Below you will find Week 10 of Life’s Word. Thanks to those who responded to our request for feedback about if any of our mailings were missing. Plus it’s always just good to hear from you!
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Enjoy ~ T.
X
Tenth Mystery: Religion
Until you who can receive, it is given to know the Mystery of Religion.
Now, religion is a subject that’s been around for since there has been any history of mankind and there’s been many, many different ones; each one of which claims to be the one and only true religion. Now of course, that’s the one we all belong to, you know – the one and only true one. The rest of the people have been deceived.
Each religion and creed which I have sent differs in doctrine and practice from every other.
That is at least on the surface.
Will you say, “Herein I know that religion is not of God, for God would not delude all the people of the world with false religions, nor yet part of the world, causing one man to believe that another’s religion is false.”
That we know – that there’s been wars fought over it and all kinds of stuff.
Know that I have brought you through many generations, developing the body to a different perfection than any other body. Know that generation has followed generation, obeying My laws of differentiation and selection, until now. And now each one of My bodies is different from all others.
That’s easy to do. All we gotta do is look around a little bit.
Each body selects different food. Each selects different experiences and different doctrines.
That’s not anything so hard to find out, you know. Maybe you like to be a vegetarian, maybe you like potatoes, and maybe you don’t like potatoes. Some people eat a tomato and break out, some people eat shellfish and break out – others feel wonderful. So we all select a little different. Having run restaurants, why six people sit down at a table and each one of ‘em orders something a little different – if nothing else they want their steak cooked different, and so on. So we’re different, so naturally different foods, physical foods, appeal to us; then certainly different ideologies and beliefs would appeal to us. That seems as reasonable as one to the other to me. And we certainly want different experiences. Some of us like to do one occupation, some does another, some couldn’t stand the other person’s occupation; you know, they just can’t do that.
And many have their choices of foods, having developed unto that point where their bodies can benefit by choosing.
Some people will actually benefit by choosing what to eat. I tell them, “You eat what you get hungry for.” And some people say, “Well, I’m hungry for everything.” You know… and so they eat everything. And other people are very selective when you tell them that.
And many have their choices of doctrines, which acquired the mental strength to discriminate between them.
Some people can really pick out; others just go on and live whatever you were brought up with. Folks were one particular brand of religion, that’s what you grew up with, well that’s the one you fight for all your life. And some, that’s the one you rebel against all your life—it’s according to how they liked the folks. That ‘bout right? You can’t stand there and believe – it’s bound to have been wrong.
But whether they seem to choose or seem to be forced, yet in all cases it is I that choose for them, acting through their choice or against it, giving them each what is best, under all the circumstances, to develop that particular character and body.
So all the things that we have run into has been what was most useful to us at the present time, place and circumstance; so we really didn’t do as much choosing as we thought we did.
Now the nature of bodies is such that character depends wholly upon formation. And the formation of the brain and nerves is such that no food or experience or belief can appeal to the character unless such food or experience or belief is suitable for that character’s development.
In other words, if I don’t like a certain food, there’s not much way I’m gonna convince myself to like it. Did you ever try to learn to like something real well? Think you could learn to like liver? One little lady that can’t stand the sight, smell or the looks of it even; so obviously, it doesn’t fit. And it would probably be very upsetting to the whole person, if some way or other it was forced down.
But do you say, “Does God let man believe in error?”
You know, he gives us pretty much, let us have the earth. Might even give us one sometime.
Know that all finite belief is erroneous.
That’s the next thing. “Know that all finite belief is erroneous.” At least to some degree.
But it is nevertheless, suitable for the stage of growth.
…that the particular person is in at that moment. And that, I’ve noticed many times, that that is very factual.
It is that in you which sets itself up as a separate person from Me, which believes.
That’s all the not-I’s, one that believes and does as told by authorities.
Now personality cannot see the Truth and is incapable of knowing Me.
Life. It only knows about itself and it thinks it knows what ought to be.
