Something that science has only now begun to prove, and many believers today do not fully understand, is the fact that the manner in which we think, as well as our perception of life, becomes ingrained into our physical body.   What this means is that the process of changing our beliefs and manner of thinking, and opening our perception and understanding of life in the endeavor to comprehend the higher realities of the Word, becomes a physical, as well as a mental and spiritual endeavor.   Genuine religion is not synonymous with philosophy.   Philosophy represents an opinion -- whereas, religion is the manifestation of philosophy in the life of the individual; the family; the group; the community; and perhaps even a nation.

From the perspective of religious philosophy, belief without action means absolutely nothing.   The process of proving Christian philosophy by manifesting the Light in one's life is an all-encompassing and all-consuming endeavor -- and to be successful, it is absolutely imperative for man to embrace Truth in a wholistic manner.   What the Bible teaches is that every aspect of one's life must be lived in support of bringing the totality of one's being into the Light.

From a biblical perspective, the problem is that most people are simply not willing to make the necessary changes in their life that would enable them to truly become spiritual disciples.   Even if they had the desire, they would not know how.   The result is that in failing to embrace the Light in the totality of the experience of their being -- i.e., “Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you" (Luke 11:36 NIV) -- in not being able to rid themselves of this darkness, they become immersed in doctrinal error because their physical bodies act as earthy and unrefined anchors that causes them to embrace a very carnal and worldly perception of the Good News.

In the same way that the gospel message was transitioned from a pure state -- one step at a time -- to where it was made acceptable to the Pagan mindset, it must again be restored and transitioned back into the original form and direction -- in order for the faithful flock to have “no part dark”, and be able to walk in The Way and know the truth for themselves.   In the same way that the Word is complete, and embodies a physical, mental and spiritual nature, in order for man to embrace the Word, he must bring his physical, mental and spiritual natures into complete and total harmony with the Word.   To accomplish this, a witness had to be raised up -- i.e., someone who knew what the Gospel looked like in its pure form -- someone who lived at the time the Master Jesus walked the shores of Galilee when he opened the doors of the Kingdom for those who would follow and enter in.  

I full realize that the majority of modern Christian believers will not understand, but one of the major differences between the mindset of the first century Christians, and the faithful flock today, is the fact that the original followers of Jesus understood that the soul of man must be perfected over the course of many lifetimes in order to become complete, and be able to enter into the Kingdom.   It is not easy to become a being of Light, and have “no part dark”.   Moreover, Jesus does not say that he zap the believer, and make them into a being of Light -- but rather, one becomes a being of Light by walking in the footsteps of the Master as he guides us along The Way.

Because the written word was transitioned, step by step, into first a very Greek Hellenistic mindset, and then a very Roman Pagan mindset, and still further into the very superstitious mindset of the Middle-Ages, and then ultimately into the very carnal secular perception of the Gospel message that exists today -- and each of these cultures has left its indelible imprint upon what we believe -- the task of restoring the Good News and overcoming the faults and errors of the past generations of those who called themselves Christian has become a very difficult task.   For this reason, the only means by which the prayers of the faithful flock could be answered, was to send one of Jesus' disciples back into the world -- someone who had lived and traveled with him when he walked upon the face of the earth almost two thousand years ago -- so that this person might speak to the people in their/our own time about the full meaning of what Jesus taught.   No doubt, many of the faithful flock will become offended by the idea that the soul of man reincarnates and lives many lives in its journey toward perfection, but this understanding is just one of many important truths that was edited out of the Bible by the secular/institutionalized Roman Church.  

