Copyright © 1989 - 2004 by David Allan
This book is given to the public domain and may be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any manner whatsoever without written permission, with the following provision: If portions of this material larger than brief quotes or excerpts are reproduced, whether distributed for free or as a part of something to be sold, the publisher of said material will include the following disclosure: “Material from the book Selfish Young Man is part of the public domain.”
Published by:
Lake Publishing
16700 Moneta Rd.
PO Box 888
Moneta, VA 24121
United States of America
December, 2004
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Selfish Young Man / by David Allan
p. cm.
LCCN: 2004116053
ISBN: 0-9746173-0-X
1. Jesus Christ – Person and offices
2. Christianity
3. Philosophy and religion
I. Title
III
• Scriptures
• Denominations
• The Pharisees
• Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
• Women Ministers
• Holy Days
• We Are Gods
• Marriage in Heaven
• Eternal Hell
• The Trinity
• A God Grows Up
• The Law Fails
• Mistakes
• Judas
• Satan
• Prophecy
• Playing God
• Time Does Not Exist
• Different Realities
• The Bride of Christ
• Equality and the Sexes
• Inexorable Conclusions Commentaries and Encouragement
• The Power of Thought
• Nothing Is Hidden
• Under Construction
• Demons
• Illness and Injury
• Multitudes
• Spiritual Evolution
• Rituals and Traditions
• Predestination and Free Will
• Miracles
• Christ
• God Is Love
• Deism
Personal
• Creation
• The 7th Day
• A Common Problem
• Voices
• Removing a Speck
• A Wise and Gentle Rebuke
• Another Wise and Gentle Rebuke
• You Reap What You Sow
• A Small Miracle
• Sunset
• Friends
• Life Story
So many good things have been given to me during my life, so many hand outs and hand ups. But youth, and the selfish ingratitude that goes with it, blinded me from realizing how deeply indebted I am to those who went before me. This book is a small effort at repayment, given to those who still struggle like me, and those who will follow.
It is not possible that all of my view points will make sense to you, nor should they, for we are all individuals and therefore different by definition. But we are all human, so I know having written open and honestly that some of my perspectives may be of value to you.
I will say this very plainly at the onset: Jesus would be grieved to hear some of the words that have been put in his mouth and to see what some organizations have turned his legacy into.
Although some individual churches may be of benefit to the spiritually dead or spiritually young, organized religions are useless. Generally speaking, the origins of all religions are based on sparks of enlightenment that have been warped into businesses and seats of power by egotistical people. False doctrines abound, presented like facts by charlatans who dare tell us they speak for God, as if they have some access to the Almighty that the rest of us do not.
The Christian religions, like all other religions, are a waste of time for spiritual adults. True religion is a personal matter and nothing about it, except love, is universal to us all.
The bottom line is that we are all gods, we are all christs, we are all members of the spirit, and Love is the only real authority that ever has, does, or will exist.
What I try to do in this book is to address some of these false religious doctrines, making corrections and explaining a number of other little understood things that both the scriptures and common sense reasoning reveal. In addition, I include a variety of essays on other topics and also share some of my personal experiences. My most important objective is to bridge the gap between religion and love, which should be the same thing, but are not in most churches. My hope is to help people realize the childishness of following someone else’s opinion about the meaning and mysteries of life, which is what organized religions are, encouraging people instead to regard the spirit of love within them as the only real authority.
Although we should try to listen carefully to each other’s opinions, as we will almost always learn something, we should never subordinate the honest opinions of our heart to someone else’s. Therefore, if you and I are both subject to the authority of love, while I may decide your opinion is not right for me, perhaps utterly reject it, not only will I tolerate your view point, I will defend your right to it.
I do not claim all the answers and opinions I put forth here are certain, except as they pertain to me, at this point in time. Indeed, it concerns me that time may reveal to me that some of my understanding was weak, perhaps even wrong. Often I reach a conclusion, only to learn something new that sheds better light and presents more questions. In the past, my reaction to that was to rewrite the part in question to reflect the better understanding. However, it is not possible to understand everything. And if a person waited to speak until he did know everything, then that person would never speak at all. But you can understand to the point of satisfaction, and this point is where I am. So when you judge my effort, I ask you consider: Did I at least get you to think and shed a little light somewhere? Read it, get out of it what you can, leave the rest behind.
