Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Contemporary Models of Five Stages of Human Development
Jesus' Five Stage Model of Consciousness And How His Theory of Nature Provides t
he Key To Stage IV
Biblical References To The Five Stages Of Consciousness
The Gnostic Interpretation of Rm 8:29-30
Stage I of Consciousness
Stage II of Consciousness
Stage III of Consciousness
Toward a new Civilization
Stage IV of Consciousness
Learning From the Past
The Return to the Garden
Characteristics of Stage IV
Baptism of the Spirit
Practical Applications of Jesus' Gnostic Teachings In Stage IV
Reinventing Civilization in Stage IV
TRUE HAPPINESS
Stage V The Glory
Five Stages of Consciousness In Paul's Writings
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Contemporary Models of Five Stages of Human Development
Analyses of human development in stages of consciousness can be found in the wri
tings of prominent contemporary thinkers. Let us first review some of these cont
emporary models, which we can then relate to Paul's model.
It is appropriate to point out that at each stage of humanity's development, a n
ew and different "nature" emerges. This will be obvious even to the casual obser
ver. A human being whose basic focus is meeting physiological needs will seem qu
ite different from a human being concerned with gaining love or self-esteem. Cer
tainly, the human being obsessed with security will express human nature in a fu
ndamentally different way from one seeking self-realization. Human nature is not
static. It reflects the level of consciousness we attain. Nature intends that w
e all reach our full potential of consciousness. The wide range of human thinkin
g, however, demonstrates that some of us have evolved more than others.
Note: Experience teaches that Nature intends us to grow through each of the five
stages. Therefore no one stage is superior to the other, any more than college
graduates are superior to third graders because they know more. (They should kno
w more.) Life experiences and choices are the major determinants in expanding ou
r consciousness, not natural abilities, privilege, or education. This is extreme
ly important. If we believe human nature cannot be trusted, our social instituti
ons will reflect this belief. If we believe that human nature is good, we will b
uild social institutions that see good as a meaningful goal.
The growth of consciousness can be seen as a form of intellectual metamorphosis.
Just as a caterpillar is transformed through metamorphoses into a butterfly, so
is our consciousness transformed, from one stage to the next, by the right expe
riences at the right time. And just as a caterpillar cannot be considered less n
oble than a butterfly, lower stages of consciousness cannot be considered inferi
or to higher ones. Actually the higher one is, in consciousness, the less likely
he is to judge in terms of superior/inferior.
In Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, he recognizes that an individual stage c
annot be used to judge a persons worth. "The peak of the earlier stage must be p
assed before the next and 'higher' need emerges to dominate the organism [indivi
dual]. This [five step] sequence characterizes not only growth from childhood to
maturity, but the growth of cultures from subsistence to free expression. For t
his reason an individual stage cannot be used as an automatic value judgment on
personal worth, but is rather indicative of a benign social environment [note] Sud
den emotional or physical deprivation will cause 'lower' needs to reawaken." (28
B)
This is an important point to keep in mind as we briefly review some analyses of
human development. My argument is that civilized man is locked into Stages II a
nd III because we have not yet learned how to reason nonjudgmentally. Nonjudgmen
tal logic is the key that frees us to reason nonjudgmentally / lovingly.
Note: Later we will learn that human nature is not depraved, but rather deprived
, of a rational way to reason lovingly.
Abraham Maslow characterizes the stages of human development in terms of the pro
gressive satisfaction of a "hierarchy of needs": first, physiological "survival"
needs such as food, drink, and exercise; second, "safety" needs such as securit
y, order, and protection; third, the social need of "belonging," such as accepta
nce and love; fourth, personal enhancement or "esteem needs" such as self-respec
t, status, and prestige; and finally, the pinnacle of needs relating to "self-ac
tualization", self-realization, higher personal growth, and holistic fulfillment
. (29)
In his Hero With a Thousand Faces, the distinguished mythologist Joseph Campbell
traces humankind's developmental journey. We might summarize this journey in te
rms of five historical stages of progressive civilization: first, primitive hunt
ing people; second, tribes sharing together in the wilderness; third, the emerge
nce of conscience and the idea of moral law; fourth, the awareness of social int
erdependence; and finally, the realization that there is a divine existence whic
h indwells all of humanity.
Jesuit priest, and accomplished paleontologist, Teilhard de Chardin, in his The
Phenomena of Man, similarly suggests five historical stages of development. Firs
t is the pre-human hominid, which he terms "mentoid." This is followed, by a sec
ond self-conscious and reflective homo sapiens, whose emergence marked the begin
ning of civilization. (30) The third stage is characterized by the development o
f highly individualized persons, whose development in large numbers may be linke
d with the period of the Renaissance. According to de Chardin, we are currently
in the fourth stage, the age of transformation, (31) characterized not only by o
ur awareness of our evolutionary development, (32) but also a desire to integrat
e self with others and nature. (33) Beyond us lies a fifth stage, the "convergen
ce" or "mega-synthesis" of hyper-personal consciousness, oriented toward God, th
e Omega Point. (34) Teilhard uses the term "hominisation" to designate the proce
ss by which the proto-human evolves into the more human, toward what may be call
ed "ultra-hominisation," the future stage in which humanity transcends its curre
nt state. (35)
Still another model is offered by Lawrence Kohlberg in his analysis of moral dev
elopment. The first, or "preconventional" stage, exists before social awareness;
obedience to morality is instilled by punishment, and "good" is whatever brings
about the desired result. The morality of the second stage is determined by the
"conventions" of a society; the individual's interpersonal relations are guided
by the rules or conventions of the particular society. The morality of the thir
d stage has its legalistic basis in a social contract. The morality of the fourt
h stage transcends both particular societal conventions, and even the theory of
a social contract, and instead, is grounded in "universal ethical principles." (
36) A fifth and spiritual stage of moral development is only hinted at in Kohlbe
rg's early writing.
Ken Wilber adopts a similar pattern of spiritual development in his book, A Soci
able God. In order to maintain the parallel with the writers mentioned above, we
will condense his eight categories into five stages. Wilber calls the first sta
ge the "archaic," by which he means that consciousness is concerned with surviva
l and self-preservation. There is a certain "magical" or superstitious aspect to
consciousness at this level, suggesting a lack of shared reality. The second st
age is that of "mythic/membership" where the individual's identity is defined by
, and thus is not separate from, the group. It is only in the third stage that r
ational, self-reflective, and individualistic consciousness truly develops. In W
ilber's fourth stage, a new "inter-individualistic" consciousness emerges, with
a capacity for intimacy as well as personal autonomy, and an awareness of a univ
ersal community. The final stages are characterized by the development of (a) ps
ychic capacity for cosmic consciousness, (b) intuitive capacity for illumination
, and (c) ultimately transcendence of the subject-object duality. (37)
The Hindu saint, Sri Aurobindo, also offers a similar pattern for spiritual deve
lopment. One of his analyses is couched in terms of the origin of standards of c
onduct. (38) The first and lowest moral standards arise from personal needs and
desires associated with physical and vital necessities. Secondly, emotional and
mental cravings and imaginations provide the source of morality. Only in the thi
rd stage does moral consciousness develop to respond to law and the good of the
collective consciousness of the group, which at this stage takes precedence over
individual needs and desires. The fourth origin of morality is an ideal ethic:
here thought overcomes instinct, and one is called upon to recognize that the ne
eds of the individual are invalid if they conflict with the moral law. There is
still a fifth source of morality, when finally the Divine Law becomes the standa
rd and supreme law, and moves the human spirit toward its own concealed perfecti
on. (39)
What is remarkable about these various analyses is their similarity. We human be
ings begin almost as a "seed" of what we shall later become, and we shall develo
p beyond where we currently find ourselves. Along the way, we increase our aware
ness of both our individuality and our interrelatedness, as we are called toward
a higher goal. Accordingly, we are not yet what we are! We have yet to evolve o
r develop into the full potential the human spirit is capable of becoming.
Other similar models are outlined below:
In Hinduism
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Student House-holder Forest Dweller Renunciant Moksha
Student House-holder Hermit Sannyas Moksha
Shanta Dasya Sakhya Vatsalya Madhura
In Buddhism
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Recognize All Life as Suffering Recognize the Cause of Suffering is Desire Recog
nize Narvana Can Be Achieved Recognize the Way to Achieve Narvana Narvana
Unmanifest Manifest Unenlightened Enlightened Immortal
The Five Nafs of Sufism - Islam's "Mystical Core
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V
The Commanding Nafs The Accusatory Nafs The Inspired Nafs The Tranquil Nafs The
Perfected Nafs
Abraham Maslow's Psychological Model
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Physiological Needs Safety Needs Belonging Needs Esteem Needs Self-Actualizatio
n
Freud' Psychological Model
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Oral Stage Anal Stage Phallic Stage Latency Period Genital Stage
Conditioned Reflexes Habits Personal Traits Selves Total Personality
We can imagine from the functional equivalency of the above models that we keep
rediscovering the concept of stages in the development of consciousness, but fai
l to benefit from these models. If we did, we would understand that our present
perception of our political, religious, social, and economic reality is more the
product of lower stages of consciousness-than the truth of reality.
Psychologist Eric Fromm suggests we may not have yet reached our highest potenti
als of consciousness. "It is naively assumed that the fact that the majority of
people share certain ideas or feelings proves the validity of those ideas and fe
elings. Nothing is further from the truth. Consensual validation as such, has no
bearing whatsoever on reason or mental health. Just as there is a 'folie a' deu
x', there is a 'folie a' millions'! The fact that millions of people share the s
ame vices, do not make those vices virtues, the fact that they share so many err
ors, do not make the errors truths, the fact that millions share the same forms
of mental pathologic [consciousness], does not make these people sane." (40)
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Jesus' Five Stage Model of Consciousness And How His Theory of Nature Provides t
he Key To Stage IV
Jesus' parable of the sower (Mark 4:13-20) conveys how his teachings are receive
d according to the stage of consciousness of the receiver. What the sower is sow
ing is the Word, meaning the logos/mind of God. As soon as those on the edge of
the path (those in Stage I) hear about the word/logos, they let Satan [the perso
nification of evil] come and carry it away. Similarly, those who receive the see
d on patches of rock [those in Stage II] hear the Word [Jesus' logos/logic teach
ings] and at first, welcome it with joy. But because they have no root in them,
they do not last;.. When the first test or persecution on account of the word co
mes, they fall away at once. "For they have no moral conscience to persist. Then
there are others, [those in Stage III], who receive the seed in thorns, [meanin
g in a judgmental environment]. They have heard the word, but the worries of thi
s world, the lure of riches, and all other passions come in to choke the word, a
nd so it produces nothing. And then, there are those who have received the seed
in rich soil [those in Stage IV]. They hear the word and accept it and yield a h
arvest, 30 and 60 and a 100 fold." [Mark 4:13-20]
The key concept, upon which Jesus anchored his knowledge teachings, is that each
of us is meant to grow through five forms/states of consciousness and each form
is initiated by a consciousness-raising idea. Paul refers to growing our consci
ousness in CO 2:2: "it is to bind you together in love and to stir your minds, s
o that your understanding may come to full development, until you really know Go
d's secret [Stage IV of consciousness] in which all the jewels of wisdom and kno
wledge are hidden."
