A new religion.

[CEMB]

After compassion comes humility. Humility is wisdom. It gives us a better understanding of our ourselves, our relationship with others and our relationship with God. Book II, Chapter V, 'Humility', explains this in more detail:

Wisdom is the proper weighing of things. Humility is wisdom for the humble
properly weigh their strengths and weaknesses, and from this weighing, see
the purpose God has given to them and seek to fulfil it. Humility is to serve
the Will of God.

Humility is to serve others before oneself. The humble farmer grows
food to feed others because that is the farmer’s strength. The humble
teacher teaches others how to learn because that is the teacher’s strength.
The humble prophet speaks God’s Message because that is the prophet’s
strength. Thus each in their own way benefits humanity and walks the
straight path.

The humble refuse to boast of their good deeds. They lack the need
to attract the praise of others for the deed is reward enough. They are
neither self-righteous nor arrogant. They know all are equal and they refuse
to place themselves above others. Even a child can teach a prophet.

The humble treat others with respect and dignity. They look at others
with open eyes and an open face, never down their nose or in a haughty
way. They devote their time to others and avoid rushing out of impatience.
They speak to others in a pleasant and firm tone. Never battering others
with their words as the arrogant do who presume their words are more
important than those of others. They avoid judgement. By acting humbly
towards others we act humbly towards God.

Humility comes with greater understanding. As the mind learns more it
gains a better understanding of itself and the purpose God has given to it. It
learns the proper weighing of things. This is wisdom. It neither overestimates
nor underestimates itself. And from this understanding it conquers arrogance
and fear, and strengthens its authority over the body. We are stars in an
infinite universe.

The humble know their strengths and use them properly to better
themselves and others. But they avoid revelling in their strengths. To revel in
one’s strengths is to grow infatuated by them and fall prey to the delusions
of arrogance and pride. The arrogant waste their strengths and lose them.
Pity those who waste God’s gifts.

The humble accept their strengths and so retain their self-respect and
dignity. The mind that loses dignity grows fearful. It doubts itself and no
longer believes it is worthy of God’s gifts nor good enough to fulfil God’s Will.
How comforting excuses are to the fearful. What delusion. God made all
minds equal and worthy instruments of His Will. Blessed are the humble who
use their strengths to lead others to the straight path.

The humble see their defects and accept them. They give a task to
another if they are more capable to complete it so that all may benefit. And
because the humble see their defects they are able to rectify them. A thing
unseen cannot be fixed.

The humble kneel before God and willingly submit themselves to God.
They accept the span God has allotted to them and the role God has
fashioned for them. Humility enables the mind to loosen its grip of the ego, to
put aside its selfish aims and instead devote itself to fulfilling God’s Will. The
humble mind is an instrument of God.

Be humble before the future and plan vigilantly for each possible
outcome, but avoid pre-empting events. To pre-empt an event, to simply
hope that the future shall transpire as desired is arrogance and folly. Even
the prescient cannot shape events. Only God can do this. Only God knows
what He has allotted to each of us.

The humble understand this and face the future with patience and
calm. They accept the future and the course of God’s plan. They act when it
is time to act, never too early nor too late. To act at the proper moment is
to pick the grape at its sweetest. God rewards the patient.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT8ozT5PKhU

 

[CEMB]

God wants us to learn more, and by learning more, strengthen ourselves. This is the purpose He has given to all of humanity: for it is through learning that humanity evolves. Learning is achieved through persistence and courage. Book II, Chapter 6 'Courage', from The Straight Path explains this in greater detail:

Courage is the Fire of God. It is to meet fear and overcome it. It is to struggle against injustice and resist oppression. It is to act righteously in spite of personal suffering. It is to fulfil the Will of God and walk the straight path.

Courage inspires us to seek out new places and discover new things. It inspires us to learn and strengthen our minds and bodies. This is God’s Will. God commands us to learn and strengthen ourselves for only by doing so shall humanity survive.

Woe to those who refuse to learn and strengthen themselves. Woe to those who wallow in sloth and fear, and accept the weakening of their minds and bodies. They sin against themselves. Their time is limited.

Courage rids the mind of docility and enables the mind to overcome fear. It calms the mind and allows the body to act at the opportune moment. It breeds confidence and inspires courage in others. By acting courageously we become wolves instead of cows, ever ready to maul the hand of the butcher.

