Luke Writes that Religion is the Relationship and Harmony of Men's Souls with the Soul of God

April 25, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

Let me write a line - Luke.

I was with you tonight at the church and listened to what the preacher (Gordon) said in reference to religions and their point of contact and was somewhat surprised at his declarations as to the analogy which he drew between the believers in the various so-called Christian religions.

While, as you know, there is implanted in the souls of men a longing for that which tends to elevate and spiritualize them, even though this longing may not be consciously present with a large number of them; yet the beliefs as to the ways in which this longing may be made manifest and develop the spiritual nature of the soul are very different among those professing these various religions and the ways are not equally efficacious in causing their spiritual development.

Religion is a matter of soul and not of intellect, and the greater the development of the soul in the right direction, the higher will be the spiritual state or condition of the soul. Mere intellectual belief, no matter how intense and undoubting, will not tend to bring about this spiritual development, for "religion is really nothing but the relationship and harmony of men's souls with the Soul of God." The mind will not be sufficient to create this state because the mind of man cannot possibly bring into harmony the Soul of the Creator and that of the creature. Mind, in its exercise, may tend to awaken the soul to this possibility of relationship, but only the workings of the soul can effectuate the complete unity of the Creator and the created. Only soul can speak to soul, and mind is only a helper, provided the soul is alive in its longings.

So it is apparent that that form of belief which is wholly of the intellect can have no common meeting place with that belief which is the result of the development of the soul; and, hence, to say that men of all the various religions, just because they are what are called Christians, are in an equal relationship to the Father, is erroneous and misleading.

As regards the condition of man as the perfect man, these several religions may tend to bring about this state of perfection, if the moral precepts which they teach are observed and practiced by men. But as regards man as the Divine Angel; that is, as a spirit having in itself the Essence of the Divine, only that religion which teaches the true way to acquire this Divinity can lead men to the at-onement with the Father in His very nature. There can be, in this respect, only one true religion, and only one way in which that religion can be practiced and possessed; and to say that all religions have a common point of approach is misleading and deceiving.

I know that among these various religions there are individuals who have found the way to the method of becoming transformed into the Divine Nature of the Father, and this notwithstanding that the teachings and creeds of the several churches do not show the way to this soul development into the spiritual of the Divine. But in these churches there is wanting in their dogmas and doctrines that which will help men to this true religion.

Because it may be found that in the churches there are some who have, to a degree, this Divine spirituality, there is no justification in saying that there is any common place of meeting in these several religions. Of course, the moral precepts may be and are taught by all the Christian churches, and when observed will ultimately lead all men to the condition of the perfect natural man, and only to this extent can it be said that they may have a common ground of religion arising from the belief in the moral teachings.

And the church which declares and teaches as its religion with great exactness and more enlarged comprehension is the church in which this, as I may call it, natural religion exists; and the more dissimilar these churches are in these teachings the farther apart is their approach. If a preacher of one church knows, with the conviction that arises from his sincere and honest investigation of the moral laws, that some other church is not teaching or insisting on the observation on the part of its members of these great moral truths, then he has no right to conclude and say this latter church is the possessor of religion, as is the church in which these moral truths are taught and followed by its adherents.

It is a mistake for a preacher to say that because there may be good and spiritual men in all churches, therefore, one church is as good and religious in its teachings as another church. Truth is of such a nature that it cannot be compromised, and the man or preacher who would compromise the truth is not fulfilling his duty to God or man.

The church which teaches that there is nothing greater than morality, and that man can become no more transcendent than the perfect man, is devoid of the truth and would not be accepted as a teacher of the full truth, as should the church which knows and teaches the way by which man may become a Divine Angel.

That the preachers of the various churches should accept as equal and the possessors of the true religion whenever these moral lessons are alike taught by these churches, and have a common point of approach, is not to be wondered at, because these preachers do not know the higher religion, or are able to teach the way to the same. And when it is understood that a moral truth is a truth no matter where it may appear and by whom taught, there is some justification in declaring that all churches which teach the moral truths are on a plane of equality, and that one is entitled to as much respect and freedom from criticism as another. And further, as the great truth of the rebestowal of the potentiality of receiving the Divine Love, and the effect on men's souls, was never known and taught until the coming of the Master, it is not surprising that none of the churches can or do teach this great spiritual truth and the only true religion arising there from. The knowledge of this truth perished from the earth a short time after the passing of the Master and, hence, no church can teach this religion of the soul that transforms the mortal into the Divine.

