To what excesses will men not go for the sake of a religion in which they believe so little and which they practice so imperfectly! ____Jean de La Bruyere, 1645-1695

I had learned never to say "no" to Dr. Claymore so on my way home I had to do a great deal of thinking as to how exactly I was going to get to the hotel by nine the next morning. We only had one bus line that served the area where I lived and that had only two trips to town on Sunday and neither was early enough to get me there by nine.

I called Elaine as soon as I returned home and dumped the situation in her lap. She was overjoyed that Dr. Claymore had taken me into his confidence and thought that Pricilla could talk Jack, her father, into taking me in the morning. Since they lived about ten miles from me it meant that he would have to get up even before me to get me there on time. After much prodding, as I was told later, Jack finally agreed.

It seems that Jack was not all that certain of this new boy friend of Elaine's. After all he had been in the Great Philosophy much longer than I had and I'm sure he was wondering why he was not being coached instead of this young upstart? It wasn't that Elaine's father did not like me its just that he did not want to give up Elaine and he had great difficulty in understanding my nature. He was very introverted person and it was difficult for him to understand the complexities of someone as quixotic as my self.

Inasmuch as my previous two meetings with Dr. Claymore had been in the afternoon, I had stayed up and read the night before. This was not possible this time and so I went to bed early — for me. However, as W. S. Gilbert penned in Iolantha "repose was tabooed by anxiety." In fact it wasn't until the alarm rang that I realized that I must have slept some during the night. I did not feel my best but with the vigor of youth I was able to get up and prepare for the meeting.

Jack as usual was right on time. Elaine was with him; perhaps she thought this best to make certain that he did get me there at the appointed time. They came in the family car, a 1938 Plymouth. Jack and his family had been hard hit by the depression and he was very proud of this car since it was only five years old when he purchased it, thus making it the newest car he ever had before or after.

On the way there Elaine and I conversed while Jack remained silent except for an occasional grunt or grumble. The drive took about half an hour and this gave me some time to become a little more alert. Time and Elaine's company always seemed to have this salubrious effect on me.

As they dropped me off Elaine asked, "Now, when do you think we should pick you up?"

Since the previous sessions with Dr. Claymore had lasted a little over an hour I told them to come back in an hour and a half. Jack, in his usual good humor retorted, "And what are we to do in the meantime?"

"Now, dad," said Elaine, "we'll think of something."

So I got out of the car and started for the foyer of the hotel. I was surprised at the amount of activity for that time of morning. I though to myself I guess there are "morning people" and "night people." I had always been a night person myself while, as I discovered later, Elaine was a morning person. One might think that this would make us incompatible but just the opposite proved to be true in the fifty-one years we had together. She could do all the things that interested her, but did not fascinate me in the morning and I could do the same after she had gone to bed. During the time both of us were up, we could enjoy those things that we both loved. A perfect arrangement.

Since I was none too early, I hastened up to Dr. Claymore room. I found the door slightly ajar and could hear a certain amount of noises in the room. As usual I knocked and almost immediately I heard a voice say with some mild irritation, "is that you Mr. Bruington?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Well come in, come in. We've much to talk about today."

As I entered the room, I found him dressed differently that before, I guess you could say he was in his traveling clothes. The room was somewhat disorderly and it was obvious that he was packing.

"I don't have much time, since my train (Dr. Claymore did not consider planes as safe and dependable at that time) leaves at noon, so sit there and we'll begin," he commanded.

I did as I was told and he began his monologue.

"Today I am going to discuss the second reason that Manisis is in the world today. Being as blunt as possible he is here to straighten up the mess in religion."

I thought to myself, "He certainly doesn't beat around the bush. I wonder what my local Lutheran minister would think about this?"

He continued, "Since the beginning of conscience human thought men have had some sort of religion or other. All of them were, and are, based on a combination of fact and fiction. At every time in history, including our own, races, civilizations, nations, groups and even individuals, have clung to that combination of fact and fancy that best satisfied a compromise between their conscience and their lower or carnal self. The more factual the religion the more it held to the order of the Celestial beings above. The more fictitious and fanciful the religion the further its tenets were from those to the Celestial forces and the closer to the law of the jungle — that is, to those things that appeal to the carnal or lower nature." However, the mere fact that they existed showed that even the worst of them has some merit."

My brain was reeling. This was some heavy stuff. "May I ask a question?" I asked.

"If it's on the subject," he answered.

"It is," I replied, "Do you mean to state that even the so called ‘pagan' religions have some validity?"

