What can we understand by the words: “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation ...”?

A simplistic interpretation of these words can lead to the thought that the Creator will punish descendants of a sinner even if those descendants are innocent of the sins of their ancestors.

If a person can be made to pay for the iniquities of another then it means that a person can reap what he has not sown! This is however an impossibility as the Laws of Creation will not allow such a thing to happen.      

                   

The scripture quoted can be found in Deuteronomy 5:9. The scripture when read in full is to the effect that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate the Almighty. So it is clear from this that those who do not abide by the Laws of the Almighty are regarded as enemies of God. Such will reap the fruits of their actions and omissions. If their children follow them in such disobedience they too will suffer the fate similar to that of their parents.

This brings us to yet another Law of Creation. The Law of like attracts like. This law ensure that only what is spiritually similar are attracted to each other. So it happens that many a parent who is counted among the enemies of God will also attract similar souls from among the souls waiting for an opportunity to incarnate on earth. So, like father like son, the hatred for God is perpetrated and all concerned face a terrible fate unless they change their ways.

We should also be careful of what we tell our children when they make enquiries about spiritual matters. For example when you tell your child that the dead are resting in peace you have misled that child! The child may believe the parent, base his whole life on this wrong belief and pass it onto his own children. When this first child leaves the flesh and realises that there is indeed continuous activity for the soul, it will not only regret having held such wrong beliefs but he will have to experience how his own son passes the wrong belief to the future generations. He will be held fast to them by this guilt until at last one of his descendants come to a better understanding!

Now, we are the time when the Gospel of Pure Truth is being disseminated once more on earth. He, who turns a deaf ear to the Message from above, marks himself among the enemies of God. Let us therefore be on our guard, lest we also be found among such!

IS THERE REALLY A BASTARD CHILD?

Under a number of earthly laws, legitimacy is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. On the other hand, illegitimacy (or being a bastard) is the status of a child conceived outside wedlock.

The consequences of illegitimacy were predominantly in relation to rights of inheritance to the presumed father's estate as well as being entitled to bear the father's name or title. It also had consequences on the right of the mother and child to obtain support from the alleged father. Today however, many countries including have through legislation abolished any legal disabilities of a child born out of wedlock.

Apart from the legal angle, let us seek deeper insights on this matter in the light of the Eternal Laws of God. We are not here for the first time as all of us have experienced past earth lives. By the workings of the Natural Laws, the condition into which one is born at this time depends on the way one has lived in past earth lives. The time of birth and the circumstance into which each one is born is carefully guided by the operations of the Natural Laws. This ensures that we are born into conditions which will achieve what our souls need for their redemption and further development.

Apart from the child who is offered an avenue to develop by being born to this world, all those who are close to the child stand to benefit from the newcomer. Parents, brothers and sisters if any and those that come in contact with this child are offered an opportunity to be blessed. They can take these tremendous opportunities to redeem their own past misdeeds through acts of love towards the child. This can be by taking good care of the child, educating him and nursing him in sickness. It can also be by showing the child good example which of course can help one to drop bad habits.

If we consider what has been stated thus far and that the purpose of our emergence on earth is to gain the necessary maturity that will lead us back to our spiritual origin, then childbirth will have a deeper meaning to us. We shall be compelled to regard each birth as a blessing from above offering the person born and all those who are connected with him an opportunity to advance spiritually.

Instead of dwelling on the circumstance or how a child is born, we should rather show gratitude to God for the mercies He grants anew with every single birth!

IS IT CORRECT TO REGARD A PERSON AS AN OUTCAST?

Generally speaking an outcast is a person who is rejected or cast out from home or society, or in some way excluded, looked down upon, isolated, rejected, or ignored.

Aside this general description, there are various caste systems world over under which some people in a particular society are regarded as freeborn and another group of people are considered inferior. In certain extreme cases some people in the same society are regarded as outcasts or untouchables. These systems can be borne out of a religious belief in which case, the caste system remains despite all modernization. In other cases the system operates to create societal divisions based on occupation and ethnic ties.

All of these forms of discrimination cannot be supported by the Laws of God which only promote love and justice and regards all men as equals! Where such tyrannical caste or social structures are found, there you have on display the reign of terror devised by the calculations of man.

To regard a fellow human soul as an outcast just because he is born to a certain class of society is an evidence of a lack of love. If such attitude is based on religious beliefs then its followers cannot make a valid claim to recognize the Almighty Who is Love.

And where a society is divided into classes, it is better not to have one class above the other. Such oppressive social structures that places one group of society above another only brings about disharmony and unrest. The so called high class people will be arrogant and the lower classes will be discontented and even bitter. Social tensions, crime and general insecurity are some of the results of this unsustainable structure.

Where man adheres to the Laws of his Maker, then there will be sincere love amongst the peoples and no one will be discriminated against by virtue of the circumstance of his birth. And where there has to be a class structure, then each class will stand side by side, giving and receiving from each other in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

When all is said and done, the real outcasts are those creatures who out of stubbornness continuously disobey the Laws of God. They indulge in sin and revel in harming their fellow men. It does not matter if these people adhere to a religion believing that they can ask for forgiveness at the last moment. Unless they repent now, and continually do the Will of the Almighty, they shall be considered by the Laws of God as outcasts belonging to the Darkness who shall be cast out from the Light and denied the grace of eternal life!

Does a prayer offered by the living on the dead have any effect?

The departed are still living human spirits like us on earth! The main difference between them and those on earth is that they have discarded their physical bodies.

