Difference between revisions of "Quotes About Religion"

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[[File:Religious_symbols.png|right]]
 
  
 
"Your religion now cannot be a religion of one world alone or for one people alone. It will have to be a [[the Greater Community|Greater Community]] religion - God of the Universe, a spirituality of the Universe."
 
"Your religion now cannot be a religion of one world alone or for one people alone. It will have to be a [[the Greater Community|Greater Community]] religion - God of the Universe, a spirituality of the Universe."
−
<ref name="tng">The New God (February 12, 2009)</ref>
+
<ref name="tng">''The One God'', Chapter 2: [http://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/one-god/new-god-revelation The New God Revelation]</ref>
  
 
“Do not think that religion in this world is a big mistake. It is actually the only thing that humanity has to offer [[the Greater Community]] at this point.”
 
“Do not think that religion in this world is a big mistake. It is actually the only thing that humanity has to offer [[the Greater Community]] at this point.”
−
<ref>The Great Love (November 23, 2007)</ref>
+
<ref>[https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/other-revelations/the-great-love The Great Love] (November 23, 2007)</ref>
  
−
"All religions were initiated by [[God]] and then corrupted by people."<ref>March 18, 2007</ref>
+
"All the religions have been initiated by God and changed by man."<ref>''The Pure Religion'': [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/pure-religion/religious-fundamentalism Religious Fundamentalism]</ref>
 +
 
 +
"Knowledge is what created all the world’s religions, and Knowledge is what unites them still, despite all of the separation and conflict that exist between them. For these are a human invention and not a Divine invention." <ref>''The One God'', Chapter 1: [http://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/one-god/comprehending-god Comprehending God]</ref>
 +
 +
==Directives==
 +
 
 +
[[File:Religious_symbols.png|right]]
 +
 
 +
"This message is destined to reach people who have a greater spiritual affinity. Therefore, it is necessary that we elaborate on this subject. We advocate a spirituality that is taught in the Greater Community, not the spirituality that is governed by nations, governments or political alliances, but a natural spirituality - the ability to know, to see and to act."<ref>''The Allies of Humanity Book One'', First Briefing: [https://www.alliesofhumanity.org/the-briefings/book-one/alien-races-earth/ The Extraterrestrial Presence in the World Today]</ref>
  
 
==Many Pathways of Redemption ==
 
==Many Pathways of Redemption ==
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humanity should never assume God’s will or proclaim that
 
humanity should never assume God’s will or proclaim that
 
their religion alone is the only religion. For God has created
 
their religion alone is the only religion. For God has created
−
many pathways of redemption." <ref>''[[The Great Waves of Change]]'', Chapter 13: A New Message of Hope</ref>
+
many pathways of redemption." <ref>''The Great Waves of Change'', Chapter 13: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-4/great-waves-change/a-new-message-of-hope A New Message of Hope]</ref>
 +
 
 +
“Thinking that your religion is the one true religion will stand in the way of your redemption. Condemning other nations, peoples and religions will prevent you from receiving this redemption. Being self-righteous and the defender of your faith will blind you, and you will turn your back to God.”<ref name="tng"/>
 +
 
 +
"You must learn to climb up the other side, using the ladders that God has dropped down. And God has dropped down more than one ladder because God knows that not everyone will follow one ladder alone. God knows that not everyone will follow one Teaching or Teacher alone. And God knows that every great Revelation brought to the world will be corrupted by people over time, and so there must be further Revelations to bring clarification and correction to all the errors that humanity has made with the previous Revelations." <ref>''The One God'', Chapter 12: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/one-god/the-heart-of-god The Heart of God]</ref>
  
 
==Reformation of Religion==
 
==Reformation of Religion==
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<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTRXFCGrAUU&feature=share&t=41m6s The Mission of the Messenger (beginning at 46:00)]</ref>
 
<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTRXFCGrAUU&feature=share&t=41m6s The Mission of the Messenger (beginning at 46:00)]</ref>
  
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[[File:greater-than-religion-400px.jpg|left]]
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"Religion is not going to the church or the mosque or the temple or the holy site and going through the motions of what religious authorities have established as practice and custom. It is not forcing yourself to believe things that you hardly understand. That is not religion. Religion is the great engagement within you, between your thinking mind and the deeper mind of Knowledge within yourself."<ref>[http://www.newmessage.org/new-message-impoverished-oppressed The New Message for the Impoverished and Oppressed] (April 18, 2008]</ref>
 +
 
 +
“Here you must realize that God has initiated all the world’s religions, and they have all been changed by people, even radically changed. To correct the errors of the past, to renew the true faith and to bring forth the great truth of the ancient religions in their pure form, God has sent a New Revelation into the world, not to replace the religions of the world, but to clarify them and to give them new strength and power and a greater unity with one another."<ref name="tng"/>
 +
 
