Overcoming
elitism
Before a church
could possibly embrace the leadership paradigm for the new age, the
leaders and members of the organization must make a clean break with
the past. It is necessary to acknowledge that the organizational culture
of most churches have certain elements (leftovers from the Age of Pisces)
that are in direct opposition to the idea of individual Christhood.
Foremost among these elements is the elitist mind set which springs
from the idea that one member of the body of God is more important than
another member of the body of God.
Elitism is found in most organizations. Throughout history, some people
have tried to set themselves up as an elite that is somehow above and
beyond the general population. In many cases, members of an elite began
to believe that they were above the law, and this has led to some of
the worst atrocities that this planet has seen.
For anyone, who is willing to take an objective look at their organization,
it should be easy to see if the organization has patterns of elitism.
Often, there is an unwritten assumption that the membership can be grouped
into different categories and put on a scale of who is more important
than who. Certain leaders are often seen as being above the members.
Perhaps leaders are even seen as being infallible or above questioning.
This division of the membership, and the value judgment that follows,
not only leads to the assumption that some people are more important
than others. It easily leads to the assumption that if there is a difference
of opinion between a member of the elite and a member of the masses,
then the member of the elite is always and automatically right.
It can also cause leaders to ignore ideas coming from people who are
perceived to be outside the elite. Therefore, we have the establishment
of a human hierarchy that has nothing to do with the heavenly hierarchy.
From a higher perspective, elitism is simply the human equivalent of
the pecking order found in any chicken coop, and it has no more validity
or importance. It springs from pride and the relativity of the carnal
mind. Pride is unknown in Heaven, and therefore it has no place in a
spiritual organization.
If elitism has become part of an organization’s culture, then
it automatically becomes more difficult for the Ascended Host to work
with that organization. The very nature of elitism is that some people
are more important than others. Yet, it has been stated clearly that
“God is no respecter of persons.” When the Ascended Host
seek to bring forth a new idea, they look for a person who has the capacity
of mind and the willingness of heart to be the instrument for bringing
forth that particular idea. These are inner qualities, and they do not
necessarily have anything to do with a person’s position in society
or in a particular organization.
The very nature of an elitist culture is that is places great importance
upon a person's outer position in the human hierarchy. In an elitist
culture, the most important question is not whether an idea is valid
or useful, but rather who is presenting the idea. If you look at history,
you will see numerous examples of how a true idea was rejected by the
ruling elite precisely because the idea was not brought forth by a member
of that elite. In some cases, the rejection of an idea by the elite
has had far-reaching consequences for both the elite and the general
population (the French revolution being an obvious example).
Do not reject the messenger
The important point is that it does not matter who is bringing forth
an idea. All ideas should be evaluated based on their merits alone,
and the organization should never allow any other considerations to
be part of the governing process. This very tendency to judge an idea
based on where it comes from has been one of the greatest obstacles
facing the Ascended Host in their efforts to raise the consciousness
of humankind.
Consider why a new religious idea was so often brought forth by a person
who was not part of the religious hierarchy of his time. Why wasn't
Jesus an orthodox Jewish rabbi? Because at the time, the orthodox Jewish
religion was so infused with an elitist culture and a judgmental mindset
that it was no longer open to hearing the word of God.
Therefore, God could not bring forth a new idea through the structure
of the organized religion. When you look at the history of Christianity,
you can see that in the beginning the Christian movement was very diversified.
Gradually, the orthodox Church began to emerge, and it squashed the
diversity of the Gnostics.
The major concern for any church leadership should be this: “Don’t
kill the messenger!” Do not reject the messenger no matter where
or in what form he or she might appear. A church needs to find a way
to allow all members to communicate and present ideas relating to church
matters. The church also needs to find a way to have such ideas evaluated
by a large body of people.
In the Age of Aquarius, the key to the survival of any organization
will be decentralization. A large organization cannot build a sense
of community. You must make sure that decisions are made by a body of
people that is so wide that it cannot easily fall into the trap of elitism.
