A new religion.

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After hatred comes envy. The envious seek to take what cannot be taken. Purpose cannot be stolen. Book II, Chapter 12 'Envy' explains this in more detail.

Envy is to covet what another has and seek to take it in the belief that the possession of it shall grant happiness.

The envious want their neighbour’s house, their neighbour’s job, their neighbour’s spouse, their neighbour’s life. They believe such things shall bring them meaning. They are deluded. Such things shall not make them happy.

Those who continually compare themselves to others can never be fulfilled. The envious have lost sight of their own purpose and hope to take another’s purpose. They are deluded. Purpose cannot be stolen. God gave to each soul its own purpose to fulfil and no other.

Pity the envious. The thief gains nothing from what he steals because what he steals is not his. It turns hollow in his grasp and empties him. It distracts him from his purpose. The stolen coin buys only pain. Pity the envious. Their jealousy arises from unhappiness in not fulfilling their purpose. They are too distracted watching others to see the gifts God has given to them. They need not steal to be happy. God has given to them everything they need to fulfil their purpose and achieve happiness. He has given to them the straight path and the means to walk it. If they listen to their souls, they shall find it.

Those who follow their purpose are never envious of others for they have discovered happiness. They submit to God’s Will and by doing so they achieve their purpose. If they need a car to achieve their purpose they shall get one, if they don’t need a car to achieve their purpose then they won’t get one. Material possessions are insignificant. The throat that tastes purpose never thirsts. True wealth lies along the straight path.

 

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After the vice of Envy comes Arrogance. Arrogance weakens the mind and the body because it blocks perception and inhibits learning. Book II, Chapter 13 on 'Arrogance, explains this in more detail.


Arrogance is ignorance. It is to believe one is better than others. It is to believe that because one is better
than others one deserves more than others; and from this delusion, to act unjustly towards others.

The arrogant believe they are better than others because of their money, their appearance, their sex, their
race or their religion. They are wrong. The wealthy are no better than the poor nor the poor better than the
wealthy. Brown eyes are no better than blue eyes nor blue eyes better than brown. Men are no better than
women nor women better than men. White skin is no better than black skin nor black skin better than white.
The believer is no better than the non-believer nor the non-believer better than the believer. The arrogant are
deluded. All humans are equal. Only action separates human from human.

The arrogant lie to themselves. They grasp at certainties founded upon false preconceptions and illusionary
absolutes. They grasp at a belief in their own superiority and inherent invulnerability. Their certainty breeds
overconfidence and denies an understanding of change. Lacking an understanding of change, they are
unable to adapt to change when it occurs. This makes them vulnerable.

The universe is ever changing. The only constants are God and His straight path. Yet the arrogant deny this.
They believe they shall never fail. They cling to this belief even as it drags them towards the edge of the
abyss. God has set His Law. The arrogant shall fall.

Arrogance is a sign of a distracted mind. It is a sign of a mind losing the ability to learn. The mind learns from
the mistakes it makes, but arrogance blocks learning because it stops the mind from identifying its mistakes.
The arrogant presume they are infallible; that they are beyond the Will of God. And because they cannot see
their mistakes, they make the same mistakes again and again. Unable to learn, the arrogant are unable to
adapt. And so they eventually fall.

Arrogance inhibits perception. It covers the eyes and blocks the ears. The more arrogant the mind becomes
the less it perceives of the world around it; until it peers through no more than a crack. Eventually arrogance
blocks out everything in the mind except that which strengthens the mind’s own preconceived delusions of
superiority. It stops the mind perceiving even that which will lead to the body’s demise. Thus the weak have
overcome the strong when the strong have grown complacent, believing the weak cannot harm them.

Arrogance leads to laziness, to avoidable errors and avoidable mistakes. Pity those who allow their
arrogance to overcome their judgement. It shall lead to their demise. Arrogance pulls down people, nations
and civilisations. Arrogance renews humanity.

The arrogant act unjustly towards others. They covet their privileged positions and do whatever they can to
protect their privileges. They see others as less deserving of just treatment than them. They accept the
enslavement of others for profit. Arrogance leads to greater sin.

Avoid arrogant thoughts and gestures. Walk meekly in the world. Respect those around you. God punishes
the complacent and those who believe they are more deserving than others.