 +
[[File:greater-than-religion.jpg|left]]
  
 
== The lifeblood of religion ==
 
== The lifeblood of religion ==
  
 
"Keeping religion alive in the world, despite its errors, took tremendous giving. You see, religion dies the minute after it is born. It is something that spoils very quickly and must be reborn every minute. If it is allowed to die, it becomes merely another thought system, a constraint now and not an apparatus for freedom. It must be renewed. What renews religion in the world is [[Knowledge]], this quality of giving where individuals render their lives naturally. They infuse so much life into the idea of [[God]] that God comes alive. Without this infusion, God is dead. When people say, 'God is dead,' they say that because God has become merely an idea. The life of God is dissipated. Then someone comes along and gives his or her life and that is God. And you say, 'Oh, my. That is God!'"
 
"Keeping religion alive in the world, despite its errors, took tremendous giving. You see, religion dies the minute after it is born. It is something that spoils very quickly and must be reborn every minute. If it is allowed to die, it becomes merely another thought system, a constraint now and not an apparatus for freedom. It must be renewed. What renews religion in the world is [[Knowledge]], this quality of giving where individuals render their lives naturally. They infuse so much life into the idea of [[God]] that God comes alive. Without this infusion, God is dead. When people say, 'God is dead,' they say that because God has become merely an idea. The life of God is dissipated. Then someone comes along and gives his or her life and that is God. And you say, 'Oh, my. That is God!'"
−
<ref>''[[Wisdom from the Greater Community]] Volume One'', Chapter 16: [http://www.newmessage.org/wisdom-from-the-greater-community-volume-1-chapter-16-giving-ii Giving II]</ref>
+
<ref>''Wisdom from the Greater Community Volume I'', Chapter 16: [http://www.newmessage.org/wisdom-from-the-greater-community-volume-1-chapter-16-giving-ii Giving II]</ref>
  
 
“The Way of [[Knowledge]], which is at the heart of all the world’s religions, must become its essential teaching, instead of a focus for clerics and monastics and exceptional individuals only. This is the challenge before you, or religion will be part of the problem for humanity and not its essential means of reconciliation, inspiration and a high ethical awareness. Let this be your understanding.”
 
“The Way of [[Knowledge]], which is at the heart of all the world’s religions, must become its essential teaching, instead of a focus for clerics and monastics and exceptional individuals only. This is the challenge before you, or religion will be part of the problem for humanity and not its essential means of reconciliation, inspiration and a high ethical awareness. Let this be your understanding.”
−
<ref name="rel">The New Message on Religion (July 20, 2009)</ref>
+
<ref name="rel">[https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/other-revelations/the-new-message-on-religion The New Message on Religion] (July 20, 2009)</ref>
  
 
“God does not need your belief. God does not need your worship. God does not need to be celebrated. God needs to be followed. You follow God most profoundly, most purely, not by believing in the edicts of religion necessarily, but by building your connection to [[Knowledge]]. If religion is functioning correctly, it is helping you to build a bridge to [[Knowledge]], to your own conscience and to live responsibly, ethically and beneficially, both for yourself and for others.”
 
“God does not need your belief. God does not need your worship. God does not need to be celebrated. God needs to be followed. You follow God most profoundly, most purely, not by believing in the edicts of religion necessarily, but by building your connection to [[Knowledge]]. If religion is functioning correctly, it is helping you to build a bridge to [[Knowledge]], to your own conscience and to live responsibly, ethically and beneficially, both for yourself and for others.”
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“Whether you are religious or not, whether you believe in a religious teaching and adhere to that teaching, or whether you claim to have no religious affiliation, your progress is entirely dependent upon your connection to [[Knowledge]].”
 
“Whether you are religious or not, whether you believe in a religious teaching and adhere to that teaching, or whether you claim to have no religious affiliation, your progress is entirely dependent upon your connection to [[Knowledge]].”
−
<ref>God, Knowledge and the [[Angelic Presence]], (September 17, 2008)</ref>
+
<ref>''The One God'', Chapter 9: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/one-god/god-knowledge-and-the-angelic-presence God, Knowledge and the Angelic Presence]</ref>
  
 
“The deeper recognition happens beyond the realm of the intellect. You may create ideas and evaluations of these experiences to your benefit, perhaps, but the experience itself is happening at a deeper level. It is getting to this deeper level that represents the focus of religion and spiritual practice in all of its forms.”
 
