,
.
At
such a time, even the most learned and sincere among men cannot prescribe
the spiritual remedy needed for the sick body of mankind. Only another
Manifestation of God, reflecting
His
healing powers, can become the saviour of the world. When every other door
is
closed,
the Messenger of God
appears. He is the only Way, the only refuge,
the
single light in the darkness that has set in.This great drama has
been
repeated in different parts of the earth, and these
very
terms have been used in the various
Holy
Books of the past.
,
In
previous days, however, because of geographical barriers, people living
in the one part of the planet did not know what happened in other places
and followers of each religion thought they had a monopoly of the Truth.
They did not realize that God had cared for people living
across
the world who had no means of knowing about the great Figure Whom
they
themselves had recognized as the Representative of God on earth.
Now
we can see what has been happening; but the great religions
of
the world have, in the meantime, become so distorted by men
and
have split into so many conflicting sects that it is impossible to go
back
to their pure source and disentangle the original Message from the
interpretation
of its followers. Much of the teachings of the founders is completely
lost
In the Holy Books, expressions are often used which have lost their
original meaning
and
have come to mean something entirely different in existing languages .
Other passages are purely symbolic, and people do not agree about their
interpretation.
,
Despite
the great conflict of ideas that now exists among people professing different
Faiths,
there are certain essential similarities between the major religions of
the past which
are
too obvious to be over looked. They all believe in a Creator, whether they
call him God, the First Cause, or some other name. They all have a central
Figure - one lone Man - Whose love
has
changed the lives of millions of people and Whose words are still a source
of hope
and
inspiration many centuries after they were spoken. They all prophesy that
there
is more to come ; and they all promise that in time, when men have
lost
faith and love has grown cold, a Great
One will appear to
gather
the children of men from the four corners of
the
earth and usher in the day of
universal
Brotherhood.
.
.
,
,
,
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