The True Refuge for the Oppressed

Throughout this age there has always been a well-defined division in human society. This division has not been based on the human distinctions that we normally associate with division—distinctions such as ethnicity, race, skin color, language, religion, etc. Rather it has been primarily an economic divide—one that has then also led to disparities in power and political alignments.

This economic divide has usually been highly disproportionate in terms of actual population. In other words, it is not a fifty-fifty divide; nor is it forty-sixty. Even for it to manifest as thirty-seventy would be rare. Rather more often than not this divide has tended to pit no less than ninety percent of the world’s population against a mere ten percent (or less). But because it is primarily an economic divide this disproportion in numbers has been of little advantage to the ninety percent. Rather the great wealth and power of the ten percent has more than made up for their minority status.

In fact, it is the ten percent that has always known the greatest advantage in human society, while the ninety percent has not only been without advantage; they have often suffered greatly. Their lives have tended to be comfortless and bleak, while the lives of the ten percent have most often been insulated with opulence and luxury. This persistent barebones plight of the vast majority of the earth’s population has provided the fuel for many uprisings and calls for a more equitable social order. But unfortunately, these yearnings for justice on the part of the “common people” have for the most part gone unheeded and treated with contempt by the ten percent. Instead of this powerful hierarchy showing compassion toward their fellowman and sharing their wealth, they have tended to respond with even greater dominance and cruelty, thereby making the plight of the poor even harsher. Meanwhile, the longer this dynamic has played out in our society, the more powerless the ninety percent have felt. And whenever this sense of powerlessness has become known and keenly felt the mindset of the people has become downtrodden and desperate. In this way human life has for so many lost its essential value, with our natural inclination toward joy and gratitude being replaced by resignation and hopelessness. This progression, once fully actuated, can be described by one very poignant English word: oppression.

What is oppression? Webster’s dictionary defines it as an unjust or cruel exercise of power or authority, while it defines the verb to oppress as an act of crushing, weighing down, aggrieving, and persecuting one’s fellowman. Logically, persecution impacts the entire human psyche (mind, emotion, body, spirit). But the act of crushing another human being can be looked at in only one way—that is, as a spiritual dynamic. To crush another human being is to tread them down, rob them of their dignity and ability to value life, and take away their hope. Thus it is, in fact, a very serious spiritual dynamic—one that utterly violates universal created law, thereby bringing with it sure repercussions or judgments.

It is for this reason that the Bible cites oppression of the poor as one of the most grievous sinful modes human beings can move in. For if we rob another human being of his or her dignity and hope we essentially rob them of their life. We also see in the Bible that it is this stance of oppression that led to some of the most obvious and painful outworkings of judgment in the history of our world—judgments such as when the Israelite nation was sent into exile into Babylon or when, in Jesus’ day, the Jewish people were again cast out of their land and scattered among the Gentile nations, wherein they were subsequently hated and persecuted for thousands of years. Moreover, it is also from the Bible that we learn of Jesus’ great compassion for the oppressed. Not only did his heart go out to them as seen in his healing ministry; he also did everything in his power to try to restore their dignity and hope. That was what his Sermon on the Mount (also called the Beatitudes) was all about (Matthew chapter five verses 1-12).

But despite Jesus’ compassionate efforts and the Bible’s warnings of judgment, the scourge of oppression in human society has never been lifted. It is still with us today, even as it was in the beginning of the age. Moreover, the great economically based divide is also still with us, having weathered many attempts on the part of the common man to establish a more equitable economic system. Nothing has changed because the status quo minority has not changed its agenda or let up on its controlling grip. Men’s hearts have continued to be prone to the temptation of selfish desires. And this has been the case because there has never been a change in the collective state of consciousness.

We know that there has been no change in the agenda of the status quo. And we also know that the vast strata of common humanity has often tried but not been able to bring about lasting socio-political change. Thus there has been a cementing of these two diverse human experiences. And when a certain social order becomes to all intents and purposes permanent people then begin to express permanent attitudes and responses. For example, the adherents of the status quo, seeing that their position in society has been inviolable, have tended to become smug and complacent. As if to rub salt in the wounds of their weaker brothers, they have taken to gloating and chiding. On the other hand, the persistent plight of the less fortunate has caused them to become utterly hopeless. Feeling powerless for so many centuries has clearly taken its toll on their psychic demeanor. The recognition that they are living in a world that has been stolen away by a very small percentage of the population has only made their countenances even more downcast. They have yearned for the good life that social equity could bring but have had to settle for the tidbits that have filtered down to them from the top. And so their plight has become an age-long tragedy. With their yearnings for dignity being perpetually mocked and scorned, they have turned their focus to finding some kind of refuge in this world—a refuge that would effectually hide them until the painful days of this life had run their natural course.

And so it has been that finding and holding fast to such a refuge has been a kind of salvation for many many people throughout this age. In fact, this need for a refuge from oppression has become more and more glaring as the age has progressed, thereby giving such refuges great influence in the lives of the common people. At some point this idea of having a place of refuge became so widely embraced by the masses that the need for institutionalization arose, after which even more of them sought shelter therein. And for many of the oppressed this mandate of finding a place of refuge represented a palpable shift in their fortunes. It was not that their condition of oppression changed, but their power to cope with it increased incrementally. It was as if they now had a voice and source of camaraderie that gave legitimacy to their very existence. And with their vast numbers they sometimes even felt the sensation of being empowered.

