Can it be explained in earthly terms how the spirits of Light can establish direct communication with human beings, and how telepathic communication between humans can arise?

Radio transmission and reception best illustrate these forms of communication. Spirits of Light send messages, warnings and so on by transmitting their thoughts through the waves of the Light-ether to be intercepted by the psychic brain of humans. Just as “wave-lengths” are used in radio transmission on Earth, spirits of Light employ the longer or short wave-lengths in the Light-ether, attuning their thought-vibrations exactly to the ether waves that can be received by the psychic brain of the person they wish to reach.

Telepathic communication between humans is somewhat similar, the difference being that the thoughts sent forth by humans rarely reach the intended person, because the inner psychic brain structures of the sender and receiver are not attuned to each other. No directions will, of course, be given here as to how humans during life on Earth can attune the psychic brain exactly to that of another whom they wish to contact by the difficult means of telepathy. (Toward the Light, page 319: 2-3.)

Transmission and reception of thought via earthly radio is not possible. If some individuals appear to receive messages in this manner, the connection is not through radio. Rather, the psychic brain of the sender and that of the receiver correspond and happen at that moment to be attuned to the same “thought-wave.”

In this age of radio, no one familiar with how clear and sonorous radio communication can be should for a moment doubt the reality of “spiritual” (psychic) communication between the leaders of mankind—spirits of Light, the Youngest—and humans, especially since earthly radio stems from “spiritual radio”. It is merely an imitation, a faint reflection of the original. Nor should anyone doubt that “spiritual” communication can be pure and clear and unaffected by Darkness, as long as the psychic brains of sender and receiver respond to the same wave-lengths in the Light-ether. All inspiration and intuition belong to the area of “spiritual radio”, but the ether waves of both Darkness and Light can be employed by spirits of Darkness and by the spirits of Light respectively.

Why was the introductory work of producing Toward the Light based on spiritualism when spiritualism as a whole is not acknowledged under the divine laws?

The first occurrence of “occult” or spiritualistic phenomena in the earthly world originated with the Eldest, who sought by all means possible to gain dominion over the weaker, vulnerable human souls. Generation after generation has known and acknowledged such phenomena. There are accounts in ancient religious writings—and to a great extent in the Bible also—all defined as “occultism”, or the more modern “spiritualism.” Clearly, though, God has never in any way desired or sanctioned occurrences intended to be proof of transcendental intervention in the earthly world since the procedure for such proof had been given by the Eldest through the powers of Darkness.

Communication between God and humans, or between the spirits of Light and humans, has—ever since God endowed humanity with spiritual life—been based on inspiration and intuition, as well as on spontaneous thought-impulses and by spontaneous appearances by spirits of Light before human eyes.

In the 19th century, when interest in communicating with the hereafter rose again sharply, God weighed the possibility of establishing a more direct communication than in the past between spirits of Light and a few chosen humans, that He might thereby sooner redeem Ardor and the Earth-bound spirits. He could then also remove much of the Darkness reposing in the Earth’s astral surroundings. The basis for such a decision was that the spirit of the times had now matured to the extent that at least some thousands of human beings should be capable of understanding and appreciating the establishment of such a form of communication.

Before then, God’s course had been to incarnate from time to time a number of the Youngest to serve as founders of religions or as religious reformers. In this way, humans could be enlightened about the transcendental world and its laws and be led to a truer and a deeper understanding of the nature of God and of His relationship to mankind. But always the Eldest sought to lead the incarnated Youngest astray, to adulterate and distort the truths taught mankind by the Youngest. Moreover, since the Eldest during their incarnations appeared also as founders of new religious movements, or even outrightly denied the existence of God, their countering moves produced additional confusion in human religious conceptions of God, of the hereafter and of life on Earth. Numerous sects and creeds arose, whose adherents to this day oppose one another, all seeking to win others to their own postulates and dogmas. Yet even with all this disruption by the Eldest, the procedure originally laid down by God would in future—once the human spirits had grown more mature and rational—have led to the desired goal: a rejection of all existing Beliefs in favor of a true, a deep acknowledgment of God as the Creator and Father of the human spirit.

Because God seeks always to make the best of the evil onslaughts of Darkness, He now chose to attempt to oppose the Eldest with their own weapons—but by using the methods of the Light. He so chose because, among other reasons, it had been repeatedly demonstrated that it was impossible for the incarnated Youngest—surrounded by the Darkness on the Earth—to remember their pledge to their Father: to take pity on their oldest fallen brother while they lived on Earth, and to forgive him and to pray for him. As long as this pledge went unfulfilled, Ardor remained the Prince of the Earth and of mankind and any steps forward in a religious sense toward the cause of the Light could be but few and very small. God chose therefore to try the ”Shorter Road”,¹ the sooner to bring order to the religious chaos on Earth through a more direct, more comprehensive guidance, and at the same time to redeem Ardor. And God instructed¹ the eldest of the Youngest—Christ—as to how this could be accomplished.

In their discarnate state and thus not visible to human beings, those Youngest chosen for this work had to dwell on the astral plane of the Earth, amidst dense accumulations of Darkness and surrounded by Earth-bound spirits and the images and recordings of human sin and crime—an existence so dismal and enervating as to defy description. Earlier in human history God had avoided this method for the very reason that the existence the Youngest would have had to endure would have been so trying and full of horror, and because it could be employed only were the Youngest of their own accord to exert all their energy to overcome Darkness. But since the time had now arrived when the Youngest showed a deep and sincere desire to attain an effective and early solution to the problem of Ardor and the fallen Eldest, God knew that in all likelihood the difficult mission could finally succeed.

Since the spirits of Darkness were now to be opposed by their own weapons—occult and spiritualistic phenomena—it was essential also to employ humans on Earth who could serve as intermediaries between mankind and Christ and his helpers. To this end, God over time incarnated a number of the Youngest and certain highly advanced human spirits suited for this purpose.

The many disappointments and difficulties of the “Shorter Road” are described in Toward the Light, pages 98-100. Still, the goal was reached within the time allotted by God despite all the countering moves of the Eldest, but not before the discarnate Eldest and the discarnate Youngest had engaged in a long and bitter struggle.² For as the Youngest sought to influence the “mediums” to work for the cause of the Light, the Eldest tried at the same time, by every means, to obstruct these mediums and to draw them deeper into Darkness. Only too often did the Eldest succeed, and at such times Christ and his helpers were compelled to turn to other mediums. This back and forth, up and down struggle between the discarnate Eldest and Youngest also stimulated among the humans on Earth a steadily rising interest in occultism, spiritualism and psychic research.

When Christ and his helpers found finally a truly suitable intermediary, they were of course obliged to impart to their earthly helper full insight not only into the fallacies and falsehoods but also into the truths of spiritualism. Their co-worker was also made fully aware of the sinister influences to which individuals are exposed by spirits of Darkness when they submit to trances and physical manifestations (materializations). Not until this had been achieved, and all possibility thereby eliminated that the earthly intermediary might be brought under the direct influence of Darkness, could the actual task begin—that of delivering the Elder (Ardor) and the brothers and sisters who fell with him, as well as of inducing the Earth-bound spirits to depart the Earth’s stratum of their own accord. Besides showing the earthly co-worker the proper way of rendering her assistance, this procedure also made her aware of how mistaken the teachings of spiritualism were, and necessarily had to be. In this way, the spirits of Light were also enabled to strike a blow at the spiritualist movement, in order that—during the transference of Toward the Light—they could include a solemn warning to all involved with spiritualistic phenomena and enjoin them to cease such communications, forbidden under God’s laws.

When Christ and his helpers finally had achieved full victory over the Darkness, and thus reached the goal established for them by their Father, they all returned to their abodes. And from that moment none of the spirits of Light have participated in any spiritualistic séance in any way. The only connection so-called mediums now have with the spirits of Light is through their guardian spirit—their conscience—the same as any other humans. Any assertion by spiritualism to the contrary has not the slightest connection with the truth. Let this be emphatically repeated: such is the way it is, and not otherwise, for among the mediums of the spiritualists are many who have appointed themselves links between this world and that which they say is the world of Light. Their claim is untrue! Their messages and religious views are quite worthless. There is no further reason for the existence of spiritualism, and the sooner the spiritualists understand this and act accordingly, the better for themselves and for those they mislead.

Thus, the “Shorter Road” proved feasible. The goal has been reached and the struggle between the discarnate Eldest and Youngest is at an end—never again to resume!

Although spiritualism and its various forerunners³ are originally due to the influence of the Eldest on humanity, thus placing their roots in Darkness, such forms of transcendental communication have admittedly brought mankind certain benefits that should not be under-rated. Many have come thereby to realize that earthly life ends not when the body expires but continues beyond the grave, that human spirits must be incarnated time and again to be able finally to reach God’s Kingdom, that the spirits of Darkness have led humans astray in numerous ways, and that many psychic and physical powers exist whose use remains an enigma to humans because of lack of proper understanding. And since God permitted the Youngest for a time, and under the laws of the Light, to establish communication with certain humans chosen for the purpose, the following results have been achieved: Ardor—known as Satan—has returned to the Father, all future incarnations of the fallen Eldest have been brought under God’s leadership, all Earth-bound spirits have been removed from the Earth’s stratum, and all images in the ether that had reflected human sin and misdeed—recorded during the time the Earth-bound spirits lived as humans in the physical world—have been obliterated and can never reappear, because Ardor is no longer the Prince of Darkness.

Furthermore, mankind has been presented with Toward the Light and The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road ⁴ as visible results of the work of the Youngest. Much time must of course pass before mankind will be able to fully appreciate the worth of these gifts and benefits, even though many are already aware of their unique value. The time will come, however, when, with gratitude and understanding, human beings will recognize the work that has been done to make easier their journey toward the distant Home of the Father.

Many will perhaps object that by employing the aspects of Light that exist in spiritualism to reach their goal, the spirits of Light have themselves caused spiritualism to become as widespread as it is. The only answer to this is that it was done in accordance with the wish of God, in the manner indicated by Him and under His guidance, because God knew that maturing human beings would one day be able to not only understand the procedure employed but also to understand the results thereof. And He knew also that, although the teachings of spiritualism would have many followers for long to come, the dominion over humans by the spirits of Darkness through the various manifestations of spiritualism would in reality be broken on Ardor’s return to God’s Kingdom. It would therefore be only a question of a longer or shorter time before the hold of spiritualism on the human mind would cease altogether. To help bring this to an early realization, clear and solemn warnings are given in Toward the Light.

May this work soon be understood!

1) How should the term “medium” be correctly understood? 2) Are mediumistic talents to be found only among so-called spiritualists?

1) “Medium” or “intermediary” describes a person in some way suited to serve as a link between the visible and the invisible worlds. Such persons can be employed by either spirits of Light or spirits of Darkness (the incarnated “Eldest”) and by human spirits who visit the Earth’s plane without permission.

Spirits of Light no longer appear at spiritualistic séances as leaders nor as religious speakers,⁵ as claimed by spiritualists. They act only through spontaneous phenomena at the request of, and under the direction of God. When Christ searched for helpers on Earth in order to redeem Ardor, he was accompanied by a number of the Youngest. During this period, they and Christ often visited small, private circles to try to influence the members so that they might become suitable for the work. But this work has long ceased and with it any reason for spirits of Light to appear at either public or private spiritualistic séances. However, the spirits of Darkness act either through spontaneous phenomena or through the spiritualistic séances arranged by humans. But communication through spiritualistic séances is not permitted under God’s laws, and neither are spontaneous communications via thought-impulses, visions and various other types of phenomena caused by spirits of Darkness.

Anyone experiencing occult phenomena should be able to determine whether a spirit of Darkness or of the Light stands back of it. In any case, a sincere prayer to God will bring the necessary help to clarify the issue. The only direct daily communication a spiritualistic medium has with the spirits of Light is with the guardian spirit (the conscience), who always tries to guide its charge away from the influence of spiritualism. But if the charge heeds not such admonitions, more and more Darkness will be attracted until finally the voice of conscience can no longer be heard—absorbed by and unable to penetrate the dense wall of Darkness. This leaves the spirits of Darkness at liberty to deliver their false messages, meaningless fantasies and religious sermons, whose substance conflicts with that which is stated in Toward the Light and its supplements.

2) No! Since all communication with the invisible world takes place through inspiration, intuition and various spontaneous impulses, it stands to reason that people of mediumistic talents need not be, and preferably should not be spiritualists to be able to act as intermediaries between humans and the hereafter.

All who in the cause of the Light have something to offer humanity through invention, science, art, religion and so on, are mediums (intermediaries, that is) between the visible and the invisible worlds. They are the interpreters, the necessary link between humanity and the inexhaustible sources of spiritual life that spring from the Light. Through inspiration and through their own intuition they are aided in bringing to humanity such new knowledge or improvements as the spirit of the times is mature enough to accept. But spirits of Light also often work for objectives in the distant future, and thus what humans receive in this way often goes far beyond what the spirit of the times can comprehend. Thus these messengers of the Light are often misunderstood and denounced by their contemporaries. But no one has the right to term such people “spiritualists”, regardless of the area in which they serve God and the Light.

Since Toward the Light so clearly dissociates itself from spiritualism, why include the section (page 253) on transcendental communication? Or do these circumstances have no bearing on “spiritualism”?

The circumstances bear only indirectly on spiritualism.

First and foremost, this paragraph should be taken in context with the preceding paragraph on page 252:22 “Should God in future need humans as helpers or intermediaries, the spirits of Light know many ways in which to call upon humans so as to communicate with them whenever desired. . .” This, therefore, refers to spirits of Light, and to guardian spirits in particular, as clearly shown in the succeeding paragraph. Further, on page 253, it says that people who receive messages from the transcendental side without having requested them, will always also receive necessary direct or indirect proof so as to remove any doubt as to the identity of the originator. Thus it is clearly a matter of identifying spirits of Light, not personalities of deceased humans. Proofs can be given in many ways, for example through the intuitive understanding of the recipient, through visions, through the logical, clear and concise presentation of the messages, and so on.

It is further stated on page 253 that if communications with humans are initiated from the transcendental side, this is usually because those concerned had been chosen previous to their incarnation to assist on Earth in spreading knowledge and understanding of life after death—through the written or spoken word, or the like. These relationships therefore fall into the category of “psychic research”, which is related only indirectly to spiritualism. People can thus very well be engaged in psychic research and still dissociate themselves entirely from spiritualism. Those who for some reason have been chosen to gather information—either through their own experiences or the experiences of others—to enable them by various means (written or oral) to demonstrate to their fellow beings the close relationship that exists between the invisible and visible worlds, should never (as also said on page 253) allow themselves to be intimidated by the lack of judgment or insight of others into these matters. Even should they be labeled “spiritualists”, though they are not, the term is meaningless if in all they do they allow themselves to be guided by their guardian spirit (the conscience).

Therefore, the paragraph mentioned can never be of direct benefit to spiritualism, since it refers not to communication with spirits of the “deceased”. Reference is made only to people not already bound by the often deficient, false and misleading explanations and postulates of spiritualism. It refers only to those who are chosen and are able to collect, sort out and judge, if not all, at least some of the matter brought to light through occult phenomena. Unfortunately, few are fully able to classify and judge such phenomena and experiences, even if chosen for this purpose. For if the postulates of spiritualism do not bind them, they can yet be bound by much else in life on Earth, such as by the dogmas and postulates of Christianity, Theosophy, Anthroposophy or various other creeds. Only those utterly free of prejudice and able to ignore fully that which is already accepted and established can properly undertake such a task with any promise of true results. And since the so-called spiritualistic mediums usually hail from the general populace, it should be obvious that they are not the ones to be entrusted tasks of such educational nature. Only truly cultured, enlightened and well-educated individuals—the incarnated Youngest or spiritually highly advanced humans—incarnated on the earthly scene can be entrusted such work.

It should also be remembered that the spiritualists cannot adopt the terms “medium” or “intermediary” to apply only to their intermediaries between the invisible and visible worlds. The terms apply in the broadest sense to all people who in one way or another can be employed by the spirits of Light in their inspirational activities on Earth. (See also the answer to Question 4.)

Cannot spiritualists also experience spontaneous phenomena caused by spirits of Light?

Spiritualists can of course also experience spontaneous communications with the spirits of Light, through visions, dream warnings, visions of death and so on, but only at the wish of the transcendental side––not because of demands or special preparations by humans. And it occurs without the intervention of spiritualistic mediums and will therefore never take place at spiritualistic séances.

However, such spontaneous phenomena can also be caused by the incarnated Eldest and be experienced by spiritualists and non-spiritualists alike. Thus anyone experiencing an occult phenomenon should attempt to categorize it and consider carefully if the originator can be identified as a spirit of Darkness or of the Light. Hideous visions, loud knocks, explosive sounds,⁶ mocking calls, malicious or obscene impulses and similar spontaneous phenomena are always due to the Eldest, who, during nightly disembodiment as they sleep, try unlawfully to influence unstable souls. A prayer to God for help to prevent such eerie experiences will always be answered, and thus make recurrences impossible. But the prayer must be heartfelt, or it will be of no use.

However, other phenomena such as visions of a certain beauty, formations of multi-colored lights, religious inspirations, warnings of death and the like, could have the appearance of being caused by spirits of Light. In such cases, an individual should also pray to God for enlightenment. If then the mind feels calmed and peaceful, a spirit of Light was the cause. Should there however be unease and an unpleasant preoccupation with the experience, then it will be known that a spirit of Darkness was to blame, seeking to dominate the individual.

Is the statement (Toward the Light, pages 236 and 247), concerning the removal from the Earth of the Earth-bound spirits, more than an unproven assumption?

The statement is absolutely true.

Stern warnings are given (pages 250 and 253) to mediums of all forms of spiritualism against involving themselves with spirits of the “dead”, since mediums can only hinder and delay such spirits at every point rather than be helpful to them in any way.

But as long as the warning in Toward the Light on this subject remains generally unknown, no appreciable improvement can be expected in relation to human spirits from the fifth sphere and from the lower strata of the sixth. (Spirits who dwell in the first four spheres are prevented by the barrier of Light from descending to the Earth’s stratum unless with permission and assisted by their guardian spirit. See Toward the Light, page 249, concerning the barrier of Light.)