On leaving the flesh, the departed one simply changes his location from one part of Creation to another part. The departed is held fast to the environment in the beyond which corresponds with the way he has lived his life while on earth. So, there are communities in the beyond for those who relish bearing false witness, for those who are robbers, hoodlums and so on. These areas are dark and each one tries to inflict harm on the other thus creating for themselves spheres of great suffering! These are the regions of the beyond which have come to be recognized as hell.

Those who are noble minded will however find themselves in the regions of Light in the beyond and they continue to work with those of like nature for the further maturity of their spirits.

Where then does the prayer for the departed come in? Since the departed are still in Creation, and have not ceased to exist, those on earth can still pray or intercede for them. One can pray so that help may reach them to point them in the direction leading to spiritual ascent. For it is possible that after much suffering a soul in the dark regions might still change and in its agony plead for help. This can lead him out of the dark regions and suffering.

Even for the departed who while on earth was already striving towards spiritual ascent, prayers will still have the effect of strengthening him as he makes his way upwards to the Eternal Gardens above.

We should strive to recognize that Creation is one. The different spheres of existence in Creation can be visualized as different countries belonging to one continent. Therefore, those who depart this earth do not simply cease to exist but have relocated to another part of Creation. The effects of man's thoughts and prayers are able to reach farther than this earth and therefore his prayers and thoughts can be of benefit to those who have departed this life.

However, as indicated above, what is decisive for the departed is the way they have lived here on earth. Those who abide by the Laws of God will ascend to higher regions of Creation; while those who stubbornly cling to their evil propensities will fall into the regions of darkness and damnation!

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Traditional marriage or court wedding- which one does the Creator recognize?

What is important is not the form of a wedding ceremony. The essential thing and what brings spiritual benefit is for a man and a woman of complementary qualities to unite on the basis of true love of the soul. Furthermore, the two who wish to live together need to share the common goal of striving to attain spiritual maturity and must be ready to walk side by side on this path as worthy partners.  

The attendant ceremony to a marriage does not on its own confer spiritual legitimacy on the marriage. In fact, many marriages contracted inside the finest of cathedrals before large audiences and the flashes of the cameras of the world press have ended up in bitter separations amidst allegations and counter allegations of gross indiscretion and malicious conduct. Many more are still being sustained not because there is love between the two but because there is a lot to lose in the material sense should there be a divorce. Many of such immoral marriages abound in the world today. They are mere earthly contracts which confer on those involved exactly what they want. This can be material security, or the assurance of having a person with whom to indulge and satisfy their physical needs under the cover of a socially acceptable association.    

The reason for getting married has to be clear from the onset. Some get married simply to gain freedom from their parents and have a family of their own to control. A young lady can enter into a marriage just to annoy or spite a former boyfriend   and to prove she can end up in the arms of a higher bidder! It is rare these days to find couples who have come together based on the mutual wish to go on the path of spiritual development.

Where a marriage is based on the right foundation however, the couple will naturally and joyfully grow towards spiritual ennoblement. They will live together harmoniously and they gain both materially and spiritually. The marriage becomes a blessing for the couple and their wider environment. The union of such a couple is blessed from Above and their marital happiness is assured right from the start. 

Of course, there is the need to observe the relevant local laws and the prevailing custom in solemnizing the union. The inner devoutness of the couple concerned bestows on the union a higher consecration and brings real and strong spiritual blessing to the couple. Marriages such as these are the ones that can be described as having been made in heaven. They are the ones recognized by God!

Are men able to see and hear God?

A popular cleric once told his television audience how he was transported to Heaven one day and was able to overhear the discussions between The Almighty and Jesus! Certainly many have come across more or less similar and I daresay arrogant claims.

In Truth however, it is impossible for a man to see or hear God! This is for the simple reason of the lack of homogeneity between the Creator and all that has been created. Only Two Persons can approach the Almighty directly – The Son of God and The Holy Spirit. This is because they are both a Part of God and are One with Him. No one else can bear the pressure of God’s Presence or an approach!

On very rare occasions, special messages from Above can reach man through God’s messengers. One can here refer to the exceptional circumstances linked with the birth of Christ when an Angel of the Lord appeared to Mary and later on to the shepherds. On such occasions man is exposed to a tiny part of the pressure from above and he is overwhelmed with fear. This always makes it necessary for the heralds from on High to always say ‘be not afraid’ when addressing the human beings concerned.

What is more usual is that instructions and guidance can reach us from Helpers in the beyond. These speak to us through a part of our conscience and by listening to their gentle advice we are aided to refrain from doing that which is wrong. Furthermore, when we seriously ponder over something, this thought can become strong, magnetic, and able to penetrate to higher spheres from where it attracts higher thoughts which we often describe as inspiration!

There is in addition a promise for those who are pure in heart: they shall “see” God. However, this means that they will see God in His Works. Through Creation, The Almighty speaks to us. If we prayerfully observe Creation we will gain an understanding of the Will of God and by applying this we become pleasing to our Maker and our welfare is assured.

Finally, it is presumptuous for man to assume a personal attitude towards God without regard for the huge worlds and cosmic distances in between, which cannot be pushed aside as if non-existent. Let us remember that even when it became necessary to give man a direct Message from Above, God had to send a Mediator. He did this by severing a Part of Himself and incarnating Him on earth as Jesus Who lived on earth as an Envoy of God, with the sacred Mission of delivering God’s Message of Salvation.