"a feast of the Jews, was nigh" - A Symbol of the Battle of Okinawa

The National Diet (Parliament) Bldg. of Japan, Tokyo

A Symbol of the Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa was fought in the last stage of WWII between March 26 to June 23, 1945.

Okinawa Island situated between the mainland Japan and Taiwan has a length of 107 km and a width of 31 km.  The population was a little less than 600,000 before WWII.

To defend the Okinawa Islands, Imperial Japan deployed 116,000 troops while the US dispatched 548,000 army and navy soldiers.  The Battle of Okinawa took 200,000 Japanese lives among which 94,000 were Okinawa citizens.  Through the Battle, 12,500 US soldiers were also killed.

After WWII, the US occupied Okinawa.  It was in 1972 that administrative right on Okinawa Prefecture was returned to the Japanese Government.  For this reason, there are today still many US military bases in Okinawa whose total area accounts for 10% of all the area of Okinawa Prefecture.

Okinawa is the only prefecture of Japan where ground battles were fought between Imperial Japanese troops and US troops.  And, the scale of damage and the number of civilian deaths were so large that Okinawa people have been critical to the central government of Tokyo.  They still remember that in the Battle of Okinawa they were expected by the Imperial Japanese military to commit suicide before being captured by US troops.  Accordingly, most of Okinawa citizens were prepared for death when the US started to invade Okinawa Island by mobilizing 1,500 ships.

The battles were actually ended on June 23 with the collapse of the headquarters of the Japanese garrison troops on June 23, but some isolated Japanese soldiers continued fight.  Even Okinawa citizens hiding in caves and the like hesitated to come out.  Most of houses, buildings, and utilities of Okinawa were demolished through three-month fierce fight.

But on June 25, a seven-year old girl suddenly appeared from a devastated field near the shore.  She was alone walking among other citizens who were walking to American troops for help now that the battles were over.  A US cameraman paid attention to her and took some pictures of her because she was carrying a white flag.  She looked like symbolizing the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa.



http://boyaki-555.at.webry.info/200910/article_3.html



http://blog.goo.ne.jp/musshu-yuu/e/418cd021c4cf3bddd4e904565153c3e7

These pictures were included in some American picture books issued after WWII.  And, decades later, an Okinawa woman who happened to find one of the books in a book shop saw herself in these pictures.  But she did not come forward to claim that the little girl carrying a white flag was herself.

However, as time went by, these pictures came to be widely known among Japanese and Okinawa people, resulting in various rumors and stupid stories circulated.  So, in 1987, Tomiko Higa wrote a book to tell the true circumstances about the picture.

Tomiko's mother had been dead already before the Battle of Okinawa. When the Battle started, her father left their home to join some activities to support Imperial troops.  He said to his four children (three girls and one boy), "When you die, show your smile to the enemy!"  The children never saw their father since then.  Tomiko was the youngest children of the family.  She was following her siblings to run away from battles.  But her brother died as a stray bullet hit him.  And in a turmoil and confusion, Tomiko was separated from her elder sisters.

So, Tomiko alone wandered through battle fields and safe shelters that were mostly caves.  She was sometimes rejected when she entered a safe cave as too many people were in it or Japanese soldiers did not like to protect civilians.  So, she alone moved around battle fields and demolished villages to eventually come to a half-hidden cave near the shore.  She met two old people there, an old man who lost his hands and legs and a blind old woman who was taking care of him.  Tomiko was allowed to stay there with the poor old couple.  Weeks passed, but they did not realize that the battles were actually ended on June 23.

But on June 25, American soldiers found the cave where the three hid and lived.  They shouted to the cave, "Come out! If you don't come out, we will blast this cave!"

The old man said to Tomiko that he and the blind woman were determined to die there in the cave but Tomiko must live.  The disabled old man had the blind woman make a white flag from his underwear and tie it to a stick of wood.   Tomiko asked the old man to allow her to stay with them and die together.  But the old man scolded her: "You must live.  Life is precious.  This white flag is a universal symbol of surrender.  American soldiers would not shoot you."

