Brother of Yeshua

Segment 1

In the words of Louis Pasteur: "Chance favors the prepared mind" . Which can also be expressed as "success favors the prepared environment of mind" . In the same way that a tilled and prepared garden brings forth the greatest harvest, there is an environment of mind that permits and enables man to arise to his highest potential. And when the Laws of Creation are properly understood, there is no such thing as luck, chance or random events -- because all things including success, have a pre-existing cause. But sadly, because the American People no longer possess the enlightened wisdom of the Constitutional Framers -- and are not cognizant of, nor possess, any understanding of the Laws whatsoever that control the events of the earth or the plight of mankind therein, they are presently in the process of polluting and throwing away the very environment of mind and being that brought about their greatest success.

In the words of John Adams: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Not only was our Constitution made for a moral and religious people, it's very design was brought forth by a truly Spiritual People who understood the Laws of Nature and Nature's God, who recognized the need to set forth an Environment through which higher consciousness and manifest reality could spring forth, be nourished, and evolved. An environment which enabled man to reach up and manifest his highest potential. The fact that our Constitutional Framers were not drawn from traditional faith-based Christianity -- but rather, mature Christians who were fundamentally portrayed as Deists -- and this body of mature Christians possessed a higher knowledge that was incomprehensible to the minds of the faith-based Christians -- is an important part of the equation that brought forth American Exceptionalism. There are no accidents -- and the great success of the American People is the direct result of the Laws that were invoked and put into effect at the founding of the Nation.

Segment 2

In the Gospels, Jesus presented the parable of the Sower and the Seed -- which could better be portrayed as the "...environment of mind" that is necessary to achieve Spiritual Success. That for the most part the modern Christians know absolutely nothing about spiritual maturity -- and in their rejection of the earliest tenets of the Gospel as a religion that brings about the expansion and heightening of mind and consciousness (see Expansion of Mind), the modern Christians has basically abandoned the essential teachings of the parable of the Sower and the Seed ,-- and it is this abandonment of essential Gospel Teachings that is largely responsible for the deterioration of the Constitutional environment that ushered in the great American model of success. When it is understood that during the time-frame of the foundation of our Constitutional form of government, it was the Deists who were representative of the ultimate spiritually evolved and matured Christians -- and that they possessed an enlightened vision and understanding of the Laws and Forces of the earth, because Creator-God grants only to the most sincere among mankind the higher understanding through the Divine Insight and Knowledge that Enlightens the truly faithful seeker to the Laws and the Ultimate Order of the world. And only when this reality is comprehended, can the great vision of our Constitutional Framers be understood.

Segment 3

Where immature Christians embrace the dogma of blind-faith that has sunk the Church into the abyss of spiritual complacency -- the essential teachings of Jesus as set forth in the parable of the Sower and the Seed presented the mark of ultimate success portrayed as the "good ground" -- without which, the Christian remains infantile in their thinking and hopelessly spiritually disenfranchised. That the body of faith-based believers remain totally unaware of even the reality of mature Christians who are directly taught by the Logos/Son of God -- and are therefore not subject to the cloud of sectarian confusion that envelops the modern Church -- is easily proven beyond any question. And that the New World was perceived to be a gateway to a new start for mankind, is a reality that few Americans understand or even appreciate today. Thus, what is often portrayed as American Exceptionalism is directly related to the Divine Design of the Laws that manifested a higher potential for the American People. But since the modern American knows virtually nothing about the Organic Laws of Nature and Nature's God that was portrayed in the founding documents of America, this essential knowledge remains beyond their comprehension. Thus, American Exceptionalism is not an accident. And the Spiritual Foundation and Roots of the Nation was brought forth by our Constitutional Framers -- a group of souls that are perhaps best portrayed as The American Gnostics. But from the perspective of the majority of modern Americans, the reality of how the United States came into existence is incomprehensible. The concept that a highly evolved group of souls can enter this world on a mission with set objectives -- and that these objectives can be brought about by invoking Laws that the majority of Americans know absolutely nothing about -- a Foundation of Laws that would create an environment that would bring forth what we now refer to as American Exceptionalism -- is simply incomprehensible from the modern cultural perspective. And yet, this is exactly how the United States came into being. And because these spiritually advanced souls understood the higher reality of the Laws that were invoked, what has often been portrayed as American Exceptionalism came into being.

