Universalism: The Great Leveling Factor
by Carl Teichrib
Please visit his website at www.forcingchange.org
Skip down to Theosophical Society
Spiritually speaking, "universalism" is the idea that all religions have equal validity. As one interfaithist recently stated, "all spiritual paths lead up to the same mountaintop called God." It implies the following social guidelines:
Tolerance for all things -- except God's Word and values that conflict with the new "tolerance"
a central tenant of the New Age movement during the past thirty years–and of deep occultism for much longer.
Dr. Robert Muller, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General to three UN Secretary Generals, is a featured speaker at many New Age events and conferences. He is one of the most recognized individuals within New Age circles, and has consistently used his political influence to propagate New Age teachings. Speaking during the 1997 Global Citizenship 2000 Youth Congress, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Muller instructed BC youth and educators in ideology of universalism.
"The truth that was given by Jesus, by Mohammed, by these emissaries from outer space, they were really basic truths. And they were so great that the cosmos almost incarnated itself. This is why Jesus said, "I am the incarnation of the divine." And the Indigenous people, they called it "Great Spirit." So there was always this fighting to get the message from the outer universe to give us confidence and to tell us how to behave. This is why practically all the religions have a great contribution to make to the mystery of life.… The only trouble is that their followers, the disciples, they created around these spiritual messages a religion."
Muller also told this young Canadian audience,
"Behave correctly towards the Earth.… You are not children of Canada, you are really living units of the cosmos because the Earth is a cosmic phenomena… we are all cosmic units. This is why religions tell you, you are divine. We are divine energy… it is in your hands whether evolution on this planet continues or not."
Perhaps the greatest example of universalism comes from the world of Theosophy and Freemasonry. Theosophy, which has now existed as an organized spiritual path for over 100 years, was fundamentally involved in creating the modern New Age movement. Consider the words of Annie Besant, past president of the Theosophical Society, in her book The Universal Text Book of Religion and Morals,
"In all times, throughout human history, man has been searching for God, and the various Religions of the world are God’s answer to the search, made through men in whom more of Himself was manifest than is the case in ordinary people. These men are variously called Prophets, Rshis, Divine Men, Sons of God, and they may be thought of as composing one great Spiritual Brotherhood of God-inspired men, the Guardians and Teachers of Humanity. We should think of all of Them with reverence and admiration, whatever may be the particular religion to which we belong, for every one of Them brought the same Divine message to the world, taught the same fundamental spiritual truths, proclaimed the same changeless moral law, and lived a noble and inspired life. They put the one Message in different ways.…"
If Dr. Muller’s message and the words of Annie Besant sound, in essence, the same, it’s because they come from the same occult school. Dr. Muller has admitted, in his writings and in his speeches, that his philosophies are rooted in the teachings of Theosophy and its occult path.
In the worldwide brotherhood of Freemasonry, universalism is considered foundational to proper Masonic growth. While "universal religion" may not be overtly taught to the general membership of the Lodge, it is readily available to every Mason who wishes to study the Craft more in-depth. The following quotes are taken from two of the most respected Freemasons of all time, Albert Pike and Manly P. Hall.
Concerning Freemasonry and religious universalism, Albert Pike clearly stated,
"It reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses, the Law-giver of the Jews, in Confucius and Zoroaster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the Arabian Iconoclast, Great Teachers of Morality, and Eminent Reformers, if no more." (Morals and Dogma, p. 525)
"Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God who is above all the Baalim…." (Morals and Dogma, p. 226)
Manly P. Hall, arguably the most renowned Masonic scholar of this past century, wrote,
"The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer. He worships at every shrine, bows before every altar, whether in temple, mosque or cathedral, realizing with his truer understanding the oneness of all spiritual truth." (The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, p. 65)
Pike and Hall are only two of many Masonic historians and influential leaders who ascribe to the Craft the religion of universalism. Other spokesmen for the Lodge who teach on the universalism of all religions within the context of Freemasonry include,
If universalism is true, and all religions are equally valid, than the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ was pointless. Think about it, if salvation could be attained in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or any other "spiritual path," what valid reason would God have had in sending Jesus Christ, His "only beloved Son," to die?
It is wise to consider the sobering words of Jesus Christ, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)