From the perspective of the teachings of The Way, reincarnation is not the Truth that Jesus revealed -- and must instead be understood as more of a fact of life in the manner of birth, death, and the means of bringing about spiritual growth and change in accordance with the Divine Plan that is the very moving force of the original vision of Creation itself.   The problem is that, unless we understand the means by which the Gospel message is manifest and fulfilled in the life of all of mankind -- unless we perceive the manner in which the road to the Kingdom is traveled -- we become stagnant, and attempt to make a home in this world, instead of pursuing our destiny with our Eternal Creator-God.   Thus, in the same way that man must come to terms with the reality of birth and death, it is imperative that man also begin to understand the very purpose of man's birth and death in this and all other worlds he must travel as he walks in The Way -- and returns to the Kingdom that Jesus declared is at hand.

When religious authorities such as A. Powell Davies warned the faithful flock that “Biblical scholars were not disturbed by what they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls because they had known all along that the origin of Christianity was not what was commonly supposed to have been” (quoted by Millar Burrows in More Light on the Dead Sea Scrolls), this should have conveyed to the faithful flock that God was attempting to communicate with the modern Christian, and guide believers back into a more pure understanding of the Word.   Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essenes, who called themselves the people of the New Covenant, where looked upon by many in the church as Jewish heretics who had embraced a system of Persian dualism, Buddhism, and Greek Gnosticism.   This false vision of the Essenes had to be quickly and quietly done away with once it was demonstrated that every element of New Covenant thought which we preach today pre-existed Jesus, and was very much a part of the religious life of the Essenes.

What the Dead Sea Scrolls forced us to acknowledge and realize for the fist time is that we had believed a lie that had been promulgated by the Church of Constantine.   We also had to come to terms with the fact that because of our acceptance of this lie, we did not possess a very clear understanding of genuine Christian origins.   It was not that our belief in Jesus was necessarily wrong -- but in our acceptance of the doctrines and very Pagan-carnal thinking of Constantine, we failed to embrace the words of the Apostle Paul with respect to the difference between the “testimony” of Christ, and the “Mysteries” of Christ that could only be revealed to a mind that had itself become spiritual.  

At about the same time the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a cave, a library of early Christian scriptures was uncovered at Nag Hammaddi in upper Egypt.   Because of the nature of these writings, our scholars believe that these scriptures belonged to a sect of Gnostic Christians.   Yet, the understanding that was engendered from the study of these writings was profound, even from a purely historical perspective.   What they learned from the study of these writings again confirmed that the faithful flock had once again for a very long time believed a lie with respect to the first Gentile Christians -- a lie that again had been published by the Church of Constantine.   In the words of Prof. Elaine Pagles in her book, The Gnostic Gospels, the condemnation of the early Gnostic Christians by the Roman Church had “political implications”.   What she said was that the denunciation of the Gnostic Christians was “crucial to the development of Christianity as an institutional religion.  In simplest terms, ideas which bear implications contrary to that development come to be labeled as heresy; ideas which implicitly support it become orthodox”.  

The looming question that must be answered, then, is whether Jesus intended on creating an institutional religion that was governed by the thinking and authority of Pagan Rome?   In light of what we learned from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the discovery of the Nag Hammaddi library of scriptures was seen as further evidence that the church which had come to be called Christian in the fourth century, had long ago departed from the spiritual essence of the Genuine Gospel message.   In fact, many biblical scholars had come to realize the assertion by many historians was true, and the fourth-century Church which was created by Constantine and his Gentile-Pagan bishops and priests, was in reality the religion of Mithraism, with Jesus installed in the traditional position as it’s redeemer-god. 

In view of the actual facts that had been discovered, how could the biblical experts tell the faithful flock that what they believed and put their faith in was in fact a shadow religion that was created in the fourth century?  How could our biblical experts convey to the faithful flock that they were really of the Mithraic faith, and that the religion of the New Covenant had been bastardized -- that the Mithraic Church had been given a facelift in order to make it appear new in the eyes of the heathen-Pagan population?   Further, how could biblical scholars tell the flock of believers that the majority of church creeds they put their faith in today where of Mithraic origin, with Jesus being superimposed upon the image of Mithra?   Understandably, they could not!   Thus, the above words of A. Powell Davies takes on a whole new meaning when we begin to understand what truly happened: “Biblical scholars were not disturbed by what they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls because they had known all along that the origin of Christianity was not what was commonly supposed to have been”. 