Segment 4

In the same way that the original teachings associated with the historical Jesus known as TheWay no longer exists in our present time because of the absolute corruption endured under the control of the Church (see Corruption Of The Church), what was called Deism no longer exists today -- and modern Deists have very little in common with the Deists of 18 th century America. And while I could very well write about the Laws in the following under some other heading -- or, even remove any references to Deism -- I have chosen not to, because it is important that Americans begin to understand the great truths that they have squandered away by permitting government to overstep its Constitutional bounds. Thus, the warning sounded by Benjamin Franklin is presently coming to pass in the life of most Americans who fail to understand the Divine Intervention that brought America about -- i.e., "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." In the same way that the modern Christian would ardently turn upon the historical man Jesus -- condemning him as a heretic if he walked among them today -- because the great truths that he would speak would be rejected by a pagan and dogmatized Church that has turned upon its own First Principles -- those who today call themselves Deists, would turn upon and condemn Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, in much the same manner. In fact, most modern Deists, as with most Americans today, will not even recognize the wisdom and knowledge of the reality of the Laws of Nature and Nature's God that I will set forth in the following as being an integral part of the original American heritage that has been ignorantly thrown away.

Segment 5

Our Nation was conceived in Spirit, and born from the wisdom and efforts of truly advanced spiritual souls who entered the world in the 18 th century to create a foundational environment that would permit mankind to aspire to his highest potential in all things -- and especially in the development and manifestation of his innate spirituality. Thus, this core group of our Constitutional Framers who I portray as American Gnostics, were drawn from the upper echelons of all religious paths -- and especially Christianity which "...they considered true, original Christianity to be the same as this original natural religion" which they embraced -- and they were for the most part called Deists, because of their enlightened understanding of the Laws. The Encyclopedia defines Deism as: "Deism holds that God does not intervene with the functioning of the natural world in any way, allowing it to run according to the laws of nature that he configured when he created all things. ...Prior to the 17th century the terms ['Deism' and 'Deist'] were used interchangeably with the terms 'theism' and 'theist,' respectively. ...Both [theists and Deists] asserted belief in one supreme God, the Creator... and agreed that God is personal and distinct from the world. But the theist taught that God remained actively interested in and operative in the world which he had made, whereas the Deist maintained that God endowed the world at creation with self-sustaining and self-acting powers and then abandoned it to the operation of these powers acting as second causes."

Segment 6

The Prodigal Son And The Theist/Deist Perception Of Creation: What is the difference between the two above positions? The theist asserted that it was necessary for Creator-God to perpetually intervene in the day to day affairs of this world, while the Deist position was that Creator-God brought forth and initiated a series of Laws which He "...endowed the world at creation with self-sustaining and self-acting powers and then abandoned it to the operation of these powers acting as second causes." The Deist theology has often been portrayed as the Clock Maker Universe Theory -- i.e., (Quoting): "The clockwork universe theory compares the universe to a mechanical clock wound up by a supreme being, or initiated by the Big Bang. It continues ticking along, as a perfect machine, with its gears governed by the laws of physics, making every single aspect of the machine completely predictable. Before the emergence of quantum mechanics, many scientists believed that the Universe was completely deterministic in this way. ...This conception of the universe consisted of a huge, regulated and uniform machine that operated according to natural laws in absolute time, space, and motion. God was the master-builder, who created the perfect machine and let it run. God was the Prime Mover, who brought into being the world in its lawfulness, regularity, and beauty. This view of God as the creator, who stood aside from his work and didnt get involved directly with humanity, was called Deism (which predates Newton) and was accepted by many who supported the 'new philosophy'."

