DISILLUSIONED - ENLIGHTENED

Note on 12/21/2013: Now that I have revealed the whole story also on my Finnish blog, without hiding any facts, I can say that my denomination is The Christian Community, and the other one mentioned is The Liberal Catholic Church.

In this writing I will reveal the unpleasant truth – some who know me may also know factual connection, but since I don’t give names and even write in foreign language, no one can forbid me to write and publish these things in my personal blog: it is therapy I need during this turmoil of events. Yet the closer people are to the centre of events, the more they should be aware of what is happening. Now it’s very “hush, hush”. I don’t know how much talking there is behind my back. I hope my thoughts may have value to other people in similar situations. And I’m sure there are many of them.

New Year began in a hard way for me. I was attacked by small but VERY LOUD group (of four people) within my congregation. (To be more precise, there is one person with three yes men.) And only because we were supposed to organize ecumenical meeting with another denomination, and that was my initiative. Now it had to be cancelled; our pastor – who was supportive to idea – was put against the wall. She had no other choice at that point. There was very intentional and dirty scheming behind the scenes. It was carefully planned so that only priests were called for meeting – the one, whom it mostly concerned, me, was disregarded - and they refused to tell anything in advance, so that nobody could be prepared. And they totally manipulated another priest present, just as they wished. 

I was accused of bringing “opposing forces” to our church, and making it appear like a sect, when in fact, these same people judged according to their behaviour, clearly represented “opposing forces”, and by their attitude, they were making our church precisely a narrow-minded sect. Their accusations would be ridiculous, unless they were also so sad, telling about their fears and prejudices.

This is not the church I came in 15 years ago, and these people don’t represent the church I have come to know. What they represent is distorted caricature of it; their behaviour is completely against the Spirit of Christ, It’s anti-Christian. These self-proclaimed “guardians of the truth” are nothing but fossils clinging to the past, refusing to come over to this day. Pride – worst of all sins: “We are so excellent and know it all; we don’t need to know anything outside our own comfort zone.”

Even my Mystical Order of the White Rose –Scandinavian Skete of Mary Magdalene website was their target, since I mentioned my church few times - when for example, I told about my own spiritual journey - and always in neutral manner, emphasizing, it had nothing to do with contents of this site. I have deleted those parts – in fact, I have deleted every sentence on this blog where I named my church, just like I have deleted my Facebook badge (I used to be open about my identity online; I’m happy to tell you my whole name if you contact me, and welcome you to befriend with me on Facebook!). I feel like standing before the inquisition accused of heresy and witchcraft; I’m sure they would gladly burn me at the stake if that was possible these days.

As I have been a member of the spiritual school, where they strongly warned against all churches and their Services – which caused me great difficulties when I first started to attend this church I belong nowadays – I dare to claim I have much wider perspective on these matters than these people attacking me. Not to mention the fact I have same inner experience of that other church we were going to meet, as the one I belong, and I know many people who attend both churches and like them both, even people who have family members in both churches. Their experiences have been questioned too, not only mine!

I’m only sorry to hold on to my right to think for myself, and regret I ever took “Freedom of thought” claims of my church seriously.

I’ve had support, but I’m not satisfied; I don’t need to defend myself against such an absurd and crazy accusations, but neither I feel I’m getting justice, because we “need to listen, discuss, understand, and give a chance…” blah, blah, blah. These same people harmed our congregation 20 years ago, before my time, until they disappeared. Today, as the priests have changed, they have crawled back to continue their wicked games. Until now, my congregation was like a haven of peace, and I only heard distant echoes of troubles elsewhere. But the snake is back in paradise. If these people haven’t changed in 20 years, how could we expect it to happen now, just like that?! Forgiveness is indeed a Christian virtue, but it is followed by demand, “sin no more”!

Our former, retired pastor was a strict character, and even I had my disagreements with him, but now I have come to respect him in a new way: at least he kept trouble-makers out!

I feel like I’m pushed in the corner. It’s like the atmosphere of my congregation is poisoned; I don’t feel like going there anymore. I have many duties, which I think I will reduce. Now I have to put myself first and protect myself. I would not expect less than apology from these people, but I don’t think I will have it; people like them rarely are capable to admit they have done anything wrong. I’m not the only one who’s been in their teeth: in their great arrogance and egoism they void every opinion that contradicts their illusions, and roll over other people with aggressive zeal.

However, all my spiritual life has been under major changes for at least over a year or so. I have never stopped seeking and asking questions – even doubting and questioning. I think that is healthy – only when there is movement, there is life.

I prayed for a sign from God, which way to go, and suddenly I realized, this is it: God works in marvellous ways – He can use adversities as His messengers. And it happened right in the beginning of the year, when I wanted to start something new. It seems to me, God is saying, “You don’t need a church. You don’t need a religion. You need to live!”

Don’t get me wrong: God and church, God and religion… completely different things. Religion does not make you happy; if you take it too seriously, it will make you crazy. In the middle of hardship, you see what is really important in life; it is so self-evident, you may often fail to see it: close and dear people and pets.

For me, religion is a kind of “Holy play”. I remember as a child – and even a bit older – I created these fantasy worlds in my mind... and in what dedication I prepared for play before I even started. Now I see it’s still the same thing as an adult; now it just takes place within frames of religion. I don’t know if there is life after death, I don’t know if Christ is a real person. I don’t think it matters! People only tend to make God smaller whenever something is said about Him.

I think the Kingdom of Heaven is a realm of creativity and imagination, and “being like little children” refers to devotion – literally – that children have when they play; they don’t need to seek the Kingdom of Heaven, they live in it, and at the same time they enjoy the world around with all their senses. So, don’t be too grown up, don’t take religion too seriously!

Religious life is concerned with feelings, and that’s why it may also cause collisions between persons, no matter how reasonable they think they are.

I have been hurt by religion before – that’s when I came to my present church, where I thought no one could come in the name of the church to tell me, how I should think or live. And how wrong I was! Now I see this church has also become too narrow for me – I have grown beyond it.

All churches are alike, there is no ideal community on this earth, since people make community, and people are alike everywhere; in every place there are all kinds of people – including dogmatic fanatics. Noble and high principles don’t make a difference – it is life that matters. For me, damage has been done – if you want to call it that way; I would rather call it enlightenment – I’m disillusioned. Right now I’m ashamed of my church, and yet, it is not I who should be ashamed! 

Life may often bring you suffering you can not avoid. But at least modern Westerner more or less chooses his or her religious affiliations – even if you have been raised within certain belief system. When religion, that is supposed to support you in this life too, and not only in after life, instead causes you suffering, it can’t be right.

Last time I had to deal with spiritual movement that forbade me to live as a gay man. It was a hard struggle. Even after I had resigned and joined this other community, where that was not a problem, it took me 10 years before I was able to admit even to myself, that I had belonged to narrow-minded sect, and stopped explaining it was my fault that I couldn’t adapt. Also to get rid of my past, I once needed to commit myself to my new community very deeply. 

Lately, thinkers who have seen a bigger picture outside the box attract me; people like Gurdjieff and Krishnamurti. I also realized a long time dream and took part in Zen meditation class. I have began to practice twice a day – oh, how much I had longed for meditation, and now I don’t understand why it was so hard to begin in the first place – and go to Zendo weekly. Zen is so simple; it is life itself, just pure being here and now. With my background of esoteric Christianity, today I’m just fed up with theories and speculations about life after death, reincarnation, karma… I need something real right now! I’m not dead yet. And mere theories and speculations they remain, for people simply choose to believe what this or that spiritual teacher wrote. Even if they had psychic experiences of their own, they just choose to believe they mean something. You know nothing. I know nothing. Nobody knows! Period.

There are many great examples of uniting Zen methods with Christianity as well. (I have always honored Buddha as well.) To the horror of more traditional minds, I think it is justified in our time for individual – and I do mean a true individual, not another sheep in a flock – to form his or her own beliefs and practices.

As I have stated in my vision, “Future is for the religion of the Holy Spirit: Spirit unites people with invisible bonds, from within.”

I always remember how one priest of my church once said, the ultimate purpose of churches and priests is to make themselves useless! For long time now, I have felt I don’t really need a church anymore, except for community. Like Jesus said, “A time is coming and in fact has come…” Future is already here – it won’t come to humanity as a whole, it will come gradually to individual people, one by one, here and there.

 I am a priest to myself. Every night in my daily prayers I have spiritual communion. It would be a small step to bless a piece of bread and some grape juice and experience that as valid Eucharist, but I have refrained from that action because I have been still going to church.

