Since none of those who have joined in receiving the message of "Toward the Light" has posed any direct question relating to these problems to our interpreter, our medium, with the desire of obtaining an answer from the transcendental world, these matters will be treated separately in an Appendix to this Supplement to “Toward the Light". This is done so as to keep these comments separate from the answers given in response to direct questions from the human world.

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By their creators - Ardor and the Eldest - humans were created as polygamous beings, because Ardor’s purpose was to ensure the survival of the species, so that he should not in the future be faced with any need to attempt further creation. His objective was therefore to render human beings capable of becoming fruitful, so that they could multiply, replenish the Barth and subdue it.

While human beings were still exclusively the creatures of the Eldest they lived a life similar to that of polygamous animals. The primal human beings thus roved in great herds under the leadership of a single male, or with three or four males as leaders. But there were continual and violent fights between these leaders and the younger males of the herd, especially because the sexual drive was not confined to certain seasons of the year. For this reason periods of greater peacefulness between them were precluded. On account of these polygamous relationships, and because of the primal human beings' total lack of spiritual intelligence, these creatures had no sense whatsoever of kinship with one another. Only the maternal instinct prevailed, as it does in the female of numerous animal species.

When God at the dawn of time granted the prayer ¹  of some of the Eldest to take upon Himself the care of their ill-conceived creations - the human beings - He gave these creatures of Darkness, as explained in "Toward the Light" ² , a spark of the Light from His own Being, so as to endow them with spiritual life - that is, with thought and will. At the same time God’s children - the Youngest - pledged themselves to assist their Father in drawing the human beings away from the influence of their creators and under the influence of God and the Light. The Youngest who were bound to human bodies had so much of their mighty intelligence withheld through the interaction between the "life-giving cord" ³ and the physical, astral and psychic brain ⁴ that - spiritually speaking - they were brought to a level only slightly above that of the other human beings whose bodies God had endowed with a spark of His own Self.

It now became the task of these incarnated Youngest in their life as human beings to be the guides, leaders and pioneers of mankind in all aspects of life on Earth. From the very first incarnations, improvements could be observed in many different areas; and one of these was the area of sexual life.

Exceedingly slowly, under the regulating and harmonizing influence of the Light through millions of years, the all-important, primordial sexual urge became sufficiently subdued for the then existing civilized human beings to lead a monogamous life, although polygamous relationships still existed in some places. This restraint of the sexual drive was due to the influence of the Light as well as to a large number of the Youngest, who continually let themselves be incarnated among human beings. And these "personalities of Light" had by the power of their will tempered and regulated the sexual instinct of the families in which they had been incarnated; this subdued instinct was then passed on as inheritance to the offspring.

However, when the Eldest conceived the idea of incarnating themselves among human beings, these incarnations represented a strong counter-move against the work of the Youngest. Until that time, despite the spiritual influence of the dis-incarnated Eldest in the direction of Darkness, the Youngest had step by step brought much of humanity forward toward the Light and toward a communal life protected by good and well established laws. Very positive results had

thus been attained through millions of years under this steady, slowly progressing development. However, because of the influence of Ardor and the Eldest, most of the communities were still highly belligerent in their internal relationships and affairs, as well as in their dealings with other communities.

About 12,000 B.C. a multitude of the Eldest were incarnated among mankind as human beings (human beings have lived on Earth for about five million years). But these incarnations brought about a profound change in the prevailing conditions, for with respect to intelligence those of the Eldest who had been incarnated by Ardor were infinitely superior to the Youngest who were incarnated at that time. Consequently, the Eldest gained absolute leadership in life on Earth over the incarnated Youngest, and over ordinary human beings as well. In an appallingly short time a drastic decline - a complete regression into Darkness - took place everywhere and in all areas of human life.

One of the first things these incarnated Eldest undertook was to institute a formal "religious" cult of the sexual relationship between man and woman. Gods and goddesses of male and female fertility were each given their separate magnificent temple and their own priesthood and rituals. And large numbers of maidens, and in some places also young males, were consecrated to these gods and goddesses. At prescribed times of the year great, shameless orgies were staged in which all the people, both high and low, took part under the leadership of the priesthood. The ill-famed orgies of these days were far worse in sexual excesses and savagery than were the Festivals of Dionysos of later times, ⁵ known today through scholarly research into the history of antiquity.

