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Gott und der TemPelDie Anwendung der Religion im Leben

a collection of talks given at a

Religious Discussion

on Sunday 29th SePtember 1996

in the Bentleigh Hall

with members and friends of the

Temple Sociefy Australia

Theme:

GOD and the TemPleThe application of religion in life

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THE TEMPLE

A Religious Seminar held on29 September 1996in the Templer Hall, in Bentleigh.

The speakers:in order ofappearance

Alfred KlinkHennig ImbergerHerta Uhlhenhene BouzoRita StellerDietrich Ruff

with Hennig Imberger as moderator

The Temple society Australia thanks all the pranners, the organisers andthe participants in the discussion for making this day possible"

Reprint 12. December 1996

Notice in the September Templer Record

RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONSunday 29th September 1996, Bentleigh Hall

Everyone is invited to this day of stimulating thought and discussion.

Theme: GOD and the TEMPLE: The APPLICATION of RELIGION in LIFE

(Gott und der Tempel: Die Anwendung der Religion im Leben)'

Program: '10 am Introduction (Einleitung) . . . ' . Hennig lmberger

10.10 A scientific aPProach

(Eine wissenschaftliche Ansicht) Alfred Klink

10.30 Does science lead to the spiritual?

(Frihrt die Wissenschaft zum Geistlichen) Hennig lmberger

10.50 Tea break (TeePause)

11,20 Christianity (das Christentum) . . . . Herta Uhlherr

11.40 lslam. ..lreneBouzo12.00 Other religions and movements. A General overview

(Andere Religionen und Bewegungen

Ein allgemeiner Uberblick), . Rita Steller

12.20 Lunch (MittagsPause)

1.50 Generaldiscussion(AllgemeineDiskussion)2.20 Small group discussion (Gruppendiskussion)

.

2.50 Tea break (TeePause) ., ''

3.20 General discussion ::, , :

3.50 Conclusions (Schlussfolgerungen) ' ,',. . Dieter Ruff

4.15 Tea/Coffee

As announced in the August TR, hot drinks will be provided during the three breaks and

at the end. Those who are able, please bring a plate of food to share. (You might

consider bringing something light, perhaps fruit or a salad, to promote lively discussion).

Feel free to speak in English or German (if possible with a sentence or two in the

language not used).

All are welcome.Hennig lmberger

INTRODUCTIONbythe chairman of Proceedings ' ' ' Hennig [mberger

Welcomeeveryoneandthankyouforattending.Wehopethateachofyouwillfind today's discussion rewarding and of lasting value' Our topic is

'GOD and the TEMPLE'the application of religion in life'

Right at the beginning, I would also like to thank to days speakers for generously

ugr".iig to speak ana fol'tne time and effort spent preparing, They are, in order of

speaking:. Alfred Klink. Herta Uhlherr. Irene Bouzo. Rita Steller. with Dieter Ruff kindly agreeing to sum up the day's discussion.

Furthermore,wealltt-'u"ttt'"_gentleighpeoplefortheuseofthehallandparticularly Hulda wagner and the Krockenbergers for the preparations and the

catering.eylay of an introduction I believe we would all agree, that we Templers are

very muctr privileged to have inherited a way of life which has been established with

great faith, dedication and effort over many generations' It is_a way of life, that has

shown again and again, under many circumitances, practical solutions to many of

the majoi problems, which still plague most societies on our planet today' They are

the proilems of poverty, criminality, war, unemployment' depression' addiction and

so on.

The Templers have achieved enormous improvements in all of these, by adopting

a lifestyle based on a practical day to day religious outlook, particularly as it relates

to communal living. They huv" -worked

hard to endeavour to apply the central

religious principle, of working for the good of the whole and of loving one's

neighbour as oneself, to everi task performed. That is, they aimed to make of

themselves instruments or vehicles or temples through which GoD's plan of a more

joyous life on earth for all could be realised'

In the following talks and discussions we will have more to say about the precise^

nature of GoD: can God be conceived, for example. as the application, by man, of

enlightened principles, or is God more than only laws and principles? what do the

various philosophies and religions say to this?

No doubt each person has his own very individual views. However, by listening

to each other, we are firstly able, to practice our patience and tolerance and, we hope'

we will also further test and profitably develop our own views'

Last night I had a telepho,'" .on.,..sation and it seems appropriate to our topic,

that I mention some of the points made:

It was pointed out with concern' that there are lonely people in our

communityandthatthesepeopleoftenfind,thatwhentheyattendafunction,they tendio be ignored, wen criticised and consequently they prefer to stay

homewherefewpeoplemaycareaboutthem.Itistruethatitisnotalwayseasy to .onu".r"'*litr att types of people and to r9m1in friendly and

unierstanding. However, this may be the Challenge which is given to us'

concerning G fu.th., development of our communal life. No doubt we are

aiming toward a communat tife in which all are respected for the unique

individualtheyare,whereallarewiselyencouraged,tofurtherdeveloptheirvery own particuiar abilities and where all can find a meaningful and

worthwhile role.

EINLEITUNG

wir heiBen Sie alle herzlich willkommen, danken Ihnen fiir Ihre lnteresse und

hoffen, dass unsere heutige Diskussion fiir jeden von bleibendem wert sein wird'

Unser Thema lautet:GOTT und der TEMPE'L

Die Anwendung der Religion im Leben'

IchglaubedaBsichalleeinigsind,daBwirTemplereinesehrwertvolleLebensweise von unseren Vorfahren geerbt haben, eine Lebensweise die i'iber viele

Generationen, mit grorr.In Vertrauen, viel Geduld' Dulden und Arbeit' langsam

aufgestellt und gewissenhaft erprobt wurde. Immer wieder' unter vielen umstbnden'

brachten unsere vorgiinger (sowie auch wir Templer heute) praktische Ldsungen'

bezugs den gro3en P'rob'iemen, die heute immernoch die meisten Gemeinschaften

unseres Planeten heimsuchen'

Es sind die Probleme der Armut, des Kriegs, der Arbeitslosigkeit, Depression'

Sucht, usw. In all diesen Gebieten erzielten Timpler wertvolle Erfolge, indem sie

die tiigliche pruttnlh" religiose Einstellung ihrem Tun zugrunde legten, besonders

in Bezug auf das g"-.in.""ttuftliche Leben Sie bemtihten sich, lnstrumente oder

Tempel zu sein, duich die Gottes Plan, eines freudigeren Erden-Lebens fiir Alle' ein

Stflct weiter zur Ausflihrung gebracht werden kann'

In den folgenden Anspiuchen und Diskussionen heute wird Weiteres gesagl

werden iiber das genauere Wesen Gottes:

Kannman,zumBeispiel,sichGottvorstellenalsmenschlichesAnwenden

der hciheren Prinzipien? oder ist Gott mehr als Gesetz und prinzip? wassagen die verschiedenen Philosophien und Religionen dazu?

Ohne Zweifel hat Jeder seine, ganz eigenen, individuellen Ansichten. Doch indemwir einander zuhciren ktinnen wir erst einmal unsere Toleranz und Geduld iiben undwir hoffen, daB wir auch unsere eigenen Ansichten weiter prtifen und wertvoll weiterentwickeln.Here now is Alfred Klink's talk on 'A scientific approach'.

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RELIGION, REASON AND REALITY.Alfred Klink

200 years ago David Hume wrote "Dialogues concerning Natural Religion". HisNatural Religion was an acknowledgment to the awakening scientific awareness inthe population, as opposed to Revealed Religion. people suddenly realised howmuch the rigid, so-called revealed religion had slipped behind the evolving publicsentiment, and how it did rely more and more on unquestioning Faith. A faith thatwas no longer fully compatible with public awareness.

we must be able to relate religion to our daily life, to the rights and wrongs wemeet, to the prevailing sense ofjustice, to reason and reality, if we are to trust it.

Traditionally religion served as a powerful moral and social conscience insociety. Ever since it lost this regulatory function to civil law it has had very littleto do with reality and daily life. In the competitive environment of organised SocialServices religion has become a burden to a large part of the population which, as theDalai Lama put it recently, can do very well without it. Where religion still managesto flourish is under the guise of humanity, culture or ethnicity.

In Westem culture faith has been clinically separated from religion and presentlyfloats unattached, looking for a meaning of its own: Faith in creation, faith inevolution, faith in humanitlz, and so on"

Seldom do we pause and sum up the changes, big and small, that crept into ourreligion over the centuries. crusades, Inquisitions, burning at the stake, holy wars,missionaries, all once sanctified by their respective religions. Galileo Galilei usheredin the dawn of a new er4 an era where faith needed more than blind obedience. Hissentence from the Religious Establishment of the day could have been much worse

had not the winds of change already started to sweep over Europa. Just in the 1 50

year Templer period of our civilisation:

. We have outgrown the faith of sacrificial offerings

. we no longer fear that every child who dies unbaptised will be eternally damned

. we no longer keep the Sabbath

. we carefully select readings from the Bible in tune with current philosophies

. we no longer seek truth exclusively in the pages of the Bible

. we recognise other religions and customs.