The religion of the perfect man may exist in varying degrees in all the Christian churches, but the religion of the Divine Angel exists in none, although some individuals of these churches, to some extent, have received in their souls the great truth - the Divine Love - even though they have no intellectual knowledge of the same.

I thought it advisable to make these few remarks on the declaration of the preacher as showing that his broad assertion that the religions mentioned, which to him is all embracing, may have a common meeting point with every religion. When he learns the truth, he will realize the errors of his human and brotherly declarations. I will not write more. Good night and God bless you.

Your brother in Christ,
Luke

Jesus Writes the Religion of the Future Will Be Founded on the Truths of the New Birth and the Transformation of the Soul into the Divine

November 6, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I have been with you part of the time as you were reading* the different explanations of the various religions, and tried to direct your mind so that you might conceive the difference between the things taught in those teachings and what we are revealing to you. Many things that are set forth in those teachings - that are mysteries and the results of speculation - will be revealed to you in their true existence and meaning, so that all defects or desiderata that arise because of the insufficiency of these teachings will be corrected and supplied.

I am glad that you read these sermons, for they demonstrate to you a number of truths that were known to the ancients but which fall far short of the truth. At those times there was no source from which our truths could come, either in the spirit world or in the mortal world and, hence, humans could not become inspired as to the vital truths that we are revealing.

The men who appeared as reformers and gave forth the truths that were unknown to their fellowmen were inspired by the intelligences of the spirit world, but that inspiration could not be greater or higher than the knowledge of the spirits by whom these men were inspired. And what I here say applies not only to the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament times, but to those of all the times and among all races preceding my coming to earth and making known the great truths which were revealed to me by the Father.

I noticed that some of these teachers and writers of essays at the great religious gathering attempted to speak of a future or world religion, and their claims were divergent but were based mostly on those foundations that will never support such a religion. They almost entirely based their concepts on principles of morality as understood by them, and the churches based their beliefs on the teachings of the New Testament, which in many and vital particulars are erroneous, especially, the basic one that I am God, the Son, and that my vicarious atonement and sacrifice must be the touchstone of the future great and ultimate religion. Well, as their claims are not true, it is certain that any religion based upon them cannot be true or lasting.

There will be a religion of the future and a comprehensive and final one, and it will be founded upon the Truths which you are now receiving, for it will be inclusive of all the other religions, so far as the truths that they contain are concerned, with the addition of the greatest of all truths affecting mortals - the New Birth and transformation of the human soul into the Divine.

When men shall come to make a comparative analysis of these existing religions and the one that I shall make known, there will be very little conflict in the vital principles, and my teachings will only add to the old teachings that which all men can accept.

Hence, you see the importance of our working more rapidly in our efforts to disclose and disseminate the truth. I will come in a few nights and deliver another formal message, and others also will come and write you. Many of the Celestial Spirits are qualified to teach the truths of the Father, and they are ready and anxious to do so. I will not write more now, but with my love and blessings will say, good night. Yes, I am with you as I promised and will continue to be.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

*Mr. Padgett had been reading The World's Parliament of Religions at Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Solomon Writes About the Necessity of James E. Padgett Receiving Messages as Rapidly as Possible

June 14, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Solomon.

It has been a long time since I wrote you, although I have been present many times when the other spirits were delivering their messages and, of course, have been much interested in you and the messages.

As you will remember, I told you in my message that you had been selected to do the work that the spirits of the Celestial Sphere, led by Jesus, had determined that you should do, and that you must realize the great importance of the work and also the importance of the mission conferred upon you in this regard and urged you to believe in the truth of what I had written.

Well, I come to reiterate what I then said, and also to impress upon you the necessity for doing this work as rapidly as possible for conditions are such that the world is very much in want of these truths, as men are turning their thoughts more and more to things spiritual and to the future life. This war will result in men seeking a religion that will satisfy not only the longings of their souls, but the efforts of their intellects in searching for the truth; and these truths when they are presented to men will give that satisfaction.