And so with the institutionalizing of these refuges came what seemed to be an easing of the age-old plight of the oppressed. There was only one problem. The institutions themselves turned out to be highly vulnerable to human weakness of character and temptation. They were even subject to infiltration by the status quo minority—an infiltration that could then work to undermine the purity of their offer of refuge. Why was this? Because human beings moving in Adamic consciousness have always been rather easily corrupted by the lure of wealth and power.

This is what happened with the Catholic Church. Jesus’ great compassion for the oppressed of this world was perfectly pure. As the Christ, he was immune to the kinds of temptation that most Adamites are subject to. But after he departed, the impulse to provide a safe haven for the oppressed was passed down to weaker men—men who were subject to the temptation to put their own needs first and to improve their own station in life, even at the expense of others who might be suffering. This degrading of motives was not so evident during the apostolic age, but as soon as the Church became institutionalized major problems began to surface.

The Catholic Church was founded on the principle of refuge from oppression. Thus as the word went forth and the numbers of refuge seekers swelled, those in positions of authority and leadership came under the powerful sway of temptation. For not only did the Church quickly proliferate in numbers and influence; its leaders also saw the opportunity to exercise power and gain great wealth. Outwardly, they continued to uphold the cause of the oppressed, thereby making the people believe that the Church was an incorruptible and perfectly safe refuge for them. But inwardly, little by little, they began to seek their own lifestyle enhancements at the expense of the poor and needy. When this happened and their character was sufficiently corrupted it was only a matter of time before they willingly opened the Church doors to the status quo hierarchy. Why was this? Because they had essentially come to share in the value system of their status quo brothers. And once the status quo hierarchy had a foot in the door, it quickly proceeded to carry out its agenda of control and power over the oppressed. Cleverly, it introduced new doctrinal slants that stole away the comfort that the poor had received from knowing Jesus and basking in his compassionate love. It turned the tangible comfort of refuge and camaraderie into a distant future hope of securing a place in heaven.

Then not long after the Church had been infiltrated and left the oppressed high and dry there arose another religious movement called Islam. In a stark departure from Jesus’ teaching Islam brought forth a doctrine of empowerment through numbers. It too claimed to be a refuge for the oppressed peoples of the world but instead of offering them comfort and camaraderie it went further. It politicized the plight of the poor and incited them with the notion that they had the power (through numbers) to rise up and overthrow the status quo ruling elite. It painted the picture that the ruling minority was even more evil than they actually were and thereby brought forth a convincing justification for their overthrow. And sure enough, this political empowerment appealed greatly to many among the oppressed camp—many who felt that their oppression had gone on long enough and needed to be alleviated in this present world by any means possible.

And so, ever since that time many among the masses have sought refuge under the wings of Islam’s militant doctrine. But again problems soon surfaced—the same problems, in fact, that took down the Church. The men in positions of leadership and power quickly recognized their opportunity for self-aggrandizement at the expense of the duped common man. Temptation for wealth and power took control of them, to the point that the offer of refuge morphed into an insistent appeal for support and loyalty, a battle cry for unending war, and a disregard for life itself (via martyrdom).

Nevertheless, through cunning and deceit both of these “refuge schemes” have prospered greatly in our world. Literally, billions of unsuspecting people have filtered into them and submitted to their teachings. These sincere refuge seekers originally came looking for relief from oppression. But after submitting to the deceitful institutionalized doctrines they became so confused that they forgot all about their original need. They became more lost and forsaken than ever.

Does this mean that their need for refuge has been illegitimate and their plight truly is and always has been hopeless? The answer is no. Their need is real, and the good news is that there is and always has been a true refuge for the oppressed in our world—one that can never be assailed or corrupted. This refuge has been hidden from the sight of wicked men and thereby rendered impenetrable to their self-serving schemes. The Bible calls this place of refuge the Christ.

Jesus was its foremost spokesperson but he was not its founder. For while Jesus was most definitely a Christ man, the refuge that goes by that name is not a man; it is a state of human consciousness. In other words, the true refuge for the oppressed is neither a place nor an institution; it is not an outward gathering or a political movement. Rather it is within us. But though Jesus himself was not the refuge, he did make it known in his teachings to all who had ears to hear. Speaking as the Christ, he said, “I am the gate for the sheep [the oppressed masses]. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be kept safe.” (John 10: 7-9). To paraphrase: the gate to the refuge is the Christ, and the sure way to be kept safe is through the attaining of Christ consciousness for ourselves.

The easily corruptible men that became leaders of the great religious institutions of our world have all been thieves and robbers. They themselves have not entered through the gate; neither have they secured a place for themselves through the attaining of Christ consciousness. Rather they have sought first and foremost their own gain, at the expense of the poor. They have climbed into the sheep pen by other means and instead of helping the oppressed have scattered the sheep and made their plight even more desperate.

Meanwhile, the Christ Spirit that is the true gate to the sheep pen has not only been revealed; its perfect purity of motive has been demonstrated to all mankind. How so? Because moving in that Spirit, the Good Shepherd Jesus laid down his life for the sheep. His compassion and love were the real deal, and throughout the duration of this age all those who have heard Jesus’ voice and followed him into the sheep pen have found true refuge and received the true comfort that not only eases our sense of oppression but actually removes it altogether.