The Friends of God

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The Theology of the Two Principles
An heroic variant of Christianity radically conceptualising time and space and
the unequivocally simple truth about Good and Evil. The Friends of God are an
Earth-ide community of li!e-minded adherents to a realistic spirituality. Their
holy boo! is the New Testament and their sacred prayer the Our Father.
God sent Christ "is only begotten #on to Earth to be !non to human!ind and
reveal to them "is plan for salvation. "e is a Christ ho revea$s the simple
truth% and not a Christ ho redeems the sins of man by his death. &nly Christs
revelation can lead to eternal salvation.

The Friends of God cannot accept that a single being could have conceived% on
the one hand% the invisible and eternal 'ingdom of (ight here Evil has no
place% and on the other the visible material orld of temporal realities here
Evil prospers. Therefore% there must be to basic creative principles% distinct
and opposed. God is all-poerful only for Good. "is omnipotence is limited by
"is infinite Goodness. "e cannot% ithout inconsistency% allo Evil% for "e is
only (ove. Therefore one must assume a separate principal hich created the
orld in hich Evil e)ists. This principle is represented by (ucifer% also !non
as the *rince of +ar!ness. #atan.
,n the beginning #atan came to lure aay the folloers of God. #ome gave in
and their souls ere trapped in -tunics of flesh. and cast into the oblivion of the
material orld to !no suffering% degradation% death% all vices% all calamities%
and all evils. Their minds though remained ith God. #alvation consists in
freeing the soul from its prison of flesh and bringing it bac! to God and
restoring the original unity of soul and mind. This re-uniting can only occur if
the soul attains knowledge. 'noledge as revealed to human!ind by Christ%
ho as sent by God for that purpose. &nly baptism can bring this about. /ot
the baptism in ater of 0ohn 1for he said -another shall come and baptise you in
fire and spirit.2 but the baptism in fire that Christ gave to his apostles% and to
hich the Friends uniquely remain faithful today. Failing this the soul ill pass
to another body% aiting to attain the !noledge that brings salvation.
The fundamental beliefs of the Friends of God appeal from three types of
argument. Firstly% an argument of pure formal logic ta!en from Aristotle3- -The
principles of opposite are opposite. /o% good and evil are opposite. Therefore
they contain opposite principles.. To echo this argument% the Friends quote
#aint 4atthes Gospel3 -Every corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good
tree cannot bring forth evil fruit5 neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit..
#econdly% a scripturalist argument that is ta!en from many #criptures% for
e)ample% the third verse of the beginning of #aint 0ohns Gospel3
-per ipsum omnia facta sunt, et sine ipso nihil factum est.. The Catholics
translate it as3 -All things ere made by "im 1God2 and ithout "im as not
anything made.% pleonasm challenged by the Friends. They translate 667ithout
"im% /othingness as made88% hich is to say% obviously% the visible
orld. An interpretation hich has given rise to many a controversy in order to
ascertain hether the (atin -nihil.% adverb of negation% can also be used as a
noun. -/ot so.% say the catholic scholars. -9es.% say the Friends ho find
many an e)ample in the /e Testament : including #aint *auls saying quoted
here. The greatest difficulty the Friends overcome is here #aint 0ohn states
that God created everything5 ho then can you imagine another Creation hich
could have been carried out ithout "im : even if it ere that of
-/othingness.; The Friends reply that everything does not alays have the
same meaning in the /e Testament. 7hen #aint 0ohn states that God created
Everything% one has to understand by that% the invisibility of totality% the Good
Creation 1omnia invisibilia25 but there is also a visible totality 1omnia visibilia2%
hich God did not create. The proof of this is that the #criptures also say3 -All
is vanity.. #o it cannot refer to the same -Everything.% because God could not
have created a vain totality. Therefore there is an Evil Creation% hich has its
on principle.
