Messages 2002

Fundamentalism.

August 7th, 2002

Received by H.

Cuenca, Ecuador.

My dear friend, I feel very happy having found the opportunity once again to deliver a message to you. Today’s topic is very unusual, but when I saw yesterday how you read for the hundredth time the sentence…

“The churches of today cannot inspire man to seek God’s Love because they no longer understand, and they have not for long centuries so understood it, that God’s Love possessed by the human soul through prayer to Him for its coming is the Way and the only Way to man’s salvation.”

…I decided to dedicate some comments to this question. Hopefully, you will be receptive enough as to grasp what I intend to convey. This message will not be very long, at least the part I will communicate to you, but I would like to ask you to paste a few quotes which you have found on the Internet. Let us begin with a statement from the Catholic Encyclopaedia :

“Apostasy and heresy are, as criminal rebellions against God, far more serious crimes than high treason, murder, or adultery.” But, according to Rom., xiii, 11 sqq., the secular authorities have the right to punish, especially grave crimes, with death; consequently, “heretics may be not only excommunicated, but also justly (juste) put to death.” (St. Thomas, II-II, Q. xi, a. 3). [The Catholic Encyclopaedia, 1911 edition, Vol. 14, pages 766, 768]

And now, dear H___, I want you to paste here some statements from Saint Augustine, which I will point out to you.

“Women should not be enlightened or educated in any way. They should, in fact, be segregated as they are the cause of hideous and involuntary erections in holy men.”

“It is impossible that there should be inhabitants on the opposite side of the Earth, since no such race is recorded by Scripture among the descendants of Adam.” [St. Augustine, from The Dark Side of Christian History by Linda Ellerbe, 1995, Morningstar Books]

“The good Christian should beware of mathematicians and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and confine man in the bonds of Hell.”

And now, let us proceed in a similar way with Saint Thomas Aquinas.

“That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell.” [Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica]

“If forgers and malefactors are put to death by the secular power, there is much more reason for excommunicating and even putting to death one convicted of heresy.” [Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica]

“As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active power of the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of a woman comes from defect in the active power….” [Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica,Q92, art. 1, Reply Obj. 1]

Yes, you are right. This message looks very anti-catholic so far. Let us round out the picture and add some quotes from John Calvin. I do not want to produce an unbalanced writing.

“Who will venture to place the authority of Copernicus above that of the Holy Spirit?” [John Calvin, citing Ps. 93:1 in his Commentary on Genesis]

“God preordained, for His own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation.” [John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Faith]

“We are all made of mud, and as this mud is not just on the hem of our gown, or on the sole our boots, or in our shoes. We are full of it, we are nothing but mud and filth both inside and outside.” [John Calvin, attacking mankind]

“We may rest assured that God would never have suffered any infants to be slain except those who were already damned and predestined for eternal death.” [John Calvin, rationalizing the slaughter of infants in the Old Testament]

Well, it does not look so good for Calvin, either. Now paste a few quotes from Martin Luther.

“People give ear to an upstart astrologer [Copernicus] who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon. Whoever wishes to appear clever must devise some new system, which of all systems is of course the very best. This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy.” [Martin Luther, Works, Volume 22, c. 1543]

“Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and … know nothing but the word of God.” [Martin Luther]

“Men have broad and large chests, and small narrow hips, and more understanding than women, who have but small and narrow breasts, and broad hips, to the end they should remain at home, sit still, keep house, and bear and bring up children.” [Martin Luther, Table Talk]

“God created Adam master and lord of living creatures, but Eve spoilt all, when she persuaded him to set himself above God’s will. “Tis you women, with your tricks and artifices, that lead men into error.” [Martin Luther]

“In a like manner we must endure the authority of the prince. If he misuse or abuse his authority, we are not to entertain a grudge, seek revenge or punishment. Obedience is to be rendered for God’s sake, for the ruler is God’s representative. However they may tax or exact, we must obey and endure patiently.” [Martin Luther, Tribute to Caesar sermon, from The Political Theories of Martin Luther, Luther Hess Waring (New York, Putnam’s, 1910) p. 104]

“Even though they grow weary and wear themselves out with child-bearing, it does not matter; let them go on bearing children till they die, that is what they are there for.” [Martin Luther, Works 20.84]

“I had made up my mind to write no more either about the Jews or against them. But since I learned that these miserable and accursed people do not cease to lure to themselves even us, that is, the Christians, I have published this little book, so that I might be found among those who opposed such poisonous activities of the Jews who warned the Christians to be on their guard against them. I would not have believed that a Christian could be duped by the Jews into taking their exile and wretchedness upon himself. However, the devil is the god of the world, and wherever God’s word is absent he has an easy task, not only with the weak but also with the strong. May God help us. Amen.” [Martin Luther, Introduction to On the Jews and Their Lies,1543]

“He did not call them Abraham’s children, but a brood of vipers [Matt. 3:7]. Oh, that was too insulting for the noble blood and race of Israel, and they declared, He has a demon’ [Matt 11:18]. Our Lord also calls them a brood of vipers; furthermore in John 8 [:39,44] he states: If you were Abraham’s children ye would do what Abraham did…. You are of your father the devil. It was intolerable to them to hear that they were not Abraham’s but the devil’s children, nor can they bear to hear this today.” [Martin Luther, On the Jews and Their Lies, 1543]