The fearful refuse to act. And because they refuse to act they lose the ability to act. They lose the ability to uphold right and resist wrong. They become docile. Fear weakens the mind and the body. Pity those who allow their wrists to be shackled.

Courage has ever bested fear for courage comes from the soul while fear comes from the body. Courage is remembered not taught. Every mouth can refuse to lie. Every mind can control fear. Take heart and have confidence in yourself. Draw on the courage that lies within you. All God wants of any of us is that we do the best we can with what He has given to us. He has made all of us capable of walking the straight path.

Courage is the harbinger of God’s Justice. It compels us to struggle against injustice alone when others refuse. It compels the mouth to say ‘ no’ when others say ‘yes’ and the body to remain standing when others kneel. It compels the mind to receive the world’s pain and return it with love. Blessed is he who preserves the truth against a shower of lies. The most courageous suffer alone for the benefit of all.

To struggle is to strive towards a goal despite suffering. God has given to each of us the strength to struggle and the courage to act righteously. He commands us to seek justice and struggle against injustice, to obey just laws and struggle against unjust laws, to defend just systems and struggle against unjust systems. Injustice is corruption and God demands that we struggle against corruption so that humanity may prosper.

Know when to resist and know when to yield. Step forward when justice can be attained through resistance. Step back when justice can be attained through yielding.

Know when to resist using non-violence and violence. Resist non-violently when the wrong-doer listens to his conscience or is reliant upon those he abuses for the accumulation of his authority and wealth. Either his own conscience or the fear of losing his privileges shall force him to desist. Sanity cannot exist without a conscience. A leech cannot feed without a body.

Blessed is he who turns the other cheek. Who receives the blows of the wrong-doer with silence and a steady gaze, without trembling or speaking angry words in return. Such courage gains the respect of the wrong-doer and forces him to listen to his conscience, understand the wrong he has committed, and step back onto the straight path.

Blessed is he who writes, speaks or marches to make others aware of injustice and who harnesses the strength of others to overcome injustice. Blessed is he who refuses to labour for the wrong-doer, use the wrong-doers services or consume the wrong-doer’s products. Who forces the wrong-doer to realise that he did not create, but rather stole his wealth. The wealth of the slave-owner is not his own for he did not earn it with his own hands.

Resist violently when the wrong-doer is insane and revels in the harm he causes to others. When the wrong-doer is deaf to his conscience and refuses to listen to his soul then it is right to defend oneself with fist and teeth. It is right to block the claw that threatens the eye. This is God’s Will. Blessed is he who defends himself against the abuse of others. Blessed is he who defends others with his own words and body and protects those who cannot protect themselves. God moulded the hands and the feet to protect the body and to protect other bodies.

God commands us to defend the weak and the helpless, the old men, old women and children against a wrongdoer whether that wrongdoer be a person, a corporation or a nation. The strong must protect the weak. This is the duty God has given to those who walk the straight path.

Never permit the corrupt to abuse the innocent. To do so is to condone sin and be tainted by sin. It is to step from the straight path. This is a little death worse than death itself. Better to die resisting than to accept genocide: better Warsaw than Auschwitz. Strive for a noble death.

Fulfilling the purpose of the soul is more important than the length of a life. By walking the straight path we free others from servitude and strengthen humanity. Great indeed are Jesus Christ, Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Each sacrificed their life to free humanity. Each walked the straight path. At the end there is only one question to answer, “how well did I serve others?”

God forbids the killing of the innocent. Not even the smallest act of evil is justified to achieve the greater good. For evil creates only evil. Only the just act pleases God. Act righteously even when you fear it will cause pain or fail. Have faith in God. He shall help you. God protects the righteous and the seekers of truth.

Beware acting the hypocrite. Beware treating the corrupt as they would treat you, dressing evil acts in self-righteous robes. Compassion is the foundation of all righteous action. It is the foundation of God’s Justice. All deserve to be treated with dignity. Not just in action, but in thought as well. Even the corrupt who have been led astray by their vices deserve to be forgiven because their soul like yours comes from God. And one day they shall hear their soul and fulfil God’s Will.

