Gospel of One; Letters of Aul

Hi everyone, namaste:

We are now on paragraphs 3 and 4 in chapter 7 of the First Letter to the Orinthians in the book "Gospel of One; Letters of Aul."

"Next question: What about people who are in mixed marriages? That is, unequally yoked between a believer in oneness and one who can't or won't believe in the oneness of life?  My advice is that if you still love each other and are committed to each other's well-being, then stay married.  The believer can still hope that his or her spouse will finally understand it. The non-believer can still be happy with his or her partner despite differing beliefs.  Each example you give me would have different circumstances.

My basic advice to all people is to seek first the kingdom of God. When you truly find God within you, then marriage and sex will be seen for what they are, and what they truly mean to you will become evident."

Commentary: Mixed marriages of belief systems are a bigger challenge than mixed racial marriages. Usually the mixed beliefs come up after marriage when one of the partners gets "religion" or gets "enlightened" and the other partner just doesn't get it. One is fervent and one isn't.  Or both become fervent about different beliefs. That is why I heartily recommend the way of Oneness, because in oneness you see all paths in perspective. The different religious paths can be seen as the various ways a soul uses to gain experience in this world. There is no reason to put someone down or feel superior to someone just because of a different religious belief.  It's just a stage of development. The believer in Oneness needs to have patience and understanding of what other people are going through.

Gospel of One; Letters of Aul

Hi Everyone, namaste:

We are now on paragraph 2 of chapter 7 in the First Letter to the Orinthians from the book "Gospel of One; Letters of Aul."

"Next question: What about sex before marriage? Since different cultures have different morals and customs about this, I won't make any blanket statement, although I just indicated it is not a good idea.  The sex drive is very strong, and young people especially want to know what it is like.  However I favor abstinence until marriage.  Young people need to be educated about the oneness of all life and to have respect toward the opposite sex.  They need to be educated about the blissful reunion with God the beautiful, all pleasing, all satisfying one.  Then they won't get lost in human sexuality, which of course ends when their bodies die.  But the love of God is forever and the joy of God is forever, ever new."

Commentary: We may think that it is useless to try to hold back natural impulses, but that is not true.  There are many testimonies of couples who have taken the sacred approach to sex and have kept themselves chaste for their marriage partner. There are many people who put God first and their spouse second in priority.  There are many people who keep sex in perspective and see it as just one part of their lives. The bliss of God goes way beyond the physical act of sex. The bliss of God goes way beyond bodily pleasures.

Gospel of One; Letters of Aul

Hi everyone, namaste:

We are now moving on to chapter 7 in the First Letter to the Orinthians from the book, "Gospel of One; :Letters of Aul." We begin with paragraph one:

"Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, what is my view on sexual relations?  We are biological beings.  Sexual activity is natural for us as it is for animals.  However, we have moral standards about it because we recognize that it is very connected to our emotions, our health, and our children.  We have the laws of marriage as well as the ideals of marriage wherein mutual regard is given to man and woman.  Once a marriage is established between a man and a woman, for their own well-being and for the well-being of their children, (as they come along to make a family), they would do well to build their mutual love and respect day by day.  They would do well to have sex only with each other.  They can determine their own frequency. If they look for other partners to have sex with, they are betraying themselves as well as their spouses.  If the marriage is falling apart or was a mistake in the first place, and cannot be saved even after counseling and attempts at reconciliation, then a divorce is acceptable, and then they can try again with new partners, always with an attitude of forgiveness towards their former partners."

Commentary: Learn from people who are happily married. They can give the best advice.

Gospel of One; Letters of Aul

Hi Everyone; namaste:

We are now on paragraph 6 of chapter 6 in the First Letter to the Orinthians, from the book "Gospel of One; Letters of Aul."

"There is a lot more to sex than sensual touch.  Sex is a spiritual mystery in the way that two may become one.  Since we want to have the blissful reunion with God, the union of man and woman is a a little taste of the ecstatic union with all of life--God.  That is why we want to have sex with commitment and mutual caring.  In acts of lustful, selfish, and abusive sex you can never really experience oneness with your partner.  In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of ourselves.  It doesn't pay to abuse yourself or others and squander the wonderful bodies that God has provided for you.  In fact God is in every cell of your body, so let people see God in and through your body."

Commentary: Maintaining sexual purity has always been a problem for humans.  We have biological needs and desires that are mixed in with all the other complications of human relationships. Even for people with high ideals of sexual purity, the temptations to fall from those ideals are strong.  However, for people who are sincere in their quest of experience in the oneness of all life and the bliss that comes with it, then sexual purity becomes a natural and sensible part of their Selfhood.