Note: a consciousness-raising idea is an idea that changes how we are conscious
of an experience rather than simply expanding our understanding of that experien
ce. We may, for example, know that we should "do unto others as we would have th
em do unto us." But, until we understand our oneness with others, we will contin
ue to be conscious of others as separate from us, making the performance of "The
Golden Rule" more difficult than it should be. On the other hand, if we knew ot
hers were one with us, following "The Golden Rule" would be simple, natural, and
even automatic. Another example of a consciousness-raising idea is learning the
"I" of self-consciousness, for it is beyond the comprehension of instinctual co
nsciousness, just as the consciousness of an adult is beyond that of an infant.
For example, an infant is not conscious of his/her self. The point is that there
is no reason to believe that we are, even as adults, fully conscious. The "grea
ter things" Jesus promised may be experienced only in a higher stage of consciou
sness than our present "adult" consciousness.
As mentioned above, contemporary psychological and spiritual models of five stag
es in the development of consciousness are abundant. Because these contemporary
models may be, in principle, parallel to Jesus' knowledge teachings about five s
tages of consciousness, let us keep them in mind as we explore the five stages o
f consciousness in Gnostic thought.
It is important to remember that at each stage of our development, a new and dif
ferent self or "ego" emerges. The nature of the ego of a person, whose basic foc
us is meeting their physiological needs, will seem quite different from the ego
of a person concerned with gaining love or self-esteem. The person obsessed with
security will have an ego that is fundamentally different from a person seeking
self- realization. So, the ego a person manifests depends upon his/her psycholo
gical stage of development.
Again, the fact is that many recognize that we human beings begin almost as a se
ed of what we shall later become and that we shall develop beyond where we curre
ntly find ourselves. Along the way we increase our awareness of our individualit
y and our inter-relatedness with others as we are called towards a higher goal.
Accordingly, we are not yet what we are. We have yet to evolve or develop into t
he full potential the human spirit is capable of becoming. As the poet says,
"Withdraw into yourself and look. If you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act
as does the creator of a statue he cuts away here, he smoothes there, he makes th
is line lighter, the other purer until a lovely face has grown upon his work. So
do you also: cut away all that is excessive, straighten all that is crooked and n
ever cease chiseling your statue until you see the perfect goodness established in
the stainless shrine." (41)
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Biblical References To The Five Stages Of Consciousness
In the gospel of Philip, "the moral significance of any act depends on the situa
tion, intentions, and level of consciousness of the participants." (42)
It would be odd if western sacred literature did not hint at the five stages dis
closed by the contemporary thinkers above. A clear example of these stages may b
e found in Paul's letters to the Romans, 8:28-30.
"For those God fore-knew [Stage I], he also predestined to be conformed into the
likeness of his Son [Stage II], that He might be the first born, among many bro
thers, and those He predestined, he also called [Stage III]; those he called, he
also justified [Stage IV]; those he justified, he also glorified [Stage V]."
According to Biblical scholarship, such as Peake's commentary 8: 29-30, this ver
se means that God "has" a plan for the perfection of man. In Peake's words, "Chr
ist's task is to bring man into son-ship-and service of God, to be a senior memb
er of a new human family in which all are brothers and sisters [the justified of
Stage II]. The formation of these men and women begins with God's call to them
[Stage III]. As they respond, they come into their right relation to God [Stage
IV], and that means that something of the divine glory becomes theirs [Stage V].
" (43)
In their biblical commentary on Romans 8:20-30, Gore and his fellow editors, off
er a developmental model similar to Peake's. Gore states that, "The history of t
he individual Christian is here conceived as a line (so to speak) stretching fro
m eternity through time through eternity. In this line, five crucial points stan
d out. One, God's prevision or fixing His regard on the yet unborn soul* [non-ra
tional beings in Stage I who are] "predestined" [to become rational beings in Sta
ge II] Three, His call, presumably conveyed by bringing the predestined within he
aring of the Gospel [Stage III]; Four, His acquittal, or absolution of the soul,
bestowed in consideration of its acceptance of the Gospel [Stage IV]; Five, His
glorification of the messianic kingdom [Stage V]." (44)
Paul focuses in on the three most relevant stages of consciousness in Heb. 4:6-1
0, Stages II, III, and Four, when he insists "that 'today' is the decisive time 'd
ays' signify three distinct stages in the process of spiritual [here meaning psy
chological growth] The 'first day' signify the hylic stage of immersion in materi
ality [Stage II]; the 'second day' represents the psychic stage of conversion [S
tage III]; the 'third day', the pneumatic 'day' signifies enlightenment or resur
rection [Stage IV]." (45)
Paul writes in his letter to the Romans in 8:19 that "the whole creation is eage
rly awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. The sons of God [Stage IV] are t
hose who are moved by the spirit (or Spirit,) whether the Holy Spirit or man's o
wn inner spiritual human spirit, 'man's higher moral and religious self." (46)
We can discern these same five stages of consciousness in the Gnostic Gospel of
Eugnostos the Blessed. The "unbegotten" refers to the fore-known (prehistoric no
n-rational beings of Stage I). The "self-begotten" refers to the first self-cons
cience rational beings who were rational but conscious-less (Stage II). The "gen
etor" refers to rational beings with a conscience who are called to go beyond re
ason and love unconditionally (Stage III). The Photogentor refers to Jesus as th
e first or prototype of someone who has internalized the high reasoning/logos of
God (Stage IV). He then teaches this higher form of reasoning to others. This i
s the key to the enlightened mind of the Pangentor, those who have reached Stage
IV of consciousness. When all reach Stage IV, the alpha-omega consciousness of
the Archigentor (Stage V) is achieved. (46A)
Note: Rm 8-23 "the whole creation groans (yearns) in birth pangs (Stages I - III
) for a better time (Stage IV). See 2Co 5:1-2) "Creation will one day be deliver
ed" Is 65:16 "set straight" Jer "God within" "do what I do not want" something i
s missing, set right, and day of adoption.
Gnostic Christians' goal is to "become spiritually* 'mature [meaning psychologic
ally perfect]', to go beyond elementary instructions towards higher levels of unde
rstanding. And this higher awareness they call Gnosis, which means 'knowledge' o
r 'insight'". "Valentinus urged Christians to go beyond the elementary steps of
faith, baptism, and moral reform to spiritual illumination [psychological unders
tanding]. His followers claimed moreover, to have received from his access to th
e secret teachings of Paul, the 'deeper mysteries' that Paul reserved from his p
ublic teachings " (47)
Jesus taught that we are all children of God and, therefore, have within us the
potential to be perfect and loving, like God. As the Bible says in Gen 1:27 rsv,
we are created in the "image of God." This means we are psychologically, not ph
ysically, like God.
As mentioned above, Jesus himself supports the notion of our potential to be per
fect and godlike in Jn 10:34-35 jbv. Here he says that it is not blasphemous, as
the high priests claim, for anyone to think that he or she can be like God-"is
it not written [argues Jesus that psalms 82:6 rsv says] 'you are gods all of you' an
d the scripture cannot be rejected."
If we are meant to become like God, as Jesus himself teaches, is consciousness,
as we now experience it, merely a stepping-stone to a perfected stage of conscio
usness? The answer is that the nonjudgmental rules of logic which Jesus' Gnostic
teachings provide are the key to the fourth and perfected psychological stage i
n a model of five developmental stages of consciousness. Let us now explore how
Gnostic Christians interpret 8:29-30 and how that interpretation infers the poss
ibility of our perfection.
In simple terms, Gnostic Christians identify the Five Stages of Consciousness ac
cording to the following principles.
Stage I refers to non-rational beings.
Stage II refers to rational beings without a conscience.
Stage III refers to rational beings with a conscience.
Stage IV refers to the expanded consciousness (enlightenment) achieved by using
both judgmental and nonjudgmental laws of logic.
Stage V refers to an amplified form of consciousness in which the whole is more
than the sum of the parts.
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Social problems arise when we derive our identity in opposition to other groups,
sometimes in a way that may be very childish and even destructive. The negative
side of Stage II is the 'us versus them' mentality endemic to the clan; "if you
're not one of us, then you're against us." Dogmatic 'us versus them' and vengef
ul thinking can exemplify our mean-spirited mentality in Stage II.
Like small children, in Stage II we are absolutely convinced that we are right.
It follows that we will be positively certain that those who disagree with us ar
e wrong. Anyone who disagrees becomes "they", or even the enemy. What is importa
nt to realize is that the source of this mechanism lies in the 'us versus them',
either/or, dogmatic consciousness of Stage II, which judges others in terms of
their difference from our own group.
Historical Examples of Stage II of Consciousness that Persist Today
In Stage II, our social institutions are based on logic justified by Plato's the
ory of nature. This does not work any better than trying to build a home with de
ntal tools. For, just as building a home requires the proper tools, so does buil
ding equitable social philosophies require both Aristotelian and nonjudgmental l
ogic, not a monopoly of one or the other. The perfect example of Aristotelian lo
gic distorting even the best of intentions is religious wars. For even though re
ligions are the shepherds of love and peace, they can become oppressive when pra
cticed in the context of Aristotle's judgmental laws of logic. It is our habit,
of trying to love in a field of Aristotelian logic, that pits the one true God o
f Islam, against the one true God of Judaism, against the one true God of Christ
ianity, and on and on.
