Tuesday Text: Chapter 3: Sane Perception, Section 10: Judgement and The Authority Problem

          August Miracle Project: Granola bars waiting for delivery to the Grace Packs Food Pantry.

           We have already discussed the last judgement, although not with enough detail. After the last judgement there isn’t judgement any more. There is no judgement in Heaven. This is symbolic only in that we are all better off without judgement. The bible says, “Judge not, that ye not be judged,” This means, if you judge the reality of others at all, you will be unable to avoid judging your own reality. The choice to judge not to know is the cause of loss of peace. Peace is the natural heritage of God’s son. You are refusing your inheritance of peace of God by judging. 

          Judgement is the process on which perception rests, not knowledge. Perception involves selectivity, so evaluation is the prerequisite. Judgement always involves rejection. It is not the ability to see only the positive in yourself and others. But what has been perceived and rejected or judged and found wanting remains in the unconscious because it has been perceived. The things we have judged against become sharp objects. When I have condemned my brother to hell, I condemn myself as well. See only the good and the light in all beings, it is the only real part. It is an illusion that when you judge it has no effect.

          You are a powerful creative being. You do not see the other as sinless if you have judged against their actions. It doesn’t matter in the end whether you have judged rightly or wrongly, either way you are placing your belief in the unreal. Only God is real. Judgement implies that reality is yours to choose from. You have no idea the tremendous release and deep peace that comes from meeting yourself and your brothers totally without judgement. If you look at what the Course has said earlier about what you and your brothers are, you will realize that judging them in any way is without meaning. The meaning is lost on you because you are judging them. All uncertainty comes from the false belief that you are under coercion from judgement. Other people can’t make you over, you are as God created you. You don’t need the judgements of others to organize your life or yourself. When you look on knowledge all judgement is suspended. This process lets recognition of the SOG within take the place of perception.

          You have made it dangerous by internalizing it. All of this judgement is disheartening and exhausting. The strain of constantly judging is intolerable. Why do we cherish something that is so debilitating? There is a good reason for this, depending on your definition of good. If you wish to be the author of reality, which is impossible, then you will insist on holding on to judgement. You will use it with fear that one day it will be used against you. To whatever extent it is used against you, is only because of your belief in it as a weapon of defense of your own authority. You are not the author of yourself. 

          The issue of authority is the issue of authorship. If you have an authority problem it is always because you believe that you are the author of yourself. You resent your own projection of this delusion onto others. Then you perceive this situation as two people fighting for your authorship. This is the fundamental error of all those who believe they have usurped the power of God. This belief terrifies them, but it dosen’t bother God at all. He is eager to undo it, not to punish his kids, but only because he knows it makes them unhappy.

          The author/creator of SOG’s is God. But they choose to remain anonymous, i.e. withheld authorship or an unacknowledged name. By the thinking of the Course, Christ is all of our last names. We chose to separate from our author, God. Since then the word authority has become a fearful symbol. Authority has been used for cruelty because being uncertain of their own author, people believe that their creation was anonymous. They forgot God and forgot where they came from. So then they considered that they created themselves. The dispute over authorship has gone so far, some SOGs have considered that they were never created at all. People have forgotten their inheritance, they have forgotten who they are.

          True authorship is necessary for existence and you didn’t create yourself. Castration anxiety comes from Freud, the male infant fears he will be castrated by a Father figure for desiring his Mother. In the Course, castration anxiety comes from denial of God’s authorship. We fear God will punish us. Peace is your inheritance from God. All fear comes from denial of authorship. 

          Everyone feels imprisoned in some way. If this is the result of free will then you must regard your will as not free. Free will leads to freedom. Judgement imprisons.