In our endeavor to comprehend the essence of a religious movement, it is important for us to begin by attempting to understand the objective and vision of the people who make up the religious body of believers.   If it can be demonstrated that the original followers of Jesus had an entirely different objective than believers do today, and that religion in their eyes possessed a totally opposite meaning than that envisioned by the modern believer, then it would be of the utmost importance for us to re-evaluate the reasons why our present-day vision of the Gospel is not the same as those who Jesus personally taught.   Were the original followers of Jesus too Jewish to understand the essence of the Gospel message, as the church has claimed?   Or were the Gentiles too Pagan to comprehend the tenets of a truly Spiritual Religion?  

How important is the answer to these questions to the modern believer?   If we claim to believe in the Gospel message, then not to be deeply concerned would be synonymous with playing Russian Roulette.   If it can be demonstrated that our vision is different because of the infusion of alien thinking and concepts into the Gospel message, then if we sincerely believe that the original message was the pure Word, it would be imperative for us to re-evaluate what we have presently come to believe.  

If we are truly sincere in our belief that Jesus revealed to mankind the inspired Word of God, and that each of us is ultimately responsible for faithfully embracing that Word to the absolute best that our ability permits, then we must begin the process of evaluating modern-day Christian doctrine in the terms of Light and darkness -- i.e., what Jesus taught would be seen as Light, and whatever concepts and dogma became infused in church doctrine over the course of time would be seen as darkness that Jesus commanded us to have no part of.   From this perspective, we cannot be called a people who have put their faith in Jesus, if our faith is founded upon the words of other men.   In like manner, we cannot claim to believe in Jesus, if what we believe has been molded by the teachings of other men.   When Jesus commanded us: “Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you” (Luke 11:36 NIV) -- the essence of what he was saying is that if we desire to be of the Light, and be one of his disciples, then we must begin the process of ridding ourselves of the teachings of other men.

When we begin to journey on the path that leads to the discovery of the genuine teachings of the New Covenant, and strive to comprehend the many modern-day beliefs and concepts that separates us from the first followers of Jesus, and we endeavor to follow the transition of the church from a spiritual to a secular institution, what we are in essence saying is that over the course of time the people who called themselves Christian, all possessed a different objective and vision of life than did the original followers of Christ.   What we must understand, then, is that the doctrine of each group, as well as the biblical translations that were used to affirm their doctrines, were all the product of not only the manner in which they perceived life itself, but also their vision and objective in embracing a particular religious belief in the first place.  

In recognizing the very real possibility that our recent discovery of both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammaddi Library was not an accident, and that these more pure sources of knowledge were brought about in answer to our prayers, then we must become acutely aware of the fact that God is attempting to communicate with us.   And what is it that He is attempting to convey to us?   More than at any time in the past we now know that when the church went through the process of transition, and was made acceptable to the common people who lived in the third and fourth centuries by adopting the traditions and doctrines of Pagan Rome, the downstream effect is that the modern church has been altered from its original first-century course, and has been seduced into believing a number of fallacies that are supported by the corruption of the scriptures that we depend upon today in our understanding of the revelation of the Word.   Because the fourth century church entered into an alliance and covenant with Pagan Rome, it went through a religious conversion from Jewish to Gentile -- spiritual to carnal -- as it was transformed into a secular power as the institutionalized Church of the Roman Empire.   In the process, the objective and vision of the religion itself was changed from one direction, to another direction that was completely different than what was envisioned when the original Gospel message was taught.  

Along with this change in objective both the foundational doctrines and beliefs, as well as the constitution of the church in the form of the Bible, or written word, had to be altered in the endeavor to inaugurate the different mindset and purpose of the new religion.   In order to effect this necessary change to bring about the conversion of the empire in the fourth century, the new church had to embrace a doctrine of static faith, rather than active faith -- and it is this static faith that continues to be the downfall of the Christian in our modern world.

