Note from Guru Kurt: I put all my skills at flattery to work on this chap in an attempt to touch some spiritual nerve, to jog some spiritual feeling into life, to no avail. It may be that my Father intends for me to sit idle, without having human contact, for there are no humans worthy of contact! I write, but my patience (and interest) grow thin. I have a list about a yard long of fun things I would like to do in this world, and nowhere on this list does "speak and write for humans" appear. After discovering my immortality, I would like nothing better than to enjoy it, for humans interrupt my flow of bliss in the way that pigs would interrupt a "black-tie affair" in the most elite circles of Hollywood. I say one thing and they hear another. They argue endlessly with fallacious arguments, and think themselves the victors when they have merely proven themselves to be idiots and morons! Such is the world, and like Jesus I bring the world hope, but unlike Jesus, no one around me wants this hope. No one wants to hear a message about immortal bliss, and so I retreat into my sanctuary like Superman into his Fortress of Solitude. So be it!
Dear Socratic,
I am new to this forum. I read the first page of this thread, and I must say you are like the light of truth to mortal men. Your statements are brilliant, and you dispense with what is dispensable in religion at the same time that you define the requirements for reality. I am not a Christian. I am not an Atheist. I am not a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Jain or a Zoroastrian. I do not know what I am. If I knew, and I told you, it still would not be the truth, for can anyone know another? In truth, they cannot. The most we can truly hope to know in this world is ourselves, and once we have done this, perhaps nothing else really matters. If you do not mind, I would like to comment upon some of your quotes, which as I have said I consider extraordinarily perceptive, enlightening, and frank yet courteous.
[quote] The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance. [/quote]
Well said, my friend. However, there are different types of knowledge, and different types of ignorance. The commonly accepted definition of knowledge is acquired mental abilities and skills to deal with, understand, and manipulate the world around us. Ignorance is commonly thought of as a lack of such abilities, capacities and skills. For instance, an engineer has knowledge that allows him to design bridges, buildings and roadways. He does not, however, know all the details about the building of these structures; he may not know what to do with a rivet, if you handed him one. We say he is ignorant in this area, although knowledgeable about the placement and dispersion of rivets along a steel beam. Knowledge like this, however practical it may be in the physical world, does not grant us that which we all truly seek by its peculiar application, although we get some measure indirectly, and that thing we seek is happiness. The best definition of philosophy I have ever heard is that it is thinking which aims to maximize human happiness. To what better purpose could we possibly put our minds? I will assume that what you meant by this quote was just such knowledge, that grants happiness to man, and ignorance would then be that which leaves man unhappy. For instance, a philosopher would reason that a man is happiest when he is fruitfully engaged in work that benefits the world. He would tell the engineer, “Go to school and get a degree in an area that will allow you to continue to use your mental faculties throughout your life. Choose a career that is challenging, and this will grant you maximum happiness, for it is a fundamental property of man’s nature that he should engage in meaningful activity every day, rejoicing in the use of his mind and body and discovering their hidden potentials.” The engineer’s knowledge, and application of this knowledge, grant him a certain amount of happiness. The philosopher’s knowledge, however, is superior for he has isolated the root cause of happiness and through his philosophy is able to give advice that will make many happy, not just himself but people entering a wide array of vocations. His knowledge is special; it is a kind of “supra-knowledge,” that transcends many other types of knowledge and supports them with rational thought. I think this is really the highest purpose of philosophy, to understand man: what makes him happy, what brings him unhappiness, what drives and motivates him, what causes him anger, and what makes him afraid. Philosophy seeks to stand apart from man, to distance itself from him, to get a really objective view of man’s nature and make pronouncements and assessments that are helpful to all.