Thus, through the continued incarnations of the Eldest the suppressed sexual drive flared up anew with a violent, almost explosive force, a force the Youngest have been unable to subdue during the almost 14,000 years that have elapsed between the first incarnations of the Eldest and the present. Today, however, there are numerous families throughout the world whose members, with a few exceptions, are no longer dominated by this drive but have brought it under the control of their will. This does not mean that all the Youngest who during this 14,000-year period continued to be incarnated among the human beings as leaders and pioneers never succumbed to sexual temptations and aberrations. It should be obvious that Ardor tried in every way to lead God’s emissaries astray, especially in sexual matters. But God in His wisdom had arranged that numerous of the Youngest should be incarnated during this era with the sole purpose of subduing the sexual instinct in those peoples where it was most predominant. And these Youngest had by God been endowed in such a way that through their will they were able to withstand the onslaughts and temptations of Darkness in this respect. But those of the Youngest who pioneered in the various arts needed all their power of will in order to bring their particular mission to a favorable conclusion, for which reason the will was not always quite prepared to withstand the onslaughts of Darkness in sexual matters. And it was especially these who at times gave way to the temptations of Darkness and to the influence of Ardor in "erotic" matters. But these lapses did not spring from deep in their inner being. ⁶

The continued arbitrary incarnations of the Eldest have also in the course of time distorted the attitude of human beings to culture. For it was God’s intention - through the unquestioned leadership of the Youngest in all matters - to bring mankind forward toward the Light and spiritual life in such a way that the sexual problem would be solved simultaneously with the advance of culture. But the incarnations of the Eldest brought to a halt this slow but steady progressive development in all aspects of life. In order to combat the incarnated Eldest in a reasonably effective manner God was time and again obliged, when the Youngest should be incarnated, to raise their spiritual intelligence many degrees, so that it came to equal - and in some cases to exceed — the intelligence, the knowledge, that the Eldest brought with them into life on Earth. But for this reason "culture" has been raised to a much, much higher level than can be assimilated by the average human being. As a result of this, human sexual life remains at a much lower level than it should by now have attained in relation to the existing culture.

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With the spread of Christianity within the countries of Europe the polygamous relationship, which thrived side by side with monogamous marriage, became more and more to be regarded as sinful. This attitude did not, however, eliminate polygamous relationships, but only caused them to flourish more strongly in secret, while monogamous marriages were clearly by no means always "monogamous". Under Christianity the Church authorities assumed more and more power in the various domains of human life — though not always with equally good results. And the certification of marriage was drawn under the "protection" of the Church, as were so many other matters.

The ancient biblical myth ⁷ of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is apparently symbolic of the human monogamous relationship. But this myth stems originally from one of the Youngest, who attempted during life on Earth to give an allegorical exposition of the concept of "Dualism", of Darkness and of the Light, of the life in God’s Kingdom of His first—created children - and of the fall of the Eldest. And the ancient maxim of the Church: "What therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder" - or, more correctly, "no one" - applies in reality to the dual relationship to each other of God’s first created children, but in no way does it apply to human marital relationships. There is therefore no justification whatsoever for its application to human beings, except in connection with the duality ⁸ of the human spirit. For in the great majority of cases God has nothing to do with contracted marriages. God does not demand of human beings that they should enter into matrimony with any particular fellow human. In this respect everyone has a perfectly free choice, God makes absolutely no particular selection in this matter.

When a human spirit shall be incarnated - born to a life on Earth - God gives a plan in broad outline for the coming life, a plan ⁹ which the human spirit is made aware of, and which is imparted to the guardian spirit as the basis for guidance. These draft plans for human lives often indicate the desirability that a particular person should be chosen as companion in a marriage relationship during incarnation. This is normally done so that these future human beings can in this way offset the transgressions committed against each other in previous incarnations, or so that they can be of help to each other in some cultural undertaking. The latter applies especially to the incarnated Youngest. But it is not demanded that these suggested unions must take place according to plan. God is thus not the institutor of earthly marriages. But once human beings have made their choice, whatever that may be, God seeks through the guardian spirit to make the best of the union, although all too often marriages sadly fail to succeed. And the supervision of marital relationships by the Church has contributed to the fact that they often fail as completely as they do in so many cases. For many couples continue living together out of religious considerations despite the unwillingness of one or of both parties. The Catholic Church in particular has caused almost irreparable damage by its sanctification of marriage, since it has thereby prevented any possibility for the two spouses to create better conditions, a better life for themselves through a dissolution of their marriage.