I used a number of quotes from the Christian scriptures (sometimes as I recalled them, so they may be paraphrased). Some of the references and their subsequent logical conclusions will not be understood by readers who have not extensively studied the Bible. But everything one really needs to know can be seen through natural philosophy anyway, so even the layman should understand much of what I have to say. I also noted some of the scriptures I referred to so people could more easily find passages they may not be familiar with.
If you are not familiar with the scriptures of various religions, you might consider reading them. I think anyone who has, with an open mind, has benefited a little. However, understand that none of them are truly important and their endless study becomes a waste of time. This is because the spirit of “love one another” is a part of us all, as it always has been, so we all have access to this vastly superior information, if only we will listen.
Criticism of the things I have expressed in this book is certain. So be it. My only response is to say that I have examined myself closely and my heart is right with the spirit, at least as it concerns what I have written. It was the best I could do and I held nothing back if I thought it might help, even to my own embarrassment.
Again, I owe so many people who have done right by me over the years, many of whom did not get back anything of the sort. I sincerely thank you all.
David AllanThe origin of the writings that became the Christian scriptures is something that most churches never share with their flocks. The following is a very brief overview of the history of those documents, the entirety of which is presented in very general terms.
The first gentile Christian churches had no writings whatsoever for about the first 40 years after Jesus’ death. Everything was oral, with people assembling at individual homes and taking turns speaking about whatever they believed was inspired or edifying. Most of these people were converts from pagan religions in which they were already actively involved. Stories about Jesus and anything that might be related to his teaching were the main focus in these assemblies. Individual speaking being what it is, the tales passed from person to person and town to town with omissions or embellishments, pieces remembered incorrectly, or with things misunderstood, sometimes including various fabrications for whatever reason. In short, the stories were never retold exactly the same way in any two places.
Some of these stories eventually found their way into written form, whether mostly or partially true, or not at all. Within a few more decades there were also various letters from Christian leaders. Many of these assorted writings were copied and passed along over time, though not always written the same way when reproduced, and virtually never the same when translated. Given the nature and wisdom of man, even the original orations, written stories, and letters would have contained personal bias, errors, and omissions.
Within 100 years of Christ’s death, most individual churches were collecting, some even creating various writings, which were administered by the budding hierarchy of administrators in those churches. The original writings that sprang up in these first churches were sometimes copied and shared with other churches, who then might share their copies with still more churches, and so on and so forth. This resulted in versions of the original writings that varied from one church to another, the differences ranging from just a little to very different. Where these scrolls or codices had gaps or obvious errors, church administrators might fill them in with whatever they deemed most advantageous for their self-interests, though usually they used their best opinions, although not always right.
The churches in some larger cities and a few small towns had outgrown meeting at just one home, so they coordinated meetings in public places, wherever they were not persecuted. They used multiple homes or clandestine get-togethers in the bigger cities where they were unwelcome.
In these churches, increasingly springing up throughout the Roman Empire, there was also a movement away from the original church structure. What was once a group of equals was vanishing. Meetings wherein any member of the church could take a turn speaking as a teacher, sharing whatever moved them, were rapidly fading away. By the time 200 years had passed after Jesus’ death, the original emphasis in most churches had nearly completely changed. Now only a select few administrators and leaders would regularly speak at their meetings. Often they would read from the plethora of writings they had by now accumulated and kept at that particular church, then give their opinions and comments while the majority of people quietly listened. In just a few generations the message of the christ Jesus had been altered dramatically, as were the original writings about his teachings to match the changing emphases. This is all the greater loss given the original documents were imperfect in the first place.
By the time organized religion had taken full control of Jesus’ legacy, some 300 years after his death, Christianity was very public in some places and as widespread as the paganism that preceded it.
Administrative hierarchy existed in virtually every local church, and these people officiated virtually every aspect of every meeting. In their preaching they utilized a wide variety of the various versions of the many handwritten letters and stories that we now call “books” of the Bible. Also, by this time, nearly every gentile church had added enormous portions of the Old Testament writings from the Jews, which tripled the amount of words from which to draw material to craft sermons. Christianity was, in fact, becoming a very big business throughout the Roman Empire, steadily replacing the religious business of paganism and its unique mythologies.
