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Here's What I Believe
Last Updated: July 29, '07
I believe I sometimes drive people nuts who try and understand what I believe!
...But it's really pretty simple...
Through the years, many people have criticized me for not sticking to one Path. They think it wrong or a waste of time to study so many religions, especially since I often "convert" into them rather than taking a more objective or critical approach. I conduct my studies this way in an attempt to comprehend the Paths from a devotee's perspective rather than from an outsider's view, this makes sense to me, as these are often very different things.
In 1969, I had vision that more or less established the course of my life. I discuss that vision at MyStory.
Based on what I received at that time, I committed myself to trying to peer beyond the veil of religious particulars to "something deeper."
I sometimes refer to myself as a universalist (small "u") and to some degree I am, yet I do not 'blend' the religions together because to me, they loose their essential meanings when this is done to excess. For instance, if Rebbe Yeshua (Master Jesus) is blended too intimately with Gautama Buddha, then both masters loose their essential teachings and uniqueness's. Their unique voices are disempowered by merging them because their teachings arise from very different premises. Jesus' looses his emphasis on bhakti or devotion to God and the Buddha, his emphasis on analytical deconstructionalism and non-personal transcendence. Both are great masters, but their teachings are very different. To appreciate either master, their differences at least as much as their similarities need to be understood. The same is true of all paths. So then, I allow Christianity to be Christianity, Taoism to be Taoism, Raganuga Bhakti to be what it is, Islam to be Islam, Judaism, Judaism, and so on. I also believe that seekers can be completely successful in their quest by devoted themselves to any of the individual paths. This belief system of mine might best be referred to AllFaith Spirituality.
I see no contradictions between the teachings of the various Paths because I view the Holy One from the perspective of acintya bheda bheda tatva (or inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference -- as you doubtless know from your own studies). When I go to a mandir, I go as a Vaisnava (or as a Shaivite, a Chandiite, etc.). When I go to a Sikh gurdwara, I go as a Sikh. When I go to a masjid I go as a Sunni, a Shiite, Sufi etc. When I go to a Christian church I go as a Baptist, a Catholic, a Religious Scientist, a Jehovah's Witness... when I take part in Pagan Sabbats I go as Pagan (as a Welsh Traditionalist, a NROOGD, a COG member etc), and so on. The same with all the other Paths I utilize. Each group has its own offerings, its own realizations to share.
In this way, I am always learning and growing both in my appreciation of the particular Path I am currently walking and the greater AllFaith Path that I hold close to my heart.
To me, this life exists as a small corner of God's endless Garden and within this magnificent grove is an infinite variety of flowers, colorful stones, bees, birds, and so on. And none is sweeter than the Black Rose. Hence, it is not my place to critique the various paths from within their own sections of the garden (though I must admit I do enjoy discussing various issues with knowledgeable practitioners when appropriate).
As my quest continues, I always try to bear in mind that the true priesthood is the inward calling of the One. This calling can be neither authorized nor rejected by anyone else. Those who have been called by the One to practice some ministry or the other, regardless of public acclaim or isolation and anonymity, despite acceptance or rejection of the message they impart by others, are serving the One. External ordinations, degrees, etc. are all well and good, but it is the inner calling that determines one's priesthood, 'so when in Rome do as the Romans, when in Greece, do as the Greeks', but 'to thine own self be true' always.
Personally, I know of no greater quest in life than the eternal search for the Truth. Indeed, I believe that this is the only purpose of life, this Reaching for the One. The rest are mere facets of this Stone of Self discovery. When I was around 18 years old, I wrote the following poem and today, at the age of 49, it still reflects the essence of my beliefs. The Sanskrit couplet near the end was my first attempt at writing in this lovely and ancient language.
~ by John of AllFaith
Some folks say they know the truth
They claim they've got it all down,
But I say that such people
Are little more than clowns
For God is far greater
Than anything we conceive
And so we're only partly right
No matter what we believe
Like Paul we gaze in the mirror
And behold our own reflection
I guess we wont really know the Truth
'Till we attain perfection
The only thing I know for sure
Is that God is Love
My only hope of salvation
Is to trust that Love above
Yah vishva deva
Ki vatika
Hai sair karne
Ke liye
[which means]
This universe is God's garden
And its meant for roaming in
Read about My Roamings in God's Garden at MyStory!