Before we reject these statements, we must ask ourselves if what we have received was brought about by the Hand of God?   Is God attempting to communicate with us with respect to the higher understanding that we pray for in our churches today?   It is therefore important for us to recognize that we cannot receive the Higher Light, so long as we continue to cling to the doctrines of men.  

In man's endeavor to understand the error of the past, the archaeologist has served the church well -- and has placed in our hands all the historical pieces that we need to again position the church on its proper intended course.   In the same way that the commonly believed lie about Christian foundations was proven to be a fallacy with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls -- and in like manner, the Gnostic Christians of the second and third centuries who were denounced as heretics have now come to be seen as the Spiritual Christians who were condemned by later Pagans who had merely adopted the name of Christian, while still clinging to their very heathen ways -- modern Christians have been misguided, and lost sight of the essence of the Gospel, because they were seduced into believing a series of untruths that paved the way for the conversion of the church that was necessary in order to make is acceptable from the perspective of a fourth century Roman mindset.  

The Dead Sea Scrolls demonstrate that the first great deception was the source and origin of what came to be associated with Christian doctrine.   The second great deception was when the Spiritual Christians were condemned as heretics.   And perhaps an even greater deception and lie can be demonstrated with regard to the flock of Messianic Jewish believers who were the first followers of the Messiah Jesus.   Thus, each one of these great deceptions was necessary in order to transition the original teachings of Jesus so it would be made both acceptable and compatible to the fourth century Roman mindset -- but it is the continuation of these three great deceptions in our own time that act as an anchor to the soul of the modern believer.

Few present-day Christians are even aware of the fact they believe very differently than the first followers of Christ -- so much so, that it can easily be said that we embrace a different religion today.   Yet, all the evidence derived from modern discoveries demonstrate a great fault in our thinking with respect to genuine New Covenant teachings.   We now know that the majority of Christians today believe a lie that was propagated by the Church of the Roman Empire in order to explain away the inconsistencies between the Paganized form of Jesus' teachings that emerged in the fourth century, with the teachings of Jesus in their original form.   We also have come to realize that the men and women who were condemned and slaughtered as Jewish heretics, were not the heretics they were made out to be -- but rather, in light of what we now know from modern archaeological discoveries, they were the true flock of genuine believers who remained faithful to the Word that Jesus ordained.   More than at any time in the past we can now demonstrate that they were condemned as heretics by the later Roman Church because they had a different objective than their Gentile Pagan counterparts.  

In our present time this presents a very serious obstacle -- an obstacle that would appear to be almost insurmountable from our perspective of reality.   While it is true that Jesus ordained the Truth -- it is also true that the Truth he proclaimed had nothing in common with the Pagan-Christian concepts and religious objectives that became the foundation of the church in the fourth century   This creates a very serious problem -- in that, we can never get a correct sense of the original Gospel message, until we can begin to move beyond both the objective and mindset of the Roman Church, and once again perceive the Word in the original manner that it was proclaimed and revealed to mankind by the Lord Himself.  

The problem is that the original message of the New Covenant required us to pick up our crosses, and take the yoke of the Christ upon us -- and this we can no longer accomplish because a great wall has been erected that stands before us as an almost insurmountable obstacle when we attempt to walk in the Master's footsteps along The Way.   Thus, the dilemma: By merely acknowledging the historical facts regarding the corruption and defilement of the Word, it is near impossible for the faithful flock of believers today to know in what direction to turn.   Intuitively, they know that Jesus is the Truth and the Light -- and they rightfully view all these many archaeological discoveries as confusing and perplexing.   From the perspective of the believers, the wealth of knowledge that has flowed into their hands as the result of archaeological discoveries has not only been disturbing, but has provoked more questions than answers.   The problem is that because they lack a clear perception of the original form of the revelation that Jesus taught to his disciples, they are unable to use the archaeological knowledge that has been placed in their hands.

