MEREDITH’S TESTAMENT By E. M. JAMES Edited by Barry Dougal Smashwords Edition Copyright 2012 E. M. James This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only, it may not be re-sold but it may be given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please do so. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Acknowledgements My sincere thanks are extended to Barry Dougal for his knowledgeable contribution to the book. Also my sincere thanks to Roddy Campbell for the typing, much appreciated. PREFACE When I say that we are all responsible for our destiny, I mean predestined by God, his final destiny. I am convinced that we – all of the world’s peoples have since the beginnings of awareness been responsible for our own destiny. Intelligence of which humanity might only be one manifestation is, so I believe even responsible for the destiny of the Universe. We have derived from an origin which can be called God. He is the ultimate to whom we as humanity work towards and aspire. The greatest insight and understanding that has been achieved by a single person was that of the Jewish founder of Christianity – Jesus Christ. He provided us with a way of life through which the ultimate will be obtained. “Knowledge” is one aspect of existence which is constant. Right answers have no limit, truth applies universally. I believe also, that there is a logical climax which can be reached when there is a state of the completion of “knowledge”, and that this is the ultimate for humanity. Christ said that by following a way of life indicated by him that immortality could be achieved. Humanity will achieve immortality through his own decisions, for the greatness of God is potentially within man. It is humanity that declares God but there is another sense in which no one can take the place of another single individual. The entire universe and its contents are only meaningful to the individual himself, and humanity cannot be complete without that individual. Each unit is necessary; the meaning of each life is significant. This significance is the individual’s unity with God. As blood flows individually through humanity so must God. I believe that one of the greatest fears of human beings is loneliness, but the greatest loneliness we experience is due to our sense of individuality. One of the greatest single things to be stressed about God is his self-imposed need for companionship. He has to have the reflection of himself. It is my belief that when we die we will not be aware of our death and not being in time will achieve immortality instantly. Immortality will be the realisation of Sanity; and by this I mean the true sanity of Christianity. Meredith James February, 1972 Contents Title Page Acknowledgements Preface BOOK ONE: BASIC BELIEFS Part I: IS THERE A GOD? Part II: CARAVAN. THE BEGINNINGS OF GOD Part III: THE GREAT LEADER JESUS CHRIST BOOK TWO: THE GOD OF THE JEWS Part 1: THE LEADERS OF THE JEWS Joshua, Successor of Moses Gideon – The Soldier Samson, the Legend Samuel, the Churchman Saul, the Hothead David, the Hero Solomon, the Hedonist Elijah, the Conjurer Esther, the Jewess Job, the Intellectual Isaiah, the Visionary Jeremiah and Others Daniel the Politician Hosea and Joel Jonah, the Fanatic Part II: THE CAPITALIST GOD BOOK THREE: ASPECTS OF GOD Buddha The Hindus The Prophet of Islam BOOK FOUR: THE MAN GOD Part 1: The Man God Part 2: The Sermon on the Mount Part 3: The Christian Conspiracy Part 4 Part 5 Part 6: Conclusion BOOK FIVE: THE BEGINNING OF EXISTENCE Part One: Chapter 1: Creation Chapter 2: Material Life Chapter 3: The Birth of Jehovah Chapter 4: The Resurrection Chapter 5: The Biblical God Chapter 6: Is Jehovah and our Cause One and the Same? Chapter 7: Good Part Two: The Brain – Towards Our Good Part Three: Resurrection About the author BOOK ONE: BASIC BELIEFS Part I: IS THERE A GOD? Is there a God? And if there is a God, why did he create us? God was the word chosen to explain the beginning, a word given to an unknown quantity. I use the word “nothingness” in a special sense of the “nothingness”. My belief is based on Contrast, a contrast between “right” and “wrong”, “right answers” and “wrong answers”, between “immortality” and “mortality”. “Immortality” is an abstraction and as such cannot be heard, or felt, or seen; that is “nothingness” even though incomprehensible in terms of the senses, is “know”. There is only one way in which we can know the abstract and that is, of course, by transforming it into tangible material form. A thought remains “nothing” until it is transformed, and by being transformed by action into existence demonstrates its original existence. We only know of “nothing” when we have “something”, and it is my belief that mortality proves the existence of immortal power. “Nothing” is proving itself into itself by creating. God “is” because we prove him to be. God is complete knowledge, and when man has complete knowledge he becomes God. God is perfect and it is perfection that humanity is continuously striving to obtain. As far as we know it is only humans who are knowledgeable, and it is nonsense to suppose we cannot know God, for only knowledge can declare knowledge and is it only human beings who are knowledgeable? At every moment we are assembling God. We know the qualities of God because they were shown to us by Jesus Christ, but we are only in the process of comprehending these qualities. One day God will be fully revealed. He is the wealth of human knowledge. We shall always remain individuals however and will go on showing the capability of man to one another. We are as humanity, God’s companion and we are, as individual, companions of one another. Although individuals die, humanity continues till the completion of knowledge, which is the ultimate satisfying of mind. THE CREATION OF MAN The creation of man is an evolutionary process which has taken even now millions of years and the development of life on the planet Earth has its explanation in science and biology. So far as we know man today is the result of a still incomplete evolutionary ladder originating in the beginnings of life in the form of simple single cells. It is possible but unlikely that human man is only relevant to this world, this planet alone having the essential environment for the development of such a creature. One day I am sure we shall know whether creatures similar or otherwise exist elsewhere in the universe. Man differs from the other animals on the earth because of his capability to think. Humanity is compelled to acquire knowledge because of this capability and the origins of this ability, the first “thought” which was essential for the development of man lies back somewhere along the early stages of evolution. The biblical explanations for the existence of man as found in Genesis are often maligned and scorned, but in some ways I find these writings well thought out. It is important to remember that the author of the Book of Genesis, particularly when he talks about “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” is using this simple story as an illustration of how man began to think and be other than a mere creature of instinct. “And the Lord God commanded the man saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for the day that you eat of this tree you will surely die.’” Man we are told is presented with a problem. God tells man not to eat of the tree but he cannot stop man doing so. Here we are shown man finding out that he was other than spirit, that there are two things: the “thing” that gave the vision, and himself. If he were to eat of the tree, he would no longer be happy to live as a creature of instinct, a being who was unaware. He would bring upon himself problems, all sufferings, and from his act of defiance he began his journey to become knowledgeable. He was now “evil” and evil as I see it is another word for ignorance. Ignorance existed as an opposite to knowledge and man could never again return to that first state of ignorance. The building of God began there. This is someone’s choice of a beginning, showing how that once man began to think he began an irreversible process. GOD The popular picture of God is probably that he is almighty and all knowledgeable, sublimely patient and forgiving, perfect and supremely powerful. But these are tremendous declarations and from what I know of us and the world I suggest that it is decent for man even to think the above. It is peculiar for man even to believe these qualities feasible, yet man readily declares them. Surely we must find unlimited excuses for attributing God with these powers? Remembering the evidence of history, to talk of an all good, all powerful God sounds ridiculous. For if these claims on God’s behalf are not proof of our own insanity, it can be said, then let God come forward and show himself as surely evidence of these declarations should be simple to demonstrate. It would be unanswerable proof if God were to manifest himself and make us all good. It is often asked: how can God reasonably expect us to love and worship him if he shows no good to us by not proving himself? I believe I can offer an answer to this question. Since the early beginnings the majority have in effect accepted the ordinary as the ultimate. It is widely accepted that death is final and that science tends to suggest that all other theories are mythical. Hence this leads most people to live for themselves, and not necessarily is this selfish or wrong for it is all they know for they copy the majority. But from the earliest times there have lived a few people who believed in a compelling power other than human, who believed death was not final. They proclaimed these beliefs by study: they were the theologians, the historians, and the scientists of history, a minority often regarded by the majority as cranks and dreamers. It is strange that most people who have found out great truths and achievements were and are often regarded as cranks. To handle and play with the things we have is far easier than to make and create new things and most of humanity’s time is spent with what it has, indeed it seems that most of life’s fun and pleasure is to be had in enjoying what we have. There is a tendency for people to find attractive the saying ”Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die”. The early prophets of humanity however desired to know the truth and I believe that most people who wish to know anything do so for the sake of truth. These people exist not only in the Bible, humanity goes on producing them. But we do know that these men found what they believed to be conclusive evidence of a spirit other than man. The bible prophets were cautious men; they were thorough men, probably requiring authenticity and it is amazing that though there are probably hundreds of years of generations between the front and back pages of the Bible, these people accepted and studied the same explanation for humanity’s origin and meaning. These prophets painted a picture of our origin and materialised God in laws and rules. Their calculations were later given impetus through the person of Jesus Christ. These early men were convinced that there was more to existence than mere survival and felt it necessary to look to the future. They believed that the world would be brought into form, that humanity could take a particular shape and rules and laws were devised to achieve this end. In this way began the start of man’s continuity. For when man gave the first thought he became captive to his origin because he desired to know it: who am I? what am I? where am I going? There were many mistakes made by these men of vision and there have been many wars and massacres throughout history caused by misguided and fanatical religious beliefs. But all of this was necessary for we work opposite to God. He knows all the answers and he gives us all the questions. We have to wait for something to happen before we can respond and we must solve our own problems as they present themselves. We have need of the knowledge of a certain situation before we can draw up any conclusions relating to it, in other words something must happen before we can move. Laws are essential for the existence of society. Once we decide that some action by one person creates a nuisance to the rest of us, a law is devised against such an action. Evil and ignorance are usually a step ahead of the law and this is not only true of our generation but has always been so. The Ten Commandments were devised to counteract those things which had already been done. It was desperately hard for the early prophets to keep pace with their times for all times are troublesome. The creators of the law were and are by no means infallible either or necessarily enlightened and humane. Each proves of law is nearly always slow and usually complicated but whatever we say we believe the law to be, the fact remains that it is in my view a means through which we can establish our origin and our future. We can see that from the very beginning laws and rules devised by the prophets were centred around God. They began to mould humanity into a pattern for they saw that without shape and cohesion developments would be impossible. They were satisfied that there existed God, who was good and perfect, but it was by the laws that they began to bring the sight of God to man. Whether we believe them or not is ultimately a matter of personal belief. I happen to have faith in man and I am satisfied that humanity is composing a pattern and that it is beyond doubt assembling God. If what I believe had to be stated in one sentence the sentence I would choose is: “Man seeks for sanity and God is sane.” So, if I accept that God is all powerful why then again can I accept that he does not choose to make his own good? Since God can theoretically make us good and yet does not, I believe the logical conclusion is that there must be a reason and for me to continue to believe and have faith it is necessary for me to try to know this reason. God at least for me does not exist as an individual entity. He is the “motion and the spirit that impels all thinking things, all objects of all though and rolls through all things.” The state of God I believe does exist as an abstract but it is only slowly being materialised through man. God is not able to do all things. Whatever has happened one cannot prevent it once it has been done. God will not prevent anything from happening; and this is a question that is often asked: ours is a world of terrible disaster and suffering. Why does God not prevent it from happening? The answer is that there would be no purpose preventing suffering. For God to achieve his objective he cannot interfere to prevent anything. Everything is absolutely necessary for the emergence of his whole plan. For only then will the full impact of God be felt and only then can the full meaning of God emerge. God’s way has no faults and here he differs from our way which is used as a contrast to God’s way so that we should become aware of God’s way. If God were to take over all wrong and suffering and eliminate then there would be no contrast to God and we would not know him. If there were not opposites to good, to love, to happiness, then we would not know these things. It is as simple as that. To have knowledge, contrast is a necessity. This is the way God has chosen simply because there can be no other and it is the only way for God has ruled out force. God has no time, therefore he has unlimited time. He is not pressed by any other power; he is the highest point, therefore he does not find it necessary to press us. If he forced us to be perfect we would have no choice. We would not know what our choice would be, and we would be in a state of perfection against our will. Not knowing what it was to be imperfect, we would not know our choice and we would be back with the unthinking primitive instinctive beings at the beginnings of awareness. Not only would we not know ourselves, God would not know himself. We are proof of his power. Satisfaction is the key and who better than we know that force dissatisfies. We find God our way and only then can we be truly satisfied. Everything is as it is simply because we chose it. God does not direct give us evil, that is, a contrast to good, but he gives us the whole resources for his makeup and we draw upon these resources. If you like he gives us a jigsaw puzzle without a piece missing and we as individuals choose our own pieces and assemble them as we can. Sometimes the pieces do not fit and we force them together and the result is pain and suffering. Sometimes we make a genuine mistake and put a piece that looks right in the wrong place. The result is the same. To be near the right answer is not enough, we need right answers and only right answers will do. All the sufferings of humanity and all the wars and massacres, did then all of these have to be? No, none of them had to be. Why did they and do they occur then? The answer is simply that we chose them to happen because our system found them necessary. Will there be another war? It does not have to be, but man might think it necessary. A person in China shall we say, might at this very moment believe that for some reason or other of his own a third or more of the world’s people should be massacred and so he starts the ball rolling. You or I might think otherwise but we each find our own necessities. A man gets killed and we say: “It had to happen, that’s how it was meant to be. It was fate, it was an act of God” but this death did not have to happen. Perhaps the man I am talking about was killed by a car. Well: God did not make the car, he did not compel the driver to drive it nor did he compel the dead man to cross in front of it. Our system found the road necessary, the car necessary and the unfortunate person who was killed happened to find it necessary to cross the road that particular time. If humanity found it necessary then there would be no illness, no starvation and no suffering. Natural disasters happen because we do not know enough about them. If our system found it necessary to know everything there was to know about such subjects as meteorology, geology and oceanology to the point of controlling them then there would be no deaths. They are all indigenous to our world, at present, we cannot prevent them and so we have to accept them and use them as contrasts. There seems always to have been great bewilderment and frustration in humanity; it seems that we die as mixed up as we were born. Every decade is hailed as being more evil than the last. I am reminded of the following lines of poetry which I quote here from memory. “God’s plan made a hopeful beginning, But man spoilt his chances by sinning. We trust that the story will end in God’s glory, But at present the other side’s winning.” But for how long? Only we can answer that. God has no time or problem and he is not answerable to us. It is our problem. We decide when it is all to come about because only we have time and time is relevant only to us. We decide the date. TIME One of man’s greatest achievements has been to bring about time. Because the earth revolves around the sun at a regular rate we have been able to measure time and all our movements and everything we do is done in relation to time. In effect we measure the length of mortal life by the sun. Time is an immensely factor in the life of humanity relating constantly to the development and shape of our existence. Yet we only know a few things about time. Our specific time applies to this world alone and to we humans alone. Other planets revolve around the sun on their own axis and there will be a system of time measurement specifically for that unit. The time we have is opposite to eternity and it may well be possible to obtain some knowledge of eternity when we shall possess sufficient knowledge of the times, distance and movements of every star and planet in the universe. Every device for so doing is at humanity’s disposal. We have in our hands the ultimate computer: time. God showed us the computer and he showed us how to materialise it in a vision in man’s brain. Time then will one day compute for us: the instant; and by finding out the instantaneous we will have knowledge of God’s speed. Since time does not apply to God he does everything instantly. God is everything in the present, it is we who have time and a past and a future and through it we can get a knowledge of God. Time is measured by movement; that is, time as relevant to man. The movement between one point and another, the movement of one thing into another, the movements of evolution and deterioration. The essence of all things is movement: the motion of the universe and the movement of evolutionary changes. One thing becomes another – as the body decomposes into dust becomes earth. The body is in a state of constant change; it burns up and has to be renewed to remain in being. All the molecular cells are in movement, in movement at different speeds, some movements infinite, some almost instant. Although the essence of all things is movement, to me it is not the most important. (When I write of importance I do not mean it in the sense of value because one cannot be without the other. Each is important; rather movement is not the foremost aspect of all things.) No, the most important thing is that which has no movement because there has to be something which never changes; there has to be a constant. If motion was all there was we could not have knowledge and there would be no point in knowledge. Knowledge does not change; truth has no evolution. Right answers remain to infinity and always apply. Knowledge alone remains constant and because we are knowledge then we also remain. The origin of our knowledge and where we store our knowledge remains the same. “One and one makes two” applies now; it applied billions of years ago and will apply henceforward to eternity. Once we acquire a right answer we have accomplished an absolute truth. It is complete and once complete time no longer has any relevance to it in that it applies to all times. Also it becomes clear that having acquired a new aspect of knowledge suggests conclusively that it was existent all the time. We may not have been aware of it, but it was there and it only needed a human being to materialise it. A right answer is unique, it does not deteriorate and it is not evolution, it is static and stationary to eternity. Finding a right answer is often a tremendous struggle but it is my belief that all will be known eventually, when humanity finds it necessary. Humanity makes multitudinous mistakes and frequently pursues nihilistic or negative goals. There is a well known saying, “All good things come to an end”. As I see it however good cannot come to an end because it is eternal and like the circle can have no end. Yet this saying “All good things come to an end” had to be said; “there is no God,” this too had to be said. It is a paradox that trying to prove non-existence can literally prove existence. Have not all of us at some time denied the existence of something known to be existent but known at the time by us individually? Existence is a vast puzzle from whose pieces we assemble complete knowledge: that is, God. The very fact that we shall assemble a complete picture shows in my view, that the pieces were here in the first place for us to assemble them. In effect we draw from the resources of an already existent universe. We shall prove God’s existence by assembling him. Knowledge was always here. It cannot be seen or touched, yet it expresses itself constantly. Knowledge then has always been available but it is humanity who decides the speed at which our understanding develops, the speed at which we acquire that knowledge. EVIL I believe evil to be the summit of wrong and I believe humanity itself are the creators of wrong. In the analogy of the jigsaw puzzle, it is the putting of the wrong pieces in the wrong places. When people cause a wrong to happen knowing it to be wrong, then such an act is an evil act. I believe however that all wrong acts are caused by ignorance. I believe that if a man were to kill another in cold blood with premeditation and having complete disregard for everything but self gain, even then, such an act of ignorance. I hold the belief that if all people were to recognise the available alternative for mankind, the perfect state, then the universal motive would be to achieve this goal. Then there would be no desire for wrongdoing. I strongly believe that there will be no wrong because wrong diminishes for the finding which is right, good and true. Ignorance then is the cause of suffering and the diminishing of ignorance will diminish suffering. It is merely a matter of time. In conclusion I would say that it is my belief that there is no wrong other than that which is caused by ignorance. All of it is a contrast to right and good, a contrast to God. Part II: CARAVAN. THE BEGINNINGS OF GOD Imagine a city of perhaps 200,000 inhabitants dwelling wholly in tents of all sizes and shapes, even if it were 10 people they would have need of the same. Imagine such a community moving off together to live elsewhere. Such a sight we are told was common in the deserts of North Africa. In this wilderness you would see a cloud of dust rise into the sky and stretch for miles as the camp made its way to a distant oasis. Thousands of often wretched people looking for pasture which would inevitably soon be robbed of its fertility and become desert waste again. Having found a site this host of people and animals would dig themselves in and erect their colourful tents, producing a city within hours of their arrival. Then they would dig for water and build wells. The animals would be well looked after for they were the only means of transportation. Vegetation would soon grow, cabbages, lettuces, tomatoes, melons, yams, figs, dates, pomegranates, wheat, beans and for meat there was lamb, gazelle, goats, fowl, and perhaps fish if there was a river or the sea nearby. Most of the meat was dried. To drink there was juices of the fruits and milk from goats and camels. There was also perhaps manna, the desert bread, and many kinds of bird such as doves and quail etcetera. For a few people an oasis was a paradise but they were usually over-populated. What kind of people were the desert men and women? They had all the usual human weaknesses and failings, of course, but they had also a quality which could only be moulded by the desert. They were rough and tough, a greedy lot of fatalists who would kill and be killed with little thought. Animals were continually being slaughtered and butchered for food by having their throats cut and being left out in the sun to dry, so that the air must have reeked with blood and death. Human death seems to have been accepted at much the same level and murder was not an unusual occurrence. These were a defiant people of whom the desert demanded an urgency which made them extremely impulsive. The desert itself seems endless and void, it holds a tremendous mystery. It appears to produce suddenly things and people out of nowhere and in a peculiar way causes fear at the sight of one lone rider, suspicion at the movement of a few grains of sand. It is a mystifying and secretive place demanding the utmost sensitivity and awareness. All around is a pervading silence, an eerie nothingness of sound. You can look for miles around and see no one, then bend your face to a pool for a drink only to rise and see there are some people suddenly standing nearby with their camels. Sand dunes that appear to be the size of a molehill could hide a whole tribe of people without your knowledge because distances and sizes are enormously deceptive. It is quite possible that a person unused to the desert under the blinding sun and without guidance could easily become delirious within hours. There are stories of the disappearance of whole tribes and of riders devoured by the sand which seems to move and change like the sea. But the desert has such an effect on humans that I believe it cannot be paralleled by the ocean. The desert has stimulated and encouraged human beings to become exceedingly superstitious and to believe in the supernatural. The caravan people navigated the desert by the stars and they were firm believers in astrology. They have remained significantly the same over the centuries, a unique, strange breed of men. Bedouins are known to sing to themselves even in company to keep up their spirits. There is great reason for supposing that here the idea of God was first brought into being, an invisible superhuman who controlled the elements and the wills of men. Gods were to be had in plenty in other civilisations all over the world. But this God was of such magnitude and power that his mystery is still to be explained. The leaders and rulers of the desert were lavishly rich but for all their absolute power over their illiterate and ignorant minions they were human and realised that humans could be unpredictable. There was frequent piracy in the desert, merchants’ caravans were always liable to be raided and people butchered because lawlessness was rife and human life counted for little. The leaders knew they could never be supreme because their own servants were quite likely to turn upon them. Therefore although they were powerful and wealthy men they realised that they were not all masterful: they did not control the elements and they did not completely control their own servants and slaves, nor were they controllers of their own destiny. Throughout history using divergent means man has tried to rule the world. He has hopelessly failed so far for the basic reason that he has never been in control of himself. The leaders of the desert people were forced to seek outside help; they were compelled to assemble out of imagination in the first instance something with far greater dependability than themselves, to have survival and refuge man was therefore forced for these reasons to create something greater than themselves. Man for the reason of his own imperfection chose to assemble a perfect being that he called Jehovah: God. Man then chose the perfect invisible partner rather like the child who invents a friend who is real enough although existing only in the child’s imagination. But this God was only meant to be for the purpose of safeguarding people whilst they capitalised for their own selves. The Jews chose Jehovah who in turn would acquire the wealth of the world. The killings and violence and continued threats of disorder were contained and communities were stabilised by the application of Jehovah’s law. While their people accepted the existence of an all powerful Jehovah, the rulers of a community had a control and power over them that was hitherto unobtainable. Whether in the first instance man’s creation of God was done for the good of mankind or used for purposes of self gain is a debatable question. THE EARLY LEADERS The author of the early chapters of the Bible was writing of a period of time that was even ancient history then. Certainty it is apocryphal but as an illustration of the beginnings of thinking man these chapters serve a more than useful purpose. These chapters are well known dealing with characters like Adam and Eve, and the story of the Garden of Eden, the story of the floods, Noah and his family. The first really significant person we come across is Abraham. Abraham had an ancestry that could be traced back to Shem, one of Noah’s sons. According to the bible at the age of 75 he left his lands with a caravan of all his tribesmen and possessions and journeyed to the plain of Noreh, which was occupied by the Canaanites. With him travelled Lot, who also had a large caravan of flocks, herds and tents and was Abraham’s brother’s son. They journeyed briefly into Egypt, because of a famine, returning to Bethel when conditions improved. There was insufficient nourishment for the land to support both caravans and frequent trouble between the herdsmen of both camps so the two leaders decided to part company for the sake of peace. Lot chose to go to the plain of Jordan, a well watered and fertile area which had attracted many before him; the city of Sodom was situated in this place. Abraham returned to the plain of Mamre, which he had once passed through and settled in Hebron, Palestine. There was a period during this time of turmoil and lawlessness and Abraham’s men had to wage war to help Lot whose caravan had been set upon. Lot is not written about in detail and he is a man who lives in Bible history under the shadow of the great Abraham. It was usually the headman who believed in the invisible God and people had their faith directly in the headman. Abraham spoke to God as to another physical entity and his consciousness walked hand in hand with God. Whatever he said went also for his followers for the headman was the God of the caravan. In her old age Sara, Abraham’s wife, gave birth to Isaac who was brought up to learn the ways of his father in the running of the caravan and leadership in the field. Isaac proved to be a strong leader and carried on in the same vein as his father. He married Rebekah, his uncle’s daughter and they had two boys, Esau and Jacob. With the help of his mother Jacob received the inheritance of Isaac by deceiving Esau who was the eldest son. It was however Jacob who had the qualities necessary to replace his father. Jacob married Lea, who gave him many sons and later he married Lea’s sister Rachel, who had one son Joseph who became his father’s favourite. Jacob reunited with Esau and they and their followers went to live in Canaan where they erected an altar to Jehovah which they called Israel. Not unnaturally Joseph was none too popular with his brothers who sold him as a slave to a caravan of Ishmaelites. After many adventures he became the favourite of the Pharaoh of Egypt. About this time the Middle East suffered a famine which Joseph supposed to have anticipated. He had prepared his country for such an eventuality. Caravans were attracted to Egypt in search of food and Joseph reunited with his family who went to live in the best part of the country called Rameses. Joseph was a great success as an adjudicator for the Pharaoh, although he retained his faith in his father’s laws and God. During his lifetime in Egypt many caravans came from Palestine, and though never on good terms with the Egyptians they were safe whilst Joseph lived. When Joseph and the old Pharaoh died, the new Pharaoh began a systematic persecution of the Jews. Moses was born around this time. Through chance he was fortunate enough to be brought up in the court of the Pharaoh. He became aware of the Egyptian oppression of the Hebrew people and possibly, an idea evolved in his mind which grew into an obsession. It was to lead his people out of Egypt and the tyrannical masters; eventually this is precisely what Moses did. He had only vague ideas about where he was going and the Israelites experienced hardships almost from the beginning of their exodus. Moses quelled discontent by saying: “When evening comes you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt for he has heard your murmurings against him. Your murmurings are not against me for what I am but against God.” And here we find a classic example of the leader of the tribe using God to maintain order. Moses gave the credit for his good beliefs and ideas to God; he was also capable of transferring the onus of responsibility onto God. For Moses had enormous difficulties and problems with his people and more than once his life was literally saved by good fortune. Once when starvation seemed imminent, the caravan came across breadfruit or “manna”, which was their staple diet for years (it is worth remembering that Moses’ exodus with the Israelites lasted about forty years). Of course, God was given the credit for the discovery of the breadfruit. Gradually the people forgot their hardships in Egypt and could think only that at least there they had food, whereas they had neither provisions nor security under Moses. Moses was often on the verge of being murdered by his own people. The caravan was now in a region which today is called the Gulf of Suez and they continued to search this barren, inhospitable land for a permanent home. They were attacked by a man Amalek and his Army and although the Israelites held the attackers off, the caravan was greatly weakened. Shortly after leaving Egypt the caravan reached the desert of Sinai which is situated towards the end of the peninsula where both the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqabab meet, and they set up camp near Mount Sinai. Having set up the camp and settled into in Moses assessed the situation and concluded that in spite of the difficulties encountered thus far, the Israelites were doing well considering the odds against them. He gave all the credit for the good things that had happened to God; He credited many of the failings that they had encountered to the wrath of God and he accepted some of the blame for their misfortunes himself. He drew his elders together and presented them with his findings and the entire people praised God. It was at this conjure that Mount Sinai erupted; it was not volcanic but it is feasible to suppose that perhaps a particularly violent thunderstorm took place which might have been mistaken for an erupting volcano. At all events such an occurrence must have added great weight to Moses’ praises to the Almighty. Moses went up Mount Sinai to be alone and we are told to work out a charter which would act as a life pattern for his people to follow. It is useful to remember that Moses was a very well educated man; he had been brought up in the household of the King of Egypt; he had been an administrator of governments and was well versed in methods of justice. Whilst on Sinai then Moses produced his plan which was to be adopted as a way of life. It is said that here he produced the Ten Commandments as a basis for the law and he drew up also plans for the law for the governing of the tribes of Israel. He drew up plans for the law of the tribes of Israel. He drew up plans for the Tabernacle, a tent to hold the Ark which was a chest to carry all the tablets of law. Moses intended to tell his people that it was God who had presented him with these laws and indeed it was his own consciousness which he equated with the motivations of Jehovah that had conceived his plan. Unfortunately so the story goes, the Israelites had meanwhile become restive again and had begun to worship an idol of a calf which they had constructed from melted gold. This time Moses lost his will to go on and despaired over the unpredictability of his people. But he came round, remembering his dedication to his task to multiply the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to give land and wealth to their people for perpetuity. He repented, burnt down the idol made the people drink powder of the idol sprinkled on water. A plague broke out, probably due to the unhygienic water and Moses told his people that the plague was punishment from God. The Tabernacle was constructed and Moses’ plans put into practice. Two years after leaving Egypt, the vast caravan left Sinai, but was still unable to find lands in which to settle. There were many people to feed and just as the situation was becoming desperate again the story goes that a gale blew up and hundreds of thousands of quail were blown in from the sea. The hungry people fell on them with such gluttony that many became ill and died from food poisoning. Moses’ people remained in the desert wilderness. Some sections of the tribe struck out on their own but met with disaster at the hands of other hostile tribes. Moses’ caravan continued to wander round the coastal regions of the Gulf of Suez. Eventually after a tremendous struggle they found their way inland and after many battles the fruition of Moses’ dream materialised. Moses was already dead but the Promised Land that had remained elusive for such a long time sometimes existing only in the mind of their great leader at last became reality for the Israelites. It is said that Moses died at the age of 120 years and according to the Old Testament retained a strong and clear mind. His people mourned him for thirty days in recognition of the greatness of the man. Never again was there to be a prophet quite like Moses because he presented God like no other. He presented to his people a system of order which gave them a unique unity, he gave humanity a shape, a sight of sanity; and let us remember that he gave this to a huge sprawling group of people wandering in the wilderness of Sinai. Moses said that this organised method of sanity was good and it was God Jehovah. Certainly by the following of Moses’ God the Jews became a very powerful race. He was succeeded by Joshua, a strong commander whose army slaughtered all before them. The Israelites remained powerful whilst they themselves were united with the law of God (I shall write further of this later on). I believe then that the reason all these great leaders were so strong in praising Jehovah was because they had to transfer some of their responsibilities onto an unknown person. By this means they could avoid direct conflict with their followers who were extremely difficult to govern. By declaring unpopular laws and decisions as being “the will of God,” they had a control over the people which was probably impossible by any other means. It is significant that time and again in the Bible we read that once the leader lost contact with law and order his followers soon forgot God. The leaders assembled God out of laws and rules and believed these were fully justified methods for bettering and safeguarding both themselves and their people. This is not to say they were fakes. They adopted an attitude of reverence to God in total sincerity. They were people of law and God was the law. THE CHURCH Both God and his Church were originally conceived as a sort of mediator. The union between the rulers and the ruled, between rulers and other rulers, and between the subjects themselves. In itself the law was an intangible entity in that it had no attachment to a physical being. Priests were the mediators of the spirit advocating between people on behalf of God. The Churches stemmed from the administrators of the law and the early churchmen were the analysts of documents of law and proclaimers of them. They were intended to be impartial and held in high esteem by the people, enjoying power, authority and riches. Their temples were exquisitely beautiful and they themselves were ornately dressed. Even the great Moses took counsel from the High Priest (but he was too much of a dictator ever to be run by them and besides he himself made most of the rules). There were no books in these early days and the temple seems to have served the same purpose as a school where the people gathered to be taught the laws and to show and give respect to the priests, to the source of the law Jehovah, God. Differences in interpretation of God’s law led to the formation of many sects, but fundamentally the law was accepted as it stood. Even today the Church is basically no different to that of old. In that in one way and another it tends to sanction all of man’s doings right and wrong. Throughout history we have seen both sides of a bitter war declaring God to be on their side. This is because their killing is justifiable within the common law of survival and the Church seems to believe wholeheartedly in the survival of the fittest. The heinous atrocities of war are accepted as justifiable and hence we have even in recent times horrible instances of so-called “blessings” given by the supposedly righteous to the goods of wad: warships, bombers and so on. It is a fact that God has been asked in dozens of prayer meetings etcetera sanctioned by the Church to spare and bless trained killers and their tools. In short history seems to show that the Church always seems to condone everything that men stand for and men of war are made martyrs by the Church. All of these activities are of course, disgusting, ludicrous and sordid. At the same time it was all necessary for humanity found it so. All of these ghastly mistakes of mankind were necessary for the assemblement of knowledge. All of it is the slow and often painful process of finding the right places for the right pieces which, one day when we wish it will, I believe, form a lasting and infinite picture of truth and sanity. Part III: THE GREAT LEADER JESUS CHRIST My declaration is that God is knowledge and that he is proving his knowledge to man through man. We have given the name God to a “super computer” who has assembled us each as a kind of miniature computer, each given complete freedom to assemble the complete knowledge held by the originator. In a way we are the robots of God. But I must also say that if my belief had ended with that I would not have found it necessary to write this. I have written so far of a particular aspect of God: God as knowledge. However knowledge is cold and impersonal, it has no life and it was the only part of God known to man until the advent of Jesus Christ. My whole belief has been based not only on the sayings of Jesus Christ, but on what I believe were his motives for saying them; What I believe prompted him to say them and what I believe were his reasons for saying them. Before I could fully assess Christ’s sayings I found it necessary to try and make an assessment of the man: I wanted to know if he was perhaps the type of man who said the first thing that came to mind; perhaps he was an actor; perhaps he was impulsive; perhaps he was even a natural liar or even a practical joker. To be able to believe everything he said at its face value makes it unnecessary to know what he was like, and such a faith is perhaps fortunate. I feel however that it is irresponsible to do that without first trying to get to know the person himself. I believe Christ was the son of God because he said so. But I still want to know why he said so, because I respect the seriousness of his declaration. If I did not take him seriously I would not bother to ask why. Now I do not happen to believe in miracles or supernatural events. The turning of the water into wine is widely known and proclaimed as one of Christ’s early miracles. But, so is the taking of ships over the mountains in Panama and the canal a kind of miracle. Of course there is a logical explanation for this latter astonishing feat of engineering and therefore, to my way of thinking, there is a logical explanation for Christ’s miracle. We read in the Testament of an event in only a few words and we naturally think of it as being the happenings of an instant. In fact the marriage ceremony in which Christ performed the miracle probably went on for days. The supply of wine grew low and it is feasible, I think, to suppose that Jesus knew of a recipe of simply made wine. We must always remember that we are talking of a man of great charisma and mystique. Around such a personality legends naturally grew. The descendants of the desert people were, as I have said, given to superstition and a liking for the mysterious. Any stories about a man like Christ are liable to be exaggerated. People say very odd things at times, but in many cases they apply only to their own generation. We can for example regard the opening chapters of Genesis as an instance of how a grossly simplified explanation of creation was used by a very intelligent shrewd man to satisfy the peoples of his time. Similarly we must always keep in mind Christ’s words and his frequent resorting to parables to illustrate a point to simple people. These stories are frequently not intended to be taken as fact. Christ’s faith healing activities come under a form of medicine which is not yet fully understood. But such is the power of the mind that perhaps it only needed a man of Christ’s presence to tap unlimited resources of strength and resilience. One day humanity could master his strange power and use the mind to accomplish things out of the power of our imagining. Christ could probably have given Lazarus mouth to mouth resuscitation and curing the apparently dead, started a legend that only too easily flourished in the environment of Judea. To sum up then I have always tried to be logical in my approach to Christ. What then have I concluded? Firstly, I do not believe that there was a virgin birth. Christ was a man of strong and compelling character and I don’t believe that he spoke merely to hear the sound of his own voice. In fact it seems that he said little. But such was the strength of his personality the people appear to have believed his every word and therefore when he said that he was the son of God they believed him in literal physical terms. They believed that he was not Joseph’s son and Mary had conceived him without a sexual relationship. In other words, God had seduced her. This fantastic belief itself shows the power and authority that Christ possessed. Now I do not believe that Christ was referring to his physical being that he was the son of God. He had realised at an early age that he was a link in a chain and what he knew was already available to be known. He obtained knowledge and assimilated information to create his own identity as in fact we all do