Vol. 44 No. 33 - Mark L. Prophet - August 19, 2001
Comments on Criticism
Part 2
Constructive spiritual groups have always had a basic problem to cope with, and that is human nature. Human nature being what it is, is bound at some time or other to engage in some form of discordant manifestation. These things seem to come in waves. They come in periods. They’ll stop for a while and then they’ll start again. None of us really wants to be a part of it, and yet all of us at times may be brought into it.
The main thing that we must recognize is that this discord is a destructive force that will never build up any movement so that it can go forward and do God’s work and God’s will. We must have perfect harmony or as nearly perfect harmony as we possibly can or else we will not succeed in our endeavors for God. Nor will we succeed personally in overcoming our own mistakes and errors.
Now, I have often heard repeated the fact that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Certainly we hope that the staff and board of The Summit Lighthouse do not live in glass houses. And certainly this morning we are not throwing any stones at any person. We love unequivocally and without question every single member of this congregation. And we have a deep devotion to the supreme causes.
We also believe that you yourself bear us an honest affection. However, every organization, either in its heart center or in those churches and organizations that are close to the heart center, is bound at some time or another to have individuals who might at one point have some personal feeling about something that is done by the staff or by the board.
No one can please everyone, no matter how hard he tries. And yet our job and task is not so much to please you--that is, your human--as it is to please your immortal soul. And therefore we have dedicated ourselves to evolving and evoking from within you those responses that will mean in the schoolroom of this earth and in this activity that you will be making soul progress every single day of your life, rather than be moving backward. You don’t have to notice it.
Djwal Kul in his Pearl of this week brings forth some tremendous things. It’s short but it’s packed with a lot of wonderful information. <1>
Now, I’m coming back here to our own activity. It is time and half a time that I explained to this entire congregation some of the facts regarding the organization of The Summit Lighthouse that I thought you knew, but which apparently have not been realized. In my explanation, which I lovingly give, I hope to create the basis for future understanding so that we will never have any misunderstanding in the future.
Therefore the first thing I want to tell you is that my telephone and my office are open to you all.
Talk to Us: Our Door Has Always Been Open
If ever you have any feeling of criticism or opinions of our services or anything that we do that you don’t like, I would far rather have you either call me on the phone or ask for an appointment to talk to me at some time or other. And I will be very happy to give you that time.
Please do not talk to one another critically of anything that we do, whether you like it or whether you don’t like it. Even if you like it, I mean, you might be praising us so much that you’d make someone else jealous of us. You know what I mean by that? It’s best that you be enthusiastic about the work but just be careful.
Talk to us. Tell us if you enjoy us. Tell us if you don’t. Our door has always been open. Therefore there is no excuse for anyone to have any feelings against us for longer than one day. And I don’t think it should even last a day. It should be settled each hour. You can get a hold of us. If you’ve got a problem, you tell us.
I don’t think we’ve created any problem that’s major. And I hope we never have or never will. But you can always call us. You can always get in touch with us and we will give you an audience. We have not ever stopped any of you from coming to us and I hope we never will. Of course, if we got to where we had a million people in this city, why, that would be a different situation.
Therefore I want to explain a point, however, that’s going to throw what I just said into a cocked hat, as Morya puts it. First of all, this organization is an oligarchy. You may have known this and you may not have known it. America is a democracy, but is it a democracy? It’s supposed to be a democracy in which the will of the people is done. The will of the people is a vacillating thing at best, because the people are swayed by television programs, by newspaper articles, by statistics and by statements. They’re molded and swayed by popularity and popular opinion, by a personality.
This activity is designed to be above all personality; therefore it is an oligarchy. No group anywhere in the United States has a right to dictate the policies of The Summit Lighthouse, nor can I. The Catholic Church is an oligarchy, and you may as well know that also. In fact, most churches are also oligarchies. You cannot go to any of these churches and change their doctrines or tenets. Most of these churches are incorporated today under the laws of the land they live in. They are a corporation or they’re a charitable, eleemosynary, <*> nonprofit organization, as we are.