The third argument is of an e)istential nature5 it is the visceral refusal - over
hich no reasoned argument has any say - to believe that an infinitely
good God could not have created conditions hich alloed Evil to e)ist% that is%
matter and time% in other ords% the 7orld. For Catholics% God being all-
poerful% Evil could be a part of "is secret design. The Friends invert the
hierarchy of divine attributes. &f course God is almighty% they say% but in Good
alone% because "is all-poerfulness is limited by "is infinite goodness. #ince
"e is (ove% he cannot allo Evil% ithout contradicting or denying "imself.
7e must presuppose then% separate from God% a creator-principle of the 7orld
here Evil happens. This principle is -not-created. and is co-eternal ith the
good God. <ut "e is not a -True God.. &f course% he is sometimes called the
-un!non God.% but he can in no ay be considered to be on the same level as
the other. "e is the *rince of the 7orld% the *rince of +ar!ness. The 7ic!ed
Enemy. "e is the negative% corruptive% destructive principle% never the -Creator.
in the real sense. And his on -creations. must be understood as the permanent
e)periment of destruction of the Good Creation. Confronted ith the #pirit% he
-invented. 4atter so that by attracting it% he ma!es the #pirit fall. Faced ith
Eternity he -invented. Time% so that everything is tainted throughout
duration. "is aim is that the 'ingdom be destroyed and annihilated in the
7orld. ,t is a purely -reducing-to-nothingness. force hich opposed to God% is
his reverse-side. <ut not his equal% neither in value nor in being. ,t is thus that
the Friends perceive the e)perience of Evil and especially its -eightiness..
The Knowledge
&n earth% only the Good &nes% those ho truly follo the path of God% can save
souls% and all those ho are received into their !noledge before death go
straight to "eaven% whatever wickedness or sin they may have
committed. The good men can absolve people of all their sins by a power of
absolution equal to that of the Apostles Peter and Paul. The ritual of the
consolation% the onsalament% is the Friends only sacrament and it is this
baptism that allos one to gain the redeeming !noledge that liberates the soul.
&ne can easily accept that salvation for the soul ill consist of liberating itself
from its fleshly prison% in leaving the 7orld in order to return to the
'ingdom. <ut death for the Friends ill not automatically liberate the soul from
the body. The soul ill not leave this "ell on earth-here-belo to ta!e its place
ith God again unless tearing itself aay from oblivion% it succeeds
in recognising it!s divine nature% a supreme truth hich Christ% a creature of
God% sent by God% came to reveal to man. &nly the baptism founded by Christ
ill allo one to gain this 'noledge. After hich% or! and ascetism ill
prepare one for the souls liberation. ,f one has not received baptism% or if one is
insufficiently prepared% a being ill see the soul pass into another body. +oes
not #aint *aul say so himself% that he has already died once; This
transmigration of souls e)tends to animals. The Friends believe that the animal
body is also a prison for a fallen celestial spirit5 and the human soul can very
ell be incarnated in it. "is "oliness *ope 0ohn *aul ,, of the "oly =oman
church stated Animals too have souls, "ust like men.
=edeeming !noledge is of iniatory form. ,t is a gnosis5 it can only come from
the "oly Ghost. The Friends have received it from Christ himself% ith no
mediation on the part of the Apostles5 it is transmitted by the laying on of
hands. ,nfusion of the #pirit by those ho already possess it because they
themselves have received it is for the Friends% the only true baptism5 it is a rite
of transmitting !noledge by contact% contrary to the baptism of ater that #aint
0ohn the <aptist advocated. #aint 0ohns baptism is a rite of purification by
immersion. ,t washes but it teaches nothing. <esides% 0ohn the <aptist himself
said3 ->. <ut he that cometh after me is mightier than , >. "e shall baptise you
ith the "oly Ghost% and ith fire >.. And indeed% Christ laid his hands upon
others. The Friends call this -baptism of fire. 1as opposed to ater2% -#piritual
baptism.. The symbolism is clear3 it as in the form of tongues of fire that the
"oly Ghost descended upon the Apostles. They called it Consolation%
-consolamentum. in (atin because it as the *araclete or "oly Ghost
Comforter that infused !noledge% the understanding of Good% the equivalent of
the -'noledge of #upreme Good. of the Gnostics. Thus a spiritual marriage
be so and not otherise% the mystical reunion of the imprisoned soul in the body
ith its #pirit remaining in "eaven.