Philosophy is wonderful, but it falls short in one area. Where do we go when we die? No philosopher in the world has ever satisfactorily answered this question, not even Socrates who spoke of an “ideal world” that all attain at death, in the Phaedo, I believe. Are there any who are truly pleased to think they will end up in some realm surrounded by ideas, perhaps becoming ideas themselves? Religion gives a more satisfactory answer to this question, but you will not find it in the West. It is only in the East that people have taken the idea of seeking self-knowledge to the extreme that it deserves, and that is as an attempt to conquer death itself. These people speak of attaining union with the divine Atman within, which is a radiant, effulgent, self-luminous being residing deep within the hearts of all. This Atman is our true Self. To know this Atman is called spiritual knowledge, vidya in Sanskrit. Not to know this Atman is called spiritual ignorance, or avidya in Sanskrit. Those who, through the practice of spiritual disciplines like meditation and repetition of the holy name, attain union with this Atman, begin and carry on profound teaching works, drawing disciples from amongst the crowds around them. There is more than just illumination or union with the Atman, however. There is a being who is known as the Avatar in Hinduism, who is an incarnation of Brahman Himself. It is my submission that this same Avatar has incarnated Himself as Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, and many others. He is the source of all religions. He comes from a much higher reality than mankind. He it is who is guiding mankind along a complex path with one and the same goal, always: the spiritual growth of man, the expansion of his soul. All religions may be easily harmonized once this distinction is made. I do not expect you to accept these ideas. As you so brilliantly remarked, if we do not present our points of view, how will anyone else know what they are?
[quote] [I] …contend that faith should never disagree with reason. [/quote]
As I perhaps too effusively said, you make many good points and this one is excellent. There really should be no boundary between faith and reason, between logic and belief. Christianity today is in remarkable disarray, but this is what the Creator intended to occur. It is no longer a living religion, but a dead one. There is no Christian, anywhere, who truly believes that Jesus Christ will ever come again. I can prove this. It is very easy. Just walk up to any person, Christian or non-Christian, and tell them that you are Jesus Christ, returned and ready to pick up where you left off, to complete your partial teaching and eventually, to establish God’s kingdom on earth. What will happen? You know what will happen, and it involves the police, the jail, and multiple psychiatrists. The mind of the Christian, as near as I can tell, is closed, completely closed. I do not like Christians, probably for similar reasons to that which I hear in your discourse: they are irrational to a degree that is baffling and confusing. Christianity is in this state because it was never intended to be a final stopping point. When Jesus said He would return, it was like Douglas MacArthur when he left Corregidor: He has some unfinished business, and means to finish it. Jesus gave mankind a pacifier, and who can get it out of his mouth? You are doing a fine job attempting to perform this miraculous feat. I would say you almost have a kind of religious faith of your own, attempting to reason with these dark and superstition-encrusted minds as you do. However, this is a job too big for you, and too big for me too. Only the Father can accomplish it, should He choose to do so. He it was who placed the pacifier 2000 years ago through the lips of His Son, the Lord, and only He can remove it. Let us hope that He acts soon.
Faith takes on quite a different light in the East than in the West. Ramakrishna, who was the most recent incarnation of the Lord, spoke of it often. In Hinduism, it is man’s action that saves man. A man can purify himself, and rid himself of sin through spiritual practices. As I see it, there are four main paths to God-realization: karma or action, bhakti or love, jnana or knowledge, and raja or concentration (raja means royal, but the central principle is to increase concentration). These four paths can be used separately or together to drive man forward into immensely high realms of spiritual awareness. Faith thus becomes a belief in the guru or spiritual teacher’s words that these practices are effective and will lead you upward, towards the eventual goal of liberation. It is testable; you can try and see if it achieves the desired effect! In Christianity faith is like a “ticket to heaven.” No effort is required, for Jesus will do everything for you. If you point out to a Christian that Jesus Himself never once said this, they will say that Paul did say it, and it is in the Bible, therefore it is the word of God. If you can hold your last meal in your stomach, you point out to them that they themselves accept that Jesus Christ was Lord, and ask why they listen to Paul and not the Lord? By this time they are far away in their “la-la” land, on their way to heaven with or without Jesus! This is the pacifier, the idea that Jesus will do everything for us, and this is the idea which must be expunged from religion entirely.