However, many years ago an increasing number of Lutherans already showed more and more of a tendency to circumvent the Church in marital questions, just as the desire to consider marriage an entirely social and not a religious matter has at times been strongly expressed. However, until this day it has not been possible to make the so-called "civil marriages" obligatory for all, and thus leave it to the individuals to seek the "blessing" of the Church after the civil marriage has taken place.

Since the transcendental world has now shown that it imposes no rules on marital matters, does this not simply a denunciation of the Church’s jurisdiction to act as guardian in the contracting of marriages Yes, it does! Church authorities should never have intruded in an area which definitely does not belong within their domain. Furthermore, bringing marriage under the guardianship of the Church has violated ethical aspects of religious life, for example the metaphorical representation of the congregation as the "Bride of Christ", or the nun, who is also referred to as the "Bride of Christ" at her consecration. If Christ were truly God, such descriptions would be entirely blasphemous. But since Christ is not God, they must be regarded as being both highly unethical and inaesthetic.

Rather than engage in seemingly endless debates on the problem of marriage, the members of the various societies should first of all exclude the Church from all connection with the entering into and the dissolution of marriages and make marriage a social institution. Next, an obligatory civil wedding should take the place of the church wedding, but with permission temporarily granted · if it is so desired - to obtain the blessings of the Church after the civil ceremony. But, as it has already been stated, this permission to obtain the blessing of the Church should only be temporary, since as human beings mature spiritually they will undoubtedly request fewer and fewer of such blessings until they finally desire them no more. For it must be remembered that God takes no greater interest in marriages blessed by the Church than in marriages entered into on the basis of a "civil wedding ceremony". But when matrimony wholly and completely becomes a social institution, provisions should be made at the same time that in no way impede the dissolution of a marriage, if it transpires that the partners are unable to live together without making life a "hell" for each other and for any children they may have. Not only should ordinary breaches and transgressions of the marriage pact be regarded as grounds for divorce, but also spiritual differences between the partners should especially be taken into consideration. And the provisions made should also ensure that one partner cannot refuse to consent to divorce, and thereby hinder or delay the dissolution of the marriage. Once the necessary formalities have been concluded - and financial provision made for any dependent children and for the wife – the divorce should not be preceded by a lengthy separation, since such a period of separation is in many cases of no benefit whatsoever, but only serves to aggravate the situation. For if the marriage is dissolved with a new marriage in view either for the one partner or for both partners - the separated parties will often live together in secret with their future marriage partner, despite the provisions of the separation period. This so-called separation period should therefore be abolished; although after the dissolution of the marriage there should be an obligatory waiting period of about four months, which is more than sufficient to determine whether or not the wife is pregnant. if it can be proved that she had conceived with her husband, and not with the man chosen with a view to future marriage, then the child should be named after the husband, who should then also assume the financial responsibility for the birth and upbringing of the child until the age of majority.

These are therefore the first principles that should be observed in providing a basis for more orderly and secure relations within marriage. Many will undoubtedly object, however, that the situation would deteriorate rather than improve if divorce were made possible without difficulties of any kind. There is only one answer to this: that sound, pure and happy marriages would not be affected in any way by easier access to divorce, while bad, unhappy marriages where either or both parties have relations with some other partner would only gain by such an arrangement. For if the partners know that their marriage can be dissolved at any time they wish there is a better prospect that they will be more tolerant toward each other and thus overcome their disagreements and difficulties. But if they feel tied and hampered by rigid rules and regulations, or if they feel bound by religious considerations, such obligations will often be the only reason they continue living together and will thereby create a still worse domestic situation, both for themselves and the children, for whom the parents should provide a good and peaceful home. Also, such a continued marital relationship lived with ill will toward the

other, lived in mutual anger and hatred, will only give impetus to illicit relationships outside marriage.

