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The Power of Love
Love has the power to transform our families, our nation—the very world itself. Love would solve all social problems and bring us, our families, our nation, and the entire world peace and harmony, if we, individually and collectively, loved the way Jesus and Moses said to love.
Now, on with the essay: The Power of Love Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-39). (Emphasis added). Note the last sentence emphasized above. Quite naturally, we abide by the other commandments if we abide by the first and the greatest commandment. If we abide by the first commandment, we are a Christian in a strict sense of the word. And we quite naturally do what Jesus said to do: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” In addition to the Ten Commandments, Jesus also said, “This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). If we loved one another the way Jesus said to love, quite naturally, everything we do would be for the good of all. Can you imagine — can you comprehend — a world in which people loved the way Jesus said to love? A problem is that we cannot love with all our heart if our heart is not pure. The apostle John said, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8). If our heart is not pure, we are not in harmony with God. We cannot love with all our heart when we are not perfect. Jesus said: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). We are perfect when we do first what Jesus said to do first: “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26). Also, we are perfect and we are saved when we do what the apostle James and the prophet Jeremiah said to do. The apostle James said, “Purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8). Jeremiah said, “Wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved” (Jeremiah 4:14) … the same thing as cleaning the inside of the cup and the platter. The Apostle Paul summed up what Jesus said about the commandments simply and briefly: “Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Roman 13: 8-10). Often times when we think of abiding by the Ten Commandments, we tend to gloss over the first and most important commandment and focus on the thou-shalt-not commandments: “Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor’s” (Deuteronomy 5:17-21). If we exercise self discipline and consciously refrain from doing these things — having glossed over the first and the greatest of the commandments — we tend to think that we are abiding by the Ten Commandments. We might even think that we are a Christian. Certainly, the world would be a better place to live if we refrained from doing these things; however, this would not save us. Regardless of how diligently and conscientiously we abide by the thou-shalt-not Commandments — glossing over the first and the greatest — we are not saved. There is a level of peace, joy, and inner serenity we will not experience until we love as Jesus commanded us to love. Think about it! If we, individually and collectively, loved as Moses and Jesus said to love, all social problems would vanish. The entire world would be in peace and harmony. As a reminder (and this is worth emphasizing) Jesus expected his followers to do what he said. Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46). I do not know what Christian seminaries teach, but a top priority of the teachings of Christianity should be teaching people how to do the things Jesus and other biblical teachers said to do. A high priority should be teaching people how to learn to love. Sophocles, dramatist of ancient Athens, said, “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life; that word is love.” We are saved from our sins and suffering when we love the way Moses and Jesus said to love. A key question is: How do we learn to love the way Jesus and Moses said to love? The problem is we cannot love with all our mind when our mind is embedded with fear. We cannot love with all our heart when our heart is not pure ... when we have evil in our heart. The Apostle John said, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love castest out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Note that fear hath torment. A fearful, tormented mind is hell. Heaven is characterized by inner serenity, peace, joy and happiness. Also, notice that John said, “He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” He that feareth does not have a pure heart. Unwarranted fear is the obscure cause of all violence, mental turmoil and suffering, hate, anger, jealousy, dysfunctional families, wars and rumors of wars—all that is ugly and deplorable. Instead of all that is ugly and deplorable, if we loved the way Moses and Jesus said to love, we would have inner serenity, peace, joy and happiness … what everyone inherently desires. How do we learn to love? For the most part, we learn to love by the experience of having been loved. And for the most part we get this experience from a loving, nurturing mother. Certainly the father plays an important role in rearing children; however, for the most part, how much a child learns to love or how much he or she learns to hate — whether a child has good or evil in his or her heart — is determined by the mother’s care. We are in the twenty first century, and we do not seem to know the importance of the family and how to rear contented, happy children. When Hillary Rodham Clinton was first lady, she wrote a book bearing on rearing children: It Takes a Village. This book was followed by a book by Dr. Stephen P. Dixon, It Doesn't Take A Village. The primary requirement for rearing emotionally secure, contented, happy children is a loving, contented, happy mother who stays home with her children, giving them the motherly love and nurturing that children inherently crave and expect. Actually, in our fractured, troubled, dysfunctional families, ultimately it takes much more than a village, dealing with the aftermath of a host of individual and societal problems that are created because most children do not receive adequate love. It takes many doctors and many hospital