--Previous Message--
: Well, Pete, I cannot discover anything New
: Agey in Spalding's fictional accounts of his
: imaginary visit to India...other, than
: supposing that New Agers are appreciative of
: Spalding's writing skills.

While Faz is updating Wikipedia re: Mr Spalding you might want to contact Amazon to ensure they correctly note the "Life and Teachings" books are FICTION because I can find no such indication on the relevant Amazon listing...

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Teaching-Masters-East-Vol/dp/0875163637

Can't find anything New Agey in Spalding's "fictional" accounts?? Let's have a look...

"Volume 1: Introduction of the Master Emil. Visit to the "Temple of Silence". Astral Projection. DING! Walking on Water. Visit to the Healing Temple. Emil Talks about America. The Snowmen of the Himalayas. New Light on the Teachings of Jesus. ISBN# 9780875163635

Volume 2: Visit to the Temple of the Great Tau Cross. Visit with the Master Jesus. DING! Jesus discussed the nature of hell; the nature of God. The Mystery of thought vibrations. DING!Jesus feeds the multitude. An account of a healing experience. Jesus and Buddha visit the group. DING!ISBN# 9780875163642

Volume 3: One of the masters speaks of the Christ consciousness. DING! The nature of cosmic energy. The creation of the planets and the worlds. The trip to Lhasa. Visit at the Temple Pora-tat-sanga. Explaining the mystery of levitation. DING! A doubltless convinced of the existence of Jesus. ISBN# 9780875163659

Volume 4: First presented as "The India Tour Lessons." Each chapter has text for study as well as guides to teachers for developing and interpreting the material. Among subjects covered: The White Brotherhood, The One Mind Basis of coming social reorganization Prana. DING!ISBN# 9780875163666

Volume 5: Lectures and articles by Spalding; also a brief biographical sketch. Partial contents: Camera of past events. Is there a God. The divine pattern. The reality. Mastery over death. The law of supply.DING! ISBN# 9780875163673"

Can't be looking too hard Alex or your knowledge of what constitutes New Age needs updating!


: It could be said that Spalding's “Life and
: Teachings” books were an attempt to assist
: his readers make the leap from viewing the
: divine mystery in purely Christian terms, to
: reflecting his understanding that God is not
: the captive of any religion, more so when
: Spalding emphasises the importance of love
: for one another, as the foundation of The
: Christ's message of hope, and redemption.
:
: end
:

Once again, as I explained HERE, incorrectly emphasising the SECOND commandment over or to the exclusion of the FIRST can lead one to an idea and expression of LOVE that emanates from the SELF (or something else) and NOT God! The human mind and will is easily given over to constructing it's own manifestos and opinions of what constitutes TRUE LOVE. There's no need nor is it good to "make the leap from viewing the divine mystery in purely Christian terms". We need only love and LISTEN to the Good Shepherd and He will LEAD us in the RIGHT direction...the RIGHT LOVE!....

"“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”"

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A1-21&version=NIV

Pete