Every individual church (there were no religions) used a different Bible, meaning a different collection of these “books.” And in small to very large amounts, each of these books varied from the story or letter by the same name that might be in the Bible of another town’s church.
Over time, as these churches evolved into political powers and businesses, administrators were able to push towards some standardization of their texts. In other words, since differences between churches injured their credibility, meetings started happening among neighboring church leaders, who then tried to decide which books, and which versions, would be best for them to use. Surely there were people who had good intentions by such things. But when we see how the early church, as a whole, moved away from the equality that humble Jesus preached, and turned itself into businesses and positions of power, this is all the proof we need to reject these organizations.
We must also, in general, reject most of the scriptures as inspired by God. Common sense is more than enough to show it too, if we just allow ourselves to think. The nature of mankind being what it is, coupled with documented history, shows that each passing generation of early church administrators tinkered with the original writings they assembled for their own self-interests. Within a few hundred years after the death of Jesus, almost the entirety of Jesus’ original message was lost or altered. All but gone was the story of a demon who found the key to life (love one another) and tried to help us other demons find their way.
The historical record indicates these early churches and their leaders had thousands upon thousands of heated doctrinal arguments with each other, which means that the people of their congregations had millions of disagreements over how to interpret what was meant by this, or what was meant by that.
However, the businessmen who took control of Jesus’ legacy were able to agree on one thing: If they put Jesus above us, then they could be above us in his absence.
Abuses by the then established Christian churches continued to grow after this period almost totally unchecked, for about 1000 years, until about 700 years ago. The seeds of reform were slowly developing by then, and it was at this time that a few scattered individuals set about to divide the books of the Bible into chapters. The success of their various works gave encouragement to the next step, about 200 years later, when other individuals set about to number all the passages, sentences, and verses.
Once divided and numbered, most subsequent translators and scribes have been afraid to correct any errors that resulted from parceling documents that were reproductions of inferior manuscripts, which were never perfect in the first place. Understand, the first numbered versions were copies of copies, of copies of copies of copies… easily the 100th version of the original in many cases. After the chapter divisions and subsequent numberings, corrections of some of the mistakes and fictional additions became impossible in the minds of most translators and scribes that followed. Therefore, they simply smoothed over any gaps or inaccuracies that resulted from omissions, additions, and rearrangements as best as they could.
In short, after centuries of tampering with the ever decreasing original writings that became scriptures, it finally became difficult to keep altering them. On the other hand, all the lies and mistakes made earlier were virtually cemented in place.
It was also around this time that the printing press was invented. This effectively gave the particular versions that were mass produced a more official status, deservedly or not.
In conclusion, the Christian scriptures are a mess, and they have been from the very beginning. But the facts about the origin of these books we call the Bible are seldom told by clergy to the laity.
Some ministers are so uninformed or compromised that they even say the Bible is the unquestionable Word of God.Which denomination is best? None of them. It can be surprising what some ministers and religious people will say in their arrogance, but pride is pride – and party spirit is just another form of it.
If an individual begins thinking that he is better than other people, then that person goes astray and the spirit is displeased. So how does being a group of individuals improve the same mistake?
The only intelligent way to judge a church is on an individual basis. By definition, a church is comprised of people, so the quality of a particular church is almost completely dependent on its ministers and congregation. Churches should not be franchised like businesses, and Christianity (and all religions) would be better off with no denominations at all, rather letting every individual church stand or fall on its own merits.
If a church develops branches, that is very good, but they must be independent after they mature. This is just the same as how children are managed by their parents until maturity, but then afterwards report directly to the spirit within them, meaning their own consciences.
After all, finding one’s salvation happens the same way it has in every day and age – we accept the authority of love. It is never by being a member of a particular group. If being a Jew is not sufficient to save those that are found to be false, even though Jesus himself was a Jew, then how can being a member of a particular brand of Christianity save us?
The apostle Paul saw the very beginning of this sort of partisanship and rebuked those churches sharply, for some were claiming Paul as their leader, others Apollos, and yet others Peter.(1) But Paul put a stop to their rivalry by explaining that Jesus was their real leader. And I would add that Jesus pointed towards the spirit of God as the real guide, and that the spirit shows us that love is the only real authority people must follow.