There is an excellent website – Ways of Christ – available in many languages (including my native tongue, Finnish), which I have found to be very informative and useful. I have no idea who is behind it, but it certainly is not restricted to the “one and only truth”. For question, why would man need a church or community, they answer:

It is, of course, possible to have an individual connection to Jesus Christ and to God. This is the heart of the matter. Even the impulses required from outside can come directly by God's guidance if one notices these finer signs.

However, there is another level of this connection, which can only unfold in community with others: "Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18, 19-20). At first this simply means what it says. This experience would be more difficult from a distance, e.g. if people synchronize it; but it is possible. A mystic might experience that unity even without verbal arrangement, although that would be too much for most people. People are not usually born for the hermit life.

This kind of prayer fellowship can lead to a regular private circle. One can also find it in a parish, or in another religious community fitting to one's individual belief. Even though the tradition of some churches may over-emphasize their role for the believers, this doesn't change the purpose of being in community with others.

Online community is community too, even more so, if people involved pray for one another. And when it comes to Communion, it is said:

The bread represents the substance (and/or the soul) of Jesus Christ, the "Word of God". The wine represents the divine spirit of Christ, which gives life to this Word of God for altruistic work. The Catholic Church stressed the change of the substance of the bread and wine to the pure flesh and blood of Jesus, while the Protestant Churches stressed the remembrance of Jesus. On one hand both are right. Scientists found out that even the simple "holy water" of the Catholic Church shows that the angle of the water molecules had changed. However, the most important viewpoint would be the change within the person taking part, by attuning to what really radiates from the transformed and transforming "flesh and blood" of Jesus Christ. So it would be good to do this practice in the churches with great concentration. Some even tried to do this directly in spirit only - without the visible help of bread and wine – and still felt the effect, which is a lot more difficult to achieve. For those who want to practice a blessed meal without claiming it to be a "Holy Sacrament" of the church, it can be called "Agape" - supper of love.

MOTHER MARY AND DIVINE FEMININE

“ My soul magnifies the Lord,
  And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
   For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
    For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
    For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
    And holy is His name.
       And His mercy is on those who fear Him
      From generation to generation.
      He has shown strength with His arm;
      He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
    He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
      And exalted the lowly.
  He has filled the hungry with good things,
      And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
      In remembrance of His mercy,
   As He spoke to our fathers,
      To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

(Luke 1:46-55 NKJV)

In my spiritual life, I have become very traditional, even "catholic" in broader sense of a word. So it is not so strange I have had to ponder on my relationship with Mary. But actually, it's not correct to say "ponder", since even as I have read a lot, first and foremost I consider myself a Mystic. Mystically speaking, I can put it this way: Mary originally approached to me in prayer, and now she has taken place by her Son in the centre of my devotion. When I first prayed the Rosary, it was very powerful experience. 

However, there is one thing that needs to be understood here: Although it's only natural I see her in traditional figure like artists have portrayed her through the centuries, it is not self-evident if I actually think she is Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus. She might as well be an Archetype. I have a same reservations about Jesus himself. But these are things I don't really trouble my head with. Practical relationship, prayer life, is important. 

God the Father is an abstract idea to me - perhaps due to my distant relationship wiht my own father - and that's exactly the meaning of Christ Jesus: Through Him the Father, whom no one has ever seen,  is manifested. Same could be true about Mary and the Holy Spirit, and even more about Mary and Sophia, Divine Wisdom. Who could actually say they understand who or what is Sophia, without using memorised phrases? Not me. But if Mary is, in a way, Sophia incarnated or earthly reflection of her, it becomes easier to comprehend. 

When we take a look at the Old Testament, we may find a concept of Shekinah, a name that in Heprew is feminine. It is used especially in Talmud and Kabbalah to describe feminine characteristics of God's presence, manifestation of her presence on earth. In literature Shekinah is also called the Holy Spirit, which is related to Wisdom of God, often personified as feminine in both the Old and New Testaments. Philo of Alexandria identified Wisdom with a concept of Greek philosophy, Logos, and as such, Christ - Logos - is often identified with Wisdom, but Wisdom is also seen as the bride of Logos. Theophilus of Antioch identified Sophia with the Holy Spirit. Heprew word for "Spirit" is feminine too, Ruach, but it was lost during translation from Heprew to Greek; The Holy Spirit, Pneuma Hagion in Greek, is neutral, and it was turned to masculine when translated to Latin!

Ancient symbol of feminine Divinity, a dove, is related especially to Mary in art, for instance, as Central figure in decent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Holy Family in canonical Christian iconography is also seen as an image of the Trinity: Joseph representing the Father, Jesus representing Christ, and Mary representing the Holy Spirit. Gnostic Gospel of Philip states, "Some said, 'Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.' They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman?" 

Some say, women priests in protestant Churches derive from the fact, that feminine is reformed out of Churches with Mary. However, Martin Luther said: "[She is the] highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ...She is nobility, wisdom, and holiness personified. We can never honor her enough. Still honor and praise must be given to her in such a way as to injure neither Christ nor the Scriptures." (Sermon, Christmas, 1531).

"Mary is the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of all of us even though it was Christ alone who reposed on her knees...If he is ours, we ought to be in his situation; there where he is, we ought also to be and all that he has ought to be ours, and his mother is also our mother." (Sermon, Christmas, 1529).

Protestants easily imagine that Catholics think Virgin Mary is divine because of herself, and equal to Christ. But the principal glory of Mary lies in her nothingness, in an exemplary Faith she expressed: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38 NKJV)

At a Wedding in Cana, Mary points at her Son, saying: “Whatever He says to you, do it.”  (John 2:5 NKJV)

And on the Cross Jesus says to her mother, “Woman, behold your son!” , and to John: “Behold your mother!” , thus making a statement that His mother is Our Mother, Mother of the Church. (John 19:26 NKJV)
There is, however, a group within the Catholic Church, that is promoting for the Fifth Marian Dogma: Mary Co-Redemptrix. 

I have already written on Virgin birth [Jesus Christ: Life and Mission]. I only repeat the words of late Finnish Lutheran Vicar, Voitto Viro, who wrote in the 60's: "It's not important how Jesus was born, but the fact that he was born in the first place." Abd-Ru-Shin writes,

"Every conception arising out of pure love and a heartfelt looking upwards to the Creator, in which the sensual instinct is only an adjunct and not the basis, is an immaculate conception in the physical sense. In reality this occurs so seldom that there was every justification for laying special stress upon it."

St. Ambrose said: "Let Mary's soul be in us to glorify the Lord; let her spirit be in us that we may rejoice in God our Saviour."  

And Angelus Silesius, a Mystic and Poet:  "The Virgin I must be and bring God forth from me

Should ever I be granted divine felicity. "   

"'Virgin mind' is the innocent and open mind, untrammeled by knowledge and words, and, as it were, without 'conception' (profane conception), and therefore ready to be filled by the Sacred seed."

As Dictionary tells us, "conception" is

1. the act of conceiving;  the state of being conceived.

2. fertilization; inception of pregnancy.

3.a notion; idea; concept.

Indeed, I think "virginity" in this sense, is related to being like a child, that Jesus says is a requirement for entering the Kingdom of Heaven, which I see as realm of creativity and imagination. Both "virgin" and a "child" were also seen in early Christian writings as androgyne beings, symbols of wholeness. 

I am in contact with the Liberal Catholic Church in Finland, and they see Mary as motherly face of God and she is called the World Mother. According to C.W.Leadbeater, "There are three distinct ideas involved in the ordinary thought of Her:

1. The story of the mother of the disciple Jesus; what She was and what She afterwards became.

2. The sea of virgin matter, the Great Deep, the water over the face of which the Spirit of God moved.

3. The feminine Aspect of the Deity." 

(World Mother as Symbol and Fact) 

To me it is obvious, that the Highest Godhead is above all we can say, and it is neither masculine nor feminine. As St. Maximus the Confessor wrote, even as we worship the God beyond everything as Trinity and Unity, he is not three nor one as we know these numbers. Personally I don't like image of God as Michelangelo portrayed him, as an old bearded man on the cloud. Yet many Christians have made God unto their own image. My God is not white, heterosexual man. However, all opposites in manifested world merge into one Godhead in perfect harmony, and symbolically it's possible to say that God is the Mother as much as the Father. Many mystics have said the same, Juliana of Norwich being one of them. There are even modern versions of the Lord's Prayer taking this into account. 

Lords Prayer, from Aramaic into Old English:

Translation by G.J.R. Ouseley from The Gospel of the Holy Twelve

 

Our Father-Mother Who art above and within: 

Hallowed be Thy Name in twofold Trinity. 