Well, the explanation is that these people when they pray attract to them the spirits, and also believe that God will answer their prayers, and these spirits endeavor to help them, and often succeed; and many times the things that these people pray for come to them by natural means.

And this I will say, that never does God by His omnipotence, as regards these material things, answer prayer. All His answers to prayer are brought about by the workings of the spirits who do God's bidding, and in no other way are prayers for the material things answered. I know that this may be surprising to many of these people who believe that God, by His great powers, answers prayer but it is a fact.

Well, that is an illustration of the work of spirits, as I have explained. These spirits, when the prayers of that man (Mueller) ascended to God, heard them, and in obedience to their work, impressed mortals to do that which resulted in answer to these prayers. Many prayers have been answered in this way and will be so long as mortals pray and have faith.

I will not write more now. So good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Solomon

Constantine Writes that He Only Wanted the Allegiance of the Christians But He Wasn't Really a Christianity

September 5, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Constantine.

I was the Roman Emperor and died as the head of the Christian Church. I wasn't really a Christian and did not understand the true principles of the Christian teachings, but I adopted Christianity as a State religion because of political purposes added to my desire to destroy the powers of my antagonists who were believers in and worshipers of the gods of paganism. I was a man who cared not in the slightest whether the cross or the symbol of the oracles was the true sign of religion, or whether the followers of religious beliefs belonged to the Christian church or the worship of the gods which our country had for so many years adopted and followed.

My great desire when I made Christianity the State religion was to obtain power and the allegiance of the majority of the people of the empire. The Christians were very numerous and were persons of such intense convictions - so intense that not even death could remove or change these convictions. I knew that when they once gave me their allegiance, I should have a following that could not be overthrown by those who were worshipers of the old gods. The latter people were not so interested in their religious beliefs, individually, as to cause them to have such convictions as would interfere with any religion that I might establish, when they realized that their material interests would be advanced by at least, formally recognizing that religion as a state establishment. Their beliefs were not the results of conviction but merely those of what had been accepted by their ancestors and transmitted to them as a kind of inheritance. They believed in the gods and the oracles as a matter of course without ever having made the objects of their beliefs matters of investigation in order to learn if those beliefs were true or not. Truth was not sought for and, hence, conviction was a mere shallow acquiescence.

During all the time of my office as Emperor, I never changed my beliefs and never accepted the teachings of the Christians as the revelation of truth and, in fact, I never considered such a matter as religion worthy of my serious consideration. Many doctrines were proposed and discussed by the ecclesiastical teachers and leaders of this religion, and those doctrines were approved by me which were adopted by a majority of these leaders as true and the correct declarations of what the Scriptures of the Christians contained. I let these leaders fight their own battles as to doctrines and truths, and when they decided what should be accepted and declared by the church to be true doctrines, I approved the same and promulgated them as binding upon all the followers of the Christian faith.

So I, though it has been frequently said, did not establish the canonicity of the Bible or determine and legalize the doctrines which were declared and made binding by the conventions of the leaders of the church. Of course, I gave them my sanction and official approval, but they were not mine and should not be said to have been established by me, for if the doctrines of the Arians had been accepted and declared by a majority of these ecclesiasts as the true teachings of the Christian scriptures, I should have sanctioned and given them the State's authority. As I said, I was not a Christian when I lived and I did not die a Christian, notwithstanding all the fantastical and miraculous things which have been written about me and my conversion to Christianity.

When I came into the spirit world, I found myself in great darkness and suffering, realizing that I had to pay the penalties for the sins thought and committed by me on earth; and all the masses which were said for the benefit of my soul never helped me one particle to get out of my unhappy condition.

I knew nothing about the Divine Love or the mission of Jesus in coming to earth, and I found that my sins had not been washed away as the teachers had often told me on earth would be done for me. Many long years I remained in this condition of darkness and unhappiness, without finding any relief by reason of the mystical workings of Jesus' atonement of which the priests had told me, and which I did not believe, nor the help of the gods in whom I had been taught to believe by our philosophers and religious teachers. No, I found no relief and my condition seemed to be fixed and hope of the Christian Heaven that was never mine, and of the fields Elysian that would be mine in a hazy way, did not cause me to feel that my sufferings would at sometime come to an end and the glad face of happiness appear.

