Our dear friend from Cambridge University in England, Rev. Martin Forward, has come again to see Maharaj ji. He explains to Maharaj ji that he teaches potential Christian ministers about other religions. In addition to being a very knowledgeable Christian minister, he has also written a good introductory book about Islam.

Maharaj asks him, “Where do you find any difference between Christianity and other religions?”

Martin replies, “Jesus’s love is the same. I felt that love as a child, but as I grew up, I lost that simple love for God.”

Maharaj says,

There is the message of the prophets, and the message of the priests. The third thing is one’s own ideas and self-interests. Of these three, one has been most important from the beginning: When the messenger, the prophet speaks in bodily form from vision, that message has the quality of healing, for in him is love, truth, willingness to serve, and holiness. His body and his tongue are like a human’s, but the message is created from Light. That message is written—not necessarily at that time, but perhaps later. That message then exists in written form.

The written message then comes into the hands of priests. When it reaches them, many changes are brought in. Love and service are in that original message, for when the prophet gives the message, there is no adulteration in it. He does not speak to please anyone. He speaks on behalf of God, to give His message. But the priest speaks in view of others’ reactions, others’ praises. At that point, the power of healing in religion is reduced. When there is no love, there is no healing.

When a prophet speaks, what he says is beyond his own ideas, from the Light. Only he can see it. Others cannot. To maintain it, we need great faith, love, and desire to serve. But when the prophet leaves his physical form, these words enter the realm of religion. When that happens, there are clashes of ideas. From the same prophet, there are different sects claiming to be authorities, because everybody wants to be an authority on the prophet.

God wants that authority should remain with God, and love given to the people. Whatever preaching is given without love is wasted. When these ideas are spread, people try big meetings and buildings, but the message of the prophet is never contained in those. When there is the feeling of service, love, and truth, then with whom will you hold a meeting? When you pass through the trees, they are healed. You pass over the earth and it is healed. When you speak, the vibrations spread healing in the air.

Prophets have this kind of meeting twenty-four hours a day. They do not have meetings of ideas in buildings. They do not have a home. They have no good clothes. They have the biggest thing: love, and God’s power of healing. Where they once stood, people built buildings. Where they used to preach, people built golden domes. Such things never happened during the prophets’ lifetimes. What they had is not in buildings, nor in the priests who come after them. All that remains is that people become “authorities” on the prophets.

The Prophet Muhammad used to live simply, but he always spoke of the love of God. He said that whatever has no love is wasted. When you bow in worship, it should be with love.

Jesus also said the same: That which does not have love and faith is wasted.

Now look what is happening: The number of seminars and buildings has increased, but there is no love, no healing. There is a need for healing, love, and faith in religions.

Guru Gobind Singh said, “Listen, all of you. I will tell you the deep inner truth: Only those who have deeply loved God have ever realized God.”  What is the curtain between God and you? He said, “I am telling you the truth: It is only with love that you can realize God.” Love is the most essential requirement to find God, for want of which, all rituals are incomplete.

As Guru Nanak said, “What is the One whom I call God? There is no place where His Light and His Love are not present. But you need to set your mind to see Him. If you go for rituals, you will not find Him.”

The Vedas say, “What is God? The All-pervading Power, keeping all things alive. Make your heart full of love—loving animals, trees, everything.” But what can you feel in the trees if you haven’t recognized Him inside? You have sealed your inner gate. Open it first and see the Light and Love of God.

Guru Gobind Singh said, “Hari [God] is in the water, Hari is in the earth; Hari is in the cave. Hari is here and there.” He perceived Him in everything.

What is the greatest spiritual loss? The revelations of prophets have been made into forts. “Jesus is a Christian because I’m a Christian—he’s mine.” “Guru Nanak is mine—I’m a Sikh.” “Prophet Muhammad is mine because I’m a Muslim.” etc. But the prophet says, “No—you should get out of these forts, because I am in all earths, waters, air. If you love Me, I belong to you, but I belong to others also. How can you confine my Light in a church? If you want to do that, how will the animals receive Love? The earth? The whole creation needs my Love. Do not make forts of your ideas to confine Me. I am not happy with the confinements you have made for me, and my Father is surely not happy. So why are you working against Us? Why don’t you agree with Us? Why make your own ideas?”

The prophet says, “I come with a message. You should listen to me and listen properly. Why is there a need to go for the priest’s preachings? To listen to me, break those forts with a hammer. When you have destroyed them and listened to me with an open mind, you will find no clash.”

Have faith in what has come from the prophet’s tongue. It is not theirs. As the Prophet Muhammad said, “I’m oomi (illiterate).” He had no university degree. Nor did Jesus, nor did Guru Nanak. But they had a degree that none others had. When they spoke, they had qualifications. Their speech created healing.

At this time, there is a great urgent need to bring people back to what the prophets have said. That family cannot be separated. And no one can change their ideas. The force of love and truth makes them inseparable.

As the Prophet Muhammad said, “My Father is Lord of the Heavens and Earth.” How many forts will you make? He’s pervading the entire universe. He is present in those things we cannot see.

Why do you get your heads stuck in small windows and doors? Make big gates you can easily pass through. You have made such small windows that everyone’s head is stuck there. Make an open mind.

If you tell people to love, if there is healing in you, they will. But if there is no power of healing, what you say will not touch the people’s hearts.

You can easily say, “I trained so many students today.” And they will say, “We listened well.” But both were sleeping. Healing went to neither. Ego and jealousy did not leave their hearts.

The messiahs and prophets said that without healing, the mind cannot be cleaned. Healing will come when you start loving. The prophet is in physical body, but when healing comes, wherever you go everything will be healed.

A person may say to the pope, “You are sitting on a golden throne, in lovely clothes, with canopy, cap—but the question arises: Of all these things, is there anything of Jesus?”

These days the whole world is upset, but Jesus did not teach anything by which ego or jealousy would develop. He never said that any country, building, or person was special. He said Love was special—anybody can love.

What is our fault? If we say that Jesus came for some place as Messiah, clash will begin. If we say, “Moses, Abraham, and Noah also came from there, plus the Vedas, Guru Nanak, Krishna, and Lord Rama,” they will say, “How can it be? There is nobody like our prophet. There is only one messiah.”

Messiah means messenger. Prophet means bringer of a message. Languages are different. Otherwise, there is no difference. The Prophet Muhammad said, “Wahi (revelation) comes.” It means, “God is giving me a message.” Jesus said, “I am giving the message of my Father. See my Father in me. My Father loves me so much that when you love me, His love will automatically go to you. Don’t differentiate me.”

The priests (of all religions) have always given a very hard time to prophets and messengers. They never understand what they said. The prophet is exuding Light, but the priest is always making a fort. Priests have the habit of staying in darkness. When Light comes, they can’t bear to look at it. They will blink, nothing else.

Martin observes, “I loved God as a child. My four degrees are not as valuable as that.”

Maharaj agrees, “The greatest need is for love. After listening to your idea, your love, God will be very happy.”