I commend you for your thoughtful reply. I was expecting one of the typical "you're going to burn in hell" speeches that Christians give to New Agers.


watcher wrote:

" My friend, I hope your golden dream does come true for you. That would mean my children wouldn't have to grow up being persecuted, brainwashed, or worse. Unfortunately I see no reason to doubt the Bible, and the promise of Christ's return after a period of tribulation the likes of which the world has never seen."

I see what you mean. After all, the state of the world is pretty bad and will probably get worse before it gets better.

" Jesus came when the Bible predicted He would, Israel became a nation when prophecy said it would, and the Earth changes of Revelation and Matthew 24 are now more likely to happen than ever before... even New Age prophets echo the Bible in their predictions. That is because the spirit world knows what is going to happen, they know what God has promised to do."

Although the prophesies may be correct (and this is debatable), this does not necessarily confirm the Bible's literal truth. Books like Genesis were written long before the age of Christ, likely even before the Hebrews became monotheistic. For a long time they recognized an angelic pantheon, the Elohim, without worshiping El-o-heynu, the supposedly infinite nonphysical Creator Deity. Also, it is important to realize that most of the early scriptural writings came from Sumeria as compilations of many varying mythological stories.

I do think that the general theme of Matt. 24 and Rev. probably applies to the modern world - we are at a turning point. But this does not mean that the ancient views of God are correct. Superadvanced aliens could seem like gods/angels to humanity. Theoretically, they could even take us to a "new heaven and new earth" somewhere else in the Universe, perhaps one of their own utopian worlds.

My question to you is this: Why do you accept the idea that physical beings within the Cosmos, who colonize planets, etc. (in other words, superhumans extraterrestrials), are actually messengers of a paternalistic Creator outside the Cosmos? Why must the two concepts be linked together? I believe there is a Consciousness behind everything that exists, but I make a clear separation in my mind between this Absolute God and the society of relative gods.

" But I can't make you understand that. In my quest for understanding I have found so many pertinent things...I have experienced so many confirmations that the Bible is the work of Divine genius, that I have no doubts about its authenticity."

Okay. What about the Mormons and their golden tablets from the angel Moroni, the Muslims and their holy Qur'an from the angel Gabriel, etc.? Many people have total faith in things other than the Bible, with similar experiences of confirmation.

"You undoubtedly have a corresponding insite into the unseen universe, experiences of divine revelation that are even more tangible... because they come straight from the spirit world."

Well, I have had several episodes of missing time and the like which have led me to suspect that I might be a UFO abductee, but most of my ideas are just the product of a great deal of reading, thinking, and talking with other people of a philosophical bent.

"So I won't try to convert you, that is pointless. I will ask you, though, what would it take for you to believe the Bible is true, that the revelations about the fallen angels in history and in the very near future are true? If I came up with a scenario, and it came to pass, then would you believe that the Bible contains true prophecy (that is, the Word of God)?

First of all, I already think most of the Bible is true. But I also think it was somewhat distorted by various people throughout history to achieve certain political/social ends. If I were to place faith in the idea of divine inspiration as supposedly demonstrated in the Bible, I would have trouble rejecting anything that people claim is revelation (like spiritually channeled material, other holy books, etc.) This would mean I would have to arbitrarily decide what doctrine to believe.

It is always much easier to interpret everything in the comfortable light of one's own culture.

BTW, let me mention that a couple of years ago I was more inclined to believe what you do. Then I toyed with the possibility that aliens are good biblical angels. Over time, however, I came to realize that one cannot both be a New Ager and a Fundamentalist Christian; if one accepts UFOs, for example, one must simply assume them to be evil. I gradually came to the conclusion that faith should not be our goal if it means reactionary dogma.

Let's face it: the New Age movement in general is a threat to established religion. As one might expect, the established authorities react by intensifying the conflict into an all out cosmic war between two competing gods. One is "good" and the other is "bad"; one has the power and the other is arrogant to challenge it. Therefore, people should follow the easy path and support the establishment god, or else he might send you to burn for treason.

Here's a question for you: Just suppose for a minute that the New Age was the establishment. Would the sides be perfectly reversed? Would the "good, omnipotent" god be the New Age one, and the "bad, prideful" god the revolutionary one of Christianity? Would you support the established side?

You see, what we're talking about is a civil war between an old, powerful religion and a new, insurgent one. This idea is extrapolated into the framework of the whole Universe. The challenger must be repressed and the status quo preserved; or from the other perspective, revolution against the current order must prevail. It's just a matter of perspective.

This is exactly the metaphor I used in my original letter. I am not really a supporter of Lucifer in the literal sense :-) I am a supporter of revolutionary change, so it's only natural that I like playing Devil's advocate.

But who's really the Devil? Who's to know? Who makes the call? Maybe the higher society of Elohim have resolved their disputes and are now united. Nobody on Earth knows.

Having said this, I will now directly answer your question. I might go back to the strict biblical view *if and only if* my "golden dream" fails. If the New Age doesn't come because people are too stupid and immature to see the need for radical improvement of the world, or too lazy to make the effort, then in this case we will indeed enter a time of tribulation. Maybe then I would look for Christ's return. But in this case, my view of human potential will have been shattered.

I'll put it this way: If we can't solve our problems on our own as we enter the age of advanced technology, if we still require the parental supervision of the gods, then I say let Jesus come back and rule with a rod of iron over Earth. Count me among his deputies. But right now I still retain the sliver of hope that people can be rational and mature, and hence can govern themselves as the gods do. Because of this, I am not ready to give up the fight and surrender to the Lord.

If my dream is proven impossible to achieve, then we should all accept human weakness and submit to eternal slavery as an inferior species.

ERIC'S DISCLAIMER!

"I do not worship the Devil, nor do I advocate the philosophy of contemporary Satanism. The conflict between Yahweh and Lucifer as I presented it is only relevant as a metaphor. In reality, we know very little about specific superhuman beings and should avoid quick idolization or condemnation of those who appear in ancient mythology."