So, seven-year-old Tomiko alone came out of the cave carrying the white flag tied to a stick.  She looked impressive to an American cameraman accompanying US troops, since there were no such children carrying a white flag to surrender.  He took pictures of Tomiko who realized it.  She thought that she might be shot.  And she remembered that her father had told to die with smiling to the enemy.  So, Tomiko smiled and waved to the cameraman.


https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%99%BD%E6%97%97%E3%81%AE%E5%B0%91%E5%A5%B3


And, this picture became well known after WWII as a kind of symbol of tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa, though the little girl was not covering her face from fear but was smiling and waving as she expected to be shot to death by an American cameraman.




https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%96%E7%B8%84%E6%88%A6


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa


Note: The Imperial Japanese military virtually forbade its soldiers surrender, which meant to fight till death.  Accordingly, it was unthinkable that white flags were used for surrender by Japanese troops.  This paradigm was apparently forcibly applied to Okinawa citizens during the Battle of Okinawa.  White flags were what should not be used even by a poor little Okinawa girl.



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Joh 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
Joh 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

"the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon?" - Traditional Formality in East Asia

Fukushima Station, Japan

Traditional Formality in East Asia

Formality and etiquette were major factors in the Chinese imperial courts that were first established in the Xia dynasty (called Ka in Japanese; c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC) and continued till the fall of the last Chinese classic empire Qing dynasty (called Shin in Japanese; 1644 to 1912).

It is thought that they were introduced for the king of Xia to manage noble people.  And then, they were developed as means to govern other tribes around the nation Xia.  They became a main theme in the teaching of Confucius and other schools of Chinese philosophy.

Influences of respect for formality and etiquette can be even today seen in China, North and South Koreas, Japan as well as Taiwan.  They are still a unique feature in East Asia since the region has been strongly influenced by ancient Chinese culture and philosophy.

However, Europe, the Middle East, India, and South East Asia, in addition to Africa, have no such a high degree of respect for formality and etiquette as is observed in East Asia.

So, God might have chosen an ancient Chinese man instead of Abraham or an East Asian tribe in lieu of Hebrews.  But the fact that God chose Abraham and Hebrews must mean there is something more important than formality and etiquette having been observed in ancient Chinese courts and subsequent East Asian societies.

Yet, to understand East Asians, it is important to learn the spirit that has supported this tradition in East Asia, though modern China looks like abusing this tradition while modern Japan moderately keeps it in its social system with the imperial family at its center.

Traditional formality deeply rooted in the minds of Japanese is also mixed with mildness of the Japanese natural climate, resulting in formation of  Japanese composition as it is observed.  However, it lacks austerity of monotheistic religion like Judaism, Christianity or Islam.

Therefore, the formality Muslims observe when praying to God looks uniquely impressive to the eyes of the Japanese people.  Maybe most of Japanese people might respect Muslims, though cultural aspect of Islam is so foreign to the Japanese.




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Mar 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
Mar 6:4 But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

"certain of the Pharisees said unto them" - A God of Baseball Coming Down

Around Tokyo

A God of Baseball Coming Down

Baseball was first introduced into Japan by an American who was teaching in a school in Tokyo in 1871.  The school later developed to be the University of Tokyo.

The most powerful player in the history of the Japanese professional baseball is Sadaharu Oh who delivered total 868 home runs, though his nationality is Taiwanese (he had been born in Japan between the Japanese mother and the Chinese father in 1940).

Oh, who played in the Tokyo Giants all through his career, became a superstar in the Japanese professional baseball since he hit 55 homers in 1964 when one season had 140 games.  Since then, many pitchers avoided confrontation with Oh by giving him a walk.  For example, in the 1966 season, Oh was given a walk 41 times in addition to drawing a walk 142 times.  But not all the pitchers of opposite teams took these safety measures.

In one game in 1968, an American pitcher hired by an opposite team beaned Oh, since Oh looked in very good conditions though he always looked so at bat in those days  The ball did not hit Oh.  But a coach of the Giants got angry and into a scrimmage with the American pitcher with other players joining the clash.  Finally, the coach and the American pitcher were ordered to leave the ball park.  But a Japanese pitcher who took over beaned Oh, too.  This time, the ball hit the head of Oh who fell over and was soon carried to a hospital from the ball park by ambulance.

The whole ball park was thrown into an extraordinary and eerie atmosphere.  The rivalry between the Giants and the opposite team was always so tense, since the Giants represents Tokyo and the opposite team, the Tigers, represents Osaka, the biggest rival city of Tokyo. .