Segment 7

If the Deist perception of God can be portrayed in the Clockmaker theology that once the clock is built and wound, it will thereafter function exactly as designed, the theist perspective of God is that of a tinkerer who has pieced together a jalopy that is in need of constant intervention in order to make the thing work. The problem is that in the correct vision of Creation, both paradoxical opposite positions each possess degrees of truth -- and this truth can only be understood by a person of an evolved depth of vision and comprehension. In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father does not come rushing into what is portrayed as the Far Country every time his lost son is in need or suffering a fate that he has brought upon himself. And yet, when the parable is understood, it can be seen where both perceptions (the theist and Deist) are equally true -- i.e., it is stated that the son had a change of mind: When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my fathers hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father." So it can be said that so long as the son remained attached to the thinking and lifestyle of this world, no intervention took place on the part of the Father. Yet, we do have this intervention at a certain point: But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." And since the parables are representative of the universal plight of mankind, this intervention was personal, and in accord with the individuals spiritual condition.

Segment 8

Again, there are two perspectives of reality presented that is not at all understood within the enigma of both the parable, and the two theological positions. With respect to the people of this world, Jesus portrayed some as existing in a type of prison (see The Prison), others as dwelling in what he portrayed as the "outer darkness" of mind and being (see Outer Darkness) -- which, when properly understood, relate to various conditions within the analogy of Plato's Cave of Illusions. That those who dwell in The Prison, or in the Outer Darkness, dwell under the very tight and all-pervading control of The Laws -- with very little freedom and opportunity -- is representative of those who dwell as the prodigal son in the Far Country under the strict control of the power that Jesus portrayed as the Citizen, which Paul said was the god of this world. In contradistinction, those who have brought about that condition of mind and being which is portrayed as the "good ground" in the parable of the Sower and the Seed, have been given the opportunity to break free from the shackles of The Prison, emerge out of the Outer Darkness of mind and being, and travail in TheWay. Thus, in the same way that the Father came to the son "...while he was still a long way off" , this intervention took place only after the son had begun the Journey in TheWay.

Segment 9

With respect to those who dwell in what Jesus portrayed as The Prison, he said of them: Thou shalt by no means come out from there, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing (Mat 5:26). How does one get out of The Prison? By fulfilling The Law. While that condition of mind portrayed as the Outer Darkness is presented in a number of places, it is the result of not being prepared by putting on what is portrayed as the "wedding garment" of spiritual purity -- i.e., "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt 22:12-14 NKJ). And because those in the prison, or those who dwelt in the outer darkness, were rendered spiritually deaf, blind, and lack the depth of mind necessary to comprehend man's higher reality, Jesus could only speak to them in parables -- i.e., "And the disciples came and said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." (Matt 13:10-17 NKJ). To say that Creator-God intervened in the lives of those who had been cast into the prison, or whose carnal mindset and lifestyle inhibited them from putting on the required wedding garment of spiritual purity, was the result of dogmatic folly that was promoted by a Church which had been turned out of TheWay. The Citizen of the Far Country is portrayed in the words of the original ending of the Gospel of Mark : "This Age of lawlessness and unbelieving lies under the sway of Satan, who will not allow what lies under the unclean spirits to understand the truth and power of God" (see Original Gospel Message).

Segment 10

That the people who cling to the mindset and lifestyle of this world remain "...under the sway of Satan" -- and must themselves fulfill the Laws which act as a Living Bio-Feedback machine to interact with each individual person, is exactly what the Deists portrayed when they stated that Creator-God brought forth and initiated a series of Laws which He "...endowed the world at creation with self-sustaining and self-acting powers and then abandoned it to the operation of these powers acting as second causes." These Laws "...acting as second causes" , maintained a constant vigilance on the thoughts and actions of each person, responding back to them in the same way as a prison guard responds back to those who are imprisoned.

Segment 11

The secret to the dilemma of the paradox of both the theists and the Deists as presented in the parable of the prodigal son, is in the elder son/brother who remains with the Father -- of whom the Father states: My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours." And since it cannot be said of any group or person that they remained always faithful and with God, not one of the Churches or sectarian authorities have ever been able to properly interpret the parable, or grasp who the elder son is? While many have attempted to portray the Jews in the role of the elder son, it cannever be said of the Jews from a Christian perspective that they have "always [remained] with [God] and everything [God has] is [theirs]" because of their absolute faithfulness to the Father. Yet, the key to all human sectarian, secular and philosophical confusion, is embodied in a proper and enlightened understanding of the son that did not depart from the Father and the Kingdom, and remained ever faithful.