Another good illustration of how Aristotelian logic interferes with the accompli
shment of worthy goals surfaces in our political arenas. Democracy, monarchy, th
eocracy, and communism, for example, are all supposed to represent the will of t
he people. However, all too often, hierarchical reasoning concerning power and m
oney turns most states into "oligarchies", governments controlled by privilege,
based on wealth. In practical terms, "oligarchies" are governments that are cont
rolled by special interest groups.
In Stage II and into Stage III, we tend to think of the past as the 'good old da
ys', when greed and lust for power came in second to honor and chivalry. History
, however, documents that even though attire and technology have changed, politi
cal institutions today are carbon copies of those in ancient Greece and Rome.
In Plato's book, The Republic, for example, he writes what is all too often the
case today. His account of oligarchical states is worth noting because its famil
iarity proves how little political life has changed over the last two thousand y
ears. According to Plato, wealth in an oligarchy is controlled by a select few,
"riches and rich men are honored virtue and virtuousness are dishonored." (52)
"Money is [generally] the ruler of success, and a leader is elected because he i
s rich not because he is a better pilot." (52) "To keep their power leaders of o
ligarchies side with the rich and the poor get poorer. The poor, however, cannot
rebel because their means of subsistence is controlled by special interests the
y cannot influence, period. Sometimes forced to sell all that he has, the poor d
well in the city of which he is no longer a part, being neither tradesman, nor a
rtisan, nor horseman, nor hoplite, but only poor helpless creatures [and] where
there are paupers, there are thieves and other criminals. [And I would add stree
t gangs]" (53)
Stage II people in an oligarchical state "are money makers who resemble one anot
her in their toiling and raving ways, [they think] only how lesser sums of money
can be turned into larger ones. The oligarchical man keeps up a fair outside but
he has only an enforced virtue and will cheat when he can." (54) "He will not s
pend money in search of glory [virtue]; so afraid is he of awakening his expensi
ve appetites and inviting them to help in the struggle; in true oligarchical fas
hion he fights [injustice] only with a small part of his resources, and the resu
lt commonly is that he loses the prize and saves his money. (434) [the oligarchica
l man] then, will be at war with himself: he will be two men, and not one." (55)
.
Oligarchies fall in Stage II and III because the goal of oligarchical men is "to
become as rich as possible, a desire which is insatiable [a desire which in the e
nd leads to their downfall because acting as if] their power rests on their weal
th [they] refuse to curtail by law the extravagance of the spendthrift because th
ey gain [through interest] by their ruin: they take interest from them and thus
increase their own wealth and importance There can be no doubt that the love of we
alth and the spirit of moderation cannot exist together in citizens of the same
state to any considerable extent, one or the other will be disregarded." (56) Th
ose who favor moderation will be reduced to poverty as those who have wealth inc
rease their power through interest. "Men of business stooping as they walk, and
pretending not even to see those whom they have already ruined, insert their sti
ng [interest] into someone who is not on guard against them and recovery [throug
h interest] the parent sum many times over and so [over time] they make drone and
pauper abound in the state." (57)
In Paul's time, politics and economics were little changed from Plato's, even th
ough classical Greece had fallen and Rome had risen.
The Roman Empire had become an oligarchical state in Jesus' lifetime. The human
dramas played out then would seem familiar to todays. Unfortunately, those drama
s, and Jesus' involvement in them, are so distorted, by myths and supernatural a
ccounts of history, that the everyday political life of Jesus and his Gnostic fo
llowers are all but lost.
The political environment in which Jesus lived was anything but supernatural. Wh
at was considered important in Jesus' time is still considered important today.
"Materialism, military industrial complexes, bankers, unions, business, politics
, and princely powers" and corrupt "world leaders" (Ref Eph. 6:12) were major co
ncerns. "Bankers proliferated and prospered, they paid interest on deposits, cas
hed checks, met bills for their clients, lent and borrowed money, made or manage
d investments, and fattened on such relentless usury [interest] that cut throat
and money lender became one word." (58).
It is apparent that Jesus did not share in the hierarchical standards of the Sta
ge II values of his time. Jesus, like Paul, considered interest-bearing capital
a ruinous institution that sooner or later funneled all wealth into the hands of
a few at the cost of the dignity of the rest. Is not money loaned for interest
by and far the largest form of welfare? Money does not work, yet when loaned for
interest, it gets paid for doing nothing. For Gnostic Christians, loaning money
for interest was not condoned. It was considered a parasitic practice. (See Usu
ry in Glossary)
"No one [Jesus says in Mt. 6:21-34] can be the slave of two masters: either he w
ill hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the
second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and money for where your tr
easure is, there will your heart be also so do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow
will take care of itself." Yet to this day, most Christians worry more about bui
lding retirement funds for tomorrow than sharing with others today.
In Stage II, Aristotelian logic distorts the best of intentions of all economic
systems. Who would deny that history overflows with examples of class struggles
in which, over time, the victors become as corrupt as the losers.
Capitalism, for example, is based on the idea that humans are competitive by nat
ure, and therefore, they will attain the highest of their goals through competit
ive economic systems. That's no problem, if we think of our highest goals in ter
ms of better ways to enhance the well-being of humanity. In Stages II and III, h
owever, we think in terms of individual profit. Similarly, the basis of communis
m is teamwork and sharing. Again, there's no problem with this idea, except that
most of us are in Stages II and III, which makes us more concerned with ourselv
es than the team.
The basic flaw in capitalism, communism, socialism, or whatever well-intentioned
economic philosophy, is not in the philosophies themselves, but rather in the c
onsciousness of those who apply the philosophies. Karl Marx (1818-1883), for exa
mple, was a well-intentioned political philosopher who gave birth to modern comm
unism. But, when Joseph Stalin, in a lower stage of consciousness than Marx, app
lied Marx' philosophy, Marx' ideals were lost and communism became synonymous wi
th terror. The same holds true in religion. The universal love that Jeremiah, Je
sus, and Mohammad taught is historically undermined by zealots, inquisitors, rad
ical fundamentalists, and terrorists.
The shortcomings of religion, politics, and economics in Stage II can be seen as
a product of Aristotelian laws of logic being inappropriately applied. As was s
aid before, ideas do not relate themselves. People relate ideas/reason. And when
we relate ideas solely on the basis of Aristotle's laws of logic, as we do in S
tage II, we build social institutions, that sooner or later, separate us, destro
y us, bankrupt us, and worst of all, lead us to think we are virtuous, when we a
re not.
Speaking of "the system" in a derogatory way can be equated to the affinity for
judgmentalness that the Aristotelian system of logic builds into our social inst
itutions. We can liken that judgmentalness in contemporary philosophical systems
to the "beast" in Plato's book, The Republic, as well as to the beast in the bo
ok of Revelations, for both are personifications of judgmental reasoning which,
without our awareness, controls our lives. The evil aspects of materialism, cons
umerism, colonialism, fascism, Protestantism, Hinduism, and all other 'isms' are
not the real problem. The real problem is the built-in inclination to judgment
that lurks in our institutions like an ill-tempered beast, waiting to devour us
when we let down our guard of love.
Philosophy must redefine itself when it realizes that its basic tool, reason bas
ed on Aristotelian logic, cannot be considered a qualified instrument with which
to do philosophy. Without this knowledge, society is at the mercy of chance, be
cause we would not know that how we now think and speak may be counterproductive
to the very things we love. We need to move into a new era of philosophy based
on both Aristotelian and nonjudgmental logic. Then, we will have all the tools n
ecessary to recreate civilization in such a way that we will feel safe and at ho
me.
It is important to remember that, in Stage II and III, we cannot live humanely w
ithin philosophical institutions built with Aristotelian logic. For when we use
only Aristotle's system of logic, our philosophies of religion and politics are
mined with judgmental reasoning. Our repetitive history of wars, racism, sexism,
and hypocrisy demonstrates that even the wisest and most noble of philosophies
will turn into judgmental institutions as long as we use the traditional tools o
f logic. For even though our social institutions are built to facilitate human n
eed, they are built with the tools of judgmental logic, which build into them an
affinity for judgment. This can undermine the stated purpose of even the most w
ell-intended institutions. Trying to build humane social institutions with Arist
otelian logic is like trying to cool down in a pot of boiling water. It cannot b
e done. To cool down, we need to put out the fire beneath the pot. To put out th
at fire, we need both Aristotelian and nonjudgmental logic.
Paul refers to those in Stage II of consciousness as "lawless" men (Second Peter
: 2:9), worldly people (Jude 10), peddlers of God's word (Second Corinthian 2:15
), the anti-Christ-meaning those opposed to Jesus' knowledge teachings (First Jo
hn 2:18), blind and short-sighted (Second Peter 1:9), disguised [hypocritical] s
ervants of righteousness (Second Corinthian 11:5), and in Gnostic terms as hylic
s-meaning "emerged in materialism" (59), self-begotten-meaning awakened to self-
consciousness, and sarkic-meaning materialistically driven.
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Stage III of Consciousness
Stage III refers to the "called", meaning rational beings with an awakened consc
ience. Human nature, at this stage, is reaching for perfection.
Biblically, Stage III begins when Moses gives the law, which establishes the eth
ical basis of right and wrong. This awakens our conscience, the inner voice that
calls us to do the law. In Stage II, we are rational, but conscience-less. In S
tage III we are rational and have a developed conscience. In this stage, however
, we still have the tendency to rationalize what we know is wrong. For that reas
on, James, in 1:8, refers to those in Stage III as "double-minded." Nevertheless
, openness, acceptance, and inclusive behavior generally exemplify Stage III.
The key to Stage III is the introduction of laws, and in turn, our conscience, w
hich is awakened by our moral responsibility to the law.
Stage III ends Biblically when Jesus reveals his Gnostic teachings.
Paul refers to those in Stage III in the development of consciousness as "the ca
lled", meaning those who are called by their conscience to be nonjudgmental and
loving. In Stage III these values are imminent spiritually, but intellectually,
they are often rationalized away.
In Paul's biblical model of five forms of consciousness, Stage III begins when M
oses gives the law to Israel and ends when Jesus revealed his theory of nature t
o the world. Paul refers to those in Stage III as "the called", for it is in thi
s stage that the law awakens in us our moral conscience, which ever after asks u
s to do good.
Lawgivers like Moses, Confucius, and the Greek philosopher Salon, were, for Paul
, more than teachers of wisdom. Their formation of a written code of ethics mark
ed a turning point in the development of consciousness for those codes establish
ed ethical criteria for right and wrong. It was in response to such laws that we
can find the origin of consciousness and its call to act in life- affirming way
s.