and since the source of knowledge has been called God it was natural for him to say that he was as we all are the son of God. If Christ had began his preaching at the age of one or two years then I would believe the supernatural. However, it is obvious that he probably worked hard in a particular belief from an early age being well versed in the laws since he was about ten or so years old. But let us remember that he was about thirty before he began preaching. I feel that it was by this time that he had concluded his theory and wished to put it into practice. For he believed he had solved the answer to existence. He had completed the knowledge of God and being the first to do so it was natural for him to say”I am the first begotten son of God”. Notice he did not say he was the ONLY begotten son. He was the first person to realise that he was a son of God having deduced so through years of study. It is necessary for us to see Christ in terms of ourselves and not as some sort of angel from outer space born with complete knowledge. The development of his mind was not happening of an instant. He was as vulnerable a man as anyone else and there were probably times when he felt great frustration. Perhaps we do not give him enough credit for his hard work. Christ had knowledge of the ultimate capabilities of man; both man’s capacity for good and man’s capacity for evil. I do not think this means that he knew everything, but he had acquired the key from which all knowledge could be obtained. As I see it he knew the working of time and therefore knew everything relating to time. I believe that if we were fortunate enough to be able to meet Christ he would probably have no idea what we might say to him or would he know what we were thinking. But as soon as we were to say something then he would know what motivated you to say it. Yet for all his hard work and suffering, Christ was not certain that he was right until the very end of his mortal existence. He had said that God was within him. He had concluded his whole theory and he knew what should happen. At his moment of death on the Cross, he knew that he had reached the ultimate contrast and that he should switch over to immortality. Yet he was unsure to the end and hence his cry “Why have you forsaken me?” But I believe that even without his awareness he had become an eternal being apart from his origin, a God in his own right. Before I write in more detail about the significance of Christ I want to try to make one or two further points. There have been many and there are many who do not believe that Christ ever existed. Various arguments have appeared in support of this view one being a statement that historical records do not mention a crucifixion at the period of time that Christ was crucified. Yet you know, it does not matter whether you believe this or not. The knowledge attributed to Christ was discovered and passed on because it is here, it does not fundamentally matter who gave us this knowledge and Christ said in fact “If you do not believe in me at least believe what I tell you”. If we think about it for a little while perhaps we should realise that we are seldom concerned with the giver of a commodity but only in the commodity itself. The main question we ask about Jesus (that’s in our own minds) is what in real terms did he do which is different and would remain different forever, a Single thing which was supposed to alter all else? What did he do for mankind that need never be done again? A single act by one man which lasts forever? Difficult really to fathom. This is how I see it (each to his own belief). The before Christ and the after Christ. Before The entire history of God was that of being other than man. Therefore all lived under him. The gifts, sacrifices etc etc etc which put Man constantly on a lower scale. All the Jewish history indicates this. Please please realise the significance of this, they lived unto a spirit, pertained towards it. In this case man was created for the Sabbath. Most people I know believe the above today. (I’m the only one I know who does not!). Christ reversed the entire belief to my understanding; Jesus Christ said Sunday is for man, man is the most important thing in existence because he, man is God. So that all is unto us and not us into all. Christ declared himself God and Christ to me is a man. Any man! But I do not want to give a wrong impression of Christ. He acquired the ultimate in knowledge and understanding and notice I say understanding which is more than knowledge. There is also, I think reason to assume that having acquired this state, Christ had what we perhaps would describe as something akin to unusual powers. However I still maintain that this was an explainable power and that there is a vein of logic running through all his activities. I suggest that Christ discovered truth largely from a study of the laws. Notice he often says “It is written” and “Have you not heard that it is written in the law.” He had I believe infinite knowledge of the law and it was from this basis that he completed his realisation of God. He came as he said to fulfil the law. I suggest that Christ studied possibly for twenty years until he had worked out his complete philosophy. Of course when a person invents or assembles something he is both the first to do so and also the last to do so. For once a discovery or invention has been made it cannot be discovered again. It can be developed and improved upon but no one can take it away from the original discoverer. This is the uniqueness of Christ. He discovered God and it cannot be done again, merely copied. He said “I am the son of God; I am the first begotten son of God, Jesus Christ.” I believe this is true because by his example and words Christ proved it to be so and I believe that through Christ we are all begotten sons of God for he has brought God to us. THE RESURRECTION Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph probably hundreds of others were what I like to call scientists of our origins. It is my belief that whatever happened throughout history has happened because man chose it to happen. It has all been necessary because man has found it so. All the people who wrote the Bible (in fact whoever wrote anything) and the people who are mentioned (except one) therein, were all imperfect human beings, some of whom made terrible mistakes. Often hailed as holy men none of these significant men of the Old Testament were “holy”. We must understand that a word such as holy, perfect, and so on are all ultimates. All the great characters of the Bible (again except one) only worked towards the ultimate. In all the centuries of our history people have not been more good in one sense than another. Of course civilisations differ from one another in many ways but the pattern of humanity has always been the same. Material problems differ throughout the years, the same conflict always exists. The same struggle which is at the root simply between what is right and what is wrong. In all of time there have existed a small number who had a glimmer of the truth, a glimmer of a notion of God. This is merely what the prophets had, a glimmer of a system of right answers, an insight into a system of perfection. These people as scientists of our origin merely glimpsed that of which they were they were the image. This is why it is wrong in my opinion to give them too high a status. For in a sense there is no status other than perfection; we should therefore never seek to categorise human beings; merely should we respect facts and thereby help to bring about truth. There exists a difference between the majority of people and the very few however, such as the prophets. It is that the majority exist and have existed, only to themselves as individuals while a small minority do not live for things of the present. The majority do their best to better themselves and their associates and to live within their own time. Of course they are not necessarily evil to do so because they do the best with what they have and try to obtain the best out of what I believe to be an erroneous system. This tendency has been true for centuries. But there have been a few people such as Christ who do not “live in their contemporary generation”, they merely eat, sleep and exist in it. They do not live for themselves, but rather for future generations, believing that humanity is going to be”lived” within the perfect system, that of God. All of the prophets were merely a kind of stepping stone towards the accomplishment of Christ, he being the prime example of a man whose life was dedicated to the lives of future generations. The lives of most are relevant to the time they live in for when a man lives for himself, he is obviously limited to his lifespan, but Christ lived for others and his life is therefore not limited to time. Christ’s example is itself timeless. There is very little told of Christ between the age of twelve (I believe when he was questioned in the temple) and when he began to preach at thirty. I believe this is so because it was deliberate. Jesus Christ was proclaimed to be the Son of God from virgin birth. Therefore he would have been God from birth and would not have need of human imperfection. He would have known all and would therefore have no need to learn it! I would only believe this if he had preached from the age of one or two!! These years we know not of, I believe to be human ordinary years where he worked and studied! It would not do for God to have those ordinary years; therefore they are not written of. The prophets believed that there would one day be an answer to their theories and that it would be found by man. As the years went by the probability that such a person would emerge became increasingly greater. Thus so I argue was Christ’s happening anticipated. We all of us achieve an identity out of existent knowledge that has been handed down through time slowly assembling greater knowledge. Christ was created in the same manner. He derived from probably thousands of years of knowledge. But although he announced a system that when properly accepted and followed will give us perfection he found his beliefs in truths that were already in existence. Christ’s brilliance was not merely in saying what he did rather in his achievement of obtaining the truth from all the facts that were at his disposal. He based his beliefs upon good. This is only superficially a simple statement, behind it lays a most completely profound approach to living. Now we know that there exists good and evil. I argue that each is necessary to prove the other. But, we might ask, is the total power of evil greater than the total power of good? Christ gave his life with the epic conviction that it was not and that good was the greater power and that it was only it was only when we lived our lives in goodness, justice and decency that there was any value to existence. Seen in this way it is surely hard to believe that such basic commonsense could ever be condemned as blasphemy but it was. Christ obviously knew that to openly declare his beliefs in the atmosphere of his times would lead him into trouble. He did not fit into the system, he threatened the system and he must have known that the system would find it necessary to remove him. Perhaps it is remarkable that Christ did live as long as he did. He knew that he would be put to death because he knew the people; he would see from the Scriptures that people opposed his way long before he was even born. We can ask again however, “If Christ believed that to die was to have everlasting life, where then was his sacrifice?” This is a question that needs asking but it is one that is easily answered. Christ gave up mortal life when just a few words contrary to his beliefs might probably have set him free. Yet he had such faith and confidence that he allowed himself to be put to death. He left no written record of himself; all that would remain of his teachings existed in the minds of others. There was no assurance that such a record could survive. But if that had been the end then Christ would remain if he remained at all for posterity merely perhaps in a curious paragraph in the history of the Roman Empire. No Christ’s death was not the end, rather was it the beginning of a new era. It was, as it has been said though in a different context, “the end of the beginning.” The incident at Golgotha on that fated Friday afternoon has mystified and perplexed many and been misunderstood and misinterpreted by many more. After having been crucified we read that Christ rose from the dead and was seen by his disciples and others. He therefore apparently proved life after mortal death, proved that everything he said was true and proved the true purpose of existence. But to accept this is to accept the Resurrection as it reads in the Bible and if one is able to do this then there is no more to be said. However, I believe that to try to explain the scene of Christ at his death and afterwards in terms of logic, is one of the hardest of tasks. It would be easy for me to accept it, as it is generally understood, and in fact I do accept the significance of the Resurrection but probably not in the sense that a conventional believer would. Christ was a phenomenon, unique in history. He had qualities unknown before or since, and there are many aspects of him yet to be understood. We must always realise this. We must always realise that his whole life was conditioned for its end. I believe that having been in the company of someone of such personality and character Christ’s close followers were under his influence. Perhaps they might have become what we should describe as spiritual mediums. In these unparalleled circumstances of mental and physical conditions Christ and the disciples could have been on a unique mental plane and perhaps they believed Christ appeared to them. Perhaps it was simply that everyone was convinced Christ had been seen after death because most probably the atmosphere at Jerusalem at the time could hardly have been one of calmness and rationality. In the separate accounts of Christ’s crucifixion that we read in the New Testament there are slight difference of detail which does not help to simplify the explanation. There is also the strange appearance of Joseph of Arimathea, apparently a rich and hitherto anonymous supporter of Christ who seems to have been anxious to obtain the body from the Cross. The Jewish establishment were clearly concerned that Christ’s body was well guarded in the tomb that Joseph had placed him in because they feared Christ’s followers would take the body away and be able to tell the population that Christ had risen from the dead which was something he always said he would do. In fact I believe that perhaps Christ’s supporters did succeed in this. Now I do not believe that Christ meant he would rise from the dead in the literal way he is supposed to have done but his followers did. Is it not feasible therefore that his well-meaning supporters including those who recorded the history of Christ’s life afterwards, could have falsified what actually took place and deliberately confused and exaggerated the stories for Christ’s sake? They believed that what they were doing was for the best. The authors of the New Testament are, in my opinion, just as likely to be guilty of exaggerating for the sake of Christ as the authors of the Old Testament undoubtedly did for the sake of Moses and his God in the sky. Christ, I am sure, would have never wanted them to do anything of this sort because it was just not necessary. But in no way should the fact that he did or did not rise from the grave decide whether what Christ said and believed in was truth or not. Whatever happened after the crucifixion there was a general belief that Christ had been brought to his disciples after having been crucified and apparently dead. Whilst hanging on the Cross Christ said to another man, the thief being crucified on one of the other two crosses, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Now Christ, as I have said, was a man of infrequent speeches and seems to have said very little during his life. What he does say therefore is extremely important and relevant to his meaning. I shall try to explain what I believe he was saying to the wretched man who died alongside him. Now when we go to sleep, time ceases for us. If we were to sleep for ten minutes, or ten hours during the night we could not tell just how long in fact we had been asleep. In sleep a human being is unaware of time. Death is a form of sleep and when we die were we to be asleep for ten or ten thousand or ten million years, when our spiritual self is awake But we will be unaware of the time lapse. Time is measured only by mortality. In effect the second you die therefore, you also awake to a new life. For in this world you die and awake in the same instant. There might have been a huge lapse of time between our death and our awakening, but of this lapse we would be unaware. When we awake we wake into perfection: that is the meaning of Christ’s words to the thief: “This day you will be with be with me in Paradise.” This would not necessary mean that you only have the one mortality. You could well continue in re-incarnation body after body, not aware until perfection is reached. Whether in body or not matters not, the result would be the same. Now again I re-emphasise the integral tenet of my beliefs. It is we humans who decide when all these things will be accomplished. It is we who decide. The question now arises: how shall we achieve it? My answer is that we shall achieve Paradise through the medium of science; because I believe that nothing lives in our imagining which cannot be made reality. I believe we shall obtain immortality and secure the immortality of humanity through scientific processes, for if humanity found it necessary there is literally nothing he could not accomplish. If these declarations appear outlandish, over imaginative, far-fetched, remember the achievements of science today were widely regarded as impossibilities only decades ago. Science often discredits itself, concentrating as it is inclined to do upon processes of mass destruction. What I am calling for is a total redirection of science to positive pursuits. Humanity underestimates itself; and I am convinced that a human being is capable of tremendous and amazing feats. The full power of the mind is not known and in spite of our achievements we have hardly touched the source of fantastic capabilities. There is much that might be said here but I am not a scientists and I can only recognise the unlimited potential of science. To date science and scientists have a good record in technological advance but a bad one of moral and political enlightenment. Of course there will be individual exceptions but generally speaking history shows that science has been a willing servant of establishments, capitalists and totalitarians. The scientist who is only a specialist in one of the exact sciences is not necessarily a progressive or liberal thinker, and science should be more than; “nasty smells in a laboratory”. It implies surely the possession of a method of thinking, a rational, disinterested, logical approach which can be applied to any problem not merely to the acquirement of scientific facts. For generations it has been the analysts of society, the philosophers, the writers, journalists, intellectuals and artists who have kept in being the ideals of freedom and quality. Somehow technological progress has to include moral and political advance. The world of reality is not a pleasant place. We may not be to blame for the desperate state humanity is in but it is we who will be to blame for not having tried to alter it. I like to feel that there is a tremendous source of resilience in humans for we have the inheritance of millions of years. Individually we are far more than surnames but we give ourselves readily to these names and we should never be owned by ignorance, poverty or riches. We may be born into a poor family, our education may have been limited but if we accept our rightful heritage then we are not inferior to anyone. We should recognise our individuality and have great respect for it because we are not meant to be mere respecters of other persons. Perhaps we each feel at times that we are not having a fair share in life and in terms of worldly materialistic possessions most of us probably do not get a fair share. Our destiny however, is more than fair. PERFECTION God is knowledge to us in so far that we are his reality. God in fact is knowing, spirit in vacuum! I state again my conviction that God is knowledge and he is proving this by having transformed himself into material form. As individual human beings we would seem to be insignificant, our destiny merely to die and be forgotten. Our activities indicate that such a view of existence is the only aspect of God widely accepted by humanity. But if knowledge is the nucleus of existence I do not see that there would have been need of someone like Christ. It is perhaps odd that Christ does not stress this aspect of God, probably because he found it necessary to give a greater truth of the Creator. God is knowledge, yes, but he is so much more than this. In the words of Christ, “God is love; there is no other good but God.” Knowledge is as I have said earlier a static part of existence, the only static part being unchanging it is a kind of glue that holds God and humanity together. But it is not the prime importance because the three components: knowledge, love and good form the complete makeup of God. Good and love are in themselves only words; their meaning lies in the actual doing of these things. For instance, we have knowledge of swimming, but to really know its meaning you have to actually swim. For love to be meaningful you have need of someone to love, you have need of an echo. Knowledge then is the know-how for the acquirement of the contrast; good is the side we use for our living, it is the positive side of the contrast which proclaim all that is right. For all the wrong answers which are, we apply the right answers for we strive always to perfection. We need to seek sanity which means everything that is right and true; and we need to seek a unity so that we can truly claim to be citizens of the world and part of a family called humanity. Love is the relishing of being, the enjoyment of living within a perfect state, the edifying awareness of all things known, the enjoyment at will of the entire universe. Love, good and knowledge are spiritual in that way they do not apply to the senses but rather it is these that apply the senses; the combination of these three things is so called God. Humanity is and always will be necessary for God to be fulfilled. Yet in terms of knowledge it might seem that we are of no significant importance, knowledge being universal in the same manner as time. In fact, without the living person knowledge would be inert. The prime importance to us all as human beings is that we are needed, that we have a purpose, and an ultimate to achieve, a real goal for which to strive. Each individual is important to himself as well as to God. We have a direct relationship with one another as well as with God. I would like to explain this relationship as follows: assume for a moment that you are seated on top of a hill overlooking a plain which stretches out to the horizon. The setting is idyllic, the weather perfect and your mind is filled with sublime contentment. You are taken up with the view of masses of flowers that cover the plain whose fragrance can even be detected on the summit where you are seated. A breeze blows through the plain ruffling the blooms in waves; the air is filled with the hum of working bees, butterflies flutter about in dozens. On the hill you take in the total combination of sight, odour and sound which makes up the vista. This is the feeling that God has of the whole assemblement of his love reflected back to him. Imagine you can go down to the plain. You will discover that the mass of colours, the fragrances and sounds are not caused by a shapeless mass, but by well constructed units, each individual entity having a splendour all of its own. Each seemingly unimportant thing, a blade of grass, a twig or a broken fern all give a new picture, a new idea, a new awareness of joy. It is likewise with God and humanity; everyone is important. We will always remain as individual entities to show and declare the ever-increasing grandeur of God to one another. We are indeed companions (I would say comrades if this was not so much a mistrusted Word) and companions also of God. Our world is the abode of God. What then will it mean when we eventually attain the state of perfection, immortal and all-knowledgeable? I think it is probably true that many shun from such a prospect because they fear it. They fear the boredom and the awfulness of being unable to die, the utter lack of meaning and purpose which they have associated with immortality. Far from being heaven they feel that there would be a likelihood of unparalleled suffering; a state of hell in fact. Of course explained in such terms immortality does appear to be awful but this is a mistaken and short-sighted interpretation to my way of thinking. For perfection is exactly what it means, simply: “perfection.” Complete and perfect knowledge will open up fields for humanity that are unimaginable today. Today we do not enjoy the fullness of anything because there are too many unsolved aspects of existence, too much ignorance and waste and fear, and ignorance will always condemn its opposite. We are now at this very moment in hell and yet frequently humanity seems to have the audacity to say that it does not want heaven. Our civilisation is in a desperate state and many people in our society adopting the old “the car’s in the garage, all’s well with the world,” approach fail even to see it. I do not feel I have to say more for those with even an iota of perception and awareness of the world will surely know that what I say is true. Humanity had heaven within reach from the very beginning of awareness but did not know about it. We have knowledge of it and we must regain paradise. Having regained it then there will be no suffering or frustration for unless there is utter contentment obviously it cannot be paradise. When we achieve the perfect state we shall have satisfied the human brain. What will happen then when God is satisfied? I do not know. But then no one will want to know if humanity, if God is satisfied. THE CHRISTIAN I don’t like the word Christian and believe that Paul was wrong to call people Christians; Jesus did not call anyone Christians! But rather the Children of God. A popular concept of Christ is that of the meek and mild saviour, the quiet and lovely man who was nice to everyone; essentially a character from history suitable for study by children. You often hear people saying something like this of Christ: “Good luck to the chap, I’m all for him and all that but I think a fellow really has to work out his own religion.” It really is a fact that Christ is most often approached in this low calibre manner. Christ was opposed by the forces of ignorance throughout his life and his message continues to be so opposed. People have often tried to put Christ out of existence, but fortunately have failed. The negative has tried to destroy the positive but cannot because the positive is Christ and all he stands for, and was the greater power. But the negative forces of ignorance were necessary so I believe because they prove their opposite. Through his work and his example Christ lives, and the true follower of Christ has real life while the rest of humanity are only carriers of knowledge. Being aware of the truth, the goal, the climax that humanity will achieve the Jesus followers should lead a life of fullness that can never be experienced by others. The Jesus followers should have no real necessity to be associated with any particular Church; indeed the Church has done much to discredit Christ. It is probably true that the impetus for a religious revolution should have come long ago from the Church but sadly it is now unlikely to inspire a civilisation out of touch with such a bastion of the establishment. Christ was far from being meek and mild. He was a strong and serious man without sentiment. Far from being out of touch with reality and the facts of life, Christ had a complete knowledge and understanding of them, such a knowledge in fact that has been unequalled since. That Christ has often figured in the “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so,” image is a sad reflection on humanity, proving conversely humanity’s unawareness of the real facts of life. It is not an admission I am proud to make but we often demonstrate that we are a very stupid race. So stupid that the frustration Christ must have felt at times must have been enormous. Why are we so misguided and ignorant then? The main point is that Christ blamed the system whereas we are inclined to blame the individual. We condemn one another, we blame one another, we bring force to bear on one another. We are divided against one another and we bring destruction upon ourselves. When Christ was experiencing his greatest physical pain at the crucifixion he said: “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” This was not because he was silly or soft. He had compassion for his executioners because he knew what motivated them. He knew that humanity was afflicted by the illness of ignorance and he sympathised with individuals; but he was very much against the system that caused them to act as they did. The tendency to blame persons for all the wrongs of the world comes from mistaken belief that it is individual persons rather than systems which actually cause things to be brought about. If we consider for a moment the great wars. In these despicable wars thousands of young men killed and were killed simply for worldly systems. Only the system can be held responsible for allowing these holocausts to occur. However as we appear to uphold the system then we are all equally condemned. This is what Christ means when he tells us we are sinners. The human race is wrong; there is no person exempt from condemnation. The only person you can blame is actually yourself. Look at yourself and you can see your own faults and the faults of the world will be known to you. It is no good for example, simply saying that the soldiers of history had to fight. This is simply not true for no one has to do anything they do not want to do. Yes you will probably suffer if you do not do as others want but then you suffer either way. Unfortunately it is so much easier to follow the mass. I think there is a Chinese proverb which says, “It is the nail that sticks out above the rest that invites the hammer.” Christ knew himself and therefore was able to understand others. Unlike the majority he was able to avoid being taken in by his own faults. This should be an important maxim for the Jesus follower: “Know yourself.” You can never have knowledge or understanding otherwise. Christ advocates his way because it is the only way there is that perfection can be obtained. If Communism, Fascism, Capitalism or Anarchism had been the way, then Christ would presumably have advocated one of them. To my way of thinking of all present world systems are wrong, all are equally soulless. It might seem strange but I think a Christian has to be “selfish”, and more “selfish” in fact than the most ardent capitalist, and that his aim must be to seek all things for himself. This might inconsistent but when you start thinking in these terms it becomes clear that we can each of us have all things only by acquiring all things for others first. To have satisfaction you must first acquire it for humanity as a whole. For you to be safe everyone must be safe. Three of the greatest things are also the simplest: health, happiness and peace; and they are also the hardest to acquire. What good is a lot of money to you if the world suddenly erupts into nuclear war? What good is happiness and peace to you if fall ill with an incurable disease? Perfection is no good for yourself unless everyone else has perfection as well. Only when we have everything can the fullness of everything be enjoyed. Knowledge is no good without proof of it. One cannot be good unless there is someone to be good to; One cannot love if there is no one to love. Christ does not ask us to do anything other than for ourselves. He asks no favours, he does not want us to be good merely to please him. He realised that by capitalising on us as Christians, he was capitalising upon himself. He realised the need to share for his enjoyment lay with sharing his message with us. Christ did what he did for himself as much as for anybody else because he knew that his example would be followed by humanity, without whom he is nothing. Many people may not be overtly bad living by the Capitalist system. They have failings because they are human. They might work hard and look after their family well. They might reach a good position in a profession and be content to stay in it until they are pensioned off. These people are basically content with things that are and though they might periodically grumble over such things as prices and tax they never complain about the very basis of their society. In my view these people are much too easily satisfied and fundamentally extremely unambitious. For humanity is capable of so much more if only it did not constantly under estimate itself and get sidetracked into rootless pursuits. What I am saying is why settle for less when so much more is available? It is often said that Christ had no failings and that he was too good for a world that killed him. I do not believe this. I believe Christ had failings but then he set out deliberately to become aware of them and so master them. The Christian has to be aware of his faults and should become genuinely humble because of these faults; knowing himself he should find understanding. The Christian recognises the greatness of God and realises that without God we are utterly without purpose. We are the robots of God but independent robots, not ciphers or zombies although that is what we become enslaved to a system, and losing track of our creator. We have to seek the ultimate, the quality given to all things; right and good and justice: these have to be our aim. No matter what we build in this world it always tended to come apart. Something nearly always spoils worldly achievements and usually we are spoilers. So often we spoil things for others and ourselves by not being truthful to each other and not seeking truth. But it is essential that we must know of an absolutely safe future, a place where we are not molested by our own wrong. I believe that what is needed now is more positive action; there is far too much talk and this leads to lies, half-truths and evasions, to suit current needs and demands. Imagination: the means, by which we shall achieve the ultimate, is too often turned into words instead of use. Our first priority should be to see ourselves as being what we really are: hopeless without a real goal, wrong and wasteful. We must see by now that all worldly systems for living are means of survival and no more. Humanity must question and seek and find far more than that. SAUL AND PAUL - THE KNOWING OF YOURSELF It is my conviction that humanity does seek sanity, although there are long bouts of insanity but ultimately sanity prevails. Humanity may not even be conscious that it seeks sanity but nevertheless for survival sanity has to dominate at the last. Within us all as individuals there is a conflict; a contrast which in simplest terms can be described as good and bad. One describes all our acts of wrong, the other all our positive acts, our good acts. There are degrees of wrong of course, just as there are degrees of right; but something wrong is wrong, whether or not it is very wrong or slightly wrong. This contrast is very necessary for existence and without one the other could not exist, but I am convinced as I have, I hope, emphasised, that I believe good is of the greater power, for we could not survive if good, that is, sanity, did not prevail. If we each of us think back over our lives and of all the lives of hypocrisy, cruelty and thoughtlessness of which we have all been guilty, for all of us are all of these things at some time or another; then all of us have to admit that we are capable of being dishonest and wicked. I do not propose to say more of this; it is up to us all as individuals to be honest enough to recognise our own failings. But my point is that we are here today precisely because sanity prevails and we remain sufficiently sane not to allow our evil impulses to dominate us. In basic terms you could call the bad side of you Saul and the good side Paul, for survival then, I believe that one side has to be stronger than the other and I believe as I have said, that it is our sane, our good side. When you play the part of Saul you are at the mercy of chance. You hope, probably subconsciously, that having done something wrong that everything will sort itself out somehow: you will not be found out or people will forgive you, or perhaps you might pretend you do not really care. Of course this is a very negative approach to life. There are millions of wrong answers to every problem but only one right answer. We must build the foundation of our lives upon right answers. You play the part of Paul when you recognise this and realise that you as an individual exist only by the grace of humanity. On the huge scale of humanity the truth is the same: the spirit of Paul must dominate the spirit of Saul. In other words the better self of humanity must conquer its worse self. There can hardly be anyone more fitting than Saul or Paul of Tarsus to use as an illustration of the failings of an individual. He was the foremost persecutor of the Christians who later can be called “the first great missionary.” Probably he was the first follower of Christ to see Christianity as a worldwide religion; certainly he became an important theologian. He lived at about the same time as Christ but it is not believed that he ever saw him. Saul was a Pharisee (a strict Jewish sect) and after a careful training and education was made a member of the Council of Jerusalem. Christ criticised the strict rules of the Pharisees and called them “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” and Saul, who had of course been indoctrinated into that sect was both shocked and angry. Saul became a sort of hatchet man for the establishment of his day and was vigilant in his hunting down of Christians. He was the McCarthy of his times leading a witch-hunt of great brutality and single mindedness. When his persecutions were at their height (This is what I advocate that all Jews must be Followers of Jesus, not Christians!) Saul was suddenly converted and became just as vigilant in proclaiming Christianity. He lost all his worldly achievements and his powerful position in the nation. The Jews became increasingly antagonised by his activities and at first the followers of Christ also distrusted him. He was eventually imprisoned by the Jews in Jerusalem and then because he was a Roman citizen was sent to Rome where it is said he was executed. For all the worldly achievements he accomplished as Saul the persecutor, Paul the Saint, counted them as ”dung” compared to his acquired Christianity. The Epistles of Paul form a large part of the New Testament and are letters to his friends in various Churches. To me they emphasis again what I said earlier about the fact that it is only the true Christian who really lives in the true meaning of that word. The man who is generally satisfied with things that are whilst he may not be apparently evil is nevertheless “dead”. It is simply not enough to believe in Christ. One has to be a follower. Saul had a tremendous struggle within himself before his sane self won and as a symbol of this victory he changed his name to Paul. Saul was an evil self-righteous prig who had never been able to see himself and was quite unable to tolerate people who were advocating a different belief to that of his own. But as Paul he became a complete human being who knew himself and therefore was given insight and knowledge and understanding. From the selfish power-seeker Paul became a man who realised that you can never build a world of your own and that you are nothing without the respect of humanity. Therefore he should not have formed a sect. We should not use the word Christian. But rather (merely) the Children of God. Children of the Creator. BOOK TWO: THE GOD OF THE JEWS Part I: THE LEADERS OF THE JEWS I am going to write further now of the early Jewish leaders who appear in the Old Testament. I want to examine the insight they had into sanity, how they created their own gods from this insight for their own end; how they justified themselves and why to this day Jewry has not accepted Christ. The Jews are scattered and often persecuted as a race, but they remain one of the most powerful peoples on earth because they have a remarkable unity and single-mindedness (I make a prediction that there will be a world war before the modern state of Israel falls). The spiritual home of every individual Jew is Palestine. Using their unsurpassed qualities of persistence and patience, many Jews exercise enormous influence over the Capitalist world. Not surprisingly either, for since the time of Moses their God has been a Capitalist god. Joshua, Successor of Moses Wandering the deserts of the Middle East for forty years, the Jews under the leadership of Moses were far from being ignorant gypsies. They had been persecuted during their final years in Egypt, but they had also benefited from Egyptian civilisation, then one of the most advanced of its age. Under Joseph, Jews were a privileged people and it is probably due to their prospering that the Egyptians were given cause for jealousy which led to the servitude of Moses’ people. I have said before that Moses was a well educated and refined personality who completely influenced the outlook of his followers. We must also remember the peculiar nature of the desert itself and the way it affects the character. Moses created a society out of this sprawling, squabbling caravan. The Jew were, therefore, a united, educated and dedicated race when Joshua became their leader with the death of Moses. Moses had written “Moses spoke to the people of Israel saying, now these are the commandments, the statutes and the judgements that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. So that he might follow them in the land which you go to possess.” The possession of Israel was an obsession. Joshua was chosen to succeed Moses because he was essentially a soldier, the man most likely to realise the obsession of Moses and the Jews. Moses speaks of God as having brought them out of Egypt, “and He brought us out from there that He might bring us unto and give us the land which He promised our fathers.” Joshua certainly was in no doubt of his mission and he was a man moulded in Moses’ image. Notice the strategy of Moses, “Hear Israel, you are to pass over Jordan and go to possess nations greater and stronger than you, (he took pains to let the Jews know the difficulties ahead) understand therefore that the Lord your God is going over before that he shall destroy them as a raging fire and he shall bring them down before you. So you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly as the Lord has said.” Moses told his people not to show mercy. As far as he was concerned outside of his caravan people were nothing; outside of his law, people were to be destroyed not merely defeated; there was certainly no evangelical spirit in Moses. He was just to his own followers but anything but just to everyone else. He never forgot the Egyptian treatment of his people and sought to conquer all for his people alone. During the last years of his life, Moses’ people were probably at their strongest and those regions in the path of the invaders well realised their strength and danger. Near Sinai the Jews were opposed by the Amorites, but defeated them. Shortly before the crucial stage in the invasion, Moses died and Joshua became the leader. His first instructions were to his officers: “Go among the people and tell them to prepare food. For within three days we shall cross the River Jordan to enter the land which the Lord has given us.” Words that signify a strong and positive personality, dedicated to achieve Moses’ dream. In front of the Jews stood Jericho, a fortress surrounded by legendry walls. The inhabitants however, were terrified, a fact Joshua discovered from two spies who had carried out an undercover reconnaissance in the city. The story of the fall of Jericho is riddles with legend and mystery, but an interesting possibility is a s follows: the walls were ancient; Joshua probably was able to breach them easily and conquer a terrified city that for seven days had been subjected to strange noises of horns and in the last stages, shouting people as well. Such noises was good psychological if nothing else. Having defeated this city, the Jews Slaughtered all the inhabitants except one family who had assisted the spies and had been promised safety in return. The story goes that Joshua went on to a city called Ai, meaning (so I believe) ruin, and also laid it waste, getting all the booty of Ai and Jericho and giving it to the children of Israel. Within easy reach of the Israelites lay the city of Gibeon who sent messengers dressed in ragged clothing to suggest they had travelled a long distance. Joshua had brought his army back from Ai towards Jordan, probably to be in proximity of water. The Gibeonites travelled to Joshua’s camp and tricked him, as he believed them to be from a distant city and he made a peace treaty with them. Of course, he soon found out the truth, but he did not break his word, just as the word to the family in Jericho was not broken. The Gibeonites were put into virtual slavery, but their lives were saved. Armies began to organise in opposition to Joshua, but he eventually destroyed all opposition with the exception of the Gibeonites. He concluded Moses’ dream and took the whole land. The Israelites were made up of different tribes and Joshua shared the land out amongst them. But he realised that they had at last achieved their purpose and there was a possibility that the Jews would eventually lose their sense of unity. He called the chiefs, elders, leaders and other officers to him and he said: “Be courageous and do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses and turn not aside either to the right or to the left. Of these nations remain among you neither make mention of the names of their gods nor swear by them, nor serve them, nor lay down to them. Take care that you love the Lord your God. Otherwise if you do associate the survivors of these conquered nations, know for a certainty that the Lord will no longer drive out any nations before you, but they will be snares and traps to you and scourges in your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from this good land which the Lord has given to you.” Without his leadership and a sense of identity, Joshua feared the worst for the Jews and he was proved right. He had been prepared for power by Moses but it does not appear that he also had a protégé for after his death, there was a lull in the activity of the Israelites. Perhaps they were sick of all the bloodshed, certainly Joshua’s leadership was forgotten and so, to an extent, were Moses’ laws. The Israelites were at last defeated by someone described as the King of Canaan, who armies were led by a commander called Sisera. They were oppressed for twenty years, but Sisera treated them with relative mercy compared to Joshua’s treatment of conquered peoples. No policy of genocide was attempted. Eventually under singular circumstances in which the Jewish prophetess Deborah seems to have had a hand, Sisera met his death in the house of a woman of uncertain virtue, and without his leadership his army were defeated by the Israelites under a man called Barak. There followed a long period of peace. Gideon – The Soldier The Jews eventually lost their application to the law and order from which they obtained their strength and unity and were defeated by the Midianites who held the country for seven years, forcing the Israelites into the hills and caves and a few strongholds. Gideon was the next leader to emerge and he was undoubtedly, a bold and resolute commander, similar to Joshua, although in fact, there is little said about him in the Old Testament. The details of the Midianites campaign can be found in the book of Judges, chapter six. Gideon became convinced that he was the chosen man to rid the Jews of their oppressors. He gained his reputation by destroying an altar to the god Baal and many thousands flocked to him prepared to march against the Midianites. Gideon seems to have formulated a campaign of ingenuity and cunning. He reduced the number of volunteers to about ten thousand and then asked these to take a drink of water from a nearby river. Most of the drinkers lay down with their