A number of different individuals have observed a certain life cycle as a new idea enters the world.

First they ignore you, then they mock you

Quotation enthusiasts consider this quote to be misattributed to 17th-century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, but their research showed similar words being said or written by a number of others:

Truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

The 19th-century Christian missionary Hudson Taylor, best known for opening the interior of China to Christian missions, said:

I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.

Finally, other quotation enthusiasts consider this quote to be misattributed to Mohandas Gandhi:

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

I mention these quotations because the New Message from God has taken a step forward from mostly being ignored. The website of the Atlantic magazine recently mentioned the New Message from God.

First they ignore you, then they mock you. Is this mention a big deal? I believe it is, and I will tell you why. The Atlantic has existed in one form or another since 1857. The Atlantic exists in a number of different forms, with content in many different areas. I surmise from this history of the Atlantic that the Atlantic considers itself to be a platform where serious people contemplate and write about serious ideas. Web traffic monitor Alexa reports the Atlantic website to be the 800th most visited website in the world. That’s number 800 out of over 1,000,000,000 websites in the world. Say what you will about the Atlantic’s content or its editorial viewpoint; its status as a successful and influential website is indisputable.

First they ignore you, then they mock you. The Atlantic conducted a survey of participants in new religious movements, asking about a half dozen questions. I believe they were trying to get the participants to describe the distinctive aspects, the “secret sauce” of their movement. I was one of about 400 people to respond to this survey, according to the Atlantic. They didn’t select my response. That might be a good thing, as I was more terse than the New Message response they did select, from David Drimmel. I haven’t met David in person yet, but we have had some helpful online chats.

First they ignore you, then they mock you. I give the Atlantic credit for looking at David’s testimony with a relatively neutral stance. They wrote:

David Drimmel writes about the sense of connection offered by The New Message from God, a movement based on the teachings of Marshall Vian Summers, an American who says he received divine revelations about alien life and other things:

Here is the portion of David’s survey response reprinted in the Atlantic.

The New Message from God is unique in that it emphasizes the importance of the theology of the greater community of intelligent life. It has broadened my perspective and understanding of what humanity is facing in the world today, the alien phenomenon, and quenches my thirst for knowledge about life in the universe.

When I first learned about the New Message, it was like I had been waiting for it, searching for it all my life. What sticks out for me the most is the emphasis on building the four pillars of my life on relationships, health, work/providership, and spiritual growth. The chapters about the pillars in the book Living the Way of Knowledge helped me see my life from a perspective that engages me in relationship instead of the disconnected, depressive state I was in. Essentially, I was called out of my depression and into the world.

First they ignore you, then they mock you. I concur with David’s report that preparing for a successful emergence into a not-all-human future is a great emphasis of the New Message. Both Alisa and I have written a number of posts on this subject. I haven’t read Living the Way of Knowledge yet, but it’s on my to-read list. I have written about the four pillars here. This is one of the ways we work on being better people.

First they ignore you, then they mock you. I haven’t thought about this too much, but David, for better or for worse, is now the most well-known student of the New Message from God in the world. I believe he will bear that title well for the time he holds it. Will the New Message succeed in preparing humanity for the greatest transition in its history? Well, you know what they say…

Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.