Introduction to Oahspe
admin June 9th, 2010
Its difficult to decide exactly what to say about Oahspe. It has a lot of truth. But there are so many things that will rub most people the wrong way, that it is hard to recommend it. In fact some parts of it are down-right dangerous to a stable mind. Much of it comes across anti-religious. I think the best advice would be that given in D&C 91,
“Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha—There are many things contained therein that are true… There are many things contained therein that are not true. Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited (D&C 91:1–6)
I have read it and reread it and as I have prayed and meditated about it, I think the Ra folk may be saying it right in their strange analysis…
“This [book Oahspe] was transmitted by one of [the Heavenly Council's] social memory complex [Godly bodies] whose idea, as offered to the Council, was to use some of the known physical history of the so-called religions or religious distortions of your cycle in order to veil and partially unveil aspects or primal distortions of the Law of One . All names can be taken to be created for their [pronunciation] characteristics . The information buried within has to do with a deeper understanding of love and light, and the attempts of infinite intelligence through many messengers to teach/learn those entities of your sphere.”
Thus like all material that is revealed to man the text is subject to the law of One (or Law of Agency) that states that for each influence of truth there must be equal chance for influence of falsity/adversity in order to preserve man’s agency. As is usually the case, the falsity is introduced by the limited perspective of the sources/medium as well as later corrections by scribes/editors, and serves to “hide” the truth just as much as it reveals it. Thus one must read carefully, and judge according to their highest light.
Earthly Origins
Oahspe was revealed through John Ballou Newbrough in 1882. As told in his own words, John dabbled in spiritualism for ten of fifteen years until he “was not satisfied with the communications; [but] was craving for the light of heaven”. In time he says “I took it into my head that wise and exalted angels would commune better with us if we purified ourselves physically and spiritually. Then I gave up eating flesh and fish, milk and butter, and took to rising before day, bathing twice a day, and occupying a small room alone, where I sat every morning half-an-hour before sunrise, recounting daily to my Creator my shortcomings in governing myself in thought and deed”.
After six years of governing himself thus, he states to have begun to be visited by angels who “propounded to me questions relative to heaven and earth, which no mortal could answer very intelligently”. Two years subsequent to his communion with these angels, he was directed to buy a type-writer; whereafter he was instructed to rise early and with an angel standing over his head directed to write for a half-hour or so each morning for fifty-two weeks by the process of automatic writing. He was also directed not to read what was written until it was all finished. Upon completion he was instructed to publish the book without forming a church around it.
During this period John “pursued his vocation” of Dentistry, until 1884 when apparently in seeking to follow the teachings of the book, he moved to an area near Las Cruces, New Mexico and started a commune-type colony called “The land of Shalam”. In 1885 Newbrough and his wife eventually gathered fifty children and followers from foundling homes, police sergeants, and depositories”. By all accounts, the children, from all races, were pampered and treated with love and kindness, however, due mostly to financial failures the the colony folded by 1901, and the children were sent to orphanages.
Heavenly Origins & Overview
I am still not sure where to classify Oahspe’s heavenly origins. If you were to believe the Ra folk it would seem it that some unknown organization from an unknown level of the earths heavens approached some of the beings who govern our solar system, and suggested to aid man’s progression through revealing this book which spreads truth and error by its presentation of historical accounts of previous cycles of the earth’s existance. To me, there are a few problems with this possibility, but notwithstanding my opinion, the truths in the book can not be easily dismissed.
It contains so much truth about the laws of the higher kingdoms concerning ascending to the higher heavens (Terrestrial & Celestial Kingdoms in Mormonism) as to be uncanny. Also about building Zion, the united/communal order, and the condemnation originating from material inequality. How earthly religions turn into idols and must be renewed/torn down. The cycles/dispensations/times of the gospel and its messengers. How unselfishness in the key to exaltation. Detailed cosmology and physics principles, Etc, etc..
But at the same time the text typically condemns the earth’s religions and paints them in a negative light, instead of showing them as imperfect “schoolmasters”. The scribe(s) is/are generally anti-religious (much as communist nations) and somewhat misrepresent or distort the role of religion in earth’s history. It derides the four beasts/false Gods/religions of the Millennium (Hinduism, Buddhism, Gentile Christianity & Islam), but completely ignores the true/false dualism in all these religions and presents them in an attitude of criticism and “railing accusation” (Jude 1:9) so as to try and destroy faith altogether instead of leading people to a unity of true faith in righteousness. The scribe(s) also discount completely the Father’s plan of mercy as presented through Christ, to be accomplished in its fullness on the North American continent (while at the same time alluding to its existence in previous cycles). Its account of “Joshua” (Christ) would lead one to believe that the “historical Jesus” was a normal Joe and that the New Testament is complete fabrication and that “Christ” is a false God. At the same time, however, its account of Zerathustra might as well be Christ. I think I’v made sense of which parts are true and which parts are false, but the reader will have to judge for themselves. I believe that even with the Spirit of discernment, many readers will get a little screwed up in their attempts to make sense of the historical aspects of this book. (The spiritual aspects are pretty spot on).
As is typical of restorationist text originating in the lower heavens, the work is the least accurate in its accounts of more recent events (founding of Christianity, Islam, America, etc). As is also typical of lower heaven works, (from my perspective) dates and times seem to become greatly skewed in accounts before Moses because of the time dilation which occurred coincident with the dimension shifting from the time of the Flood to the exodus.
The book does however, present otherwise hidden bits of truth concerning the Jaredite people (Algonquin) and the principles of exaltation (it’s group nature), as well as various peoples temple rights and histories. I would suggest anyone reading it, do so with the spirit–praying often for discernment. I also get the strange impression that the book and its doctrines will spread widely during the Millennium (Kosmon, as it calls it) among the communist nations and the anti-religious sentiments hidden among its many truths and espoused in the heavens where the book originates will one day aid in inciting the great last war which Japheth will wage on Shem/Ham just before the end of the next cycle (but that may be wild speculation).
Go to full text of Oaspe at this post
I apologize that this post is fragmented, disjointed, and otherwise poorly written. I hope you get the gist of it.
- restoration texts
- Comments(0)
Comment Through Social