The next batter was Shigeo Nagashima, who is the most popular and loved player in the history of the Japanese baseball.  Nagashima was a kind of big brother to Oh in the team.  And the spectators got nervous, though in quite silence, since the pitcher who had struck the head of Oh with bean ball was still on the pitching mound.

The dangerous pitcher threw a ball at Nagashima who hit it over the fence into the bleacher seats.  Then, all the spectators felt relived, giving Nagashima a great cheer.

At the moment, some news reporter felt, as he wrote later, a god of baseball coming down to the ball park.

Shigeo Nagashima made this kind of drastic performance many times in his career as the leading batter of the Giants along with Oh till he retired in 1974 (Oh retired in 1980).  So, Nagashima became the player who represented the Japanese professional baseball.  Even today, he enjoys a good name and reputation not only in the baseball community but also in the whole nation.

Anyway, this episode of a baseball game in Japan in 1968 is one of examples where some Japanese feel a god coming down from Heaven to the ground.




Scrimmage in the 1968 baseball game between the Giants and the Tigers with Oh, the fourth from the left 
http://column.sp.baseball.findfriends.jp/?pid=column_detail&id=001-20160314-16


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Luk 6:2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?
Luk 6:3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;

"the will of the Father" - Proof of Existence of God?

Tokyo

Proof of Existence of God?

God created this universe, including the sun, the earth, and the moon.

God set various physical conditions in the structure of the universe and physical laws that work in the universe so that life would be created on the earth and living things evolved ultimately to the mankind.  And God sent spirit from Heaven to each human being so that human beings could be different from other species and behave like angels in Heaven.

But, if you cannot accept this theory, you would live in a manner against the teaching of God.

If there is no God, you can deny existence of Heaven.  You can even deny existence of the hell.  You will surely deny life after death.  Then, you will concentrate on living in this world.  You will think that life is only once and there is nothing after your death.  So, you will try to be rich as much as possible using basically any means.  You will have no compassion to the poor.

You would think that this universe was created only by chance.  The sun, the earth, and the moon were created all by chance.  And, you think that you were born only by chance as a member of the human species that happened to have intellectual ability.  You would even think that your mind happened to emerge.  And you think that there is no God that punishes you if you don't follow the teaching of God.

To be against God, you use your mind and the ability of thinking you think that you happen to possess.  But, you cannot explain how you have come to your mind and the ability of thinking.  You think that they were created all by chance.

However, all these things those who do not believe existence of God think cannot be proved.  It cannot be proved that all these things have really happened by chance.  You cannot prove that your mind was created by chance.  You cannot prove that you came to exist in this world by chance.  You cannot deny that all these things have been all created and arranged by God.

A simple proof that God exists is that even a human being like you with a limited level of ability and intelligence can exist or enjoy living, God with a much higher level of ability and intelligence must be able to exist or enjoy living.  At least you, an entity at a lower level, cannot deny God, an entity at a much higher level.  Even you with limited ability can happen to achieve living; then God with unlimited ability can surely achieve living.

As you now absolutely exist, God can absolutely exit.  And you cannot deny that you are allowed to live by God.  To believe existence of God and assume that God gave life to you is more natural than suppose that you happen to exist all by chance.  "Natural" means having a higher possibility.

The moment you accept existence of God or a great possibility of existence of God, you cannot be rich, since God or Christ Jesus teaches that men cannot serve both God and Mammon.

Most of rich men feel existence of Satan that recommends them to do evil things to be rich.  If they believe existence of Satan, they implicitly admit that God exists,  Then those rich men have voluntarily decided to become enemies of God.

Incidentally, the possibility that this universe can have such physical characteristics and constants as assure the formation of galaxies, stars, the sun, the earth, and living things on the earth is almost zero.  And the possibility of life on the earth evolving to the human species is also almost zero.  This universe and the mankind were apparently created by God for some mysterious special purposes.  We do not exist on the earth by mere chance.

Anyway, how can you deny existence of God, or why do you deny existence of God?




This equation cannot be established by mere chance.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/legacy-of-e-equals-mc2.html



APPENDIX: The Universe Tuned by God

The fine-tuned Universe is the proposition that the conditions that allow life in the Universe can only occur when certain universal fundamental physical constants lie within a very narrow range, so that if any of several fundamental constants were only slightly different, the Universe would be unlikely to be conducive to the establishment and development of matter, astronomical structures, elemental diversity, or life as it is understood...

