There is a common theme in many religions and spiritual paths that an ordinary person cannot contact God directly and that a medium and an intercession hierarchy are needed. The ancient tribal religions were based on this idea, and the shamans and priests were those mediums connecting people to God through performing certain prescribed rituals and incantations.
These ancient religions are gone, but their underlying philosophy of mediumship is not. Christianity, as the largest religion of our day, espouses this notion at its core. They believe no matter what a man does and how righteous he is, there will be no salvation for him. The only way to salvation is through the mediumship of Jesus, which is obtained by believing in church doctrine and participating in some prescribed rituals performed by its priests.
And many Indian sects that reached the West in recent centuries also similarly insist that man cannot reach God by himself, and the intercession of a master, or as they call it, a guru, is needed. The aspirant must find a guru. Without a guru, their literature warns, no salvation is possible and no hope. This way, the guru is no longer just a teacher but a bestower of salvation and almost replaces God for the aspirant.
And many other new religions—and may I say all that we have seen so far—have similar principles to such an extent that this became a common element in all. But this is not indeed a surprise, for Evil exists and is in active work to deviate and deceive. Some people are deviated by the pull of lust, greed, and other vices. But not all can be deviated this way, for Divine intuition and inherent wisdom bar some from following evil traits. These people have a tendency for religion and philosophy, and so Evil comes to them with false religions and philosophies to engage and nullify their spiritual efforts.
Thus, not surprisingly but sadly, false religions and cults are spread on the face of the earth. This was in the past, and is today, and so will be in the future. The followers of our path should be wary of this fact and not be deceived. They should know about false religions and their attributes fully. Many are false religions, but one is their attribute, wherewith they call people to something other than God and through means other than virtue and good deeds. And this mediumship and Guruism is an example of it.
Thus, mediumship and guru-based religions are all false. For the true God is the God of all people and not a few elect, and the way to this God is through good works and not adherence to a master and membership in his team. Therefore, these religions erred both in regard to the nature of God and the path that leads to It.
Every human can connect to God directly. No election is needed, nor any ritual. Human, by virtue of being created as human, is already elected and connected. The day that God fashioned his soul, the day that the Almighty breathed wisdom and understanding into the soul which is only given to humans, the day that the angel of life placed him on the altar and brought him to life, on that very day he also became an elect to God, and a connection to the Divine was established in the seat of his soul.
The only thing that separates us from God is our choices in regard to good and evil. For in addition to God, Evil also exists and tries to draw the soul away from the Divine. Thus, man becomes a battleground of opposite forces and can choose which side he stands on. Once we choose God, It will be available; and once we make an effort in the path of goodness and virtue, It will be reached. No ritual or human approval is needed.
God is the God of all people, all nations, and all earth. God is like a sun that shines on all. No one is dear or detested by It. Whoever resolves in Its path and perseveres will reach Its abode and Divine station. No master or medium is needed.
If there was any reference to prophets or spiritual masters in religions, it was meant to be a teacher who teaches the path to the Divine. Our path does not deny the role of teacher. A teacher is needed for everything: for learning how to write, learning how to drive, learning mathematics, and all other skills. And religion and spirituality are no exception, and even more exceptionally required.
But a teacher in our path is just a teacher who teaches all these things we are writing here; someone who teaches the truth, and not someone who grants salvation or decides the fate of others. A teacher is someone with profound knowledge and experience in regard to the truth and the Divine, someone who has experienced God and Its path in various aspects, and can now show the path.
A teacher presents the student with the realities of the path, with the way and its complexities. A teacher teaches the science of morality, and at the same time serves as a model of morality. He teaches good behavior, and serves as a role model for good behavior. He inspires the student, he shows him the sweetness of God, he soothes the troubled mind of the student by mystic stories of old and how things came to accord with goodness at the end. He waits and listens to the student until he can stand on his own.
And as the student stands on his own, the teacher recedes gradually from the path, until there remains the student and God alone, and the path to go. A teacher is not someone between you and God, but behind you and pushes you to God. In the end, it will be only you and God; not the teacher, not the father, not the mother, not me, not he, not she, not anything else will be and should be between you and God.
The path should be trodden by each person alone. Nobody can walk the path for another. There is no shortcut or back door. A teacher does not and cannot make the path easier, and no bargain or favoritism is allowed in the Divine court. Favoritism and intercession are indeed rampant in human institutions, but not in the abode of God which is the house of pure Truth and pure justice. But there is such a thing as Divine mercy and repentance, where one affirms past errors with a broken heart and resolves not to repeat them again with a firm will. Repentance, if sincere, can lead to the erasing of sins. But repentance is not favoritism, and does not need a medium or master to be present or act. Repentance can be done directly to God. God is enough.
The goal of the pure religion is that the student should eventually become like unto his teacher. As the ancient myth narrates, you meet your teacher at the junction of the two seas (sea of material existence and sea of spiritual existence), and the teacher takes you through the seven cities (teaches you the seven cardinal virtues) and then you reach the "ultimate point" where he will stop walking with you. This is where you have to go by yourself. The last mile of the path should be trodden alone, like a one-person ship sailing in the sea of wonders towards the Wonderful.