In Stage II we are lawless and therefore not morally responsible for we have no
laws to be responsible to. In Stage III we have knowledge of moral laws and are
therefore responsible to them. By moral, Gnostics mean 'life-affirming,' or, as
Dr. Albert Schwietzer said "the fundamental principle of morality [is] that good
consists in maintaining, promoting, and enhancing life, and that destroying, in
juring, and limiting life are evil." (60)
It is in our third stage in the development of consciousness that we become awar
e of our inner God-self, whose nature is love. We have discovered our God-self i
n Stage III for our conscience is the voice of our God-self.
The consciousness-raising idea that initiates Stage III, then, is written laws,
for they reform the consciousness of Stage II by adding a conscience. In effect,
the law transforms our rational, but conscience-less form of consciousness, int
o the moral form of consciousness of Stage III.
In Stage III we are no longer driven by dogmatic and judgmental reasoning. Our c
onscience tempers our judgments. We still judge, but in a context of compassion,
empathy, and openness to others. It is in Stage III where we begin to value div
ersity and even equal but opposite virtues. As Neal Bohr, father of quantum mech
anics, has confirmed, "the opposite of a most profound truth may well be another
most profound truth."
In Stage III we longer reason in black or white terms as in Stage II. Our consci
ence moves us to favor gray areas where unconditional love and compassion reside
. Jung would agree because he believes "conscience [in Stage III] is the interna
l perception of the rejection of a rational choice." In Stages IV and V our reas
oning and conscience are harmonious. That inner harmony is the inner peace that
most of us pursue, but too often look for in all the wrong places. Plato says it
best. "We all seek the good, but know not the nature of it".
Most of us, stuck in Stage III form of consciousness, are not yet aware of Jesus
' theory of nature, which is the consciousness-raising idea that admits us to St
age IV. We remain, therefore, caught up in the dilemma of not being able to reco
ncile what we know to be the Good with what our reason tells us is the practical
and logical thing to do.
Paul refers to those of us who are stuck in Stage III of consciousness as "doubl
e- minded men [who are] unstable in all his ways". (Jn 1:8 kjv)
The Greek philosopher, Zeno, tells a tale of Achilles' race with a turtle, to de
monstrate the odd truth that two minds, the rational and intuitive, often oppose
one another, even though they occupy the same head. This illustrates double-min
dedness-two minds in one head-because we intuitively know that the athlete Achil
les can outrun a turtle, yet we can, through mathematics, logically prove that A
chilles can never catch up with the turtle.
What Zeno is trying to explain is the dilemma that the ego-self is often in conf
lict with the intuitive self. And if we can understand the cause of this conflic
t, we can identify the root of evil, for evil lurks in our ability to rationaliz
e away what we intuitively know is right.
The key to reconciling the two minds is the key to Stage IV. This reconciliation
brings the ego into harmony with the intuitive self, and in turn, the god-self
because in Stage III the intuitive self is synonymous with the god-self.
Stage III may be likened to the "young adult" stage of humanity. Wilber characte
rizes this stage as when "individual consciousness truly develops." Sri Aurobind
o says "moral consciousness develops [and] takes precedence over individual needs
and desires" in this stage. It is in Stage III, then, that the conscience makes
itself heard, and its moral nature known, through our self-conscious ego/mind.
Ideological systems in Stage III would have us believe that our "salvation" lies
in believing some doctrine, whether political, religious, or economic. But in t
he great and universal myths of judgment, from Egyptian to Christian, we are jud
ged not for our beliefs, but for our actions.
In Jesus' story of the Judgment (62), the sheep are divided from the goats on th
e basis of one very simple criterion: did they treat others as they would have t
reated him? Did they give food to the hungry, did they take the stranger in, did
they clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned? "Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (6
3) The sheep did, the goats did not. Those who will "inherit the kingdom," will
be those who draw no distinction between man and God, between the ordinary perso
n and Jesus. For to set the profane apart from the sacred, to distinguish the "m
ere" human being from the Lord, is to engage in judgment based on the categories
of either/or. In contrast, those of us who will be worthy of inheriting the kin
gdom must see in our fellow man both the human and the divine. Nonjudgmental log
ic is the way to this both/and reasoning. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita:
"I am the Self, seated in the hearts of all creatures." (64) "The true yogi obse
rves Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realize
d man sees Me everywhere." (65)
Characteristics of Stage III
Characteristically, in Stage III we care for most everyone, but spend our time a
nd money primarily on our families and ourselves. In Stage III we might demonstr
ate against abortion, but fail to demonstrate our concern for millions of starvi
ng children. We all too often voice our care, but give only enough to appease ou
r conscience. The result is, to paraphrase Plato, we save our wallets but lose t
he prize. Admittedly, it is not easy to clearly distinguish our reasoning in Sta
ge III from that in Stage II. We must ask: what is it that we understand at Stag
e III that we do not at Stage II? For one thing, we would experience a growing a
wareness that there is a whole to which both sides of an either/or conflict belo
ng. We would realize that when we act without consideration for the general good
of others, we are in Stage I. When we act on our group's behalf against the wel
fare of the whole, we exemplify Stage II consciousness. In Stage III we begin to
realize that we are part of the whole, but still find it hard to commit totally
to the well-being of those outside our group.
In Stage II God is often personified as a vindictive father; in Stage III he is
generally personified as a loving father. This is why in Stages II or III of con
sciousness we tend to look for some divine fatherly image-or superhero-to make e
verything right for us.
Jesus used the parable of The Good Samaritan (66) to illustrate the difference b
etween the consciousness of Stage II and the lower levels of Stage III, on the o
ne hand, and the later levels of Stage III and of Stage IV on the other. In his
story, a priest and Levite walked by a man who had been robbed, wounded, and str
ipped naked and left to die on a road. The Levite, who represents a conscious le
ss person in Stage II, did not stop to render aid. The wounded man was not a Lev
ite, and therefore not his problem. The Priest, who represents a person with a c
onsciousness in Stage III, felt bad about the wounded man, but feared more for h
imself and moved on. But the Samaritan, who represents a person who sees himself
in others (Stage IV), stopped and offered assistance. Jesus was illustrating ho
w we must become neighbors to one another without regard to our differences. Lov
e Thy Neighbor means that no one may be excluded from one's care and concern. Br
otherly love (agape) is to be extended to all people, even our enemies. In Stage
III we understand this, in Stage IV we live it.
Dilemma of Stage III
A Need For a New Nonjudgmental Logic
"A caution to everybody; consider the Auk: becoming extinct because he forgot ho
w to fly, and only could walk. Consider man, who may well become extinct because
he forgot how to walk and learned how to fly before he thinked." (67)
Why would those of us who have reached Stage III, continue to think in immoral w
ays? It is because we are logically limited to judgmental reasoning. The secret
of how to transcend judgmental reasoning lies precisely in reasoning in terms of
both/and, or what can be called nonjudgmental categories of reasoning. Jesus' t
heory of nature lays the foundation for this type of reasoning. But again, I am
getting ahead of myself. Let me continue setting the stage upon which Jesus' the
ory will be presented.
Nearly two thousand years have passed since Jesus inaugurated the entrance into
this fourth stage, and initiated it by being its exemplar. Of course, many of us
are still in Stage II, and a smaller number of us still linger in Stage I. But
it would seem that an increasing number of us are ready to enter into the next h
igher stage of development, the stage of the perfected adult who has reached his
or her full potential for being fully human-Stage IV of consciousness.
Experience has taught us that trying to change our thinking by rejecting the min
d, or simply saying no to immoral rationalization, is at most, a stopgap solutio
n, but never a permanent one. Immoral judgments will never be fully overcome unt
il we overcome our ancient affair with judgmental either/or reasoning.
Gnostics believe that civilized man is ready to enter Stage IV. In Stage III we
mean well, and have a moral conscience, but have been held back because our judg
mental process of reason leads us to conflict and opposition. The key to enterin
g into Stage IV lies in our recognition that we must ally our ego-self with the
God-self through Jesus' knowledge teachings.
Paul recognizes the conflict between his reasoning mind/ego and his heartfelt fe
elings, or spiritual values. This dilemma demonstrates the age-old paradox of tw
o opposing minds in one head. In RM 7: 18-23, Paul states, "I can will what is r
ight, but I cannot do it, for I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not
want is what I do." Paul continues, "I delight in the law of God, in my innermo
st [God] self but I see in my members [meaning the ego/reasoning mind] another l
aw [judgmental law] at war with the [nonjudgmental] law of my [God-self] mind".
Here, Paul is setting the stage upon which Jesus' theory of nature will play out
its role as the reconciliator between the ego-self and the God-self.
I stress the word reconcile, because unlike other doctrines that prescribe metho
ds to quiet or escape the ego, Jesus' theory of nature is meant to elevate the e
go to the same level as the God-self. In actuality, Jesus' theory of nature help
s the ego catch up with the God-self, making mind/ego values harmonious with the
values of the God-self. This is what Paul is referring to in Romans 12:2 when h
e says, "be not conformed to this world [meaning our consciousness of the world]
; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [the ego-self] " This cannot be
overemphasized. Its meaning underlies the relevance of the intellectual understa
nding of Jesus' ministry, and is paramount to Gnostic thought.
Recently discovered Gnostic gospels teach that ordinary consciousness/ego can be
harmonized with the God-self. For example:
"Only when one's psyche, or ordinary consciousness [of Stages II and III becomes
integrated with one's spiritual nature [which happens in Stage IV] one can achiev
e internal harmony and wholeness." (68)
Gnostics claim that the renewal of the mind/ego that Paul refers to is the fulfi
llment of the prophesy of God's promise of a new covenant. Understanding that "b
iblical idiom differs from modern idiom in considering the heart as the seat of
intelligence heart is used in the bible where in English we should use mind or wil
l to say in the heart means simply to think (Romans 10:6), to reckon in the heart
is to plan (Genesis 6:5, Proverbs 6:18-19). When Yahweh gives Solomon breath of
heart (First Kings 5:9) this signifies not magnanimity, but intelligence " (68A)
Recognizing that 'heart' signifies the objective mind rather than our feelings,
I will quote Jeremiah 31:31-33 to show how Yahweh promises Jeremiah that he will
elevate the "heart," meaning mind, so it will objectively "know the Lord," the
God-self within.
"Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with
the House of Israel and the House of Judah, not like [Israel's covenant with th
e law] I will put my law within them and I will write it upon their hearts; [with
in their reasoning minds] "
Mt 22:14 (rsv) states that "Many are called [in Stage III] but few are chosen [m
eaning few reach Stage IV]". This passage suggests the resistance that those of
us in Stage III have towards giving up old beliefs for new ideas. For example, m
ost find it difficult to give up the ideas of a hereafter, better karma, superhe
roes, or a 'quick fix' through supernatural intervention, for the idea that Jesu
s' Gnostic teachings could change the world by changing the consciousness of all
individuals-one at a time!
The story of a drowned man entering heaven makes the point that we need look no
further than everyday miracles for God's intervention. A man is in danger of dro
wning but turns away rescuers in a boat, and later in a helicopter. After drowni
ng, the angry man approaches St. Peter at heaven's gate and demands to know why
God let him drown. "I prayed and waited, but God never came," to which Peter ans
wered, "Yes He did, but you didn't recognize Him. God was the man in the row boa
t and the pilot of the helicopter you turned away."
The point is that God is manifest in natural events (such as rescuers in row boa
ts), not just in dazzling displays of divine intervention, the latter of which w
e seldom see, the former of which we have the opportunity to experience everyday
. When we have evolved to Stage IV, we will see the divine in others and the wor
ld.
Biblical idioms for those of us in Stage III are found in Paul's terms, such as
double-minded men (James 1:18); those under the law (Colossians 3:5 and 3:19); h
earers (Hebrews 4:2); babes in Christ (First Corinthians 3:2); old covenant (Jam
es 3:4); third heaven [meaning Stage III] (James 12:2); unsteady souls (Second P
eter 2:14); and The Called (Romans 8:29-30).
Gnostics used the term "psychic," meaning worldly but capable of "conversion" (6
9), and sarkic, meaning of the flesh, for those of us in Stage III. In the begin
ning of Stage III we remain judgmental and materialistic, but to a lesser degree
than we were in Stage II. We can safely say that those of us in Stage III are t
he well intended who want to make the world a better place. Unlike IV's, however
, whose care is unconditional, we still spend most of our time and resources on
personal agendas. Actually, most of us in Stage III help only to the extent that
we appease our conscience, which in the end, "saves us our wallet but costs us
our prize."
We stand today at the crossroads between Stages III and IV of consciousness. Our
real hope is that enough of us have already made it through Stage III and are r
eady to make the transition to Stage IV. Jesus' theory of nature is the key to t
hat transition.
Jesus was the first to reach Stage IV through his own knowledge teachings. Those
teachings influenced thousands of people in the first three hundred years after
Jesus. By 400 AD, however, his knowledge teachings were considered heretical, a
nd sentenced to a silence that has not been broken until today.
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Toward a new Civilization
If nonjudgmental logic were taught to children on a global scale, it could lay a
foundation for an entirely new form of civilization. The first step in the tran
sition to a new stage, for the self individually, and for civilization collectiv
ely, is to recognize that the underlying source of our problems is hierarchical,
either/or, and judgmental reasoning. I have argued that this reasoning is the c
onsequence of Plato's theory of Forms and Aristotle's three logical laws of Iden
tity, Excluded Middle, and Contradiction, which evolved from Plato's theory.
After we recognize the source of our problem, the second step is to devise a sol
ution. My solution is the theory that some classes have more than one nature, wh
ich in turn, justifies a nonjudgmental system of logical laws. With these laws,
it would be logical and rational to assume that opposing opinions, values, and c
onflicting actions, when they are life-affirming, could be right. With the formu
lation of these new laws, it should be possible to transcend the judgmental reas
oning inherent in Aristotelian logic's either/or categories, which have become t
he paradigm of logical and rational thought.
We can call on the gods to save us, we can pray for enlightenment, or we can use
the power of reasoning, in conjunction with our spiritual understandings, to ac
hieve that change in consciousness which would usher in a higher form of civiliz
ation.
Nonjudgment will help us to see through the intoxication of individuality, pride
, honor, and success, to envision the whole in which we each are a part. We need
to weave a more durable and unifying cultural pattern of philosophy and religio
n, science and technology, music and poetry, wisdom and truth. When we can liste
n and learn from our fellow human brothers and sisters, we will have taken the f
irst step toward loving unconditionally. For in this openness we can accept the
ideas and values of others on their own merits, especially the most imaginative
and original perspectives of truth, from which we will be able to weave new cult
ural nets, with which to catch visions, of that which we cannot now even dream.
Jesus was serious when, in the Sermon on the Mount, he said: "Be ye therefore pe
rfect." (70) We have the potential for perfectibility. "The earliest Christians
and fathers of the Church would not have accepted Augustine's dogma of original
sin." (71) It is not through Adam that all sinned, as the great saint of Hippo b
elieved. Sin is an error in our consciousness due to our reasoning process. We c
an change that way of thinking: we can reason in nonjudging ways. When we cease
to judge our fellow human beings, when we stop holding them up to our imagined s
tandard, we can instead embrace them in friendship and brotherhood and love. Thi
s is the reasoning which morality is seeking; this is the reasoning which will m
ake a kingdom of heaven possible.
Most of the problems which arise in our world are the result of our perspective.
We must give up the perspective of human nature as greedy and selfish. Certainl
y, some human beings are like that, but these are the "little children" in the l
ower stages of rational growth, not mankind's more representative examples. Our
perspective must allow us to see in one another and ourselves the image of the D
ivine. Paul's letter to the Ephesians tells us that we are God's work of art and
are pre-ordained to live the good life. (72) Never has civilization been more r
eady or more able to achieve that good life. We have the means for universal edu
cation, the technology to meet our needs, and the philosophy of nonjudgment and
the logic of love to make this possible. This philosophy is not new. It was taug
ht by the great masters of religion and philosophy, such as the Buddha, the Chri
st, Krishna, Mohammed, Lao Tse, Confucius, Plato, Pythagoras, and the prophets o
f Israel.
Can our society survive its current crises? Most of us believe that radical chan
ges are needed to make society civilized and moral. There are those in religious
circles who are talking about Armageddon. Can our political and economic system
s survive the onslaught of crime and corruption? We look back with nostalgia to
the good old days. But they, too, were an illusion, for, greed was every bit as
much in evidence; poverty still claimed its victims; and every institution was s
ubject to moral decay. Albert Schweitzer called for a "renewal of civilization"
and a world view which would set us on "the right path." "The modern man is stil
l without any correct feeling for the full significance of the fact that he is l
iving with an unsatisfactory philosophy, or without any at all." (73)
Humanity is ready for a satisfactory philosophy and for the promise of a good li
fe. We are tired of the hate which produces ethnic cleansing, and the wars, like
that in Cambodia, which left millions homeless and sixty thousand maimed. We ar
e equally tired of relinquishing our streets to drug gangs, Washington to specia
l interest groups, and the Golden Rule to terrorists. We want a change.
Judgmental reasoning in our churches, educational systems, economic systems, and
societal policies are evidenced by the large number of us who still remain at t
he lower stages of moral and rational development. For example, 87% of Americans
are willing to do to the terrorists what they did to us.
Now is the time for the inauguration of a new way of life. The possibility of a
new world-view is at hand. Jeremiah, the Buddha, Mohammad, Gandhi and Martin Lut
her King, Jr. taught us that love was the only answer. Why not build a new world
order based on love and brotherhood, and nonjudgmental reasoning and acceptance
of differences? The choice is ours whether or not to form a new civilization on
life-affirming principles. We can choose to journey toward higher stages of mor
al and rational development, toward Stage IV, where we can all join together in
a kingdom of heaven on earth.
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Stage IV of Consciousness
Stage IV refers to "the justified," meaning those of us who are righteous or rig
ht-minded. Seeing ourselves in others, unconditional sharing, and always acting
in accord with our conscience exemplify the right-thinking of those in Stage IV.
Human nature, at this stage, is perfect, godlike, and loving.
Stage IV in Paul's five-stage model of consciousness began when Jesus revealed t
hat the root of evil was the prevailing theory of nature, and that His theory of
nature was the remedy for that evil. Jesus taught that the era of the justified
would end when nonjudgmental reasoning or righteousness was the norm globally,
for then the "glory," or Stage V, meaning doing on earth as it is in heaven, wou
ld become a reality.
The key concepts that initiate Stage IV's state of consciousness are knowledge o
f how the prevailing theory of nature justifies judgmental reasoning and how Jes
us' theory of nature justifies nonjudgmental reasoning.
Knowledge has consequences. The consequence of the knowledge Jesus' Gnostic teac
hings reveal is a new way of thinking. Jesus said, "marvel not that ye must be b
orn again," (John 3:7 kjv). By "born again," Jesus means reborn intellectually i
nto the renewed form of Stage IV consciousness. In other words, He was referring
to the rebirth of consciousness/mind, not physical rebirth.
In Charles Dickens' novel, The Christmas Story, Scrooge's discovery of his capac
ity to love, and the joy it brought, exemplifies baptism, or awakening to our Go
d-nature. Gnostics define baptism as that moment in which we comprehend Jesus' k
nowledge teachings and our consciousness is renewed/reformed. Water sprinkled on
the forehead at Gnostic Christian baptisms symbolizes purifying the consciousne
ss by washing away the judgmental reasoning that clouds our minds in the lower s
tages. The bright halo that crowns Christian saints symbolizes the presence of e
nlightened minds. Jesus was the first to be baptized into higher consciousness t
hrough his knowledge teachings. In effect, Jesus was the first fruits, or in Gno
stic terms, protogenitor, meaning new type of human being, that nature intends a
ll of us to become.
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Learning From the Past
"Every revolution was first the private thought in one man's mind and when that
same thought occurs to another man, it is the key to that era. Every reform was
once a private opinion, and when it shall be private again it will solve the pro
blem of the age." --Emerson
Let us remember those who went before us on that search and who passed on to us
their best and most noble ideals. We must think of progress as separating the pe
arls of truth and wisdom from the useless shells which conceal their beauty. Alb
ert Einstein once said: "I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on
the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order
to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving." (74)
Progress in Stage IV means learning the logos, or Reason of God, and using it. T
his godlike logic is the structure of truth which ties the cosmos together. We c
an reflect that truth more clearly in our rationality through nonjudgmental logi
c/reasoning, the fruits of which are clarity of vision, love, and brotherhood am
ong all human beings. In Stage IV we recognize that the values of others are as
sacred to us as to them. When all acknowledge that people are essentially differ
ent and at different stages of moral and rational development, we shall be able
to set charity in our hearts and nonjudgment in our minds. For if we are to love
, we must follow the injunction, "Judge not." In Stage IV we know the truth, tha
t a Kingdom of Heaven on Earth is possible when all follow the command to judge
not. Here, those who know the truth, wait as they teach others to catch up.
