Accuracy in Mediumship
An important first principle of spirit communication is that we're all mediums, at least from time to time. Certainly some are more gifted than others, but almost everyone can recall an instance of having received unexpected information or assistance from some “unseen source.” These communications can also go unrecognized, though, because a spirit’s thoughts, delivered to our mind, are often indistinguishable from our own. It's important to understand that this “commingling of thoughts” occurs in virtually all mediumship.
While the Padgett messages represent perhaps the most successful attempt by Jesus thus far to re-deliver his teachings to humankind, James Padgett certainly wasn't the first person to be utilized this way; nor will he be the last. The New Testament Book of Acts hints at ongoing communications between Jesus and his followers after Jesus’ death, and, to our understanding, Jesus’ desire to communicate with his followers on earth hasn't flagged in the ensuing centuries. We see the Padgett messages as a significant breakthrough in these communications, but certainly don't consider them to be the finality of Jesus’ efforts. The messages themselves emphasize the need for many competent “celestial mediums” here on earth, to better enable the higher spirits to communicate their love and truths to mortal humankind.
As explained in the messages, the accuracy of any spirit-mortal communication depends upon a number of factors, most important of which is the soul development of the psychic instrument. We understand that because of these various factors, Padgett was a reasonably transparent channel for these communications. We’ve seen from experience, though, that even gifted mediums will have “blind spots,” where their mind isn’t able to accurately transmit the spirit’s thoughts. So, we consider it a given that there will be errors and inaccurate statements in any channeled message.
One of the definitions of the word gospel is “something accepted as infallible truth.” Using this definition, we most emphatically aren't trying to promote the Padgett messages as any kind of “gospel.” While there's probably not a soul alive who hasn't wished for a book that contained “all the answers,” it seems that humankind has done itself a major disservice, over the centuries, trying to endow man-made books with god-like attributes of perfection.
In short, the only “gospel” we're promoting here is the gospel (good news) of God's love. We don't consider the Padgett messages as infallible, and sincerely hope you won't either.
Many of the ideas put forth in these messages are, scientifically speaking, unprovable – at least for we mortals. We can accept them at as truth if our “inner sense” tells us that they are; or we can take them with a grain of salt, perhaps filing them under “more data needed”; or we can discard them as “implausible.” But please resist the temptation of rendering judgment on the entire body of messages with a simple yay or nay. One bona fide truth doesn't render the entire collection true, nor does one error render the collection useless.
There are various “provable” errors in the Padgett messages (such as an erroneous reference to a Bible passage). And the original manuscripts were filled with grammatical errors. These obvious errors serve as a reminder that the spirits had to work with the limitations of Padgett’s mind, as well as the laws governing spirit communication, while delivering these writings.
But why, you may ask, didn't the spirits themselves correct the errors and inaccuracies in their channeled messages? It wouldn't be easy for a spirit-author to correct a single word or thought during a mediumship session, since such “real-time editing” would interrupt the flow of writing and perhaps break the rapport – and since, of course, the error was likely due to a block in the mortal's mind to begin with. The “verification process” for these teachings, then, will be an ongoing work involving the efforts of many individuals who've developed their spiritual perceptions to the point where they can contribute to this body of knowledge. And in the angels' own words, we on earth now possess but a “smattering” of what in the universe remains to be learned…
In a sense, a primary purpose of these messages may simply be to “open up” the lines of communication between the angelic realm and mortal humankind. So, while Jesus and the other spirit-authors would no doubt prefer that all their communication be free of error, they don't seem to be perfectionist about this. Perhaps their overarching desire is simply for the establishment of ongoing conscious communication with their brothers and sisters in the flesh.
So please understand that you, the reader, play a crucial part in all this. A prayerful reading of any channeled message will always help one to identify the pearls of truth contained therein. And if, in your reading, you encounter something that doesn’t strike you as truth, you’re encouraged to voice your concerns, because it’s through such discussion that we're able to pool our collective soul's perceptions, to better separate the false from the true. Ultimately, we’re each capable of, and responsible for developing our own spiritual discernment. The good news is that this development reportedly occurs as a natural side effect of our growth in the divine love.
Despite all the errors and uncertainties, there's a reason why we've made the Padgett messages the centerpiece of this web site. We think the messages have the potential to transform humanity. They're not hard to understand, and are generally logical and consistent; they find an amazing amount of corroboration in the New Testament (especially if one goes back to the early Greek manuscripts); and most importantly, they've found corroboration in many of our personal experiences. We’re great believers in “healthy skepticism,” but when the skeptic finds something that passes all the tests, he or she has good reason to shout the discovery from the rooftops…
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