The reason “Earth-bound” spirits appear yet to exist is that spiritualistic mediums continue to hold séances that prompt irresolute human spirits to leave their abodes in the spheres in order to appear at these séances. But spirits who visit the Earth’s stratum without permission—drawn by the insistent thoughts and desires of mediums, friends and relatives for manifestations—always feel bewildered, miserable and despondent amidst the earthly accumulations of Darkness. And when they find themselves in earthly surroundings their earthly memories immediately awaken and, in most instances, remembrance of their existence in the spheres from whence they came departs. They feel rather as individuals beset by agonizing and confusing dreams. But just as sleeping humans can act and think sensibly in their dreams, so can human spirits unlawfully present at séances on the Earth describe instances from their former life on Earth, and do so factually in every detail, or touching upon the facts. When these spirits return to their homes again in the spheres, they recall their earthly visits as if awaking from a nightmare or a weird dream. Thousands of human spirits are daily drawn to the Earth, and daily the spirits of Light guide the disobedient back to their homes in the spheres.

Not only such human spirits but also numerous of the incarnated Eldest can attend spiritualistic séances while disembodied at night.⁷ Wherever they appear, these Eldest can in many ways exert a disturbing and degrading spiritual influence through false information—for instance, of a religious nature—as well as by seeking to instill base, evil or sinful thoughts in the minds of those present. The Youngest cannot always prevent this, even though they try to protect humans by accompanying the Eldest on their unlawful excursions. (Toward the Light, page 293:3.) Individuals must themselves seek to avoid the influence of the Eldest, firstly by not attending séances, secondly by always heeding their conscience, and finally by praying to God for help and protection. For only God can erect a protecting wall of Light between humans and those of the Eldest still able to influence them in wicked ways.

The Eldest incarnated by Ardor can thus continue for some years yet to exercise an adverse influence upon mankind, but no longer can they possess human beings—not even during nocturnal disembodiment, because they remain connected to their sleeping bodies at such times. Only discarnate spirits have been able to possess humans, and since the Eldest are now, upon physical death, removed to distant globes from which there is for them no return possible to the Earth, it is entirely out of the question that possession can take place, now or ever again.

Why does God not call back from earthly life the Eldest whom Ardor incarnated, since they do such harm amongst humans? Why must they remain here 50 or 60 years more?⁸

Ardor has stipulated the time of death for all those Eldest incarnated by him. Should this be changed so that God might earlier recall these Eldest, each would have to give consent. However, God had spoken to all the Eldest during a nightly disembodiment as they slept and only a few had complied with His wish that they depart from life on Earth. And since God never opposes the free will of the individual, He cannot cause the others to “die” before the time determined by Ardor.

Can humans be possessed by the discarnate human spirits who unlawfully visit the Earth?

No. Human spirits have not the power of will necessary to join with, to cling closely, to a human body.

The possessions before the year 1911, when Earth-bound spirits still frequented the earthly stratum, occurred only because thousands upon thousands of the discarnate Eldest could be found among these Earth-bound spirits. (Concerning apparent “possessions”, see Toward the Light, page 312: 3-6, and 313: 1, 2.)

How can humans determine if they are under the influence of the powers of Darkness or of the Light?

Light and Darkness, the two powerful magnetic forces, influence the human world each in its own way. The Light is guided by the Thought and Will of God, whereas Darkness acts partly under guidance, partly blindly and aimlessly. If Darkness at present⁹ exerts a guiding influence on human beings, this stems from the incarnate Eldest during their nocturnal disembodiments or from spirits of deceased humans on unlawful visits to the Earth’s stratum. Such forms of the influence of Darkness will always manifest in such a way as to leave the affected individual with a distinct feeling of mental constraint. If the influence is without guidance—that is, exclusively through the radiations of accumulated Darkness—the feeling of constraint is less pronounced.

On the other hand, the influence of the Light never imparts any feeling of constraint. Slowly and calmly, almost imperceptibly, the guardian spirit (the conscience) guides the individual in under the Light, and this influence continually strengthens as the individual submits unresistingly to its guidance. But if the individual should begin to compromise with the conscience, to place demands on the invisible guide, or to doubt that this guidance is based on the thought and will of God, such demands and such doubts will automatically attract Darkness, since any doubt, any lack of belief in an absolutely just and logical divine guidance in earthly life, is rooted in the confusing and degrading power of Darkness. The same holds true for demands placed by humans upon God.

Therefore, if one feels as though under strong mental constraint in one way or another, either the powers of Darkness, or spirits of Darkness are back of this feeling. By contrast, the influence of the Light is felt as a profound calm and peace of mind.

Do humans have a clear-cut standard for evaluating “spiritual truths”?

The perfect calm and peace that fills the minds of spiritually advanced humans when they have found what they seek is the standard by which they intuitively recognize the truth, for such calm and peace will always stand in contrast to the unease of uncertainty and falsehood.

It is rare for people to whose physical bodies young and undeveloped spirits are bound to be able to feel this, the exalted calm and peace of the eternal truths. As these people are so dependent on the world of Darkness in which they live, it is difficult for their undeveloped thought to distinguish between the true and the false; therefore, they rarely search for spiritual truths themselves but are content to walk the beaten and familiar paths of the herd. Blindly they follow in the footsteps of their leaders, believing as eternal divine truths all that these leaders proclaim—even if such assumptions have nothing to do with the truth.

It requires great spiritual maturity to be able from one’s innermost self to weigh, measure and recognize the proper value of the spiritual truths.

Why was a woman entrusted the task of bringing Toward the Light to the earthly world? Why not a clergyman—a prelate or a theologian, for instance? Shouldn’t a man have been chosen?

Let us look closer at the question, for there are several reasons God favored a woman for the task. Go back to that point where God knew the return of Ardor was imminent, and that God intended to inform mankind of what had happened as soon as the return had become fact. How could such information be given most clearly, most convincingly? The inquirer suggests a clergyman—a prelate or a theologian, say—might have been better suited to assist in communicating with humanity at large. The inquirer’s understanding of the matter is thus quite different from that of God, as the following will show:

The work would have to be carried out through inspiration (thought-impulses from the Youngest) and therefore through a prelate’s intuition. That would be the first difficulty, for the male intuitive ability is not normally as strong, pure and clear as a woman’s. God could have strengthened the man’s intuition, but then the man’s will would also have had to be strengthened, since a strong and clear intuition unaccompanied by an equally strong will to reproduce and comply with the impulses received could not possibly have led to a satisfactory result. But a strengthened male will could also easily lead to an absolute “willfulness” that could in no way be expected to meet with God’s Will. The prelate might have complied to some extent with the impulses received, but his religious and clerical ties and his “willfulness” would have inclined him to draw his own conclusions from whatever he received from the transcendental world. Thus there would have been a more or less obscuring and distorting of the facts that God wished to bring to the knowledge of mankind, study in comparative religious history—a work perhaps not without merit but yet in this case falling short of conveying what God intended to be emphasized.

However, God meant not only to impart to mankind knowledge of Ardor‘s return, of his fall and of his creation of the human body; not only to provide the main religions and the various religious trends and numerous sects with a common basis in truth, but also to give humans the facts about transcendental¹⁰ communications and to warn them of the danger of uncritical involvement with occult or spiritualistic manifestations. And though it is conceivable that a prelate or theologian could have been guided by the Youngest to develop an interest in these phenomena, such an individual would likely not have involved himself in thorough psychic research for any length of time. Nor would he likely have studied the truths and dangers of occult and spiritualistic phenomena by personal experiment, even were he guided by God and the Youngest. At best he would have collected material relating to the experiences of others and on this basis have drawn his own conclusions. And then, because of his religious and clerical allegiance, the result would have been a condemnation of these phenomena as the work of demons, of evil spirits. Thus the truth about occultism and spiritualism would not have emerged in the way that God desired, for then communications of the Light with humans—through the Youngest—would have been condemned likewise. This would have been yet another difficulty for God to consider.

God knew the return of Ardor was imminent, and upon consideration of the problem some years before the return had soon concluded that neither prelates nor theologians were suited for the forthcoming and difficult task. Thus an alternative had to be found, for not until prelates¹¹ and theologians¹¹ were presented with an accomplished fact would there be any possibility—and then only a remote one—that a work of clear and logical construction from beginning to end and bearing the stamp of truth could arouse their interest and understanding. But what alternative? God knew that no human individual during earthly life would be capable of fashioning a religious, ethical and philosophical work that would in all respects accord fully with the truth, even were the effort lent the utmost leadership and guidance of the discarnate Youngest. Such a task would demand more than could be accomplished by human beings and human thought. God therefore chose to cause the work to be created by “spiritual intelligences” from the transcendental world, and when all preparation for its appearance in the human world had been completed, to employ as co-worker the woman who had previously assisted Christ in his task with the Earth-bound spirits. Already then, God had foreseen that she would also be of assistance to Christ in delivering Ardor. And since, through the lengthy guidance¹² given her by Christ and his helpers,¹² she had come to know the difference between the true and the false in spiritualism, and had learned to follow in every way the leadership to which she had freely submitted, this was in God’s view the best, the proper solution to the problem.

Upon the return of Ardor, Toward the Light was consequently produced by discarnate spiritual intelligences according to God’s wish and under His overall leadership, but the material was composed in response to questions of humans on Earth.¹³ Ardor personally was entrusted the task of answering such questions as pertained directly to his own fall and that of the other Eldest, to their creation of the human body, to their opposition to God and the Youngest, and to their attempts to draw mankind deeper into Darkness and under their dominion, as well as conveying an account of Ardor’s own redemption and return. He was further asked to describe the dormant state of Darkness, the Light, primal Thought and primal Will, as far as this was possible. The remaining work was entrusted to Christ, to the “spiritual guide”¹⁴ of the female helper on Earth, and to others of the Youngest whom God had chosen to assist in this extensive and difficult task. Under this arrangement, the messages to be delivered to mankind would not suffer the shortcomings of the works of human minds but would be a work for which its transcendental creators could accept full responsibility both before God and before humanity. The task of the earthly helper was then to act as an interpreter, that is to say, through intuition to translate the thought-language of the transcendental intelligences into words that could be understood by human beings. Thus she was fully aware that nothing was due to her own ideas or opinions. She understood that she was to exclude her own self, that she was but a useful interpreter, an available translator. If for instance a written work on Earth is translated from one language into another, the translator would never place his or her name on the title page and claim authorship unless prepared to risk exposure as a fraud. Nor would anyone who interprets a speech delivered in a foreign language pose as its author. So it is in this case. The female interpreter and translator on Earth has no right to present herself as the “author” of Toward the Light, or of the other works presented through her. The responsibility for these “messages from the transcendental world” rests with all the spiritual intelligences who have created them according to the wish of, and under the guidance of God. But the shortcomings of a few passages in the Commentary in Toward the Light would have to be ascribed to the interpreter who, in her earthly existence, had no knowledge of the majority of the subjects presented and discussed. However, that part of the work was concluded successfully, bringing the result desired from the transcendental side¹⁵ so that all is in exact accord with the truth.

The foregoing should suffice to explain why God chose to entrust this earthly part of the work to a female helper rather than to a prelate or to a theologian.

A collection of literary works such as Greetings to Denmark, Toward the Light with its supplement of Questions and Answers ¹⁶ and The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road will not again be presented to mankind in this way, for the spiritual intelligences of the transcendental world are fully responsible only for these works. Therefore, this collection is and will remain unparalleled in human history!

Since God has limited His foreknowledge, how can many of the Youngest now be on Earth to speak¹⁷ for Toward the Light if God, at the time of their incarnation, knew not when Ardor would return?

From the first, the Youngest were incarnated amongst humanity with one great objective: to win back Ardor. Time and again God laid the plan for this work; time and again the Youngest were sent to the Earth by the thousands to work together according to God’s plans. But if the chosen Youngest failed their main objective, obviously the others would fail alike to carry out their part. So it was, for example, with Zarathustra, Jesus, Mani, Mohammed, Luther, Calvin and Zwingli. And the same for many others, before and after the times of these leaders. They failed the main objective: to win back Ardor. Consequently, their co-workers could not carry out their part as promised. In all cases where these historically well known figures could have won back Ardor, God had planned the work, and to ensure success all the Youngest who had pledged to lead or assist in the earthly world had vowed to God that they would be guided by their guardian spirits (conscience) during their incarnations. But God could not know if the work would succeed. Not until He saw that the individual entrusted the main task was unable to overcome the Darkness, was not able to pray for Ardor, did He know the attempt would have to be repeated and require new incarnations.

When Christ pledged to attempt the “Shorter Road” (Toward the Light, pages 94:6 to 97:3), many of the Youngest were embodied on Earth, both then and later, to lend support in order to obtain good results.

This time the prayer was said for Ardor, and in grief and with remorse he returned to God.

Since Toward the Light was produced as a natural consequence of his return,¹⁸ those Youngest who, before their present incarnations, had promised to be spokesmen should this work be successfully transmitted to the earthly world, must now keep their promise or assume the responsibility that follows from breaking it without good reason.

13¹⁹

If the leaders of the Danish Church continue to reject Toward the Light, how can this work become the true religious foundation for the belief by humans in God?

God’s ways are many, but all lead to the same goal: a common acknowledgment by humanity of God as Father and Creator of the human spirit; a common acknowledgment of the origin and development of transcendental and earthly life; a common acknowledgment that the only true and right way to communicate with God the Father is through direct approach to Him in prayer and in thought, without intercession—whether through Christ, the “Mother of God”, the saints or others; a unanimous rejection of baptism as a precondition for salvation; and a unanimous rejection of Communion and all other Sacraments, and so on.

Even though the Danish clergy instead of advocating Toward the Light continue to repudiate its truths or seek to prevent its propagation, other ways exist to counter and finally end the false doctrines of the Church so as to make way for the true teachings.

Here is how this could happen:

Since the time, prehistorically, when humans had spiritually developed sufficiently to be able to conceive an interest in and an understanding of divine values, the discarnate Youngest have educated them about God and God’s relationship to mankind. This process has taken place at the time of learning for humans during their stays in the spheres. The teaching has been broad, without particular detail, yet sufficient to bring forth in the mind and thought of each human spirit while on Earth a yearning for God, a desire to strive for greater and clearer knowledge. This yearning was the basis upon which the incarnated Youngest should build during their earthly roles as religious founders or reformers. But, as so often noted, Ardor and the other Eldest with him employed every means at their command not only to lead the incarnate Youngest astray, but to distort, obscure and defile all that the Youngest taught. Yet even with all the distortions and falsehoods of Darkness, the human spirits retained their longing for God, their desire to strive for more knowledge and clarification. And this longing is the basis for all human religious needs and feelings

When finally Ardor was won back to God through the love and patience of Christ, the road was laid open for a true, common religious teaching for all mankind, for now Ardor—who had been the most formidable stumbling block—is removed forever. And when Toward the Light with the help of an interpreter was introduced to the earthly world, the discarnate Youngest who direct and instruct the human spirits in the various spheres were enjoined by God to henceforth not only give their pupils the usual broad outline of the relationship between God and mankind but also the details—to acquaint them fully with what is taught in Toward the Light. Thereafter, the human spirits born to life on Earth will not only carry in mind and thought a deeper yearning for God but will also possess a knowledge and clarity of thought that searches far beyond that which any religion yet developed and accepted by humans can offer. Sooner or later, then, and more or less consciously, they will react negatively to the various religious dogmas, doctrines and postulates taught in home, school, church or temple the world over. In particular, will they soon reject the distressing doctrines of Christianity and its various sects concerning Christ’s “death of atonement”, damnation and eternal suffering in an everlasting Hell, as well as the doctrines of Baptism, Communion and other Sacraments, and intercession by the “Mother of God” and by the saints. They will find all this irreconcilable with their religious feelings and their inmost yearning for God. As time passes and new generations grow up, the many and different leaders and authorities of Christendom throughout the world will face ever stronger opposition from the people collectively who cannot be satisfied with what is taught by the Church, because this teaching does not accord with the inmost feelings in the mind and thought of the individual. Slowly the teaching of the main body of Christianity and of the many older and newer denominations will disintegrate and finally end. And the message presented in Toward the Light will then be accepted with joy and gratitude, since it in every respect conforms to the deepest in the human spirit and is what the spirit longs to meet in life on Earth.

Those among the Danish people who now in mind or heart feel in accord with what is presented and taught in Toward the Light will also, in their own way and as best they can, pass on the knowledge and understanding of the work. This is taking place and will continue to take place, through writing and speaking and in discussions. In this way, more and more will be won to the eternal truths. However, all who unite under Toward the Light should remain in the Danish Church, for there is no intention to found a new sect but rather to let the thoughts and information of this Message penetrate and infuse the Danish Church, which through this work will slowly but inevitably meet with dissolution.

It goes without saying that had the leaders and authorities of the Danish Church understood the opportunity, at one stroke a meaningful and beautiful Church reformation would have come about and resounded far beyond the borders of the land, giving the Danish people an exceptional place in history. But this was not achieved; the clergy recognized not the call.

Yet the coming reformation may perhaps not be too distant, made possible instead by the demanding sentiment and will of the people, in which case, then, it will not be for the clergy to bear the palms of victory.

Whether the movement now begun—to reach agreement on a true, common and lasting foundation for humanity’s perception of God and the beyond—will succeed soon or not for a long time, cannot be said with certainty. It all depends on human individuals themselves, depends on whether they are disposed to accept or reject God’s Message.

However, this much can be said with certainty: Toward the Light now has a foothold in the human world; its thoughts and its messages can never disappear; for what has been given rests on the rock of truth and is borne forward by the wish of God and under His guidance.

Even should all the clergies of the world turn out in full to stop the advance of Toward the Light, they could never succeed. The work will nonetheless advance and its thoughts spread from person to person, for “the mills of God grind slowly but surely”. Nothing in the world can stop them!

Why are Mormonism, Theosophy, Christian Science and Anthroposophy not mentioned in Toward the Light? Each has many followers the world over.

Although neither these nor many other religious sects and denominations are identified in Toward the Light, Christ does say (Speech of Christ, page 122: 5) to the servants of God and the Church: “. . .to whichever nation, to whichever faith you may belong. . . “ He thus speaks to the leaders and teachers of all religious beliefs, and since the aforementioned movements are of comparatively recent origin, their role is of little significance in the astral world—in the six spheres surrounding the globe, that is, to which human spirits are brought after earthly death. Consequently, there was no particular reason to mention them separately.

These “modern” religions have been known among mankind for only a relatively short time and it takes many generations for the astral brain of the individual to pass down religious conceptions and memories from life on Earth before these can take firm root in the human spirit.

It is quite different with the ancient religions, such as Shintoism, Buddhism, Christianity (with its many offshoots) and Islam. Throughout the many centuries since these religions were introduced in the earthly world, generation after generation has identified with them. A firm foundation for them has been built not only on Earth but in the astral worlds of the human spirits—a foundation difficult to shake, however deficient and erroneous it may on many points be. Numerous generations—individual after individual—have during their lives on Earth adopted the dogmas, postulates and teachings of these religions concerning the divine and then through the astral brain²⁰ have passed them on to their descendants, in whose astral brain²⁰ these doctrines lie dormant until called forth, for example through religious influence in homes, schools or institutions. When the human spirit is released after bodily death, an individual spirit’s religious perception will therefore have been strengthened through the religious beliefs of the spirit’s earthly “forefathers”.