The key to understanding Stage IV is found in John 1:1-20, if we understand that
logos means the "word", or will, or creative mind of God, not Jesus personally.
John considered Jesus the first of a new type of human being who had learned ho
w to reason like God. In fact, John is saying that Jesus began at Stage I of con
sciousness, as we all do, then grew into Stage IV. He started out the son of man
, and then became the Son of God manifesting his growth. John also points out tha
t anyone can become Godlike, just as Jesus did, through Jesus' theory of nature.
"Jesus was the logos incarnate, the logos [word] functioning as man." (75) Most
think this means that Jesus was God functioning on earth. However, John's intent
ion was that the logos/reason of God was within Jesus, meaning Jesus reasoned li
ke God. John, like other Gnostic Christians, understood that Jesus had learned t
he way to bring his innate Godlike potentials of reasoning into everyday life. A
nd that anyone who understood Jesus' teachings could, like him, do the same thin
g, or, as Trimmel says, "make contact with divine reason." (75)
Let me support this by quoting the respected scholar Marcus Borge's translation
of the opening passage of the Gospel of John. Note: Borge will substitute the Gr
eek word, logos, where the English translation reads 'word.'
"In the beginning was the logos [the creative mind of God] and the logos was wit
h God, and the logos was God. He [the logos] was in the beginning with God, all
things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being
that had come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of all pe
ople He [again the logos] was in the world, and the world came into being through
him: Yet the world did not know him." (76)
"It is important in these opening verses of the Gospel not to think of word, or
logos, as referring to Jesus, if we mean Jesus of Nazareth. Reading them as Jesu
s is subconsciously encouraged by later Christian doctrine on the Trinity and by
the use of masculine pronouns in the Greek original and English translations. B
ut masculine pronouns are used because logos is a masculine noun in Greek, not b
ecause the reference of 'he' indicates Jesus. John is not saying 'in the beginni
ng was Jesus' as if John thought Jesus of Nazareth was present at creation, rath
er that which became incarnate in Jesus-namely, the logos was present at creatio
n-it was the logos (not Jesus) that was with God and that was God." (76) (Also s
ee note M in the Jerusalem bible.)
The point Borges makes is that John is telling us that the logos/reasoning of Go
d created all things and was the true light or intelligence-but, in Stages II an
d III, we do not understand it.
In verses 12-14, John teaches that the logos gave all who accepted it the power
to become children of God. This is what John means by "the word was made flesh."
In other words, the logos/reasoning mind of God was made compatible with the fl
esh, meaning our reasoning mind, the ego self. In verses 16 and 17, John gives c
redit to Jesus' "fullness" [meaning perfect understanding of the logos] for our
opportunity to access the logos within us. For "though the law was given to Mose
s, grace and truth [comprehension of the logos of God within us] have come throu
gh [Jesus' Christ message] No one [before Jesus] has ever seen [the logos of] God;
it is the only son [Jesus] who is nearest to the Father's heart [mind/logos] wh
o has been made Him [the logos] known [to us]."
According to Gnostics, the Trinity coincides with John's teaching that it was Je
sus who made the logos/logic of God known. In early Gnostic Christian understand
ing, "Father" symbolizes God in Stages II and III. The "son" Jesus made the trut
h that God was within us, known to us. With that knowledge, we, like Jesus, beco
me a "holy Spirit,"-a perfect and fully realized being, (Stage IV). The traditio
nal Trinitarian concept of God was "revealed only in the 4th and 5th centuries A
D and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief." (80).
In effect, Jesus' knowledge teachings bridged the gap between a transcendent and
external God and an eminent and internal God. In Stage II, for example, we pers
onify God, Yahweh, as a vengeful father. In Stage III, we personify Him as a lov
ing father. Jesus teaches "the truth" that the logos, or mind of God, is within
us, and is us. Understanding and practicing those teachings, then, is what awake
ns our consciousness to its full potential of perception, making us psychologica
lly, the perfect beings or holy spirits of Stage IV.
(Strength of an Eagle - Isaiah 40)
The Jesuit priest, John L. McKinnsey, states that "in between the flesh [meaning
the reasoning mind] and the holy [meaning the mind of God] there is an impassable
gulf-impassable that is, by man-but bridged by Jesus, the Son, who renders it p
ossible for men to be adopted sons. (81) The point that McKinnsey makes is that
Jesus bridges the gap between the reason of man and the reason of God, and anyon
e, who comprehends Jesus' teachings, can do the same.
Gnostics conclude from these opening paragraphs of the Gospel of John that Jesus
discovered an objective method to pattern his mind after the logos/reasoning mi
nd of God. Through his Gnostic teachings, Jesus empowered us to do the same. In
effect, the popular world-view of Jesus' time-that mankind was meant to be like
God-was, according to John, turned into a practical reality by Jesus' Gnostic te
achings. The point is, these teachings free us from the prison of self-deception
that judgmental reasoning creates. In our new-found freedom we leave behind the
Stage II and III illusions of separation, contradiction, and ignorance (sin), t
o enter a field of oneness and infinite wisdom.
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Characteristics of Stage IV
Stage IV comes, neither as a miraculous gift of grace, nor with a bolt of lightn
ing from the gods. It is the hard-won prize of our heroic journey of return, dis
covering within ourselves both our essential nature of Love and a system of nonj
udgmental reasoning which makes "doing on earth as it is in heaven" a practical
reality.
In Stage IV, we will have learned nonjudgmental logic, and therefore, embody wit
hin us its qualities. Those qualities include nonjudgment and love, non-discrimi
nation and unconditional acceptance, tolerance, humility, generosity, forgivenes
s, self-realization, and agape and the brotherhood of man. In the words of St. P
aul, we are to "put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion,
kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, . . . forgiving each other. (82) T
hese are not superhuman qualities added to us, but our birthright, when we come
into the fullness of our nature by reasoning lovingly. As Maslow says, "I think
of the self-actualizing man not as an ordinary man with something added but rath
er as an ordinary man with nothing taken away." (83)
What would our lives be like if we had not eaten from the Tree of duality, which
brings opposition and conflict into our world? What would we be if we had never
experienced a sense of separation and alienation from the Divine, Nature, our f
ellow human beings, and our own inner self? Indeed, what would it be like to eat
from the Tree of Life? Writers who describe the developmental path of human pro
gress give us a glimpse into the answer. Maslow talks about self-esteem, self-re
spect, and self-realization. We might add that the "self" in each instance is th
at inner nature whose expression is love. Joseph Campbell says that we are desti
ned to move into an awareness of social interdependence and, ultimately, the rea
lization that there is a divine indwelling presence in each of us. These ideas a
re echoed by Teilhard de Chardin, for whom the desire to integrate ourselves wit
h others and with Nature marks the transition into a new stage which culminates
in a spiritual consciousness. Both Kohlberg and Sri Aurobindo point to a stage w
here universal principles replace mere law; but Aurobindo adds that a further st
age is reached when the Divine Law, the law of love, moves humanity toward its p
erfected end. In Stage IV we realize that nonjudgmental logic is the natural law
of love, and therefore, Divine Law.
We learn through Jesus' theory of nature how to access our potentials to process
ideas/reason in Godlike ways. Utilizing that process can be considered enlighte
nment for it awakens our mind to its capacity for both judgmental and nonjudgmen
tal reasoning, which, in turn, harmonizes our ego-self with our God-self.
In the renewed mind/consciousness of Stage IV we understand that we are both an
individual/ego and our God-self. The ego is still the ego in Stage IV, but here
it is harmonious in thought with the God-self; and therefore one with it. And be
cause our God-self is one with all, we/ego are also one with all. (Eph 4:26 - "A
ll are one with Christ, no distinction between free man and slave" Stendle 27)
In John 14:20 Jesus himself recognizes our oneness with God, and him, by saying
"on that day [when you are in a consciousness of oneness] you will understand th
at I am in my Father and you in me and I in you."
In our new experience of-or awakening to-a consciousness of oneness, we experien
ce what was formerly considered 'other' in profoundly new ways. In our new consc
iousness our senses are flooded with oneness. The sense of separation and other
is replaced by joy, peace, and brotherly love that we cannot, in lower stages of
consciousness, imagine. This is what is meant by making contact with divine rea
son. This is what Jesus and other Gnostic Christians wanted to make available to
us. Their passion was for freedom and life, both theirs and ours. In their mind
s, they are one with us and, therefore, could be truly free only when everyone o
f us is also free.
In Stage IV of consciousness we do not become repentant and pious, we celebrate
being fully alive. The term, Holy Spirit, applies to being fully alive at Stage
IV, because holy means complete or perfected. Spirit, from the Greek word, pneum
atic, or soul, refers to the "psychological self." Together, holy and spirit, me
ans that we are psychologically perfect because we have regained our capacity to
reason like the gods. We have reached our destiny as human beings, which are to
"make contact with divine reason, and like God, discern ultimate truths." (84).
This is higher consciousness.
Again, Jesus says in JN 8:31-32 "if you make my word/logos [reason] your home yo
u will learn the [ultimate] truth, and the truth will set you free."
The Greek term, cosmos, can be translated in many ways. Cosmos can mean the univ
erse, the world, or our consciousness of the world. When we believe that we need
to give up the world (in the sense of giving up living comfortable and fun-fill
ed lives), we have misinterpreted scripture. When Jesus said, "the truth will se
t you free," he meant just that. He was not talking about giving up all the nice
things of the world. He meant giving up our lower stages of consciousness (cosm
os) in order that we can have more abundant lives. Instead of cutting ourselves
off from the good life, we can live the good life by advancing to Stage IV. In G
al 5:16-24, for example, Paul lists "self-indulgence fornication, gross indecency fe
uds, wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels" as things we give up when we
reach higher consciousness. He promises us "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness
, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control" when we reach Stage IV.