There is a popular misconception among many churchgoers that most people who do not attend church are lost souls, while most that do attend have found salvation.
That idea is very wrong since many of the elect (people who have decided to be obedient to the authority of love) never attend church, and among the people that do, many of them are not at all ruled by love.
The people who do attend church seem to fall into several distinct categories.
The first and oftentimes smallest group is the real believers. Formerly unwilling to accept the authority of love, they were won over by the word of their lord and the spirit at large. Having truly repented from the heart, their new and changing behaviors are positive proof of new persons in progress.
The second group is comprised of those that are as yet unwilling to accept the authority of love, but are making an effort to hear what the way is all about. From here they will decide to believe it, reject it, or pretend to believe it; and this group, the pretenders, is the third main group in most of today’s churches.
I call this last group the “Pharisees” in sarcastic honor of their predecessors, and today’s equivalent is no less a challenge since all their efforts are either to magnify themselves, or to conceal their disobedience to loving each other
Just as yesterday’s Pharisees were filled with pride to be associated with the temple, so it is that their modern counterparts love the word “Christian” and to be associated with the church. But the reason is only to flatter themselves or to obtain recognition from others. Indeed, they often use their association with a church like a stick to prod others into flattering them with how righteous they are, but whenever they witness to anyone the only thing they really say is “I am better than you.”
But all of this is no surprise, since the impact of this type of person has always been a burden on those who genuinely seek to understand spiritual things.
In Moses’ day, though all the people were set free from physical slavery, only a few of their number found favor.
Were things any better in Jesus’ day? Not much, for though all the people had the opportunity to be set free from spiritual slavery, having heard Jesus’ message to love one another, only a few really changed their selfish ways. But the wise understand that now is always the time to submit to the authority of love, instead of experiencing the second death later. Therefore, they reject their selfish pride and admit their past foolishness before the spirit.
As for the trials some say submitting to Jesus’ message brings, that is just not true. Such trials are only illusions. Love carries its own happiness, for once it is embraced it takes root, and this creates a metamorphosis in our souls, a light in the dark.
So when today’s pharisees cause trouble, remember that the people of today are not much different than the people who went before us.
Even worse than the many false believers in today’s churches are the people who sometimes lead them. The apostles spoke about these ministers of Satan and forewarned us of their arrival, noting that some had already managed to creep into positions of leadership. How much more so now then, with all these years gone by?
Outwardly friendly and caring, but inside arrogant and crafty, some ministers cleverly maneuver to amass great material wealth. Others are fiercely proud of their imaginary stature, always ready to quietly tear anyone to pieces who would dare question them. But Jesus said we could recognize them by their “fruits,” and indeed we do, for their deeds speak loud and clear.
Some ministers actually demand we tithe 10% of our income to them, telling us how the Old Testament commands it. Then they turn around and correctly explain that the old law is dead and buried by the risen christ Jesus. Shameful contradiction.
There are other popular approaches for bringing in lots of money. One is to deliver sermons that humiliate anyone unwilling to give generously. Another is to imply that our donations bring us closer to salvation. The first example is cruelty for the sake of money, but the second is even worse. Utterly wicked and very dangerous religion, it implies salvation can be purchased.
The apostle Paul warns: “I may have such absolute faith that I can move hills from their place, but if I have no love, I count for nothing: I may distribute all I possess in charity, I may give up my body to be burnt, but if I have no love, I make nothing of it.”
Another sign of the wickedness of these godless workmen is the luxury in which they sometimes live, accumulating wealth as if business were their business. This is far different than John the Baptist, a true minister, who told us that if we had two coats and our neighbor had none, then we must give one to help.
If your ministers do not fully disclose the church’s financial affairs on a regular basis, then do not give the wolves in sheep’s clothing another cent – and find another church to attend.
Now to clarify an earlier point about tithing: How much should we tithe? The spiritual principles that the old law of Moses tried to represent will always remain, in this case, giving of ourselves to help worthwhile community service. Under the new covenant, the spirit is our guide, so the answer is that we must give whatever our heart tells us is right. For some of us it might be little or nothing, since if we are poor we do not need to compound the problem. For others, it could be more than 10% of our income, perhaps much more.
