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November 19th, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.
I am here, St. Paul.
I merely want to say that I was present at the church tonight and
listened to the preacher (Dr. Ratcliff) tell his congregation what
he didn't know about hell, because what he said, in many particulars
was untrue and it was pleasing to hear him tell his people that
there was no physical suffering, although he didn't explain to them
why there could be no such suffering, and I mean that no spirit,
when he goes into hell carries with him his physical body, or any
other body, that has such substance as would be affected by fire
and brimstone and the other unreasonable things that the churches
have for so many years taught and terrified their members with -
and as a consequence caused them to believe that the Father is such
a cruel and wrathful Father, demanding that His cravings for satisfaction
be supplied by the sizzling in fire of the bodies of His children.
No, this damnable doctrine is not true and I am glad to see that
the churches are ceasing to believe or teach it.
But the doctrine that the preacher taught is quite as bad, and
as useless as the former, for the reason, that punishment of sinners
and those who are out of harmony with God is a fact which they all
will realize when they come to the spirit world, and that being
so, to teach that this punishment is everlasting is as harmful as
the one that I first mentioned. How strange that preachers and teachers
will try to cause their people and listeners to believe that God
is such a wrathful and vindictive being, having less love and mercy
than the most wicked and earthly father has for his children. It
is so very deplorable that such attempts are made by these supposed
instructors of what God is, to blaspheme Him in His great qualities
of Love and Tenderness, and the desire that all His children become
happy.
Oh, I tell you that these preachers will have a woeful sin to answer
for when they come to an accounting, and that will not be at the
great judgment day, as they teach, but just as soon as they enter
spirit life and realize the great harm that they have done to many
who have followed them in their teachings - and they will realize
that awful result very soon after their entrance into the spirit
world, for they will have come to them, as clouds of witnesses,
the spirits of those who were under their instructions on earth,
bringing with them all the evidence of the results of their erroneous
beliefs and the stains of this great sin of blasphemy.
I, Paul, write this for I know I have suffered from this very cause
myself, because, when on earth, I taught some doctrine like unto
the one that these preachers are now teaching, and even now I realize
that to some extent I am responsible for many false beliefs; but
I thank God that all that is ascribed to me in the Bible, I am not
responsible for, and that if my true teachings were known and taught,
the blind and erroneous beliefs that are now so prevalent among
Christians would not exist. I tell you that mortals do not conceive
the great harmful and deplorable results that flow from their beliefs
in the Bible, in many particulars.
This Book is one of falsehoods and forgery and imputations that
have no resemblance to what the Master or any of his apostles taught,
and you can readily realize how anxious we all are that these errors
and untruths be removed from the minds and souls of men. But I must
not permit myself to become too enthusiastic in considering these
things tonight, or I might not stop as I should under the circumstances.
I will come, though, very soon and write you
on the subject, as it is a vital one to mankind, and I will
explain the truths connected with it as fully as is possible for
men to understand. I should like to write more tonight but I must
not. So with my love, I will say, good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Paul
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