. our dominion over animals and nafure has changed to a partnership

. We accept the existence of other planets in the world, even forms of life on Mars

Man has gradually leamed to accept, and even be proud of his place in the natural

world. Darwin removed the blinkers from our eyes and we now see the tortuous path

evolution took over four billion years to create man. Science has shown there is no

need for miracles to explain the wonders of nature.

Life itself is no longer a miracle. It is a natural process. - It is wonderful, it is

exquisitely beautiful, but no more miraculous than the sunrise on a new day'

philosophers are only now appreciating the full significance of the revolution that

Darwin started; the theory of Evolution is itself evolving, says Daniel Dennett'

Evolution, far from relegating man to the animals, raises him from a passive pawn

in a pre-ordained stage play to a producer on whom the show depends.

Man has achieved the capacity to read and write the script of life, and to give his

meaning to the production. And this reality, I feel, should form the framework ofuny n"* religion. If we fail to recognise this, religion will eventually be relegated

to the extremists, the disadvantaged, the underdeveloped and as a placebo for the

sick and suffering, while the rest of the world continues to go ahead without it'

The Templer Religion is about 150 years old. That is young compared to 500

years for the Lutherans, 1,500 years for Islam, 2,000 years for Christianity, 2,500 for

buddhism and 5,000 years for Judaism. But it is old for a doctrine that prides itself

on an intellectual awareness of its environment. From the beginning Templers have

disclaimed the sacrosanct dogmas of the other religions.

The "farview" of Christoph Hoffmann's vision allows the Templer Belief to

reflect man's progress and achievements. Our credibility therefore has to stand the

scrutiny of the sceptics, including on fundamental concepts such as faith and the

nature of God. Templers cannot afford the luxury of make-believe, even when based

on the solid foundation of Christianity. It is our Templer heritage's heary burden

to continuously acknowledge an evolving environment, social and technological, ofwhich we are an interactive Patl.

I had occasion to read the book of Revelation recently, in a so-called "present

day" language. Stripped of the charm of the medieval text, it became a grotesque

6

litany of war, murder, mayhem, callousness and pitiless cruelty against man andbeast; with unquestioning submission and worship the only alternative. The moderntext brought out the true difference in philosophies, then and now. Even gems likeHdndel's masterpiece became lost in the mire. The Word of the Bible is matched toan ethic and moral vision of life 2000 years ago. Any meaningful content we can stillrelate to our current philosophies seldom does stretch over two sentences. So thequotes we so freely use are almost always used out of context, idealized andmanipulated by us to fit our purpose.

Today, with a holistic view we no longer see ourselves as pawns in a celestialgame between good and evil. I have a different image of God" My religion nolonger relies on fear and favour.

My God is a concept. A concept of how we humans interact with nature. It isa walk in the bush; it is the first rays of the sun dividing the morning mist, and themelodious warble of a magpie. It is a thousand rainbows in the dew on the grass, thestillness in the air. For me, it is in the majesty of the clouds that sail across theheavens, in the life-giving warmth of the sunshine and in the shape of a shadow; inthe first drops of rain on a parched land as much as in the fury of a Texas twister; Ican see it in the beauty of a sunset and I feel its awe watching a full moon risingsilently out of the horizon into a star-studded sky.

It is the quintessence of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. It is a Concept as large as theUniverse and yet contained in the smile of a friend. And it has nothing to do withlove or hate, vengeance or eternal bliss, heaven or hell. For humanity has at lastoutgrown the security blanket of our baby years. we see ourselves no longer as

fallen angels, but as the awakening consciousness in the intellectual evolution of theuniverse.

Two thousand years ago Archimedes told a brash young Alexander, who felt thathard study was for ordinary people: 'there is no royal road to knowledge'. Todaywe have used God far too long as our Royal excuse not to bother about Nature'ssecretes.

Explaining the Universe scientifically may be difficult, but it is still infinitelyeasier than to explain the existence of God. The image of an old man with a flowingwhite beard sitting in the clouds, with the Earth as his footstool has in my lifetimeephemerised into nothingness, pure energy or a psychic phenomena.

So now the deep mystery is not wether there is a god or not, rather: "Why is ourneed for such a belief so obvious and wide-spread?" Why, throughout the ages past,is our history one long struggle to come to terms with this need within us? why isit we humans have the spiritual need for a god? Was it a biological necessity at thisstage of our brain's evolution?

Humans identifo their species by many names: Homo sapiens - the wise and

intelligent; Homo habilis - able and practical; Homo ludens - the playful and curious'

,,TheJry is the free invention of the human mind," said Einstein, who was master at

all three: Wisdom, technique and curiosity. His theory changed radically our

concept of the univerr" und our relation to lt. Gone are the absolute measures of

time, space, meaning or truth, and of immortality. Paul Davis SayS, we have learned

to u".#t the gift of life as a chance to work on the evolution of Nature, in which our

thouglrL and ambitions, our dreams and their realisations are the reason for our being

here.ItisthroughthemasmuchasthroughtheGeneswepasson,thatwebecomeimmortal. The ultimate benefit man finds in science and technology are not just

the many new comforts it brings him, the rising quality of life,- it may well be his

appreciating life on this Earth at last for its own sake. The realisation that heaven

andhell,paradiseandpurgatoryarehereandnow,andmanmade.Thatabsolutetruth as well as ausot,,te justice are patl of the evolving environment and

meaningless until our mind gives substance to them' says Richard Dawkins'

As our scientific awareness of the world increases, Christoph Hoffmann's vision

challenges us to let the Templer Religion evolve with it. Lest our commitments to

the pasi become the very dogmas we are seeking to avoid. Based on the above

argumentslproposeunu"pointamendmenttoourTemplerphilosophy,toopenthepu:tn to natural evolution, forward to greater understanding:

. I God is Life, the fundamental force of our nature. we are building blocks of

the Temple of Life and strive towards the Kingdom of Life'

. ) Jesus of Nazareth was a man with extraordinary human insight and

communicatingability.Werespectandfollowhisteachings.. J The Bible was"written by enlightened persons. It is an ethnic history book

with social and moral guidance principles'

. { Templers see religion as a means of, communicating on a higher level of

thought,wherep""oplecanriseabovethemselvesandseetheoverallharmonY in nature.

. J Templer religious functions are the means by which these philosophies are

cultivated inihe communities, with cultural traditions.

we are more than mere custodians of the past, of our inheritance, of our Genes!

Theyaretheobligation,thelegacylifeplacesonuStouseourtimegainfully.We*. dr" temple's Oeiignerr, the b-uiliers and the labourers. These five points keep our

religion in touch *i6 ,""utity and allow us to make full use of life's precious

resources.

end

Discussion on the Scientific Approach.

Question:

Answer:

You say 'God is Life' and you refer to the 'Kingdom of Life'. Do you

mean to eliminate all references to a God?

I would like to replace an indefinable expression with somethingtangible, where it is appropriate. Our traditional God, after hisnumerous relocations from the mountain tops to the clouds, to the stars,

to beyond our Universe, should become a force of Life. Put back here,

on Earth, in our natural environment. Something we are part of, that

dwells within us, that unites us. As something that makes sense in the

current scientific awareness. That is what I mean to detach frommysticism. In emotionally charged issues, as a concept, there is no

better name than God; thank God, God's speed, God save the Queen,for God's sake, and so on.

Is not life itself a miracle?You would have to define your concept of miracle. Is it somethingphysically impossible or is it just something very very unlikely tohappen? Such as me winning Tatts Lotto. The philosopher Daniel C.

Dennett makes the distinction as follow: Civil construction depends

very much on the use of cranes. To lift things into place for whateverthe construction is, a bridge, a skyscraper, a church. Now each of those

cranes has a foundation from which it lifts (even if it is a helicopter).You can not hook something from the sky. That is the differencebetween a natural and a supernatural miracle" Life is certainlymiraculous, as I said before, exquisitely so, but it is scientificallyexplainable.

You do not believe in an absolute Truth?No. Truth implies a meaning, a purpose. This can only be seen in the

context of a larger environment. If there is no outside to the Universethen absolute truth is logical nonsense. The Universe can not have a

meaning smaller than itself.Specific objects within the Universe can all have their individualpurpose in a given local environment. Every situation were somethinggrows, shrinks, moves, heats up or cools develops its own meaning.This gives us an infinite number of partial truths, from which life in itsstruggle for existence, choses. All our actions, yes our very existence

and our thoughts, constitute evolution and with it the Universe'scollective meaning and purpose.

