Sacred Texts  Oahspe  Index  Previous  Next 

Chapter XVIII

THE MEANING AND ORIGIN OF THE TERM, HOLY GHOST!

1. THERE came to Paradise, God's heavenly place, one, Taenas, a messenger from the chiefs of the so-called Holy Confederacy. God's chief marshal conducted him before God, and, being commanded to speak, he said:

2. Greeting to thee, O God. In behalf of the Three Sons of the Holy Ghost I come before thee to proclaim their words. I have been instructed by them, what to say, and I declare unto thee, O God, my words are their words.

3. First, that thou mayest hear us before we are adjudged; second, as thou claimest liberty to think and to speak for thyself, so do we all. And wherein error cometh of our proceedings, it is our own matter, and not thine.

4. As thou sayest: Behold the All Person, so do not we say; but we say: Behold the all expanse; it is but a shadow, a ghost. And for convenience sake, we name it, Holy Ghost.

5. Is not this our privilege? Who can deny us? Hath one man rightful dominion over another? Or one captain, or one God?

6. God said: Proceed.

7. Taenas said: And we be right, then shall we of our own selves judge what we will do. But if thou be right, and this thing be an All Person, thou art then His servant to do His will. Are these points true?

8. God said: It seemeth so.

9. Taenas said: And liberty to both sides?

10. God said: Yea.

11. Taenas said: When I was a child, I was helped to walk; but now I am strong, I walk alone. Wherein then shall not my judgment also walk alone?

12. God said: Proceed thou, and I will speak afterward.

13. Taenas said: We have seen in ages past, that peace hath been forever proclaimed by the followers of Jehovih; and that both on earth and in heaven such people become the sufferers and victims of tyrants of earth and of false Gods in heaven.

14. We propose war, in the name of the Holy Ghost, both on earth and in heaven. We can have no war with thee or thy people, on earth, or in heaven; for thou and thy people, angels and mortals, are all peace, warring not.

15. Our wars can be only with warriors. I put the matter thus: Thou hast a virgin daughter, and a villain assail her; thy doctrine is, to rush in and take thy daughter away from him; our doctrine is, to beat him away from her.

16. We behold evil Gods and evil spirits, assailing virtuous people on earth and in heaven. We propose to war them to destruction, for righteousness sake. More then are we to thy favor, O God, than against thee.

17. We dip our hands in blood, for sake of peace and virtue, for sake of liberty and knowledge. We shall say to the man of earth: Thou shalt become learned: To the es'yan in heaven: Thou shalt not return to mortals, but remain in thy place, and become learned and virtuous.

18. For which reason we come to thee, O God, that thou mayest know our foundation.

19. God said: Who then sayest thou, men and angels shall worship?

20. Taenas said: In this, we command them not. But we give them liberty to worship whomsoever they will.

21. God said: Thou hast said: Our doctrine is, to beat the villain away from the virgin; but what wilt thou, or thy example, teach?

22. Taenas answered: That an assailant deserveth punishment.

23. God said: And wilt thou say to the peaceful and virtuous: Take up arms, give your enemies torments?

24. Taenas answered: Yea, verily.

p. 679

25. God said: And by what authority, if they inquire of thee?

26. Taenas said: By authority of the Holy Ghost, and the Father (the Confederacy), and by the Son, that is, each and every Lord of the Confederacy.

27. For we shall teach mortals and angels that all things are by law; and the word, law, shall take the place of the term, Great Spirit, or Jehovih.

28. God said: Hear me, then, O Taenas, and in love bear my words to thy so-called Triune Confederacy, and to the high leaders, saying to them: thus saith God of Paradise, Son of Jehovih, according to the light of this throne:

29. Ye shall triumph for a long season on earth and in heaven; but not in the way ye suppose.

30. For ye will be forced to provide a worshipful head for mortals and angels. And it will come to pass, your three heavenly places will become known on earth and in heaven as the Triune Gods, or Trinity!

31. And the people will worship an imaginary figure of three parts, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. And this will become their idol; and he will be accredited with love, anger, jealousy and favoritism, war and destruction.

32. Because ye say: Give punishment to the wicked, ye open the door of all evil. For he, who hath a quarrel with his neighbor, will accuse him as deserving punishment. They, that are in darkness, and being mighty, will fall upon the weak, and slay them.

33. A quarrel will ensue in your three heavenly kingdoms, and ye will become as three false Gods. And since ye profess not the All Person, each of ye three Gods will be forced to announce himself as such.

34. For the rule applieth to all men and to all angels, that they, who deny an All Highest Person in the Creator, become establishers of idolatry unto themselves.

35. Thou hast said: We shall leave mortals and angels to worship whom they will. Why, then, is it not well to worship Baal? And Dagon? And Ashtaroth? And yet, these Gods make slaves of their subjects, that worship them.

36. Taenas said: Nay, they are evil Gods. We will deliver their slaves into freedom.

37. God said: Who is master, and who is slave? Either on earth, or in heaven? Why not abolish your Triune Confederacy, lest ye rule over others? And you profess liberty, why not practice it?

38. Because ye proclaim liberty as your chief object, ye will entice the unlearned and the truant and the idle and the lazy; for all these claim their weaknesses as the boon of liberty.

39. It shall come to pass, in the far-distant future, your kingdoms will be made up of the lowest grades. And they will pull you all down from your present high resolves; and ye will become tyrants and evil Gods yourselves, and meet the fate of all your predecessors.

40. The earth and the heavens thereof were given into my keeping, for the resurrection of all the inhabitants; but I have neither commission nor desire to accomplish dominion by violence. As ye have withdrawn from my kingdoms, it is an act of your own.

41. Even mine own grief at your secession showeth me, how short I am in comprehending Jehovih's ways. For I declare unto thee, O Taenas, and through thee to thy chiefs, that though your course seemeth evil in my sight, yet will it be proven in the distant future, that Jehovih will appropriate your labors to an ultimate good.

42. Thus said the God of heaven and earth: Go thou therefore with my words to the chiefs of the Triunes. I part with you all, as a father parteth with a son, that goeth into a consuming fire.

43. Taenas said: In reverence to thee, O God, I go to them, that pity thee for thy too peaceful ways.

44. Thereupon, Taenas saluted in reverence, and departed, going his way.


Next: Chapter XIX