Reincarnation & The Bible
by Dick Sutphen
Sybil Leek was considered America's Mistress of the Occult and a white witch. Back in 1974 she wrote a unique book titled, "Reincarnation: The Second Chance" -- which explores reincarnation and various religions. The following is from a chapter on Christianity:
As a book, the Bible may be said to date from A.D. 325, when Constantine the Great called the First Council of Nicea. The council was charged with the task of separating divinely inspired writings from those of questionable origin. The compilation of the Bible was a complicated project that evolved at the hands of churchmen of varying beliefs, in an atmosphere of dissensions, jealousy, intolerance, persecution, and bigotry. Under such circumstances, it is reasonable to assume that a great deal of inspired or inspiring writing was deliberately omitted.
At the time of Constantine, the question of the divinity or humanity of Jesus had split the Church into opposing factions. Constantine offered to make the little-known Christian sect into the state religion of the Roman Empire. In return, he demanded that the Christians settle their differences -- apparently, he did not particularly care what they believed in, so long as they agreed upon it. Constantine favored the compilation of a book comprising the authentic sacred writings of the Christians, believing rightly that such a book would give importance and authority to a new Church. He brought together the first ecumenical councils, calling three hundred religious leaders to Nicea. It is a matter of historic record that it was only after a great deal of hostility and bitterness that Jesus was declared to be the Essence of the Father.
But according to Papus, historian of the council, dissension and conflict did not prevent a miracle being performed at Nicea. The religious leaders, unable to agree on which books should be included in the Bible, turned to the Lord himself. In the "Synodicon," Papus writes that the leaders, having "promiscuously" put under the communion table of the church all the books that were referred to the council for determination, besought the Lord that the inspired writings might get upon the table while the spurious ones remained underneath and it happened accordingly."
Today it is possible that some Christians might accept this miracle as having actually happened, but it seems more likely that the Lord was assisted in the performance of the miracle by a few of the more enterprising bishops. Certainly it would take more than a minor miracle to sanctify the injustice, prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance -- not to mention the high crimes and misdemeanors -- that were begun at this time in the name of the Lord of Love and the Christian religion.
Constantine himself was pleased with the results of the council, and with good reason. According to many historians, including G.P. Baker, the Church at this time became a means for political aspirants to gain power, and Constantine himself used it to further his ambition of making the Roman Empire into a hereditary monarchy. Until that time, Roman emperors were chosen by various means; the reigning monarch could indicate who he preferred to succeed him, but there was no direct hereditary line. Constantine envisioned his son's succeeding him.
Despite the efforts of Constantine's own historian to portray him as a devout follower of Christianity, he was not. He does have the questionable distinction of having instituted the death penalty for anyone who failed to conform to accepted Church dogma, a crime that became known as heresy. Constantine signed the death warrants of many people -- including, interesting enough, his own son.
It was this policy of the Church that darkened the record of Christianity for centuries and placed it among those religions that have practiced cruelty and inflicted death in the name of a God of Peace and Love. Constantine himself, was refused admittance into the School of Mysteries, a man had to lead a pure life, and show a high degree of personal integrity and interest in spiritual life. Constantine's religion was strictly exoteric, and he seems to have looked upon Christianity more as mean to further his own plans that as a means of attaining salvation.
© 2008 Dick Sutphen. All Rights Reserved. Republished by Sunset Spiritualist Church with consent of the author.