Because of the religious basis formed in this way in the memory of the human spirit, it is inexpressibly difficult for teachers and educators—the discarnate Youngest—in the schools and institutes of higher learning of the astral spheres to reason with these spirits, to explain to them the religious delusions they have lived by and believed in during their lives on Earth. The most difficult to influence are those who through many incarnations have embraced Christianity in its various main denominations and older sects, for they all more or less cling to the chief dogma of Christianity: salvation through belief in the death of atonement of Jesus. This false dogma has caused untold grief and suffering, since all who sincerely and in complete trust have accepted it will not be shaken from their firm belief that with his blood Jesus Christ has atoned for their guilt of sin. Only after repeated incarnations at places where the Islamic, Buddhist or still more ancient religions predominate, has it been possible to reason with the human spirits released at death and make them see the truth and justice in this single most important point in the upbringing of humanity: that what humans sin in the earthly world against God or against their fellow beings, they themselves must make full atonement for, or obtain forgiveness for, under the leadership of God. For Christ is not and never has been a sacrifice of atonement for mankind’s guilt of sin!

Thus, Toward the Light addresses itself primarily to the followers of the main religions, for even though Buddhists and Muslims, for instance, profess not the teaching of Christ’s death of atonement, their religions are still beset with so many misconceptions that they cannot form the true religious foundation upon which to determine the education and progress of humanity toward the Light and the Kingdom of God.

But it must never be forgotten that a few truths or glimpses of truth can be found in all the religious beliefs, be they ancient or recent.

However, the chaos that now prevails in the many different earthly religions (Question 13) will some day be superseded by the truths presented in Toward the Light, so that all mankind’s religious understanding and perception of God and the beyond can rest upon a common foundation. To be able to attain to this goal, the human spirits in the various spheres have been instructed on the basis of this material since the appearance on Earth of Toward the Light, and they are not again incarnated until fully acquainted with the religious truths of this work. Endowed with this knowledge, the new generations will ever more strongly reject the dogmas of the prevailing religions, and thus religious life will gradually—though perhaps very slowly—be guided onto the proper path, the path that leads directly to God, to His profound and boundless parental love.

Does the designation “The Shorter Road”²¹ apply to the road which Christ and the discarnated Youngest followed so as to deliver Ardor—Satan—as well as to the road to God through human forgiveness of Ardor?

Yes, it applies to both.

God showed Christ the road he and his helpers could follow so as to be able, through patient and intensive effort, to sooner deliver and return Ardor to God’s Kingdom. And since Christ fully succeeded in the task in this way,²¹ his victory has laid open a “shorter road” for all humanity, by which the individual human being can sooner attain the proper relationship with God as one of His children, namely by the road of forgiveness. For those who from deep within their hearts feel compassion for Ardor and are therefore fully able to forgive him, will at once understand that the belief in the death of atonement of Jesus is but a meaningless detour to God and the love of the Father.

Those who believe this detour is the one and only way will of course in every way insist that theirs is the right perception, since Jesus said: “I am the way!” To this there is but one answer: Christ taught nothing of “belief in the death of atonement”, nothing of the “Mystery of the Cross”, and never that his blood cleansed or redeemed the guilt of sin of human beings. All this was the later work of humans, springing from paganism and Darkness, and is far removed from truth and reality.

The sooner human beings abandon the quagmire of the longer detour and enter upon the solid ground of the Shorter Road, the sooner will they achieve the correct understanding of God and His relationship to humanity.

Is reincarnation really necessary? And how is the Law of Retribution applied?

The purpose of reincarnation is to allow human spirits to mature through a gradual and many-sided process to the point that they are able to reject the influence of Darkness in all circumstances of life.

When human spirits undergo their first earthly lives, their spiritual egos—represented by thought and will—are but comparable to the faintest spark of the Light. Their earliest lives on Earth are then little more than a form of passive existence—of becoming accustomed to the human condition. After having undergone some initial incarnations, the spiritual ego begins to react to the guidance of the conscience—the guardian spirit. But it should be obvious that those individuals who stand at a very low spiritual level possess not as sensitive a “conscience” as do those more spiritually advanced. And since the new and the very young spirits predominate in the lower human races, the “spiritual laws” whereby a “savage”, for example, is judged, cannot be equally applied to a member of a civilized society. Savages, embodying very young spirits, are not yet able to respect human life or property. They cannot be judged alike, spiritually, as those humans who, through spiritual and worldly upbringing, have been taught to respect such values but yet, possessing this greater inner depth, still kill and rob. Not until the ego learns to distinguish between “mine” and “thine” and comes to understand the value of human life is there accountability for those sinful actions of whose consequences the ego is then spiritually aware. For the slightest violation of conscience must result in penalty—the necessity to atone. When the ego is aware that a certain act must by nature bring penalty, then that individual of free will breaks the law in committing that act, and by abuse of that freedom becomes subject to the Law of Retribution and cannot evade the consequences. Only full repentance through prayer can bring the forgiveness of God, and only appeals to wronged fellow humans can bring the possibility of their forgiveness and thereby remove the need for severe repercussions.

Human sin can be divided into two chief categories:

1) Sin against God and against the divine within one’s self. Only God can forgive this, and with His forgiveness the guilt of such sin is annulled forever.

2) Sin against others. This is of course also sin against God, but in such instances forgiveness must also come from those wronged before the guilt can be annulled, even though the transgressor already be forgiven by God.

Forgiveness of sin against God or against the “holy”, the divine²² within one’s self, can be obtained while the transgressor yet lives on Earth, if the guilt is fully understood and there is full repentance of the base, evil and unlawful thoughts and actions involved. Belief in the death of atonement of Jesus alters in no way human guilt of sin, and gives no remission of sin to anyone.

If humans cannot admit or repent of sin and guilt during life on Earth they must do so after their mortal departure, since all human spirits are confronted upon awakening in the astral spheres with a recapitulation of their earthly acts. When finally they do repent, God’s forgiveness is immediate and the matter is closed. Atonement is unnecessary, for God’s qualities of mercy and compassion, manifested of His love, stand above the Law of Retribution. (Toward the Light, page 306: 3).

If humans sin against others and, while yet on Earth, admit to such deeds or designs—thus repenting in full—but then are denied forgiveness when they earnestly seek it of those they have wronged, they can be spared repercussion through the power of God’s love and compassion. However, they must in new lives on Earth carry out an act of love for those originally sinned against. But the moment one obtains forgiveness from a fellow human, guilt is annulled without call for future atonement, for human mercy and compassion also transcends the Law of Retribution.

Should anyone wrong another and admit not guilt nor seek forgiveness of the victim while both are yet on Earth, the transgressor will after death be confronted in the beyond with the wrongful act. Then the deed must be meditated upon until finally understanding of its sinful nature comes, and grief and remorse awaken. But often then it is too late to win the victim’s forgiveness. It happens perhaps that the victim does not return from life on Earth during the transgressor’s allotted period for rest and learning. Or the victim may belong in a higher Sphere barred to the transgressor. Or it may happen that the victim returns to the transgressor’s sphere but will not forgive. In such cases, the transgressor must submit to the full severity of the Law of Retribution and atone later on Earth, that is, endure the spiritual or physical suffering drawn to oneself. Through such experience the transgressor learns care so that, if ever again tempted to do similar wrong, it is easier to resist acting against the conscience.

The Youngest are also subject to the Law of Retribution, but they acknowledge their earthly sins much sooner than do humans. Consequently, repentance and forgiveness comes easier to the Youngest who thus mostly avoid the law’s consequences. Yet even in face of a transgressor’s deep remorse it can happen that the victim for a long time refuses to forgive, both in life on Earth and in the astral world. When that happens, the one who refuses forgiveness is incarnated without mission, without service as one of the pioneers of mankind—living as any ordinary human. The transgressor then serves as the guardian spirit during the wronged person’s subsequent incarnations until the wronged one has overcome all anger and hatred. For any who nurture hatred, who are irreconcilable, are of no use to God in the work of love that the Youngest are carrying out on behalf of mankind’s journey toward the Light.

Therefore, while they are yet on Earth all should seek to repent of their errors, of their sinful and criminal thoughts and acts, and in remorse ask forgiveness of God as well as of their fellow beings before their earthly lives close. Much grief and suffering will thereby be prevented. The guidance of the conscience should be heeded closely in all aspects of life, for the more the conscience is disregarded, the more difficult it becomes to follow its advice, its admonitions and its warnings. By yielding to their own desires, their own base inclinations, human beings increase the number of their incarnations.

There is one provision under the Law of Retribution none can avoid except the youngest of human spirits, not yet able to respond to their conscience. Applying to the spiritual ego of humans and the Youngest and Eldest alike, this provision requires that all who commit acts of murder or in some other way cause loss of life of fellow beings, must, in a subsequent incarnation, save from sudden death the same number of lives taken. (Toward the Light, page 114: 6.)

However, this provision can be applied in different ways. Those judged and penalized under earthly law have nothing more for which to atone. But since God’s law requires that those who kill must in later incarnations save lives, anyone already punished under earthly law will comply with this provision through an act of love, giving them the protection of God so that they emerge unharmed from the perilous task. Not so for those who have evaded earthly justice. They are protected neither by the guardian spirit nor by God during attempts to save other lives. They never escape some form of harm, such as death, maiming, prolonged illness, burns, or the like. In other words, they must atone for past crimes with their own lives or with bodily suffering. Thus God’s Law of Retribution can in certain cases require a life for a life; however, the earthly courts of law have not a similar right. (Speech of Christ, Toward the Light, page 125: 3.)

Those who as earthly rulers, military commanders, or leaders of the people are indirectly responsible for the loss of great numbers of lives during wars and uprisings or through death penalties, can expiate their guilt in subsequent incarnations by saving a large number of people from impending catastrophe, for example through action to avert man-made or natural disasters, as inventors making safe otherwise dangerous occupations, or as scientists who find ways to prevent or control the diseases that are such a scourge to mankind in so many ways. God Himself ensures through this provision the correct balance between the human lives lost and those lives that in compensation are to be saved from premature or painful death.

The last two means of atonement apply only to the Youngest and partly to the Eldest, since human spirits clearly possess not sufficient spiritual stability to be inventors or scientists in life on Earth.

Can Christians who according to the doctrines of the Church worship Christ as the second member of the Holy Trinity, be forgiven of sin through prayers to him?

They cannot! For what humans sin against God, only God²³ can forgive. And for what humans sin against one another, they must seek to forgive one another. (Toward the Light, pages 101: 3.)

Christians who equate Christ with, or place him next to God, are not absolved of their sins merely by prayer to Christ. However, they can experience often a significant sense of relief should they express a deep remorse, for true remorse always attracts the Light to the repentant. Yet even then they will still feel as sinners in their relationship to God.

If, on the other hand, God’s own forgiveness comes to one who has turned to Him in grief and remorse, then all burden of sin at once vanishes. It is the same when humans forgive one another, for the love and compassion of God and of humans stand above the Law of Retribution.

If one believes the Law of Retribution may be the reason for the mental or physical suffering of a relative, friend or other, can prayer relieve such conditions since God’s compassion stands above the law?²⁴

Those who under the Law of Retribution have brought upon themselves either spiritual or physical suffering, have forfeited God’s forgiving compassion by their failure to repent of their transgressions during the period allotted after each earthly life is ended,²⁵ for God‘s compassionate forgiveness depends upon the human spirit’s grief and remorse.

As so often said, humans upon awaking in their dwellings in the spheres are confronted with their earthly errors and wrongdoings. But many, many who on Earth had adhered to one of the main Christian denominations, will neither meditate upon nor repent their wrongs. They invoke the atoning death of Jesus Christ, insisting all is forgiven and annulled through the Eucharist—the partaking of “the flesh and blood of Christ”. To reason with them is usually hopeless. Obstinately, unyieldingly they cling to the dogmas of the Church, even though many at times had doubted the reality of these dogmas during their incarnations. When these spirits will not repent in their insistence that Jesus has atoned for their sins, they obviously can neither obtain forgiveness from God or their fellow humans, as is necessary for the remission of all sin not atoned for under the Law of Retribution. Not until the return of such spirits from new incarnations²⁶ during which they have suffered in order to atone for their guilt, do they comprehend that the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross was no death of atonement for the sins of humanity.

But the inquirer asks if anyone who believes another to be suffering under the Law of Retribution can by prayer to God cancel or at least relieve the suffering? No! Prayer to God will not terminate this punishment, not even if springing from the deepest love or compassion. For the individual who suffers thus would not repent in time and must now learn through the painful experience that obstinacy and defiance are of no avail, whereas grief and repentance will bring about the proper relationship with God. However, human prayer can also in these cases ease the suffering, for every prayer brings the power of the Light to the one for whom help is asked, and this can impart such spiritual strength that the sufferer will feel the pain less and be able to endure it with greater patience. But no human can during earthly life determine how helpful are such prayers of intercession, since none know how severe a “penalty of expiation” has been meted out in each case. Not until the life on Earth has ended does the intercessor learn how severe was the degree of the intended suffering and how much it was eased by the intercession. And so, those who see others suffering in any way should in love and compassion intercede for them with God. Likewise, prayer for the departed ought never be forgotten as it can bring the Light to a darkened mind and help overcome the obstinacy of a human spirit during the difficult time of self- searching.²⁷

The belief in the death of atonement of Jesus and in the element of forgiveness in the Eucharist sits upon the Christian portion of humanity as a mighty curse. These false teachings, deriving from Ardor, have delayed and will for much time yet delay multitudes of humans in their journeying toward the distant Home of the Father. And the situation cannot improve as long as there are those among the teachers and leaders of the Church, as well as in the congregations, whose sermons and pronouncements give God prominence as the stern, avenging divinity whom humans dare only address in humble and trembling “fear of God”, nor for as long as Christians continue to regard Christ as the one who has atoned for the sins of mankind. Not until all teaching, all talk of this tyrannical, fickle and avenging “human god” has ceased forever, not until baptism has been rejected as a condition for “salvation” and the Eucharist and all other Sacraments acknowledged as meaningless, not until people cease to condemn others to “eternal torment” in an “eternal Hell”, not until then can those who profess the faith of the main Christian denominations and their various sects expect to make better progress on their toilsome journey. However—and this cannot be said too often—it is for each individual to make the decision whether to continue to follow the ancient, false dogmas and thereby delay²⁸ the progress toward the Light and toward God, or to reject it all and turn to the truths that God has made known to mankind through Toward the Light and The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road—for God compels none to do that which is right, nor should anyone so compel their neighbor!

When humans pray for others who suffer and are unhappy, this attracts the Light and brings help to those prayed for. But then, do we not create injustice by bringing Light and help to some and not to others?

In his Speech, Christ says of prayer and its power: “. . .Be not selfish in your prayer. . .but pray for all human beings on Earth. And forget not those who at death are delivered from their earthly bodies!. . .”

Christ thus calls upon humans to advance enough in their compassion and love for others so as to include all in their prayer to God and ask help for those in need of it. Therefore, in prayer, keep in mind all who suffer, both spiritually and bodily; think of all who grieve, and of all law breakers. Forget none. Remember them all in your prayer, though this means not reciting numerous names. Rather, one should seek in prayer to include within the thought that portion of humanity which grieves and suffers. And if the desire to help those who suffer is sincere, is felt deeply, help will be forthcoming in one way or another even though the one who prays may not be aware of this²⁹ while yet on Earth.

Christ not only urges human beings to be unselfish in prayer, he says he will speak for humanity—he will pray for those in need of his help. Out of his deep love, Christ takes upon his shoulders what humans in their selfishness, in their blindness and in their lack of compassion leave undone, or as something with which they wish not to concern themselves, or that they do not understand can be of any use. If people remember not others, he will remember them. He forgets none, not even the departed who so soon fade from the memory of the living.

Because of Christ’s love, therefore, no human being is excluded from the Light-giving power of prayer. And prayers by humans create no injustice.

Since prayer to the Christian “saints” is in vain (Toward the Light, page 84) and not heard by God, is prayer to pagan “gods” also in vain?

Those who worship many gods perceive their idols as representations of divinity. Many heathen peoples also believe—and especially in the past did believe—that a part of the divine soul, or the spirit, dwells within the “image”, imbuing it with life. Though they be idolators, yet worshipers of many gods often find it easier through prayer—however childish—to meet with God and His Thought, because their idols or images represent the “Great Spirit”, the deity (father, creator and ruler) who they believe to be the guide and leader and to whom they turn in prayer.

Since most saint-worshippers pray directly to individual saints rather than asking them to intercede with God, and since the “saint”, so-called, has no existence in the manner understood by Catholic believers, they in fact pray to entirely imaginary beings. The “Great Spirit”, or deity, “behind” a heathenish idol, does not exist “behind” a saint’s image. Saint-worshippers are often much further removed from the divine than heathens. But if humans regard their saint as but a link between themselves and God, and consciously or from within discern the Divinity behind the saint, the prayer will reach God—otherwise not. They pray not then to an imaginary saint but to the Divinity. It is vital that prayer to God, under whatever name, springs from a trusting heart, for there are of course “idolators” who pray to their idols and images in the same superficial manner as many Catholics pray to their saints.

When we pray, why does God not always answer? Do we not pray enough on each matter? Should we be more persistent? (New Testament, Luke, 11: 5-9.)

It is well known that at the time of Jesus it was common to speak in parables. Therefore, some parables ascribed to Jesus originated not with him but were well known among the people. The parable in Luke 11: 5-8 came not from Jesus, and cannot be considered here as if it did, especially since it expresses merely human thought and action. The words of verse 9 do, however, originate with Jesus but are inserted and applied where they do not belong.

Jesus never suggested that humans should pray persistently, or for any given number of times on a single matter in hope of wearying God by their incessant pleas and getting Him to temper justice with “mercy”. These notions stem not from Jesus but from the Evangelists. (Neither did the parable in Luke, chapter 18, verses 1 to 8, originate with Jesus.)

God does not grant human prayer in every instance because, 1) many pray mechanically, thoughtlessly; 2) many pray not in trust that they will be heard or helped; 3) many pray for help to avenge insults and defeats; 4) many pray when they are able to help themselves and do not need God’s help; 5) many make their “prayer” a demand. Such approaches are useless. They are not heard by God. Prayer should be uttered in trust that God will grant His help at the proper time and in the proper manner, and that He will only help if He deems it necessary. (Speech of Christ, Toward the Light, pages 117: 3 to 119.)