facilities to care for those with psychosomatic illnesses; it takes many psychiatrists to help those with mental problems; it takes many marriage counselors to help those in troubled relationships; it takes many law enforcement people to attempt to control people who wreak havoc in our society; it takes many prisons to house those who become criminals; it takes many drug enforcement people to attempt to control drug problems; it takes many medications to help those plagued with anxiety, depression, tension headaches and so on; it takes varied remedies to help those with various addictions such as gambling and alcoholism, and on and on and on—because children do not get adequate love. As it is, according to a study of all highly developed nations, America is the most violent. And, according to some psychologists, about 90 percent of America’s families are dysfunctional. And, about half of marriages end in divorce. In addition, a vast majority of illnesses are psychosomatic—caused by a mind that is inharmonious with truth … a mind with deeply-rooted unwarranted fear. We are rendered free of the cause of suffering when we do what Jesus said to do first: “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter” (Matthew 23:26). We clean the inside of the cup and platter by being still and communing and understanding with our heart. That’s how we discover the truth that makes us free from unwarranted fear—the obscure cause of all mental turmoil and suffering. We are free of unwarranted fear when we know the truth that makes us free. Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Further, we are free from unwarranted fear when we purify our heart (what the apostle James said to do) … the same thing as cleaning the inside of the cup and the platter. Also, we have a pure heart when we do what Jeremiah said to do: "Wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved." We are perfect and we are saved when our heart is pure. Think about what families, our Nation, and the very world itself would be like if mothers adhered to their innate feminine nature and gave children the love and nurturing that children inherently crave. It’s incomprehensible. Crime, violence, dysfunctional families, divorces, drug abuse, child abuse, psychosomatic illnesses (the cause of most illnesses), wars and the threats of wars would cease. Peace and harmony would permeate the world. There are those who say that it is not the quantity of time that a mother spends with children that matters; it is the quality of time. Let's face it, children need both quantity and quality of time with their mother. It seems that we blame drug dealers for the drug problems, rather than facing the facts and addressing the cause of the problems—rather than focusing on why many people are addicted to drugs. As it is, billions of dollars are going to Mexico annually for the purchase of drugs. The costs of the drug problems are astronomical, with many millions of dollars annually going to drug enforcement personnel; for prisons to house drug dealers; efforts to stem the flow of drugs into this country, and on and on and on. And, there are no significant efforts directed toward the cause of the problems. Yet, the solution to the problems is simple. Societal problems would be resolved — families would be happy, loving, harmonious, stable and functional — if mothers did what their innate feminine nature would have them do: stay home with their children and give them the motherly love and nurturing they inherently need. Let’s face the facts. The drug problems — the demand for drugs — have their beginning in the childhood environment. Do you know any drug addicts; any murderers; anyone on death row; any alcoholics; any spousal abusers; any rapists; any child molesters; anyone who has emotional and psychological problems, and on and on and on, who were reared in a healthy, happy, harmonious, stable, functional family—a family in which there was adequate love? Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35). Evil (which evolves from unwarranted fear) is the hidden cause of suffering and violence. A child who gets the unconditional love of a loving, contented mother has no evil in his or her heart. Jesus also said, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). And, Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). It might be helpful to know the answers to the questions: Who are already saved without the teachings of Jesus? Who are sinners? Who are lost? How did the lost become lost? Who are not lost? For the most part, people become lost — sinners are made sinners — in an unhealthy family environment—a family out of harmony with truth, God and nature. Contrary to what many people seem to believe, we were born pure in heart, and we maintained this purity of heart if we were loved and nurtured by a perfect, loving mother—perfect being the way Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament were, and the way they wanted everyone to be. Did you cringe at the word perfect? Many people, especially fundamentalists, believe that no one, even those who call themselves Christian, is perfect and never will be until they die and go to heaven—thinking that only Jesus was perfect. It’s uncanny how fundamentalists have glossed over the Holy Scriptures that let us know that Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament expected their followers to be perfect. The apostle Paul said, “All scripture [that’s the entire Bible] is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” [Emphasis added] (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Following are a few examples of passages pertaining to being perfect: · Moses said, “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 18:13). · The apostle Paul said, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). · The apostle James said, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4). · David the Psalmist said, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace” (Psalms 37:37). · Jesus said: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). · Solomon said, “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Is your religious teacher teaching you what Jesus said and what you must do to be perfect? When we are pure in heart, we are perfect. When our heart is pure we a capable of loving the way Moses and Jesus said to love ... "with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Jesus expected his followers to do what he said. Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say”? (Luke 6:46). Think of the ramifications if we believed and did what Jesus said. We would enjoy peace, joy, harmony and happiness within ourselves, our families, our nation—the very world itself. Let's face it, all social problems begin with a lack of adequate love in the family environment. A loving, contented mother — guided by her innate feminine nature and nurturing her children the way they need and inherently desire to be nurtured — fulfills one of the most important roles anyone could possibly fill. Women have the power to transform the world from one characterized by suffering, turmoil, and chaos — one that is hell-bent on destruction — to one characterized by peace and harmony. Women have the power to rule the world. William Ross Wallace, a writer during the late 1800s, said, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” According to Indian tradition, the mother is the child’s first guru. The power of love of a loving, contented mother is incomprehensible. The ramifications are far reaching … having the potential for transforming families and the very world itself. In an article appearing in the May, 2009, issue of NewsMax magazine, Dr. Laura Schlessinger said: "Moms are the spiritual and emotional center of the family." Freud said, “The psychic development of the individual is a short repetition of the course of development of the race.” There is no one who has more influence on the psychic development of the individual than the mother. Emerson said, “Men are what their mothers made them.” Fundamentalists seem to think that little children are born into this world sinful, selfish, and self centered, with evil in their heart; they are not. On the contrary, a child is born pure in heart, spiritually perfect and in harmony with truth, God, and nature; he or she is saved. The purity of heart is corrupted when a child is born into a corrupt environment; he or she becomes lost. Jesus knew that little children are born spiritually perfect. Jesus said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Our true divine spiritual self (our Father) is perfect, created in the image and likeness of God. All mental turmoil and suffering — crime, violence, wars and so on — evolve from our alienation from our true divine spiritual self (what Jesus termed the Father). Although mothers yield a tremendous influence on the way a child believes and thinks in his or her heart, this is not to say that women are to be blame for our fractured, troubled society. Mothers are doing what the rest of us are doing: the best we know how to do at our level of awareness and understanding in a fractured society that is out of harmony with truth, God and nature. If we as a society believed and embodied the gospel Jesus preached — if we were unified with God and nature — mothers would be joyously happy and contented, abiding by their true innate feminine nature and giving their children unconditional love and nurturing. Their children would have no unwarranted fear, and consequently, no evil in their hearts. Families would be functional, stable, happy and harmonious … all would be peace and joy. During the war in Kuwait, the Kuwaiti women, not subjected to the same danger as the men, found it necessary to go out into the streets and try to find food for the family. However, regarding liberation, the Kuwaiti women are not interested in using American women as an example. A Kuwaiti woman said during an interview something like, “We put the family first. The liberation of American women has meant the dissolution of the American family.” According to psychologists, about 90 percent of the American families are dysfunctional. Co-authors, Dr. Marynia F. Farnham and Dr. Ferdinand Lundberg, of the book, MODERN WOMAN - THE LOST SEX, said: “The destruction of the traditional home has been emotionally hazardous to men, women and children. But it has affected no one more destructively than women, and is the root cause of modern women’s restlessness and discontent, shown in so many ways.” Instead of being dysfunctional, fractured and troubled, our families would be rendered functional, happy, contented, and harmonious if women returned to their rue feminine nature and loved and nurtured their children the way women’s true innate nature would guide them to do. Few families (if any) have had the influence and impact on America like that of the Kennedy family. And there is one person behind it all. The spirit and influence of Rose Kennedy, mother of the Kennedy family, has spread across our nation like the waves of a pebble dropped into a still pond. Through her children and her grandchildren (and others) her spirit lives on and on. Think about it. Rose Kennedy had the money and intelligence to do anything she wanted to do. She did what her true feminine nature guided her to do; she was the mother and the center of the Kennedy family. And it was no coincident that she lived to be more than a hundred years old. Everyone would abide by their true nature and be satisfied and contented if believed and did what Jesus and other biblical teachers said to do. After all, deep within the soul of our being (that place within in which we live, and move and have our being) everyone desires inner serenity, peace, joy, and happiness that they would experience by being guided by truth. As it is, the vast majority are ego driven, which brings suffering and stress, struggle and strain. Unfortunately, fundamentalists are doing today what Jesus said people were doing about 2,000 years ago, Jesus said, “People honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups, and many other such like things ye do. … Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:6-9). Thus, fundamentalists are teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, rather than teaching clearly the gospel Jesus preached and that he commanded his disciples to preach to every creature in the world. Guidance for rearing children — guidance that has the potential for transforming the world — is provided for us in the Bible: “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverb 22:6). The way a child should go is in harmony with truth, which brings peace and joy. Why would a child — when he or she matures — depart from inner serenity, peace, joy and happiness—what everyone desires? And notice that when he is old, he will not depart from it; this is not the end of the line. The spirit of the parents (whether good or evil) lives on in their children, and their grandchildren, and on and on and on. The spirit that lives on is eternal life, or you might say life everlasting. This is the way God designed the process to work. For the most part, the way one believes and thinks in his or her heart — how much one loves and how much one hates — is determined by the mother. And we know from Venice Bloodworth’s book, KEY TO YOURSELF: “Thus we find the secret of good or bad results in child training is due to the fact that whatever training children get leaves its impression on the subconscious mind and makes the habits formed in our tender years the basis for all future actions unless we consciously and systematically set about to change them.” The best way to change them — the best way of purifying our heart (the best way of obliterating fearful, false impressions from the clear, sensitive plate) is by being still and communing and understanding with our heart. We know from Isaiah and Jesus that this would heal us. We are perfect — we are healed — when our heart is pure. Also, we can change negative, fearful impressions in our subconscious mind by doing what the apostle Paul said to do: “Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Emerson said, “Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society.” In our society, with about 90 percent of the families dysfunctional, it’s safe to say that most people are in violation of truth. When we are in violation of truth, we are living a lie. No one is happy, satisfied and contented living a lie. Let’s face it. The health of our society is wretched. According to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Food allergies in American children seem to be on the rise.” This is reported in an article in the October 23, 2008, issue of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. The title of the article is: “3 million children have food allergies — Respiratory woes, skin rashes traced to rising problem.” There was no explanation for the rising problem; however, a Hispanic woman suggested something that is most significant. The article suggested that children with food allergies are likely to have asthma, eczema and respiratory problems, and that Hispanic children have lower rates of food allergies than white or black children. The Hispanic woman suggested that Hispanics do not believe that food allergies cause children’s illnesses. Along with this line of thinking, the following comments appear in my first book, Listening to Ourselves: The Key to Everything that Matters: “It is impossible for a child to get asthma, eczema (those cases that are of psychosomatic origin, which accounts for a significant percentage of cases) or any other psychosomatic illness if a child gets adequate parenting. Did you notice the word, impossible? Very simply, if a child gets adequate parenting, he or she has no subconscious fear, which is the hidden cause of all psychosomatic illnesses. Regarding skin conditions and asthma in children, Leslie M. LeCron, Author of the book SELF-HYPNOTISM; THE TECHNIQUE AND ITS USE IN DAILY LIVING states, “Where there is ‘weeping’ in a skin condition, it may be a substitute for crying, just as is true in asthma. The suppressed emotion causes the skin to break out and ‘weep.”’ Robert Langs, M.D., author of MADNESS AND CURE, states, “Asthma is a symbolic cry for the neglectful mother.” The old axiom, “truth hurts,” is false and misleading. Truth is the only thing that brings us peace, joy and happiness. The ego would have us resist the truth to the bitter end. Let’s face it! There are many problems that will never be resolved without us facing the truth. Deeply held false beliefs and obscure fear cause hurt … not truth. In addition to the foregoing dreadful things that are caused by faulty parenting, a few years ago the term refrigerator mother was coined, suggesting that a mother’s mechanical type of mothering was the cause of autism. This suggestion was refuted by some researchers who said that if the cause were the family environment then other children in the family would also be autistic. There could be exceptions. All siblings do not get the exact same treatment. Many families have a “black sheep” in the family. Just as there are not two snowflakes exactly the same, no two people (even identical twins) are exactly the same, physically and emotionally. Besides, no definite cause of autism has been found, although there are several things that have been suggested as causes, including such things as brain structure and genetics. Let’s face it. The behavior of a child who does not get adequate love — and who is not bonded — with his or her mother is unpredictable. The behavior of a child who gets adequate love and bonding with his or her mother is predictable; he or she will be loving, happy, satisfied and contented. It seems that genetics get blamed for various things. For example, genetics has been blamed for the cause of depression. However, when therapists attempt to help patients, they attempt to help them overcome negative impressions in the subconscious mind; they do not attempt to change their genes. Basically what therapists attempt to do is what the apostle Paul said to do: “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). We have renewed our mind — we have changed the way we believe and think in our heart — when we do what Jesus and other biblical teachers said (explained else in this