Archive for the ‘Buddhism’ Category

दर्द और पीड़ा

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

क्यों दुनिया में दर्द और पीड़ा है और विशेष करके हमारे व्यक्तिगत जीवन में ऐसा क्यों है इस जटिल सवाल का जवाब देना और वो भी इस छोटी ब्लॉग में यह मुश्किल है. इस विषय पर कई किताबें लिखी गई हैं और ये प्रश्न जबाब के लिए भीख माँग रहा है. इस ब्लॉग के द्वारा मेरा उद्देश्य यह है कि लोग अक्सर अपने दर्द और पीड़ाके अस्तित्वको भगवान के साथ जोड़कर उनके प्रति एक गलत धारणा रखते हैं.

जब दर्द दुख, और बुराई की समस्या से निपटने की बात आती है, वहाँ कई चुनौतियां होती हैं जो इस बार पर निर्भर करती हैं के हम इसको इश्वरकी उपस्थिति और उनका हमारे साथके सम्बन्धको कैसे देखते हैं. यह उनकी संप्रभुता और अच्छाई के साथ साथ उनकी वास्तविकता पर ही सवाल खड़ा करती है. एक और विचार जिसको हमें ध्यान देना चाहिए वो ये है की अगर भगवान मौजूद हैं और वो इस पीड़ाको अनुमति क्यों देते हैं, तो क्या अच्छाईको अनुमति देने के लिए भी क्या वही जिम्मेबार हैं?

बाइबलके परिप्रेक्ष्य से जो मेरी इस समस्या को हल करनेका तरीका है वो ये है के बुराई एक मौजूदा सच्चाई है जिसकी सुरुवात समय की शुरुआत के साथ ही हुआ था. बुराई के साथ साथ दर्द और पीड़ा भी रहते हैं. यदि आप सृष्टिके खाते का अध्ययन करेंगे तो आप देखेंगे की इश्वरने जो सुरुवात में बनाया था वो बहुत अच्छा था और उन्होंने जब मानवको बनाया तो उसे विकल्पों में से चुननेकी क्षमता देदी और आप जानते हैं के जिस किसीके पास भी विकल्प हो वो अपनी संस्कृति पर प्रभाव डालसकता है. बेशक इस प्रभावके परिणामस्वरूप अंततः मानावने भगवान की अच्छाईको ठुकराते हुए अपनेआप और सृष्टि के सभी पर अभिशाप लाया. इस अभिशाप के एक परिणामके स्वरुप मानावने खुद को भगवान से विमुख करने का प्राकृतिक क्षमता पालिया. बुराई की साजिश के लिए मानव जाति की योगदान के साथ साथ एक दूसरा दुश्मन अर्थात शैतान भी है. वह एक विरोधी है जो परमेश्वर और उसकी रचना की भलाई के विरोध में काम करता है. वह अपने राक्षसी साथियों के साथ भगवान के लिए एक आध्यात्मिक समकक्ष के रूप में देखा जाता है और भले ही वे नग्न या प्राकृतिक आंखसे नदिखे पर वे वर्तमान और हमारी दुनियाके एक सक्रिय वास्तविकता हैं और मानव जाति और प्रकृति पर कहर लारहे हैं. जब राक्षसी और मानव तत्व परमेश्वर के दुश्मन के रूप में एक दूसरेके साथ खुशी खुशी शामिल होजाए तो एक जुड़ाहुआ प्रभाव बनता है जिसके परिणाम स्वरुप मानव की सबसे बड़ी भ्रष्टता और दुष्टता है.

इन सबके साथ यह स्पष्ट है कि इश्वर अपनी संप्रभुता में कम से कम एक मौसम के लिए ही स्वतंत्र इच्छाका मौका देते हैं. भगवान के बारे में एक दिलचस्प विशेषता या पहलू यह है कि वह अनन्तके न्यायाधीश हैं जो बिलकुल निस्पछ हैं. समाज की बुराई कर्ताको इश्वरके भविष्य के न्याय में अपने कृत्यों के विषय में जवाबदेही होना पड़ेगा और हमें भी अपने कर्मोंका खाता देना होगा. तो वैसे भी ये कहना चाहिए की इश्वर मानवजातीको उसके अपने फैसलों पर और उसने ईश्वरके अधिनको स्वीकार करके अपना जीवन बिताया या फिर उनके विद्रोह में इसपर आधारित रहकर न्याय करेंगे. तो फैसले में भगवान की संप्रभुता पूरी तरह से प्रयोग किया जाएगा यदि इस जीवन में नहीं तो आने वाले जीवन में.

एक बात जो हमें बुराई और दर्दको ईश्वरकी संप्रभुता और अच्छाईसे जोड़कर देखते वक्त विचार करना चाहिए वो खुद के विषयसे शुरू होता है. इस सवाल को अगर हम हमारे ही जीवन में व्यक्तिगत रूप से एक निष्पक्ष मूल्यांकन करेंगे तो हमें खुद से पूछना पड़ेगा के हमने हमारे अपने जीवन में कोई बुराई तो नहीं बनाई? की हमने किसी भी हद तक और किसी भी समय पर भगवान का उल्लंघन किया है?  क्या हम निर्दोष हैं? क्या हम किसी के सीकार हैं या फिर हम भी पाप अपराधों के अपराधि हैं? हमने हमारी दुनिया में पीड़ा को खत्म करने में क्या मदद किया है ? बाईबल भगवान की दस आज्ञाओंको संदर्भित करता है और इस स्तर पर सभी लोगों ने इंसान और परमेश्वर के विरुद्ध कुछ हद तक पाप किया है. इसलिए हम हमारी दुनिया में इन सब अभिशाप या  दु:ख के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं.

हमें अन्त में यह देखना चाहिए कि खुद परमेश्वर ने यीशु के व्यक्ति के माध्यम से खुदको यातना के एक मानव साधन अर्थात् क्रूस पर मानवता की पीड़ा में दर्द महसूस करने की अनुमति दी. यशायाह नबी का कहना है कि यीशु दु: ख से भरे एक आदमी थे और दु: ख से परिचित भी थे . काफी दिलचस्प बात तो ये है के इश्वर ने खुद को जान – बूझकर दर्द और पीड़ा के मानवीय तत्व के अधिन में रखा और ये कहा के उन्होंने हमारे साथ सब कुछ का सामना किया. उनका दर्द हमारे लाभ के लिए अंततः साबित हुआ क्योंकी उन्होंने अपना ही जीवन हमारे पापी जीवन जिसके लिए पवित्र और सर्वोच्च न्यायाधीश के आगे हमें दोषी ठहराया जाता उसके बदले में एक फिरौती के रूप में देकर परमेश्वर के धर्मी और सही न्याय को पूरा किया. हालांकि हम दुश्मन थे फिर भी वो परमेश्वर और एक दूसरे के साथ हमारे मिलन के लिए मर गए और ये बस अयोग्य प्राणियों के प्रति उनकी दया और अनुग्रह की वजह से संभव हुआ. इस से एक व्यक्तिको ये अनुमान लगाना चाहिए के इश्वर बुराई के आगे भी अच्छे और संप्रभु रेहते हैं और इस बात में कोई विवाद नहीं है.