Consider also that the present earthly life of a human spirit is always based on that spirit’s previous lives. For this reason and because of the retribution³⁰ humans bring upon themselves, God often cannot and will not change the prevailing state. In such instances, humans must endure life’s griefs and hardships, difficult as they may be; for they must remember that they are always in one way or another to blame for their lives developing as they do. But those who in complete trust in God’s guidance, love and justice turn to Him for help in finding their way out of difficult and oppressive situations, or in finding solutions to complex problems, will always receive the needed help, the necessary strength.

Therefore, even if people pray for help as they want it and it comes differently than desired or expected, it will nevertheless come about that God always chooses to grant His help in the way that He knows is best and proper.

Toward the Light states: “In the Darkness was Light, in the Light were Thought and Will. But the Thought and the Will were not in the Darkness.” How should we understand this? If the Light is in the Darkness and Thought and Will are in the Light, must they not also be in the Darkness?

No! At that point Thought and Will were only in the Light but not in the Darkness.

It is clearly stated: “This description of the state of inactivity and the struggle of Light, Darkness, Thought and Will must be understood in the abstract—not subject to interpretation in terms of earthly concepts of space, measure, time, and so forth.” Since it appears difficult for many to understand that primal Thought and primal Will were only in the Light and not in the Darkness, a further explanation will be given, based on conditions known on Earth, though such should be unnecessary. Anyone familiar with abstractions should be able to understand the original description.

Thus Darkness, Light, Thought and Will should be understood as the then existing primal cosmos, the basis for the present cosmos. To illustrate primal cosmos, imagine an apple, say, conforming approximately in shape and inner structure to that of primal cosmos:

The apple represents primal cosmos.

The skin and pulp of the apple represents Darkness.

The core represents Light.

The seeds represent Thought and Will.

We know the apple seeds are in the core. No one would say they are in the pulp or the skin. And so it was with Thought and Will (the seeds). They were in the Light (the core) but not in the Darkness (the pulp and skin).

One can rightfully say, then, that Thought and Will were in the primal cosmos. This cannot be disputed. Similarly, one can rightfully say the fruit seeds are in the apple. Neither can this be disputed. The error made by many in their perception of the description in Toward the Light was in not seeing that Darkness, Light, Thought and Will together were—primal cosmos.

How could the hot vapors of the Earth (Toward the Light, page 10) in any way affect the immaterial bodies of the Eldest?

The Darkness that had possessed the realm of the Eldest and the Earth also flowed³¹ through the “immaterial” bodies of the Eldest. They thus felt the emanations of Darkness that had produced the hot vapors as Earth cooled.

But had the Youngest visited Earth then, their “immaterial” bodies would not have felt the vapors because no Darkness flowed through them. The vapors could have affected them only in the same way as all Darkness affects beings of Light—as though they were in an atmosphere low in oxygen (Toward the Light, page 187).

According to Toward the Light (page 182), the means of transportation in the spheres resemble those on Earth, but then it also states the human spirits can move about within their own sphere by thought and will. How can these two statements be reconciled?

It is quite correct that human spirits can by thought and will move about in the sphere where they dwell. But this is not claimed to be an absolute rule. If it were, all other “means of transportation” would of course be unnecessary. Each human spirit is, however, free to use the various means of transportation available in the spheres or to employ the faculties of thought and will to move about. Since it always requires a certain effort for humans to move from place to place by thought and will, it is easier for them to use such means of transportation as was most familiar to them in life on Earth. This is especially true for those accustomed to comfort from their most previous incarnation. Most humans resort, therefore, to whatever transportation is available in each sphere.

As the human spirits gradually mature, their ability to concentrate also grows and they become more proficient in moving about by their thought and will. But other methods of transportation will not cease, as it cannot be expected that everyone, at all times, will employ only thought and will.

Toward the Light states (page 190: 1): “Once bound to the fetus, the spirit remains in close proximity to the pregnant woman.” Is the spirit fully conscious? Can it resist and disrupt the bond, for instance? Does the spirit later recollect this period?

The moment the spirit is brought to its future “mother”, it is lulled into a semi-sleep and as a powerless appendage follows unresistingly the pregnant woman wherever she goes. As the fetus develops and the shape of the spirit-body fades, the spirit’s sleep deepens. The spirit is quite oblivious of what takes place while bound to the fetus and later can recall nothing of this period.

Toward the Light states (page 215: 3) that the cord binding spirit and body severs at the moment of death. Does this happen as the heart ceases to beat? If not, when?

Cessation of the heartbeat is one phase in the body’s “death-process”. Actual, final death occurs the moment all connection between the body’s molecular and the counterpart’s astral particles has slackened completely and separation of body and counterpart sets in.

A weakening, a slackening of the interweave of the molecular and astral particles, therefore occurs after the heart stops but before final death. When this process advances enough to make it impossible by stimulants or other means to strengthen the weakened interweave and thereby revive the heartbeat, the binding cord between spirit and body severs—at the moment of physical death, that is. With the cord’s severance and true death, the astral interconnections with the soft body tissues loosen (the molecular and astral particles drift apart, that is) and the counterpart is released and separated (Toward the Light, page 189: 1).

No norm can be given for the time it takes for the weakening process to run its course. It varies considerably, in part³² depending on the condition of the body when the heartbeat stops. If “death” is from accident, narcosis, stroke, shock or the like and the body is otherwise healthy, the process can be slow. Or it can be rapid, because of lengthy, wasting illness that causes a decided loss of elasticity of both the molecular and astral particles, weakening their interweave.

Separation and release of the counterpart from the earthly body also takes longer if the body is otherwise healthy at the time of death (Toward the Light, page 189: 2).

How can the two descriptions of the formation of the mother suns (Toward the Light, page 167 and 260) be in agreement? The first describes the core as one of Darkness, the other says each sun’s core was formed by the lower vibrations of the Light.

Both do agree, as this comparison will show:

1) The first description states: “Since the frequency of vibrations of the precipitated Darkness in the ether is lower than that of Light, the rotation around the force centers caused it to collect as a core—a core of Darkness.”

2) But to make the formation of mother suns at all possible, God had to draw the ether over the given centers and bring it into a rotating motion. And since the lower vibrations of Light would of necessity be closer to the centers, a core was formed initially of the lower vibrations of Light. Since the Darkness enclosed in these vibrations could not keep pace with the rotating ether and sank more and more to the “bottom”, it formed into a cohesive core around the centers, releasing the lowest Light-vibrations of the ether. Freed from the restraining Darkness, the Light-ether around the centers and cores of Darkness spread outward with increasing frequencies until formation of the mother suns was complete. This is described in the second and more detailed account, merely an expanded version of the first. Taken together, both give the full picture.

Thus, initially, the cores of the mother suns were formed of the lowest vibrations of Light, enclosing the Darkness of still lower vibrations which had to collect at the centers and ultimately form a dense, cohesive core—a core of Darkness.

Toward the Light states (page 170) that the mother sun of our galaxy “may some day be seen from the Earth.” How must this be understood? Is the mother sun not visible?

This sun is visible to the naked eye, but only through powerful instruments will it be possible in future to “see”, or ascertain the right star.

The expressions “be ascertained” or “pointed out” from the Earth would have given a more precise idea of the actual situation than the expression “be seen”, since the form of the sentence could give the impression the mother sun is not visible to the naked eye, which it definitely is (See information regarding the synonyms and the vocabulary of intermediaries, or mediums, in the Postscript to Toward the Light, page 342).

Is the Central Sun (God’s Kingdom) in motion, or at rest in the same place?

The Central Sun is in motion, but since it is the mid-point for the four mother-sun (galactic) systems it does not orbit another body but remains eternally rotating in place. It is borne by God’s Thought and secured by His Will—the basis for all cosmic laws.

Will we in future be able to see the Central Globe—God’s Kingdom through powerful telescopes?

No, because God’s Kingdom has no “core of Darkness”. It is in fact the cores of Darkness of the celestial bodies that are visible to the human eye in space.

The enormous numbers astronomers deal with in connection with the size of our galaxy (the Milky Way) and the distances between its globes seem out of proportion with the description of the galaxy in Toward the Light.

These disproportionately large numbers arise because astronomers omit a highly significant factor from their calculations. When this as yet unknown factor is discovered—a discovery humans must make themselves—the present numbers will dwindle decidedly and approach the values given in Toward the Light, pages 168: 3 to-169: 3.

What is the reality about the distant nebulae, such as Orion and so on, which astronomers view as independent galaxies?

Human beings must find the answer of their own accord. When the factor cited in Question 31 is discovered, the “riddle” of the stellar nebulae should soon be solved.

Is Martin Luther’s “vision” at Wartburg more than myth? Besides being a reformer, was it also Luther’s task to pray for Satan?

Luther’s “vision” of Satan was real. He was one of those Youngest who had pledged to remember the prayer for Ardor while they were incarnated. But he also³³ misunderstood the promptings of the guardian spirit and rather than praying for Satan, he cursed him, with the result that Ardor gained yet greater power over him.

Was Luther’s physical suffering of his own making? Was it atonement, that is, for transgressions in previous incarnations? (Toward the Light, page 306: 2.)

In Luther’s time, children were brought up far more strictly than today. Most chores demanded of them—partly as punishment for various offenses and partly to occupy them so that Satan would not gain a hold over them—were often far too strenuous for young children.

Luther’s physical weakness stemmed partly from over-exertion in his childhood, but mostly from his ascetic monastic life whose severe self-torments brought him various physical sufferings. They were therefore of his own making,³⁴ not atonement for guilt of sin from previous incarnations. His childhood weaknesses could have been remedied in adolescence, but rather than toughening his body, Luther weakened it still further through the fasts and self-torments of monastic life.

Why did Luther endure so much spiritual suffering? As an emissary of God, was he not under God’s leadership while carrying out his mission?

The emissaries who during their earthly lives carried out their work while Ardor was yet the “Prince of Darkness”, were always in some way led astray by Ardor and his helpers—the discarnate “Eldest.” Luther was no exception. Ardor also misled him in many matters, especially concerning the main points of his mission. For example, Luther built upon, rather than repudiated the teaching of Paul, and the result was the dogma of Justification by Faith. Thus, Luther was often in opposition to his spiritual guide (his guardian spirit, or conscience), a circumstance that always creates discord, confusion and uneasiness in mind and thought, and therefore spiritual suffering. The feeling of guilt of sin that weighed so heavily upon Luther sprang from the discord and uneasiness in his mind; but this was mostly due to the influence and inducements of Ardor, who also incited Luther to take his monastic vow against his conscience. When conscience finally prevailed and he broke his vow, Luther found peace of mind on that point. But had he followed his conscience in every way, he would never have become so spiritually disturbed and divided, for a close contact with the guidance and admonitions of the “conscience” will always bring spiritual peace and calm, and clarity of mind and thought.

Regarding the statement (Toward the Light, page 322: 2) that about three million earthly years is the longest a human spirit has been bound to the Earth and its spheres: 1) Does this figure still apply? 2) Did the incarnations of the Eldest affect the length? 3) If so, how long will the collective time be for future incarnations?

1) No. The figure three million applied only to the past.

2) Yes. The incarnations of the Eldest, beginning around 12,000 B.C., have disordered the calm and steady development of the human spirits.

3) This cannot be answered with any certainty. It can only be said that the figure of about three million years will, at most, be doubled or redoubled many times over, but to what extent no one knows—not even God. Humans themselves will largely influence the outcome. The sooner they learn to follow the directions given in Toward the Light, the fewer incarnations will they need. Even at best, though, the time will extend far beyond three million years.

The interval between incarnations—the stay in the spheres—will not be altered for the young human spirits, but will lengthen progressively for those more advanced or very advanced.

Since God always maintains balance in all that happens, and since the number of incarnations for human beings in future will be higher than in the past, the period of development in the worlds of Light will be shorter than for those already released from their earthly lives and now living in the worlds of Light.

Why can we humans not unravel the threads of friendships and family kinships that tie us to one another? We could then understand much while still on Earth.

To unravel the threads of friendships and family kinships from previous incarnations, humans would have to remember clearly not only their own previous existences but also those of their friends and relatives. But since God, by His Will and in accordance with His laws, withholds the incarnated Spirits’ memories of previous earthly lives, humans normally have no recollection of previous incarnations. (Toward the Light, page 279: 3.)

Such memories would only serve to create spiritual suffering and confusion for humans, and make earthly life unbearable for them.

Those who have had enemies, persecutors and adversaries in previous incarnations, and those who have hated, murdered, stolen from and impoverished others, will always in future incarnations be reborn in close kinship to these enemies, persecutors and adversaries, and to the victims of their transgressions. Or they will meet in such manner or under such circumstances that friendship can perhaps come about thereby. And when, through given kinships or possible bonds of friendship, people have learned to love where they had formerly hated and cursed, have learned to do good where they had formerly caused grief and harm and suffering, they will, on meeting former adversaries or victims in future incarnations, experience a mutual though inexplicable sympathy. This is because those who have once learned truly to love one another, or formed a true friendship, will have overcome forever the hatred, enmity and sin of the past. In this way, God brings human beings to love and to respect one another, so that in the future they can in spirit and in truth become as brothers and sisters.

The struggle of each human spirit out of the Darkness of earthly life toward the Light, from the first incarnation on Earth to the last, is as one single great reckoning. Each rebirth adds a figure to the account, and when all the figures are in proper order they will show the total result that God had in view. However much humans may seek to unravel the threads that link them to friends and kin in earthly life, they can never do so. But God—father of the human spirit—keeps precise account of their friendships and enmities, their sins and their good deeds. Only He can unravel the ties between humans. Only He can gather together the individual figures of the many reckonings so that they are brought into the proper order and give the proper value, whereby the true result can be achieved. And that result is: love and harmony among His beloved children.

“For the ways of God are many, and they are past finding out.”

It is implied (Speech of Christ, page 128) that husband and wife will meet in the heavenly dwellings. But what if they belong to different spheres—especially in the case of the Youngest and the Eldest who often are spiritually far apart?

If husbands and wives wish to meet again in the beyond, their desire will always be granted and thousands upon thousands have rejoiced in such reunions.

If partners left behind on Earth return not to their spheres before the others’ time of rest and learning has ended, they will meet in a future incarnation but only if they so desire.

Should one partner be of the Youngest and the other a human spirit, the former will always be able to seek out the human in the latter’s own sphere. If both are human but from different spheres, the one from the higher sphere will come to the one in the lower, but not the reverse.³⁵ If a human spirit and one of the Eldest have lived in wedlock on Earth, the human in most cases would desire no reunion for obvious reasons. If their lives together had been “hell on Earth”, neither would want to meet after death. But if not, they will always in a later incarnation be confronted with each other in order to forgive, by learning to love one another anew.

In rare instances where a human spirit did wish to meet a partner who had been one of the Eldest, because the human felt the union could have been more successful had greater love and patience been shown, one of the Youngest would accompany the human spirit to the Hell-Sphere to be confronted with the former partner. What took place at these meetings concerns only those present. Since Hell (the “ruined kingdom”) now is obliterated, husbands and wives will in future meet only in the spheres or in a new life on Earth.

If one of the Youngest and one of the Eldest had lived as man and wife on Earth, the former would in most instances have sought out the latter in Hell. The result would then often be deliverance of the latter from the Darkness of Hell, with submission to the Law of Retribution and incarnation under the leadership of God—returned to God, that is—thus signifying willingness to strive forward through the many incarnations in order to restore the delivered one’s personality.

Can the concept of love be explained?

The concept or abstraction that human thought tries to express by the word “love” is, in itself, indefinable. The forms of expression of earthly languages are only approximations that convey the meaning more or less adequately.

In relation to thought and will, the concept of love is as the nerve fiber of the Light.

Thought and will are the highest concentration of Light, but love is the essence of Light—a power that penetrates and infuses thought and will. One can therefore say that love is an almighty or all-conquering power, and this power finds its ultimate, sublime expression in God’s paternal love, because the life nerve of the Light issues from Him and through numerous filaments extends to all His created beings. Thus, the essence of love, eternally flowing from God, the Father, will in time penetrate and infuse all His children. The more the spiritual ego advances toward God, the greater the ego’s fullness of love and the easier for that individual, by nature and in action, to display and to exercise love.

In this way, through the life-nerve of the Light, God is connected with all His created beings, and by His love, flowing through them all, He attracts His children toward the Paternal Home, to life eternal. Even into the most deeply fallen spirits does the nerve of life extend its filaments, and in due time love, in one of its many forms, will manifest itself and infuse the ego despite inner or outer resistance. And once all resistance is overcome, God has won back His child.

Love is the ideal for human perfection.

Love is the weft of human life.

Love is the prism of the heart.

Love is the mainspring in the work of the Youngest for humanity.

Love is the bond between the male and the female dual.

Love is the energy of life.

Love is the source of life in God.

Can the love between duals be held up as an ideal of neighborly love?

No! Definitely not as the ideal of neighborly love, because 1) the love between duals by far transcends neighborly love; 2) because earthly marriages are rarely based on a “spiritual dualistic bond” (dualistic love is incomprehensible to most humans); 3) because love between the duals among the children first created by God—the Eldest and the Youngest—stands far, far above the corresponding love between God’s youngest children, the human spirits, since the foundation for this love is slowly developed through the many incarnations during which the humans learn in various ways to understand and love one another.

Human beings gradually will come to better comprehend the dualistic form of love, as they grow more spiritually mature. However, no human spirit will be fully able to comprehend dualistic love until the earthly incarnations are at an end, for dualistic love between human spirits can only unfold in perfect harmony during their spiritual life partnerships on the globes in the distant galaxies. One must bear in mind that God’s first children—the Eldest and the Youngest—were created as far greater spiritual individualities than were the human spirits. The bond between male and female, the bond of love, was already highly developed at the creation of these dual pairs. But when God creates human spirits as dualities, they are but faint “sparks” of the spiritual Light of God’s Being, so that the attraction between them is only slight. However, these pairs, created simultaneously, will belong to one another for eternity. Nothing can separate them, and the bond between them will ever strengthen as they develop spiritually.

The human spirits stand so far below the Youngest in spiritual development that in life on Earth they will be quite incapable of feeling or understanding the dualistic love between the Youngest. Thus, dualistic love cannot be regarded as an ideal model for neighborly love.

Only the love of one’s self can be held up before humans as an ideal of love for their neighbors. If people could only learn never to do to others what they would not want others to do to them, then would much indeed be gained. If humans could only learn to show their fellow beings the same compassionate, sympathetic and charitable love that they would themselves wish to be shown when afflicted by sickness, sorrow, spiritual suffering or poverty, then neighborly love would soon gain acceptance and understanding among all human beings.