Grip humility and take nothing for granted. Avoid the delusion that you are one of God’s chosen people. God
has no chosen people. His Will is the salvation of all of humanity not just the few.

The righteous are humble. Do not boast of good deeds nor of avoiding sin. To do so is to make a false god of
pride and arrogance.

Avoid predicting the future. To do so is folly. Only God knows what will come. You are a servant of God.
Submit to His Will and you will experience happiness. Follow God’s straight path and achieve salvation.

 

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The next vice is Cowardice. To permit fear to control the mind is to make the mind slave to the body. Book II, Chapter 14 on 'Cowardice' explains this in further detail.


Cowardice is to fear the wrong thing, too much and at the wrong time. It is to permit fear to gain control over
the mind and corrupt the actions of the body. It is to commit wrong instead of right, to reject virtue and follow
vice.

It is right to fear what should be feared: the blade and the bullet, the disease and the fire. But it is wrong to fear
what should not be feared, what cannot cause harm. It is wrong to fear the different just because it is different
or the new just because it is new. This is ignorance. To do so is to feed fear and strengthen fear, it is to drown
in fear and make a false god of fear.

It is right to feel fear when faced with danger for this is the body’s natural response to a threat. Fear inspires
caution and caution heightens the body’s awareness, which increases the body’s ability to avoid danger.
However, it is wrong to fear a thing too much. Rather than increasing awareness, too much fear blocks
perception. It reduces the body’s ability to perceive a threat and respond to it.

It is right to fear at the right time when a life is threatened or great pain is inflicted. But it is wrong to fear at the
wrong time, when there is no danger or danger is far away. This is to fear when there is nothing to fear. To fear
when there is nothing to fear is to allow fear to gain control over the mind. The mind must restrain fear as
soon as it arises. To not do so is to allow fear to fester and gain greater force. It is to give fear the opportunity
to convince the mind that vice is right. Fear breeds fear. Fear feeds apathy, prejudice and hate.

It is wrong to commit vice to avoid what is feared. Pity the coward who betrays and hurts others to avoid pain.
Who remains indifferent to the suffering of others and refuses to act when he should. He flees from a bee to
be bit by a snake. He understands not that the pain of the body is little compared to the pain of the soul.
There are worse deaths than death of the body.

Pity the coward who has grown addicted to fear and has learnt to fear everything. He has permitted fear to
become the new master of his body and his mind to become fear’s slave. No longer does he control his eyes
or his fingers. His eyes cannot look at what he fears. They dart around and refuse to remain steady. His
fingers tremble when what he fears draws near. They refuse his commands. He cannot avoid what threatens
him because he cannot see it. He cannot ward off what threatens him because he refuses to touch it. And so
fear threatens his survival because it deprives him of control over the thing that can save him: his body.

Pity the coward. He is blind to what fear takes from him. Fear is the great limiter. It stifles the mind’s
willingness to seize an opportunity when it is presented. It strangles the mind’s initiative. It feeds greedily upon
the mind’s confidence. And as the mind loses confidence in itself, it loses confidence in its ability to act
righteously. Fear convinces the mind that its purpose cannot be achieved. It convinces the mind that it
cannot act so it refuses to act. Fear is the greatest thief for it steals the mind’s most precious possession:
the straight path.

Resist the corrupt who rob the mind of courage and infect it with fear. Who steal the mind’s capacity to act.
Who steal from the mind the straight path. They spread fear to enslave the weak and the innocent. Woe to
the corrupt who corrupt others. Woe to the corrupt who make the straight path crooked. They shall not
escape God’s Justice.

Wisdom is the proper weighing of things. Devote your life to the great things and avoid being distracted by
the little things. Worry not whether you shall have clothes to wear, food to eat or water to drink. Life is more
important than these. The body can be fully clothed and still be naked, full of food and drink and still be
starving. Its greatest need is God. First seek the straight path then lesser things shall follow. God provides
the righteous with all they need to fulfil His Will.

Retain your dignity and be brave. Birth and death are the most profound experiences of life. A baby is born
calm or angry but never cringing or fearful. He is born with dignity. And when death draws near a human
should die with dignity; angry or calm yes, but never sobbing or fearful. We learn fear we are not born with it.
Fear is an emotion of the body not of the soul. Mimic the baby. Die with dignity and strive for a noble death.

