The Challenge of Evil

"The Challenge of Evil" is a book i have been reading written by Graham Bernard, it looks at the meaning of evil and the purpose of our struggle with the dark side of human nature.

"The Challenge of Evil explores the concept of deterrence in minute detail, focusing primarily on the responsibility of each human being for the creation and proliferation of evil in the world. It clarifies subjects such as the balance of power between good and evil, the origin of deterrent force, the meaning and function of relationships, self-judgment, individuality, karma, and faith.
While our own thoughts and actions are the source of evil, they are also the solution; in the face of that challenge, we have only to align ourselves with the most powerful of all forces--that of construction--to fulfill our ultimate purpose."

God's Will <---------- Free Will ----------> Self Will
(Construction/positive)-----------------(deterrence/negative)

one of the things i have learnt from reading the book was how to better respond to my bad karma, and to be more productive/positive with bad karma and to not let myself become negative or as little negative as possible in the face of such problems.

when a situation arrised that was negative, i didnt get annoyed and enstead worked/aimed for a positive outcome, and so was creative/constructive with said karma thus repairing/eliminating some of that negative karma in the process.

we build up karma through life/lifes through our negative actions so it would go figure that positive action is what eliminates/repairs our karma.

(The law of parellels)

"Is everything we think and do paralleled?"

"Yes. Just as every natural law is paralleled in the two worlds, so every thought, action, and emotion is responded to. Every constructive or deterrent thought or action in the incarnate world raises or lowers the frequency of an individual's spirit, thus creating a closer affinity to the discarnate world. Construction raises frequency, bringing one closer to positive forces. Deterance lowers it, making one vulnerable to negative forces. This is a law. it is not the actual frequency but the raising and lowering of it that brings on the result. Raising frequency reflects aspiration. Lowering frequency reflects degradation. It is automatic. It is the reason why energy is created spontaneously from positive efforts.

The principal carries all through life, so that the constructive one does things of increasing difficulty with increasing ease, whereas the situation is reversed for the deterrent one. Just as the residue of negative thought and actions poisons the atmosphere, which can also be felt."

(this part also highlights the function of the Law of Parallels)

"Please explain more fully how the law functions."

"Constructive thoughts and actions are magnetically attracted to constructive force, which is the force that develops from each thought and action, whether incarnate or discarnate, that is in harmony with the will of God. Deterrent thoughts and actions are magnetically attracted to deterrent force, which is the force that develops from each deterrent thought and action from either side that is in league with the Will of Self."

the book isnt available now but you can still get copies at amazon for just a few dollars www.amazon.com...=1098012105/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6986085-6767142?v=glance&s=books

thats where i got my copy after the book was reccomended by a fellow ats member


[edit on 18-11-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

[edit on 18-11-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

[edit on 18-11-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

Hi MysticOfRadiance,

Thank you for your analysis, for your quotes, and also for the link in order to obtain a copy.

I have found that "The Challenge of Evil," channeled by Graham Bernard, to be more insightful into the dynamics of good and evil than The Bible, The Gita, The Koran, The Torah, or any other work within traditional scripture. The book is highly underrated, partially because it was not adequately promoted when it first came out in the 1980s. (Most channeled books are just plopped into the New Age section of the bookstore.)

Another reason that it was not successful is because the philosophy explained doesn't adhere to the moral relativism of New Age. As with Near Death Experience (NDE) research, it emphasizes that we are indeed held accountable for our actions and for our emotional/spiritual focus. This work represents a conservative metaphysical philosophy that is very logical as well as morally responsible.

A third reason why it was not successful is because it didn't fall into the "let's feel good about our spirit guides/angels" category. Many who are open to channeled awareness are seeking comfort from loss. You have to be a strong person in order to embrace this philosophy.

It is good karma to promote "The Challenge of Evil" by Graham Bernard in ATS. The spiritual message is timely and universal.

You've got a way above vote from me for bringing this work to the attention of many people.

i think that the knowledge of universal law (which is unalterable and constant) is important.

with the god given ability of Free Will which we all have, there arises its opposite Self Will, self will is the opposite of free will or freedom.

reincarnation is the option to re incarnate on earth so that you can for a example repair any negative actions in previous lifes etc, and try to find your way back to the path of free will and not be ruled by your self will.

some choose self will where as they believe they are above universal law and that they think they know better etc this has the effect of pushing them away from the light from where universal law and creation arrises and towards the abyss, the dark is a form of none existence so as a result it can be the road to possible self destruction and disappearance.

though some change there ways and can then have the option of reincarnation etc and to work out there problems and start acending back towards the light, and start regaining freedom and spiritual energy.

