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\chapter{The spiritual itinerary - In the search of Truth}

\begin{obeylines}\section{INTRODUCTION}

This \textquotedblleft{}Spiritual Itinerary\textquotedblright{} is directed to those who want to discover Truth, happiness and inner peace, peace of the soul; it is aimed at \textbf{YOU} reader, if you care for Truth.

This Itinerary entails three phases. The first two (the \textquotedblleft{}Preliminary\textquotedblright{} and the \textquotedblleft{}Awareness\textquotedblright{} phases) are a preparatory for the \textquotedblleft{}Spiritual Itinerary\textquotedblright{}. They are not indispensable, but recommended according to the disposition of each:

\begin{enumerate}
\item The PRELIMINARY is a psychological preparation for a good start towards the goal. Before getting started, you need to clearly know what you want and if you are motivated enough to reach the Truth.
\item The SELF AWARENESS phase invites and prepares you to enter and discover yourself, to realize your state of mind.
\item The SPIRITUAL ITINERARY itself places you before the Supernatural and opens up the path for you to reach it freely... if you want to...
\end{enumerate}

\section{PHASE I - THE PRELIMINARY}
Truth and happiness are inseparable: if you are in Truth, you should only be happy. If you are not, deep in your heart, it is because you do not have within you the true Light which warms and comforts the soul. The more truth we accumulate, the happier we are. Only \textbf{knowledge} of the Truth makes a man free (see John 8,32).

Before embarking on this path of research, make sure that you are in a good psychological disposition and that the time has come to get started. Carefully answer these three questions:

\begin{enumerate}
\item What psychological state are you in? And why?
(Happy or unhappy, due to your financial situation, your social status, your culture, your philosophical ideas, human love, etc...)
\item What spiritual state are you in? And why?
(Believer or nonbeliever by inherited thoughts or upbringing in a confessional community from birth, by habit, subject to the customs and prejudices of your particular society, etc...)
\item Are you satisfied with your state or would you like to evolve?
If you do not want to sublimate your existence, this Itinerary is not for you. But if, on the other hand, you long for Truth in order to evolve, you will have to make an \textbf{effort}. In this case, continue reading this Itinerary.
\end{enumerate}

Please note the following: if you have not \textbf{chosen freely and of your own accord}, your spiritual condition on a sound and objective basis, and if you have not embraced \textbf{your} ideas after a meticulous and conscientious research, you will be subjected to religious, racist, or other prejudices and will never flourish. Tossed around by ignorance, you will be easy prey to anxiety and nervous agitation, the unconscious fruits of insufficient and uncertain knowledge or total ignorance. These harmful fruits have generated religious, fanatic and religious wars, as well as pernicious sects having suicide as their ideal...

The brilliance of knowledge revives the human soul. Conversely, the darkness of ignorance atrophies it, rendering it lifeless and dissatisfied. This is reflected on the outside by aggressive and impatient behavior, or on the contrary, in states of sadness and depression.

A lack of certainty in your beliefs will expose you to doubt and a lack of confidence in yourself. Always on the lookout for that \textquotedblleft{}new thing\textquotedblright{} that might satisfy you, you will continuously face deception and will end up despairing real Happiness or be satisfied with the mediocre.

Be aware of this sort of sad \textquotedblleft{}nostalgia\textquotedblright{} that occasionally invades the soul: that state is fed by ignorance. It must be defined as the \textquotedblleft{}nostalgia of happiness\textquotedblright{}, of a happiness lost, but recoverable under its own conditions. Time is given to us to retrieve it through \textbf{knowledge}. Seek and ye shall find.

\subsection{The De-Conditioning Process}
To free yourself from the harmful grip of ignorance, you must first \textbf{de-condition yourself}, that is, to liberate yourself from the personality imposed unconsciously by your family and social surroundings. Therefore, forget your familial identity, your social rank, your past memories (good or bad) that mark you deeply; make a clean sweep of the prejudices which instill in you a false personality \textbf{to retrieve yourself}. Begin finally, to rationally and logically seek Happiness, the fruit of Truth. You are capable of knowing the Truth, to discern It, to free It from deceit.

You have intelligence. Use it.

You have a heart. Open it.

You have logic. Draw \textbf{your own} conclusions.

Continuously stimulate your enthusiasm. Add love and joy into it. Do not allow negative forces to paralyze you with laziness and fear of the Unknown.

Rise and take your first steps into \textbf{your inner} realm. It is yours! Do not feel like a stranger to yourself, or afraid, otherwise others will subtilize your soul.

With good will and perseverance, you will reach the Great Happiness that awaits you like a trophy at the end of the road, at the summit of the mountain within yourself.

\subsection{Indispensable Conditions for success}

\begin{enumerate}
\item A profound desire to know the Truth: no one can give anything to those who are not thirsty.
\item Sincerity: a full and conscientious commitment of will and intelligence to discover the Truth and to comply to it without hypocrisy and without restriction. To act in good faith.
\item Courage to break away, though gradually, from old habits, ideas, friendships and social relationships that hinder spiritual development and prevent the liberation of the soul.
\item You must begin from the principle that the Truth \textbf{is one and objective}; both a concept and its opposite cannot be true. No one can make his \textbf{own} subjective truth: the sun either exists or dœs not exist for everyone; it is the same for God.
\item Freedom of choice; but you bear \textbf{the responsibility} of your choice. Being capable of assuming this responsibility by valid arguments means having reached a trustworthy maturity.
\end{enumerate}

The main pitfall is to make for yourself a subjective \textquotedblleft{}truth\textquotedblright{}, illusory to your own size, rather than questioning yourself and trying to embrace the One Truth.

\subsection{Conclusion}
After having reflected on this Preliminary, do you feel ready to undertake the search in this spirit, not by mere curiosity, but by the firm resolution to change and become a new self? You will end up richer and mature to the point of no longer recognizing the old person you used to be.

If your heart says \textquotedblleft{}Yes\textquotedblright{}, do not disappoint it. Answer its call. You will, by perseverance, discover the world of Happiness in which so many no longer believe in and which, without being of this materialistic world, is nevertheless in this world, being  \textbf{in you}. It is for you to discover. Do not let yourself be distracted by the vicissitudes of everyday life.

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent An old Hindu legend recounts:
There was a time when all men were gods. But they abused their divinity so much that Brahma, the god master, decided to remove their divine power and hide it in a place where it would be impossible for them to find. The major problem was to find a suitable hideout.

When the lesser gods were convened to solve this problem, they proposed the following: “Let’s bury man’s divinity in the earth”. But Brahma answered: “No, it is not enough, man shall dig and find it”.

So the gods replied: “in that case let us throw the divinity into the deep oceans”. But Brahma answered back: “No, because sooner or later man shall explore the deep oceans, certainly one day he shall find it, and bring it back up to the surface.”

So the lesser gods concluded: “We do not know where to hide it, since there does not seem to be a place on earth or in the oceans that man should not be able to reach one day.” So Brahma said: “This is what we shall do with man’s divinity: we shall hide it deep inside him, the only place where man shall never think of looking.”

Since then, the legend concludes, man has circled the earth, explored, climbed, plunged and dug in search for something which lies within him.\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

\section{PHASE II - SELF AWARENESS}
Self-Awareness is a psychological work program, an effort of introspection that will help you discover yourself as you are, and prepare you to evolve into what you should be. It is a \textquotedblleft{}Psychological Itinerary\textquotedblright{} complementary to the \textquotedblleft{}Spiritual Itinerary\textquotedblright{}. I invite you to recur to it along the way, if you deem it necessary; its a measure of your state of mind.

