Truth
Truth is bitter medicine, and we're really not that sick......Are we?
Recognizing True Teaching
How do we know what is true and what is not? What is the measure of truth that can and should be trusted? Should we accept as truth that which is offered by other people as their truths, or should we doubt and question what others offer?
Ultimately, there is only one sure measure of truth, only one way to know whether we are perceiving truth or not, and that is with the human heart. We say that it is the heart and not the mind, because it is easy to fool that logical-rational side of our selves with clever arguments that can be just as easily constructed as they can be torn apart, but that innate sense of what feels right deeply inside of us after we let go of all of the rational reasons why something is true or not is the one true voice that can be relied upon above all others.
We should not assume that because part of what is said rings true in our hearts, then all of the rest is true, including and especially those parts that do not ring true. If you read something that in one passage tells you to love your enemies and to be good to those who have hurt you, you may recognize the truth of this teaching in your heart. If in another passage it seems to say that your truth is the only truth and your way is the only way, and all other ways are wrong and evil, then seek the truth in your heart. Do not let the truth of the first passage fool you into thinking that your understanding of the second passage is correct if it does not also ring true in your heart. It is all right to look at the second passage and decide that you do not understand it well enough to find truth in it. Your heart knows what is correct. Pay attention to it.
Divine Inspiration and Guidance
By what authority are the teachings in the Liberation Community website given? Are these writings the work of a holy person who receives divine guidance?
NO, none of the authors of this website makes any claim of holiness, divine inspiration or guidance, or the ability to make miracles. We are normal people, as fallible and imperfect as anyone else you are likely to meet.
However, it is the assertion of this website that it is alright for us to stand on our own two feet before God and pray humbly, and to try to love our Creator and one another as best we can. We do not need the permission of any person, group of persons, or religious doctrine or text in order to pray to our Creator.
We do not deny that there are wonderful teachings and many blessings to be found in the sacred writings and teachings that we know of, but belief in God is not dependent on these. We can believe in God without relying on any text. We need only trust in God's Love and Mercy.
By what authority do we say the things we say?
It is the authority of each reader's heart that we depend on. If you perceive a truth in what is said, then hold on to that truth. If something in the teachings of this web site reads out to you as untrue, or feels wrong, then ignore that part. Take what is good and ignore that which you are unsure of.
What about the afterlife? Should we concern ourselves with earning a Heavenly Reward?
Liberation Community does not take an official stand on the issue of life after death. There may indeed be an afterlife, or there might not. Worrying about life after death is a waste of time and energy. In due time we will all find out.....
If our only reason to love God and those around us is that we hope and expect to receive a heavenly reward in the afterlife, then we have not really learned about sacrificial love, we have just attempted to make a selfish bargain in hopes of future reward. Perhaps we should try to live as God would want us to live simply because we want to repay the blessings that we have been given and allow love to flow from us purely for its own sake and not for the expectation of a heavenly reward. Doesn't this seem like a higher and greater good?
Before we have the maturity to understand, we may follow our parent's instructions because we seek their love (Heaven) and fear their punishment (Hell.) When we begin to mature, we follow our parents teachings because we know that they love us and we trust their advice. When we are fully mature, we can finally see and understand the wisdom of the things that our parents taught us and how they were for our benefit all along.
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