Because we need
a special reason why a book is holy, it is easy to understand why there
are so many myths about the origin of holy books.
Humans often need these myths because truth and historical fact
usually seem to devalue the otherwise holy book.
The Book of Mormon was
written on gold plates by an angel, and information about its whereabouts
was delivered to a man when God and Jesus visited him.
This is true; in fact, it is Truth…for most members of that
denomination. Similar myths
about the Western Bible abound and any attempt to convince its believers
otherwise by pointing to well recorded historical fact are fruitless
because they need that myth to be their Truth.
In fact, as long as a people believe their Truth and heir belief
does not hurt others it must be the right thing to do to respect their
beliefs.
Church of the East
holds various books as holy, and the collection called The Eastern Bible
is especially dear to us.
Why? Probably for the same reason why others regard their holy
books as holy. Because its
contents speak to our mystical selves, uplifts us, liberates us,
challenges us, guides and purifies us.
Almost Every Writing Culture Has its Holy Scripture
Even though literacy
is regarded as common only during this century, some humans of this epoch
acquired the ability to write almost six thousand years ago. Almost
every first script was first used to write about humankind's relationship
(or attempts to relate) with God. We humans have been creating
Scripture right from the day we could first explain our mystical
experiences in pictures or writings. Theoretically, the world should thus
abound with Holy Scripture... but not quite.
Human groups like to
believe they have sole franchise to Truth. Combine this notion with
the human tendency to annihilate people who think differently than their
group, and add the political power that religion held over the past 5000
years--and we have an endless saga of the rise and fall (annihilation) of
dominant cultures--each bearing its own brand of religion and Holy
Scripture—each annihilating the other’s holy things.
Those cultures who are only now
learning to write like much of Africa for instance, inherit the Holy
Scripture of those who desire for them to join their group.
Christians and Moslems make it a holy crusade to sell their particular
Holy Scripture to these 'late writers'.
Whose Scriptures Are the Right Scriptures?
We trust God would
not let us live in darkness and therefore we know the essential Holy
Scriptures that should serve the human race will
be present with us at the right time. When is the right time?
For you and me the right time is now, of course. Volumes and volumes of
holy books from traditions of the Avesta, the Veda, Confucianism, Egypt,
the Hebrew, Buddhist and eastern and western Christianity are all
alive-and-well and serving their divine purpose.
Does this mean we
should embrace all these different cultural expressions of the One Truth?
Oh no! Emphatically not. The list of Holy Scripture is much more than any
person can get to read or understand in one lifetime.
"When
the disciple is ready the guru will appear", says the sage
of the Upanishads. We are brought into contact with that which we have
need of, and only that which jump at us as Truth, is truth for us at the
time.
For us, Church of the East,
the Truth of Yesu's teaching is compiled as the
Eastern Bible...we love
it, we cherish it in our spiritual silences, we grow through it, in it,
and by it...it assists us in Becoming in Christ.
We see the Golden Thread of Truth running through all Holy
Scripture to be ablaze in its Light especially in The Eastern Bible.