Socrates said: \textquotedblleft{}Man, know thyself\textquotedblright{}. This is an invitation to become aware of your own self. What follows is an outline to assist you in exploring your inner universe.

A human being is composed of three vital complementary levels:

\begin{enumerate}
\item Corporal: relative to the physical and material aspects. It is the body.
\item Psychological: relative to the intellectual and emotional aspects. It is the soul.
\item Spiritual: relative to the supernatural. It is the spirit.
\end{enumerate}

The last two aspects are physically intangible, yet intimately linked to the body. A perfect harmony must reign between these three levels. Any unbalance perturbs the human personality. To insist on one plan and neglect the others disrupts our being. We must take into consideration the hierarchy that exists between these three levels: The most important is the spiritual followed by the psychological and finally the physical. This last part of our selves -the body- is certainly important. It is the tangible part of our person and can veil the rest of our personality. Being the most perceptible, the most immediate, the body risks overshadowing the rest as we often see. And yet, the body must serve as an instrument to discover our two other invisible dimensions, because they are of much greater vital importance. That is why we must be careful to make the body an instrument of discovery by disciplining, instructing and guiding it wisely from within, where the centers of the soul and the spirit lie.

Man's only obstacle, his only enemy, is \textbf{himself}.

\textquotedblleft{}Self Awareness\textquotedblright{} means to know oneself. We have to push ourselves to explore the depths of our being in order to discover our soul and spirit.

This task is both easy and difficult at the same time:

\begin{itemize}
\item It is easy because it requires no other means than ourselves, and other instruments as vigilance and determination to change ourselves to achieve inner harmony, at any cost.
\item It is difficult because of obstacles (conscious or subconscious) such as psychological laziness, the fear or refusal to discover ourselves as we are, and the attachment to materialistic and worldly pleasures. It takes a lot of moral courage to admit one's faults and wanting to be free of them.
\end{itemize}

A good way to reach self-knowledge is to apply the following three points:

\begin{enumerate}
\item Personality appraisal
\item Discovery of our complexes
\item Calm
\end{enumerate}

\subsection{Personality Appraisal}
It is an exercise that allows us to check our starting point, our progresses or our setbacks. This assessment maintains us in a state of dynamic evolution on which our transformation depends. The key to this transformation is the discovery of our state of mind, our qualities and our faults, like the following examples:

\begin{itemize}
\item \textbf{Qualities}: moral courage, desire for perfection, self-confidence, patience, tenacity and perseverance, kindness, love, altruism, sociability, joy, optimism etc...
\item \textbf{Faults}: laziness, carelessness, arrogance, vanity, sensuality, susceptibility, jealousy and envy, egoism, intolerance, fanaticism, avarice, lack of openness etc...
\end{itemize}

The unearthing of our state of mind is indispensable; it is the first step towards evolution upon which the remedy to be applied depends on. We should not panic upon discovering our faults, but calmly consider this state from which we want and can evolve, if we feel concerned.

The next step is to compare your current condition to \textbf{the ideal state} to be reached on the three vital levels of human personality, of which here is an overview::

\begin{enumerate}
\item \textbf{The corporal level} concerns physical life: vitality, health, robustness, good reflexes etc... On the alimentary plan, quantity and quality of food must be looked after to avoid overweight, which is the cause of many illnesses. The body must be cared for with physical exercise: \textquotedblleft{}a healthy body, a healthy mind.\textquotedblright{}.
\item \textbf{The psychological level} concerns the intellectual and affective life of the soul: 
- The intellect includes the realm of intelligence, the power of attention and concentration, memory, imagination, etc...
- - The affective life is related to love. Love of self and others must be balanced. A careful and selective social life -depending on the moral qualities of others- supports our evolution (read Ecclesiasticus 12).
\item \textbf{The spiritual level} concerns our spirit and is tied to the supernatural. It is the level that governs our whole personality. If we are well enlightened at this level, happiness overflows in our entire being. It is why this level is by far the most important. It must be discovered to give it the fullness of Truth. This is the goal of our research.
\end{enumerate}

Having become aware of our faults, we must, to each of them, apply the opposite virtue: to indifference, interest and motivation; to pride and arrogance, modesty and humility; to laziness, effort; to vanity, renouncement and simplicity; to avarice, generosity; to fanaticism, tolerance etc... To be happy, a price must be paid and in order to heal, a change must be made. It is pointless to criticize others, attempting to perfect them, to want to change the world without evolving yourself. The greatest revolutions begin  \textbf{in us} and \textbf{through us}. It is by evolving ourselves that we will succeed in raising others.

\subsection{The Discovery of Our Complexes}
Many people surrender along the way, due to some inner wounds that discourage them, some sentiments that sow confusion in the soul. These are the complexes.

Certain facts of life sometime mark us from our childhood. Following an emotional or other shock, their effects remains buried in our memory, producing powerful negative feelings (inferiority, superiority, aggression, guilt, etc...) Unbeknownst to us, they drive some of our actions, carpeted in a subconscious part of our soul.

The feeling of inferiority dœs not always mean a diminished moral worth. It is necessary to look for \textbf{the roots} of this feeling: physical defect, lack of affection, family drama, lack of culture, poverty, etc... On the other hand, one can feel superior without being it. These complexes cause discomfort in the subconscious. Our job will be to detect these complexes, to become aware of them in order to cure them; this is \textquotedblleft{}Self Awareness\textquotedblright{}. But in the beginning, courage is needed to admit what we are! Sometimes friendly or professional help (psychologist etc...) is needed, which is not always easy to find.

We must be able to discern the true source of discomfort that bothers us: is it due to our complexes or to the ill-treatment from others? We should not underestimate the effect that the behavior of others has on us. The system of modern society is not kindhearted. So you have to protect and defend yourself to live... or sometimes survive and learn to adapt to various situations.

This presupposes an objective observation of our own behavior towards others. We all tend to project onto others negative or positive feelings within us: \textquotedblleft{}we judge others according to ourselves\textquotedblright{}, without taking a step back and without arming ourselves with discernment.
For example: the aggressive person sees other people as aggressive and complains about it. Conversely, an honest person believes that everyone is honest and is surprised to be robbed by someone he considered honest. This can lead to great deceptions, especially in the affective domain where the heart is involved.

\subsection{Calm}
To overcome our faults, we have to work on ourselves with patience and calm. Accept yourself as you are! If we cannot accept ourselves, come to terms with ourselves, how can we expect others to accept and support us?

A culture of calm protects us from external attacks. We gradually progress towards self-control. He who manages to control himself, controls the most critical situations, he can appease violence and audacity, and direct diversions most favorably towards inner peace and social harmony.

Inner calm is favored by relaxation of the body and the mind, as well as with controlled respirations taught in yoga classes.

The effects of calm:

\begin{itemize}
\item It facilitates the normal functioning of the nervous system.
\item It increases the output of effort, while reducing.
\item It dominates impatience and the tendency to get carried away.
\item It promotes reflection and better decision making.
\item It reinforces assurance and builds self-confidence.
\item It attracts the trust of others.
\item It is a powerful weapon in facing adversities with higher chances of triumph.
\end{itemize}

\subsection{Practical Advice}
This simple appraisal can be written down in a personal notebook. Observe yourself with sincerity and objectivity, accepting help, if possible, by someone more experienced.
Perseverance will transform our personal, inner, familial, communal and professional lives with a lot of joy and love.

This process generates progressive results, but always certain and effective. Time is given to us for this. One should not be impatient or hasty to quickly reach satisfactory results. In doing so, we risk losing everything. \textbf{Normal} growth should take the time necessary to reach healthy maturity. A man cannot reach the age of forty without passing through his thirties.

Providence will help us in measure of our \textbf{faith} and \textbf{perseverance}.