In much the same light, the Hebrew Prophet Micah expressed it this way:
"With what shall I come before יהוה,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
Will יהוה be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what יהוה requires of you
Only to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God.
In 1969 I dedicated my life to this holy quest based on a
vision granted me by the One.
Since that time, I have never changed religions, not really, I have only sought deeper understandings and fellowship with the One True God Whom I encountered at the alter of Harrell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in an event that forever altered my life and beliefs. As I continue this quest I am merely practicing my religion, my Reaching for the One.
I am convinced that the external aspects of the various world and tribal religions are not the true Revelations of the One but are merely vessels graciously provided by יהוה to help humanity receive and understand them those revelations. God is One. Religion is One, Truth is One, and yet, no one can limit the Limitless and deny the multiplicity revealed to us. Hence, "…We're only partly right No matter what we believe..."
True Religion is simply and yet utterly profoundly an individual's relationship with the One Truth. True religion is private and utterly personal. It cannot be spoken or shared. It cannot be debated or dissected. It cannot be proven or disproved. Being nameless, I call it "True Religion" (sound familiar?). "Religion" is social and, for good or ill, effects the community and beyond by influencing every sphere of life. What is my religion? It is to seek and love the One Truth as best I can with the understandings I have been granted thus far. Lacking a better term, I usually refer to the One Truth as "God" and employ various Names as needed. I do believe God is a "Person," which is to say, an Individual Being or Identity rather than a universal Force. Such a Force is merely the all-pervasive presence or power of the One Who Is. This One God cares about us more deeply than we can ever know. There is, I believe, a plan afoot for the liberation of our universe that is hinted at in the various scriptures.
As Mahatma Gandhi said, "I am a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew and so are all of you." I would add a few others as well, Noahide, Taoist, Pagan, Buddhist and so on. We are all connected by the strings of our common existence and by our divine Source. We are sisters and brothers, children of the One.
Nonetheless, I am not a Universalist (nor was the Mahatma), nor do I believe that all religions are "equal," any more than I believe apples and pears are equal. Each has its own season and its own flavor. Nor yet do I believe that any of the Paths offer a pure or complete reflection of the One Truth. They are all but attempts at expressing that which is inexpressible, of naming that which is unnamable. The diverse religions are, in short, fruit trees growing in God's Garden and that garden is meant for roaming in.
Take the word faith for instance. One can have faith, but the word faith is no different from the word hope, belief or doubt! "Faith" is merely a series of letters representing something inexplicable that resides deeply within the individual heart. We must transcend such words and philosophical constructs if we hope to see deeper into the Mirror of Truth! We can do this… if our faith is strong enough! Of course... these also are merely words! Truth exists beyond such things.
In truth, I believe unity and realization are already present within each of us as a magnificent tree is contained within its tiny seed! Within our heart of hearts, apart from words and doctrines and dogmas, most of us have a core conviction, a personal realization that we can neither express nor intellectually comprehend. This is That which we seek. Look into your Self and you will find It. Attempt to grasp It, and It will slip away like grains of sand, attempt to describe It and It will befuddle your attempts. This is That: tat tvam asi, as the Sanatana Dharma has it.
I am convinced that the One Truth does exist and I hope one day to attain to it; I have not thus far. I do believe it is possible to draw ever closer to the One Truth of true Religion, and one day to know It fully, to "grok it" if you would, and I believe that those who do attain It transcend all religious labels no matter which ones they may employ when speaking of It.
So, Who/What is the One? Each of us must find our own Answer and Way to that question! We must make that inquiry in all humility, based upon our diverse life experiences and the Light we have beheld thus far. As we progress, our answers and assumptions will naturally develop and transcend. It is all part of the Divine Plan of the ages. Why do I believe this? I believe this, in part, because God is not appearing in the heavens and giving us clear information! If we were not intended to seek, to Reach for the One, we would all know the answers already, or else we have no interest in discovering them! No, life and the human psyche are set up in such a way that throughout history we have been compelled to ask and seek forever-greater Light. Seeking Light is as much a part of our nature as is eating and mating. Externally, some seek one thing or some other, but ultimately we all seek the Light. I am convinced that ultimately we are all walking the same Path, regardless of the external variances.
