No 1375 of Living Life Series 1
We hear so much of Bo Tien's 武天 reference to the river and its upper source. But often we do not think deep and far enough. We are only good enough to accept what is said as the gospel truth and to question or think we are told is not respectful. But is this the case?
Let us once again think out of the box and question. Bo Tien 武天 says what all saints and sane men would have said. It is alright to have doubt and not to accept. Doubt arises when we do not understand. Doubts allow us to know better and more and more. We will become better and not worse off. We will be closer to divine. Doubt is never an issue that we lack faith and confidence in God and saints
To enable many to fathom the pitfalls of any religion and why such pitfalls cannot be done away, Bo Tien 武天 had to refer to the river and its upper source. For water at the upper source of a river to reach out to the land it serves, it must travel downstream and along the way be polluted. How else can it reach the land?
For the teachings of a saint to reach the majority in the land, the teachings need to be revised, altered and changed by add-ons (the pollutants) to make them more in tune to them - their worldliness and psyche.
Religion is the result of the basic teachings of a saint made more worldly and may often be changed beyond recognition. People who are worldly will only be attracted to religion if it is worldly. Why? Well, they want more of the world rather than more of heaven and the divine.
They go for status and stature in religion the same way they go for status and stature in the world outside religion. Religion becomes part of the world and is the world - hardly any different from the world.
In addition to status and stature, there is the need for wealth and the need to have more of the materialism and senses that plague the world.
They want money. They want fame. They want adoration not just by opposite sex but by those of the same sex and homosexuality becomes not an issue but alas, though odd, to be accepted and indirectly condoned or even blessed somehow.
Is this what religion should be? "No" and of course all men of religions will say so upfront.
But to bring in the crowd and to be in tune with the ways of the world, what else can be done except to "join them if you cannot change them from the word 'Go'."
Thus religion meant to change the world ends up being changed by the world. How else can people identify with religion?
To go for the upper source of a river, most must go to the downstream to have any chance at all to go to the upper source.
But once in the stream, they are so won over, and sad to say, they win over religion to flow downstream and be worldly rather than go upstream to be divine and pure like the clear water at the upper source of the river.
That is how religion may can bring itself more closer to the masses through downstream worldliness so that the masses can identify with religion.
Many end up as far from God and saints though they think they are near. So did BoTien 武天 say that the near may be far.
But religions are still the only bet or rather the main way and often the only hope of bringing the masses to the divine. Let them wallow in the ways of the world even in religion. Surely one day they will want to know more when they realise they are not going any nearer to God and saints. They are far though near.
Religion is the result of the basic teachings of a saint made more worldly and may often be changed beyond recognition. People who are worldly will only be attracted to religion if it is worldly. Why? Well, they want more of the world rather than more of heaven and the divine.
They go for status and stature in religion the same way they go for status and stature in the world outside religion. Religion becomes part of the world and is the world - hardly any different from the world.
In addition to status and stature, there is the need for wealth and the need to have more of the materialism and senses that plague the world.
They want money. They want fame. They want adoration not just by opposite sex but by those of the same sex and homosexuality becomes not an issue but alas, though odd, to be accepted and indirectly condoned or even blessed somehow.
Is this what religion should be? "No" and of course all men of religions will say so upfront.
But to bring in the crowd and to be in tune with the ways of the world, what else can be done except to "join them if you cannot change them from the word 'Go'."
Thus religion meant to change the world ends up being changed by the world. How else can people identify with religion?
To go for the upper source of a river, most must go to the downstream to have any chance at all to go to the upper source.
But once in the stream, they are so won over, and sad to say, they win over religion to flow downstream and be worldly rather than go upstream to be divine and pure like the clear water at the upper source of the river.
That is how religion may can bring itself more closer to the masses through downstream worldliness so that the masses can identify with religion.
Many end up as far from God and saints though they think they are near. So did BoTien 武天 say that the near may be far.
But religions are still the only bet or rather the main way and often the only hope of bringing the masses to the divine. Let them wallow in the ways of the world even in religion. Surely one day they will want to know more when they realise they are not going any nearer to God and saints. They are far though near.