The ideal for human marriage is of course to be able to go through life with the one and first chosen partner. Indeed, the ideal ¹⁰ which people should strive for is this: under all circumstances and difficulties of life, in sorrow and in gladness to stay together, kindly and calmly without quarrels and strife to yield to each other, to be like good friends throughout life and to be fully agreed on the upbringing of the children, to correct and guide them with loving patience and understanding without foolishly spoiling or idolizing them. However, human beings on the average are still quarrelsome in mind and in thought, are self-assertive by nature and in their conduct. Therefore, God also knows how,difficult it is for them to be mutually tolerant, which is the reason why He believes that the best road to improvement in the area of marriage is to make marriage not a compulsory but an entirely voluntary relationship, legalized through a civil office with easy access to dissolution, even if it is desired or demanded by only one of the parties.

The proposals for trial marriages and companionate marriages should also be discussed in this context. These suggestions were brought forward primarily to allow early cohabitation for the young, a relationship that might otherwise prove difficult, for financial reasons among others. People are of course free to choose also in this matter, but once easy access to divorce has been instituted, these suggestions for "marriages" should no longer be discussed. It could be arranged for the young partners, after a civil marriage, to remain in their respective homes. ¹¹ For companionate marriages that are not legalized in the ordinary manner could easily cause the very young to be drawn further and further downward, because their sense of responsibility would be lessened and the will to curb the demands of the sexual drive might grow weaker rather than stronger. A chaste young woman would also in most cases suffer under such insecure circumstances. Yet another factor should be taken into consideration: if companionate marriages were tolerated, it is likely that quite casual relationships would soon be regarded as "companionate marriages" to people in general. And despite all provisions the young would easily be tempted to live not in one, but in several "companionate marriages" at the same time; but under such circumstances society would again experience polygamy, although under a new name and under a new form.

Therefore, the basic condition for improving the circumstances for marriage should be to exclude the guardianship of the Church from the domain of matrimony, to provide obligatory civil marriage for all, easy access to divorce, and secure provision for the wife and dependent children in the case of divorce. But this is far from sufficient. For the problem that in most cases will cause the largest amount of friction and the deepest discord between marriage partners – who often began living together in love for each other with a sincere desire to create a good life together — is the problem of the children.

In the myth of the Creation of Man, Genesis 1:28, the narrator makes God say to the newly-created man and woman: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it . . ." This "command" has been faithfully followed by human beings; they have indeed multiplied, and - almost - replenished the Earth. To this day, millions of people are following the command of fruitfulness. But never was this command given to the first human beings, nor did God give it to mankind. For God did not create "Adam and Eve", nor did He request them to multiply beyond all limits. The sexual drive was implanted in mankind by Ardor when he and his fellow beings created the first human bodies. And later he instilled the idea of fruitfulness in the minds of human beings after God had endowed them with a spark of His own Self. None of this therefore originates from God, it is rooted in Darkness and not in the Light. Never has it been the wish of God that the Earth should be overpopulated, and never has He requested human beings to produce so many children that they would be unable to provide their offspring with proper living conditions. And never has He reproached the human spirits upon their return after death for not producing offspring. But God has time and again reproached them for their thoughtlessness and irresponsibility in leaving behind far too abundant offspring. Therefore, let it clearly be stated once and for all: God has neither part nor lot in the number of children that human beings bring into the world. All who say "God has denied us children" or “God has blessed our marriage with many children" should know that these pronouncements have nothing to do with the truth. But God requires that every father and every mother account for the upbringing of their children and for the living conditions they have provided. He places the responsibility for their children's conduct in life upon their (the parent's) shoulders; for no one has the right to throw his offspring to the four winds. And as human beings take care of their children, so does God take care of human beings. Therefore, if human beings wish to ensure favorable circumstances for themselves in future incarnations, then they must provide a good, secure environment for their children - otherwise retribution will come upon them in one form or another. God thus demands that every parent should account for every single child, whether or not the child is born in legal wedlock. All human children are equal before God; He recognizes absolutely no difference between "legitimate" and “illegitimate” children. God gives human beings free choice in respect of how many children ¹² they will bring into the world, but He demands that these children be provided for in every way — none shall suffer neglect because their parents cannot or will not provide for their needs. Such is the law of God: this is God’s message to mankind.