“…they remain our daily murderers and bloodthirsty foes in their hearts. Their prayers and curses furnish evidence of that, as do the many stories which relate their torturing of children and all sorts of crimes for which they have often been burned at the stake or banished.” [Martin Luther, On the Jews and Their Lies, 1543]

“They [the rulers] must act like a good physician who, when gangrene has set in proceeds without mercy to cut, saw, and burn flesh, veins, bone, and marrow. Such a procedure must also be followed in this instance. Burn down their synagogues, forbid all that I enumerated earlier, force them to work, and deal harshly with them, as Moses did… If this does not help we must drive them out like mad dogs.” [Martin Luther, On the Jews and Their Lies, 1543]

“I should have no compassion on these witches; I should burn them all.” [Martin Luther]

“Idiots, the lame, the blind, the dumb, are men in whom the devils have established themselves: and all the physicians who heal these infirmities, as though they proceeded from natural causes, are ignorant blockheads….” [Martin Luther]

“The Devil can so completely assume the human form, when he wants to deceive us, that we may well lie with what seems to be a woman, of real flesh and blood, and yet all the while ’tis only the Devil in the shape of a woman. Tis the same with women, who may think that a man is in bed with them, yet ’tis only the Devil; and…the result of this connection is oftentimes an imp of darkness, half mortal, half devil….” [Martin Luther]

“We are at fault for not slaying them (the Jews).” [Martin Luther, On the Jews and Their Lies]

“Heretics are not to be disputed with, but to be condemned unheard, and whilst they perish by fire, the faithful ought to pursue the evil to its source, and bathe their heads in the blood of the Catholic bishops, and of the Pope, who is the devil in disguise.” [Martin Luther, Riffel, Kirchengeschichte]

“If I had to baptize a Jew, I would take him to the bridge of the Elbe, hang a stone around his neck and push him over with the words ‘I baptize thee in the name of Abraham’.” [Martin Luther, Hitler’s Spiritual Ancestor by Peter F. Weiner (1985, Gustav Broukal Press)]

“If the peasants are in open rebellion, then they are outside the law of God. Therefore let all who are able slash, strike down, and kill (those who rebel) openly and secretly, remembering that there can be nothing more venomous, harmful, or devilish than a rebel. It is exactly like killing a mad dog.” [Martin Luther]

Luther really has an impressive list, don’t you think?

Of course, you are wondering what all those quotes are good for. And for our answer, we will return to the original sentence:

“The churches of today cannot inspire man to seek God’s Love because they no longer understand, and they have not for long centuries so understood it, that God’s Love possessed by the human soul through prayer to Him for its coming is the Way and the only Way to man’s salvation.”

You see, my dear brother, in the quotes above, you can read expressions of intolerance, even worse, of hatred, of ignorance, superstition, sexism, racism, etc. And the people who pronounced such phrases, were and are considered holy men by many.

The great success of Christianity, its fast spreading combined with the premature death of many leading characters, who held the authentic teachings of Jesus and who had obtained at least some portion of Divine Love in their souls, gave way to a very sad development: Men of mediocre character took over the bridle of the early church’s path, and as a result, true spirituality succumbed.

There was the question if the slow development of the Divine Love Movement was the consequence of a global conspiracy. No, not at all, there is no “conspiracy,” but there is a deeply rooted attitude in many, the consequence of generations of false teachings. We are not interested in a repetition of such a sad evolution. We prefer a slow but steady growth, based on people who truly aspire to the development of their souls in the Divine Love, and whose lives may serve as the living examples of Jesus’ true gospel.

These above mentioned leaders, and others, who betray through their words the cold of their souls, have led their churches “spiritually,” when that cold of their souls materialized in their teachings. Today, those congregations face the dilemma to find their way back to the original path, through the darkness in which ignorance, sin and error have placed their doctrines. It is not an easy task, and they are facing the problem that many worshippers are leaving their flock.

There is an innate longing for Divine Love in all human beings. But most, because of the reasons I have already explained, are unable to identify the origin and the goal of such longing, trying to satisfy it through indulgence in earthly pleasures, materialism and ruthless struggle for power. This is all in vain. But many will not learn better in this life.

I want to draw your attention also to the fact that the people cited above are now inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens. Most of them died without having the dimmest spark of Divine Love in their souls. Nevertheless, as we have pointed out on repeated occasions, death does not mean a clear cut, after which the wheat is separated from the chaff, but a new and marvellous phase in human existence, with new opportunities and new developments.

There are many who have never heard of Divine Love on earth, and who have never obtained it, but find their way to at-onement with the Father during their existence in the spirit life, sooner or later. So, do not grow impatient when your progress on earth seems so slow and so much delayed.

Live in Love, be tolerant, but also be watchful. What you have read above, is characterized by what we call “fundamentalism.” And where fundamentalism appears, evil is lurking.

I am glad that you have received my message satisfactorily. I hope I will not have to wait so long for our next encounter.

As I have told you, this was an easy message, a warming-up of your “spiritual muscles.” Be in Love, and we will share many more moments together.

Your brother in Heaven,

Judas