Note: Here are updated links for Book I, Chapter 2 on 'The Straight Path' and Book I, Chapter 3 on 'Purpose:

 

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After cowardice comes lust. To give into lust is turn away from the soul and to put the body before the mind. Book II, Chapter 15 on 'Lust' explains this in more detail.

Lust is to be overwhelmed by sexual desire for another and to act to satisfy that desire. It is to seek pleasure
and submit to pleasure. It is to put pleasure before love and put the body before the mind. It is to revel in vice
and forget the soul.

Woe to the lustful whose minds are enslaved by desire. They kneel at the feet of their obsession and have
made a false god of their lust. Lust dominates their thoughts and acts. It chains their eyes to the object of
their desire and binds their fingers to its touch. It compels them to think of sex and ignore other thoughts. It
distracts them. And when the object of their desire is denied, lust stokes their anger.

Woe to the lustful who turn to pornography to satisfy their need. They buy images to satisfy their appetite, but
one image is never enough to sate lust. Lust is a greedy master and can never be sated. It always hungers
for more.

Pity those addicted to lust. Pity those robbed of their freedom. The more they submit to lust, the greater hold
lust takes of their minds. It always demands their attention. It pesters them and robs them of calm. It
compels them to perform lewd acts and chips away at their dignity and their sense of self-worth. It makes
them slaves to the purveyor of images, slaves to the corrupt.

Better to lead a chaste life than become a slave. For chastity and love free the mind from lust and from the
manipulations of the corrupt. Ever the corrupt seek profit. Greed is their god.

Lust is an addiction. Addiction is a compulsion to satisfy desire. It is evil because it enslaves the mind. It
chains the mind to the body and weakens the mind’s authority over the body. It makes the body master of the
mind.

Addiction drains the mind’s willpower. A mind bereft of willpower no longer hears its soul. A mind bereft of
willpower cannot complete its purpose and walk the straight path.

Pity those trapped by addiction. Who look for happiness but cannot see it. Who stumble into addiction to
gain a brief respite from pain. Pity those who have lost their way.

No addict deserves their addiction. Lust cannot satisfy the mind or the body. Sea water cannot quench thirst.
Pity the innocent who stumble into Hell. May they find the straight path again and enter Heaven.

God drives humanity’s evolution. He demands that we improve ourselves and strengthen our minds and
bodies so that we survive and prosper. Addiction weakens the mind and the body. It stunts humanity’s
evolution. Addiction is a sin for it denies God’s Will.

God despises those who addict others for profit. To addict an adult is evil to addict a child is abomination.
Woe to the corrupt who steal a child’s innocence. Hell awaits them.

God despises a society that addicts its people for profit. Such a society is dying for it no longer loves its
people. It wants to weaken its people and exploit them rather than strengthen them. It is a diseased corpse.
God’s Justice shall cleanse the corpse from this Earth.

Do not confuse lust with love. Love is infinite while lust is finite. Love endures where lust fades. Love is happy
with the object of its love. Lust tires with the object of its desire and seeks ever anew to satisfy its appetite.
Love grows stronger with each passing moment and gives joy to the mind and strengthens the body. Lust
grows weaker with each passing moment and angers the mind and weakens the body. Love is unselfish. The
stronger it grows the more it places the good of the person it loves before its own. Lust is selfish. It cares only
for satisfying its own appetite and nothing for the object of its desire. Blessed are the lovers. Their love
strengthens humanity. Their love pleases God.

 

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After lust comes greed. To give into greed is to be distracted by the insignificant. Book II, Chapter 16 on 'Greed' examines how this vice weakens the mind and the body.

Greed is to yearn for material things and devote one’s life to the accumulation of those things. It is to desire
more than others have and take from others to satisfy that desire. It is to be distracted by the insignificant. It
is to put aside the riches of Heaven for the baubles of Earth. It is to reject the straight path.

Greed is the improper weighing of things. It is ignorance. The greedy gather dust and cup it in their hands.
They count the specks and reach down to pick up more, all the time unaware of the specks falling through
their fingers. They believe they can hold onto dust forever. They believe there is no wind. They lie to
themselves. A wish won’t hold back the wind. God’s Wind brings wisdom.

