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HANDBOOK OF

THE TEMPLE OF THE TAO OF CHRIST

About the Temple of the Tao of Christ Welcome to the Temple of the Tao of Christ! We hope to answer your deepest questions about God, existence, the purpose of your life, and how everything all fits together.

OUR STORY The Temple of the Tao of Christ was founded by Chase Neil, also known as Zyreth, an online English tutor, Touch Therapy Life Coach and numerology counsellor, who happens to be a born-again devout Christian as well as a believer and practitioner of Taoism and Jediism as a philosophy… “I have always been researching religions and mythology ever since I remembered being able to read as a child in primary school in about third grade. I always found the Greco-Roman pantheon, as well as the Norse, Egyptian and Hindu gods and goddesses wildly interesting and buried myself in their stories. But that is all they were to me – fascinating stories. Having grown up as a traditional Baptist Christian, I had the notion that all other religions were false and there was just one God – Jehovah/Elohim/Yahweh/Jesus. “However, I had the opportunity to hear some Baha’is speaking and decided to check them out. I read through the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the Kitab-i-Iqan – the two most foremost of the Baha’i holy texts – and there I was first exposed to the idea that all the gods are actually, One, and that all major world religions came from this One God; the One Changeless Faith of God manifested in different ways. I had the opportunity to teach some English Language (Language Arts) lessons under the theme ‘The Future’ to Grade Nine students in 2009. A part of their assignment, in addition to having them dream up future inventions, was to research methods that people have used in the past to tell the future. I made sure to do my own research too, and that was how I was introduced to numerology and I Ching. Being a curious fellow, I tried them out and was pleasantly surprised and intrigued. They actually were fairly accurate! Since then, I have been practicing Pythagorean and Chaldean numerology and I Ching readings on and off throughout the years. “Some years later, I lost my fiancée, who was my entire world and I had trouble coming to terms with this. I had been used to thinking polyamorously my whole life, as far back as I could remember, and had just adjusted to being monogamous. Having made the difficult decision to let go a love of my life, D, to find someone who could be hers and hers only,

someone who could make her as happy as she deserved to be, I resolved to make my whole life about Sammy. And it had been worth it despite the ache, because making her happy made me happy. I had my whole future planned out and in every aspect of it, Sammy was in it. Without her, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. It was all just confusion and emptiness and pain. My entire life started to crumble around me and nothing mattered. I still believed God’s promise in the book of Romans 8:28 in the Holy Bible, that “all things work together for good”, but somehow, it never meant anything. What assurance was it to me that my baby, my meaning was gone and now all things would work for good? Yes, I still believed that I had eternal life as a believer, but I could not muster enough joy to even care about that, much less to be happy. “So I started withering away, ignoring my health, my job, my family until while looking for Star Wars-related stuff on a half-hearted movie binge, I found mention of a philosophy-religion called Jediism that was based on the Star Wars franchise. My curiosity led me to the Temple of the Jedi Order at www.templepofthejediorder.org, and I started studying with them. The Jedi Code, the 16 Teachings and 21 Maxims of Jediism started me on a path to sobering up and seeing reality in a different way. I got exposed to various religious views as I studied different religions and read the book “The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell and “The Book” by Alan Watts. Joseph Campbell reinforced the idea that there was a Divine Presence/Energy/Intelligence that spoke to mankind through nature, religion and mystical experiences, and all these religions point to that one Supreme Wonder/Divine Energy/Intelligence/Awesome Essence. Campbell in his book “The Power of Myth” also made it clear that it was not the factual accuracy of religions and myths that mattered, but the moral and life lessons that we can get from their stories and the social-binding/defining rituals and rites associated with them, since human beings need lessons to develop personally, morally and spiritually, and we need structure/rites/pastimes to define and order society, our place in it and to mark achievements and rites of passage. “I became interested in Taoism through my Jediism studies and read the Tao Te Ching and I Ching. Studying Taoism brought new light to the meaning of the I Ching and I really started to get what it meant by living according to the natural phases of life and the will/way of the universe, of wu wei ‘action without action’. Wondering about the possibility of being a Taoist Christian, I did further research, and through my research, I became aware of the ancient religion ‘jingjiao’ – the Religion of Light – the ancient Chinese Taoist Christian sect formed when Christian missionaries migrated to China to spread the gospel in the early 6th/7th century AD. The ‘Jesus Sutras’ and

