"Simon's wife's mother lay sick" - One God and Many Religions

Tokyo

One God and Many Religions

Suppose that God is only one as the sole Creator of the universe.  Then, as everybody understands, the god of Judaists, the god of Christians, and the god of Muslims are one and the same.

It tells religion is not so important as God.  Accordingly, different religions are possible under one and only God.  Religions are paths to God.  There can be many paths around a mountain to its summit.  But without God, there cannot be any religions toward it.

In ancient days, Judaists did not think their god was the god for all mankind.  Each tribe had its own god.  Accordingly, the god of Judaists did not mind if Judaists destroyed other tribes for them to survive.  From today's humanitarian and democratic point of view, the god of Judaists cannot be the god of mankind.  But today, Judaists think that their god is the god of mankind.  It is interesting when they changed their view on their god.

Christians believed that their god is the god of mankind, including Judaists.  Therefore, Christ Jesus told His disciples to preach gospels to the world.

Muslims also believed that their god is the god of mankind, including Judaists and Christians, though they did not and do not believe that Christ Jesus is God.

The important point is how God sees this situation with those different religions established under His name.  Is it what He intended?  Or doesn't He mind rivalry between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?

However, when God speaks to a man, He will not ask whether he is a Judaist, a Christian or a Muslim.  Rather he should ask if he believes in Him.

Moreover, God will not ask if a man reads and believes the Old Testament, the New Testament, or the Koran.   He will simply ask if he obeys His words.

The reason for the situation of the different religions under one God is that God seldom speaks to men directly.  He spoke to Abraham, Moses, Christ Jesus, and the founder of Islam.  But those who heard words of God from those holy men interpreted them in different ways.  Accordingly, different religions were established.

But, God as the sole Creator of the universe has not been a common concept among peoples.  For example, Buddhists have not based their religion on the concept of the sole god.

In this context, mankind has not yet fully understood or discovered God.  The existence of various religions in the world proves it.  For mankind to evolve, they have to fully understand God and unify all the religions into one.







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Mar 1:30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
Mar 1:31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

" John seeth Jesus coming unto him" - Lessons from the Roman Civilization

A Tokyo Street

Lessons from the Roman Civilization

The Roman Empire is featured by exhaustive use of metal.

According to a survey of ice in Greenland, the level of metal components in the air in the era of the Roman Empire is equivalent to those in the era of the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century.  Between the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the 18th century, no large metal components were included in the air.  It tells how aggressively metal resources were mined and refined in the territory of the Roman Empire.

Figure 2.2. An approximation of metal production in the Northern hemisphere as revealed by lead emissions found in the Greenland ice cap.
http://www.econ.ku.dk/kgp/doc/Lectfrms/New%20lecture/Notes/Efter%C3%A5r%202008/Kapitel%202.pdf


It was from the Arabic world that Europe again obtained the metal-related technology in the 11th century, but its large-scale development needed the Industrial Revolution.

Our world today may be another Roman Empire.  Like the fall of the Roman Empire, the modern world with full of advanced technologies might fall sooner or later.  And for mankind to recover from the coming demolition, it might take 1000 years like the case of the metal use after the Roman Empire.

However, no one expects that a devastating catastrophe should occur in the world in the near future to destroy the present material civilization.  Science and technology will develop and advance exponentially.  And mankind will soon reach Mars. Mankind will find other energy resources and develop new energy technologies.  Mankind will even control weather.  There will be no poverty in the world.  However, this optimistic view on the future of mankind lacks reflection on the evil nature of mankind.  Avarice and hubris of mankind might cause such a devastating disaster as was observed in the fall of the Roman Empire.

Then, it might take 2000 years for mankind to recover from obscurity.

9 Ways Humanity Could Bring About Its Own Destruction
1. Nuclear armageddon
2. Global Ecophagy
3. Everybody uploads — but no one is conscious
4. Robopocalypse
5. Artificial superintelligence
6. Particle accelerator accident
7. Deliberately engineered pandemic
8. Anthropogenic global warming
9. World War III

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5967660/9-ways-humanity-could-bring-about-our-own-destruction


Anyway, we had better still learn lessons from the fall of the Roman Empire.