If, for example, the strong nuclear force were 2% stronger than it is (for example, if the coupling constant representing its strength were 2% larger), while the other constants were left unchanged, diprotons would be stable; according to physicist Paul Davies, hydrogen would fuse into them instead of deuterium and helium.[9] This would drastically alter the physics of stars, and presumably preclude the existence of life similar to what we observe on Earth. The existence of the diproton would short-circuit the slow fusion of hydrogen into deuterium. Hydrogen would fuse so easily that it is likely that all of the Universe's hydrogen would be consumed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang... 

Epsilon (ε), a measure of the nuclear efficiency of fusion from hydrogen to helium, is 0.007: when four nucleons fuse into hydrogen, 0.007 (0.7%) of their mass is converted to energy. The value of ε is in part determined by the strength of the strong nuclear force.[13]If ε were 0.006, only hydrogen could exist, and complex chemistry would be impossible. According to Rees, if it were above 0.008, no hydrogen would exist, as all the hydrogen would have been fused shortly after the big bang.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-tuned_Universe

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Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

"thy whole body should be cast into hell" - Material Body vs. Spirit

Tokyo

Material Body vs. Spirit

The human body is all made of cells.  A cell is made of molecules and atoms.  Physically or materially, there is nothing else in human bodies.

But, each mass of cells or molecules and atoms, that is, a human body, has a mind and a heart.  And its brain functions to generate self consciousness or sense of self.  And, the mind works to make a man live not only in the material world but also in the spiritual world.

Although no matter what a man thinks in his brain in the spiritual world, its results are linked to the material world, a man's mind is linked to the spiritual world where Heaven and the hell exist.

So, human beings are entities that are shifting from the material world to the spiritual world by their work in their minds.  Therefore, we have to think about the spiritual world more.  And, the teaching of Christ Jesus is intended to guide human beings correctly through this path from the material world to the spiritual world and eventually to Heaven.

Indeed, Christ Jesus said that God is spirit.  And spirit is coming down from Heaven into the mind of a person.  It also means that human minds can sense spiritual entities.  Traditionally, human beings assumed that there exist some spiritual entities that are not fixed in material bodies.  Those entities have been also called ghosts that have no material bodies but possess spiritual minds that work like human minds.

The human minds can sense the spiritual world, but if a man becomes greedy and always tries to satisfy his material desire, he will lose the ability to sense the spiritual world or receive an influence from Heaven.

And the degree of how much one is materialistic and far from an influence of the Heaven can be measured by how rich he is.  Because money and wealth are used to satisfy owners' material desire.  The more one enjoys riches, the less one can be influenced by Heaven.

That is why rich men must not be leaders in a community, a society, and a nation.  But in reality, poor men cannot be a prime minister, a president, or a king in the human world.  So, that is why this world is always full of problems, troubles, tragedies, conflicts, and wars.

It also tells why financial, monetary, and economic policies cannot be solutions in the world.

But can all the men abandon all of their material desires and live under influence of Heaven as God wishes?  Probably no.  Therefor souls of most of men go to the hell when their souls are separated from their physical bodies after their death.

Human beings are made of molecules and atoms that are material parts.  But, they are given spirit to their minds by Heaven.  While they are living, they develop their souls which are spiritual.  After their death, souls are separated from the material bodies.  And there are only two places for the souls to go: Heaven and the hell.

When material civilization was not so developed 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, or 2000 years ago, people had more time to think about spiritual matters.  But modern people busy manipulating smart phones have less time to think about the spiritual things.  And people who do not have enough contact to the spiritual world might do any evil things to satisfy their desire.

If science and technology continue to evolve more rapidly in future, human beings without enough faith in God might do very terrible things to themselves using advanced scientific knowledge.  One of advanced products based on advanced science is nuclear weapons.  And another may be gene engineering.



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Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

"If I may touch but his clothes" - Spirit of a Man with a Red Cap on

 The Tokyo Station

Spirit of a Man with a Red Cap on

When an essayist in Japan felt psychologically uncomfortable, he went to a hospital to be checked by a psychiatrist, though it was not the first time to consult the medical doctor.

The psychiatrist said to his patient, "Your condition might be related to the incident that your mother died early in this year."

The essayist had once told the psychiatrist about the death of his mother.  So, he said, "In the early morning of the day when my mother died, I had a dream that my mother died without knowing that she would die in the day.  Do you believe such spiritual epiphany?"  The doctor replied:"I don't know."  But the patient saw a face of a friend in the face of the psychiatrist.