“The deeper recognition happens beyond the realm of the intellect. You may create ideas and evaluations of these experiences to your benefit, perhaps, but the experience itself is happening at a deeper level. It is getting to this deeper level that represents the focus of religion and spiritual practice in all of its forms.”
−
<ref name="katlob">Knowledge and the Limits of Belief (November 3, 2008)</ref>
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<ref name="katlob">''The Power of Knowledge'', Chapter 9: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/power-of-knowledge/ideas-beliefs-god Knowledge and the Limits of Belief]</ref>
  
 
"God has planted [[Knowledge]] within every person as the seed and source of their redemption. Redemption will not occur because you believe in a great saint or a great Messenger. Redemption will not even occur if you believe in God or practice a religion faithfully, for you are still lost in the mind, the worldly mind. Your attempt at religion is an escape from the world, a desperate attempt to have purpose and [[meaning]] in your life that transcends the hard realities that you see all around you."
 
"God has planted [[Knowledge]] within every person as the seed and source of their redemption. Redemption will not occur because you believe in a great saint or a great Messenger. Redemption will not even occur if you believe in God or practice a religion faithfully, for you are still lost in the mind, the worldly mind. Your attempt at religion is an escape from the world, a desperate attempt to have purpose and [[meaning]] in your life that transcends the hard realities that you see all around you."
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"There is a great difference between the manifestation of religion—and all of its great edifices and
 
"There is a great difference between the manifestation of religion—and all of its great edifices and
 
pronouncements, its admonitions, its ideology, its cosmology, its theology—and the Mystery that lives within each
 
pronouncements, its admonitions, its ideology, its cosmology, its theology—and the Mystery that lives within each
−
person, waiting to be discovered." <ref name="gacwh">God's Ancient Covenant with Humanity (September 20, 2011)</ref>
+
person, waiting to be discovered." <ref name="gacwh">''The Pure Religion'': [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/pure-religion/gods-ancient-covenant-with-humanity God's Ancient Covenant with Humanity]</ref>
  
 
==Quotes About the True Purpose of Religion==
 
==Quotes About the True Purpose of Religion==
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==Quotes About the Abuse of Religion==
 
==Quotes About the Abuse of Religion==
  
−
"It does not matter that the theologians came and constructed wonderful
+
*''see [[Abuse of Religion|here]]
−
belief systems for their own survival. It does not matter that the
 
−
thought system that was a result of that giving calcified and became a
 
−
restraint for people.That always happens.When Knowledge disappears,
 
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thought begins.When people can’t know, they invent things to give themselves
 
−
temporary stability to allay their own anxiety."
 
−
<ref>''[[Wisdom from the Greater Community]] Volume One'', Chapter 15:[http://www.newmessage.org/wisdom-from-the-greater-community-volume-1-chapter-15-giving-i Giving I]</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
"It is as if the unreligious have taken over the business of religion for their own purposes. Never having realized its essential purpose and meaning, they have turned it into something else. It is like now a political party, and of course religion has political aims as well.
 
−
This is so far apart from God’s initial impulse and intention for religion—to keep [[Knowledge]] alive in the world, to teach The Way of Knowledge, to encourage human responsibility and ethical behavior, not simply as a prescript or as a requirement for admission into [[Heaven]] or some other exalted future state."<ref name="rel"/>
 
−
 
 
−
“Religious tyranny will become very evident in the world in the years to come. This is the result of people holding to an absolute idea in a relative reality. It will breed violence and [[hatred]]—everything that is counterproductive.”
 
−
<ref>''[[Wisdom from the Greater Community]] Volume One'', Chapter 9: Spiritual Truths</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
“So you have a world that is religious, but knows not of religion. You have a world where religious institutions and their advocates clash and compete with one another, not realizing that the Source of their faith is the same. They will have people demanding and expecting adherence to ideas and beliefs and admonitions, but who themselves have never received the real initiation into the mystery and the power of the Presence.”<ref name="rel"/>
 
−
 
 
−
“Religion has become concrete. It has become political. It has become an economic and social power that seeks to preserve its status and its power at whatever cost. So those who are truly responding to religion’s true purpose now find themselves in exile, now find themselves heretics and visionaries, following the Mystery—a Mystery that has been lost to so many in the religious orders and institutions. It is as if religion has become the enemy of what religion is really for. It is now the religion of the state, religion of tradition, religion of history, religion of fixed ideas, fixed beliefs and exclusive claims of [[authority]]. So far this is from the desire and intent of the Creator to keep Knowledge alive in the world.”<ref name="rel"/>
 
−
 
 
−
"Religion has become a palliative. It has become a distraction more than an illumination. It has become something that people [use to] run away from the world to seek comfort and consolation instead of a preparation to engage in the world in a greater and more profound way." <ref name="twoh">The Will of Heaven (May 17, 2011)</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
"When people say, 'The last thing the world needs is a [[Is this a new religion?|new religion]]!' you may say, 'What the world needs is a New Revelation, a clarification, a pure message unclouded by human interpretation and human error. Humanity needs a greater inspiration and a greater strength, and that is why the New Message is here.'"<ref>Dealing with Resistance and Hostility to the New Message (May 5, 2011)</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
"Those who would take up the sword in the name of God or for political advantage will have
 
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failed their mission and calling in life, and they will lead others to failure as well. Within this
 
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failure, there will be no peace and no resolution, for they will have denied the Knowledge of God
 
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within themselves. They will have denied the Plan of the Creator for humanity. They will have
 
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turned themselves against the greater wisdom that God has placed within them and within all
 
−
hearts. They will have, through ignorance and arrogance and vanity, destroyed their great
 
−
opportunity to make a real contribution to their people, to their nation and to the world."<ref>The Fate of Nations and Peoples (April 17, 2007)</ref>
 
  
 
==The end of provincial religion==
 
==The end of provincial religion==
−
 
−
"How can you have a personal religion, like you have in the world, without God being localized? In the Greater Community, then, God is Knowledge."
 
