fr-Chapter 15 - False Christians, ecclesiastical heresies and grievances

Nominal Christians

1. The greater part of humanity calls itself Christian; yet the Master tells you: If it were truly Christian, it would have already overcome the rest of humanity with its love, humility, and peace. But My teaching, which I left as a testament even in the "Second Era," is not in the hearts of humanity; it does not live and flourish in the works of men. It is kept in dusty books, and I did not come to speak to man through books.

2. Instead of a book, I brought you my life, my Word, and my works, my suffering, and my death as a human being. The reason why the majority of humanity, which calls itself Christian, has neither the peace nor the grace of Christ is this: because people do not take Him as their model, because they do not live according to His teaching. (316, 5)

3. Listen to Me, disciples, so that you may eradicate old beliefs from your minds. Christianity has divided into religious groups that do not love one another, that humiliate, despise, and threaten their brothers through false judgments. I tell you, they are Christians without love; therefore, they are not Christians, for Christ is love.

4. Some portray Jehovah as an old man full of human flaws, vengeful, cruel, and more terrible than the worst of your judges on earth.

5. I do not tell you this so that you may mock anyone, but so that your conception of divine love may be purified. You do not now know in what way you have worshiped Me in your past. (22:33–35)

6. How is it possible that the peoples who call themselves Christians destroy one another through war and even pray before they go to kill their brothers, asking Me to grant them victory over their enemies? Can My seed exist where hatred reigns instead of love, and vengeance instead of forgiveness? (67:28)

7. To all people of various creeds and religions I say that they have not understood how to relegate material riches to their proper place, so as to then give the spiritual riches the place they deserve. If people fulfilled My laws, they would already be able to see the reflection of the Promised Land from here and hear the sound of the voices of its inhabitants.

8. You claim to believe in my existence and to have faith in my divinity; you also say that my will be done. But truly, I say to you: How little is your faith and your submission to what I decree! Yet I will awaken true faith within you, so that you may be strong on the path I have prepared for you. (70, 12-13)

9. Today I do not demand your blood, that you sacrifice your lives. What I ask of you is love, sincerity, truthfulness, and selflessness.

10. Thus I teach you, and in this I instruct you, thereby training the disciples of My Divinity in this Third Era; for I see you observing the course of the world with indifference, and this is because you do not know how to put yourselves in the hearts of men, where there is so much misery and so much pain.

11. There is great inequality; for I see lords who lack only the crown to call themselves kings, and I see subjects who are true slaves. From this a struggle has arisen. Among those lords who have become rich in the world, there are many who call themselves Christians, yet I tell you that they scarcely know My name.

12. Those who do not see their fellow human beings as their neighbors, who amass riches and seize what belongs to others, are not Christians, for they know no compassion.

13. The struggle between the spiritual and the material will come; humanity will be drawn into this conflict. But how much suffering will it have to endure before the victory of justice comes! (222, 43-45)

Unbelievers and Religious Fanatics

14. I tell you that it is better for you to be full of uncertainties and denials than to be full of false convictions or lies that you take for truths. Honest denial, arising from doubt or ignorance, harms you less than insincere agreement with something false. Honest doubt, hungry for understanding, is better than firm belief in any myth. Desperate uncertainty, crying out for light, is better than fanatical or idolatrous certainty.

15. Today, the unbelievers, the disillusioned, and the embittered prevail everywhere. They are rebels who often see more clearly than others, who do not perceive ritualistic posturing as such. Nor are they convinced by the assurances they have heard from those who spiritually guide people. For all those complicated theories do not satisfy their hearts, which thirst for pure water to soothe their fear.

16. Those whom you consider rebellious often demonstrate greater insight in their questions than those who, believing themselves to be learned and great, answer them. They perceive, see, feel, hear, and understand more clearly than many who call themselves masters of the divine teachings. (248, 12)

17. How obvious and simple is the truth! How clear and straightforward is spirituality! And yet—how difficult it is for one who stubbornly remains in the darkness of his fanaticism and traditions to comprehend it. His mind cannot grasp that there is something more than what he understands; his heart resists rejecting what has been his God and his law: tradition and ritual.

18. Do you think that I despise those who absolutely refuse to recognize My truth? No, My children, My mercy is infinitely great, and it is precisely to them that I turn to help them leave their prison, so that they may delight in the contemplation of the light. The trials necessary for their awakening to faith are reserved for them. These will not be trials beyond their strength; they will be lessons wisely adapted to every soul, every life, every person.