Since the question of whether or not birth control should be permitted is under such heated debate at this time it is emphasized from the transcendental world that birth control is permitted to the extent desired by each individual, and by the means or method best suited to this purpose, provided that the means or method employed is not injurious to health. It is not demanded, for instance, that one, two, three or four children must first be born within a marriage before any limitation of the total number can be allowed. Even those who do not wish to have any children from their marriage will after death receive no reproach from God for this decision.

Birth control is thus allowed by God to the extent desired by each person. And one thing is certain: this limitation will produce more, better and happier marriages. For in many cases the woman’s continual pregnancies and the many mouths to feed lead to a constant struggle for existence. These difficult circumstances thus very often impose disproportionately hard work upon the man, the provider - and in many workers’ homes also upon the wife - in earning the daily bread and maintaining the home. Frugality is a good thing, but a life of toil and drudgery, in constant struggle for daily necessities, a life of annual childbirth and constant care of the offspring, is not the best background for a happy marriage. And many a man and woman have been defeated in this struggle for existence, in this joyless life that they have created for themselves by bringing so many children into the world. Many a marriage that began in mutual love has thus ended in daily quarrels, in impossible demands, in anger – and in hatred. Neither must it be forgotten that a woman who is pregnant year after year and is tied to "the cradle and the nursery" for years on end cannot continue to be a good companion ¹³ to her husband, neither sexually nor in the area of spiritual matters. Furthermore, if on account of the long succession of pregnancies the woman withdraws from sexual relations with her husband, this often provides the first occasion for him to seek extra-marital relations — which thus leads to polygamy and to so-called "illegitimate" children. Rather limit the number of children - and enjoy a happier marriage!

In order to assist in creating the best possible circumstances in the future, both for marital relations and for any resulting children, the following guidance is given for the most appropriate course of action.

Let us begin at the beginning, which is the attitude of parents toward their children an the subject of sexuality.

Every father and mother must as a necessary duty take it upon themselves to explain to their children how they originated, and the reasons for the differences between the male and the female body. But this can only be done by fully and wholly considering the matter from a natural point of view. Bring the whole question into the full light of day, so that the sexual relationship does not become shrouded in any kind of mystery. When the child begins to ask questions on these matters they must be answered clearly, calmly and decently, and in a manner appropriate to the child’s age. No child must be dismissed with evasive words such as "this is something you are not old enough to understand"; nor fobbed off with the old tales of "the angel" or "the stork", and so on. All such should long ago have become a thing of the past, although this is far from the casein very many homes. If the child does not ask spontaneously, the patents themselves should lead the child’s thoughts toward these problems, so that the or she is prepared for what lies ahead before reaching the normal age of puberty. No parents should keep a child in ignorance of the phenomena of this difficult age, since this can easily cause damage to a young mind, a kind of damage that can affect the child’s whole life. For not only can the child be led into potentially damaging sexual practices, but its mentality can also deteriorate, or be partly or even wholly destroyed. Not only the sexual differences between men and women should therefore be discussed and explained, the parents must also teach the child that there is nothing secretive about bodily union, that it is neither nasty nor degrading, but that it is - within limits - essential for the physical well-being of the body, and that the propagation of mankind is similarly dependent on it. The young should be taught to be pure of mind and thought and not to yield to obscene imaginings and desires. This will be much easier for the young to avoid if they are fully informed about sexual matters. For once all this is clear to them, there will be no reason for their thoughts secretly and incessantly to circle about the subject, which can otherwise produce a situation that is almost unbearable for an impressionable young mind. Teach them also the responsibility they take upon themselves by bringing more children into the world than they are able to support. Teach them to curb their sexual drive - to a certain degree - so that it does not dominate their body, and teach them that they can control this drive by virtue of their spiritual development and by exerting their will. Teach them that through this exercised self-restraint they can pass on a refined sexual instinct and thereby help future generations overcome the difficulty that stems from the fact that the sexuality of the human body is modeled upon that of the animals. And teach them that through a prayer to God - if it is sincere and deeply felt - they can always receive help in subduing the sexual drive.

But not only in their homes should the young be made aware of these problems, also schools and institutions should have a part in this aspect of the education and development of the young. "Sex hygiene" should therefore in the future be an obligatory subject in all schools of all the civilized countries the world over, not only in schools of higher learning but also in every hamlet and village school. Young male and female doctors could undertake the teaching of this subject.