Segment 12

What the theists fail to understand is that what they believe from a dogmatic perspective, is portrayed by Paul as the elementary doctrines of Christ -- i.e., what Paul portrayed as "milk" intended for spiritually immature believers (see Mystery Of The Gospel) -- which was based upon allegorical biblical texts (see An Inconvenient Truth) -- which was presented as a kindergarten-level of Gospel instruction. And that the believer was supposed to ...leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity (Heb 6:1-2 NIV). In the parable of the Sower and the Seed the spiritual expansion and developmental-growth that takes place is dependent upon the conditions of the ground within which the Word has been implanted. That those conditions portrayed in the parable as the side of TheWay, the rocky ground and being sown among thorns directly influences the growth of the seed -- is a matter of Laws when properly understood. It is not that the seed does not have the potential to evolve and manifest its highest expression -- but rather, the development of the seed is directly impacted by the condition of the ground in which it has been planted. Thus, while the seed remains the same regardless of where it is planted, once the seed is sown, the development of the seeds are in direct accordance with the conditions of the environment within which they were cast. That the seeds all have the same potential -- but are limited by the conditions of their environment -- is representative of an abiding spiritual truth that is universal to all of mankind. And in the same way that a farmer understands that his crops must have the proper environmental conditions in order to achieve their full potential -- these conditions of success are initiated even before the seed has been cast into the ground -- in accordance with the natural Laws that are necessary to sustain growth and development. What this means is that this world is an Organic Machine -- a type of Womb that is designed to nourish and permit expansive growth and development when the conditions exist to stimulate and support maximum expansion of mind and being -- evolving the individual into a state of enlightenment and knowing.

Segment 13

In our present time there exists a body of Christians who are attempting to portray our Constitutional form of government as the product of faith-based Christianity -- often referred to as being founded upon Judeo-Christian teachings and philosophy. And without understanding the difference between entry-level faith-based Christians, and mature Christians who are Spiritual and Gnostic, the assertion on their part amounts to an attempt to rewrite history from a purely dogmatic Church perspective. It is their position that what may be known about God is written in a religious text -- that higher knowledge does not exist -- that man must remain in a state of perpetual ignorance -- and that the Laws that were inaugurated at the beginning of Creation itself, have no impact upon mankind and his plight in this world. When in actuality, just the opposite is true -- and the Constitution was in fact brought forth by Spiritually Mature Christians who were called Deists and Masons -- and these Spiritually Mature Christians worked in conjunction with each other to insure that man's thinking would not be limited and rendered impotent by the same Church dogma brought about the Dark Ages and a spiritually disenfranchised Europe. One such attempt to rewrite history can be seen in The Faith Of Our Fathers article on the Stand To Reason web site where they present the position that even the Deists and Masons were strongly influenced by Christianity -- i.e., "As for others--George Washington, Samuel Adams, James Madison, John Witherspoon, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, Patrick Henry, and even Thomas Jefferson--their personal correspondence, biographies, and public statements are replete with quotations showing that these thinkers had political philosophies deeply influenced by Christianity." But, when rightly understood in light of the above statement that "...Both [theists and Deists] asserted belief in one supreme God, the Creator... and agreed that God is personal and distinct from the world.

Segment 14

But the theist taught that God remained actively interested in and operative in the world which he had made, whereas the Deist maintained that God endowed the world at creation with self-sustaining and self-acting powers and then abandoned it to the operation of these powers acting as second causes" -- the common foundation can immediately seen -- and the major difference is understood as the faith-based Christians ignorance of both the Laws of Nature and Nature's God, as well as the spiritual meaning of the scriptures which their dogmatic limitations rendered them blind and incapable of comprehending.