The Pelican
There is a bird called the *elican3 ,ts feathers shine li!e the sun. And its vocation
is to follo the sun. The pelican had some young. ,t left them in the nest% so as
to be able to follo the sun more freely. +uring its absence% a ravening ild
beast got into the nest and tore off the nestlings clas% ings and bea!s. After
this had happened severa$ times% the pelican decided to hide its onderfu$
radiance and to hide among its young so as to surprise and !ill the beast hen it
ne)t came into its nest. And this the pelican did. And the little pelicans ere
delivered. #n the same way hrist hid $is radiance when he was incarnated
within the %irgin &ary' thus $e will be able to take the (ad )od prisoner and
shut $im up in the darkness of $ell* And thus the (ad )od wil+ cease to
destroy the creatures of the )ood )od*
Return to Paradise
7hen all the good souls have left the Earth and gone bac! to their home
in *aradise% there ill be no 0ust 4en left on Earth and it ill be of no further
interest. Then the end of the ,orld becomes possible* The four elements ill
merge% the s!y ill fall don on the Earth% the #un and thus the 4oon ill go
out% the sea ill be consumed by fire% and fire ill be consumed by the sea. The
Earth ill be a la!e of pitch and sulphur - "ell.
&n Earth no% The Friends disseminate a profoundly faithful and moral message
of love% tolerance% and freedom. The 7ay of 0ustice and Truth challenges any
form of discrimination. The Friends practice contraception% even continence%
and a non-carnivorous diet because Christ told us -Thou shall not !ill.. There
might be in any anima$% a soul aaiting salvation and its destiny should not be
interfered ith. ,n fact% all flesh comes about from an act of generation% hich
is in essence diabolical. Continence for The Good &nes is not a question of
celibacy or simple disciplinary chastity. The act of generation is a ic!ed
invention only fit for delaying the liberation of souls. ,t is in order to multiply
the fleshly prisons that the Evil *rinciple created se)ual differences and
concupiscence. Carna$ union is% therefore essentially evil and no sacrament can
render it licit. 4en and omen% being in the clutches of Evil are not completely
free not to sin. The +evil is sinning ithin and over time the
procreational impulse has caused non-procreational se)uality to be reviled and
repressed. -ove one another freely but strive for virtue*
History
,n the origins of the Friends theology many loo! too closely at Catharism and
even further bac! to the *ersian prophet 4ani. <ut the ideas of a soul
imprisoned in flesh% salvation by !noledge% and to opposing principles
of good and evil% go bac! beyond Catharism and 4anicheaism to Gnosticism.
Although both faiths ere strongly influenced by Gnosis% their paths later
diverged. 4odern opinion is that the sources of Catharism are to be found in
certain features of early Christianity. Around ?@A A+% a priest
!non as <ogomil preached a dualist faith in hat is no <ulgaria. This is the
earliest reference e have. Folloing the trade routes% the faith spread% until
around the year $AAA e find traces in Champagne and Toulouse% France. (ater
in /orthern ,taly% in #icily% the <alearic ,slands% hat
is no <elgium and even in England. The most developed centres ere
in <ulgaria% (ombardy% and (anguedoc.
The Friends of God Today
Folloing their on spiritual path of faith and reason% people of different
religious traditions are indeed achieving enlightenment% though hat is valuable
in those traditions can be found more richly and e)plicitly in the 7ay of 0ustice
and Truth. The Friends of God have no vast lands or imposing buildings. /o
richly decorated churches or temples. /o idols. /o temporal poer and no
fiscal or social claims upon the or!ing man or oman. Friends do not
participate in any !ind of politico-legal hierarchy hatsoever% nor do the Friends
e)act tithes or set servants to or!. "oever% #aint *aul said -For if any ould
not or! neither should he eat. and -7ithout charity , am nothingness..
