Please note that while dealing with man's influences upon the outcome of the Holy Bible in physical form, there is nothing but reverence from this particular writer for such a sacred Book of Truth. Indeed, by pointing out man's minute influence in the Sacred Record rather than every word being the literal thought of God in its untainted perfection, the spiritual knowledge inherent in the Sacred Record is given that element necessary to unlock a greater Truth. The spiritual nature does not become less but more. The deepest profound truths are not removed by understanding the nature of revelation to man by the Holy Spirit, but rather they are emboldened and made available.
Pedantic religionists call their literal theories the "inspired" word of God, and yet they have little or no understanding as to Divine inspiration or how it comes in its various forms and "diverse manners", because they have not studied the mechanics of mediumship; ironically, their own pedantry prohibits this - and therefore nothing that is written in the Holy Book can possibly be wrong "because God inspired it". If it is suggested that the Bible, although inspired by God, can have fault, the pedants assume that one is saying that the Bible is not inspired by God. They think one is saying that the Bible did not come from God, but really what one is saying is that the Bible came from God but the mind of man got in the way in a number of places.
Literalists may claim: "You just want an easy way. The word of God speaks the Truth and you do not like some of it so you say its wrong." Well, there could be nothing easier in the world than not having to utilise the thinking and reasoning powers, or the emotions of sympathy and compassion, or finding the desire to ask, knock and seek until the answer is given when the door is opened and the next stage of the quest is reached. It is easier not to have to do all of that, and just accept anything that is given and call it perfect because it is "God's word", even if it holds errors such as the immorality of a God who can only save a small number of souls from a torture which is everlasting. It is the Literalists who are taking the easy way out.
"Cursed" For "Adding" To Scripture?
A common misconception of the Fundamentalists is that the revelation by the Holy Spirit as shown through the gifts of Spirit Communion, is in fact "adding" to the Bible. This, they assume, contravenes John's injunction that a "curse" should fall upon the one who should add or take away anything from the "book". But these people need to consider a few things first before they dismiss God's revealed Truth through His Holy Spirit so quickly.
To begin with, when John wrote those words, the New Testament as we know it today was not in existence. John wrote those words in the first century, but the books which compose the New Testament almost as it stands today, were put in that form in A.D. 400, by a council of Christian Bishops, presided over by Augustine (who brought his Africo-Latin heathen-based influence to Greek-Christian doctrine). These people accepted and rejected scripts and narratives which were to form the Canon (even the Epistles, 2 Peter, and James, and the book of Revelation were placed outside the Canon at this time), and finally an agreed version was authorized. Were these people "adding" or "taking away" from the "book" spoken of by John? If so, a "curse" is upon them according to the Fundamentalist viewpoint.
However, when John received his visions and underwent his spirit travels (many times he was taken by an angel on journeys in his spiritual body), he was only too aware of the importance of these Divine inspirations and realizations, and he was determined to preserve (as nearly as he was able) these revelations as they were given. The book which John referred to when he gave his warning, was not the Book which mankind on Earth today calls the Bible, but it was the book which he, John, had written himself which was composed of various scripts of revealed truths - truths revealed by the gifts of Spirit Communion to himself; truths revealed by spiritual trance, clairaudience, clairvoyance (internal visions and external visions), and spirit travel, among other "diverse manners" utilized by communicating spirits or messengers (Spirit Agency).
The overview is that Truth, Divine Truth, is limited by the limitations imposed upon it by the physical mind of man in the flesh with his dogmas, doctrines and theories - which he calls "Truth". The movement of the Holy Spirit is choked and suffocated by traditional thought as well as a somewhat misplaced self-satisfaction with what has been given out as absolute Truth by man throughout the generations.
Yes, of course, Truth is inherent in the Bible - it is all there. But for the sake of understanding, consider the following analogy: That all words are also to be found in the 26 letters of the English alphabet, and that all words are constructed from the 26 letters of the alphabet (the alphabet, in this analogy, being the core of truth). Explanation, learning and instruction are all necessary to unfold the truth contained within the letters of the alphabet. A certain development of knowledge of the alphabet comes at primary school, then again further progress is made at secondary level, and again the advancement of the revelation of the knowledge inherent in the letters of the alphabet is furthered during a literary degree, and so on.
And so it is where unlimited Divine Truth is concerned - yet please note that this is not dependent upon intellectual ability but rather purity of heart and the desire to seek Truth. The Bible contains spiritual teachings and illuminations, but their explanation and unfoldment come to each individual according to the stage of spiritual development to which he or she has attained in that particular aspect at that same time. One aspect can be more developed than another spiritual aspect in the same person.
Unfortunately, many have dogmatized what in essence cannot be captured by the physical mind in temporal existence, and such people refuse to depart from what they themselves have considered to be unalterable. They are satisfied with a teaching which is limited and even cruel in relation to unlimited Divine love.
