No 1132 of Living Life Series 1
There is no religion in ancient times but only teachings of great spiritual leaders. The teachings of any additional saint simply added on and became part of the culture of the people of the land. Yes, the teachings just add on to the teachings prevailing in the land.
But when some people from other lands come, they were unhappy with this. They were unable to stop the people of the land from this culture of the land to absorb all new teachings and add on to prevailing teachings.
They coin the term religion and from then on, it is easier to convince people not to believe what they believe. Before that people just add new beliefs to existing beliefs.
With the concept of religion, it is easier to convince that they believe the new beliefs and not add on these beliefs to the old beliefs. They have to discard the old beliefs.
Religion causes divides and this can be as bad as they are good. Religion somehow implies that the only God and saints are the ones the religion talk about. The God and saints of other religions are not God and saints.
Religion also may end up giving wrong ideas that God and saints are jealous God and saints and forbid men from even believing in all saints.
Men of religion though near can thus end up far from being right with God and saints. The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 says that the near may be far and the far near.
The reference to religion may hamper proper spirituality. Do have the trust in fellow men. Trust that they can think and that they can be logical. Do not tell them what to believe and what not to believe. It is like telling them what to think and what not to think.
Religion somehow tends to tell people what to believe. Religion tends to be too prescriptive. To make matters worse, members of the same religion or temple cannot even agree with one another on what to believe.
Ultimate spirituality the sages of old in China refer to as logic or common sense Tao 道. But alas the term religion is here to stay even if men end up narrow minded and not as logical - sometimes obviously not logical.
Small wonder that many are calling themselves free thinkers. True spiritualists are among the free thinkers.
Had not the Buddha be free thinking, he would not end up as the Buddha. The same applies to many other saints like Jesus and Lao Tse. They think differently and freely from the society of their times.
Many may not agree if they are ardent followers of their respective religions. Good for them as more good will come their way in the long run. This has always been the case.
Whatever religion they profess, somehow they are still near to their ethnic and national culture. People of the same religion in different lands are never the same yet same religion.
There again they are near to one another but yet obviously far. The observation by the good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 on the near and far once again never fails to amaze us. The near may be far and the far near.
Does it matter if we start off differently with regards to religion or within same religion or even without religion? Someone if our goal is goodness, for goodness sake, do know that all will arrive somehow at more good and ultimately the same one highest good.
But do remember that Chinese everywhere be it in China or elsewhere will still be Chinese never mind their professed religion or even if none. The same applies to any race or nationality.
The reference to religion matters not in the long run. Religion in short term may prove its own undoing if people stick zealously to label of religion.
Religion often restricts a person from assimilating the teachings of other religions just because he belongs to a specific religion. This will hamper spirituality in some way.
Knowledge must be accepted not because of the religion or saint advocating the knowledge but because it is good and substantial. It is the substance of the Word. This is just common sense. This is Tao 道.
Otherwise if someone spout nonsense in the name of a religion or of a saint, others must just believe. Won't that be believing just in the saint and not in what beliefs he wants to share with us?
Jesus says that we know the Word for the Word is God and God is the Word. He has the divine foresight to know the ills of hero-worshipping or rather idolising a saint.
Know the Word and know the saint. Know not the Word and what is the point of knowing the saint. The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 says that he who knows the Doctrine knows him and he who knows not the doctrine knows not and sees not the saint even if the saint is beside him.
Think for yourselves. Don't let others think for you. Sometimes religion ends up with others thinking for you. The latter is what believism is about. Believe and be saved. Often we end up believing in the man who speaks on the saint and not even the saint himself.
So the next time someone tells you what is wrong with believism, you should know what is right and proper. You should be able to judge for yourselves and that is what matters regardless of your professed religion if any or even if none.
There is no religion in ancient times but only teachings of great spiritual leaders. The teachings of any additional saint simply added on and became part of the culture of the people of the land. Yes, the teachings just add on to the teachings prevailing in the land.
But when some people from other lands come, they were unhappy with this. They were unable to stop the people of the land from this culture of the land to absorb all new teachings and add on to prevailing teachings.
They coin the term religion and from then on, it is easier to convince people not to believe what they believe. Before that people just add new beliefs to existing beliefs.
With the concept of religion, it is easier to convince that they believe the new beliefs and not add on these beliefs to the old beliefs. They have to discard the old beliefs.
Religion causes divides and this can be as bad as they are good. Religion somehow implies that the only God and saints are the ones the religion talk about. The God and saints of other religions are not God and saints.
Religion also may end up giving wrong ideas that God and saints are jealous God and saints and forbid men from even believing in all saints.
Men of religion though near can thus end up far from being right with God and saints. The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 says that the near may be far and the far near.
The reference to religion may hamper proper spirituality. Do have the trust in fellow men. Trust that they can think and that they can be logical. Do not tell them what to believe and what not to believe. It is like telling them what to think and what not to think.
Religion somehow tends to tell people what to believe. Religion tends to be too prescriptive. To make matters worse, members of the same religion or temple cannot even agree with one another on what to believe.
Ultimate spirituality the sages of old in China refer to as logic or common sense Tao 道. But alas the term religion is here to stay even if men end up narrow minded and not as logical - sometimes obviously not logical.
Small wonder that many are calling themselves free thinkers. True spiritualists are among the free thinkers.
Had not the Buddha be free thinking, he would not end up as the Buddha. The same applies to many other saints like Jesus and Lao Tse. They think differently and freely from the society of their times.
Many may not agree if they are ardent followers of their respective religions. Good for them as more good will come their way in the long run. This has always been the case.
Whatever religion they profess, somehow they are still near to their ethnic and national culture. People of the same religion in different lands are never the same yet same religion.
There again they are near to one another but yet obviously far. The observation by the good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 on the near and far once again never fails to amaze us. The near may be far and the far near.
Does it matter if we start off differently with regards to religion or within same religion or even without religion? Someone if our goal is goodness, for goodness sake, do know that all will arrive somehow at more good and ultimately the same one highest good.
But do remember that Chinese everywhere be it in China or elsewhere will still be Chinese never mind their professed religion or even if none. The same applies to any race or nationality.
The reference to religion matters not in the long run. Religion in short term may prove its own undoing if people stick zealously to label of religion.
Religion often restricts a person from assimilating the teachings of other religions just because he belongs to a specific religion. This will hamper spirituality in some way.
Knowledge must be accepted not because of the religion or saint advocating the knowledge but because it is good and substantial. It is the substance of the Word. This is just common sense. This is Tao 道.
Otherwise if someone spout nonsense in the name of a religion or of a saint, others must just believe. Won't that be believing just in the saint and not in what beliefs he wants to share with us?
Jesus says that we know the Word for the Word is God and God is the Word. He has the divine foresight to know the ills of hero-worshipping or rather idolising a saint.
Know the Word and know the saint. Know not the Word and what is the point of knowing the saint. The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 says that he who knows the Doctrine knows him and he who knows not the doctrine knows not and sees not the saint even if the saint is beside him.
Think for yourselves. Don't let others think for you. Sometimes religion ends up with others thinking for you. The latter is what believism is about. Believe and be saved. Often we end up believing in the man who speaks on the saint and not even the saint himself.
So the next time someone tells you what is wrong with believism, you should know what is right and proper. You should be able to judge for yourselves and that is what matters regardless of your professed religion if any or even if none.