Much time must unfortunately pass before this can come about, for most people demand so much of others while giving so little themselves. Not until demands to receive are in exact balance with willingness to give will the proper relationship exist.

Therefore, if a sublime neighborly love is to thrive amongst mankind, each and every individual must reform on the basis of the noblest and purest feelings from within.

Is it correct to say that God created the beautiful primal prototypes of earthly plant life out of love for His children, the human beings?

No! Not even God can take any action out of love for non-existent beings.

When God formed the primal prototypes of earthly plant life, the beings who according to His intent should one day inhabit the globe had not yet been created. Out of concern for His children to come, God sought to make them a splendid dwelling place that would be suited in every way for the spiritual level at which they were to stand upon their creation.

But by the fall of the Eldest, these primal prototypes became distorted and were made ugly through the fertilization by Darkness of the latent seeds. Earthly plant life, therefore, can never develop and unfold as intended by God on the basis of the primal seed prototypes of the Light, regardless how beautiful such life might become under the refining and harmonizing influence of the Light, and under human attempts at cultivation.

When God formed the spheres around the globe, His actions were similarly based upon feelings of concern, for the human spirits had not yet been created (Toward the Light, page 17: 6). But when God made the abodes for His first children—the Eldest and the Youngest—He did so out of His paternal love, for these children had been created before God provided them with abodes. (Toward the Light, page 5: 4.)

And when all the human spirits are gathered in God’s Kingdom after millions upon millions of years, all will find their own beauteous abodes, created by God out of His deep, His infinite paternal love.

What does it actually mean to sin against the “Holy Ghost”? (Matthew, 12: 31)

Since the “Holy Ghost” is but a human fantasy, devoid of real existence, one cannot very well sin against such an imaginary being.

Jesus says³⁶ to some of the scribes (Toward the Light, page 55: 3): “. . .but the sin you have committed against the holiness in you shall not be forgiven until you have suffered for it and repented of the evil that you have done.” And a footnote points out that “holiness” is the divine element received by every human being from God.

Jesus is saying that the scribes speak against their better knowledge. They sin thereby against the divine—against the spark of divinity within. They thus commit a fully conscious sin. And a conscious, deliberate sin will always bring about the worst pangs of conscience, causing the transgressor deep spiritual suffering. The wrongful deed will invariably reappear time and again to beset the mind overwhelmingly, no matter how much the individual seeks to repress the unpleasant memory.

This spiritual suffering can be ascribed not only to the admonitions or reproaches of the Guardian Spirit, but is also mostly due to the person’s inner spiritual being. Because of its divine origin, the inner being will react quite automatically and intuitively to each reappearing memory of sin committed. And the higher the spiritual ego, the more the weight of the memory of sin and guilt until such time as all is fully acknowledged and repented.

When judging human actions, God clearly distinguishes between those that spring from willful deliberation and those that occur spontaneously, without forethought. For when humans are fully aware of the consequences of their evil intentions and plans, the deed becomes far graver than if it occurred entirely spontaneously (Toward the Light, page 278: 3).

Therefore, if someone deliberately and not by reason of insanity, takes the life of one or more fellow beings, they sin against the holy, against the divine within one’s self.³⁷ On the other hand, if they take a life or lives in anger—without deliberation—or in defense of self or of others, their actions become a sin against the divine laws³⁷ but not against the holy within a person.

Or, if someone deliberately plans and causes one or a number of other people to lose, for example, livelihood, fortune or other property, then that is also a sin against the holy within. For deep inside, that person knows this to be an act against the law, justice and truth. But if an individual, by ill-advised behavior or with, say, impulsive, thoughtless remarks, should cause others to lose their lives or livelihoods, then that is also a transgression against the divine laws but not against the holy within.

Irresponsible and thoughtless words and deeds would vanish from human life if people would truly understand what it means to think before they act.

The Eldest whom Ardor incarnated present a somewhat different situation concerning pangs of conscience in their human existence, for their personalities of Light were seriously impaired at the dawn of time when they departed God’s Kingdom to go their own way. The infinitely faint spark of Light remaining to them (indestructible, as is all that stems from God, unless God Himself wills otherwise) was so feeble that it could not react against all the evil, the sins and the transgressions plotted and carried out by the Eldest in their human existence. Not until earthly death again released them from their human bodies was this spark of divinity able to react against what had happened. Through their spiritual sufferings and their subsequent grief and remorse, many of the Eldest have returned to God—have voluntarily submitted to the Law of Retribution. But there are still many—the Eldest incarnated by Ardor—who can truthfully say: “We feel no pangs of conscience over our wicked acts; we are not oppressed by the memory of our misdeeds, our killings and our transgressions.” Yet when life on Earth has ended for these beings and they awaken in the beyond from their “sleep of death”, then will the reaction set in.

How can the thought and the urge to make offerings—inherent in human beings—be explained? From where does this come?

The idea of sacrifice and the urge to make offerings goes back to earliest primitive humankind. It derives originally from the times when people began to unite under tribal elders, or under chiefs or leaders. At gatherings around the campfire, for instance, a chief and his nearest kin were entitled to the best places. But those who possessed material goods could barter for or buy better places with their goods.

From the very start of idolatry, offerings have been made of valuable items—weapons such as clubs, spears, bows and arrows and the like, and precious stones, harvest of the fields, fruit, and so on. Later,³⁸ captive enemies, lawbreakers, birds and domestic animals were sacrificed to the chief gods for desired blessings. Similar offerings were made to appease the wrath of the gods against individuals or all the people.

This urge to make offerings for certain blessings or to win forgiveness of the gods—especially the forgiveness of the highest god—is found in all the most ancient primitive religious rituals that epressed servile and uncritical human worship of the gods. From those early days, the urge to make offerings has been “inherited” from generation to generation through the “astral brain.”³⁹

The belief in the death of Jesus on the cross as an offering of atonement for all humanity, sprang from such ancient “heathen” thoughts and ideas, implanted in the human race by Ardor and by his helpers.

Since it is known that the Jewish people in their early history practiced human sacrifice, why is it said in The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road that in earlier times—before the crucifixion of Jesus—Jehovah had not demanded human sacrifice?

Long before the “Mosaic Law” was adopted and observed by the Hebrews, human sacrifice—especially that of young children—was common practice not only amongst these people but amongst many others. But with the Hebrews these sacrifices had nothing to do with atonement for people’s sins. Children were sacrificed mainly to allow their souls to become guardians of homes and to secure for household members good fortune and happiness. But these offerings were also carried out to secure a good result in some great work of construction—such as the first wall around Jerusalem, for example. Both youngsters and adults were sacrificed to give thanks if the deity had granted victory to the king or to the military leaders in battles against enemies of the land. These customs persisted for a number of centuries after the “Mosaic Law” had been adopted as the guiding principle for the sacrificial acts of the Hebrews. Then they gradually died out.

Did the Jewish people expect a Messianic Kingdom and a human or a divine Messiah around the time of Jesus’s birth?

In the time both before and after the birth of Jesus, Judaism embraced a number of religious sects, each with its own conception of the Messianic Hope. The Jewish people looked for a “God’s Kingdom” on Earth represented by a human king who would be selected and anointed by God, and they looked also for a “Divine being.”

People to this day hold quite similar expectations. Some await the Kingdom of God (the Millennium), others the Second Coming of Christ as a deity accompanied by a host of angels, and still others look for a new incarnation of Jesus, as man. But in vain, all such expectations now and in future. The Second Coming of Christ has already taken place—though not at all in the manner expected or desired by humans. Invisible, but with a human as intermediary and interpreter, Jesus Christ has spoken to mankind in accordance with the wish and the Will of God. (His utterances can be found in Toward the Light, pages 109-137, and in The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, pages 21-33.)

Never can a Kingdom of God be established upon Earth. The spiritual purity, the maturity needed for such to come about is lacking among humans in the earthly world of Darkness. All humanity must make the lengthy, the toilsome pilgrimage to God’s Kingdom, the Paternal Home from whence sprang each human spirit and where one day all will meet in unity, love, beauty and happiness, In an eternal life with their loving Father.

According to modern Bible scholars the father of Jesus was not a carpenter, rather an architect or a mason since huts in Palestine were of clay, without timber. What actually was Joseph’s occupation?

Joseph was a carpenter and woodworker.

Although the houses of the rural population and of the poor in the towns were of clay, many dwellings in the larger cities were built in the Greek and Roman architectural style. Carpenters were therefore much in demand for such construction. In Joseph’s time many a wealthy man’s home was built in Tiberias, and Joseph often worked there. The Romans brought their own slaves, many of whom had been taught the various branches of the building trade. If the Romans were the builders, they preferred using these slaves but if need be they also engaged the local people and since they always paid well they never wanted for labor. However, the Jews looked askance at those of their countrymen who worked for the foreign masters of the land.

Did Jesus think or ever say that he was in any human sense the Son of God, born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Ghost?

Jesus made no such claims. Never did such blasphemous thought enter his mind.

Neither did his contemporaries—not even his mother—entertain the notion that he had been conceived by the “Holy Ghost”!

Jesus taught that God was his, and all mankind’s Heavenly Father; thus he taught a spiritual child-relationship. He taught that the Jewish conception of God was much too imbued with human attributes, taught that the ancient traditions portrayed God’s nature falsely (Toward the Light, page 37), and taught also that glimpses of a true conception of God could be gleaned from the ancient Scriptures.

The genealogy given in the Gospels clearly shows Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary. It is Joseph’s lineage that is given so as to demonstrate that Jesus was of the House of David, as people believed had been prophesied of the awaited Messiah.

All talk of “virgin birth” and supernatural conception is but human fantasy and delusion, rooted in heathenism and Darkness. Truth it is not!

It is stated (Toward the Light, page 207) that since December 24th has come to be honored as the birthday of Jesus, the eldest of the Youngest wishes not this date changed. Is this correct to say, since the day is also celebrated on the 25th, as for example in England?

Yes, it is correct to say, even though others celebrate on the 25th. In all Christendom, nothing is said about the 24th being honored as the birthday of Jesus. It is claimed only that this date has become time-honored, which no one can deny since it is celebrated in many places in the Christian world on Christmas Eve, December 24th, even though the birth of Jesus took place, according to the Church, on the night of December 25th.

However, the account of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke is legend throughout—and nothing more. But even if one abides by this account, nothing is said about the season or time of night of the birth. Luke says only: “And there were in the same country shepherds in the field keeping watch over their flock by night, and lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born⁴⁰ this day in the City of David, a Saviour. . .” Nothing is said as to whether the vision of the shepherds came before or after midnight, the hour that divides the departing day from the day to come. The expression “this day” can thus just as well apply to before midnight as after. And since the eldest of the Youngest wished to establish a day on which all who accept Toward the Light can in future join to commemorate his life on Earth as Jesus, he chose December 24th. According to tradition, the 25th could as well have been chosen, but since the legend does not establish the time of actual birth, the choice of date should also really be irrelevant, the more so since Jesus was not born in the winter.

Bear in mind also, that Christmas is no more than the last vestige of an ancient pagan sacrificial feast to the sun. When Christianity came to the North, the Church quietly adopted this celebration—the Feast of the Solstice—as a model for “Christmas”, marking the established birthday of Jesus.

In future, should people have outgrown the immature manner in which Christmas, the feast of the birth of Jesus, is now celebrated in most of Christendom, they may of course decide whether to continue to celebrate this day—perhaps in more dignified manner—or to omit it entirely. Christ will not be offended if this festival ceases altogether. Meantime, this is certain: the actual date of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth will never be revealed to mankind.⁴¹

The Gospels depict a humble Jesus, but his words in the synagogue at Nazareth (Toward the Light, page 36) appear not to bear out such humility.

None of the utterances emphasized in the distorted⁴² Gospel accounts of what Jesus said in Nazareth could justly have offended and stirred those present to the point of demanding his death. But the remarks found in the speech in Ardor’s Account, page 36, represent the true version, and there it can be seen that they were actually of such a nature that they were bound to give the deepest offense to those hearing Jesus. Especially did his views regarding the double nature of their “god” arouse the anger of his listeners.

A dialogue between Jesus and the people rendered in John 8: 39-47 is actually a condensed composite of several conversations. but it does point up the repeated assertion by Jesus that the Jews had not one but two gods—the true God and the Father of Falsehood.

After the incident at the synagogue in Nazareth, the entire clergy regarded Jesus with outrage over his blasphemy. His utterances stung them, for Jesus showed not “proper respect”⁴³ for the Mosaic Law as evidenced by the constant rebukes of him by the priests and the Pharisees for breaking the law (The Gospels show clearly that he neglected to observe the precepts for washing, and that he violated the Sabbath as well as other religious rules). Similarly, it is always the letter of the law with which his adversaries confront him, so that his interpretations can supply them material for accusations. But if, according to the Gospels, we are only to see Jesus as a humble man, how are we then to understand the “prayer of a high priest” in John 17? This “prayer” in no way portrays someone humble. It is, rather, expressive of a pretentious, complacent and prideful individual. Therefore, let it be said now that this “prayer” does not originate with Jesus; indeed, it has nothing at all to do with his manner of speaking or his thoughts. The author of this “prayer” will alone carry the responsibility for presenting something that at no point accords with the inner nature of Jesus.

Moreover, other accounts in the Gospels also depict a Jesus by no means always meek and humble, although he was never pretentious, complacent or prideful. He did have quite a temper, so that his answers would often provoke his persecutors. And since he hailed from the common people he would often use words that were rather strong, to say the least. Only a few such utterances of his have been preserved, as for example: “Ye serpents”, “generation of vipers”, “whited sepulchres”, “children of the Father of Lies”, and so on.⁴⁴

When Jesus thus flared up against his tormentors, it was only the purely human side of his nature that manifested itself, just as it would often be Ardor who, unseen by him, incited Jesus to counter his adversaries with rash words in order to provide them with material for complaints against him. The reason so many of these provocative utterances⁴⁴ and stormy scenes are no longer remembered can be explained by the fact that the Gospels were not put into writing until long after the death of Jesus. It is common knowledge that when relatives and friends have departed, the living try to remember only the best and to forget, or “cover with the cloak of charity” any rash and hurtful words or quarrelsome scenes.

Therefore although Jesus is known through the Gospels as a humble man, they also show him to be impetuous and quick-tempered as well. But all this was the human side of his nature.

Why did the Romans crucify Jesus, since the Jews had a free hand in their religious affairs and his death had already been decreed by the Council in Jerusalem?

Although many of the scribes had begun to resent Jesus after he had spoken in the synagogue at Nazareth, others among them took notice of but kept their distance from his proclamations about God. They saw the impression the words of Jesus made upon the people, and they understood that it might be possible to employ his authority to further their own interests.

In Toward the Light, page 56, it is recorded that a member of the Council in Jerusalem, Joseph of Arimathea, asked Jesus if he were the expected Messiah and also urged him to step forward under the leadership of the clergy as the awaited “King on Earth.” Similar suggestions came later from other members of the clergy and the Council. But Jesus steadfastly rejected these attempts to persuade him to foment an uprising of the people against the foreign rule. Despite his uncertainty over the notion that he might be the Messiah,⁴⁵ Jesus did know with certainty that the matter in which the priests and the Council desired his help was not his task.

But when rumors reached Pontius Pilate that Jesus was supposedly a claimant to the crown, Pilate decided that he was going to imprison Jesus before any uprising had begun, for he was aware that the priests and the Council must be back of the plot. However, the Council in Jerusalem had learned of what was afoot and its members then began to think about the possibility that Jesus, under questioning before Pilate, might reveal that it was they who had urged him to come forward as king. Such testimony would have put in Pilate’s hands a potent weapon against the chief priests, who were always trying to cause him embarrassment. This had to be prevented, but the Council could only prevent it by forestalling Pilate. Jesus was therefore hastily imprisoned by Caiaphas and accused of blasphemy for calling himself the son of the “Most High.”

At the inquiry, Jesus was further accused of planning a rebellion of the people. However, Caiaphas had anticipated this and since Jesus by his own words had condemned himself (Toward the Light, page 62) Caiaphas was able to deliver Jesus to Pilate on the pretext that he had learned through the testimony of witnesses that Jesus had attempted to rouse the people to overthrow the Roman rule. By this action, the Council— the Sanhedrin—disclaimed before Pilate any part in an uprising against the Roman overlordship.

The Council‘s members thus sacrificed Jesus so as to escape any possible accusation against themselves, reasoning that should Jesus now tell Pilate that the chief priests had tried to sway him to lead a revolt against the Romans his words could only be regarded as the vengeance on his judges of a condemned man.

Pilate well knew what the Council was up to, but since his own position at the time was far from secure and although he knew that Jesus was innocent of this accusation, he dared not dismiss the petition of Caiaphas and release Jesus nor allow the Council to carry out the sentence of death according to Jewish law. The hope that Pilate had nurtured—to expose the members of the Council by himself imprisoning Jesus—had now been thwarted by the prompt intervention of Caiaphas. Pilate saw clearly that were he to dismiss Caiaphas’s petition, the Council would gain the advantage of him. As he did not wish this to happen he sacrificed Jesus just as the Jews had done, so that he himself might go free.

But with the deliverance of Jesus to Pilate—to the Romans—the manner of his death was inevitable: death on the cross.

Why was the subject of Question 50 not included and answered in Toward the Light?

At the time Toward the Light was given, no question was raised on this subject, nor was anything asked about Jesus as a claimant to the crown.

A more detailed account of the trial and sentencing of Jesus thus could not be given from the transcendental world. And since it was already known from the Gospels and from other ancient writings that Jesus had also been condemned for presenting himself as King of the Jews, and thus as a rebel, there really was no need for further elaboration. There had to have been at least a suspicion that Jesus had broken Roman law before the Council could surrender him to Pilate. Otherwise, the Council could have judged and executed him under its own laws without Roman interference.

But mainly, no attempt was made from the transcendental world to elicit further questions about the trial and sentencing of Jesus because both Pilate and the members of the Council had accused an entirely innocent man in order to resolve their own dilemmas. They had acted in this regard to a much greater extent than ordinary scholarly investigation on Earth could ever show, and since Christ wished not to have the guilt either of the Council or of Pilate appear greater than already known to humans, no further details were given unless asked for.

Moreover, information had already been given on the relationship between Joseph of Arimathea and Jesus in Toward the Light (pages 55-57), showing that at least one member of the Council had urged Jesus to come forward under the sponsorship of the chief priests as the Messiah on Earth, as the King of the House of David. The thoughtful reader, therefore, should readily be able to conclude that the Council’s surrender of Jesus to Pilate was possibly, indeed most likely due to fear that Jesus would hold them responsible for this attempt to raise a rebellion of the people against the Romans.