19. From there, from among those darkened minds, from among those hearts sick with religious fanaticism and ignorance, you will see the great and passionate soldiers of truth emerge. For on the day they free themselves from their chains, from their darkness, and see the light, they will not be able to hold back their jubilation and will shout at the top of their lungs that I have returned to save the world by lifting it up the ladder of spiritualization to the true Kingdom. (318, 48–50)

Distortions of Jesus' Teaching and Their Consequences

20. I give you My Word with the same spiritual content with which I spoke to you in the "Second Era," and I have reminded you of many of My teachings that you had forgotten or from which you had turned away due to the erroneous interpretations of your ancestors.

21. You have strayed so far from My teaching that I can say to you: You have created a path that is completely different from Mine, yet you have given it the same name. No one but I could free you from your error—with words of life, love, and truth.

22. Therefore, fathom and understand My Word now that you are listening to Me, and there will be light within you. This is the time when I tell you with complete clarity that the reincarnation of the soul is a fact, that it has existed since the dawn of humanity as the light of divine justice and love, without which you could not progress on the long path of the soul's perfection. (66, 63-65)

23. Very little is what the churches have revealed to people about the soul. But now they will awaken from their lethargy, and those who overcome their reservations and fears and reveal to humanity the truth they have concealed will be blessed. I will enlighten them with the light of My forgiveness, My grace, and My wisdom.

24. When humanity then realizes that the churches are not only there to ensure that people on earth live morally, but that they have the task of guiding the soul to its eternal home, humanity will have taken a step forward on its path of spiritual development. (109, 15–16)

25. After My existence as Jesus among humanity, I have always sent those who came as "soldiers" or apostles to confirm My teaching through their works and to prevent humanity from distorting My teachings. But many "deaf" and "blind" people, who interpreted My Word imperfectly, were divided in their opinions and thus created the diversity of sects. Yet if people are spiritually separated —how could they love one another according to the highest commandment of My Law?

26. Therefore, I tell you that this civilization is but an illusion, for people themselves are destroying it. As long as humanity does not build a world upon the foundations of My Law of Justice and Love, it will not be able to have the peace and light of the Spirit, upon whose virtues it would create and shape a true world of upward development—both in the spiritual realm and in science and morality. (192, 17)

27. Only renewal and the ideal of perfection will lead you back to the path of truth.

28. Those who consider themselves interpreters of the Divine Law tell you that torments of hell await you for your depravity and rebelliousness, and that only if you express your repentance, chastise and wound your flesh, and offer material sacrifices to God will He forgive you and bring you into His Kingdom—truly, I tell you, they are in error.

29. Where will you end up, people, led by those whom you admire as great masters of sacred revelations and whom I regard as those who have gone astray? That is why I come to save you with the light of this teaching, which will enable you to advance along the path of My love. (24, 46-47)

30. People have concealed the true meaning of My teaching in order to show you, instead, a Christ who is not even a reflection of Him who died to give you life.

31. Today you are experiencing the consequences of your turning away from the Master who taught you. You are surrounded by pain, weighed down by your wretchedness, tormented by ignorance. Yet the time has come when the abilities and gifts slumbering within humanity are awakening and, like heralds, proclaiming that a new era has dawned.

32. The churches, science, and the justice system of men will seek to prevent the advance of that which is, to them, a foreign and harmful influence. Yet there will be no power that can halt the awakening and progress of the spirit. The day of liberation is near. (114, 5-8)

33. Those who claim to know Me have represented Me poorly on earth, and that is the reason why many have turned their backs on Me.

34. I will not call to account those who call themselves atheists, because they have banished Me from their hearts, but rather those who—by distorting the truth—have presented a God that many could not accept.

35. Everything that is just, wholesome, and good contains the truth that I have proclaimed at all times.

36. The hour has come when you are to love the truth again, that is, when you will once more recognize what is just and good. Since you are born of Me, you must strive to seek the High, the Eternal, and the Pure. (125, 22-25)

37. Yes, Israel, the human heart has always sought to worship material things, and the ear has been delighted by pleasant-sounding words. That is why man altered what I brought as Christian teaching in the "Second Era" when he transformed it into "religion."

38. Egoism, greed, and vanity have always arisen in the human heart, and they have made themselves kings and lords so that the people might bow down before them, and to make them vassals, slaves, to chain them to sin, and to lead them into darkness, disorientation, and confusion. (363, 36)

39. The theologians of this age will study My Word and the new writings and will ask, "Who are you who have spoken in this way?" Just as the scribes and Pharisees of old rebelled and said to Me, "Who are you, that you disregard and replace the Law of Moses?" Then I will make it clear to them that the three revelations are the only Law that I have always taught and followed.