essay). The fact that therapy and diet sometimes helps autistic children seems to suggest that the family environment is the main cause of autism. A nutritious diet has been attributed to making an autistic child calm and happier. It could be that the attention a child gets from those trying to get him or her to eat nutritious food makes him or her calmer and happier. The magical child (one who gets adequate love) is already calm and happy (happy, not happier). The following sentence is from an article, "Treating autism with attention," which appears in the May 1, 2009, issue of THE WEEK: "Some treatments help simply because they treat autistic kids as human beings 'who might have an inner life,' and are 'worthy of attention and interaction.'" In his book, MAGICAL CHILD, Joseph C. Pearce contrasted differences between children in Uganda and children in this nation and some of the other highly developed technological countries. Pearce said, “In Uganda, bonding of the child with the mother comes easily, freely, and naturally. The Ugandan mothers keep their infants with them at all times. Children in Uganda learn certain skills, develop much quicker, and smile much earlier and much more than American children. And they sleep and cry much less than American children. A crying child is a rarity in Uganda.” Pearce also said, “The mother is genetically programmed to bond to the infant at his/her birth, and the infant is programmed to expect her response. Indeed, without it, the infant is in grave trouble … The unbonded person ... will spend his/her life in search for what bonding was designed to give. ... lack of bonding finds no compensation.” All parents — all those who are interested in the best way to rear emotionally secure, contented children — would do well to read the book Magical Child and also the book The Bond of Power by Joseph C. Pearce. In the latter book, Pearce said, “The problems I address in my book [The Magical Child] have worsened sharply in the four years since I completed it, until any hope of solution seems remote to our time. (I need only mention the continuing epidemic increase of infantile autism; childhood schizophrenia; brain damage and its mental-physical dysfunctions in general; infant-child abuse; the collapse of the family unit; the increase of suicides in children; the breakdown in classroom discipline and inability of young people to learn; these coupled with a general increase in social collapse and adult confusion.) In addition, Robert Karen states in his book, BECOMING ATTACHED, Unfolding the Mystery of the Infant-Mother Bond and Its Impact on Later Life, “The struggle to understand the infant-mother bond ranks as one of the great quests of modern psychology, one that touches us deeply because it holds so many clues as to how we become who we are.” Who we are is the way we believe and think in our heart. In his book, QUANTUM HEALING - EXPLORING THE FRONTIERS OF MIND/BODY MEDICINE, Dr. Deepak Chopra states, “Children growing up in homes where there is inadequate love can show a variety of symptoms—they may be unhappy, neurotic, schizophrenic, sickly, angry, or any number of other responses.” In her book, EVERY CHILD SHOULD HAVE A CHANCE, Dr. Leila Denmark said, “The greatest need on earth today is parents—parents who want to and will give their children a chance.... Allergy is often blamed for many of these unhappy babies. ... In the first six years of a child’s life, parents make or break him for it is during this time that most important things are learned: manners, fear, hate, love, faith, all the things that count in making a person secure or insecure, happy or unhappy, well or sick. ... Sorry parents produce sorry children and good parents produce good children. ... No boy or girl ever became a juvenile delinquent until somebody made a nobody out of him or her.” Clearly, many people (including analysts, researchers, and many in various religious organizations) are glossing over the underlying cause of so many personal and societal problems in this nation. We do not solve personal problems and the problems in our society without acknowledging and understanding the cause, which is the disintegration of the American family; which is caused by mothers who do not fulfill their role as mother—the kind of mother a child requires for being peaceful, happy, satisfied and contented. And the explanation of why mothers do not fulfill their role as mother is because almost everyone in our society is alienated from God. And we are alienated from God because fundamentalists have led us astray for the true gospel that Jesus preached, the gospel that would render us happy, satisfied, and contented if we individually and collectively as a society believed, understood, and did what Jesus said. In view of all the suffering, mental turmoil and chaos in our society, it’s understandable that Jesus said, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). We are in the 21st century, and it is not unusual for religious teachers to advise a troubled person to seek help of a qualified counselor. It’s tragic that churches do not provide the teachings that would help people with their personal problems. Although there are many counselors who go beyond the call of duty, trying to help suffering, troubled people, a counselor cannot provide any more beneficial help than one can get by understanding, believing and doing what biblical teachers taught. Besides, counseling can be quite expensive, especially for those people who become lifers (a lifer being one who gets psychiatric help for many years). Besides, discovering the truth that makes us free is a do-it-yourself task. Doing this is free, and it requires no physical labor—only being still, communing and understanding with our heart … what David the psalmist did to alleviate his depression and to be healed. No one can impart truth to us. However, we can be still, commune with our heart and discover the truth that makes us free. Basically, what a qualified counselor tries to do is to help a patient cancel out the negative impressions that are ingrained in one's subconscious mind during early