Who was Barabbas, and why was he set free instead of Jesus? (Toward the Light, page 228.)

Barabbas was of the Levitic tribe, and a shabby, deranged old beggar at the time of the conviction of Jesus. “Barabbas” was a nickname. He was forever at odds with the Roman guardsmen, annoying them, swearing coarsely and cursing them as “Roman dictators”. The soldiers usually let him be, mostly because they did not quite understand what he was saying.

One day when a quarrel flared between some beggars and some donkey and camel drivers in a narrow back street of the Jerusalem slums, the Roman guards arrived to disperse the contending parties and the growing number of onlookers. As Barabbas happened to be standing in their way, they shoved him aside so that he fell. Embittered, the old man hurled some stones at the soldiers and one struck and killed a passing Roman scribe. Barabbas was arrested, but the gathering which had witnessed the incident resented his arrest and insisted angrily that the soldiers were themselves to blame for the conduct of Barabbas. The throng followed along to the prison, clamoring for his release. Pilate then saw that he could perhaps resolve his dilemma with Jesus by proposing to release a prisoner because of Passover and he invited the gathering to choose between Barabbas and Jesus, taking it for granted that the people would choose Jesus, who had done so many good deeds for the poor and the sick, whereas it was clear that Barabbas had killed another and thus should suffer the penalty of death. Pilate believed Jesus to be innocent, even though condemned by the Synod (the Council in Jerusalem), whose sentence Pilate dared not disregard because of his own insecure position and strained relationship with the Synod, although he could see through its action of surrendering Jesus to him as a rebel. (See Questions 50 and 51.) But despite Pilate’s appeal to the gathering that they should choose Jesus, they demanded that Barabbas be released. And the fate of Jesus was sealed.

“The Council condemned him, the priests condemned him, the people condemned him! Human beings themselves delivered him to die! ⁴⁶

The words “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani!” (Mark 15: 34) are attributed to Jesus. Did he actually utter them?

He did not.

It is stated (Toward the Light, page 64: 5) that Jesus’s mother was present at the crucifixion. Deeply grieved over her son and frightened by the waning daylight, the thought came to her that the darkening gloom was a sign of the wrath of God because her son had renounced the Belief of his forefathers, and she cried out: “See, the most High has forsaken you!” These words, like so much from that period, became distorted over time and were finally attributed to Jesus in the aforementioned form. But Jesus never thought, or said, that God had forsaken⁴⁷ him in his hour of need.

Does the Bible in any way substantiate the assertion in Toward the Light that Jesus did not die on the cross as an atonement?

Several places in the Gospels indicate that Jesus knew nothing of the idea of being chosen by God to atone for human sin by death on the cross.

For instance, in discourse with some of the Pharisees (Matthew 9: 13) Jesus says among other things: “But go ye and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. . .”⁴⁸ Had Jesus known he had been chosen by God as the “sacrificial offering” for mankind, he would never have quoted this text, for then he would also have known that God demanded sacrifice and not mercy. But Jesus knew of no such provision. If the death of Jesus on the cross was truly to be regarded as an “offering” for the sins of all mankind, such a sacrifice would have been purposeless unless Jesus himself knew of its significance and voluntarily gave his consent. Moreover, the interpretation of the “death of atonement” of Jesus violates the Jewish precepts for sacrifices for sin altogether and can never, regardless of all argument, be brought into accordance with these precepts. (Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, pages 5-20.)

In Matthew 12: 36-37 it is also written: “And I tell you this, that you must give account on Judgment Day for every idle word you speak. Your words now reflect your fate then: either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.”⁴⁹ Had Jesus known that by his death on the cross he would atone for the sins of mankind, he would never have spoken these words, for he would also have known that those who “believed” in his atoning death could not come under this provision. But Jesus knows nothing of any such dispensation, and what he says here holds true for all human beings.

This should suffice to show that the Church teaches one thing, but that Jesus teaches quite another.

“If the thief on the cross could enter Paradise under the shelter of Christ, surely everyone else should be able to do so?”

The two thieves crucified along with Jesus were stupefied by the drink given them (Toward the Light, chapter 27, page 118) and so any conversation between them and Jesus was impossible. It is thus out of the question that God should accept this human misconception of a dialogue that never took place. The thief did not enter Paradise “under the shelter of Christ”, and of course neither can any other human being.

To throw further light on the Church’s erroneous teaching on this point, the following illustration, though not perfect, may help:

Imagine an earthly prince and his son, each high above the ordinary human level in love and compassion, leading their lives in the greatest beauty, purity and splendor and enjoying everything earthly power and riches can offer. On one of his journeys, the son meets a wretchedly poor, exhausted and ragged man, soiled by every kind of impurity—a man who has sinned gravely against the prince and his son. Out of his love and compassion, the prince’s son takes this man into his care, covers his rags and impurities with his magnificent cape and leads him to his home, where the prince and his court receive him in their midst. How would this man feel in such surroundings? Even if we imagine the cape of the prince’s son could magically not only cover the man’s wretched condition but also cleanse him and mend his attire, and even purify his mind and thoughts, would he not still feel deep within himself that despite all the love and forgiveness shown him, this was not his rightful place? Against the background of his earlier life, the environment in which he grew up, he could never feel at ease and at home in such strange surroundings.

Thus, no one whose mind and thought have not been cleansed from within of sin, evil and folly, could be at ease in Paradise (God’s Kingdom) let alone live in the nearness of God.

Slowly, through the many incarnations, the human spirit must be cleansed and purified before entering the Kingdom of God, before God can truly bid His child welcome.

“Before attacking the Church’s Doctrine of Atonement, should one not consider all its merits?”⁵⁰

In the Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, Paul is recorded as saying (page 22: 1, line 2): “Upon my return, our Father bade me remove the cornerstone from under the House that you, the human beings, have built upon my arbitrary interpretation of the death of Jesus of Nazareth.”

Our God and Father has thus enjoined Paul to remove the cornerstone, the foundation that he laid, and upon which the Church has built further with its doctrine of the atoning death of Jesus. It was thus not Paul’s task to expose the erroneous Church dogma but rather to show the error of his own teaching—the cornerstone—and this he has done with all possible clarity and authority. The clergy themselves must demolish the Church dogma with all its embellishments and presumed “higher ethics.”

It should be understandable to all that when the first step of a longer calculation is wrong, the final result cannot possibly be correct. Obviously also, if the cornerstone is badly flawed and cracked it is useless as a foundation on which to build. Sooner or later it will crumble—and the house come tumbling down.

But let us look again at The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road (pages 15-17). Paul is at the point in his investigation of the doctrine where it must be determined if Jehovah, the deity of the Jewish people, could have sent Jesus to humanity to offer himself once for all as a pure and unblemished sacrifice.

To determine this, Paul had to draw a comparison between Jehovah’s action and human conditions: the father who in his human anger demands corporal punishment for his wicked and disobedient children, which is indeed a fitting parallel to Jehovah. The father in the parable acts toward his children as Jehovah, according to the Old Testament, acted toward the Jewish people time and again; that is, he chastised them with his wrath. Paul demonstrates through this parable that if Jehovah had demanded the sacrificial death of Jesus, he would have been guilty of an act that placed him beneath the level of humans. Paul therefore concludes that Jehovah could not have sent Jesus with the intention that he accept punishment for the sins of others. And since Jehovah could not have sent Jesus upon such a mission, Paul concludes correctly that neither could the God and Father of whom Jesus himself speaks—the God Who is far above Jehovah—possibly be the originator of such a mission. God must have had other reasons for a mission requiring His beloved son to live on Earth among humans—and Paul then draws a brief outline of God’s purpose for the mission of Jesus. (Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, page 19.)

Paul criticizes his own teaching, including the parable, from today’s point of view in order to show how reprehensible it is for the Church to have continued to build on his doctrine of atonement rather than take distance from it—as the Church should have done long ago—as something entirely unworthy of God.

By refuting his own doctrine so completely, Paul has removed the cornerstone from under the Atonement Doctrine of the Church. But no one has demanded that he also remove the ornamentation and the embellishments with which the clergy have adorned it over the years. This is entirely the task of the clergy (Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, pages 21-22). But once the cornerstone is removed from under the “House”, the structure has become so undermined that the adornment becomes worthless. The “House” will fall, sooner or later, for the sum total of the calculation is wrong because the first calculation, Paul’s calculation, was wrong!

In his criticism of the doctrine of atonement, Paul makes no mention of how the religious conceptions of the Jewish people, and thereby his own, had been influenced by the religions of neighboring “pagan” peoples. When Paul conceived the doctrine of atonement, he was a true child of the people and of his time and did not distinguish between his own thoughts and the influence of other people’s religious perceptions of the divine, of the beyond. Therefore, it rests not with him to account for these relationships, especially since others, by critical study of the Bible, can point out, and have indeed pointed out, characteristics and similarities with other religions of his time.

“It is of course indisputable that human beings gave Jesus death. But it is quite without foundation to say we now put the blame on God and that we have invented the Doctrine of Atonement for that purpose.” What comment can be made on this extract from a letter?

As explained in the reply to Question 56, Paul was the originator of the Doctrine of Atonement. But through the ages the clergy have in various ways built further upon Paul’s foundation so as to make the doctrine appear more ethical and more worthy of God, according to human perceptions. It would therefore be quite inconceivable to the laity if the Church should now maintain that Jesus was delivered to die by human beings without this death being pre-ordained by God, for then the death of Jesus could not have been a death of atonement. Should the clergy recognize that the death of Jesus must be solely attributed to humans, all teaching—ethical or otherwise—of the atonement death of Jesus, must at once collapse. For in that case, Jesus could not have torn down the divine wall of sin that was raised between God and mankind at the downfall of First Man (Biblically speaking) and no human could then enter Paradise “in the fold” of Jesus, cleansed or protected by his “innocent blood.”

It cannot be denied that “belief” in Jesus as Savior and Redeemer has over time brought forth many fine, true and genuine feelings in a not inconsiderable part of humanity, nor can it be denied that the Doctrine of Atonement has been accepted as the full truth by many while they lived on Earth. But what do people benefit by living on Earth under misconceptions and misunderstandings as to the nature of God and of the beyond? Great numbers of Christians have had to acknowledge, in grief and despair, after earthly death, that the road to “Paradise” is infinitely long and difficult; and they have had to acknowledge that only they can atone for what they have sinned, and that they must in a new life on Earth rectify their wrongs. They must acknowledge that “belief” in Jesus as Savior and Redeemer has neither sanctified nor justified them, nor has it brought them to their goal—Paradise. But it is precisely all these sorrows and spiritual sufferings in the beyond that Paul and the Youngest, who have contributed to the appearance in the human world of Toward the Light and The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road have sought to spare the humans in future. And now that Ardor—Satan—has returned to God, it is in the hands of human beings themselves whether they will accept, understand and be guided by the truths presented to all mankind through these works; for those who will accept this guidance will be spared much grief, will be spared much spiritual suffering.

Can the fact be explained that many religions of ancient times, like Christianity, are based on a “divine trinity”? Is there anything occult back of this?

Yes, occult memories lie back of such a “trinity” in various religions.

Those of the Youngest whose mission in life on Earth was to bring humanity knowledge of God, of His nature, of His relationship to humans, and further to teach about life in the spiritual worlds, found it exceedingly difficult from the oldest times to make their messages conform fully with the eternal truths. Ardor and the discarnate Eldest strived ever to prevent the incarnated Youngest from properly fulfilling their mission, doing so partly by enshrouding them in accumulations of Darkness that prevented their free thoughts from developing in the direction given by God, and also by inciting in them false and misleading thoughts. Similarly, the incarnated Eldest have in various ways had a disturbing, destructive and misleading influence by distorting that which the Youngest taught mankind in the field of religion.

The occult basis for a “divine trinity” is the veiled memory of the Youngest, while incarnate, of God as the Creator and Father, Whose nature embodied both the male and the female primal principle, and their memory of the eldest of the Youngest, who was their leader in the beyond.

Through the many thousands of years that have passed since the concept of a divine trinity first gained acceptance in the world of human “belief”, it has formed a basis that has been built upon again and again, either in parallel or diverging steps. Time after time—incarnation after incarnation—have the incarnated Youngest tried to bring mankind a completely truthful teaching of God and the divine. But all their efforts remained more or less unsuccessful until the time of Ardor’s return to God. The Jewish and the Muslim peoples, both with their monotheistic concept of deity, have on that point come closest to the truth, although their understanding of the nature of God and of His relationship to mankind, and their conception of the beyond, as well as other concepts, are marked by human delusions.

Thus behind the various religions, which from the earliest times have built, and are still building upon a “triune god”, lies the memory of God’s nature and of life in the beyond. These memories have by Ardor and his emissaries been drawn downwards into Darkness, have been distorted and perverted.

How did the idea of a Messiah chosen by God arise?

It arose through the occult memories of the Youngest, since many of the Youngest incarnated to life on Earth had a faint remembrance of their loving, faithful and untiring leader—the eldest of the Youngest, Christ. They retained memory of him who had been chosen by God⁵¹ to lead them in their work for mankind’s journey toward the Light. They retained a faint memory of the radiant, shining figure who, from time to time, at long intervals, became embodied in human form so as to teach his fellow beings love for God and for neighbor. And during their earthly lives, when the yearning for the Heavenly Home, the yearning for their beloved brother and leader became too strong, they spoke to their fellow beings of him who should one day come, spoke of him whom God had chosen to be Lord and King⁵² of the ”Heavens” and ruler over all the Kingdoms of the Earth.

But Ardor succeeded also in distorting and perverting this beautiful memory—the truth that lay behind the thoughts and words of the incarnated Youngest. And thus the doctrine of “Atonement” and the doctrine of the “Kingdom”⁵³ of Jesus became the visible manifestation of Darkness, originating with a truth of the Light.

No human spirit can come into God’s immediate presence without being absorbed into Him (Toward the Light, page 334), thus requiring that Christ act as the Father’s representative to human beings. Does this mean that God cannot visit the Earth?

Because of His absolute capacity for self-limitation, God can be present on the Earth’s stratum whenever He may wish and remain there as long as desired. By His Thought and Will, He limits the Light radiating from His Being so as to harmonize with the emissions of Light present where ever he wishes to be, for no human spirit, no human being, can remain in the proximity of God when His radiations of Light are at their full intensity. If God is on the Earth’s stratum and wishes to be near a human individual, He creates by His Thought and Will a “dividing wall” between Himself and that person, first reducing the intensity of His own radiations of Light. The substance of this wall corresponds, on the side facing the human individual, exactly to the degree of intensity inherent in the radiations of Light or Darkness emitted by that individual’s personality, while the side turned toward God has a radiation of Light corresponding to the reduced radiation emitted from God’s personality at the moment. An imperceptible transition is thus established, ranging often from the emissions of Darkness to the subdued radiations of Light from God.

If it could be imagined that God Himself had assumed the leadership of mankind instead of entrusting this to Christ, He would have had to establish an abode in the outermost sphere around the Earth and would have had to stay there with His twelve Servants. But then it would have been necessary for God not only to reduce his own radiations of Light but also those of His Servants, so that the Earth and the spheres should not be absorbed by the intense radiations of the sea of Light issuing from them all. The discarnate Youngest would obviously also have occupied the same sphere with God. But if God had arranged thus, His Kingdom would have stood empty, and although the Youngest could have sojourned there from time to time between incarnations, they would not have been able to receive the help—through God’s radiation of Light necessary for new incarnations. For God’s full strength of Light would not have been present where it was needed. The zeal and capacity for work of the Youngest would have gradually declined over time rather than increased—and their work on behalf of humanity would have become hopeless and impossible to carry out.

God is, however, the Supreme Leader, although Christ is responsible for the more direct leadership of the human beings on Earth and of the human spirits in the spheres. By this arrangement, God can abide in His Kingdom together with His Servants, and there they can all unleash the full strength of their radiance in a sea of Light of utmost purity and beauty. But though God’s true abode is His Kingdom, He is still able to visit the Earth whenever His presence there may be necessary.

It seems quite inconceivable that God has not existed through eternity!

God has of course existed through eternity, but for untold “eternities” He was “Thought and Will”—an impersonal “something.” God arose as a personal Being upon the absolute union of the divine Thought and Will. But He has had existence through eternity. (Toward the Light, pages 3-4 and 159 to 180: 2.)

Did the natural laws apply to God while yet in an impersonal state, that is, during His process of development?

All natural laws⁵⁴ have their origin in the Thought and Will of God. But it was first necessary for God Himself to gain complete knowledge of all the hidden properties of the so-called “Darkness” before He could give laws that would bring this primal power under full control; and this was something that could be achieved only through self-experience. While God was yet Thought and Will, and Thought and Will had not been equalized nor united in an inseparable whole (so that the Thought did not desire what the Will was not able to fulfill), He was not the absolute master over Darkness and could not arise as a personal Being—arise as the Almighty, Who by His Thought and Will had overcome the evil that was in the Darkness.

The existence of a personal God as Thought and Will is therefore the development that the divine male and female primal principles had to undergo in order to emerge as a unified, balanced and consummate “Divine Being”. Thus, the natural laws—in this case the spiritual laws—are the result of the struggle of the Divinity out of Darkness, a struggle that ultimately brought forth the personal God, a Being of universal knowledge and universal power.

Just as God had to struggle out of Darkness in order to become a personal being, so must human beings struggle out of Darkness to become integrated beings. And in order to bring this struggle to its conclusion, they must be incarnated time and again into the Darkness of life on Earth until final victory.

Since the human spiritual ego originates in and with God, humans carry within themselves a reflection of those laws under which their development takes place. These laws that have been given by God but that existed not whilst He Himself strove toward victory, serve to ease the way for human spirits in their struggle out of Darkness.

By nature, human beings differ highly from one another, due among other things to the longer or shorter development of their spiritual egos through the ages. Thus there are individuals rich in thought and emotion but with weak and ineffective wills, while others are the opposite, their power of will dominant while their thoughts and emotions are of limited development. And between the two extremes are innumerable variations in degree of strength and differences in manifestation of the human thought and will. Rarely can be found on Earth those whose thoughts and emotions are in complete balance with the will—whose thoughts are under the control of the will, embracing also the sorrows and happiness of others; indeed, whose thoughts and will are so balanced by their actions that they are able to give help and happiness to others, not only within their own sphere of activities but also outwardly to all mankind. But in order to arrive at the ideal of so strong and highly-evolved a personality, the spiritual ego must have lived through many incarnations, in other words have undergone a very long development. Only those who have experienced spiritual and physical suffering to the full are able to give help to others out of a true feeling of love and compassion. Only those who have personally struggled through the grief, sin, evil, poverty, suffering and the misery of many lives on Earth, can have the full loving understanding of the sufferings of their fellow humans. For only through their own struggles, their own victories, will humans become capable of understanding their fellow beings and of rendering the help needed out of a loving heart.