Faith is the antidote to fear.
The worst is to be expected from fear; with faith, we hope for the best.
We must be confident in ourselves and in the help of the Creator.

\subsection{Meditation}
Meditate in depth, the following ideas:

Master Eckhart (German Dominican from the XIVth century) said:

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “… it is not outside, but inside, deep inside…”\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

The psychoanalyst Jung used to say:

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “One must patiently observe what happens silently in our souls, because every man has, by his own nature, within his own soul, something that can grow.”\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

Jung also said:
\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “The soul has, by its own nature, a religious function… the main task of adult education is to pass the archetype of the divine image, or its emanations and effects onto the conscious.”\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

Finally remember Socrates' words: \textquotedblleft{}Man, know thyself\textquotedblright{}. But this is not enough, as we can only know ourselves through the one and objective Truth. We should say: \textquotedblleft{}Man, know the Truth and thee shall know thyself\textquotedblright{}. This is what Jesus meant when He said: \textquotedblleft{}You will come to know the Truth and the Truth will set you free\textquotedblright{} (John 8,32). The Truth will only set us free if we accept It.

\section{PHASE III - THE SPIRITUAL ITINERARY}
This \textquotedblleft{}Spiritual Itinerary\textquotedblright{} is in four steps:

\begin{enumerate}
\item \textbf{God}: dœs He exist?
\item \textbf{The Religions}: are they all the same?
\item \textbf{The Choice}: the divine Revelation, the Bible (the Biblical Course)
\item \textbf{Happiness}: living in the discovered Truth
\end{enumerate}

We will examine these steps, one by one, methodically.

There is not much to say about the Happiness stage: it is the outcome of the Itinerary, the happy terminus that we want to reach. Here, you will find rest after your labors and will be able to speak about it better than I. Therefore, we will only study the first three steps.

Arm yourself with patience, focus your attention and your power of concentration in order to reap a fruitful harvest.

\subsection{FIRST STEP - God}

\subsubsection{God: dœs He exist?}
The first question to be resolved is that of God: dœs He exist or not? It is from there that the road forks: one for believers and the other for atheists. I suggest that you answer intelligently ten questions to personally make these discoveries.

Before thinking about these questions, it is important to take a step back to make sure that the answer is really yours, coming freely from \textbf{personal} research and logic, without external influence (religion, family, prejudices, material interests, etc...)

To achieve this, you must have already made the effort of liberation, of \textbf{de-conditioning yourself}: which I spoke of in the Preliminary.

Give yourself time to think. Never excuse yourself because of lack of time; we can always find the time and the means to do what we want. Time is given to us to seek the Truth. Let us not waste it elsewhere (TV abuse, sports games, card games, alcohol, etc...) Let us give important activities first place.

Place yourself in an environment favorable to reflection. Alone, in a quiet place -preferably mother nature- imagine that you have just been born. This means that you have neither a family identity nor a social status. Forget your name in order to discover your Self. There you are, all alone in this silence, surrounded by trees swaying in the breeze, listening to the murmur of the leaves and chirping of the birds. You are alone in the world. You peaceably become aware of your body, of your person. You simply, exist.

Answer the ten questions that I propose below. Take all the necessary time to answer them carefully. You may have an answer ready or may need to wait a long time to get one, to dispel any doubts concerning it. Never mind the time it takes, so long as it is well spent.
It is paramount that you never back down once you have discovered the Truth on a particular subject. Never give up, after having seen the Light, for material gain or from pressure by prejudices. Some may criticize and discourage you. But you, hang on! Insist on listening to your heart and your intelligence: do not abandon \textbf{your own logic}. It is important that you feel with certainty that you are answering freely, that you are using your own intelligence to reach a conclusion after careful reflection, just as a smart detective would do when faced with a complex situation.

Here are the questions; do an effort to answer them honestly, although you may judge them as naive:

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Do you believe in the existence of God? Why?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
This is the first question that comes to mind; from it stem the results of our research.

Commence, if this suits you, by not even using the word \textquotedblleft{}God\textquotedblright{}, and in your own language, give a name to this \textquotedblleft{}Vague Supernatural\textquotedblright{}: Force, Energy, Perfection, Beauty, Love, Chance, Fire, Light, etc... Especially since, etymologically, \textquotedbl{}God\textquotedbl{} derives from \textquotedbl{}Zeus\textquotedbl{} (the supreme god of ancient Greek mythology). This name was translated \textquotedbl{}Deus\textquotedbl{} into Latin, then given by the first Roman Christians to the Creator, it became \textquotedbl{}God\textquotedbl{} in French. 

So let us remember, if you want, this name for convenience. Do you believe in God? Yes or no? What are the reasons for your answer? You have to conclude yourself with a deductive and intelligent mind. For example: a policeman walks into a room, sees a body lying down in a pool of blood, and the room is in total disarray. What must his conclusion be? Another example: you think you are the only who has the key to your room. You leave the room and lock it with your key. You come back and notice a wristwatch on the table. What to conclude intelligently? Chance? Or that \textbf{someone else} has the key to your room? It is a certainty that \textquotedblleft{}someone\textquotedblright{} has entered. Only a stupid policeman would not see a crime in the first example and would not realize that someone else has the key to your room. It is with this same elementary intelligence that you must conclude what is concerned with the existence of God, starting from the existence of the world and the cosmos.

A physical universe exists. Where dœs it come from? The majority of believers base themselves on the creation, and its exemplary harmony to conclude in going back to the Creator. This was the case for example, with Voltaire and Einstein, the dean of modern science.

\textbf{Voltaire} said:

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “I cannot believe that the clock (creation) exists without the clockmaker (God).”\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

\textbf{Einstein} puts it this way:
\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. The one for whom this emotion is alien, who is no longer able to be seized with stupor, is only a dead man.
To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists, it manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in its most primitive forms. This knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiosity. The cosmic religious experience is the strongest and noblest stimulus for scientific research.

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the Illimitable Higher Spirit who is revealed in the smallest details, perceptible by our frail and feeble minds. That deeply moving conviction of the presence of a Higher Rational Power is revealed by the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.” (\textit{“Living Philosophies”, 1931; and “Des Savants Nous Parlent de Dieu”, by René Courtois, Ed. Foyer Notre Dame, Brussels})\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

I have cited these two examples -among so many others- from scientific and logical conclusions to help you intelligently conclude for yourself the real cause of the universe. Meditate them well.

As for atheists, they base themselves, among other things, on the existence of Evil in the world to conclude that God dœs not exist. This is a non-valid argument, because Evil is not an entity in itself, it is only conceived in relation to Good: Evil is a Good destroyed, amputated (crime, theft, physical or mental illness, etc...) Therefore, we can only discern hatred because we know love; and recognize illness in relation to good health. You will further discover that Evil cannot have its source in God, who is Perfect Good. You will also understand that Evil was introduced into the world by man himself.

Others claim that social disorder, religious wars and evolutionist theories are all evidence that God dœs not exist. And yet, this disorder and these wars are due to bad management and bad faith of man, and not to the inexistence of God. As for evolution, it would not only reveal a certain organized structure in creation, but the Programmer of this evolution: God. Furthermore, there is no rational proof of the non-existence of God.

Question: a watch, a car, a meal, can they be produced by accident? Similarly, can an organized and meticulous creation be the product of chance? It is up to you to respond intelligently! What would this chance be? And where dœs it come from? Let us call God \textquotedblleft{}Chance\textquotedblright{}.

If, at this stage, you believe that God dœs not exist, we can no longer help you in your search. Here, our spiritual paths part, but our human brotherhood must remain to build together, in harmony, our earthly City and society, accepting to be different and yet respectful of our mutual convictions.