faces in the river and drank. In itself a fatal thing to do in the desert where the utmost alertness is demanded. This act did not suggest that these men were practitioners of desert lore and therefore would probably be not the best of soldiers. Three hundred men drew water in the cup of their hands whilst their eyes remained on the landscape. These men Gideon selected as being the chosen soldiers. You will agree, not a bad rough guide. In opposition to them was a large army, but Gideon had no intention of directly confronting his enemy. He reconnoitred the Midian camp and overheard talk which led him to the conclusion that his enemy was panicky and fearful of the Israel God. No doubt the early deeds of Joshua has been exaggerated over the years by highly superstitious people. Then Gideon marched his three hundred right into the Midian camp. They had no arms, only a trumpet and torch each, but the sudden appearance of this spectacle panicked an already nervous army and the Midianites fled in disorder. Gideon followed up this mass silly step and the Israelites united again, slaughtered their enemies with relish. Gideon declined to be the ruler of the Israelites, saying “I will not rule over you, neither shall my sons rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you.” But he still probably wielded influence because all was well until he died. Most of the rest of his life he seems to have spent, after the Midian wars, on top of his various wives and concubines for he is said to have had seventy sons. Gideon was a clever fellow who seems to have had the best of everything. Not only did he enjoy his wars and was successful, but he had a splendid sex life. No wonder he had no interest in politics. There followed in Israelite history in the Old Testament, a nasty little period during which the Israelites returned to the worship of Baal and one of Gideon’s sons, Abisnelech caused civil war by murdering his brothers to gain power. There was much disorder for some time until a woman downed Abisnelech with a stone. He got a soldier to finish him off lest it be said that a woman had killed him. After this there was a stable period which lasted for many years under a man called Tola, and after him another leader called Jair. But then the old familiar pattern happened again, another lapse. “and the Children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord and served Baal (the old faithful) and Ashtoroth (a new one this) and the gods of Syria and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines and forsook the Lord and served Him not.” (Judges Chapter 10 verse 6) As you might expect the Israelites were hammered in their next big battle with the Philistines and the Children of Ammon and fell under the rule of these people for some eighteen years. Then Jephthah was the hero of the moment. He was the illegitimate son of someone called Gilead, who had been banished by his half-brothers. But he evidently had some qualities of greatness, because he was given the command of the Israelite army. He made a vow before facing the Children of Ammon that he would sacrifice to God whoever first came out of his house to greet him if God would lead him to victory. He got his victory but sadly the first person he met was his only daughter. But a Jew’s oath was considered sacrosanct and the girl was duly sacrificed. I hope I have adequately emphasised this aspect of the Jewish peoples. They always tend to keep their pledges whatever promise they have made. They are strict in their law as they generally are today, but God was their God and theirs alone. The law applied only to them. The Ten Commandments were clearly meant only to apply to the Israelites themselves. They had no reservations about slaughtering and ravishing Gentiles. However, even though they defeated the Children of Ammon in Juda, the Philistines were too much for the Israelites, who were enslaved for a period of some forty years. The next figure to emerge was a strong man in every sense of the word. Samson, the Legend Even as a legend Samson was simply a terrible man. It is obvious that killing meant nothing to him and because of his gargantuan physique in those days of hand to hand combat, there was little anyone could do about him. I mention the following to show how strong, how ruthless he was and what little concern he had for human life, being one of those people who think only of themselves and fear nothing. He always did what he wanted. Judges 14 – “and Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.” He fancied her and persuaded his father to obtain her for his bride although they were not really in favour of a mixed marriage. “His father and mother said to him, is there not a woman among the daughters of thy brethren or among all my people that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?” He took his parents to Timnath and, according to the story, is said to have killed a lion on the journey. The preparations were made for the wedding and passing the place where he had killed the lion, Samson noticed that a swarm of bees had entered the lion’s carcase. He ate some of their honey. At the banquet were a number of friends of his fiancée and Samson told them a riddle. “I will put forth a riddle to you. If you can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty changes of garment. But if you cannot declare it to me, then shall you give to me thirty sheets and thirty changes of garment.” Samson was certainly taking advantage of his guests, because they could know nothing of the lion he had killed that forms the basis of this famous but obscure and really mediocre riddle. “Out of the eater came forth meat and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” However, the riddle so intrigued the guests that they threatened Samson’s new wife if she did not obtain the answer for them, so she nagged him until he eventually told her. The answer is: “What is sweeter than honey and what is stronger than a lion?” Samson, who thought he had been clever was most upset when he was told the answer. “If you had not ploughed with my heifer you would not have found my riddle,” he said. But now just listen to this, ”And the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he went down to Ashkelon and slew thirty men of them” that’s the Philistines, “and took their spoil and gave the change of their garments to them who had expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled and he went back to his father’s house.” Of course, the Lord of the Israelites condoned all that they did. They really believed that the spirit of the Lord had led Samson to kill thirty human beings. But he had kept his promise. He swore to give thirty garments and thirty sheets and he duly gave them. The thirty victims were just a detail. After having taken the woman he lusted for, he left her and returned to his father’s house. After a little while when the wheat harvest was over, Samson fancied having his wife again, but to his chagrin he discovered that his father, believing his son to hate the wretched woman, had given her to someone else, so he went and – we are told – caught three hundred foxes, tied them tail to tail and tied a torch to their tails and sent them amongst the corn, wheat, olive trees and grape fields of the Philistines. The practicalities of such an idiotic and cruel act seem insurmountable, but we can certainly assume that Samson somehow burnt down a lot of Philistine crops. The Philistines found out why Samson had done this thing and very probably hoping to please the monster, burnt down his wife’s house killing her and her father. Samson was enraged by this and did not see the act as a pacifying one, so he swore revenge and killed many Philistines. This was the final straw and the Philistines demanded the deliverance to them of Samson by his people. Certainly we can see that the Philistines showed far greater tolerance of their vanquished than did the Jews. The Philistines counterpart of Joshua or Gideon would have undoubtedly killed the lot. Even Samson’s own people were frightened of him and a crowd assembled to persuade him to give himself up. After some quibbling the big man agreed and he was delivered to a waiting army. Once amongst the Philistines, Samson broke loose and, is supposed to have slaughtered hundreds. We must remember the nature of fighting of this time, hand to hand combat. Spears were in use, but plainly the Philistines could not hurl spears when such a large body of their own men were huddled together, or perhaps spears were thrown which killed the wrong men. Anyway, a terrible turmoil broke out and Samson killed many men, we are told, with the jawbone of an ass which happened to be lying about. I think a lot of the account of Samson has been enriched as the years went by. Undoubtedly a legend grew up around a strong man who stood alone in opposing the Philistines at this point in Israeli history. In fact after this debacle, the Philistines made Samson ruler over his people where he remained for twenty years. This was a clever stroke and seems to have kept the great beast relatively quiet. Then he visited a brothel at Gaza and the Gazites intended to kill him at the gates of the city. Legend says that Samson carried the city gates away and laid them on a nearby hill, a warning of his strength. Like the more recent King Kong, Samson too met his end due to his love for a woman. This was of course, Delilah. He became infatuated by this Philistine who took it upon herself to daily press him to tell her where he got his strength. Of course he had no more idea than did she. It was as useless a question as asking a runner where he gets his speed. He gave her various answers which proved untrue, but Delilah pressed at him so much he despaired and told her it lay in his hair. However, although this was nonsense, psychologically she had defeated him because of his love for her which he had seen she had betrayed, and discovering his shaven head, Samson was no doubt completely deflated and ashamed, realising that he had been betrayed. He lost his will to fight. The Philistines had enticed Delilah to betray Samson with offers of money. They set upon him, blinded him and bound him in brass chains, obviously unnecessary if he had lost his strength. Samson’s last act was at the Philistine’s feast to one of their gods, Dagon. He was brought on as the star celebrity for the entertainment of the crowds, the once fearsome Israeli brought to his knees. His appearance took place in a large hall packed with Philistines and he brought the house down, literally. It was his final act of defiance, he died with his victims. Now Samson was written of as a man of God, but even these flattering legends of him failed to conceal a violent and selfish nature. In Israeli eyes the Lord always led him to do his atrocious deeds and he remains their champion. I think of Samson as essentially a figure of legend, for apart from the obvious difficulties in accepting his adventures, there are many loose ends in his story. If such a superman did exist and was ruler of Israel for some twenty years, how is it that he never conquered the Philistines? Goodness knows what kind of man he really was. Like other heroes of legend, like Arthur and Robin Hood, in more recent times; perhaps men like Zapata, Guilliano, Lawrence and Guevara, all of these have become legends which have become more real than reality. It is worth remembering when reading of these wars that they were regional conflicts. The Israelites lived in the whole nation and they were never wholly defeated as a nation. Regions were taken by various tribes and governed, armies re-conquered them so on. On the whole the Israelis held their resources and the wealth they had accumulated since leaving Egypt and Joshua had won them their land. There were many invaders from the North and east who occupied various parts at different times, but the Jews continued to hold many regions in which their wealth was distributed. The Ark of the Covenant which held the slabs of the commandments was held at Shiloh and it was not taken from the Israelis until the days of Samuel and Saul. These times were full of wars. The Books of Judges contain numerous references to conflicts, some of them even civil wars between the Israelis themselves. For example, between “the Children of Israel and the Children of Benjamin.” All of them Jews. The Book of Ruth which follows next in the Old Testament is of no great significance except that it mentions at the end the birth of David, from whom Christ is said to have descended. “And Solomon begat Boaz and Boaz begat Obed and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.” It is also interesting to note that Ruth was a Moabite: Not a Jewess therefore. Samuel, the Churchman Samuel was an apprentice to the high priest, Eli in the temple and was such an outstanding man that it was generally accepted that he was to be a prophet of the Israelis. He was the antithesis of Samson, being a good and honest man to his people. He spent most of his time in the area round Jericho. His early master, Eli, seems to have been a dear old soul also, a very truthful man who adhered strictly to the laws of the temple. When Eli was very old, ninety-eight years, the Jews met with a severe defeat again from the Philistines. The Elders decided to invoke the Ark of the Covenant which was brought from Shiloh in an attempt to raise the spirits of their beaten army. Certainly this most evocative antiquity, which meant too much to them, greatly encouraged the Jews and frightened the Philistines for a while, who felt that God had entered the Hebrew camp when they learned of the Ark. “They said, Woe unto us, this is the God that struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.” But their leaders rallied them and said, quit yourselves like men and fight, and in the subsequent battle, the Philistines inflicted severe defeat among the Israelites, and also captured the Ark. For all his own personal qualities, Eli had a couple of hard cases for sons who apparently were taken to laying with women and performing other outrages. Clearly the women were an embarrassment to Eli who said to them, “If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him, but if one man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?” They heeded him not however. Both these fellows were killed in the big battle against the Philistines when the Ark was lost. A messenger hurried to old man Eli and said, “Israel is fled before the Philistines and there has been great slaughter among the people and your two sons are dead and the Ark of God is taken.” This unknown messenger, therefore, is responsible for one of the most masterly pieces of tactlessness on record. Not surprisingly Eli “fell off his seat backward by the side of the gate, his neck broke and he died. For he was an old man and heavy and he had judged Israel forty years.” In fact, the Philistines did not keep the Ark long and gave it back because it was a terrible jinx and all manner of things went wrong wherever it was taken. Throughout the history of these times there was one fact we can be sure about. That eventually the laws of Moses always prevailed and finished on top, simply because they were set out for the good of all his people and if the Israelites had realised it, for the good of all peoples. All the various gods of other tribes of this time were probably tentacles of Moses law and God, but drawn up to suit the ruling faction of that particular tribe. This invariably resulted in a weakening of that individual group which resulted in defeat at the hands of a more basically unified and strong people like the Jews. I have said that on the whole the Philistines do not seem to have been a bad sort of people to be ruled by, far less ruthless than the Israelites and therefore, in the long run, of course, weaker. The next battle between the Philistines and the Jews was at a place called Mizpeh and this time the Jews won and for a long time there was a lull of war between the two peoples. Samuel was now the big noise in Israel. As I have said Samuel was a just man and under his influence the laws of Moses were upheld by the Israelites. In his old age he gave his authority to his sons Joel and Abiah. Both of these were dishonest men and took bribes and gave biased judgements. The elders approached Samuel and told him that they did not want his sons as judges and asked him instead to choose them a king. Samuel was not very keen on the idea and pointed out with typical Jewish thrift the disadvantages and expense involved in having a monarch, but the people were adamant. The main methods of government by the Jews was either by military leaders, (by the priestly fraternity with occasional prophetic intervention). Samuel resigned to his people’s wishes, set about his task of choosing a king, gathering all the tribes of Israel together and drawing lots to ascertain which tribe the new ruler would come from. The tribe of Benjamin was chosen and the outstanding figure was a good-looking, tall young man called Saul and he it was who was picked as the king by Samuel, who continued to advise him for a while. Saul, the Hothead Saul turned out to be a cantankerous and warlike man. At first he seems to have done his best to please and obey the laws of the judges but Samuel soon realised that he had made a mistake in choosing this unstable person as king. Saul gathered an army and went out after the old enemy, the Philistines again. His army numbered three thousand, one third of which was led by his son Jonathan, who was a popular figure amongst the people. They gained a victory initially, but this stored up a hornet’s nest of Philistines and the Israelites had the wind up. However, under Jonathan’s example they rallied again and were hence forward generally successful. It seems reasonable to assume that Samuel saw in Saul a man who would obtain all of the country for the Jews. This was to be achieved by an official policy of genocide; all of the other peoples were to be exterminated, leaving the Israelis dominant. Yet for all of Saul’s greed and hardness, he did not fully adhere to Samuel’s instructions in this policy. The following is taken from the Book of Samuel, Chapter 15: “Samuel also said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the words of the Lord. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when He, that is Israel, came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek (here Samuel is referring to the tribe) and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not. But slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” This is pure genocide, of course, reputed to have been advocated by a man who was just and good, but only to his own people: Samuel the Prophet. Saul took a large army and opposed a combined tribe of Kenites and Amalekites. “And Saul said to the Kenites, go, depart, get you down from the Amalekites lest I destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the Children of Israel when they came out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from the Amalekites. The Israelites then put the Amalekites to the sword with the exception of Agag, the king of the Amalekites and also they saved the best of the cattle and the sheep. Samuel was shocked at Saul for failing to destroy everything utterly and had in Samuel’s words, disobeyed the Lord. He told Saul, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being King.” Samuel never forgave Saul, although Saul tried to gain forgiveness. Samuel had Agag brought before him, “and Agag said, surely the bitterness of death is past? And Samuel said, as your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women,” and he killed Agag there and then with a sword. There was a parting of the ways between Saul and Samuel and they never saw one another again, although Saul remained king. But Samuel began to make arrangements to find a successor. He was to be more careful this time, he had no wish to choose a man merely for his appearance; he was looking for someone with less transient and more personal qualities. The person he chose was David of Bethlehem, then only a boy. Saul was becoming subject to rages and fits, clearly he had some sort of brain disorder, which could be pacified by soothing music. David was a dab hand on the harp and was brought into the court where he became a great favourite of the king, who made him his armour-bearer. No doubt Samuel was at the back of this and had taken David’s musical ability into account before choosing him. The next major event was the legendary meeting between David and Goliath. I do not need to describe this to you all of which is one of the best known stories of the Old Testament. It is difficult to comment about the story, it is less outrageous than some Bible anecdotes, those of Samson, for example, but I fear it still has the old familiar smug Jewish fable atmosphere around it with the usual glory end. Not only is the giant killed, of course, but masses of Philistines are slaughtered. Naturally God is used to justify this killing. It is a curious feature of humanity as a whole, there is no telling what evil and wickedness has been done in God’s name, not only in these days of the Old Testament, but throughout history (and as I have said I believe them all to have been necessary, because man has found them necessary, because everything is necessary for the slow but inevitable progress towards sanity). One of the developments from the victory over the Philistines was that King Saul became jealous of David’s notoriety amongst his people. David was promised Saul’s daughter for a wife, but Saul made a condition that before nuptials could be enacted, he required one hundred Philistine foreskins. What Saul required them for and what he did with them when he had them is lost to posterity, but surely even the most blinkered and dogmatic believers in the literal Bible cannot deny that his request was, at the very least, a quixotic one. Anyway, David obtained them, yes, that’s right, David of Bethlehem, the gentle shepherd boy. Clearly, Saul hoped he would be killed by the Philistines, but David brought the foreskins back and got Michal, the King’s daughter as a reward. Anyway, old Saul was starting to get uptight with the young pretender and it was left to Jonathan, who had great affection for David to square things with the king. However one day whilst David was playing his harp for Saul the king found his presence insufferable and as was his want at this time, flung a javelin at the lad (and missed). This time Saul wanted his head and David fled to the old prophet Samuel who was then in Ramha. Jonathan questioned Saul on David’s behalf, but Saul was so annoyed that he even threw a javelin at Jonathan (and missed again). It was becoming apparent to David that Saul did not like him. So he then went to the priest Ahimelech for refuge and an army of 400 supporters rallied around him. Saul heard of this and went after David in force and put eighty five priests to the sword who were suspected of sheltering him. Whilst Saul was in his camp and had settled for the night, David somehow got into his tent and went off with Saul’s spear and water jug, then he announced to all the people and to Abner, Saul’s captain, who had been asleep in the same tent. “Abner, are you not a courageous man, who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not protected your king? Look now, I have the king’s spear and the water jug that was beside his pillow.” In other words, David is saying – I could have killed the king, but I did not. As a result of this, Saul repented and forgave David. And in fact, there were no further developments because a year or so after this, there was a major battle against the Philistines again on Mount Gilboa and the Israelites were severely beaten. Saul died in this encounter and so did Jonathan and the Philistines overran a large area. The Israelites reorganised at Hebron and after a little quibbling, there were a few who though Saul’s other sons should rule the remaining regions, David was made King. He was then thirty years old. Under him the Jews regained their fighting prowess and regained all the territory to the River Euphrates. They tackled the Syrians, beat them and had garrisons built in Syria. They captured Jerusalem and named it The City of David. David, the Hero David had a great belief in his own ability and much the same astuteness as many of his previous predecessors. He was not a particularly warlike man and showed understanding to other people. No doubt he could have killed Saul on numerous occasions, but it probably never even occurred to him to do so because he was a loyal servant and of course, he got on well with Jonathan. From the way he spoke of the Philistines as heathens and uncircumcised, you can gather he himself was a rigid adherer to the laws of Moses. Like many of his predecessors he transgressed, but in a different way. He became enamoured of a woman called Bathsheba who was married to a man called Uriah. Bathsheba became pregnant by David and to round the sordid business off, David had Uriah sent to the front where Joab was fighting some distance from Jerusalem. Joab was given instructions to put Uriah in the forefront and as expected he was killed. The child died early in infancy, but David and Bathsheba had another son whom they called Solomon. David had other children and his favourite son was called Absalom who seems to have cut a dashing figure with the populace. He was a handsome young man apparently with a singularly large head of hair. One of David’s other sons Ammon fancied one of David’s daughters, a girl called Tamar, who was, we are given to understand, a beautiful virgin. Ammon fell sick with desire for her and obtained David’s permission for Tamar to look after him. With the minimum of preliminaries, he invited her into his bed, but Tamar was horrified at the prospect, “Nay my brother, do not force me for no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not this folly.” Ammon ignored her and raped her, and having satisfied his lust, he was repelled by his own guilt and threw Tamar out of his house. Absalom came to hear what had happened and he was very disgusted and eventually had Ammon, his brother, killed. Tamar lived in Absalom’s house afterwards, completely desolate, a victim of her own beauty. Absalom later called a daughter of his Tamar, perhaps as a tribute to his tragic sister. When David heard about the affair he was very angry for although he condemned Ammon, he was very cross with Absalom for having had him killed. He was so angry, in fact, that he did not forgive Absalom for two years and never showed his face to him once during this period. Things now put on a sour turn again. Absalom began to have ideas of rebellion and he went out of his way to become popular, telling people who came to see David for advice, that they would not be heard. But, he said, if he were judge, he would listen to everyone and he kissed the people’s hands etc., etc., methods that are still in widespread practice by career politicians today. It says in the Bible that Absalom persisted in these techniques for forty years. If we accept, he conspired for a long time for forty is a suspiciously popular number in the Old Testament; it still gives a good illustration of the patience of the Jews. Absalom was determined to depose his father. This led to a full-scale civil war in Israel and Absalom was by no means an underdog, for having taken trouble to win support, he had become a popular hero. “Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet you will know Absalom reigns in Hebron.” Eventually the position got so ominous that David was obliged to run for it with his supporters (Samuel 15 v 24, 25, 29). They left the Ark of the Covenant in the city. Absalom entered the city with all his followers and at David’s house he went with all his father’s concubines as a gesture of defiance. The two large armies met in the forest of Ephraim and a bloody battle ensued. David was not at the battle-front, but Absalom was in the thick of it. David’s army won and Absalom had the misfortune whilst fleeing from the battle, to get his hair caught in the branches of a tree and in spite of instructions to the contrary by the king, Joab had Absalom killed. David might be forgiven for feeling relief at the end of the rebellion, but it is said, Absalom’s death shattered him. Certainly he seems to have lost his vigour and became feeble. Of course he was now ageing, but his condition was such that it caused concern and his advisors even went to the effort of obtaining a beautiful young woman to share his bed, in an effort to cheer him up, I suppose, but he was unable to manage her. In fact David was finished. A chap called Adonijah proclaimed himself king and it became essential for the sake of stability that David name his successor, and he appointed his first surviving son with Bathsheba, Solomon. “I go the way of all the earth, be strong therefore and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes and His commandments and His judgements and testimonies as it is written in the law of Moses that you may prosper in all that you do, that the Lord may continue His word that he speak concerning me, saying if your children take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart and all their soul, I shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel.” Solomon, who owed his position to Absalom’s rebellion, took immediate steps to prevent further trouble. He ordered the death of Adonijah and also Joab, who had supported him. These were David’s last recorded words, “The God of Israel spoke to me saying he that rules over man must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun rises, as a morning without clouds, as tender as grass springing out of the earth in clear sunshine after rain.” So he died and was buried in the City of David. There is little doubt that practically all of Moses’ successors pertained to his laws and demands. They frequently went off the rails along the way because they were men and just as subject as anyone else to temptation, to lust, to greed, to violence, and to stupidity. But they nearly all emphasise the importance of the rules and laws of justice because this is the best way of running a successful society. Moses had, as I have said, and underline again, an insight into sanity and this insight was transferred to a number of his more notable successors. They called the unknown: God, and used him quite deliberately and sincerely too, to promote nationalistic and capitalistic aims. Solomon, the new King has a reputation for wisdom and the accumulation of great wealth. Probably both reputations are reasonably justified. It was now about 480 years since the Jews had been led out of Egypt. Solomon, the Hedonist The story usually told to illustrate Solomon’s legendary wisdom is that of two women who claimed the same baby. He had to decide who the real mother was. These women, both harlots, lived in the same house and both had babies of approximately the same age. One child died and the bereaved mother and the woman with the living child disputed whose child was whose. Now how was Solomon to choose? He ordered the live baby to be cut in half and divided between both the women. One of them said: “Give her (meaning the other woman) the living child, but by no means kill it.” The other agreed with Solomon and said: “Let it be neither mine nor yours, but divided.” Solomon decided: “Give the first woman the living child and do not kill it, she is the mother.” He recognised that the real mother would prefer to keep her child alive even if she could not have it. This anecdote suggests an understanding of human nature, a desire for justice and a compassionate personality. However, Solomon, while he was all these things, was also an extremely self-indulgent man and probably more than any of his predecessors appears to have accumulated vast wealth, to be enjoyed for its own sake. In the First Book of Kings, chapters six and seven, details are given of his costly buildings, ornate temples and palaces. David had planned such an enterprise, but he was involved in frequent wars with Israel’s enemies and too preoccupied to see the fruition of his dream, which was to be a city dedicated to the Jew’s God. Solomon was married to the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt and had many women besides. “King Solomon loved many strange women together with the daughter of Pharaoh. Women of Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonites and Hittites.” According to the law, he was not allowed to mix it with other races but Solomon was highly sexed and such obstructions he regarded as mere details. In due course his sexual appetite was his undoing and Solomon fell into the temptations of idolatry and self-indulgence. His stamina assumes heroic proportions. According to the Book of Kings, he had “seven hundred wives, princesses and three hundred concubines.” But to keep this lot happy he started building altars etcetera to various other gods worshipped by his numerous women. As his father David, before him he lost his hold and the applications of the old Jewish laws, and his nation was to be divided after his death. It is not illogical to assume Solomon included amongst his conquests the Queen of Sheba. Certainly she visited him, but the whole visit is rather vague and glossed over (in the first thirteen verses of the First Book of Kings, chapter 10). This legendary figure visited Solomon after hearing of his reputation of wealth and questioned him, but unfortunately we are not told the nature of the questions. “She communed with him of all that was in her heart and Solomon told her all her questions. There was not anything hid from the king which he told her not.” The Queen of Sheba was very impressed and said: “What I heard in my own country of your wisdom and your deeds were all true, but I could not believe it until I had seen it for myself, so I came and behold the half was not told me. Happy the men and happy the servants who stand continually before you and listen to your words of wisdom.” There was a mutual exchange of extravagant gifts and the Queen went back to her own country. An enigmatic little affair I think you will agree, perhaps best left to the imagination. Solomon reigned for forty years (that number again) and when he died he was buried in the City of David. For all his love of pleasure which would be tempting to many people in Solomon’s position, Solomon is undeniably a great figure in history. To him goes the credit for the Book of Proverbs and there is much about them which illustrate the intrinsic wisdom of the author. David is hailed as the author of the Psalms, another unique and likely contribution to the Old Testament. It is necessary to remember that for all their wickedness, there were no others of their contemporaries who pertained more towards sanity than the Jews. Elijah, the Conjurer Following a lengthy period of upheaval within Israel, the country united kingdom of Israel, was divided into two parts. The Northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah became what once had been all Israel. The date was now 906 years before the advent of Christ. The king of Israel, about fifty years or so after the division, was called Ahab, and his wife another well-known person, was Jezebel, daughter of the king of Zidonians. Ahab and Jezebel worshipped Baal, yes, the old chap was still going, and the application to Moses’ laws seems to have seriously deteriorated. Upon the scene arrived a much needed personality and one of the most likeable rogues in the entire Bible, Elijah the prophet. Elijah was lodging with a widow at a place called Zarephath, a poor woman who still brought it upon herself to feed Elijah. Her son died and she blamed Elijah who was a man of God was punishing her for her sins. Elijah carried the child to his bed and lay on him and prayed. The boy recovered. Similar incident occurs with Christ and Lazarus and I am willing to put forth the supposition that the kiss of life was used on both occasions, now a standard form of resuscitation. Anyway the incident proves that Christ was not the first to use this manner of healing and probably was aware of Elijah’s history, being as he is a most famous figure of early Israel. There was a severe famine in Samaria and the harvest had been poor for three successive years. Elijah used this famine to attack the Baal worship that had superseded the following of Moses’ God, seeing this as the root cause of the unsatisfactory state of the nation. I am convinced, using as a basic premise the conviction that miracles and a sense of supernatural are non-existent, that Elijah used deception to achieve this end. At the time of my writing it is December and the weather has been dry for a few days. It is quite logical for me to prophesy that there will be rain within the next fortnight. There is nothing spectacular about such a piece of fortune-telling but it is accurate. This technique, I believe, to be a basis of Elijah’s method: the use of intelligent guesswork, and outright trickery too, on occasions, to impress an ignorant and highly superstitious people. Again the events mentioned in the Bible sometimes give the impression of being the happenings of a day or less, whereas a careful reading, show them to be events of days, a week, or even weeks. Shortly before lodging with the widow, Elijah had been sustained, according to the Book of Kings, by ravens that brought him bread and meat. This is an early incident in the history of Elijah and a significant one for, as Elijah was alone at the time, presumably he must have told the story of the ravens (unless the ravens were literate, which is doubtful even though they were Jewish). Elijah was not an unprincipled rogue, but he was a principled rogue and there is a wealth of difference between the two. He went to see Ahab and blamed him for all the trouble in the country because he had started to worship Baal. Elijah had realised that drastic and spectacular action was required of him. He challenged the priests of Baal to a trial of strength on Mount Carmel and Ahab acquiesced to his wishes. When everyone had been assembled, Elijah said to the crowds, “How long will you waver between two beliefs? If the Lord is Gods follow him. If Baal, follow Him.” Personally I have no doubt that Elijah had planned everything out in advance and was well prepared for what was to follow. He was, like all stage magicians, totally sure of himself. He said, “I am the only prophet of the Lord here against four hundred and fifty of Baal’s prophets. Here is my proposition to the king. Let the prophets of Baal get us two young bulls and let them chose one for themselves, cut it in pieces and lay it on wood without setting it alight and I will do likewise. Then they can call their God and I will call the name of the Lord and whichever one lights the fire, then let him be God.” On the face of it this seemed a fair proposition and the people were in favour of such a test. The prophets of Baal had the first attempt and naturally, though they called on Baal from morning till noon and leaped about, the fire remained unlit. Elijah, showman that he was, mocked them, “Cry aloud for he is God, perhaps he is busy talking or doing something, or on a journey. Perhaps he’s asleep.” I cannot see Elijah doing this sort of thing without a trick or two up his sleeve. The Baal priests were going berserk by now and has begun cutting themselves with knives and lances in an effort to arouse their master. Then it was Elijah’s turn and this is what I suggest happened: The drought and famine had existed in the land for three years and Elijah probably did not even approach Ahab with the Mount Carmel suggestion until he had perceived that the weather was going to break. As for the sacrifice itself, it was quite likely that Elijah’s bull was saturated in oil. Notice that the bulls were to be dressed, in other words, prepared. Indeed the entire idea was Elijah’s in the first place, as were all the details of the confrontation. Elijah’s sacrifice then, I believe, was saturated with a highly inflammable substance that was immune to water which Elijah had thrown over it all. Igniting such a fire, presented no problems to a man of Elijah’s ingenuity. In the true traditions of show business, this piece de resistance was done at the most dramatic moment. Undoubtedly there must be a number of professional magicians in the country today who could perform a similar trick and make it equally convincing. Notice also that for dramatic purposes it was much better that Elijah prepared his altar after the Baal priests had failed in their attempt to light the sacrifice, a contrived climax to the entire show. He said to them, “Choose you one bullock for yourselves and dress it first for you are many.” “For you are many”: that would not seem any reason for going last to me. But it was vital for Elijah’s plan that they attempted to evoke their deity to light the sacrifice first so that they failed and were seen to fail. Elijah could have gone first and performed his trick and lighted the offering, but he wanted more than that. The priests of Baal could, with a bit of gumption, have talked their way out of it perhaps, but they were doomed when they prayed to a god who seemed unresponsive and then were followed by Elijah who produced the goods. The biblical text is also a bit vague concerning the length of time Elijah’s sacrifice remained standing after it had been doused with water. All very suspicious. At any rate, it was a good trick well performed and it had the right effect. “The people fell on their faces and they said, The Lord, He is God. The lord, He is God.” Elijah took immediate advantage of this euphoria, for he had the priests of Baal slain, a more permanent way of ensuring that the worship of Baal was stamped out in Israel. Shortly afterwards the rains came and Elijah’s triumph was complete, so it would appear. But if there is one overwhelming piece of evidence e that Elijah was a trickster, it is contained in the next episode following his colourful spectacular on Mount Carmel. Ahab returned to his palace full of wonder and praise for Elijah, but his wife Jezebel was unimpressed. She hated Elijah’s beliefs to the extent that she had many of God’s priests put to death. She asked Elijah to have herself consumed by fire if he could manage it and suggested that before the day was out, she would kill him for killing the priests of Baal. Now to have the queen herself destroyed with fire from heaven would have been even more effective than the Baal bull sacrifice and no doubt Elijah thought seriously of the possibility. However, the practicalities of this were beyond him and the great man, the hero who could, it seemed, make fire fall from heaven, ran for it to Beersheba in Judah. The confidence man’s bluff had been called and he knew it. The old boy was a bit depressed now and we are told that he went to live in a cave on Mount Horeb. Here, he reckoned he was in close touch with God Himself and His Angels. He was very despondent and took stock of himself. The affair on Mount Carmel could not have been effective because the worship of Baal remained widespread in the country. Elijah pulled himself together and made some decisions concerning the appointment of high dignitaries which he would enact in due course and he also decided upon his successor who was to be a man called Elisha. Meanwhile the Syrians and the Israelites went to war and the latter achieved a resounding victory. Ahab, in fact, did well as a military leader. He became very rich and as you might expect he got greedy and came to a sticky end. He coveted the vineyards of a man called Naboth in Jazreel. At first he made a generous offer to Naboth for the vineyards which were in the vicinity of the palaces, but Naboth did not want to part with them. Ahab, like a spoiled child, moped and Jezebel found out what was troubling him and at her promptings, he had Naboth framed and stoned, to put it bluntly and Ahab had his vineyard. Now this affair really got up Elijah’s nose and he sought out Ahab and gave him the dressing down of his life, saying “In the place where dogs lick the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick your blood.” And other sundry unpleasantries. According to Elijah it was the Lord God of Israel, who said, “I will bring evil upon you (that’s Ahab) and will take away your posterity and will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall.” (a singular phrase this). All of these rather vague and sinister threats must have played upon an impressionable mind like Ahab’s. Of Jezebel, Elijah said: “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jazreel.” Ahab was filled with remorse and bitter repentance which, of course, delighted Elijah, who realising that he had probably gone too far added “Seeing how Ahab humbles himself, I will not bring evil in his days, but in his son’s days will I bring evil upon his house.” He realised that what he had originally forecast was a bit much, but he was shrewd enough to see that the way Ahab and history was going, that something dramatic was almost certain to happen. And of course, when something did happen, everyone would say – That was just what Elijah the prophet said would happen. Elijah must be the original man on whom there were no flies, and it was not his Lord who prompted him but his own commonsense. Following about three years of relative peace, there took place a major battle between Syria and Israel. Ahab who does not seem to have lacked valour led his army and was mortally wounded, continuing to fight and staying in his chariot till he died. His son, Ahaziah succeeded him. He, like his father, and Jezebel followed the worship of Baal and the fact that Baal was still followed by the rulers in spite of Elijah which makes further nonsense of his supposed fire from heaven and so on, at Mount Carmel. Ahaziah came to a strange end falling out of a window and mortally injuring himself. He sent messengers to Beelzebub, the god of Ekron to ascertain the possibility of his survival, but Elijah and perhaps his followers intercepted these and on each occasion others attempted to arrest Elijah, he was responsible for killing them. Naturally, according to the Old Testament, that is Elijah, it was done by, yes; you have guessed it, by fire falling from heaven. Elijah then visited Ahaziah and seeing his critical condition, told him that he would die because he worshipped Baal, and Ahaziah did die. Having no son, the person who took his place was Jehorem, the son of Jehoshaphat, who was the king of Judah. Elijah himself was very old now and near death. He went out in the best traditions of one of his showpieces, “And it came to pass that the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind.” - an Elijah production if ever there was one. It is up to imagination to explain away Elijah’s death. The cutest thing is that everyone at the time seemed to know what was going to happen, but his demise was witnessed only by one person, his successor Elisha. I don’t think any more need be said. But I have no wish to mock Elijah too much for he was only concerned with the decadence of the moral and spiritual life of his Israel, by the people’s following of mediocre gods and it was his motive to bring the Jews back into an adherence to their traditional God. He used his wits to baffle people into submission by playing on their superstition. Even according to the Bible, Elijah was not really successful for Ahab and other leaders of the community continued to follow Baal. The worship of Baal was the major religion although there was apparently infrequent persecution of the traditionalists. Ahab did not like them, but he seems to have tolerated them. Judah, the other part of what had once been the united kingdom of Israel, was ruled at this time by Jehoshaphat who was a follower of Moses’ code. Elisha’s importance then was in keeping the flag flying, you might say, keeping a glimpse of sanity alive in the southern kingdom of Israel during a difficult period. Elisha, who followed was a less flamboyant character. After purifying the waters of Jericho with salt, according to the Old Testament he was laughed at by some young children because he was as bald as a billiard ball. According to the legend he cursed them and a couple of bears came out of a wood and devoured forty two of them. Obviously a tale embellished out of all proportion. Perhaps he was mocked by a couple of youngsters, one of whom hurt himself in some way shortly afterwards, that alone would be sufficient to start a fantastic story. There followed after Ahab, a number of kings of varied virtues. After Jehorem, Elisha appointed a man called Jehu king and he carried out a witch hunt of Baal worshippers. Amongst many others Jezebel was put to death. Elisha’s last prophesy was that Israel would defeat Syria which was what happened, but the country was becoming weaker; there were intrigues, conspiracies and assassinations. Later on, amongst others Amos, another significant prophet forecast the downfall of the Hebrew nations and indeed the nation that Joshua had brought into being under the influence of Moses was disintegrating. IT was now