I cannot say my Way is higher or truer than anyone else's. Such would be the height of folly! If my Way is the only, best or truest religion, then God has cheated you! Why do I say this? I say this because it is my life experiences that have led me to this point. Having different experiences from me, you would be at a great disadvantage! That is, IF I held the highest Truth which you should seek to attain. No, the One is not a finite being such as most of us believe ourselves to be! Each being in the multiverse has a unique relationship with the Lover of our souls, and our Path is our own, yet our Path is One, because, God is far greater than anything we conceive, and so we're only partly right no matter what we believe.
The notion that the Holy One must adhere to human limitations is absurd! This is the disruptive effect of finite logic! With the Holy One, Truth can be yes AND no simultaneously! If not, then the One is limited, which certainly is not the case! In God, a thing can be black AND white, true and false, Good and Bad! In India this truth is known as acintya bheda bheda or inconceivable oneness and diversity, and God, the author of all Reality is known as Acintya Bheda Bheda Tattva, the very embodiment of inconceivable oneness and difference. Ek Devata, the One God, is simultaneously This, That, and Something else entirely! We cannot begin to comprehend such a Being as the One God! In the Bible, this Being is known as יהוה (YHVH, often pronounced Yahveh or JeHoVaH) a Name of utter Holiness, and yet beyond even יהוה Jewish Kabbalists tell us is En-Soph, the No-Thing. While we cannot even begin to conceive of יהוה, yet "beyond" even He, the Eternally Un-Manifest Manifestation of Absolute Oneness, is a higher Oneness! Indians call this the Netti-Netti of the Ek Devata, the Not This Not That of the One God. I have love, God is LOVE, I have a sense of justice, but God is JUSTICE… and yet… God is in no way limited by our conceptions of any such terms! God is One in absolute transcendence.
Even our sincerest attempts at understanding the One are less than a flea seeking to comprehend the nature of chaos theory or nuclear fission! The best any of us can do is seek the One using the means, knowledge and realizations given to us by the Creator and, as we seek, let us have at least some understanding of how miniscule we truly are in the face of the vastness that is! To believe that another is destined for perdition and Hell for not agreeing with our take on some point of doctrine is sheer ethnocentric pomposity! Who am I to judge another? Each of us will stand or fall before the Truth! The Good News is that God, Who is LOVE, will enable each of us to stand, for above all else the One is our eternal Well-Wisher! How do I know this is true? I am convinced of the truth of this because if it is not true, then none of us has a prayer! If none of us has a prayer, then God is neither Love nor our Eternal Well-Wisher. The only thing I know for sure is that God is Love. My only hope of salvation is to trust that Love above.
I sincerely believe the Truth is knowable inwardly. However, like Lao Tzu, I also believe that once we try and explain It to another person It slips away as fine sand in the wind's of life. We cannot even understand It within ourselves; we can only accept or reject It, and rejection itself is but part of the learning process, and hence a temporary construct! We are utterly outclassed by God's LOVE!
The Truth is WHATEVER the Truth is, regardless of what any of us believe It to be. For this reason, sharing our beliefs and insights in love is an absolutely positive activity, however "evangelizing" and seeking to "convert" others does much harm as history has repeatedly shown.
As the Apostle Paul and Lao Tzu wisely observed, the Truth that can be "known" is not and cannot be the eternal or actual Truth due to our mortal limitations. Our understandings are as images seen through a dusty mirror: we mainly behold our own reflections: What I approve God approves, what I disavow God rejects and yet, if we gaze carefully enough into that mirror with sincerity and humility, we may be granted slight glimpses of Truth. These are priceless gifts from the One. Hence, Truth, with a capital "T", is only knowable within one's Self as a divine Grace granted by the One God. Truth cannot be debated, dissected, proven or disproved. It has countless names and yet it is utterly Nameless. It has form, yet It is Formless. Truth is what It is, nothing more and nothing less. Our religions, beliefs, dogmas, and philosophies have no impact on the Truth whatsoever. They are but imperfect grails holding minute amounts of the Divine Nectar. Pray that the Holy One grants us but a drop of that Holy Fluid!
We can share what we understand, but our insights are only partial. None of us really knows the Truth at this point (I Cor. 13:12), and yet we all seek It in countless ways.
In a nutshell, this is what I believe.
