Hinduism
Judaism
Shintoism
Taoism
Confucianism
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
Spiritualism and
Spiritism
Conclusions
The Buddhists have a saying: “A thousand monks, a thousand religions.” This is
true also for all other faiths, as well. Still, the position of the various
schools of religious thought as herein expounded are according to the thoughts
expressed by the principal proponents or founders inasmuch as, in many
instances, the original concepts may have been changed according to the varied
interpretations of their less enlightened followers. In any case, the
objectionable features in the teachings and in the practices which have
resulted because of such changes should not be allowed to depreciate the value
of the original concepts and teachings.
Hinduism
In India, when the world was young some 4,500 years ago, the Vedas, the Indian
Holy Scriptures, were prepared. Embodying the complicated combination of
religious beliefs and social customs of the native Indians, they later became
the chief source of the teachings known in an earlier form as Brahmanism and
later on as Hinduism. The Hindus believe in personal gods. The most important
among them are Brahma, the Father of All, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the
Destroyer. They believe in the transmigration of souls; which teaches that at
death, the soul transfers into some other creature, be it human or animal, as a
direct consequence of one’s karma or the effects of one’s thoughts and deeds.
This process continues until such time that the soul is able to attain to the
state of Nirvana, and free itself from the rounds of rebirth, old age, disease
and death.
Four castes
As far as the human form of life is concerned, the Hindus believe in four
progressive castes. These are the Brahmans or the priests, the Kshatriyas or
the soldiers, the Vaishyas or the merchants, artists and farmers and the Sudras
or laborers. All who fall outside these four main groups are considered as
outcastes or untouchables, the lowest of the low.
Four goals
Hinduism lays stress on the need for self-realization and the awareness of
deeper realities apart from the material and physical existence. Consequently
therefore, advocates of Hinduism believe that man has four basic goals in life.
The first and foremost goal is to attain to the union of Atman, the individual
soul, with Brahman, the Supersoul or God, which alone can bring eternal
happiness.
Another important goal is the fulfillment of all normal human desires,
including the enjoyment of a life of pleasure, even sexual pleasure. So, to the
Hindus, there is no truth to the teaching that sex is evil. And to the Hindus,
it is acceptable for a person to enjoy life’s pleasures. Many people feel,
mistakenly, that sex and other worldly pleasures are bad for the soul. To the
Hindus, however, these worldly pleasures are perfectly natural and should be
experienced first before we can actually outgrow our desire for them and
advance to the more spiritual goals in life.
A third goal is participation in economic activity and contribution to public
welfare. Finally, these goals are to be pursued while one undertakes to live
the right kind of moral or ethical life.
Four stages of life
In the pursuit of these goals, man enters into four stages of life. He first
becomes a student who initiates studies mainly in preparation for the
material aspects of life.
Then, he becomes a householder,
at which stage, he is able to pursue three of the four goals, namely, a life of
pleasure, participation in economic activity and right living.
Subsequently, as he advances in age, he might decide to retire and live the
life of a hermit.
Here, he withdraws from his business or professional activities. Likewise, he
relinquishes direct family responsibilities and duties and enters a hermitage
for further study of the more spiritual realities or otherwise engages in
deeper reflections into the meaning of life. This is not a cop-out as some may
think, but the hermit is withdrawing from his worldly involvements in order
that he may be able to prepare himself for much greater service.
Finally, given the opportunity and the inclination, one could become a spiritual
pilgrim, which is
characterized by one’s complete renunciation of self and of all personal
attachments, even family ties. After which, the pilgrim turns to a life of
service to others. The pilgrim goes where God directs and helps whoever is
worthy, all the while, trusting to divine providence by receiving needed
material aid from those who are the recipients of his spiritual services. In
every instance, however, such material aid comes to him never as a favor, but
as a matter of right. In his travels, he promotes love and understanding. He
provides guidance to all who ask and who are willing to listen by sharing the
wisdom he has attained to over the years.
The Hindu way to salvation
Spiritual guidance is provided to the unenlightened through the Avatars or
highly advanced beings under a system of discipleship whereby these Avatars,
gurus or spiritual masters teach disciples or students the way towards their own
salvation.
According to these gurus, eventual salvation comes by way of:
1. Devotional service,
2. The accumulation of knowledge,
or
3. The rendering of service to
fellowmen or the accumulation of good karma.