The One Teacher: What many believers today fail to realize is that the answer to the dilemma is found implanted on their own lips as they gather together for prayer and worship.   Further, the answer is again found in the words of the Apostle Peter, as contained in an obscure writing of his disciple Clement, where he said that the genuine Christian must learn only from the True Prophet as to the correct meaning of the scriptures and the revelation of the Word.  “Hence, O beloved Clement", proclaims Peter, “if you would know the things pertaining to God, you have to learn them from Him alone, because He alone knows the truth. For if any one else knows anything, he has received it from Him or from His disciples”.  

These words -- i.e., that you not only can, but you MUST learn the things of God from Him alone, or from one of his genuine disciples -- are as true today as when Peter originally spoke them to Clement in the first century.   They are based upon the New Covenant teaching that Jesus came to teach the Truth, and this Truth cannot be altered or defiled by either an impostor church, or the doctrines of men.   Therefore, built into the essence of the Word is a means by which the truly faithful disciple throughout any and every age in the history of man is able to learn the Truth directly from the Lord Himself.   What this further means is that even during that timeframe when the church was plundered into the very depths of darkness and despair, the truly faithful followers of the Light were taught the truth directly from the One Source of all Truth.

The problem is that the modern Christian has become so accustomed to listening to the preaching and doctrines of other men, that they have permitted themselves to become totally alienated from the very essence of New Covenant teachings.   We have therefore been so estranged from the Word that Jesus taught, that few Christians today can even envision the core teaching of the New Testament scriptures -- i.e., that only what has been revealed to you by the Lord Himself via your own spiritual nature is a valid Truth that you are to embrace.

The Great Reality that we totally fail to understand is the fact that in the same way the true follower of Christ was not of this world, neither was his Church!   What this means is that when we ourselves become spiritual, we will be able to see the door to the Spiritual Church, open it, and enter therein.   While it is true that we will not use our physical body, Paul teaches that we possess both a natural and a spiritual body, as seen in the words: “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44 KJV) -- and with respect to Paul’s own experiences with regard to entering the heavenly realms the Apostle writes: “whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth” (2 Cor 12:2 KJV).   It was the witness of the first followers of Jesus that all those who faithfully followed in The Way, and learned only from the Master, were themselves permitted into the Spiritual Temple that they accessed through the inner door within their own mind.

The True Church of Christ is Spiritual -- and if you are to begin the journey along The Way and into the Light, you must first rid yourself of the many lies and fallacies of the impostor Church of the Roman Empire.   To walk in The Way, you must endeavor to begin the process of restoring the mindset and essential teachings that was revealed to the faithful flock in the first century -- in order that you might be able to see and understand more clearly -- with the objective being, to enable you to learn the truth directly from the True Prophet, and from him alone.

We are living in a time of great spiritual opportunity.   The Hand of God has again moved in the life of man, and all the elements we need to transition the church back to its original spiritual essence has been put into place.   All the pieces to the puzzle have already been given to us.   All that we need to do is embrace the Truths in the revelation of the Royal Law of God, walk in The Way ordained by the Master Jesus, and enter into the Kingdom that awaits our return.

The journey into the Light is begun through a very thorough critical examination of ourselves, and what we believe.   In the same way that we would readily admit that an Atheist is the greatest obstacle to his own salvation, as people of the simple faith, we are the only obstacle to our own advancement in the Word -- and each of us is in the process of creating the future in which we will dwell.   In today’s world, Christianity is seen as the religion of the masses -- blind to intellect, political stature, ethnicity, or one's station in life.   Anyone can literally be a Christian by merely professing a belief in Jesus.   It is a faith-based religion -- it serves and uplifts the poor -- the downtrodden -- and those who are in need.   This is good!   Yet, at the beginning of our Common Era, Christianity in its original form was all these things and more -- and few people today understand, or even have the ability to perceive the all-pervading spiritual potential of the Genuine Gospel of Christ.  

