Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem 1839

The new philosophy of Christ does not teach us to remain weak and at the mercy of cruel and violent people; it teaches us to become like the sun so that our enemies cannot touch or soil us and, if they approach us, they will melt like wax.

If human beings do not possess the power to use light in this way it is simply because it has never occurred to them. They have embraced a mindless philosophy of weakness and impotence on the pretext that they are supposed to turn the other cheek. Well, you can turn as many cheeks as you like, it will not do you any good and you will not change your enemies that way. They will continue to slap your face and, in the long run, destroy you.

The ‘other cheek’ is our other side, the side of the spirit – of power and light
You are going to have to understand the question differently. The ‘other cheek’ is the other side, the other aspect of yourself, the side of the spirit, the side of power and light. Jesus showed this other side to his tormentors.

The time for turning the other cheek and letting ourselves be martyred is over
Christians and spiritualists in general still have a lot to learn and understand. Instead of always allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the powers of darkness or by materialistic philosophies, they must learn to unite. They have a habit of saying, ‘Amen. Amen. So be it,’ and accepting whatever is flung at them.

But it is time to stand together, now, for they have it in their power to transform the world and restore the Kingdom of God on earth. The time for saying that Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek and let ourselves be martyred is over. This may have been acceptable, in the past, because people could not do otherwise, they were not sufficiently advanced to hit back with sublime, divine weapons. But that is no longer true today.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
The Bonfin, September 12, 1963

Complete Works, Volume 12, Cosmic Moral Law

Image: Lithograph by David Roberts, April 1839, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to be built over the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.