But after a time the light of the truth, in which Jesus came to teach, broke in on my understanding and soul, and the Divine Love of the Father commenced to flow into my soul and continued until I became a possessor of it to that degree that I was carried to the Celestial Spheres, where I now am, a redeemed pure and immortal soul, having undoubting knowledge and conviction that I possess in my soul the Divine Essence of the Father, and the certainty of eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom.

I cannot tonight write you of my experience in either the dark planes or in the successive progressive spheres, but sometime I will come and detail that experience. But before ceasing my writing, I wish to say with all the force that I have that only the Divine Love of the Father can save a soul from its sins and make it at-one with the Father in His Divine Nature.

Let creeds and dogmas and man made doctrines take care of themselves, and learn the Truth, and in that Truth abide, for Truth is eternal and never changes, and no decrees of man or dogmas of church tradition of the early fathers or writers, or creeds of ecclesiastical conventions, so solemnly adopted and declared, can make that a truth which is not a truth. Truth existed before all these things and is not subject to them, nor by them can it be added to or taken from.

I must not write more now and thank you for having permitted me to write. So with my love, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Constantine

* * * * * * * * * *

St. Luke Confirms Constantine's Writing


I am here, St. Luke.

I am glad to write once more and feel that very soon you will be able to receive our messages. I will not attempt to write at length tonight and will only say that as you may doubt the identity of the one who has just written you, I desire to confirm the fact that it was Constantine, the Roman Emperor, who wrote you. He was very much pleased that he could write and in a hurried way correct some of the historical errors that have existed concerning his true position as to Christianity.

He is now a very bright spirit and an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres and, of course, a possessor of the Divine Love. I desire to tell you though, that he was scourged by his conscience, as it were, before he got out of his condition of darkness and suffering superinduced very largely by pride. In his own conceit, he was an emperor for a very long time after he entered the spirit world and retained all the pride of an emperor. But I will leave all this for him to write about as he promised and stop writing for the time.

Well, you must not become discouraged for the Divine Love is a reality, and you have some of it and may have more. Only pray the Father for His help and guidance. We all love you and are trying to helping you. Only believe.

Your brother in Christ,
Luke

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Helen Affirms that Constantine and Luke wrote
   

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well, my dear, you had an unusual message tonight or rather, I may say, an unexpected one, and I see that you doubted the identity of the author; but as Luke is acquainted with him, you can rest assured that what Luke said is true.

But he is only one of a great number of spirits, who as men were prominent on earth, are here in the spirit world, and if given the opportunity would write to you, but as we have work to do - which will take a great deal of your time and energy - these spirits will not be permitted to write at this time of the truth that we wish to convey. The one who wrote is or was an important personage in the history of Christianity and, hence, we thought it advisable to let him write.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

Jesus Writes That He Approves of the Church James Padgett is Attending as the People are Receiving God's Divine Love

August 31, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I heard what Paul wrote, and I corroborate everything that he said, and add that these people are pursuing the true way to the inheritance, which I promised them while I was on earth. Their faith is wonderful and the fruits of its exercise is shown in the condition of their souls and in their lives.

Theirs is the soul conception of religion and of my truths, and while they may not with their intellects understand the philosophy of my teachings, yet, with their soul perceptions they have grasped the great foundation truth of salvation through the Divine Love of the Father.

Of course, they sing and proclaim that my blood saves them from sin, but this is merely the exercise of their mental conceptions, learned from the teachings and creeds of the churches; yet, they have grasped the great and only truth of salvation with the far more and certain knowledge that the awakening and filling of their souls by the Divine Love gives them.

How much to be wished for that all these churches of form and mental worship could realize that the only true worship of God is with the soul perceptions. Only with these perceptions that are developed by obtaining the Divine Love can we see God. Only by such development can we become pure and holy and at-one with the Father, and partakers of His Divine Nature.