जो कुछ भी इस मामले पर  हमारा दृष्टिकोण हो ,ये अच्छे परमेश्वर हमें एक नया आकाश और नई पृथ्वी देंगे और किसी दिन सब दर्द, पीड़ा और दुख को हटाकर परम शांति देंगे. बेशक यह स्पष्ट है कि ये सब अभी तक नहीं हुआ है लेकिन फिर भी यह हमारी आशा है और यह आगामी क्षितिज पर है . एक बात हम आज और अभी सुरक्षित कर सकते हैं कि अगर हम येशुको अपने प्रभु और मुक्तिदाता के रूप में स्वीकार करके उनकी इच्छा पूरा करते हैं तो वो हमारे पापी दिलको बदल देंगे. जब वह हमारे दिलको परिवर्तन करेंगे तो हमारे अपने व्यक्तिगत जीवन में जो अभिशाप है वो उलट जाएगा और इश्वर हमारे भीतर अपने अच्छाईका उत्पादन करेंगे और वो भी इस हद तक के हम हमारे दुश्मन से प्यार कर सकते हैं.

मैं एक ‘शहीद की आवाज’ नामक समूहका समर्थन करता हूँ और उनके आंकड़ों के आधार पर कहा जा सकता है की ऐसे ३००००० ईसाइ हैं जो अपने विश्वास के लिए हरेक वर्ष पीड़ित किए जाते हैं. अब एक शहीद सिर्फ ऐसा कोई नहीं है जो विश्वास के लिए मरते है बल्कि यह वो सब हैं जो अपने विश्वास के लिए अमानवीय व्यबहारका सामना करते हैं. इसमें नौकरी, परिवार, घर,आदि का खोना या फिर शारीरिक और भावनात्मक यातना आदि हो सकता है. उनकी बस इतनी दोष है की वो ईसाई हैं और वो एक ऐसे शत्रुतापूर्ण संसार में रेहते हैं जो उके विशवास के प्रति असहिष्णुता से भरे हुए हैं. कैथोलिक मत में चला कुछ ऐसे ही बातें हैं जो क्रूसेड और धर्माधिकरण लगायत अन्यको भी सताते थे. फिर भी मसीह ने कभी भी इस तरीके से उनके राज्य के लिए लड़नेको नहीं बोला और उन्होंने ये भी कहा की हमें उनके चेलों के रूप में हमारे दुश्मनसे भी प्यार करना चाहिए और दूसरा गाल आगे कर देना चाहिए. तो वो सभी जो मसीह के दावे करते हैं, लेकिन दुनिया की तरह शत्रुतापूर्ण व्यवहार भी करते हैं वो वास्तव में उनके अनुयायि नहि हैं. एक तथ्य बात तो ये है के बहुत से ये शहीद जिनको सताया जाता है वो उनके अत्याचारीको माफ करके उनके लिए प्रार्थना करते हैं.

वैसे भी हम पीड़ा के लंबाई और चौड़ाई के बारे में प्रश्न तो उठा सकते हैं पर अगर अनंतकी बात करें  तो ये क्षणभंगुर है. बाइबल धुवां के एक वाष्प के रूप में मानव जीवनको परिभाषित करता है. प्रेरित पौलुस ने कहा कि हमारे हल्का और क्षणिक मुसीबतें हमारे लिए एक अनन्त महिमा लारहि है जो उन सबसे बोहोत ज्यादा है. फिर भी बहुत लोगों से ज्यादा दुःख तो उन्होंने ही पाया क्योंकि उनको ५ बार कोड़े लगाए गए, ३ बार छड से पीटा गया , एक बार उनपर पत्थराव किया गया और ३ बार उनको क्षतिग्रस्त किया गया था. वह अपने मिशनरी सफर के दौरान अधिकांस समय खतरे में थे, जब वह दूसरों के कल्याण को बढ़ावा देते थे. ये मुझे उन मानवीय मदतों की याद दिलाती है जो चर्च के माध्यम से बड़े पैमाने पर पूरे दुनिया को मिल रहा है और परमेश्वर या मसीह का उनके दिल पर प्रभावके बिना ये मदत आज दुनिया के लिए संभव नहीं होता. यह रूपांतरण के लिए एहसान नहीं है. मैंने अपनी सेवानिवृत्ति के साथ ७०००० डलर प्रति वर्ष बनने वाला काम इज़राइलके तेल अवीव सेहेर में भोजन और कपड़ों के वितरण केंद्र में स्वयंसेवा करने के लिए छोड़ दिया और बोहोत से लोग तो प्रभुमें नहीं आए पर हमने बांटना और सेवा देना जारी रखा.

अंत में मैं ये कहना चाहूँगा की कभी कभी दर्द और पीड़ा अच्छाई का एक बचाने वाला  कार्य उत्पादन कर सकता है . इस बातको समझाने के लिए कई उदाहरण है पर जो मैं अक्सर सोचता हूँ वो ये है के किसी दुर्घटना के बाद वहाँ पर ‘रोकने’का संकेत रखना चाहिए. दुर्भाग्य से किसी दूसरे के लिए किसी और को पीड़ित होना पड़ा और यह इश्वर ने हमारे लिए अपने पुत्रको पीड़ा सहने की इजाजत देके जो किया ऐसा सुनाई देता है जिसमें फाइदा हमारा ही हुआ.

वैसे भी यदि इस सब के बाद भी अगर बात समझ में नहीं आता है तो हम जो कर सकते हैं वो है इश्वर पर भरोसा. यह उसी तरह है के जब हम छोटे थे और हम जीवन के बारे में बातें समझ नहीं पाते थे , लेकिन हम हमेशा हमारे माता पिता को हमें प्यार और सुरक्षा देने के लिए भरोसा करते थे. बिलकुल यही इश्वर चाहते हैं के हम उनके साथ करें जब हम संकट के बीच में होते हैं. यहां तक कि अगर हमारे पास हर सवाल का जवाब होता तो क्या उसे हल करने के लिए पर्याप्त होता. परमेश्वर हमारी बुद्धि के बारे में चिंतित नहीं हैं जितना वो हमारे दिल के बारे में चिंतित हैं और इसी बात में दुविधा की कुंजी निहित है. चलो बस भगवान पर भरोसा रखें.

 

 

कैसे भगवान के साथ एक रिश्ता बनाएं

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2012/01/10/कैसे-भगवान-के-साथ-एक-रिश्त/

 

 

अन्य संबंधित लिंक

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/category/buddhism/हिंदी-buddhism/

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/05/17/pain-and-suffering/

 

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Soka Gakkai Resources

Thursday, August 4th, 2011
1. Audio Resources

Audio New Testament

 

2. Written Bible

www.biblica.com/uploads/pdf-files/bibles/japanese/nt/john.pdf

 

3. Watch the “Jesus Film”

Jesus Film: view in Japanese

 

4. God’s Plan of Salvation “The Four Spiritual Laws”

Four Spiritual Laws

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Soka Gakkai

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

The Japanese form of Buddhism known as Soka Gakkai is but one of the (1)many religious expressions that is found in Japan today as there are upwards of over a 100 new cults that are being formed every year in this nation. So Soka Gakkai claims to be the right religion then why has it failed to overwhelmingly convince its countrymen of its essential truths?

Anyway this religion has honorable goals and moral practices but practically there appears to be conflicting reports in comparison to this group and its parent movement of Nichiren Buddhism. The statements of SGI supports a position of global unification by accommodating humanistic and religious values for all mankind through its endorsement of universal  citizenship.

Yet this is contrary to the position of its mother organization that has taken more of a radical position in support towards ideas of (2)world domination along with the destruction and  denunciation of all other faiths even if it means forced conversions. Furthermore, the founding father Nichiren who is proclaimed as the Savior of the world has participated in these views by rejecting all other forms of Buddhism in openly preaching an exclusiveness not an inclusiveness.