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Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

"all the region round about Galilee" - Who Can Identify God

A Tokyo street

Who Can Identify God

The Bible teaches that what is seen is made of what cannot be seen.

From a viewpoint of natural science, it is quite right.  The human body is made of cells, which cannot be seen, that are made of molecules and atoms which cannot be seen, either, with the human eyes.

More importantly, a man's living is controlled by his mind which cannot be seen.  A society is controlled by law and order which cannot be seen.  A nation is governed by the constitution, laws, regulations, and order which cannot be seen.  Therefore, generally speaking, the human world is made of human minds which cannot be seen.

The human mind is shaped, formed, and cultivated, taking years after birth of a man.  It is not a simple mechanism to control and preserve the human body and the physical existence of the human being.  It can judge, think, wish, and pray for something based on its intelligence beyond the limit of a living thing.  It finally admits existence of the spiritual world above the nature and the human mind.

If we admit that God created this universe and the spiritual world, it is easy to understand what we are.  We are not alone in the vast universe, but we were created by God who always watches us.  This connection to God can be called love from and to God.

Whether you are an atheist or not, if you are absorbed in a daily life involving money and desire, you have no time to think of God, the Creator of your body and soul.  Your connection to God becomes weak and weaker.  In such living, finally you will think and behave like an atheist with your own desire, pride, and happiness placed at the center of your world.  Then you are out of the grand law and order of the universe and the spiritual world that were created by God.  You will not be admitted to Heaven.

What you can see you can easily believe.  But what you can see is made of what you cannot see.  And, no man can see God fully, since God is spirit.

In the age of Christ Jesus, namely 2000 years ago, people saw Satan, devils, and ill spirits.  They saw some sick men or mad men being controlled by ill spirits.  So, Christ Jesus and His disciples could drive them out, since they could see ill spirits and devils.  It means that they could also see angels and holy ghosts.

But today, most people have lost ability to identify ill spirits, devils, and Satan (since they become so friendly to them to be their relatives).  It means that they have also lost the ability to see angels, holy ghosts, and Christ Jesus.

That is why we had better think that the Advent of Christ Jesus has been already realized in these years, but people have already lost ability to identify Him.

But, due to the origin of mankind, anybody will recognize and know God the moment he sees Him, since even Satan knows God very well.

(Then what are such people that cannot identify God?)



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Mar 1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

"And Jesus rebuked him" - Gap between the Rich and the Poor

Along a Tokyo railway line

Gap between the Rich and the Poor

When there are two men in the field, can there be a gap between the rich and the poor between them?

If one man finds a banana tree full of bananas, he would share the fruits with another.  There will be no gap between the rich and the poor between them.

But if one man finds a gold stone on the ground, would he share the gold with another?  And, gold has value only in some sort of social organization where gold functions as money.

The gap between the rich and the poor emerged when human society came to use money. Money allows a man to get what he has not produced, acquired or possessed in exchange of money.

From a different aspect, if the two men find a banana tree, a stronger man may force the weaker one to take bananas from the tree for him and declare that all the bananas belong to him.  In this case, the gap between the rich and the poor emerges.

One strong tribe may attack and occupy a weak tribe to enslave them.  Then, the gap between the rich and the poor emerges no matter if no money economy is prevailing.  In this case, the key factor is violence.

From another different aspect, if two men find a banana tree, an evil one between them might try to trick, harm, injure or kill another by poison or any other means to take all the bananas for himself.  Then, the gap between the rich and the poor emerges no matter if no violence is involved.

Or if the two man find a banana tree, one who hates another might just plan and act to take all the bananas by any means, as he doesn't want another to enjoy bananas.

So, to address the gap between the rich and the poor, we have to address these cases of two men and a banana tree.  But can we stop the emergence of the gap between them, while we are so much civilized living in money economy, we possess so many weapons and have potential of violence, we are so much accustomed to evil things, and we hate somebody?

Any problems in this world are ascribed to the gap between the rich and the poor.  And, most of people accept the gap and problems.  However, God does not approve the gap between the rich and the poor.  It means that human beings will be punished by God for the reason that they let the gap between the rich and the poor unsolved.

The reason for the coming of the end of the world is the gap between the rich and the poor, in this context.




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Mar 1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
Mar 1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.