I am glad that you attended this church (Church of the Holiness), and I advise you to go there often, for I tell you that the spirit of truth and Love is with these people to a very extended degree, and that because their souls are open to its inflowing and to its ministration.

I was with you again tonight, and so was the spirit of truth trying to open up your soul to its influence and to that which will cause your faith to increase and your trust in me to grow. No church will do you as much good as that and I advise you to attend. Of course, you will not have to believe in its creed, but only in the fact that the Holy Spirit is there in all its quickening power, as they sometimes sing.

So with all my love I say, goodnight.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

Leetelam, an Ancient Spirit Who Died 4,000 Years Ago, Writes That He Suffered in Darkness for His Beliefs But Now Lives in a Natural Love Sphere

August 13, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Leetelam.

I was a Tartar, and lived in Tibet, and died nearly four thousand years ago. I was a Brahman and was a priest of the temple and the chief of the brothers of sacrifice. In my day, we sacrificed human beings to appease the wrath of our God, and they the most beautiful and virgins - so that our God would have a sacrifice that had never been defiled by man.

This was one of the chief tenets of our religion and was observed with all the strictness and pomp that we, who were fanatical in our beliefs, could give the occasion of the sacrifice. Many a beautiful victim just emerging into the full flower of her youth was made to suffer a cruel death in order, as we supposed, to save the rest of us from the wrath of our God, who was always hungry for blood and the cries of his human victims.

But this sacrifice was one of the chief ceremonies of our religion, and we believed in the necessity for it just as you Christians believe in the necessity for prayer. And when we, the priests who performed the act which consummated the sacrifice, had performed our duties, we considered that we had obeyed the will of God and that He was pleased with our great act of devotion and worship.

No rank or position could save the victim from the sacrifice when once the priests had selected that victim; and the parents of such victim were taught and believed that it was a great honor to have their young daughters chosen as brides for the great God who was not satisfied unless He could have the most beautiful and virtuous maidens for His brides of death.

Since I have become a spirit and learned some of the truths of the spirit world, and that love - and not sacrifice - is required by God, all these evil deeds that I and the others performed in the name of our religion have become to me monstrous and shocking, and for many long years after I had learned the truth, the recollections of these deeds caused me to suffer the tortures of the damned. The fact that I, at the time, thought that I was performing a duty did not assuage my suffering or relieve my darkness.

Truth is truth, and every violation of its demands must be atoned for, no matter if the intention at the time of committing these violations is supposed or believed by the actor to be in accordance with the truth. No belief, if it violates truth, will excuse.

As on earth, ignorance of law excuses no one for his acts done in violation of truth, so in the spirit world ignorance of the truth will not excuse deeds committed in violation of that truth. Every cause must have its effect, and no God interposes to prevent that effect from following the cause.

Now that I have been awakened to the truth, I see with the perceptions of not only a clarified intellect but of the soul, that no act or deed done in the name of religion actually believed in will be excused because of the fact that it was done for the sake of that religion. I am now in the Nirvana of the Brahmans, and am very happy. My soul has been purified by the long years of suffering and discipline, and I love God and my fellow man. My sphere is high up in the spirit world - just what its location is I cannot tell you. There are no Christians or other sects in my sphere, although I see them at times and converse with them.

I came here because I was travelling in this earth plane and saw a bright light which is unusual in this plane, and it led me to you, and I found that you were receiving communications from spirits, and I listened to some of the messages and concluded that I would write also if I could have the opportunity. And after the dark spirits left you, I commenced this writing.

I did not know English when I lived, but you must know that the advanced spirits who have been in the spirit world for many years have not let the years go by without study and investigation. I understand most all the languages of earth, and so do most of the ancient spirits, and this for the purpose of being able to understand what the peoples of all lands may think and say. Our work is to help mankind and spirits whenever we can.

Well, I will not write more tonight.

I hear what you say and cannot understand you, but if there be such a supreme happiness as you speak of, I should like to possess it. I will accept your invitation and attend your writings on Wednesday night. And so with my best wishes and kind regards, I am

Your friend,
Leetelam

Salaalida, a Moslem, Did Not Know About Divine Love but is a Lover of God and Christians

August 12th, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.