The question is who is right and how can a group maintain its identity as an organization when it doctrinal agenda has been changed to fit its own goals and needs. This group may make claims to a reformation but this is more in line with a reorganization.

If the teachings and methods of Nichiren are right as being the chief legislator of this movement and if his methodology is being challenged as being incorrect then how credible is the rest of his teaching? To question a supreme authority in one respect is to   question everything else as well and therefore if you question everything else then what can be said concerning Nichiren’s ultimate truth which can not change.

Additionally on a positive note there have been many honorary awards given to President Daisaku Ikeda but still there are some inconsistencies in maintaing this high standard of global unity that is central to their social platform. Such compromise is plausible in regards to their actions  whether it was their spilt with Nichiren Shoshu over doctrinal and practical issues or by taking a partisan political position with the New Komeito Party in opposition to other political views towards government. Even having a individuated religion shows a degree of intolerance unless of course you are a Universalist.

Yet more importantly than these peripheral issues is the central teaching that comes from Buddhist thought. I have already addressed many of these conflicting issues which deal with rebirth and karma among other things which can be found by following these links.

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2010/03/13/buddha-the-enlightened-one/

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/category/hinduism/

According to Ikeda some of the highlights of his book on Seven Paths to Peace is his statement of obtaining mastery over ones desires, behaviors, and goals and yet there appears to be a  preoccupation with the practitioner to achieve personal happiness and joy including material benefits. I really don’t see the motives here as having a sense of otherness but rather it appears to be more egotistical in its approach. Maybe this comes with an attitude adjustment among it’s followers but nevertheless there is still an  unhealthy preoccupation with developing self rather than establishing a sense of community. Perhaps self development is necessary before community response can be realized or achieved but it appears to me that this is a continual process throughout the course of ones life in which the individual must constantly nurture themselves towards achieving buddahood. Just the efforts to remove bad karma can be time consuming and self indulgent through acts of worship, penance and chanting in bringing about this self redemption. Perhaps some of these things are part of contributing towards society but are the motives behind the actions altruistic or is there the individual desire to achieve the goal of enlightenment?

In other words if your ultimate goal could not be obtained then would you still be as persistent in following this path?

Personally I think this philosophy sounds good but basically it breaks down when looking beyond the superficiality of these outward works. Of course I am not saying by no means that there has not been a considerable contribution to the welfare of mankind by SGI but what I am challenging is it claims of being an essential spiritual reality.

Additionally the practice of chanting “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” or “devotion to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound and vibration” to the Gohonzon can be a mind numbing procedure especially for those who persist over hours of recitation. This kind of practice can be a form of mind control for cultish groups and is also practiced among the Hare Krishna as a form of brainwashing. Hitler was responsible in influencing people by his Nazi propaganda in stating that if you say something long enough and loud enough that people will begin to believe you. After a while it breaks down the minds resistance to think and reason which can be hypnotically dangerous  by opening up a person to the subjectiveness of whatever message is being communicated. Also repetitive messages were used as a means of torture and mind alteration with prisoners.

So if chanting is necessary to obtain enlightenment then how many times and for how long do you have to continue this practice before you reach buddahood? Additionally, if you somehow reach this spiritual goal then how do you maintain your status without becoming disenlightened? Anyway I really question the ability for simple words to change the heart and nature of complex beings and I suspect that some of those reading this blog have questioned this practice as well.

Finally I hope I have not offended any of those who are apart of this movement with my challenging perspective.  I know that words can be helpful and at other times hurtful but if there is something that bears witness to what I am communicating then I would simply ask just to be open to other possibilites. On a personal note my life was radically changed over 20 years ago and it wasn’t through the arduous task of rituals or self effort in obtaining a check off list of meritorious actions but it came simply by believing in someone beyond myself namely in Jesus. I am including with this blog a link to my personal testimony which may be of interest to you in hearing about my life transformation by which I have never been the same since.

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/my-personal-testimony-with-jesus/

Lastly I would like to leave you with the words of Jesus who calls to every heart

Mt  11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

 

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1 Excerpt taken from Operation World, Copyright© 2001 by Patrick Johnstone. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 Richard Okamoto, “Japan,” Look, September 10, 1963, p.16

Handbook of Today’s Religion, Copyright 1983 by Campus Crusade for Christ Inc., Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers

 

 

 

 

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Zen Buddhism

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Zen which is imported from Japan has become a faddish religion in the West in which there are several hundred thousands of believers just in the U.S. alone.

This form of Buddhism claims to trace its heritage back to the Buddha but in reality it is  a divergence and rebirth from the traditional forms of Buddhism so much so that if the Buddha himself were alive today he would have had a difficult time discerning the aggregates of this new form of religious being.

This resultant impermanence to Buddhist philosophy is just a further evolutionary development towards a narcissistic outlook which has attracted many of its followers especially those from America and even Hollywood who already subscribe to this form of lifestyle and have gotten into the backseat of this vehicle of faith in order to enjoy the proverbial pleasure ride of reaching enlightenment or Satori.

Within Zen, subjectivism and mysticism are the order of religious behavior without any set of rituals or sacred text to follow.

Works is replaced by meditation and enlightenment can be achieved in the here and now.

The danger to Zen is that it has picked the thorny rose of moral relativism which appears to be a beautiful form of self expression yet in essence it is a prospect which could lead to a sense of lawlessness, chaos, and finally anarchy.

Zen also follows it own directions and depends upon intuition as a means to chart ones course which leads people in various directions as to which way to turn whether to the right or the wrong. In the end this kind of philosophy could lead one down a collision course since there are no traffic rules to follow except for the guidance of the master’s who want to be in control of the wheel.

Also this philosophy doesn’t necessitate a sense of social responsibility either because this form of atheistic belief has no supreme moral law code or lawgiver to govern the hearts of society which is like driving a vehicle without brakes down a crowded street of pedestrians. We have seen this kind of godless and recklessness behavior before which had heralded its propaganda as the final solution by leaving a holocaust of victims in its wake.

What was advocated as forms of humanism and altruism were perpetrated through the realms of communism and socialism which ironically led to the sociopathic slaughter of millions who disregarded the inherent value and sanctity of human life in this disillusionment of idealism.

I wrote a blog on this of which you may find of interest at

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/10/21/religion-causes-bloodshed/

Though Zen Buddhism has not been guilty of these extreme crimes it is nevertheless theoretically plausible that if left to itself that nothing would necessitate a restraint based on the outcome of its final destination.

That’s because Zen is rebellious against governing authorities as it has no concept of sin as violating others but rather it sees the individual as the supreme authority that has the right and potential of self deification as the Buddha mind.

Though this religion is centered on the self it is nonetheless social as it unavoidably interfaces with society.

So would you really want a whole world order that was controlled and influenced by the precepts of the Zen spirit?

Personally I am zenical of any cultish movement that is egocentric and self governed and whose main objective is focused on the meditation of personal fulfillment.

So I would encourage you to contemplate and reevaluate your position regarding this philosophical system by looking beyond the conceptual views of this movement towards the rationale field of objective truth.

In the meanwhile I would like to offer you a challenge to muse about the scripture which according to 2 Timothy 3:15 states that it is through meditating on the word of God that  makes one wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

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Other related links:

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Buddhist Resources

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

1. Kenneth Samples on reasons to believe

links.christreformed.org/realaudio/A20090116-OtherFaces.mp3

2. Christian Research Institute

www.equip.org/categories


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The Dalai Lama

Monday, March 15th, 2010

The Dalai Lama has achieved respect from the worldwide community at large but that does not necessitate the truthfulness of his beliefs or teachings.