When the essayist was leaving the hospital, he saw a man with a red cap on coming at the entrance.   As the hospital was operated in an open ward system, he suspected that the man might be a hospital inpatient.  Then to his surprise, the man with a red cap on suddenly extended his hand to him, saying, "Yeah!" in a high-spirited manner  So, in a natural manner, the essayist extended his arm to shake hands with him, saying himself, "Yeah!"

Later, his daughter living and working in New York happened to come back to Tokyo.  Then, she faced a trouble in returning to the US, since some immigration rule of America was changed.  She had to spend several months in Tokyo, arranging her reentry and filling out necessary applications.

Finally, her application was accepted.  Now she could fly back to New York.  But her father, the essayist, could not see her off to an international airport.  He had to make a business trip to some local place in Japan.  So, when he started to go out leaving in the house her daughter who would soon fly away during his trip, he wanted to say farewell to her.  He extended his hand to her, saying, "Yeah!" in a high-spirited manner.   She looked puzzled for a moment.  But she also extended her hand to hold the hand of her father, saying, "Yeah!"

So, a young Japanese woman came back to New York with spirit refreshed, though she never knew that the spirit she had been handed to by her father came from a hospital inpatient with a red cap on in a certain mental hospital.

Indeed there is nothing useless in this world that was created by God.

 



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Mar 5:27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
Mar 5:28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
Mar 5:29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

"he said unto him, Follow me" - US President in Hiroshima

The Tokyo Station

US President in Hiroshima

US President Barack Obama visited today (May 27, 2016 in Japan Time) Hiroshima to show his concern about nuclear crises and nuclear threats.

(Due to the air bombardment with just one atomic bomb by the US military on Hirohima on August 6, 1945, 140,000 citizens, soldiers, and prisoners of war who happened to be in the west Japan city died immediately or gradually due to radioactive influences till December 1945.)

The reason why nuclear weapons pose so great challenges to humanity is that as its demolition power is so huge that its use means a kind of annihilation of not only enemy troops but also enemy civilians.

But before the use of atomic bombs onto Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, belligerent nations in WWII had adopted a kind of annihilation tactics: a large-scale blanket or carpet bombings.

The bombing of Dresden was a British/American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, that took place during the Second World War in the European Theatre. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city.[1] The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed over 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) of the city centre.[2] An estimated 22,700[3] to 25,000[4] people were killed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II

The Bombing of Tokyo, often referred to as a series of firebombing raids, was conducted as part of the air raids on Japan by the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaigns of World War II...
On the night of 9–10 March ("Operation Meetinghouse"),[12] 334 B-29s took off to raid with 279 of them dropping 1,665 tons of bombs on Tokyo. The bombs were mostly the 500-pound (230 kg) E-46 cluster bomb which released 38 napalm-carrying M-69 incendiary bomblets at an altitude of 2,000–2,500 ft (610–760 m). The M-69s punched through thin roofing material or landed on the ground; in either case they ignited 3–5 seconds later, throwing out a jet of flaming napalm globs. A lesser number of M-47 incendiaries was also dropped: the M-47 was a 100-pound (45 kg) jelled-gasoline and white phosphorus bomb which ignited upon impact. In the first two hours of the raid, 226 of the attacking aircraft unloaded their bombs to overwhelm the city's fire defenses.[13] The first B-29s to arrive dropped bombs in a large X pattern centered in Tokyo's densely populated working class district near the docks in both Koto and Chuo city wards on the water; later aircraft simply aimed near this flaming X. The individual fires caused by the bombs joined to create a general conflagration, which would have been classified as a firestorm but for prevailing winds gusting at 17 to 28 mph (27 to 45 km/h).[14] Approximately 15.8 square miles (4,090 ha) of the city was destroyed and some 100,000 people are estimated to have died.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Tokyo

No matter if conventional bombs are used, the aerial bombardment on a city is actually targeting citizens.  So, there is no difference between an attack on a city using one atomic bomb and an attack on a city using thousands of conventional bombs.

However, an air raid using hundreds or thousands of conventional bombs in on a city was an extension of an air raid to military installations.  The paradigm was not annihilation of citizens but destruction of buildings, facilities and functions of a city and military installations around the city.  It was not assumed that carpet bombing could kill all the residents in a city, since bombing could not be so dense and concentrated, though the Bombing of Tokyo triggered large-scale fires in down towns of Tokyo that killed so many human lives in addition to burning hundreds of thousands of houses and buildings.