Follow your conscience. It is the voice of your soul, an echo of God’s Will. It can see truth just as the eye can see a path .Those who refuse to listen to their conscience refuse to listen to their soul. Beware, stop listening to the soul and it shall stop speaking.

Pity those who have lost contact with their soul. They have ripped the vine from the earth and destroyed the fruit. Without the soul, the mind and the body shall wither.

God shows us through our conscience that only virtuous action strengthens the mind and the body. He shows us that we can only achieve happiness if we follow our conscience. Time and time again He has shown us how we suffer if we reject it. And He shall show us again in the future. God is patient. Our conscience shows us our soul. Our conscience shows us God.

 

[CEMB]

After Courage comes Honour. Honour is to respect others, oneself and God. It is to align thought, word and act. Book II, Chapter 7 'Honour' explains this virtue:


Honour is to act with respect and dignity towards oneself and others. It is to think the truth, speak the truth and act truthfully. It is achieved when thought, word and act are one.


Honour is to respect one’s own thoughts and actions. It is to like oneself and maintain one’s dignity for dignity is self-honour. This is achieved by walking the straight path. Those who maintain their dignity, who hold on to their inner sense of truth and faith in God cannot be conquered. Their bodies may be crushed, but their minds shall grow strong.


Honour cleanses the mind of guilt. It restores the mind’s sense of self-worth and reminds the mind of its own innate goodness. It strengthens the mind’s control over the body and enables the mind to identify and reject arrogance, prejudice, cowardice and fear. Such vices cannot take root in an honourable mind.


Honour is a mountain stream free of impurity. No mud clouds the honourable act. Its motivation is clear. The honourable do what they say they shall do and can be depended upon to keep their word. They are reliable. They do not need to sign contracts because they honour truth and are bound by it. They understand that to lie is to lose truth and to lose truth is to step from the straight path. Their word binds them more strongly than a piece of paper ever could.

Honour is to conduct commerce fairly. Treat others as you would be treated and sell them things that you would buy. You are responsible for what you sell. So sell only food which you would eat, water which you would drink and clothes which you would wear. Sell only objects of the best quality and which fulfil their role properly. Then you shall strengthen those who buy from you.


Never sell a thing simply to make a profit, to feed an addiction or to create one. Never sell a thing to weaken another. Those who enslave others for profit have fallen to greed. They have turned away from God and have chosen to kneel at the feet of Mammon. One cannot serve two masters. Those who cannot be trusted with the riches of the earth cannot be trusted with the riches of Heaven. The greedy cannot walk the straight path.


Honour is to be loyal to others. It is to help and protect others. Never betray another for to betray another is to hurt another and to act against the Will of God. To betray another is to step from the straight path.


All people are equal and all people deserve to be treated equally with respect and dignity. Always promote dignity in others and an understanding of their own self-worth. Strengthen the dignity of others by treating them with respect. By treating others with respect you also strengthen your own dignity. Strong indeed is the dignified mind assured of its purpose. It carries a shield of truth that no lie can penetrate.


Honour strengthens all relationships. It binds a family firmly together. Act honourably towards your parents and children and they shall act honourably towards you. When all members of a family honour each other then they shall trust each other and help each other to learn and grow strong. All shall prosper.

By strengthening a family, honour also strengthens a society. When a family grows strong so does the society of which it is a part. Honour also strengthens humanity. When a society grows strong so does humanity of which it is a part. Blessed are the honourable for their acts strengthen all.

Treat friends and enemies with honour. Praise righteous acts and oppose wrongful acts, but avoid abusing or treating unjustly those who commit wrongful acts. For human and act are separate. There are wrongful acts, but the mind which commits such acts is mistaken not evil. It is deaf to its soul and lacks guidance; and as a consequence falls prey to ignorance, hatred and fear.

Beware the comforts of arrogance and resist judging others. There are no perfect minds. All minds experience fear and confusion. And all minds make mistakes. God made the mind this way so that it learns.

Treat those who commit wrongful acts with respect and dignity. Help them learn from their mistakes and lead them back to the straight path. Many a traveller has taken the wrong road through no fault of their own.

God gave the body hands and feet, eyes and ears so that the body can strengthen itself and the mind can learn about the universe. To give up is to stay ignorant to struggle is to learn. There is an honourable way to struggle. This is to resist injustice with dignity. If everyone took an eye for an eye then the world would be blind; but if no-one resisted their eye being taken then the world would also be blind. God wants you to see. He placed you here to serve.

