eliminated or reduced to a minimum. Reason and experience - which are only other names for WISDOM - teach us that there is a limit to man's life on earth, as it is today. Ultimately, in the natural order of things, the human machine grows both weak and weary. A transition becomes necessary so that the Soul - the Immortal part of man - can relinquish the old, worn-out body in exchange for a new vehicle. Thus a new cycle begins, and the Soul, re-born, resumes its efforts and gets off to a new start, beginning at the point of progress attained in its previous earthly sojourn. Thus is fulfilled the eternal law of change - of PROGRESS - of ever moving forward, according to God's great plan.
3. The third phase of Religion is in harmony with the other two and relates to the more mundane aspect of life. Potentially, man is equipped with all the possibilities and resources necessary to bring him success in any chosen line of endeavor: Provided hi is willing to follow the dictates of the Law, make the mecessary effort and develop his possibilities and potentialities to the utmost, there is no limit to what he may achieve. It is here that religion - actually lived and put into practice - fulfills the great promise, as expressed by the Nazarene:"Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these other things [health, happiness, abundance and material success] will be added unto you."
Those who meet the requirements of this Law, putting first things first, find that the "other things" are the natural accompaniments of "living the life" - so seeking first the "kingdom" and its righteousness. It is well to bear in mind that a "kingdom" is something to be governed or ruled over.
True religion, therefore, is three-fold. It embraces the well-being and ultimate perfection of the three-fold man; physically, mentally and spiritually, and includes, as its final culmination, MATERIAL SUCCESS - economical freedom; a freedom self-earned; not conferred. It is here where the church and formal religion has fallen short. Thousands are leaving the church to follow every will 'o the wisp with the hope that the secret of life, the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE will be revealed to them.
The present work has in view the inculcation of Divine Law's and their application to life, so that men, by following them, will become MEN; willingly assume personal responsibility; accept the LAW OF JUSTICE, and in so doing, complete the process whereby "mortality takes on Immortality"; while at the same time, eliminating from society "man's inhumanity to man."
There is considerable repetition throughout the present work. This is deliberate in order that every aspect of the spiritual teachings of the Ancient Masters and the simple truths enunciated by the Nazarene may be presented and, at the same time, to forcibly stress the importance of the governing Laws and their application to the affairs of every-day life
R. Swinburne Clymer
"Beverly Hall"
Quakertown, Penna.
April 1, 1951