"Of course," he went on, "there are two sides to every Celestial ordained religion — an inner and an outer. The purpose of the larger outer part is to prevent the mass of those who follow the religion from establishing anarchy and to teach them some of the basic Laws of the Celestial forces. That is the Laws that they may be able to understand and use to their benefit.

"On the other hand, the inner teachings of any true religion are basically the same for all since they are directly based on the truths of the Celestial forces themselves. These inner teachings are what Jesus called the "mysteries" and assured his disciples that these "mysteries" were not to be taught to the public but only to the few who, like them, were prepared not only to understand them but also to guard and protect them. Remember what he said about casting your pearls before the swine."

I was trying to keep up with him, but was afraid to tell him that I was not all that conversant with the Bible. For the time being I would just have to take his word for what he was saying.

Continuing he stated, "While the inner teachings may have differing names from time to time — Jesus called the ‘mysteries', the Hebrews call them the ‘Cabala', and we in the Philosophy call them the Great Work — but the underlying principles are always the same as is the purpose — mortality putting on immortality. But, more of this later as we get into the teachings of the Philosophy itself.

"Let us now return to the outer form of religion, that is, religion as most individuals think of it. As long as it is able to keep its adherents stable and free from the worst sins that flesh is heir to, it may be considered a worthy religion. But, all outer religions, since they do not teach the ‘mysteries,' come short of the glory of the Celestial Order above. Most of those in vogue today would have a very hard time attempting to prove hat they are really superior to those of the pre-Christian past. The so-called pagans of Rome and Greece still had high moral values, even if the adherents did not always follow them. Is it any different today? Are our Christian moral attitudes really in conflict with this declaration of the Roman Senator Cicero thousands of years ago?"

"With this he fumbled in a brief case he had near and shortly came up with a paper which he handed me saying, "Keep this he said, I always carry a spare with me since I never know when I'm going to meet a skeptic like yourself."

I never particularly thought of myself as a skeptic but I have kept the paper for all these years and am happy to share it with you now.

(1). The delusion that personal gain is made by crushing others.

(2). The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected.

(3). Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it.

(4). Refusing to set aside trivial preferences.

(5). Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

(6). Neglecting the development of mind and soul. Not developing the habit of reading and study.

As I read the Six Mistakes I came to understand his point. The qualities of proper human deportment are apparently timeless. A person could be good and moral in a "pagan" as well as in a Judeo-Christian one, but I thought to myself, "What is the true code of conduct that the Celestial forces desire?"

As if he read my mind, Dr. Claymore then stated, "The better part of any religion or moral code is designed to emulate the Celestial Order above. This Order is really quite simple to enunciate but not all that easy to implement. We as humans are always to do that which will create the greatest good and/or the least harm in any situation. Usually this can best be done by following the Golden Rule. The version of this Rule that I like the best is to be found in the Church Manual of the Philosophy. ‘Do not unto others aught which thou wouldst they should not do unto thee.'"

"But that's nothing new, "I retorted.

"No that's right," came back Dr. Claymore, "but how many of us follow this procedure?"

"Not many, including me," I thought to myself.

"As I see what you're trying to teach me is that there are two forms of religion."

"Think of them as two forms of Spiritual expression," chimed in Dr. Claymore.

"All right, two forms of Spiritual expression. One for the few, could we say the elite?

"Why don't we call them the ‘prepared'," he corrected.

"Well, since you corrected my just how are those chosen to be given the inner mysteries?" I asked.

"Most of these have so developed their spiritual nature during past lives so developed their spiritual nature that they are able to comprehend and utilize the mysteries in their present incarnation," Dr. Claymore answered.

"Can this past development can then be detected by a Master of the Philosophy? I asked. Was this how Jesus was able to select his disciples?

"Yes, to both questions," replied Dr. Claymore and then he went on, "The reason you are here is that I see some of this potential in you. But don't get a swelled head; I only see potential and not what you will do with it. You may be one of those ‘called' but only you can make yourself on of those ‘chosen.'"

I received his words with mixed feelings. I was pleased for what he saw in me but trembled at the thought of not carrying through. I yet knew only a few of the Laws needed to be a truly "chosen" individual but already had my doubts as to my success in the project.

As if again reading my mind, he continued, "The Great Work of the inner Philosophy is to be taken a step at a time. No one may take Heaven by storm. As Jesus said, ‘sufficient onto the day is the evil thereof.' This simply means do your best each day and as you follow the Celestial Laws you know, you not only will be taught others, but you will be given the strength to follow them as long as you keep your desires and heart pure."