As a transition from the existing situation until these suggestions can possibly be implemented, the authorities in the various civilized countries should accept the task of arranging free public lectures for both the married and the unmarried, so that all can be enlightened on the origin of and the problems relating to sexual life. All who so desire should also receive clear and thorough instruction on the best ways and means of limiting the number of children without endangering their health. Young medical specialists might undertake this educational work, for a suitable remuneration, of course. Furthermore, contraceptives should be dispensed free of charge to those of limited means; they might, for example, be distributed through Red Cross centers at central locations in all cities, and through suitably located regional centers in the rural districts. Such services should not be rendered as "relief" or "charity", but as a right to which these people are entitled; for they should be given the same opportunity to limit the number of their children as have their fellow human beings in better economic circumstances. It is of course possible that a number of people who can well afford the cost will be tempted to have contraceptives dispensed free of charge on the pretext that they are unable to afford them. However, it would be far better for this to happen than to deny free dispensation to one single individual who is entitled to it. As all the other administrative details fall into place, also this aspect of the matter will surely be solved to everyone's satisfaction.

These suggestions may well serve as the best basis for the transition from the existing state to that of the future - which is prepared and shaped through this work - and which will provide the young people and the coming generations with knowledge of sexual matters. As already stated, this education should be given in a direct, seemly, clear, adequate and natural manner to every child before the normal age of puberty.

Finally there is the problem of abortion.

From the earliest times of human history God’s emissaries – the Youngest - have time and again taught mankind that no one must take the life of another human being! This ancient commandment applies also to abortion, even though the foetus is no more than an incipient human being. Only in one specific case is it permissible to destroy the foetus, namely if the life of the mother is endangered either by physical ailment during pregnancy or by various complications arising during the process of birth. In such cases the doctor must decide what action is to be taken. The decision can if necessary be made by one doctor, but it would be desirable that a consultation with one or several colleagues take place, since it is always a very difficult decision for a single individual to make, no matter how competent he or she may be. Once they feel convinced that the best decision has been made, neither the doctor, or doctors, nor the mother will be held responsible for the interrupted life of a future human being. These people will therefore in future incarnations not be confronted with the task of saving a fellow human being from sudden death ¹⁴ as an atonement for the life they have terminated.

But many will undoubtedly ask whether this applies if motherhood has been forced upon a woman, either by the brutish demands of her husband or because of rape by an assailant? Does she not in these cases have the right to interrupt the pregnancy that was forced upon her? No! She has no such right whatsoever! In the first case she can - according to the aforementioned arrangements for easy access to divorce - have her marriage dissolved if the husband’s demands develop in a brutal manner. Neither in the second case — enforced pregnancy as a result of rape - does the woman have any right to rid herself of the foetus, for such action is considered by God as an act of premeditated murder; and this applies both to the woman and to any who assist her. However, the same rule applies as previously discussed: if the mother’s life is threatened the foetus may be sacrificed, but not otherwise.

The only comfort that can be given to the distressed and unfortunate woman whose pregnancy results from rape - with no part of the blame upon her - is this: that on account of the wrong that has been done her and the suffering that has been brought upon her, God will seek in one way or another to offset her misfortune against her own earlier and as yet unexpiated (un-atoned) sins and transgressions. God will also often bind one of the Youngest or a highly advanced human spirit to the foetus whose existence is due to rape, so as to counterbalance the injustice that has been done. The enforced motherhood, despite its cruel and deplorable origin, has often for this reason brought joy to the mother in the consciousness of having given life to a diligent, honorable and gifted citizen.

If a child owes its conception to assault and rape ¹⁵ everything possible must be done to assure its existence in life. In consideration for its future the child should thus bear neither the father’s name – even if this is known — nor the mother’s family name. It should be given a neutral name that has no connection with the existing family names. Only if the mother truly wishes should the child be named after her. And since in many cases the father cannot be traced, because he will generally stem from the shadier section of the populace, and for this reason the child cannot claim financial inheritance from him, as would otherwise be its right, and if the mother will not assume the burden of its upbringing, then the State must act as representative for the father. "Children of rape" should thus be brought up at the expense of the State, not as cases of "poor relief" or "charity" but as their right. This can take place in institutions intended partly for this purpose, but it must be carried out under such circumstances that the child’s feelings will not be exposed to hurt, for example by veiled hints as to its origin; for so much can be destroyed in the mind of a child by that kind of thoughtless or malicious remark from classmates or others. The management of such institutions should therefore be entrusted to highly cultured, understanding, considerate and trustworthy persons.