The Dalai Lama is a man and though he has achieved a renowned spiritual status as well as a Nobel peace prize he still remains a mere mortal who needs direction and guidance.

Some have given him the honorary title as a god-king and refer to him as holy Lord.

Yet his own testimony does not bear witness to the reality of these supposed tiles and traits.

For instance he claims that he has never done a miracle nor has he ever seen one done and even his top aid Tewnzin Taklha denies that he has magical powers. When questioned on whether or not he was sinless or perfect he laughed exclaiming “nonsense”.

In his autobiography he claims that he struggles in controlling his temper and on several interviews he states that he struggles with lust.

Also concerning his views he doesn’t see it as absolutely necessary to convert to Buddhism nor is he an advocate of Buddhism being the one universal religion. He claims this because Buddhism has contradictions in its own philosophical teaching which in essence will not be completely satisfactory in all of its views. So therefore he declares that Buddhism isn’t necessarily the best for everyone but rather it comes down to the matter on whether or not it works for you.

The Dalai Lama also is skeptical of Buddhist astrology and cosmology and therefore does not accept all Buddhist teaching.

He also stated that he believes that the Buddha taught Tibetan Buddhism which could not be possible due to the contrast of this type of Buddhism versus the oldest forms of Buddhism.

On interview he also admitted that Jesus was a fully enlightened being but I wonder how we can reconcile this statement since Jesus teachings are so radically different from those of the Buddha who lived just a few centuries before His time. Yet if Jesus is sharing with us truth then shouldn’t Buddhist’s equally consider the teachings of Christ?

Also for a religious organization which promotes a sense of spirituality it has had it share of scandalous teachers and organizations.

Like the sarin gas poisonings done by the Aum Shinrikyo movement whose guru leader was Asahara Shoko whom was originally endorsed by the Dalai Lama but was later renounced due to the group’s actions.

Also there is Hon-Ming Chen who is the leader of Chen Tao or the “True Way” who claimed that God would reveal himself on television and then a few days later to the whole world which of course never came to pass.

Other leaders within this religious movement have exercised sexual abuse, alcoholism, and even suicide. Also along with these gurus are those who through their Hollywood personality have endorsed the corruption of their screen acting profession which conflicts and violates the five principles of Buddhist thought.

In addition to his there are Buddhist extremists that are persecuting Christians which is a violation to their “do no harm” policy.

Though Buddhism may be respected as a world religion its shortcoming among its philosophy and leaders call to question the credibility of this movement. I would caution those who would be considering a devotional life as a Buddhist to seriously consider the reality behind this religious façade. For those who are apart of the movement already I would just like to encourage  you to reconsider your position on this matter by considering Jesus whom Thich Nhat Hanh endorses and the Dalai Lama himself acclaims  as being the fully enlightened one whose honorary title bears the name “Light of the World.”

John 8:12 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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“Reprinted by permission.  “(Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions), James A. Beverley, 2009,Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee.  All rights reserved.”


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Buddha the Enlightened One

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

For some the Buddha is a god but practically speaking Siddhartha Gautama or Siddhattha Gotama was an atheist and therefore he didn’t view himself as a deity. For those, like the Buddha, who take a position as an atheist or agnostic I would challenge you to consider several of the cosmological and teleological arguments which I have already put forth in my previous posts.

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/category/atheist-and-agnostic-question-of-jesus/

If we can conclude that God does exist then we should look towards Him as gaining the right understanding and thought in guiding our lives instead of the gurus and the Buddha.

Also for those who give honor to the Buddha how do they know that his sayings have been perfectly preserved since his words were not put into print until 400 years after his death? This would give plenty of time for oral tradition to embellish the content of his teaching which leaves the door open to stories of mythological proportions. Also as far as what has been attributed to his sayings he supposedly taught that if a person finds no value to certain aspects of his teaching then they are to disregard it. So how can a person who claims to have truth not affirm himself in an objective manner?

In addition to this Buddha’s teachings have resulted in forming many different schools of thought and various sects which hold to contradictory views.

Perhaps this is because there are discrepancies that are found among these varied and voluminous resources therefore making it difficult if not impossible to reconcile these differences within the texts.

Then again I wonder if even the Buddha himself would even recognize all the script which is credited to his authorship.

Anyway the question resonates was the Buddha really enlightened or awakened? How does he or anybody else know whether or not they have objectively reached or achieved this state of being and by what means does a person measure this phenomena of spiritual aptitude? To claim enlightenment could be an illusion of enlightenment as there is no criteria in which to standardize this spiritual condition.

Even the Buddha himself could not describe or define such elated terms as nirvana except to say what it is not. If the awakened one could not define the ultimate destiny in his enlightenment then how can a person be for sure that this is an actual state of being or becoming?

Is it possible that this religious worldview is only a lie or a deception which has resulted in wasting precious lives through a pessimistic and nihilistic philosophy of snuffing out a person’s own desire for life rather than pursuing the illuminating joy of celebrating the gift of living?

In reality desire can never be extinguished anyway and even the monks who are committed more to an monastic lifestyle of spiritual discipline still have a desire to uphold the precepts of the four noble truths and walk the noble eight-fold path in order to achieve the desirous state of nirvana.

This philosophy of denying oneself may go along with Buddhistic thought but practically are these people living out their life based on these principles?

Also how can a person prove such ideas as anicca/anitya or anatta/anatman? In the final analysis is this just nonsensical religious jargon and words or is this reality? Is all of life to be interpreted as just an illusory realm of shifting shadows without any concept of stability and permanence? Again are Buddhists living up to these ideals and does this rightly represent their day to day life?

In moving on to responding towards the emphasis of avoiding suffering this philosophy is part of the negative equation to the content of hedonism which strives to maximize pleasure while minimizing or avoiding pain.

In regards to the aspect of pain and suffering this concept can only be realized if there exists the antithetical elements of pleasure and goodness otherwise we have nothing to relate to as what is termed as pain and suffering. So if a degree of goodness and happiness can be achieved wouldn’t it be admirable rather than avoidable to see the glass as half full instead of half empty? Shouldn’t we desire to embrace the positive aspect of living rather than avoiding desire altogether? Just because life is filled with obstacles does this mean that it is better to admit defeat and avoid running the race or would it be more beneficial to take the challenge and leap over these hurdles in life? You know sometimes beautiful things can come forth from suffering but if a person avoids this experience then how honorable is it to retreat in life? We have seen the likes of heroes whom we have admired in laying down their lives for the benefit of others such as what Jesus did in suffering through His death on the cross. This was done on behalf of mankind in which he bore the penalty of our sin and guilt in order to release us from the curse of eternal suffering by meriting on our behalf the perpetual bliss of a heavenly kingdom.

I understand and agree that pain and suffering is an evil that is a part of this existence and world but it shouldn’t be avoided by checking out or escaping this reality which does nothing to solve the problem of ridding ourselves and our world of such mayhem. It is better to center our energies and efforts on building hospitals for the infirmed and food banks/shelters for the poverty stricken and orphanages for our abandoned young rather than to take a passive approach in action towards those who have found themselves in such unfortunate circumstances.

Also living in a monastery does not solve the problems of human suffering and isolation is more of a defensive posture versus a progressive approach in handling these issues.

Christianity has taken the position and the lead in making great efforts in providing humanitarian aid to better the lives of others by easing the discomfort of the destitute and suffering rather than taking the attitude that helping others is a contribution to the evil of increasing others Tanha/Trsna (desire ) or somehow reason that these people are really suffering anyway due to some fatalistic realm of karmic retribution.

