The Message That Comes From Everywhere

Author: Gary L. Beckwith

Reviewed by Theresa Welsh

Do All Religions Teach the Same Message?

Is there a common core to the teachings of all religions? In this easy-to-read book, Gary L. Beckwith tells us the answer is yes, and he offers up quotations from many sources to show how this is so. He also points to the growing dissemination of these core ideas throughout the world and lets us consider what this may mean. These ideas are embedded in the original teachings of great religious figures like Jesus, Mohammed, Zoroaster, and the Buddha. The ancient writings of Judaism, early Christian sects such as the Essenes and Gnostics, the writings of Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Native American and others all affirm the oneness of everything and that God is within us and also exists throughout the universe. Science, through the study of the parallels between Eastern mysticism and quantum physics, also affirms this message.

Beckwith points out that we don't get this sense of unity of ideas from our churches, mosques, temples or synagogues but through study of the original writings and teachings. Why do the religions seems to teach very different ideas? Because, says Beckwith, each has chosen to emphasize some aspect of the truth and overlook the rest. Sometimes mainstream religions have distorted the original message, either deliberately or though ignorance and failure to "get" the message. For example, Beckwith accepts Jesus as a great teacher but not "the only son of God." We are all sons of God and it was in that sense that Jesus intended us to receive his message.

East vs. West

Beckwith values the practice of meditation (or self-hypnosis, which is the same thing) which is more a part of Eastern religions, but he points out there is a mystical tradition to Judaism and Christianity as well; it is just less developed. These Western religions have emphasized prayer, a more active practice, rather than a quieting of the mind characteristic of Eastern practices. He shows us an amazing parallel between the Ten Commandments and the precepts of Buddha that dispels the notion that these great religions have nothing in common. He not only uses quotations from the major religions of today, but also includes the religions of great civilizations of the past such as the ancient Egyptians to show this unity of ideas.

I like this book, and the core beliefs Beckwith isolates are very much the same beliefs I have come to hold through my own quest for truth. I've read many of the books he suggests and many others that he doesn't mention. He relies heavily on Fritjof Capra's book, The Tao of Physics, for the parallels between science and Eastern spiritual ideas. This is a good book, but I originally discovered these parallels through reading Gary Zukov's wonderful book, The Dancing Wu-Li Masters. You cannot read Zukov and fail to see that the material world we perceive with our senses is not all there is. Indeed, it is not what it seems. Beckwith makes the point very forcefully that most of our "solid" world consists of … nothing. Particles at their smallest are mostly empty and they shift between being solid and being energy, between being a particle and being a wave. This is not a truth we can see with our eyes or hear with our ears. It is a truth we learn from investigation, from science.

Where Do Our Beliefs Come From?

True beliefs about the universe cannot come from a petrified organization pushing an agenda. That is what some of our religious organizations have become. When I first began reading The Message That Comes From Everywhere, I was feeling a bit sorry for the author for getting his book to the public so soon after the tragic events of 9-11. The horrific attack on American symbols of power was done in the name of religion and has to leave many people wondering if we can ever have religious unity or even tolerance. But after finishing the book, I decided what the terrorists did was the result of an organization using religion to further its political agenda. By insisting they provide "the truth" and making sure members have no access to other information or points of view, organizations can gain control of peoples' behavior, even to the point of convincing them to take their own life. Those seeking truth must accept that finding answers is a personal quest, a journey you make alone, and not a matter of getting "the truth" from an organization. You cannot get to truth by just saying you believe what your church, synagogue or mosque teaches; you must arrive at truth in your heart. Of course the quest is rarely encouraged by religious organizations seeking to retain control over their members.

If I have a problem with Beckwith's approach it is just that what he suggests, taken to its logical end, will mean more people deserting religious organizations. This will not win him any friends in the sanctified chambers of earthly religious power. He is careful not to say "leave your old religion and follow us into the New Age" but that is what a seeker ultimately does. He is certainly correct in saying you don't get the whole truth in any of the highly organized religions. He shows the errors that have crept into Christianity through his discussions of the revelations from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi documents. These reveal a more mystical side to these early sects, which straddled the line between Judaism and Christianity.