childhood. And the best way — a way that would not fail — to cancel out these negative impressions is by doing what the apostle James said to do: "Purify your hearts, ye double minded," or doing what Jeremiah said to do: "Wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved" …the same thing as doing what Jesus said to do first: “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter” (Matthew 23:26). Again, we do those things by being still and communing and understanding with our heart. In the previously quoted book, KEY TO YOURSELF, Venice Bloodworth states: “Children are the most helpless sufferers from adverse thoughts, for a child’s mind is a clear, sensitive plate that receives impressions without protection. Until children are fourteen years of age their physical condition is largely the result of suggestion and impressions gathered from the adult minds about them, while the prospective mother determines to a very great extent the mental and physical conditions of her child. “ Notice that the author, Venice Bloodworth, said, a child’s mind is a clear, sensitive plate. This is the same thing as being pure in heart—spiritually perfect, the way all babies are born into this world ... and the way Jesus and other biblical teachers wanted everyone to be ... the way that brings inner serenity, peace, joy and happiness. And notice that a child's purity of heart is corrupted by the adult minds about them. For the most part, a child's purity of heart is corrupted by the negative parenting a child receives. A passage that fundamentalists refer to to support their belief that we are born sinners is one by David the Psalmist: “I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalms 51:5). For clarification, David was born into a sinful environment that shapened him to be the way he was; that determined the way he believed and thought in his heart. One of the shortcomings of the teachings of Christianity is the failure to teach people how to do the things biblical teachers said to do. Consequently, one of the greatest contributions that any religious teacher could impart to people, families, our nation and the entire world is teaching people what biblical teachers taught, teaching in a manner people can understand, believe and embody. In our society, many troubled, unhappy people, including many who are hypocrites (claiming to be Christian), seek help from psychiatrists, marriage counselors, psychics, astrologers; many go from one church to another; many join cults; many take antidepressants and tranquilizers, and on and on and on. Yet, the solution to all personal and social problems — the solution to all mental turmoil and suffering — is explained in the Bible ... if only religious teachers would hold in abeyance the false teachings they themselves have received and take the time to study and decipher what biblical teachers really said. In all simplicity, the solution to all family and social problems is to love as Moses and Jesus said to love: with all our heart, soul and mind. As it is, most people are ego driven. Thoughts, and consequently actions, coming from our false ego-self bring suffering in one manner or another. Guidance from our true divine spiritual self brings peace and joy. The Apostle Paul said, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace” (Galatians 5:22). Jesus referred to: “the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father” (John 15:26). Thus, the guidance that proceeds from our Father brings peace and joy. Our Father resides in that quiet place within that transcends the chatter of the ego—the quite place within referred to by David the Psalmist as the secret place of the most high. In the book of Acts (17:21) we find, “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” In him is the same thing as being unified with our Father—the way Jesus was and the way he wanted his followers to be. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Isaiah said, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Keeping our mind stayed on thee is truth driven. If we keep our mind on that which is true, rather than following the whims of the ego, we have perfect peace. Thus, a peaceful, contented, happy life is truth driven. When we are abiding by that which is true, we are doing the will of our Father, a prerequisite for having peace, joy, and happiness. Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Remember that the apostle Paul said, “The kingdom of God [heaven] is righteousness, and peace, and joy” (Romans 14:17), and Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Doing the will of our Father (which is in heaven, which is within us) is the same thing as the saints of the Old Testament “walking in the ways of the Lord.” The ways of the Lord (doing the will of our Father) bring peace, joy, and happiness. Jesus and other biblical teachers taught things that we must do. And they were speaking about the present. Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist and poet, said, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” Let us keep simple things simple. When our life is ego driven, we are led astray from our true purpose in life. Solomon let us know what our purpose is: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Solomon also said, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Vain things are things of the ego. Keeping his commandments is the same thing as doing the will of our Father; it is the same thing as keeping our mind stayed on thee (language of Isaiah). Keeping his commandments is the same thing as abiding by that which is true. When we keep his commandments — when we are in harmony with truth — we have inner serenity, peace, joy, and happiness … what the Bible is all about. We naturally keep his commandments when we love the way Moses and Jesus said to love: “With all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Let us not gloss over what Jesus and Moses said. If we, individually and collectively, loved as Jesus and Moses said to love, we would have peace and joy within us, our families, the nation, and the entire world. However, if we do not love