~by John of AllFaith
Some folks say they know the truth
They claim they've got it all down,
But I say that such people
Are little more than clowns
For God is far greater
Than anything we conceive
And so we're only partly right
No matter what we believe
Like Paul we gaze in the mirror
And behold our own reflection
I guess we won't really know the Truth
'Till we attain perfection
The only thing I know for sure
Is that God is Love
My only hope of salvation
Is to trust that Love above
Yah vishva deva
Ki vatika
Hai sair karne
Ke liye
[translation: This universe is God's garden
And it's meant for roaming in]
Read about My Roamings in God's Garden at MyStory!
And Again...
I believe there is but One God. My life is devoted to the service of this Being according to my knowledge and ability.
This Being is by definition utterly transcendent to human comprehension.
As Paul said, it is as though we are all gazing into a darkened mirror when we seek understanding of such a Being.
It is my belief based upon my gazing into that mirror, that harmonious with Hindu cosmogony, the material universes pass continually through a series of four consecutive ages (or yugas). The current and forth present age, known in Hinduism as Kali yuga, the age of quarrel and confusion, began roughly five thousand years ago. I believe this is the setting behind Adam and Eve being cast from the Garden at roughly the same point in pre-history.
About four thousand years ago, I believe, the Ek Devata, the One God, chose the Hebrew Abraham and his descendants as a primary vehicle through which to bless the planet during this age.
In time Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac and the Jewish people. God established a covenant with this people that principally through them the Divine Will for the present age would be worked out and eventually a righteous global king would arise from among them and lead the world into an age of peace. For this reason they are known as the Chosen People, the Elect of God.
In time, through Prophet Moses, these people received the Torah and through it HaShem (God) led them into righteousness and the fulfillment of His various promises for the planet. But over a period of centuries the people of God came to doubt HaShem. First they demanded a king to rule over them (King Saul) and then later they began placing their trust more in human wisdom than in HaShem.
They came to believe that by fulfilling the letter of the laws given them by HaShem in His Torah more than trusting in His grace and mercy they could become pure and find meaning. This led them to debate the minutia of possible meanings contained in the Torah and so righteous Jews composed the Oral Torah (the Talmud, the Mishna etc) to present how the 613 Torah laws (as catagorized by Rabbi Moses Maimonides) should be fulfilled. Eventually these commentaries came to be viewed as superseding the Torah itself, the written Torah being viewed as a key to the Oral, and the people of HaShem more and more began to place their faith in their own observance of the "the teachings of men rather than the teachings of God" as Rebe Y'shua charged.
Over the years, many prophets were sent to them with warnings, telling them to place their faith in HaShem alone rather than in their ability to fulfill the mitzvoth, but generally speaking their warnings were not heeded (except by small Jewish sects like the Kairites. I am of course speaking in very broad terms here.
Eventually Prophet Y'shua ben Miriam (Jesus son of Mary) was sent to them but again his message was not heeded and he was executed by the Romans.
The Jewish followers of Rebe Y'shua tried to follow their master while remaining within Judaism, however this proved very difficult as many of the ruling rabbis (pharisees) opposed them. Many Gentiles were attracted by the teachings of Rebe Y'shua and sought entrance into Judaism through the reform movement of the Rebe.
Due in part to their rejection of Rebe Y'shua's message and in part to spread their influence throughout the world, HaShem allowed the Romans to conquer and destroy Eretz Israel and its central temple in Jerusalem.
As the Jews entered into the Diaspora, so too did the Jewish and Gentile followers of Rebe Y'shua.
From early on the dispersed followers of Rebe Y'shua sought ways to spread his message throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. There was hot debate as to the best way to do this as many surviving documents make clear. Some of these Nazarenes (followers of the form of Judaism advocated by Rebe Y'shua) advocated a complete break with Judaism. Considering that the Jewish elders refused to accept Rebe Y'shua as a legitimate prophet of HaShem and that the Romans were persecuting the Jews, this view made sense to many people.
Certain teachers of this point of view began writing treatises expressing their ideas of what a Romanized Nazarene faith might look like. Diverse sects of the Way practiced their faith in different ways. Even as many Jews had Hellenized, allowing Greek ideas to impact their beliefs, so too many teachers of the Way allowed Roman culture and beliefs to sway theirs and they altered Rebe Y'shua's teachings. Some followed highly mystical teachings and were known as Gnostics. Some based their practice on Essene austerity, others on more traditional Jewish culture and practice. Soon it was a matter of opinion who was actually following the Way and who was changing it.