Suffering may be an enemy but ironically by snuffing out desire this will only lead to more suffering the likes of which Buddhism is trying to escape.

Another irony to the emphasis of this philosophy is that the Buddha who sought out the source of suffering and how to eliminate it was a perpetrator of causing pain himself and his actions were contradictory to his mission as he abandoned his own family including his wife and child by creating a hardship for them in order to pursue his quest.

In my final analysis Buddhism in its most simplistic form appears to be egocentric and selfish because even though it may uphold to a basic moral code of treating others with respect it does so out of a self interest of solving their own personal problem of suffering as a way of meriting something for their own benefit, namely nirvana.

So if the ultimate goal and motivation for the Buddhist is to remove ones own suffering then morality in interaction with others is seen as only a means to achieve the end.

Yet Jesus had another approach to humanity in which he unselfishly came to serve rather than to be served in giving his life as a ransom for many.

Finally according to Buddhist thought the concepts of accountability or judgment comes through the system of karma and rebirth.

This seems like such an oxymoron for me to believe that such a respected spiritual leader as the Dalai Lama is in exile or that the rape of the Tibetan Buddhist nuns by the communist Chinese resulted by some type of karma from a previous life.

Also I am wondering how does this system of retribution become manageable for an atheist who would deny a supreme being and yet who else could orchestrate such a system of belief? After all someone must determine and evaluate this elaborate system of works in order to obtain some form of orderly system. This would take an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being which is definably God himself to oversee such an incomprehensible matter and so how can the existence of  God be denied?

In addition to this if nirvana is the ultimate achievement and final destiny in absolving oneself from this endless repetition of rebirths then how can one be absolutely sure of this realm of being?

Has anybody ever checked out of nirvana and come back to tell their story? Is this a real experience or are they depending upon blind faith? I did a blog on the after life or near death experiences which you might find helpful and interesting.

“jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/10/29/is-hell-real/”

In response to Buddhist philosophy I would like to offer an alternative view which speaks of Jesus as the Light of the world and the One who illuminates every man’s path and if we trust Him as both Lord and Savior He will ultimately lead us out of this world of suffering not by the rigors of self effort into some kind of esoteric state of consciousness but rather in securing for us an eternal destiny of heavenly bliss.

I came into a relationship with Jesus over 20 years ago and He has radically transformed my life and filled me with a desire for living rather than inspiring me to despise my temporary abode of existence.

If you like you can read about my testimony at:

“jesusandjews.com/wordpress/my-personal-testimony-with-jesus/”

Also another point of objection is that whatever Buddhism has achieved academically it has done so through the school of Hindu thought.

Buddha may have strayed from Hinduism but nevertheless he was born, lived, and died a Hindu and therefore Buddhism though genetically altered bears a striking resemblance to its mother religion of Hinduism.

Again the bo tree of Buddhism is firmly rooted in Hinduism in which it has taken nourishment from as a vital support structure in maintaining Buddhism’s visibility as a religious institution.

In other words, though there are variances in beliefs between these two religious cultures, Buddhism wouldn’t exist without the guidance of the Indian guru’s and therefore it lacks  originality having it origins not in the Buddha to which it takes its name but rather its identity comes mainly from another source.

So do you want to put all your stolen eggs in the three baskets of Buddhistic teaching or would you entrust yourself into the protective hands of a loving and benevolent God who desired you and created you so you might have life and life more abundantly?

In conclusion this argument isn’t about who has the best philosophy or cultural expression but it is about seeking truth and allowing the truth to lead us down the path towards the inevitable. Christ came to light every man’s path but if the only light that you have is really just darkness then how will you find your way.

Yet the bible encourages us that God’s words are a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Finally I hope that my rhetoric isn’t misunderstood as just a violation of right speech and though my words may appear hard I do have a motivation of genuine concern which compels me to labor my point in seeking the benefit of others. Again I am sorry if I have come across disrespectfully or have offended you needlessly I just don’t know how to say these things in a soft manner and yet communicate effectively the seriousness of these critical concepts.

Also I do believe as the Buddhist that there is an accountability system of right and wrong. These ideals are hard wired in the main frame of our existence in which God communicates truth to our inward parts so that we instinctively know that there are consequences and judgments to our life decisions and this is respectable when Buddhism minimally acknowledges that but to work out someway of appeasing the conscious through the self effort of religious practice is only a counterfeit behavior to the reality of having a personal relationship with the One who is able to remove the burden of guilt that humanity tries so hard to extinguish by self effort.

In closing I would just ask you to simply consider as an invitation to taste and see that the Lord is good and to open your heart to explore the person and work of Jesus.

Lastly I would like to leave you with a scripture which was uttered by Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

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Is The Bible Reliable

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Upon writing this post I wanted to deal with the uniqueness of the bible which I believe gives credence to the reality of the text which ultimately points towards divine authorship.

To study further on this subject I would recommend a book that I read a long time ago called “A Ready Defense” by Josh McDowell who was an atheist turned Christian. His quest was similar to that of Lee Strobel’s who is a well known author for his “case” series of books.

When closely examining the bible it is like a jewel that is multifaceted with a beauty that makes this gem unique among other literary “gem”res.

I know that this is the same claim that others have also made by advancing their various religious world views but in the final analysis the bible as compared to these other scripts sets a precedence which places it in a class of its own.

Every group wants to claim originality, uniqueness, genuineness, and authority as it relates to some supreme or divine origin regarding their sacred text and based on what I have seen so far in regard to these books seems to be questionable based upon the shortcomings and contradictions of their varied positions of belief.

Again I understand this is the same criticism that has been leveled against the biblical text as well and the skeptic is quick to point out all sorts of problems but some are not always able to be specific in their critique.

Also I know there are difficulties within the bible that are hard to decipher but that is not enough evidence to discard its content as rubbish and poppycock.

Some of these conflicts have resulted due to the vastness and complexity of the scriptures which encompasses 1500 years of writing with 40 different authors who wrote on 3 different continents in 3 different languages. This has led to various nuances which at times may be almost impossible at points to complete rectify or reconcile due to the diversity of language and  culture.

Some things in the bible are a paradigm shift to our concept of experience such as its miraculous and metaphysical contents but this does not disapprove the bible either but rather it just leaves us with a bit of a  mystery that is not normative to our sense perception.

As regarding biblical content there are other things that just lack a fuller view of explanation and insight of which the authors didn’t leave us with nor thought it necessary to answer. As we try to fill in the blanks this often times leaves us with a misunderstanding which attributes much to the seemingly contradictions and misapplications to the contextual view which can lead towards heretical forms of teaching or belief.

The bible isn’t always an easy piece of literature to handle or piece together and it is like an onion in that every time you read through it you find another layer of understanding that was overlooked in the first disclosure. Yet just because something cannot not be fully understood doesn’t mean that is can’t be trusted. Even science has these limitations as they are just now beginning to probe into the deeper mysteries of the universe and yet the universe to us is both real and believable.

Also we can’t treat the bible like an exhaustive manual which explains every last little detail and it appears to be the Almighty’s prerogative to avoid an extensive explanation of all the complexities that interest inquiring minds. From a biblical view point there tends to be a concentration on the relevant or central points and subjects rather than always answering the questions of “why”. It’s not like we could fully fathom or understand everything anyway and at points it might be like trying to teach the theorems of nuclear science to a new born. This reminds me of Job who questioned God in his finitude which in turn God answered Job back in His infinitude leaving Job speechless.