Honour is to fulfil the Will of God and to walk the straight path. It is to live the life God has given, not to avoid death nor to run to death so as to escape God’s Will. To do so is both cowardly and dishonourable.

There are many ways to lose dignity. Never perform lewd acts or sell the body for money. These weaken the mind. A mind stripped of its dignity lacks the strength to walk the straight path.

Never strip another of their dignity. To make a human not human is evil. Never lie to another to gain advantage over them. Liars lack respect for themselves and to those to whom they lie. Lies and corruption rob the mind of dignity.

Avoid lust and greed. Vice drains dignity and weakens the mind. It pulls the mind from the straight path. The mind must control the body. There is no worse a fate for the mind than to become a slave to the body’s every whim. Such a body becomes a prison for the mind. Act with honour, foster dignity and you shall have the strength to act righteously.

The greatest honour is to serve God. Act honourably and you shall perceive your purpose more clearly and step onto the straight path more quickly.

 

[CEMB]

Temperance is to control the passions of the body. It gives to the mind its proper authority over the body. There is no worse a fate for the mind than for the body to become its prison. Book II, Chapter 8 on 'Temperance' explains this further:

Temperance is to restrain and moderate bodily desire. It is to discipline the body and strengthen the mind. It is to give the mind its proper place. And allow the mind and the body to fulfil their purpose. Each act of restraint is another step along the straight path

Temperance instils in the body a thirst for righteousness. It makes the body a servant of the mind. The temperate mind wields the body with little effort as the farmer does the scythe, ever ready to reap God’s Harvest.

Without temperance, the mind cannot control the body. A body uncontrolled by the mind becomes a slave to vice. It grows weak and lethargic, neither willing to listen to the commands of the mind nor able to heed the Will of God. Such a body cannot walk the straight path.

Live a temperate life. Restrain corrupt and bitter thoughts. Ignore ideas of lust, greed, fear and hate. Do this and virtuous action shall follow. Action follows thought. Only a body cleansed of vice can serve the mind. Only a body cleansed of vice can hear the voice of the soul.

God measures each life. He fills each vessel to the brim. And with each passing moment a drop is lost, never to be replaced and never to return. So use the life God has given to you. It is a gift with a purpose. Avoid wasting time. Avoid superfluous acts that weaken the mind and the body. Avoid watching television and playing games that teach nothing. Avoid falling prey to sloth. Gather the moments and use them to strengthen the mind and the body, to learn more and serve others better. Use the moment to step onto the straight path.

Temperance strengthens the body. Only eat and drink natural fruit and vegetables, grains and meat for these clear the brain and make the body strong and nimble. Eat and drink enough to keep the body healthy, not too much nor too little. In this way the body shall be free of gluttony and sloth. It shall not become a slave to taste. Avoid processed foods filled with salt and sugar. These are addictive. Avoid genetically modified foods. These have been created for profit not human health. They are poison and weaken the body. A body that consumes these things cannot fulfil the demands of the mind and the soul.

If the source of your food and drink is untrustworthy then grow your own. If a parcel of earth can be found then use it to grow fruit, vegetables, grains and meat, and to collect water. Treat the earth with respect and return to it what you take. Learn the seasons and the weather and the harvest shall be bountiful. Pity he who has forgotten how to grow his own food. He is a baby dependent on others to feed him.

Avoid drugs and stimulants. Drugs give pleasure not happiness. Stimulants ease tiredness for a time, but they quickly take back what they have given and more. Both are addictive. Addiction weakens the body. The body enslaved by addiction is unwilling to listen to the commands of the mind and the soul. It heeds only the cries of its addiction. Addiction is evil because it robs the body of its purpose.

Restrain buying and consuming things simply for pleasure. These things shall not help you achieve your purpose and attain happiness. Yearn for what you need not for what you want. Keep your possessions few. The more you have the more you carry. And the more you carry, the more the things you carry shall distract you from the straight path.

Wear well-fashioned clothes that keep the body warm and dry in winter and cool in summer. Wear clothes that last for many years not just a few months. Use well-made tools that are strong, reliable and do not break. Create a thing to last a lifetime. This conserves the Earth’s resources: wood , minerals, water and air.