some eight centuries before Jesus Christ. Esther, the Jewess Following the Book of Kings, is the Somerset House of the Bible, the Chronicles in which are listed the generations of significant persons who lived in Palestine. In fact it shows that the Philistines had lived in the country long before the Jews, an interesting point, I find. Ezra, the Book that follows also lists generations of folk and throughout these generations we should remember it was Moses’ laws that were passed on as the basis for a society. During this time the walls of Jerusalem were going up and down like a yo-yo, and it was left to Nehemiah, who follows Ezra, to gather the scattered Jewish race and re-establish them in the city. Nehemiah is followed by the short Book of Esther. It is worth examining the story of Esther because it shows how Jews react when living in a country other than Israel. There once reigned apparently a king called Ahasuerus, whose empire stretched from India to Ethiopia, a powerful man indeed. His queen called Vashti displeased him because she would not show off her beauty and so he decreed that all the fair young virgins of his province must be brought to him that he might choose a new queen. Mordecai, who was a prominent Jew in the country, brought forwards his uncle’s daughter, a beautiful young Jewess called Esther. The king’s concubine keeper, a likely lad called Higai took a liking to her and she was one of the women chosen to undergo the purification process which lasted a twelve month. After this a young girl will be brought to the king, perfect in the taste of those times. Extreme care was taken over the wearing of jewellery and the application of cosmetics and the women chosen were kept apart from all outside contact for the purification process. They were cleaned in oil of myrrh and all sorts of aphrodisiacs and applications. The reason for this was not merely because of aesthetic fastidiousness, but very likely because many of the women of the times were poxed to the eyebrows. Venereal or other equivalent diseases were rife and for the king to survive and keep sane, such vigorous purification and selection was deemed essential. In due course Esther was presented to the king and he was delighted with her and chose her as the new queen. All might have been well until a man called Haman was made head of all the princes. Everyone was required to bow down to him, but Mordecai, who was basking in Esther’s reflected glory, refused. Haman had anti-Semitic leanings and Mordecai’s action caused him to obtain from the king a decree declaring genocide of the Jews in Ahasuerus’s kingdom. Mordecai realised that he had pushed Haman too far and was probably to blame for all this, so he approached Esther and left it up to her to do something. Esther played her cards very well. She sought an audience with her husband, the king and arranged a banquet to which Haman was invited. Then she asked Ahasuerus for her life and her people’s life and the King was astonished. “’Who is it, he said, that presumes to destroy you all? ‘That man there,’ said Esther, pointing to Haman.” With magnificent irony, the king had Haman hanged on the very same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Mordecai now used Esther’s influence with the king to great effect and the Jews were given a free hand to wipe out their enemies in the land. “The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus to lay hand on such as sought their hurt and no man could withstand them for the fear of them fell upon all people. And all the rulers of the provinces and officers of the king helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king’s house and his fame went out throughout all the province. Thus the Jews smote all their enemies under the stroke, the sword, and slaughter and destruction, and did what they would to those that hated them. And in Shusan the palace, the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. The other Jews that were in the king’s province gathered themselves together and attacked their enemies and slew seventy five thousand, according to the Old Testament.” This is typical of Jewish infiltration. First infiltrate by gaining influence, then wield the power; not directly but indirectly, the Jewish way. After being threatened with imminent extinction, Mordecai through Esther, turned the tables neatly. Insidiously, he gained real power by providing the king with what he wanted. Job, the Intellectual Unlike many of the other well know protagonists in the Old Testament, Job was an introverted and thoughtful man. Most of the Book of Job deals with the argument he thought out within his own conscience, in quite an articulate manner. Job was brought up in the strict traditions of Moses’ God was consequently believed that as he was a law abiding man, then no matter what misfortunes occurred, everything would sort itself out satisfactorily in the end. It is a faith shared by some religious people today, rather an ostrich like outlook on life, perhaps but quite unshakeable. It was from this faith that Job obtained his famous patience and he needed it because he was very unlucky. He was a very rich man with a great household of servants, thousands of sheep, camels, oxen and donkeys. Then some bandits stole his animals and killed his herdsmen and to make matters worse, a storm destroyed his sheep and after a couple of other disasters, his house collapsed and killed all his family. Quite a long run of bad luck you would agree. However, Job refused to lose his cool and looked at his dilemma logically. In his conscience he created two characters God and Satan and produced an argument for and against each. His faith made him remarkably resilient. He analysed himself and concluded that things were not so bad. “And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on earth, a perfect and upright man, who fears God and avoids evil and still he holds the faith though you move against him to destroy his belief in me.” A little self opinionated and arrogant, but Job was trying hard to justify his faith in God who was, he concluded, merely testing him by causing all these misfortunes to happen. But worse was to follow: Job became afflicted with an outbreak of boils and sores. Now Job had said, “Take everything from me and I will endure.” Rather like King Lear, “but I can only take so much for my own person has to suffer and I don’t think I can stand it.” When he became covered in boils it was almost the last straw and he probably would have died hating God, had not his wife hurt his pride. All along she had probably told him that his faith in God and his hope that things would improve as long as he retained that faith was all codswallop. Now she said, “Do you still have your integrity? Curse your God and die.” Job pulled himself together as a result of this and said wearily, “I can take it,” but he was horribly low and depressed and morbid. In the end he lost his grip and let fly with all his bitterness, self pity and intensity he could muster. He cursed the day he was born and his life of anguish; he extolled an easeful death to release him from the intolerable burden of living. Indirectly, he is attacking his God, of course. He had followed God faithfully and still his life was not worth the living of it. Three friends of Job’s called Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophur tried to argue against him but Job was adamant. Chapter six of the Book of Job is more or less a suicide letter and it is worth reading for its vigour and its deep pathos. I am reminded of the story about Cyrano de Bergerac, when a so called lady pointed at him and said, look at his long nose, or something to that effect. Cyrano was not insulted but disgusted with the woman’s lack of intelligence. She had no vocabulary, no poetry and no imagination. For all hr riches she had no class; all she could say about the most remarkable hooter in the whole world was, look at that long nose. A similar case arises with suicide notes. If we ignore the desperation which has prompted them, so often they seem devoid of class in the Job style. Most of them being the “I can’t stand it any longer, tell Laura I love her,” type. Job’s is a letter of poetry and dynamic vision. “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. Their poison drinks up my spirit, the terrors of God set themselves upon me.” Here is a man in the near delirious state facing madness and yet he can produce a tract lucidly stating his reasons for wishing death. “Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, Is there taste in the white of an egg? The things that my Lord refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat. Oh, that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for.” (which is death). “What is my strength, what should I hope and what is my end that I should prolong my life.” In other words, Job is saying what evidence can we produce that the futures holds something worthwhile that makes us wish to continue to live, although it is not fair to compare them. I think Job shows greater wisdom than Solomon. Solomon gathered wisdom by material gain and Job gathered it by losing it, but the wisdom of both should really be a gain for humanity. Any one of Job’s thoughts might have proved his turning point, in fact, “Is not my help within me? Is wisdom driven from me?” Have I not, he is saying, sufficient wisdom to answer my own questions? In chapter seven, he continues his letter in resignation from mortal life. “Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like days of a hireling? As a servant earnestly desires the evening, as a hireling looks only for the rewards of his work so am I made to possess months of vanity and wearisome nights. When I lie down I say, When shall I arise and the night be gone. I am full of tossing to and fro until the dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and clouds of dust, my skin is broken and loathsome. “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and are spent without hope. Oh remember that my life is wind, my eyes shall no more see God. The eye of heaven that sees me shall see me no more. Your eyes are upon me and I am not. As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so that goes into the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, nor shall he be known again. “Therefore, I will not be silent, I will speak of my anguish, I will complain of the bitterness in my soul. Am I a sea or a whale, that you set water over me? When I say a bed shall comfort me, my couch shall lose my complaint. Then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions. “So my soul chooses strangling and death, rather than my life. I loathe it. I would not live forever. Let me alone for my days are vanity. What is man that you should magnify him and set your heart upon him and that you should visit him every morning and try him at every moment? How long will you be before you depart from me and let me alone, till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned. What shall I do to you oh preserver of men? Why have you set me against you so that I am a burden to myself? Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall sleep in the dust and you will seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.” Job was never answered fully until Jesus Christ and until then, none of the gods who appear in the Bible, or even Moses’ God were able to satisfy such an argument. Job’s friends tried to counter him with their arguments, but Job accused them of partiality and includes in his accusation of them an oft used phrase, ill applied, I believe and taken out of context. “Man that is born of a woman is of a few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and is cut down. He is like a shadow and does not continue.” Job’s acquaintances accuse him of presumption. “Have you then heard the secret of God? They say. Is wisdom only applicable to you? What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not within us also?” But Job sticks to his guns. He claims, I am an innocent man, a man of God and look how I am treated. He is however, beginning to answer himself for he now states something which proves his belief in resurrection. “And though after worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” He also prophesies a redeemer. “For I know that my redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the latter day upon earth whom I shall see for myself with my own eyes behold and not another.” Job knew that the “wicked do prosper” and that the “people can despise God and still achieve wealth”, but he maintained that the happy and unhappy are the same in death. The judgement of the wicked is held after death. The three friends eventually tired of trying to argue with the self righteous man and it remained to a young man called Elihu to offer the next argument. He lays into Job a bit telling him that God need not give an account of himself to men for being so much greater than mere man. He accuses Job of charging God with being unjust. God cannot be unjust, Elihu says. Man cannot make comparison with God, how good and evil do not extend to him. He tells Job that many cry in affliction but cannot be heard for they have no faith. Job who had begun to answer himself anyway, was clearly affected by this and he re examined himself and eventually came round to this way of thinking. His friends helped him out financially and he seems to have spent the rest of his life content and in peace. In the story of Job we have all the ingredients of a Jew and his attitude to his God. Notice that Job is a wealthy man and when he lost that wealth he assumed that God had something to do with it. Thus impoverished, he was still the same man, neither better nor worse and even when he suffered from the boils, etcetera he was not morally or spiritually worse, but because he had become poor he began to break down. His God was a capitalist God if ever there was one. Secondly the glimpse of sanity often apparent in his arguments, “Is not my help within me?” he says. His questioning of the necessity of living was valid. If you are born to die and go to heaven, what is the point of suffering along the way, especially if you had been a good man and feared no judgement of God. He was not answered until the New Testament with the advent of Christ and Christianity. Indeed Jesus might have been answering Job when he says, “O Will thou know, o vain man, that faith without work is dead.” He says it’s up to humanity to bring about the state of perfection. No unseen power from out of space will do it. God is man and man is God. The significant part of Job’s story is that he never appears to have been plagued with such doubts and questionings after he had his riches back. Jew without his money is a Jew without his God as God was the God of wealth. Follow me, Moses’ God says and I will make you rich. The Jewish mistake is to assume that this applies only to them as a chosen race, but not to everyone. As I have said it is only possible to have everything when everyone else has everything as well. Isaiah, the Visionary Following the prophet Amos we come across three significant figures, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea, all of whom anticipated the downfall of the northern region of Israel and the southern province of Judah. Generally it is Isaiah who is regarded as the greatest of these, although perhaps it is a matter of personal preference. Isaiah certainly foretells the coming of Christ (There is also some knowledge of this expressed in the Song of Solomon). I will say now that although there is much talk of spiritual powers and motivations, these people had no doubt that everything would be brought about by man. They justified their doings through their God in the sky, but their actions were all of their own doing. These days’ people seem to want God to make the next move, but the Jews never had this sort of God in mind. Their God merely sanctioned or condemned their actions according to circumstances. The arrival amongst them of Christ or a Christ like figure could be anticipated. Their history and existence proved this to be. There was obviously going to be a change, there had to be one. The Jews however, did not doubt that this change would be achieved through man, a man inspired by God admittedly, but a man. In simple terms, the ,Gentile Christian believes that man is for the benefit of God, the Jewish God is for the benefit of man, a more practical religious outlook. Isaiah was one of the most outspoken of the great prophets and severely censured the Jews’ moral decadence and love of riches. He told the people that Moses’ laws were the foundations upon which their state was built. The practice of sacrificing animals had originally been intended as a gesture of self denial and gratitude in recognition of the benefits of justice and decency stemming from Moses’ law. But now Isaiah said whilst you, meaning the Jews have neglected your system, you still offer up your animals. A superfluous ceremony indeed, wasteful. What is the point, Isaiah says, of making a resolution as our race has done since making the exodus from Egypt, if you do not keep it. No wonder the country is in the state it is. “When you spread forth your hands I will hide my eyes from you. When you say your prayers I will not hear you for your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah recognised the bloody history of his people. Isaiah exhibits a fuller vision than his earlier predecessors and advocates the necessity of honesty and justice. “Learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless and help the widow.” “The Lord says, Come now let us reason together for though your sins be scarlet they shall be white as snow, though they be as red as crimson, they shall be as wool.” A poetic chap is Isaiah. Just remember how old these metaphors are. At long last we find in Isaiah a man of enlightenment, unblinkered by the dogmas of the traditional Jewish God. Isaiah foretells the arrival of Christ, although he doesn’t call it this obviously and includes the Gentile races among those who will be blessed by its advent. “And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountains of the Lord’s house shall be established on top of mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow to it.” To make this clear we must understand what Isaiah means when he says, “the top of the mountain.” These days we use the word ultimate. The highest mountains of those days were unclimbeable peaks. Only in recent times have the higher mountains in the world been ascended and mountains were once looked upon as the majestic ceilings of mankind, the greatest, the highest, the ultimate. Whereas we would say when we reach the ultimate, Isaiah says, when we reach the top of the mountain. He goes on to say how Christ, the Messiah will teach us how to continue until we have found true living and sanity. “And all the people will say let us attain the ultimate for mankind (Go up to the mountain of the Lord) and he will teach us His ways and we will walk in His path. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge amongst the nations and shall rebuke many people. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn the arts of war.” Isaiah was, as far as we can see, a truly advanced man and his vision has even yet, maybe hundreds of years later, to be realised. But it has to come about if man is to survive. If sanity is to be achieved, “And the loftiness of men shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” Isaiah is saying, we will have no need for idols and imaginary gods because Christ will prevail. Isaiah does not use the word Christ, how can he? But he is describing something which is, nevertheless, Christ through humility, universal justice and peace. All of which could be readily obtainable instead of scorned because of pitiful failings such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Man’s self esteem, his riches and possessions will be made redundant because they will no longer be desired, but recognised for what they are, the epitome of nihilism. Man instead will accept humanity as the greatest wealth. This is how Christ cancels out and destroys wickedness, “The word of the Lord (will be) unto them precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line. Here a little and there a little that they might go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken.” Through Isaiah this could be Christ himself speaking. “Listen oh veils to me and listen, oh people from everywhere. The Lord has called me from the womb, from the bowels of my brother has he made mention of my name. and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he has hid me and made me like a polished shaft and hid me in his quiver. “He has said to me Israel you are my servant in whom I will be glorified. (You shall) restore and rise up the tribes of Jacob. I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles that you may be a salvation to the furthermost ends of the earth. They shall come from far and wide and kings will be like your fathers and their queens like nursing mothers to you. They shall all bow down to you, their faces to the earth and lick the dust from your feet. They will know I am God and they will feel no shame in waiting upon me. How beautiful (is He) that brings tidings like these, good tidings that promise salvation, that says to Zion, Your God reigns.” I don’t quite agree with Isaiah’s final sentiment, because he is not describing quite the same God that his people prays. Isaiah also mentions an important point that nations might adopt Christ’s way without necessarily having heard of him. “So shall he sprinkle many nations. The kings shall shut their mouths at him. For that which had not been told them shall they see. And that which they had heard shall they consider.” Isaiah was able to view history reasonably objectively and logically and was able to establish a pattern of behaviour amongst his people. He could therefore anticipate Christ even to the extent of realising how maligned and victimised he would be. “For he shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He will have no form or comeliness and we shall see in him no outstanding beauty.” In other words he would be just an ordinary sort of man in appearance. “He will be despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely he will bear our griefs and carry our sorrows yet will we believe him mad, a religious fanatic. But he is wounded for our failings, he is bruised for our wickedness, the chastisement of our peace will be upon him and with his stripes we are healed. All of us are like sheep gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him (Christ) the iniquity of us all. He oppressed and afflicted will say nothing, but be brought like a lamb to the slaughter and like a sheep before shearers is dumb, so will he be silent. He will be taken from prison and from judgment and who will be able to declare his generation (for treating him like this) for he will be cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of his people. He will make his grave with the wicked and with the rich because he did no violence nor speak any deceit.” With Isaiah we find a change in the pattern of the prophets as I have said. Far seeing and humane, Isaiah shows real sanity and he is a man of unusual vision and stature. Jeremiah and Others In the same way as Isaiah, Jeremiah was critical of his people only more so and he deals in length with the aberrations of the nation. At the end he even goes poetic and continues his prophesies of doom into the Book of Lamentations. I do not feel any need to discuss Jeremiah or Ezekiel who follows him, in any detail. They are readily accessible in the Old Testament if you want to know about them. It is strange that although later prophets have a greater grasp of reality and in some cases real vision, it is the earlier Jewish leaders who are probably the better known and indeed the more fascinating. The pattern that I have written about frequently when discussing Jewish history continued throughout these years. Indeed people always give their own interpretation of how society should be conducted. The prophets were well aware that their people were disregarding the written laws of Moses. To lose their fixed course from this law was to lose sanity and therefore we read of frequent periods of turmoil and decadence which inevitably left the country ripe for invasion. Knowing of the riches contained in Israel and Judah, there were many invaders. I do not think I exaggerate by saying that probably during these times the Middle East was a focal point for the entire civilised world, particularly Palestine. Merchants were continually passing through, trading with the East and of course many caravans were ravaged. As the Balkan States during the later decades of the nineteenth century were called the cockpit of Europe, so was Palestine at this time a hunting ground for the great nations. Jeremiah, for example, was frequently in and out of prison. The Babylonians held Judah and their armies destroyed Jerusalem. The City was later rebuilt and restored by the great Persian invaders. Palestine was part of the Egyptian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire and the Syrian at various stages, sometimes simultaneously parts of different empires. Of course during Christ’s life, Israel was part of the Roman Empire. In most instances I am not interested in history for history’s sake but rather it is my purpose to relate solely the Jews’ attitude to their God. However, I would like to mention a king who lived in the last quarter of the seventh century B.C., when Jeremiah was a prophet. King Josiah began his reign at the age of eight years and perhaps because he was brought up through impressionable years strictly in Moses’ laws, he was strict in his adherence to these laws. During his reign there was in the archives of the ancient temple to God a find of great importance, being parchments said now to be the Book of Deuteronomy, supposedly one of Moses’ own books. Josiah studied this and concluded that the nation had wandered very much from the original ideals laid out by Moses. He set about reorganising his administration to come into line with the old laws, thus showing the power they held over the Jewish people, as they still do, of course. Finally, in passing I mention Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon because he is well known largely due to the length of his name, I sometimes think. We should thank Nebuchadnezzar for bringing fame to the fiery furnace people, Shadrach, Mesbach and Abednego, without whom a delightful Negro spiritual would never have been written. Daniel the Politician During Daniel’s time, Jews were subject to domination by the Babylonian armies, he and many other Jews were taken to Babylon where they remained all their lives. I am satisfied that Daniel and Darius, the Median conspired to overthrow Belshazzar, king of Babylon and son of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel had, from a young age, built up a reputation as a soothsayer and interpreter of dreams. At a lavish feast given by Belshazzar, writing is said to have appeared on a wall, “Mene mene tekel upharsin,” which no one could understand. Daniel was brought to the king and explained it as follows, mene: God has judged your kingdom and finished it, tekel: you have been weighed on scales and found lacking, upharsin : your kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar was impressed and appointed Daniel to the high office of third ruler of the land. That night he was killed and Darius the Median became ruler and he promoted Daniel to first ruler next to himself, all of which seems to suggest strongly that suspicious goings on occurred. Almost certainly Daniel arranged for the words to be written on the wall, knowing that the king would be intrigued. That he was certainly a favoured person of Darius soon became clear. The authors of the Bible, the lawyers, the judges, the sages all covered over the bloody, slimy and stinking slush of greed, swindle, chicanery and crookedness with a thick layer of pure white wool. And we have to be careful that we do not allow it to be pulled over our own eyes, for invariably the truth can be guessed at if you are prepared to take a little bit of trouble. Daniel then was sitting pretty, but there were a number of his contemporaries who disliked seeing a Jew in such high office. They could not, of course, find fault with Daniel himself: He was honest, faithful, just, hard working and so they attacked him through his only vulnerability, his God. They had seen that every day Daniel kneeled three times towards the direction of Judah in homage to his God. We can see that Daniel regarded it as his mission to infiltrate his God into this unholy kingdom, in which he had reached high rank. He was totally faithful to his God, who naturally condoned all that he did. That is why his deeds read as good actions, for providing the Jew believes that what he does is for his God he is justified within his law and anything goes. The governors and princes who conspired against Daniel attacked him cleverly but Daniel and his mentor Darius were a few steps ahead of them. The plotters set up a royal statute saying that whoever asks a petition of any god or men for thirty days will be fed to the lions. Now such a strange rule could only have been introduced to trap Daniel as Daniel and Darius must have very well known. But the king played along with the plotters, giving them enough rope, as the saying goes, to hang themselves and he signed the decree. Daniel, as usual, knelt towards Jerusalem as he did every day and was discovered by his enemies doing so. Darius did all that he could to try to save Daniel, undoubtedly knowing that he could not, as the law of the Median Persians was that a decree once passed could not be repealed. But it is clear that Darius and Daniel were in league all along. Daniel was supposedly put in the lion’s den and he survived. When the king opened the den up the following morning Daniel says, “Oh king, live forever.” Notice he shows gratitude to Darius rather than to his God who is supposed to have saved him. As a reward for surviving, all of Daniel’s accusers were themselves fed to the lions. They did not survive. Now if Daniel had any thought of God at all, he would have asked for the lives of these people, but such a thought he probably would have thought even weak and dangerous. Like Isaiah, Daniel prophesied the coming of the Messiah. “I saw in the night a vision, one like the son of man come with clouds of heaven and come to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him and there was given to him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people’s nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is everlasting and will not be destroyed.” Daniel was unshaken in his faith throughout his life. He did a lot to establish the rule of God into Babylon and if he did not quite succeed it did the next best thing and put the fear of God into natives. He was a pioneer of early Jewry which infiltrated eventually throughout the world and continued to put the fear of God into people. Daniel was good at intrigue and power politics and he was also an excellent preacher. These are the last words of the Book of Daniel. “But go on your way until your end for you shall rest and stand in your lot at the end of your days.” Hosea and Joel Hosea preached in the Northern territory of the Kingdom of Israel. He strove very hard to persuade his people to repent their ways because of the imminent danger of invasion from other peoples. He was authoritative enough to even tell the priests off. He realised that God is man made in the sense of the law. “Come and let return to the Lord for He has torn and He will heal us.” Hosea predicted the scattering of the Jewish people throughout the world. “For they have sown to the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind. It has no stalk, the bud shall yield no meal, if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Israel is swallowed up. Now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.” “For they are gone up to Syria a wild ass alone by itself. Ephraim has hired lovers.” Hosea believed that the good will fare in the law and the transgressors will foil themselves in it. By breaking your own laws you will bring them to bear upon yourself and you punish yourself. “Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them and the transgressors shall fall therein.” Joel is a short book of some three chapters. Joel tells how a whole nation suffers because of man misleading himself. Like Hosea he talks of the scattering of the Jews and in a highly significant verse he states his belief that the Jews will return to Palestine. “But Judah shall dwell forever and Jerusalem from generation to generation, for I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed, for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.” If you want to understand the Jewish thinking that probably sums it up best. “The Lord dwelleth in Zion,” which means Israel, of course. Joel believes the following: – God began in Israel and Judah which was absorbed by the Gentile world. But God first came into being in Palestine and intends to achieve here the nucleus of heaven. It may sound surprising but I believe this to be substantially true for reasons I shall try to explain elsewhere. I have included Joel and Hosea in my four minute mile – through the Old Testament because I believe them to be perceptive men worthy of attention albeit brief. Jonah, the Fanatic Jonah had an obsession about a city, Nineveh and felt it to be his mission to bring the word of God to this iniquitous place. He managed to put this obsession out of his mind for a while, but an adventure at sea changed his outlook back again. He was a strange chap, very intense and bloody minded and it is in keeping that he invents a fishy story about a whale after he had been thrown overboard by the crew of the ship he was on, who felt him to be a “Jonah”. He went to Nineveh and laced into the people saying that the Lord would destroy the city in forty days. Such was the sincerity and intensity of his outburst that the ruler of Nineveh actually repented and decreed his people to do likewise, no doubt they were a very superstitious lot. This had a traumatic effect on Jonah, such an effect that he nearly had a nervous breakdown when the city was not destroyed by God after the forty days were up. It did not matter that the Ninevehens had repented, Jonah wanted massive destruction. After much self searching, he pulled himself together which was quite an achievement for a man of Jonah’s single mindedness. These I take to be the important points of Jonah’s story. First, you should not ignore wrong when you see it (take the very root like Jonah), your conscience will never otherwise be satisfied. Secondly, having carried out your intentions you must accept the effect your work has upon people and not what you believe yourself to be the result. What humanity decides is carried out eventually. What has been had to be because humanity chose it to be. One might consider this to be self evident, if so then the implications of this are that nothing will come about until humanity chooses it to happen. The Book of Jonah is the last accepted in the Hebrew Bible. There follows a considerable time lapse about which nothing is mentioned. We know that during this time the Greeks and then the Romans took over the nation of Israel. The Old Testament as we know it was assembled by the Greeks. Part II: THE CAPITALIST GOD The Jews were conquered as a nation by invasion and so they adopted the only policy left to them; it was that of infiltration. From quite early times many achieved key positions in the administration of their enemies and grew wealthy under their opponent’s rule. They spread out with each occupying empire to other satellite nations and eventually across the world. Their objectives was rarely direct open power because the Gentiles would rarely tolerate that, their objective was real rule from behind the scenes. This they obtained mainly due to a strict application to the law which in the form of God Moses and others had created for their people. May ingratiated themselves into favour of influential people and they used their wealth to obtain power, but above all their strength was that they had spread the fear of God throughout the world. I believe that this process has existed for many hundreds of years and so that consequently today in the Western Capitalist world many Jewish people exercise huge power and influence. For instance, for decades they have formed an important lobby in the House Commons. They proliferate the world of commerce and finance especially in the United States and in Great Britain. In modern times thousands of them have won distinction of one sort or another. I mention a few of the better known: Benjamin Disraeli, Rufus Isaacs, Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, Albert Einstein, Adler, Mendelssohn and Offenbach. There have been many well known Jewish financiers etcetera, the most famous probably being the House of Rothschild. From the very earliest of days when wandering in the deserts of Sinai the Jewish people have maintained a fantastic unity and no matter how far a Jew wanders, to him his real home is always Palestine. The creation of the modern State of Israel after the Second World War was a tremendous achievement in Jewish history and I believe that it is most probable that Jewry would use its influence in the West to bring about a World War before Israel fell to the communist supported Arab nations. Whilst living their exiled lives most Jews are careful to maintain their identity. They tend to intermarry and to settle disputes and problems between Jews amongst themselves. Yet they are unobtrusive infiltrators, law abiding and model citizens. Of course there are always a few exceptions to all this but I feel that I am justified in generalising here because of the unique unity which exists amongst Jewish People. Jews are natural capitalists. The God that sprang from Judah and spread among the Gentiles has quite simply become a capitalist God and Western religion has become the religion of Capitalists. I feel that this is deeply to be regretted. Capitalism which sanctions greed, injustice and privilege is totally abhorrent to the doctrines of true Christianity. It should not be possible to reconcile capitalism and Christianity yet the Jewish people do not even have to because they have never accepted Christ. It is my view that such is their subconscious guilt at the race which condemned and crucified him, that they are forever justifying their God and they have become the greatest capitalists of all. They have survived intact with their God for hundreds of years. Following the fall of the Roman Empire to the Dark Ages through the centuries of feudalism and the age of capitalism, they have survived. They have survived hatred and persecution which reached its zenith in recent times with the Nazi concentration camps. They have suffered probably more than any other race and for a longer time but they reached the acme of their influence with the Western capitalist world. But how very significant also it was that the “Jesus Christ” of the Communist world should be as Karl Marx was, a Jew. For when a Jew such as he had a revolutionary change of outlook the intensity of his Jewish intellect brought to bear against the system beloved by his people was sufficient to shake the world. Imagine then the combined force of that Jewish intellect applied to the question of Christianity. For if only Jewish people were to follow Christ then all the influence, power and determination of a superior race would then sooner bring about a world of justice, universal peace and understanding and the quality of life which is what pure Christianity means. Mankind has all the time there is at his disposal and will, so I believe ultimately find sanity. In real terms time is relatively unimportant in that although it would be in theory possible to bring about the downfall of capitalism and totalitarianism within months, such a happening is clearly most unlikely in this generation. I do not believe that this matters because individuals do not matter as much as humanity as a whole. Since the beginnings of awareness nearly every enlightened opinion or revolutionary new achievement has been condemned by the establishment of its day. All that was important was that the idea survived and then ultimately that idea would become reality when humanity found it necessary. It is my opinion that every time you see a chapel or a church you are looking at a monument to materialism, a tool of the establishment that condones all this capitalist’s society’s actions. For in practice, law and justice do not mean the same as their definition and there is no justice in the God who came out of Judea, it was merely law. The hypocrisy that has resulted, the evil that has been condoned by the capitalist church has at last sickened many millions of people. Now ours is an age of scepticism and atheism and indifference, where to recognise Christ at all is to be labelled at once by contemporary intelligentsia who should know better, as a reactionary or at best a “Jesus freak.” So closely has the Church become associated with the establishment that it probably can never again obtain and exercise a revolutionary influence. As I see it the mythical Jewish God in the sky has been tried and found wanting by another Jew, Jesus Christ. He, of course, was brought up to believe in Moses’ God but Christ realised that what Moses believed was merely a glimpse of sanity. Personally I respect Moses because his belief was to a large extent fashioned by the circumstances of his situation. But as Christ shows Moses’ vision was but a glimpse of the truth. The source of all power “a motion and a spirit that impels all thinking things, all objects of all thought and rolls through all things,” that is the universe, can be called God, if you like. Man has the freedom to find this real God and then they both will know who they are. I truly believe that God is being assembled by man and I believe that man has the imagination and capability, the time and the resources to do so but only when he finds it necessary. The prophets of the pre Christ era had a good grasp of the requisites for sanity. It is true that they saw it mostly in terms of the sanity of the advancement of their own race but their achievement is still a very real one. Some of them, I would say Isaiah certainly, realised that the ultimate would be the nullification of wrong. Were the Jews also to accept Christ and the significance of Christianity. I sincerely believe that a major step forward would have been taken. Then, as the prophet said: God really would come out of Palestine. BOOK THREE: ASPECTS OF GOD Buddha, Mahommed and others THE GOD OF WISE PASSIVENESS Buddha means “The Enlightened One,” or “The Awakened One.” Buddha was an Indian prince called Gautama and he lived about five hundred years before Christ near the border of Indian and Nepal. Whilst sitting under a bo tree, he experienced a flash of enlightenment which prompted him to forego all his wealth in order to seek the meaning of existence. His belief necessitates, or aspires to the complete mastery of the self. As an important requisite of knowledge and understanding, the Christian too needs this knowledge of himself. The Buddhist sees this as an end in itself; he must be “as the waters of a deep lake, calm and unruffled for if one man conquer in battle a thousand times a thousand men and if another conquer himself, that man is the greater conqueror.” There is no god, no creator, merely the self, which is born over and over again in different people, even possibly as an animal. Consequently no life of any description is taken by a Buddhist. Buddha stresses the importance of thought and meditation, “Let a man be devoted to that quietness of heart that comes from within. Let him not drive away the joy of meditation let him be much alone.” He taught detachment from all material aims and that the three great sins were self indulgence, ill will and ignorance. The blissful state of perfection was reached by the freeing in oneself of the sins. In many ways, Buddha made a greater approach to sanity than most people today. The essential difference between him and Christ is in Buddha’s passivity. Christ was the great optimist, the potential in mankind to achieve perfection through action. But there is a significant similarity in both; they both advocate the knowledge of oneself as the key to sanity. Buddhism was a breakaway from the Hindu faith and is not practised to any extent now in India, its main home being Japan and Ceylon; it was practised in old China but is probably now defunct under the Communist government. The Hindus Theirs is an extremely old religion which does not seem to owe its origin to any individual. The earliest form was a belief in pantheism and the one divine being who included all knowledge and all nature within himself. This belief has been modified through the centuries. Under Hinduism, society is divided into strict castes, the supreme of which is called the Brahman caste, or the priestly caste. The pantheism of the early Hindus gave way to a religion of personal gods of which the three most important are Brahma, who is the father of all; Vishnu who is the preserver; and Sira, who is the destroyer. This led the way to highly superstitious and primitive customs, beliefs and deities and local demons, to which the movement of Buddha rounded in opposition. There are now numerous sects and sub-castes and masses of popular beliefs and rituals. As the Buddhist, the Hindu believes in the transmigration of souls and has the same respect for all life. If you lead a good life you go up in the caste scale when you return to mortal life and the opposite applies if you have been evil. Only the gradual building up of a fine record, can the final salvation be achieved. However what I have written about Hinduism here is just a sketch of the main precepts. It is an Eastern faith and therefore enigmatic and grossly complex. I particularly like the pantheistic concepts for these are largely accepted by the real Christian. The difference being the importance the Christian attaches to man in the scheme of things: humanity is “aware” and therefore is the nerve centre of God, the eyes, the ears, the nose, the voice, the touch of God (I recommend to those unfamiliar with it, E. M. Forster’s ‘A Passage to India’ for interesting detail of the Hindu faith). The Prophet of Islam Mahomet, Mahommed or Mohammed was born nearly six hundred years after Christ in Mecca. In a similar way to many of the Jewish prophets he became concerned at the moral laxity and superstition and ignorance of the Meccans and other Arabs. He studied the Lives of the Jewish prophets and Christ and seems to have been thoroughly familiar with the religion of Christianity. But he claimed himself as the true interpreter of God and said his teachings were directed by God through the archangel Gabriel, who appeared to him in visions. He began to win support, but his beliefs forced him to flee to the city of Medina where he tried unsuccessfully to engage the support of the strong Jewish community. Eventually he became a powerful man and after about only eight years, practically the whole of Arabia followed Islam. This was partly achieved by his followers embracing his faith and partly by conquest of non believers. This was a remarkable achievement, of course, because he had risen from poverty to the control of an empire and from obscurity to a reverence that became fanatical. Mohammed once sent letters to all the crowned kings of Europe, demanding then to accept that there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet. Within a hundred years of his death, the Mohammedan armies had spread his faith to Syria, Persia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain, and it was to reach Turkey, Eastern Europe, the Interior of Africa and India. The sacred book of Islam, the Koran is a record of successive revelations given to Mohammed and declared to be a transcript of a tablet in heaven. It preaches toleration of other peoples and faiths and urges its followers to purify their lives and recognise the greatness of knowledge, of reason, of thought. The poor and weak are always to be helped. Regular prayer is required each year during the month of Ramadan, our September, and fasting is practised with no eating at all during daylight. Pork is forbidden as is heavy drinking, usury and gambling. There are various other practices required also. At the end of a Mohammedan’s life Allah judges the person and sends him or her either to paradise or the fires of hell accordingly. In fact, Allah is really the same god as described by the prophets in the Old Testament; he is remote and a man subservient of his followers. He was the Supreme Being and dispensed justice to his minions and destruction upon his enemies. Neither Buddha, the Hindus nor Mohammed, or the prophets for that matter realised as Christ did, that the collective good