ourselves, if we do not love God; if we do not purify our heart, we cannot love anyone. If we did not learn to love by being loved and nurtured by a loving, nurturing mother, how do we learn to love? If we did not get the unconditional love of a loving mother, learning to love can be quite elusive. Perhaps that's the explanation for the statement by the Apostle Paul: "Pray without ceasing." The ultimate prayer is for a pure heart, which brings inner serenity, peace, joy and happiness—what all seekers are seeking. A pure heart is a prerequisite for loving the way Moses and Jesus said to love—with all our heart. The Apostle Paul said "Pray without ceasing" about 2,000 years ago. There is a comparatively simple (but elusive) way to purify our heart. The following comment appears on the back cover of the first book I wrote, Listening to Ourselves — The Key to Everything that Matters: "You cannot follow the 30-day program in this book (practicing the exercises seriously and conscientiously) without discovering truth ... or at least be well on your way." Those exercises can help one do what biblical teachers said to do. A first step is to do what Jesus and other biblical teachers said to do—things that are mouthed, but not taught clearly in mainline churches. If we did what Jesus, the Apostle James, the apostle Paul, the prophets Jeremiah and Moses, said to do, we would be as perfect as Jesus wanted everyone to be ... we would be saved. Our heart would be pure, a prerequisite for loving with all our heart, soul and mind. Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament were saviors in the sense that we would be saved if we understood, believed, and did what they said. And in the sense that we would be saved if we did what they said to do we are our own saviors. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus also said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). Asking, seeking, and knocking are do-it-yourself tasks. No one can commune with our own heart (what David the Psalmist said to do), but we ourselves. Believing that Jesus took our sins on himself (what fundamentalists teach) does not help us do the things we must do to be saved. Regarding the prophets of the Old Testament being saviors, Isaiah said, "For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour" (Isaiah 43:3). We would be saved if we did what Isaiah said: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near. … For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:6-12). [This passage is explained fully and clearly in the essay, “The Gospel of Peace.”] Doing any one of the following things that Jesus and other biblical teachers said to do would save us. One of the most serious failures of religious teachers is not teaching people how to do these things: · Jesus said, “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26). When we do first what Jesus said to do first, our heart is pure. · Jesus also said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). As a reminder, Jesus expected his followers to do what he said. And remember that the apostle Paul said, “The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy” (Romans 14:17), · The apostle James said, “Purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8). · Jeremiah said, “Wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved” (Jeremiah 4:14) … the same thing as cleaning the inside of the cup and the platter; the same thing as purifying our heart. · Moses said, “Sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). We are holy and we are saved when our heart is pure—when we are perfect. · The apostle James also said, “Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:5-21). The engrafted word is truth; we are saved by truth. · The apostle Paul said: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). People began calling upon the name of the Lord during early biblical times: “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26). Calling upon the name of the Lord is the same thing as doing what David the Psalmist said: “Be still and commune with your own heart.” · The Apostle Paul said, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We have been transformed and we have been born again when we have cleaned the inside of the cup and the platter—when we have purified our heart. When our heart is pure we are saved; we are perfect—the way Jesus was and the way he wanted his followers to be. When we obliterate all that is fearful and false from our hearts — when we purify our hearts — what remains must be true. Nature abhors a vacuum. When our heart is pure we are open to peace, truth, and love; we are peaceful, satisfied and contented—the way everyone desires to be. When our heart is pure we are capable of loving the way Moses and Jesus said to love: with all our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). When we purify our hearts, we are in harmony with truth … we know the truth that makes us free—free from obscure fear, sin, and evil … and free to love and free to be peaceful, happy, satisfied, and contented. The apostle James revealed what we must do to gain the wisdom for knowing the truth that makes us free: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all liberally. … Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:5-21). The ultimate wisdom is knowing the truth that makes us free ... the truth that would save us. We ask of God and we receive with meekness by doing what Isaiah said. If there is any such thing as the hidden secret of the ages, what Isaiah said must be the secret. What Isaiah said is the secret for doing things we must do to be saved (things mentioned above)—things that would bring us peace and joy. Isaiah said, “Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; so that they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6: 8-10). Note the part that is emphasized. In this passage, Isaiah explains the necessity of transcending the chatter of the ego, and consequently, being guided by our true divine spiritual self. And when we do, the evil and falsehoods in our heart will fade away, and we will be healed (saved).
