himself.
WSD:21:31 This is not the hour of dawning, for it lies still distant, and therefore, these words are no more than an arrow shot in the direction of the
rising sun. He who writes them now will never put them into effect, for a child born prematurely has little chance of survival. A ship is not launched on the floodwaters, and a harvest is reaped only when the seed is sown in its
proper season.
WSD:21:32 Do not be downhearted if the results of your preaching cannot be seen, for be assured that if good is sown well, it will surely take root. When your hearers are men of intelligence, speak to them profoundly, but if they are men who toil, men not gifted with intellect or well endowed with words, instruct them by parable and with tales drawn from their own
background and turned to account. WSD:21:33 When The Divine intends to call a man to high service, that man is certain to be the first disciplined by suffering. He may be tested by bodily labour, by hunger and privation, or he may be tried in the fires of trouble and distress. His every undertaking may be confounded and every effort frustrated. By such means his character will be strengthened and his resolution intensified. His understanding and compassion will be increased.
WSD:21:34 Men have to make mistakes to learn, and reformation of character often commences under duress. Yet, it does not follow that all derive benefit from the tests of life, for many weak characters succumb before them, and then, their weakness swallows them up. The benefit comes to those who realise benefit is to be gained and who look for it, or to those who, unconscious of benefit, still rise above their trials, WSD:21:35 Nothing is wrong with the Spiritual Realm, and nothing is wrong with the world except through man's own actions. What is wrong and must be remade is man, himself. The Good Religion must, therefore, teach man to be happy and contented within himself and to rise above his environment. Too many lack this ability and are happy only when circumstances and surroundings are favourable, but they soon become depressed and sad when things go against them or are not to their liking. Despondency and worry arise when a person's thoughts are completely self- centred, and harmful desires arise when they seek selfish gratification. To seek the things and circumstances that please and to shun those that do not is taking the slippery path leading to the pit of sorrow. The road to degeneracy is wide, smooth and downhill all the way. WSD:21:36 Men must learn that, while they traverse the arid desert of materialism, they must expect to suffer the thirstpangs of unquenchable desires and unsatisfied urges. Their feet will always drag heavily through the sands of sorrow and suffering. Only when they come to the cool waters of spirituality can they rest, refreshed and satisfied. The duststorms of passion, the mirages of deception and illusion and the dark cloud of mortal ignorance must be penetrated in order to glimpse the Light of Divinity beyond. The phantoms of sense fallacies must be recognised for what they are, unimportant things without substance.
WSD:21:37 Things come into being because they are needed and necessary, and when the Good Religion opens its arms to men, it will be for this reason. Until then, it is not harmful for them to worship the awe-inspiring symbols and indulge in the spirit-stirring litanies conceived by the many existing religions. These do serve by assisting the spirit to purge itself of grosser attractions and to elevate the soul. In such elementary forms of worship, the object of homage does not matter, for each worshipper forms an image in his own mind of what lies behind it according to his own state of development. In this manner, the way is prepared for the coming of the Light.
WSD:21:38 No activity of man is so wrapped in ignorance, so inept and harmful as religious intolerance or prejudice in favour of one outward form
of worship as against another. All who worship are seeking the same destination, and each takes the road he thinks most suitable. Men are led by phantoms to fight for dimly-revealed causes and end up consumed in fiery pits of hatred. Why have they chosen one side rather than the other? Only because the particular religion they support is an accident of birth and upbringing. Man weaves his sorrows from the very materials given for his
adornment and glorification. WSD:21:39 The answers given by all true religions are inspired by the desire to meet particular needs. These needs differ according to time and place and the condition and development of men, but all true religions have this in common: they come in response to something upsurging in the nature of man. When the rites of a religion are performed without thought and its ceremonial becomes meaningless, then that religion is ready to die.
Chapter Twenty-Two - The Good Religion
WSD:22:1 This is not a recipe for salvation, nor a formula for blind belief. It is not a matter of doctrine alone, and dogmatic belief must not be rigidly imposed, though loyalty and unity are certainly to be expected from those who follow its light. The Good Religion is not so much a belief or doctrine as a way of living. It is the way of life of a company of kindred spirits headed for the same destination and all sharing the same adventure, with its hazards and excitement, all seeking the best road together. WSD:22:2 It is not a religion of gloom and despair. It does not seek to placate or coerce any Being, for it serves a Divinity above such things. It is not a religion revelling in servility and meekness; instead, it seeks to reveal the greatness of man. It is a religion of joy and hope, of high ideals and aspirations. It adheres to the highest principles of Truth, Justice and Goodness. It aspires to the greatest good for all mankind and believes in the sanctity of life, love and family. It hallows hearth and home.
WSD:22:3 It is a practical religion teaching the doctrine of evolving betterment. It establishes a standard for men to live by, which will make them better men and permit them to live in peace and harmony with others. It values the qualities of courage, audacity, fortitude and steadfastness. It upholds the virtues of modesty, patience, purity and gentleness. It is not a religion of undue restraint or narrow dogma, and it does not believe in the futile mortification of the body. It takes full regard of man as a twofold being and maintains the dignity of the mortal as well as the spiritual body. It makes no empty promises of salvation or redemption and is not founded upon a system of indulgences, rewards or promises. It expounds the principles of personal responsibility, obligation and effort. Its prime objectives are to the carrying out of the Divine Design and the service of mankind. It is a religion to be lived by and not just believed in. It demands to be expressed in deeds and not in words, in beneficial action and not in blind conformity. It is more interested in bringing out the hidden good than in outward display and pomp. The Good Religion concerns itself with whatever is necessary for the unfolding of the spirit, and its aim is to spur man upward to divinity.
WSD:22:4 The purpose of a religion is to serve, and it cannot do this properly by concentrating on spiritual matters alone, for it also has the obligation of setting a moral standard. A worthwhile religion cannot permit itself to be shut out from everyday life. If it does so, it is undeserving of its status. It must concern itself with the way men live, with the conduct of their daily affairs, with their relationship with one another. WSD:22:5 Religion is man's response to his existence in earthly conditions and the answer to the challenge of his environment. Therefore, it is in religion that he finds the most satisfactory outlet for his feelings and the best way of expressing his inner yearning. The soundless, insistent voice of The Divine calls out to man from the depths of his being, and that which guides and directs him towards it is called 'religion.' WSD:22:6 The Divine is hidden from men and veiled behind the firmament, and this separation, this feeling of being cut off, is the source and basis of religion. The Divine and man, fire and spark, now sundered apart, crave to be united, and this craving expresses itself as religion. WSD:22:7 Man, the person, is like a lamb separated from its mother, the source of its life, and lost in the mountain mists. He is a lonely creature pulled and pushed around by urges and desires, dragged onward by the remorseless chords of time, heavily burdened with fragile mortality and always haunted by the accompanying phantoms of decay and change. His only encouragement is the light of divinity just dimly glimpsed in the distance, and his only consolation and comfort his religion.