I'm not really sure that made me feel all the more confident but I tried not to show my trepidation to Dr. Claymore. Also by this time I was no longer sure exactly what I was talking about. Again he seemed to understand my confusion and mentioned, "You were talking about the two forms of Spiritual expression."

"Oh, yes that's right. I think I understand about the inner work. (Of course I did not, but was not about to ask further questions on this subject.) Now as I see the outer spiritual Laws, they seems to be much more dependent on the moral and ethical nature of the adherents than on any special dispensation to an individual group or religion. Is that right," I asked cautiously.

"You stated that fairly well," said Dr. Claymore with a rare smile on his face, "Now, if we go back in history we can see many examples of just how these outer religions function and how they failed to serve mankind as it advances.

"One of the most advanced of all early religions was that of Atlantis. In this land was taught both the outer religion and the inner. Mankind during this period developed technologies that would astound our modern day scientists. The people were good but allowed their leaders to delve into experiments that eventually created a reaction that destroyed their homeland and all but a few of its inhabitants. Some of these went unto the mainland of south and Central America and were later known as the Mayans, Aztecs and other red civilizations of these areas. Many of the Atlanteans were establishing a civilization in what we now call Egypt when their homeland sank. There they stayed and built many wonders that still fire our imagination today, but if my memory serves e right I think I mentioned this to you before.

"Moses was trained in these Egyptian ‘mystery' schools and it was with this knowledge that he was able to become the ‘savior' of his people. The Hebrews at that time were a very carnal people. So much so that after Moses returned from the mountain where he received the tablets with the Ten Commandments he found them in carnal debauchery that he broke the tablets feeling certain that they were not worthy of them."

"Is that really true?" I blurted out.

Looking hurt that I would doubt him, "Absolutely true," Dr. Claymore replied, "Look it up for your self. I must admit that the Scripture assures us that these tablet were replaced at a later time but one cannot help but wonder if this statement was only a diplomatic afterthought."

Keeping my thoughts to myself for a while, I let him go on.

"Moses was the true Law Giver to the Hebrews. He went into very specific detail about every facet of life at that time, so that none could say they did not know the law. This was necessary because of, as the man of Nazareth said at a later time, the ‘hardness of their hearts'.

"From the laws of Moses we have what is undoubtedly that most codified rules of any known outer religion. However, they did, and do, serve their purpose and that is to keep the Hebrew peoples in harmony with at least some of the Celestial laws.

"As the hardness of the Hebrew hearts softened (over a period of a few thousand years) it was time for a new more genteel interpretation of the law. So, in the town of Bethlehem (according to tradition) a new Avatar was born. As he matured he taught a new and more thoughtful outer spiritual interpretation. He attempted to make his listeners think, to question the letter of the law if it was against the spirit of goodness and mercy.

"This is best personified in his answer to the mob who brought before him the woman caught in the act of adultery whom they were ready to stone to death according to the Law of Moses. Remember, what he said Mr. Bruington?"
He had caught me off guard. Since, as stated before, I knew little of the Bible at that time and so could only reply, "I don't think I do."

Dr. Claymore had a look on his face that I interpreted as meaning, "Why am I wasting my time with this dumbbell, he doesn't seem to know anything." But his vocal reply was more diplomatic.

"He said ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her...And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. Then Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the women, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.' [John 8:7-11]

"Notice," said Dr. Claymore, not testing my knowledge this time, "that he did not say she was free of sin, or that the Mosaic law against adultery was invalid, but he only advised her to ‘go and sin no more.' He was wise enough to know the next time she was caught he probably would not be around to save her from the stones.

"In other words, as each new interpreter of the Law comes he does not replace the old interpretation but simply modifies it and expands it. As Jesus said, ‘I come not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it.' This ‘fulfilling' is the new interpretation that is given to mankind about every two thousand years or so. By this time the old interpretation has worn thin and the people have advanced in their ability to understand the more abstract nature of the true Celestial laws. This two millennium period having past since Jesus walked the earth, it is time for the emergence of a new interpreter - Manisis."

I hesitantly asked, "Is it necessary for the interpretation of Manisis to succeed that the present-day Christian Church be chastised as you have done in some of your books? It doesn't seem to be quite, as wee, quite Christ-like."

My statement brought a big frown to Dr. Claymore's face. He thought for a moment and then began to speak in a tone of voice that did not bode well for me.