But if on the other hand, you conclude that God exists, we can pursue together our search to get to know Him better, convinced, us too, of His existence. So pass on to the second question.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Is He Personal or Impersonal?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
A Personal being is all in all intelligent, conscious, and responsible; man, for example. On the other hand, matter, animals and plants are not. Animals are endowed with an instinct that is not yet intelligence. Bees, for example, build their hive in a hexagonal way, not by intelligence, but by instinct. They are, so to say, \textquotedblleft{}programmed\textquotedblright{} and cannot do otherwise, or surpass themselves to do better. It will always be like this for them. They are not capable of inventing a machine to gather nectar from flowers in their place. Furthermore, we do not put a dog in prison for biting a man, the animal cannot be held responsible for its actions since it is not a person. And again, we will never see a group of donkeys organizing a public demonstration to claim the right to a maximum load to carry and a limited number of working hours. This type of activity presumes intelligence.

To believe in a Personal God is to believe that He is Supreme Intelligence, Knowledge, Love, Consciousness, and Responsibility. (Reread the text by Einstein previously quoted)

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Is He alive or inert?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Do you think that God is alive, active and productive, or inert and lifeless like neutrons and protons, without intellectual and affective activity? 

An active and productive being is alive. We believe that there is in God an intensity of infinite life, total knowledge, perfect intelligence and love. He knows and perfectly loves His Self and His creation, products of His free love.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Is He Matter or Spirit?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Matter is perceived by the senses. It is detectable by instruments of precision. In the past, man worshipped the sun, the moon, idols, thinking that God was matter. We think that God is \textquotedblleft{}the Unlimited Higher \textbf{Spirit}\textquotedblright{} (Einstein). This Spirit can only be grasped by man's spirit, in the intimacy of his conscience, enlightened by intelligence and the love of Truth.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Is there a direct link between Him and us?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
We believe that a link exists between the Creator and his creation. It is a link of Cause (God) and effect (us, His creation).

Is this link established in you or is it broken indeed? Let your intuition answer.

If this link is broken in you, would you like to re-establish it?

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Can we get in touch with Him? How?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
This contact is possible and can only be spiritual, being between spirits. In the \textquotedblleft{}Awareness\textquotedblright{} phase you have seen that man is body, soul and \textbf{spirit}.

Some call this contact \textquotedblleft{}prayer\textquotedblright{}; it is a simple \textquotedblleft{}dialogue\textquotedblright{} with God. You must free ourselves from fearful worship and attitudes imposed by some religious leaders. These cults are inspired by paganism. God is a tender Father who desires to talk to His children frankly, yet respectfully.

If you do not desire \textbf{ardently} to restore this link with God, it will not happen.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Can He help you in your search?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
If you believe Him Almighty and Wise, you will conclude that He is able, even willing to assist you by enlightening you because he loves His creation: He loves you ardently.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Are you ready to ask for His help?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Some prefer to look for God alone, without God's help.

As for us, we are convinced that no one can, all alone, discover and understand God. Human science already surpasses us, and we have recourse to various scientific institutes and teachers to understand a small part of creation; all the more so when it comes to the Creator. It takes a certain humility to have recourse to God in order to know Him, because He, and He alone can reveal Himself to those who love Him. We already so often find it difficult to understand man. Also, if God dœs not reveal Himself, we can neither understand Him nor know Him.

Contact Him through your heart, from all your heart and tell Him: \textquotedblleft{}Please help me, to know You, to love You\textquotedblright{}. You will discover that He is sensitive to love, tenderness and humility as many are.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Is He silent, hidden and elusive, or dœs He reveal Himself?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
God expresses himself not only in Himself, but also to those who seek Him. He cannot be indifferent to the man He created. We are convinced that God yearns to contact man and longs to reestablish the bond broken by man throughout History. Being a Personal God, therefore intelligent and caring, He reveals Himself to those who seek Him passionately and desire to contact Him.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Has He revealed Himself in History?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
This is what interests us. We want to know if God has revealed Himself to men. In the multiple spiritual paths that present themselves to us, it is in that of Divine Revelation where God has revealed Himself to man, that in which we want to embark.

Without this Revelation, we would not have understood the veritable character of God, nor how He behaves with man. It is the prophets, speaking from God, who teach us that He is \textquotedblleft{}Good and Compassionate\textquotedblright{}, that He dwells in the hearts of believers; unlike the despot gods of various mythologies; external, distant and vague, with inhuman demands, and to whom animals, men, and children were offered as sacrifice.

Here ends Phase I of this Itinerary. We come out of it, believing in a \textbf{Personal, Revealing God}. We are, at this stage, at the crossroads of multiple religions which present themselves to us in the world. Which one to choose? We should get to know them first. Let us move then, to the Second Step: \textquotedblleft{}The Religions\textquotedblright{}.

\subsection{SECOND STEP - THE RELIGIONS}
Having completed the phase concerning God's existence, let us pass on to the religions.
There are multiple religious paths in the world. To be able to choose one of them, we must know them. They are divided into two groups: The \textquotedblleft{}Philosophical Religions\textquotedblright{} and the \textquotedblleft{}Revealed Religions\textquotedblright{}.

\subsubsection{The Philosophical \textquotedblleft{}Religions\textquotedblright{}}
These are not really religions, but individual trials, human quests in search of peace of mind. They were founded by noble souls such as Krishna, Confucius, and Buddha, who were driven by an ardent desire to purify their soul through detachment from the material. They set a standard of high morality: respectful of human beings, renouncing superfluous considerations. Purification rites (baptism, ablutions, incense, hymns, etc...) are supposed to lift the soul to peaceful zones.

Some practices conduct to reflection and meditation. Physical disciplines control body agitation, including breathing. These practices, found in \textquotedblleft{}Yoga\textquotedblright{}, are excellent and can be practiced without adopting creeds, such as reincarnation, the veneration of so-called sacred animals (white cows, monkeys, etc...) Such teachings are merely human suppositions. There is no divine revelation or prescriptions in these philosophical currents, not even mention of the unique God, of His qualities (good, just, merciful, etc...), nor of a divine plan to save man as in the revealed religions. An abundant literature exists on this subject. Here, I briefly present the most important philosophical trends.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Buddhism} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Buddhism was founded by Gautama in the VI century BC on the flanks of the Himalayas in India. At the age of 28, Gautama left his wife and family in the search for Truth. He frequented the various schools of Wisdom but did not find the Truth which he felt within himself. After having wandered for years, he sat down one day to meditate under a fig tree and suddenly entered an intense ecstasy, he felt overwhelmed, enlightened and he knew what he had to do. On that day he became the Buddha, the \textquotedblleft{}Enlightened one\textquotedblright{}, \textquotedblleft{}the Wise One\textquotedblright{}, the \textquotedblleft{}one who is awake\textquotedblright{}. He understood that he should not be attached to materialistic interests nor to worldly pleasures. At a glance, he perceived the vanity of strictly material preoccupations. He decided, on the spot, to pass this \textquotedblleft{}Knowledge\textquotedblright{}, this \textquotedblleft{}Light\textquotedblright{} (\textquotedblleft{}Buddhism\textquotedblright{}) to others.

In short, for the Buddha, the world of senses is illusory. Only our desire can attach us to it... and lose us. Pain comes from our attachment to the earth. Reincarnation is a process of punishment that aims at purifying us, by teaching us how to be liberated from materialistic fascinations. But the circle of reincarnations can be interrupted by detachment, the renunciation of pleasures. Having given up all desires, one then perceives the illusion and the vanity of sensuality, and henceforth becomes, enlightened, and thus has access to \textquotedblleft{}Nirvana\textquotedblright{}, which corresponds to the tranquility of the consciousness freed from the chains of bodily pleasures.