It is an awful realisation, but our consciousness in fact creates truth.

Question:Answer:

Question:Answer:

DOESSCIENCELEADTOTHESPIRTTUAL?Hennig Imberger

PREAMBLEone response to the talk below was: "why talk about atoms and energy in a

religious discussion"; Is there not enough talk already about science?

Actually the whole point of the talk was to help to rectiff today's seemingly

excessive concentration on science and the corresponding neglect or even rejection

of religion.Ifinditisimportanttodealwiththis,becausealargepartofourschoolsand

media today teach u iir. prtlo.ophy based on Darwin's theory of evolution with its

implication, that the material ,rniu"rr" and its life has evolved by Itself and that no

higher spiritual i"t"G;;; has ever influenced it. The accompanying emphasis

tends to be on total ,"f-". on our human intellect, on competition and the idea of

the existence of a wise, powerful and compassionate spiritual comforter is likely to

be ridiculed as a false and misleading myth

Theoldergenerationsareoftenunawareoftheextenttowhichtheabovechangeinlifephilosophyhastakenplaceandtheyaresometimeswonderingwhatallthe'fuss'isabout.Howeverasaconseq"tn"tofmyscientifictraininglhaveexperienced the negative effects which the purely material philosophy can have and

therefore care for those in similar situations:

I conceive flr" oescriu"d purely material understanding to be detrimental to the

individual, who is increasingly lonely and lost in a competitive and narrowly self-

seeking world. In faci there ii, tttottg Lvidence today, that the human being has been

soformed,thatthenurturingandupkeepofhiscontacttohigherspiritisnecessaryfor his full well-being and Inat it cannot be adequately replaced by purely social

contact. yet it is "";i;, ir ut urr possible, to nurhrre- a contact to something' that

one has been taught to know does not exrst'

Intheoiscussion,oneparticipantpointedfurthermoretoChristophHoffmann,our founder, evidently impiying ihut h" already gave all the needed answers here: I

have always had tne greati.i ."Ip""t for our fouttOer and, in my studies and research

repeatedly wonderedlwhat he would advise in relation to modern science.

Howevereverytimeitbecameverycleartome,thatChristophHoffmannwasvery much for knowledge and so for^current scientific investigations into the more

precise nature ortt" oe?eropment of li_fe This spurned me on in my search and as

a consequence I, at first, diligently defended Darwin's theory of material self-

evolutionwhichwasoftenonlyverypoorlyunderstoodinreligiouscircle-s.Nevertheless, in time, ihe forthcoming evidlnce irom the different fields of scientific

investigation, in"r"*ingly pointed to ttt" factual existence of spiritual life and a

l0

spiritual creating and guiding intelligence. The purpose of my talk is to present some

ofthis evidence and to encourage positive cooperation between religion and science"

DOES SCIENCE LEAD TO THE SPIRITUAL?

EVIDENCE FROM PHYSICSOne reason why I studied eleckical engineering, was to endeavour to ascertain,

whether it is scientifically conceivable, that spiritual life can actually exist.

Heinrich Hertz, for example, discovered that complex, ghostlike energy patterns

can travel through space and matter without being seen, felt, smelled, heard or tasted.

That such energy can also form a structure was recently discovered by physicists,

who found that the atom, being the very Basis of all matter, actually is entirely made

of energy pafticles, put together in such a manner, that some of the energy particles

assume the property of mass.

This makes it conceivable, that energy particles can also form other structures,

which may be without mass and which may be quite invisible.

Let us now look at the beginning of the material universe. Evidently, it started

with the so-called 'big bang' which produced an enonnous number of hydrogen

atoms, each of these atoms being a very sophisticated energy structure. Such a highly

ordered outcome (rather than randomly varying debris) points to a sophisticated

causal mechanism.In fact, if we can conceive chance combinations and selection on the material

level to lead to the evolution of life and eventually intelligence in a time span of only

several billion years, then it is also conceivable, that a similar development has

occurred long before, where infinite time has been available, on the finer and more

basic energy level, thus eventually leading to an energy (or ghost-like or spiritual)

intelligence, capable of engineering the 'big bang'.

Many people now say, that this may be so but they still believe, that after the'big

bang' the evolution of matter and the ensuing material life progressed entirely

according to Darwin's theory of evolution, namely by chance combination and

natural selection, and uninfluenced by any higher mechanism or intelligence.

EVIDENCE FROM BIOLOGYThe Darwinian theory is plausible, because animal and plant breeders have, for

a long time, used the chance variation and selection mechanism, to obtain new and

better suited breeds and today, scientists are also producing self-replicating

molecules in the laboratory.However, all the new breeds have always been relatively minor variations of the

same species. No new complex mechanisms or substantial increases in the

sophistication of such mechanisms have been achieved.

11

Nevertheless, Darwin postulated that these also, over the available long times,

were similarly produced. But in the case of sophisticated control mechanisms,

involving sensors, nervous networks, muscles and tissues all precisely formed and

placed, it is often very difficult to conceive their development in random variation

small steps, each step being a functional improvement on the previous: To achieve

this, very large numbers to select from and many steps would be needed'

Furthermore, because natural selection is based on the adaptability of the complete

organism, each step requires the duration of at least one generation' That is, such a

stJp cannot, as postulated by some people, be completed more rapidly, for example

purely on the DNA level.' Ctnsequently, the Darwinian evolution of such complex mechanisms could only

proceed ,etuti r"ty very slowly, leaving an expected large number of fossils to show

th. ,r"ry gradual transitions. At the time however, such transition fossils between

,p."i., t"uA not been found. Still, Darwin postulated that eventually these missing

links would be discover ed. 120 years later, the fossil record has been expanded

enormously, yet the gaps remain and, if anything, have widened: That is, some of the

specimensihought to represent intermediate stages, have now been shown, to belong

to entirely different species altogether'

Furthermore, it has also been discovered recently, that very large evolutionary

steps have often taken place very suddenly. So much so, that palaeontologists refer

to Ulg bangs' of evolution. Again this is contrary to the slow gradual development

of new species, predicted by the Darwinian theory' Darwin himself wrote to a

colleague, before his book was published: 'You will be greatly disappointed (by the

forthcJming book); it will be grievously too hypothetical. It will very likely be of no

other service than collating some facts...' I have also heard from three sources' that

before Darwin died, he actually renounced his theory'

EVIDENCE FROM PARA-PSYCHOLOGYEven more direct evidence for the existence of spiritual life comes from the

general field of para-psychology and its related areas: The field is vast and I can only

allude to it verY brieflY:. Firstly, the so-"ull"d Kirlian photography demonstrates, that there is a

pronounced energetic field associated with living matter. That is, such a

photograph showJ an AURA around the object and high energy points within'

when, for example, a leaf is partly destroyed, this aura can, nevertheless, remain

intact. Furthermore, the phbtographed aura of the human body shows high

energy points, which do not coincide with body anatomy but which precisely

match the body's acupuncture points'. The so-called ctinical death experiences illustrate a possible separation of this

energy field from the body: That is, people who regain life. following a period of

clinical death often report very similar experiences: They generally report,

T2

having floated out of their body, seeing doctors and nurses working on theirbody, being able to float through walls, and in some cases, witnessing unusualevents outside, which could not have been detected from the bed, either directlyor by word of mouth, but which were confirmed later on, exactly as described bythe patient.

' Mediums claim that they are able to converse with the souls of people who havepassed on. Although the field is open to deception, they have convincedmultitudes of people, at first often highly sceptical, that the essence or the soulsof their departed relatives and friends, do remain alive.

For example I recall one description where a medium correctly passed oncomplex information concerning the location of an object, which only thedeceased person, who the medium reported to be speaking with in spirit, hadknown. Some people are able to regress in memory, to what they perceive asformer lives on earth. They are thus able to relate detailed experiences, givingcircumstances, dates and places. In some cases these have been comparedafterwards with historical records, which they matched precisely, sometimes alsofilling gaps. During such recollections some people fluently spoke languages,that they had never learnt or spoken in their present lives. There are, furthermore,numerous reported visits to countries which people, in their present lives, hadnever entered before. Yet suddenly they find they know the area well, sometimesfar better than the local people or anyone else alive.

CONCLUSIONIn this brief outline, I mentioned some of the evidence for the existence of

spiritual life, as provided by physics, biology and psychology. The more I haveresearched this evidence, the more clearly it supported the underlying basis ofreligion, namely, the existence of a creating and guiding spiritual intelligence whichnot only initiated the material universe but which is also very much involved in itsevolution.

