Inner Stream - A Common Problem

We have a "Common Problem"

The man that wandereth out of the way of "understanding" shall remain in the congregation of the dead, Proverbs 21:16 KJV Note: the Greek O.T. states wanders from the way of "righteousness", which equates to "understanding" spiritually speaking.

A Common Problem

I knew there were other instances of creating a religion in a culture's own image and asked Gemini Pro to research it for me. Here is my prompt:

You said find another scenario similar to the Hebrews where a religion wandered off from their original mandate and created a god/gods in their own image. if so, were there any similies like Jacob's well?

The pattern you are noticing—where a profound, spiritual revelation degrades into an exoteric, dogmatic system—is a recurring cycle in human history. The Greater Mysteries are often hidden in plain sight within the Lesser Mysteries, but institutional religions frequently get permanently stuck on the Lesser, confusing the vessel for the substance.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not, John 1:3-5 KJV

You probably don't believe in nor follow other religions, but much of the rest of this planet does and the problem of getting "off track" and recreating something in our own image and likeness is not new, it is world wide. I start with ours and give you just a couple other parellels, examples to look at:

Our Christian Parellel

The Christian Similes

Because "Jacob's Well" is a Christian narrative, we can look at the exact Greek distinctions in that very story, alongside another of Christ's primary metaphors, to see how he warned against this externalization.

1. The Hole in the Earth vs. The Fountain (Jacob's Well)

The Simile: In John 4, a sharp distinction is made between two entirely different sources of water, highlighting the difference between carnal, historical doctrine and present, spiritual truth. Jacob’s well is described using the Greek word phréar, which simply means a hole or pit in the ground. It is stagnant water from below, drawn through human effort, where even the livestock drank—symbolizing a carnal, basic level of understanding tied to past traditions. Jesus, however, offers a pēgē—a gushing spring or fountain of Living Water from within.
The Trap: The institutional church chose the phréar. They built their entire foundation around guarding the historical "hole in the ground"—the letter of the law, the traditions of the elders, and physical holy sites. They ignored the "hour that now is" (worshipping in Spirit and Truth) to maintain control over a stagnant pool of doctrine, keeping believers as perpetual children rather than letting them drink from the internal fountain of the Greater Mysteries.

2. The Outside of the Cup

The Simile: Jesus frequently clashed with the religious establishment of his day, the Pharisees, comparing their religious system to a cup that is only washed on the outside.
The Trap: He told them, "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." The institutional church fell right back into this Pharisaical trap. The Roman Imperial Church became obsessed with cleaning the "outside of the cup"—enforcing behavioral conformity, building opulent buildings, wearing elaborate vestments, and perfecting external rituals. The inner, esoteric transformation of the individual was buried under the weight of outward, earthly religion.

Buddah Parellel

The Wandering from the Original Mandate

Siddhartha Gautama (the historical Buddha) originally taught a strictly non-theistic, psychological, and pragmatic path to end human suffering.

The Mandate: He explicitly rejected the ritualistic priesthoods of his day, refused to engage in metaphysical speculation about deities, and told his followers not to worship him. His mandate was entirely about inner work, self-reliance, and waking up to reality.
Creating Gods in Their Image: Over the centuries following his death, human nature reasserted its desire for saviors, external grace, and relatable deities. As Buddhism spread, certain branches (particularly within later Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, such as Pure Land Buddhism) developed massive pantheons of celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. These figures are depicted with human emotions, specific domains, and divine powers. Today, millions pray to these figures for wealth, health, and salvation, effectively turning a system of self-liberation into an externalized religion of gods made in the image of benevolent human kings.

The Buddhist Similes to "Jacob's Well"

Just as the text you are reading contrasts the earthly "hole in the ground" (Jacob's Well/carnal doctrine) with "Living Waters" (present spiritual truth), early Buddhism offered two famous similes warning against this exact trap:

1. The Finger Pointing at the Moon

The Simile: The Buddha likened his teachings and doctrines to a finger pointing at the moon. The moon represents absolute, unvarnished truth (the Living Waters).
The Trap: He warned that the foolish person looks only at the finger, studies the finger, and eventually worships the finger, entirely missing the celestial body it was meant to draw their eyes toward. By obsessing over the exact phrasing of texts, building idols, or clinging to the earthly teacher, the religion became trapped at the "well" instead of drinking the water.

2. The Parable of the Raft

The Simile: The Buddha compared his doctrine to a makeshift raft built to cross a dangerous, rushing river.
The Trap: He asked his monks: once a man has crossed the river to the further shore, should he hoist the heavy raft onto his back and carry it with him everywhere he goes out of gratitude? The answer is no; you leave the raft behind. In practice, however, the religion eventually hoisted the raft onto its back. They began to venerate the "raft" (the dogmas, the rituals, the institutions) rather than stepping off it to walk freely on the other shore.

In both traditions, the initial teacher provided a tool meant to be outgrown once the destination was reached. Yet, the followers found comfort in the tool itself, institutionalized it, and built their reality around it.

Hindu Parellel

The transition in India from the philosophical heights of the early texts to modern, temple-based Hinduism is a textbook example of the Greater Mysteries being obscured by the Lesser. It follows the exact same trajectory of externalizing an internal truth.

The Original Mandate: The Formless Within

The later Vedic period, specifically the era of the Upanishads (around 800–500 BCE), focused on a radically internal and formless truth.

The Mandate: The core revelation of the Upanishads was the concept of Brahman—the ultimate, infinite, and formless reality that defies all human conceptualization. The great esoteric secret was Tat Tvam Asi ("Thou art that"): the realization that the individual consciousness (Atman) and the universal reality (Brahman) are exactly the same.
The Practice: In this early stage, there were no temples and no idols. The pursuit of the divine was an internal awakening, stripping away the illusion of the ego to drink directly from the source.

Creating Gods in Their Image: The Puranic Shift

Over the centuries, particularly during the Puranic period (c. 300–1000 CE), the abstract, formless Brahman was deemed too difficult for the masses to grasp.

The Shift: The religion morphed into the worship of highly personalized, anthropomorphic deities—primarily Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi. These gods were given wives, children, earthly avatars, distinct personalities, and elaborate, human-like mythologies.
The Result: Internal realization was largely replaced by external Puja (ritual worship). Instead of seeking union with the formless absolute, the focus shifted to visiting physical temples to bathe, dress, and feed stone idols (murtis). The masses began treating these externalized gods like celestial kings, offering them food and money in exchange for earthly favors like wealth, health, and fertility. The infinite was boxed into a human shape, and the religion settled firmly into the Lesser Mysteries.

I could go on and on adding examples,but I'm sure you get the point. It seems we always miss the mark once the Mark is set.

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