But an air bombardment using one nuclear bomb is a different paradigm.  As it is apparent that the huge blast of the bomb could surely kill tens of thousands of people, a nuclear bomb attack means annihilation of residents in a city rather than demolition of city functions and military facilities or making enemy citizens lose the will to fight.

The modern warfare is all-out war.  Warring nations mobilize all the industrial power they have.  Therefore they target industrial bases of enemy countries including cities.  And they would finally target citizens of enemy countries, since human resources are also resources of their industry.  Against this background, the atomic bombs were developed and used by the US military onto the two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, of the Imperial Japan at the last stage of WWII.

Now any big city, such as New York, can be destroyed with hundreds of thousands of deaths by a few nuclear missiles, each of which is 100 times more powerful than the Hiroshima-type atomic bomb.  Therefore, the US and all the other nations in the world should stop keeping nuclear weapons and intimidating other nations with nuclear weapons.  The use of weapons imply not only the will to win a war but also an intention of killing children, women, old men, and all the noncombatants of cities and everywhere of an enemy country. 

And, it is absurd and evil for mankind to try to develop weapons more powerful than nuclear weapons.



Hiroshima after the atomic bomb attack in August 1945
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/setsuko-thurlow/70-years-after-hiroshima_b_7941322.html

Hiroshima before the atomic bomb attack
http://tsubaki352.at.webry.info/200808/article_1.html
Hiroshima before the atomic bomb attack
http://www.tooa.jp/hari-story.html
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Luk 5:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Luk 5:27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
Luk 5:28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

"the Father hath life in himself" - Aim in Life, Spiritual or Material

The Tokyo Station

Aim in Life, Spiritual or Material

People don't mind much how the world has been built through past decades, centuries, or tens of thousands of years.

It is as if one were thrown into a river and tried just to swim better without thinking about where the river came from and flowed to.  The person who has found that he is just in a river would just try to swim better so as not to die by drowning.  So, it is natural for men to try to tackle challenges posed to them in their daily life, which means for them to follow the norm and custom of the society where they were born in any era of history.

But of course people should think about why and how the world has developed to the present state without getting devoted to living better and earning money.

It means that people should learn history and traditions like even Christ Jesus sometimes referred to The Old Testament.  By learning the past history, men can judge a current situation meaningfully.

However, if one gets great knowledge about past things and a series of events along time, he may abuse it.  But to cope with such evil guys, people should learn history more.

Of course, without knowledge of history, one can avoid evil things and one may try to live as righteous as possible.  Conversely, with knowledge of history, evil one is still evil.  However, with right knowledge of history, most people can judge a present situation more correctly so as not to be misled by evil guys.

In this context, we have to know the origin of today's civilization, epoch-making events in the past, and specific historic incidents.

About 4600 years ago, great pyramids were built in Egypt, which might be regarded as the start point of the material civilization of the modern mankind.  About 4000 years ago, Abraham left the ancient city Ur in Mesopotamia, which might be regarded as the start of the spiritual culture of the modern mankind.  About 2500 years ago, Judaism, Buddhism, and Confucianism were established, which might be regarded as the start of religious conditions of the modern mankind.  About 2000 years ago, Christianity started to prevail.  About 1300 years ago, Islam started to emerge.  Today's world has been shaped in line with this history.

But the most decisive incident for the mankind in the past is that God sent His Son to the world who was called Christ Jesus 2000 years ago.

As God is almighty, the world today was conditioned by this unbelievable incident 2000 years ago.  Since the appearance of Christ Jesus means direct interference by God with the human world.  It cannot be neglected.

And, all these past great incidents tell us that men should not live simply pursuing wealth, happiness, and satisfaction of human desire.  Rather, these incidents suggest that we should be oriented more to spiritual matters rather than material matters.

Accordingly, an end of life of each man should not be realization of rich, safe, and happy life.