In Wisdom, Love and Equity Thy Kingdom come to all. 

Thy will be done, As in Heaven so in Earth. 

Give us day by day to partake of Thy holy Bread, and the fruit of the living Vine. 

As Thou dost forgive us our trespasses, so may we forgive others who trespass against us. 

Shew upon us Thy goodness, that to others we may shew the same. 

In the hour of temptation, deliver us from evil. 

Amun.

Some Bible verses on God as the Mother:
"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me." (Ps.27:10)
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you." (Isaiah 49:15)
"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13)
"The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. I have held My peace a long time,  I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once." (Isaiah 42:13-14)
Jesus said also: "How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." (Mt.23:37) Some female mystics have called Jesus their mother, and even experienced him nursing them from his side wound.

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you:
You are gentle with us as a mother with her children;
Often you weep over our sins and our pride:
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds:
in sickness you nurse us,
and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying we are born to new life:
by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness:
through your gentleness we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead:
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us:
in your love and tenderness remake us.
In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness:
for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us.

Anselm of Canterbury


On Assumption of Mary, C.G.Jung saw this papal declaration addressing “the profoundest problem afflicting the human psyche: an imbalance which favored masculine principles and archetypes over the feminine ones."

"In the declaration that Mary had been physically assumed into heaven, Jung saw the Church as accepting at long last the physical world. But more importantly, in that declaration which affirms that a woman has been bodily assumed into heaven and has taken her seat on the throne of glory, Jung saw the Church as harvesting and celebrating the feminine and gentle element built into creation", writes Fr. Alexis Luzi, OFM.

 I find Apparitions of Mary around the world fascinating. They all are not officially approved by Rome, but the people have affiliated with them anyway. And they are not restricted to Roman Catholic world either. One occured in Coptic Church, Zeitoun, Egypt, in 1968-70. Famous locations are Fatima and Lourdes. Personally I like especially Maria Rosa Mystica in her simple beaty. Nowadays the most famous apparition site must be in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I enjoy how Jayden Cameron in his Gay Mystic Blog writes about Medjugorje.

There is no doubt in my mind, that position of Mary in Catholicism is continuity of Pre-Christian Goddess-worship, like that of Isis, popular in Roman Empire in the beginning of Common Era. For many Christians this could prove against it, but I see it the other way round, just like so many other things in Christianity stem from Pre-Christian Mystery Cults, and they reflect certain universal spiritual truths. 
They say, the return of the Divine Feminine in contemporary world is wittnessed by many things like expansion of the rights of women, popularity of alternative medicine, recognition of animal rights, development of gay rights, to name a few.
I find the ritual an important way to approach the Divine, and so I have collected for my own use a ritual, that I call "The Sophian Service"; you might call it Christo-pagan.

Hail Mary Sophia,
Daughter of Light,
Who Speaks:
I am the Handmaid of the Lord,
I am the Queen of Peace,
I am the Virgin Soul
I am the Womb of Divine Love,
I am the Voice of Silence,
I am the Vessel for the Wisdom of God,
I am the Bearer of the Memory of God’s Son.
Sophia Blesses us with
The Light of Wisdom,
The Life of Fulfillment,
The Love of Creation.
We unite Ourselves with Sophia,
We seek Communion in her Name,
We offer our Hearts in Devotion to Sophia.

Amen.

TRINITY

 Church Father Origen , in his work De Principiis, writes that in Christianity there are statements of Faith that must be believed in order to attain Salvation, and then there are such that can be debated upon. He starts his study of the necessary statements with trinitarian persons. Several Creeds of the Early Church tell us about development of the doctrine of the Trinity.

 Is there Trinity in the Old Testament? St. Augustine interpreted Genesis 1 so that Christ and the Holy Spirit participated in Creation through the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Also before the Fall man was Imago Trinitatis, who loved the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind.

 In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah had three visitors near the great trees of Mamre. First it is said, "The Lord appeared", and then Abraham... "saw three men standing nearby". Sometimes he seems to talk to one person, and then three persons. This schene is depicted in a famous icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev, around 1410. Three men have been portrayed as the most important Archangels, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael. 

Robert A. Powell explains how the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, each represent one quality of the Trinity: Abraham, perspective of the Father, impulse of founding; Isaac, perspective of the Son, impulse of sacrifice; Jacob, perspective of the Holy Spirit, impulse of fulfilling the purpose through the sacrifice. The Old Testament is the Testament of the Father, the New Testament is the Testament of the Son, and the Book of Revelation is the Testament of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus was baptised in river Jordan, a voice came from heaven calling him His Son, and a Spirit descended on him like a dove. The Great Commission in Matthew 28, "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" has not been proven to be later addition in original text. In 2 Cor.13:14 St. Paul says, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." And in Gal.4:6 he says, "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'" In the Gospel according to John, a doctrine of the Trinity is present more perfected than in any other book of the New Testament.

Surprisingly perhaps, Trinity is present even in the Lord's Prayer. "Our Father" is evident without explanation, but the next phrase, "hallowed be your name", refers to Jesus Christ, for "God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name." (Phil.2:9) The third phrase, "your kingdom come", refers to the Holy Spirit, for "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21) and "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you..." (1 Cor.6:19) In fact, in  some old manuscripts this part reads, "your Holy Spirit come"! So we are not calling just our heavenly Father, but also Christ Jesus to be with us and the blessings of the Holy Spirit. Again in the doxology ("For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever"), which is later addition but perfectly in place, we see three as one: the Kingdom, material aspect of the manifestation; the Power, one life force using material appearances and working through them; and the Glory, perfect result of this union. 
In the teachings of the late Holy Order of MANS, the law of prayer is shown in a graphical form like this:

                      

                                                                                                  

                                             FATHER                    SON

                                                         HOLY SPIRIT

 

"When you contacted the Father, you were at the uppermost point of this triangle, marked "Father." When you asked for what you wanted, you moved your consciousness from the "Father" point of the triangle to the "Son" point of the triangle. When you received that for which you asked, this is shown in the motion from the "Son" through the "Holy Spirit"--the third point of the triangle."

Theophilus of Antioch, the 6th Bishop of the Church of Antioch after the apostles, according to Eusebius, seems to be the first thinker, who formed the classical concept of the Threefold God - Fatherhood, Intelligence (Logos), and Wisdom. God as the Father in eternity gives birth to His Logos or His Son, and the Holy Spirit as Wisdom is the integrative link between the two. Tertullian in turn was the first one to use a term "Trinity" - tres personae in una substantia - Three persons in one divine being. In culture of Antiquity, idea of unity of the Three was commonly known model of thought.

A concept of the Trinity is not restricted to Christianity. An average Westerner thinks about whole pantheon of gods and goddesses in relation with Hindu religion, but beyond these there exists Brahman, the One and the Only One, the Soul of the World, from which every manifestation emanates. It is the Absolute Oneness of the opposites, that no man can comprehend, and it can be described only by saying, "it is not this and it is not that". Meister Eckhart, a Christian Mystic, also believed in the One and Undiveded Essence of Godhead behind the Trinity, which he often characterized by German word, Grunt, meaning earth, soil, ground. It also corresponds to the ideas of Philo of Alexandria, Jewish philosopher and contemporary of Jesus, who had a great influence on early Church Fathers.

In Hindu philosophy, the Highest Being can be seen in different aspects, as Trimurti. Brahma (without n) is a creative aspect, like the Father, a cosmic mind. Vishnu is preserving aspect, like the Son, a cosmic Lord. Shiva is a destroyer of the bad things for renewal of the universe, like the Holy Spirit, a trancendent Godhead.

Hindu tradition also knows philosophical concept called "saccidananda"; Late Upanishads suggest that Brahman can be defined by three concepts - "sat", existence; "cit", concsiousness or intelligence; "ananda", bliss. Keshub Chandra Sen (1838-1884) was probably the first one to unite this idea with the Christian Trinity: the Father is Sat, the very existence, the infinite God. The Son is emanated from the Father, and He is the Logos penetrating the whole Creation, Cit. In His Son God descends to the bottom of humanity. The Holy Spirit raises humanity to heaven. The Holy Spirit is Ananda, the Comforter of the New Testament. (Here I owe thanks to Jyri Komulainen and his book Guru Jeesus; Tutkielma hindulaisuudesta ja kristinuskosta - "Guru Jesus; Study of Hinduism and Christianity", published in Finland 2006 )

Vengal Chakkarai (1880-1958), an Indian theologian, saw the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Christ or even "Jesus himself". Jesus Christ is incarnation of God, and the Holy Spirit is incarnation of Jesus Christ in human experience. For Chakkarai, Pentecost is the third phase of incarnation after the birth and resurrection of Jesus.  Instead of Jesus of history, Chakkarai places in the centre a "Spiritual Christ", present as a spirit. The Holy Spirit works silently as "inner dweller", and makes Christ present in the heart of the faithful.