of humanity could bring about the perfect state. This is because they thought in individual terms and blamed individuals rather than the systems as people do today. It is not enough to say that Mohammed really cashed in on Christ’s teachings and beliefs, although this is probably true. Mohammed used Judaism and Christianity for his own purposes, but he achieved outstanding success and he cannot be dismissed as a mere hanger on of Christ. He laid down a system for living that truly followed as undoubtedly civilised and sane. His religion is still growing though there have been formed various sects within Islam. They differ on minor details, but fundamentally all Mohammedans or Muslims are united. For instance, the Shiites claim that it is only the descendants of Ali, husband of Mohammed’s daughter that are true Moslems, but all Muslims still make pilgrimage to Mecca. Each Muslim is required if at all possible to make one pilgrimage to the Holy City. In Mohammed’s name, large armies set about Europe and in 732 AD one hundred years after the prophet’s death they almost succeeded in conquering France. The Muslims eventually settled down in their own country and between the eighth and twelfth centuries, developed a civilisation superior to that of contemporary Western Europe. In agriculture they made rapid developments and their technology was amongst the most advanced of its time. Leather goods, paper making, metalwork, glass, pottery and weaving were all arts that flourished under the faith of Islam in Egypt, Persia, parts of India and Greece, Syria and Spain. The civilisation was accomplished in the field of literature and mathematics, and they were active in the science of astronomy, medicine and chemistry while their architecture is that of a truly civilised people. Although the faith remains very strong, the civilisation it held together was outstripped by the rapid technological advances of Western Europe, the Americas and the Communist countries. I must point out that human beings, being what they are, the practitioners of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etcetera, are as likely to be as full of ignorance, greed and hypocrisy as the followers of Christianity. This does not retract from the founders of these religions. I see no purpose in writing about Confucius, although millions of Chinese once worshipped the life style described by this philosopher. In the long term the worship of Confucius held China back and in any event the rise of Communism in the country has drastically altered the religious outlook and today Chairman Mao Tse Tung is regarded with no less reverence that that accorded to a god. I honestly believe that most of the gods and prophets all had the right theme. All were ahead of their time, but only Christ had the real grasp of what sanity really was and I would estimate in all seriousness, Christ to be in the region of 3,000 years ahead of his time. BOOK FOUR: THE MAN GOD Part 1: The Man God It was forty two generations after the days of Abraham and Palestine was part of the Roman Empire. A plan for the taxation of the inhabitants was devised and people from the outlying areas had to make their way to the larger towns to pay. The Roman leader was Augustus Caesar, formerly called Octavius, who was undoubtedly an outstanding figure in Roman history who held the empire together after the assassination of Julius and the civil war with Mark Anthony. His reign came to be known as the “Pax Augusta”, and it was a long period of universal peace. It was at this time that Christ was born to two Nazarenes, Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem, Judea, where they had come to pay the tax. The child had been conceived out of wedlock and Joseph had married Mary to whom he was engaged, when he found out. From his birth there was speculation about the child and we can only guess at the real reason. I think that it was possibly true that Joseph was just a man because he married the woman he had made pregnant. She was therefore saved the humiliation and both parents seem to have considered the well being of the child as being of the utmost importance. Perhaps it was said that as good was shown to the child so he would reflect goodness. There followed in the story of the birth of Christ the mysterious arrival in Bethlehem of the three Eastern astrologers who searched for what they were convinced was the birth of a phenomenon. That the time was ripe for the emergence of a great Jewish leader is certainly clear because all their history pointed to the Jews that in times of stress a leader arose who freed them from their oppressors. The three men from the East are said to have been searching for such a person in Palestine, and their search was brought to Herod, who was the puppet king’s notice. Herod told the astrologers to continue to look for the Messiah and to tell him when they had found him so that he might also worship the child. The Orientals realised Herod’s true motives and having found and paid homage to the baby they went away without informing the king. Herod immediately ordered the killing of children under two years old in Bethlehem and Joseph and Mary are said to have fled with the child to Egypt and remained there until Herod died. Thus they also fulfilled a prophecy that God would bring forth the great leader from the land of Egypt. Most of my analysis has obtained from reading the New Testament; I never did find it necessary to spend so much time with the Old Testament because it is centred around the Jewish God, who condoned all within the law, he being the law. I have read the New Testament trying to bear in mind that it was all written or at least all assembled after Christ’s death. No doubt most of his activities were recorded at the time of happening, but I do not think it was presented in the form of books until after the crucifixion. For this reason, the authors were able to say that things happened as it had been foretold by prophets. Of course writing after an event is quite different to writing at the actual time of the happening of an incident. After an event you have time to see incidents in their perspective, and it is possible to find greater significance and truth; but there is also danger of misrepresenting and over rationalising and mistakenly forcing significance upon an incident which might not have been rational or completely logical. History is riddled with mistruths and inaccuracies which are very difficult to correct. It is said that Sir Walter Raleigh during his imprisonment in the Tower of London began writing a history of the world. One day outside his cell two men had a fierce argument and one of them killed the other. In spite of enquiries by himself and although it happened within yards of him Sir Walter was unable to find out the truth of the incident. The story goes that he went back to his sheaf of papers and tore them up and he never attempted a similar work again. A bit drastic perhaps, but we can see what Sir Walter meant. The important point in the accuracy and also the inaccuracy of the history of Christ is what he said, and it does not really matter whether he said what he did or someone else did. The knowledge attributed to Christ was made known because it is here today. I honestly believe that too much emphasis is given to Christ’s actions which may or may not have been exaggerated and not enough emphasis is given to his attributed sayings, his reasons for saying them which can be judged for what they are. Another point I must make is that I have tried to read the Testament in the form it would apply in our days and this is why I refer to Mary’s pregnancy as that conceived illegitimately before marriage. I do not find anything difficult in accepting that Christ was conceived in the normal way that is as a result of sex between Joseph and Mary. This has no bearing on him being the son of God; we are all sons and daughters of God. I try to read the Testament in a modern light and I attempt to apply logic and common sense to what I regard as the more blatantly outrageous or unscientific. Right then, the time was ready for the arrival of a leader from amongst the Jewish people and everyone seems to have expected it and wanted it. A man called John playing the same role as the earlier prophets anticipated such and preached vigorously amongst his people, blaming them for their failings and indiscretions which had reduced them as a race to the minions of Rome. John seems to have wished for a sort of fire and brimstone leader and, was perhaps a little disconcerted when Christ emerged preaching universal love and brotherhood and was not at all the type of person John had envisaged. John was probably one of the “repent or be damned” school, the vengeance is mine type, who is, perhaps actually a tiny bit disappointed if people do try to change their ways. Christ was an infant prodigy, this we can see by his questioning of the doctors of law and divinity in the Temple of Jerusalem when he was merely twelve years old. That he was gaining a reputation already and held in such high esteem was significant in that he must always have liked people. His fame began to grow and so when he met John, John seems to have known Christ’s fame. He said to Christ, “Do not come to me to be baptised, I need to be baptised by you.” Christ obviously a compelling and unusual person. He did not meet John until he was about thirty years old and so between the ages of twelve and thirty little or nothing is known of his life. I think we can assume with a reasonable certainty that during these eighteen years Christ formed a complete picture, a complete philosophy within his mind and he perfected knowledge. Christ found the basic concept of existence out of which all else grows and he found God within man. He never began to preach until he was satisfied in his own consciousness, and having begun to preach was always well aware of the consequences for him because the God he was proclaiming was not the material God who was the God of his people. However, Christ realised that the worst that could happen was that he would be put to death and he knew that death was inevitable in any case. Christ believed though that at the moment of death he would gain a new life. This I have tried to explain earlier in Book One when Christ told the thief on the Cross: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Christ realised that directly speaking he came from Joseph and Mary, that humanity as a whole and indeed everything existent had also derived from a source which he called God. The ultimate word “Amen” in Christ’s vocabulary means “Good”. He preached that all things reached towards this ultimate: this state of God and he preached that the basis for this truth, honesty, kindness, tolerance, patience and love. Having been baptised by John, Christ in the New Testament is said to have been subjected to temptations. I think we can take this as a sort of rationalisation by the authors of the Testament of something which went on within Christ’s own conscience. Indeed it may have been tempting for Christ to allow himself to be unduly influenced by his ancestors and to preach slaughter and destruction upon his enemies and it is very likely that using this method Christ could have incited rioting and disorder. Christ could well have been a Moses type or a David type figure but he chose a totally different role and conquered and controlled any selfishness to which he might easily have been susceptible. I feel it was inevitable that a figure such as Christ be Jewish. For perseverance, will power and conviction, and courage too, they cannot be equalled in any other single race of human beings throughout history. It took a Jew to know the Jews and it needed a Jew to carry out the revolutionary convictions that he had. From a very early date the Jews have known what living is all about and do so to this day. The whole world has at various stages condemned them and persecuted them but it was the Jewish race that brought sanity into the world and whether or not we accept it they gave us the laws, the basis of which we still adhere to now. They to their own and perhaps it will take their acceptance of him to eventually show that the God Moses proclaimed is non-existent and that it is the God of Christ who is the God, the God of humanity. I think it important that Jewish people come to realise the full significance of Christ. Christ began to preach and he became famous around the region of Galilee. He began to select his followers and to talk to people and carry out acts of faith healing. His fame spread, even to Syria, and dozens of sick and afflicted people came to him and he often cured and always helped them. The sicknesses suffered by these people resulted in them being ignored and avoided by society. Imagine then their condition: diseased, filthy, some without a limb or without sight, perhaps insane, pathetic, broken wrecks who were outcasts of society. Then someone of great mystique and fame came and talked to them and told them that they had a place in heaven. This act alone was surely a tonic for these wretched people because the world had rejected them and Christ accepted them because he saw that mankind is all one family and whatever you to do to any one member of a family whether good or bad, you do also to yourself. Each of us would not like to see our own relation suffering. Well, Christ says, all people are our family; all children of the world are our children. This doctrine was at variance with the old Jewish order and the established priests and theologians of Christ’s time found him quite intolerable. Christ presented them with a direct threat as they thought and they began to conspire against this strange figure who seemed to be gained ever growing support from questioning Moses’ laws. The Jews had known nothing like Christ; throughout their history they had been taught by authoritarian leaders like Abraham, Moses and Isaac, and they had been taught to instinctively believe that what should be applied to all nations other than Jewish was quite simply an iron fist. If Christ had said, “Blessed are they who do not mourn and blessed are the strong for they shall inherit the earth.” – if Christ had said this it is quite probable the priests would have taken him to their hearts. Not that they ever considered themselves wicked for they seriously held the opinion that their traditional God condoned all of their doings provided that it was within the law. The “Sermon on the Mount” probably sounded as strange to Jewish ears as to anyone else. For here Christ talked of a good God who did not advocate killing, who wanted universal love. Christ could see the value of man to man and he could see that to make man suffer was to make yourself suffer; that to commit genocide was to commit suicide; and that it was an absolute necessity for man to do to others as he would have them do to him. He spoke of the reciprocity goodness, justice and decency brought. How many times have we seen individuals blamed for the failings of the system under which a nation or a region lives? For no matter what the system I feel there should not be reprisals upon individuals. The theme should be not down with capitalists – fascists - dictators, or what have you, but down with capitalism, fascism, totalitarianism, etcetera. The theme should be down with the illness, not with the man, down with the song and not the singer. Of course I know that systems are made up of individuals but an individual can change, he can often be reasoned with, he can often alter his outlook. For rarely in my experience will an individual totally accept any doctrine and invariably there will be room left in his makeup to manoeuvre. I believe there has to be a certain flexibility of mind within everyone. Part 2: The Sermon on the Mount “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” This was Christ’s way of describing the people who are dissatisfied with things as they are; and who truly desire to reach the ultimate satisfaction of mind. By poor in spirit he could perhaps use the words mentally depressed, “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.” These are the people who mourn the passing of relatives and friends, genuinely missing the qualities of the person they mourn and Christ says that they reflect these qualities. One does not mourn the wholly wicked, therefore people who mourn have recognised qualities in others and they will go on finding these qualities in others. Those who have no respect see no respect, but those who can see goodness in others will possess it themselves. They will be comforted because they will at the last be able to see their friends again. “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek do not trample over others but are considerate and tolerant respecters of humanity. Christ is talking about true respect not merely spoken respect in the hope of making gain. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” This is self explanatory. Those who seek justice will find it because they will be satisfied with nothing less. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” Again Christ is here emphasising the reciprocal nature of all things to do with goodness and consideration for others. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Those who become truly and totally perfect will obtain the ultimate and they will therefore be able to see God in others for that is exactly what God is. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” Christ is talking here about the people who recognise man as a citizen of the world and realise the necessity for individual survival. Through their efforts towards obtaining universal peace they will help to bring about unity. Then shall humanity become united as one family with God as the only surname. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” In fact this was precisely the example of Christ: pushing on for the ultimate and taking on all ignorance and realising that the goal for which he strove was so much more than mere compensation for the effort. The true Christian should not seek martyrdom for its own sake because he is meant to be diplomatic. But it is no use however talking and arguing with those who wish to argue merely for argument’s sake; it is equally no use the Christian being impulsive. Like Christ the Christian should try to know exactly what he is talking about and give ample explanations in terms with which his audience will sympathise and identify. Christ knew that he would be opposed by ignorance for ignorance will always try to condemn its opposite. “Blessed are you when men shall revile you, persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” The key word here I believe, is falsely. When the people persecute the givers of truth knowing it to be the truth and yet are too ignorant to accept it for reasons of material gain or jealousy. Yet the fact that you will be persecuted is probably the recognition of the power of your principles. It is a sign of victory over ignorance. The Christian should have no choice but to stand up and be counted. “For you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavour then how can the earth be salted? It is therefore good for nothing but to be thrown away and trodden underfoot.” This is a similar statement to that of Isaiah when he told the people: If you do not keep the law then there is no law for all is void. Christ is saying that without his convictions, then life simply becomes meaningless. There are a number of separate verses beginning with the word “Blessed” and actually they are all sections of the one quality which when assembled becomes humanity. I believe that Christ contained all of the qualities he speaks about and only he contained them all wholly. Christ has examined every angle of the law which was and still is the highway which leads us to the ultimate way of life. By expounding and practising law and right and good, then man advances towards an age of total compatibility. I believe Christ reached that summit. “Do not think,” he said,” that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have come not to destroy but to fulfil.” Christ is saying that he is what the law always aspired to; that he is the sanity of which Moses and the rest glimpsed but could not, or would not materialise. Christ often stresses the importance of the law and declares discipline to be an essential ingredient for the state of perfection to be realised by humanity. Society has to be run according to very strict rules, that the ideal society is run according to Christ’s rules and surely no sane man would wish to live by any others. Christ refers to his own commandments on the mountain. He says “Whoever breaks one of these commandments and teach men so, he shall be least in the kingdom of heaven, but he who does and teaches them shall be called great.” I feel there is something ambiguous here; perhaps it lies in the translation or in the original recording of what Christ is supposed to have said. Perhaps it is that Christ is using these words to shake his audience a little. I see no reason otherwise for different levels to be had in the state of perfection. The next thing he said probably insured as much as anything else his crucifixion. “For I say to you unless your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” The scribes and Pharisees were the established churchmen of Christ’s day (Paul had been a Pharisee incidentally as I have mentioned before). The same thing was wrong with the Church then as has been wrong with the Churches throughout the ages. The established Church is always so obsessed with its own self righteousness that it cannot see further than its own self appointed haloes. Its adherents and its apologists become, at least in their own estimation too wise to be taught and it is a state of mind of which we should all be wary. People such as this can never help towards bringing about the ultimate because it is in their interests to support the status quo. Not feeling the necessity to look any further there is a terrible tendency for them to become dogmatic and stagnant. In Christ’s time the scribes and Pharisees gave no value to individual human beings only to the law; and they set more store by degrading man than by reclaiming him. Even today there is a tendency to run down humanity by even the most intelligent and liberal of people. In the face of overwhelming evidence of wrong and cruelty it is easy to take this view. But it is also I think to ignore the potential in man. Christ regarded man as the greatest entity in the universe. His doctrine was completely new. “You have heard it said by those of antiquity that you shall not kill and he that breaks this law shall be in danger of judgment. But I say that whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of judgment.” This is Christ’s refinement of the law. It is not connected with the written law or law enforcement, but it is the natural law of justice between man and his fellow man. To call a man a fool is showing human disregard and disassociation which is at the root of all warmongers and hate merchants. Christ was giving man the greatest of gifts: a significance, an importance, a substance, in a phrase, “a reason to be”. “If you bring your offering to the altar and you remember someone has a grievance against you, leave your gift and go and be reconciled with him first. You know the saying you shall not commit adultery but I say to you if you look at a woman with lust upon your mind then you have committed adultery with her already in your heart.” What I believe Christ is saying here is that it is self that matters not how one might appear to the world. Christ is saying that it is wrong to live behind a mask and this applies of course to all aspects of life. You might personally be guilty of dishonesty and yet the law might not punish you and it might even condone you. If one thinks of all the dishonest persons one knows and they invariably flourish under a capitalist state and I do not suppose one could name a trade, profession or industry in which some racket or other does not thrive. But these people cannot fool themselves. In a way life is like a game of Solitaire; you can cheat and achieve your object but it can never be satisfactory as it is only by adhering to the rules of your conscience that real satisfaction can be attained. “You have heard it said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say do not resist evil and if you are struck on your right cheek; turn also your left cheek to your persecutors. If any man takes away your coat let him have your cloak also. If someone compels you to go a mile go two miles with him. Give to the man that asks and the man who borrows and never turn anyone away. “You know it is said love your neighbour and hate your enemy, I say love your enemy, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hurt you. Do those things so that you will become true children of God for he makes the sun rise upon the evil and the good. He sends rain upon the just and the unjust so if you merely love those who love you where is your reward? Anyone is capable of that and if you only salute your brother you do no more than others. Therefore be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” We can well imagine the reaction of such a doctrine upon the Jewish people, quite simply what Christ stood for was revolutionary. Of course what he said then is just as relevant today because the illness that caused the trouble is as alive as it ever was. All of humanity’s wrongs, failings and weaknesses are attributable mainly to ignorance, and so rather than sit back and do nothing, Christ recommends his followers to positive action. Christ recommends that we press for and achieve laws, rules and agreements to counter all the forces of ignorance. He recommends that we counterattack these forces of ignorance with reasoning, understanding, tolerance, patience and perseverance. We are asked in short, to live the life of a true Christian: this is difficult, enormously difficult, but we all of us must needs strive constantly to try to live up to Christ’s doctrines. This is done firstly, by knowing oneself and attempting to eliminate all of the faults of which we are aware and letting one’s conscience be the judge of all our actions. “Take care that you do not perform acts of charity and magnanimity merely to be seen to have performed them.” This is saying that we must not give without ulterior motives, we must not give under outside influences, but we must give because we want to give, getting our reward from our own genuine pleasure. “Therefore when you are charitable or generous do not act in a blaze of trumpets like the hypocrites in the synagogue and streets so as to draw attention to yourself.” “When you pray go somewhere alone and pray in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do not pray in vain repetition like heathens who think because they say a lot they will be heard.” We come to a very important point here. The advantage of the traditional idea of the omnipotent almighty Spirit in the sky, is literally in his hero status; the Being to whom we can ask for help and strength, who rights our wrongs, who consoles us and supports us. Without such a belief many people feel they would experience a void with which living might become unbearable. I am fully aware that by declaring the Old Testament Jewish God to be non-existent and that the real God, Christ’s, to be within man himself, that I am possibly destroying something which has been of tremendous value. But I am strongly convinced that the old belief has also had awful consequences and that the Jewish God, since his conception has been used as a sort of celestial excuse for outrageous and evil acts. In practical terms it might be asked of me “How can you pray and ask for help when you say there is no one in the Great Beyond who will listen to you?” Well, Christ, in that last paragraph of the sayings I have used, describes precisely the use and method of prayer. It is essentially a personal experience. When I pray I pray to my better self; I pray to the self who realises that I should be sincere honest and sane; I pray to my good impulses. Everyone has the instinct to achieve perfection and I appeal to these good instincts within me. When I am in some difficulty or facing some problem or other I often pray, sometimes talking aloud to myself or perhaps I meditate, another word I would use for prayer. I try hard to see a problem in its true perspective and I try to work out its logical solution. I attempt to analyse my motivations and if I conclude that they are selfish or misguided, I resolve to try to change my attitude. I do not believe it is of any use praying in the hope that a mysterious power will present you with the illogical. In school one is often tempted to pray for success in examinations and examinations became so important that one cannot bear the prospect of failure. There is, of course, no easy way to pass examinations. You can only prepare yourself to the bets of your ability and then you either fail or pass the exam according to how you do. If you have worked as hard as you can and you do your best and you still fail, then there is really no failure, to my way of thinking. You must instead direct your efforts into something for which you have an aptitude. In this instance if there is any need to pray at all it is only to pray for the strength of mind to do as well as one is able. I know that many people find solace in praying when a friend or relative dies and if it helps, well then they should do so. But death is natural and inevitable. It is my belief however, as I hope I have established, that man through the medium of science will bring about immortality. I believe that Christ was the first to realise this, and I believe that man will bring about perfection although how long man will take depends absolutely and completely upon man himself. Our mission now as I see it, is to live towards this end so that it will come about sooner rather than later. Everything we need is with us now and as is often said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” There is therefore no need to ask some mystique nonexistent being for anything because everything is all here at our disposal. So when I pray I pray that I always realise the significance of these my beliefs and I pray I always remember my many limitations, but I pray also that I live and act to the limit of my capabilities. Christ’s prayers are simpler and to the point but then he knew so much more and one of the greatest difficulties of all is in the simplifying of things. This is Christ’s prayer: (it is so well known that I see no reason for writing it in modern prose). “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth As is it in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive them that trespass Against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom The power and the glory Forever and ever. Amen.” Christ does not say: This is the prayer to pray, but he says “Pray after this manner.” This prayer is meant to be a guide and it is not meant to be repeated parrot fashion so often that it becomes meaningless. As we can see by reading it the prayer speaks for itself. I would like to draw attention too to the verse which follows it:- “For if you forgive men their trespasses your Father will forgive you also. But you will not be forgiven if you do not yourself forgive others.” Part 3: The Christian Conspiracy How many people I wonder, go to church today merely as a sort of conditional response? A woman told me once “I hope it rains tomorrow then we needn’t go to chapel.” She was not a better nor a worse person than myself but quite clearly her chapel going was merely an exercise in conformity out of which she received no pleasure. But in responding to others rather than to Christianity I hold the view that you actually diminish your individuality. Christ tried desperately to give the individual a true status and by seeking an identity within a group, a person acts in contradiction to the meaning of Christianity. What I believe is needed is the entire building of one’s being upon Christ and you do not require churches or societies to do that; and then what is probably needed is some sort of infiltration into the key positions of governments and other sources of power by committed Christians, who can then bring about the ideals of Christianity. I realise of course the enormous practical difficulties of such a policy but this is what I mean by a Christian conspiracy. It might appear deceptively simple but I would say that it should be the Christian’s duty upon accepting Christ to use whatever influence he has or can achieve to perform his beliefs with every iota of resolve and strength he can muster. There are already people with the right idea who are daily fighting to uphold justice and decency. Quite frankly I believe that any movement which is against static government roughly in the right direction and probably only needs a slight re-adjustment of principles to be absolutely right. Rather than sit back then, it is necessary for a Christian to support and help the genuine activists but without ever losing sight of his Christianity and all that that implied. “Lay not up treasures for yourself on earth which can be corroded with age or stolen. Ensure rather that your reward is in perfection which can neither decay or be ravished by thieves.” Christ is saying here that the only wealth on earth is the fellowship between us all. Love for one’s family and friends surpass all riches, indeed, what good are riches without love. Our true wealth is the God that is within us. There is a verse in the Book of St Matthew, Chapter 6 which makes the most significant declaration and one of total relevance to today: “No man can serve two masters or he will either hate one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and dispose the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Just consider then for a moment the position of our leading hierarchy in Britain today in the light of the above. Many of our members of Parliament have sinecures in addition to their most important job as representing a community of people. I feel certain that it is impossible for man to honestly serve his community and also serve a company or a group of companies. It always surprises me that there is an erroneously held belief that Britain is a Christian country. I feel that to anyone with the minimum of awareness it is or should be, obvious that Britain is for the most part class ridden and a capitalist haven of privileged corruption and hypocrisy. But then selfishness and greed are inevitable under a capitalist government. I feel that it is such a bore to have to say all this when I feel that people with any love of truth and honesty will surely be aware of it already. But these things have to be said again, and again, and again, until true sanity is attained. So inbred are the supporters and apologists of conservatism and the rest that nothing short of dynamite will clear the air. It appears that it is the Christian’s lot to be patient but with this patience should also exist vigilance and dedication. I believe that one of the first signs of approaching Christianity in Britain would be for example the diminishing of all achronistic ceremony of pomp and government. Naturally I’m afraid that this would include withdrawal of the status of the Royal Family and their hangers-on, who are mere flotsam and jetsam for the long gone feudalism. “You cannot serve God and mammon”: a Christian categorically lives in the belief that the ultimate is a belief in Jesus Christ and everything he stands for and therefore the Christian cannot love any other life. Christianity is no nine to five job and it cannot be put aside at odd times. Surely if it is anything it is a total commitment to a way of life indeed, an end in itself. I believe that it is that or it is not Christianity. I believe that there is much significance in the following verses and although it is now the twentieth century A.D. and these verses have been read over and over again and sermons have frequently been given on them, the true significance of them is yet to be realised. Matthew 6, from Verse 25: “Take no though of your personal life, what you shall eat or drink, what you shall wear. Is not life more than meat and your body more than clothes? Look at the birds, they neither reap nor sow and yet they are provided for. Are you not superior to them? And as for clothes, why Solomon in all his glory was not even as splendid as the lilies of the field. It is the Gentiles who worry over such things. Do not concern yourself about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient to the day is the evil of that day.” When Christ mentions the Gentiles here I believe he is referring to all those who are selfish and greedy and as the majority of Gentiles and Jews too, of course, are still suffering from the same faults that Christ was talking about we can hardly accuse him of prejudice. The opening verse of the seventh chapter in the Book of Matthew is one I particularly like: “Judge not that you are not judged.” This is a really sobering thought and one which apart from the obvious meaning and significance is a rule that applies to a wider aspect of Christian philosophy. A human being is a privileged creature but perhaps we should not get too vain about this status. Whenever I hear this sentence from Matthew that I have quoted I am reminded of something C.E.M. Joad once wittily wrote that the fact that although evolution is regarded by man as a progression with man at the top and the amoeba at the bottom, then perhaps we would be advised to suspend judgment. However, in more practical terms Christ is saying in this and the forthcoming four verses we should continually carry our consciences before us like a mirror and before we condemn, criticise or judge others, we should apply our standards first of all to ourselves for hypocrisy is insidious. The Christian, it should be stressed should first of all know himself before he attempts to know others. “Give not that which is holy to the dogs or present pearls before swine in case they trample then underfoot and turn and attack you.” Christ is using an allegory here of course, but it is a useful tenet. The Christian will have to do a great deal of persuasion by force of argument. But he should nevertheless ration his arguments and not bother with those who argue back merely for argument’s sake or who clearly have no desire to try to understand the Christian view. The verses I am mentioning next are well known and they are an integral part of Christ’s outlook. “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. Is there a man of you who will give his son a stone if he asks for bread or a snake if he asks for fish? If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will God give good things to then that ask him. All things that you would like men to do you, do to them. This is the law of the prophets.” It is easy to neglect the value of individual verses. I happen to regard the next few verses I shall mention as the crux of Christ’s sermon should affect and determine our lifestyle. I shall say more of them shortly but meanwhile I would like to state them: “The road to destruction is a broad one and that to sanity is conversely narrow, there are few who find it.” Capitalism for instance, is attractive because it promises a good time. It is so easy to sit back and enjoy the transient and materialistic empty pleasures of a money oriented society. For the few, capitalism has many rewards, albeit completely useless ones, and in fact taken in its world context I hold that such a system is in fact a crime. Nevertheless it is only the strongest of the strong wills that can defy the system because its pleasures can be as seductive as Cleopatra in her “salad days”. The choice then is the individual’s: the broad easy road to corruption and idleness or the narrow one to sanity. “Beware again of the false prophet.” Christ is talking here about the man declares himself to be a Christian and having declared himself to be a Christian it will soon be known whether he is spreading truths or lies because he will give himself away by his actions. “Every good tree brings forth good fruit and a rotten tree produces rotten fruit.” One of the joys of Christianity is in its lack of pretence for the message is quite clear: You either live for humanity as a true Christian or else you live for yourself. Any attempt to combine the two definitive choices is not tolerated by Christ. Remember that every tree that produces bad fruit is hewn down. “By their fruits shall you know them.” and not by their appearance in church or chapel, or by smooth talk or pretence. Part 4 If we follow now the New Testament sequence we find that Christ talks about the conditions for acceptance into the state of perfection when it is attained by humanity. It is difficult to visualise and comprehend such a condition which is the zenith achievement, but I believe that when perfection is achieved it will be quite obvious how it exists and works. I readily confess it to be beyond the limits of my understanding. In the same way that the creation of God, the impulse, the force “that drives the green fuse through the flower,” is beyond contemporary logic and reasoning. We must always remember that humanity is still in its infancy and therefore the shortcomings and insanity that we can see all around us; though it is all necessary it is also all ephemeral, all temporal and transient. For I am convinced that time will answer all questions and achieve everything. There is no great hurry and all stones will be turned over. Evolution has to run its full course and only so much can be assembled and digested at a time. One cannot ask a baby of six months about the usefulness of differential calculus. Therefore the nature of Christ is all the more phenomenal and he still has shown more knowledge and understanding than anyone else in the history of man. He tells us that not everyone will achieve the ultimate and I think this is because by the way those who do not achieve the ultimate lived their mortal life proves their incompatibility with Christianity. Most people probably desire immortality but it is according to the rules laid down by Christ that decide their capability of obtaining immortality. Rejection of Christ, or if not of him personally then for everything he stands for, will result in rejection by him. I do not for one minute believe that transgressors will spend an eternity in the fires of hell or any such superstitious nonsense but simply that having been incompatible perfection they will be what they always were: nothing. I do not believe it is necessary to have heard of Christ or Christianity to try to live a good or a just life for that is basically all that is required of a Christian. We are “judged” on our lives and our relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters; our true selves, our real selves will be examined, our motives, our desires, our accomplishments and our failings. I have said I do not know the form and method of such an “examination” and how can I? Surely it is sufficient to believe in such an “examination” and that it will take place or, conceivably is taking place. I do know though, that each person will receive justice and mercy and more of both than any mortal court of law could ever show and that there will be no miscarriage of justice when a conscience is examined. “Many people will say to me on that day, Lord we have prophesied you and done wonderful deeds in your name and I will say, I never knew you.” “Whoever listens to my words is like the wise man who built his house on rock and the strong foundation could withstand all the adversities of weather. Those who listen to me and reject my words are like the foolish man who built his house upon sand which soon fell down at the first sign of bad weather.” Christ was fond of little allegories like this which helped to make his point to his audience. He warns of all the sufferings that must be endured by his future followers at the hands of the self righteous and evil: “Beware of men for they will take you before their councils and condemn you in their churches. You will be brought before governments and kings for my sake. And when you are tried, do not worry about what or how you will speak because at that moment you will speak with the voice of the spirit of man. Brother will condemn brother, fathers their children and children their parents.” I believe that before man becomes the Man God, things hitherto unimagined will come about through the whole gamut of experience. The world described in modern books like Brave New World, We, and 1984, all are possible even probable in reality. Holocausts and worldwide turmoil and disorder, wars, decades perhaps even a thousand years or a thousand thousand years of totalitarian stability, regression and failure, and then centuries upon centuries of advancement and enlightenment with new civilisations rising from the ashes of dead ones. All of these could come about; they could all happen not only on a worldwide scale but on a universal scale. If one thinks to the limits of one’s imagining and then realise that the meaning of existence goes far beyond this then one has perhaps an inkling of what it is all about. But far from destroying us with the seeming hopelessness and insignificance of our personal life surely we should be strengthened and enlightened by the knowledge that through our individual life and the living of it we have tried to do our part in the advancement of humanity. It may seem infinitesimal but it could mean that one human being has been a reasonable success and that is the highest of all achievements. The assessment of your life may take place millions and millions of years after your death and paradoxically this means that it will take place at the same instant as your death because you will not have been conscious of the immense passage of time in between. As I have suggested, I know, or believe I know the answer to the question “Why?” But not to the question “How?” Conviction and belief answers the first question and I believe that imagination, science and technology will answer the second. Within the limitations of his own society a human being has a varying degree of freedom depending upon that society. In Christian terms he already has freedom: the freedom to choose his own destiny and irrespective of the nature of his rulers he retains this freedom. I believe it is only the true Christian who realises the significance of this. Christian beliefs have brought and will bring about division and disorder not within itself but within its opposite. By no means was Christ the meek and mild ideologist and pacifist that he is frequently made out to be. As he said himself: “I have not come to spread peace on earth, I come with the sword and I will send a man against his father, daughters against their mothers. I will divide households and he who loves his family more than me is not worthy of me.” Christ’s single mindedness and strength is awe inspiring and he put his faith before everything, even before his mother. It has to be remembered that Christ was preaching to other Jews and having read earlier what I wrote about the Jewish prophets and their God we can perhaps realise the task he had set himself. When we think of it then almost everything Christ said was spoken to other Jews and was written about also by Jews. It could well be that Christ’s attitude to other people might probably have differed, but he was obliged to lay it on with his own race. He knew them, and he knew the best way of dealing with them: offer them no compromise, threaten and bully and cajole them, frighten them, perhaps even entertain them, but never relax for a moment; this then was Christ’s policy. It has to be said that this policy did not completely work. Christianity, or what has been called Christianity, became a great religion, but the Jews still do not accept it. I have suggested that a change of mind in this way would be a massive step forward and all we can do is live in hope. In basic terms then we can say that Christ’s way was persuasion, whereas the history of the world’s iniquities and failings today is caused by compulsion. No man can be compelled to become a Christian against his instincts whatever the pressures applied. True, he could come to call himself a Christian, but he would not be one for a man has to see for himself that justice and good have to be sought after and achieved. I believe sincerely that to the sane such things are elementary and self evident. Part 5 Christ once asked his disciples what they had heard the people say he was or what they though he was. He had variously been described as John the Baptist, and even been mistaken for a number of the old prophets. Peter gave him the answer he wanted when he said: “You are the Christ, Son of the Living God.” Christ was delighted with this which he saw as evidence of the influence of his words. Shortly after, the scribes and Pharisees had another go at him saying: “Why do your followers break the traditions of the prophets in not washing their hands before they eat?” Christ said: “It is not that which goes into a man which defiles him but that which comes out.” In this instance the disciples could not follow Christ and he said to them of the scribes and the Pharisees: “Leave them be, they are blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind both will fall into the ditch.” Peter still could not understand and asked Christ for a parable which would explain more clearly his meaning. Christ was a little put out and began to think that although Peter was a faithful follower he did not fully comprehend the significance of his professed beliefs. “Are you still able to understand?” he asks Peter. “Whatever enters the mouth proceeds to the belly and is cast out but that which comes from evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness and blasphemies. To eat with unwashed hands does not defile you.” Later on the Pharisees and Sadducees approached and asked Christ for a sign from heaven. He said: “When it is evening and the sky is red you say it is fine weather and in the morning when the sky is overcast you say it will be foul weather. Hypocrites, you can discern the face of the times, a wicked adulterous generation seeks a sign and there shall be no sign but the sign of Jonah.” (Here Christ is referring to the story of Jonah and Nineveh). By now having taught and performed acts of faith healing throughout the nation Christ was well aware of the consequences for him. He was disrupting life and the administration and he must have known exactly the results that this would have. In a way the reaction he expected was going to prove his teachings, it was going to prove that ignorance would always condemn its opposite. His final resolve was to enter the lion’s den itself, Jerusalem, and there face to face the priests and administrators of the Jewish capital. Peter attempted to persuade him to avoid this confrontation but was bitterly rebuked: “You understand only those things of men not of God,” Christ said. It is reasonably clear that Christ needed to give Peter an occasional reminder that he was not as strong or as knowledgeable as he thought he was. Christ in fact depended upon no one other than himself and he declared earlier: “The people pay me lip service, their hearts are not really with me, so did the prophets foretell.” He had no doubt of his alienation and solitude and all he was really concerned about was to establish his doctrine. In fact, his followers did not let him down and his words were never forgotten; but at this time Christ’s days were running out and there were things he still had to do. He had realised that what the people needed they did not want and they did not want what they needed simply because of ignorance and Christ could forgive them for that. All my beliefs and ideals I have found within the New Testament. I have no wish to duplicate stories merely for their own sake because they are readily accessible should anyone wish to read about them. I would like however to write about the final sequence before the crucifixion in Christ’s history because I feel it gives an insight to his personality, his relationship with his people and his effect too upon an outsider namely, the Roman governor of the Jewish state. Early in the book I have spoken of the necessity for contrast for the establishment of knowledge and I have spoken of the necessity of evil for the attainment of good. Christ provided the contrast to the people of his time. How Christ must have been hated by the scribes and Pharisees and what probably annoyed them particularly was his total lack of qualifications of any kind. He was after all only the son of a carpenter and yet perhaps they suspected that he knew more than they did and perhaps they were jealous that he was loved by thousands of ordinary people. The doctors of law hated him because he seemed to know more about the law than they did, administrators must have feared him because he was disrupting the nation; doctors may have feared him because he had a reputation as a faith healer; money lenders and business people must have hated him because Christ condemned them. Such was his affect and influence that in any other country Christ would probably never have lasted as long as he did but the Jews had to be fair within their own law. They could not bring themselves to condemn one man innocent of breaking one of their laws. There was no question of justice coming into it, but Christ had to be stopped within the Jewish law. He presented then with a formidable task but in the end, his opponents managed to make a charge stick. In some respects perhaps they could not be blamed for trying to condemn him because certainly Christ was out on a limb and no one had been like him before in the entire course of history. No one can successfully apply his own standards to a man completely beyond him. Eventually Christ was arrested by a mob at the instigation of the High Priest, chiefs and elders, and brought to a farcical trial which was brimful of false witnesses against him. Even then the best charge that could be obtained was a trumped up accusation by two witnesses who said that Christ had said he could knock down the temple and build it up again in three days. At last the High Priest, Caiaphas, asked Christ the important question: “Are you the son of God?” – and Christ said simply that he was. It was now a direct confrontation between the new conception of God and the traditional God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob down to Caiaphas himself. Like most people Caiaphas could not understand Christ’s statement and took it literally as meaning that Christ was saying he actually had been conceived by an omniscient deity. Taken in such terms Christ under Jewish law had uttered a blasphemy and was therefore guilty of a crime punishable by death. It seems that Christ had accepted that this would inevitably be the result, it was the only possible outcome and it really proved what he knew already. Caiaphas and his priests must have been greatly relieved. After the fixed trial and skulduggery, at last they were able, justifiably in their own eyes to condemn Christ on his own admission. But Palestine was part of the Roman Empire and it was now up to the governor to pronounce death. The governor was Pontius Pilate, in my opinion one of the most wrongly reviled names in history. When Christ was brought before him, the Roman asked him straight forwardly, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and it seemed that Christ said he was. Christ was obviously calm and apparently unworried, an attitude which must have impressed Pilate who was used to and probably expected a lot of fawning and cringing, bowing and scraping, flattery and smooth talking from the usual run of prisoners who were brought before him. Then Christ’s crimes were listed by the priests and elders. He still remained silent however and Pilate said, “Have you not heard all these things they are saying you have done?” Again Christ said nothing. Now Pilate was no ordinary man, he held a very responsible and difficult job and his purpose above all was to keep the peace in Palestine. Pilate assessed the situation very quickly. As St. Matthew puts it, “He knew that because of envy they (meaning Caiaphas and the rest) had delivered him (meaning Christ).” Strangely, Pilate’s family do not appear to have wanted him to have anything to do with this affair and though it must have been rare that a wife interfered with a Roman governor’s work, Pilate’s wife did on this occasion and said, we are told, “Have nothing to do with that just man for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.” It was the custom of the time that on a feast, the governor could release a prisoner who was nominated by the people. The people’s favourite in prison was a man called Barabbas. After deliberating for a while Pilate announced, “Who will I releaser, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ? The choice is yours.” The crowd shouted for the release of Barabbas. Then Pilate said, “What shall I do with Jesus?” And the crowd shouted for his crucifixion. Pilate was faced with a delicate situation and he acquiesced to the crowd’s demand, I believe purely for reasons of expediency. The evidence suggests that Pilate himself was unconvinced as to Christ’s guilt. “He asked the crowd, why what evil has he done.” The crowd shouted out the more for Christ’s death so Pilate ostentatiously washed his hands in water before the mob and said, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person.” So showing great diplomacy, Pilate condoned the execution of an innocent man without implicating himself. The Jews were a subject race of Rome and no doubt Pilate was contemptuous of them and one Jew more or less did not worry him, but he possibly jarred at the prospect of condemning an innocent man. He laid the responsibility firmly at the feet of the Jews and at that time they were quite eager to accept it. “The people said his blood be on us and on our people.” I suspect to this day that guilt still jars the Jewish intelligence. Pilate it was however who had the last word; the people had had their wish but he showed his authority over them in a subtle way for he caused then a sign to be placed atop of Christ’s Cross saying, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Pilate had this written in Hebrew, in Latin and in Greek probably so that many people would be able to understand what was written. The Jewish priests suggested to Pilate that instead should be written, “I am King of the Jews,” but Pilate answered with finality, “What I have written I have written.” So Christ was taken off and was crucified. Whilst he was hanging on the Cross he was jeered by the populace, “they that passed by railed on him wagging their heads and saying, are you that destroyed the temple and built it in three days, save yourself and come down from the Cross.” Likewise the priests mocked him and said “He saved others but he cannot save himself, let Christ the King of Israel descend from the Cross that we may see and believe.” Christ was not bitter and he turned to the crowd and he said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but for yourselves and your children,” then he said, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” It is difficult to feel more sorry for the crowd or for Christ. But Christ’s work was in a sense done and his suffering was over; therefore it is probably more appropriate that we should feel sorry for the crowd who crucified him. In effect to feel sorry for us. Part 6: Conclusion I realise that many questions arise from the words I have written and I would reiterate what I have already confessed; that I have not necessarily got an answer to these questions. However I am convinced that answers will be found some time when man finds it necessary to solve what appear now to be imponderable questions. Of course my beliefs are not complete, nor do I profess them to be particularly new. My purpose was simply to set them down as straight forwardly as I could so that they might at least help someone perhaps or evoke thoughts in the minds of others. I do not however make any apologies for what I believe. If anyone else has something better to offer and they are as able as I was to write it down and present it for examination. Many questions constantly trouble me. For instance I am not sure how what is believed to be unconscious life fits into the scheme of things. I am thinking particularly of the animals of history which were all part of the evolutionary process yet, they were and are unaware and even the most intelligent of them are only are susceptible to limited emotions and it is difficult at present therefore to define their complete role. Never having been aware they can never have been conscious of life or death presumably; maybe they will become aware. We could ask the same questions of Neanderthal or primitive man. Then we come to the question of the children who died in infancy, what chance did they have of knowing what life was about? The fact that we each of us exist as individuals was in itself an extremely fortuitous chance of biology. What then of all the life that was unborn? There are many other questions of a similar nature. I only know that all of these things, everything that was, is or could have been, all of them have their place in the scheme of things and all of them are aspects of knowledge and as such were necessary. These and many other difficult questions need answering but I do not think they undermine or alter the facts and suggestions I have presented earlier. I maintain that by adopting a way of life advocated by Jesus Christ man will realise his full potential and I do not believe it necessary to have complete knowledge to know that complete knowledge can be obtained. I do not know either, how society I would like to see is reconciled to the highly technological society that the advanced human being will create. Complete and real freedom and equality applied to our present capitalist countries would seem on the face of it to imply the severe reduction in the standard of living of these countries. Perhaps this would only be in the short term. Most probably it is more important and necessary for us to try to see centuries ahead in human history to even glean an inkling of what is in store for man. In talking about the ideal society I have not forgotten the importance of sex in the lives of human beings. At this point I think it appropriate to mention the name of Wilhelm Reich, who was the pioneer and advocate of a basic truth. Apparently this man died in an American prison, his books burned or banned, and in his life he had been persecuted by both fascists and communists. Reich believed that socialism could never be complete without sexual freedom and he stated that the rulers of society, whatever the ideology of the society, are helped by the existence of sexual frustration. Free sex is abhorred by establishments because it is set directly against them; it is set both against the subservience of the individual of the police state and it is set against the neurotic bondage of the capitalist accumulator. Reich said that probably a sexual revolution was necessary before political revolution could be effective and certainly any socialist revolution had also to be a sexual revolution. Reich said this because he believed that it is only the free and unsuppressed mind that can live at one with his fellow man. Indeed the amount of evil that has been done during the history of humanity which must have had a sexual motivation must be enormous. It is my belief that humanity is striving for the ultimate and the complete satisfying of the mind and like Wilhelm Reich I do not believe this to be possible before the body also is satisfied. The immediate future for contemporary society looks bleak. The universal problems of over population and dwindling natural resources appear to have a possible answer in the outbreak of a limited nuclear war. Following the disruption on earth of humanity in some form or another an age of greater stability than was known from the time of the great slave civilisation is quite probable. The Orwellian nightmare of the two or three great totalitarian nations ruling the world with their unique power which is sought and held merely for its own sake by apparently invincible oligarchies is very much a danger. Should this happen I am sure that these regimes will be defeated sooner or later, most probably later by something which is perhaps best described as the spirit of man. I do not give this as a vain hope, one might say a brave hope, but I give it as an assurance because I have said that I believe everything is necessary and for the purposes of humanity then insanity has to be tested to the full. If humanity finds it necessary then sanity will be brought about later rather than sooner, I hope not, but even if man were to try to destroy himself I believe it is unlikely he could completely succeed because even in this unlikely probability, then I believe it to be possible that the process of evolution could restart with the simple and basic effect of the sun’s rays upon matter. Should man destroy his own planet earth, then there are other worlds and other suns. The danger could conceivably come when man has the capability to destroy his universe and even this possibility may need to be experienced before man is satisfied. The evil and wickedness performed by humanity since the beginning of awareness is legion. We have killed, tortured, starved, hated, we have lied, ignored, and reached the furthermost depths of ignorance and stupidity, in short, humanity has taken a tremendous toll. In recent times the world has been at war and at this moment there are very probably unspeakable atrocities and injustices being carried out somewhere. It seems as though we thrive upon ourselves masochistically, no horror seemingly too horrific and no atrocity too atrocious and no inhumanity too inhuman. Humanity has seen it all and will see further. We might believe ourselves as individuals not responsible for humanity’s failings but as humanity is made up of individuals it is only we who can be responsible. All that has been done is necessary simply because humanity found it so. I believe that there is nothing that can be imagined outside the context of possibility. The full contrast to all things is required to fulfil knowledge and acquire the ultimate. All has to be known and to know all, then all is necessary. The negative and the positive have to be tested to the full against each other. One single person cannot take more than his endurance either way. We might consider that concerning ourselves we do not believe evil has been tested to the full and in us each individual, perhaps we are right, it may not have been. But we have to consider some of the people who survived Belsen and Dacchau for we are not the judge nor the deciding factor as it is humanity as a whole who does all the declaring. If we can look on humanity as a team, then it is the whole team that decides the game but the game depends upon how good the individual players play with regard to the rest of the team. We are each allowed to play our own individual way but we must always remember that we are playing for a team and not for ourselves. We can have any acclamation that is going and everyone will be proud of us provided we have played for the team and for the team’s benefit. I do not believe that the mass can take away anyone’s individuality; on the contrary it should be glad to recognise it. Humanity can be proud of its individuals if they strive for the true benefit of humanity. It is not difficult to arrive in the kind of position Paul was in where you play your own game but then I believe that one finds oneself alone in the emptiness and shallowness of life and it can destroy one. God needs a companion to reflect his greatness and humanity is God’s echo. He needs us to perform his love upon and to keep himself in being. We, as human beings, need an echo too and since God is contained and can only be found within humanity then we need each other. Heaven lies within humanity and nowhere else. If I were to choose one sentence which would expound my beliefs, then the latter comes as near as possible to it. We perform all miracles. I read recently somewhere that there is an advertisement over a Service Station or garage which states, “We do miracles in a few moments, the impossible takes a little longer.” I think that this declaration is too modest in its application and could be reasonably applied to humanity as a whole. The failings of mankind are something we all know and talk about as we have done throughout the centuries. Yet somehow miraculously almost we have survived, somehow the first living cell survived from the earliest of time. All the failings are still here as no immediate answer has ever been found. Perhaps one of our greatest flaws is personal frustration and a favourite and damning saying is, what can I do, I’m only one? This is useful; I just want to be left alone, excuse. A popular excuse today is of course, “I want to do my own thing.” Yet only the briefest of glances by the aware person can surely see that such an attitude is self deceiving and selfish. For one always needs someone for it is impossible to go it alone; we need someone to feed and clothe us to start off with and if we are sick we need a hospital and a doctor. We seek people whether we want to or not. I believe that the real explanation for the cry of, do your own thing etcetera, lies in a kind of mental constipation which is brought about by frustration and the superficially attractive way out is refusing to do anything. If you are going to be a failure, how satisfying it is to say, “Well, I wanted to be a failure anyway.” Humanity may be a team but unfortunately we do not have our right players in the right positions and the game tends to be such a mix up that it is easy to tire of it. At present I feel that humanity has no direction and it is essential that there be recognised a common goal, an ultimate for which we must all work together. It is strange but many people actually feel nostalgic about the war years possibly because of the fraternity and comradeship which grew out of facing a common danger and in having a clear objective. I believe that there is a fundamental feeling of a lack of purpose in many people’s lives when they care to think about it. Most people tend to be apathetic or indifferent and indifference I believe to be a curse and a worse emotion than hate, the ultimate in nihilism. To dispel agnosticism and fear, the first priority is for the individual to recognise himself, to recognise his significance and his real place in the order of things. The second priority is the realisation that this self recognition works only within the concept of humanity as a whole. The individual works only within the concept of humanity as a whole. The individual works for humanity and humanity can only be as good as its individuals. There is a system whereby we do not thrive upon one another; there is a road which actually does lead to a united world in which the basic concepts of justice, decency and truth are as natural as breathing. It is founded on true Christianity and, I suppose, Christianity is not far removed from the basic concepts of pure socialism. But whereas the practice of socialism tends to result in injustice and to become based upon compulsion, real Christianity should be based upon persuasion, truth and justice, simple words long since hackneyed into humbug by the unjust, but all the same in desperate need of revival. Such a change in the way of life perhaps necessitates a radical redirection of history. Perhaps the world has to be shaken again to its foundations. Men have existed who have the ability to do this. Men have existed, some of them quite recently, who have been able to influence history quite drastically but not all of them worked for the good of humanity. Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte are fairly recent examples. Men have existed who have written books which have shaken humanity, those by Karl Marx and Charles Darwin come immediately to mind. Christ however was as I have said a phenomenon unique in history. He was the only man in history who waged war against wrong for the sake of humanity, and he caused an impact the echo of which still reverberates today. Christ had no ulterior motives. All he desired was for mankind to realise his full potential. Christ wrote nothing, said very little, yet his example, his insight, his knowledge and his understanding are quite unique. Whether history can provide us with someone of similar power is debateable. I believe however, that in the long run, the objects for which he strove will come about. I see it as our duty to try to bring his beliefs about by any means we can as quickly as we are able. I believe this to be our mission and purpose. I believe that one cannot be a Capitalist and a Christian, that one cannot be a socialist – humanist – anarchist – communist – or any ist you like and also be a Christian. I believe that Christianity is an end in itself and a complete way of life. Meredith James, February, 1972: Having read all of this or even a small part, you may have even concluded after the first few written words; that it is all bullshit! Why should you read any rubbish which does not apply to you directly? A preacher gave a sermon in some church or other, the text was death! He said “I want all of you in the congregation to fully realise that everyone in this parish has to die!” At that, there came a loud chuckle from the back. The preacher said again, “everyone in this parish has to die!” Another chuckle. Then the preacher said “There is someone in this congregation that fins these words amusing. Would you mind standing up and telling us why?” An old chap got up and said “You see your reverence I’m not from this parish.” Quite right too! Many people don’t want to mingle with the ruins of time. Old buildings give them headaches. Why in hell should you care what Christ or anyone else said? You still have to bloody work. Anyway what difference has it all made? A very good question! BOOK FIVE: THE BEGINNING OF EXISTENCE As well as everything else our minds are evolutionary and progressive, our beliefs change, my beliefs have lead me to move on. I do not believe anyone becomes nothing as mentioned in the book; we all survive mortality to acquire Heaven without exception. There are many things I believe differently to Jesus teaching, to me, God has no wrath or punishment, why should he, everything is of his doing. In the Lord’s Prayer, the word temptation, God does not tempt! Jesus Christ taught sometimes the same as all of the Old Testament prophets did, toe the line or else. As indeed we have today the threat of the Law. Threat of ourselves and not of God, there is no conflict in God’s make up. Jesus Christ’s teachings were by the traditional way of contrast, as all the old prophets taught, threats from Jehovah. Which really causes confusion between the Jewish Jehovah and that of Jesus Christ our God. As Paul tells of our resurrection, all our wrongs and failings are left behind. We need to hold to the belief that everything of the Creator is ultimately good with absolutely no exceptions. Wrong is our learning process to acquire our true good, which diminishes in our finding good. As the saying goes, don’t believe all you read. Part One: Chapter 1: Creation I am going to attempt something phenomenal for me. To tell the most saying the least, this will prove difficult. I will try my best to be factual with what knowledge I have. To me the greatest wonderment of all things is nothing, and so as to debate I think of it as a commodity which I call spirituality caused by a spirit a wizard. Now this nothing which is nowhere, silent and timeless was before existence. I cannot really imagine it, emptiness. The following is my belief, thinking of nothing as an endless space. I believe it is made up of impulses, like sparks which to be, have to come and go. If the impulses were light they would be so fast and spontaneous that they would seem to be one solid light. Now having no time we cannot measure them, so we cannot guess how far, as it were before time it was before existence. But evidence of it is this very instant because the impulses I refer to in nothing are energy we call life which is to this day silent, nothing, nowhere, but by definition is everywhere. Material senses do not apply to it but only disclose it in movement, in growth, birth and evolution causing time and period. The impulses are caused by progression of death causing succession of life. The last instant gone forever causing the now. In other words constant perpetual resurrection. This then was before existence, by reason best known to itself life being silent decided to know itself, as it were realise its potential. As mentioned I believe for argument’s sake, say a person was the cause of life. He decided by these impulses the life energy to cause its opposite for verification. Possibly at first, a fraction of a microdot which developed into a Universe which spread quickly into stars and planets which over a period of billions upon billions of years retracted backwards to a solid or form of gases so compressed as to cause an explosion in a Big Bang to formulate again in a similar fashion into consecutive Universes. Ours being one of them where various stars and planets developed as we know them. This then is the persons system, ongoing movement of life by progression in birth, growth death and resurrection in perpetuity. Everything as it were, robotic, puppet functioning to the cause desired. Predestined where the very essence of life formulates its own pattern as a kaleidoscope left to its own material devices. Because the Universe and everything else is uniform and of pattern working in conjunction. It is my belief it was and has a deliberate cause with purpose and not an accident. Now what I have said so far has nothing to do with religion, our resurrection as with everything else is a natural function of existence. All predestined, no more to be said, that was fairly short. We need to remember the cause always the nucleus of all things. I have always maintained that there is only the cause singular, but one can say having a life or is life. It had been decided that life was to be known, so that it became clad in material wealth, by which we know as it is disclosed by all things in all material glory and wealth, resurrection being part and parcel of it. So it is my belief everything first and foremost is Spiritual and for recognition and to be known is clad in material. All of which instinctively aware and probably contended in being what they are. Possibly millions of years passed before life of animals and all creatures evolved, and all, let us not forget for the sake of knowing and experience life. But all was innocent which meant they did not know of themselves but were aware, since it is that all is to be known, it is always a learning process to continue where answer poses the question, what is the answer? How is it acquired? Being the question. The Universe is here everywhere and very noisy where the senses apply, yet the cause is silent except as disclosed by material. That then was Chapter one The Creation. Chapter 2: Material Life For argument’s sake there are separations of life, the overall life of existence is our cause. In other words everything is here, but the creation was arranged to have self sustaining life. What we term food, as it were self pollination, an extraordinary system where everything lived off itself. Self procurement which sustained itself as an everlasting cycle, resurrection being part of the cycle. When it was probably billions of years later after the Universes appearance creatures came into being, they had need to sustain themselves by creature food of sorts from one another. Because of this they became natural predators for the sake of survival. Of course the system was the same for everything. The main provider of everything is earth, soil in conjunction with the sun. The Universe provided earth in conjunction with all other planets and stars as we know them; I believe all are positively related. Not of course forgetting our cause the overall provider. At this stage nothing was known but only aware instinctively, but as I have said everything was predestined to be known. The reason for the creation is to verify its spiritual cause and acknowledge its energy life, to be lived. By meaning the Universe and our World of material actually performing life to verify its cause. We do not actually know how long after the appearance of creatures, animals upon Earth, that one or many of a species had self recognition. Maybe by, as I have said before seeing their reflection in a pool and realised they were of their own, which was the loss of their innocence. They had as it were taken from the forbidden tree of knowledge. What was the basic difference? They were no longer just aware they knew they were aware, different to everything else in the World. To this very day all other than us are innocent. The actual occurrence was probably an accident of a brain cell, a freak stem cell causing a change of direction within the brain. I believe all accidents are predestined for a reason. I believe the cause of all things made direct contact with the brain causing knowledge which is the use of knowing, to analyse innocence. This is of course why I keep saying we are spirit, as it were a single cell of God making use of the brain. I am absolutely convinced that we are as person separate from brain and body, making us unique and different to everything else. Have you ever thought why the brain allows us to say I, and my? My brain, my body. A distinct separation. The brain would hardly condemn itself, I condemn mine, I wish that I were very different and I try to use the brain to that effect. All of what I say of us does not say we are better than anything else nor that we enjoy life more, maybe dust enjoys being dust. Of course by our knowledge we can influence everything else, we are actually the purpose of existence. Let us imagine what the formation of life would have been at the beginning, the first would probably be for all things. This would have been given by our cause, the need of food would be realised, this would have been instinctive living things which moved such as today, animals, fish, birds and so on, without knowledge there is one major element they would have of themselves realised, good. It would have come with them, what do I mean? They would have realised what was good to their flesh and blood, awareness, they would not know being innocent. But it is obvious that our cause vested his good in all things. Every living thing realised pain and that it was better and good to be without pain. Again it became natural to protect their offspring. They found it was better in groups. All of which would have been fairly immediate in finding themselves. Because of their situation they would have instinctively provided themselves with do’s and don’ts. Formulating natural rules and regulations towards behaviour, this of course came about by the need of survival. All of which was the beginning of a learning process. The need to the recognition of our cause and life which probably is the cause. Do we realise the most amazing thing in the World and I believe the Universe (we will find) is our knowledge. Everything else is innocent but aware, whereas we know by our use of knowledge, where we, like our cause, create. Who or what created Existence, it is obvious it is meant to be known. In one sense, if it were not known it would not be. At the moment we are confined to the World, but I do believe it is meant for us to know everything else of the Universe. The Universe University, after all it is here where knowledge began, predestines yes predestined. That then the creations launch of its understanding, to know our cause and understand the energy life. Just think, It would have been better for us if we had remained innocent arrivals, because the instant we acquired knowledge we became miserable souls. Even Jesus Christ must have been a miserable person; I can’t imagine him having a barrel of laughs, so it would be better if he had not had knowledge. Therefore our cause must have found it necessary for his own sake so as to be known. I don’t believe as you might gather that our misery extends the grave. It is rather odd that no one in any cemetery is dead because they are unaware of death. As I have said no one is able to tell them that they are dead, being asleep why should they not awake. Even though we were late comers to the World in knowledge I believe that the purpose of the Universe is us. Humanity, because we know we give it purpose, if not so, why were we given to know. We proclaim that what we do in construction is purpose, life allows it to be for a purpose which is living. So that we set a purpose to our World and Universe by knowledge of knowing, without which there would be no purpose. Chapter 3: The Birth of Jehovah I remain for a while with what I have written of our formation. We realised good having come with us, we had in innocence instinctive rules for survival and how best to acquire food to sustain ourselves, and everything of nature seeked it’s good, precocious, which became predominate to all things, as it still is. Of course this was realised long before any Biblical parchment. The new requirement by men was not only survival, but good survival, which meant gain was required which became the main factor of life, self gain, which still predominates our lives. And for the sake of our wellbeing we decided upon primeval rules and regulations which probably were not an advance to our instinctive ones. There is one major thing to acknowledge here, it was, mans first use of the abstract, man conjectures a law which was abstract and congruous with the senses. In other words it was no known until physically applied. It was decided that it was devised by an unknown abstract referee, so that the law itself was unpunishable. Where it applied the senses, but not applied to by the senses and it has remained non material ever since. So as not to blame one another for the law they prefigured fictional characters in Gods and Demons. We know what all these laws entail, even in our games, referees required to administer the rules, if you like, God’s law. Here then from our very beginning the advent of abstract rulers who were given all sorts of names, which are still around to this very day. It would seem by parchments found that it was the Jewish people who brought Jehovah to the fore. The biblical God the most prominent amongst others, known by different names in various languages, Allah being one. All of whom from the beginning are other than physical, even though their application is to our senses, administered physically, as well as documented by the bible. The opposite of the administrators is reckoned to be Satanism, as I keep saying to verify God, they became conscience. That is how our Biblical God came into being, whether you believe that he is the Creator and cause of all things is your demise, he is not Christ’s God. I will argue further on that it could be that the Biblical God and our cause could be one and the same. However or whatever we believe, all was declared to us by man, our own device. It is what our knowledge caused. A purpose to life, it is we by our knowing allow purpose to all things. As previously said, without our knowing there is nothing! Here and here about as in the above, things took shape and knowledge advanced, we had devised a God. Chapter 4: The Resurrection I had thought of leaving the resurrection until last, but it is too important. Many people think of resurrection as something that Jesus brought into being. I believe that it originates at our very beginning. When we were very primitive having just come to our senses we realised rebirth of everything propagate and reprise. It could be witnessed all round in all life. Death causing new life, the lapse between impulses. They had knowledge but no idea, as of today where they had come from and most likely expected at death to be found elsewhere. At first it was thought that they would appear with the bodies they had. Pharaohs in ancient Egypt prepared themselves by mummification for their resurrection. There is one thing noticeable in so far that all of the ancient people spoke of the resurrection as physical as do all the people of the Bible. By which time people knew their bodies became dust, perished to a corpse, dust, soil which would hardly resurrect! It would only form in soil basis for growth. To this day when one looks at a dead body you know the person is no longer there. Thousands of years ago with primitive people they realised the person of the body they knew, had gone. They believed they would appear elsewhere reincarnated, probably in this world. As more knowledge was acquired the ideas became more complicated. However resurrection was acknowledged since our origin, for those who are firm believers in the Bible. Let us see what it has to say about resurrection, one thing is noticeable, all believe in a physical resurrection. So let us have a run through the Bible: Job 19 v26 – And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Psalms17 v15 – As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied, when I wake with thy likeness. Isaiah 26 v19 – Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body, shall then arise, awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust, for their dew is as dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out of the dead. Daniel 12 v2 – And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Ezekiel 37 v5-6 – Thus sayeth the Lord God unto these bones, behold I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you and I will bring flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. (This proclaimed by Christ.) Matthew 22 v31-32 – but as touching the resurrection of the dead have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? God is not God of the dead, but of the living. Luke 14 v14 – And thou shalt be blessed for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. John 5 v28-29 – Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And shall come forth; they that have done well into the resurrection of life. John 11 v23 – Jesus said unto her, thy brother shall rise again. (After Jesus death, this is what the Apostles say.) Acts 4 v2 – Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus resurrection from the dead. Acts 17 v18 – (Spoken by Paul) then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stalks encountered him, and some said, what will this babbler say? Others say, he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods; because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 24 v15 – And have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust – Good news there! (Please note the significance of the verse, Resurrection of both just and unjust. What I have told throughout my work, everything of us, all heroism deeds are obviously left with our dead body. All good and bad of the body, gone!) Acts 26 v8 – Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead? Roman 6 v5 – For if we have been planted together in likeness of his death, we shall be also in his likeness of his resurrection. Romans 6 v6 – For he that is dead is free from sin. (There again declaration that all is left behind with the body.) Romans 6 v21-22 – What fruit had ye then in those things where of ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free of mans sin, and become servants of God ye have your fruit into holiness, and the everlasting life. 1St Corinthians 115 v 12, 21 – Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, now say amongst you that there is no resurrection of the dead. For since by man came death, by man came also resurrection from the dead. Romans 8 v11 – But if the spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. 2nd Corinthians 4 v17-18 – For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seeing are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (Again that tells what I keep saying all our wrongs are temporal. The period of mortality once dead they are over and done with, all to verify the good.) Phillip 3 v20 – For our conversation is in heaven for whence we also look for the saviour the Lord Jesus. Corinthians 3 v3 – For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ is God. Thessalonians 4 v5, 15, and 23 – For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (This is, of course Armageddon, those who are alive and the dead.) Verse 23 – And the very God of peace sanctify wholly and I pray God you whole spirit and soul and body preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrew 11 v35 – Women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain better resurrection. 