Once it is understood that only through self-discovery and self-experience can the individual attain to self-control, will it also be understood that He, the Highest of all Beings—the Divinity whence the human spirit sprang—must have personal knowledge of all that the human spirit must endure in life on Earth. It will be understood that He, Who knows all, must also Himself have struggled through Darkness toward the Light, must also have striven toward the full union of Thought and Will in order to emerge as the absolute Victor, as the All-knowing, the Almighty. Through His struggle out of Darkness, God has gained full understanding of the grief and suffering that human beings may meet in life on Earth. He has gained knowledge of the sins and temptations to which humans succumb, so that He, from His absolute knowledge, can respond to every human prayer for help with the most profound understanding, compassion and love.

Therefore, through the struggle out of Darkness by divine Thought and Will, God had gained such knowledge of the many and various manifestations of Darkness when He arose as a personal Being that, apart from being the Sovereign Master, He also was and still can be the loving, understanding and compassionate Father, Who out of His loving Thought and through His strong Will is in every way able to help all His children to gain victory in the long and bitter struggle out of the temptations and pitfalls of Darkness.

If God is a personal Being and the loving Father of the human spirit, why then is human life so full of suffering, disastrous accidents, crimes, wars and all kinds of horror? Why does not God intervene to prevent such happenings? Is He not almighty?

Mankind owes its existence on Earth to God’s fallen children, the “Eldest”, as explained in Toward the Light. As the Earth is a world of Darkness and therefore subject to the natural laws⁵⁵ to be found within the primal power called Darkness, the suffering and horror and accidents resulting from natural disasters cannot be prevented. Such catastrophes will not cease as long as the globe exists. But since Darkness will diminish significantly over the coming millions of years, natural catastrophes will gradually become fewer and less violent as Darkness is eliminated. But not for many ages will this become noticeable in the earthly world.

If humans were less foolhardy, natural disasters would not claim nearly as many victims as at present. Why build houses and towns on the slopes of, or in the vicinity of active volcanoes? Why put houses and towns on low-lying riverbanks or on small, low-lying islands without protection against flooding by storm or sudden thaw, and so on? In such matters, people still have much to learn.

Much of the suffering, sorrow and disaster that in so many ways casts a shadow over human life on Earth is of humanity’s own making. Much grief and many accidents could be avoided if people would ever be mindful that every individual carries a great responsibility in life—a responsibility none can evade when the account of the individual’s life on Earth must be rendered to God after death.

Some examples from everyday life may help illustrate the matter:

1) A mother leaves her infant or young children unsupervised at home. The children find some matches. The curtains, their clothes or other articles catch fire and the children die before help arrives. Imagine the grief and horror of the negligent mother or both parents! And how often has God not been denounced in such occurrences? But who is guilty, who is responsible? The guilt and the responsibility rests with those who left the children alone.

2) Children roam streets, roads and parks, unsupervised, exposed to traffic or to the danger of drowning in marshes, ponds, lakes, etc. Who is guilty, who is responsible if accidents occur? The guilt and the responsibility rests on those who leave these children to fend for themselves.⁵⁶ Such misfortunes would not occur if humans were aware of their full responsibility.

3) A third example from daily life: Two trains collide, many lose their lives, many are maimed. Who is guilty, who bears the responsibility? The guilt and the responsibility rests on those who overlooked the stop signals, or with whoever neglected to set the signal. But if they were aware of their full responsibility, such accidents would not occur.⁵⁷

4) The carelessness shown by many drivers of motor vehicles similarly brings accidents, suffering, maiming and death. Who is guilty? The drivers! If they were all aware of their full responsibility, far greater care would be exercised^.⁵⁸

5) And what sufferings and horrors follow in the wake of war! But who is guilty, and who bears the responsibility? Again, humans are themselves to blame, and again humans are fully responsible. It is taught in plain words in Toward the Light that all warfare is contrary to the laws of God. And not until all have learned the true meaning of the ancient commandment, “Thou shalt not kill!”, can earthly conditions, as far as war is concerned, improve.

But the question was: Why does God allow all this to happen, rather than intervene and prevent it? There is but one answer: God is the Father and Mentor of the human spirit, but He brings up His children so that they will gradually learn fully to understand their responsibility both toward Him and toward their fellow human beings. God does not hold His children by the hand forever, for then they would never mature spiritually. Were God to intervene and prevent all untoward occurrences, humans would never change, would never learn the full meaning of responsibility. It is therefore the task of humans themselves to ensure that the importance of responsibility is learned and understood. And this the children and the younger generation should learn through the education given them by parents and in schools and institutions.

But even though God prevents not human disasters, He helps in many ways by letting the guardian spirits give warning to both those on the verge of causing disasters and to those who might innocently be exposed to same. Many people can testify that a sudden impulse inspired them not to take a certain train, ship or other means of transportation, thereby escaping possible injury or impending death. However, most people fail to follow such impulses or to heed their guardian spirit, so that they must share in the responsibility for their own death, maiming or suffering, although it lessens not the guilt of the person chiefly responsible for the disaster.

Where disaster is the result of Ardor’s ether-recordings (Toward the Light, page 253: 5 and 254: 1), a warning will always be given through the guardian spirit to any who might be exposed to danger. But if disasters are due only to thoughtless, foolhardy, careless, forgetful or malicious people, not even God can know when, where or how possible accidents may take place, because of the human free will. But in such cases, the guardian spirit will also attempt a “call” of warning to whoever is responsible, that is to say, evoke a sudden impulse to be cautious. Many can testify to such an experience, if they will. (Also see Toward the Light, page 300: 1,2 and page 252: 3-4.)

God is a personal Being, God is the loving Father of the Human Spirit, and God is Almighty. He tries by every possible means to bring up His children with full justice to all, and with profound love for all. But He acts not against His own laws, acts not against human free will for good or evil—the free will that God has given every human being, and which, for a time and in many ways, limits His omniscience and therefore His omnipotence.

The possibility is mentioned (Toward the Light, page 160) that primal Thought and primal Will might have been attracted and united under the influence of Darkness, and that the being who would have arisen would have been the direct opposite of God. Can it be explained how a cosmos of Darkness would have evolved under such a being?

Only God can fully answer this, but probably it will not be answered in every detail until all human spirits are gathered in God’s Kingdom and wish to know the answer.

However, anyone is free to attempt an explanation on the basis of what Toward the Light teaches of the powers and properties of Darkness and of the Light.

Should one imagine, then, that primal Thought and primal Will met and became united under the influence of Darkness and that this resulted in a Deity of Darkness—an absolute opposite of the God of Light whom we⁵⁹ know, love and revere—the following facts must first be considered: 1) that the Deity of Darkness, despite his power, would be incapable of destroying the primal Light, since this embodies and still embodies eternal life; 2) that the primal Light would therefore remain in its place, as a core in primal Darkness; 3) that the Deity of Darkness would be able to create from Darkness but not from the Light, since He could have no knowledge of the properties of the Light, inasmuch as primal Thought and primal Will before becoming united⁶⁰ had existed only in Darkness and not in the Light; 4) that the beings, objects, globes and worlds which the Deity of Darkness might create would be perishable, since death or extinction was and is inherent in the Darkness; and 5) that he, even though his ability to survive could be extended through countless eons, would ultimately disintegrate and become extinct, because the life of Darkness is not everlasting.

One could imagine two possibilities for the development of life in a cosmos of Darkness:

1) The Deity would to a certain extent be able to control the Darkness, but since Darkness is inherently chaotic, nothing but chaos would result from his efforts, his undertakings and his reign. He would probably have created children in his own likeness—dreadful creatures endowed with all the ferocity, malevolence and hideousness of Darkness and worse than the worst of the fallen Eldest. The Deity would war incessantly with his creatures, because evil and hatred would dominate the dealings between them. Love, compassion and mercy would be concepts quite incomprehensible, indeed quite unknown to all of them. “Thought” would stand against “thoughts”, “Will” against “wills”; for the Deity would never have attained complete control over his children’s insatiable greed for power, since having created beings of thought and will, he had thereby weakened his own thought and will. And as the eternal, inexhaustible radiations of Light would lie beyond his reach, there could be no prospect for him of renewing the energy of his own thought and will in order to assert himself over his children.

Thus it is conceivable that the many evil wills would ultimately emerge victorious over the Deity whose will had been weakened through his own acts of creation. And once his children had gained dominance, his dissolution and end would be inevitable. The many who had defeated the one would then continue struggling for power, for they would obviously all desire to be the first, the uppermost, and none would yield, none submit. And this struggle would continue until all had ceased to exist as personal beings, for the last, the lone survivor on the scene of battle, would not long enjoy any sense of victory, for he would surely be disrupted and dissolved by the boundless evil and ferocity of his “thought” and “will” of Darkness, which would have absorbed and assimilated the “thoughts” and “wills” of all the annihilated beings of Darkness—fragments of primal Thought and primal Will. But with the disintegration of the last remaining living being of Darkness, one of the following possibilities could be conjectured:

a) The disintegration and end of the personal being would also cause his thought and will to split, dissolve and absorb into the Darkness. In the process, the Darkness would simultaneously be depolarized, reverting it to its original dormancy and, as such, continuing to exist eternally with the Light (also dormant), with no prospect of ever being polarized again, since primal Thought and primal Will had been annihilated.

Or,

b) At the moment the thought and will split, the disruption would be so powerful as to render the Darkness unable to dissolve and absorb primal Thought and primal Will. These would therefore revert together with the depolarized Darkness to the same dormant state as that in which the Light reposed, and after countless eons of rest would be ready for renewed activity with either the Darkness or the Light, according to how primal Thought and primal Will were influenced by the radiations of the two mutually opposing forces.

2) Or there might be the following possibility of a cosmos of Darkness:

Imagine that some of the creatures of the Deity of Darkness would, out of curiosity, experiment with the Light—the core in the Darkness. But once they had come under the purifying, regulating and harmonizing influence of the Light, their personalities of Darkness would slowly undergo a change until, gradually, over eons, they would be completely transformed into personalities of Light. And once these beings had lost all contact with Darkness, the Light would become their true eternal home and kingdom.

Contemplate further the possibility that one of these beings of Light would probe deeper than the others in exploring the characteristics and properties of the Light and that as a consequence of his superior knowledge, power and authority, he would inevitably become the uppermost, the leader, whom all others would voluntarily love, follow and revere because of the regulating and harmonizing influence of Light. Once this Deity of Light felt and understood his power, and was conscious to the full that he was master of the Light, he would most likely turn to the Darkness and explore its powers and properties. And then he would find the beings of the Darkness, the beings who together with their Deity had remained in the Kingdom of Darkness. In the course of their strife with one another, nourished by hatred and greed for power, they would all have probably quite forgotten the fellow beings who had apparently been absorbed into the Light. These beings of Darkness would be utterly mystified by the Being of Light who now searched them out in their kingdom. But since the Deity of Light would soon come to realize that the inhabitants of Darkness could be assimilated neither with him nor with the other beings of Light, he would presumably initiate a struggle against the Deity of Darkness and his creatures. And the Deity of Light would then of necessity emerge the victor.

But it is open to question whether he would win because of the understanding he would have by then achieved of the all-conquering power of love, or because of the strength of the Light. If the first, the inhabitants of Darkness would, after countless eons under his influence and guidance, be purified and transformed into beings of Light, and so be received into his kingdom of Light. If the second, he would, by his mighty strength of thought and will, dissolve and obliterate them all.

Was there actually a “Hell”? If so, is it now annihilated?

Hell—the “ruined kingdom” around the Earth—did actually exist in the transcendental world, but by the power of God’s Will it has now been removed forever.⁶¹

But it had never been God’s intention to punish His disobedient and recalcitrant children by banishing them to a “hell”. It was the discarnate Eldest, who dwelt in the “ruined kingdom”, where by the power of their evil thought and will they bound sinful human spirits as their slaves and servants in this realm of Darkness. And these sin-bound human spirits were often held there for centuries—even millennia—before the Youngest succeeded in bringing them help and deliverance.

Now that the ruined kingdom is no more, neither human spirits nor any of the Eldest dwell in an actual Hell. But if on Earth they sin gravely against God or against other humans and while there fail to seek forgiveness, they do suffer “the torments of hell” in their consciousness of sin, until grief and remorse come to temper their minds. During this difficult self-searching, the sinful spirit is to all appearances alone in the sphere-home, for none who went before, neither relative nor friend, is permitted there. But even in this apparent solitude God provides help, for the spirits of Light will often be near to speak to the lonely one. Invisible, however, to sin-bound human spirits, the sinner hears them only as humans on Earth hear their “conscience”. The sinners do not know help has come in their hour of need until grief and remorse set in. Then the helper who faithfully and lovingly had watched over them, becomes visible to them.

Why does Toward the Light denounce the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) as inspired by Ardor—Satan? Are there no truths of the Light, for example, in the letters to the various congregations?

The Apocalypse has absolutely nothing to do with the truths of the Light. It was produced through Ardor’s inspiration and through his ether-recordings, read intuitively by the human author of the message who is not identical with John, the apostle. The Apocalypse also contains a number of reminiscences of “visions” of the Old Prophets. Neither do the letters to the various congregations originate with God or with the spirits of Light. They are a mixture of Ardor’s inspiration and pure fantasy by the author.

The entire book is a grotesque, misleading document of Darkness, a collection of fabrications, many rooted in the deepest paganism. And regardless of all human speculation and interpretation of its many prophecies, this will certainly not make them into eternal truths of the Light.

“Revelation” is the big, fanciful, mysterious fairy tale book of Christians, and not until the people who are spellbound by this book have progressed beyond their spiritual infancy will it loosen its hold on the human mind. Children “love” fairy tales, no matter how gory, how gruesome or senseless they may be. To most children the fairy-tale adventures are truths to which they return again and again. But when childhood is behind, these once admired and “beloved” stories are seen for what they are—fairy tales only, and nothing more.

The Apocalypse is thus a test of the maturity of the human spirit. Those who within themselves abhor and shun this work have passed from spiritual childhood. But those who really believe they can find in the Apocalypse beauty and divine truth are, spiritually, like young children, equally pleased by a glittering bracelet whether imitation or of the purest gold. There are also Christians, unfortunately, repelled inwardly by the Apocalypse, yet outwardly embracing it as authentic. Such people bear the heaviest of responsibility, as does Luther for his inclusion of the Apocalypse in the New Testament while lacking any appreciation for the work.

While reading the so-called “Revelation of St. John the Divine”, Christians should think of the fairy tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, for this work is but an empty weave of figments of the mind, whose warp is the hideous, false and perverted imaginings of Darkness and whose weft is human fantasy.

Why does God not eliminate the ether-recordings of Ardor, to stop them from becoming reality on the Earth’s stratum? Much disaster and suffering could surely be prevented.

To explain why the ether-recordings remain, even though their author, Ardor, now wishes they were gone, we must draw an analogy with a somewhat similar phenomenon in the earthly world:

Once something is transmitted by radio, the sender can neither stop nor obliterate it in passage. Not until it arrives at the receiving station can a subsequent request possibly cause the recipient to destroy it. But then it is too late, for the recipient will already know the contents of the transmission. Besides, such wireless messages can also sometimes be intercepted by other stations. Similarly, under favorable conditions mediums can intercept psychic ether-recordings not meant for them, and just as radio messages on Earth are not stopped from reaching the main receiving station by the interception of other stations, neither are psychic ether-recordings stopped because of interception by mediums. Such messages and ether-recordings are transmitted under established laws, in the earthly and psychic dimensions. Therefore, no one in the earthly or psychic world can end anything already broadcast or recorded. The process must follow its determined course until—under the established laws—the transmission fades, dissolves and disappears. Though He never violates His laws, it is possible for God and the Youngest to diminish the impact of Ardor’s recordings by diverting them to power centers (“receiving stations”) in distant space, or the recordings can under favorable conditions even be stopped completely by “adhering” to these power centers. But if the main “psychic receiving station”—in this case Earth itself—exerts sufficient attraction through, for example, large accumulations of Darkness, or through the collective thought of a number of people preoccupied⁶² with “known” ether-recordings, thereby attracting same, the recordings usually enter the Earth’s stratum as actual events despite the efforts of the Youngest to divert them. Consequently, it is vital that people be persuaded as much as possible not to heed and “believe in” the prophecies of the Apocalypse, for example, or the predictions of mediums who have intuitively intercepted Ardor’s ether-recordings.

But whenever Ardor’s forecasts (ether-images) for human activity are about to enter the Earth’s stratum as real events, despite the efforts of the Youngest to prevent them, God can give warning through the guardian spirits to those endangered by or involved in the impending events. Thus at the last moment it is sometimes possible to stop such events from becoming reality in life on Earth. If, say, one of Ardor’s plans for warfare is about to enter the Earth’s stratum, God will issue warnings to those possessed of the power to decide whether the threat is to result in hostilities, or be resolved peacefully through diplomacy. Should such people ignore the doubts and warnings of their conscience and order war, however, nothing can stop the ether-images from becoming earthly reality, for God never goes against the human free will for good or evil. But anyone who truly has the will for good does not have to become enslaved by the Darkness that streams toward humanity from Ardor’s ether-images.

Therefore, people should not “believe in” the prophecies of the Apocalypse, nor in the predictions given by astrologers, by spiritualistic mediums or other fortune-tellers. Such predictions may be true enough in their origin, but they do not necessarily have to come true in the earthly world (See Toward the Light, page 253: 5 to page 255: 1 to page 202: 4).

Why did Satan’s return to God take place in our time? And why has he chosen to inform humanity of the eternal truths?

Many will find it difficult to believe that the return of Satan— Ardor— to God has taken place in our time. However, since God and the Youngest have striven for this goal for millions of years, their work would certainly meet with success sooner or later, and so it happened that the goal was reached in the year 1912.

But how many people here and now understand they live in an historic age? Most forget that each individual becomes a part in the formation of the destiny of humanity. Earthly events do not become “history” until such time as they can be combined and observed at a distance. Only a few are able to see and understand the history of the “future” in the events of their own lifetime. For instance, how many of the contemporaries of Jesus had any conception of the future significance of his mission?