‘The Secret Sayings of Ye Su’ - two ancient books resulting from that time period - reinforced what I had learned through Jediism. In jing jiao, in ‘The Secret Sayings’ the gospel mixed with Taoist and Zen Buddhist beliefs, created a belief system that now reflected my view of the world and made me at peace with my life experiences. The Secret Sayings of Ye Su, Tao Te Ching and Holy Bible, and to a lesser extent, the Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-iIqan (the top Bahia holy books) became my measuring rule for mystical experience and belief system. I hope to lessen the yoke around the shoulders of devout people worldwide and introduce unbelievers to the peace of God expressed through Christ and the prophet-philosopher Lao Tzu.”

WHY WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE There are some people who are at a crossroads or low point of their life. They want to know “Why is this happening to me?” or “What is the purpose of my life? Why am I here?” or “How do I move from here to here?” or “Does God really care?/Is there really a God?” We are here to help answer these questions and help people to get a deeper and more complete understanding of who they are, Who God is, and their relationship to God, to their inner selves and to the cosmos. We have all been at this point and we want to use the knowledge and journey that helped us to help others.

TEMPLE OF THE TAO OF CHRIST’S OBJECTIVES Our goals and objectives are the same as those of the ancient Religion of Light (Jingjiao) Church in ancient China: 1. To 2. To 3. To 4. To 5. To 6. To 7. To 8. To 9. To 10. 11. 12.

penetrate the mysteries bless our readers/followers with a good conscience guide readers/follower to be great and yet empty return to stillness be forgiving be compassionate deliver all people from the weight of sin, karma and hopelessness do good deeds help people reach the other shore To calm people in stormy times To help people understand the nature of things To maintain purity

13. 14. 15.

To nourish all things To respect all life To answer the needs of those whose beliefs come from the heart.

We do believe that our 11 Statements of Belief and the teachings in the 16 Tablets are a potential source of hope and enlightenment for many. Through them, we hope to fulfill our aforementioned goals and objectives, and seek to live up to our motto, “Reaching hearts and healing the world with the Way of the Tao and the Good News and love of Jesus.” All the best, Zyreth, templeofthetaoofchrist.com

The 11 Statements of Belief The 11 Statements of Belief are the original doctrinal statements of the Temple of the Tao of Christ when it was first founded.

1. All Religions are from God We believe that all divine revelations are from God and all religions serve specific purposes for specific peoples in specific times/ages, but may be applied to multiple persons and times and places, since they all come from the Divine.

2. Everything that Exists is God in Being; an Extension/Manifestation of God The universe, existence is God in being. God ‘spoke’ things into being and, by ‘speaking’ it and willing it, God became the things that are created. Thus, God exists both in and through creation, but at the same time also exists outside of creation, space and time, in eternity.

3. Human Beings, as Extensions of God, are Able to Communicate with the Aspect of God Within God is the universe because God became everything that is, but at the same time, God exists outside the universe. All human beings are extensions of the universe – God existing in human form as a process of the universe’s being – existing in specific points as a person. We are able to reach the God in us through meditation.

4. Faith, Prayer, Worship and Love Connect Us to the Energies of God Outside of and Throughout the Universe We communicate with the aspect of God outside the universe through faith, prayer and worship, and we touch the aspect of God within others and allow the energies of God outside and within the universe to fill us through understanding, love, compassion and goodwill towards others.

5. The Most Complete Revelation is Found Jesus Christ/the Bible, and the Most Comprehensive Path for our Times are

Found in Christianity and The Tao (as viewed through The Secret Sayings of Ye Su), and the Baha’i Faith All major world religions and their holy books are true – at least for a certain time in a certain place for a certain people in a certain context and for specific and general reasons within that time, place and sociocultural and socio-psychological context, and these scriptures and revelations have met their purpose, although they were tainted by the personal biases and perspectives of the vessels/emissaries that revealed them. God has spoken to humanity in many ways, but we believe that the most complete revelation for a fulfilling life that honours God is found in the revelation of Jesus Christ as can be seen in the Gospels of the Holy Bible, and we believe that a complete comprehension of who and how God is, man’s natural state and how the universe works and our place in it can be seen most clearly in the Christian Holy Bible, the Taoist scriptures, most notably, the Tao Te Ching, and also, in the Baha’i scriptures; the Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan. The Secret Sayings of Ye Su unifies the message of the great revelations of the Holy Bible and the Tao Te Ching.