Noch eine kurze Zusammenfassung auf Deutsch:

Wir fragen hier, ob 'Die Wissenschaft zum Geistlichen fiihrt?' Schon als Elektro-lngenieur-Student frug ich mich, ob es wissenschaftlich mdglich ist, daB Geistleben,das heiBt, unsichtbares Energieleben, bestehen kann. Die geist-artige Energie-ubertragung von wort, Bild und Kontrollsignalen schien itr di... Richtung zudeuten, doch frug ich wiederum, ob auch Energie Strukturen existieren konnen?

vor wenigen Jahren nun, entdeckten die Physiker, daB der Grundstein derMaterie, also das Atom, tatszichlich eine solche Energiestrukfur ist, zusammengefiigtaus lauter Energieteilchen in einer solchen Weise, daB manche der Teilchen dieEigenschaft von Masse erhalten haben.

l3

E,s ist somit vorstellbar, daB auch unsichtbare massenlose Energie-Strukturen

bestehen konnen.

Die Physiker stellen heute fest, daB das materielle Universum durch den sogenannten

'big bang' oder 'grossen knall' entstand. Die Folgen dieser Explosion waren nicht

allerlei Trtimmer sondern eine Unzahl hochentwickelter Energie-Strukturen, also,

lauter Wasserstoffatome.Dieses hochgeordnete Ergebniss zeugt von einem hochentwickelten kausalen

Mechanismus und es liiBt sich fragen, daB wenn es moglich ist, daB durch

Zufallskombinationen und Auslese Leben und Intelligenz aluf der Materie-Ebene

entstehen kann, ob Leben und Intelligenz nicht schon lange vorher auf iihnliche

Weise, auf der viel feineren und grund-liegenderen Energie-Ebene entstand? Eine

Intelligenz also die den 'big bang' verursachen konnte.

Der Eingriff fernerhin einer solchen Energie- oder Geist-Intelligenz in die

weitere Entwicklung der Materie, kann sehr viele, bisherige Riitsel erkliiren.

Was fiihrt zum Beispiel zu lokalen sehr geordneten Verdichtungen der

Wasserstoffatome und zum folgenden Entstehen verschiedener Sonnensysteme?

Oder, warum sind hochst komplexe, hochentwickelte neue Lebensatlen auf der Erde

relativ sehr sehr plotzlich entstanden, ohne irgendwelche Spuren von

Zwischenstufen, die bei einer stiickweisen Selbst-Entwicklung in sehr groBen

Mengen und iiber sehr lange Zeiten zu erwarten sind?

Auch bringen die para-psychologie und iihnliche Forschungs-Gebiete immer

mehr Beweismaterial, daB geistiges Leben tatsiichlich existiert. Befasst man sich hier

eingehend mit der kirlianischen Photographie von Auras, mit den Erlebnissen von

zeitweise klinisch Tod-Gewesenen, mit den T?itigkeiten von Medien und mit

Riickerinnerungen an friihere Leben (die z.B. spiiter geschichtlich genaustens

bestiitigt werden konnten und wobei das Subjekt manchrnal flieBend Sprachen

beniitzte die es im jetzigen Leben noch nie gesprochen hatte) so kommt man einfach

immer wieder auf bezeugte UmstZinde, die eindeutig auf die Existenz geistigen

Lebens zeigen.

Die tiblichen, oft leichtfertigen Erkl?irungen durch zufall, Einbildung,

Halluzination, schwindel, usw. sind hier einfach nicht zutreffend.

So finde ich in den drei Gebieten, der Physik, der Biologie und der Psychologie,

i.iberwiegend Beweise, die auf die Existenz einer hohen geistigen Intelligenz, als

urheber und tatkr2iftiger Leiter der materiellen Evolution deuten. end

Discussion on 'does science lead to the spiritual'?

Question: The problem I have with this kind of reasoning is that ithies to solvea simple question with a more complicated one. Do you feel physicalconsciousness is possible without a material body?

Answer:

Question: If you see a Super-beingdo you explain millionshave a purpose?

Answer:

as interacting with Darwinian evolution howof years of inactivity on its behalfl Does it

Question: The human spirit is very imaginative. we can fly like a bird, heal thesick and visit other planets. Can you se€ us doing this sometime in thefuture without science and technolosy?

Answer:

l5

ORIGIN and EVOLUTION of CHRISTIANITYHerta Uhlherr

My task is to speak about Christianity. I can't give you a clear definition ofChristianiff because it's not homogeneous: Some strands of it are very different from

others, and all probably have some good insights. So I propose to take a hop, step

and jump through its history:. to get an idea of why there are so many forms of Christianity now,. to have a quick look at several streams of Christian thought today,. ending with Templer Christianity.

The early Christians (who incidentally didn't call themselves Christians, but

'followers of the way') lived in communities, as closely as possible in accordance

with their Master Jesus' teaching about loving God and others as themselves. Itwasn't till the ones who had known Jesus were dying off (or were killed) that their

teachings were written down, with different slants, by the three synoptic writers, by

the mystic, John, and the Pauline letters to the far-flung communities; there the idea

of the community or church as the body of Christ with Christ as its head took root.

Through a number of Church Councils, notably the Council of Nicea in325 AD the

Romanization of the Church took place (Emperor Constantine converted to

Christianity around 312, and Christiani! became the state religion in 380, no longer

persecuted). The original impulse of individual and personal revelation was buried

under the increasing institutionalization of the Church. Creed and dogmas were

formulated, the BIBLE CANON chosen (i.e. the books that now comprise the Bible),

with many other books and gospels (e.g. of Thomas and of Phillip) going into the

Apocryph4 or hidden away. Amongst the rejected were the more gnostically slanted

ones.

The official Roman Catholic line was developed:GOD was seen as being "out there" in Heaven.

At the Council of Nicea Christ was declared to be God and the concept of the

TRINITY was formulated, with the Holy Spirit as the third person of the

Godhead.JESUS CHRIST, the pure and only son of God himself divine, born of the

VIRGIN MARY, was willing to be sacrificed on the cross to save or redeem

sinful man, lost because of Adam and Eve's original sin.

PRIESTS were mediators between man and God, (and so held "the keys ofheaven". giving them great power).

The POPE, in direct apostolic succession from St. Peter, was the final authority.

The MASS (Church Service) was given its set liturgical structure:

Kyrie eleison Lord, have mercy upon us

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GloriaCredoSanctusBenedictusAgnus Dei

praising God - worshipI believeHoly, holy, holy...Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LordLamb of God who bears the sins of the world. siveus peace.

communion or the Eucharist was, and is, an important part of the Mass,but could only be taken by baptised andconfessed/absolved Roman Catholics.

The sermon is short and not the most important part of the service.So the images are of shepherd, flock (sheep folrow, obey), christ as the sacrificiallamb and Redeemer/Saviour" The individual was unimportant (most people were ofthe mass, uneducated) and power was in the sacraments, administered by ordainedpriests.

SACRAMENTS were to add a sacred dimension to the naturai life-cycle:Baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist/Lord's supper, marriage, confession,ordination of priests, the last rites - extreme ungtion - other churches have keptsome or all of these, too. (Sacraments are largely based on rites in the old, pieChristian mystery schools, celebrating the stages of life, but the Churches haveforgotten this).

Alongside this increasingly institutionalised R.c. church, the GNoSTIC STREAMcontinued on and off; its emphasis is on the spirit within.The individual has direct access to spiritual guidance, so the gnostics need no priests.The Church felt threatened and called the gnostics heretics and stamped them outwhenever possible, notably in the Middle Ages with the extermination of the Catharsand Albigensians.

From 400 AD on, the Roman church and Empire - their politics and power -affected the history of the whole of Europe. Meanwhile the CELTIC STREAM keptthe Spirit alive in the Irish Monasteries while Europe stumbled into the Dark Ages.

One instance: JOHN SCOTUS ERruGENA a brilliant Irish scholar at the Courtof the French king Charles the Bald (in 9th century) translated Greek into Latin(e.g. the work on the SPIRITUAL Hierarchies by Dionysius the Areopagite, whoknew Paul in at Athens) which would otherwise have become lost to the Romanchurch. celtic monks carried the light of the Spirit back to dark Europe.