−
<ref>''[[Greater Community Spirituality]]'', Chapter 15: Who serves humanity?</ref>
 
  
 
"You cannot claim your religion is the only religion or the great religion or the last religion or the final religion, for this is to claim that you know God’s Plan and Purpose now and into the future, and no one on Earth, no one in the physical universe, can make such a claim."
 
"You cannot claim your religion is the only religion or the great religion or the last religion or the final religion, for this is to claim that you know God’s Plan and Purpose now and into the future, and no one on Earth, no one in the physical universe, can make such a claim."
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<ref>The Burden of the Messenger (April 5, 2011)</ref>
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<ref>[https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/other-revelations/burden-of-the-messenger The Burden of the Messenger] (April 5, 2011)</ref>
  
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"The theologies and philosophies upon which each religion is built must be adaptable and responsive to a growing panorama of life and to a changing set of circumstances that represent the evolution of a race."<ref>''[[Greater Community Spirituality]]'', Chapter 27: What is the evolution of religion in the world?</ref>
+
"The theologies and philosophies upon which each religion is built must be adaptable and responsive to a growing panorama of life and to a changing set of circumstances that represent the evolution of a race."<ref>''Greater Community Spirituality'', Chapter 27: [http://www.newmessage.org/greater-community-spirituality-chapter-27-what-is-the-evolution-of-religion-in-the-world What is the evolution of religion in the world?]</ref>
  
 
[[File:minarets.jpg|left|Minarets]]
 
[[File:minarets.jpg|left|Minarets]]
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==Lifespans of Religions==
 
==Lifespans of Religions==
  
−
"Old religions will have to expand and adapt or they will die out." <ref>''[[Greater Community Spirituality]]'', Chapter 18: What is human destiny?</ref>
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"Old religions will have to expand and adapt or they will die out." <ref>''Greater Community Spirituality'', Chapter 18: [http://www.newmessage.org/greater-community-spirituality-chapter-18-what-is-human-destiny What is human destiny?]</ref>
  
 
"Religions have life spans. This is true throughout the Greater Community. Religions have life
 
"Religions have life spans. This is true throughout the Greater Community. Religions have life
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age where they die off. Out of their old age a new impetus, a new meaning and a new message can be
 
age where they die off. Out of their old age a new impetus, a new meaning and a new message can be
 
given to restore and to renew the race’s spiritual vitality and to give this vitality an immediate
 
given to restore and to renew the race’s spiritual vitality and to give this vitality an immediate
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relevancy to life as it is expanding and developing."<ref>''[[Greater Community Spirituality]]'', Chapter 26: Who is Jesus?</ref>
+
relevancy to life as it is expanding and developing."<ref>''Greater Community Spirituality'', Chapter 26: [http://www.newmessage.org/greater-community-spirituality-chapter-26-who-is-jesus Who is Jesus?]</ref>
  
 
==Religious leadership and education==
 
==Religious leadership and education==
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"What essentially is the role of religious leaders in nearly all situations is to be providers and maintainers." <ref name="taow">The Age of Women (November 14, 2007)</ref>
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"What essentially is the role of religious leaders in nearly all situations is to be providers and maintainers." <ref name="taow">[https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/other-revelations/the-age-of-women The Age of Women] (November 14, 2007)</ref>
  
 
"Even amongst the religious, there are few who know the power and presence
 
"Even amongst the religious, there are few who know the power and presence
 
that God has placed within them, and that is why the saints and the mystics throughout time have
 
that God has placed within them, and that is why the saints and the mystics throughout time have
 
been persecuted by the clerics—those who are people of the word and the law, but not people of
 
been persecuted by the clerics—those who are people of the word and the law, but not people of
−
the Spirit and the Mystery." <ref>[http://www.newmessage.org/gods-plan God's Plan to Save Everyone]</ref>
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the Spirit and the Mystery." <ref>[http://www.newmessage.org/gods-plan God's Plan to Save Everyone] (October 14, 2014)</ref>
−
 
 
−
[[File:Religion-alive.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Religion & Spirituality is a sign of great promise in the Greater Community]]
 