Jesus gave all the four main paths of Hinduism to mankind. He gave man bhakti yoga when He said that whosoever believes in Him will attain eternal life. Love of the Lord is the best way for man to travel forwards on the spiritual path; Jesus merely neglected to define “eternal life,” and no Christian is intelligent enough, it seems, to ask! He gave men jnana yoga when He said that His followers should pick up their cross and follow Him daily, for it is in the choosing of the real over the unreal that is the essence of the path of knowledge. He gave men karma yoga when He said whatever kindness you do to another, you do unto Him. He gave men raja yoga when He gave the Lord’s prayer, for concentration deepens during prayer. Jesus was a spiritual Master, and gave man the main routes to Self-realization, but He spoke only vaguely about the goal. This is because, to the unsophisticated and savage mind, it is actually harmful to go into too much detail. It is better to speak very vaguely, using subterfuge and partial truths. It is like dealing with a toddler. A child may ask, “Daddy, what is work like?” Instead of going into great detail about his work before a two-year old, a loving father will say, “Son, it’s a lot like what Mommy does around the house, only they pay me for it.” He may be a rocket scientist, and when his son is older he will take him to work and explain in greater detail what occurs there. Christians do not know anything about real religion, for Jesus out of mercy for the sinners among mankind gave glorious, but very vague promises, which is just what such people find inspiring. When He returns, He will assuredly explain all that He meant back then. After all, we are no longer a superstitious backwater, but a thriving, industrialized world ready for more sophistication and a dose of reality, should there be one to deliver.
[quote] I'll show respect as long as I receive it. Insulting my intelligence with passages from an unsubstantiated book and speaking to me of some magic man in the sky with happiness for all who believe him is not what I call respect. [/quote]
You take the words from my mouth! You have summarized the problem of Christianity very succinctly, leading me to believe that there is more to you than meets the eye. You may have a Ferrari engine, my friend, humming along just beneath the surface of your mind. Let me tell you a story. Ramakrishna used to say that there are four classes of men: the bound, the struggling, the liberated, and the ever-free. The bound are those whose worldly desires are many, and whose spiritual desires are few. They are not drawn to talk about God and the spiritual life, but are repelled. They would rather spend an afternoon in a bar, instead of debating vigorously with Christians, as you seem to enjoy doing. The struggling are those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened. They see that the world is illusory and will never bring them lasting happiness, and they make an effort to attain liberation. From this class arise the spiritual aspirants. The liberated are the illumined. Although He did not say so at the time, these people return to earth over and over, attaining deeper and deeper illuminations in succeeding lives. The Buddha and Krishna also used some subterfuge here, stating that illumination granted freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Such people are free in the sense that they will never fall from their liberation, and will obtain greater bliss each life as they dive deeper into their own spiritual nature. The ever-free are an entirely different class, almost not of this world. These are spiritual beings who visit earth in the guise of men, and who never put on a false ego even for show, as the illumined are forced to do for a time. Ramakrishna used to say that His disciples were of this class, taking on human bodies for mankind’s benefit. I don’t know why I mention this story. It seems interesting to me, for some reason.
The Christian religion has made a mockery of what Jesus originally intended when He taught, but it was the Father’s will that it should be so. Hooking all their hopes upon a star, the Lord, they learn to feel some love for the Avatar, although if they ever met Him in the flesh they would at once have Him arrested. Love is the greatest force that man has available to make spiritual progress, and the Christians are firmly grounded in this, although they do not think they are going anywhere thereby! They are not making spiritual progress, they will assure you, but they are going to heaven. When He appeared as Mohammed, the Avatar used a similar stratagem although the words of Mohammed are more radiant than those of Jesus, and exhort man to action with more force. Jesus Himself said over and over that those who heard His words and did not do them were not His followers and built their house of life upon sand, yet beginning with Paul the Christians asserted that faith in Jesus was sufficient, and works meaningless! The major theme of Christianity, that they are saved by faith, is a direct contradiction to the teachings of Jesus! How does such a thing come about? The Father allowed it to happen, because many of those drawn to this “religion of ease and pardon” do enter into a loving relationship with the Lord, and through this relationship learn to do those things that He commanded, such as loving one’s neighbor as oneself, and doing unto others as one would be done unto. I now announce that this “Lord” with whom people claim a relationship is none other than their own Atman, as declared in Hinduism. The Avatar personifies the Self for man, nothing more. Loving Him, you are really loving your own deepest Self, and through this love spiritual progress is made. Christianity and Hinduism are thus identical in their effects upon man’s soul; it is only the intellectual surface that differs, but try telling this to a Christian! You will have tears in your eyes when they get through with you!
