Discerning Spiritual Texts
People rarely question the words in the Torah or the New Testament because they don't realize they have within themselves the ability to know God and hear God. They nullify their divine capabilities when they make a text, transcribed or written by “prophets” or “saints”, the truth, without questioning its veracity or whether it feels true for them. I believe there are glimpses of truth in much spiritual text, but it is also muddied by ego projection, which is not a reflection of divine truth. Even channeled texts, while no doubt extraordinary at times, come through or are filtered in some way by the person's mind who channels them. When our minds are clear or made clear, what we hear or are capable of hearing, especially in contrast to the typical egoic thoughts, is divine, but because it so rare of an occurrence, it causes one to believe it came from angels or from God. And while it may very well, the rarity of this occurrence makes one shout it to the people. And because they too are seeking God themselves, but believe themselves incapable of receiving God's word, latch to the new “prophet” and accept blindly what they teach. And so it becomes God's word without question.
Within man is corruption, as plainly visible as anything. Corruption in the sense that truth is veiled to him, and so illusion guides his thoughts, motives, and actions. Until we are completely returned to truth, we must be subject to investigation. When not blinded by the assumption that any one person speaks the whole truth, we can read in The New Testament the words of Paul, who was named Saul, and see that as much as he reaches for truth, he espouses illusion. It is plainly in his thoughts and words, in his judgments of others, in the notion of “wickedness” and “wicked people”, “wicked actions.” Whatever wicked meant back then is not what it has come to mean today. So first and foremost, let us question the words, whether they are what was intended, and realize that any word that causes fear or shame is not a word of God, a word of love, for only these are real. Let us also recognize that anyone who grows up in a system of thought and practice and lives them without question is apt to believe what is not real. Saul says himself that he was a Pharisee and lived it to the letter. His mind and beliefs were therefore shaped by Jewish Law, the very law Jesus came to change people's minds and hearts about.
It is one thing to grow up questioning everything, as Jesus probably did, for then truth can more easily settle into the fertile soil of an open Mind. But when one is certain without questioning, and it the certainty was given to him by others rather than from within himself, then the mind is closed and only gives birth to new thought recycled by old thought. The light and truth of God cannot break through a closed mind. When we therefore read or hear the old thought system spoken and exalted, we know it is illusion. As much as Paul encourages new thought and a new law, he speaks and purports the old law, and doesn't question whether that too should be open to investigation. He is a man inspired by a spiritual awakening, but not yet the Light he speaks of. So let us be open to hearing the inspired words of our brother and recognize our own human limitations as he does, and seek a closer relationship to truth as he does, but also not assume that everything he speaks is truth.