1054 saw the Great Schism (splir) between rhe western (Roman) church andPope, and the Eastem (Greek Orthodox) under the patriarch of Constantinople. Onlysince 1965 has dialogue been established again between them. The EastemOrthodox now includes the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches (icons, chanting,

the Pantocrator).CRUSADES - in the Middle Ages. The Western Church was very powerful andwished to win Jerusalem, the holy city, back from the infidels - also, of course, toconquer/convert the heathens. The KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, an influential order ofwarrior monks who did much good in mediaeval society (and originated banking -they were upright and trusted), had an inner tradition of spiritual training. It appearsthat a group of them had the secret mission of reestablishing contact with the Arabicwisdom and hidden knowledge no longer available to the West, so they wereinvolved in the crusades, too.Around this time, politics and worldly interests caused much spiritual life todegenerate. A church Council decided that man's triune being : body, soul and

spirit, was really only body and soul, with a spiritual component in soul, so SPIRITWAS ACCORDED EVEN LESS IMPORTANCE.

The Middle Ages saw the rise of Grail Christianity, which honoured the (lost)feminine - compare King Arthur and the Minnescingerlhoubadours and knights ongrail quests, devoted to courtly love of "our lady", and all the shrines to the Virgin,including huge cathedrals like Charlers and Notre Dame de Paris.

The RENAISSANCE The 14th and l5th centuries brousht an enormous flowerinsof learning in E,urope.

I5I7- MARTIN LUTHER ANd thc REFORMATIONLuther held that salvation is through faith by grace, not by works. Increasingscientific knowledge fostered criticism of the church. Luther's emphasis is:

God's authorify is found not in the POPE but in SCRIPTURE.Luther translated the Latin and/or Greek Bible into German, making it accessible topeople other than priests. The new technology of printing (from around 1450)helped spread the Word. Even today, the R.C. emphasis is not on reading the Bibleyourself [the Vulgate(Latin) translation of 404 influenced Roman Catholicismgreatlyl but on obeying the priest.

PROTESTANTS (since Luther's protesting against the Roman Catholic excesses)

lean towards the rational, words, preaching the light of spirit whereas the RomanCatholic have more feeling and colour, vestments, lifurgical ritual, drama, incense,mystery - nourishment for the soul. (Comment: a bit of both would delight spirit and

soul, and suit a greater number of personality types,)Lutherans now have a liturgy, and incense, etc. not so much different from RC, andsince Luther more movements/churches have budded off in the Protestant stream.The major groups are

Evangelische (Lutheranische) Kirche, very conservative on the wholeAnglicans (very R.C. really) but there's a "high" and a "low" group of them

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II

I

I

I

Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalist, joined now in the Uniting Church.Baptists, Pentecostal, charismatic groups who seek tofeel the power of the Spirit,and others.

I apologise if in my very abbreviated descriptions I misinterpret any denominatingor church.In the WESTERN STREAM, - from the R.C scholastics around the brilliant scholarThomas Aquinas to modern theologians - there has been much emphasis on theIntellect. Added to that is this century's psychological development (one exampleis Jung and the soul's journey to individuation, i.e" to integrated wholeness,including the spiritual).This poses serious problems for churches still insisting on intellectual conformity(creed, dogma). Obviously, once theology is based on thinking and rationality, thenall kinds of opinions (beliefs) will come up, be held and defended (while there mayactually be no spirit or soul or religious experience there at all, everything being inthe head). Divisions and conflict are then inevitable. The Church often looked downon its mystics, who experienced GOD in ways that frequently did not fit thepreconceptions of the hierarchy. (Why should God fit into human concepts? Thisobvious question obviously did not occur to them).The Temple Society was born in 1861, in south west Germany out of Pietism (exLutheran).

The EASTERN religions are not based on the intellect, but more on the devotion toa guru. In Islam emphasis is more on the experience of God, while in Judaism thereis a wide variety of beliefs, with emphasis not on creed but on a way of life -

community. Q.{otice points of similarig,).

The Picture Toda]. 'New Age" is a term which covers a wide range ofactivities and beliefs which range from the highly spiritual to the very weird. Thereis a yearning for spirit, soul balance and which has been lost in the modem emphasison the material and rational, and many people do not find it in the mainstreamChristian religions. The desire is for spiritual rather than for conformist religion, fora greater honouring of the individual (for the individual expression of spirit, not ego- this is a very healthy sign in the evolution of consciousness) We hear expressionslike "Father - Mother God" indicating the search for greater balance, for inclusionof the 'lost' feminine in what had become too patriarchal and one-sided.FUNDAMENTALISTS literally believe the canon of Scripture. This is a verynarrow and conservative view; it suits some types, but leaves no room for newerinterpretations based on widening knowledge and experience. Creationism, thefundamentalist belief in the Genesis creation stoiy, does not allow for evolution andis a problem in schools in the USA. To my mind fundamentalists are unrealistic andstuck in the past. There can be a fundamentalist core in most religions

MAINSTREAM Christianity - including the conservative and exclusive/evangelicalon the one hand and more progressive movements struggling for ways to be relevanttoday, e.g. in the areas of social justice, even meditation (much maligned for a whileout of anxious ignorance - there is an honorable ontemplative tradition in the church,which has been forgotten), acknowledging gay people and women (long second-class citizens in the church). Some of these initiatives are very "daring" within theChurch's limitations (of tradition).This institutionalised Christianity is the exoteric (outer) side. Then there's theesoteric side, the llestern inner trodition. We'll mention the GN)STICS again (adivine spark within, men and women equal) - the discovery of the Nag Hammadiscrolls (1945) has revived interest and knowledge about them - and themystics/contemplatives, many of whom belonged to monasteries/abbeys or werehermits.

Rudolf STEINER, the "scientist of the invisible", 'saw' and lectured about anenorrnous spiritual framework behind material manifestation. His emphasis is on theevolution of consciousness, and human beings becoming increasingly aware of theirspiritual core and developing it, which leads to greater unity with 'God' and all thereis. This is a very different view from the materialistic rationalist who believes whathe can see and test, but has no place for spirit. The esoteric view is that spirit is thecause behind all matter; creative thought leads to manifestation: In the beginning wasthe LOGOS, the Christ-energy or consciousness, which created....

So METAPHYSICAL Christianity (beyond the physical) has a different startingpoint, acknowledges Universal Mind, unity with the divine; growing spiritualisationis the way forward (towards the Kingdom of God), i.e. evolution on thepsychological and especially the spiritual level, which then impacts on the physical.

Templer Christianity. The concept of the Temple in some ways has links withthe gnostic and esoteric streams, though the rationalists among us would no doubtdislike this suggestion. "Don't you know that you are a temple of God in whomGod'sspiritdwells? (See l Cor. 3: i6).on the whole, we believe that God is "out there" but also within; our emphasis is onthe Kingdom of God, which begins within, through a change of attitude includingalignment with the twin commandments of loving God and one's neighbour asoneself; the new attitude then influences 'out there'.We value community, because like-minded "Temple-of-God-people,, are moreeffective together in creating 'Kingdom of God' conditions on earth. we don't feelthe need for priests as mediators, since we can have a direct personal connection withthe divine wisdom within (but need to be open to it and work on it); a spiritualcompanion role, for mutual guidance and support, could be very beneficial. we arealso called upon to learn about Spirit, about how tl,ings work in the natural and

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spiritual realms.

So, as Templers, we need to watch our prejudices and try to be more open and

welcoming, of new ideas and new people - to grow and develop (otherwise we

stagnate and become irrelevant) - to grow in consciousness, becoming more aware

of self and others; to develop our spiritual faculties ('know thyself in all your

aspects). Spend time with Jesus' teachings; orientate our lives around our motto

"Seek first the kingdom of God..." - a higher awareness which leads to better

conditions in our self, our communities and on earth (by example, not force).

In this way the Temple idea is very relevant to our daily lives.

DISCUSSION ON CHRISTIANITYeuestion: Would you agree that the social improvements over the years and the

increased living standard in society are more due to education, science

and technology than the practice of christianry, or the study of the

Bible?Answer:

Question: is christianity open to evolution? If so, where would you draw the

limit?

Answer: Dogmatic Christianity is, by definition, not open to evolution and

struggles immensely if it sees the need for change.

Spiritual development on the other hand is in constant evolution

towards higher consciousness

Question:

Answer:

Is the Templer Spirit tied to christianity? or, would Jesus' teaching

still be of paramount importance to us if he was not "Christ"?

The answer to the second part of the question is an affirmative yes! The

teachings of Jesus contain universal truths, fragments of which are

found in other religions.Does that define sufficiently the first part of the question?

ISLAM- MY EXPERIENCESIrene Bouzo

Introduction

My experiences with Islam have been positive, always in the context of being aTempler, because when you move out of the safef and security of your own cultureand environment you cling even more to it. I am a Moslem and I am a Templer. Forme there is no conflict, only enrichment. Actually for me it is one faith in God, nottwo, I have one faith blessed with two sources of guiding Scriptures, the Koranand the Bible.