The Sacred Record has within its pages unlimited Divine Truth, and the consciousness of humankind must be prepared and developed to receive the higher truths of spiritual revelation which are gradually unfolded by decree of the Master Christ, through His ordained gift of Communion through the power of the Holy Spirit - Spirit communication or Spirit-Return.
"It's Not What I Want But If It's In The Bible Then God Said It!"
If it is pointed out to the pedants that the influence of man has had an effect on the purity of the Bible, or if it is suggested to the pedants that souls can actually be redeemed from the hells through suffering and the operation of ministering spirits, then the statement may come from them: "we wish it was so, because we find the idea of an everlasting punishment horrific, but it is God's word, and therefore it is so; it is not what we want, but it is what God wants!" However, it is what they want.
What these Literalist religionists are doing here is merely stating what they want. They want to believe that the Bible was not influenced by the lesser mind of man through traditional thought, or in any way at all, when the words were written. They want to believe that there is nothing that could possibly effect God's word in the Bible which was not His intention. They want to believe that every single word written in the Bible is the direct thought of God and that these Divine thoughts have not been degraded in any way by the thoughts of the physical mind of man. They want to believe that the inspired word in the Bible is without error at all and spiritually perfect. They want to believe that the scribes responsible for writing the original scripts found it impossible to let their own human thoughts (which might not have been the perfect thoughts of God) to affect what was written.
Where there is a parable in the Bible and they have chosen to treat it in a literal way, it is because they want to believe that it is a literal teaching and not a figurative one; and conversely, where there is a clear reference to a commonly acknowledged attribute (such as compassion, forgiveness, etc.) they want to alter it to something else, so that to compassion is added vengeance; and the inability to forgive is added forgiveness (with regard to God's love), and so on. Also, when there is a figurative and spiritual signification insinuated in a sentence, they choose to take such a teaching as to be literal.
When the Literalist says: "I do not want anyone to go into everlasting punishment but that is the choice of the person", what the Literalist really means is that he or she wants to believe that their concept of God is capable of sending people He has knowingly created into everlasting punishment, and therefore they cannot accept that Christ sends His celestial messengers today to tell us that He is a loving God and that a child of His only suffers by opposing those evolutionary laws He brought into being for bringing His children into perfect perfection. The Literalist has the choice to believe in the God who sends His children into everlasting punishment, or he has the choice to believe in the God Who is able to redeem His children from the dark realms into which they have put themselves as a result of abusing of freewill But the Literalist wants to believe that he has no choice in the matter.
But just because that is what the Literalist wants to believe, it does not make what he believes so. The Bible is a Sacred Record, and it is God's inspired word, but when man in the flesh is the instrument for the reception of Divine inspiration, then sometimes the mind of man comes through and the message of the Spirit is affected accordingly. And the same is true of interpretation i.e. if something is meant to be taken figuratively by God, the human mind comes through and interprets it literally.
"Don't You Think God Could Get The Bible Right!"
In attempting to justify the awful characteristics and extremely limited concept of redemption which the Fundamentalist holds to be true with regard to God, he, the pedantic religionist, often poses the question: 'If God meant man to have a Bible, then don't you think that He would make sure that it was perfect?' However, the questioner errs because he does not perceive the correct functioning or working of the Divine and universal laws which govern man and creation.
The Literalist does not realize the true meaning of the abuse of freewill and how over the long aeons God does not interfere with that freewill which He has bestowed upon His children for ever. The very reason the innocent suffer along with the guilty is because man has abused the laws of Life from the beginning, and man is here at this stage on the earth to gain experience through the priceless lessons which the earth-life has to offer the aspiring soul. God did not force man to oppose His laws, and yet He redeems His fallen children. Thus His children must participate in their own redemption on their long journey back to God. And so it is that His Will is passed down through the conditions by His many spiritual servants, and it is man on earth who must make the effort to understand those Divine laws and utilize them. Man is responsible for his own progression. And although God's Will is perfect, man has been responsible for the transcription of those many spiritual facts, lessons, opinions and events which are found in the Holy Book known as the Bible.
Man has played his part, and, moreover, man must play his part. The pedant does not realize that it is part of God's Scheme for the redemption of His fallen children, that they are to play an active part in their own spiritual evolution - they must 'work it in' themselves by and through the grace of God. It is not the case that because God wanted a Holy Book written then it must be infallible, no, but rather it is the case that God works through the hands and minds of men at the earth stage in order to guide, comfort and enlighten man. Thus, if the lesser self of man has materialised at some points in the Bible, then it is man's doing and not God's. Man's freewill is not interfered with by the One Lord God Almighty Who is the Bestower of spiritual gifts. God uses man for His purpose, and although Christ is ever with each one of His creation urging them on, if man falls short of the ideal then there shall be man's imperfect imprint upon life; and this principle applies to the words chronicled in the Sacred Record.
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