[edit on 21-11-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

Lol. There is no evil itself it's just what we classify actions that are deemed unethical by society. Considering we're still animals we shouldnt need to judge based on something for more advanced beings. The universal destructive force, ie the void is meant for just that and it doesnt judge. The universal mind is the creation force, not a god. The truly evil are the anti-gods that have used void energy and become corrupted by it. they live in the 3/3 sector therefore ur safe from em for now. www.geocities.com...

Greetings MysticOfRadiance,

Good analysis. Universal Law, a Universal Standard of Morality, and Absolute Truth do exist or there could never be Cosmic Justice for all involved when ascended in The Light after bodily death.

Incarnate life is much harder than discarnate existence. If we are spiritually conscientious (i.e., strive to live by The Golden Rule, Radiate Love, and serve others) we can evolve much faster than we can when in the Spirit.

When we are free of the flesh, we have the opportunity to pay back any and all karmic debts -- especially to those who we owe who are in bodies or on a lower plane in general. We can amend a debt through healing, guidance, astral protection, etc.

Additionally, if we make a significant impact in helping society when we are incarnate, this can also amend small debts to people that we had in the past and who are not within our direct sphere of influence.



[edit on 22-11-2004 by Paul_Richard]

I am an expert in the area of demonology and have counseled people who are victims of discarnate demonic attack. I also have a great deal of personal experience in dealing with Group Entities on an evil path. Additionally, there have been situations in my life whereby I would come across an evil man, he would transition, he would then join a demonic Group Entity, and I would be targeted for an astral attack.

Why me?

"Tall trees get the most wind."

Time and time again, what ultimately thwarts them is their retrogression away from The Light. They weaken themselves through their misuse of God Force energy.

Souls consist of a form of energy that transcends the physical spectrum. That energy cannot exist without uniting with The Light in the Spirit to a certain extent. When souls perform acts of evil to one or more innocents (against the precepts of The Golden Rule), they lessen their ability to unite with The Light when they leave the flesh.

Typically, what first happens is that they ignore the lessons of their life review and don't take responsibility for their misdeeds and bad intentions. Consequently, they are unable to ascend to a spiritual place and are indirectly forced to stay with souls of the same ilk, i.e., the spiritually retarded. These common spirits or subangels form Group Entities for the sake of combined power (e.g., in order to project the persona of a powerful demon) and continue to abuse innocents as they did when in the flesh. These evil actions further lessen them away from The Light toward darkness. As this happens, their energy continues to weaken and their consciousness continues to shrink. Eventually, their souls totally unite with darkness -- resulting in their nonexistence.

Jesus was only a prophet. But one concept within Christian teachings directly and accurately refers to this principle of Universal Law: the idea of "losing one's soul."

Evil does not survive itself in the Spirit. That is why evil forces will always fail to completely take over. Their retrogression away from The Light insures their eternal damnation of nonexistence.

Souls of common morality do not ascend to a place in the Spirit that leads to long-term happiness. It is up to each of us to get our act together spiritually and evolve toward The Light.

We have no choice if we want to live eternally -- the morally challenged or spiritually retarded notwithstanding.




[edit on 22-11-2004 by Paul_Richard]

Hi MysticOfRadiance,

On the Solist Revelations & Prophecy page, there are two independent prophecies (one from the Bible and one from a well-known New Age channeled work) that corroborate the Solist prophecy about the end of First Genesis through what is termed Universal Nihilation.

We all have problems with the concept of Universal Nihilation, as it entails a total change to ALL THAT IS. On the surface, it appears to be contradictory to the idea of cultivating goodness and spirituality.

However, when you analyze it at length you come to understand that it makes a great deal of sense, which is why it is predicted to occur from a number of independent sources.

Universal Nihilation would only end most or all of the physical spectrum. Many souls would survive in the discarnate dimensions while evil in the flesh would be completely thwarted. Innocents from all over the Universe would no longer be tortured physically and emotionally by the spiritually apathetic.

The Light Of The God Force doesn't respect individuals or groups. It also doesn't respect corporeal life unless that life is spiritually based.

Taking all this into consideration, if The Original Creator, once He comes, did manifest the end of the archaic Universe, it would result in Him getting more powerful (not less) in The Light. His evolutionary development would accelerate from lessening the pain and suffering of billions of innocents, including many animals who are killed daily for food. Animals have souls too and their pain and suffering also plays a significant karmic factor in The Light. It is this Light in heaven which we need to pay homage to, not the status quo of physical existence, which is largely corrupt and evil.

To quote The Challenge Of Evil, page 136-137:

<< As we look back at our lives, do we see them in the place and time in which we lived?

Yes. It will help to look at yourself and world history objectively. The rise and fall of civilizations are caused by the return of individuals. The return of great souls -- revealers, healers, teachers, scientists, and artists -- leavens the whole. The birth of a civilization is the rebirth of an individual soul.