He who eats all his wheat in the summer shall have none for the winter. He is wasteful so he suffers, and if he does not learn then he shall die. This is God’s Law.

Keep your surroundings simple and functional and your home adequate to your needs: a room with a bed, a desk to write, a shelf for books and a living space to meet friends. One human does not need ten rooms. Foster simplicity and beauty as God loves these things. God loves the symmetry of a leaf and the colour of a flower. Beauty gladdens the soul for beauty comes from God.

God created the Earth as a haven for humanity. The Earth shelters us against the cold and allows us to live. But it is not eternal. It has a life as we do. Its minerals, its water and its air are limited. Yet the greedy act as if they are not. They take without returning and care only for today heedless of next year. They dismiss the lives of those to come.

God sends the floods, the storms and the droughts as a warning, but the greedy refuse to heed His Signs. Humanity can only survive through temperance, by saving what it has, making things better and reusing what it can. All must do this not just a few. Each is connected to the other and responsible for the other. We prosper from temperance and suffer from greed.

Create what is needed. Never over-produce to simply make a profit. This wastes resources and wastes time; time which the mind and the body could use to learn more and strengthen themselves. Profit also tempts the greedy to exploit and enslave others.

It is right to punish the greedy child who eats the food of other children. If this is not done then the other children shall starve.Resist the greedy who prefer others to starve than to lose their own delicacies. God sends the righteous to resist the greedy. Live a temperate life and survive. This is the straight path.

 

[CEMB]

I wish you all well on the paths you are taking in 2015. May my path cross yours and may we learn something from each other from the crossing. We are all a part of humanity. Good luck seekers!

First post of this thread in 2015 will continue on from 2014 with the seventh and last virtue: Piety. Book II, Chapter IX 'Piety' explains this in more detail:

Piety is to love God and honour God. It is to submit to God, serve God and act according to the Will of God.

Piety arises from action rather than intention. It is to act virtuously, to help rather than hinder, to raise up rather than pull down and to love rather than hate. It is to fulfil the Will of God.

Piety is to respect God and thank Him for what He has given to us. It is to show this thanks through prayer. Prayer pleases God because it draws us closer to Him. It strengthens our bond with Him and opens our ears to His Voice. It leads us to truth.

Pray to God and ask for His guidance. He shall answer you if you listen. Be honest with Him as you would with yourself for He comprehends your intention even if you do not. He sees all and knows all. He is your eyes and your ears, your toes and your fingers. He is the air that blows your hair and the rain that pelts your cheek. He is closer to you than your skin. He is witness to your every thought and deed, to your every word, spoken or not, good or bad.

Nothing can be hidden from God: in the past, the present or the future. It is to your benefit, not His, that you speak the truth to Him. For the greater the truth you speak to God the more you shall understand His straight path.

Kneel before God and strip yourself of all conceit. Tell Him only the truth and the truth shall strengthen your bond with Him. Ask Him to help you walk the straight path and He shall answer your prayer. Ask and you shall receive.

Prayer gives solace in times of need. It strengthens faith in God and the feeling of His Presence: a feeling of warmth, the knowledge of right, which radiates throughout the mind and the body.

Hold fast to your faith in God when others laugh at you and jeer. Do not be afraid. You are never alone. God is always close. He is never more than the width of a hair away. He is standing beside you in the dark, waiting to pick you up when you falter and guide you back to Him. God protects his servants.

Have faith in God and He shall give you the strength you need to act righteously. He shall give you the strength to complete your purpose and walk the straight path.

God reminds the pious of His Presence every day in the smallest and greatest of things: in a change in the wind and the rising of the Sun.

Pity those who have lost faith in God. They doubt God’s Presence because they no longer hear the voice of their soul.

Pity those who refuse to listen to their souls. They harm themselves. Without faith they are lost. They drift becalmed upon a sea of humanity.

Pity those who refuse to believe; they are consumed by doubt. Doubt is ever the greedy master. He has driven many into the darkness and waylaid many more. Yet he is weak, for he is fear’s child. He can only pester the mind beholden to the body. He dares not confront the mind subject to the soul for faith comes from the soul, and faith has ever bested doubt.

