The Rocket

These two thoughts stood out to me because of a long text conversation Corey has been having with a friend who is a priest in another faith and has been sending lots of accusations and assertions about our religion to Corey. From the book "Embraced by the Light" by Betty J. Eadie during a near death experience in Nov 1973 where she talked with the Savior, from pages 45-46:

"I wanted to know why there were so many churches in the world. Why didn't God give us only one church, one pure religion? The answer came to me with the purest of understanding. Each of us, I was told, is at a different level of spiritual development and understanding. Each person is therefore prepared for a different level of spiritual knowledge. All religions upon the earth are necessary because there are people who need what they teach. People in one religion may not have a complete understanding of the Lord's gospel and never will have while in that religion. But that religion is used as a stepping stone to further knowledge. Each church fulfills spiritual needs that perhaps others cannot fill. Noe one church can fulfill everybody's needs at every level. As an individual raises his level of understanding about God and his own eternal progress, he might feel discontented with the teachings of his present church and seek a different philosophy or religion to fill that void. When this occurs he has reached another level of understanding and will long for further truth and knowledge, and for another opportunity to grow. And at every step of the way, these new opportunities to learn will be give. 

"Having received this knowledge, I knew that we have no right to criticize any church or religion in any way. They are all precious and important in his sight. Very special people with important missions have been placed in all countries, in all religions, in every station of life, that they might touch others. There is a fullness of the gospel, but most people will not attain it here. In order to grasp this truth, we need to listen to the Spirit and let go of our egos."

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Another thought on different churches and religions - this one from the book "I Stand All Amazed" by Elane Durham sharing her Oct 1976 near death experience, page 66-67 (she passed away in May 2021): 

"I was told by the angel that all these churches have a portion of the truth. ... He was referring specifically to the various churches that had fragmented away from Christ's perfected church, but who nevertheless continue to seek diligently for a greater oneness with God. These have a portion of the truth. But only the church as it was created in heaven has all of it.

"To help me better understand this the angel lifted his hand and pointed overhead. As I looked upward I saw all manner or means of transportation crossing the dark and sky, moving from left to right. These means ranged from individuals walking, to horses with carriages, stagecoaches, cars, boats, ships, and all sorts of aircraft, including a rocket. While some of these went at faster speeds, with the rock at the fastest of them all, others went slower, with no two of them going at the same rate. I also noted that while they were going in the same direction, almost all of them were stopping or slowing to crawl along the way. Some went hardly any distance at all, others went farther, a few went a great distance, but only the rocket went all the way from one horizon to the other.  

"The angel explain to me that just as in modes of travel, so we who go to various churches that contain portions of God‘s truth travel the spiritual pathway leading to our ultimate heavenly home. Some of us go rapidly, others slowly; some go great distance, others not so far; and both our speed and our distance are determined by the amount of God‘s truth taught by the church which we choose to join. The more of God's truth in the church we unite ourselves with, and the more we personally adhere to that truth, the faster and the farther we will go. And only Christ’s perfect church--represented by the rock I had seen--could take us all the way to the highest heavenly realm in the shortest amount of time. 

"According to the angel, who was confirming what Christ explain to me earlier, we will each choose our church according to the degree of spiritual comfort we feel in it with it, and will grow from there through spiritual lightening as fast as we desire, and are willing, to receive it."