In More Detail...

Abd-ru-shin (Oskar Ernst Bernhardt) says in the Grail Message that he does not bring a new religion. Nevertheless, many of his lectures deal with basic religious questions. His explanations throw new, persuasive light on "matters of faith," and open the way to an understanding of spiritual matters. At the same time, Abd-ru-shin's comments are neither theological nor philosophical in nature. Instead, he helps readers come to their own conclusions about perennial questions; for example, when we experience an inner conflict between dogma (what we've been told is true) and our own inner convictions (what we know "inside" to be true). And these conflicts can be about anything: ourselves, partnerships, the family, society, the world at large, nature, daily realities, or the search for what holds the world together at its inmost core.

According to the picture of Creation as given in the Grail Message, human beings are actually only guests on this earth. They came from a spiritual realm, which is far above the world of earthly matter, in order to begin a course of development leading down to this earth. This path continues for each person through repeated earth lives (reincarnation). Through experiencing man's inner, spiritual consciousness develops, grows, and matures. This is the prerequisite for the way back to the spiritual realm, which is the goal of his path of development: man can and should return to the immortality of the spiritual realm as a conscious spiritual entity, and thus enter "Paradise."

The Laws of Creation provide each human spirit with support on his way. Unchangeably interwoven from the beginning, they bear within, like the Ten Commandments, the Love, Grace, and Justice of the Creator. To truly know and understand the way these laws work is essential for successfully navigating one's way through life. Therefore, the explanation of these Laws runs like a thread through the lectures of In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message.

Corresponding to its title, the "Grail" is an intrinsic topic in the work. In contrast to sagas, legends, and works of art, it is described clearly as a spiritual reality: the Grail actually exists. Life-sustaining Power from the Divine flows though It into all Creation.

In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message describes God as the source of all Light, all Power, and all that exists. As a creature of God, man can only begin to recognize his Maker; he cannot "understand" or explain Divinity. The comprehensive description given of the structure of Creation, from the Divine down to the earthly, gives the reader a clear view of "heaven and earth," where human beings fit in, and what is the true nature of being human.

Also described in the work is the relationship between the sexes: "male" and "female" each represent a specific, separate "principle," each of equal value for the total Creation. Therefore, any claims by the sexes for special rights are untenable, as is the view that man and woman are the same in their qualities and nature. There is a polarity between man and woman, which, since it has been incorrectly understood in the past, has led over the centuries to constant battles between the sexes. The Grail Message explains that the only way to end the conflict is to recognize and understand the special qualities of each sex and their special tasks in Creation. Only in this way can the interplay of forces between man and woman have beneficial and harmonious consequences, and therefore the polarity given to them by Creation be fulfilled. "The Fall of Man" and "Inherited Sin" must then be viewed in a new light: neither Eve alone nor Adam alone sinned against the Will of God. Rather, it is humankind - created as male and female - that bears the guilt.

The Grail Message takes a stand on many other life-questions, including: the Mission and expiatory death of Jesus, the Son of God, Fate, Karma, and Reincarnation; the Apocalypse and the Last Judgement; Family, Marriage, and Sexuality; the Laws of Creation and human law; the Ten Commandments; the Grace and Love of the Creator; What is Faith?; the Son of God and the Son of Man; Death, Body, Soul, and Spirit; and many other topics.