I am here, Salaalida:

I am a Moslem and I lived in the time of the crusaders and helped to defend Jerusalem from the Christians. I was an officer of high rank, and a general who was known among my own countrymen for my prowess in battle. I merely want to tell you now that I am a lover of all mankind and know no difference between the Christians and the Moslems, for all are God's children and are the objects of His Love, and of my love, for I am a lover of God.

I am an inhabitant of the highest Mohammedan heavens and am very happy and satisfied with my spiritual condition, and am still a follower of the Prophet who lives in our heavens and still teaches the truths of the Father, Allah.

I have no criticism to make of the Christians and believe that they are also followers of God in the way that their Jesus taught, but I cannot yet believe that his teachings are the only truths of the Father. He and his followers live in a different sphere from our sphere, and those whom I have met seem to be happy and are very beautiful.

So while I was once an antagonist of the Christians, and hated them with all the hatred that my religion taught me to hate, yet, now I see that hatred is not a thing which God recognizes as being a part of the faith or practices of His true followers.

I came merely to tell you this and to inform you that love is the ruling principle of the spiritual world where I live. By love, I mean love for God and for my fellowman. This is the only love that I know of and I find it sufficient for my happiness.

I don't know what you mean by the Divine Love. It cannot be anything more than the love which we have for God. Well, I must stop now, and will say good night.

Your friend,
Salaalida the mussulman 

Jesus Writes That God's Truths Are Easy to Understand and Are For Everyone

August 3, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

My truths are plain and my teachings can be understood by the simple. Any religion, which requires the exercise of the mental faculties to an extent greater than what is required in the ordinary affairs of life, cannot be a true religion; because God has designed that all His children shall understand His truths without the necessity of having a highly developed mind.

He that runs may understand my teachings and it will not be necessary for any preacher or teacher to explain them. My language will explain itself. So let not your mind be troubled over the question as to whether only the mentally developed can understand what I may write - the truths are for all.

So with all my love I am,

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

John Brown Writes That He Gave His Life for the Freedom of Slaves and is Still Fighting for Truth and Liberty for All Mankind

August 1, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John Brown.

I was the man who gave his life for the freedom of the slaves and the purification of the nation. So I come to you as a spirit who in the long years since my death has seen the principles for which I fought and died established in the laws of my country and the principles of freedom and political equality made a part of the economy of your land.

I am now a spirit fighting still for truth and liberty, but now my fight is for the liberty of all mankind from the slavery, which sin and the greed of men impose upon their fellow men. No man has the right, because of superiority in position or greatness in wealth, to make his fellow man a slave or keep him from enjoying the God-given things of earth. Of course, some men must rule and some must possess the greater riches, but these facts do not justify the ruling ones or the wealthy in treating the subordinate or the poor in a way to make them unhappy, or to prevent them from receiving their just dues in the working of the affairs of their relationship of employer and employee or of governor and governed.

Right is right, and no machinations of men will not much longer make the poor and dependent a slave to the rich and independent. Men are awakening to their rights and to the object of their creation by a just God who is no respecter of persons; and soon men will come into their own and peace will reign on earth. I am not what is called a socialist, but a lover of mankind without regard to environments or opportunities. Let the rich treat the poor as brothers, and let the laws be administered for all alike.

Religion is a mighty power in the world, and as men come to see that the golden rule of the Master is the only one that should govern their actions, one towards the other, peace and prosperity and happiness will come to the inhabitants of the earth.

What I say is not a mere dream of an enthusiast, but is the result of what I see will follow the workings of the great spiritual forces, which are now combined and working for the salvation of men as never before in the history of the world.

And in this great work, love will be the mainstay of the principles that will activate men in their dealings with one another, and when this love shall flow to men with all its fullness and irresistible force, as will do, men will realize a new existence, and the brotherhood of men will become a thing of reality. So I say, let men prepare themselves for this great inflowing of love, for its coming and will sweep away the evils and trifles that now are influencing the great crime of the centuries. I mean the great barbarous and inexcusable war that is now devastating the whole of Europe.

