Faith and logic are complementary if optimised.

No 258 of Living Life Series 1

This post is based on the very personal understanding of inner truth netizen 2 and is  motivated by the quotation of the late Senior Bro. P. Philip.

Only the wise seek the fulfilment of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is so simple but difficult to perceive.

It is indeed difficult to perceive that all religions are for the same Divinity. The apparent differences in portrayal are many and can be complex to point of being profound but the truth is that they are for the same Divinity though they speak differing language.

It is indeed also difficult to see that God is caring and show concern when the various yin yang of life make many wonder why the need for ups and downs in life if God is caring. Where have God gone wrong? Is it men who wrongly understand the way of God? 

The answer is simple and is illustrated by the pakua.



 The two dots represent primordial energy.
From them, arose the Three Pure Ones
each with own heaven in the supra- universe
and then God who created from
the post primordial yin and yang
the universe we understand
of heavens, earth, hells and all beings
represented by the segments of the pakua.

Pakua literally means eight diagrams. Each  diagram consists of three lines, each line either "broken" or "unbroken," representing yin or yang, respectively -  ☰ ☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷. They represent various aspects of understanding of life and existence - our own  and that of nature and the world. There are various evolved applications of the pakua and these are beyond the scope of this post.



In the beginning, there was the primordial energy, the initial antecedents of yin and yang and they are represented by the white and black dots of the pakua. From these, arose the First Pure One and thereafter at the initiation by the First Pure One, the Second and Third Pure Ones. The  Divine Trinity of The Three Pure Ones came into being, each with their own Supra Heaven and retinue. 

Then arose from creation or wish by the First Pure One, God Almighty, the Jade Emperor and his court of saints. God created the universe of heaven, hell and earth that we know. But all these have to do with the yin and yang.

Beings that arose from the post primordial yin and yang lack divine lustre and have to gain mastery of yin and yang. Thus, it is not that God is wrong or we have wronged God but that we often try to be clever and rationalise in absence of true grasp of yin and yang reality. This is the truth which is simple but many fail to perceive.

Logic is good but in absence of facts and understanding of divinity can end up with rationalisation and half truths. There must be some trust to begin with. Call this faith if you like.

But faith need not be blind and it is always alright to have doubts even of God and saints. There is no need to denounce or put down those with doubts of God and saints. No need for fear and guilt to coerce others to toe the line of faith in God and to feel that to doubt is folly and blasphemous..

But Lord Bo Tien wants us to know that we must be open to such people as they too are our brethren. When they are accepted and able to know more, they will rationalise less and will know God and saints more. They will grow in confidence and faith. Logic if channeled correctly can grow faith.

Faith of the faithful must accommodate logic of doubters. Faith and logic are complementary and synergistic if optimised. They can go hand in hand. That way men can think and advance even more. Science will not be in conflict with religion.

Had it not been for the wisdom of men to hold the conviction that science and religion are complementary, men will still think that thunder is the wrath of God and  earthquake too is due to our stepping on the toes of God. Worse still, we may still hold on to the belief that the world is flat and not a sphere.  

Whilst men have advanced in many frontiers of knowledge and science,  there are still many frontiers men have yet to explore. The lives of men can be likened to candle flames. Yes, men can group together and collectively shine the way for all men to progress.  But if sheltered by God and saints, the stronger and brighter their candle flames of life will be.

This is part of the candle flame message of Lord Bo Tien and this of course is the teachings of all saints and religions, not just of Lord Bo Tien. After all, the lord saint is not here to outdo other saints just like men in their folly trying to outclass one another. This is not the way of saints. The way of men never will be the way of saints but men can try to be like saints and adopt the way of God and saints.

Faith and logic or rather religions and science can be synergistic. Logic and science is amoral and if we use logic and science wisely, we will not be at odds with God but will be with God. Faith and logic are complementary if optimised.

God Almighty The Jade Emperor holding court in Heaven

.