The contrast between the modern faith-based Christianity we know today and first century Christianity is easily discernible.   The perception of Christians in our present-day is that of a faithful believing people.   There is very little emphasis placed upon the idea of spiritual transformation.   This is demonstrated in the fact that modern Christians are not looked upon as an all-knowing, illuminated and enlightened people -- a people whose Anointed perception, knowledge and understanding reveals to mankind the great Mysteries of Life that explains all aspects of man's quest to comprehend the Sacred Secrets of God.   In fact, Christians violate the whole premises of the Gospel when they send their children to secular schools to learn the wisdom of this world -- a wisdom the Apostle Paul calls foolishness.

Spiritual Light, as spoken about in the Bible, is synonymous with an elevated mindset, and a state of all-knowing -- all-being -- and all-truth and good.   Modern believers would ascribe these qualities to Jesus, who they consider God -- but it was the promise of Jesus that all his followers would know the same Truth that had been revealed to him by the Father -- and it is an historical fact that the earliest Christians were the most enlightened people of their time.   Yet, this is no longer the case in our present day.  

In the second and third centuries the greatest teachers under whose guidance the most intelligent sought to be students, were the Christian holy men of their day.   What has changed?   In our present time young men and women no longer defer secular based studies to pursue Christian studies in order to gain a superior knowledge-base from an informative educational perspective.  

In today’s world, the perception of the nature of religion itself no longer occupies the same place in the minds of the people as it once did.   Religion is no longer seen as the path in life to educate and develop the intellect and the mind of the student.   No one applying for employment today puts down on their application that they studied with a rabbi, priest or theologian -- unless, of course, they are seeking employment as a member of the clergy.   Moreover, even the clergy attend universities in order to be qualified to teach and preach the gospel.   Thus, the astute person will immediately perceive that something is very different today, and Christianity is no longer seen from the same lofty perspective it once held in biblical times.   This fact has not only created a great void in our modern-day perception of Christianity, but this same void is present in our culture today because the people who were supposed to be the manifestation of Light in the world, are only partially effective in the job they were ordained and called to accomplish.

If we restore the Gospel to the position it held from a first century perspective, we must recognize that the Good News, and the original message that Jesus declared to mankind, was in every way a transformation and journey of the mind and spirit of man.   It required a genuine change in the manner in which the believer lived, thought, and perceived the very purpose of life itself.  

The followers of Christ were ordained to be the Light of the world -- and Light is the very factor that overcomes and dispels darkness, which is synonymous with ignorance.   The very word Christ, when translated into the English language from its native Greek, means to “Anoint”.   The meaning of the Greek term Logos, which in the Gospel of John we translate The Word, is indicative of the Mind of God.   Darkness is the absence of Light -- which is brought about by the disconnection and severance from the Source of our being.   Man, who dwells in darkness, is not saved by believing in the Light -- but rather, by intimately connecting with the Light -- and this Light is found within us beyond the barrier of our natural consciousness that is associated with our physical body.   Speaking about the trials and tribulations that each disciple of Jesus must endure as illumined people who dwell as strangers in a world ruled by the powers of darkness, the Apostle writes: “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions” (Heb 10:32 KJV).     

To be Anointed (Christ) by the Mind of God, then, would mean that the believer’s mind is illumined -- and being immersed in the Light, perceives and understands all things from the same perspective as does God Himself.   A person who is Anointed (Christ) by the Light, no longer is hindered by the carnal limitation of mind that restricts the thinking and perception of natural men.   It is the promise of the scriptures, as well as the witness of the first followers of Christ, that the genuine followers of Jesus will see all things -- understand all truths -- and rise above the power of Satan and the elemental nature forces of this world.

