"the draught of the fishes" - Ravens and Lilies

Tokyo

Ravens and Lilies

Christ Jesus never worked to earn money while He was preaching.

He was outside the worldly worry and fear that one might lose a job and ultimately became homeless if he failed in competition.  But He knew well this kind of worry people had.  This kind of worry and fear is also modern.  So, the following teaching of Christ Jesus is effective even today.

Luke 12
24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!  

27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Christ Jesus rather recommend always think about the Kingdom of God instead of living in this world.  If we do have faith and consider the Kingdom of God, God will surely feed us, according to the words of Christ Jesus.

People mostly think about how to earn more money and how to behave to get any promotion and social merit.  They don't think about how to contribute to coming of the Kingdom of God.  People worry that if they are absorbed in thinking of God, they will lose a chance to be rich.  To get rid of poverty or avoid fall in status in the society, they think that they have no time to think about God.

Christ Jesus put higher priority on faith in God.  And God will take care of those believers, according to Christ Jesus.  This is against human wisdom.  The human world has not been built so as to promote faith in God.  But it has been built so that winners will survive and succeed while losers will become poor and suffer.  Yet, God has power to supersede such worldly rule.  The faith in God means to believe such super power of God.

To become rich and successful in the society, one is often tempted in committing a crime or neglecting justice, or otherwise he will lose compassion to losers and love to neighbors.  And people will try to be smarter than others in purchase of wealth and profits or in exercise of evil tricks.  The total aggregation of these behaviors and thoughts will surely make this world a kind of the hell.  It will make this world a place not worth living. 

In this context, money is an enemy of God.  People should think about God but not money.

However, living of successful priests, including the Pope, is based on big money, which cannot be accepted by God.


**** **** ****

Luk 5:9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
Luk 5:10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

"Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit" - Existence of God, Angels, Satan and Devils

Government Office District, Tokyo 

Existence of God, Angels, Satan and Devils

Billions people believe in God, the sole God in and outside the universe, at least superficially.

For examples, the Christian Bible depicts God and angels as well as Satan and devils.  So, Christians believe existence of God and angels as well as Satan and devils.  However, no schools, colleges, and universities directly handle these entities.

And, there are almost no news or reports on God and angels as well as Satan and devils.  For example, there must be a news report that God appeared to somebody in a certain town of a certain nation.  However, it is very rare that news Medias report that a miracle happened to somebody in a certain town of a certain nation, for example, the day before.  Moreover, it is very rate that people talk about their experiences to see God and angels as well as Satan and devils.  Even in churches, it is very rare that priests or reverend fathers talk about their experiences of encountering God and angels as well as Satan and devils, although one of main theme of the Bible is the relationship between men and God and angels as well as Satan and devils.

People might talk about weather as a kind of greeting.  But they don't say, for example, "God seems to be pleased today" or "Satan is trying his bad trick on us."

Probably, on the contrary, in the Kingdom of God, people must say, for example, "God seems to be pleased today" or "Satan is trying his bad trick on us" as a kind of expression for greeting.

We must start to talk about God and angels as well as Satan and devils on a routine base everyday. 

Conversely, if people don't believe existence of God and angels as well as Satan and devils, the Bible and other holy books must be a kind of nothing to them.  Conversely, if people behave as if the Bible and other holy books were a kind of nothing to them, they don't believe existence of God and angels as well as Satan and devils in the bottom of their minds, even if they call themselves Christians, Judaists, or Muslims.


**** **** ****


Mar 5:6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
Mar 5:7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
Mar 5:8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

"Blessed are the merciful" - Religion and Capitalism

Tokyo

Religion and Capitalism

According to Max Weber, Capitalism was realized based on Protestant Christianity:

Although not a detailed study of Protestantism but rather an introduction to Weber's later studies of interaction between various religious ideas and economics (The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism, The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism, and Ancient Judaism), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism argues that Puritan ethics and ideas influenced the development of capitalism. The 'spirit of capitalism' does not refer to the spirit in the metaphysical sense but rather a set of values, the spirit of hard work and progress.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism#Basic_concepts 

The Vatican teaches that men's work to be accepted by God must be based on faith.  If work or labor is based on faith, there is nothing to discuss any more.  Because God loves those who live based on faith, so that such men will be surely accepted in Heaven.  Only you have to do is to have strong faith and work based on the faith.  But hard work itself does not promise anything. 

However, Protestantism taught no matter what faith a man had, it is unknown whether God accepts him into Heaven.  Men are put in a state of uncertainty and doubt.  But, men who are destined to Heaven by God must behave different than others who are not.  And such a difference should appear in their living.  They must have stronger faith in God than others.  Accordingly, their behavior must be stronger than others'.  Believing that a man will be accepted by God into Heaven, the man should show his status in strong behavior.

In Protestantism, it is not their faith or Vatican's judgement but God's discretion that decides a man will be accepted in Heaven.  And, if a man believes that he is accepted, he should live strongly and work harder as can be seen clearly, since there are no other ways to make distinction between those who can believe that they are accepted by God and those who cannot, since faith cannot be seen clearly from the outside as with men's insides.  Hard work may not be accepted by God as a reason for Him to accept men into Heaven, but hard work by those already accepted by God will surely rejoice God.

Therefore, men in a state of uncertainty in terms of their salvation by God have to work hard to conquer the fear of not being accepted by God as if they believe that they would be surely saved.

However, this hard work is not for material wealth or profit.  It is a kind of desperate work without material aims.  It is because a man thinks that if he knew that he was chosen and accepted by God, he should show his thanks to God through strong behaviors or hard work based on strong faith.  And, if a man cannot think that he is not accepted by God and he will fall into the hell, he will not live with strength based on faith.  Because whatever he makes, it will be useless.  Being lazy means being not accepted by God.

If you are chosen by God, you have to show the joy though hard work based on strong faith.  This is the start of accumulation of capital that is not directly linked to any desire.  Uncertainty about salvation can be only conquered by believing that he is chosen by God and showing the confidence through strong behavior such as hard work.

Muslims have no such traditions.  Accordingly, they did not accumulate capital.  They cannot start capitalism.  Judaists can accept faith and hard work, since hard work can be a way to stick to their belief that God chose them, although God sometimes puts them in difficult situations, since living is working.   They can understand that they may as well think they have to show more gratitude to God, which might lead to hard work and accumulation of capital.


**** **** ****

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.