−
 
 
−
== Quotes About World Religions==
 
−
 
 
−
"The old religions, if they are held in contempt of one another, have really become obsolete and will become increasingly so in the future. Now you must see Jesus within [[the Greater Community]] and [[Muhammad]] and the [[Buddha]] and all the great saints and emissaries in a larger context, in a greater series of Revelations..." <ref name="tng"/>
 
−
 
 
−
"Many will find their purpose in the traditions of the world, for there is much wisdom and value there. However, many will not find their purpose there because their preparation has to do with the future specifically, and they must learn a new way. They must receive a new testament, and they must prepare for a new experience."  <ref>''[[ Greater Community Spirituality]]'', Chapter 20: What is religious education and who is it for? </ref>
 
−
 
 
−
"All the religions, though they compete with one another, though they demean one another, and though they may proclaim that they themselves are the one true faith, have in fact and in reality been initiated by God. God has given rise to them all. Like many rivers flowing into the sea, they are meant to nourish all the lands and all the peoples of the world. Only one who is truly mature in their own faith can see this. Otherwise, they feel they must defend their faith against other faiths, setting in motion competition, denial, criticism, hatred and mistrust. Certainly this has happened in all cases. But the truth remains that God created all the religions. And they are all meant to serve in bringing the Divine presence, will and purpose into the minds and the hearts of people everywhere—in different cultures, in different climates, to people with very different social patterns and behaviors in all the eras of history." <ref name="nmrlw">The New Message for the Religious Leaders of the World (May 27, 2006)</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
"All the religious traditions of the world ... have a contribution to make. They are all important. One is not greater than another. To think like this is not to understand the Will of Heaven, for it is only a united humanity that will be able to contend with the challenges of living in a new world and with the greater challenges of preserving your freedom and sovereignty amidst the presence of greater forces in the universe."<ref name="twoh"/>
 
−
 
 
−
"There are many people in the world today who know they must prepare for something, who feel called to a greater participation, who have a sense that their life is more important than the mundane activities of the day. Some will not find their way in the religious traditions of the world because they are being prepared and called for something new in the world. They are more connected to the future than the past, and the future is calling them and pulling them forward." <ref>The Gift of a New Life (May 14, 2011)</ref>
 
  
 
==Quotes About Religion and the Intervention==
 
==Quotes About Religion and the Intervention==
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Here you have an advantage because even the ancient pathways of religion offer the experience of Knowledge. Perhaps this is not emphasized. Perhaps this is not specified in the Teachings, but the individual is encouraged to have a relationship with the Divine and to be responsive to the Divine in most situations." <ref>Group Mind (March 18, 2011)</ref>
 
Here you have an advantage because even the ancient pathways of religion offer the experience of Knowledge. Perhaps this is not emphasized. Perhaps this is not specified in the Teachings, but the individual is encouraged to have a relationship with the Divine and to be responsive to the Divine in most situations." <ref>Group Mind (March 18, 2011)</ref>
  
−
"Having no religion of their own, [the Intervention] will use yours to engender their own values."<ref>''[[The Allies of Humanity]] Book One'', Fourth Briefing: Manipulation of Religious Traditions and Beliefs</ref>
+
"Having no religion of their own, [the Intervention] will use yours to engender their own values."<ref>''The Allies of Humanity Book One'', Fourth Briefing: [https://www.alliesofhumanity.org/the-briefings/book-one/false-second-coming/ Manipulation of Religious Traditions and Beliefs]</ref>
  
 
==Religion and the Greater Community==
 
==Religion and the Greater Community==
  
−
"This message is destined to reach people who have a greater spiritual affinity. Therefore, it is necessary that we elaborate on this subject. We advocate a spirituality that is taught in the Greater Community, not the spirituality that is governed by nations, governments or political alliances, but a natural spirituality - the ability to know, to see and to act."<ref>''[[The Allies of Humanity]] Book One'', First Briefing: The Extraterrestrial Presence in the World Today</ref>
+
"How can you have a personal religion, like you have in the world, without God being localized? In the Greater Community, then, God is Knowledge."
−
 
+
<ref>''Greater Community Spirituality'', Chapter 15: [http://www.newmessage.org/greater-community-spirituality-chapter-15-serves-humanity Who serves humanity?]</ref>
−
“Thinking that your religion is the one true religion will stand in the way of your redemption. Condemning other nations, peoples and religions will prevent you from receiving this redemption. Being self-righteous and the defender of your faith will blind you, and you will turn your back to God.”<ref name="tng">The New God (February 12, 2009)</ref>
 