6. Everything Has a Season, and We Forget This as Well as Our True Natures The universe follows certain patterns and phases and is always changing. Everything is always becoming and, in becoming, the universe sometimes forgets its true nature. We forget that we are more than we appear to be and more than we think and feel we are, more than our bodies, more than the circumstances and the things we see and feel around us and inside us. We get in touch with our true reality through connecting with God through meditation, faith, prayer, worship, positive belief, love and goodwill for others and maintaining a wonder and appreciation for life experiences, nature, the gift of life itself and for other people as extensions and processes of the universe and therefore, manifestations and extensions of God and parts of our wider selves.

7. The Phases and Seasons of Life and the Universe May Be Fairly Predicted like the Weather, but Faith in God is Supreme The changes of the universe occur according to established seasons, patterns and phases. These seasons, patterns and phases follow certain sequences, laws and trends. These may be seen and examined through astrology, numerology, I Ching, the tarot and other methods. These are as dependable as a weather forecast, however, which foretells likely and most probable meteorological events based on signs and systems in the atmosphere, but are not always totally accurate and definitive or unchanging. Nevertheless, they do give a fairly good picture of what energies, phases and cycles are affecting a person or events beyond what we can see, and they reveal general reasons for who and what, why and how someone is and things are as they are in a given moment. Humanity must not rely on these too much for living and ordering their lives, however. As the purpose of life is to enjoy the journey and make the best of it while seeking to fulfil our unique purposes and honour the majesty of God. Opening our hearts to faith, our true desire, and focussed positive thoughts, as well as goodwill towards others, opens our hearts and lives for God to change even the laws, patterns and cycles of nature and the universe to work good on our behalf. Faith, prayer, yearning, focussed thought, a heart of compassion and service, and proper planning avail much. Quieting of ego and desire, and submission to the will of God and the phases of the universe, however, brings peace and unity with existence.

8. Evil, Pain and Death Are Necessary, though Unpleasant As long as we exist within the temporal material world, there must be opposites. There must be good and there must be evil. There is no light without darkness. There is no life without death. Without pain, there is no pleasure or relief. If there is male, there must be female. As long as we exist within matter, time and space, there must be extremes, there must be complements, there must be balance. There cannot be, nor should there be any absence of pain, loss, fear,

poverty, death and evil, for that is not the nature of existence – not while we exist on this plane. There must be two sides to a coin; two (or three) sides to a story. Duality is the essence of everything. Only when we have translated from time, space and matter to eternity, to that realm outside of creation, can we be without beginning and end, without maleness and femaleness, death or life, good or evil – one with the Oneness – God; the All and Nothing. Until then, we should accept the good with the bad in this mystic dance of being, and recognize that all is part of One that is All and the All that is One.

9. We Suffer Because of Our Ego and Desires… (Yet Desires Applied with Firm Belief Brings Us What We Need) We suffer because of our desires and expectations, because of our attachments. We desire love and get hate or indifference and so we get heartbroken and depressed. We desire peace and meet upon war and death, and so are conflicted within ourselves. If we but learn to recognize that the unfortunate and unexpected, the evil and disturbing are all a part of the pattern and process, we would be much better off. We must have strong desire and faith to act upon God in the ether – in and outside of the universe – to give us what we desire as we form and execute plans towards our goals. The thing to do is to desire strongly, fervently and totally without attachment. We must not get so attached to people, objects and situations so that we cannot remove personally from them without pain or a sense of loss of the self. Though we have access to all things, nothing is ours or owed to us – though we may partake of it in time when we apply the right energy. We must trust the processes and will of the universe and the will of God to mean us good, even in the down times, and to bring our desires on track in a way that will best suit our purposes although we cannot see or comprehend it. We must be firm and resolute in our purpose, desire and belief, yet yielding to change and understanding in perceived loss or failure.