For most people, however, who may not have the time or the desire to pursue
their spiritual goals owing to their involvement in the primary material
objectives such as earning a living, help and guidance are more conveniently
sought through minor gods and goddesses, thus, the preponderance of personal
gods to whom one can ask for special favors.
While this practice does not enable one to reach his eventual goal, he, at
least, moves a step nearer to it. This suffices many, until the time comes in
their subsequent incarnations that they are able to pursue the more spiritual
goals directly to attain to their own salvation.
Judaism
4,000 years ago, evil priests rose to power and changed the laws to suit their
own selfish aims. The teachings were distorted and darkness ruled the land.
People, naturally, became all confused. And, consequently, through their fear
and ignorance, many turned to the worship of idols. But a few masters remained
true to the faith. In Chaldea, a pious Brahmin named Terah had a son whom he
named Abrahm, after the One, later to be known as Abraham. In order to counter
such idol-worship and to bring the people back to God, God spoke through
Abraham to the Hebrews. Through him, God slowly revealed different aspects of
Himself. Subsequently after, this religion became known as Judaism, which means
the religious belief of the Jewish people, the descendants of the ancient
Hebrews.
Basic beliefs
The Jews came to believe in one God and the oneness of all creation. They
believe in the fatherhood of God and that all men are brothers, equal in the
sight of God. Hence, they do not have lesser divinities or saints. Most Jews
espouse to no special belief in an individual afterlife or in salvation.
Instead, they believe in living good lives in this world and achieving such
immortality as they can through their descendants. They believe in the coming
of a Messianic period and not in a Messiah in which peace and Earthly
perfection will prevail. They believe, likewise, in charity as a way of life
and the whole-hearted performance of prescribed rituals. The Jews have no
priests; instead, they have rabbis. A rabbi is a teacher-adviser who is
concerned mainly with the deeper and more spiritual aspects of life. However,
their pronouncements or suggestions are not mandatory, but are subject to
voluntary acceptance. The principal beliefs of all branches of Judaism are
monotheism, virtuous living, tolerance and peace.
The Law of Moses
It was through Moses that God gave the laws to govern the ancient Hebrews and
early Jews. Sometime at about 1300 BC, God issued the Ten Commandments. They
are:
1. I am the Lord, your God. You shall
not have strange gods before Me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy, the Sabbath day.
4. Honor your Father and Mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s things.
Shintoism
In ancient Japan, some 2,500 years ago, the Japanese professed to a combination
of nature and ancestor worship. All Japanese believe that they are descendants
of the sun-goddess, Amaterasu, and that all of them are members of one family
headed by the Emperor. Being a part of one family, individual Japanese are more
inclined to subjugate their own personal interests to the interest of the whole
family, which ultimately resulted in their total subservience to their Emperor.
This subservience in turn was subsequently exploited politically, culminating
in World War II and the renouncing by the Emperor of his divinity as well as
the discouragement of this religious thought. However, the teachings on
selflessness, simplicity and simple living have been retained, while the strong
traits of discipline and self-esteem are part of the ancient Japanese
tradition.
Shintoism is, however, not exclusive. The Japanese people were free to accept
other religions. Today, most Japanese are Buddhists, Buddhism having been
introduced in Japan as early as 600. A few or less than 1% are Christians
through the efforts of St. Francis Xavier beginning 1549.
Taoism
In China, about the year 600 BC, Lao Tse taught Taoism or “The Way” stressing
simplicity and acceptance. He frowned on the use of force to effect change and
espoused, instead, an effortless way of living. He spoke against reformers with
their long lists of rules to follow and advocated doing what comes naturally.
He urged men to follow the unstructured way of nature, the Tao. The man of Tao
is anxious about nothing, forces nothing and is content just letting things be
as they are, the way nature does. The Tao can be demonstrated by a pond of
muddy water. No amount of stirring can clear it. But left alone, all the mud
and other impurities settle down to the bottom and the pond becomes clear by
itself. Ardent followers are also enjoined to value the Three Treasures of
love, moderation and humility.
More than this, Lao Tse asserts: “He who tells does not know and he who knows does
not tell.” This simply means that the deeper meaning of Tao cannot be taught by
anyone to anybody. Instead, each student making his own journey through life
must find out its meaning for himself.