I am not an authority on Islam or the doctrine of the Koran, far from it. I stillhave much to learn. However I'll try to share with you my personal experiences(about lo/o) and what I have learnt through making this commitment to a faith. Beingan insider in another faith develops incredible tolerance and insight. It strengthenedmy faith as a Templer. The first things that impressed me most about Islam were thefreedom and the flexibility. This usually surprises Christians, even the most tolerantand broad- minded of us. On the other hand it appeals to the rationality of TemplerChristians.

What will I talk about? I will tell you about three things:-

. Dispel some Western myths and stereotypes about Islam

. Look for universals/similarities between Islam and Templer Christianity

. Islam and Science

About stereofypes and prejudicesWe cannot deny that we possess culfural baggage that we may not even be aware

of, such as Western prejudices towards Islam and Christian intolerance. I do notaccuse you but I had a few my,ths dispelled for myself. After all we are innocentproducts of our environment, of Hollywood films, the media and traditionalChristian attitudes as well as lack of information, lack of publicity about Islam, lackof in-depth knowledge available to us about other religions.

Christians delight in cracking jokes about Moslems and Moslems sometimes playon Christian stereotypes (eg drinking, sacraments, papal authority.) I want to try andgo beyond this frivolous level and look at the purpose and meaning of the prayerroutine (the salad), go beyond the veil or headscarf; go beyond the notions ofspreading the faith by the sword; go beyond the notion of women as second classcitizens.

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What Islam means to me.Over a period of years I gained an insight into Islam as a religion of peace,

tolerance, community support, individual freedom, informality and flexibility. Islam

is about co- operating and living peacefully and side-by-side even with your enemy.

Islam is about respecting each other, the crops, the trees, or eco-environmen! it isabout equality of races, equality of the sexes, Islam is a religion of moderation not

extremes, of practical daily living, of compassion, mercy, forgiveness and charity.

I even found that, like many Christians, Moslems make an attempt to move with the

times and even change aspects of the religion with the modern environment.

I. DISPELLING SOME MYTHSIn order to dispel some Western myths I have chosen a few topics, completely

at random, not in order of importance, but simply because they are topics which

Westerners tend to focus on. I suppose another Moslem would not focus on these at

all, but rather on the teachings that reconcile the individual's relationship with God.

My experiences with Islam were in the very conservative parts of Damascus, and

not in a country with the Koran as its constitution, not in a place where Islam forms

the basis of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism, and not in the Aushalian

context. I want to free the Islamic religion from the distortions it gets through

politics, fundamentalism, fanaticism and as a male dominated immigrant-faith in

Australia.I want to show you that if you truly open your heart to accepting another faith

and open your mind to understanding it you will find personal enrichment or at least

enriching friends from whom to learn from.

a) Islam in Australia is linked to migration, ethnicity and class eg there are

Lebanese working class mosques whose communities exhibit much male

dominance. Some Lebanese women say they had greater freedom inLebanon to choose a marriage partner than in Australia. Moslem women in

Australia are sometimes forced to wear a headscarf if they move into the

workforce. This intensified male dominance in immigrant families is

intended as male protection to preserve family morality and values

(Humphreys). The separation between religion and class or ethnicity has not

taken place.

b) Islamic fundamentalism in countries like Iran is man-made and designed

for political expedience to control and blind their people by over-focusing

on certain aspects of the religion. Blind faith is considered an undesirable

extreme by many Moslems. Fanaticism and fundamentalism in that sense

are forbidden in the Koran. It is restrictive, oppressive and frowned upon

by many Moslem countries and peoples (especially Sunni Moslems.)

Some countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are attempting to make theKoran as the constitution of the Government. This is not so impractical,for the Koran gives sound rules for social welfare, legal systems anddemocratic, consultative modes of leadership. However, many greatauthorities on the Koran would agree, that these have been attempts onlyso far and no known government has managed to do it perfectly yet. Still,democracy agrees with Islam and there are some excellent models ofpeaceful co-operative Islamic societies (eg in Saudi Arabia low crime rate,money changers etc.)My experience overseas has been intellectually freer than most peoplewould like to believe. I found Islam teaches that conversion is throughpersuasion and logic. Nobody ever forced me to do anything or believeanFhing. My experience has been a moderate one where the individual goesto the actual source, the text of the Koran and tries to seek the essence of themessage. This approach stresses personal freedom, flexibility and individualchoice. (Don't get me wrong here on the individual focus, for the Islamicfaith also places much emphasis on unity and community.) I found strongsimilarities with the Templer faith.

1. WOMEN IN ISLAM.

What does covering up with the headscarf mean?It is worn by a woman in front of anyone she could hypothetically get married

to" Wearing the headscarf is an entrenched tradition. And when a women chooses todo this it is very much an outer symbol or marker that she engages in intensivescripture reading, prayer and meditation. In public life she is afforded more respectfor her enhanced spiritual practices. Also it can give a woman strength to observewithout being observed.

In the Moslem society I lived in, women are so self-assured that no man couldever make them, or would dare suggest that they wear a headscarf or cover up, andyet many women do chose to do so. But it was the individual's choice, the woman'schoice.

The Moslem feminists in Saudi Arabia follow a principle called:"Back to the text".

In the Koran the reference about women covering up is roughly translated as

"Thou shallt cover thy ornament." The keyword here is ornament. only a man couldconsider a woman's hair and ears her ornament. Women interpret this as the need topractice dress codes of modesty in the appropriate places eg. you can put on fancy

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c)

d)

jewellery and make-up or ornament inthe company of your husband and family but

tone it down in the work-force and public plaees.

In public life the Koran introduced many improvements for women eg. the right

to divorce her husband, the right to be a witness in court, the inalienable right to

inheritance laws, and in marriage women legally retain their own wealth and income

for themselves. Remember Christianity has not moved very far on the issue ofwomen's rights.

2. POLYGAMYThere has been a change in the attitude towards the Koran, eg. Turkey and

Tunisia outlaw polygamy, other law courts get around it by focussing on the equality

clause in the Koran in relation to marriage which makes it almost impossible to for

a man to marry more than one wife.

3. THE ISLAMIC PRAYER RITUALPrayer and Fasting habits often bear the brunt of Western mockery. There are

many Western jokes about Islamic ritualised prayer routines perhaps based on the

misconception that such ritual is highly prescriptive and institutionalised. The

Moslem prayer ritual is personal not institutionalised and therefore I find it quite

appealing.The meaning, the purpose, the spiritual and psychological value of prayer are the

same in all religions. In Islam the focus is on regular prayer for a short time every

day. Islamic devotional practices are very informal and personalised.

The Moslem prayer rules are flexible, left to individual choice but with clear

"how to" rules for devotional practices that are quite nice and appealing. How many

Christians seek a formula to practice leaming meditation or prayer? If you think the

Moslem prayer routine is prescribed and mechanical remember it is only performed

through the desire or choice of the individual; through his or her "decision to act".

It is so personal it can be done anywhere at home, at work, at university or in the

desert. There is no need for a mosque or common family ritual. Nobody else can

make a Moslem do this. In this sense it is personalised in the same way Templer

Christianity is ( Matt.6.6). As far as the prescribed prayer times go you cannot deny

that it is useful and helpful to have regular, occasional time to develop this skill. The

underlying principles are sound and worthwhile and one can learn from this.

4. CHARITYCharity is compulsory, and needs to be regular and anonymous. It is

proportionate to your wealth, need not be met with personal needs and possessions

ZJ

and ought to be direct and to you closest neighbour or own community first. AgainI find this close to the Templer way.

5. FASTINGThe 40 days fasting is actually abstinence or temporary self-restraint. Its virtues

are well-known across cultures; it clarifies the mind, heightens awareness inpreparation for devotion to God, is experiential and so enhances sympathy for theneedy, establishes equality amongst rich and poor, and sharpens one's will-power.lslam mitigates against severity of fasting and prefers moderation. The ill, frail andtired may break the fast.

6. PILGRIMAGEAnnual pilgrimage is an Islamic conference, deepens spiritual understanding and

creates strong communal bonds and solidarity. It also has economic, political andsocial benefits for people.

7. TOLERANCE TOWARDS OTHER RELIGIONS.There is a belief amongst informed theologians that Islam is more tolerant

towards Christianity than Christianity is towards Islam. This has been confirmedmanifold by my personal experiences. There is a clear reason for this. The Koranwas revealed last after, Judaism and Christianity. These religions are dealt with inthe Koran therefore Moslems have a great deal of respect and tolerance towardsChristians. The Koran includes belief in all the Holy Books and all the prophets orapostles of God (give list and the miracles that each performed) For Christians theBible was written before Islam spread, so as Christians we have no access to Islamicideas through our scriptures. Australian Templers, despite their heritage in Palestine,have limited access to Islamic information as Christian Hoffmann's extensivewritings about Islam are in the German language.