10. We Serve and Guide Each Other and Learn from Each Other Without Judgment We share and support one another’s opinions, perspectives, feelings, experiences, strengths and weaknesses without judgment for we

realize that through knowing each other, we get to know more about ourselves and to know God; through accepting others, we accept God. We reach out to the God in others through love, compassion and goodwill, and also through honest communication and understanding with a view to building each other, while we connect to the God inside us through meditation. Thus is God’s plan manifested. We are aware that we are not perfect and what we can be is not yet fully manifested, but can be brought out through connecting with God and through self-awareness, self-coaching and co-coaching with others.

11. We Seek to Know God and His Will for Us, then Forge our Own Path and Purpose, Based on Our Understanding and Connection to God We read the Scriptures in order to have an understanding of God’s nature and plan for us. Having seen a glimpse of God and knowing what is needed, we then seek our own purpose and craft our own life plan based on our own unique God-given motivations, dreams, talents and desires. We act, looking within ourselves and relying on God for guidance, opening ourselves to Divine guidance through the Word, prayer, meditation and an attitude of positive expectation and openness to learn from our experiences and environment in all that we do. We recognize that while some methods and some religious and ritualistic practices may appeal to some people, they may not appeal to others. What works for one, may not work for all. We are creators of our own happiness and purpose. The ultimate fulfillment is to know who we are in and of ourselves and in our particular contexts, to realize who God is and who we are in God, and to forge our own destiny and happiness while making an impact on the world.

The 16 Tablets The 16 Tablets are short teachings made by Zyreth, posted as social media statuses/posts before the compilation of the handbook. The teachings are based on doctrines in the Holy Bible, Tao Te Ching, The Secret Sayings of Ye Su, Kitab-i-Aqdas, Kitab-i-Iqan, I Ching, and Jediism doctrines of the Temple of the Jedi Order (What Jedis Believe, The 16 Teachings, and 21 Maxims), as well as The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, The Science of Getting Rich (The Secret) by Wallace D. Wattles, and works of Alan Watts (The Book, Meditation). The teachings in the 16 Tablets, in many cases, repeat or build upon what was already asserted in the 11 Statements of Belief. Some introduce new items of belief and doctrine for the Temple of the Tao of Christ. The 16 tablets are included here in their original social media WhatsApp/Instagram post form. Below each is the contents of the tablet re-written without images to accommodate better visibility.

Tablet One

1. “Righteousness is a state of being; not a matter of doing. Righteousness is being right with God, bring right with people, being right with your own true self. There are no set of good works or sacred rituals or purifying acts that can replace being in harmony with God, with your soul and purpose, with nature and with your fellow human beings.”

Tablet Two

2. “The universe, existence is God in being. God spoke things into being, and so by speaking and willing it, God became the things that were created. Thus, God IS both in and through creation, but at the same time, also IS outside of creation, space and time, in eternity. “God IS the universe because God became everything that is, but at the same, God IS outside of the universe. All human beings are extensions of the universe - aspects of God existing in human form, through the universe existing, for the time being, in specific points as a person or thing. We are able to reach the God in us through meditation. We communicate with God outside and within the universe through faith, prayer and worship, and we touch the God in others and allow the energies of the God within the universe to fill us through a spirit of love, compassion, understanding and goodwill for others, and an attitude of giving. So, we become one with all. We are, after all, despite our differences and distinctions, One.”

Tablet Three

3.“Salvation occurs before the baptism ritual, marriage occurs before the wedding ceremony, a baby is made before the actual birth, education occurs before the graduation ceremony and certification, success and achievement occur before the material culmination and physical evidence. “Do not confuse the prize with the process. Do not short-change your progress and growth. What matters is your passion, your belief and commitment. Believe it, want it, commit to it, and it is already yours. In addition, have regard for others and develop a giving attitude, and the universe itself will give you your needs.”