Confucianism
Some fifty years later, another philosopher and teacher named Confucius (Kung
Fu Tse) prepared a compilation of wise sayings urging men to a right mode of
life and a respect for the teachings of the wise men of old. He provided a
system of ethics or right conduct. Confucius taught not of God, but, rather, of
goodness. He taught men to be honest, upright, faithful and obedient to those
in authority, while laying stress on social service. He taught that: “What you
wouldn’t want others to do to you, don’t do to them.” The teachings of
Confucius set forth in the Confucian Canon includes Five Classics, which are
collections of ancient poems and other works of the wise men of old, with one
of them supposed to have been authored by Confucius and his first disciple,
Mencius.
A few centuries afterwards, Buddhism spread its influence in China and took
hold. Subsequently, an integration or merger of these three schools of thought
— Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism — came into being and is now widely
accepted, while only a few espouse the Christian and Muslim faiths.
Buddhism
At about this same time in India, the people were disillusioned with their
religion. The religious authorities were degenerate and self-seeking and
thought only of their own personal gain. And so, the people were turning away
from their old beliefs. Since some people felt that animals were better than
humans, they turned again to worshipping animals as gods.
The story of Gautama
Into this world was born a prince, Siddhartha Gautama, son of a warrior king, a
high Hindu raja. Because of a prophecy that the son would be a prophet of great
renown, the king, who desired so much that his son succeed him and inherit his
kingdom, determined to do all things possible in order that the prophecy should
not come true.
He decreed that Gautama be prevented from knowing of the evils and sorrows
beyond the palace confines. All his travels were to be supervised and he was to
meet only his caste-equals. But Gautama would not be so restrained. Sensing
that he was being so protected, he determined to obtain freedom from such
restrictions.
One day, in defiance of his father’s orders, he slipped out of the palace
grounds to learn what he could on his own. Outside, he saw an old, old man,
trembling with age and illness, toothless, blind with cataract and senile. For
the first time in his life, Gautama came to realize that old age comes to
everyone, and with its coming, the body of man ceases to retain the activeness,
strength and beauty that his own body then presently enjoyed.
Next, he saw an emaciated man, miserable and moaning while he picked yellow
scabs from his disease-ridden body. Gautama was shocked and his mind began to
question why these things happen.
But then further on, at the side of the road, he came upon a scene that would
leave a very deep and lasting impression on him. Here was death staring him in
the face, a naked corpse, discolored and odorous, covered by a dense cloud of
flies opened to his gaze.
While he was meditating on all that he saw and was greatly troubled, he chanced
upon a well-clad, serene monk, calm and tranquil, untroubled by the misery and
suffering all around him. Thinking that old age, disease and death awaited all
of mankind and that by being a religious, one could attain peace and
contentment, he resolved that he would become as that monk. So, presently, he
left the palace and he became a seeker after truth, searching for the answers
to the mysteries of life.
For six long and hard years, he sought out all the leading teachers of his
time, asking, learning all he could from each of them, until all the teachers
could teach him no more. But still, he did not have the answers. Until finally,
he resolved that he would not stop meditating until he did find the answers. A
few days later, he experienced an illumination, and he had his answers. And, at
that moment, he became the Buddha, the “Enlightened One.” Afterwards, he
formulated the way of life that became known as Buddhism.
Influence of Hinduism
It must be remembered that Buddhism is based on the principles of Hinduism and
espouses certain of its fundamental beliefs. Included among them are
Transmigration or the return of the soul into other forms of life; Karma or the
consequences of one’s actions and Nirvana, which is the state of being a pure
spirit, pure, so far as lack of lust for physical things are concerned.
The Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path
Gautama, the Buddha, therefore enjoins man to follow the “Middle Way” of life
between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification through man’s
recognition of the Four Noble Truths which are:
1. Human life holds the possibility of
suffering.
2. Human suffering is caused by desire or craving for the things that are of
the world.
3. When one ceases to crave for a thing, then one ceases to have suffering
connected with that thing; suffering ceases with the complete cessation of
cravings.
4. Man can free himself of these cravings by following the Noble Eightfold
Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path
consists of the following:
1. Right viewpoint — We
should be aware of our real self, the Spirit Self, thereby obtaining an
understanding of spiritual realities untrammeled by the illusions in the world.
2. Right aspirations — We
should direct our strivings toward our spiritual objectives.
3. Right speech — We
should always speak with love and consideration for others as our guide.
4. Right behavior — We
should return love for hate and good for evil.
5. Right mode of livelihood —
We should engage in an occupation that is beneficial and never harmful.
6. Right efforts — We
should act purposefully with due regard to our own individual capacity and
personal preferences.