As humans we don’t even fully understand the ancient technologies or achievements of men such as the building of the pyramids which are undeniably monumental in their presence and yet now we expect to fully comprehend the complexities of an eternal and omnipotent God?

Also some of the difficulties in the bible apply more directly to that particular point in history which would have made it more significant in relevance towards the contemporaries of that particular generation.

So maybe our ability to discern fully is diminished through this aspect of time and space and one thing that has helped in narrowing the gap of biblical doctrine has been the technological advances of archaeology and their recovery of the evidence which has helped to clarify instead of contradict the biblical text. It’s just a matter of time for some things to come into a clearer view as we unearth the next pile of dirt.

Archaeologists have uncovered habitations that were once thought to be non existent such as the Hittite civilization and they also have found historical proof for the things in the bible that at one time were put in the categorical box of mythology.

Our limitations to discern or understand can also become distorted resulting in a corrupt understanding of the text and fallibility may be on behalf of the interpreter which results in a misapplication to the scriptures but one thing is certain is that these assertions may apply to peoples perception but that does not necessitate an application to the book that is under others scrutiny.

Anyway I really don’t have enough time in this one post to write on such a voluminous work that has copious amount of scholarship dedicated to this subject. Hopefully this will serve your interest in prompting a desire for you to more fully research these claims in unlocking this heavy but accessible door as you enter into the discovery of biblical truth.

One thing that biblical literature has going for itself is that there is more manuscript evidence for the bible than any other piece of ancient literature. There are about 25,000 manuscripts in various languages that date back as early as 125 A.D for the New Testament and as far back as 200 B.C for the Old. This massive amount of manuscript helps when trying to reconstruct authenticity by analyzing possible discrepancies due to scribal fluctuations and these reconstructive efforts of scholars and linguists have resulted in more of a purified text. Most of these variances that are found are minor such as spelling errors and therefore are non consequential towards the integrity of the text.

Unfortunately we do not have the originals or the autographs but still there is only about a 100 year old time lapse between the New Testament autograph and the oldest surviving copies which is quite small considering that most of the other literature that we have from antiquity is between 400 to 1000 years removed from its original source.

Also regarding the preservation and authentication of the New Testament text is that much of it can be completely reconstructed from the quotes of the early church fathers between 97 AD to 180 AD except for 11 verses. In addition to this the lectionaries between 300-1100 AD also confirm the content for the entire New Testament.

Another thing to consider is that when there is a longer period of time between the sources there tends to be a better possibility to embellish the literature content of a document which can evolve into mythical proportions due to the inclusion of oral traditions. We discovered this when we played the game of telephone as kids. So I believe given the relatively short period of time between these manuscript sources helps to authenticate the reliability of the biblical text.

One of the main reasons why there was difficulty in the preservation and survival of these original autographs was due to the inferiority of the parchment which was largely papyrus. Animal skins were not widely used until centuries after the completion of the New Testament so in conclusion this trail of vast manuscripts has turned out to be a blessing in piecing together the textual evidence of this script without the benefits of Gutenberg’s Press.

In moving on to the Old Testament text it was passed down to us by the Massoretes. These copyists or scribes were meticulous on how they counted the number of letters, words, and lines in keeping with the accuracy of the sacred text. This kind of detail can be attributed to the consistency we see with the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947 which were written about 1000 years before this Masoretic text (895AD). When I was in Jerusalem I was able to see the Isaiah scroll on display at the Shrine of the Book museum.

Anyway in addition to this there is yet another copy of the Old Testament called the Septuagint which is written in Greek with the oldest copy dating back to about the second century AD which is still another piece of the puzzle to this ancient work of literature.

Now regarding the New Testament the original manuscripts were written between 45 and 95 A.D. Fortunately these documents can be ascribed to there various times based on the historical significance of well know people, places, and events. In addition to this I think one key element in determining the age of these documents is the fact that the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.  and since this is such a catastrophic event of which is not even mentioned in such significant historical books  as Acts or the gospel narratives then it becomes understandable why these books predate this particular event in history.

Also before the New Testament could be accepted as canon it had to be validated and  proven to have  an origin that would require it to be of either a first hand witness or someone closely associated with these witnesses in order to find acceptance within the  New Testament community of believers.

Nearly all the New Testament was written by the Apostles with the bulk of literature being attributed to the Apostle Paul. Others that had written books were closely associated with the Apostles such as John Mark who was a close associate with the Apostle Peter and Luke who was under the influence of Paul and there was also Jacob(James) and Judah(Jude) who were the half brother’s of Jesus. We have no reason to question the authenticity of these apostolic authors based on the dates and the acceptance of these scriptures by the followers of the early church.

Even Polycarp in 108 AD, who was a disciple of the Apostle John, mentions 15 of these NT books, not to say that the others didn’t exist, but finally through various church councils leading up to the council of Carthage in 397 AD the canon of the New Testament was determined to be closed and was fully affirmed and accepted officially even though it had already been approved within the community of saints prior to these councilor meetings. In addition to this the Jewish council of Jamnia had already determined their canon of scripture prior to this in 90 A.D by officially codifying the Old Testament text.

One of the reasons for the council was due to a reactionary response as a need to preserve biblical orthodoxy which was under attack by the various cults and heresies that were being circulated at this juncture in history. Also within these councils, which would include Jamnia, the various apocryphal literature’s were rejected as inspirational even though it was allowed within the Septuagint and later included within various Orthodox and Catholic bibles.

The early church was hypersensitive towards authentication and was very narrow concerning the inclusion of circulated texts. The church wanted to avoid the synchronization of controversial texts which is unlike some religions like Hinduism which have incorporated a synthesis of various contradictory tribal traditions as a unified text.

So the bible didn’t just come together haphazardly by the mixing and matching of mythological narratives such as what you might find in some of the ancient pagan cultures that ascribe the  events of the creation and the flood accounts as the work of  the polytheistic gods. Nor does it lend itself to the mishandling of information but rather the authors had a preoccupation for accuracy. Just read the account of the gospel of Dr. Luke who writes with the intent of precision as outlined in the introductory statement of his gospel account in Luke 1:1-4 which is described as being prepared in an orderly and precise fashion.

Though the bible may contain super-nature material it is written with the backdrop of historical narrative which is unique and separate from other mythological literature. If God is who the bible claims Him to be then the variables of His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence are clearly within the range of the data that the biblical account supports.

There have also been challenges raised against the gospel accounts which can be seen by the discrepancies of inclusion and exclusion. The bible teaches inspiration with a confluence of both a divine and human element unlike Islam which teaches that the Quran was originated as a divine copy that was communicated by dictation like a stenographer.

The writers of the gospels were individuals who wrote based on their guided perceptions of the same events as it related to their distinct personalities and experience much like interviewing a spectator at a sporting event to get their reaction to the game. Not everybody is going to say the same thing because of a different vantage point in their communication of factual information and even if there is corroboration like you have in the Synoptic gospels there are still allowances for individuality. Of course this is only acceptable as long as it is not contradictory in nature.

If the church wanted to remove any perceived inconsistencies as a means to help eliminate the supposed contradictions then they would have had plenty of time to do this by now but because these somewhat controversial scriptures remain helps to prove is originality.

If we question the biblical literature then we must likewise question the historical literature of antiquity as well as all other literature even from the contemporary sources. We can’t just simply rank or categorize religion under the titles of superstition, fiction, and myth just because it pertains to religious ideologies.