Rather, the aim in life for each man should be to understand why God gave life to him or her.  And, to realize the understanding, we have to be more spiritual with support from knowledge of our history. .




http://www.slideshare.net/jmseymour/world-history-characteristics-of-civilization-module-1


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Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

"The hour is coming" - Poetry Composing Tradition of Japan

The Tokyo Station

Poetry Composing Tradition of Japan

From the middle of the seventh century to the middle of the eighth century, a project to compile poetry books was carried out in Japan, collecting poets created by people in various classes such as farmers to imperial house members.  This series of poetry books, called the Manyoshu, consists of 20 volumes including total 4500 poets.　

The Man'yōshū (literally "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves", but see Name below) is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled sometime after 759 AD during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in a series of compilers, is today widely believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, although numerous other theories have been proposed. 

The collection is divided into twenty parts or books; this number was followed in most later collections. The collection contains 265 chōka (long poems), 4,207 tanka (short poems), one tan-renga (short connecting poem), one bussokusekika (poems on the Buddha's footprints at Yakushi-ji in Nara), four kanshi (Chinese poems), and 22 Chinese prose passages. Unlike later collections, such as the Kokin Wakashū, there is no preface.

In addition to its artistic merits the Man'yōshū is important for using one of the earliest Japanese writing systems, the cumbersome man'yōgana. Though it was not the first use of this writing system, which was also used in the earlier Kojiki (712), it was influential enough to give the writing system its name: "the kana of the Man'yōshū". This system uses Chinese characters in a variety of functions: their usual logographic sense; to represent Japanese syllables phonetically; and sometimes in a combination of these functions. The use of Chinese characters to represent Japanese syllables was in fact the genesis of the modern syllabic kana writing systems, being simplified forms (hiragana) or fragments (katakana) of the man'yōgana.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27y%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB

The Manyoshu is the oldest and largest collection of poetry in the world.  It is unique in that it includes poetry created not only by emperors and noble people but also by local farmers.  It shows a higher cultural standard in Japan before the eighth century.  It also tells that people were regarded as equal in the art of poetry in Japan in the eighth century.

One of the best poems in the Manyoshu is:
Tago-no-ura-yu uchidete-mireba mashiro-nizo,
fuji-no-takane-ni yuki-wa-furikeru

Stepping out to the Tago beach,
I can see the white high summit of Mt. Fuji,
with on the top snow just falling.

This was composed by Yamabeno Akahito who was an official travelling through a Pacific Ocean coast around Mt. Fuji in the eighth century.

Though letters used to write each poem in the Manyoshu were not Japanese unique kana letters but kanji characters imported from China, it is very rare in the world that not only noble men but also local farmers enjoyed composing poems for 1200 years.  This is one of unique aspects of the Japanese culture.

This tradition of composing poems developed to the art of poetry creation, call kado (the way of poet), that was established around 10th century.  Since then, composing poetry has been one of main arts in the Japanese society.  Even today, at the beginning of each year, the Emperor hosted a poetry party in the imperial palace in Tokyo.

Especially, the precedent emperor, called Showa Emperor, created 10,000 Japanese poems in his 88-year-long life.

There is one poem Showa Emperor (Hirohito) delivered on August 15, 1945, when the Imperial Japan surrendered to the US, which put an end to WWII.


Mi-wa-ikani narutomo-ikusa todomekeri,
tada-tafureyuku tami-o-omoite

No matter what I might become,
I have stopped this long war
Only for falling people I sorrow for.


No matter what role Showa Emperor played for the Pearl Harbor Attack in December 1941, he made his full efforts to stop the war against the US after the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Therefore, Hirohito had been emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989 (in the era of Showa in Japan) through the Second World War, while delivering 10,000 Japanese short poems, though only 900 of his poems have been made public so far as now.



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Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

"all men should honour the Son" - Church Goers vs Non-Goers in Presidential Election

A Pacific Coast Beach, West of Tokyo

Church Goers vs Non-Goers in Presidential Election

When you meet a stranger, you will surely try to see how evil the man is.

When you are young, you cannot easily judge how evil a stranger is.  But with experiences in society, you will have ability to judge how much you can trust or you should not trust a specific stranger.  This ability is essential for men to live in society.  Otherwise, they may become friends of criminals who are disguising themselves as honest men.  And, this condition is universal in any countries and any communities.

But Christ Jesus said not to judge a person by his appearance.  But you must pay attentions to how much righteous or evil he is.

However, people tend to respect rich men, successful men, and men with status who are dressed up or wearing expensive clothes.  It is completely wrong and against the teaching of God.  To trust someone by his appearance is Satan's teaching.  Especially those who wear expensive clothes other envy are against the teaching of God, since making others envy something is a sin.