0oin the Friends in developing or!shops and educating the marginalised to help
themselves ith professional guidance. The Friends primary or! here on Earth
is to ma!e sense of sorro and to save the 7orld trapped in its heel. To bring
light here there is dar!ness% and bring all Gods souls to a good end by giving
meaning to the /e Testament : principally the Gospel of #aint 0ohn and the
<oo! of =evelation given to us by Gods messenger : Christ.

Tenty-first century cyberspace% is a rapidly evolving global community of
many billion ,nternet users and people ith access to telephones. This means an
unregulated medium of communication and e)pression ith aesome potential
for the support and encouragement of Friends toards a purification hich may
aa!en the desire to see! Consolation. Across all orldly barriers it also means
a ide range of opportunities for bringing (ight to the 7orld by disseminating
the Truth and international charitable or!s. Administrative costs are
substantially reduced by the removal of frontiers% both virtual and real% so that
the voluntary contributions of co-or!ers in every field of orldly endeavor
may be supported at ma)imum engagement even in hostile locations. /e
technologies such as strong encryption and the utilisation of the poer of the
elements ill enable the ministry in any location.
The Bniversity of Friends supported by effective distance-learning% regular
seminars% and grass-roots meetings ill reach the farthest corners of
the Evil 'ingdom. 7hat the soul is in the body% so ill the Friends of God be in
the 7orld. The soul is dispersed through every part of the body% and Friends
ill be found throughout all the utter-most parts of the 7orld. The soul inhabits
the body but is not part of the body% and the Friends inhabit the 7orld but are not
part of the 7orld. The soul is invisible% hidden in the body and hile Friends
are recognisable in all the mediums of the 7orld% their spirituality remains
invisible faithful to the (ight% &ur "oly Father (ord in "eaven. (egitimate God
of good spirits hose 'ingdom ill come% hose il$ be done on Earth as it is
in "eaven% ho gives us our daily bread to share in memory of Christs last
supper. Amen.

This te)t is produced by The Friends of God a millennium% and more% after
Christs birth. 4ay the Good God bless you and may you come to a good
end. (oo! to the stars heeling across the dar! night-s!y and commune ith us
your Friends on the 7orld-7ide-7eb at http3CC.friends.org

SECRET
The (iturgy of Consolation - .The onsalamentum/
,t is necessary for the officiators to be Good &nes% since one has to have
received consolation or be descended from one ho has% in order to administer
it.
The ordination ta!es p$ace in the presence of other Good &nes as ell as of the
parents and friends of the recipient% male or female. After replying to the
ministers questions and after all the Good &nes present have given their
consent% he or she ill ta!e the vo To follow the rule of "ustice and truth, and
to give myself to )od and to the hurch of the )ood hristians* Then% if he or
she is married% the spouse ill consent by absolving the candidate from all
conDugal ties. (ega$ or eccliastical divorce is not necessary as long as the full
meaning and eight of the vo is understood. After an e)change of ritual
liturgical passages from The 0imple Prayer (ook, the candidate can then accept
The Tradition, that is, The (ook and 1ominial Prayers, namely the /e
Testament and the ord of the (ord. "e or she ill then !neel before a cloth-
covered table. The minister ill place the /e Testament on the candidates head
and% together ith all the other Good &nes present5 ill lay his or her right hand
upon it. They all then recite the (enedicite, three Adoremus, seven Pater, and
three more Adoremus* After the reading of 0aint 2ohns )ospel the candidate
ill then repeat the Adoremus three times and finish ith the ords of The
*ardon.
7hen it is a question of consoling a dying person% and sometimes believers
come to an agreement ith the Good &nes in advance% they ma!e their
onvenen3a 4 The Pact 4 that is% they desire Consolation if they are mortally
sic! or ounded5 so in that case the comatose can be consoled5 5ven if # have
lost the use of words but provided # still have breath of life in me*