Jung Young Lee, Korean theologian living in the United States, sees the oriental concept of Yin and Yang to help to represent the Trinity better than western theology. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of change, it is Yin, receptive. The Change (Creater, Father) is Yin or Spirit in relation to the Word (Son) or the centre of the creative force and process, which is Yang. Spirit is Yin, receptive to God's manifesting and saving activity, and the Creater-God is Yang in relation to Spirit, Yin. On the other hand, Spirit-Yin is the Word-Yang, and vice versa, because they both are participants in Change or Creater. All the time there is movement from unity to plurality, from one to three, and vice versa. Splitting of the unity and unifying of the splitted.
The word Tao (Way) is used in Chinese translation of the Gospel according to John, "in the beginning there was Tao", and thus it also echoes the words "I am the way, and the truth, and the life". Tao existed before the universe, as immutable first principle, forefather of all that exists, through which everything came forth, or as Laozi said, "Tao gave birth to one, one has given birth to two, two to three, and three to all the creatures."
The word Qi, referring to life force in Chinese philosophy, meaning the Breath of Life, has been used as translation for the Holy Spirit by Chinese theologian, Chang Ch’un-shen. 


Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian convert to Christianity, had many visions, and once he was caught up to the third heaven, like Paul, and he was looking around and asked "Where is God?" He was answered that God was as much visible as on earth, since God is infinite, but Christ was there and Christ is God, image of the invisible God in heaven and on earth. And sadhu tells us how he saw like waves of light and peace streaming from Christ through the saints and angels, as if a warm water refreshing trees, and he understood that it was the Holy Spirit. 


St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain the Trinity, three equal sized leaves sticked together. We can think about water, which maintains its chemical identity whether it is in a form of liquid, or ice, or steam. When Christ unites the divine and human natures in unity of his person, he shows the distance between the Father and the Son, and how it is defeated through individual person, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is constantly living in relation to the Father, through the Spirit. Father is the principle, Jesus is an instrument of the Father, and the Spirit is the motive force of the Father. In the Act of Consecration of Man - the Mass of The Christian Community, my denomination - we repeatedly hear: "The Father God be in us, the Son God create in us, the Spirit God enlighten us." And also: "Let it be through You, who carry and organize life of the world, as You receive it from the Father and heal by the Holy Spirit in all following aeons." (These are my translations, not the official ones!)

RICHNESS AND POVERTY

I have been told that money (i.e. a coin) was first used as a "temple money": When people came to temple to sacrifice from afar, they couldn't bring along the sacrificial animals, so they exchanged animals for this temple money in their home town and with this money they were able to buy animals at the temple. And let's not forget that the first bankers were the spiritual order of the Knights Templars!
According to Pekka Ervast, just as the candidates of the ancient Mysteries had to pass the trials of the four elements, today life itself is a Mystery School and the trial of earth for each of us is how we deal with money. Rudolf Steiner in turn pointed out that in fact in this world "stones are made bread" - we must use money to purchase a living. The less developed a man is, the more selfish he is and only wants to satisfy his own needs; But the more developed he is, the more is he tempted to pursue the riches for the benefit of the others. An old friend used to say, "Money is energy": it's meant to keep moving in order to stay healthy.

Mr.12:13-17. "Render to Ceasar the things that are Ceasar's, and to God the things that are God's." Ceasar's image on a penny and superscription: "Augustus, the Son of God" made money as it was, an idol. When it was found from the adversaries of Jesus, they were exposed as co-operators of the Roman Empire. Jesus is saying that give the image of an idol, instrument of oppression and exploitation, back to its owner. Instead, give yourselves- as you are made unto image of God - entirely to God. We may remember here, that English word "talent" is due to "Talent" in the Bible - in Greek "talanton" - which was a sum of money in ancient Rome.
Mt.26:6-13: A woman celebrates a sacramental act by pouring a precious ointment on Jesus' head, and his disciples said: "This ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." But Jesus replied: "She hath wrought a good work upon me." In this context we may also think of three wise men who worshiped baby-Jesus and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Indeed; Worshiping Christ, loving God, goes before love for neighbors, and even it is for grace that we are able to love Him back as He has loved us first - and keeps loving whether we love Him back or not!
We are merely housekeepers of the Lord in His creation: Everything we have is only for a loan. In the beginning man was also God's possession but the fall was followed by independence as well as growing selfishness. We have separated ourselves from God. Salvation is not ours unless we freely accept it and willingly give ourselves to the Lord. We are tenants in the Vineyard of life, we own nothing, and we must pay the rent to the landlord; bring fruit of experiences to the Giver of Life that will sustain our eternal entity - treasures in heaven - or else we have wasted our life!
Mr. 12:41-44: Poor widow and her two mites. Thomas Keating interprets the story as follows: Many people are rich with the gifts of the Holy Spirit which they cast much into the treasury of the church. These are the gifts of their abundance. What God really wants from you...is YOU: "She of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."
Poor widow also shows us that when money is given for spiritual purpose, Christ beholds the giver with blessing. Everything I do for my church - not so much financially, but through work - never feels enough, because I always receive so much more! My congregation is where I have worked voluntarily for longer and more than in any other place - AND it's the only place where I've not once felt tired!

In Sermon on the Mount Jesus says "Take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?"..."But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Mt.6:31, 33).
When short with the money, I have found this comforting. Orthodox theology calls this attitude "holy carelessness". However, I have found this Chinese proverb which seems to complete what Jesus must have meant: "God will surely feed the birds, but He will not throw food into their nest." ("Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?" Mt.6:26.)
We are asking our Father to give us this day our daily bread: Not abundantly but just enough for one day at a time. Like Manna in the wilderness not for store but fresh for each day! When Jesus fed 5000 men, some suggest that people actually followed His example: Share what you got with your neighbors and all shall have enough!
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God...and all these things shall be added unto you": Jesus simply means we must do our worldly duties and yet constantly keep the ideal before our inner eyes. We all have within us Martha who is worried and upset about many things, and Mary who knows that only one thing is needed: to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to what He says.
"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions...Then come, follow me" (Mt.19:21).
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:24).
"He must become greater, I must become less" (John 3:30).
- All these passages mean the same.
"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you" (Luke 17:6): Mulberry tree is human being, earth is a sensory world and sea is the world of life forces. Man must "plant" himself in the life forces.
We have to become aware that we are poor in spirit and start to seek the kingdom of God. As a model we see the blind man (Mark 10) begging for the light by the roadside of life - when Jesus is passing by, he starts shouting more and more without bothering about those who try to silence him: "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" And we will find out that the kingdom is within (Luke 17:21) - "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1. Cr. 6:19).

Sufi mystics taught that both richness and poverty are divine gifts: Richness is corrupted by ungratefulness and poverty is corrupted by greed. Poverty is detachment of the heart from everything else but God, and richness is focusing the heart on the undefined. All belongs to God. When a seeker says farewell to possession, there are no more opposites and he's above both concepts, richness and poverty.
Poverty is lack for that which is necessary; lack for that which is unnecessary is not poverty. Everyone but God is poor, because we all need God to exist. If there is someone who doesn't need anyone to exist, he is absolutely rich. There is only one like this: God. Others are absolutely poor since they need Him to exist.
Man is under obligation to use his reason and will. God has not left his servants without work in his kingdom. Man ought to do what he can and leave the rest for God. It is told that someone said to Sahl, a persian mystic: "A thief broke into my house and stole my things", and Sahl answered: "Thank God that Satan did not break into your heart to steal your faith."

WORD AND LIGHT

We walk on the road with Jesus Christ (Lk.24) and He talks to us (gospel), making our hearts burning within us like a coal in a censer, as our prayers rise with a smoke (offering); He comes in and abides with us (transsubstantiation), and finally we are at the table with Him and we go to the world as His messengers (Communion).

Through the four phases of the Act of Consecration, we are led from receiving to giving, but constantly staying active within. Participants appear to sit still just observing, but it's not mere stillnes of meditation, when people sink deeply into their own inner being, finding their true essence and strengthening the Self; It is more like common prayer, since prayer is about devotion, not words repeated aloud - and in prayer man is expanding outwards until he loses himself meeting the One greater than himself and completely the Other. In Him we are all One.
From the depth of our souls we gather little pieces of eternal value - that which is gold among the led of lower nature - lifting our hearts up to heaven with this treasure. Together we form a cup of human community. Thus a new force poured into this cup may help us to transform more of our nature to gold. Ultimately, each of us is a chalice: New wine into new wineskins.