The greedy hoard the things of the world. They gather coins to buy delicious foods, expensive homes and
beautiful people. And with each new purchase their body rewards them with a moment of pleasure. They buy
more and more to experience more pleasure. Yet their pleasure gives them no happiness or satisfaction. For
the things they buy cannot fulfil their purpose. A mountain of gold cannot buy a single step on the straight
path.

The greedy revel in luxurious things. They delight in the taste of rich foods and the touch of expensive
fabrics. They indulge in precious objects and pursue wealth with all their thought. And in so doing, they no
longer gain joy from the gifts that God has given to them. They no longer see God’s Love. The more the eye
looks for money the more money becomes the only thing the eye can see. The greedy forget their soul and
see only the sparkle of gold.

Greed weakens the body. The trays of chocolates and mounds of meat make the body fat and slow. The
fluffy cushions and silk sheets make the body soft. The idle time and expensive entertainments make the
body lazy. And all these greedy things compel the body to seek more. All these greedy things consume the
will and take the body’s capacity to adapt to hardship and learn God’s Lessons.

Money is just paper, plastic and metal. It is neither good nor evil as the knife is neither good nor evil. It is
simply a tool to be used to achieve a goal. Much can be achieved with wealth when used properly, to help
others and rectify injustice. But wealth becomes worthless when used unjustly to weaken others.

Great indeed is the temptation of gold. Pity the greedy for they have succumb to temptation. They choose to
place coin before righteousness. They take from others and say wrong is right. God knows all lies. Take
nothing from no one. Only the thief steals from others.

Greed withers compassion. Woe to the tight-fisted who turn away the helpless knocking at their door. Woe to
the tight-fisted who refuse to spend a few coins to feed the hungry beggar. Truly the beggar is God’s witness!
Pity those who have made a false god of greed and have chosen to bow at the feet of Mammon. They have
chosen the wrong path. One cannot serve two masters. God is not unjust to the greedy. The greedy are
unjust to themselves.

Righteousness purifies wealth. Blessed are the generous who give their own to help others in need. Their
wealth shall be returned to them tenfold. To give one coin to a beggar is to give ten coins to the soul.

Woe to the manufacturers of greed. Woe to the corrupt who enslave others for profit, who make others
greedy so as to profit from their greed. Woe to the corrupt who turn an innocent human into a worum, a
worker consumer, who works to consume and whose consumption forces him to work. Woe to the corrupt
who rob others of their independence to feed their own appetites; who turn others into cows content to eat
grass. Woe to the corrupt who make the straight path crooked. They shall be punished with a scourge. Their
gold shall drag them to Hell.

 

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The seventh and last vice is sloth. Sloth is the most subtle, but perhaps the most harmful of the vices because its initial effects on the mind and the body are the most difficult to perceive. Book II, Chapter 17 on 'Sloth' explains this in more detail.


Sloth is to avoid exerting the mind and the body. It is to weaken the mind’s authority over the body. It is to
hide from struggle and to submit rather than resist. It is to take the easy way rather than the hard. It is to
ignore purpose and step from the straight path.

Sloth is laziness. The lazy man sins against himself. He refuses to learn how to grow wheat, ford the river and
climb the mountain. He refuses to perform acts that require an effort. He hides from struggle and denies
himself the rewards that come from struggle. Struggle strengthens the mind and the body.

Sloth slows the body’s thoughts and movements. The lazy man refuses to exercise his body so his bones
grow brittle and his muscles grow soft. He refuses to exert his will so the authority of his mind over his body
diminishes. He refuses to heed his conscience and listen to his soul so he forgets truth. He prefers instead
to remain on the couch. Sloth drinks the body’s life.

The lazy man confuses the easy with the hard. Every time he retreats from an obstacle and rejects the
opportunity to strengthen his mind and body he adds another stone to the wall that stands between him and
his purpose. Sloth denies him the straight path.

The lazy man grows apathetic. He refuses to struggle because he believes struggle is futile. And so he
accepts his own suffering and the suffering of others. He witnesses the abuse of children and says nothing.
He remains silent in the face of injustice. He refuses to heed God’s Will and protect the weak. Apathy is the
haven of the coward.

Pity the lazy man who refuses to act righteously. He accepts vice and is thus tainted by vice. The corrupt
and the silent share the same fate.

Avoid confusing sloth with rest. God condemns the first and welcomes the second. Sloth is to waste time and
weaken the body. Rest is to regain strength after a struggle undertaken and a purpose fulfilled. It is reward for
righteous action. Strive for five days and rest for two.