This all-important teaching of the Bible is for the most part ignored by those who call themselves Christians today.   Because the fourth century church severed itself from the spiritual essence of the Word, and then created foundational doctrines of belief that remain an integral part of our church dogma to this very day, the modern Christian has been forced to ignore many of the most profoundly important and paramount teachings of the scriptures.   The result is that believers today embrace a form of spiritual and religious agnosticism that obstructs their walk with the Lord.   We read the Bible -- we see what it says -- we acknowledge the many promises that no longer seem to apply to us -- and we are perplexed.   And we ask, what has changed?   Why has religion fallen from its once elevated and lofty place, and been relegated to a much lower, philosophical position in the minds and perception of the people?   

As we ponder the promise of the scriptures, and think about what it must be like to see the world and Creation through the eyes of God, we must immediately pose the question as to why, if total enlightenment is the promise of the Bible, have Christians permitted themselves to become spiritually sterile and agnostic?   Why do they attend universities and learn from the teachers of this world, when it is the promise of the scriptures that God himself will teach us, and open our perception to the same vision with which He, Himself, looks out into the world?

If this concept of Christianity as an illumined and Anointed journey of the mind seems bazaar and outlandish from a modern believers perspective, perhaps we should be cognizant of the true facts of the matter.   Science has long ago demonstrated beyond any doubt that at best, the majority of people are only able to use no more than ten percent of their mental capacity.  There are stories of people falling off ladders, hitting their heads, and suddenly they have access to what is commonly known as a sixth sense that through some unknown means, enables them to know and see things that other people do not.    Every culture and society has its stories of people who were either born with, or developed superior abilities of mind that gave them access to a storehouse of information that cannot be realized by the majority of people.   Some were called visionaries and prophets.   Others called themselves psychics.   Are these people freaks of nature?   Or are they just simply people who can use various innate portions of the over ninety percent of human potential of mind that the rest of us are not able to access?

In view of the indisputable scientific evidence that man only uses a very small portion of his potential of mind, we must ask the question: Why?   Why does this limitation exist?   How can the limitation be overcome?   Moreover, what would the world look like to us if we could overcome this limitation?   These are truly important questions for every person in our modern world to answer -- and especially those who call themselves Christian.

With respect to science: Though science can easily prove that we have both an inherent limitation as well as this innate potential, science does not have an answer to the dilemma.   The scientist knows that within the mind of man there exists an immense untapped potential of mind-power and phenomenal abilities that are beyond the understanding of those people who we call normal -- and yet, science can do absolutely nothing to overcome this limitation.   The result is that this great potential remains an illusive untapped resource that the scientist is simply powerless to find a means to provide us access to. 

This indisputable fact with regard to man's congenital limitation poses a number of important questions from a religious perspective: Why would God create mankind -- in God's own image -- and then inhibit him by limiting his mind and intelligence to only a fraction of his potential?   If we are truly created in God's image, then we should not have this limitation -- unless, the unthinkable is true, and the Spiritual Christians were correct in their assertion that our limitations are self-imposed!   That’s right!   We should be able to utilize all of our potential of mind, but it is our manner of thinking and the way we live our lives that is responsible for our being limited to less than ten percent of our true potential!

From a fundamentalist religious perspective, how could our Creator-God expect mankind to make proper choices in life, and hold man accountable for these sometimes very difficult elections, when man is using only a fraction of his innate mental ability to make extremely consequential decisions?   When seen in its proper perspective, it would appear that God has a rather strange sense of humor -- i.e., it is as if God is requiring a deaf man to compose a great symphony, and a blind man to paint a portrait that details all the intricacies of life as seen through the perception of seeing eyes.  

From a biblical perspective, there is still another dimension to the problem of man's inherent hardships in the world that has not yet even been considered.   The Bible warns us that there is a force of darkness that is referred to as the god of this realm, and it is this god that controls the governments and thinking of the people.   This supernatural being called the Prince of Darkness has been commonly referred to as Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, and many other names.   Further, the Bible also tells us that Satan has under his command one third of all the angels that God created, a host of disincarnate spirits, and an all consuming power of evil and darkness which he uses to control the thinking and actions of man in this world. 