[quote] It's ok for your worldview to contain faith, but not at the expense of reason. It's just this that leads me to believe that Christianity and any other religion that blatantly requires it are in fact a huge detriment to mankind and the human condition. [/quote]
I wholeheartedly agree with this, except that it is only recently that Christianity has faltered. At the time it was given, it was appropriate, and I have outlined the positive effects that the religion still has upon its adherents today. Unfortunately, Christianity is the least sophisticated of all the religions. It is very formulaic, and no one wants to give up something that is easy and simple for something that requires effort. This is why I feel that most Christians are beyond hope. When Jesus returns, He will condemn them! They have become His “goats,” and the “sheep” have all awakened and are finding pasture in places where religion is real, such as Hinduism, or in rational agnosticism which still maintains an open mind on the question of whether God exists or not. The power structure in Christianity is absolutely unbelievable. If an Isaiah or a Jeremiah were to arise today, he would be utterly and completely ignored. There is no mechanism for a holy man to gain entrance past the priests and the bishops, sanctimonious and self-righteous and with minds closed like shutters. The Bible is clearly a finished work; there is no more room for new prophets or prophecies, thank-you very much. Christians have their heads buried firmly in the sand of faith in their supposed Savior, who when He returns will mock them for their idiocy in following Paul! Christianity, as it stands, is a complete vehicle for spiritual progress. No doubt the Christians will go on believing Jesus has not come a second time, even as the Jews went on believing He did not come the first time, once He finally arrives! They will still go forward, only more slowly than the rest of the world. The Lord wishes to educate man in the best and optimal means to achieve spiritual growth, and Christianity was meant for a dark and dangerous time, when the thought of rebirth into sometimes horrid conditions was unthinkable, and the thought of an undefined heaven most sweet. I say, Let them have their religion. What is it to me? I say what is in my mind at the time that it is there, for I can do nothing else. No doubt my voice will go unheard, and yet I speak. I do not know why.
I expect that a third religion will form at this time, of the Jews who think Jesus’ second coming was His first coming. Such is the divisiveness of man! One reason why God the Father, and His emissary the Avatar, decided to give man a plethora of religions was because of a very human tendency, the desire to have more than our neighbor. I mentioned briefly the false ego. Since I am a proponent of reincarnation, I state that as man arose from single-celled organism to higher forms of life, he developed an idea of what he was based on sense impressions only. People believe they are physical beings moving amidst other physical beings on a physical planet, end of story. They also possess a divine Atman, which is their true personality, but this remains hidden behind a veil. In nirvikalpa samadhi, the veil is removed and man discovers who he truly is, a divine being of pure spirit, arising out of the larger spirit who is Brahman. Worldly life is an attempt to satisfy the false ego, and because we are merely struggling to satisfy an idea, we inevitably fail. Lasting joy comes only through applying the principles of religion; I state that philosophy is a branch of religion, for both strive to find the state of maximum happiness for man, and what is true for one is true for the other. Since we think we are physical beings in a physical world, we create a crude mathematics in our head. When others are happier than we are, all is not right in the world; we are not getting our fair share, since everyone is equal. When others are less happy than us, we are happy for we have more than they do. This is one reason why people cling to their chosen religion with such ferocity; all are convinced that their religion is best, and the others inferior, to the point of refusing to consider seriously the teachings of any other religion. They want more than everyone else, and religion fits nicely into their scheme or evil plot to win at life at the expense of the other people on the planet.
All the true religions, given to man by the Avatar, are harmonious in their effect upon mankind. Man is not a physical creature, but something much higher than this, a divine being. There are fundamental spiritual laws that the Creator has decreed upon the formation of souls. One of these laws is that matter was created to serve the soul, not to bring it happiness. Those who seek to find lasting satisfaction by acquiring material possessions are deluded, full of spiritual ignorance or avidya. Happiness can only come from our own souls, from deep inside our own hearts. Where else could it come from? Spiritual aspirants apply the teachings of religion in order to get a hold upon the very source of joy. Spiritual growth is equivalent to an increased capacity to experience radiant joy. All religions lead to this growth. Another of the fundamental spiritual laws is that all were meant to live in happiness. When we act with kindness, compassion and mercy towards all beings, we live in harmony with this law, and real joy comes to us. People who work for volunteer organizations experience this joy, which comes from their Atman. Those who donate to charitable organizations, or work for these organizations, also experience this joy. These people are religious people, whether or not they follow any formal teachings! If you ask them why they act as they do they will say, “It just feels good!” This good feeling is the joy of the Atman. It is spiritual joy. It is a taste of what is to come, a tiny portion of that bliss which illumined persons experience, which is a million times greater. The principles laid down by the Avatar in each and every religion are remarkably similar. It is not remarkable that very few today see this, for the majority of mankind are not spiritually evolved. There is a “spiritual pyramid” on earth, and only a few are radically drawn to religion like bees to nectar. The rest stumble along, scarcely understanding their religion but following as best they can, nevertheless, and going forward at their own individual rates. Only a few can even begin to glimpse the unity underlying all the religions, for the rest are too engrossed in their own personal episode of life. I say that it exists, and I do not think I can be refuted on this point.