In Islam marrying outside the religion is acceptable for men but notrecommended for women who may be prevented from their devotional practices.

8. PRIVATE PROPERTYProperty and material wealth is considered a fact of life in the Koran and is not

frowned upon as long as the person does not serve two Gods, money and God.(Herein lies a fundamental difference with the non-materialistic, admired asceticvalues of Christianity).

The Koran respects property ownership as a normal and natural fact of life butin the context of very strict rules of charif and alms-giving. We work and earn andflris is honourable charity must be given accordingly or else the wealth is not blessed"

26

Gambling and profit through interest on lxoney lending is not honourable and cannot

be blessed. There is no money interest in Islamic branks or hire purchase.

9. PREDETERMINATION AND FATALISM IN ISLAMThis is another westem myth. Islam is a religion where the individuals exercise

choice in their daily lives and deliberate actions that may or may not lead them closer

to God. Islam does not subscribe to the christian notion of "Sin" but certainly there

are sinful acts that a person has the freedom to choose or not' The Koran confirms

that a person has freeiom of choice and but must also carry the responsibility of the

"onr"i,r.n"es of their choices. God says in the Koran if you work righteousness it

benefiis your soul; if you work evil it is against your own soul, but it is your choice'

Also, most importantly, god forgives, god is merciful; god is gracious'

10. HOLY WARS in Islam is another area of Western misunderstanding'

From my experience it is a quiet, gentle faith that proclaims moderation and

freedom rather than rigidity and coercion. It professes harmony in all aspects of life'

The Koran requests p"opi. to rely on themselves to promote their community to a

state of welfar", p"u"" and stability. If history shows Moslems guilty of spreading

religion by the sword, the same applies to christianrty and perhaps indicates the

man--made aspects of the religion. If "Islamic" wars have been fought based on

claims of race and ethnicity then these have been false claims of false superiority' A

more insightful reading ofihe Koran will indicate that its followers should love their

enemies; live in peacJwith them. There is no superiority except by virtue of piety'

It is only permitted to slay another person in an extreme case of self defenee and

when they oppress and hurt your women, children, elderly and sick. In this case you

may act in r"tt O.f"nce but the moment the enemy stops you must accept to live

side-by-side in peace no matter what they have done. You may never torture,

mutilate or disrespect them. You may never destroy or disrupt their crops or the plant

environment. You must treat your prisoners better than yourselves.

II. UNIVBRSALS OR SIMILARITIES BBTWEEN

a

a

CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAMChristians and Moslems believe in a single God'

Both the Bible and the Koran describe Jesus as the healing prophet' Jesus has a

lasting message for Moslems as well as christians. Mohammed bore witness to

this.Moslems take a non-Trinitarian view of God. Jesus is considered the apostle of

God, not the son of God. As a Templer Christian I find no conflict in the

religions so far. The Koran has 99 namesfor God, and "Father" is not one of

them.

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. Moslems believe in all the Holy Books i.e. the Talmud, the Old Testament, theNew Testament and the Koran.

. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are often described as the Abrahamic religionswhere all recognise Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and all the patriarchs of Israelas prophets with worlhwhile messages about God. In this sense Moslems see

Islam not as a new religion but rather as a culmination of the other religions.. Moslems and Christians believe that the message of these prophets is to reconcile

our relationship with God through our daily living with the help of Scripturereading and through following the guiding principles in those Scriptures andthrough regular devotional practices.

Therefore Islam and Christianity cannot be considered totally differentreligions, rather they are interwoven religious movements (Kueng 126-8). Bothare authentic expressions of the same divine and immutable truth.

III. ON THE SUBJECT OF ISLAM AND MODERN SCIENCEThere have been many modern interpretations of the Koranic Scriptures by

Western doctors and astronomers and this is a popular topic at Islamic conferences.Certainly the Koran is a book sent for guidance in religious practices and daily livingrather than a book of science. And yet in almost every verse there are scientific factsof the universe, and accurate interpretations of facts pertaining to natural and medicalevents such as contemporary astronomical theories about the origin of the universe;the splitting of the atom and the stages of embryonic development in the wombwhich were first discovered in the lTth and 18th centuries. It is argued that these

theories could not possibly have been produced by the human mind in the 7thcentury when the Koran was written. I must admit that conference papers I have

heard on this subject have been impressive. I hope you will not to be disappointedif I do not deal with these in any more detail here today. Firstly I am not the best

qualified one to discuss this and secondly it helps to know more about the Koran and

Islam before such finer points are discussed" And these topics are discussed mostproductively in a positive environment.

IN SUMMARYIt is presumptuous and pretentious for Christians to believe that the biblical God

could not or would not be revealed elsewhere as well, say to Moslems or Buddhists.I remember Dr. Hoffmann used to talk about the final and ultimate mystery of God.The unfathomable power and reach of God is described beautifully by Paul in apassage from the Bible:

0 the depth of the riches and

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wisdom and lmowledge of God!How unsearchoble are his judgentents and

how inscrutable his ways!(Rom. I l: 33)

This leaves Church Christians and Templer Christians with the difficult issue ofhow to integrate our faith with the aspects of God's "unsearchable and inscrutable"reality as they are reflected in other religious traditions (Cox in Sharma 1993:418).

I believe Islam has something to teach Christians that would strengthen their faithin the Truth. (i.e. the Truth which is greater than any single religion, indiviclual orcommunity; the primordial covenant between God and all human beings). For thisto be realised Moslems must also rethink their approach to the faith in the Truth andaccept that there may be a variety of religious expressions of this"

Islam has sometimes been described as the religion of reason and rationality;and christianity as the religion of love. It has been suggested (Kueng 130) thatin the long history of Moslem-Christian relations we are still at the beginning.Memtrers of both religions need to develop a spirit of mutual recognition andappreciation.

For us the best way to do this is to meet personally with people from otherreligions whenever the opportunity arises; then openly and sincerely listen tothem and learn from them. when this is fully realised, only then can we comecloser to true ecumenism and world peace.

References:I conclude in saying there are many books on Islam available in the West which

are badly written and perpetuate the myths and prejudices I mentioned early and soeven if you want to inform yourself it can be difficult choosing the rieht texts. I canrecommend the fol lowing:. David Tabbarah, Spirit of Islam,1978.' Michael Humphrey's chapter 13 "Islam, immigrants and the state: Religion and

cultural politics in Australia" in A Black Religion in Australia, 1991.. Hans Kueng, Christianity and the World Religions, 19g5.. Interpretation of the Koran, any edition.. A. Sharma (ed), Our Religions.

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DISCUSSIONS ON'ISLAM - MY BXPERIENCES'

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Answer:

Question:

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OTHER RELIGIONS AND MOVEMENTS.Rita Steller

A general overview.From sphinx to christ, from Buddha to New Age philosophy, there have

always been teachers among us who dedicated their lives to mankind in anattempt to lead us back to Cod. They have probably been the most influentialthinkers in human history. They have brought us our religions. Some religionsshow us how to make sense of the most perplexing problems that face all ofhumanity, while others aim to lead us back to our creator.

BUDDHISM.Buddha came to us about 2500 yrs. ago. His teachings spread from India to

Tibet, from china to Japan. He was born into a wealthy family. He realised thatneither wealth nor power could prevent either illness, old age, unhappiness or death.He, therefore, became a homeless wanderer, in search for the answers that wouldhelp suffering humanity. Through reflections and meditations he arrived at thephilosophy of non-attachment, and from then on he spread his message in hrdia for45 yrs. He founded an order of monks who took his teachings abroad. Buddha neverwrote a book, but after his death sone 5000 books were written about him and histeachings. By the 13th century AD the power of Buddhism declined.

Into his teachings Buddha incorporated four Noble Truths and an eightfoldPathway as a means to overcome suffering and misery. These four Noble Truthsacknowledged that suffering was real, they identified the causes of suffering, theystated that suffering could be eliminated and they then listed the eightfold pathwayas a means by which suffering could be overcome. This Pathway includes rightthinking, right seeing, right speaking and right doing, as the right human conductwas the key to a happy human life. what we don't find in Buddhism is theimportance of a superior and all embracing God.

CONFUCIANISM.confucius was also born around 2500 yrs. ago. His teachings together with

Taoism and Buddhism, were the three teachings of china until christianmissionaries brought their new religion to the East.It is believed that Confucius derived his sayings from Taoism, whose founder LaoTse, talked of moral duty and of ritual observances. For Confucius, learning to livea moral life was the key to his teachings, as well as setting an example to others.Again, a personal or transcendental God has no place in this teachinss.