The exact nature of the relationship between God and Satan has always perplexed the mind of man.   In the first chapter of the Book of Job, God and Satan appear to have a very friendly (working) relationship -- even entering into a wager as to whether Job was of such a perfect stature that regardless of the havoc that Satan brought into the life of Job, Satan would not be able to turn Job against God.   To prove the wager, and with God's blessings, Satan then moves in the life of Job and totally devastates him by harnessing all of his earthly and heavenly powers in the endeavor to test Job's faithfulness and endurance.  

The Book of Job invokes numerous questions that mankind has only been able to speculate about.   Why doesn't God protect man from the power and influence of Satan?   Why would God even encourage Satan to bring evil upon the life of a faithful man?   Killing his children -- destroying his home and all possessions -- decimating every aspect of his life?   In view of the fact that man does not possess supernatural power -- and his intellect is severely inhibited by his congenital ten percent limitation -- and the scriptures demonstrate that even religious authorities can be controlled by Satan -- if what is written in the Bible is correct, then man is truly in a dreadful position with regard to making any sort of decision in life.  

How can man even begin to find truth when he is only able to use no more than ten percent of his potential of mind?   How can man know what is right, when God permits an evil, supernatural power, to rule over his life?   It would appear that the deck has been severely stacked against man -- i.e., he functions at a very limited level of reasoning of mind -- he is opposed by an all-powerful supernatural being -- and yet, the Bible states that God holds man responsible for making the proper choices in his life.  

If you consider this vision of mankind cruel, ask yourself this question: If the average person has an I.Q. of one hundred, and someone who was using only ten percent of their potential had an I.Q. of ten, are we cruel when we consider such a person to be profoundly retarded.   In view of the fact that the greater number of people probably do score somewhere around one hundred percent on an I.Q. test, and the majority of people we label retarded score considerably over a level of ten percentile, this comparison in order to better understand ourselves is well founded upon principles that we commonly employ in our own modern society.  

Perhaps it would help us if we put the matter in its proper perspective: There are some apes that exhibit a higher I.Q. than the level of ten percent in relation to the average of the human population.   What that means to us is that, what we consider normal human reasoning, would be similar to comparing the intelligence of an ape to that of a man -- and can again be used in comparing our present power of mind to our true innate potential which we would possess if we were using all of our potential of mind.  

From a biblical perspective we can again use this comparison to better understand the Apostle Paul's teaching on the subject of sectarianism.   In the same way that we would refrain from arguing with a person of such a limited I.Q. because they would be considered retarded by our standards, or engage such a person in a theological or philosophical discussion, for exactly the same reasons the Apostle warns us not to attach ourselves to the doctrines of the natural people of this world.   Why?    Because, being of a carnal mindset, they possess a very limited perception of man's true reality.   Just as important is the warning of the Apostle that when someone suggests we align ourselves with a certain sect or doctrine of belief, we should view such a person as a heretic.   Why? Because from a New Covenant perspective, they are spiritually and mentally challenged, and are incapable of any greater understanding than their limitation of mind permits.  

In the plight of mankind in this world all things are relative: A person who attempts to perceive either the meaning of the scriptures, or life itself, will be directly limited by their level of mind as manifest by their awareness and consciousness.   A person functioning at ten percent of their potential, will be severely limited in their ability to understand and reason.   Moreover, only when we begin to come to terms with this congenital limitation, and work to overcome the limitation, rather than to deal with the mysteries of life by embracing the philosophy of other men -- men who are themselves inhibited by this same natural limitation -- can we begin to truly comprehend and understand the Mysteries of God and Creation.  

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To contact the author: Allan_Cronshaw@nazirene.org