[quote] And I would submit that in the days that scripture was written, it was in fact in accord with reason to the best of their abilities at that time. If only they had they maintained that standard.[/quote]
I see that now you are even ahead of me! This is my point exactly. Christianity is out-of-step with science and has a horrid array of “intellectuals” attempting to bridge the gap between the Genesis fable and archeology. Even to read their contorted writings causes great pain in the minds of rational persons. Some say that Satan put the dinosaur bones there, to mislead mankind! Others attempt to prove that radiological dating methods are not accurate. Still others make detailed charts of every event since the beginning of time, which they say was a little more than four thousand years ago! Such talk makes me scratch my head, and wonder whether I am reading the words of orangutans or men! Science is sound. The scientific method is to be praised. The large and ever-growing body of scientific data is not to be ignored. Christianity is behind the times, and who can bring it up to date? I will tell you what has occurred. The Avatar has left a long trail of pretty poetry behind Him, telling man what would be beneficial to his soul in archaic days. This is true of all religions that talk of such things, although Hinduism comes closest to describing the real events of matter creation and universe formation. Science has discovered the real, actual way that things are done on a planet of life like our own. Evolution is real. God does create souls, but they are small and He places them, over and over again, in bodies of gradually ascending capacity. The Atheists will hate me for saying this. I am sorry, but my heart tells me to be truthful and relate what I know, come what may. God is a mighty spiritual being, and there is much more than this that He does. I speak here not of the Atman, but of God the Father, called Brahman by Hinduism and Allah by Islam. We cannot attain union with the Father, whom only the Avatar can witness and comprehend. The most we can do is attain union with the Lord in our heart, but this Lord is itself venerable and mighty, possessing wild spiritual powers and unbelievable wisdom.
Science is king in the external, physical world, but it knows nothing of the world within. It measures brain waves, which I claim is the interaction of the soul with the brain in rhythmic polling for sense data along with various thoughts. Thinking takes place in the soul in the way that Socrates described. The brain is merely its external instrument. The brain is required for the soul to express itself in the material world, and the soul is affected by the state of the brain and the body, too. These are unsubstantiated claims that are not scientifically verifiable, but I say they are verifiable by those who care to try to verify them by practicing spiritual disciplines. The illumined person is able to see the soul directly, with his physical eyes. As light is bent by water, light is also bent by the soul ever so slightly as it is cast upon the body and reflected from it. The soul appears as an area of bright radiance around the body, extending out about an inch from the physical frame. If a person puts a heavy jacket on that is thicker than this, the soul cannot be seen. The illumined person is able to see not only the soul, but the underlying mental state of any person. You may put a smile on your face, but if you are actually sad the illumined person will know this just by looking at you! If you are actually happy, but pretend to be sad to get his attention, he will see this too. He may even be able to detect, just by looking, what is the cause of your negative or positive state of mind. He does, however, have other means of learning these things which he employs, which I shall not go into at this time.
[quote] The general departure from reason and reality that has pervaded Christianity for centuries has without a doubt diverted the minds and efforts of millions if not billions of people from a focus on this world and our place in it to some mythological other world that is undeniably arbitrary. The opportunity costs of these wasted lives can only be referred to as countless. And the sooner we dispell this mythology, the sooner man can apply his abilities to reality and someday provide an answer to lifes questions that is truly satisfying and requires no faith. [/quote]
Unfortunately, we at last disagree (though you probably strongly disagree with anything and everything that I have said). If you do not give mankind religion, society does not develop. The Father directs man’s social development by introducing religions at various times through the intermediacy of His Son. These things are seen within the divine mind; all is done in an optimal way to result in the greatest spiritual growth, and the greatest possible happiness for man. We have had many wars, some of them on the basis of religion, but you do not know what life upon earth would have been like without the Father’s all-seeing and guiding eye. He sees this. It would be a hellhole. We would still be living in primitive villages, going on war parties against other villages and raping their women. People like Genghis Khan would rule, with constant wars and endless violence. No one will believe me when I say this. I do not expect anyone to believe anything I say, at any time. In any case, religions have been introduced, and in terms of worldly achievement Christianity is superior to Hinduism, because it has essentially freed men from a need for constant spiritual effort. Christians go to church on Sundays, and then forget about God the rest of the week. This is why the industrial revolution occurred in a Christian country, Great Britain. This is the source of the “Protestant work ethic.” With no need for spiritual effort, worldly effort took its place and thus Christianity may be said to be the spawning bed of our industrial civilization. The price paid for this is that the West has developed a huge spiritual gap of irrationality, which must now be bridged, for only through spiritual effort may true happiness be found.