Men may think that the end of the war will see a peace that, because of the horrors and great losses and depletion of men and means, will last for many years, but if peace should depend upon these causes, war would rear its ugly head again before many generations have passed. While the war shall end, the causes of the war will only slumber, and when new generations come, and the ambition and desire for aggrandizement and power shall again work their evil influences upon the hearts and minds of the rulers of the new generations, war will come again.

But we hope, and are working to that end, that the love of one for another and the great feeling and realization of the brotherhood of man will so fill the souls of men that those things which cause wars will entirely disappear, and peace will become the lasting condition of both individuals and nations. Liberty and freedom are the great possessions of men even as they are now possessed, with all these feelings of envy and hatred and ambition, but peace and love are the greatest things in all the world, and when men learn this, war will never rear its ugly head again.

I must stop now.

I am living in the Fourth Sphere and am comparatively happy, and am much interested in any country's welfare and in the welfare of humanity the world over. I am a worshiper of God and am trying to follow His precepts as I learned them on earth. I am not the possessor of what you call the Divine Love but I have a love for my fellow men which enables me to try to help them in every way in my power.

I never have troubled myself about the Love that you speak of. I know that there are spirits who live in higher spheres than I do, and they seem more beautiful than do I, but I have never sought the reason or troubled myself with knowing why. But as you put the proposition I will talk to some of these spirits and ask them about this Love that you speak of.

So I thank you for the opportunity of writing my sentiments on the subject that is so dear to me now, and was when I was on earth. With all my love I will say,

Goodnight,
John Brown

Samuel R. Phillips, a Fellow Lawyer and Church Member, Writes That He is in Darkness and He Does Not Understand Why

March 19, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Samuel R. Phillips.

I was an acquaintance of yours and a lawyer as you will remember, and I desire to ask you to give me some assistance in getting out of this condition of darkness in which I am now living.

Well, I have heard other spirits say that you have helped them, and so I came, and remembering that I was your brother lawyer on earth and had an acquaintance with you, I presumed that you would not refuse to assist me. Yes, R., that is correct.

I don't know why I am in darkness, except that I did not develop my spiritual nature when on earth. I did not understand very much about spiritual things or the soul and, hence, when I came to the spirit world I was a very unenlightened spirit. I cannot explain this thing. All I know is that I am in darkness and need light.

Well, I was a member of the church but that did not mean that I knew anything of the truths of the spiritual things. I read the Bible and understood what it said, but I did not understand what it meant in the inner and spiritual sense. My religion was purely intellectual and now I find that is not sufficient to relieve me from the darkness, which I am now experiencing.

Yes, I believed in God, but not in Jesus as a God, but thought him to be a very good and wonderful teacher.

Well, as to prayer, I never gave much thought of it. Of course, as the people prayed in response to what the minister might read, I read, too, but I never really prayed. It was all formal and not the longing of my heart as some have said a prayer should be. But I do not understand what prayer has to do with my present condition of darkness.

Well, as I don't understand, I don't seem to appreciate what you say. Tell me more fully what you mean, so that I may make the effort to comprehend your meaning.

Well, I am happy in a way, but not as I expected. I believed that God was all goodness and that all His children would be happy in the spirit world, but I find that I am not so. I am somewhat disappointed and also very much at a loss to understand.

No, I have had no remorse or realization that I committed any very great sin on earth for which I should suffer here. Of course, I was, I suppose, very much like other men who are not very immoral. I never indulged in immorality to any extent and tried to do the right thing towards my neighbor and, hence, do not understand why I should have remorse or lashings of conscience.

No, I never have tried to examine myself very much to learn how I compare with the ideal Christian as portrayed by the teachings of Jesus, but I will do so. There may be something in what you say, and it may be that I have not sought the truth as to the cause of my darkness. Yes, I see a number of spirits who seem to be in darkness also, and who say that they are anxious and waiting to talk to you.

Well, I do see some bright spirits and they certainly are beautiful and seem so loving. Why they look at me with great eyes of love and sympathy, as if they would like to help me.

Well, I am surprised, for there is Riddle my old friend and brother lawyer. Why is he so bright and beautiful? He thought, when on earth, very much as I did about the things of the spiritual world. He says that he is glad to see me and invites me to go with him for a talk, and I will go.

So my dear friend, I will say to you goodnight and good luck.