Great indeed is the faith that comes from earnest prayer. It is a spring that quenches the driest throat. It is right to pray during times of need, when the will falters and belief in God is tested. But prayer is no excuse for inaction. It is no excuse for laziness or for inadequate preparation. It is no excuse for not acting to the best of one’s ability in any task that arises; for it is through discipline and self-control that God’s benefits flow.

God loves the prayers of the pious. Yet more than prayer, God loves the virtuous act. For the virtuous act achieves God’s Will. Prayer is simply the intention whereas the virtuous act is the intention fulfilled. Better to act virtuously than to pray. One virtuous act shall set your feet on the straight path more quickly than a hundred prayers ever could.

 

[Theodore A. Jones]

God is omniscient and omnipresent (see chapter on Piety above). I believe God wants us to learn more and strengthen ourselves. Book I, Chapter 1 'The Soul' talks of this:
The "prophets" are whom?

In the beginning, God took a part of Himself and shaped it into the eternal and divine soul. From the soul He fashioned the mind and from the mind He moulded the body. Each connected to the other and responsible for the other.
To the soul God gave authority over the mind and to the mind He gave authority over the body. This was the natural order set down by Him. It was just for the soul is pure and the mind and the body are not.
And God said to the soul:

“I give you this mind and body to learn of My Creation. Only by strengthening them shall you learn about the universe and draw closer to Me.”

From its creation, the soul desired to fulfil God’s Will by being truthful and just for the soul knew that God cares for truth and justice above all things. God blesses the truthful and the just as they nourish His Creation.
And God created many souls. And each soul sent its mind and body into the universe to learn of God’s Creation. And the minds and the bodies travelled far and the souls learnt much. But over time some minds forgot their souls. They lost their way for the universe was impure and held much distraction. They wandered blindly, beholden to their bodies. And the souls whose minds had lost their way cried out in anguish for their minds could no longer hear them.
God watched and was dismayed by what these minds did. Yet He took pity on them for they were ignorant. They were unaware of what they did to themselves and to God’s Creation. And in His pity, God gave these minds a gift to save them and guide them back to their souls. God showed them the straight path.

I also believe God made us responsible for our own actions as this is the only way we can learn and strengthen ourselves. Book I, Chapter 8 on 'The Prophets' refers to this:

The prophets are God’s messengers. Many of us cannot hear the voice of our souls nor see God’s signs. So God sends His prophets to remind us of our purpose, to teach us of virtue and vice, and to guide us to the straight path. He sends His prophets to teach us that we are responsible for our own actions and that when we sin we harm only ourselves. A child burns himself rather than his parent when he places his hand in a fire.
Pity those who refuse to learn from their mistakes. Pity those who close their ears and eyes to the truth. May they one day understand.
God is compassionate and patient. He waits for us to learn. And so he continues to send His prophets.
God has tailored each prophet’s words to the ears of the listener. Through the prophets, He speaks of wheat to those who eat wheat and of rice to those who eat rice. His words may differ but His Message is the same. He speaks this way so that all may understand.
And how shall you know the prophet speaks the truth? You shall feel the truth of his words because his words shall resonate with all that you hold dear and good. They shall show you your soul...

 

[CEMB]

Hi Theodore,

The prophets are those people who have increased our understanding of God through their ideas or actions.

 

[Salek Atesh]

You gave this thread the title "A new religion", but it does not seem very new. Much of what you say is very old, ancient truths

 

[YmirGF]

Personally, I get a tad worried when I hear people purport to know what "god" wants...

 

[CEMB]

You gave this thread the title "A new religion", but it does not seem very new. Much of what you say is very old, ancient truths

True, this religion does contain some old ancient truths, but some new truths too. A religion can be new but contain old truths (e.g. Christianity and Judaism).

 

[CEMB]

Personally, I get a tad worried when I hear people purport to know what "god" wants...

Don't most religions describe to some extent, either implicitly or explicitly, what God wants or how God wants people to act? For example, in relation to appropriate behaviour, forms of worship or steps that need to be taken to gain enlightenment or enter Heaven.

 

[YmirGF]

Don't most religions describe to some extent, either implicitly or explicitly, what God wants or how God wants people to act? For example, in relation to appropriate behaviour, forms of worship or steps that need to be taken to gain enlightenment or enter Heaven.