  
−
"God does not care what religion you belong to. God is not attached to the theology of any religion, for in the universe there are countless religions. God will respond to the turning of your life, to the opening of your heart, to the emerging need of the soul, the deepest need you have, which is the need to fulfill your purpose as the means of reconciliation".<ref>The Reconciliation (May 2, 2011)</ref>
+
"You see, religion and spirituality are different. Spirituality is the essence and the substance.
 +
Religion is the method and the means. In the Greater Community, because of the diversity of life, there
 +
is never just one way."<ref>''Greater Community Spirituality'', Chapter 19: [http://www.newmessage.org/greater-community-spirituality-chapter-19-what-is-religion What is Religion?]</ref>
  
−
“Here you must realize that God has initiated all the world’s religions, and they have all been changed by people, even radically changed. To correct the errors of the past, to renew the true faith and to bring forth the great truth of the ancient religions in their pure form, God has sent a New Revelation into the world, not to replace the religions of the world, but to clarify them and to give them new strength and power and a greater unity with one another.<ref name="tng"/>  
+
"God does not care what religion you belong to. God is not attached to the theology of any religion, for in the universe there are countless religions. God will respond to the turning of your life, to the opening of your heart, to the emerging need of the soul, the deepest need you have, which is the need to fulfill your purpose as the means of reconciliation".<ref>''The Power of Knowledge'', Chapter 7: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/power-of-knowledge/the-reconciliation  The Reconciliation]</ref>
  
−
"Here a Christian must become a Christian with a Greater Community awareness. A Muslim becomes a Muslim with a Greater Community awareness. A Buddhist and a Jew gain a greater panorama of life to which their religious teachings must become relevant. If religion in the world is to educate and to enlighten, it must have this greater capacity and awareness."<ref>Entering the Greater Community (May 27, 2011)</ref>
+
"Here a Christian must become a Christian with a Greater Community awareness. A Muslim becomes a Muslim with a Greater Community awareness. A Buddhist and a Jew gain a greater panorama of life to which their religious teachings must become relevant. If religion in the world is to educate and to enlighten, it must have this greater capacity and awareness."<ref>''The Greater Community'', Chapter 4: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/greater-community/human-unity Entering the Greater Community (May 27, 2011)]</ref>
  
−
"The free nations in this part of the universe seek to promote freedom wherever they can. They view your world as showing great promise because spirituality and religion have not been destroyed or forgotten here. They see that the power of Knowledge, the greater spiritual power, is still alive in individuals, despite humanity’s grave mistakes and foolish activities." <ref>''[[The Allies of Humanity]], Book Three'': Who are the Allies of Humanity?</ref>
+
"The free nations in this part of the universe seek to promote freedom wherever they can. They view your world as showing great promise because spirituality and religion have not been destroyed or forgotten here. They see that the power of Knowledge, the greater spiritual power, is still alive in individuals, despite humanity’s grave mistakes and foolish activities." <ref>''The Allies of Humanity Book Three'': [http://alliesofhumanity.org/who-are-the-allies-of-humanity/ Who are the Allies of Humanity?]</ref>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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[[Is this a new religion?]]
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[[The world's religions]]
 
[[The world's religions]]
  
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[[Evolution of religion]]
 
[[Evolution of religion]]
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==Further Study==
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*''Greater Community Spirituality'', Chapter 19: [http://www.newmessage.org/greater-community-spirituality-chapter-19-what-is-religion What is Religion?]
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*''The Pure Religion'', Chapter 1: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/pure-religion/the-pure-religion The Pure Religion]
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*''The Pure Religion'', Chapter 9: [https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-1/pure-religion/heaven-and-hell Heaven and Hell]
  
 
[[category:god]]
 
[[category:god]]
  
 
[[category:practice]]
 
[[category:practice]]

Latest revision as of 21:14, 5 March 2021

"Your religion now cannot be a religion of one world alone or for one people alone. It will have to be a Greater Community religion - God of the Universe, a spirituality of the Universe." [1]

“Do not think that religion in this world is a big mistake. It is actually the only thing that humanity has to offer the Greater Community at this point.” [2]

"All the religions have been initiated by God and changed by man."[3]

"Knowledge is what created all the world’s religions, and Knowledge is what unites them still, despite all of the separation and conflict that exist between them. For these are a human invention and not a Divine invention." [4]

Directives

Religious symbols.png

"This message is destined to reach people who have a greater spiritual affinity. Therefore, it is necessary that we elaborate on this subject. We advocate a spirituality that is taught in the Greater Community, not the spirituality that is governed by nations, governments or political alliances, but a natural spirituality - the ability to know, to see and to act."[5]

Many Pathways of Redemption

"The New Message has been sent to teach that all the religions were initiated by God, that all religions were changed by people, that God has created many pathways of redemption to meet the different needs and temperaments of people living at different times and in different cultures and that humanity should never assume God’s will or proclaim that their religion alone is the only religion. For God has created many pathways of redemption." [6]

“Thinking that your religion is the one true religion will stand in the way of your redemption. Condemning other nations, peoples and religions will prevent you from receiving this redemption. Being self-righteous and the defender of your faith will blind you, and you will turn your back to God.”[1]