Tablet Four

4.“It is not for us to judge, for judging and censoring another is sin. It is for us to love, to seek to understand - for no one acts without reason. It is for us to pray for another. “A child of God knows that (s)he must show the person who errs and slips his/her danger if (s)he sees the danger coming - love and duty holds the child of God responsible - but (s)he warns and explains with love. If the erring or straying person listens, all is well, but if the person does not, the only thing left to do is pray on that person’s behalf - to beseech the powers of the universe to steer that person’s path right - and to pray for clarity of thought and discernment, for who knows whether what you saw was the truth? And who knows whether his or her own failings and faults are not mirrored in another to accomplish miracles or change in his or her own life? “In the end, we act out of love and compassion, we act out of wisdom. Meditate. Seek your inner thoughts. Pray without ceasing.”

Tablet Five

5. “Sin is not an act; it is a state of being, a frame of mind and spirit. Do not worry about your sinful actions. Be concerned about the state of your inner being that influenced those actions, the beliefs you possess, your outlook on life that make those actions occur and reoccur. Your actions, feelings and thoughts are merely symptoms of the disease, and are not the problem itself. God does not care so much about the sinful acts you commit. God cares more about the state of being that feeds your beliefs, feelings, thoughts and actions. That is the real sin. “And this should not drive you to guilt. Your guilt is useless unless it drives you to be better. And the Way has been provided. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross has absolved you of guilt and karma. Believe this and commit your way to God, or your approximation of God. Let your breath remind you that you are still favoured and the Spirit of God yet breathes in you. Breathe in, breathe out, focus on your breath and release yourself into the care of the One-in-All Who makes all things possible; Who makes all things pure and good, and also makes the universe work out all things together for our good. And determine to love all, for All is One, and love for the One sets us free to be our true selves, and grants us eternity.”

Tablet Six

6. “It really does not matter whether you believe in God or not. If you should jump off a tall building, you will fall and, most likely, hurt yourself very badly, even if you don’t believe in gravity. Even if you disbelieve the notion of oxygen, plants will keep producing it and you will keep breathing it in your disbelief. “’In Him we live and move and have our being.’ As certain as the laws of gravity and magnetism and the water cycle exist whether we want them to or not, the principle of “God will avenge” stands firm. You may choose to look at it as karma, but what goes around, definitely comes back around, and if we seek Him, we definitely will find Him, in the way most suited for us. Trust Him, yield all to Him and He definitely will direct our path; you see things falling into place with no explanation. Ask for what you truly desire, believe that you have it, trust Him to do it for you, determine to have it and live a life of love, compassion, forgiveness, kindness and understanding, and then you see that you get your desire from unexpected and unexplainable quarters. These laws do not change, whether we believe or not.”

Tablet Seven

7. “Our ego, this craving to satisfy the ‘I’, the ‘me’, our attachment to possessions, people and comfort - these are our sources of suffering. We want so much and so deeply, and when we fail to get what we want, when things don’t go our way, when we lose something or someone we form an attachment to, we are driven to despair, fear, hopelessness, depression, grief, jealousy and anger. We hate, we war, we compete, we cling, we destroy ourselves to satisfy our pride, our desires, our sense of worth and achievement. Yet, we already are champions by being here; out of 300 - 700 million sperm cells, ours made it to the ovum. Despite the many hardships and dangers and potential disasters, natural and man-made, in the world, we have survived to this moment when so many didn’t. Out of the myriad of energies floating around in the ether, out of the different life energies created and recycled in the Source, ours made it to our body to grow into a soul. We are already unique; despite originating from the same Source, and being extensions and manifestations of one universal God-mind-body, we all have unique fingerprints, retina patterns, chromosomal arrangements. No two persons are ever alike, despite all being, in essence, One. So why the strife? Why the fuss?”

“We all have everything that we need. The same desires which enslave and hurt us when unfulfilled, bring us providence and peace when they are submitted fully into the hands of God. ‘Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him.’ Trust in the process. ‘All things will be worked together for good.’ Yielding our desires like this, we are free to desire greatly, and when we believe that we shall have what we want and make plans to bring these things into being, trusting these plans to the will and power of God, then we shall have what we want. And even if things turn upside down, we shall have peace, knowing that it will all be alright.”