In this respect, it seems obvious to make use of modern technology for
communication, especially the Internet.
It is, of course, not the intention to imply that all leaders of any
church have an elitist mindset. Many do not, yet until the organization
has purged itself from the mindset, elitism will continue to block the
flow of ideas.
Not everyone is a messenger
It is essential to understand that the ideas presented here should not
be interpreted to mean that everyone needs to start taking messages
from the Ascended Host. If everyone starts running around saying: “God
told me that you should do this” and if everyone starts feeling
that they have to impose their messages upon others and upon the organization,
then the organization will literally be thrown into chaos and turmoil.
You must recognize that the carnal mind always wants to take on some
kind of unquestionable authority. In a spiritual and religious organization,
there is always the danger that the carnal mind will seek to take on
divine authority. In many spiritual organizations you see a tendency
for people to take quotes given by the leaders of the organization and
use them in an attempt to prove their point. Often, these quotes are
taken out of context, and therefore they can easily be misinterpreted
and misused.
If everyone starts taking messages from the spiritual realm and start
using them in an attempt to justify their personal viewpoints, then
the organization will get nowhere. Therefore, there has to be a healthy
balance.
Also, one should never seek to get “messages” that tell
people (including oneself) what to do. Instead, one should seek for
a higher understanding that will empower people to make right decisions.
Dark forces will gladly tell people what to do, because they have no
respect for free will. The Ascended Host have ultimate respect for a
person’s free will. The essence of the path is that each person
must win his or her personal victory by making right choices. Right
choices are not the result of having some outside authority tell you
what to do. Right choices are the result of an inner process through
which you attain a higher understanding of an issue. After you get the
right understanding, it is easy to decide what to do.
It is also important that people do not believe that any idea they receive
is the only possible idea or the only true idea. That is why it is so
important to establish a broad group of people who can evaluate ideas
that are brought forth by the members. By having a large number of people
involved with the evaluation process, and by seeking consensus rather
than a majority vote, you are more likely to arrive at the best possible
idea.
It is also important to realize that in the material world, there is
no such thing as absolute truth. In fact, there are no absolutes whatsoever
(of course, this statement is not an absolute statement). Therefore,
one person cannot always be right. In fact, one should never present
ideas with the desire to be proven right by other human beings. Instead,
one should have absolute respect for the free will of others, including
the right of others to choose not to agree with your idea.
You must not judge others for making this choice, no matter how convinced
you are that your idea is important or right. You should be content
to present an idea, and then give people complete freedom to accept
or reject it.
It is extremely important to realize that when you look at the future
of a spiritual organization, there are many ways that lead to victory
and many ways that lead to defeat. You cannot simply set up a standard
and say that if the organization does this, it will fail, and if the
organization does that, it will succeed.
The Ascended Host do not necessarily have one solution for how a given
church should evolve. God has given each person free will, and therefore
the fate of an organization will be the result of the choices made by
the individual members. In God’s plan, there are many ways that
an organization can be brought to victory. Therefore, while it is important
that each person is open to receiving ideas from Above, it is equally
important that people do not become attached to the ideas they receive
or to how other people react to those ideas. It is essential to do right
action, but be non-attached to the fruits of that action.
Save yourself - not others!
When presenting ideas, it is essential to acknowledge the fact that
God has given each person free will. The consequence of this is that
you are not responsible for the salvation of any other human being.
Each person is responsible for his or her own salvation, and everything
depends upon the choices that each person makes.
If you truly respect God’s decision to grant people free will,
you will never become attached to how other people react to your ideas.
You will never feel that it is your mission or obligation to convert
them to a particular belief system. You will simply follow your own
beliefs to the best of your ability, and let everyone else do the same.
Believe and let believe.