The body needs to rest and sleep. It cannot walk forever. During the journey it must sit down and appreciate
the clouds and the trees. It must take time to love family and enjoy friendship. It must celebrate the events
that deserve celebration, the births, the marriages and the deaths. It must commemorate and honour the
righteous deeds of others. It must enjoy God’s Creation and take time to stop and listen. An exhausted body
cannot hear the mind and the soul.

Sloth creates errors and mistakes. The lazy man lacks the will to complete tasks properly and leaves it to
others to fix his mistakes. He wastes others’ time and endangers those who rely upon him. He refuses to tie
a rope tightly so it comes undone and others fall. He nails one nail into a boat instead of two, so the boat
breaks apart and others drown. The lazy knot loosens the lazy brick breaks. Sloth endangers life.

Pity the lazy man who cannot be trusted to complete a task properly. He is unreliable and loses his friends
because he loses their respect and trust. Pity the lazy man left alone to wallow in sloth. He has been deprived
of the means to escape vice. It is easier to conquer vice with the help of others than alone. It is easier to
climb over a wall with a ladder. God helps those who help each other.

Avoid television. Television is a distraction. It is the breeder of sloth. It teaches the body nothing except how
to press the on button and watch a screen. Watching another climb a mountain on television does not teach
the mind and the body how to climb a mountain. The mountain must be climbed to learn how to climb it. Only
then shall the fingers and the toes learn how to find the cracks, and the muscles of the arms and legs grow
strong enough to lift the torso. Experience brings knowledge.

Television takes from the innocent and gives to the greedy. The greedy use television to sell their products
and spread the lie that consumption is purpose. They use television to compel the innocent to consume
things they do not need. They use television to persuade the innocent to succumb to greed. They use
television to steal from the innocent and turn them into slaves. Television distracts the mind and the body
from the straight path.

Television is a drug. It is addictive because it creates a need in the body to watch it more. It compels the
eyes to watch the screen. It weakens the muscles and dissipates the will. It turns humans into cows. Why is
a cow fat and lazy? Because it stands in a field eating grass all day. Pity those who become cows. May God
save them. May God take them from the field and place them at the foot of the mountain.

Remember compassion and beware judging others. Forgive the lazy man. Vice has trapped him. He is lost
and distracted, unaware of his error. He questions his own abilities and refuses to strengthen himself
because he believes he cannot strengthen himself. Pity those who have allowed sloth to feast upon their
confidence.

Many a body has fallen to sloth through no fault of its own. Pity the child who has been surrounded by
messages of sloth and conditioned to laziness from birth. Pity the child who has been made to watch the
television and the tablet, and as a result of watching these objects, has lost the ability to concentrate and to
see and hear clearly. Pity the child who has been fed foods to fatten him. Who has been given tools to
weaken him by making his life ‘easier’. Beware the tool. Be certain it gives more than it takes.

Great is God’s Love and Compassion. He witnesses the lazy and sends the righteous to help them. He
sends the righteous to awaken the lazy and remind them of their purpose; to help them once again see the
straight path.

Beware the errors of sloth. Seek right and reject wrong. Act righteously and complete tasks properly. If
something falls from its proper place then raise it up again. If a thing is dangerous then make it safe. To leave
a task unfinished is to see it fail in the future.

God gives this task to you and no other. It is for you alone to complete. If you cannot complete the small
tasks God gives to you then you shall be unable to complete the great ones He gives to you later.

Each moment is precious for it has been given to you by God. So avoid wasting time. Use your time wisely
out of respect for yourself and God. To waste time is to waste life.

When your body dies, you shall judge your actions and not God. You shall judge whether you fulfilled your
duty. You shall judge whether you helped others when you should have and used the time God gave to you to
strengthen your mind and body. The mind cannot hide from itself.

 

[cookiesmom]

Both Islam and Christianity use the Term "Straight path" in various of their recruitment strategies.

It is not clear to me If this is a genuine alternative or simply an amalgam of ideas.

Innumerable sermons have been preached over the ages, with the theme of the "straight path"

It is a concept that can not be dismissed in terms of any religion.
However the "devil can be in the detail" and that is what I am not clear about in this particular formulation.