When you say “opportunity costs” you are forgetting that worldly achievement is, in the end, meaningless for each and every one of us, for whatever we achieve we must leave at death. People, by and large, see this and this is one reason they cling to religion. What use is it to me to rule the whole world, if I must disappear at death into nothingness? If I know where I go, then alone does my life have meaning. Without knowing this, all our activities are like smoke, dissipated by the winds of death which are always blowing towards us, from the moment we are born. The spiritual quest is the only real opportunity; you are correct that man can attain unto reality, answer all of life’s questions for himself, and finally cast faith away. Faith is not required once one attains illumination. Scriptures may be thrown away at this point, for the illumined person is the living embodiment of all the scriptures. The Avatar visits mankind again and again to light the way for the majority. Various illumined persons, such as Da Free John, Osho, Eknath Easwaran and Andrew Cohen arise to guide smaller groups of people, close students, giving specific instruction on the intricate details of spiritual living. Following such a one is not what Christians call being a follower of Christ; a spiritual teacher seeks to empower his students and make them equal to himself in stature. It is not a total reliance or dependence, but a total self-effort that is guided and made more effective by an expert. Each must stand on his own feet and take responsibility for his own spiritual evolution. This is what Jesus wanted, and He stated this although no Christian will admit it.
[quote] I have no faith, yet I have compassion. I guess I'm just a freak of nature.[/quote]
I’m telling you, man, you do not know yourself! This is a perfect expression of the state of an advanced spiritual person. As I told Keith, Jesus when He returns would be looking for this type of person, not the cringing Christian who thinks He is some demented general signing up soldiers. “Jesus, I accept you as Lord and Savior of my life.” When Jesus hears this kind of talk, His stomach turns! He will respond, “Say, that’s great. I accept you as my devotee. Now let’s talk about that sinful mind of yours. You know, you do not need to sin, and what is more you can purify your mind completely, so that you never even think a sinful thought! Look at these illumined people, who are arising all around you now. They are my perfect devotees upon the earth. Follow their example! Listen to their instruction! It is almost impossible to come into direct contact with me when I visit earth; these illumined persons are my representatives. They have done what you too need to do. They live in a bliss that knows no bounds, possess wisdom that never fails, and move about in ecstatic, joyous freedom! With every breath, they celebrate life, knowing they are immortal, and you stand here still clinging to your sin! Did I ever say you were necessarily sinful? I never did. This is all Paul’s doing, and the Father let him corrupt my teaching so that you could relate to someone who was like you, a sinner. If you cannot see that these men are indeed illumined, and have attained that glorious state described in the Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, how do you ever hope to recognize me when I come? You never will. I tell you, even these illumined persons will have trouble recognizing me. Follow the guidance that I gave to you as Jesus if you cannot follow the superior advice I gave to you as Krishna, but do not expect me to do all your work for you! Do what I commanded, then only will you have a firm foundation for your house of spirituality. I want you to stand, and act as my brother. You are no longer a three-day old infant, and I am not your mother, but your friend.”