Tablet Eight

8. “As long as we exist within the temporal plane, there must be opposites. There must be good and there must be evil. There is no light without darkness. There is no life without death. Without pain, there is no pleasure or relief - they become meaningless. If there is male, there must be female. “As long as we exist within time and space, there must be complement; there must be balance. There cannot be, nor should be any absence of pain, loss, fear, poverty, death and evil - ‘they must grow together with the good until the harvest’. This is essential to the fabric of reality, to the greater picture. There must be two sides to a coin; two (or three) sides to a story. “Only when we have translated from time and matter and space to eternity can we be without beginning and end, without maleness or femaleness, death or life, good or evil - one with the Oneness - the All and Nothing. Until then, perfection can exist, at best, in the hope and knowledge that all is One and One is All. “Our mission in light of this? - Maintain the balance - good must always outweigh, but never obliterate, evil; give hope and comfort in times of hopelessness and despair; manifest the Kingdom of God within ourselves until He appear.”

Tablet Nine

9. “There is an unexplainable Energy that permeates the spaces between the planets and stars and various forms and matter in space. Scientists and philosophers have formulated names for it such as anti-matter, dark matter, the ether, etc. There is an unexplainable Energy in living things, which Asian and Indian philosophy, martial artists and New Age healers call chi or prana. We call it God. “God is Spirit, and spirit is energy. This formless, unexplainable, ever-present, intelligent living energy ‘Person’ permeates and binds everything. When a sperm meets an egg, a biochemical and spiritual process is effected, where energy/spirit is transferred from the surrounding ether/dark matter (God) to the foetus to create chi/prana - life energy. Thus God breathes in us, the breath (or energy) of life. This energy, combined with a fraction of the mother’s own life energy, develops into a soul, a person, which will be molded and shaped by genetics, life experiences, the influence of the stars, personal life choices and their own mental affirmations. We should, therefore, watch our breath - it is the very essence of life, and mind our thoughts and beliefs - they become us, and affect what experiences come to us from the ether. “When we die, our life energy - our spirit - returns to that surrounding, binding, permeating Force. We once more become a part of God. Why fear death? Whether we live or die, we are a part of God and He is with us and within us.”

Tablet Ten

10. “As long as we exist on the material plane within time and space, there will be duality; light and dark, good and evil, death and life, female and male. These exist to complement, balance and complete each other. ‘And so a man shall leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ “The two halves make one whole; the dualities blending and complementing each other in marriage to bring about a new creation. But what about those who live by submission to God and the universe, who live naturally without personal desire and are led by the Spirit, by the Tao and still find themselves polyamorous? - By nature, though rare, three things/three states can constitute one whole - Father, Son & Spirit; body, mind/heart & spirit; solid, liquid and gas; and so, it may be permitted that three may become one, with the consent and mutual love and understanding of all, if fairness can be ensured. “God hath prescribed matrimony unto you. Beware that ye take not unto yourselves more wives [or husbands] than two. Whoso contenteth himself with a single partner from among the maidservants of God, both he and she shall live in tranquility.” (Kitab-i-Aqdas 63)

“Monogamy is preferable and recommended. Let the child of God be guided by love, compassion, submission and wisdom.”

Tablet Eleven

11. “The God of faith, spirituality and miracles is also the God of science. Science and faith cannot be enemies, for the same God Who created and exists through one also created and exists through the other. The God Who willed ‘Let there Be’ and so caused all things to Become, can also allow all things to continue becoming in a series of evolutions unto more completion and harmony with the environment and state of existence. Change is the constant principle of the universe, so creationism and evolution do not cancel each other out. Neither do faith and medicine. “Where the prayer warrior or shamanistic priest sees demonic spirits, the physician sees a malfunction of organs or invasion by foreign bodies, and the holistic healer sees an imbalance or stagnation of emotions and chi or prana, which is life and soul energy. It is all a matter of perspective. All spirit is energy, and whether you cure the physical manifestation of your body by operating on its organic parts or prescribing chemicals to alter its processes and responses, or by manipulating the energies affecting body, emotions and aura through faith, massage, channeling spiritual power, or with natural healing herbs and nutrients, it achieves the desired end ultimately.”