Indeed. The predilection towards making rash assumptions about reality is worrisome.

 

[crossfire]

It is a genuine alternative. Why is it troubling?

How is this a genuine alternative? It's rehashed Abrahamic-style theism.

 

[CEMB]

How is this a genuine alternative? It's rehashed Abrahamic-style theism.

Have you read it all?

 

[crossfire]

Have you read it all?

Yes, I read the thread. It's rehashed Abrahamic-style theism, imo.

 

[CEMB]

Yes, I read the thread. It's rehashed Abrahamic-style theism, imo.

The reason I ask is that the differences between The Straight Path and Abrahamic-style theism is clearer in the later chapters and books ( which can be found here

).

Although The Straight Path uses some similar words and terms as Abrahamic theism or religious texts, it is not a rehash of them. Its message elaborates upon some of the ideas contained in these texts such as the nature of the soul, the mind and the body and their relationship with God, as well as the nature of the straight path. It also contains crucial differences. Here are some of them. According to The Straight Path:

-The soul is pure and always remains pure. It cannot be damned or go to Hell. Only the mind and the body can sin and err. There is no original sin.

-Our purpose is not just enter to Heaven, but to also learn and evolve.

-Sin is to harm oneself or others. When we sin we harm ourselves (our minds and bodies) and also others. However we cannot sin against God as we cannot harm God.

- God does not judge us when we die. He has no need. We judge ourselves. We are our own judge and jury.

-There are no chosen people. God cares for all humanity. All people can gain enlightenment and enter Heaven by walking the straight path.

-Virtue strengthens the mind and the body. Vice weakens and harms the mind and the body. (The organisation of Book II of The Straight Path and its focus on virtue and vice is more akin to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics or Confucius’ Analects than Abrahamic religious texts.)

-To walk the straight path, the mind and body must be disciplined. (Book III of The Straight Path focusses on achieving a disciplined mind and body through mental and physical conditioning. This emphasis upon disciplining the mind and the body as a prerequisite for walking the straight path has more in common with some Zen Buddhist ideas about gaining enlightenment than Abrahamic theistic ideas about entering Heaven.)

 

[CEMB]

The second half of Book II of The Straight Path examines vice and how vice weakens and harms both the mind and the body. Book II, Chapter 10 on 'Vice' briefly describes the seven vices and how guilt is a warning from the soul to step back on to the straight path.

The seven vices are hatred, envy, arrogance, cowardice, lust, greed and sloth. They breed in a body infatuated by the distractions of the physical world; in a body which has rebelled against the authority of the mind.

Vice weakens the body. It compels the body to steal, to cheat, to slander, to betray, and to perform lewd acts. It drains the body’s life. It wastes the muscles and withers the bones. Witness the corrupt man. His hair grey and his body filled with disease of thought and flesh. The body enslaved by vice shall die before its time.


Vice weakens the mind. It forces the mind to turn its attention away from the soul and to the body. It compels the mind to kneel at the feet of the body’s cravings and addictions. Such a mind grows deaf to the commands of the soul. It forgets the soul and becomes confused. It no longer understands virtue. Having lost its understanding of right and wrong, it steps from the straight path. Pity the mind whose body has become its prison.


Yet vice can only distract the mind not conquer it. The mind knows it harms itself when it follows vice. It feels guilt for its wrongful deeds. Only the truly insane, those whose minds are damaged, feel nothing when they hurt others or themselves. Guilt is a message from the soul; a message to the mind which even vice cannot shout down.


The mind feels guilt because it knows that each wrongful act it commits takes it farther from the straight path, farther away from achieving its purpose and the purpose of its soul. It senses, however vaguely, that it can only find the straight path by virtuous deeds, but its body denies it this.


The mind knows it weakens itself each time it succumbs to vice. It learns that each wrongful act it commits further undermines its authority over the body. It feels vice gnawing at its confidence and dignity. It senses its determination being extinguished and its ability to take control of the body and fashion it into an instrument of God’s Will being lost. Smothered by vice, the mind grows to hate itself and its body. He who sins sins against himself.