We must also scrutinize what is to be considered as the standardized text book materials such as what is found in the scientific (philosophical) realms which base much of their conclusive evidence on the theory and hypothesis of their scientific methods. Yet are we religiously treating these books as sacred without challenging them by accepting the science fiction notion of such things as macroevolution which has never been proven.

Religion has been attributed as the opiate of the masses but what about the cyanide of the sciences and philosophies in spite of the teleological and cosmological arguments of which science has stumbled over in resolving and has had to shift their position from time to time in order to accommodate there faith which remains in a continued state of flux. Upon closer observation if the skeptic would remove the shutter over their instruments they may come to discover the Creator staring back at them through the lens of the microscope and telescope.

The bible was meant to be complimentary to the texts of human academia and is not to be antithetical to the precepts of life as it appears within the libraries of knowledge. However some want to create a special section that separates it from the rest of the collection of library books by attributing it to a form of  mysticism or some type of the pre-scientific beliefs of ancient tribal civilizations who were ignorant and misinformed.

Lastly this post does not answer every question to all the objections but it does show at this point that the bible is a reliable source of ancient literature. Yet what really makes this piece of work unique is the content which has it origins in a divine being.

I believe that requires something of the nature which is considered special revelation such as the fulfillment of prophecy or scientific facts that were unknown to these ancient civilizations.

A person could give the criticism that biblical prophecy is like an arrow that has been shot with the bible serving as the target which we have conveniently moved in order to achieve the bulls eye of fulfillment.

Yet there are some things of which can not be adequately refuted because of the historical nature of secondary or non biblical sources which are independent of the biblical sources.

One of these sources comes to us through the historical and archeological finds that have helped to substantiate and give credibility to the biblical text.

The scriptures themselves have made some wise towards the receiving of salvation and we see this as a response to some Jews who have come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah just from reading the Tanakh or the Old Testament scriptures. To most Jews the New Testament is an inferior secondary text but when they see an alignment between the historical crucifixion and the New Testament record then sometimes the light of revelation illuminates their mind to connect to Jesus as the supreme messianic figure in fulfillment of the Old Testament.

The Jewish community is not sympathetic towards Jesus even though we share a common belief in God and a holy book. One of the chapters that some of the religious Jews avoid is Isaiah 53 due to its prophetic significance as related to Jesus. Many times when uninformed Jews hear this segment of the scripture for the first time some immediately associate this passage with Jesus and their initial response is that we don’t believe in the New Testament without realizing that they have just heard a passage from their Hebrew scriptures.

Another prophecy, which is found in Psalms 22, depicts the scene of the crucifixion of Jesus which describes this form of capital punishment that was non existent at this point in history and wasn’t developed until later by the Persians before finally being adopted by the Romans.

Again this is another one of those scriptures that some Jews upon hearing for the first time have immediately seen as a correlation between Jesus and His death. Actually this was one of the key scriptures in which my Jewish wife came to believe in Jesus herself.

In considering the evidence of the prophetic I would like to refer to a couple of instances that would be recognized as unique outside of the resource of the bible and would be considered unmistakingly and undeniably valid without the influence of a religious text alone telling us what happened which would include the possibility of adding something after the fact.

To begin with we know that the Old Testament predates the New Testament and that is not in dispute here because of the dating of the Septuagint and the Dead Sea scrolls and therefore this text was not the invention of Christianity. The Jewish community had this text long before the advent of the new covenant era and the Jews wouldn’t even think about it as being an extension of the biblical narrative.

Yet the religious  Jews find some real problems with some of these Old Testament scriptures and they either avoid reading them or claim them to be closed or to difficult to understand especially when it comes to the possibility of seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of the text.

One thing I have discussed extensively in another blog is the seventy weeks of Daniel which deals with a historic timetable of dating which can not be fabricated or altered which specifically points to the time of Jesus followed by the destruction of the temple.

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/06/19/jesus-the-messiah/

Also another bit of evidence and one of the greatest miracles of this modern era is the reestablishment of the State of Israel and the continued proliferation of the Jewish people against all the odds of a complete assimilation and annihilation which helps in confirming the prophetic significance of Genesis 13:14, 15 which was given as an ancient promise to Abraham concerning his offspring as inhabiting the land of Israel forever. This prophecy was given about 2000 BC and it still good for 2010 AD and beyond.

The historical rebirth of Israel in 1948 was a divine miracle which records the preservation of Israel amidst the oppositional forces of exile and the Diaspora which resulted in the inquisition, crusades, pogroms, and even the nazi Holocaust and yet they have still survived and retained their ethnic and national identity as a distinct people and therefore did not fully integrate unlike other people groups in the history of the world that had lost their homeland. The Jews may have been temporarily displaced but only to return. God was putting them on display as if to show the world his glory and greatness according to his promises which are without repentance.

In addition to this just to hear of the miraculous stories which took place among the Jewish people as they fought to retain their land is enough to make a believer out of you. To see God’s hand in protecting them from the invading armies of the surrounding Arab nations when they were out numbered and out armed was like a story right out of the bible much like David and Goliath.

There have been many great civilization come and go but Gods word will not fail. A good production to view concerning this reenactment is the movie “Against all Odds”.

In regards to science many have thought that the bible is incompatible with the advancements of the modern scientific age and yet we know that there are many well known scientists working in their respective disciplines which minimally have a theistic view as well as a portion of them clinging to the Judeo Christian faith. Here is a link that gives a partial list of these people

www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-scientists.html

In conclusion this may not prove to you ever thing that you question regarding the biblical text or the God of the bible but it should cause you to hunger enough to want to investigate the buffet of God’s word as means to satisfy the hunger pangs of our human reality. Our problem is that we have a pallet that is not culinaried towards having an appetite towards our creator. Yet the bible calls to us to taste and see that the Lord is good.

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AMG’s Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Reprinted by permission. “Josh McDowell A Ready Defense, Josh McDowell and Bill Wilson, Copyright 1993, Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.”




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All Paths Lead to God

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Some people may come to this conclusion from a surface level observation and even though beauty is skin deep, religion is not. Lurking just below the surface of most religious world views is a quagmire of thought and doctrine which can “literaturely” drown you.

Also just because a group/culture has a “god” concept or has a few variables in common doesn’t mean that there is a synthesis of compatibility.

Many of these religious world views are antithetical to one another. If you study comparative religions and cults you would have already come to this conclusion.

For instance, Satanism is diametrically opposed in the most extreme sense in comparison with Christianity of which there is no reconciliation.

Perhaps others like this view as a way of solving the tensions between the differences of beliefs in order to bridge the gap in forming a pluralistic or syncretistic society.

Yet these movements though they may come under the common heading of religion are still by no means compatible bedfellows.

Some may adopt this idea because this is what they want to believe as a way of justifying their own individual belief system or maybe it is merely what they heard from some one else without giving it much thought.

Nevertheless, the saying that “all paths lead to God” is really a contradiction of terms. We say there are many ways of doing something to get the same result but when they are in direct conflict and go in opposing directions then this will require a good navigational system to bring them back to the same point but even at that it would just be a matter of passing one another as a continuation of their circuit on the road of life without really meeting or joining themselves to each other.

Practically speaking, even radical nationalistic Hindus or Buddhist extremists don’t believe this philosophy otherwise they wouldn’t be hostile towards other religious ideologies. Also eastern gurus wouldn’t try to convert Western thinkers into adopting these philosophical ideas.

Anyway in some world views contradiction is not a problem even though our brains are engaged to say otherwise. As indicated in my other post on the gods of Hinduism I think this works for the aspect of those religions and philosophies which have no rules but in reality people do not use this kind of logic according to their day to day living.