In First Corinthians 13:9-12, Paul explains how the transition from our present
consciousness of the world to the higher consciousness of Stage IV changes our p
erceptions of the world. "Once perfection comes (i.e. when we have reached Stage
IV) all imperfect things will disappear. When I (meaning the ego) was a child,
[Stages II and III] I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and arg
ue like a child, but now I am a man [in Stage IV] all childish ways are put behi
nd me. Now, [in the consciousness of Stages II and III] we are seeing a dim refl
ection in a mirror, [a distorted view of life]; but then [when reaching Stage IV
] we shall be seeing face to face the knowledge that I have now [in the psychic-
-Stage III] is imperfect; but then [in the pneumatic--Stage IV] I shall know as
fully as I am known by God " (85) In Rm 7:23 Basilides explains that "being of pne
umatic nature [those in Stage IV] 'do by nature' the law." (86)
Biblical terms that refer to those in Stage IV are "the justified" (Romans 8:30)
, "Sons of God" (8:14-19), "Body of Christ" (First Corinthians 12:22), "mature"
(2-6), "sealed" (Second Corinthians 1:22), "Men of sincerity" (2:17), "Ambassado
rs of Christ" (5:20), "heirs of God through Christ" (Galatians 4:7), "Partakers
of the holy Spirit" (Hebrew 6:4), "Perfect" (James 1:4), "Complete" (1:4), "Lack
ing nothing" (1:4), "Doers of the Word" (1:22), "Share the Divine Nature" (1:4),
"Renewed in the spirits of your minds" (Ephesians 4:23), "Equality with God" (P
hilippians 2:6), and "angels". (Jude 2:11).
Gnostic terms for those in Stage IV are pneumatikoi, which means psychologically
complete individuals, pangenitor, meaning the first universal man, and Bythos,
meaning the will, logos, of our life force in Stage IV.
I would add that many of the modern day references to higher consciousness, enli
ghtenment, and satori exemplify characteristics of Stage IV, learned through Jes
us' Gnostic teachings.
We can only imagine a world in which Hindus would truly see Krishna in the heart
of everyone; Buddhists and Muslims would respect everyone as they would revere
the Buddha and the Prophet respectively; and Christians would treat others as th
ey would treat Jesus. Not once or twice, but three times, Jesus asked his discip
le, Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Three times Peter answered tha
t he did. And three times Jesus repeated the same words, which were among his la
st recorded, in the Gospel of John, "Feed my sheep." What a world it would be if
we all fed the sheep of the world! What a world it would be if we all came to t
he realization that the divine dwells not only in some distant heavenly realm, b
ut also here and now, in our neighbor and in ourselves. "The kingdom of God is w
ithin you," (87) Jesus said. And so it is for those reborn with a renewed mind.
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TRUE HAPPINESS
Stage IV consciousness understands that self-interest is better served when ever
yone has access to every advantage possible. In the both/and categories of Stage
IV, we become one with others. In this I/thou relationship, we understand that
as we serve others, we ourselves are compensated. Ralph Waldo Emerson knew this
truth when he said, "it is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no ma
n can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." (99) .going to 1994
A to 95.
Ralph Waldo Trine (1866-1936) wrote,
"True happiness must come, if it come at all, indirectly, or by service, the love
and happiness we give to others life is not, we may say, for mere passing pleasur
e, but for the highest unfoldment that one can obtain to, the noblest character
that one can grow and for the greatest service that one can render to all mankin
d. In this, we will find the greatest pleasure, for in this the only real pleasu
re lies. " (100)
America's first and foremost expert on near death experiences, Dr. Elizabeth Kub
ler-Ross, revealed the four cardinal values those having near death experiences
conveyed to her. They are: one, serving and helping others; two, loving uncondit
ionally; three, being all that one can be by developing all one's talents and ca
pacities, abilities and special gifts; four, encouraging that same development i
n others; and, in so far as one is able, facilitate that development. (101)
As Paul put it in his letters to the Galatians 6:7, "whatsoever a man soweth, th
at also shall he reap." It would seem reasonable that morality would ultimately
bring happiness. Conversely, it would seem reasonable that genuine happiness wou
ld be possible only for those who give of themselves to others. This does not me
an being a doormat. Rather, it means enjoying our support of the growth and plea
sures of others. Parenthood, working for the family, working at a meaningful job
, planting a field of corn, or helping someone reach their goal exemplifies what
I mean by giving of oneself.
The great scholar and humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer, was absolutely clear that
happiness was inseparable from life-affirming acts.
"The purpose of human life is to serve and show Compassion and the will to help
others." (102)
And Albert Einstein agreed:
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones amo
ng you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve
." (103)
The eighth insight of James Redfield's book, The Celestine Prophecy, concerns th
e energy of love. "Energizing others is the best thing we can do for ourselves.
By appreciating others, and focusing our positive attention on them, we send the
m the energy of love and uplift them. The more that love flows to them, the more
it flows to us. Thus by loving, we are loved; by giving love, we receive love.
If we think of any experience in which we genuinely loved another, we will reali
ze how we ourselves were empowered with love. The more we love, the more cosmic
energy of love flows in us. The best thing that we can do for ourselves, therefo
re, is to love and appreciate others. The more energy of love we give to others,
the more aware they become, and the more that awareness can help us gain insigh
ts and answers. "(104)
Like Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Schweitzer, Einstein, and Redfield, Jesus taught
that by serving others we serve ourselves. According to Jesus, for example, tho
se who enter the Kingdom of God (Stage V) would be those who served others by gi
ving "food drink" to others and by welcoming "strangers" and "clothing" the poor.
For when you do this to the "least" of the brethren, Jesus said, "you did it to
me." (Mt 25:35-46) "So always treat others as you would have them treat you, [sa
id Jesus 7:12 for] that is the meaning of the law and of the prophets."
In Stage IV we know that the differences between self and others, God and man, s
acred and profane, mundane and extraordinary are the result of thinking in categ
ories of either/or. Being "reborn" in Stage IV means struggling constantly to ha
rmonize these dichotomies in a way in which both are affirmed and neither is den
ied. Nonjudgmental logic affirms this harmony. Abraham Maslow found that self-ac
tualizing persons possessed "a rare capacity to resolve value dichotomies." (105
) In his book, Motivation and Personality, he writes:
"The age-old opposition between heart and head was seen to disappear where they be
come synergic rather than antagonistic. The dichotomy between selfishness and un
selfishness disappears our subjects are simultaneously very spiritual and very pag
an and sensual. Duty cannot be contrasted with pleasure nor work with play when
duty is pleasure Similar findings have been reached for kindness- ruthlessness, co
ncreteness-abstractness, acceptance-rebel-lion, self-society, adjustment-maladju
stment , serious-humorous, dionysian-apollonian, introverted-extroverted, intense-
casual, mystic-realistic, active-passive, masculine-feminine, lust-love, and ero
s-agape [all] coalesce into an orgasmic unity and into a non-Aristotelian inter- i
nterpenetration and a thousand philosophical Dilemmas are discovered to have more
than two horns, Or paradoxically, no horns at all. " (105)
Wherever thinking leads us into opposition and conflict, we need to rethink oppo
sition in terms of categories of both/and. Hampton-Turner writes: "The capacity
to hold finite and transcendence in balance distinguishes the growth of producti
ve personality from the regression of the nonproductive. "(106)
In The Sane Society, Eric Fromm wrote,
"The necessity to find ever-new solutions for the contra-dictions in his existen
ce, to find ever-higher forms of unity with nature, his fellow man and himself,
is the source of all psychic forces which motivates man, all of his passions, af
fects and anxieties." (107)
In Stage IV the individual will be in harmony with his fellow man, nature and Go
d. This is a person who is guided in his reasoning by an acceptance of human div
ersity and ability to reason in terms of nonjudgmental logic in which both alter
natives of an either/or judgment can be affirmed. Such a person will be naturall
y loving, life-affirming, and balanced. This is a natural consequence of moral a
nd rational development in Stage IV. It is either/or reasoning in lower stages o
f consciousness that robs us of our natural compassion and love. But that compas
sion reappears in Stages IV and V. When individuals in Stage IV form communities
, a new civilization will be possible and heaven will become a practical reality
right here on earth, just as Jesus promised it would.
Jesus' theory of nature can be seen as a consciousness-raising concept that admi
ts us to Stage IV, because it establishes a foundation upon which we might build
nonjudgmental systems of logic, language, and free will. By definition, parable
s are meaningless unless they have meaning. In Stages II and III, we have an int
uitive understanding of parables. In Stage IV, we have a rational understanding,
with a practical application to everyday life. This, in turn, brings into our f
ield of consciousness an objective way to experience aspects of reality that Sta
ges I through III consciousnesses cannot comprehend.
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Five Stages of Consciousness In Paul's Writings
Having explored the characteristics of five stages of consciousness, let us now
look at biblical examples of Paul's model.
In his letters to the Ephesians (2:1-6), Paul writes, "and you were dead [living
barren lives in Stage I] We [Jews] were among them [the dead of Stage I] too in t
he past but God loved us with so much love He was generous with his mercy [and] made
Israel in His image [rational-Stage II]. He brought us to life [gave us a consc
ience-Stage III] and raised us up [made us righteous-Stage IV] with Christ and gav
e us a place with Him in heaven"[meaning the glory of Stage V]." (2:6E)
In Ephesians 2:11-17, Paul adapts the idea of the free gift of reconciliation in
the context of five stages of consciousness.
"2-11. Do not forget, then that there was a time when you [Gentiles] were exclud
ed from membership from Israel, aliens have no part in the covenant with their p
romise; you were immersed in this world without hope and without God.[Stage I] B
ut now you have been brought close by the blood of Christ, [meaning the essence
of the Christ message] for he is the peace between us and has made the two of us
into one and has broken down the barrier which used to keep them [Jew and Genti
le] apart [He broke down the barriers between us through the nonjudgmental reasoni
ng he created through his theory of] one single new man [henos anthropos]" .Paul th
en concludes "so you [Gentiles] are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: You ar
e citizens like all the saints and part of God's household. [Stage IV] all grow i
nto one holy temple in the Lord. [Stage V]." Ephesians 2: 19-21.
Some final examples of Paul's use of five stages of consciousness as a format of
his letters surfaces in Romans 3:20-33.
