On a hill, under a great oak treeoutside of town, sits a youngman and an old man. The youngman speaks ...

Master, is there Truth, or are there only subjective truths thatmay be truth for one and not another?

That puzzling question has been debated since man firstdiscovered reason. It is not, however, a difficult questionto answer. The difficulty is found when the questioner isso overwhelmed with what he thinks is true, that the viewto the answer is obscured, and the puzzle remains. Forpurposes of understanding only, we will speak of layersof Truth.

Of course, there may be many things that are true. Scienceis based on being able to do something repeatedly and getthe same result. It is true, for example, that two hydrogenmolecules and one oxygen molecule will produce water,or that two single digits, plus three single digits equal fivedigits, but I feel this is not what you are getting at. Youwonder, is there Truth? Yes, there is Truth; that Truth isthe basis for all Truth.

In the past, we have gone to religion in our quest, forwe considered Truth must be wrapped in the mantle ofGod. This was a mistake, for Truth became confused withdoctrine and belief. Each religion contains what it believesis true, but Truth is not found in religion. Let me restatethat for accuracy. Truth may be found in religion; it issimply hiding and is not easily recognized by its seekers.

I have stated that there is what we might think of as layers ofTruth. This is only a way of clarifying, because onecannot say everything at once. These layers are notvertical layers. Think of them as wrappings. I will giveyou a wrapping to ponder. Realize Truth has always beenwith us. It is known to all. Man simply chose to overlookTruth in favor of superstition. Superstition brings rulesof conduct, judgment, guilt and fear. For believers rulesare comforting. Children require parameters for theirsafety and security. Truth however, requires none of these.This is Truth:

LIFE IS PERFECT

Oh, Master, life does not seem perfect to me. All aroundme I see bad things happen to people. There are still peoplebeing tortured and enslaved. Still there is murder, rape andinjustice everywhere. It seems at times that God has forsakenus and Satan rules man's actions. I do not at all see that lifeis perfect.

Of course you do not. You cannot see Truth, for you havebeen led to believe things that are not true. If you are tosee Truth you must force out your superstitious beliefs.All religions are based on a false premise, no matter howplausible it may seem to believers.

You have been told the truth will set you free. If what youbelieve is true, then you are now free. Are you free?

No, I am not. I'm confused.

That is a sign that you are maturing. The first thing a childlearns is, "No!" Fear dictates that a parent protects thechild with parameters. "No, don't do that!" "No, don't gothere!" But the child is undaunted, for the little one willinquire, "Why?"

"Because."

"Because, why?"

Man comes into this world with a curiosity that isirrepressible. The question, "why," has led to all of man'sdiscoveries and inventions. Isn't it strange to you that youmay question and advance in all areas, save one, yourreligions? Because, as you said, it leads to confusion.

The so-called religious Fathers did not understandLife. They did, however, understand money and power.Religion created a way to perpetuate itself by offering fear,and safety from that fear. "There are good and evil in theworld," it says. "God is good. Satan is evil. Come to us forGod's sake, and we will protect you from Satan. And, bythe way, this is the offering plate; we think ten percent ofwhat you earn is about right to give to God, don't you?"

Let me unwrap another layer of Truth for you:

THERE IS NO BAD

Oh, Master, again I do not understand. All of my life I havebeen taught there is good and bad, right and wrong. I can seeit every day of my life. The news is full of stories of good andevil, people killing each other, children dying of abuse andstarvation. Certainly this is bad. How can one hurt anotherand it not be bad?

You believe there is good and bad, right and wrong,reward and punishment, God and Satan, because youhave been taught this by those who wished you to see noother view. When you understand Truth, you will be setfree. Religion will no longer hold sway over you. Therewill be no more guilt, no more fear, and eventually, as itbecomes clear in your understanding, you will discoverthat life is always in balance.

What is good? What is bad? What is bad for one maybe good for another. What may have originally seemedbad may turn out to be the best thing that could havehappened, and what seemed to be the happiest momentof one's life, may be even happier when it is over. "Good"and "bad" are subjective decisions you make. You decideif something is good or bad.

I will show you how to avoid making these decisions.

I think I am beginning to understand. Good and bad, andevil doesn't exist except in how we perceive them.

Yes.

But how does this relate to God and Satan? God must allowthings to happen that Satan makes us judge as good or bad.

I know it is difficult for you to see through the dark glassesyou are wearing.

But I don't wear glasses.

Do you remember in your reading about seeing throughthe glass darkly? You are trying to understand somethingthat sits there in front of you to pick up, but you do notrecognize it. Your glasses are your beliefs, and thereforeyou do not see the Truth.

But I have been taught that one's beliefs are important.

What is a belief, but an opinion, a hope? It was oncebelieved the sun revolved around the earth. Your SacredBible, the so-called "Word of God," tells you that theearth was created before the stars, making the earth thecenter of the universe! Those who reasoned otherwise wereput to death. "God's Word would not lie!" Whenever youcome to an impasse in your questioning you will knowyou have simply asked the question improperly. There areanswers, not mysteries.

Let's approach the subject from what you have been told:God is all powerful, has all knowledge, and is everywhereat once. Would you agree?

Yes, I agree, but also include that God is love.

Yes, "God is love." But we also read that God is a jealousGod and vengeful, who has enemies and kills them, andwho has a chosen people, who wants us to worship Him,and pray to Him. This is not a God. This is an imperfect,egocentric, personification of man himself.

Your God is called a Supreme Being. A being is a man.You are a human being. A Supreme Being is a Super-Man.Those who were rulers over men believed themselves to beSupreme Beings, or Super-Men, or Man-Gods.

It was not intended that your God be thought of as anentity. It was a spiritual concept, a principle. What iscalled God is Pure Spirit - The MATRIX.

What about the Bible, Master?

Your sacred book is but a library of smaller books, orpages. It was a committee that declared which pageswould be included, and which would be omitted. Thecommittee was made up of many self-serving men whohad their own agenda. It was the committee that decidedwhat would not be sacred, and what you were to...