Buddha did not distinguish between legitimate bodily pleasures and noxious illegitimate pleasures which, being irregular and unbalanced, obstruct the life of the soul and spiritual joys. Moreover, Buddha did not see these spiritual delights that accompany the discovery of Truth, and its immense joy and living it. His Nirvana was limited to obtaining an undisturbed soul, a tranquil conscience. Now, if we must renounce the desires of vanity, we must on the other hand revive with enthusiasm for what is good, and discover all that can sublimate the soul. This feeling, desire, is a powerful engine; it is a part of human nature and must not be repressed. Without an enthusiastic desire to find genuine Life, we cannot thrive or do anything good; life on earth would be tasteless and becomes unbearable, meaningless.

More than a philosophy, Buddhism is a system of ethics, a correct way of life which consists of eight directives: righteous ideas, righteous intentions, righteous speech, righteous actions, righteous life, righteous effort, righteous attention and strict meditation. For a Buddhist, these directives form the \textquotedblleft{}Noble Path of Liberation\textquotedblright{}. Buddha never claimed that his teaching came from God. 

Divine Revelation teaches us that through true and pure Love of God and his neighbor, one reaches even higher summits than Nirvana. The latter may satisfy man's psychological life, his soul, but Revelation transcends this level and reaches the spirit. There lies our vital intensity, the highest and most vibrant summit of our being.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Hinduism} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Hinduism preceded Buddhism by approximately two centuries. The Buddha was Hindu in the beginning, but felt unsatisfied and sought elsewhere after frequenting many Hindu schools. After having been \textquotedblleft{}enlightened\textquotedblright{}, he decided to work alone in the search of Truth.

Hinduism is a system difficult to define. It has no list of doctrines common to all members, nor a unique philosophical system, no hierarchy and no holy books equivalent to the Bible and the Qur'an, no uniform ritual exists because Hindus are divided into multiple sects (similar to the many Christian and Muslim confessions). Every Hindu group has its own rituals and each Hindu follows the rituals of his group, according to the rules of conduct and worship established by the custom, particularly concerning food (often vegetarian), marriage and adoration of the gods.

Hinduism gives each individual nearly full liberty in the domain of speculation and research but imposes very strict rules of conduct. Thus, a monotheist and an atheist, a skeptical and an agnostic (unbeliever) can be good Hindus as far as they admit the Hindu mode of culture and existence. What really matters is the conduct, not a doctrine or faith. Gandhi -who believed in God- said: \textquotedblleft{}A man may not believe in God and still consider himself a Hindu. Hinduism is the pursuit of Truth without respite, and the Truth is God\textquotedblright{}.

Speculations vary as to the essence of the divinity. Some Hindus are polytheists, others are pantheists. Metempsychosis (the return of the soul on earth after death in form of vegetations, animals or human beings according to the degree of purification necessary) is generally taught, whereas Buddha admitted only reincarnation (the return in a human body). This was already a progress because the human body alone is worthy of a human soul.

Hinduism has a vague notion of an outright Spirit, neutral (neither male nor female), eternal, original cause and source of all that exists, and the end to which everything returns. This spirit is a \textquotedblleft{}Triade\textquotedblright{} or Trinity of gods, the \textquotedblleft{}Trimurti\textquotedblright{}: Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Conserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer who, by destroying an old world, generates new life at the same time). Furthermore, Hindus worship a host of minor deities, demons, spirits and sacred objects. The cow is considered a sacred animal. In addition to the few herds to provide milk and butter, there are a considerable number of undernourished animals, belonging to no one, who wander in villages and towns and are fed by donations from the faithful. The law prohibits killing them, even to shorten their suffering. During famines, some Hindus deprive themselves of their meager rations to give them to cows. Monkeys are also sacred animals and Hindus stoically endure their depredations.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Confucianism} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Confucius was born in China in the VI century BC. He was a politician and did not claim to be a religious reformer, not being really interested in the problems of religious life. His teaching is a high politico-military morality (behaving well with his enemies etc...) He believed in Heaven but refused to comment on the afterlife: \textquotedblleft{}Since you cannot understand life, how can you understand death?\textquotedblright{} He taught nothing about the spirits: \textquotedblleft{}Since we cannot serve man, how can we serve spirits?\textquotedblright{}, he also said. Nevertheless, he offered sacrifices to his ancestors \textquotedblleft{}as if they were physically present\textquotedblright{}.

The teachings of Confucius were aimed at generating \textquotedblleft{}a Superior Man\textquotedblright{}, cultured men who would follow \textquotedblleft{}the Middle way\textquotedblright{} and guide others in this Path of moderation in everything.

Confucius existed in a polytheist environment but taught that there is only One almost inaccessible Supreme Sovereign who makes his presence felt and decides the fate of those who can appeal to Him, beyond the various established creeds. Revelation on the other hand, teaches us that God is accessible and is willing to be contacted. Confucius' respect for the Creator led him to a spirit of tolerance based on a keen awareness of the immense gap between what man thinks he knows about God and himself, and what he dœs not know about it. Confucius never claimed that he taught on behalf of God.

In China, Communism fought Confucianism because the latter was considered too tolerant and moderate and also because of the worship of the ancestors.

There exists, moreover, an unlimited number of African and South American \textquotedblleft{}religions\textquotedblright{}, fetishist and sorcerer beliefs. What I have cited as an example of the grand spiritual currents, suffices to discern between human research and divine revelation. Briefly, all these religious expressions are attempts to grasp God, a human unconscious but urgent cry launched towards God: \textquotedblleft{}Where are You? What are You?\textquotedblright{} God answers by revealing Himself in the Holy Scriptures: \textquotedblleft{}Here I am!\textquotedblright{}

\subsubsection{The Revealed Religions}
In the Revealed Religions, God Himself answers those who seek Him. By this Revelation, the Creator presents Himself to be known as He is. This knowledge of the Creator elevates man to his own dignity, then to God in Whom is found the fullness of Truth, Happiness and Peace.

Among all the spiritual paths which present themselves to us, which one to choose? The one, of course, where God reveals Himself.

Three religions present themselves as revealed: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These three in fact, are but one religion, all being accomplished in the person of the Messiah, Jesus, sent by God to unite men of good faith of all races, colors and nations. Divisions between believers are due to fanaticism, ignorance, and human interests.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Judaism} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
4000 years ago, God intervened directly for the first time in our world by revealing Himself to Abraham, the Syrian. Through him, God formed a community of believers to make himself known and prepare for the Coming of the Messiah, Savior of all mankind. This community was given the name \textquotedblleft{}Jews\textquotedblright{}. Their religion is Judaism. They put down in writing their history and teachings in the Bible. Contemporary Jews are still waiting for this Messiah. They think he must restore the political throne of David and rebuild the Temple of Solomon. Not having understood God's plan for the spiritual salvation of all men, they rejected the universal messianism of Jesus.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Christianity} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
Christians believe in the Revelation made to Abraham. Christianity began 2000 years ago with Jesus of Nazareth, recognized as the universal Messiah by Christians. The first Christians were Jews convinced that Jesus was the expected Messiah. They carried this teaching to the four corners of the Globe. Of the many biographies of Jesus, only four were retained and considered inspired by God: the four Gospels. Letters were written by the first converts, the Apostles of Jesus, and treasured by future generations. These letters, as well as the 4 biographies of the Founder are called \textquotedblleft{}the New Testament\textquotedblright{} or \textquotedblleft{}the Gospels\textquotedblright{}. They were added to the Jewish Bible and considered by the Christians as an integral part of the Bible.

