Education, the fear of oppressors.

It was H.G.Wells that once said: "The world is in a race between education and catastrophe."

This catastrophic side can be seen by a society that is depicted in George Orwell's novel "1984." In this classic tale of human domination, we observe a personal story in the character of Winston Smith, shivering his way into the apartment at Victory Mansions on that bright, cold, April day, as the clocks were striking thirteen. The negative utopia of this controlaholic society was the result of a cult gone amuck. This time, the cult was not religious, but political. But it was still a cult.

Education was forbidden in this society. As such, the "teachings" of the synthetic leader - Big Brother - could be emblazoned into the mentality of the mindless masses who had long forgotten to think for themselves, and even the most ridiculous propaganda took on the banner of the "plain truth."

"War is Peace," the posters heralded. "Freedom is Slavery," said the signs. "Ignorance is Strength," voiced the system . . . and the people believed it all.

It doesn't matter where we go in the world, we find the same demented logic in all despotic systems - past and present. Any demonic system will take away the right of its individuals to think. Then they will brainwash those people, and leave their human rights and free wills fragmented. It doesn't matter whether it happened in Nazi Germany, or if it now happens in China, Iraq, or in the countries of Africa where mutilation of enemies is a way of life. It's the same story in the splinter cults of Worldwide Church of God, because from all the reliable reports, the spirit of domination and ignorance still prevail. Conformity is a necessity in any despotic system, and ignorance is the key. If a person's right to think properly is removed, then there can be no education, no growth, and no freedom.

People who are intrinsically evil - better known as "tares" - will use the lever of ignorance to fool their followers into believing that they, the leaders, have all the answers. As such, all contrary information must be destroyed or shunned. Thus, we have things like the burning of books, and the subsequent destruction of any records that would show such leadership to be anything akin to a fraud. If you can keep people from seeking information for themselves, then you can convince them that even the most preposterous drivel is the "plain truth." The followers have no other reference, and so, they're hoodwinked into believing only the data that is available.

If a person ever extricates themselves from any of these systems, then for quite a time, they wander aimlessly with a mind that's mostly mush. They've forgotten how to use their logic and wisdom, because they've been so dependent on the system to think for them. If, within a reasonable period of time, they cannot get a somewhat normal readjustment to society, then they become confused, depressed, disoriented, and suicidal. Withdrawal from a cult system can take years.

Years ago, we were taught in Worldwide Church of God that if we entered into the wrong type of bookstore, then as we passed by some "bad" books on their shelves, the demons would jump out at us, wrestle us to the floor and possess us. The message? Don't read anything other than approved church material.

Since the church material was redundantly inane, theologically fanatical, and expressed nothing new or intelligent, the membership was kept in the bondage of ignorance. Since that is the case, the individual lacks the tools with which to fight back if he/she feels the cult system is in error. Unless the opposing viewpoint is used to challenge the hirelings, the congregation as a whole remains in subjugation.

In 1964, LBJ signed into law the Equal Rights Bill that was drafted by President JFK. While the idea of equal rights was a wonderful thing, the bill did not go far enough. It left out the billions of dollars it would take to now properly educate all minorities. With such education, all people would be well informed, they would be able to compete for jobs equally, and now have their own savvy to make it in society. Unfortunately, that education part of the bill never quite made it.

Without education, people are lost. We've seen that in the Worldwide Church of God cults, where people behave like automatons with their plastic smiles, and we see it in our society where millions wander around aimlessly each day with no hope for tomorrow. Whether education is actually deprived from people by planned neglect (as in the case of the Civil Rights Bill), or in the case of a cult with its willful ignorance of the truth, is a moot point. The end result is invariably the same.

In society, lack of education leads to all sorts of aberrant behavior, and if we want to check the statistics, we can see that we now lead the world in crime. In cults, it's the same result. Lack of education leads to the aberrant leadership doing whatever it (criminally) likes with an abundance of money, and having "no questions asked."

In these cults - as in the case of all the Worldwide Church of God litter - what could be spent on education is wasted on the opulent lifestyles of the hirelings . . . especially the upper ones. Over the years, the tithepayers' money could have been used to educate congregations. But, the cults had a different agenda. It was the same thing with the government in 1964, the money that should have been apportioned to be spent on the education of minorities, went into different agenda and a more important, government business project. That project was called Vietnam.

We live within the aura of God and it's in this energy system that we must grow. If we decide that we don't want to grow then we'll spiritually atrophy and our individual frequencies will drop to that of an undesirable level. When our levels of growth in the right direction increase, so does our vibratory (or frequency) level. To constantly grow in the upper and superior direction means continuing education, as we'll be learning "God" for the rest of eternity and ever wondering at all Its glory. We must set our sights on a goal of a Higher caliber and educate ourselves toward that goal. The name of that goal is Love.

