Reply To: Why George Washington Was Not a Deist, but a Practicing Christian

With respect to the article: Why George Washington Was Not a Deist, but a Practicing Christian @ http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/february/why-george-washington-was-not-a-deist-but-a-practicing-christian :

Let be begin by providing a more enlightened history of the Church as set forth at The Secret Doctrine of Christianity @ http://nazirene.org/secret_doctrine.htm .  In the beginning all Enlightened Christians were portrayed as Gnostics Christians who remained and integral part of the Church.   Quoting from http://DivineManna.org :

Under the heading of Gnosticism, the Encyclopedia Britannica states: “Among the majority of the followers of the movement, 'Gnosis' was understood not as meaning 'knowledge' or 'understanding', in our sense of the word, but 'revelation'. These little Gnostic sects and groups all lived in the conviction that they possessed a secret and mysterious knowledge, in no way accessible to those outside, which was not to be proved or propagated, but believed in by the initiated, and anxiously guarded as a secret. This knowledge of theirs was not based on reflection, on scientific inquiry and proof, but on revelation. It was derived directly from the times of primitive Christianity, from the Savior himself and from his disciples and friends, with whom they claimed to be connected by a secret tradition, or else from later prophets, of whom many sects boasted. It was laid down in wonderful mystic writings, which were in the possession of the various circles”.   Those Christians who had prepared themselves to receive the Higher Knowledge imparted directly to them by the Logos, must be understood as the Christians who Paul portrayed as having gone beyond the "milk" of the Gospel, and were able to receive the "solid food" from Spirit -- i.e., “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit” (1 Cor 2:10 KJV).   

Regarding these two groups of Christians -- i.e., the faith-based entry-level Christians who could only be given what Paul called the "testimony" of Christ- - and the mature Christians who were no longer in need of the "milk" of the Gospel intended to nourish "babes in Christ", Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography states: “We have no reason to think that the earliest Gnostics intended to found sects separated from the Church and called after their own names. Their disciples were to be Christians, elevated above the rest as acquainted with deeper mysteries, and called Gnostikoi because possessed of a Gnosis superior to the simple faith of the multitude… They also boasted to be in possession of genuine apostolical traditions, deriving their doctrines, some from St. Paul, others from St. Peter, and others again from Judas, Thomas, Philip, and Matthew. In addition moreover, to [this] secret doctrine which they professed to have received by oral tradition, they appealed also to alleged writings of the apostles themselves or their disciples”.  Which, while ignored by the faith-based Christians, is confirmed in the ignored words of Jesus when he was asked by his disciples why he ONLY spoke to the multitudes in parables: “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding” (Mark 4:11-12 NIV).

With the advent of the Age of Enlightenment, Spiritually Mature and Rational Seekers understood that the leaders of the Church had become so corrupt, that they could only comprehend what Paul portrayed as the "milk" of the Gospel.  Like the Pharisees who Jesus condemned, they were blind to the inner spiritual meaning of the scriptures as set forth in the article on the Key of Knowledge ( http://KeyOfKnowledge.org ).    Those Seekers who understood the Natural Laws of Creation -- and put the Laws into action within their own Mind and Being (see http://OuterDarkness.Nazirene.org ) -- became enlightened and knowing in relation to the faith-based aspect of the Church.   Some of these enlightened individuals such as George Washington aligned themselves with the Masons -- others, such as Franklin, Jefferson and Paine, were Deists.   Both groups possessed the Higher Knowledge because they knowingly embraced the Natural Laws of Creation -- using the scriptures as an allegorical blueprint of their own mind -- revealing to them the Forces and Laws of Consciousness. 