I am having difficulty finding any references to the people behind it, which is troubling.

The American Indians have what is called "the right road." I think I prefer that to "straight." Straight seems to imply shortest path between points A and B (life and after life, maybe?). "Right" implies correct, no matter how winding, and by correct, it implies in line with God.

 

[CEMB]

The American Indians have what is called "the right road." I think I prefer that to "straight." Straight seems to imply shortest path between points A and B (life and after life, maybe?). "Right" implies correct, no matter how winding, and by correct, it implies in line with God.

The straight path is in contrast to the crooked path. The straight path is one of virtuous/moral action. The right path is also a good definition for this.

In my view, acting virtuously is the shortest path to finding God though - so in some ways it is the shortest path between points A and B.

Welcome to the forum by the way. Hope you find what you seek.

 

[CEMB]

Book III of the Straight Path focusses on the body and the importance of physical and mental conditioning in disciplining the body. Every conscious act to strengthen and discipline the body is a step closer towards the straight path. Chapter I on 'The Body' begins this discussion.

God drew the body from the mind as He drew the mind from the soul. He fashioned the body with nerve,
muscle, blood and bone, and enclosed it in skin. He then gave to the body senses to perceive around it,
strengthen it and protect it.

God created the body as a tool for the soul to aid the soul in its exploration of the universe. He gave the body
to the soul so the soul could learn about, share with, and touch the universe. He gave the body to the soul so
the pure could touch the impure.

The soul wears the body as the hand does the glove. It has worn many gloves during its journey and it shall
wear many more; for the soul endures when the body decays. The body grows and lives and passes away,
and encases what it learns in the bodies it conceives. It shares with other bodies so all can evolve and fulfil
God’s Will.

Like the sculptor does the clay, the soul chooses the body that best suits its purpose. It directs the body
towards virtue and away from vice so that the body is strengthened rather than weakened. And as the body
evolves, it becomes better able to follow the commands of the soul and walk the straight path. Blessed is the
body that submits to the commands of the soul. It shall have joy in this life and the life to come.

At birth the body is both empty and full: empty of experiences from its life yet to be lived and full of the
memories of its ancestors. It is empty of experience so it yearns to learn and acts to strengthen itself. It is
full of the memories of its ancestors so it can add to what they have achieved.

Deep is the well of ancestral memory. A well the body drinks from in times of need, but must hide from itself
so as not to drown. For the body is not the soul and can be aware of only so much.

One body has a thousand parents: its parents, their parents and their parents before them. It is a link in an
ever burgeoning chain, each link stronger than the last. In each cell of the body swims the knowledge gained
by all its ancestors. And the body in turn passes on what it has learnt to its children. Nothing is lost or wasted.
Great is the reward of a skill attained for once it is learned it is passed down the chain.

Woe to the body that revels in vice. Woe to the body that refuses to heed the commands of the soul. It shall
grow brittle like a rusty link in a chain. And if the bodies which it conceives continue to wallow in vice then the
chain shall break. Woe to those who sin against themselves for they sin against their children. Blessed are
those who act righteously for they reward themselves and their children to come.

Body follows body. The body is constantly learning and evolving; strengthening itself through its actions,
adapting to its environment and shaping itself in response to the thoughts of the mind; always reinforcing the
strengths and dampening the weaknesses of its parents. Exerting itself to grow stronger so its senses
sharpen, its limbs grow more agile and the voice of the soul grows clearer. Blessed are those who quicken
their own evolution. They are servants of God.

 

[Waterbearer]

This has provided me with many answers. Am interested to hear what others think.

Has some decent information on it, but very primitive (no offense). Love is what created the world, so let it guide you. All there is is Love: Grace - God's love for us; Faith - Our love of God; and our Works, Grace and Faith made present in reality. Reality, both that which is seen and unseen, are good and perfect the way it was created.

 

[CEMB]

Has some decent information on it, but very primitive (no offense). Love is what created the world, so let it guide you. All there is is Love: Grace - God's love for us; Faith - Our love of God; and our Works, Grace and Faith made present in reality. Reality, both that which is seen and unseen, are good and perfect the way it was created.

I agree that love is the foundation of all virtue; but why do you think the straight path is primitive?

 

[Waterbearer]

I agree that love is the foundation of all virtue; but why do you think the straight path is primitive?