Throughout history, Christians were sometimes divided by human circumstances, sometimes by spiritual controversies. This gave birth to three large Christian churches: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Islam} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
In the VIIth century AD, Mohamed appeared, the prophet of the Arabian Peninsula. He spoke to polytheists of the region of the one God who revealed Himself to Abraham and then to Jesus. Mohamed presented himself confirming the entire Biblical message, witnessing that God had revealed himself to Abraham, and that Jesus is truly the Messiah. He condemned the Jews for their refusal in believing in Jesus. The Qur'an is the book of Islam.

So the \textquotedblleft{}three\textquotedblright{} revealed religions agree that God revealed Himself to men through Abraham. We will therefore study this Revelation more closely, starting chronologically: with the Bible. We will see the Books of the Old Testament, then those of the New Testament. Finally, you will have to read the book \textquotedblleft{}A look of faith at the Qur'an\textquotedblright{} which will prepare you to read the Qur'an.

\subsubsection{Reflection}

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{The books of the Revelation} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
This Spiritual Itinerary presents the reasons for our faith: it is based on Divine Revelation. We banish any sectarian and fanatic sentiments, being opposed to the teachings of this Revelation.
You who call yourself Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc... if you were not born in this path, would you have chosen it? And why? From your answer you will know if you will be able to decondition yourself or not. This deconditioning, this liberation is indispensable before undertaking the study of the Books of Revelation. Faith dœs not come through inheritance, but by a personal choice clarified by knowledge. If you feel liberated from fanaticism, considering all men equal and called to find the Truth, you can continue with an open mind to the objective search for the Truth. I therefore invite you to go forth with the study of the \textquotedblleft{}Biblical Course\textquotedblright{}.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{Atheists and faith in God} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
 Some \textquotedblleft{}atheists\textquotedblright{} think they do not have Faith. This is often due to some \textquotedblleft{}believers\textquotedblright{} who present a distorted and false image of God. In fact, many so-called believers, even amongst the clergy of different religions, do not reflect the \textbf{True} Divine Spirit. We believe that whœver genuinely thirsts for Truth will eventually discover God's true Face after \textbf{the indispensable De-conditioning effort} mentioned in Phase I of this \textquotedblleft{}Spiritual Itinerary\textquotedblright{}. So:

If you \textbf{truly} love God, you will inevitably end up believing in Him.
But if you do not love Him,
You will find a thousand and a thousand pretexts to refuse Him,
Masking your hatred by unbelief.
In short, it is all a question of love:
To love or not to love! This, indeed, is the question...
If you love God, you will certainly find Him!
Because He Himself will then come to you.
And to find God is to find Happiness!
'For in Him is found the Truth in its plenitude, Rest and Joy.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{The problem of evil - Why is there evil in the world?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
\textbf{God who is good, why did he \textquotedblleft{}create\textquotedblright{} evil?}

These are questions that we often hear. 
To find the answers we have to think very carefully and use our logic by starting, for example, by convincing ourselves that God, who is good, cannot have created evil; for every tree can only give its fruit.

\textbf{So, where dœs evil come from?}

A reflection on evil imposes itself. Evil is not an entity in itself, but a lack of goodness, an infirmity: sickness is a lack of health, blindness is a deprivation of sight, theft is a dispossession, murder is a deprivation of life, lying is a distorted truth, injustice is a lack of justice, irregular bodily pleasures are a deviation of human energy. All these infirmities prevent man from developing spiritually. Evil thus defined, it becomes clear that God cannot take pleasure in \textquotedblleft{}creating\textquotedblright{} it, nor takes pleasure in seeing his creatures suffer. He has no interest doing so. Any logical, impartial person can notice that.

On the contrary, God gave meaning to creation. There is an orientation, a direction to take in life: we must not go against traffic or drive too fast, or drink and drive, etc... in order not to hurt oneself or others. However, many refuse to take the path traced by God, and prefer to do what is only in their head. Therein lies the source of evil in the world. We drive at 200km/hr while intoxicated, we provoke accidents and deaths and... it is all Gods fault!!!

So it is man who introduced the bitterness of evil into his home. He never stops watering this maleficent plant with selfishness and a passion for power and domination. Man's lust is at the origin of wars between brothers. Man kills man his brother in order to dispossess him and subject him to his demands. And this, against the precepts of the Divine Creator. Whose fault is it then?

It is the Divine Revelation which, in the \textbf{symbolic} account of the fall of Adam and Eve, informs us of the source of evil in the world. Men and women chose to believe the bad advice inspired by the devil, instead of trusting divine instruction and attaining fullness of life. They thus introduced diabolical thought into the intuition of man. This was the first sin, the split between God and his creation. After introducing the unbalance between man and God, \textquotedblleft{}Cain\textquotedblright{} carried on the maleficent act by killing his brother \textquotedblleft{}Abel\textquotedblright{} and introduced evil between man and man his brother. God, who warned man, is certainly not the culprit.

God's goodness manifests itself towards sinners through the grace of forgiveness. This grace is symbolized by the \textquotedblleft{}tunics made of skins\textquotedblright{} that God gave Adam and Eve to hide their shame. Indeed, God reaches out his Hand to all men to take them out of their misery. But, he cannot force the hand of man who is free, and cannot compel him to do good, or prevent him by force from committing evil. Nor can God oblige man to seize divine grace, to take advantage of divine aid to save himself. He stretches out his hand, it is up to us to grasp it.

God solicits; He proposes. He never imposes Himself.

So man cannot be \textbf{forced}, neither to do good, nor to avoid committing evil. And this for two reasons:

\begin{enumerate}
\item \textbf{The Creator's nature}: God is not a dictator. He advises, but dœs not oblige his creatures to do good. Free Himself, He created minds and men in His image: 
\item \textbf{Human nature}: Man is neither a slave nor any animal; a dog that is tied or muzzled so as not to bite. Free and dignified, he must use his affective and intellectual faculties in his own interest and the general interest. To commit evil, man must lose heart and intelligence. This is the worst infirmity, because it is the source of all evil. 

It would be justified to blame the Creator if He had created in infirmity from the start. However, in the beginning, the creature, in its human dimension, was impeccable, but subject to evolve towards God. It was human pride that rejected any possibility of collaboration, any synchronization with the work of the Creator. Hence the imbalance and the source of all evil on Earth.

It is man who freely commits acts advised against by his Creator. He is a Father who wants no harm to man. What interest would He have in seeing his creatures moan? He is not a sadist. On the contrary, he never stops giving advice like a father, to avoid practices and attitudes that harm body and soul (drugs, illusionary pleasures, injustice, selfishness, pride, etc...)
\end{enumerate}

\textbf{Why did God create?}

Life, true life, that conceived by the genius of the Creator, is beautiful. He wanted us to share it with Him. The basis of creation is thus, an altruistic good act. Few bother to search in depth, to recognize their missteps which are the real causes of their misfortune, to overcome their harmful prejudgments. They would gain so much, if not all, by overcoming themselves. They would find themselves freed from misconceptions by an act of humility and objectivity. The one who seeks sincerely, objectively and with detachment, without bitterness or restraint, finds infallibly!

\textbf{Why then create, knowing that the devil and the fallen man should not enjoy life? Why then create, knowing that evil will come out of it?}

The Creator is free. Infinitely free. It is out of this movement that He created, thus expressing a feeling of infinite love for those whom He called to Life. Now, if He had not created, foreseeing -among minds and men- that creatures would become evil out of jealousy or defiance, then God would not have been free. He would have depersonalized Himself. If in fact because of such opposition, God had refrained from creating, He would have been subjected to enemies even before their existence. This is clearly illogical, because the Creator is infinitely free. As man can freely act within the framework of his nature, God can moreover do what He wants according to His \textbf{infinitely free nature}. The opposition of created nature is unable to curb the Almighty Will of the Great Architect of Creation.