Segment 15

When rightfully understood, what the founding American Gnostics who were representative of Mature Spiritual Christians (Deists) understood that the theists did not, is the reality that the Laws of God that were brought into existence and being at Creation, supported and sustained all realities of this world -- that these Laws were never suspended in order to provide one group of men an advantage or special dispensation over other groups of men -- i.e., that neither the Jews nor the Christians were exempt from observing and maintaining an allegiance to the Royal Laws of the Most High God. And ultimately what this means is that the Laws of God are predictable, rational, logical, and are totally uniform in their application in the lives of all of mankind. Moreover, because these Laws in their higher purpose respond to man's thoughts, desires and actions, they exist in the manner of a Living Bio-Feedback machine that brought about the higher spiritual objectives with which God imbued all of Creation with in the beginning. What this means is that no one is exempt from the Laws and the Will of God -- no one has an unfair advantage over their brothers and sisters -- that all of mankind has a common destiny that is controlled, orchestrated and brought about by the Laws -- and that there is a higher purpose for all things than what man can envision in his very limited organic and unenlightened state of mind. And that while it is within man's potential to not only understand the movement and purpose of these Laws that bring about and initiate all events in this world -- and that it is man's innate ability to prevail over these Laws and reign supreme in the manner of their elder brother Jesus -- in order to bring about this potential, man must himself make the effort to fulfill the Laws that both control and bring about his Ultimate Destiny -- portrayed as the return of the prodigal son to the Kingdom.

Segment 16

The Question: The question set before the American people today is this -- i.e., can a man become cognizant and therefore learn about the very Forces and Laws that control the workings of his own mind -- and then, begin to apply this knowledge collectively within the holographic pattern of Creation in order to understand what the Nations Founders portrayed as The Laws Of Nature And Nature's God? When Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is within each of us (see Gate Of Eden), what was being conveyed was the reality that our own mind and being is segmented -- as has been proven by modern physics (see Science Proves Religion). Further, that this segmentation of mind is the natural result of the Laws and Forces of Consciousness working within our own being -- that all genuine esoteric knowledge is that of self-knowledge or the Cosmology of one's own mind and being -- and that the objective is to begin to overcome this inner segmentation of mind, in the endeavor to gain access to what the disciples of Jesus portrayed as the One Teacher who is the True Prophet -- i.e., the Source of All Knowledge. Deists such as Thomas Paine often portrayed the literal text of the scriptures as being untrue and not historically accurate. And when we pose the question: What does the Bible state? The Apostle Paul portrayed the scriptures as the "letter that killeth" (2 Cor 3:6) and "Jewish fables" (Tit 1:14) -- stating that the written text of the scriptures was purely allegorical. In the article An Inconvenient Truth the fact is presented that the purpose of the scriptures was to preserve and conceal the esoteric knowledge within the garb of allegory to protect it from the unenlightened carnal believers and their pseudo-religious leaders (see An Inconvenient Truth). The enlightened few have always pointed out the countless inconsistencies which were purposely inserted into the literal text of the scriptures which the critics portray as being so numerous and unbelievable to a rational minded person, that is was pointed out by the Church Father Origen when he portrayed the literal text as virtually worthless -- i.e., Scripture contains an unhistorical element in-woven with the history, in order that the worthlessness of the latter may drive us to seek the spiritual meaning (Origen quoted under Origen Adamntius; The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics).

Segment 17

Further explaining in De Principiis that: Where the word found that things done according to the history could be adapted to these mystical senses, he made use of them concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning; but where in the narrative of the development of super-sensual things, there did not follow the performance of those certain events which were already indicated by the mystical meaning, the scripture interwove in the history the account of some event that did not take place, sometimes what could not have happened; sometimes what could but did not. And that the carnal mind of both the blind believer, as well as the skeptic critic, both attempt to ignore these important inconsistencies (see Inconsistencies Purposely Written Into Body Of Scriptural Text), and attempt to read the scriptures as an historical account, inhibits them from perceiving and understanding the great truths that lie concealed beneath the allegorical texts. And in the proper application of the scriptures as the Key of Knowledge, the Church Father Origen writes: But all the narrative portion, relating either to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever, what else can they be supposed to be, save the forms and figures of hidden and sacred things? As men, however, make little effort to exercise their intellect, or imagine that they possess knowledge before they really learn, the consequence is that they never begin to have knowledge" .

