WHAT IS THE TRUE PATH?

By Rev. Keith Smyth

The above signature is that of Rev. Keith Smyth. His expertise is in Huna, Biofeedback, computers, dreams, science and electronics. He is doing research in some of the above areas. He is a Technical Writer, Electronics Instructor and Metaphysical Teacher. He is also a cartoonist and contributes many for our Rainbow Connection.

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What is it that God really wants us to do, be? How can we be sure of what we hear in lectures, sermons, on radio or TV? Because we sure do hear a lot of thisas and thatas about this whole thing.

We hear we are miserable sinners, without any chance, unless we repent, down on our knees praying to high heaven, and contribute all your worldly goods, you miserable sinner you, because your church cannot continue to send missionaries, or buy all those hours of TV time to reach more of you miserable sinners, etc., etc., etc.

Sound familiar? Of course it does. We are constantly bombarded by it. According to these most pious folk, only they have a true, straight line to headquarters, and any one else claiming the same thing is a devilish liar and cheat, Satan himself, out to get you, so don't you fall for his malarky. Fall for mine, instead, 'cause I need the donations.

So how can we really know, when where ever we turn, even the Bible is said on the one hand, to be the direct word of God and don't you dare quibble over even one word with the way I interpret it. On the other hand, as the history of a group of wanderers in a desert, long ago, along with their philosophy and religious beliefs.

What then can we believe? Well, for starters, can you believe that God Almighty, Ruler and Creator of all the Universes, has human emotions? Can you believe that God Almighty can feel sorrow, or anger, or hatred for that which this Supreme Being has created out of nothingness?

If so, then everything that Jesus attempted to say with parables went right over your head. Let's examine a couple of things here.

One: God, the Supreme Being, Universal Intelligence or whatever you wish to call it, is not required to conform to your beliefs.

Two: This Creator is not human, in, of or by our standards.

Three: Emotions are strictly human.

Four: Looking at human beings from a strictly Macrocosmic viewpoint, the race is totally insignificant in terms of whatever emotional terms you wish to use to create significance with.

Five: The Macrocosmic viewpoint is unconcerned with whether we survive or not, whether we get what we desire or not, or even with whether or not we have any desires. The universe simply could not care less. Neither can it care more. It is simply neutral. Period.

Six: Since God does not have human emotions, God then must experience human emotions through human beings. God cannot feel sorry for us, God can only feel our sorrow through us. God cannot be angry with us, God can only experience our anger by being one with us.

Seven: We are not separate from God, we only believe that we are separated. If God is everything, then God is the Universe, Stars, spaces between the stars, planets, lifeforms on these planets; in fact, if this is fact, God is then even the thoughts of these lifeforms, even the space between those thoughts. How 'bout That, Charlie Brown?

So what it all boils down to is this. There is only one path that leads to enlightenment, enlightenment being defined as finding out who you really are, as opposed to who you believe you are. This path is not hard to find, but it seems to be extremely hard to remain on. Since we are one with God, we are the physical essence of God's experience of being physical, intelligent (if in fact we are intelligent. Sometimes I definitely wonder,) beings. We are not God, we are gods. Note the lower case on "gods". We are co-creators with God.

We create our experiences here and now, and God experiences them through us. What ever we believe we are is what we are. What ever we believe we will get is what we get. God, being us, gives us everything, exactly and precisely as we ask.

We have the choice of being on the path, or being in the field smelling the flowers, or being in the fields, smelling, or being on a cliff watching the ocean, or jumping off the cliff into the ocean, or beating our heads against non-existent walls or existent walls. What ever we want, we get. Until we learn to get back on the path of enlightenment and learning that what we believe is so, is so. This in fact, is enlightenment.

That we are God's tools of experiencing being human, and whatsoever we ask, we just flat get. Period. End of Quote.

Why do you think the Bible states that God told Moses that "He" is a jealous God? So that we would learn not to put desires for anything physical or material ahead of Him? Well, yes, and no. It seems to me that when I learned not to think self-destructive thoughts, I quit being self-destructive. When I learned to start thinking self-beneficial thoughts, I started gaining benefits. When I learned to stop being angry at myself, I learned how to quit being angry at others. When I learned to begin liking myself, exactly as I am, I also began liking others, exactly as they are. What I had thought of as my Faults, I found others considered many of them to be my strong points. Oh, not all, by any means. Faults, and others. But I was a lot more comfortable. That does not mean that I have stopped attempting to change my belief systems.

It means that I have become more comfortable, and therefore have more time to really begin seeing and feeling just what does need to be changed in order to stay on the path, as I saw the path.

You see, the path of God is open to everyone, and everyone is on it, whether they know it or not. We can focus our attention away from the path, focusing on gaining material things, thinking that this will satisfy us. When we gain all the physical things, we remain unsatisfied in that we do not fully comprehend exactly how we created them.

Remaining on the path requires concentrated attention that even our thoughts are God, being the thoughts, as well as everything else, and that there is no requirement for us to experience being miserable, unhappy, unhealthy or un-any thing else. We can, if we so choose, but it is a choice, not a universal or God-like requirement for being human.

Do you know what the word SIN stands for? It is an acronym for Self Inflicted Nonsense. So we can quit it.

So what then is the True Path? How can we pray, and know that what we receive is in fact, the Word of God? Well, Richard Bach said it in The Reluctant Messiah, "And it came to pass when he saw that the multitude thronged him the more day on day, tighter and closer and fiercer than ever they had, when he saw that they pressed him to heal them without rest, and feed them always with his miracles, to learn for them and to live their lives, he went above that day unto a hilltop apart, and there he prayed.

And he said in his heart, Infinite Radiant IS, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me, let me lay aside this impossible task. I cannot live the life of one other soul, yet ten thousand cry to me for life. I'm sorry I allowed it all to happen. If it be thy will, let me go back to my engines and my tools and let me live as other men.

And a voice spoke to him on the hilltop, a voice neither male nor female, loud nor soft, a voice infinitely kind. And the voice said unto him "Not my will, but thine be done. For what is thy will is mine for thee. Go thy way as other men, and be thou happy on the earth."

And hearing, the Master was glad, and gave thanks and come down from the hilltop, humming a little mechanic's song. And when the throng pressed him with its woes, beseeching him to heal for it and learn for it and feed it nonstop from his understanding and to entertain it with his wonders, he smiled upon the multitude and said pleasantly unto them, "I quit."

For a moment the multitude was stricken dumb with astonishment.

And he said unto them, "If a man told God that he wanted most of all to help the suffering world, no matter the price to himself, and God answered and told him what he must do, should the man do as he is told?"

"Of course, Master!" cried the many. "It should be pleasure for him to suffer the tortures of hell itself, should God ask it!"

"No matter what those tortures nor how difficult the task?"

"Honor to be hanged, glory to be nailed to a tree and burned, if so be that God has asked," said they.

"And what would you do," the Master said unto the multitude, "if God spoke directly to your face and said, 'I COMMAND THAT YOU BE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.' What would you do then?"

And the multitude was silent, not a voice, not a sound was heard upon the hillsides, across the valleys where they stood.

And the Master said unto the silence, "In the path of our happiness shall we find learning for which we have chosen this lifetime. So it is that I have learned this day, and choose to leave you now to walk your own path, as you please."

And he went his way through the crowds and left them, and he returned to the everyday world of men and machines."

This is the path. This is what it is all about. What you are doing right now. Do it with love, do it with hate, do it with anger or desperation. It does not matter, because whether you believe it or not, you are doing God's will, just by being here.

Ain't that neat? There really is no way for you to get off the path.

Again Richard Bach, the Messiah's Notebook - "Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't."