7. Right mindfulness — We
should discipline our thoughts and emotions.
8. Right contemplation —
We should listen intuitively to correctly determine our true needs.
In so following the Noble Eightfold Path, man shall be able to attain to the
state of Nirvana, which is not a state of nothingness, but, rather, that
Nirvana which is equivalent to the higher Christian heavens and the spiritual
perfection that they signify.
Branches of Buddhism
One branch or form of Buddhism is Lamaism, which flourished in Tibet before the
Communist takeover of that country. This form of Buddhism developed as a
consequence of Tibetan customs and traditions and was very advanced in the
metaphysical sciences as expounded by Lobsang Rampa.
Another branch of Buddhism is Zen Buddhism, which teaches that one must first
experience before he can know the truth. According to this school, truth cannot
be known by just listening to the spoken word, or by reading the printed page.
While all are enjoined to read and study Scriptures and to listen attentively
to the learned lectures of wise men, all these serve only to guide us. All such
studies must be accompanied by actual related experiences before we may more
fully understand. One picture is worth a thousand words, but one experience is
worth a thousand pictures.
Christianity
In the little town of Bethlehem in Palestine, 2,000 years ago, there was born
in a lowly manger, a male child, son to the carpenter Joseph and his wife,
Mary, who belonged to a subject people, the Jews, under the rule of the Roman
conquerors. This child was later to be called the Son of God, the King of
kings. Coming into the world at a time when the world had turned itself away
from God, through him, God gave to the world His love, His truth and His light.
The people had departed from the teachings of the old prophets. Driven by their
lusts for the things of the flesh, they had forgotten God and thought only of
their own selfish interests. The principles and teachings of Judaism were
cancelled out by the corruptness of its high priests and the deafness of its
followers. The need for God’s guidance was great. And God sent Jesus.
While Jesus is the Master of the World, he, like Gautama, the Buddha, before
him, went into actual preparation for the first 30 years of his life, learning
from others, and remembering what others did not know. For he comes from above.
He is not of this world. He comes from Heaven.
When it was time for him to do his Father’s work, he taught and preached with
great authority surpassing that of all his elders and even the prophets before
him. His life and teachings are embodied in the New Testament. And all that he
taught can be summarized into two great commandments — “Love God and love your
neighbor as yourself.” By his works, the world knows him. And all who are of
the Truth listen to him.
The followers of the teachings of Jesus, the Christ, were later on called
Christians. And, subsequently, the Christian Church was organized under the
leadership of Peter and Paul and spread all over the world.
Islam
Archangel Gabriel visits Muhammad
Despite the growth of Judaism and Christianity in some Arabian communities in
the 600s, much of Arabia lay steeped in ignorance, superstition and
idol-worship. The tribes being constantly at war with one another, any real
peace and unity could only be achieved if everyone could come to agree on a
common ideal, a faith perhaps especially formulated and acceptable to the Arab
psyche, according to their then level of evolvement.
At this time, Gabriel, the Archangel, visited a godly man named Muhammad, who
is believed by many to be a descendant of Abraham and Ishmael, and told him
that God had chosen him to preach and spread Islam, which means, submission to
the will of Allah.
The Archangel being highly regarded by both Christians and Jews alike, Muhammad
could not but be tolerant and accepting also of these earlier faiths, in fact
recognizing his kinship with them. It is recounted that before tackling the
last phase of his mission, he was taken up to heaven by the Archangel to meet
with Jesus and the Old Testament prophets, and God, Himself, to receive his
final instructions.
The messages from God delivered by Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad formed the
early foundational basis of what were later written down by Muhammad’s
followers and subsequently incorporated into the Qur’an, the Holy Scriptures of
Islam.
The spread of the faith
The first convert of this new faith was Muhammad’s wife, Khadija, and with her
encouragement, Muhammad began to win other followers. He preached against idols
in favor of the One God. And this preaching brought him many enemies from among
those who worshipped such idols, especially those whose livelihood depended on
the businesses related to their devotional worship.
Eventually, Muhammad and his followers were so persecuted that fearing for
their life, they were forced to flee to Medina. However, this flight, called
“Hegira,” became the turning point of his career. After having pacified all the
warring tribes there, he was acclaimed the new ruler and military commander of
the city. And, encouraged by this success, he moved on Mecca and conquered it,
as well. He then proceeded to destroy the idols and built the ancient Kaaba
shrine, the Sanctuary of Allah.
