Chapter 26
God said: There are those who shut themselves up in colleges (cloisters) and others who retire to the forests, devoting their lives to prayers, confessions, rites and ceremonies, being most systematic in routine, and in being shut away from the Uzians [world’s people –Ed.].
And they allot certain ones as leaders and overseers, making themselves inquisitors over one another, in the hope of purifying their thoughts and aspirations, constantly trapping one another for shortness, and then submitting to petty punishment and inflictions, hoping by this to check evil thoughts, words and actions.
Judgment is rendered against all such people, whether they are mortals or angels.
For these are the methods of the imprisonment of mind. All such mortals are preparing themselves for the bondage of drujas on their entrance into the es world.
Yes even in that same college, they shall be immured after death, by thousands of drujas who inhabit the place, who profess to have some scheme of projected salvation.
All such people are the manifestation of darkness instead of light. Jehovih created man with the capacity for developing talent to do good to others.
Now, behold, these ascetics labor for themselves in these foolish proceedings; they do not do these things in order to meliorate the condition of their neighbors. Nor have they shown, in a single instance, where a benefit resulted to the state in consequence of their practices.
They call their initiations sacred, but I declare to you, they are a blasphemy against Jehovih. They are like a snare, for the imprisonment of the mind and the soul.
And after death, these people are prevented by their drujan masters from entering heavenly places of resurrection, becoming, instead, slaves in the es world, to pursue any calling and practice that may be put upon them.
For the same rule holds on earth and in heaven, regarding the bondage of the mind. If, by imposing rites and ceremonies, and by the stratagems and cunning of mortal priests, they can be captured on earth, so can they also be retained in bondage in heaven.
And it happens with them, that even as they honestly believe they are right on earth, so in heaven they will persist in believing they are right, even willingly submitting to cruelty and to torture, in order to prove their fidelity.
Be considerate, O man, of the words of your God: He, Who created you, gave to you one star of light by which you may determine truth and wisdom.
Whatever doctrine shows self as the chief consideration, even if it is for obtaining wisdom or supposed purity for self’s sake, is not of Jehovih.
And yet, the aborigine who roves foolishly in the forest, stands higher before your God, than the nun or the ascetic does. For though the former lives for self only, yet he is not bound in spirit.
In all things, you shall weigh the object and end aimed at, and the final result; and where self stands as a part, or whole consideration, you shall know that matter is not of Jehovih, but of satan.
It is not sufficient for the apologist of satan to say: O we dwell in the colleges (cloisters, etc.), in order to pray for Uzians.
But you shall weigh their prayers also, and you shall estimate their value by what is accomplished. And you shall prove whether their prayers provided harvests of wheat and corn, and food and clothing for the poor, and education for the unlearned, or any other thing that was good.
Do not be not put off by the cunning of satan’s words in the mouths of priests or popes; but look matters in the face, and be a God yourself in discerning things that meliorate the condition of man.