One of the major problems in any spiritual organization is that some
people begin to feel that it is their duty to save others. Therefore,
they become attached to what other people believe or what they do. It
is but a short step to start believing that because it is so important
to save someone, it is acceptable to start manipulating that person
in an attempt to coerce them into accepting what you think is the only
truth. It is especially easy for leaders of a spiritual organization
to fall into this trap!
Beware of dark forces
When allowing members to serve as messengers to bring forth ideas from
Above, it is important to consider that there are dark forces who will
attempt to influence individuals and organizations.
While this is a legitimate concern, it is not a concern that should
be used to restrict the flow of ideas. There is no question that some
people will be open to dark forces, but others will be open to the Holy
Spirit. The only way to grow is to open your mind to ideas that are
beyond your existing knowledge and beliefs. When organizations or individuals
start closing their minds to new ideas, they stagnate and their growth
comes to a halt. So, your choice is simple: you can choose growth and
open your mind to new ideas, or you can choose stagnation and close
your mind.
You cannot open up to new ideas without opening up to both higher and
lower forces. You cannot close the door for one without closing the
door for the other. This is the nature of the material universe, and
it is better to accept this fact than to resist it by closing your mind.
Most spiritual organizations have tools for keeping lower forces at
bay. If you believe these tools work, then you must believe that it
is possible for people to receive ideas that are not influenced by dark
forces. Obviously, this is another reason to let new ideas be evaluated
by a group of people. The more people are involved, the less likely
it becomes that everyone is fooled by a false idea. You cannot fool
all of the people all of the time.
To grow you must be willing to open the door of your mind, but you must
use discernment before you let anything come through that door. The
essence of Christhood is discernment. When the soul has lost contact
with the spiritual self, it has no guiding rod for determining what
is real and unreal. The Christ consciousness is a mediator between the
soul and the spiritual self.
When Jesus said: “I come not to bring peace, but a sword,”
he was referring to the ability of the Christ consciousness to divide
the real from the unreal. As people grow in Christ consciousness, they
will sharpen their ability to know what is real and unreal.
If you react with fear, reasoning that we must at all cost prevent dark
forces from influencing our organization, then you will throw the Christ
child out with the bath water of the carnal mind. (Incidentally, fear
is one of the most common tools used by dark forces to gain control
over people.)
In this respect, it should be pointed out that it is perfectly possible
to be a member of a spiritual organization and to follow all of its
rules and doctrines without having actually engaged in the path of manifesting
personal Christhood. The essence of Christhood is that you are willing
to work on sharpening your ability to discern what is real and unreal.
In doing so, you are also willing to run the risk of making mistakes.
If you have discernment, you do not need to fear dark forces. If you
have such fears, then perhaps you need to work on getting discernment.
No one will always be right, no one will always get the best possible
idea, and very few people will always get ideas that are not influenced
by the carnal mind. From time to time, anyone can bring forth ideas
that are influenced by the carnal mind. Yet, you do not have to be perfect
to serve the Ascended Host. No spiritual leader was meant to be the
perfect human being. Instead, a leader is meant to demonstrate that
the Ascended Host can use even an imperfect person as their instrument.
Why would the Masters want to set forth such an example?
To be or not to be
If you are not willing to take a risk, you cannot engage in the spiritual
path that leads to salvation. Therefore, as long as you are in physical
embodiment you must be willing to wrestle with the question of what
is real and unreal. And you must continue to strive to sharpen your
ability to discern between the two.
If you are not willing to try, you cannot make progress. If an organization
as a whole reacts with fear and is not willing to wrestle with the idea
that any member could bring forth a valid idea from Above, then the
organization cannot grow. This goes back to the old question faced by
Hamlet. To be willing to engage in the process of building your Christhood,
or not to be willing.
If you do not want to take a risk, if you are not willing to try, you
will condemn yourself to being paralyzed by the carnal mind. That choice
is your’s and your’s alone. However, your personal choice
will affect the “choice” of your organization.
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Copyright
© 2003 by Kim Michaels |