"You must learn to climb up the other side, using the ladders that God has dropped down. And God has dropped down more than one ladder because God knows that not everyone will follow one ladder alone. God knows that not everyone will follow one Teaching or Teacher alone. And God knows that every great Revelation brought to the world will be corrupted by people over time, and so there must be further Revelations to bring clarification and correction to all the errors that humanity has made with the previous Revelations." [7]

Reformation of Religion

"The New Message from God transcends ideology. This transcends the controversies regarding these things because this is a new message from God for the redemption and preparation of the whole world for a reality and a future that will be very different from the past. Only God can provide such a thing, for even at this moment religions are divided even within themselves. They are contentions, unable to address adequately the great, rising global problems that will overtake humanity in the future if it is unprepared. Arguing over who has the best religion or the most astounding founder can only harm humanity now. It is divisive and exclusive to do this. It adds to the dilemma and the fracturing of the human family. God knows better and the one chosen to bring the Revelation is the perfect one." [8]

"Religion is not going to the church or the mosque or the temple or the holy site and going through the motions of what religious authorities have established as practice and custom. It is not forcing yourself to believe things that you hardly understand. That is not religion. Religion is the great engagement within you, between your thinking mind and the deeper mind of Knowledge within yourself."[9]

“Here you must realize that God has initiated all the world’s religions, and they have all been changed by people, even radically changed. To correct the errors of the past, to renew the true faith and to bring forth the great truth of the ancient religions in their pure form, God has sent a New Revelation into the world, not to replace the religions of the world, but to clarify them and to give them new strength and power and a greater unity with one another."[1]

Greater-than-religion.jpg

The lifeblood of religion

"Keeping religion alive in the world, despite its errors, took tremendous giving. You see, religion dies the minute after it is born. It is something that spoils very quickly and must be reborn every minute. If it is allowed to die, it becomes merely another thought system, a constraint now and not an apparatus for freedom. It must be renewed. What renews religion in the world is Knowledge, this quality of giving where individuals render their lives naturally. They infuse so much life into the idea of God that God comes alive. Without this infusion, God is dead. When people say, 'God is dead,' they say that because God has become merely an idea. The life of God is dissipated. Then someone comes along and gives his or her life and that is God. And you say, 'Oh, my. That is God!'" [10]

“The Way of Knowledge, which is at the heart of all the world’s religions, must become its essential teaching, instead of a focus for clerics and monastics and exceptional individuals only. This is the challenge before you, or religion will be part of the problem for humanity and not its essential means of reconciliation, inspiration and a high ethical awareness. Let this be your understanding.” [11]

“God does not need your belief. God does not need your worship. God does not need to be celebrated. God needs to be followed. You follow God most profoundly, most purely, not by believing in the edicts of religion necessarily, but by building your connection to Knowledge. If religion is functioning correctly, it is helping you to build a bridge to Knowledge, to your own conscience and to live responsibly, ethically and beneficially, both for yourself and for others.” [12]

“Whether you are religious or not, whether you believe in a religious teaching and adhere to that teaching, or whether you claim to have no religious affiliation, your progress is entirely dependent upon your connection to Knowledge.” [13]

“The deeper recognition happens beyond the realm of the intellect. You may create ideas and evaluations of these experiences to your benefit, perhaps, but the experience itself is happening at a deeper level. It is getting to this deeper level that represents the focus of religion and spiritual practice in all of its forms.” [14]

"God has planted Knowledge within every person as the seed and source of their redemption. Redemption will not occur because you believe in a great saint or a great Messenger. Redemption will not even occur if you believe in God or practice a religion faithfully, for you are still lost in the mind, the worldly mind. Your attempt at religion is an escape from the world, a desperate attempt to have purpose and meaning in your life that transcends the hard realities that you see all around you." [15]

"There is a great difference between the manifestation of religion—and all of its great edifices and pronouncements, its admonitions, its ideology, its cosmology, its theology—and the Mystery that lives within each person, waiting to be discovered." [16]

Quotes About the True Purpose of Religion

Quotes About the Abuse of Religion

The end of provincial religion

"You cannot claim your religion is the only religion or the great religion or the last religion or the final religion, for this is to claim that you know God’s Plan and Purpose now and into the future, and no one on Earth, no one in the physical universe, can make such a claim." [17]

"The theologies and philosophies upon which each religion is built must be adaptable and responsive to a growing panorama of life and to a changing set of circumstances that represent the evolution of a race."[18]

Minarets

Lifespans of Religions

"Old religions will have to expand and adapt or they will die out." [19]