Angelic spirits and fallen men are free to auto-destruct. But what God created was initially perfect, each according to its own nature. Such is the teaching of Holy Scripture.

In Jesus Christ, God gives back His eternal Life with immense love to those who collaborate in this redemption. \textquotedblleft{}No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends\textquotedblright{}, says Jesus (John 3,16; 15,13 / 1 John 4,9). Therefore, one should be humble and thankful enough to accept and reach out to grasp the grace offered for free. There are, alas, so few who wish to understand.

The wise man will be able to recuperate, through Jesus, what the devil, through Adam, managed to take away from him.

\subsection{THIRD STEP - THE CHOICE: THE DIVINE REVELATION}

\subsubsection{Introduction}
Having chosen the Revelation, we will deepen our knowledge by studying the books that speak of it. I therefore propose that you scrutinize the Bible by \href{/en/the-biblical-course/}{\textquotedblleft{}The Biblical Course\textquotedblright{}} and the Qur'an with the text \href{/en/a-look-of-faith-at-the-quran/}{\textquotedblleft{}A Look of faith at the Qur’an\textquotedblright{}}.

Only a pure heart will reach the end of the search. It is therefore to you, \textquotedblleft{}Pure Heart\textquotedblright{}, that I address and address this Biblical Course. You have purified your heart by \textquotedblleft{}deconditioning\textquotedblright{} it, you have liberated yourself from the chains of prejudice and hatred. Your thirst to know the naked Truth will lead you to hear its sweet and invigorating melody.

\textquotedblleft{}Pure Heart\textquotedblright{}, to you alone I address myself, to you who is ready to sacrifice everything to raise you up. To you who suffers from ignorance, who seeks to understand in order to love. To you who desires to resurrect from darkness and embrace the Sun. To you who is fed up of sleeping to the point of being determined to break the coffin of worldliness, to break with the mediocre and the banal. To you who discovered the illusion of vanity, who is ready to pay the high price of true Happiness and Truth, who has the will to persevere, to overcome all obstacles, to face all challenges in order to arrive to the summit and quench your thirst at the all-pure Spring of endless life. \textquotedblleft{}Pure Heart\textquotedblright{}, I address myself to you.

I offer you the fruit of forty years of study, research and fatigue. It is a fruit picked from the Tree of Life, \textquotedblleft{}Gold purified in Fire\textquotedblright{} (Revelation 3,18). He has given me the Blessings that I wish for you. If you come to taste it, know that you owe that to my spiritual family, and especially to my wife Marie-José and my spiritual children Beatrice, Philip and Mireille: I owe it to them to be able to present this course to you.

You may have tried to read the Bible, but difficulties kept you away. Do not be discouraged, because, to understand the Bible \textbf{according to the Spirit of God}, you need a trustworthy guide. The Book of Acts of the Apostles reports that the apostle Philip had asked an Ethiopian who was reading a biblical extract from the Book of the prophet Isaiah: \textquotedblleft{}Do you understand what you are reading?\textquotedblright{} The Ethiopian replied: \textquotedblleft{}And how could I, unless I have someone to guide me?\textquotedblright{} Philip then sat by his side and explained its contents (Acts 8,30-31).

This Biblical Course is a trustworthy guide; \textquotedblleft{}make it sit very close to you\textquotedblright{}, like Philip next to the Ethiopian, and follow it step by step, systematically and tirelessly, little by little each day. You will possess, in the end, Life through Knowledge.
Pope Pius XII said:

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “Ignorance of the Holy Scriptures is a wound in the side of the Church.”\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

Also, whenever you grasp an obscure point, this wound will heal, the lungs of your soul will expand and breathe the joy of knowing and understanding God a little better. And this knowledge will lead you to love which, in turn, will push you to want to know more about your marvelous Creator. You will then want to resemble Him, to have his Spirit, his mentality instead of your own, which is quite narrow. This is the \textquotedblleft{}Resurrection\textquotedblright{} and the \textquotedblleft{}Rebirth\textquotedblright{} of which Jesus speaks (John 3,5-7 and 5,25). Then the eyes of your heart will open and you will see Life at its Source. \textquotedblleft{}Happy are \textbf{the pure in hearts}, for they shall see God\textquotedblright{} (Matthew 5,8). To see God is true Happiness.

After the study of this course, with time, and if you are a diligent reader, the Bible will have no more secrets for you, and its Spirit will be \textbf{in you}, revealing to you directly, from within, the advice from the loving Creator. Because it will teach you, it is its goal, to live in permanence with Him and enjoy his warm company from hereon.

Because, in the end, the purpose of the Bible is to communicate to you a Spirit, that of God; this Spirit is God Himself in you. Biblical knowledge is not an end in itself; it serves nothing if it dœs not lead to the acquisition of the Spirit of God, in a manner He sees fit, wanting and loving Life, the true one. It is not a question of clinging to the material life of this materialist world, to its deceptive and always disappointing joys, but to spiritual Life, that of your soul. Open yourself to the Eternal world which you are called to discover from here below, this is the reason for your existence on earth. That is the great biblical adventure which you are about to undertake. May this adventure be your greatest ambition in this passing world, where only spiritual achievement remains forever.

Begin by buying a good Bible: \textquotedbl{}The Jerusalem Bible\textquotedbl{} or \textquotedbl{}Crampon\textquotedbl{} for example. Skim through it. At first, you will feel that you are a little lost. It's normal. Later, after this course, you will see that the Bible and yourself will be inseparable friends for life.

Yes, inseparable friends \textbf{for life}. Because do not imagine that you will discover everything all at once, once and for all, from the first reading, without ever reverting to this Sacred Book. The more you consult your Bible, the more it will be revealed to you; its Spirit will speak to you from the inside, especially if you read it with love and enthusiasm. You have to get used to spending \textbf{your whole life}, at least ten minutes a day, to read Biblical texts regularly, even after completing this course.

Never be content of saying that you have read the Bible 2, 3, 5 or 10 times, as some do, claiming that they \textquotedblleft{}know it by heart\textquotedblright{}. To speak in this way is to show that one has not understood the soul of the Bible. With the Holy Scriptures, we do not make a reading account of how many times we read the bible, but a daily and continual frequentation of their texts. Let not a day go by without you washing your heart by reading a text, just as you wash your face every day. To this day and after 40 years of diligent frequentation, I continue to discover a finesse here, a nuance there, which permit me to better understand the intention of the Biblical writer. And that brings me even closer to God.

In the appendix of this course, you will find a limited study of the Qur'an: \textquotedbl{}A Look of faith at the Qur'an\textquotedbl{}. You will see that the Qur'an is none other than the Bible, since it presents itself as a translation of the Bible \textquotedbl{}in manifest Arabic speech\textquotedbl{}, intended for Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula of the 7th century AD. At that time, they could not read the Bible since it existed only in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, all languages foreign to the Arabs.

Reading the Qur'an will free you from the sectarian fanaticism in which many wayward believers have perished and continue to perish, who, out of chauvinism, are content with themselves in reading the Bible alone or the Qur'an alone. You must know both, remembering that the Quran transmits the Biblical message, confirms it, and introduces the Gospels.

If I start with the Bible, it is because it precedes the Qur'an chronologically. The Gospel will give you an open mind, if you are docile, which will allow you to read the Qur'an objectively and without prejudice. You will find that those who slander the Bible or the Qur'an think that they differ from each other, or that they contradict each other; they are deluding themselves. So go ahead in telling yourself that you will read both books. You will understand that they convey the same message in a different language and style because they address different societies.

