Elias Writes on "The hope that all mortals have in a future destiny of freedom from care and unhappiness"

December 13, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Elias.

I desire tonight to write a few lines upon a matter that I have been thinking might be of some interest to you, and that is: "The hope that all mortals have in a future destiny of freedom from care and unhappiness."

I know that a large majority of mortals, who believe in the Christian doctrines, believe that for a very considerable number of mankind, there is awaiting an eternity in the Hells of continuous torture and torment, and that in order to avoid such a destiny or future state, men, while on earth, must believe in certain doctrines and conform themselves to such beliefs, for after death there can be no possible opportunity for being saved from such a fate.

Of course, these beliefs are the results of the teachings of those who claim to have the ability to interpret the Bible, mixed with a little of divine inspiration and mysterious power and wisdom that are conferred upon those who have the careers of ministers of the Gospel; and men, because of long years of training or of inheritance from those who for long years believed in these teachings, naturally exercise very little independent thought and accept the declarations of these ministers as being almost the divine expressions of God Himself.

Such doctrines have caused in their workings much harm to the mortal and much unhappiness to the spirits of men in the spirit world, because beliefs accompany the latter in their existence as spirits and keep them from learning the truth for a long time after they become spirits. It is a great pity that men can be bound by such false and damnable beliefs, and generation after generation continue to become servants to the teachings of misguided instructors. And I wish to say that all these beliefs are untrue and have no foundation in fact, and the sooner mankind knows this, the better it will be for their happiness on earth and their welfare in the world to come.

It is true that there are Hells and punishment, and that the majority of men when they become spirits will have to go into such Hells and suffer such punishment; but the element of eternal or everlasting does not enter into the duration of such state or condition, for there is no punishment inflicted on the spirits of men for the purpose of causing them to pay a penalty that can never be satisfied through all eternity. This punishment is only for the purpose of purification, and when it is accomplished, for the particular spirit who has suffered the same, the Hell ceases to exist and the punishment ceases to have any necessity for its existence; and, ultimately, the condition of every man will be that of a purified spirit, free from sin and defilement and the necessity for Hell or punishment.

I know that what I have written has in various forms been written before, but I felt that I must say just this much and in the way that I have done. I am glad that you are feeling better tonight, and I want to assure you that, if you will pray to the Father, you will continue to grow in your spiritual development and, as a consequence, feel better in every particular.

With my love I will say, good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Elias