Are you saying that great souls return to cause the fall of civilizations too?

Civilizations run their course, and when it comes time to end them, constructive souls reincarnate to facilitate matters by appealing to souls of moral character to act.

Why?

Because the end of a civilization is determined largely by moral degradation and evil. If a civilization no longer contributes to God's plan, of necessity it must fall to make room for a new one. By the Grace of God, the balance of power is maintained. >>

The idea of a new spiritual civilization to replace the old ones is exactly what The Society Of Light is pointing toward; a series of Higher Worlds that will replace the archaic, morally twisted, and spiritually corrupt planets of First Genesis.



[edit on 2-12-2004 by Paul_Richard]

In the St. John’s University book, Reincarnation And The Interim Between Lives, E. Arthur Winkler, Th.D., Ph.D., stated from his research that all genius stems from experience. It can come from one or more former incarnations and also from discarnate pursuits. This explains the phenomenon of child protégés. The book can be ordered via the telephone number at this St. John’s University webpage.

In the St. John’s University book, Reincarnation And The Interim Between Lives, E. Arthur Winkler, Th.D., Ph.D., stated from his research that all genius stems from experience. It can come from one or more former incarnations and also from discarnate pursuits. This paradigm explains the phenomenon of child protégés. The book can be ordered via the telephone number at the bottom of this St. John's webpage.

Then there is the paradigm of being “good” and being “great.” This is addressed in The Challenge Of Evil (page 168):

“Would you say then that the achievements of all great scientists, artists, inventors, etc. raise the frequency of their spirits appreciably?

Yes. The importance lies in the fact that spiritual gain is made through the endeavors of incarnate souls whose efforts reflect the source of all creativity.

What about those whose work certainly does reflect the source of creativity but whose lives do not? Wagner comes to mind here.

In such a case the gift has been earned in other incarnations and has been granted to overcome otherwise very bad karma. The frequency of such people fluctuates wildly.

What about the others, those who are both good and great?

They will not reincarnate unless they wish to help right the balance of power by returning to the incarnate world.”

Outside of the mention of Wagner, there are many other people who have illustrated this principle.

For example, the innovative and charismatic leaders of Colonial America, like General George Washington, were known to pursue sexual relationships with married women, in part because any resulting pregnancy would be blamed on (and be the responsibility of) the husband. The worst of the founding fathers in this regard was a genius who discovered the principles of electricity, who invented the lightening rod, and who was instrumental in organizing the government of the United States -- Benjamin Franklin. How he made it into his eighties to become the oldest member of the Continental Congress (without dying of a sexually transmitted disease) is nothing short of miraculous. Franklin’s sexual conquests among married women in America, England and France became legendary. At the last official count (there may have been other undocumented cases), Franklin had an abominable EIGHTY-THREE illegitimate children -- a significant point that was omitted from the recent documentary on The History Channel. He was also known to be a negligent father to his only legitimate son and the last seven years of his wife’s life were spent without seeing him, despite her requests for him to return to America.

Another historical example was the martial arts legend, Bruce Lee (Lee Jun Fan). He was known to learn new techniques and then venture to the backstreets of Hong Kong and try them out. One of the reasons why he came to the US in his late teens is because his parents were wary of his street gang activities. Lee was highly competitive and his egotism could be unbearable to those who knew him. In the sexual department, he also fell short of virtue. He used to carry a card which he gave to pretty woman he met, which stated, “If you want to sleep with me…smile.” The Chinese actress at her apartment who gave him a prescription painkiller for his intense headache (that contributed to him falling into a coma and eventually dying) was reportedly having an affair with him. He was a husband and father at the time.

Lee was apparently an accomplished martial artist in one or more former lifetimes. He came up with an innovative and eclectic approach to the martial arts that blended the best from all the traditional styles (which was never done before), which he termed Jeet Kune Do or Way of the Intercepting Fist. Physically speaking, to date there has yet to be anyone as great as he was in overall martial arts expertise. His extraordinary ability was showcased in the film, Enter The Dragon.

Being great is important. But being good is ultimately much more important and leads to long-term happiness.

How about a historical figure that was both good and great?