Yet the people are not permitted to make the policies of the church, and I’m going to tell you why. First of all, the minute the people start making the policies of the church, the church is no longer divinely connected. I think you can see that. Naturally, any governing body, a board such as we have, an executive board of The Summit Lighthouse, will do all in their power to show forth kindness and understanding and to give audience to the views of the members. This supposedly the Catholic Church or any other church will do. You can make an appeal to a priest. You can make an appeal to a bishop. You can make an appeal to an archbishop, to a cardinal or to the pope himself in Catholicism.
As I represent in this movement the highest office in this land, you can make an appeal to me or to Elizabeth or to our board in any matter. We will give it every consideration. But once we have given it consideration and ruled upon it, for that time it is closed. You have then no right to attempt to convert other people to some negative way of thinking, to extend your criticism further, to foment any form of dissension. This would be completely contrary to the laws of Christian brotherhood.
Once you have made an appeal to us and made a suggestion, if we see fit to accept it and we do what you have asked, rejoice. If we do not, rejoice also. Because we will always take your suggestion to the master. And we will always do his will to the best of our ability.
I am trying this morning to set up a future program that will make it possible for all of us to bask in the masters’ love to the fullest extent possible under divine law so that none of you will ever become involved in any problem that will in any way hinder you or the hierarchy from expressing the fullest light possible through the activity.
I hope I’ve made myself clear. Is there anyone here that does not understand what an oligarchy is? Now, is there anyone that does not understand why it is necessary? Is there anyone here that does not understand why it is necessary to do this in a religious activity? Put up your hand if you do not understand it. I take it, then, seeing no hands, that you all do understand the need for this type of thing.
Now, I have one more thing to say. I realize that regardless of the fact that it is an oligarchy, and regardless of the fact that we’re directly under the ascended masters’ ruling, naturally we can make a mistake. This is possible. We can only live up to the highest extent of our understanding and of the revelation that is given to us at any one time. But this is true of all religions.
Terrible atrocities have been practiced by oligarchies in the past. And governments have practiced terrible atrocities against their people. Governments have been freed, we say, by the advent of democracy. Let us hope so. But Communism stamps its brand today upon the world, and the world is under the boot of Communism. America is supposedly free, and yet we know that we still do not have the perfect form of freedom manifesting. And our own government will admit that it is a very slow process to get justice in many ways in our country, yet it is the best hope that we have at present.
The same, then, is true of the ascended masters. The ascended masters are perfect. As their chelas, Elizabeth and I and I’m sure our staff and your good selves, every one of you--we all do our very best to try to interpret the ascended masters’ teachings in our lives from day to day.
Invariably, all of you and all of us at some time may make some error. If we do, we pay for that error and we learn by the bitter pill of experience. We ourselves are no exception to that rule. However, be that as it may, we shall continue to strive for the perfection in our worlds that we know you want in yours.
Criticism from Devoted Members of the Organization
Recently and for quite some period of time there has been some criticism that has come forth from some of the members in this organization right here in Washington, D.C. It was a small group of people. They are very devoted people and, I would like to say, people who have given us tremendous support, people that we love very dearly. And the matter is completely adjusted as far as we’re concerned and I know as far as they’re concerned, because they have given us their word that this is true of them.
These are dear people. Their thoughts were certainly motivated by the desire to see us express the very best. And therefore I do not desire in any way to hurt them, because all of us have made errors. As Jesus said long ago, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” <2>
So, it is not our intention, I repeat, to cast a stone. But I must--and the masters demanded it--read to you a communication from Master El Morya when he was apprised of this situation. <**> For one of the members here--and a very dear member--had decided to impart the criticism to us in the form of an epistle, or a letter, which was read by us. There were many matters touched upon and it was difficult for us to answer all of these matters because of the pressure of the
work we’re doing at the present time. So, we had a conference with them and we have reached a brotherly understanding and a sisterly understanding. And divine love is now in the saddle, thank God.