Through the meeting with Christ as that timeless stream from Golgotha reaches us in time - provided that we are ready and willing to receive it (for instance in sacraments) - our innermost being is awakened. It will be in us "as well of water springing up into everlasting life" (Jh.4). Whoever drinks this water will never thirst. But this world offers us only the wine vinegar to drink. On the Mount of Olives Jesus prayed: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Lk.22:42). This is the true spirit of prayer! Jesus drank the cup til the last bitter drop. Yet we are promised in the Psalm 23 that "my cup overflows" when I'm at a table in the presence of my "enemies" - my fears and worries etc. - and my head will be anointed with oil, with the sign of the Risen Lord! Once you grow in spirit, this growth in one aspect of your nature will flow to other cups too!

Fr. Anthony de Mello points out that with the Communion bread everybody receives the whole Christ - I receive the whole Christ, you receive the whole Christ, so does the one next to you and so on. So great is His love!
When Jesus during His ministry repeatedly had supper with people, only requiement for joining the company was to accept HIM at the table! He as a host surely welcomes all!
Communion is the true Mystery of the Bridal Chamber, foretaste of the Wedding of the Lamb, when soul as the Bride meets her heavenly Bridegroom.
As my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit - the Christ in me - so we are members of the Body of Christ; we are the Church. Kingdom of God is both within us and amidst of us. In Jesus Christ God incarnated, through the Holy Spirit Christ dwells in us. As He came in human form 2000 years ago in Palestine, so He comes again and again today in Consecrated elements of bread and wine, nourishing our inner man.

Several times in the gospels we are told "Behold!", and "He that hath an ear, let him hear" and Psalmist also says "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good." We have tasted the good word of God (Heb.6:5). We meet a piece of heaven here on earth provided that we're open for it.
Someone said the Lord's Prayer is a gospel in a nutshell. With these words we are offering the fullness of our heart and soul - our devotion and worship - to Godhead. By prayer we can't change God; Instead, God will change us, even if it is so subtle we don't see it. What we receive through this prayer is really a "Communion of the Mystical Bread"..."Daily bread", artos epiousios or panem supersubstantialem as the Vulgate translates, is supersubstancial bread: That's how many early Church Fathers interpreted the sentence, that's how the Cathars understood it, that's how Pekka Ervast explains in his book "The Sermon on the Mount or the Key to Christianity". It's obvious once you take a closer look at the gospel according to Matthew, chapter 6: Soon after giving His prayer, Jesus says: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what you shall drink"..."For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
It is the presence of Christ Himself - "I am the Bread". It is Grace (or love), charis - charismata as the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Catholics acknowledge the act of spiritual communion beside the Mass - but never without.

Now we may understand that the Lord's Prayer is said in the Act of Consecration - as well as in any liturgy - right after transsubstantiation, in the beginning of Communion, and why I like to think of it as Sacrament! Mind is a priest and heart is an altar, as Kahlil Gibran wrote, as we pray "in spirit and in truth" - that is, by the power of spirit and understanding the truth (of what we are praying for). One of the names Jesus gave to the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of Truth. Big heart and open mind is what we need.
The heart of man is supposed to be the spiritual Sun (the "Sun" of God) - the centre of his being - and his mind, his intellect, was meant to reflect its light just like the moon. Otherwise, if it rebels against the heart as often seems to be the case, mind will become Lucifer with its false light misguiding us. "You are the light of the world"..."If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Mt.5:14, 6:23)

In Scripture, word and light go together; The first thing God said, was "Let there be light" - "and there was light." Along with this creative fiat light comes forth from the very essence of Godhead, which is light itself. St. Luke tells us that when the angel of the Lord appeared before the shepherds in the field to bring them the good news of the newborn Messiah, "the glory of the Lord shone round about them." This glory is doxa in Greek - a word used of the presence of God in the Scripture (as in the doxology of the Lord's Prayer!): "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Remember the golden radiant sphere depicted in icons round the heads of the holy men and women of God: They glorify God! In Eastern Orthodox tradition, so called theosis or deification of man, has mostly as outward characteristic a phenomenon of light - enlightment, transfiguration. This light was seen by the holy people in prayer, it was not merely symbolical nor sensory perception. It was the light that shone forth from Christ as He was transfigured and it will light the whole world on the day of judgement. St. Paul also witnessed the light on his way to Damascus. According to Origen, once a mystic takes his final step to unio mystica, when he's united with God, he participates with the light of Logos.

Like a breastplate of the High Priest with engraved gem stones, once memorized, we shall keep the words of the Lord's Prayer upon our heart, each word as a precious stone shining in the Christ-light. Like jewels in all the colors of the rainbow in the golden plate, the Lord's Prayer consists of the full splendor of Christianity.
Prayer by prayer, we are building heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, which will descend from above; "And its brilliance was like that of very precious jewelry"..."And the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp" (Rev.21:11, 23). "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb.11:1): By prayer, we do invisible work, for words are works; "As above, so below" - "as in heavens, so also on earth". Spirit to matter.
Christ Jesus gave us the words of the Lord's Prayer, He is praying for us, with us, and in us; in fact, He is in every word of the Prayer. - After all, He is the Word of God!
"And God said, let there be light" (Gen.1:3).
"In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1).
"Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you" (John 15:7).
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Mt.24:35).
"The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26).
"God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father" (Gal.4:6).
"For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us" (2 Cor.1:20).
"[God] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, when he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high..." (Hebr.1:2-3).
He is "Alpha and Omega" (Rev.1:11) and "the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Rev.3:14).

No doubt the prayer is the highest form of human speech: In prayer we address God and at best we're completely selfless. Our will is the will of God in action. God's voice is made audible through human voice. "For thine is"... I can't do anything of myself, without God; "The kingdom": The substance of all the realms; "The power": One Life Force that penetrates the worlds; "The glory": Final result, fully perfected, divine being; "For ever and ever": If we only worry for material things, we don't store up for ourselves treasures in heaven - that which is eternal; "Amen": Signature and seal. The church pleads "So shall it be" and God confirms "It shall be so." The word came through Egypt originally from Sanskrit: AUM or OM - and represents the creative fiat, Logos.

Christian writing from the first century says that "Christians are for the world same as soul is for the body". Christ the Sun-Spirit is the Higher Self of the earth. Bread and wine being the true body and blood of Christ, we bear the spiritual homeopathy along with us unto the world, as Emil Bock writes in his book, "The Three years".
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
Christ-impulse will grow through us, expanding all over the world!

Each Tree is Recognized by its Own Fruit

Have you seen "Jesus Camp", American documentary film of Evangelical brain-washing summer camp for kids? - Relly horrible stuff, I can tell you! It shows how prejudices are transferred from one generation to another.
Little girl is explaining how only the worship where people are jumping, shouting and swinging is the real worship. In fact, those people are pulled out of themselves; they are manipulated by suggestions and led to mass hystery. And "speaking in tongues"? It's not different from spiritism - spirits are working indeed, but the Holy Spirit? I don't think so! Lucifer appears as a beautiful angel of light. The same crowds that shouted on Palm Sunday "Hosanna!" just a week later shouted "Crucify him!"
God works within silently and in secret. But the peace of Christ won't leave us in peace, it will always disturb us! "If they ask you, 'What is the evidence of your Father in you?' say to them, 'It is motion and rest.'" (The Gospel of Thomas) Active peace, peaceful activity: Through peace which is active quality comes Love which is Action. Nature of the Holy Spirit is movement. It's not static, it's constantly changing. We are moved. And then we have this movement of Religious Renewal.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt.11:28-30) We've had a brief moment of rest for our souls and we go back to our worldly business; But this time yoke is easy and burden is light, because we're no longer carrieng it alone! Mountains are moved - the greatest obstacles in our way.
It is not the Faith of the heart to allow oneself to be overwhelmed by emotions, to take what you are told for granted, or to adopt this or that code of conduct! What has religion got to do with nationalism, war-mongering or politics?!
It seems paradoxical, that in Finland Church and state are not completely separated - even the season of the parlament is opened with the Lutheran Mass - yet religion is not such a frightening political force as it seems to be in the United States! Abortion might be a murder, I can't deny that, but still women must have a free choice! Should we give up our God-given reason to please God?