When Ardor had returned to God, he must of necessity have been the one chosen to inform mankind of what he had sinned against God and against humans. Thus, “Ardor’s Account” is a confession, a penance requested of him by God through which to obtain the forgiveness of human beings.

Whether people who come into possession of Toward the Light will trust in its message is a matter between them, their conscience, and God.

Why does God continue to create human spirits after Ardor’s return? Does this not make God a slave of the promise He gave millions of years ago?

If God gives a promise, He is of course bound by it until its fulfillment. But God gives no promise until it has been carefully considered in every aspect and He is fully aware that it can be carried out as intended. And even though God binds Himself for long periods through His words, He becomes not a “slave” to His promises, precisely because He knows their future implications in every detail.

Human beings, on the other hand, often make themselves the slaves of their promises, partly because they usually do not seriously consider—and indeed cannot always consider—all the implications, partly because they often make promises against their conscience, and partly because these may be given in an emotional moment without thought for the possible consequences, and so on. Humans therefore fail time and again to keep their promises, which inevitably gives many of them pangs of conscience, if not in this life then after death when the time of reckoning approaches.

But God never fails to keep His given word, nor will He in this case. And for as long as mankind is bound to the “Eldest” still incarnate here on Earth, God will do that which He promised⁶³ His fallen children at the dawn of time, namely, to prevent the astral counterpart of the human body from becoming a “shadow”, devoid of thought and will. For not until the last of the Eldest, those incarnated by Ardor, have died, will humans be released from their creators—and, then, at the same time will God be released from His promise.

Is there any substantiation in the Bible for the forgiveness of Satan (Ardor) by God and by humans?

Not directly, but such evidence is given indirectly in the New Testament.

In Matthew 5: 44 and Luke 6: 27-28 it is written: ”. . .love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Having spoken thus, Jesus does not then add that Satan is excepted. And since the arch-enemy of mankind is—was, rather—Satan, or Ardor, humans must therefore also learn 1) to “love” Satan, the creator and enemy of mankind; 2) to do “good” to him, who most of all has sinned against and hated them; 3) to “bless” him, who has hurled the most and the worst of all curses upon them; and 4) to “pray” for him, who most of all has abused and persecuted them. For human beings cannot wholly and fully comply with these words of Jesus unless Satan is included.

There is also the parable of “The Prodigal Son”, in Luke 15: 11-32.

This was one of the parables of the time and so was not original with Jesus, but he often used it because it expressed for him the true, all-encompassing and all-forgiving love of God, as the Father. It gave Jesus certainty during his life on Earth that the fallen but beloved brother, despite all his departures from the path, would nevertheless one day find the road and return to their Father’s home.

In this parable, if interpreted as Jesus sees it, mankind is the son who remained at the father’s home—the father being God. The son who journeyed to a far country and there led a riotous life is Satan. When the father in the parable sees his degenerate son, grief-laden, wretched and in rags, coming along the road to the father’s home, he hastens to meet him, embraces him and forgives him from the fullness of his loving heart and mind; and he forgives all the sorrow, all the suffering the son has caused him through his sinful life, and the father rejoices in his home-coming. But when the son who had remained at home—mankind—learns of the welcome that their mutual father has given the returned son, he rejoices not in this event but becomes envious and angry. He understands not the father’s gladness, understands not that the true love of a father excuses and forgives everything when deep grief and true remorse completely fills the heart of the sinner and takes away his defiance.

(Jesus only retold this parable, he did not interpret it for his listeners. He usually let them draw their own conclusions from the parables he employed.)

In his human existence, Jesus saw clearly that, as in the parable, so it would happen at some future time when Satan—one of God’s children—would return in remorse to the Father’s Home, and that mankind would in one way or another be informed of this event. He foresaw that many, in their narrow-mindedness, in their self-assertiveness and in their lack of neighborly love would not understand that God could in His heart forgive a being who had fallen as deeply as had Satan. He foresaw that many would not be able to comprehend that God must rejoice a thousand-fold more in the return of a son who was thought to be lost for eternity than He would rejoice in the children who live under His immediate care and attention.

If the parable is applied in a purely human father- and-son sense, then would God, were He unable to forgive Ardor—His beloved, lost and newfound son—be far inferior to the human father of the parable. But would this not be inconceivable? Must not God in His Paternal love greatly transcend even the most loving of human fathers? Indeed, if human fathers in life on Earth are able to forgive their children for their wickedness, how much more must not God—the Father of all—be able to forgive each and every one of His children without preference, even though humans may feel that the transgressions of Satan cannot in all eternity be forgiven?

The reason people understand not God’s forgiveness of Ardor is rooted in their lack of neighborly love, in their human selfishness. If only they themselves are saved, Satan is no concern of theirs. He fully deserves his sufferings, so why take pity on him or have compassion for him?

However, all should remember to take to heart Paul’s beautiful words about love: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

If Satan (Ardor) has indeed returned to God, as Toward the Light informs us, why is this not noticeable in life on Earth? There appears to be as much sin and misery, as much crime and misdeed as ever.

Not until millions have not only come to know the message of Toward the Light, but also have as a result fully forgiven Ardor, have fully understood their responsibility both toward God and toward their fellow beings and have learned to live in accordance with their conscience, not until then can there be any improvement in humanity’s religious, ethical or moral understanding and perception of life. It must be remembered that Ardor has for millions of years sown the evil seed of Darkness in the minds and in the thoughts of human beings, and this seed has flourished and spread everywhere among human beings. The ugly, reeking toadstools and weeds of sin still grow and flourish and spread the fertile seeds of Darkness through all mankind; and this process will continue until all individuals with all their strength seek to uproot the toadstools and weeds from their minds and thoughts, until each and everyone has learned to purge the ego of all impurity and ugliness of sin. For no “miracle” can at one stroke change the impure, sinful human race into perfected beings of Light.

Humanity can be compared to a flowerbed overgrown with weeds. Even though the mother plant of the weeds is dug out to the very root, this will still not clean the flowerbed. Each single shoot of weed sprouting forth must be uprooted before the flowers can grow freely, can develop new shoots and new leaves, can bud and blossom. Likewise must each individual carefully purge the flowerbed of the mind and thought, otherwise the weeds of sin and Darkness will strangle all the goodness and beauty that God has implanted in the inner being of every human spirit. But such purification of the ego is exceedingly slow, and the human spirit must live through many incarnations before succeeding fully in cleansing the self of the earthly Darkness. Thus it is of no avail that the Christian peoples cling tenaciously to the belief that the death of Jesus was one of atonement. These people must be told again and again: the blood of Jesus cleanses not the impurities of sin, Jesus atoned not for the sins of mankind through his death. Indeed, belief in the reality of the Doctrine of Atonement benefits in no way the Christians. It but prolongs and makes more difficult their journey toward the distant home-land—God’s Kingdom, the true Paradise. But if Christians persist in clinging to belief in the atonement death of Jesus, and if they continue, at mention of Toward the Light—God’s Message—to refer to the words of Jesus about “false prophets” (words never spoken by him), then it could well be that Christianity will be the last religious community to accept fully the Message that God has sent to all humanity. It could happen thus—no one knows. But one thing is certain: it is the Christian communities—all of them—that ought to be the first to depart from the dogmas of the church, the man-made dogmas that go against God’s innermost Being and contradict all common sense. But any who listen to God’s Message will always be able to invoke His direct help in the struggle against Darkness, in the cleansing and purification of the self. For all who in their love of God, in their trust in Him as the Father, submit to His leadership, will soon feel encompassed by the strengthening, life-giving radiations of the Light, will soon feel themselves protected by His strong hand.

The present era of mankind can be regarded as a great interregnum. The Prince of Darkness and of mankind, Satan (Ardor), has relinquished his rule and laid down his crown and sceptre. The Kingdom of Darkness—the Earth—has no “sovereign” more—his throne stands empty! For Ardor was the Prince of the Earth and of humanity from the moment the first human beings were created for earthly life. And even though God, at the dawn of time, when certain of the Eldest sought His help for their wretched creatures, promised to help them, God became not thereby the King and Prince of humanity. But because of the leadership He had arranged—to bring spiritual life and Light to the humans so as to be able to overcome the sin of temptations and Darkness—He knew He would eventually win back His eldest fallen children and some day be fully acknowledged as God, the spiritual Father and Supreme Leader of all humanity.

The first goal has been reached: the return of Ardor to God, to his Father, with the result that mankind is no longer under Ardor’s rule, no longer subject to his direct influence and his direct inspiration. Nevertheless, human beings remain far from attainment of the full unity, the mutual love and the trust required for acknowledging God as their spiritual Father, as the Supreme Leader of life on Earth, and as the Lord and Prince of the Earthly Realm.

Not until the greater part of the Earth’s many millions of people have learned to know the true God, as He really is, have learned to love Him and submit to Him alone, have fully learned to forgive Ardor, the creator of the human body, not until then will it truly be felt that Satan’s throne stands empty!

In Toward the Light, God calls to His beloved children all, calls in longing for the fullness of their love, in longing for their complete trust!

Yes, God calls to His beloved children.

But—when will they hear His calling voice?

When will they answer Him?

When will they, from deep within their hearts, meet His profound and infinite paternal love with the fullness of their love, with their perfect trust?

God has called!

And God is longing!

FOOTNOTES

Question 2

1 twice) Toward the Light, pages 94-98.

2) Some Psychic Experiences, pages 36 to 39.

3) Swedenborgianism, among others.

4) Greetings to Denmark is not included here since it is a special gift to the Danish people.

Question 3

5) Toward the Light, page 244: 1, and Question 2, First Supplement.

Question 5

6) These can also be due to negative and positive attractions and discharges of Darkness.

Question 6

7) Toward the Light, page 293: 2.

Question 7

8) Toward the Light, page 322: 1.

Question 9

9) Before the return of Ardor to God, the influence of Darkness was due mainly to his guidance and that of the other discarnate Eldest.

Question 11

10) See also Question 2.

11 twice) Among the clergy are a number who before their present incarnation had pledged to God to speak in support of any book about Ardor and his acts, were it possible to produce this in the human world. See The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, pages 29-31.

12 twice) See Some Psychic Experiences, wherein this guidance is described.

13) Postscript to Toward the Light.

14) Postscript to Toward the Light.

15) Postscript to Toward the Light.

16) It is possible a second Supplement will be forthcoming if sufficient questions are asked while the female helper yet lives on Earth.

Question 12

17) The Doctrine of Atonement and The Shorter Road, pages 29-31.

18) See Questions 11 and 68 in this Supplement.

Question 13

19) The answer to question 13 pertains only to the religious part of Toward the Light.

Question 14

20 twice) See Toward the Light, page 274: 1 to 281: 2, regarding the interactions between the astral, psychic and physical brains.

Question 15

21 twice) Toward the Light, page 94:6 to 97:3.

Question 16

22) See Question 42.

Question 17

23) See answer to Question 16.

Question 18

24) Toward the Light, page 306: 3.

25) Toward the Light, 186 and Question 16 in this Supplement.

26) Such an incarnation is exceptional, however. See Toward the Light, page 113: 2, regarding human repentance.

27) Speech of Christ, Toward the Light, page 118: 5.

28) Speech of God’s Servant, Toward the Light, page 135: 13 to page 137: 1.

Question 19

29) See Question 18.

Question 21

30) See Question 18.

Question 23

31) Toward the Light, page 0:7-9.

Question 26

32) If death occurs in a warm climate, the temperature will accelerate the weakening of the particles even if the body be otherwise healthy.

Question 33

33) See Jesus’s vision of Satan, Toward the Light, pages 39-40.

Question 34

34) Toward the Light, page 306, footnote 2.

Question 38

35) Though the rule, in some instances the guardian spirit has brought a human spirit to a higher sphere for the desired meeting.

Question 42

36) Identical to the discourse in the New Testament referred to in the question.

37 twice) He who sins against the holy within the self will of course also sin against the divine laws.

Question 43

38) At still later times, children or older relatives were sacrificed for many different purposes.

39) Toward the Light, page 283: 2 to 285: 4.

Question 48

40) Luke 2: 8-11. None of the other Gospels has this account of the birth of Jesus.

41) At Christ’s wish, this date was revealed many years ago to the two who had assisted him in the removal of the Earth-bound spirits from the Earth’s astral plane. But this information was given with the stipulation no others be informed of it.

Question 49

42) Matthew 13: 54-57; Mark 6: 2-3; Luke 2: 42-50 and John 7: 14-20.

43) The originator of this question felt that Jesus showed deep respect for the Mosaic Law.

44 twice) Some of Jesus’s utterances put forward in the less conventional idioms of the language but forgotten and not found in the Gospels were for example (aimed at the Pharisees): “You are like the camel’s dung left in the dust of the road, yea, you are like running sores and stinking boils. You are like swine that wallow in their own mire.”

Question 50

45) Toward the Light, page 35 and page 226.

Question 52

46) Quoted from The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, page 20.

Question 53

47) That is to say, failed him.

Question 54

48) Jesus quotes a text from the Old Testament. See 1 Samuel 15: 22, Hosea 6: 6; Micah 6: 7-8, and several other places.

49) The passage quoted contains the incorrect word “condemned.”

Question 56

50) Refers to Paul’s account of how the Doctrine of Atonement arose. See The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road, pages 15-17.

Question 59

51) Toward the Light, page 16: 5.

52) God selected the eldest of the Youngest to lead humanity, not to be “Ruler of the Kingdom of the Earth.” Ardor implanted this distortion of the mission of Jesus in the thoughts of the incarnated Youngest and it has no connection with the truth. It is Christ’s mission to lead all human spirits to God’s Kingdom, not to “rule” over them.

53) The spheres.

Question 62

54) At the dawn of time, God established regular laws for both spiritual and molecular Darkness. When the Eldest began experimenting with the Darkness that had separated from its encapsulation in the Light, much of the molecular Darkness escaped God’s direct control. As a result, many of its various manifestations no longer conformed to God’s regular laws. But through millions of years the Light has exerted a regulating, harmonizing and stabilizing influence on this Darkness. Therefore, many of these irregular and indeterminable manifestations are now automatically regulated by better or completely established laws. The “natural laws” referred to here are the laws for the spiritual Darkness.

Question 63

55) The laws for the many and varied manifestations of molecular Darkness. These are not all as regular and firmly established as are the laws for “spiritual Darkness”.

56) Should some say that parents are often forced to leave young children and infants unattended because the mother, or both mother and father are obliged to earn their livelihood outside the home, there is but one response: no young or infant children must ever be left alone. God will always lay the responsibility for accidents on the mother, or on both parents, where it rightfully belongs. But if people cannot support young children without absence from home—and if they cannot afford supervision—then they must seek help from public authorities, humiliating though they may believe it to be. There is no other way. (See also Toward the Light, page 126: 3-8).

57) Railway accidents can of course arise in many other ways, but when not due to natural catastrophe, humans usually bear the responsibility.

58) Many other examples could be given, for there is enough to choose from in human transgressions, recklessness, foolhardiness, competitive sport, irresponsibility—and human malevolence.

Question 64

59) The Youngest—the spiritual leaders of humanity.

60) One must imagine that Thought and Will reacted to the influence of the Darkness while they existed on the border between Light and Darkness. See Toward the Light, page 159: 3.

Question 65

61) Toward the Light, page 101: 9.

Question 67

62) Through predictions, prophecies, visions and the like.

Question 69

63) Toward the Light, page 14: 19 and 322: 1.

END

Toward the Light

First Supplement

Questions & Answers

Copy-edited by Harry Prior

CONTENTS

1. Communication with spirits of Light. Telepathy between human beings.

2. Preparatory work for the production of Toward the Light

3. Definition of “medium”. Mediumistic talents.

4. Messages from spirits of Light to specially chosen people.

5. Spontaneous phenomena and spiritualists.

6. Removal of Earth-bound spirits from the Earth’s stratum.

7. Life-span of the Eldest incarnated by Ardor.

8. Possession by spirits.

9. Influence of Light and Darkness on human beings.

10. Evaluation of spiritual truths.

11. Why a woman was chosen to work for Toward the Light.

12. Spokesmen for Toward the Light.

13. Attitude of Church leaders to Toward the Light.

14. Mormonism, Theosophy, Christian Science, and Anthroposophy.

15. The “Shorter Road”.

16. Necessity for reincarnation.

17. Forgiveness of sin through prayers to Christ.

18. Prayers for those suffering under the Law of Retribution.

19. Possible injustice through prayers of intercession.

20. Prayers to saints and prayers to heathen “gods”.

21. Prayers to God by human beings.

22. Primal cosmos: Darkness, Light, Thought and Will.

23 . The hot vapors of the Earth and the immaterial bodies of the Eldest.

24. Forms of transportation in the Spheres.

25. Attachment of the spirit to the fetus,

26. Time of death of the human body.

27. Formation of the Mother Suns.

28. The Mother Sun of our galactic system.

29. The Central Sun: God’s Kingdom.

30. The invisibility of God’s Kingdom.

31. Astronomical dimensions of the Milky Way.

32. The distant nebulae.

33 . Luther’s “vision” at Wartburg.

34. Luther’s bodily sufferings.

35. Luther’s spiritual sufferings.

36. Total time for the incarnations of a human being.

37. Ties of friendship and kinship.

38. Meeting of husband and wife in the beyond.

39. The concept of love.

40. Love between duals and neighborly love.

41. Primal prototypes of earthly plant life and God’s love for human beings.

42. Sinning against the “Holy Ghost”.

43. The human urge to make offerings.

44. The Jewish people and human sacrifice.

45. The Messianic Hope of the Jewish people.

46. Joseph, the father of Jesus.

47. Conception of Jesus by the “Holy Ghost”.

48. December 24th as the birthday of Jesus.

49. The humility of Jesus.

50. Crucifixion of Jesus, the Council in Jerusalem.

51. Crucifixion of Jesus, guilt of Pilate and the Council.

52. The words: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani”.

53. The release of Barabbas.

54. The death of atonement of Jesus.

55. The thief on the cross.

56. An attack on The Doctrine of Atonement and the Shorter Road”.

57 .The doctrine of the atoning death of Jesus.

58 . The divine trinity in ancient religions.

59. The concept of the Messiah.

60. Human beings in the presence of God.

61. God’s existence through eternity.

62. God and the natural laws.

63. God and human suffering.

64. A deity of Darkness in a cosmos of Darkness.

65. The annihilated “Kingdom” around the Earth.

66. The Apocalypse.

67. Ardor’s ether-recordings.

68. The point in time for Satan’s — Ardor’s — return.

69. God’s continued creation of human spirts.

70. Biblical evidence for the forgiveness of Ardor by God and humans.

71. Sins and crimes of humanity after Ardor’s return to God.