However, we did send the letter to the Darjeeling Council, and the Darjeeling Council acted upon the letter. You must understand that what they say in this letter was spoken by them before the matter was adjusted. However, they also sent us to contact personally the individuals involved. So, we talked with them. And I have no desire to bring personalities into this, this morning or even later. I’m not interested in that or in any form of vengeance. There is no need for vengeance because it was all done in good faith, you see. But it was an action of criticism.
Criticism Always Involves the Sinister Force
Now, the point is, it was constructive criticism in intent. But the Darjeeling Council has a view of constructive criticism and all types of criticism. A long time ago Master Morya, at the close of the alchemy course, <3> wrote a letter on criticism. When Morya wrote that letter, he thought he would end all criticism. <4>
I want to explain to the staff here and I want to explain to our beloved members here that criticism, constructive or otherwise, if it could be done without involving the sinister force, without being seized by the opposition, might be all right. But it can never be done. And Master Morya has told me this himself. He said you can never bring about criticism against a person--and he meant never--without involving the sinister force, who sit like vultures on a line, like nine old vulture birds with their beaks sharpened. And they gaze down at the whole human race. And when they see any form of criticism coming, one of those birds flies down and seizes that morsel right there and starts an action. Now, I’m speaking very mystically but also very practically.
El Morya’s Letter Is the Darjeeling Council’s Policy for The Summit Lighthouse
Master Morya has explained this and this is what I am doing this morning. I am telling you this before we read the letter so that you will understand this letter. This letter is the Darjeeling Council’s future policy for The Summit Lighthouse. I want to see you free from this criticism as I want to see us free from any criticism of you. Not that we have had criticism of you--we have not criticized our members. But we could have, naturally, because no one is perfect. You can always find fault if you want to look for it.
We would like to see this activity free at the heart center so that every person that comes in here from afar to our conferences will say, “These people are the most wonderful spiritual people you can find.” But why will they say that? Because when we are completely free of criticism, then the ascended masters’ currents can flow unimpeded through our world. We will not have any of the negation that flows in.
You can’t handle negation, dear hearts. There’s not a single person that I can see in this room that is the master of all negation. None of you can handle it. I mean none of you if you release it the way Morya talks about it in this letter. Once you’ve invoked negation, it’s bound to act. And that’s why you simply don’t do it.
Our beloved Elizabeth will read this letter and, if necessary, interpret and explain it. I want to tell you, dear hearts, this is a very important letter.
I don’t think we should circulate this letter. We have made copies for everyone in this group who wants one. After the reading of it, so that you may study it at no cost, you may have a copy of this letter. And it’s a good one. It should be kept in the Washington group. Later on, some day, we may wish to bring it out.
This is a very firm letter but it is very, very instructive. At the end of it, El Morya gives a piece of his great humor that you will want to listen to. It is so magnificent a piece of humor that I expect you probably will laugh. And I would rather have it end on a merry note than any other.
Make of the Stones a Memorial unto God
I want this Sunday to mark a note of progress for The Summit Lighthouse. Remember, every one of you does things that are not right. Every one of you makes mistakes. There’s none among you that can cast a stone at one another that one couldn’t be cast back at you.
But let’s forget all the stones. Let’s put the stones there as a memorial this day unto God. And let’s move forward in this work so that when anyone comes in here, they’ll know just how great this group is--great singers, great musicians, great decreers, great lives. As President Johnson said, a great society. <5> And may we be a part of it. May we be vanguard leaders in a great society for our land, dedicated to freedom and the expansion of freedom for all nations.
Thank you for your wonderful attention. God bless you all.
Note: “An Open Letter from Beloved El Morya” is printed with Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s introductory comments in the following Pearl, no. 34.
“Comments on Criticism” was delivered by the Messenger of the Great White Brotherhood Mark L. Prophet at the September 13, 1964 Sunday service, held at the Dodge House, Washington, D.C. Throughout these notes, PoW is the abbreviation for Pearls of Wisdom.
* of, relating to or supported by charity.
** See “An Open Letter from Beloved El Morya,” Pearl no. 34, this volume.
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