VEDISM AND HINDUISM.The origins of these two religions are lost in antiquity. The spread of Buddhism

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-in India brought changes, but was never able to replace these ancient teachings. TheVedas, Brahmanas and Upanishads remain the most sacred books in India. But onlythe priesthood, called Brahmins, are able to read them. They alone study then andthen pass on their interpretations to their followers. Here we find an absolute God,called Brahma. Vishnu and Shiva are two aspects of this God and this trinity ischaracteristic of Hinduism" The Bhagavad Gita is one of their holy books. It is adialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, his wanior, in the fight between good andevil. In the end Krishna reveals himself as the reincarnation of the God Vishnu. Thisstory depicts the relationship of a human being with his God. The Bhagavad Gita islike a gospel in Hinduism.

GNOSTICISM"I now like to move on to some smaller religions that were popular around the

sane time as the early Christian church and who had an influence that has persistedto this day.

Individually, they were small religions or cults, but because they all followed thesame school of thought, they had a large area of influence. one of the oldest andmost persistent has been Gnosticism. This was a religious movement that infiltrateda number of religious traditions across the world, as it was known at the time.

We have Pagan Gnostics, Jewish Gnostics [Essenes] and Christian Gnostics.There are profound similarities befween these religions. They all speak of a DivineBeings that have been trapped in matter and of a continuous war between good andevil. This war originated among the "Gods", on a higher level of existence.

According to the Gnostic traditions, the world carne into existence when an evildemi-god, a creator god, turned from the true God and created this world that we livein" In Jewish Gnosticism this rebellious god is identified with Yahweh, the God ofGenesis" Gnostics believed that they were not of this world, but true descendants ofthe one true God. They saw themselves as sparks of the Divine Light, entrapped bythe evil creator, in this material world. Their goal, - or their salvation, - was toescape this world and its reincarnational treadmill through high moral conduct andthrough rejection of everything worldly. This would result in a union with their placeof origin, the heavenly realm.

The Gnostic Gospel, known as the Gospel of Thomas, reflects this outlook. HereJesus commands his followers to awaken to their true origin and he also teaches themhow to escape this evil world. He also speaks of his return to the place from whichhe has come.

Pagan Gnostics include such religions as Manaeanismn and Manichaeism.Mandeans take their name from Manda of Hira, a place somewhere in the regionbetween the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates. He was baptized by John the Baptistand called himself the Gnosis of Life. He saw himself as an envoy of Light"Mandeans are also called Nazarenes, a name which indicates their pre- Christian,

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Jewish origin.The Manicheans are followers of Mani, [2l6ADl, a former prince, who gave up

his life of luxury to teach his fellow men. His philosophy is very similar toBuddhism and to what Jesus and Zoroaster taught. It was his intentions to combinethe best of all three .religions into one. But, essentially, his message was Gnostic.The duality between good and evil and the knowledge of man's existence on thisdark place, together with the living of a pure life that would open the door to aheavenly home, were the basis of this doctrine.

MAZDAISM.Its founder was Zoroaster, who was born about 600 BC. His religion has lasted

into the Christian era and even today there exist small pockets of followers in Indiaand in the Middle East. His was another religion concerned with the very same issuesof duality, of spirit trapped in matter and of the enlightenment that would lead tosalvation.

The Cathars in the 13th century were the last of the Christian Gnostics. Therewere at least 60 different religions and cults that followed this Gnostic line ofthought. It is therefore not surprising to find that these religions impacted onChristianity. Yet, the Christian Church has always claimed to be unique and hasruthlessly and violently suppressed or denied or wiped out any link with otherreligions.

Lets take a look at some of these pagan props and rituals and ideas the ChristianChurch made its own:. the rosary, bishop's ring, the bishop's

ancient India and Egypt.hat and the shepherd's staff go back to

' Palm Sunday was copied from the Procession of Palms which glorified thesacred Kings of ancient Babylon,

. the priestesses at Nineveh cured the blind by applying spittle to their eyes,

' the goddess Demeter multiplied loaves and fishes, healed the sick, raised thedead and performed exorcisms,

. Osiris was described as the Good Shepherd,

. Mithra was described as the Light of the World,

. Dionysus was described as King of Kings and God of God,

' vishnu and Mithra were both Son of Man and the Messianic Energy. They wereall described as Saviours of the World.

. The Dionysions rites, practised in Alexandria, also turned water into wine.' Attis was the son of the goddess Nana, the great celestial Mother, who was also

a virgin. He came to bring salvation to mankind, but was killed, like so manyothers with the same mission. His body was eaten by worshippers in the formof bread and he resurrected as the God most High. His passion was celebratedat the Spring Equinox and his birth was on the 25th December., close to the

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Winter Solstice"Tlie 25th of March was made the Day of Enunciation by the Christian Churchand, of course, the 25th December became Christmas Day, Jesus' birthday,although it was well known that he was born in September.

To anyone who would like to point out to me that some of these gods were bornafter Jesus, and could have copied him, I say, that the Christian Cl,urch adoptedthese dates in 656 AD. I could give many more examples like these, but they are notreally important.

While Christianity may not be unique in its outer trimmings and its unimportantclaims about the historical Jesus, what we are earnestly looking for, instead, are theteachings, which form the core of any religion. And here we find in essence the sameimportant principles that have guided mankind throughout centuries. They are:. that mankind has been separated from its Divine Source,. that man is Divine in origin,. that he longs to return to his rightful place with his Divine Creator, and. that Jesus came to show us the way.This way will lead us onwards, through our own efforls with love and compassion,in this spiritual quest to reunite with God.

The Temple Socief has a distinct advantage over mainstream ChristianChurches. All the divisive issues about the life of Jesus fwhich can never besubstantiated] have never played an important role in our worship. No dogma orcreed is necessary to manipulate our thoughts- or to keep us in line. We are free toworship God according to the dictates of our innermost being and in the tradition ofthe Gospels, as our forefathers understood them.

end

Question: You have named some ten major historic Religions. What is the reasonfor such a proliferation of religions. Do you see it within us or outsideof us?

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Question: Are all religions depended on a life hereafter? Be it Heaven, Hell orReincarnation.

Answer:

Question: Are the makers of religions Gods, Prophets, or farsighted people? Andwhat is it they see?

Answer:

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CONCLUSIONSDietrich Ruff

For me personally, and I believe for all parlicipants, today's discussion has notonly been informative and rewarding, but also challenging. I sense that we all havebeen stirred by the various speakers' eloquent presentations focussing on theapplication of religion in life. Differing viewpoints and experiences were exploredin wide ranging and animated exchanges of questions and answers concerningscience, the intellect, faith, and traditions.

You have all heard what was said, and I will therefore not spend time attemptingto summarise it. Rather, I want to stand back a little and share with you somereflections from a broader perspective.

It seems to me that you and I, like the great majority of people, are on a joumeyof discovery through our inner world. We are continuing to search for answers toquestions about our identity, our origin and destiny, our purpose in the evolvingcreation. We keep looking for clues to our spirituality, our relationship with thecreative life-force we perceive as transcending all human horizons

Religion fills an inner need of striving for a higher level of consciousness. It maybe seen as giving our daily life a higher purpose, and as linking worldly humanexperience with the transcendental realm.

The basic tenets of various streams of religion and their unifoing elements arestriking. Nevertheless, the translation into common practice of the spirit of unityamong different religions stili has a long way to go. We, individually andcorporately, have more work ahead of us in bridging differences and in furlheringthe awareness that, after all, we are praying to the same God.

I am reminded of what Charles Colton said about man and relision:

"Man will wrangle for religion;write for it;fight for it;

any'thing but - live for it."

Living for religion is obviously easier said than done. But I believe it to be a

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challenge we are called to take up and deal with as a matter of priority.

For us Templers this is familiar ground, given our principal aim of seeking firstthe 'Kingdom of God'" Our discussion sessions, our seminars, our Sunday servicesand other community activities, are all intended to help us grow spiritually, so thatwe may become better at practising this kind of seeking in the ups and downs of day-to-day living.

It is in its application in real life that religion is put to the test. Mahatma Gandhihas expressed this succinctly when he said:

"A religion which takes no notice ofthe practical things in life,

and does not help to solve them,is no religion.rr

Finally, I find it encouraging that together we managed well to discuss a topiclike today's with mutual frankness and tolerance"

Of course, we do have differing views and sentiments. In a group like ours thisis to be expected.

But by open-mindedly listening to and learning from one another, I believe thediscussion today has become an enriching sharing-experience.

May it bear fruit.