When we have cleaned the inside of the cup and the platter,
what remains must be true. We are saved by truth. Jesus said,
“Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth”
(John 17:17). Jesus said essentially the same thing that Isaiah said; however, Jesus’ use of the personal pronoun I might caused many to gloss over this gem of wisdom of Isaiah. Whereas Isaiah said, “… and be healed,” Jesus said, “… I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15). For clarification, we are converted and healed by truth. Truth is the way. Jesus said, “I am the way” the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). We cometh unto the Father by truth. We discover the truth that makes us free if we follow the teachings of Jesus and other biblical teachers. If we assimilate and understand the teachings of Jesus and other biblical teachers, we realize that truth is the way. Understanding with our heart is the key to the whole matter of discovering the truth that makes us free. And, the way we understand with our heart is by doing what David the Psalmist said to do: “Be still and commune with your own heart.” The most elusive thing about communing with our heart is learning to be still and transcending the chatter of the ego, which leads us astray until we overcome it—what Jesus alluded to as overcoming the world … the world of the ego. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. … I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Speaking about his disciples, Jesus said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). The thing that set the disciples apart from the masses is that they were devout followers of Jesus, and they overcame the world of the ego. Jesus was speaking about overcoming the world of the ego—the hidden cause of all mental turmoil and suffering. And note that Jesus’ purpose for preaching the Gospel is that we might have peace. David the Psalmist said, “I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:128). False ways are ways of the ego. R. D. Laing, author of The Politics Of Experience, said, “True sanity entails in one way or another the dissolution of the normal ego, that false self competently adjusted to our alienated social reality.” Being still and communing with our heart is the same thing as doing what Jesus said to do: “When you pray, enter into your closet and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who seeth in secret shall reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6). Shutting the door surpasses the interference of the ego. Note that our Father which is in secret is within us. Also note that our Father seeth in secret. We gain wisdom and understanding by observing insights, impressions, and visions that come to us when we are still and have transcended the chatter of the ego—when we have entered into that quiet place within alluded to by David the Psalmist as the secret place of the most high. In summary, Jesus expected his followers to do what he said. When we, individually and collectively, love the way Jesus said to love, we have peace and joy within us, our families, our nation, and the entire world. The ultimate prayer is for a pure heart, which brings us what everybody inherently desires—inner serenity, peace, joy and happiness. When we have a pure heart, we are capable of loving the way Jesus and Moses said to love. When fundamentalists break free from the shackles of fundamentalism and begin teaching the Gospel in a manner people understand, believe, and embody — when religious teachers teach people how to purify their hearts — in due time the gospel will spread like a sage-brush fire and a dry windy day. In due time, peace and harmony will permeate the entire world. After all, the kind of life Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament wanted people to live (life characterized by truth, peace, love, and joy) is the kind of life everyone desires to live. Being perfect and having peace, love, joy, and happiness is what the Bible is all about. Know this to be true: Love has the potential for transforming us, our families, our society, our nation and the entire world from suffering, turmoil and chaos to peace, joy, happiness and harmony—if only we loved as Moses and Jesus said to love: with all our heart, soul and mind. To love with all our heart we must purify our heart. We purify our heart by doing first what Jesus said to do first: “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter” (Matthew 23:26). We purify our heart — we are made perfect (the way Jesus said to be) by being still and communing and understanding with our heart.
[A note: When I wrote my first book, Listening to Ourselves: The Key to Everything that Matters, I did not realize that listening to ourselves is the same thing David the Psalmist said to do about 3,000 years ago: "Be still and commune with your own heart." Nevertheless, on the back cover of the book, I went so far as to say: "We are our own best teacher, healer, therapist, psychic, astrologer, savior, and guru." I realize that this is contrary to the teachings of Christianity; however, I believe that if you study what Jesus and other biblical teachers said — reading and studying with an open mind — you will know that being still and communing with our heart (listening to ourselves) is the key to discovering the truth that makes us free. And the most elusive part of this is learning to be still and paying attention ... rather than acquiescing to the false stuff coming from the ego. The ego is most ingenious in leading us astray from truth. The only way we can overcome the ego is by gaining wisdom and understanding, which we gain by retreating to that quiet place within referred to by the Psalmist as the secret place of the most high. To see a brief, unsolicited review of this book, click here: Review
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A thought for today:
If religious teachers do not begin today to teach the Gospel of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached and commanded his disciples to preach to every creature in the world, when will they? Think about it! The Gospel has the potential for bringing peace to us, our families, our nation—the entire world.
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The opinions expressed in this website are for informational use only. They are not intended as a substitute for professional help. Anyone seeking or in need of help regarding physical and/or mental health are advised to seek the services of professionals. The publisher and author of this website disclaim all liability for the use of the information contained on this Web site.
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