"Each tree is recognized by its own fruit" (Lk.6:44); Then fruit of fundamentalism is rotten: On one hand it's intolerance and judgementalism - fear and distress on the other.
It is often the fact that when people live by the strict rules, they become judges for their fellow men. I've been there and seen that! A minor "sin" occationally is good for you. Just as Oscar Wilde pointed out, Jesus liked sinners - not self-righteous people. You may even get the impression that those people are avoiding life itself. Man has freedom to be willingly imprisoned. If you think celibacy is a choice, then try it yourself, don't push it to others. Everybody has right to make up his own mind, and so have I a right to select my friends: 100 % of acceptance is the absolute demand, the less is just not enough! When it comes to humanity, there is no room for compromises. To tolerate someone is just to try to bear one no matter how hard it may be.
Also "Be what you are, but keep quiet about it" is not a good attitude. I've been quiet long enough: It's time to shout it out from the roof tops! If some people are disturbed, perhaps they need to be wakened up from their ignorant sleep. The world will never change if those people don't even know they know glbt-people, who might be their friends or own children.
I'm sure fundamentalists turn more people away from Christianity than they succeed to convert. I would rather go to hell for my love than to heaven inhabited by fundamentalists: That's exactly my idea of hell! Imagine being in earthly paradise with Jehovah's Witnesses - it is precisely the same thing!

Evangelicals even think that the climate change won't matter, because they will be taken out of this world anyway. How wrong they have got it! I don't believe human being has evolved from apes - however, I do believe in spiritual evolution - far from earth being created in six days 6000 years ago: Our evolution didn't even begin in this current state of planetary existence, but our future destiny is related to that of the earth! It is our task to transform earth by our work; We left from the motherly womb of the wild nature, garden of Eden, and our destination is creation of the highest human efforts, the heavenly city of New Jerusalem made of precious stones - new earth born of spiritualized substance, same substance as our resurrection bodies will be. Solid matter will be gone and the curtain between the realms of the living and the dead will be no more.

Pekka Ervast: Small Rosy Cross Catechism, translated by Marko

Seven Commandments of Jesus Christ

1. How many commandments did Jesus Christ give to his followers for guidance of life?
Two general ones and five detailed ones, seven commandments altogether.
2. Are these commandments as such in a sense of the law, a punishment being followed by its disobedience?
No. Law was until the Christ, but after him there is a gospel or the Good News.
3. What does it mean? It means that man is now a free being, who will decide by himself what he thinks is the truth and in what measure he wants to develope spiritually. Commandments of Jesus are not threats but promises. They don't say: You must or else; They say: Do this and you will discover the truth and be happy. They are advices for life, ideals Christ is showing us in inner illumination.
4. What is the first general advice for life?
God is the spirit and his kingdom is in us. The kingdom of God must be seeked first before all material values and he must be served in spirit and truth.
5. What does this mean?
That we must not "fear" any outer gods, because the only god man is to love and serve is the Father who makes himself known in man's own spirit, and knowledge of him is constantly growing and deepening. His kingdom is in us and we don't have spiritual knowledge of life until we have opened up the gates to his kingdom of truth in our own consciousness.
6. How can we get to know inner kingdom of God?
By seeking for truth with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. Therefore Jesus says that even in the law it is the greatest and first commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind. Few people then understood that "the Lord God" was to be seeked from man himself, but after the Good News of Christ everyone may freely know that kingdom of God is within.
7. What is the second general advice for life? Christ has expressed that by his following words: A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love on another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
8. Is this second advice in relation with a previous one?
If a man in inner awakening "sees God", he will also see that God, who is the spirit of love, makes him love his human brothers. And then if a man loves his brothers, this love irresistibly takes him to know God the Father. As Jesus says, in old law the second commandment "to love your neighbor as yourself" was equal to the first one and on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. But love that was duty in the law, is the bliss of life in the gospel.
9. What for Jesus calls this second instruction a new one?
Because he wishes and wills that love with which a Christian loves his brothers is to be like love with which Jesus loved. And he says: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
10. Was the love of Jesus new in quality?
Yes. It was new in both its spirit and its form of expression, compared to love the Jewish usually had an idea of.
11. What was the love like Jesus wanted his disciples to love one another?
It appears and is expressed through five detailed commandments.
12. What is the first detailed commandment?
Do not get angry.
13. Does it include a new idea of love?
Yes. Jesus says: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the counsil: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
These words include a new idea of love, because God of the Jewish has denyed killing but Father of love denyes getting angry too.
14. Did Jesus make old denial of killing insignificant by his new commandment not to get angry?
No. Old commandment is included in the new one, because the follower of Christ must not get angry, he won't kill either.

15. What is second detailed commandment?
Be not impure even in your thoughts.
16. Does this include a new idea of love?
Yes. Jesus says: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
17. Does Jesus make an old commandment insignificant?
No. Old commandment in included in the new one, because a Christian who musn't be impure in thoughts won't commit adultery. Christ's instuctions of life are more beautiful, finer, and therefore more moral than those of Moses, because they are the ideals of love. Jesus adds: It hath been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
18. What is the third detailed commandment?
Don't swear, don't take an oath, but always speak true.
19. Does this include a new idea of love? Yes. Jesus says: Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all... But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
20. What is the point of this commandment?
Jesus denyes promising in regard to future. His follower remains in truth, is honest to oneself and to others, and will not bind with his words in regard to future if it is in his controll.
21. But is not for instance Marriage based on promises and words?
No. Marriage is based on action and is as natural as life.
22. Is taking an oath in the court denyed?
For true Christian taking an oath is useless, because he speaks true in any case.
23. Who is true Christian?
Only the one who in his life follows Jesus Christ, obeys his commandments and instructions.
24. What is the fourth detailed commandment? Do not resist the one who is evil.
25. Does this include a new idea of love?
Yes. Jesus says: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you that ye resist no evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
26. Is the old commandment made insignificant by the new one?
Yes. The old one is based on revenge and justice, new one on forgiveness and love.
27. What is the fifth and last detailed commandment?
Love your enemies.
28. Does this include a new idea of love?
Yes. Jesus says: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?
29. What is the point of the new commandment?
A Christian won't make war. Original word translated into "enemy", does not mean personal enemy to whom you must "do good", but political enemy, a stranger, member of another nation; he has to be loved.
30. Does Jesus Christ forbid making war?
He does, from all those who want to follow him and be his disciples.
31. Why has Christendom always been making war and churches have prayed in Christ's name each for the troops of its own country?
So called Christendom and so called Christian churches don't know Jesus Christ or his doctrine of life; they don't always follow it but deny it, at the same time denying their master and saviour.
32. Could the Finnish nation be Christian and follow Jesus? Wouldn't enemies then attack the country and destroy whole nation?
Finnish nation as a nation cannot be Christian unless every citizen is a Christian. Individuals as individuals follow Jesus Christ, and in the visible world nation is just a sum of its individuals. But if all the individuals of the nation would be Christian, then there were no more "enemies" which would attack the country.
33. In what commandment Jesus has united the five previous ones?
In the following: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Faith and Knowledge

34. What is Faith?
Faith is a spiritual force dwelling in man's consciousness, it unites him with all-encompassing and everlasting spirit of life, or God.
35. Is Faith dependent on doctrines or dealing with some dogmas?
Not directly. Faith is not regarding some doctrine or dogma true, but it is inner conviction, knowledge and devotion to the Father of life. Many kinds of doctrines and dogmas may prevent awakening of Faith, unless a man can think and judge, although Faith once awakened is seeking and receiving help through thinking and the activity of intellect.
36. How is Faith awakened?
Faith will be awakened by itself, since it is a spiritual force.
37. What will cause this awakening?
Man's sincere seeking for truth, which does not happen only with all his mind and reason, but also with all his soul and heart.
38. Can Faith be defined more precisely?
Yes. Faith in God analyzed more precisely is Faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
39. What is Faith in the Father?
Faith in the Father is the actual and absolute content of Faith. It requires that man in his search for truth has reached a point where he doesn't see existence merely as material phenomenon, a senseless nature, caused by liveless laws of coinsidence, but he is positive that the visible universe is like a great body with God as its living and conscius soul. Faith in the Father also requires and includes that man is positive of the good will and love of the God of the universe for the world, and especially that God loves with unchanging and everlasting love each human soul. Faith in the Father is focused in the fact that God in his love wills to surrender to man and help him to gain the goal of his life and because of that, God is as if waiting at the door of man's soul and heart.
40. What is the meaning of life?
Jesus said: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
41. Is this possible with a man?
Not with a man alone, but through the help of God for sure. Jesus Christ did not speak in vain.
42. What is Faith in the Son?