In victory, Muhammad was generous and merciful, offering friendship to all
including Christians and Jews, regarding them as his brothers. However, just as
the Jews rejected Christ, the Christians and the Jews in general rejected
Muhammad as God’s latest messenger and prophet. Muhammad realizing the futility
of winning them to Islam concentrated his efforts rather more on his own people
and their needs. And from then on, tribe after tribe voluntarily submitted to
his leadership, until at Muhammad’s death, all of Arabia stood united under
Islam.
The Five Pillars
The doctrine of Islam is based on the Qur’an and the Sunna or traditions. The
Sunna recounts the sayings and deeds of Muhammad. The Five Duties of a believer
or the Five Pillars of Islam are:
1. Recital of the creed. In its
shortest form, the creed is: “I testify that there is no God but Allah, and
that Muhammad is His prophet.” Acceptance of the creed implies belief in God,
the angels, the inspired books, the prophets, the Day of Judgment, and God’s
predestination of good and evil. The latter is the basis of the fatalistic
attitude of the Muslim. Even in the face of life’s many hardships and
tragedies, he willingly submits to the wisdom of God, and in faith, he
declares: “It is the will of Allah.”
2. Prayer. The Muslim worships
five times a day facing Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad. Phrases of his
prayers and the postures of his body are all prescribed. Worship is preceded by
ceremonial bathing. And on Friday, the Muslim holy day, prayers and a short
sermon are held in the mosque under the leadership of the Imam.
3. Fasting. All throughout the
month of Ramadan, when the Qur’an was revealed, the faithful fast. They do not
eat or drink between dawn and sunset.
4. Almsgiving. All believers are
expected to give alms to assist needy fellow-Muslims.
5. The pilgrimage to Mecca.
All Muslims who are physically and financially able are expected to make a
pilgrimage to the Holy City at least once in their lifetime.
Basic beliefs
A believer is bound in the principle of mutual help and entrusted with the
furtherance of good and the repression of evil. Emphasis is placed on equality
and brotherhood. Muslims believe that man stands alone in direct relationship
with his God, surrendering himself to His mercy. Hence, there are no organized
churches, no priests and no sacraments.
Impelled by circumstances as a result of the wars, the Arabs were encouraged to
take in the widows of comrades killed in battle as their wives to help them and
provide for their needs. Polygamy then came to be widely practiced and was
adopted into the faith. However, Muhammad limited the number of wives to four
or less, depending on the capacity of the men to provide for their needs. Women
were granted rights to possess or inherit property and could even divorce their
husbands under certain conditions. Slavery was condemned. Eating pork was
forbidden and drinking wine, prohibited.
The concept of Jihad against infidels was from the very beginning limited to
the self-preservation of the faith and never was intended to include aggression
against non-combatants, women and children. As soon as the threatened
annihilation of Islam was neutralized and the cause of justice was served,
Muhammad forgave his enemies and worked to win the peace. Then he clarified the
concept. Jihad in the greater spiritual sense is the struggle against the
Muslim’s evil or worldly desires and the overcoming of his human limitations.
The terrorists’ view of Jihad is contrary to the true teachings of Islam.
Christians, Jews and Muslims are true brothers in spite of the ongoing
religious conflicts.
Major sects
There are two major sects of Islam; The Sunnites, who believe in the Sunna and
who form the majority; and the Shiites, who reject the Sunna simply because
certain other caliphs participated in the formation of the Sunna. These latter
are followers of Ali, Muhammad’s blood relative, who hold that Ali, alone, is
the rightful successor to Muhammad.
Spiritualism and
Spiritism
Strange occurrences
From the highly suspicious Spiritualist phenomena of table rapping, trumpet
voices, materializations, apparitions, all the shaking and quaking every which
way and other occurrences delving in the supernatural: and in spite of all the
fake mediums, the fake healers and the ghost-busting activities of
non-believers; there has emerged a new philosophy and teaching.
Spirit communications or divine revelations are as old as man. It is simply
that man in those early days did not have the capacity to understand the
principles governing their operation.
The philosophy behind the phenomena
With the resurgence of communications with the spirits of the departed at about
the 1850s, a wealth of information concerning the life that waits beyond the
Earth have begun to filter in to the world. A Frenchman named Allan Kardec,
through a series of sessions or séances with the aid of mediums who were able
to receive these messages from higher beings, prepared a compilation of the
communications and incorporated the same into a book entitled ‘The Spirits’
Book.’