The Lord does not need anything from anyone at any time. He does not need our fealty. He does not need our praise. Like you, He is a rational being and does not expect man to carry around irrational faith in the face of conflicting scientific and societal evidence. He told man a story that was accurate, but wholly lacking in detail. In truth, though, none of the religions in the world today deal effectively with the incredible progress of science and technology that has occurred. There are outmoded images and ideas in all the religions. In Hinduism, for instance, people were told that there was a golden age of man that occurred long ago. When you tell a primitive person this, he is charmed and it improves his social behavior, which is why it was done. Today such ideas are seen to be ludicrous in the light of archeological findings. Evolution has certainly occurred in the way that science has discovered it. I make the claim that the golden age of man is yet to come. We are at the peak of our technological progress, and once we rein in our excessively rapid rate of raw resource usage, we can look forward to a long and brilliant period of civilization where the arts will flourish and man will live in peace that the world has not yet seen. Real religion is testable, and does not require faith. Once an actual spiritual hunger awakens within a person, he becomes restless for God. He will perform those actions that are helpful for his spiritual progress naturally, of his own accord, perhaps following the guidance of a guru or, as you do, plowing a furrow of your own with the light of reason as your guide. The rational faculty of man is meant to be used fully, and respected. It should never be abandoned. Reason and religion do not conflict, but at present reason and Christianity do owing to the machinations of Paul and others who misinterpreted Christ’s teachings. The illumined are the most rational of all beings on earth; they have gone beyond death, and live in immortality. What could be more rational than this?
[quote] Faith my friend, is not an answer. It is the antithesis of an answer. It is a surrender. It is giving up on your ability to develop your own worldview and philosophy and blindly embracing something so esoteric and vague that it seems to be real. [/quote]
Again, you are ahead of me! I wonder that I even dare to comment upon your words! The teachings of the Christian church, however, are not esoteric while they are vague. I recall my own spiritual teacher, Eknath Easwaran, describing the conversion of some person in ancient history to Christianity. He told the proselytizer, “Life has always seemed to me like a bird flitting through a room with two open windows. It comes in, from where we know not, remains a time, and then goes out, to where we cannot know. If your religion can answer these questions satisfactorily, then I will become a Christian.” This person became a Christian but I tell you, Christianity does not tell us where we came from, or where we go! Jesus never defined what heaven or hell were. He never clarified what the soul was, and where it came from. He gave man a bare bones religion, because anything more would have been too much for those particular people, in that particular historical epoch. Jesus talked about faith, as did Ramakrishna. In Matthew 17:20 He said “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Jesus would not speak in this way today. He was speaking to very primitive people, and one thing that the Avatar does do is try to impress people with God’s awesome power and glory. Today, He would probably simply point out that the entire universe, composed of 100 billion galaxies that we know about, each of which contains around 100 billion stars, all has its source in that magnificent Power that has no second, which is infinitely creative and made all matter as it made all souls. As Ramakrishna, He did mention the yogic powers or siddhis that come to advanced aspirants, at the same time that He cautioned man against getting caught in them.
Now, Jesus said this in the context of His disciples complaining that they could not cast out a particular demon. Jesus told them that their faith was not sufficiently great, and what He meant is faith in themselves. What other type of faith does a grain of mustard seed have, but it own quiet assurance that it is made to grow and will grow given the proper soil, light and moisture? It rests within its own nature. Jesus did express certain divine powers during His first coming. It may be that He will express similar powers when He comes again, and then again perhaps He will not. Perhaps He will express even greater powers than the world has yet seen. As Ramakrishna, He did not express any powers except for personal ones like reading the minds of His disciples as Jesus too was known to do. The key to understanding this verse is that the source of our hope is within us. Jesus certainly knew about the divine Atman, though He did not tell men of this. He left a few clues, one of which is telling the disciples that the kingdom of heaven was within them. The Atman does have powers, and only those who have found the Atman or are close to finding it can express these powers. Yet, His central meaning is that the truth lies hidden within us, as potentiality, as the mustard tree is hidden within the mustard seed. When we nourish the seed of love for God within our hearts, watering it with tears of devotion and shining the sun of spiritual effort upon it, in the soil of our sinful past it will sprout and grow large, becoming a fragrant blessing upon the earth for all who pass by. The God-seed does lie within us. Those who have faith in this, who believe this and make a spiritual effort, will find this faith buttressed by immediate results and also a sense of continual progress towards greater goodness, wisdom and joy. When this tree at last blossoms, as the Hindu scriptures state, it will bear salvation for its fruit. Man is to work out his own salvation. It cannot be done by another, even a true God as Jesus was, and is. The Avatar can only light the way, and it is for man to stand up and make an effort on his own. Man can attain a state where he knows that he is immortal, and makes merry playing in fields of divine glory. So the scriptures declare, and so I also declare. Top