1st John 3 v2 – Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him we shall see him as he is. 1st Corinthians 15 v39 – All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh for man, another flesh for beasts and another of fish and another of birds. (There Paul is being specific of our being resurrected in body, similar to ones we have now. Now these words are by Jesus, which declare that we are resurrected to new bodies and in a new planet, probably similar to this world. There is no question about it. Now observe and take note and understand.) Matthew 26 V29 – But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom. (There all in body where there is grapevine and wine where we drink. Obviously similar to what we are used to. Now then my little book tells of a New World elsewhere in the Universe, people seem to find it laughable, so don’t believe me, maybe you will believe Jesus words in the following.) John 14 v2 – In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you. How big do you reckon the place need to be to accommodate all of Jesus followers? And I believe not only his followers but all people. You reckon he means a few mansions will do. For God’s sake use your loaf! A bigger planet than the World is needed. But the major question, are we going anywhere, is all supposition? We really need to make our minds up to who we really are. We talk about the Resurrection, but what is it that resurrects? Modern science tells us that we are brain and body, really speaking the brain. If this is only the case then we are going nowhere from earth and dust. One may argue the brain creates a person which sounds feasible. Thoughts as impulse go into space from one’s own wavelength as I have mentioned before. And taken up by the New World like I mention in my book. But I rather believe that our cause’s energy life is fissile into many cells which we call spirits and were all clad in material. Meaning that we were in the beginning prior to the creation and at some stage by way of evolution took control of a certain pieces of brain of some animal. I would believe that everything developed from nothing, a spiritual advent. This is because that there is only one energy if you like God, a spirit where all of material discloses, but still it is feasible that he causes the brain to create a spiritual image which is an easier argument to accept. That is the brain causing a spiritual person to release at death, it would still be the nucleus doing, still predestined. Yes I can accept this argument, because I am certain that when I see a human body, it is certain that the person has gone. And I do believe that so as to know the spirit clad himself in material. And in man this could be the true disclosure and acknowledgement of the spirit. A true spiritual image, I must have over a period thought this before. It sounds good the brain creating its person and if we ask how, we have the answer. Everything period, in total is drawn from the creation. All of the brains activity is drawn from without via the senses as I have written so much about. Now I go deeper, what if previous brain or something similar was to be had and at death transferred to another world in evolution and become eventually us. A process possibly from the beginning with our cause. This would explain our resurrection, I keep forgetting in my analysis, that I believe that all is predestined ultimately all. Here now I find another argument, because life is what it is and not static, as a flow of good then the learning is of the period. In other words, the brain improves with each change to unite the time and period. Possibly it is where we get the idea of a greater intelligence elsewhere. We move towards the good beyond. Of course if we know where we came from we would not have to speculate, but by doing so we learn and get to know which is the whole purpose of the creation. To know its cause and function. We found ourselves here and we cannot argue that we can’t find ourselves elsewhere and there is no end to what we find in good. As I have said, resurrection is part and parcel of creation. So to conclude we can say we are spirit to continue to find ourselves in body evermore. That then our chapter on resurrection, which we are told is physical. I believe there is a simple answer somewhere, there are I suppose very many logical possibilities. I have mentioned life as impulses; they could be factual as it were minute unseen particles. Graphic impulses where there are wave lengths only compatible with the human brain. There are probably billions of wavelengths in space like or similar to our Kilohertz and Megahertz frequencies. Which we have no idea as to their functions. We have it would seem a long way to go in the analysis of our brain. We do not know that is of no significance without something to work on. It works as we know on what is drawn from without of the World and Universe, fed by what is provided through the senses. In other work I mention the umbilical cord connected to all things material which comes directly from the nucleus our cause. Everything is somehow bound together. It would seem to me that our cause has a particular system which applies to and by all things. We have nothing equal to knowledge which explains what it is to know and if we believe the authors of the Bible, it is only God who knows, so that he is vested in the brain. Anyway at the end of it all you personally have to decide with science, or against it whether you resurrect or not. It is said as I have just written by people from our origin that we find ourselves elsewhere after mortal death, Hobson’s choice! That should conclude chapter four. Chapter 5: The Biblical God Is God supposition? We have throughout our history calculated and speculated unprecedented who and what God is. Billions upon billions of suppositions, theories, analysis and explanations. Finally each individual having to decide for themselves what they believe. One thing always to remember, Jehovah is of human descent, human language, and human behaviour all his application towards humanity; it is safe to say a mortal God. Even though supposed silent, the Biblical God as it were speaks Hebrew, Jehovah is Jewish. According to the Hebrews the creator of all things is Jewish. Note: I am not being sarcastic. There was a time when the Jewish people claimed Jehovah to be theirs alone, his laws and requirements was only that of theirs. He was eventually released to all humanity, where as we all know; and safe to say billions of people proclaimed to be his representatives in all theologies in all languages. Millions of people make a living out of his doctrine; millions qualify in universities in his laws and requirements. They have degrees B.D. D.D. Professors, you name them, all having authority upon God, all of which is because he is of human descent as written on ancient parchments. Since it is all written, it is analysed, speculated upon, supposed and theorised throughout the ages to this very day. God our referee towards our good. There is no real evidence of being responsible for Existence cause. Do not let our eyes remain closed to Jehovah. Please note the following is not condemnation because it is all in my reckoning to verify good. Jehovah by his requirement has caused absolute havoc throughout our world and still does. He spoke Hebrew and made tremendous demands upon man, which is believed to be for his and our good. He makes tremendous unargumented proclamations of what is to be done in his name. He who spoke Hebrew to Samuel demanded that he cause total (note) annihilation of not just people, but of animals, crops, food and all creatures, all babes and suckling’s, he called for a total genocide. What am I saying?! Don’t look to me, read the book of Samuel who was a reverent godly person, who was taught by Eli the Priest in the temple to whom he was apprenticed. He was reckoned a wonderful leader and loving person who faithfully adhered to Jehovah’s demands. Even though this was a long time ago, things have hardly changed; Samuels’ demands are still here today. This very instant he is preached from pulpits all over the world still causing havoc. Jehovah comes under several names in different languages. Allah being one who apparently calls for martyrdom in suicide bombers even amongst children. Killers, torturers, rapists all in the name of Allah where Jehovah sanctions wars and still does. Which is very far removed from good, which it is meant to be, it is an absolute requirement. In one sense Jehovah is made a predator to good, to I believe our very cause. This because all wrong is our verification of our good, it broke our innocence. As I have so very often said to know and have knowledge two things are required, positive and negative, but in my opinion the verification can only be one way towards our good. And it is Jehovah who has given the ultimate verification of good by showing that by law we realise the opposite. If it were not for it we would be still like all else innocent, yes of course a good thing, but we require to know what it is to be innocent so as to appreciate all things and teach them our appreciation of them. It is to understand life and know its value in living life. Our cause decided to know himself by analysis of this work by use of the brain. That’s a mouthful! Nevertheless true. We have every day and every instant proof of our innocence in birth babies are innocent until introduce to what we term the real world. Where right is to be known from wrong, caused by the biblical law. Most of the Worlds laws derive from the commandments for which Jehovah is responsible. Now a second part to the chapter. Is the Jehovah and our cause the creator of existence one and the same? Chapter 6: Is Jehovah and our Cause One and the Same? I had intended to write quite a lot in this chapter, but I have changed my mind. It will now probably be the smallest. As far as we know we are the only knowledge to what we know. Why, when and wherefore. By our finding of Jehovah allowed us to understand our characteristics, Intelligence, love, truth, honesty and that which pertains to our good, which allow us the meaning of life. By which way we get to recognise our energy our cause. Now is Jehovah and our cause one and the same. Well if we believe in the premise that the creation leads us to the creator, then the answer is yes. Since that all we know is gathered from what is provided by our cause who is vested in all of it. Then it is what most have decided upon, that it is our God who created all, so there is a definite connection. No more to be said. Chapter 7: Good This chapter one of the most important probably to us all that we know. As I mentioned earlier we brought good with us, but what is it to be good, what evidence do we have of our good? We do know and acknowledge the hellish state of the human world. Our reckless divide against our life, we all play a cruel game where we try and commit universal suicide. We openly declare that we are in a hell of a state. So we have a major question, where is there any evidence of our good. Supposedly our desire, our choice, we have ample evidence of that which is not good? Well in fact there is more evidence of our good than not. Just think of our wonders which we marvel at, there is no point in my detailing them because each of us know and have witnessed our greatness. Just a few for you to get my drift, think of all of humanity, composers of wonderful music, the wonderful people who created the musical instruments and orchestras. The application of word to our sense is beyond compare, then our artists and our wonderful paintings, the fantastic buildings, our architecture, the magnificent ornamented buildings, churches and cathedrals with their beautiful coloured glass windows. The tall skyscrapers all over the world, our wonderful bridges where there are thousands of them, tunnels all over the world. Our world quilted with farmland fields, wonderful achievements every instant of the day, each one of us know of our wonder. Each one of us do our best in work and proud of it, all that we do is to do our best, there is no limit to our wonderment and all of us move with all our skill and ability to the New Worlds. All of our wonder, now think of all us people responsible for all our good who have passed on piss artists, murderers, rapists, harlots, alcoholics, suicide bombers non compos mentis mad people, gay people paedophiles you name them; we are all here and since time immemorial. Most of which are our failings, but at mortal death we shed them all. Nothing left except all the knowledge of, because our desire for our good we naturally seek our gain which is not always for our good. Now supposed Christians and Moslems are that because they believe in Christ and Mohammed, but there are very few of their followers if any, I don’t know of any, to say they are Christians and Moslems is to hide under the cloak of righteousness, because all people do their own thing regardless. We all quarrel with another and therefore do not keep to the commandments of either Jesus or Mohammed. It is falsehood on our part to say that we do, but however we do seek our good and it is expected of us by our creator to do it our way. Christ and Mohammed is advisory to how to acquire our good and sustain it, but we do it our way. This why we are individuals, I am Meredith not Jesus or Mohammed, as you are who you are. Part Two: The Brain – Towards Our Good Our brain is hardly used in our daily lives; its capacity to analyse is beyond our understanding. To us, or rather to me what the brain does by way of the senses draws from without, sufficient knowledge to accommodate my daily desires. Using the body to do the things I do all my activities since my birth, sustains my wishes, quite a mix up. All of which is a mere surface use of the brain which is for my physical wellbeing, but it is for a greater use by us in all resurrections. And now the more serious use of the brain consciously I am unaware of, yes it works relentlessly on my part that, as I said I am unaware of, not conscious of it. This is what the brain does on its own, an absolutely vast imputation of knowledge. It actually feeds on our subconscious mind, it uses memory cells. What does the brain do that we are unaware of? The senses use everything within its range whether aided by technology or not like a camera, you focus on a certain object but the camera registers all within its scope, the brain likewise does same with all five senses. It registers thousands of things unaware to you, in seeing, hearing, taste, smell and feel. When you look and concentrate on a distant object; just imagine what the brains eye detects. You look in the early morning through your kitchen window at your garden; your eyes virtually take in thousands of sights from cobwebs to dewdrops. It takes in all spontaneously of that which occupies its frame. Likewise all the senses, your brain, hearing, smell, taste sight and feel, thousands of things per instant per day, continuously. Imagine how much it has registered since your birth, it is all here, it has nowhere to go other than within the bounds of space. All of which is taken with you in knowledge when your brain and body die. You resurrect with what your brain and body has provided. The brain has no other function than to serve us and our cause which it does relentlessly under any circumstances. It will work until the last sense is dead. If there were a brain and nothing else it would not function, it would be like a car without an engine, all of our entire activity is for our good. Part Three: Resurrection The greatest phenomenon in existence throughout history is DEATH, which is disclosed by material. The only thing we witness to die is material, death belongs to it and its only disclosure is that of life which is abstract. All we know is life is here where the senses do not apply except by death they disclose it. Death itself is Universal and does not belong to any particular organisation such as religion or anything else. Its sole purpose is to declare life. I believe the culmination of God’s purpose is the declaration of the spirit and the most phenomenal of his work being death and resurrection. They play the greater part in existence, the exact contrast between Material and Spirit. The verification being that of the Spirit – Life. Since the creation of existence by God, his contact has always been directly on a one to one basis with each cell, with every blade of grass and grain of sand. So that the following is most important, it is categorically necessary for the death of each cell each unit each person. Death is appetent to everything any time within existence. If it were not for death, life would not be known and each unit has to know directly without aid from another. This is between God and you, to know your life you have to die. It is an unavoidable declaration to everything that we have life and the phenomenon for everything is death which indicates and verifies life. Your life my life, each of us need to die to know that we live forever. The death of our bodies is the ultimate knowledge that we live. We were given life and it remains always. It is said, God gave us life full stop! Why is our resurrection necessary? Why not continue as we are mortals for ever more. I would believe that resurrection is most important. God is unique and precise in his method; our cause is spirit and needs to be known as spirit. It is not a gruesome game, God does not hide from us, but we are to find at our pace and choice, we are presented with all things. Throughout our mortal lives we have only mortality proven and known to us and to this day we are inclined to believe there is nothing else (I believe this was meant for a reason which I’ll speak of letter). There is only one absolute proof we can have of our spirituality and it has to be conclusive and indeed it is! Death, full stop the end of mortality. That is conclusive enough to all of us. So now the absolute acknowledgement that we are spirit can only be by finding ourselves in the New Body. A complete change of cladding, which is predestined by our cause. The change of body is evident that we are not only body but only disclosed by it. This as I have already mentioned progression of death to sustain everlasting life. Resurrection the disclosure of our spirit. Once known there is no further question of the veneration, the next question, why have we not acknowledged our resurrection? We cannot until death does us part with this body. Even our Lord Jesus Christ desired to know of his resurrection before his mortal death. Why hast thou forsaken me, his last words on the cross, all he got was silence. It is obvious the separation has to be conclusive, where no argument can be brought. The complete change of raiment in resurrection is final proof and one cannot have a more absolute separation than death! This having been the arrangement of the creation. Distinct difference between body and soul material and spirit, disclosure by absolute change. Which even happens in daily life in our change of clothes which declare that we are not our clothes. Likewise the very same change in nature to disclose the spirit of it all. Nothing is kept from our knowledge; we have a fantastic diversity of life all around us. Science Science I know nothing of, but I often wonder why would we need God when we have so many professors as mentors. More especially the physicists, some who say there is no purpose to the Universe, which means there is no purpose to them. So why are they here, why don’t they commit suicide and make more room for those who have purpose in life? Even though we are but a miniscule part of the Universe. We are the only ones who have knowledge and it is amazing how much of the Universe we need to use every instant of the day. If it were not for the sun we would not have mortal life, if it were not for gravity we would not be upright. We are dependent on the Universe so what are you talking about, it has no purpose? All the beauty and diversity of this world and I believe the Universe was laid by our cause for his and our benefit. How can anyone believe that it is all by chance and useless? These people who believe this, that everything has no purpose and is useless. Then why do they hang around, we don’t need them, why don’t they give way to people who believe in a cause. I believe these people should be taken to the sword! Since you are of no use, I ask again why do you remain here. Are you telling us which I know nothing about, that the law of mathematics, physics and chemistry does not allow for our measured ways in technology and everything else? Anyway if it was all an accident without a plan, why is there mathematics, physics and chemistry, Intelligence, love, kindness, understanding to our total good? Maybe your Universe has no purpose and worthless, but mans marvel in all that we do is not worthless and you need your ass kicked until you bleed if you state that we are worthless. There is tremendous elaborate detail in everything upon Earth and if one believes it is by chance or accident, then they must be mad! I just thought of something, if everything is useless why are you personally so articulate and choose to be concise, why is there a right way of doing things, why rocket science, why examinations? I would have thought that the Universe was created for the enjoyment (for a better word) of its course declared by man. Without man nothing of this world would be known, our purpose is living, the energy of the entire Universe. If you a physicist have no wish to, then don’t hang around, you won’t be missed by anyone. We are dependent on the world and I feel sure that the world is dependent on the Universe and we are its purpose. When someone says that there is no purpose, then there is no answer to that because one could say there is no purpose to God our cause. Because we have knowledge we create purpose to everything, as I said above, we are the purpose and whatever we find of the Universe we make use of. All beneficial to us, to continue forever to come. Silence Imagine if you can, having created something ultimately perfect where no addition or subtraction can apply. Something to remain forever without alteration. Now if that were me, having created perfection, then I believe the best thing for me would be to remain totally silent. There would be no more to be said or done. To make an utterance would be to cause debate, but there would be nothing to debate about perfection. This is what I believe of the spirit; perfection predestined, but prepared to tell the reason for his silence by utterance in the form of dressing the spirit in material wealth. In his creation as I have so often explained, so that whatever we desire to know about God is by way of the flesh where the spirit is disclosed, but the energy itself remains silent. There is nothing to be said, and as I have said, silence means we are on schedule predestined, no news is good news. If good is the predominant factor of our lives, so must it be our cause. We seek and find it indefinite in our energy life which is always new and our purpose is not only to find it, but to have the experience of living it. As I have said the main reason for our resurrection is to know and acknowledge our ever being, but there is another so I believe reason that we do not know before death. As I written before and as shown in my book “Is It The End Or Just The Beginning” we are to live physically in other similar worlds to this, so that we need to learn wholly to care for this one (such as to learn how to prevent global warming and temperature rise). So that we take our knowledge to others as we do in our resurrection. Probably our provision retards us sufficiently to learn of this world in sequence. It is many years since we discovered DNA and now stem cells, OK what is my prediction, prophesy if you like? Two things in the not too distant future, by our technology we will find new galaxies where we will witness huge New Worlds much bigger than known and which will be similar to Earth. Then Science will detect that which does resurrect us, prove separation between body and soul, I wonder which we will realise first. I would believe finding new galaxies. It is all here to be known probably unaware too, we are always to find ourselves in material world as it is the declaration of everlasting life. In all I have said, I am ultimately glad that our cause is silent, no news is good news. Having said what I have and that we are left to our own devices, then what am I all about? I Meredith found myself in the World not knowing where I had come from or where I am going, thank goodness, this has allowed for equality, your guess as good as mine and vice versa. The ultimate greatness to me is to know which I am, the sum total of what I know and what I believe at any given time is who I am. I don’t believe I will ever know what my creator is, but I will know who he is, a difference. We all know that our energy life is our cause, but we do not know what it is. We cannot know with reason because it extends the beyond, we cannot as it were catch up. The image cannot extend the subject as I so often say. God extends everything therefore its analysis is ever more. The kaleidoscope is the wonder and beauty of our lives. There is one particular word I don’t like, only because it is beyond my comprehension. It is perfection, I give the word to our cause God, and I always prefer the word good. Which is given as ultimate to God according to Jesus, one good only. The word perfect sounds boring and uneventful to me, whereas good is something we apply. My heaven is the New World to accommodate all people. Maybe I cannot imagine what we have now in the world to be heaven, I suppose to imagine heaven we first have to realise there is no death to us, having no time period to our being and of course having an accomplished brain we have the ability to accomplish our long imagined desire to be what we would really wish to be. But of course it would mean that all humanity is in union (This could only be by being first individual to allow for union) having no malevolence, maleficence no malice whatsoever towards one another but rather harmonisation by all people, where we actually enjoy being of human loving company. Having no dislike toward the ones we had hatred for upon earth we find now to be the opposite. We will have realised too much of our own fault to condemn others. None of us have anything to boast about. I remember my mother saying to me, remember you present yourself as others see you and not as you see yourself. There is no purity in our behaviour; we on the earth all have guilt! My New World need not be very different to this one except in harmony. As I have written by accident we will feel pain but not deliberately caused by anyone. We will have natural preference, I believe the following we should note, how can I put it? Our life expectancy will not be of one particular period of our history but rather extend our history. We will have chosen the best we were satisfied with from all period of history. As I mention in my book we will have flying saucers but also horse drawn carriages as seen on our Christmas cards. What I am saying is that the New World advancement is not to prevail where prominence is important. To us nowadays advancement is Television, computers and all sorts of gadgetry. This is what we have but not what we are. These things will not be necessarily be in the fore, no doubt these computers, robots and all sorts of gadgets will be, but, in their rightful place. Our World will be so huge that all will be necessary, but as said in the rightful place when needed. No doubt we will celebrate Christmas and sing carols and hymns. I doubt if video games will be prominent because we will all be actually playing physically all sorts of games. We will have to hand all the versatile things of history. It is all to me veridical humanity’s desire will be to cater for not just new arrivals, of course things matter, but not as much as human companionship and warmth and the things we enjoy provided to ourselves. Like the smell of newly baked bread and cakes baking, and the smell of newly laid hot tar on our roads. The wonderful music we hear and the things we see. The marvel of all our making, our senses allow us the experience life which surpasses all else. Our New World, my New World means just that, the wonderment and beauty our privilege, our senses allow us the understanding and experience of life and as I keep on saying, who better than us to experience heaven. It is our knowledge which allows us a cause who is our knowledge, as I have pointed out, we seek physical resurrection. Our good will always be afore of us, what was first will remain and as spirit we will forever require a platform and foundation to work from and appreciate life our spirituality. We need a body to be able to say, here I am my Lord. As I have previously mentioned I believe our New World is similar to our Earth. We need day and night, we need air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat and there seems plenty of Suns in the Cosmos to sustain our bodies. The Universe is as is the instant that is if we can capture the instant. Yes it is constantly refurbished but still Universe. There is a possibility that our ancestors our family are monitoring us all the while and for our earthly state not telling. Earth has to take its course and we only need to wait until death do us part when we join them. Probably they could make contact us now, but prefer to let us find them for reasons best known to them. It is obvious we have much more to learn of our Earth and this knowledge will be beneficial in our New World. There is one major fact that we all know, even though humanity has gone on quite some time and from each day we plan for the next, but to the individual it is short lived. We have a complete change in death whether we go elsewhere by resurrection or not. All of what we have materially stops. For all the time spent upon Earth our knowledge has never taken us further than the grave. We can’t even enter that realm, as I have said we have never been able to convey to anyone nor thing for that matter that they are dead and from our point of view no one has ever known that they are dead. Does it matter that one is dead? Therefore this would indicate to me that if it does matter at all, it must be for someone else or something else. Which I believe to be our cause, which has made it evident that there is no limit to how long material remains. As I have said there could have been many Universes and it is obvious whether by accident or not, it seems imperative that all is known, which is acquired by knowledge our knowledge! It is of no consequence if it does not remain as our World there is no absolute certainty that people on the Earth remain indefinite with our track record! We have had the realisation and warning that anomalies have become extinct. The same possibility would apply to us and for knowledge to be known it has to remain. So it is in my belief our God made sure of this by the cause of resurrection and providing other Worlds in the Universe and since stars we know to become extinct probably Planets as well. Then the probability of other Universe as I have mentioned and since knowledge is provided by the individual. As it were a static person, in other words coming from the same well! Which is our brain and body which manifest our continuation so I believe and because each of us individuals put a slant on life we are all needed. Probably not a difficult task for our cause to cause our perpetuation and have our transmutation in various Worlds is plurality. In other words populate many Worlds similar to ours. Surely there are far more wonderment to be knowledgeable about, we are only at our beginning. It is not what we desire, it is what our cause desires, but I feel sure that this arrangement is what we all choose, after all we are his image. When you think about it nothing matters to us either way. If we were to die and remain dead evermore. We would not know about it, no one in any cemetery know that they are dead; they don’t even know that they are there. As I have declared many times, no one is able to tell anyone nor thing for that matter that they are dead. We don’t know that we are asleep; in the same way we don’t know that we are dead. A very peculiar state of affair, but I say it is all because we are spirits in body and it is the body which dies only to release the spirit soul if you like, then it is not peculiar! We believe we see others die, we do see their bodies, but we all hope and with our knowledge wish for something better than what we witness upon Earth. I wrote the book, “My Testament” in 1972 and in the book I clearly declare the difference between the Jewish Capitalist God and that of Jesus Christ’s God. Most people if not all people prefer the Jewish Jehovah’s way in our living than that of Jesus, which we only pay lip service to. The World is that of the fat cats as called, the system to hell with you, I’m alright Jack! More prominent in a Tory government which is personal gain as regards Christ’s teachings, it has all fallen on deaf ears. Matthew 19 v 24 “and again I say unto you it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven”. It is not really a condemnation of the individual but rather our system. His teaching is that, all for one and one for all. I honestly believe private enterprise can work as I have mentioned in my little book. I’ll tell of it later on where I believe in a co-operative system in all professions. Jesus knew what would work, of course it all ends at mortal death, but it is we who suffer in the meantime. Eventually we will lead ourselves to recovery; we will probably need Armageddon to move us. Marriage I have been asked many times why are there no marriages in heaven. Which I was initially asked by a lady I worked for, who seemed to fear that there would not be sex. One would believe one of the finer physical sensations of the body. The lady’s fear derived from Matthew 22 v 28-29 and 30 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven, for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, or the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. If you are to think the answer is simple, it has absolutely nothing to do with sex. I brought the mention of sex in my little book to show that there is no reason why sex does not play a part in our New World, probably something even better. What was that film, was it Barbarella? Where Men and Women merely pressed one another’s hands together, it must have been some sensation; steam came out of their fingers. Anyway it had nothing to do with not having marriages in heaven. It is purely because in the New World we are really one family of people, where we have trust in one another. We brought the law against incest because of abuse and probably genetic reasons in pregnancy, where it caused natural jealousy even to the point of rape and murder. It is we who have created our problems, but we do realise some trust between people these days. They have families and live fine together without marriage. Quite often our sexual habits have nothing to do with love; except for those who really love one another as we all do in our New World. We deserve no less than heaven; in the New World we have preferences as we do here, but with no malice or reprisal. Marriages are not necessary; there is no compulsion by law. As Jesus said, he came to fulfil the law where it is not needed, no capitalist selfishness. Man’s Arrogance Sometimes there is something we don’t know and we have the arrogance to believe that there is no answer so that it is a challenge to God. As if to say, we’ve got you there. This in many fields, like the physicist who tells us there is no reason for the Universe. Quite often it is a genuine belief because we cannot contemplate where an answer could come from. One thing which always occupies our mind, the word unfairness sometimes we accept that we don’t really know, but on occasions we become arrogant and believe there cannot be an answer. Unfairness plays a great part in our lives. We are naturally suspicious of the unknown and because we don’t have the real knowledge of a situation we can determine that it is unfair. In the scheme of God what about abortion, child abort, aborticide, foeticide, ejaculation in masturbation. Some abort by accident others by choice, billions of would be babies not having a chance of life, surely terribly unfair. This of course from our point of view. When you think of it, this could apply to all things. Nature produces billions of seeds from trees, shrubs, flowers and of everything really. Less of them germinate than ones who do, billions one would believe go to waste! But are they wasted, who are we to decide, we are somewhat baffled by all this. Let us now take note and go back to existences origin. The creation began probably by single micro cells, a chemical reaction caused a Big Bang and we have our Universe. It is so I believe said by some scientists that most of the World was covered by the deep by water and the formation of life began here and creatures came out of the deep into land and by evolution some changed to become land creatures as we know them. From which by evolution we developed and each and every cell feel in its own right and is aware of its good. Everything experiences good but in our cleverness we say nothing can experience good without knowledge? Wrong! Every male creature has a sensation in ejaculation it is the sensation which cause the mating of male and female and it is a good feeling having had an offspring to mother and love. So I ask what proof has science that just does not feel good. Why would a jellyfish or a mole choose to be human? The main aspect of existence is to feel good. Satisfaction is the key to all things and what proof do we have that material of any kind is not satisfied in being what it is? Nothing of the World or Universe is going away from what it is all here. Every iota which derives from and is part of nucleus is good. Material is his witness, so by whose authority do we state that part of the whole is unfair? It is long time we accepted that we do not decide that which is good. The brain only disclose it. We do not create anything of the World or Universe, but we do by knowledge disclose it. Human attitude reminds me of my friend who was a foreman with a painting firm, we were painting the “Black Lion” Cardigan using a newly found emulsion called Synflat which had to be mixed with another substance, I believe it was called Sincile in accordance with the maker’s instructions. David and I were mixing a bucket full according to the instructions, the boss came and saw us and said add much more water to that to make it go further. “I see”, said David “you know better than the maker”, is it not likewise we believe we know better than our maker? It is me who decides what is fair! Everything but, everything comes to an end with all things and God has predestined good to all things. Yes with our knowledge we can cause death but not its consequences. Everything has the untouchable spirit, so whatever it is jellyfish or foetus it is no longer to be had when dead, but the result is in account with knowledge. The factor is spirit, we deliberately abort foetus, that is our problem, but we kill millions in wars and even natural phenomenon like earthquakes, all of which is to do with material. All it does to the spirit is to allow greater knowledge by verification. The answer lays with God. It is he who gives credence to us, as I said, since no one ever knows they are dead, as if they never were or anything else. It has no bearing except to God; it is he who has need of everything. Jehovah A Capitalist I have little doubt that most probably all Jews are Capitalists and so is the entire World. Jehovah is a Capitalist by definition, this is because he owns all things and because the Jews are his children they are meant to be co-owners and are also Capitalists and they have with their God influenced humanity and caused the human system to be Capitalist. We have throughout the World a monetary system, money being our God, true. We can argue that the Capitalist system is that of God, how can we justify this, simple in words, God owns all things equally, his children own also own all things, but this is where we have a huge bent spoke in our wheel. The word we are looking for and unable to find, is equally, we have no equality. There is nothing equal in humanity’s Capitalism, quite the opposite; again Jehovah a mortal Capitalist God is to blame. The Jews, his children, his followers were meant to take the booty of all those who opposed them and as in the book of Samuel if you did not adhere to God’s wishes you were punished. Equality was only meant for the Jewish people and of course they had people more equal than others. As I have several times written, from our very origin the law was naturally to favour the rich. The law weakened towards the poor and even though we do try and even it up, money still talks, everything has always been in favour of the rich. The only very little change which came about where we began and do note only began with the advent of Jesus Christ, but soon vanished. By now we know that only lip service is paid to Jesus by all of us. We say we believe in Jesus, but Christianity has never flourished. To hell with you Jack I’m alright, is still the same. As I have said regardless to all else we do our own thing. Jehovah is nominalistic observance of a mortal law. Nominalistic Biblical law, people are nomadic Christians, which has nothing to do with spiritual alliance with God. Everything of ours is to do with the flesh. It is all well and good to go to church and whatever is supposed Worship of a spirit, but we are mortal and have to come down to Earth. Jehovah’s system is non equality except to a few Capitalists, we cannot get away from it, this is the Capitalist Biblical God. The opposite to the God of Jesus Christy, who was of course a decent sort of chap, out on a limb though this is why he was crucified. He was not the follower of the Jewish Jehovah of course every child knows all of that. We pay lip service Jesus, followers in words, only in homage and God forbid, we have the audacity to expect Jesus to return to the World! What for, so that we can kill him again? So let us now forget all of that and use what knowledge we have for our own good. Principal of the Three Musketeers One for all and all for one, this we may say is the spirit’s desire. I am talking now about our real God realised by our resurrection. The God of Jesus Christ, the God of equality, perfection means all that! Is it possible to have total equality with our monetary system? I believe so, the nearest has been communism, it could not work because some were more equal than others. A monetary system works in my book Our New World. Before I move on, you may have gathered from my work that I do not believe in prayer, I think it is the worse attribute we could have. Whosoever utters throughout the entire World of humanity the Lord’s Prayer are absolutely wickedly fraudulent, yes deceptive, not always knowingly, nevertheless wrong! I often wonder how dumb can we get? In the Lord’s Prayer “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven”. So I ask, by whom? Jesus Christ is dead physically to the World and God can’t do anything because he is spirit. So who is it who is going to bring heaven to Earth? Ghosts! God cannot (for God’s sake accept this fact) do anything physically because he is Spirit, Ghost! For goodness sake this is why he created material existence, so that he could be expressed with. He has no magic wand to turn the Worlds people into heaven, why doesn’t humanity hold hands and pray together? No one is going to listen. Surely the least amongst us realise that if Jesus were physically here now, his end would hardly be different, because the same Jewish God rules as did in his days. Who could tolerate to be like Jesus in the World today, oh yes millions in lip service, but to practice Jesus ways is impossible. We are a capitalists World which he is not, absolute opposite, his call one people in God, children of the one family, communion of community. Not Mrs Thatcher’s one for one and none for all! So what is it I believe we should do? First forget about God and Jesus Christ for the time being, they have provided all there is and cannot do more, because whatever is done is provided by God, it is all here, whoever you believe provided it. If it is as we believe that heaven can become Earth, then it is only we who can do it. The major question is, how? I believe there is only one way, rather a suspicious word, co-operatively, it is how my New World works. China and Russia have had the right approach but the wrong way, Communism. Yes but by private enterprise, China is going the right way, I believe with reason that China, Russia and India can be the fore runners in acquiring heaven amongst humanity because of their verification and diversity; they have experienced so many differences. Let me begin with Russia, who better to know and understand communism, it failed because they tried co-operation in government only, the entire population shareholders. It could never work because it bred contempt, lassitude even laziness, everyone looking to the government to do all the work. Now the major question here let us never forget, why Communism? Why was it chosen in the first place, because a whole nation had suffered under Capitalism and thank goodness the Russian people love Russians? They have suffered so much poverty and persecution which compelled them to come together and form a great and wonderful community forged together. The suffering of the last war caused them to unite; I envy their love for one another. China and India having suffered similar hardships. So how could these countries be the forerunners of heaven upon Earth? The only example I can truly give is the Ocean Colliery in South Wales where the colliers bought it out and became shareholders. How and why did that co-operative work? Because they were all colliers and had a vested interest. There would be no point in Dentists, Cowboys or Seamen buying the mine, they would have no interest in working it. I believe that if Russia had people shareholders in their private enterprise in every profession and field, where only the people involved and working their enterprise being the co-operative in each venture and then a Government to overlook fair play and make all adhere to good behaviour within rules and regulations, then it would be a beginning towards a better World. I would choose these three countries as fore runners because of their love for one another brought about by compulsion. The Russian leaders have always been for Russia, good for them. I believe that China has now the better chance of the implementation of this system, they are still under communist government rule which I believe to be good and if they were to choose private enterprise co-operatives, then there would be a Worldwide change where all would try and implement. The same would at least begin to show light at the end of the tunnel. We would still be using God’s provision, so there would be no reason for him to be other than silent. In fairness to humanity, we are desperately looking for a perfect or near perfect system beneficial to all mankind. You see with this system it matters not how big the firms, all in cognition holding by its whole workforce. The Chinese and Russian cognate, what about the colossal profits of the huge conglomerates? Most go back into continual new prospects for the benefit of all people. Where other money such as wages to benefit all people by government, heaven upon Earth, far fetched. Impossible! Carry on condemn all we like, there is no one else who can do it. We have the knowhow and I don’t know of any ghosts who work! No matter how much we look towards God and pray, we are his workers in the flesh. What I have said of the New World can apply in this one; Armageddon does not have to be! It does not matter either way to God, it is our flesh that suffers and there is no limitation, no time, it is up to us. If we were to implement heaven on Earth, then Jesus would return, not before. We have come a long way and there is a long way to go. It is entirely up to us! One group of people for many years have been co-operative, all the banks, the fat cats, they have made capitalist shareholders rich and paid themselves in millions. It is only now we realise how they acquire so much off our backs. I remember Mr Dickinson a builder in Fishguard saying to a Bank Manager, my men work hard and they won’t get a pension other than the state pension, but you will get a good pension by what use you have made of my money, and we believe in mans equality. Yes a co-operative can work providing that it is by the people who work it, no sleeping shareholders, each enterprise by the people who caused it and work it, no matter how small or large. If it is done properly there would be no need of state pensions, not unless all were state pensions, adequate for all. We people are fine; it is our systems which are wrong. Yes very simple elementary ideas, nevertheless better than the ones we have. You only join if you work for the whole group! Then Christianity would begin to work. If this system worked, I believe the reason Jesus would come back would be to put a finer point on things. Besides probably very many of our relatives who were with us on the Earth would visit and take us back with them. Probably just for a visit because by this time the Earth would be equal to the New World, an exciting thought, but of course not only possible but probable. Of course in the co-operatives there would be bosses and leaders, as some are born to lead, others to be lead. Like the Armed Services, at sea there was a captain down to the deck boy. There was no real friction because each had a job to do and accepted their position, Army, Navy and /Air force likewise. In retirement they had all respect for one another. In the wars we are now involved in, when there are dead, every rank has the same respect for them, one people in a terrible job! Comrades in Arms There has to be one difference, no religious sects of any kind, no different symbols and clothing, one school one college, one university, of course of different professions. What about clubs in games and such like, but of course, they could belong to the co-operatives, but not freemasons and similar which discriminate and create difference between people, there must be no secrecy. Of one co-operative of the same nature as another who does better that the other, then they could take over the one company but only to employ the same people, all remaining shareholders. There can be huge firms but only if proven to be adequately manage for the benefit of all and all the country’s people to decide which co-operative to help if in need with every aspect of the firm taken in to account. I conclude, if heaven on Earth, then it is only us, humanity can bring it about and make it work. An absolute wonderful and exciting proposition where all our skills are required just imagine the reward for each one of us, heaven on Earth as it is in heaven, spirituality. Our very spirits being over-lords, under one Lord our God. If we say it can’t work then it won’t. It does not really matter what we believe the provision for it all is death, either way; it can never be the end because we won’t know. Go It Alone I have spent most of my time writing of a supposed God. Even so, I have sufficient intelligence to know that whether with a God or not we have had to go it alone. We are a human species different to everything else by having knowledge, we are in intelligence, but for all our knowledge and intelligence certain things evade us, very important things. We do not know where we came from or anything else, or why. We do not know if we are owned by anyone or anything. We imagine that there is a cause for existence and that we are part and parcel of it. We know that the Universe and everything of it was here long before our appearance and we have a belief that someone or something can lay claim to it. We humans can lay claim to the fact, for all that we know of existence, we are the only ones who have knowledge as far as we know. This is rather peculiar considering the vastness of everything else. Whether there is a reason for this we don’t really know, except that with our knowledge and intelligence we can set our own purpose to everything. This is why we have laid claim to Earth, it is so we believe now owned by us, why not? We found ourselves here and accepted that it is our gift. Having found ourselves here with a brain and five senses to supply the brain with five dimensions. We have had to decide all for ourselves, because we are a particular species and much alike, we share the same knowledge and intelligence. Accepting that we were orphans, just about every single one of us chooses an unidentified parent. It was we as it were, who adopted a non physical entity we call spirit. Each of us having our own God, it seemed a natural thing to do, since family became our way of life, we needed a fatherly figure to put the onus on. We as a species became ontogenesis, similar to a child having an imaginary friend, real to a child. We chose someone with no physical identity as someone who caused and owned everything, which we call spirit, known as God. Even for all of this we have never been absolutely certain of our beliefs, it has all been supposition. Now I have found that I need to change direction with reason. I tell the following to the supposed intelligent human race. Whether with a God or not, a God of any sort. We have had to go it alone physically in the World. Alone At the end, I will come back to God, but now, alone. Now in 2010 for our own purpose and benefit, what should we do, from what we have gathered from nature everything with the exceptions are happy (if the right word) and are contented at being what they are. But we have been absolutely exceedingly miserable since finding ourselves and our progress has not altered this. We are a burden to ourselves and remain miserable. So now in 2010 what could we possibly do to alter our status and be happy and contented? In all the vocabulary of the World’s languages we have the word harmony, which would spell satisfaction. If I were given full control