It took many years
and many authors of books as "guides" for me to discover the
real Jesus ... the Master Mind that saw through the blind beliefs and
rituals of religion and recognized the Omnipresence of G-d incarnated
in the world and in the soul of mankind. It is true that
Jesus rejected many of the traditional religious ideas of religion but
it is also true that he identified as a Jew and was respectful of
Jewish celebratory holidays. His most profound discovery is that
the kingdom of G-d is within and when we discover it within ourselves
we shall do the greater things still that we desire to
experience. And this discovery will free us from the limitations
of the world and religion; in his words, "you will know the Truth
and the Truth will set you free." And the Truth cannot be
realized through the limitations embodied in human thought but must be
released from our Divine nature within; that is, within our own
consciousness in tune with the Infinite Good.
The American mystic Ernest
Holmes writes in his book "Words That Heal Today,"
that: "No greater comfort can be
found in all the teachings of Jesus than in his concept of the
possibility of finding heaven here and now. We all have a sense
of condemnation, which at times is so great that it seems impossible
to feel our way back to God. The hope and assurance which the
Way-shower gave enables us to find release, not in some theoretical
future but in the eternal here-and-now in which he consciously
lived. Always today is the day of salvation - this day which
extends from eternity to eternity but which is always focused in the
present moment.
This was one of the fundamental teachings of the great spiritual
genius. We should look upon it as a principle in nature and our
relationship with God. Nothing in the universe holds anything
against us. Nothing vindictive can flow from the Spirit.
When we turn to It, trusting and believing the avenues of Its out-push
through us are unlocked. This life which is eternally new and
fresh flows into us as water gushing from the hidden spring of our
being. We must drink of this water. God has given us the
cup of life which must be used as a chalice of love. The stream
flows around and through us, but the Spirit cannot drink for us."
In the reflection of
his human nature, Jesus at first believed that all that he had
discovered about his relationship to G-d and to Life was only for
people of the Jewish faith but his encounter with a Samaritan woman
opened his mind to a greater truth. Once
he realized the universal nature of spiritual laws this became one of
the tenets of his teaching that set him apart from all the other
Jewish mystics of that era.
Even with all the knowledge and historical research that has
been discovered about the life of Jesus he is still considered “The
Christ” to those who follow the religion of Christianity in all its
different forms. Churches
in urban areas appeal to young people with their “hip” and
“edgy” music, but their teaching about Jesus is still just as
flawed as the preaching of Billy Sunday in the first decades of the 20th
Century and later the Reverend Billy Graham’s “old-time
religion.” The Master
Mind Jesus evolved the teachings of the ancients of the Torah and the
Old Testament of the Holy Bible but Christian ministers by and large
with few exceptions are willing to discover the greater Truth of the
Christ that compelled
Jesus to declare “don’t ye know that ye are
gods?”
A
recent news article report from Las Vegas stated that "Police
and church officials in Las Vegas are investigating a recent series of
disruptive protests at Roman Catholic parishes that they say put
worshippers on edge and led to plans for increased patrols around
churches this weekend.
No
injuries, damage or arrests resulted from demonstrations reported Oct.
31 and Dec. 5 at churches downtown, just off the Las Vegas Strip and
several miles east of the Strip, police Officer Michael Rodriguez said
Friday. There was also a protest at a Catholic high school on Dec. 2.
"All
of these appear to be linked," Rodriguez said. "It appears
to be the same tactic — going into the churches during services,
handing out fliers and making inflammatory statements."
Each time, the men protesting were gone when police arrived.
Video uploaded to YouTube shows a few men, including two wearing
T-shirts reading "Trust Jesus" and "Repent or
Perish," walking down a church aisle, handing paper religious
tracts to parishioners, declaring Christ as savior and shouting
derogatory comments about the pope and Catholic icons.
The Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas confirmed what it called
"multiple disturbances" at several locations.
"This group appears to be a Christian group trying to disrupt
Catholic services," a diocese statement said."
The
incidents in Las Vegas are interesting in that we have one sect of
Christianity condemning another. Many of those in Christian
sects do not consider either the Catholic Church or the Mormon Church
to be Christian and this news article illustrates the ugliness that
this judgment creates. I can't imagine that any of those
involved in these protests in Catholic churches have any real
knowledge or awareness of the profound nature of Jesus'
teachings.
Jesus took the wisdom of the
ancients and became the Great Teacher by teaching masterful principles
using simple, easy to understand parables. His teachings were so
simple that most people did not "get it" ... and many ignore
His most profound wisdom; "Love G-d
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and equally important love your neighbor as your self."
He taught by "living His teaching" and by
"demonstrating" the Truth that he stated could "set us
free." Why then, do people all over the world look to him
to "save them" when he taught that "you
will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free" ...
because they don't really get him ... and many of the ones who
"get him the least" call themselves Christians. And
the Christians protesting in Catholic churches in Las Vegas is just
one example of this.
The religious leaders
in his day
called him vile and blasphemous ... and would it be any different
today? Mega churches across the United States and across the
globe are filled with people who "follow religion" even when
what is taught directly and emphatically contradicts Jesus' admonition
to "follow him." He said we are to "love one
another" and to withhold judgment against others. He taught
that G-d is Omnipresent Spirit, Omnipotent. He stated (from A
Course in Miracles) "to think like G-d is to share His certainty
of what you are, and to create like Him is to share the perfect love
that He shared with you." And from the same source we can
read his profound wisdom "Why
wait for Heaven? Those who seek the Light are merely covering
their eyes. The Light is in them now. Enlightenment is but
a recognition, not a change at all. When your change your heart
you change your life."
And in these words and so much more we can realize that the Master
Mind Jesus was even more than a spiritual genius, he was spiritual and
not religious. These words defy all the religious dogma ever
conceived by mankind!
And
lastly, from the great Emmet Fox: "We
are told concerning the teaching of Jesus that the common people heard
him gladly. He was unconventional, hopelessly out of favor with
the ecclesiastical authorities, a flouter of hallowed traditions; and
yet, deep calls unto deep, and so He had His friends and followers in
high places also."
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the
faith!
Rev.
Henry Bates
Please
share this message on Facebook or Twitter:
Share
QUESTIONS
... about this message?
contact Rev. Bates