"Religions have life spans. This is true throughout the Greater Community. Religions have life spans because they serve eras of development. Then they are either replaced or they change and expand in order to adapt. If they cannot adapt, they will be replaced because the reality of life will make their teaching and their emphasis less and less relevant and meaningful. In the Greater Community, religions are initiated, they reach a maturity and then they enter old age where they die off. Out of their old age a new impetus, a new meaning and a new message can be given to restore and to renew the race’s spiritual vitality and to give this vitality an immediate relevancy to life as it is expanding and developing."[20]

Religious leadership and education

"What essentially is the role of religious leaders in nearly all situations is to be providers and maintainers." [21]

"Even amongst the religious, there are few who know the power and presence that God has placed within them, and that is why the saints and the mystics throughout time have been persecuted by the clerics—those who are people of the word and the law, but not people of the Spirit and the Mystery." [22]

Quotes About Religion and the Intervention

"This Group Mind process of course is being used throughout the world in leadership circles in government and religion and commerce, but rarely is Knowledge their guide, and rarely do they employ seers. Humanity just has not reached this level of sophistication yet. So regarding your position in the Greater Community, humanity is at a disadvantage here. Its strength, your strength, is that religion has been kept alive in the world. The recognition of God’s power and presence is honored and recognized by many, whereas in most nations in this region of space, religion has either become worship of the state or has disappeared altogether. Here you have an advantage because even the ancient pathways of religion offer the experience of Knowledge. Perhaps this is not emphasized. Perhaps this is not specified in the Teachings, but the individual is encouraged to have a relationship with the Divine and to be responsive to the Divine in most situations." [23]

"Having no religion of their own, [the Intervention] will use yours to engender their own values."[24]

Religion and the Greater Community

"How can you have a personal religion, like you have in the world, without God being localized? In the Greater Community, then, God is Knowledge." [25]

"You see, religion and spirituality are different. Spirituality is the essence and the substance. Religion is the method and the means. In the Greater Community, because of the diversity of life, there is never just one way."[26]

"God does not care what religion you belong to. God is not attached to the theology of any religion, for in the universe there are countless religions. God will respond to the turning of your life, to the opening of your heart, to the emerging need of the soul, the deepest need you have, which is the need to fulfill your purpose as the means of reconciliation".[27]

"Here a Christian must become a Christian with a Greater Community awareness. A Muslim becomes a Muslim with a Greater Community awareness. A Buddhist and a Jew gain a greater panorama of life to which their religious teachings must become relevant. If religion in the world is to educate and to enlighten, it must have this greater capacity and awareness."[28]

"The free nations in this part of the universe seek to promote freedom wherever they can. They view your world as showing great promise because spirituality and religion have not been destroyed or forgotten here. They see that the power of Knowledge, the greater spiritual power, is still alive in individuals, despite humanity’s grave mistakes and foolish activities." [29]

References

Greater Community Spirituality, the New Message book of theology.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The One God, Chapter 2: The New God Revelation
  2. ↑ The Great Love (November 23, 2007)
  3. ↑ The Pure Religion: Religious Fundamentalism
  4. ↑ The One God, Chapter 1: Comprehending God
  5. ↑ The Allies of Humanity Book One, First Briefing: The Extraterrestrial Presence in the World Today
  6. ↑ The Great Waves of Change, Chapter 13: A New Message of Hope
  7. ↑ The One God, Chapter 12: The Heart of God
  8. ↑ The Mission of the Messenger (beginning at 46:00)
  9. ↑ The New Message for the Impoverished and Oppressed (April 18, 2008]
  10. ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community Volume I, Chapter 16: Giving II
  11. ↑ The New Message on Religion (July 20, 2009)
  12. ↑ Preparing for the Future (September 5, 2007)
  13. ↑ The One God, Chapter 9: God, Knowledge and the Angelic Presence
  14. ↑ The Power of Knowledge, Chapter 9: Knowledge and the Limits of Belief
  15. ↑ Ending Separation (March 3, 2011)
  16. ↑ The Pure Religion: God's Ancient Covenant with Humanity
  17. ↑ The Burden of the Messenger (April 5, 2011)
  18. ↑ Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 27: What is the evolution of religion in the world?
  19. ↑ Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 18: What is human destiny?
  20. ↑ Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 26: Who is Jesus?
  21. ↑ The Age of Women (November 14, 2007)
  22. ↑ God's Plan to Save Everyone (October 14, 2014)
  23. ↑ Group Mind (March 18, 2011)
  24. ↑ The Allies of Humanity Book One, Fourth Briefing: Manipulation of Religious Traditions and Beliefs
  25. ↑ Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 15: Who serves humanity?
  26. ↑ Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 19: What is Religion?
  27. ↑ The Power of Knowledge, Chapter 7: The Reconciliation
  28. ↑ The Greater Community, Chapter 4: Entering the Greater Community (May 27, 2011)
  29. ↑ The Allies of Humanity Book Three: Who are the Allies of Humanity?

See also

Is this a new religion?

The world's religions

Separation of Church and State

The purpose of religion

Evolution of religion

Further Study

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