Published in 1850, this book became the basis of Modern Spiritualism/Spiritism.
It was entitled as such because the contents of the book were provided by a
special team of highly enlightened Spirit teachers composed of John, the
Evangelist, St. Augustine, et al. Their mission, impossible, was to introduce
new and advanced concepts of spiritual realities to the people of the world,
thereby preparing them for the advent of the Golden Age. However, the
information contained in ‘The Spirit’s Book’ is only the beginning. And,
subsequently, supplementary information continue to be provided by means of
communications through various mediums or Spiritualist and Spiritist study
centers in many parts of the world.
Fundamental beliefs
Modern Spiritualism is basically a belief in the spiritual nature of man.
Emphasis is given to love, righteousness and service to fellowmen. The main
objective is simply to provide proofs of the survival of the spirit entity.
Spiritism or “Guidance by the Holy Spirit” goes a step further. Fundamental
teachings include the existence of God: existence of the spirit; the reality of
the Spirit World, brotherhood and oneness of all creation, Reincarnation and
the Law of Karma, infinite progression of the spirit entity, personal
responsibility, salvation through individual effort and mediumship as a means
of communication with the Spirit World.
Foretold by Jesus Christ
In the Philippines, Spiritism is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. In the
book of John 16:12-13, Jesus said, “Oh, there is so
much more I want to tell you, but you cannot understand it now. Albeit, when
the Spirits of Truth and Holiness come, they will guide you into all truth.”
In addition to what most Spiritualists early into the movement believe as
detailed in broad terms above, the Spirits of Truth include and emphasize
Reincarnation and Karma, infinite progression, personal responsibility and the
Path of love and service as central to their basic teachings, effectively
clarifying and upgrading the present interpretations of the Christian Churches
regarding the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Conclusions
The differences in the teachings of the various religions are due largely to
the inevitable spread and adoption over time of degraded and corrupted versions
of the teachings in place of the original. Subsequent followers and students
not being of the same high order as their Prophets, their understanding was
less than perfect. Consequently, as they passed on to the succeeding students
their flawed interpretations, the original and true divine teachings were
effectively replaced or obscured. Further, aggravated by differences in
language and culture caused by a lack of communication between the various
peoples of the world, sad but true, misinformation and confusion is now
pervasive and widespread.
However, with increased communication and racial integration, and as everyone
of us continues to push forward in our development, all these differences will
eventually be resolved and the real teachings will reemerge and come together,
united in the One Truth.
Regardless however, the different religions represent the many faces of God and
His divine teachings. To different people, God reveals Himself in different
ways. To the Hindus, God lays stress on the knowledge of self in its
various aspects. To the Shintoists and the Taoists, He teaches selflessness and
simplicity. To the followers of Confucius, He stresses goodness and social
service. To the Buddhists, He espouses a “Middle Way” of life. In addition, the
realities of the spiritual worlds beyond Earth have largely been confirmed
through the mystic experiences of the more advanced adepts belonging to both
the Hindu and Buddhist faiths.
To the Jews, He is Yahweh, the One God with human attributes. And over the
centuries, in line with the spiritual development of man, He became
transformed, through the teachings of Jesus Christ, from the jealous and
vengeful God of the Old Testament prophets, to the God of love and justice,
truth and beauty of the present generation.
To the Muslims, He teaches the principles of mutual help, the furtherance of
good and the repression of evil. Further, Allah enjoins that in their trials
and hardships in life, the Muslims should predispose themselves to submit to
His divine will. It is inferred here, of course, that Allah is all-powerful and
just: that He loves us all; and like a good father to his children, He sends us
only the very best. Therefore, we really should welcome or, at least, be
resigned even to hardships and sorrows because although we may not understand
now, they have a divine purpose under heaven, a counterpart spiritual benefit
all according to His divine will.
And to the Christians and Spiritualists, God
teaches His divine ways of love, righteousness and service. Also, to the
Spiritualists and Spiritists, He clarifies and confirms the old eternal truths
and reveals the deeper spiritual realities that until now are not known to the
greater masses of people.
In all of these religions, emphasis is on love,
righteous living and the development of character. This is the essence of all
religious teachings. This is what is important. And with righteousness, truth
unfolds.
But in the pursuit of truth, no one and no religion has a monopoly,
because there is truth in all. And in order to attain to the whole, we
must draw from each of the parts. For all men are God’s children. We are, all
of us, part and parcel of the One God. And nothing and no one exists outside
God. We are one.
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