Segment 18

What does this mean? What it means is that "...all the narrative portion [of the scriptures], relating either to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever" , do not at all pertain to historical accounts of man's more distant past -- but rather, to the Forces and Laws that are presently working within man's own mind and being. Why? How could Origen who was called the prince of Christian learning second only to the Apostles themselves, state that the historical interpretation of the scriptures is "worthless" ? And that what is presented in the written text as marriages, the begetting of children, and the many various wars and battles are not at all historical -- but rather, an allegorical portrayal of the Forces and Laws working within one's own mind and being? The answer is this: A truly spiritual people have no need of an historical account in their search for Truth -- but rather, their primary concern is to tap into the Inner Source of Knowledge which the disciples portrayed as the True Prophet. And because man's pseudo-authorities of this world remain virtually ignorant of the profound reality portrayed in Origen's statement that "...As men, however, make little effort to exercise their intellect, or imagine that they possess knowledge before they really learn, the consequence is that they never begin to have knowledge" -- indicating and confirming the reality that the Source of Knowledge already dwells within man -- in his failing to understand the Cosmology of his own mind and being, the vast majority of pseudo-intellectuals merely alienate themselves from the True Source of Knowledge within themselves that remains a perpetual enigma.

Segment 19

As advanced souls who entered this world to collectively create a totally different government that would manifest the necessary environment that would enable man to achieve his ultimate potential, our Constitutional Framers understood that the only way for a believer to know the Truth that will set them free, is to live in accord with the spiritual truths and principles that permits God to Anoint the mind of the seeker/disciple. Unbeknown to both religious and non-religious Americans today is the fact that one of the primary objectives of the teachings of Jesus that were associated with the path of TheWay, was the "heightening and expansion of the mind" -- thus, bringing about a highly evolved and spiritual condition of mind and enlightened state of consciousness (in summary see The Heightening And Expansion Of Mind). But this original objective became corrupted, eradicated and eventually outlawed, when the most carnal group of pseudo-priests permitted the Church to become adopted as a puppet of Pagan Rome in the fourth century (in summary see Government Intrusion And Takeover Of Religion). And again, unbeknown to the modern believer and unbeliever alike, is the reality that the original teachings of TheWay was in fact a system of education and enlightenment (in summary see Religion As A System Of Education).

Segment 20

In the same way that the historical man Jesus and his core disciples entered into this world at the beginning of our Common Era to inaugurate a much more pure and enlightened system of religion known as TheWay -- which in its corrupted state, has come to be known as Christianity today (in summary see The Corruption Of The Church) -- many of these same advanced souls entered into this world in the 18 th century to create a foundational environment that would permit mankind to aspire to his highest potential (see The Perfect Seed). And in understanding the Laws within which all of mankind and Creation moved -- the mature and enlightened Christians who were portrayed as the Deist Framers of our Constitutional form of government, understood the foundational environment that was both necessary, and would promote the growth of the Living Word that the Gospel declares is sown in the hearts of all of mankind -- who is biblically portrayed as the prodigal sons and daughters of the Most High God who are lost in this, the Far Country, under the control of the god of this world (citizen of the Far Country). But the fact that the truly enlightened Christians have been condemned by the Church, and historically portrayed as heretics, the question then becomes: By what name do you call an evolved and matured Christian whose spiritual knowledge has enlightened him far beyond the very limited knowledge and understanding of the faith-based believer? While they can be portrayed as American Gnostics -- they were often called Deists, because over the course of many lifetimes they had submitted themselves to the spiritual process of TheWay, and were themselves enlightened spiritual souls. But who were the Deists? Quoting the Wikipedia under Deism: History of religion and the deist mission. Most deists saw the religions of their day as corruptions of an original, pure religion that was simple and rational. They felt that this original pure religion had become corrupted by "priests" who had manipulated it for personal gain and for the class interests of the priesthood in general. According to this world view, over time "priests" had succeeded in encrusting the original simple, rational religion with all kinds of superstitions and "mysteries" irrational theological doctrines. Laymen were told by the priests that only the priests really knew what was necessary for salvation and that laymen must accept the "mysteries" on faith and on the priests' authority.