It just doesn't have the penetrating mysticism of most religions. It's a bit dull.

 

[CEMB]

It just doesn't have the penetrating mysticism of most religions. It's a bit dull.

What kind of penetrating mysticism do you seek?

 

[Waterbearer]

What kind of penetrating mysticism do you seek?

I have already found the pentratrating mysticism, it seems to me that it is you who needs to do the searching.

 

[CEMB]

I have already found the pentratrating mysticism, it seems to me that it is you who needs to do the searching.

True, I am always seeking.

 

[CEMB]

Book III, Chapter 2 on 'Discipline' explains the necessity of mental and physical discipline in walking the straight path.


The body is the tool of the soul. And like a tool, it must be sharpened and hardened to achieve its purpose:
this is achieved through discipline. Discipline is the imposition of the will of the mind upon the flesh of the
body. It is to shape the body through conscious thought and action.

Discipline establishes the proper relationship between the soul, the mind and the body. It teaches the body to
submit to the commands of the mind and strengthens the mind’s authority over the body. It gives to the mind
the strength to control lethargy and frustration, pain and fear. It gives to the body the strength to meet God’s
Tests and overcome them.

The body can achieve nothing without discipline. It cannot learn to write nor speak the truth, to overcome an
obstacle nor complete the final step of a journey. Only a disciplined body can achieve its purpose. Only a
disciplined body can pursue virtue and reject vice. And only a disciplined body can walk the straight path and
fulfil the Will of God.

For the disciplined body the straight path is only one step ahead, but for the undisciplined body the straight
path lies beyond the horizon.

 

[CEMB]

Mental conditioning gives greater control over thought. Book III, Chapter 3 on 'Mental Conditioning' discusses this in more detail.


The body achieves discipline through mental and physical conditioning. One cannot exist without the other.
There can be no mental conditioning without physical conditioning and there can be no physical conditioning
without mental conditioning. Each relies upon the other and fortifies the other. Every conscious act to
condition and strengthen the body is a step towards the straight path.

The aim of mental conditioning is to gain greater control over thought. Uncontrolled thoughts are slippery fish.
They dart this way and that to avoid the mind’s grip, seeking instead the random currents of bodily desire.
They are wasted thoughts as they refuse to fulfil their purpose: to direct the body to strengthen itself and walk
the straight path.

Only controlled thought strengthens the body. And controlled thought can only be attained through mental
conditioning. Mental conditioning strengthens the mind’s authority over the body, and disciplines thought so
as to protect the body against vice. It submits the body to the will.

There are four kinds of mental conditioning: meditation, fasting, prayer and learning. They must all be
practised to discipline the body.

 

[Mackerni]

This is very interesting. i wouldn't call this a new religion, since the link you provide links to the channel, "thestraightpathchristian". Maybe a new moral interpretation of Christianity, maybe....After a little digging around I have deducted that you wrote and spoke those YouTube verses. This entire thing screams of a cult. It pretty much says, "God is good. God made the straight path. Therefore the straight path is good. The straight path will lead you to God." And every chapter is, "The straight path will lead you to [X]" Where [X] is the desired thing talked about in The Straight Path. This whole thing screams cult, although that's not necessary a bad thing, you aren't telling people to worship you, but your conception of The Straight Path, as if God was talking to you. I've only gone through roughly the first four or five chapters of the first book, do you mention Jesus as the way to the Straight Path and how God brought his only son as an example to that Path? True Christians eat that **** up.

Well, the first thing one must do to create a new religion is to write a book which they deem important. I could see "Straight Path Christianity" becoming popular and the Bible and "The Straight Path" as official literature of the church. This feels very much like a new sect of Christianity, although the newer, more popular sects are trying to flare up more Universalist themes to it. This would have been more popular up to sixty years ago or so. I still have hope in this faith and hope you have many followers, although I will not be one of them. What I believe has nothing to do with Christianity, yet I find this book very wise, if a bit reaffirming.

