Lord Jesus Christ was possibly the greatest messiah of love after Gautama Buddha. Not considering the unknown paramathmas who may have lived and died unknown or little known in India and elsewhere. Jesus was a pacifist and never uttered a harsh word or abuse on anyone we are told. Christ was an inspiration for Mahatma Gandhi , Michael Angelo, the metaphysical poets and many great minds during the last two thousand years.
As Bible is considered authentic representative of the teachings of Jesus Christ, we will refer to Bible as His voice. We know that Jesus never wrote the Bible. We are aware of numerous interpretations and editions that are contradictory to each other. We understand that many stories and parables have no historical proof or reference but pass the validity ground on the premise that his immediate followers would not have lied risking the kingdom of God, We are also aware of the arguments against the Bible but we are assuming magnanimously that Bible is most authentic not the authentic. Bible we all know and assume was a compilation, deletion, edition of what Christ spoke and stood for. Of all the interpretations of the Bible, Emmanuel Swedenborg’s was the most detailed, comprehensive, conceptual and my favourite. Please check Swedenborg.com
Swedenborg interpretations of Bible set new standards and yet to be matched. He said that Bible has an inner meaning, a spiritual code embedded in the text. He said that Bible should not be taken in the pure or literal sense and confessed that the text is confusing and often contradictory. Swedenborg said :
“It’s characteristic of the Word’s style that there is something holy in every statement, even in every word, even at times in the letters themselves; so the Word unites us to the Lord and opens heaven.
There are two things that emanate from the Lord,Divine Love and Divine Wisdom...in its essence they are both , and since as already stated, it unites us with the Lord and opens heaven, the Word fills us with good desires that comes from love and fills our understanding with truths that lead us to wisdom, provided we read it with the help of our Lord and not just on our own. (Sacred scripture #3)”.
Many find it difficult to comprehend Swedenborg. You may have heard of Ten Commandments. You may have heard of Old Testament too. Old Testament speaks of the letter of law and how we should obey them. New Testament speaks about the spirit of law is equally important. (Mathew 5:21-48). We are focusing here on literal meaning of bible and limiting to them.
Romans gives a wonderful definition of love. Verse 10 says “love worketh no ill to his neighbour;therefore love is the fulfilling of the law”. Love is doing what is right for the other person. So throughout Bible there is unbelievable respect for the neighbour, understanding for the sinners and respect for laws that govern a society.
Submission to authority even while disobeying authority is one of the singular teaching in the Bible. Sometimes one needs to obey law though it may be against Godly commands. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego were outstanding examples of this. When asked by King to worship idols they refused but accepted the punishment given calmly to them. Romans 13:1-6 says one should obey authority. Peter Acts 5:29 says it’s right to obey God than man’s law that went against God. This simply means if you are a believer in Christ, you need to be submissive to authority even if you don’t agree with it.
Nowhere in the Bible was mention of followers of Jesus to break law. Uprise against governments or authority. It simply says even if you want to obey God and hence disobey authority, accept the punishment given meekly. Jesus set an example by his crucifixtion as did Socrates by drinking hemlock. No dramas.
When the followers of Jesus organised themselves into Church, what motivated them? To spread the kingdom of God would be their claim. Remember there is no mention of church anywhere on the Bible. Yet we have churches, very powerful in the physical world. The church, the pastors and the evangelists want to spread the message of Lord. Mathew 28:19-20 says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations babtizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember that I am with you always to the end of age”.
So the Christians were motivated to convert all nations and all races in complete regard for the cultural diversity and pluralism that exists in the world. There may not be many Christians who respect other religions. In fact the resemblance to Islam on matter of conversion has led to more blood between them and continues to hurt mankind.
Does conversions improve the quality of lives? Despite promises of material abundance instantly on babtisement, often the converted become rootless. There are hardly any change in their living except a change of routines. The new and old Christians do not love each other or show other cheek when slapped nor love their neighbours. Then what was the conversion about except a change in God or increase in data?
Bible says suffering is intertwined in the life of a Christian. A Christian must never kill for Christ says Mathew 26:47-56. But in India, Pastors and Missionaries abuse Hindu Gods and practices thereby breaking the tenets of Bible and yet call themselves as Christians and not as Satans. Had seen glee in many Christians when they abuse other faiths mercilessly with total hate.
My challenge to Christians is this. How are your lives qualitatively different from the lives of a non Christian? Do you represent the holiness of God and do you practice love of your enemies and neighbors as demanded in the Bible? If you are not qualitatively different, why should anyone follow Christ? If there is no substance in conversion, why convert?
It is a fact that the converted Christians of India thrive on hate. Their prayer meetings focus not on love but mock Hindus with rehearsed dramas of healing. The recent picture of a group of Jesuits leading an agitational procession against the government, conversion of church altars to question authority and mails from heads of Church addressed to followers to pursue a political stance against governments are proof that Bible has been thrown in the dustbin and Christ was victimised for political and material benefits. Inner suffering has been replaced with sadistic nazism of hate in churches. Gluttony at the end of a fast makes fasting prayers an excuse for feasting.
Irony that Christians who are unable to follow Christ want pluralistic Hindus who worship Jesus too, to get fanatical and narrow by conversion. It is time Christians improve their lives before promising kingdom of heaven to otgers who believe in realising heaven on earth. Jesus is not a brand nor treatment of Bible as propaganda material acceptable. As a HINDU, we shall embrace Bible and Jesus as yet another addition to the everlasting Sanatan Dharma.
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