But all of this brings up another spiritual lesson that the old law was forerunner to, namely, where to tithe?
The old physical law has all tithes going to the priests, which is what false ministers want, but the new spiritual law shows us that everyone ruled by love is a priest.
This does not mean we should not tithe to church ministers, quite the opposite if you attend a church. But you only need to tithe what you believe is right. The point is that all of us are full-time ministers.
The spirit is our guide for when and how to help in our own ministries, and when it is the lost we aid, they may be curious to understand our motivation. This is our opportunity to share the ageless message of “love one another,” even if only by the example of our deed itself.
Lastly, as to the power and lofty stature that these false workmen so often crave, magnifying themselves and/or taking advantage of those who esteem them, I will say only two things. First, it bears repeating what Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.” Second, remember that every believer reports directly to the spirit of love. No person is in authority over another in the spiritual realm. Be sure any minister you choose to follow or assist understands this, realizing they are only your friend, and not your superior.
Many churches prohibit or discourage women ministers. They often try to justify this errant behavior by citing the apostle Paul’s teachings. For example: “A woman must listen quietly in church and be perfectly submissive; I allow no woman to teach or dictate to men, she must keep quiet.” And again, in another letter he says, “They are not allowed to speak; they must take a subordinate place, as the law enjoins. If they want any information, let them ask their husbands at home; it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.” The letter then continues by asking, “You challenge this rule? Did God’s word start with you?(1)”*
Well, I do challenge that rule. Paul is wrong. And as to the question of with whom did God’s word start, I answer by asking if it started for us with Paul or Jesus? Should we teach Christianity or Paulianity?
First, that a woman can instruct men is proved by the fact that not all of the Old Testament era leaders were men. In fact, one leader, namely Deborah, was judge over the entire nation of Israel, and it was through her that the spirit of Jesus chided Barak to follow his orders to go into battle.(2) Would Paul have disobeyed because the rebuke came through a woman?
Second, that a woman may speak in church is proved by the prophetess who scripture records was “never away from the temple... at that very hour she came up and spoke of Him to all.”(3) Would Paul have told her she was disgraceful or to “shut-up” as she stood there rejoicing over the infant Jesus? Of course not.
Indeed, Paul even attempts to defend his errant position by claiming “the law enjoins it.” In fact, the law does not enjoin it. But rather the “law keepers,” that is to say, the Jews of that day, twisted the law in their arrogance and jealously to say that the law that shows differences between the sexes actually shows women to be inferior.
The scriptures do testify that man was created first and woman second, but this is not a statement of worth. Rather, this is simply a point of reference for the spirit to begin teaching our dull minds about love and our creation.
Understand that neither “man” nor “woman” was spiritually first. The spiritual principles that physical man and woman represent (give and receive) occur simultaneously in the pure and perfect spiritual sense. For if receive happens before give, then this is “stealing,” a form of violence and a sin. And if give happens without receive happening at the same time, then it would be “force,” a form of violence and a sin.
Furthermore, even if Paul did mistakenly believe the law of Moses enjoined such behavior, that old law is dead now, replaced by a new covenant that is purely spiritual in nature – which is exactly what Paul has argued in other places. He said of the old law that Jesus had “nailed it to the cross,” and in another place, “there is no room for male and female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.”So we see clearly that Paul has testified against himself on the matter.
But that is not the worst of Paul’s mistaken thinking, for after he tells Timothy that women can never teach men and that they must keep quiet, he attempts to justify it by saying, “For Adam was created first, then Eve...” This is true, but so what.
To begin with, how does having been created first merit any special goodness? The other animals were created before Adam, yet he was foremost among them. Consider also that Cain was created, so to speak, before Abel. How can he possibly claim that being first means being superior. No indeed. Adam and Eve were meant to be equals, even though different – and different does not mean inferior.
Paul then continues, saying, “Adam was not deceived, it was Eve who was deceived and fell into sin.” Again, this is true, but again it is irrelevant. Paul has totally missed the obvious question: Since Adam and Eve were both of the same flesh, and both had the same sinless spirit within them, what would Adam have done if he were tempted first? The answer, of course, is that Adam would have done the exact same thing! Eve sinned first because she was tempted first.
For the stubborn minded n