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The Living Life Series is dedicated to Lord (武天) Bo Tien. The doctrine is in His image. The image is the doctrine. He who sees, understands and effects the doctrine sees and knows Him. He who does not see, know and effect the doctrine sees not and knows not the saint even if the saint or His image is beside him. The far may be near and the near may be far. Let the doctrine and the saint be part of our life. The lord saint in your life can be any heavenly saint of any religion, sect or school. The doctrine of truth is behind all and this is the Inner Truth that leads all (regardless of their religious affliliation or even if none) to inner peace and heaven on earth here and now and not just in the after life. The ideal worship and devotion is to know and effect the doctrine of God and the saints. The best gospel is the gospel of life. We learn from our life and the lives of others. The true temple is the world we live in. The sky is the roof of the temple and religions and sects are the pillars of the temple. All under Heaven are in the temple. The whole wide world and web is the temple and must be regarded as a sacred place --- a temple for living and learning. It is more important that everyone that counts plays a role in this universal temple if due focus is to be given to the Mission of Heaven. Men must not be distracted by the agenda of men and end up serving the mission of man. That would be a far cry from the Mission of Heaven.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Let there be no 'prophets' of doom and gloom

Learning Point No 273






In the inaugural message, Lord Bo Tien said, "Remember though that every prophet considers the times, the circumstances and the prevailing mentality of the people before his public sermons. he therefore preaches doctrines that are best suited to such conditions." The Inaugural Message

During the lifetimes of the prophets, it was the social problems where they were that often decided how they the prophets delivered their doctrines.
 
The over dominance of the Roman Empire and the over bearing nature of Jewish culture made it difficult for Lord Jesus to speak forth views that were not according to the over all mainstream and the flow. He had an uphill task and had to go against the flow.
 
His human family were not anywhere near him when he started his ministry and sermons. Strong words were used that He was the Son of God and no one then would enter Heaven if they did not depart from the norms of that era and time. All these would be needed to drive home the point and to break psychological barriers then to take on beliefs that were otherwise considered really that unthinkable.
 
There were fears in the men then and Lord Jesus had to speak more forcefully and strongly to break them from the prevailing fears and the oppression. Lord Jesus succeeded. In reality he was a gentle  and divine person ever  empathic and trying his best to be compassionate.  
 
He had no ill will towards those who held the predominant beliefs then and which he wanted the people then not to go along. When he spoke out against the wrong practices and beliefs, he had to be forceful so as to help the people then to overcome the fear of oppression and dominance.
 
He feared not the authorities but did not openly oppose them. In fact, he said that men should give to Caesar what was due to Caesar and to God what was due to God. He had done well then and beyond. Indeed too, Jesus  is a Messiah for many a modern man in 2012 to let them be liberated from fear.
 
But unlike the men during his lifetime on earth who were oppressed and subdued, the men in Christ in 2012 were not oppressed or dominated. On the contrary, they are pervading, respectable and influential as well as much loved. They carry the torch that is very bright and over powering to get the attention of non-believers.
 
They have been effective and able to win over many men but at the same time, their messages do tend to be seemingly overpowering to point of creating fear for non believers and fear is considered good and needful to win more to believe in the Lord Jesus. This approach in year 2012 is based on  good intentions but to some, it may be somewhat like the approach of gloom and doom.

The Buddhists in modern times too have at times over stress the need to give up the worldly life and the body so that men may reach enlightenment. Prince Gautama in his life  was appalled by the great suffering of the commoners outside his palace - many dying on the street, many in dire ill-health.
 
This scenario is not as bad now and in fact men in the year 2012 are much better off. But to preach message of doom and gloom that men must give up the worldly life and forgo the bodily and worldly needs or face suffering is a bit odd and inappropriate, more like the gross ascetism in the lifetime of the Buddha.
 
The message that all are suffering and to rid themselves of the suffering life as man, all must be monks or renounce all vestiges of worldly living to be saved is bordering on gloom and doom when in reality men in 2012 are many fold better off than in the times of Guatama.
 
Men of religion must consider the times and not package and deliver the messages of their religions in the same way as during the days of their founders or prophets, otherwise they may give the impression that they are prophets of doom and gloom, and end up tarnishing the divine intention of their founders.


 

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