40. Many of those who condemn Me in this era belong to those who doubted in the "Second Era." Yet I have preserved them and sent them back to Earth so that they may witness the victory of My Law and open their eyes to the light. (234, 46-47)

Negative trends and abuses in Christianity

41. A large part of humanity calls itself "Christian" without even knowing what the word "Christ" means, nor knowing His teaching.

42. What have you made of My Word, My example, and My teachings that I once gave you?

43. Are you truly more developed people than those of that era? Why do you not prove it through the works of your spirit? Do you perhaps think that this life is eternal, or do you perhaps believe that you should develop yourselves solely through human science?

44. I taught you the true fulfillment of the Law so that you might transform this world into a great temple in which the true God is worshiped, where the life of man would be a constant offering of love to the Father, whom he should love in each of his neighbors and in this way pay tribute to his Creator and Master.

45. Yet today, having returned to humanity—what do I find? Lies and selfishness have replaced truth and love for one's neighbor; pride and vanity have replaced gentleness and humility; idolatry, fanaticism, and ignorance have replaced light, elevation, and spiritualization; greed and desecration reign where only zeal for duty and righteousness should exist; hatred and unbridled strife among brothers and sisters have replaced brotherhood, peace, and love.

46. Yet I will come to My temple to drive the merchants out of it, as I did in the "Second Era" in the Temple of Jerusalem, and I will say to them once more: "Do not turn the house of prayer into a marketplace." I will teach people so that everyone may serve before the true altar, so that they may no longer be ensnared by error nor go astray out of ignorance because of the false interpretations they give to My Law. (154, 15-20)

47. My example and that of My apostles was not taken as a model by all who have tried to follow Me. Many have turned into masters instead of being servants, have filled their hearts with a sense of superiority and arrogance, and were only after wealth, pomp, and honors. In doing so, they forgot the needs of the poor and became indifferent and callous toward the misery and suffering of others. That is why people, in their search for truth, wander from one denomination to another; that is why they feel the spiritual need to create new sects in order to seek Me freely.

48. Those who were once regarded as saints and demigods are now rejected by a disillusioned humanity.

49. People no longer seek out the confessor to have their transgressions absolved, for they find it unworthy. And the threat of eternal hellfire no longer impresses or terrifies the sinner's heart.

50. Taking advantage of this spiritual disorientation, the wolf lurks behind the hedge.

51. Every servant of My Divinity and every representative has the task of creating peace among people, yet this is the opposite of what they are doing in this age. Everyone considers themselves the first, everyone wants to be the strongest, and in doing so forgets that the only Strong One, who is I, is in all.

52. Now you can understand why I promised to return to you in the "Second Era"; now it is clear to you why I am teaching you anew. For only My Word can remove the dark veil from the spirit; My love alone is capable of redeeming you from your sins. (230, 23–28)

53. My judgment will come upon the grave offenses and transgressions committed against My law. There will not be a single transgression that will not be corrected by the perfect Master. Do not allow yourselves to be confused: correct your errors and do not judge. Understand that I never punish you—you punish yourselves.

54. I shed light upon the one who has sinned out of ignorance, and I move the one who has sinned knowingly to repentance, so that both may set out with full confidence in My forgiveness to make amends for the error committed. This is the only way to reach Me.

55. Consider all this, you clergy who guide people along the various paths of the denominations. Pray and lead your flock toward spiritualization. The time has now come for you to repent of your errors and begin a struggle against human materialism, which is death and darkness for the soul. To this end, you must use My truth, take My Word as your weapon, and live by My teaching.

56. I have no preference for one denomination or another. It is not I who will stand on your side, but you must stand on Mine. For if you do this, you will have succeeded in uniting yourselves all spiritually. (162, 27-30)

57. My teaching, full of spirituality, will take root in the heart of this people so that in the future it may bear the fruits of truth and life. My Word will spread across the earth, leaving no place where it does not purify, enlighten, and judge.

58. Then the peoples will begin to awaken to spiritual life, the true and eternal one, and will eliminate the external and materialistic aspects of their various forms of worship, limiting themselves to turning toward the essence of My Law.

59. Humanity will recognize the power that spirituality bestows and will turn its gaze away from all that has held it back for so many centuries.

60. What good is it that the symbol of Christianity, that is, the cross, is found millions of times upon the earth, if people are not of good will and do not love one another?

61. The external no longer has power over people; there is no longer any respect, nor good faith, nor regret for having caused harm. Therefore, I tell you that the symbols and forms of worship will disappear, for their time has passed, and it will be inner worship that lifts people up toward the light, elevates them, and leads them to Me. (280, 63-67)