Jesus' Discourse on True Religion 

Until humanity becomes more advanced and more civilized, many childlike and superstitious rituals, typical of the religious customs of primitive and less developed societies, will linger. Until the human race evolves to a stage where there is a broader and deeper understanding of the reality of personal spiritual experience, a significant portion of individuals will continue to favor authoritarian religions that demand only intellectual agreement. This is in contrast to the religion of the spirit, which requires active engagement of the mind and soul in the courageous exploration of the demanding truths revealed through progressive experience with the spirit in the inner life of the individual.

The embrace of traditional authoritarian religions provides a convenient solution for fulfilling humanity's innate desire to seek spiritual fulfillment. These well-established and structured religions offer a readily available sanctuary where troubled and confused souls can seek refuge from fear and uncertainty. In exchange for the comforts and certainties they provide, such religions demand only a passive and purely intellectual agreement from their followers.

There will always be individuals who are timid, fearful, and hesitant when it comes to approaching God. Many times, people like this find comfort in the religions of authority – the religions of the mind – even though by doing so, they run the risk of compromising their own individuality and self-respect. The personal pursuit of truth is an exciting and inspiring human endeavor. It requires courage to step out on your own, seeking God for yourself and as yourself. Those who prefer the religion of authority miss out on the exhilaration of confronting intellectual challenges, the determination to explore their own personal religious experiences and the ultimate satisfaction of experiencing the genuine triumph of spiritual faith over intellectual doubt.

The religion of personal spiritual experience requires effort, struggle, conflict, faith, determination, love, loyalty, and progress. On the other hand, the religion of the mind, which relies on authoritative theology, demands very little from its followers. Tradition provides a secure sanctuary and an effortless path for those who are timid and lack conviction, as they instinctively avoid the challenges of spiritual and intellectual growth. They prefer to remain within the boundaries of familiar beliefs rather than embarking on daring adventures in pursuit of unexplored truths, seeking spiritual realities that can be discovered by the progressive human mind and experienced by the evolving human soul.

Jesus went on to say: "At Jerusalem, the religious leaders have formulated the various doctrines of their traditional teachers and the prophets of other days into an established system of intellectual beliefs, a religion of authority. The appeal of all such religions is largely to the mind. And now are we about to enter upon a deadly conflict with such a religion since we will so shortly begin the bold proclamation of a new religion – a religion which is not a religion in the present-day meaning of that word, a religion that makes its chief appeal to the divine spirit of my Father which resides in the mind of each person; a religion which shall derive its authority from the fruits of its acceptance that will so certainly appear in the personal experience of all who really and truly become believers in the truths of this higher spiritual communion."

Pointing out each of the twenty-four and calling them by name, Jesus said: "And now, which one of you would prefer to take this easy path of conformity to an established and fossilized religion, as defended by the Pharisees at Jerusalem, rather than to suffer the difficulties and persecutions attendant upon the mission of proclaiming a better way of salvation to others while you realize the satisfaction of discovering for yourselves the beauties of the realities of a living and personal experience in the eternal truths and supreme grandeurs of the kingdom of heaven? Are you fearful, soft, and ease-seeking? Are you afraid to trust your future in the hands of the God of truth, whose sons you are? Are you distrustful of the Father, whose children you are? Will you go back to the easy path of the certainty and intellectual settledness of the religion of traditional authority, or will you fortify yourselves to go forward with me into that uncertain and troublous future of proclaiming the new truths of the religion of the spirit, the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men?"

All twenty-four of his hearers rose to their feet, intending to signify their united and loyal response to this, one of the few emotional appeals that Jesus ever made to them, but he raised his hand and stopped them, saying: "Go now apart by yourselves, each one alone with the Father, and there find the unemotional answer to my question, and having found such a true and sincere attitude of soul, speak that answer freely and boldly to my Father and your Father, whose infinite life of love is the very spirit of the religion we proclaim."

The evangelists and apostles went apart by themselves for a short time. Their spirits were uplifted, their minds were inspired, and their emotions mightily stirred by what Jesus had said. But when Andrew called them together, the Master said only: "Let us resume our journey. We go into Phoenicia to tarry for a season, and all of you should pray the Father to transform your emotions of mind and body into the higher loyalties of mind and the more satisfying experiences of the spirit."