When that so-called person shall die, leaving the body free to be My conscious instrument, then the body shall radiate all truth.
But before then it’s finite as long as there is the believing of not-I’s there; they will believe something that is truly a bit of an error.
Know that all finite belief is erroneous. But it is nevertheless suitable for the stage of growth.
This thing that sets itself up as being separate is the one that believes and fights and does all these noises.
And when that personality shall die, leaving the body free to be My conscious instrument, then the body shall radiate all truth. Until then, I provide all beliefs for you, each equally erroneous, that you may believe that which appeals unto you.
…in your present time, place, and circumstance and stage of growth and development.
And yet, if you could but understand one of these beliefs from within,
The light came on.
…you would find it true,
In other words, from one aspect, from the inner aspect, it’s true. The outer aspect, it is erroneous.
…you would find it true, for truth is so great that but a reflection of its glory would illuminate you.
In other words, it would fill you full of light, because in one way or another you’d recognize that what says “I”, and what is really Life, is what’s called God. That God and Life is an interchangeable term according to the Scripture, and it seems that this little book verifies that, too.
And this is the Tenth Mystery, that all religions are false when viewed from without, yet all are equally true and beautiful when viewed from within.
Each one of them is trying to eliminate the false personality and let the real being – Life, Spirit – within express and be the whole thing. All of ‘em do that no matter what the name of it is, and in what part of the world it originated. Viewed from without, it comes into a bunch of rituals, a bunch of ideologies and etc.
Do you teach some ancient and beautiful truth? Are you firm in the conviction that the truth you teach is the only truth, and that all different religions are lies? Behold, it is well and you are My minister, and the truth which you teach shall appeal unto many.
… and it will, no doubt.
And unto as many as to whom it shall appeal, you art My messenger. And no one can believe it except they who need it for their development.
So when you set out to proselytize a group of people, only a certain number will come along, but they’re the ones that can use it at that state; and when they grow a little further, they will leave and isn’t that nice. You don’t get saddled with followers that way – for long. Thank goodness.
Do you break the heart over those to whom the teaching does not appeal, and do you try to reach them by prayer and exhortation?
You know, really get with it and pray over them and everything else. Thank goodness it won’t appeal to them.
It is well. All hearts that can break shall break, in order that those hearts that are strong shall remain. Yes, try and reach those in whom the belief does not appeal. For this trying will affect both them and you. Not in the way you desire, but in the further development of bodies, both yours and theirs.
So it’s worth it that they don’t accept it. So let it try and it’s valuable to you, and it may be valuable to them.
Do some of My religions appear cruel to you? And do you say, “Nothing can justify cruelty”? Yet I am cruel unto the personality and will utterly destroy it.
To all the not-I’s, very cruel and will utterly destroy. Give it a little time and it will utterly destroy by cruelty.
I am cruel to be kind, developing the brain until you can become conscious of Me.
I think that’s pretty worthwhile, get some consciousness and not not-I’s.
It is well if you can see the beauty in any one of My religions.
That’s seein’ it from within.
Each one, as seen from within, teaches the crucifixion of “self”,
The not-I’s.
and if any one of them can lead you into the consciousness of freedom from self, you shall know that I have sent it unto you for that purpose.
And that’s the only purpose that any religion can really do is to crucify the “self,” the set of not-I’s that makes up the personality.
Have you read that in times past, they who profess to be My ministers have spread darkness instead of light, and kept back what you call the progress of civilization? Behold, I have ever been alive as I am now. I have ever provided for the development and organization of the formation of character as I saw fit. You know now part of My workings in those dark times, and I have put it in the heart to question My wisdom of the partial knowledge.
So it’s well to start questionin’ things at any time because that’s the way you begin to see a whole lot more. If we assume we already know, we don’t question; we only condemn or justify. That bout right? You quit questionin’ things, but questionin’ is a pretty worthwhile thing to do. It shows that you’re not quite as gullible as you could be, huh? That right? Question – keep on askin’ questions. And question don’t only mean to ask questions, it means to ask yourself, “Has this got any validity for me?” Now it may have a lot of validity for somebody else, but does it have validity for me?