Application and diligence are the indispensable elements for your success; your spiritual and prophetic formation depend on them.

Let us go together now to the Biblical Prairie. Follow patiently this Biblical Course, composed of 15 lessons, and apply yourself to reading the chapters of the Bible whenever I refer you to them.

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{What is the Bible?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
4000 years ago, 2000 BC, the whole of mankind was unaware of the existence of the one Creator God. Man was a polytheist and each society had its mythology of multiple gods, with different names governed by a god, supreme master, \textquotedbl{}Baal\textquotedbl{} for the Canaanites, \textquotedbl{}Jupiter\textquotedbl{} for the Romans, \textquotedbl{}Zeus\textquotedbl{} for the Greeks, \textquotedblleft{}Ahura-Mazdâ\textquotedblright{} for the Mazdaeans (current Iran), etc...

The unique Creator had to reveal Himself, personally, to humanity to make himself known to it. Abraham the Aramaean, was the first man to whom God personally revealed himself around the year 2000 BC (Genesis 12,1-3). Were it not for this revelation, all of humanity would have sunk into complete ignorance of the history of creation and the identity of its Creator.

This divine revelation, made to Abraham, was a total upheaval for him and his entourage. Having occurred at a time in history when monotheism was unsuspected and unacceptable, when polytheism had its unchanging rules, rigid and lucrative cults, such a revelation was not at all suitable to everyone. Indeed, the various mythological clergy subsisted thanks to the offerings presented to the gods, and the manufacturers of idols profited very well from the lucrative trade of their products. Even today, in our society of the 21st century, the revelation of the one God upsets more people than it rejoices.

The Bible narrates the story of the dialogue established by God with Abraham, of the covenant between them, and of the first monotheistic society that resulted from so. The latter tried to explain, according to the scanty scientific light of the time, how God, He alone, created the universe. They also wanted to explain the source of evil and the reasons for human misfortune. This was preserved in writing in the Bible.

The lack of knowledge of the Biblical writers (the scribes) forced them to refer to mythological narratives, but by monotheizing their content. Thus, it is no longer \textquotedbl{}the gods\textquotedbl{} who created, one the sky, the other the sun, another the moon, the stars, the sea or the wind, etc... but the one God who revealed himself to Abraham, and He alone, by his Omnipotence, who created all things.

The first monotheist society deviated from the line drawn by God (1 Samuel 8,5-20 / 11,14-15 / 12,19). He sent prophets to bring it back to the divine path (Jeremiah 7,22 / Jeremiah 8,8 / Amos 5,21-27 / Micah 6,6-8 / Hosea 8,1-4 / Hosea 9,15). They announced that God will send a supreme prophet, the Messiah, to enlighten the whole of humanity, not the Jews alone, by the knowledge of God (Isaiah 42,1 / Romans 3,29), knowledge jealously retained by the first monotheist society (Acts 11,1-3).

This Messiah is Jesus of Nazareth, who has come to guide all hearts thirsty for truth towards the fullness of light. This is, in short, the Biblical story perfectly embodied in Jesus who says:
\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “… whoever listens to my words and believes… has passed from death to life.” (John 5,24)

“‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to me! Let the man come and drink who believes in me!’ As scripture says: From his heart shall flow fountains of living water…” (John 7,37-39)

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” (John 14,6)

“I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.” (John 15,11)

“Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11,28)\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

The Truth that we seek, the Happiness which we aspire for, are not found in cults, nor in doctrines, nor in religious or esoteric research groups, nor in buildings of prayer, but in the encounter and the welcoming of \textbf{the Person} who possesses them and distributes them \textbf{free of charge}, to those who thirst for them: Jesus the Messiah (Revelation 21,6 / 22,17). Jesus is the synthesis of the whole Bible. Any Biblical knowledge excluding him is in vain because:

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “Eternal Life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17,3).\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

\end{obeylines} \paragraph{What is the Qur'an?} \mbox{} \  \begin{obeylines}
The Qur'an presents itself like the Biblical inspiration \textquotedblleft{}in manifest Arabic speech\textquotedblright{} (Qur'an XXVI; The Pœts,192-196). It was addressed to the Arab world through the Prophet Muhammad. More information can be found in the text \href{/en/a-look-of-faith-at-the-quran/}{A Look of faith at the Qur’an} from which the following is an extract:

\textquotedblleft{}The trap, which the Christians and Muslims have fallen into, is to consider that the religion of the Qur'an is opposed to that of the Bible. The Qur'an is not responsible for this error. On the contrary, it is presented as a summary of the Biblical message, inspired to Muhammad \textquotedbl{}in manifest Arabic speech\textquotedbl{}, addressed to the inhabitants of Arabia, because they did not have -like the people of the Bible- holy messengers to warn them. 
The Qur'an says:

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “It is indeed a Revelation (\textit{the Qur’an}) from the Lord of the universe, brought down (\textit{from Heaven}) by the Trustworthy Spirit, upon your heart (\textit{Muhammad}), so that you may be a warner \textbf{in manifest Arabic speech}; it (\textit{the Qur’an}) is also \textbf{in the Books} (\textit{the Bible}) \textbf{of the ancients } (\textit{Jews and Christians}).” (Qur’an XXVI; The Poets,192-196)\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

It should be noted that the Qur'anic Inspiration is already found in the Bible, which preceded the Qur'an. The Qur'an therefore dœs not differ from the Bible, since it emanates from it. The only difference is that it was revealed \textquotedblleft{}in manifest Arabic speech\textquotedblright{} (Qur'an XIII; Thunder, 37):

\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “So also did We send it down \textbf{as an Arabic} code of law.”

“Thus We revealed to you \textbf{an Arabic} Qur’an, in order that you warn \textbf{Mecca}, the Mother of Cities, \textbf{and its surroundings}…” (Qur’an XLII; Deliberation,7)

“Or do they say: ‘He forged it?’ Rather, it (\textit{the Qur’an}) is the Truth from your Lord, to warn a people to \textbf{whom no warner had been sent before you}, that they may be guided.” (Qur’an XXXII; The Prostration,3)\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

\subsubsection{The Bible: The Biblical Course}

Please refer to our text: \href{/en/the-biblical-course/}{\textquotedblleft{}The Biblical Course\textquotedblright{}}

\subsubsection{The Qur'an: Look of faith at the Qur'an}

Please refer to our text: \href{/en/a-look-of-faith-at-the-quran/}{\textquotedblleft{}A Look of faith at the Qur’an\textquotedblright{}}

\subsection{FOURTH STAGE - HAPPINESS}
All the research work undertaken in this Spiritual Itinerary is aimed to lead to inner and profound happiness, that of the conscious mind to possess the treasures of eternal life. This happiness is the fruit of life with God, what the Bible calls \textquotedblleft{}Immanuel\textquotedbl{} and which means, as we have seen, \textquotedblleft{}God-with-us\textquotedbl{}.

This stage cannot be explained; to be understood, it must be lived.

You have received enough light to live the Immanuel and understand this Biblical word:
\par\vspace{0.5em}\begingroup\leftskip=1.5em\rightskip=1.5em\noindent “How good the Lord is—only taste and see!” (Psalm 34 (33),8)\par\endgroup\vspace{0.5em}

Meditate well: Matthew 1,23 / John 14,21-23 and Hebrews 9,28 / John 17,21-24 / Revelation 21,1-5 / Revelation 21,22-27.

Read the text \href{/en/the-universal-restoration/}{\textquotedblleft{}The Universal Restoration\textquotedblright{}}.\end{obeylines}



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