Men tend to distort the teachings of the pioneers of religions. Men tend to sensationalize the teachings. Below are three examples.
One such area is on death. To some, they proudly proclaim they will no longer die for they will live on beyond this life. They insist that there is no death though men do die. Out of sheer faith, they insist that there is no death. They live because a pioneer died for them. This to them is real and not to be debated.
Then there are those who proclaim the need to be aware of death, to be attuned to the death thought and say that death is no different from and akin to the passing of a thought moment to give rise to the next. Death occurs all the time and they are taught to seek to exit from the cycle of deaths and births. This they say is no annihilation but the way to be around with no death and yet not living in the conventional sense.
So all the hype on death or no death may not be good for the inner peace of men but may instead reinforce the uneasy attitude of men to life and heightened the fear factor. Men may then be cowed, intimidated or awed. But is this the purpose?
Another area where men may sensationalize the teachings of pioneers and put them in bad light is with issue of who need to be saved. Some men of religion peddle the self preservation of the species concept that only man can have life beyond the present life. Animals don't and they are there it seems just for men.
Why are men the chosen ones of all living beings? Of course there are men who think that all beings have life after death? What about small creatures like snails and insects?
A third area is on the concept of God Almighty. Is God the absolute beginning and the absolute end-all? Some men would simply think this is so and would be so distressed when told this may not be so.
One such area is on death. To some, they proudly proclaim they will no longer die for they will live on beyond this life. They insist that there is no death though men do die. Out of sheer faith, they insist that there is no death. They live because a pioneer died for them. This to them is real and not to be debated.
Then there are those who proclaim the need to be aware of death, to be attuned to the death thought and say that death is no different from and akin to the passing of a thought moment to give rise to the next. Death occurs all the time and they are taught to seek to exit from the cycle of deaths and births. This they say is no annihilation but the way to be around with no death and yet not living in the conventional sense.
So all the hype on death or no death may not be good for the inner peace of men but may instead reinforce the uneasy attitude of men to life and heightened the fear factor. Men may then be cowed, intimidated or awed. But is this the purpose?
Another area where men may sensationalize the teachings of pioneers and put them in bad light is with issue of who need to be saved. Some men of religion peddle the self preservation of the species concept that only man can have life beyond the present life. Animals don't and they are there it seems just for men.
Why are men the chosen ones of all living beings? Of course there are men who think that all beings have life after death? What about small creatures like snails and insects?
A third area is on the concept of God Almighty. Is God the absolute beginning and the absolute end-all? Some men would simply think this is so and would be so distressed when told this may not be so.
Of those who think this may not be so, they think that person who is God is not worth seeking refuge in as he too will not live forever. But they do fail to realize that God like many heavenly deities can further the welfare of all other beings, men included.
What makes God less of being God just because he God is not the absolute beginning or creator? If we can respect and adore a human leader of a country and a monarch even though such a man is mortal, why can't we respect and adore God and the deities who are immortals though not in absolute sense.
God The Jade Emperor (玉皇上帝) is after all the ruler of the three worlds of Earth, Hell and Heaven. It just does not make sense if we just ignore him, look down on him and think that he is not worthy of reverence at all just because he is not the absolute creator or end-all.
Something must be somehow wrong with men if they can end up distorting and sensationalizing the teachings of the pioneers. They may well be doing some disservice to the pioneers and to all men and beings.
Thus a man must depend on himself for what is right and what not so right and not follow the crowd as the crowd is often swayed by the sensational. So it seems...
It is therefore the intention or rather the mission of Lord Bo Tien to correct these distortions or tendency to sensationalism in religions so that men will go for the basic simple unadulterated truth common to all religions and sects.
Men must not be separated from God and saints by the layers of emotionalized human thinking contributing to distortions and rather warped views. Men must not even be emotional about God and deities but just simply to know the truth or teachings they represent. As some would say the Word is God.
Thus a man must depend on himself for what is right and what not so right and not follow the crowd as the crowd is often swayed by the sensational. So it seems...
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| Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 |
It is therefore the intention or rather the mission of Lord Bo Tien to correct these distortions or tendency to sensationalism in religions so that men will go for the basic simple unadulterated truth common to all religions and sects.
Men must not be separated from God and saints by the layers of emotionalized human thinking contributing to distortions and rather warped views. Men must not even be emotional about God and deities but just simply to know the truth or teachings they represent. As some would say the Word is God.