And when the child has reached the age of majority the state must also provide suitable employment and in due course adequate funds to enable the individual to acquire the means of a secure livelihood. If the father can be traced, and if he belongs to the more prosperous section of society, this child has the same rights of inheritance from him as have any of his other children. lf he is well placed financially the State should recover all the costs of the child’s upbringing from him. The relevant authorities must themselves decide on the penalty to be imposed on the rapist, although this should not be such as to exceed humane limits.

The legislative authorities of all civilized countries should therefore give urgent consideration to the problems of marriage, birth control and abortion. And while new and improved regulations for these matters are being prepared it must not be forgotten that all children ¹⁶ , whether born in legal wedlock or otherwise, have equal rights of inheritance from their father. For so-called "illegitimate" children have the same rights in respect of inheritance - according to God ’s law — as are enjoyed by "legitimate children". If this law of God should become a law of mankind it would rapidly result in a significant reduction in the number of illegitimate births.

We hereby impart to humanity this solution to these difficult problems, a solution which human beings may use as they wish: accept these recommendations - or reject them because they do not welcome intervention from the transcendental world in these earthly matters.

But never forget: As the law is, so are the People!

FOOTNOTES

(Page references apply to the 1979 edition.)

1) Sec "Toward the Light" p. 14.

2) Sec "Toward the Light" p. 18:3.

3) Sec "Toward the Light", p. 278:4.

4) Sec "Toward the Light", p. 278:4 to p. 279:2.

5) The earliest "pictorial" representations of the myth regarding the life of Osiris that were demonstrated, or reenacted, before the people by the priests and priestesses of Ancient Egypt were likewise sexual orgies, just as the cult of Astarte had its own orgies. Also the festivals of the ancient Scandinavians for their god Tyr (the Bull) were highly immoral.

6) The following allegory can serve to illustrate the relationship of the Youngest to mankind in this, as in all other areas: There is a coal mine in the neighborhood of a nobleman’s family estate. Several members of the family, who have heard of the wretched conditions in which the miners toil in the dark galleries of the mine, are seized with compassion. They decide to share for a time the miners’ lot, to become their equals, or in other words to work alongside them, taking upon themselves the same strenuous, exhausting labor and exposing themselves to the same hazards. They do this in the hope that through talking with the miners they might awaken their spiritual interests, and by their own example teach them greater patience in their daily toil. While the noblemen work in the dark tunnels of the pit they become, like the other workers, coal-blackened and marked by cuts and bruises, so that it becomes difficult to tell the noblemen and the laborers apart. But when work is done and they emerge together with the other miners into the light of day, then - when all have washed and changed their clothes – it can easily be distinguished which of them are the true laborers and which are the noblemen, for their features are quite different. A In this allegory the coal mine represents the Earth, the laborers the human beings, the noblemen the Youngest, and the state of being washed, clad in clean clothes and being in day light represents life in the spheres after rendering the account of the completed life on Earth to God.

7) Sec "Toward the Light" p. 325, Note 2 regarding this myth.

8) Sec "Toward the Light" p. 187:1-3.

9) Sec "Toward the Light" p. 184:3.

10) See Speech of Christ in "Toward the Light" p. 127:6 to p. l28:l.

11) The above suggestion was presented by human beings during the various discussions and is included as it has some merit.

12) There are. of course. cases in which people are unable to have children, even though they may wish to do so. But since this pertains to diseased or abnormal conditions of the body, it is not discussed here.

13) There are, of course, some women who despite much childbearing can also be good helpmates to their husbands in everyday life, but this is the rare exception to the rule

14) See "Toward the Light", p. 114:6.

15) Since a beginning has been made in recent times in the special treatment of sexual problems relating to the mentally defective, the question of sterilization is not discussed here.

16) Since it goes without saying that so-called "illegitimate" children have the right of inheritance from the mother, this is not referred to above.