On http://ThomasPaineRedux.com the question is posed: (quoting) By what name do you call an evolved and matured Christian whose spiritual knowledge has enlightened him far beyond the very limited knowledge and understanding of the faith-based believer?   While they can be portrayed as American Gnostics -- they were often called Deists, because over the course of many lifetimes they had submitted themselves to the spiritual process of TheWay, and were themselves enlightened spiritual souls.   But who were the Deists?   Quoting the Wikipedia under Deism: History of religion and the deist mission.   Most deists saw the religions of their day as corruptions of an original, pure religion that was simple and rational. They felt that this original pure religion had become corrupted by "priests" who had manipulated it for personal gain and for the class interests of the priesthood in general.   According to this world view, over time "priests" had succeeded in encrusting the original simple, rational religion with all kinds of superstitions and "mysteries" – irrational theological doctrines. Laymen were told by the priests that only the priests really knew what was necessary for salvation and that laymen must accept the "mysteries" on faith and on the priests' authority. This kept the laity baffled by the nonsensical "mysteries", confused, and dependent on the priests for information about the requirements for salvation. The priests consequently enjoyed a position of considerable power over the laity, which they strove to maintain and increase. Deists referred to this kind of manipulation of religious doctrine as "priestcraft", a highly derogatory term.  Deists saw their mission as the stripping away of "priestcraft" and "mysteries" from religion, thereby restoring religion to its original, true condition – simple and rational. In many cases, they considered true, original Christianity to be the same as this original natural religion.   To the detriment of the congregation of believers of all of man's religions, the above position of the Deists is correct.    At its Source, religions such as Christianity are Pure and Spiritual -- but once these religions are placed in the hands of priests who (1) lack the spiritual maturity to fully comprehend the purpose of the teachings from a Spiritual Perspective -- (2) and they recognize the reality that the position of priest is a position of power and influence over others that often garners great wealth and political influence -- both the original objectives and purpose of the religion, as well as the teachings themselves, very quickly become corrupted. 

At the time of our Nations Founding, the Spiritually Mature Souls were called Masons and Deists -- but as demonstrated in the above, both groups retained their connection to the Church -- much like the early Church remained connected to the Gnostics.  And the relationship of the early Church to the Gnostics and the more modern connection to the Masons and Deists is readilly demonstrated in a quotation on http://ThomasPaineRedux.com where it is written: An interesting and appropriate statement by one of the earliest authorities of the Church is that made by Clement of Alexandria when he compared the inherent weakness of faith-based religion, to that of the Spiritual Christians who had acquired the Sacred Knowledge (Gnosis) of the Kingdom -- i.e., “Faith is the foundation; knowledge the superstructure, by knowledge faith is perfected, for to know is more than to believe. Faith is a summary knowledge of urgent truths; knowledge a sure demonstration of what has been received through faith, being itself reared upon faith through the teachings of the Lord. Thus the Gnostic grasps the complete truth of all revelation from the beginning of the world to the end, piercing to the depths of scripture, of which the believer tastes the surface only. As a consequence of this intelligent sympathy with the Divine Will, the Gnostic becomes in perfect unity in himself, and as far as possible like God. Definite outward observances cease to have any value for one whose being is brought into abiding harmony with that which is eternal; he has no wants, no passions; he rests in the contemplation of God, which is and will be his unfailing blessedness.”

Both the Masons and the Deists possessed the Higher Body of Knowledge that evolved them to a Condition of Knowing and Enlightenment.  The Deists embraced and put the Natural Laws into action -- or, as stated above:
"...Thus the [Gnostic or Deist or Mason] grasps the complete truth of all revelation from the beginning of the world to the end, piercing to the depths of scripture, of which the believer tastes the surface only."  Unlike the people of the simple-faith who have been seduced by priest-craft, the Enlightened Gnostics/Deists/Masons understood that the scriptures are not history -- but rather, allegorical portrayals of the Forces and Laws of Mind and Consciousness as demonstrated in the following statement by Thomas Paine:

But the Church of Rome having set up its new religion, which it called Christianity, invented the creed which it named the Apostle's Creed... It then manufactured the allegories in the book of Genesis into fact, and the allegorical tree of life and the tree of knowledge into real trees, contrary to the belief of the first Christians, and for which there is not the least authority in any of the books of the New Testament; for in none of them is there any mention made of such place as the Garden of Eden, nor of anything that is said to have happened there.  But the Church of Rome could not erect the person called Jesus into a Savior of the world without making the allegories in the book of Genesis into fact, though the New Testament, as before observed, gives no authority for it. All at once the allegorical tree of knowledge became, according to the Church, a real tree, the fruit of it real fruit, and the eating of it sinful.   As priestcraft was always the enemy of knowledge, because priestcraft supports itself by keeping people in delusion and ignorance, it was consistent with its policy to make the acquisition of knowledge a real sin... Reason is the forbidden tree of priestcraft, and may serve to explain the allegory of the forbidden tree of knowledge, for we may reasonably suppose the allegory had some meaning and application at the time it was invented. It was the practice of the Eastern nations to convey their meaning by allegory, and relate it in the manner of fact. Jesus followed the same method, yet nobody ever supposed the allegory or parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the Prodigal Son, the ten Virgins, etc., were facts.   Why then should the tree of knowledge, which is far more romantic in idea than the parables in the New Testament are, be supposed to be a real tree? The answer to this is, because the Church could not make its new-fangled system, which it called Christianity, hold together without it. To have made Christ to die on account of an allegorical tree would have been too barefaced a fable.