"No one can be justified [raised to Stage IV] in sight of God by keeping the law
: All the law does is tell us [in Stage II and III] what is sinful So what becomes
of our boasts [about Moses' laws, someone asks?] There is no room for it, [Paul
answers] for it merely regulates behavior. What sort of law excludes them The sor
t of law that tells us what to do [but does not explain why we should do it]? On
the contrary, it [Jesus' knowledge teachings] is the law of faith [meaning inwa
rd understanding] As we [Paul and Gnostic followers] see it, a man is justified [
reaches Stage IV] by faith [meaning his own understanding] and not by doing some
thing the law tells him to do Do we mean that faith [again, meaning our understand
ing] makes the law pointless? Not at all: We [Gnostics] are giving the law its t
rue value. [We commend the law for achieving its goal, protecting people from on
e another until God puts his law within their own minds just as Jeremiah says he
will."
It is apparent that Paul is having trouble convincing his Jewish listeners that
he is not ridiculing Moses' law, when he says that these laws are not necessary.
On the contrary, he means that Moses' laws have done their job and it is now ti
me to reap the rewards-the new covenant God promised Israel-the glory of Stage V
. Paul tries to explain by showing how the biblical stories about the foreknown
(Stage I), Abraham (Stage II), and Moses (Stage III) document his claim that man
kind has been evolving through stages of consciousness, and Jesus' teachings app
ly to those in Stage IV. Here we no longer need external laws because we have in
ternalized the laws and have therefore become of the same mind as the principle
behind the laws of religious institutions. [I hope religious people will recogni
ze this truth today. Earth cannot afford another two thousand years of judgmenta
l reasoning.]
Paul again argues this in Romans 2:13-15, when he says, "it is not listening to
the law but keeping it that will make people holy in the sight of God. For insta
nce, pagans who never heard of the law, but are led by reason to do what the law
commands, may not actually 'possess' the law, but they can be said to 'be' the
law. They can point to the substance of the law engraved on their hearts."
What Paul had written in the above passage is illustrated by him in the Old Test
ament story of the one-sided covenant between Abraham and Yahweh, in which Abrah
am's child-like submission was traded for Yahweh's promise to take care of each
and every Jew. This story illustrates parental-like benevolence rather than mutu
al benefit.
Romans 4:1-3. "If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something he would
really have something to boast about, though not in God's sight, because Script
ure says; 'Abraham put his faith [from the old Testament word meaning here mere
trust] and this [childlike trust] faith [rather than actions] was considered [by
God] as justifying him.'"
Paul is pointing out that the covenant between Abraham and Yahweh can be seen as
one-sided in favor of Abraham since Abraham's contribution to the bargain was l
ittle more than blind trust. This one-sided bargain indicates that Yahweh was de
aling with Abraham as if he were a child, an approach, which Paul argued, illust
rated that the era in which Abraham lived was set apart from following eras by i
ts childlike (Stage II) thinking.
In Romans 7:1-84, Paul addresses the problem of the purpose of the law, if the l
aw did not eliminate suffering, after it was given to Moses (the beginning of St
age III). The Jews, Paul's audience, complained that they did not seem to fare a
ny better with the law (Stage III) than they did without it (Stage II). Paul exp
lains that before the law (Stage II), God loved Israel as a father loves his chi
ld (Romans 4:1-31). But, under the law, God guides Israel from a distance, which
allows Israel to learn self-reliance. In practice, living under the law is a st
ep up from the childhood dependence of Stages I and II, into the more responsibl
e level of consciousness expected of mature people (Stage III). This is a timely
answer because living under the law is a threshold to having the law within. (S
tage IV).
Paul might have quoted Jeremiah 31:33 to support his claim that Jesus fulfilled
the law by putting it within us, not by rejecting it.
"See, the days are coming-it is Yahweh who speaks-when I will make a new covenan
t with the house of Israel (and the house of Judah,) but not a covenant like the
one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring the
m out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show t
hem who was the master [by making their lives hard]. It is Yahweh who speaks. No
this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel when those days arriv
e, [Stage IV]-it is Yahweh who speaks-Deep within them I will plant my law [logo
s,] writing it on their hearts [mind/ego self] then I will be their God and they
shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbor to try to teach
neighbor, brother to say brother 'Learn to know Yahweh!'. No, they will all know
me [from within], the least no less than the greatest-it is Yahweh who speaks-s
ince I will forgive their inequity and never call their sin [selfish reasoning]
to mind."
In Romans 7:1-5, Paul now approaches a subject which has been on his mind for so
me time: "The emancipation of [the Jew and later] the Gentiles from the law [whi
ch is equivalent to saying, breaking the covenant of the law] (Note:7, 1A)." Eve
n though Paul is teaching that the law has fulfilled its duty, many listeners st
ill think he is criticizing the law or even asking them to reject it, which woul
d be blasphemous. To Jews, giving up the law would be like giving up their way o
f life.
Paul supports his argument by saying that although it was uncomfortable to imagi
ne setting aside Moses' covenant (Stage III); it was permissible on the same gro
unds as a widow is free to remarry.
"A married woman for instance, has a legal obligation to her husband while he is
alive, but all these obligations come to an end if her husband dies that is why y
ou, my brothers, who through the body [or consciousness] of Christ are now dead
to external laws because Jesus' teachings put the law within you You can now give
yourselves to another husband [covenant] We are now [meaning in Stage IV] rid of t
he external law [because we] serve [God] in a new spiritual way [meaning from with
in our own sense of reason.] Page 82
Paul then explains the purpose of the law: Romans 7:7"Does it not follow that th
e law itself is sin? Of course not, [Paul answers]. What I mean is that I should
not have known what sin was except for the law. I should not, for instance, hav
e known what it means to covet, if the Lord had not said, "You shall not covet."
But it was His commandment that sin took advantage of to produce all sorts of c
ovetness in me, for where there is no law, [Stage II] sin is dead. [Because we h
ave no sense of wrong until there are laws against it...] The law that forbids t
hem [immoral acts] cannot prevent them: Indeed they seem to thrive on prohibitio
n. We may say that without the law sin could not exist." 46
The above biblical passages exemplify how Paul used five stages in the developme
nt of consciousness as a context for his teachings.
In review, Paul's model of five stages of consciousness begins in the prehistori
c past when creation breathes life into man. In his first stage, man, the forekn
own, is driven by his instincts. Stage II, which Paul defines as those in the im
age of God, begins with self or self-consciousness. Self-consciousness adds a ra
tional dimension to consciousness because the idea of self provides a center to
which all rational thoughts relate. According to Paul, Stage II began when Adam-
here meaning rational man-first discovered his capacity to make choices and subs
equently, his capacity to reason. For Paul, Stage II ended when Moses gave the l
aw to Israel. (Stage II's form of consciousness is defined by Paul as lawless an
d worldly. Gnostics use terms such as the "hylic stage", meaning, "immersed in m
aterialism".) (110)
"The called" (Stage III) begins when Moses gives the law to Israel and ends when
Jesus reveals the cause of evil. The consciousness-raising idea that admits us
to Stage III is the concept of written laws. Paul refers to those in Stage III a
s The called, for it is in this stage of consciousness that the law awakens in u
s, our moral consciousness, which forever calls us to do good.
Paul also uses the term double-minded men (JM 1:6-7 KJV) to exemplify Stage III
individuals "who waveith like a wave [and are] unstable in all his ways." In Stage
III, we are called to do good by our conscience, but too often, rationalize awa
y our good intentions. Gnostics use the term "psychic" for this stage and consid
er it a "stage of conversion" (110)
Stage IV of consciousness, the righteous, begins when Jesus reveals that judgmen
tal reasoning is the consequence of the prevailing theory of nature. He provides
a remedy, an additional theory of nature that creates the foundation for nonjud
gmental processes of reasoning. Nonjudgmental reasoning reforms consciousness be
cause it empowers the understanding of reality in an entirely new way. In effect
, the knowledge of a misused theory of nature and a new theory of nature is the
consciousness-raising idea that admits us to Stage IV's form of consciousness an
d its hallmark-enlightenment.
Hearing and comprehending Jesus' theory of nature initiates a revolution of cons
ciousness that can be thought of as the second coming of Jesus. For even though
we are not hearing about Jesus' theory of nature from him in person, we might im
agine that if we understand his thoughts, and feel his love through his teaching
s, it is reasonable to think that he is within us, and therefore, is with us aga
in.
Stage V in Paul's five stage model of consciousness, the glory, will begin when
every adult reaches his or her highest state of consciousness. Actually, civiliz
ed man has been stuck in the lower three stages since Moses, about 800BC. The kn
owledge that Jesus revealed about the prevailing theory of nature, and his new t
heory, frees us to move forward into the nonjudgmental realm of Stage V consciou
sness.
In Stage V, we see ourselves as one with others and the world. We are like eleme
nts in the formula of life-without the notion of a difference between life and o
urselves. For in Stage V, the notion of separation, propagated by judgmental eit
her/or reasoning, completely gives way to the feeling of oneness, supported by u
nconditional both/and reasoning. In both/and reasoning, we are both elements in
life, and life itself-we are one.
The momentous understanding in Gnostic Christianity's model of consciousness is
that it allows for changes in the nature of consciousness/ego. Most religious do
ctrines assume that the ego is hopelessly trapped in a nature of sin or bad karm
a. But, Gnosticism teaches that sin and bad karma are a consequence of the ego-s
elf in the first three stages of consciousness, caught up in judgmental reasonin
g that is justified by the prevailing theory of nature. In our highest levels of
consciousness, Stages IV and V, or call it enlightenment, that same ego has gro
wn beyond sin and bad karma through Jesus' knowledge teachings and the new form
of nonjudgmental reasoning that it justifies. Gnostics teach that enlightenment
is not a "dazzling display of psychic phenomena or paranormal powers, nor is it
a vision that transports one to a high celestial realm. It is not sitting immobi
le in trance while experiencing an inner world of fascinating colors and sounds
or alternatively, a complete blankness of mind. Enlightenment can include that,
but it also infinitely transcends all that." (111).
Enlight enment is a state of being, in which the mind, body, and spirit are in h
armony, with the nonjudgmental energy of God's love. We awaken to that harmony w
ith Jesus' theory of nature. As an anonymous Gnostic once said, "as I awoke, I r
emembered, I was the son/daughter of the king."
The Buddha also taught that enlightenment is normal, not a psychic phenomenon or
supernatural experience. When he was asked, for example, "Are you an angel?", h
is reply was "No." "What are you then?" The Buddha simply replied, "I am awake."