"Mr. Bruington, it is a good thing that I know your potential because it is obvious that you still have many rough edges and are not a Biblical or historical scholar. If you were either, you would know a little more of the lives and missions of past Avatars. Moses took a carnal, idolatrous people and attempted to teach them the Celestial Law as best he could, but when he left them to go onto the mountain for a short time, they quickly reverted to their old idolatrous ways. I have already told you what happened when he returned and found them in this state. Do you really think that when he discovered their orgy, he tried to reason with them philosophically about their return to a carnal form of paganism? Not one bit. He read them the riot act and it took forty years of leading them in the wilderness - that is, the wilderness of their own passional carnality - before they were fit for the Promised Land.

"Now when Jesus came to teach a new interpretation of the Celestial Law, he certainly did not act ‘Christ-like' to the established religions of the day. Do you remember what he called them?"

"No," I said very weakly.

"Well," stated Dr. Claymore with a tone of authority, "He called them a ‘generation of vipers.' Now, I ask you, Mr. Bruington, have you ever read in one of my books any place where I was so uncomplimentary?"

Another anemic, "No," passed my lips.

"Actually, I think both Manisis and I have been very restrained in our appraisal of the modern religious orders considering what they have done to the Nazarene's teachings."

"Well, are the Nazarene's teachings outmoded for today's world then? Is that why Manisis is here?" I asked, finally regaining by composure.

"The teachings of the Nazarene are not one bit outmoded," retorted Dr. Claymore." The problem is not that his teachings are out of date, but rather what those entrusted with imparting his teaching to the world-at-large have done with them. At least the Mosaic teachings, though two dispensations behind the times, have been preserved as laws and teachings and no effort has been made to turn Moses into a god. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for the teachings of the man of Nazareth.

"As to the Spiritual reason for the appearance of Manisis this is twofold. First, the change over the last two thousand years in the consciousness of the human race. While we have still a long way to go before humanity will be on a par with the Celestial beings, we are now ready to accept and apply Spiritual concepts that would have been ridiculed two thousand years ago.

"The second reason for the advent of Manisis is for him to do for our time what the Nazarene did for his. In his day the Nazarene found that the purity of the Mosaic teachings had been corrupted because mortal men were using them for their own personal gain. It was his righteous wrath over this fact that caused him to throw the money changers out of the temple. Today Manisis has found the self-same corruption of the teachings of the man from Nazareth. While it is not required of us that we physically throw them out of the churches, we have an obligation to make their transgressions of the Celestial Laws as taught by the Nazarene known to all."

"If the present orthodox Christian teachings are not the true teachings of Jesus, then when and where did they become so adulterated?" I asked.

"These events go back a long time to the earliest days of Christianity," replied Dr. Claymore. "Not only were the original outer teachings of the Nazarene preserved following his ascension, but the inner teachings were maintained by the Gnostic Fathers as well. It was to this group that the Roman Emperor Constantine came to receive both the inner and the outer teachings. However, since they did not feel he was a worthy candidate they rejected him. Not being one of the ‘chosen' he became furious at this rejection and used his authority to destroy the Gnostic Fathers and the true teachings of Jesus as practiced by them. Only a few of these holy men survived and to preserve the inner teachings, while the outer teachings of the Christian Church became wholly corrupt at this time.

"Since Constantine knew nothing of the inner spiritual side of the Christian teachings, he could only perpetuate what he knew as he made Christianity the ruling religion of this empire. As if this was not enough, gradually the corruption of the state church became such that even new and deviant doctrines, advantageous to the leaders of the church, began to emerge to create a dependency on the church for ‘salvation' rather than the individual nature of immortality as taught by Jesus, his disciples and the Gnostic Fathers.

"This was the beginning of the Roman Catholic church right?" I asked.

"Yes, but the Reformation did little to change the deterioration of the Church's teachings," replied Dr. Claymore, "Martin Luther was still imbued with the teachings of the Constantine distortion. There was no where he could go to find the truth and so he and the rest of the protestant revolution were only able to create a more humble and less pretentious, but still erroneous, Christian religion."

"To this day, from the Roman Pope all the way down to the humblest itinerant minister, the Christian Church still teaches the dishonest dogma of salvation by faith, completely ignoring the words of Saint Paul who said,‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' [Galatians 6:7] and James who further stated, ‘Faith without works is dead.' [James 2:20] I had never seen him so intense. It was obvious that to him the teachings of the majority of Christian ministers were not in harmony with the Celestial Law and therefore not to his liking."