 

[CEMB]

This is very interesting. i wouldn't call this a new religion, since the link you provide links to the channel, "thestraightpathchristian". Maybe a new moral interpretation of Christianity, maybe....After a little digging around I have deducted that you wrote and spoke those YouTube verses. This entire thing screams of a cult. It pretty much says, "God is good. God made the straight path. Therefore the straight path is good. The straight path will lead you to God." And every chapter is, "The straight path will lead you to [X]" Where [X] is the desired thing talked about in The Straight Path. This whole thing screams cult, although that's not necessary a bad thing, you aren't telling people to worship you, but your conception of The Straight Path, as if God was talking to you. I've only gone through roughly the first four or five chapters of the first book, do you mention Jesus as the way to the Straight Path and how God brought his only son as an example to that Path? True Christians eat that **** up.

Well, the first thing one must do to create a new religion is to write a book which they deem important. I could see "Straight Path Christianity" becoming popular and the Bible and "The Straight Path" as official literature of the church. This feels very much like a new sect of Christianity, although the newer, more popular sects are trying to flare up more Universalist themes to it. This would have been more popular up to sixty years ago or so. I still have hope in this faith and hope you have many followers, although I will not be one of them. What I believe has nothing to do with Christianity, yet I find this book very wise, if a bit reaffirming.

Hi Mackerni, thanks for the compliments and the criticisms. You are right. I am the author of The Straight Path and that is my voice on YouTube. The straight path is a very old religious concept. The Bible refers to it as does the Koran, as well as other religious texts. What I have written is my view of the straight path. It has similarities with Christianity but also some differences. I was inspired to write The Straight Path by a number of dreams I had.

I disagree though that the whole thing screams of a cult. Cults centre around a leader and collapse when that leader dies. If I die tomorrow, then I don't think the message contained in the Straight Path will disappear. I have spoken to many people about the Straight Path and many of them, like you, say it contains some wisdom. The Straight Path has a life of its own now.

 

[CEMB]

The first type of mental conditioning is meditation. Meditation enables the mind to gain greater control of thought. Book III, Chapter 4 on 'Meditation' explains this.

The first kind of mental conditioning is meditation. Meditation is to impose the will of the mind upon the flesh
of the body. It is to free the mind from the distraction of bodily desire and strengthen the mind’s control over
thought.

The goal of meditation is to give the mind greater control over the brain. The brain develops the habit of
thinking for the sake of thinking without considering why it thinks the thoughts it does. This is a difficult habit to
break. Such a brain is occupied by random thoughts which create a constant chatter. This chatter distracts
the mind and is difficult for the soul to pierce. It blocks the mind from hearing the soul.

Meditation enables the mind to control the brain and reassert its authority over the body. By willing the brain
not to think, silence is achieved and the voice of the soul can be heard. The soul only speaks to the mind
prepared to assume its proper authority over the body.

The brain is a muscle like any other, and like other muscles it must be trained and strengthened otherwise it
atrophies. Meditation achieves this. It gives to the mind greater control over the thoughts that course through
the brain. It aids clear thinking. It expands and deepens the perception of the senses: improving sight,
hearing, taste, smell and touch. It enables the mind to tap the innate abilities of the body. It opens the eyes to
the light surrounding other bodies and the skin to the ghost wind. It thrusts perception outwards to experience
the realm of the spirit.

The mind needs to practise regularly to meditate properly. In the beginning meditation is hard, but it grows
easier over time. Do not expect immediate results. The fingers cannot learn to play the piano in a day. It is
the same with meditation. Practising once a year achieves nothing. The mind can only learn how to meditate
by practising daily.

Meditation requires solitude. Find a quiet place free from the distractions of the world. Relax the body by
sitting or lying down. Remove all stress from the muscles. This helps the mind to focus its attention. As the
muscles relax they shall ache and itch. Ignore this for it is the body trying to draw the mind’s attention back to
the body.

Next focus the mind’s attention on one thing and nothing. Stare at a point in the dark, and allow the eyes to
lose focus on the point without loosening the mind’s attention upon the point. The brain shall to try to distract
the mind again for the brain is made to think. It shall create distracting thoughts from habit. It shall drag up
memories or create an itch in the toe or nose to draw the mind’s attention back to itself. Sometimes other
things appear or are sensed. Ignore these too. If the mind focuses upon a distraction, its attention shall waver
and the meditation shall fail.

As the mind draws its attention away from the body and towards itself, the body’s breathing slows and grows
shallower until it is noticed little. The muscles relax further and grow heavier. Then the presence of the
muscles and flesh recede. This is the consciousness passing from the body to the mind. With this passing
comes clarity, strength and a reawakening of purpose.