A Letter to Neale

Dear Mr. Walsch…A while back I was present at a weekend intensive in Rilland, in The Netherlands.  I'm writing to say that I found your presentation and explanation about what God wants and what my goal in life is inspiring and true.

Your teachings will be a guideline for me how to take even more control over my life and create the person and being I want to be.  Thank you for that. 

There is one question I want to ask you but I did not find appropriate time for during the retreat. It has to do with what history and experience teaches us when looking at other religions and beliefs.

As you said during the retreat, almost every religion started with a personal experience of a person with God.  From that experience came a theory, a concept, a truth if you will, that is then passed on to others.

Over time, more and more people will join the movement and this perception is then growing and spreading. In the beginning the original 'word' is pure and consistent.  Over time when the movement is growing there comes the need to start an organization.  People need to be trained, raise money, speak to other people, organize events, give out information etc.  And then, often, when the founder and the first followers have passed on, or when the movement simply grows too big, the movement starts to institutionalize.

People start interpreting the words, organizations, rules and policies which are necessary for any structural growth, and this becomes an obstacle to personal experience and thinking.  And exercises that are meant to bring you a personal experience of God become procedures, protocols, and rituals.

In my opinion this is what happened with most, if not all, of the main religions. They have become dogmatic institutions of power, influence and their own special interests.  It has not much to do anymore with the original message that was carried in this world. It has lost its own relationship with God.

This is what I was thinking when I heard you talking about the ReCreation Foundation or The Group of 1000 or Humanity's Team, and all the other initiatives that you are taking. At first I was attracted to the idea and wanted to see what it is I can contribute, but the thought of becoming part of an organization is stopping me at the moment.

My question to you is: What are you doing or what can we do to prevent the message you are sharing from becoming institutionalized as well, and perhaps even misinterpreted and misused by people?

Thank you for your time and explanation

Lucas S. 

Neale Responds

Dear Lucas,

Everything you have said about organizations is true...yet that is no reason not to join an organization. 

These things that you predict will happen in organizations occur over a period of many, many years.  All of this takes time.  Many organizations often do a great deal of GOOD before these things occur.  When they do occur, it is then time to reform the organization, or, if it will not allow itself to be reformed, to dismantle it.  That is what Martin Luther said about religion in 1517, and his work started the Reformation.

So institutionalized movements can be reformed, Lucas.

But now, think of this...If none of us ever start or join organizations, nothing would ever get done.  Nothing good or notable in the world would ever be accomplished if we had to depend on one person doing it all by himself or herself.  What is needed in the world -- clearly -- is a concerted effort, a joined energy, an expanded undertaking.  No one can do what needs to be done alone. 

This means that we either start, or join, an organization, or we leave the future of the world to those who DO.  As I said during the retreat, the problem with the world today is that the civil are not organized, and the organized are not civil.

People who want the world to go in another direction, people who have different goals for the world than you or I do, have no problem with "organization".  They are perfectly willing to "organize" or to "join organizations".  Doing so supports their sad and disheartening and damaging vision of the world.  The question is, what are WE going to do?  Are we to give up our world BY DEFAULT to those who ARE willing to join organizations…or will we join and then become one who updates the operation… or will we just let it become another ‘religion’? 

Hugs,