Faith in the Son is Faith that man's spirit is one with a spirit of God. That spirit within a man is called the Son of God or Christ, which he will attain in Faith. The secret spirit of man is the Son of God.
43. How is Jesus Christ in relation with this?
Jesus of Nasareth was a man in whom the Christ or the Son of God had developed in its full potential, so that the one who saw Jesus Christ, saw tha Father too.
44. Is Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world?
Yes he is, because he was the first among brethren who attained a full felationship with the Father.
45. Are we to believe in Jesus Christ?
Yes of course: We must surrender with full confidence to the leadership of Jesus. Our Christianity is in following Jesus who is for us the way, the truth, and the life, because he has let us known the Father.
46. Was Jesus God? No. Jesus was a man like us, but Christ was and is the Son of God in human spirit. And because Christ fulfilled Jesus completely, Jesus' deeds and words, his thoughts and feelings were deeds and words of the Son of God, thoughts and feelings of the Son of God. That's why Jesus didn't speak or act, but the Father God spoke and acted in him and through him.
47. Can anyone attain the same perfection as Christ?
Jesus said: Follow me and you will do even greater things than I have done, but a few people have yet dared to follow Jesus.
48. What is Faith in the Holy Spirit?
Faith in the Holy Spirit is Faith and trust in the spirit of truth, which enlivens the sincere and honest man who's seeking for the truth, power of truth. It is firm trust that the power of truthwill take a seeker to God. Faith in the Holy Spirit is Faith that the Father God will help man who first of all is seeking for the kingdom of God, so that he will find that kingdom. As Jesus said: Seek, and you will find. The Holy Spirit of truth helps our soul to find God by opening the gates to that heavenly kingdom of our spirit where Father is a ruler.
49. So will Faith begin from the Holy Spirit?
Yes. Our soul will first receive love of the truth and the Holy Spirit of seeking, and then it goes through the Son to the Father. It is true Christianity as Christ also said: God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
50. Does Jesus call himself the only begotten Son of God in these words?
Not at all. The only begotten Son of God is Christ in us, Christ in Jesus too. Jesus was a man.
51. What is eternal life?
Eternal life is life in God.
52. Will it begin after death or in so called resurrection?
Eternal life begins at the moment when a man in his spirit becomes aware of the presence of the Father, and feels and knows he is the Son of God. Eternal life is independent of time and lives in time as well as above time.
53. Does bodily resurrection exist?
Yes.
54. What is it?
Everyone who has not attained perfection, will rise again from the death, that is, he will be born or incarnated again on earth, in order to have another opportunity to search for God he has not found yet.
55. Will his old body rise from the death?
No. Old body has vanished into its original particles, but immortal spirit will wear again a material body which is a new one.
56. Is nobody eternally damned?
Nobody.
57. But the Christendom believes there is hell?
It was a mistake of the church in the middle age. When it condemned a dictrine of reincarnation as herecy, there was left only hell for those who didn't think dogmas of the church were true.
58. Does reincarnation belong to correct Faith?
No doctrine belongs to Faith, because Faith is a spiritual force and view. Faith is man's innermost and the most secret ability.
59. How is a Christian to regard the doctrines and dogmas, for example reincarnation?
He must consider them with his reason, heart, and moral sense, ponder and meditate them, and as the apostle says, study everything.
60. How will he know which doctrine is true, which is wrong?
The Holy Spirit of truth which is effective in him, will help him to avoid wrong and false doctrines, until he'll become the one who knows and who will see the truth by himself.
61. Can a man become the one who knows the truth? Doesn't he always need to have Faith?
Faith never disappears in man, because Faith is a moral force, spiritual life, which unites him with the Father God. But when he has attained the life of Faith, inner senses will awake in him, new soul qualities, that will open new unknown worlds to his exploring reason and thought. He has an opportunity to study step by step ever greater and deeper secrets of life and nature, and he no longer needs to regargd the doctrines or dogmas true, but he's able to explore and see what facts and truths there are behind the doctrines.
62. Church has always taught that man cannot know divine secrets but he's forced to believe in them.
Church is wrong, because the apostle says that the spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. But before his inner senses have been opened in man, he believes or more precisely, regards true what the seers and those who know are telling and have told about things of the invisible world.
63. If Faith always remains, which is higher: Faith or knowledge?
Faith and knowledge are not contradicted to each other. To think something is true, and knowledge, are opposites to each other, because when a man knows something, he no longer needs to think it's true. Faith instead is a moral force, which is not the opposite to knowledge, but the birth-giver to knowledge.
64. Is Faith the birth-giver to scientific knowledge, for instance?
Faith in the Holy Spirit of truth is, because all Faith was born out of trust that knowledge is attainable. And when Faith in the Holy Spirit of truth has grown to Faith in the Son and the Father, it will bring forth so called secret knowledge.

The Kingdom of God

65. What is the Kingdom of God?
Kingdom of God or heaven is the secret kingdom of our spirit where Father is a ruler. As invisible reality for mortal eye, it is the holy union or brotherhood of all those living creatures, men, angels, etc. who joyfully obey the will of the Father.
66. Where is the Kingdom of God?
Jesus said: The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is', or 'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within you.
67. Is it in each one of us?
In a way yes, but we are not in it.
68. How can we get into it?
Jesus said: "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life." The gate of the Kingdom of God will be opened only for the one who is looking for it and who believes in the Holy Spirit and is helped by the Holy Spirit.
69. Are we to look for the Kingdom of God?
Yes, and as men there is nothing else we can do. There is the truth, the perfection, and the life in the kingdom of God. As men we cannot possibly be without these; as reasonable beings we miss the truth, as moral beings we miss perfection, and as spiritual beings we miss eternal life. Unless we look for God, we won't find peace anywhere.
70. What for the Kingdom of God is called the kingdom where the Father rules?
Because the will of God is the only ordering law that all obey.
71. What is the will of the Father? Will of the Father is truth and love. Jesus has described that in his commandments.
72. Is will of the Father always done?
It is in the Kingdom of heavens but not on earth as long as people don't want to obey it.
73. Isn't the Father ruling on earth?
Not directly. Jesus is teaching us to pray: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heavens." The purpose of his followers is to hasten the coming of the Kingdom of heavens in visible world too; therefore they pray: "Your Kingdom come."
74. Why does Jesus say, not one of sparrows is forgotten by God. Doesn't this mean that God's will is done on earth too?
It means exactly as it says, that Father allows everything to happen. Father won't resist suffering, nor evil. Father has given up a direct power over nature; he has also given up direct power over human life: Manifestations of his will in disguise are the fate and destiny, by which suffering is the teacher of men. But Father's own will is only done directly in the Kingdom of God (which is not local but idealistic reality).
75. Is there no suffering in the Kingdom of God?
No. The Kingdom of God is bliss and peace.
76. Is man released from suffering when entering the Kingdom of God?
Not immadiately, nor completely, until all people have received the Kingdom of God. Everyone has his destiny or his cross; but instead of complaining his destiny as before, he will carry his cross with joy and gratitude when he has entered the Kingdom of heavens. The cross prevents him to do Father's will fully freely, but at the same time it helps him to stay humble and patient and always to try.
77. What is the cross? Partly it is man's outward destiny in the world, partly his own weaknesses, faults and sins. They all must be carried with joy while following Jesus.
78. Will suffering decrease by the time?
It may either decrease or increase, depending on how much there is suffering in man's destiny as a consequence of his past lifes, and how much strength he's got to carry it. Spiritually strong man takes big burdens on him. But it is sure that personal suffering will one day end.
79. Personal? Does not suffering in general end?
When a man no longer suffers for his own sins, he will take sins of others upon him and suffer for others. But then his suffering is that of Christ, and the secret of that suffering is bliss.
80. When will the suffering in general end?
When the Kingdom of God has been realized on earth.
81. How will it be realized?
When men obey Jesus' instructions of life and live in spirit united with the Father, doing even the slightest hue of his will. When nobody's getting angry, lusting, lieing, being violent, making war, judging, imprisoning, stealing, killing - shortly, when evil no longer has power over men.
82. Will that time ever come?
Without doubt it will. One by one human souls through centuries will accomplish that.
83. Men are different: Others are very bad and undeveloped. Will they have time to change and be cured before the end of the world?
Time is long and life is hard school. But those who won't seize the moment may try in some other world. Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many rooms."
84. But didn't Jesus say that "few are chosen"?
He did, and by that he meant that in each moment of the world there are only few who seek and really find the Kingdom of God. Even though many are "invited" in their spirit to seek, not all have strenght enough to exert until they would get through the gate.
85. Were their efforts in vain?
No, because in next life their spriritual strenght is greater: perhaps then they will find!
86. Since the Kingdom of God will be once realized on earth, is it "God's plan" or "the plan of the aeons" for the benefit of the world and mankind?
Yes. Heavens and earth will be transformed anew, when the Kingdom of God will come in spirits and hearts of men. This "manifestation of the sons of God", as the apostle says, is expected by "the whole creation" with groaning.
87. When will it happen?
Father alone knows the time. But it will happen when the earth is threatened by death, and all those souls that are not accomplished, will be separated from the rest of humanity and transfered to another heavenly body; Left are those who are the citizens of the Kingdom of God or becoming that.
88. Is the purpose of life then accomplished? Is all finished now?
Far from that. Only the purpose of the earth is accomplished when it has been made the paradise of truth and love. Man's life is eternal. Everything he has overcome in wisdom and experience, strenght and love, it is for him to use in those new tasks and jobs waiting for him.
89. So is there always just work and work?
Work obviously, but always rest too. What would life be without work and something to do? Work is man's satisfaction, and love is his happiness. And rest is not like rest, unless it follows work and effort. This is spoken in the language of the mortals, because in eternal life work and rest are the one and only harmony, divided only in time.
90. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus tells us to pray for daily bread. Does bread belong to the coming of the Kingdom of God too?
Yes it does, because by bread it is not meant material bread, acquired by work. The bread mentioned in the prayer is the nourishment of our soul. We pray to the Father that everyday something would happen to remind us of who we are and what is the meaning of our lifes, in order not to sleep spiritually and be lazy.
91. It is also asked in the Prayer that Father would forgive us our sins. Does this mean he would exclude our suffering caused by our sins and crimes? No. That is not the way Father forgives us. Our suffering, our cross we must carry. Prayer is said from our perspective, when we are already aware of the Father, we pray that our relationship with the Father would not be broken. How could it be broken? When we don't forgive others. Therefore the prayer goes: "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." It is required that we forgive. Then we may expect for Father in his love to turn his face towards us, and we may forget how weak, imperfect and sinful we are.
92. The prayer also asks: "Do not lead us into temptation." Will Father lead us into temptation?
No. Better wording would be: "Do not let us fall into temptation." That's how French church has understood the sentence. Father is the one who helps us to overcome themptations and delivers us from evil.
93. What is a prayer? Do we always need to use the words of the Lord's Prayer?
Prayer is not in the words, but in focus of the mind and mood of the soul. Prayer is spiritual effort. Prayer is the will for the truth, perfection and eternal life. Prayer is not for asking temporal and earthly things for yourself, but it is the yearning of the soul to God. Prayer is spriritual associating with the Father. Prayer is a mystery.