of the entire human World to do my desire and wish, what would I require of everyone? First and foremost, forget God and all religions, no Children of God. No Christians, no Moslems, no mention of spirits, because of our knowledge we accepted ownership of the World as is. We found ourselves here and this is how it is, none of us are satisfied with our lives because we think we know better. We actually know that if there is such a state of what we term Heaven on Earth? It is only we who have the knowledge capability and ability to bring it to bear heaven on Earth How? First we need to analyse our greatest draw back and opposition to everything. It is because we are all single entities and for self preservation and survival we became of native predators to one another and suspicious of everything. Consequently we spend billions of our hard earned money on protection from one another. Iraq war a billion pounds, a drop in the ocean compared to what every Nation spends on their armaments. America, Russia, China, Japan, Britain all of Europe, all soak up our hard earned money in taxes to afford huge unlimited weapons of war for human destruction and everything else. Is this to be forever? I ask every one of us, is there anyone who know a way out of spending money on destructive power. What every sensible and intelligent person would wish for. I do have constructive idea, I know that every Nation no matter how poor use money in armaments for their protection. There is a way out that would require a little trust at the beginning. Which I believe we can aspire and bring to fruition. It really can be done if we so choose and desire. It would save absolutely billions upon billions of our money for other uses. First, we have to be told and given to realise how much of our tax goes on the protection from one another and our interests. The money spent on personnel in the Army, Air force and Navy, to train the service men. The money to train and equip them with armaments. It costs colossal money to keep them idle in case of aggression, then when there is a conflict and War, money is poured into the war machine. Millions of service men and women all over the World have their lives taken. It would be very costly to make most of them redundant, but service redundancy has to take place the sooner the better, I have not mentioned the waste of life, which seems the last consideration. The New World This is what could be done and must be done and even this should eventually become redundant. Here goes, all the nations of the World unite in the project, first decide a control place, maybe the Sahara desert, odd choice? Not really I am going to make use of all the sand elsewhere. Here we build towns and cities to accommodate Army and Air Force personnel; we would need a similar place near the sea for Navy personnel. We call it Armageddon country. Now each nation of the World supply equal number of personnel say 2,000 each as service contingent to be trained and further equipped with necessary machinery of War. The United Nations of service personnel to police the entire World, to be deployed within minutes. Where any conflict even seems to be imminent, then to remain until the differences are dealt with amicably, where an agreement would have to be reached. Of course all the World’s Nations having to forfeit all known armament to Armageddon and they in turn would supply spies in all Nations to make sure we all adhere to the rule and not produce any form of armaments. New Personnel would be renewed to Armageddon every so often according to required age. All would serve specific time. Only a fraction of each Nations tax would be used. We realise that War brings forward hasten technology on a huge scale, for instance Nuclear Energy, but all of which can be used for good reason and peaceful means. So here we have the Country specifically created as a war machine to keep the peace, Armageddon of purpose. The Generals, Air Marshals, Admirals, as a committee to decide deployment of troops, a single language to be chosen for everyone, of course they would still have their own, an easy language to learn would be chosen, maybe Spanish? We would choose one language as a whole for all Armageddon’s personnel. Don’t forget, what I say goes, as I said forget all Gods all spirits and religion. All of what I say is difficult to acquire, nevertheless possible. It is only we who can bring it to bear. One question to ask the entire human race, with all the knowledge we have, and all that we know of ourselves and behaviour. I ask the question, are we all satisfied? I can answer for us, a child can give the answer, as we are, we cannot possibly be satisfied for good reason. We all know that not a single one of us have reached our potential. We have the knowledge, the capability, and ability to acquire a better life for everyone. Yes if you wish you can use the words Heaven on Earth our choice of words. We know that War brings prosperity to some, some enjoy the excitement of it and War and adversity bind people together. The rich and poor have to share in the despair and misery and the needless loss of life in War. Set all that aside and I propose a project that will possibly need greater resources than that of War. Where our best technology implements and machinery are required. Maybe not so many personnel. Here are two projects, the first: Cut a wide canal across Central Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, and then build several stations at intervals whereby machinery will be used to draw chemical from the sea water and provide fresh water to flow wherever needed for whatever good reason. Such can be done if needed in other continents. My second and colossal project: This of course if scientists of the World believe possible. It could cost an absolute fortune, possibly nuclear power and energy might be used, nuclear energy to cause deep trenches and it is all geological work, maybe only in my imagination. First use technology to locate the tectonic plates which cause earthquakes in their movement. Then dig as deep trenches as near as possible to them, by whatever means. Then transport by ship purposely built to carry huge loads of sand to as near as possible to the trenches, fill them with sand and build huge mountains of sand above them. The idea would be where earthquakes occur, as soon as cracks appear in the Earth; the sand would fill as a shock absorber. This being done on land where it is known that they occur. Then maybe who knows, at the bottom of the sea? If at all possible, the project being seen on Television as a serial, it would be better than any film producer could offer as fiction. This would be wonderful reality Television; the sands of the deserts of the World could be used by building huge conveyor belts and machinery to carry the sand from all the deserts to the coast for redeployment as it is of little use where it is. Leave that aside what next? Co-operatives From my home country farm co-operatives, the smaller ones joining together. We all know and realise that young people who wish to be farmers, having learned in schools and colleges about farming and its uses, but have no farms of their own. I would use the young farmers in their occupation by joining farm co-operatives. The following is crucial; we all know that someone lay claim to all our land without exception, every field owned by someone. Some land bought and kept purely for status reasons, to boast about, many let the land lay to waste, covered in gorse, brambles and bracken. We all see it especially on mountain sides, fields of long yellow grass never cultivated. I having total control (suppose) I do not care one iota who owns what. We will need a complete change in attitude and behaviour, these are my demands, and every inch of the Nations should be cultivated so that food can be grown. It is possible if we set our minds to it. Nations would supply one another with produce. I don’t quite know why I have hated Capitalism, probably I realised at an early age that rich and poor was obviously wrong, but whatever my belief I have sufficient intelligence to realise that money and our monetary system is the way of the World. Money is our real God and since our appearance on Earth, each single human has required the best for themselves. We were born greedy! Every baby ever suckling is greedy; we all can’t get enough money because there is so much we can do with it. Cain against his own brother showed our greed, enough to kill Abel his brother. The rich people need the poor and less well off to compare with. Over and above everything else, even money!! We seek our good, which can never be as we are. To be good, one must be for all and all for one. The only way is for individual satisfaction. This is now my belief since our way of existence is by money; we must find a good way to be equal as one for all. There is only one way we can do it and remain private enterprise for our self gain, make money for ourselves. This we must do, each form and belong to a private co-operative in our own profession and line of work, all of us shareholders in our own work, having no sleeping shareholders. The only shareholders committed for all people has to be the government and to have people monitor co-operatives, to see that they adhere to the law and regulations of co-operatives. We have to pay taxes to a central government, but have to need consolidation to where our money is and spent and we as a whole decide by vote and argument where best to use our money. Being given full charge and command, what would I require of my own country Wales? Our Wales To begin, for those young people who wish to be farmers, but have no ownership of land. I would help in the following manner. They would join existing farms and farmers as co-operatives, would there be sufficient work for all people, I believe so under my instructions. First they would all (but only farmers) vote for a farmers council with similar authority to County Councillors. They would make decisions on behalf of the co-operative. I would not have much interest in who owns what, every inch of our soil in fields in whatever area has to be cultivated where food can be grown. Irrespective of who owns fields covered in long yellow grass uncared for, gorse bracken and bramble areas to be cleaned, ploughed and cultivated if only to grow wild flowers. Local shops would be provided with farm produce and other Nations where necessary, the World needs to be fed! When a declaration is made of interest, which will cause owners to wake to the cause and decide to do something with their land. They will have a certain period of consideration, if they decide to be involved (not having been so before) they will have to be part of a farmers’ co-operative, or even form one themselves, but only of recognised trained workers in the business of farming, no wasters! Now the farm machinery makers would be required to build suitable machines to cultivate poor assessable areas, maybe steep mountain side fields. To dig out gorse, brambles, weeds and nettle roots, some heather too, maybe caterpillars would be needed. The farm council to choose the various farmers in the vicinity to do the cultivation and seeding and they are the ones to benefit from the sale of their farm produce regardless of land ownership. I would require the Fire Brigade to help clear poor areas. In the month of March before the birds start nesting and the birth of animals, avoiding damage as much as possible. They would under control provide special highly inflammable tankers to spray areas of gorse, bracken, brambles, and weeds with fine foam and set alight with flame throwers. The decision of how to do it would be theirs. All done in preparation for the farmers to cultivate. Hopefully they would not be needed after a few seasons by which time the gorse etc would be eradicated. In rocky areas where there is soil that cannot be cultivated for food, heather particular grasses and flowers are to be grown, also in dedicated park areas. Possibly we might grow more wheat and similar crops than our local need, but someone in the World will need it. We have far too much land is wasted and unused. Only because it is owned by people who do not use it, a sin! Not under my rule. Regardless of who owns what, status, and money is not to take precedence over food supply to the World where there are people starving, our species. Attitudes have to change. Pensioners and children So as to avoid much negotiation and arguments in law, let the people continue to be the owners of specific land to be used and once the produce from them is sold, they could be paid minimum money as rent. No argument about the cultivation of the land which would be used by the farmers co-operatives , so that the farmers who have no land of their own can cultivate areas which have not been used for everyone’s benefit and share the monies for the produce sold and continue to do so as shareholders of the co-operatives. Here another project, something to occupy retired pensioners and children out of school time. All at their leisure giving one or two days per week, they would be provided by their council with machinery and tools. They could form co-operatives amongst themselves and their job of work? They would be required to cut the growth of ivy and all climbers off the bark of trees where they are stifled by climbers, cut gather and burn. Also cut away the undergrowth on the forest floors and make footpaths, clear the undergrowth wherever the trees are, small woodlands and such like. They could be supplied with flower bulbs, mushrooms and similar to set around the trees and to make sure people can walk and admire their work. Places allowing pleasing sight and fragrances, pylons could be used for ivy and climbing plants and flowers. The nature of the World is already beautiful, but it needs in places a little help from us, to benefit us. I can remember as a boy going to the Rhondda, Clydach Vale to stay with relatives who were colliers. One thing was noticeable about all the people, they were kind generous and always seemed happy and considerate. They were all very much alike, bonded by the coalmines where they worked, rich and poor alike, rich in fellowship, comradeship, the same applies to service personnel in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Merchant Navy and all the other services regardless of seniority. All as it were in the same boat, I believe this is what the various co-operatives would cause, of course there has to be people to lead and others to be led, bosses and workers but all as personal shareholders, as in War. This would need much planning and law, it sounds a lot to do, but little in comparison with what is required in War. The Government involved in all that we do as a private enterprise, they could recruit and form a young women’s land army co-operative that would be trained in land management and cultivation to be hired out as contractors to farmers and councils. We should all be on a war footing without War except on waste. They could be aggrieved, I could not care, attitude would not be tolerated, and we need to be a compliant people. Why would all this be necessary, because we all seek satisfaction in unilateral good. It is only possible for one to acquire satisfaction if all are satisfied. The motto of the three Musketeers “All for one and one for all”, humanity cannot remain as we are seeking others to do and decide. We must form private co-operatives for everyone and be complacent to one another, of course we must be paid for our work, but our reward must be satisfaction, companionship and commonwealth in comradeship and let our mistrust be filtered out. We do not need gold medals as our reward, but true acknowledgement and love for one another as one people in union. We seek our satisfaction, a small word with huge meaning; we always have in some way the need of one another. We are as we must know a necessity to one another in all walks of life. We are still private people and can remain so in our own homes and beliefs. If we say it all sounds too good but impossible to attain, then we have to face that it is impossible, end of story, but the fact is, there is no ghostly spirit going to put the World to rights, whatever our hopes and prayers. Your prayer can travel space having no one to listen to it; the answer is here with us, our knowledge. We are individuals who have need to be in unison, but entitled to our opinions and to be heard by everyone, because everything has its effect on us, we have rights. It is surprising that we as a whole, the human race have one great dilemma, it has become a habit by everyone of us, and we pose and direct a question to ourselves. We say, what can I do, I’m only one, and it is our greatest excuse for our behaviour. We all work hard to make a living by acquiring money for our work, hard earned cash we say, yet we show utter complacency about where our savings are kept. We choose Banks and various societies to look after our interest, yet we never question them, we trust them, why? We don’t trust anyone else! It is an excuse for you to say what can I do, for goodness sake the law allows you to question the guardians of your money. I know that most of us live in repose to our governing bodies; as long as we do not question it we are not to blame. The fact is we are totally to blame as single individuals for all that happens in the human World. Those young football millionaires have no idea where their money is used, or by whom, it could well be used and often is in the making of armaments to supply people who become our enemies and use the armaments to kill and destroy us, it happens! At which time we wake up and shout at our Government and condemn their actions. It is too late when our young people are killed, but for all the condemnation, you and I are to blame. The questions need to be at the beginning and not at the end when it is too late. The excuse of War is by each individual who keeps saying, I am only one and can’t do anything about it and others know better than me! Our co-operatives have to know where our money is spent by the banks and Government, the law allows it. I’ll tell you something else I am in favour of, this business of trust; we don’t trust anyone when it becomes personal. I believe this business of recent anonymous voting is wrong, the system should change, everyone should be named and who they vote for, the voter and candidate should be known. If then something goes wrong, you cannot blame others and say he was not your M.P. or your chosen Government. As we are we make a mockery of ourselves and supposed democracy, our mistrust acknowledged. Americans like to believe they are the greatest democratic country in the World and tell everyone else how to live, yet they have the greatest mistrust of one another, possibly of all people. They are as civilians the biggest culprits of all in mistrust. They are gun slinging trigger happy people, women carry pink handles guns they probably have their own designs on the butts. If they continue the way they are, they may revert back to the old cowboy days of the quickest on the draw service. The men choose the most powerful guns and the way they behave they will cause people to challenge one another to draw or die, God forbid. Surely if your democracy is as good as you say it is then your trust should be to live amongst one another without the aid of guns. America is not such a great country as it claims to be, look at home before you condemn others. What does your religion say about looking first in to your own eye! Armaments and atom bombs are not the answer, people look for a safety shield against incoming rockets, that is fine, but you cannot prevent suicidal bombers. Presidents have been assassinated for no real reason, except for someone to say, I did it! Notoriety. We are personally responsible for our governments there is no excuse, whatever happens. Our MP’s can always say, you chose me and my government! If we are to succeed in our good, trust has to become the first priority. All that I propose can only be brought about by us going it alone without religions, which we do anyway! Even when we say we believe in our God, every indication is that we don’t. We have no choice really, we have to go it alone it has been predestined and that is individually. What If Now a major question, what if having brought heaven to Earth, we have evidence and proof of a God, as we supposed? Should we reproach and condemn ourselves? Surely not. We should be exceedingly glad and proud. God having given us the World as a gift to look after, should we not be pleased at our achievement without aid! Heaven on Earth would surely be our worship of our achievement as God’s family. It would be a sign of our good, our success would indicate that we had not the need to pray because our realisation that all was provided by God in his creation in the first instance. Anyway at this juncture I feel the need to question whether our cause we call God is as most of us believe, a person similar to us that we can talk to, there is one fact, that he is silent. I question, can he hear us? Does he listen? What does science tell us? I use what little knowledge of science I have to try and figure that out for myself. I base my entire belief on believing that almost everything is energy. Life on Earth is entirely sustained by a horrendous and colossal power house, the tremendous energy of the Sun. Think, if the Earth was drawn towards the Sun, it would burn the Earth to a cinder; it would hardly leave an ember! Everything that had been of Earth would no longer exist. Al gone, no sign of us, no meaning to our religions, our belief in Gods having no meaning, prayers having meant nothing, nothing valid. We are entirely at the Suns mercy, every instant it has, like an umbilical cord its elements of energy touching the World from millions of miles away. At this very moment it is drying my clothes on the washing line and allows me to sit at the kitchen table writing this. It is a horrendous and destructive power of great magnitude and yet it is only one star of many. We cannot contemplate the power and energy behind the Universe as a whole and there is only one word for the energy, life! Every atom a living energy of existence. How can we talk and pray by grovelling, snivelling with soothsaying to such a magnitude of energy and we profess to tell him in our prayers, how great he is and wonderful behaviour. We have the audacity to tell of his greatness; surely an oddity. We don’t have contact with the Suns energy, except that it is in contact with us. It has our sole charge, so where do we enter the equation of the Cosmos? When we think of our relation with its energy, we are hardly significant to be mentioned like a grain of sand on the beach! What argument can I provide if any of our significance? We seem less important than an ant trapped in a corner of a room between the bottom of the skirting board and the floor. Yet I can produce an argument to suggest that we are the greatest energy of all equal to God! There is but one thing I know that can associate with any energy, it is different to anything else known to us supposedly in the Universe. Different to everything else, we have knowledge and what fantastic energy it is nothing to compare with it. Everything of the Universe does to its purpose, its function predestined it does what it does, as if it were a puppet! Deadwood! It hangs there with n o purpose. It is our knowledge which gives it all purpose by our analysis and theories. It is we who tell it all is, if it were not for our knowledge which is proven knowing, the Universe would not be known, therefore non existence to us. Our knowledge is in control of the surface of Earth, we manage it. We even indicate that we own it. We do not really need to rely on our suppositions. Just think, with our knowledge in science, mathematics, cosmology, physics, Trigonometry, Geometry and technology etc, we are able to discern the Universe. It is absolutely amazing that we were able to bring mathematics to bear on the Universe itself, and can tell the distances of all the stars and planets from the Earth, from the Sun, from each other also their speed and rotation. We can measure their size and we are in reach of telling what they are composed of and to me the greatest wonder of all is that existence itself provide constant question. The beyond always beckons. How great is our knowledge to compare with everything else? Well if our scientists are able to tell us that the Universe as it is, is not influenced except by its working, it functions now as always having absolutely no knowledge other than ours, then we have propriety. Then by (and if we remain) us remaining who knows in a million years time and advanced technology we may move even the World to a desired and may be better and safer location and possibly rearrange the Universe itself. It is itself which allow us its understanding and provision. We not only have the knowledge and knowing, we have the material (provided by the Universes energy) and know how, indeed the ability to create, as we do. Our provision allows unlimited knowledge, we are not sleeper shareholders of the Cosmos, we take part in its cultivation to come. The basic belief I have (and suppose everyone) is that whatever caused the Universe and existence itself would need to have similarities to our attributes. Put it this way, if our knowledge was to go on indefinite we would have the knowhow to create Universe. I move on to the question of how the cause, God if you choose, perpetuate his self being, reserve? He has to be self as it were pollinate, self production to infinity, how? One of the greatest noticeable things about everything is uniformity it is a great part of Gods structure. This answers a question for me; the greatest unsolved phenomenon to me is that everything has an opposite for verification, because I believe there is a reason and cause for everything, even accidents. Why are opposites required, I think it plays a great part in sustaining God. We have negative and positive, the verification is of the positive! What I constantly bring to mind is the Big Bang, why the explosion? We have sanity and madness and to me the best disclosure of this which I witness down a coal mine, is explosion! Which I helped to create, madness in application. An application is absolutely indiscriminate scatter of disarray in controlled particles of all shape and size, most unpredictable you never know what the result is going to be, thus the Big Bang, mad. Yet it all becomes controlled by circumstances, depending on shape, size and weight of the particles they are affected by gravity, atmosphere and what they hit or go against. All of which eventually settles down to become uniform with patterns, that were scattered atoms, depending on all sorts in space even causing space. The particles settled into Stars, Planets and everything else, all with tremendous energy, yet to remain in assertion; the bang has to continue on a smaller scale elsewhere but constant as the explosions within the Sun and all the Stars. The madness as it were and disarray, which has to continue so as it’s opposite to cause and sustain form and pattern and as if by accident, it was caused and predestined. The verification of opposite cause answers which produce questions as a cycle, as it were causes itself like self pollination, self sustainability is God’s system. This is how he sustains himself, forces working upon themselves. Let me try and explain how it works. To sustain our mortal lives we have to eat but we have to eat the same substance we are made of a form of cannibalism. Mostly from our soil aided by air and heat off the Sun. The wonder of it all is that most heavenly bodies are spherical and rotate, and our World (surely not an accident) rotates at an angle and in orbit round the Sun, causing seasons and the rotation causing night and day. The tilt of the World at 23.5 degrees makes all the difference which allows really for our lives. As I have said to sustain us we have to eat our own to replenish. It is so complicated that we don’t really notice, everything plays a part in our survival. The seasons, night and day, time, period place, where at, heat of the Sun, probably hundreds of other things, intervals play a great part. How does all of this affect us, just imagine if it were different and we were all awake at the same time and that time was the same for everyone and there were no reasons! This is my easier way to explain such an effect. What if all of humanity were to eat beef at the same time, we would run out of cattle, if we were all to eat runner beans at the same time, we would run out of beans and if all our diet was exactly the same at the same time, no vegetables would remain. We devour certain things where growth would fail but thanks to the fact that things are as they are. We eat at different intervals, different places in the World having different diets where our meals are different, all of which allow for growth, birth and so on. This would never in my belief happen if it were not predestined. We cause ourselves unaware to remain assertive and live by using what we are made of, if the entire Universe was flat we would not be. Since I believe that something similar to the human mind caused existence, every thought of ours begins at nothing, so I choose nothing where I envisage an idea occurring within concentration causing a micro atom of substance, maybe gasses which chemically mix causing a split into a huge explosion. The Big Bang, the sound of which letting space know, I God am here in no uncertain terms. Declaring existence by the creation of material, forming a Universe. Where he lets knowledge reckon his purpose, what would I say it all is in a nutshell? The energy that everything is, life, perpetual movement of life in everlasting evolution. A kaleidoscope, the disarray to continue in various explosions, madness to concur, sanity, opposites to cause the ever now. We will probably find that the smallest is greatest into nothing, possibly if we do not interfere. The Universe will retract back to its origin to form again of a different pattern and maybe system but as I have said, millions of years hence and our knowledge still in being might create a New World by rearranging the Universe. The Umbilical cord of our origin still intact to all creation. To me the greatest significance of all is, that we are, and further that we know it. Madness verifies sanity death verifies life; they go together; yes if you like, a horse and carriage! Knowledge to sustain it all and give it purpose, the energy knowledge reign supreme, it is God. The whole package sustains itself for ever, wonderfully made and arranged, we are forever! The greatness of existence is that itself creator God sustains himself from himself. Some Professor had said that the Universe was hanging as it were in space having no purpose. Earlier on I said that he should have been shot for saying that, I should not have said that, because in one sense he was right. As I have mentioned before, existence is dead wood; it could only be described as something, and it is true that it was of no purpose whatsoever without us, except that it had a cause, we have called God. God also was of no significance lest he be known; he was as it were in fecundity. Of course what I am saying now is supposition so as to explain, it is hyperaesthetic, and this is because it is not the case. It is we, our very knowledge who has given God and his creation credibility; it was predestined, as if to say God himself was predestined. It is not the case, we assume how it was. This is how it is; knowledge has to be God’s greatest significance, without our knowledge, without us, there is nothing, nothing known which signifies the same. OK we can say that the cause behind material existence is spiritual and non material, fair enough! But the disclosure is by our material brain. Just think with me, we have given everything a name so that every mortal thing can be recognised and as I have previously said, we developed mathematics, I need not name them we all know of our professors and knowledge. As I said we discern the Universe, it is we who give existence credibility and therefore purpose. Irrespective of what we think of a spirit which we do not know, think what we like of God, but we, humanity are the greatest marvel of all things. It is we who discern the Cosmos, it is we who declare the World, in the simplest of words, it is we who give all of existence its total credibility. Yes there is nothing to say that we cannot believe in Creationism. I go as far as to believe that a spirit is our cause, nevertheless we are the greatest known to us. So whether by spirit or not, I believe our knowledgeable demise is the greatest of all things. We are Supreme and greatest of all mortal existence. Everything that has ever been asked of God, we have to do ourselves. In a minute I will tell you why, but first, I have always believed and said that the most difficult thing to ascertain is simplicity and now at the age of eighty nine years I have completed the full circle. All of my work theories and philosophy has lead me back to my initial statement. Something I had said when a young boy and it is now it makes sense. I said, if God is all knowing, then nothing else is needed which has proved to me, true. Use one word, spirit and it is we who verify that the spirit needs to be known. It is we who give the word spirit. God is our disclosure, his creation is the verification. What it means, by name taken God has to know God. Total knowing finds itself proclamation a necessity! Why I don’t know, but we are here to prove it. Departure lounge The end is nearing, my mortal end. This will be my last written work; I have virtually written on thousands of foolscap sheets, they almost filled a wardrobe at home. So as to have room, I put a match to most of them; they had fulfilled their purpose anyway. During my spare time at sea I wrote daily, it became an addiction, all on the same subject, our reason and everything else for being or more to the point mine. Probably I have not had a completely satisfied answer, I tried my best but it had to be supposition in the end. Which is to all of us hypothetical. Because at the age of seventy nine I’m at the departure lounge, I have senile dementia creeping in, the reason for this is because quite often in the middle of a sentence I forget what I am about to write, or say to people I meet. Also my vocabulary is failing; I forget the meaning of words. I am failing, let me try and think of a word to explain my failure, I can’t! Yes hang on, I am undoubtedly failing, how’s that? I am getting to be afraid to go over my work because I don’t quite remember what I meant! Sometimes I can’t believe it was I who wrote. So it is time to say goodbye to my faithful pen (messenger) which has done me proud for so very many years. I believe it has had a change of nib, I have had several, but this one remains my favourite. Never mind I won’t be missed, there is always someone to take our place, but only place, not my person. I have life forever. What next? I am now going to try and get my manuscript printed if I can afford it. What I have written here I will add to as it is the last book. But first I promote my little book, it is called “Is it the End or Just the Beginning” the cover shows me, or anyone reaching towards our New World Planet. The title should have really been “My Resurrection” or better still “Meredith in Wonderland”. It is about what I would like to our New World to be like, pure supposition. All my work has been very serious except the little book which is fiction. Some might say that for all my work, I don’t really mind, I believe it! I have worked really hard without any payment, except to pay out for material. I have employed writing (not always) even though I felt compelled, I have had much comfort from it. For all said and done, at our death we get in our resurrection deliverance into Gods righteous, my New World, We are free from bereavement of Worldly mortality where we wake each day with wonderful clear minds. The former things will have passed away. Where we now experience glory. God’s glory! Amen. A TESTIMONY I have said and written the following many times before, at great length and time, to convince myself, which has become terribly boring to me so I cannot expect others to find it less boring. So at least I hope to tell my story in the shortest possible words which will prove difficult for me, who goes on and on repeating the same old thing. So please bear with me. Here goes! Saturday 19 November 2011 Nothing is a colossal expanse of space, where everything derives from. We call it nothing because our five senses do not apply to it. We know of it because our senses disclose it. I believe it is a single entity of Energy life which has to apply. It is acknowledgement by movement in birth, death, evolution, growth and all else of movement. For this purpose it causes material Universe to disclose the Energy. The cause of existence best known to itself desired to know of itself by the design of its portrait in Man’s brain, its image and echo. Man was allowed knowledge as abstract thought which he transformed into tangible reality by use of the body, by way of construction so as to know. That which is known is proven and witness by Man who analyse the energy life by living it. It is Man’s brain which discerns everything to Man, this by each individual entity being the source of what is known. Each one of us are the sum total of our knowing. As far as we know to date, we are the only known people in the Universe. We decided by our knowledge gathered by our senses that the energy is made up of several spiritual elements as all things are in material terms. We have given our cause characteristics we ourselves possess. There is no one else to compare with and since the character is our own. We refer to the Energy as a person we have called God. These are our ultimate qualities given to God, all intelligent, all knowing, all love and all mighty to His total good. We have given our life and of course, all else, the name God. We acknowledge God as a ghost, a spiritual entity who is the nucleus and cause of existence and we are his physical portrait in the flesh, his living energy. We are his knowing. Now I believe one, if not the greatest knowledge we possess is that of time. It has allowed us a cycle which cause the past and future to be always present, by which it enables us to have the Universe within the cycle, which means it can be analysed either way, which allow us to discern it all. And because the Universe and its contents are innocent which declare its cause, God having sovereignty over everything. We, by what is known, give everything purpose and credibility. How can the Universe be within our cycle? It is because everything of it revolves where we, with our own timescale, can work out times for all other Planets where we can eventually (which will be today) decide the instance. Our abstract mind ever more travel the Universe where we discern the cosmos at a greater speed than I would believe light. Now it matters not when we were born nor die, we are here to stay. Whilst God remains, so must we to know it all. Life itself is movement, the whole Universe revolves. The only and most important thing to be static to observe it all is our knowing God, the source of it all. And the most wonderful thing of all, is, I believe by our knowing. We can extend our good character to all things, cause the innocent to realise our good. So the message is to be kind to everything. Be good. We remain companions to God and one another evermore. People still look to God for help in the hope that Jesus Christ return to Earth and govern. I have, over a period of sixty odd years pointed out we are the only representatives of God because we have his knowing and are his portrait in the flesh. What we disclose of knowing is what is already known by God. We have his knowledge provided to us by our thoughts. We are one with God in the way Jesus is. People call for Jesus’ return upon Earth, so I ask, what is so different now as when He was crucified. Are we less crooked? We have had this knowledge for the last two thousand years! How much have we advanced by His teaching? Have we done anything of that which He desired of us? Believe me, if Jesus were here now, it would hardly be any different to what it was when He was with us in the flesh. What more could He tell us that He has not already told? We have waited a long time for Jesus’ return and we will wait forever for a magic wand from God which is not forthcoming. God by His creation has provided all our needs and it is only we, by God’s knowing can discern it. Please do not look to the sky for guidance. Rather, look to your self’s knowledge which is that of God. We can bring Heaven to Earth as it is in Heaven, as Jesus told, it is within us. Nothing more clear than that. However long it will take, we have to decide. You surely gather what Jesus meant, which is, we have the knowledge and ability and God’s knowing to acquire our ultimate good. I feel the need to say the following. Possibly only a few people, if any, will believe and accept what I say. They fear it might be true and the last thing we would wish for in the resurrections to be confronted by our victims. But however, our heinous, wicked deeds towards everything. Let our minds be at rest. If one needs to have blame, let it be Adam and not Eve, it was he who ate the fruit. Our mortality has not only known our lives. But also experience it as we live it. All we need is to realise our Energy God who is our good character. Maybe when I suggest we should become Atheists, it may be the wrong word. Atheism to me is to recognise Jehovah as Manmade law which has brought us to acknowledge God as our life’s Energy. Jesus Christ was a man who accepted that God’s qualities are that of man’s. I believe that is what He meant by saying Man is not for the Sunday but rather the opposite where Sunday is for Man. That, to me, is to acknowledge God in man, whether someone in the sky or not. We are His portrait in the flesh and what Jesus taught was common sense. You see, by being Atheist is not really to go it alone because we have never been alone. We, like all else, are, by our cause, our creator. We all derive from the cause of the Big Bang, our nucleus which is Energy. Jehovah punishes people for non alliance who is our mortal law which apply to all people. It discloses our failings, in my reckoning, means to a good end. Probably this is where we get the notion of God’s final forgiveness. If it is our belief, all well and good, but really God has nothing to forgive. We were given freedom of choice and each individual chose betterment towards our total good. The Prodigal Son head for home and of course daughter. What man would wish to be without our beautiful women? None. What the whole human species need is to accept the one God and not have different Religions who tear us apart. We are one people and we need action and not only words. If we need to praise and worship, then let it be towards our Energy and our lives and it is not bless you my children, but rather, Bless Us. Amen Friday, 16 December 2011, 10.10am It is me again. Some people believe that we are programmed from birth. Possibly, but the brain is influenced by others so that it might not be concise in the program. Nevertheless, I believe that every brain seeks betterment and aim towards its good. I believe my brain has possibly, from birth cause basically a one track mind as an obsession and the years have lead me to this very day where I make a very bold statement which will probably hurt many people for the reason they believe in a godly spirit of the sky. This is shown by billions of every moment prayers. Fortunately you don’t have to believe what I say. Nevertheless I am allowed to say what I believe and this will probably be one of my most profound statements by a progressive mind. This week there is much talk about scientists in Switzerland finding out the very nucleus of the atom which might tell the very beginning of material Universe. I have not the brain for such study. But maybe I can go a little further beyond what will be found where they lead to nothing where all originate. Back at Man’s first language, the word forever was caused. Our earlier scientists said that forever had no beginning or end having no boundary and that it is always and has ever been. Some said God was responsible, who again had no end or beginning. Alpha and Omega He always has been. Those were very bold statements, not fully comprehended by us. As I have so often said, for all to be known, irrespective to what it is, we have in some way, caused it to become applicable to our five senses. 5D. We are restricted to our own brain. The following is my explanation to forever. The only thing I know of which has no boundary and direction is nothing which I call spirituality and not knowing its extent it could be forever and for argument sake I have to make it applicable to my senses., whether right or wrong. I think of nothing as energise space between objects which virtually allow for all things. Colossal energy we call life declared by movement. Even not applied to by the senses, it is probably made up of many things, air being one ingredient which we can analyse. Imagine a globe balloon. Put tiny holes of three hundred and sixty degrees, the Compass. Put tiny particles of food within and some perfume. Pump air into it to inflate. Now it applies to the senses. You feel the air flow from the holes, you see and taste the particles, you hear the hiss of the air. You have given it direction and you continue to pump the air till the balloon bursts, so you realise the energy of the air and no matter how large the container you can cause the air to bust. So that I conclude that nothing is energy life we call God. To us humans existence would not be known and therefore not be if it were not for our knowing. The innocent Universe was not known till the advent of Man. If we proclaim that existence is not an accident, then its cause was by knowing, our knowledge which is abstract, spiritually, all of which is contained by the human body. God cause our thoughts which we transform into tangible reality as witness and proof of our soul spirit. Innocent material declare by our knowing our absolute sovereignty which is our life God. Now possibly another scenario. Let us assume that all was an accident and that everything is innocent energy and the system is still life and death which perpetuate life constantly new forever by way of resurrection. It would all be still the same for us as what it is, all creatures to remain. We could still declare, even if an accident, that our knowledge caused it. So by our knowing we have the chicken and the egg and the ultimate goal we all aim for is total good, our betterment and since our energy life nothing is forever. Then we acquire Heaven in our time. So my conclusion is – our knowledge and knowing which we gather by trial and error is the cause of existence and we call it God, all, as it were, scientific, apart from our knowledge. There is no other than us to give all things credence. There is nothing out there to give us guidance. Yes we draw our knowledge from what there is of the creation but the knowledge the nucleus within us our God caused it. All is vested in us. We are the key. We hold it! But as spiritual energy we the soul always need the body so that we can say, here I am Lord. Our observation is static whilst all our energy is movement and all our bad is forfeit for our good forever. Our New World of our people await each and every one of us. Yes we are confronted by our victims who were also aggressors so that forgiveness is by us. Jesus understood us as we must understand each other. Possibly the very end? Meredith signing off About the author Elwyn Meredith James was born in January 1931 in the seafarers’ village of Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire, and attended the local council school and Haverfordwest Grammar School. Growing up during the Second World War he enjoyed village life and life within the local Baptist Chapel. His father and grandfather were seafarers and under their influence he went to sea in October 1946 at the age of 15. In 1960 he left the sea, got married and went into the building trade as a painter and decorator until he retired. During all these years he considered becoming a Baptist minister. From an early age he became obsessed with the question of the reason for his being and of existence itself. His mind remained in the study of theology and throughout the years he has written many manuscripts concerned with the analysis of theology though none of this work has been published. He has spent a great deal of energy trying to verify his theory that existence is from one source, one nucleus. Giving up writing in the 1990s, he decided to take it up again in 2002, culminating in this work. Anyone reading his work should bear in mind that he is not trying to please anyone but simply trying to satisfy his own mind in the belief that satisfaction is the key to all things.