Tablet Twelve

12. “All religions come from God, and all are true in certain contexts and for certain peoples in certain times. God has spoken to humanity through chosen divines via all religions, which have served specific or general purposes in their given contexts, despite the personal biases of the divines, but the most complete revelation of God is found in the Gospels of Jesus found in the Christian Holy Bible, which has been corroborated by science, archaeology, prophecy and spiritual experience. And the most philosophically sound religious book next to it is the ‘Tao Te Ching’. “Nevertheless, no religion is more ‘correct’ than another, and it is not for humankind to follow slavishly and blindly after the laws of God contained in the sacred texts. Rather, we first bind ourselves to study of the Scriptures, meditation and service to others, so that we may know the nature of God, the universe, and our place within it, and God’s plan for and requirements of us. Then, submitting ourselves and our path to God, we free ourselves to live our lives, to seek our own path even as we seek God’s will for us specifically, and enjoy our lives and fulfil our purpose.

“And that is the end and point of life; to know God, to glorify Him, to enjoy life and make the best of it and to achieve the purpose(s) for which we were born. Numerology, astrology and the I Ching can be of much help to predict our God-derived purpose, as well as the patterns of change of the universe, just as a meteorologist predicts weather patterns, but these should not be used as a basis to live our lives, but must be submitted to the principle of submission of our desire, ego and life path to God.”

Tablet Thirteen

13. “Understand this, the power that you know as God is very real and living. God is in you and around you; existing in and through everything you experience. Yet, at the same time, God is outside of creation, residing within eternity; at the same time accessible and inaccessible, familiar and incomprehensible. “God has all power, but His power is made manifest through our belief and desire, and He resides in our praise. Do you want it, really want it? Do you believe that you will have it, that you can attain it? Is your mind stayed on God, or your approximation of Him? Do you yield to Him? Are you thankful? Do you love others? “Compassion, gratitude and unwavering focus on your desired goal and God’s presence are the catalysts that make your situation and environment ideal for God’s power to work for you and through you. If you can say ‘Yes’ to all of the previous questions, then know that God has all power to accomplish what you will, and He will do it. “Do not sit like others and say, ‘God, where are you? God, why You don’t do something?’ Instead, why don’t YOU do something? Why don’t YOU invite Him to work in that situation? Why don’t YOU become God-usable?

“Water will flow wherever it will, but it goes more readily and easily where you direct it by digging ditches and trenches. Learn to see the Kingdom in all things.”

Tablet Fourteen

14. “A pastor/priest is neither holier nor more spiritually accomplished/connected than any other believer or member of the congregation. There is only one mediator between God and man; Christ has paved the way for us to be heard directly by God. A pastor merely holds and administrative post, being Chief Administrator/Steward of the physical church plant and Human Resource Director, directing and placing members as (s)he deems best for the operations of the church and the growth of the church body. “Since pastors are also responsible for preaching and teaching sermons, they are usually learned; having formally studied the Scriptures and their context so that they may accurately impart the Word of God. But formal, academic knowledge is trumped by wisdom and insight given by God; something that any general member in the church may have in abundance more than the pastor. The pastor may be qualified to teach the Word (based on his/her studies) and to, like a priest, administer rites and sacraments (which in and of themselves, cannot bring righteousness and peace), but it is the indwelling Spirit that provides instruction, guidance and encouragement that refreshes, pierces and rocks the soul.

“Therefore no one person should control the message that is preached. No one has a monopoly on God’s word. Read from the Bible and other Scriptures, sing songs of praise and meditate, then let two or three members speak as they are led by God - no prior planning, but inner prompting - only after then should the pastor/priest reveal his/her sermon (and comment on the prior messages, if so led), so that all may be edified.”

Tablet Fifteen

15. “Your body and mind are the temple. What other temple do you need? “Recognize the sacredness of your being. God is incarnate through each of us; we are Emmanuel God is among us - and we are One.” “Be careful how much you pollute your body and mind with intoxicants. And release hate. Forgive for hate and rage poison the temple. Manage your ego. You are God’s; an extension and process of His being. Why should you be angry with what God does to Himself?! That does not concern you. Besides, all things will happen (and also work themselves out) in their time. “By all means, build places of worship from which to sing praise to God, to meditate and read the Scriptures together and be edified, and from which to pool resources to help the poor and serve the community. Let the preacher plan sermons and preach, and let two or three minister as they are led by the Spirit. However, recognize that your dedication to your family and vocation are the ultimate ministry, and the life lived by submitting your ego, your desires, your will, your steps and your plans to God is the ultimate worship.