The mind is both judge and jury of its own actions. It is hostage to its own deeds. It cannot ignore guilt. It must accept guilt if it wishes to be free of guilt. Only through virtuous action can the mind forgive itself for the wrong it has committed. And only through virtuous action can it regain authority over the body. Only virtue washes the stain from the cloth. The righteous carry no burdens.

 

[CEMB]

Hatred is the first vice. It harms the mind and the body. It perverts perception and stops the mind from learning. Book II, Chapter 11 on 'Hatred' explains this in more detail.

Hatred is to desire to harm another and to act upon that desire. It is to ignore the conscience. It is to ignore the voice of the soul.

Hatred harms the body and the mind. It denies the body rest. It tightens the stomach and grinds the teeth. It drains the body’s energy to feed itself and wastes the body’s vitality until the body withers and grows decrepit.

The mind dominated by hate is enslaved. It is chained to its hatred and compelled to focus upon the object of its hate: to always taste it, smell it, hear it and see it.

Hatred perverts the mind’s perception. It compels the mind to see only what it wants the mind to see. It compels the mind to see only the wrong in another and never the right. It compels the mind to believe that all are evil, all are responsible, all are worthless and all deserve vengeance. This is delusion. Nationality, race, ideology and religion do not make a human evil.

Hatred stops the mind from learning. The mind that hates a thing refuses to learn about that thing. It refuses to understand the reasons for that thing’s success or failure. It denies itself valuable lessons. Pity the mind that refuses to learn and strengthen itself.

Hatred makes the mind vulnerable to the manipulations of the corrupt who inflame the mind’s anger for their own selfish gain. It pushes the mind towards greater vice. It draws the mind away from the soul and makes the mind subject to the body.

Hatred stifles the voice of the conscience and encourages the mind to commit wrongful acts. It justifies the harming of the innocent. But as hatred cools and perception clears, the mind realises the wrong it has committed and then feels guilt for what it has done. It feels a guilt that gnaws at its dignity, eats away at its purpose and pulls it from the straight path. Woe to the mind dominated by hate. Its hatred shall drag it to Hell.

Hatred shall not serve you. An unjust deed committed cannot be undone. Revenge cannot turn back time. It cannot return to you those who you loved or that which you lost. For your own sake, treat the wrongdoer justly. Grieve and learn, and if you are strong enough, forgive.

 

[Deidre]

I like this chapter on purpose. Here is the link:

God gave to each soul a purpose. This purpose is to walk the straight path. Blessed are those who accept their purpose. For purpose endows the mind with strength. It feeds determination and acts as a support for the will when the will falters. It is a barrier against fear when fear tempts the mind to vice. It is the foundation of virtuous action.
When purpose is achieved, the length of a life becomes meaningless because the soul, the mind and the body are fulfilled. Blessed are those who serve God and achieve their purpose.
Pity those who reject their purpose. They have lost their dream. They stumble forwards in the dark, deaf to the entreaties of their soul. And because they cannot hear their soul, they lack an understanding of truth. Without an understanding of truth, of right and wrong, they are easily swayed by the wishes of others to act to their own harm.
God demands more from us than just working and consuming. Money is not purpose. Work is not purpose. Consumption is not purpose. God created us to walk the straight path.
Woe to those who rob others of their purpose for their own selfish gain. Woe to those who obstruct another’s purpose through enforced labour, worthless baubles or lewd pursuits. They are a disease which infects and weakens humanity. They are corrupt and they offend God. They take from others the purpose which God has given to them. God shall punish the corrupt with a scourge. The corrupt shall be consumed by their own vices.
Yet those who have lost their purpose shall find it again for the straight path is only ever a step ahead. Doubts and apathy may block the ears of the mind, but the soul is eternal and so is its purpose.
Your span has been allotted to you by God so act with purpose. Avoid wasting time or the opportunities presented to you. Strengthen the mind and the body. This is God’s Will. We are here to serve the Will of God.
Following the straight path appears a struggle to the ignorant. But to those who have begun to walk it, the straight path is the greatest of gifts.

''Fear tempts the mind to vice...''
What an intriguing idea.

Good & thoughtful thread, here.

 

[CEMB]

''Fear tempts the mind to vice...''
What an intriguing idea.

Good & thoughtful thread, here.

Thanks for the praise Deidre. Much appreciated.
Cheers
Cemb