With missing a beat, he continued, "The mission of Manisis is to teach the Law is such a way that it cannot be misconstrued. His teachings make it abundantly clear that the Great Work of Salvation is our own personal responsibility and that no one else, be it man or God, can do it for us. Manisis will probably never become known to the general public as did the Nazarene, thereby preventing the same fate that befell that Sixth Messenger of the Celestial forces."

"What fate was that," I innocently asked.

"Why the process of making him a God and Savior and completely ignoring his teachings and admonitions," snapped back Dr. Claymore, "Did not this man of Nazareth say:

"‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

"‘Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles?

"‘Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

"‘A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

"‘Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

"‘Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

"‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

"‘Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?

"‘And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

"‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

"‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock:

"‘And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:'

"‘And the rain descended: and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.' [Matthew 7:15-27]

"Now isn't that about as clear as it can be? Remember this dissertation followed the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus gives the foundation of his new interpretation. We might think of these as his Ten Commandments, although there were many more than ten. Admonitions like:

"‘Judge not that ye be not judged,' [Matthew 7:1]

"‘But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you' [Matthew 5:44]

"‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.' [Matthew 5:48]

"Look at our world today. Can you really declare that any one well-known Christian denomination makes plain the individual's responsibility to follow the laws as set down in this Sermon on the Mount much, less those taught in the rest of Scripture. Do they not instead teach Salvation by Faith and Vicarious Atonement - doctrines completely alien to the teachings of the man from Nazareth."

"I must admit," I confessed, "that the few times I was in church I could not understand what the minister was driving at. He seemed to have some convoluted theory that left me cold. It just did not make logical sense so I stopped going and thought of myself as an atheist."

With that confession on my part Dr. Claymore's face really lit up. "There may be some hope for you yet my dear boy," he said with a bit of irony. It was the nicest thing he had said about me so far.

"You see that is exactly why we need Manisis and his teachings. You are not alone. A great many thoughtful individuals can no longer stomach the modern Christian church teachings. They, like you, are leaving the Churches in droves. Or rather I should say they are leaving the tortuous and illogical teachings of the Church behind even if they still attend for sake of the status in the community. Since you are too young to have a status to worry about, you were able to leave the church without a worry."

"Lot, stock and barrel." I added, happy that he and I had found some meeting-of-the-minds regarding present-day churches. But, as all too often in my life, I was not able to let well enough alone and added another one of my infamous "buts." "But, don't you find any redeeming qualities in the orthodox churches of today?"

"Many," he replied, "especially regarding their civilized sociability, but as long as they do not teach the necessity of Personal Responsibility as to things both temporal and Spiritual, I feel they tend to fulfill Karl Marx's appellation of the ‘opiate of the masses,' though not as he interpreted this concept. Their dogmas of Vicarious Atonement and Salvation by Faith alone stultify all true efforts toward Spiritual growth and development. My feeling is that, unless these orthodox churches can learn to bethink themselves and embrace the new Manistic teachings, their future is bleak indeed."

"Well," said Dr. Claymore, leaning back in his chair, "I see that it is getting time that I must get ready for the train. I trust it has been a useful session for you. I think is went very well. Do you have any questions before you leave?"

"Yes, I do have one," I replied, "Why do we have to wait to make the Manisis teachings available to the general public?"

This time Dr. Claymore not only smiled, he broke out in a guffaw, "My dear Mr. Bruington, have you forgotten our previous visits? I have been doing this since the early days of this century (Twentieth) and will continue to do so as long as I live, but until disaster strikes, Americans always assume ‘it can't happen here' and until it really does, they will continue with their heads in the sand, trusting their lives to those who are blinder then they are. The public as a whole will not be ready to listen until the third battle as envisioned by General Washington actually begins. I will not see that time, If you do, it is your obligation and duty to teach the Laws of Manisis. Will you do so?"

"I will try my best to live up to your faith in me," I replied, but there is one more question before I leave, what do I do now and when will we meet again?"

"That is two questions," said Dr. Claymore, "but I will answer both. You are to continue with your studies in the Philosophy. You have a great deal to learn. Continue to read the books that we have published over the years. If you have questions write me, I will always reply. As far as our next meeting it will have to be next year when I come to visit again. I only trust that you will look forward to it as much as I will."

I assured him I would and with a hearty handshake we parted. When I emerged from the elevator I could see Elaine in the lobby waiting for me. Jack was nowhere to be seen, but she assured me that he was gone to bring the car around. We had a pleasant trip home and I told both Jack and Elaine what Dr. Claymore and I had talked about. Elaine found it most interesting but Jack seemed bored. I gather he had heard it all before.
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