Most followers of the Way maintained their devotion to Judaism, the religion practiced by Rebe Y'shua and his original followers. They practiced traditional Judaism but did so according to the teachings of Rebe Y'shua, ie the main difference being that they, like the Kairites, rejected the Oral Torah as being equal to the Written.
This transistion was made all the more difficult because, with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple Judaism itself would have to be transformed. No longer could the religion of Abraham utilize animal sacrifices and offerings as it had in the past. This removed the Scribes and other temple elders and left the Pharisees, the rabbis, as the main Jewish religious authorities and they disliked the followers of the Way.
For many of the oft excommunicated followers of the Way leaving Judaism made sense.
Then, about three hundred years after the death of Rebe Y'shua, Constantine rose to power in Rome and for the followers of the Way everything changed, as Prophet Y'shua had predicted in the early chapters of the Book of the Revelation.
Constantine sought to unite Rome under a universal (or catholic) religion all could embrace. He ordered counsels to meet wherein all the religions known to Rome were present. After years of debate the result was the creation of the Holy Roman Universal (Catholic) Church. It was an admixture of all the religions known to Rome coupled with Constantine's lifelong devotion to Sol Invictus. The new religion used the Nazarene Way for its foundation. Gods such as Sol Invictus were merged into a new solar deity known as Jesus. Nicea and other counsels declared that there was but one God (as believed by Jews and others) but that that One God was divided into three forms (as believed by several Roman religions). Jesus' mother, a doubtless pious woman, was proclaimed a virtual goddess and the aspects of Dianna and other Roman goddesses were added to her extra-biblical persona. Today the majority of Christians consider Mary to be the co-Creatrix as the official catechism of the Catholic Church states. She now receives far more Christian prayer than even Jesus and far more than "God the Father."
In the Book of the Revelation Rebe Y'shua described seven ages through which the Church would pass. These are presented as literal area churches but many people, myself included, are convinced that the Master of parables (Matt 13:34) was foretelling future Church history.
The first of these, Ephesus records the rise of those who claim to be followers of the Way but are not (Rev. 2:2). These record the early phases of the usurpation of the Way. The following "churches" present an amazingly accurate history of the Christian religion. Then comes the Church of the Last Days, the Laodecian Church to whom Rebe Y'shua says:
Revelation 3:14 And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then, because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit thee out of my mouth:
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Of this spewing forth the Apostle Paul warns in the seventh chapter of Romans that the Church will be severed from the Tree of Israel. Before this happened (in either 1948 or 1967) the Church was a major vehicle God used. Since this time, the "bands of Israel" have been loosened (Dan 4). HaShem still uses Christians of course, as He does Hindus, Muslims, the nations, and all others, but People Israel is the Tree God is planting deep and solidly in the earth (Matt 24:32). From this Tree the Kingdom of God is sprouting.
Of this time Prophets Y'shua, Isaiah, Daniel and others predicted that the Chosen People would return to Eretz Israel (which they did of course in 1948 and to Jerusalem in 1967). Those Christians and others who repent of their idolatries etc. are assured that:
Rev. 3: 20: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man shall hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me"
Anyone, regardless of their religion or belief system, who places their faith in the God of Israel will be saved. After all:
Micah 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what the LORD doth require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
We are all to walk humbly before our God.
Salvation does not come through reciting a formula or joining a church or religion (Ep 2:8) but through trusting in HaShem according to one's understanding and walking humbly in that faith and conviction.
Now that Israel is returned to their rightful Land, the next step will be the revelation of the one called Antichrist to Christians and Dijal to Muslims. I am convinced that that revelation is imminent.
Following his rise, a period will began that will probably last just under seven years. Of this time Rebe Y'shua warned:
Matt 24: And except those days should be shortened, there would no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened
To save the elect, the Jews, this period will be shortened by the coming of Messiah and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth, just as Prophet Y'shua and the other prophets foretold.
Then,
Zech 8:23: Thus saith the LORD of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men out of all languages of the nations, shall take hold, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
And the Kingdom will be established on earth as it is in heaven.
After 1000 years this Golden Age will end and the first of the four ages, known as Satya Yuga, will begin.
This, in short, is what I believe.
There is a wonderful saying in India, "The lotus grows in the mire." In other words, accept the truth from wherever you find it.
I John 2:26 These things have I written to you concerning them that seduce you.
27 But the anointing which ye have received from him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man should teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
Shalom,
More to come!
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