Real education doesn't necessarily mean having to go to a classroom and study facts and figures. Education simply means knowing life and all Its goodness. If we let life come to us and handle it from the love perspective, then we automatically become more and more educated. If we let others live as they see fit without interfering in their affairs and trying to mold their thinking to ours, then we're functioning as a product of higher education. If we can ever give advice and help, only when asked for or really needed, with no thought of anything in return, then we're educating ourselves as cults never could. When we can look at all mankind - no matter what race, color, and creed - and feel pity and compassion for the ignorant and help those who need it, then we are the most educated people on the planet. Truly, we are those who: "Love our neighbors as ourselves."

Education in our schools today is pitiful. And it's much the same all over the world. If we are to look at the education systems in most countries today, then truly the slogan of "1984" has triumphed . . . Ignorance is Strength. With ignorance comes the lack of mentality to cope. With this lack, comes the need to survival in an animalistic way. With this way, comes the brute force approach to get whatever we want. And this brute force - when extended - leads countries to war. We've all seen it. Ignorance leads to savagery, and behind each bully lies a profoundly, ignorant person.

In our cult lives, we had pastors, bullies, and oppressors who were all fundamentally ignorant men. Wise people - who know the reciprocity of karma - will never harm another. Bullies, ignorants, and mental savages, will always seek to dominate the human spirit, and to maintain such dominion, they will seek to keep such people in the bondage of ignorance. To do this, they must block all roads to education.

Sometimes we'll all seek information, and later, we'll find out that this data is incorrect. Hey . . . that's life. But, in this seeking, we've learned what is incorrect and then we move on. And that now becomes our learning experience. Nothing is learned by finding the correct answer every time we try. That might be wishful thinking, but we really only learn by our own mistakes or those of others. But there are a zillion times that we'll fall flat on our faces in our learning, and that's Ok. We get up, much wiser, and move on with our searching. However, if we are denied that educational experience, we learn nothing, and then we become a mental zombie to whatever creed is handed down by some ignorant despot who always knows less than we do.

Our freedom is in what we choose to seek. After cult experiences, we can use the option of our newfound freedom to seek new ideas, new disciplines, and start the process of a new and upward education.

We're going to live forever, and we can make that experience enjoyable, enlightening, or utterly ecstatic. That's up to us, but the more we learn, the more we can appreciate.

No one is saying that we all must have degrees, etc. If we do, then great, but don't feel bad if one is not there. We're all given special gifts that are unique to us, and no matter how small we may think our gift might be, it's still a spiritual gift. Without it - your particular gift - the universe in NOT complete. We ALL complete the "allness" of God, everyone is special, and all souls are unique. We simply work with what we're given and if the gifts produce results from a love base, there will always be blessings that will follow for everyone.

"Seek and you will find," is an instruction full of promise. If we seek, then the karmic results will come as the revealing of truth. And we don't need any organization to control our search. We only need a willing mind to ask, and then listen. The answer will always come, even if it takes a while. But please be assured, if the answer is a long time coming, then this answer usually carries a huge impact that may help many. In essence, what you consider to be just a small gift, might be the salvation of countless people. No spiritual gift is too small. No person is too insignificant, and no one is independent of the loving God energy that encapsulates us all.

The most ignorant person of all is one who has no love within themselves. The most ignorant of all are those who would rule over and dominate the spirits of others, as in dictators and cult hirelings. The most ignorant of all is the mindless individual who believes he "outranks" another spiritually. There is no rank, and no one is better than anyone else. We're all equal to each other, even to Jesus. He taught us that. It makes no difference what "learning" a person may have, if there is NO love, then that person is indeed most ignorant.

The theme of the book "1984" and the methodology of cults have much in common. In both structures, we have the domination of the human spirit, dictatorial bullying, removal of personal opinions and ideas, and the suppression of truth. The one key to break free from the molds of both systems is to become better educated.

If we have education, we'll have minds that search and are not afraid to find new ideas and new facts. If we have education, then we'll have progressive enthusiasm with no fear, because darkness will be replaced by the light of understanding. But, if we don't have education, then like H.G. Wells said, we'll most assuredly have catastrophe.

The more we open our minds, the more we'll learn. The more we learn, the more we'll grow. The more we grow, the more we'll enjoy, and the further behind us will be the memories of our cult days. But it all starts with education and seriously investigating what's said or written. Have no fear. Explore. Look to no man. And prove all things.

Education is our fundamental right, and the bliss of eternity is the result of our seeking. And that glory is not only our destiny, it's rightfully our eternal inheritance.

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