The quintessential example of this is The Original Creator, who initiated The Big Bang which brought about the entire Universe.

hi paul,

i recently watched a bruce lee night on channel 5, on the documentary they aired, his wife linda lee said something along the lines

"Bruce was a fighter, but his philosophies are much older, he is a old spirit who came to visit for a short while".

karma is there to help.

karma is there for good reason, it can be said to be like a part of the soul, if the soul is existence and was created, it thus needs safety guards in place to thus keep it this way, as the opposite reality of non-existence exists.

if in life for example you do negative acts (negative acts/thoughts have a low frequency) your karma and conscience is there to pull you back in line sooner or later,thus back in line with the higher frequency's of existence.

the ones who turn away from spiritual truths of existence and there karma etc, thus lower there frequency and in doing so fall further away from the light of the rarified god energy.

the option when leaving the flesh and acknolwedging your life lesson and karma to then keep learning to look after your own god spark/soul, and the option for re-incarnation in a physical body is always open, if you feel you have wrongs to right etc, we are reminded the soul evolves much faster in a 3d physical body then it does in the spirit worlds/dimensions etc, this is why many choose re-incarnation.

im going broad terms in my description of karma but its always good to link things together to give a broader picture, we are also reminded that we are held accountable for our actions in life, we hold ourselves accountable, as we damage or improve our soul through our actions, karma and spiritual laws are there to try and help stop us destroying our soul and others within existence and the reality of free will.

for example, its good to try and be:

selfless, self-sacrificing, self-composed, self-controlled and self-effacing.

these positive feelings and actions are of high frequency and light radiance and thus help maintain empower and improve your own personal god spark while raising your frequency.

the opposites of the higher frequency acts are:

selfish, self-indulgent, self-satisfied, self-destructive and self-righteous.

these more negative feelings and actions are of a low frequency and energy level and will thus weaken damage your god spark while also lowering your frequency etc.



[edit on 15-12-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

[edit on 15-12-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

[edit on 15-12-2004 by MysticOfRadiance]

spiritual truths are absolute

the spiritual system that is existence is absolute and unalterable, this is in contrast to the widely thought belief that there is no spiritual system involved with life.

there is a trend where many are looking for a materialistic answer to existence, some look to the belief that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena.

i have a thread that is about this subject in the faith, spirituality & theology section of bts.

www.belowtopsecret.com...

Everything in this thread is senseless to me. But, one thing I know for certain is that Bruce Lee invented nothing new, he just made it popular. Carry on.

He made martial arts popular. But he did change the direction of martial arts.
He made his method of combat very dynamic. Meaning it didn't have to remain the same, but constantly improved.

Most martial arts these still don't get this. Kung fu, kick boxing, karate, tae won don. Still are practiced from strick tradition. What bruce lee done was liberated himself from styles and became free. In theory bruce's fighting method could destroy all the other styles.

I agree, however, his ideas are not new and have been put into practice before. Kinda bums me out that Bruce passed away so young though, it seems like he really would have enjoyed UFC, or Pride, and im naturally curious as to how he would have continued to evolve in his training and how he would have done in his weight class. Not so much of a theory as a fact that mixed martial arts is superior to just a martial art. No martial art covers every single aspect of fighting, thats why guys in the UFC or Pride cross-train, they have to if they want to be well-rounded and effective.

Nice post.

In the spirit of learning,

I would like clarification on self will vs. free will vs. God's Will,

and also examples of Universal (Spiritual) Truths?

below is a quote from the challenge of evil book,

"if free will chooses self-will it becomes deterrent; it deters god's will. persistent deterrence, resulting in a limitation of the functioning of god's will on earth, becomes evil. that is why those factors, which influence the development of humanity must at least be kept in balance both within the individual and in society as a whole."



in a way we could say god's will is everything that is positive and good, and free will is the individual souls living in this truth.

god's will and free will are from the light that has always existed and always will exist, it doesnt need dark to be able to exist as it can function and create on its own.

dark however needs light to be able to exist, as dark is a corruption or a disease of light, and cannot create souls or itself.

self will is the process of turning away from truth and towards this corruption, which is of a lower frequency and low energy the further one embraces it, as it becomes more devoid of light energy and frequency the more a soul descends into there self will and darkness and evil.

this is probably why evil souls act the way they do as they are removing the life force and truth from themselves the further they fall.

free will is when you keep your freedom and can live life to the full, self will is the removing of freedom, as the more self will is embraced the less you can function and act or even move.

this flys in the face of people who profess self will they say, come do as you like have freedom, dont follow god's will and free will, come do as you like lets embrace self will.

this is a false belief as self will is the process of removing truth and frequency/movement and also heading towards potential nonexistence, so they are definitely not getting freedom, they are getting the opposite the removing of freedom.

this is also how we can evaluate self will as being a lie and a corruption of truth.

for the spiritually weak and the individual who wants to aviod responsibility etc self will can be a easy belief for them to follow, but a bad belief as darkness doesnt exist, it only exists through the corruption of light, though continually falls away as it has no truth or light to allow it to eternally exist.

[edit on 3-1-2005 by MysticOfRadiance]

[edit on 3-1-2005 by MysticOfRadiance]

[edit on 3-1-2005 by MysticOfRadiance]