Yet learn this, that all things worthy to survive thrive best on opposition.
With a little Second Force, as we call it, runnin’ around. Anything that’s worthy of surviving, survives best and grows with some opposition.
The principle called civilization is one which gathers strength through the hand of him who would keep it back.
In other words, the people who attempt to destroy civilization are the ones which makes it the most powerful. If there was no opposition to it, it gradually falls apart. It becomes very decadent, very rapidly. So when we live in a time where there’s no opposition to what’s called civilization, you see decadence beginning to arise cause there must be a resistance or it don’t grow good.
Could you know all, then you would say, “Even then the Lord knew best.” But though religions have ever led men unto a knowledge of Me, it is not through religions alone that I call you. I call by everything of which you are conscious.
Everything – business, beauty and art and music and conversation and books and every other thing. They all work just as well as religion does and maybe sometimes even work better.
I call by everything of which you are conscious. Every voice is My voice. Every sweet influence of life in flower or tree or animal is My influence. Every bitter or severe or cruel jolt which can come unto you is from Me.
They’re very useful. If we didn’t have ‘em, we probably would never wake up.
Do I speak severely to the personality by the voice of religion? Yet I speak still more severely by the voice of experience I send you.
That’s the one that really hollers out loud, isn’t it?
Every experience is from Me. Perhaps you do not see how your experience can be dictated by Divine Love. “If God sends this,” you say, “then He cannot be a God of love!”
Know that a parent may love a child – very, very, very dearly, but it doesn’t mean it always agrees with the kid. If the four year old, three-year-old kid wants to run in front of Mack trucks, you probably would make a little bit of noise to stop it, is that correct? Would that be because you were cruel, or because you truly loved it? You may do something to convince that child not to run in front of it – Mack trucks and Kenworthy trucks and so forth, is that right? Might work at it anyway. Would you feel you were being cruel? No. You were expressing love. The child would probably say you were a “meany.” You know I saw a child cry very severely one time because it wanted to pick up a bright red coal in the fireplace. It wanted it’s pretty and it was beautiful. And it was very angry with its mother for holding it back from the fire. But it would have been more cruel to say, “Well, let it grab it,” you know. Which one would you do?
(Hold it back.)
Ok, but the kid would say you were very cruel, you just didn’t want it to have that pretty, wouldn’t it? You’re a mean old woman. Then you understand what this just said.
Behold it is well for you to speak thus for a season, for this blindness shall give place to a great light.
As you can begin to see sometimes.
Then shall you know that my love is so great that I do not let a hair of your head be touched except by Me, and for your advancement only.
So a lot of times we have something that seems to jolt us, but if we look back a little while, we see that sure was good that happened. Huh? It opened up gobs of things for us.
So I say unto you that it is My voice which calls you, whether by the words of sweet home songs and mother-taught prayers, or by the wild tempest of rough experiences.
I expect experience teaches us more.
Whatever voice appeals unto you is My truth for you, to nurse you until I shall lead you into all Truth. And this is the Tenth Mystery, that each brain believes a different doctrine and different historical facts, and I feed them thereon, giving each the best possible food for such a brain. And you are yourself a proof of My care; for even in this I do not let you believe what you read unless that belief shall be the best food for the brain.
So let’s say that the Mystery is that all that appeals to me is valuable to me – in some way or other – for me to grow. All that appeals to me, all that appeals – to me, not to somebody else – is valuable to me.