Anyway it is difficult to understand the mentality of a culture that embraces contradiction because it eludes reason rather than complimenting the rational ideas of science and philosophy.

For instance, you can’t jump off the cliff of religious belief without the effects of falling due to the gravitational forces of truth which are acting upon ones body.

You can’t step out in front of the bus by faith and believe that it is just an illusion and still avoid succumbing to the truth as it applies to the forces of inertia.

We don’t live in the world of Wylie Coyote who seemed to have a 1000 lives and who could outwit mortality by walking away from the grave consequences of his  actions unscathed www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JbWb5xVEU&feature=fvw

This may make for a good show and for a longer production but we intuitively know that real acting on the stage of human drama doesn’t play out that way.

Also philosophically speaking there is no such thing as a married bachelor nor are there any Satanic Christians or Christian Satanists.

Finally, biblically speaking there are two paths that do contradict one another. One is broad (many) that leads to destruction and the other is narrow (one) that leads to life. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life and that none one comes to God except through Him.

Just as most of us were given feet to walk we are also given a path to travel. My challenge to you is will you take the broad way which merges all paths or will you dare to walk and explore the narrow way which leads to truth?

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Pain and Suffering

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

To attempt to answer the question of why there is pain and suffering in the world and more personally within our individual lives we must first understand that this is often times a complex question which is difficult to answer in a short blog. Actually there have been many books written on this very subject and it is a question that is begging an answer. My concern with this blog is that people often misapply the existence of pain in suffering with a improper view towards God.

When dealing with the problem of pain, suffering, and evil there are several challenges that may occur in respect to how we see this in relationship to the presence or the existence of God and how He relates to us and our world. It calls to question His reality along with His sovereignty and His goodness. One thought that needs to be considered likewise is that  if God exists and He permits suffering then does He likewise get any credit for permitting good?

From a biblical perspective, which is my approach to help solve this problem, evil is seen as a  existing reality dating all the way back to the beginning of time. Along with evil are its companions of pain and suffering. If you study the creation account you will see that what God originally created  was good and when He created mankind He gave Him the capacity to make choices and as you know anybody who has a choice therefore can have influence on their culture. This influence of course resulted in mankind ultimately rejecting God’s goodness thus resulting in a curse upon himself and all of creation. As a part of this curse it led all of mankind into a natural ability to alienate himself from God. Also along with mankind’s contribution to the plot of evil their is likewise another enemy namely the Devil. He is a evil adversary in rebellion to God  who works in opposition to the goodness of God and His creation. He is seen as a spiritual counterpart to God along with his demonic cohorts and even though they may not be seen with the naked or natural eye they are nevertheless a present and a active reality in our world creating havoc upon mankind and nature. When the demonic and the human element acting as enemies of God are joined together harmoniously they have a  synergistic effect leading to the greatest depths of human depravity and wickedness.

Along side all of this it is obvious that  God in His sovereignty allows for free will at least for a season. One interesting aspect or attribute about God is that He is seen as the eternal judge that is just. There will be accountability for the evil doers of society in God’s future impending judgment towards mankind concerning the acts of men whereby we have to give an account for our deeds. So anyway simply speaking God judges mankind based on his decisions to act as a free moral agent and the responsibility of living life under submission to God or in rebellion to Him. So God’s sovereignty in judgement will be exercised fully if not in this life than in the life to come.

One thing we must look at  in dealing with this problem of evil and pain/suffering in regards to questioning God existence in His sovereignty and goodness begins first with a question concerning ourselves. This question if taken as a fair evaluation of our own lives which will lead us down the path of asking ourselves if  we personally have created any evil in our own lives? Have we violated others or God at any time to any degree? Are we innocent? Are we strictly the victim or are we also the perpetrators of sin crimes. What have we done to help eliminate suffering in our world? The bible refers to the ten commandments of God and on this level all people have sinned against man or God to some degree. Therefore we are all responsible for this curse or grief that we see in our world.

Lastly but not least we must see that God himself through the person of Jesus allowed Himself to feel the pain in the suffering of humanity by placing himself on a human instrument of torture namely the cross. The prophet Isaiah says that Jesus  was a man of sorrows and was acquainted with grief. Interestingly enough God subjected himself willfully to the human element of pain and suffering stating that He suffered with us. His pain led ultimately to our gain because he satisfied the just and righteous judgment of God by taking His life as a ransom on behalf of our sinful lives in which we were to be held as guilty before a  Holy and supreme judge in the courts of heaven. Even though we were enemies He died for us reconciling us to God and one another and  it was strictly an act of His mercy and grace to undeserving creatures. A person must evaluate from this that God is both good and sovereign in the face of evil and that there is no conflict.

Whatever our viewpoint is on the matter. This good God will give us a new heaven and a new earth and he will someday put away all pain, suffering ,and sorrow resulting in ultimate peace. Of course it is obvious that this dispensation in  time has not occurred yet but nevertheless it is our hope and it is on the  upcoming horizon. One thing we can secure now and today is that God can change our sinful hearts when we submit to His will in accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour. When He changes our hearts then the curse is reversed in our own personal lives and God produces within us His righteousness even to the point that by his grace  we can even love our enemies.

I support a group called Voice of the Martyr’s and based on statistics there are over 300,000 Christians who suffer for their faith yearly. Now a Martyr is not necessarily someone who dies for the faith alone but rather it includes anyone who suffers inhumanely for their faith. This can be loss of job, family, home, physical and emotional torture etc., etc. There only crime is that they are Christians living in a hostile world of people who are intolerant to their beliefs. Now many of the things that had went on in Catholicism were of the same measure of persecuting others as well such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. Yet Christ never said anything about fighting for His kingdom in this manner and even said that we as His disciples should love our enemies and turn the other cheek. So those who make claims to Christ but behave hostile like the world are not truly His followers. As a matter of fact many of these Martyrs that have been violated forgive and prayer for their persecutors.

Anyway we might question the length and breadth of suffering in this world yet in regards to eternity it is only momentary and fleeting. The Bible calls the duration of human life as a vapor of smoke. The Apostle Paul said that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us a eternal glory that far outweigh them all. Yet his credentials of suffering surpass most peoples in that he was imprisoned frequently, 5 times was he flogged, 3 times beaten with rods, once stoned, and was shipwrecked 3 times. He was in danger most of the time during his missionary journeys when he was promoting the welfare of others. Reminds me of the humanitarian helps that are contributed largely through the church and without the influence of God or Christ in their hearts these helps would not exist for our world today. This isn’t about favors for conversions either. I gave up a job making 70,000 a year along with my retirement in order to volunteer in a food and clothing distribution center  in Tel Aviv Israel and many people did not come to Christ but we continued to share and serve anyway.

Finally sometimes pain and suffering can produce a redemptive act of goodness. There are too many examples to explain this but the one that I often think about is the placement of a stop sign after there has been an accident. Unfortunately someone had to suffer for the sake of another and yet this sounds so much like what God did for us in allowing his Son to suffer on our behalf whereby we have now become the benefactors.

Anyway if after all of this it still doesn’t make sense then all we can do is trust God. It’s kind of when we were little and we didn’t understand things about life but we always looked to our parents to provide us with a sense of love and security anyways. That is what God want us to do with Him in the midst of our crisis. Even if we had a answer to every question would that be enough then to solve it. God is not concerned about our intellect as he is our hearts for therein lies the key to the dilemma. Let’s simply trust God together.

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