Worship and Sacraments

94. What is the worship of the Christian?
Christian worship is all our aware and conscious life in Faith, which will grow, widen and deepen by our progress in Faith and secret knowledge; It is outward if it is expressed in our words and deeds in visible world among men, and it is inward or secret if it is just communication with the Father in spirit, or otherwise taking place in invisible world.
95. What is the outer worship?
There are two kinds of outer worship: general and particular.
96. What is the general one?
General, outer worship is the Faith enlivening us in all our earthly action; in work and relaxation, in duties and bearing pain and suffering determined by destiny, in associating with people, in helping them or animals, or other nature, and receiving help; shortly, carrieng our cross and sprinkling the roses of good deeds on the way, both everyday and in special occations.
97. What is the particular outer worship? There are also two kinds of that: public and private.
98. What is the public one?
A particular, outer worship in its public form is all actual propaganda for spreading the Faith and knowledge of the Kingdom of God, in speaches and lectures, letters and writings, by literal, artistic, and scientific means, in raising the children and youth etc.
99. Faithfull Christians have mostly condemned arts, music, singing, dancing, visual arts, plays, as well as poetry and literature for being "ungodly" and against Faith. Have they mistaken?
Yes. They haven't known what is Faith. Art is divine in itself, and unless it's used for low purposes, its effect on human soul is uplifting. To be actually worship it obviously has to be created by someone who's seeking for the truth, while it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
100. Who will particularly worship God with art, creaters and performers or the enjoying audience?
Both, but first of all those who have accomplished the work or accomplishing while performing, because they are the "priests" and the "priestesses" of the Art. Their Faith and enthusiasm, their abilities and love awakens in watchers, listeners, readers same feelings and thoughts that enliven themselves. Therefore their work, if they are the children of the Kingdom of God, or aspiring for that, may be great propaganda for Faith and knowledge. And for the heroes of Faith all arts and sciences are natural forms of expression, for each according to his ability.
101. So is all art servant of Faith? Isn't art in itself sacred? Isn't this lowering the worth of art?
No, because what is the sacred art in itself? Art is not art, unless it serves the beauty. But beauty cannot be without truth, so true art serves the truth. And life of Faith is in the truth. All great art has always served God.
102. What is the private worship?
A particular outer worship in its private form are the meetings held by true Christians partly by speach and discussion, partly by special ceremonies, by sacramental acts, to strenghten or to enlighten one another.
103. What are the sacramental acts? Sacramental acts or sacraments are in this case symbolic acts, representing inner mysteries.
104. What are they?
There are two of them according to the gospels: Babtism and the Holy Communion.
105. What is the Baptism? Baptism is symbolic act reminding recently converted or awakened brother and impressing in his memory that he has now entered the road of seeker for the truth, and the Holy Spirit will guide and inspire his steps, unless he himself loses connection with it.
106. Can children be baptised?
In case a child is awakened and asks for it - otherwise not.
107. What is the Holy Communion?
Holy Communion is symbolic act which reminds the baptised seeker for the truth and a Christian, that the Kingdom of God has come close and those who have entered the gates will live in constant love to one another.
108. Are sacraments only symbolic? Don't they as sacred acts have uplifting and purifying effect on the soul of faithfull Christian?
Yes they do, because there is so called magic in all sacred ceremonies, but their effect is mostly dependent on performers and participators. Therefore they cannot be public acts.
109. Do not sacraments have other meaning than ceremonial?
Yes indeed. Both sacraments have besides the symbolic or ceremonial, also public and secret meaning.
110. What is the public meaning?
Public meaning of the sacrament is that it raises often repeated human act to holy symbol or sacrament.
111. How is that?
Everytime man washes up, he can turn this act to sacrament by remembering that just as water purifies his physical body, so will the Holy Spirit of truth purify his thoughts, feelings, and deeds. And everytime man eats, he can turn this physical act to sacrament by remembering that just as the divine life in nature sacrifices oneself to maintain his temporal existence, so the divine life in him wants to serve in love the spiritual upliftment of all living creatures.
112. What is the secret meaning of the sacrament?
The sacrament in its secret meaning is a spiritual event met by a true Christian on the way of inner life.
113. What then is the baptism?
Baptised in a secret meaning becomes the seeker for the truth inspired by the Holy Spirit, when the Father will acknowledge him as his son, just as the Father ackowledged Jesus as his son at Jordan.
114. John baptised Jesus. Is the same going to happen to the seeker for the truth?
Not outwardly. Baptism is secret event taking place in invisible world as if an acknowledgement by Father for the Christian seeking for the truth with all his soul and heart, and with sincere devotion, living according to Jesus' commandments and instructions. But after the baptism man is a member or child in the Kingdom of God.
115. What about the Holy Communion?
In secret meaning in the Holy Communion partakes the Father's son or child of the Kingdom of God, who as a saviour in his own world may redeem his past incarnations, to be able to enter among men as the one who knows, and as a helper, who's got the keys to the Kingdom of heaven in his hand.
116. This is hard to understand?
It is a mystery which is understood only by experience. And that takes place in invisible world too.
117. Is there a church or congregation which serves God and offers sacraments this way?
They are practised in the temple of the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross.
118. Where are these temples? Only in invisible spiritual world, at least so far.
119. Will they be founded in the visible world? It depends on times and people. Elder Brothers are forced to stay in secret and work in the higher levels.
120. Are these "Elder Brothers" spiritual beings?
Others have left physical body, but others live in a body like us. Brotherhood has members among both, "the living" and "the dead."
121. Where are those Rosy Cross brothers?
Here and there around the world.
122. Is it possible to meet them?
Yes, but nobody knows them, if one is not a member of the Brotherhood oneself.
123. Are all the Rosy Cross brothers members or children of the Kingdom of God?
Yes they are.
124. Is the Rosy Cross Brotherhood same as the White Brotherhood of Theosophical books? Yes, though there seems to be also wrong views about the White Brotherhood and what it is. White Brotherhood follows the trails of Christ without getting directly involved with politics of the world, and without accepting violent means for "upliftment" of humanity and "liberation" of nations.