Most
of us with a past religious background are familiar with these words
from the Book of Numbers 14:18, "The
LORD is slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, forgiving
iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and
the fourth generations."
Since these words have been so universally misunderstood they have
become the cause of one of those "race-mind" beliefs that
have held so many people in bondage to guilt and its step-child,
shame. If we look at the
words from the Book of Numbers with spiritual understanding we can
read the word "Lord" as the "Law of our Mind" ...
and then we understand the domino effect of guilt. Far too many
parents have allowed their own feelings that create guilt to be taught
to their children either by themselves or by others. And this is
why we read that our children and our children's children and so on
continue living with patterns of guilt. Guilt is resident in the
race-mind and has been throughout history due in part to a lack of
understanding that not only does it diminish the joy of living but it
also obstructs us from being receptive to the greater good that is
always seeking to be realized by us.
There are those who will tell us that if we live in the
“Now” that guilt will go away but this is rarely the case for most
people. Like so many
other conditions that affect our mind/body/spirit to know the specific
“cause” of guilt within one’s consciousness is not easy to
discover.
"The sense of guilt is called
a mental disease (disease means "not at ease") and is
extremely common. In the field of modern psychosomatics and
psychiatric medicine, it is clearly pointed out that a deep sense of
guilt, coupled with frustration, lies in back of most of our mental
disorders and consequently back of the personality conflicts and
bodily diseases as well as business and home conditions. The
sense of guilt is abnormal and unnatural, even though it seems to be
almost universal. For example, a child is not born with a sense
of guilt. The feeling of guilt is imposed from without, usually
by parents, teachers, and nurses, together with the beliefs of the
race mind.
All of us know that a baby has no
sense of sin. The baby's first feeling of guilt comes when he
senses that mother is angry or displeased with him. His mother
is more or less a god to him; moreover, she represents authority and
law. He is dependent upon his mother for food, comfort, love,
and security.
When we were born into the world,
we had little or no sense of true values. As children we knew
nothing about man-made religions, creeds, dogmas, or customs, or
man-made laws, rules, and regulations. In the beginning the
child is like a little animal, and is free from inhibitions and does
what seems to him to be natural. But mother may scold him or
perhaps punish him by slapping him. She may say to him that he
is a bad boy and that God will punish him. The child does not
understand and is baffled. Instinctively the child feels himself
cut off from love, from security, from a sense of kindness and
giving-ness. The child feels that he is punished for something
which he doesn't understand, becomes confused, and concludes that he
must be bad. He has his first feeling of guilt and of being a
sinner. He is perplexed and proceeds to protect himself.
Instinctively he reacts to his mother's reprimand or display of anger
in different ways. He may become fearful, or he may fight back
in his own way by going into a tantrum because of inner conflict.
The child's failure to get his desires
satisfied where these are contrary to the wishes of his parents (and
later contrary to religious, social, and state laws and customs)
deepens his sense of guilt and sin. Instinctively he wants to do
that which seems natural to him, but authority says, "no."
The result is some conflict with authority." -
Dr. Joseph Murphy, Special Lecture, Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los
Angeles
Dr. Murphy gives some glaring examples of how guilt and shame
are instilled in the minds of small children.
Many of us have experienced some of these and others have not
but it is a rare person who has not experienced feelings of guilt at
some time in their lives. Even
in today’s world where there has been an evolution of psychological
reasoning regarding guilt and the healing of emotions, few people seek
spiritual healing compared to other methods.
Feelings of guilt and shame have caused intelligent and
educated people, even spiritual students, to reach for something
outside of themselves to rid the complexities of guilt that they
experience. Yet, the
spiritual solution is always available even though not always instant
and in a culture that desires instant-gratification, it is too often
overlooked or sneered at. But,
anything else is always temporary never permanent for the spirit
(mind) is always in control of the soul (consciousness).
Here is some more wisdom regarding guilt from the great Dr.
Joseph Murphy: "Many
people are full of guilt because they accept as right that which is
actually wrong. God condemns no one. God has already
forgiven you. Forgive yourself. Change your thought and
keep it changed. Think on whatsoever things are true, just,
noble, and of good report. Think from the standpoint of the
Golden Rule and the Law of Love. Would you think of disobeying
the principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering?
Would you build a wheel off center? Are you believing in
antiquated, dead, grotesque, ignorant superstitions and prejudices in
the name of religious beliefs, or have you made a serious inquiry into
the workings of your subconscious and conscious mind? The modern
scientist has to conform to natural law; he cannot change it.
Your religion must also conform to natural law. The result is
con-science, with knowing. The Law of Life is the law of health,
happiness, peace, order, beauty, right action, and abundance.
Divine Order is Heaven's first law.
"Remember you not the former things, neither consider things of
old." (Isaiah 43:18)
"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, press toward the mark for the
prize." (Philippians 3:12-14) "And enter into the
glorious liberty of the children of God."
The most important two words
in the message is “forgive yourself” … for
no one else can, not even G-d or Jesus or Buddha or Krishna or
those who love us dearly, no one but ourselves.
And we “forgive ourselves” by “giving up” the pattern
of guilt and “giving our mind” that which elevates our thoughts,
our ideas, our spirit and our soul to be free, to feel joy and to live
for this moment and the moments to come guilt-free and unhindered by
anything that we have experienced in the past.
Let us practice daily the “loving-kindness” that is
infinitely available to us from within our own soul and realize as we
do that G-d will respond to us by corresponding to this
loving-kindness by filling our heart and soul with joy today and
always.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the
faith!
Rev.
Henry Bates
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