And the life lived with love and compassion, while bettering and developing yourself and dedicating the best of yourself into your work and passion is the ultimate service to the universe and your fellowmen.”

Tablet Sixteen

16. “Science, religion and spirituality can never be at odds with each other. A study of all reveals that we are all connected; parts of One whole. They all complement each other. Science is a means of understanding the physical elements and processes of the universe, while spirituality is a means of understanding and harmonizing with the soul and mind of the universe and reaching out to - and being reached by - God, Who created and Who exists in and through it while remaining outside of and beyond His creation. Religion is merely institutionalized and formalized spirituality, and is one means through which we can access the awesome splendor of the Wonder of Wonders and the serene peace and empowerment of the All and Nothing, the One in All and All in One. Through communion with Him and communion within ourselves and with nature, we achieve eternity within this life. We transcend the limits of our minds and bodies, and are linked to the experience of eternal-ness in a single moment. The gift of eternal life is both here and now, and in the future. “The physical sciences tell us that our sun will die, and explode with searing heat - thus, the sun will be darkened and fire will fall from the sky as foretold in the religious books. It will then implode into a black hole, as all dying stars do, and will swallow everything, even light, bending even the fabric of time and space.

The residual spirit energies of those who had not brought themselves in line with love and with God’s will/the natural way of the universe will be incinerated and swallowed whole. Perhaps the ozone layer will be destroyed long before this, and the Earth will burn and boil. Whether the last days will be as a result of an astronomical event, the result of wars, pollution and global warming, or direct spiritual purging by God, the residual spirit energies of those who have submitted their lies to loving others and being led by God’s will and purpose, even while seeking their bliss and unique purpose, thus making themselves God-usable, will be repurposed, and these energies, as part of God, will be used in the creation and rebirth of a new universe. And so, we live forever, both in this moment and in the world to come. “Seek God in the Bible and the Tao, also the Kitab - if possible, also the Koran, the Vedas and other holy books. Spend time in nature. Meditate. Sing songs of praise. Open your mind and listen. With two or three, speak your truth in the congregation. Love. Forgive. Serve. Seek. Purpose to find. Be. Just be. Believe always. Submit all. You will find Him, and you will find eternity.”

The Permissions Manifestation, Money, Marriage, Mutual Equality of the Sexes There are a number of subject matters and areas of life that have been closely regulated and restricted by religion, and these have proven to be limiting to believers/adherents of religion. Jesus’ desire is for us to be free, for his yoke to be light as we shed the chains of religion and seek deep spirituality and communion with Him.

1. Permission is given for you to love yourself and see yourself as divine and sacred, and capable of anything, of being the best. Permission is granted to see yourself as an instrument, appendage and incarnation of God. And it is so.

2. Permission is given for you to pursue wealth. Seek first His Kingdom within and around you, in the here and now and hereafter, and the righteousness that comes from being stayed on Him. Then seek success and wealth, trusting the process and end to Him. It is incumbent upon you to love God, love people, hate sin, and to pursue wealth. And it is so.

3. Permission is given for you to contribute to the cause of God as much as you are able to, and as much as the Spirit of Christ or the Tao has laid on your heart and conscience. No spiritual leader should determine how much you tithe or contribute; this is a matter between you and God. Suggested amounts are merely guidelines. The leading of the Spirit must prevail in this matter. And it is so.

4. Permission is given for naturally polyamorous men and women to form loving and committed lifelong cohabitation with partners whom they love, provided that they do so with no more than two. The Temple of the Tao of Christ will recognize and bless as married those who cohabit consensually for at least five years, with the view that preceding religions have paved the way for such. The Temple recognizes marriage as the basis for rearing fruitful, stable families and so promotes monogamy as the most efficient arrangement to achieve this – and if such is not possible – no more than two spouses, so that family stability is not compromised. There is no love without discipline. And it is so.

5. Permission is granted for any man and for all men to treat themselves as royalty and expressions of the Divine, to rule without exalting authority and to seek his complement in a woman. The Divine Male is completed and fulfilled by the Divine Female, and together, they are One.