I hope you had a blessed Easter – both traditional Easter Sunday as celebrated in the West and Second Advent Easter, which we observe every year on April 18th according to our Sacred Calendar and which is based on solar reckoning.
We commemorated both days with Sunrise Divine services at the Cathedral Church of the Americas in Sanctuary. The Sunday service was followed by an Easter lunch and an egg hunt for the children, and the Monday service was followed by a breakfast fellowship and a day of contemplation – receiving the many blessings bestowed. It was a powerful sunrise and a beautiful day here at the Community Center.
We will now proceed with our Part 11 of the Twenty-second Saying of Jamil.
The Twenty-second Saying (Part 11)
“And a second female Companion of The Way spoke saying, ‘What are the plans of The Community for educating the young and helping them follow The Way?’
“Noting the sincerity of mind of the speaker, the sage said to her: ‘We are faced with the eternal problem of living in the world as human beings and being under the laws of the material State. We are not always free to worship God or to express our spiritual and religious natures, even here in America, without restrictions being imposed upon us. The same applies to the education of our children in the Church. We will always have to contend with the secular-minded who wish to impose civil law as being the only law of the land upon the spiritual and religious-minded. They forget, or would like to forget, that the founders of the American Constitution intended religion to be free. It is difficult for a new religion such as ours to make a place for itself within the framework of secular law with all of its restrictions and stringent laws governing the education of children, indeed of its populace as a whole, which, of course, is essential for any civilized nation ruled by law and order. And it is difficult for the secular-minded to make room within the framework of the secular State for religious education of children. It is a difficult problem, but one that will have to be solved by the Church according to need.
“‘For example, the Church does maintain a parochial school. Children of ministers are educated in accordance with Jamilian Doctrines while meeting the requirements of the State educational authorities. It is essential that, if we are to build the ministry, it must needs begin with the children. Education needs to start early in life. As our Church grows and prospers, a greater number of children will be educated. But until the Church becomes successful and prosperous this will be difficult. It is for this reason that the ministry needs to take The Teachings to the people, so that larger numbers of people will become more familiar with and accepting of The Teachings.
“‘We need to proclaim The Teachings in order for the citizenry to accept us. Once this is achieved, the Church will be allowed more opportunities than at present: because any small, unpopular religion will be viewed with suspicion by the majority of older and more established churches that have such a great influence upon the secular-minded.
“‘However, until such time that we are accepted, we must not allow ourselves to be dictated to and governed, ruled and manipulated by the State, or we will not fulfill our destiny, which is to teach the True Religion to all the world. It is our sacred obligation to exemplify righteousness and to teach others in the need for righteousness. Only in this way can the world be restored to spirit. Education is, of course, the most fundamental means of altering the world for the coming of God.’”
This portion of the Saying expresses the importance of education and the rearing of children in The Community and in the Sacred Teachings of Light. There is mention of our parochial school. Many of you know that we operated and maintained a K-12 school. The curriculum was approved by the State while at the same time allowing for the spiritual and religious education of the children. We graduated several classes, and I am proud to have been in the first.
We ran our school from 1977 to 1998. Unfortunately, however, due to increased regulations, restrictions and costs (such as liability insurance), we had to suspend our activities. I say “suspend” because we have every intention of resuming and reorganizing our parochial school at some time in the future when proper faculty, staff and funding become available to us.
For the time being, the children of The Community are privileged to receive exceptional studies in comparative religion, the System of Cosolargy, and the Teachings of Light that prepare them for more formal studies in The Academy and the Sacred College. In addition, they serve as attendants during sunrise and other services and are part of the Jamilian Handbell Choir.
I will speak more of this in September during Convocation when I deliver the annual State of The Community address. I trust you will be there to hear it. I am looking forward to seeing you there.