In the above words of Thomas Paine what we see is an enlightened understanding of the nature and reality of the scriptures which has been perverted by priest-craft and their corrupt Church.   When we make reference to the Laws of Nature and Nature's God, when the allegorical accounts of the scriptures are properly understood, the True Spiritual meaning of the scriptures are an embodiment of the Natural Laws of Higher Consciousness.  Paine knew this -- as did all the enlightened Masons and Deists.   And this is why it is written in the above quotation in the Encyclopedia: "...Deists saw their mission as the stripping away of "priestcraft" and "mysteries" from religion, thereby restoring religion to its original, true condition – simple and rational. In many cases, they considered true, original Christianity to be the same as this original natural religion."   And leaders such as George Washington recognized that to accomplish the restoration of True Enlightenment, it was necessary to maintain a connection to the body of faith-based believers who were still in the Churches, but had reach the point where they desired to embrace the Higher Knowledge that evolves them into a state of Enlightenment and Knowing.  And George Washington was therefore sworn into office as President, on a Bible from the local Masonic Lodge (quoting the Wikipedia) The George Washington Inaugural Bible is the book that was sworn upon by George Washington when he took office as the first President of the United States. The Bible itself has subsequently been used in the inauguration ceremonies of several other U.S. presidents. St. John's Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, are the custodians of what is now known as the George Washington Inaugural Bible. On April 30, 1789 it was upon this Bible that George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States.

At the founding of our Nation, Spiritually Mature and Enlightened Christians were known as Deists and Masons.  In the actual article which can be found at http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/february/why-george-washington-was-not-a-deist-but-a-practicing-christian , the author incorrectly states: "Jonathan Edwards, the great father of the first Great Awakening, in his writing says no deist will ever call the Bible the word of God because they believe that God doesn't have a written word" -- and as demonstrated in the above quotation of Thomas Paine, the foregoing statement of Jonathan Edwards is based upon his own abject ignorance of the nature and purpose of the scriptures.  As explored throughout the article on the Key of Knowledge ( http://KeyOfKnowledge.org ), the scriptures are an allegorical text-book that the seeker uses to find and enter the Presence of God.   As stated by the Church Father Origen who is known as the greatest teacher second only to the Apostles stated with respect to those who believe the literal text of the scriptures: "...What man is found such an idiot as" to believe these forms and symbols literally, and not to understand "...that every man must hold these things for images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed”?  (see The Hidden Reality Of The Old Testament @ http://AnInconvenientTruth.org#OldTestament .  Quoting the Church historian Eusebius who writes of the doctrines conceived by the early Christians Papias and Irenaeus: “Papias reproduces other stories communicated to him by word of mouth, together with some otherwise unknown parables and teachings of the Saviour, and other things of a more allegorical character. He says that 'after the resurrection of the dead there will be a period of a thousand years when Christ's kingdom will be set up on this earth in material form'. I suppose he got these notions by misinterpreting the apostolic accounts and failing to grasp what they said in mystic and symbolic language. For he seems to have been a man of very small intelligence, to judge from his books..."  (Eusebius, Hist Eccl., Book III, 39.11). 

Factually, both the author of the article and Johathan Edwards upon whom quotes must be understood as men of  "...small intelligence" who are lacking the ability to "...grasp what they [scripture authors] said in mystic and symbolic language".  George Washington was a Mason, because he was enlightened as to the spiritual meaning of the scriptures -- as was Franklin, Jefferson and Paine who were Deists.