There are those who hold a much more radical view about this (David Icke, for instance) who say the Romans invented Christianity as a political tool and there was no historical Jesus. Some say Constantine, who never formally became a Christian, made up the Christian theology at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD to suit his purposes. Beckwith, whose main purpose is to bring us a core message, does not pursue this cynical line of thinking. In declaring Jesus "the son of God" and different from the rest of us, the Nicene Creed denies the God within all of us. However, the gospels and the rediscovered books that were left out of the Bible, such as the Gospel of Thomas, still reveal a message that hints of the unity of all things and the God within us. Despite the manipulation of some documents to further the Roman agenda at the time of Constantine, there remains an authentic message in ancient documents preserved from the time of Jesus.

What are the Core Beliefs?

The core beliefs which Beckwith shows through extensive quotations to be the truth are bound to be controversial with some people. This short book may not convince everyone, but I personally agree with Beckwith that the following spiritual ideas are true:

• All religions worship the same God. Some religions that seem to honor multiple gods actually believe in only one. The ancient Egyptian religion always affirmed the one Creator and the seemingly many gods of the Hindus are merely aspects of the same one God.
• God is everywhere as an energy that flows through the universe; God is neither male nor female; God is identified with light.
• God is within us through what we have come to call "the soul." I like the ancient Egyptian idea of the triple nature of a person. There is the spiritual double (the doppelganger) called the ba that is an etheric duplicate of the human body, then there is the deeper spirit that that is the "life force" of the body (whether the material or the etheric) called the ka. Spiritists tell us of many levels to the spiritual world and as we move up through spiritual growth we become more an entity of pure energy or light (we no longer need a material or etheric body).
• The spiritual part of us can return many times to earth to work on learning and improving. This is the belief known as reincarnation, and most Western religions do not accept it, but it is an ancient idea and follows logically once you accept the spiritual nature of all of us. There are also substantial proofs that reincarnation is true which Beckwith does not pursue. This is understandable, given his purpose to show the similarities and unity of ideas of all religions.
• Everything in the universe is interconnected. Scientific inquiry into the nature of the universe has shown us that this is so. Widely separated particles can affect one another. The universe is a queer place, one we cannot discover just by gazing up at the sky. A true seeker never shies away from investigation. Our beliefs must stand up to analysis and evidence as revealed by science. One of the things I like about the Allan Kardec Spiritists (about whom I have written in another article) is their insistence on following the findings of science. Most religions do not do that (But then the Spritists do not consider themselves a "religion;" they are seekers who accept the truth of a spiritual world).
• Through the evidence of parapsychology, we can prove the existence of a power that comes from somewhere other than our material bodies. The mind and the brain are not the same thing. Mind comes from a larger source. There is a body of proof of this that some people just refuse to accept. Dogmatic scientists can be just as closed-minded as religious fanatics.

Beckwith provides many quotations and examples for these truths, but also states that we must find truth within ourselves. Truth is not simply a logical deduction, nor only found through books, but comes from the God inside us. We must learn to access the wisdom within. This journey to find the truth is not always a smooth ride. It is clear that many people who think they are acting under the direction of God are simply mistaken. What are we to make of suicide bombers who think they are on a trip to paradise and terrorists who kill hundreds of people along with themselves and do it in the name of their God? This is the difficulty in the premise of this book.

Core ideas? Yes. But will pointing out these similarities lead to less violence and more peace in the world? If more people would search for the truth through the process Beckwith uses, the world could become a more peaceful place. But given the long history of religious wars (how many are going on in the world right now?), I'm not holding out much hope. Is humanity truly embarking on a New Age? I remember when I learned that the beliefs I had arrived at matched a movement called New Age and I was surprised by that. I had come to my beliefs independently, through my own search, and was amazed to discover other people had reached the same place as me. I can only hope that many more people will go on a spiritual quest. You cannot simply take my word for any of the core spiritual ideas expressed here nor can you just choose to believe Gary L. Beckwith. Instead, consider these words and the words you find in the many books that cover these subjects, and use the quotations Beckwith provides in this helpful little book to assist you in your pursuit of the truth... see if it leads you to "the message that comes from everywhere." Namaste.

Buy The Message That Comes From Everywhere at Amazon.com.

Author website: http://www.theharmonyinstitute.org