And you don’t go around with a bunch of regrets that, “Oh if hadn’t only involved myself in so and so, look how much better off I’d be.” You don’t know. Do any of you know whether you ever made a mistake in something or not? I’m not talking about adding up a column of figures. Did you ever make a mistake in some of your action in life? Huh? You think you did. What woulda happened had you done something else? You don’t know. You don’t know what had happened. You might not have been here if you’d turned a corner in the other direction. We don’t even know what would have happened had we not went down the road that we didn’t intend to sometimes. Hmm? Do you know whether you ever made a mistake in any course of action you ever took? Because you would have to know what all the other alternatives were and what would have been the outcome of them. I don’t believe any of us can say, “I made a mistake” in that sense. Sure we’ve added up a column of figures and got an incorrect number, but that’s not a mistake – that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about did you make a mistake when you moved to Dallas instead of going to Buffalo, New York, huh? You’ll never know that. You don’t know what woulda happened. Did you make a mistake when you went downtown one time and got a parking ticket? You don’t know. You don’t know what would have happened had you went some other direction or parked somewheres else, is that correct, huh? You don’t know. So I don’t think we can ever say with full correctness that we ever made a mistake. I don’t know whether I did or not; and I have no way of knowing cause I would have to know all the possible alternatives that I could have done, then, and what would have been the outcome of them two weeks, two years, twenty years down the road.
(Is it safe to say that there aren’t any mistakes?)
I don’t know. You can say anything, but whether it’s true or not is another question. (laughter) I just said I don’t think we know whether we ever made a mistake or not. Do you? I have no way of checkin’ up. I don’t know. Accordin’ to what it says here, no, you couldn’t have made a mistake because Life chooses the right turn. And even though it wound up with you gettin’ all kinds of bumps and cracks and spots on your head, why, that was still what you could use best at that moment. That’s what it says. I don’t know. See, I’m only reading the book out here. I don’t know, Honey. I’m just the reader here. But I doubt if you ever made a mistake, ok?
(Ok.)
I’m sure none of us know whether we ever really did or not. I doubt if we did, but that I can’t be certain of. But I am sure that you don’t know whether you ever made a mistake or not. That I’m sure of, ok?
(What is it that makes us feel like we have made a mistake?)
Well, because we feel that there is only two things coulda happened – wonderful and terrible. What happened was terrible, so, “If I hadn’t a’done this, it’s bound to have been wonderful.” But it was, maybe, many degrees of lousiness coulda happened.
(As long as we don’t compare.)
See that’s the way we look at everything. “If I hadn’t a-done that,” ya know. That guy says, “If I had’a just invested in that buildin’ over there, why I’d a-been a millionaire today.” He may had more law suits in his hand than he could have ever settled, couldn’t he? And, “If I just hadn’t a-done so and so, I woulda been a millionaire today.” “If I hadn’t-a-married that woman I woulda really been happy.” I don’t know what you woulda done if you hadn’t done that. Do you?
So let’s just say that I don’t know that I ever made a mistake cause I have no way of finding out what woulda happened had I took some alternate route, ok? That at least we know. So we can’t sit around, beat ourselves over the head with a hammer for having made mistakes. But I don’t know about it, and I don’t think anybody else does.
But, you know people do a lot of regretting about the “mistakes” they made, huh? And I don’t know that we ever made one. I’m sure we’re conditioned to believe that if everything didn’t work out with a bed of rose petals, we musta made a mistake. Mama always told me if I do the right thing, everything would work out well; but the old lady forgot to tell me what the right thing was and I had to worry about that for 20 years. Huh? That’s why we work on it. “If you do the right thing, son, everything will work out fine.” So when it don’t work out so good, and so you still, with Mama now internalized, said, “See, you didn’t do the right thing. That’s why you got into all this mess.” Huh? But you don’t know what the right thing is. She told me to do it but she never let me in on what it was, do you see? Did your mother tell you always do the right thing? Did she tell you what the right thing was?
(Sometimes she did.)
Which was something you didn’t wanna do?
(Right.)
Or that would prevent you from doing what you wanted to do. Is that correct? And if you tried it, you still might have not worked out so well and then she said, “Well you didn’t do it right.” The folks up in Salt Lake City say, “Well, you did the right thing, but for the wrong reason.” That really blaps you. You see there is no “out” when you get caught in all these games. You did the right thing, but for the wrong reason. Good lord and little fishes! There’s nothin’ you can do right and you’re really caught up now.