That is why essentially priests, clergymen, bishops, cardinals, and the Pope have to wear humble clothes none would envy.

In the 2012 presidential election, voters who go to church more than once per week voted for Romney (63%) rather than Obama (36%).

You cannot tell how pious a voter is only by observing his/her appearance, even though frequency of going to church cannot fully tell how pious he or she is.  But if Romney had been elected as US President in 2012 as more pious voters wanted, Donald Trump must have no chances to prevail in 2016 as we see today.

2012 Presidential Election, Vote by Groups
Obama Romney
RELIGION
Protestants 45 55
Catholics                    56 44
Attend weekly 40 60
Attend monthly 53 47
Seldom/Never attend 63 37
http://www.gallup.com/poll/139880/election-polls-presidential-vote-groups.aspx

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Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

"whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause" - 65% of 70% Non-Hispanic White Voters

The Pacific Ocean West of Tokyo

65% of 70% Non-Hispanic White Voters

Liberalism, like that pursued by the American Democratic Party, is sometimes dangerous because it can be anti-Christ.

Wealth is an enemy of God as Christ Jesus said, but anti-ethics liberalism is also against the teaching of God.  Leftist liberalism regards sometimes traditional customs as something wrong.  However, there are many important traditions for human beings to keep a necessary moral standard.

Evil caused by wealth can be easily understood.  Poverty is a major source of social problems and crimes.  But, liberalism that denies traditional value systems is also damaging humanity and human soundness.

In this context, the American Republican Party supported by wealthy Americans cannot improve society, but the American Democratic party supported by liberal and anti-Christ minorities cannot make people righteous before God.

Donald Trump is a very wealthy man contaminated by capitalism and commercialism.  But his evil characteristics are easy to comprehend.  On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is supported by African Americans and non-elite white Americans.  She might look like more Christian as she supports poor African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities, but she also supports Americans who are too liberal and progressive to be regarded as Christians or believers of God.  Besides, the Clintons are making big money, leveraging their social status, which makes them enemies of poor Americans.

Now, the key to the 2016 presidential election is how non-Hispanic whites vote.  They account for 70% of all the voters.  If Trump is supported by 70% of them, he can secure 49% of all the votes without counting minority's votes.  Then Trump will win, since he can probably get 5%.of 30% minority's votes, which adds necessary 1% to 49%.

But if Trump is supported by only 60% of non-Hispanic whites, he can secure only 42% without counting minority's votes, which make his victory in the general election impossible.

If Trump is supported by 65% of non-Hispanic whites, he can secure 45.5% without counting minority's votes.  Then if he gets 15% plus of 30% minority votes, Trump can get totally more than 50% of all the votes.  But if he can get only 10% of 35%, Trump cannot win.

So, the point at issue is whether 65% or more non-Hispanic whites vote for Trump in the general election.  Probably 50% of them would vote for Trump because he is a white rich man.  And, to be against anti-Christ liberal Democratic movement, 15% of them might vote for Trump.

In conclusion, it will be non-Hispanic Christian Americans that should decide the case.


(In the 2012 presidential election, 59% of non-Hispanic whites voted for Romney while 39% of then voted for Obama.  So, it is unlikely that Trump will get 70% of them.  But 65% might be possible.)



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Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

"when Jesus was passed over again by ship" - Wolves and Sheep before God

A Pacific Coast Line 200 km West of Tokyo

Wolves and Sheep before God

Human beings want to be happy, rich, superior and respected.  But in what society do they want to be happy, rich, superior and respected?  In the society where they have to make others unhappy or neglect unhappy people for them to be happy, rich, superior and respected, they want to be happy, rich, superior and respected.  That is why being happy, rich, superior and respected is a proof of the sin of making others unhappy or neglecting unhappy people.

But there are differences in degrees of sinners.  From the worst:
1. Those who enjoy making others unhappy or neglecting unhappy people, needless to say they try hard to be happy, rich, superior and respected.
2. Those who don't mind making others unhappy or neglect unhappy people, so that they will do it as much as it is necessary for them to be happy, rich, superior and respected.
3. Those who don't like to  make others unhappy or neglect unhappy people, and they will do it only if it is necessary for them to be happy, rich, superior and respected.
4. Those who don't like to  make others unhappy or neglect unhappy people, and thus they avoid it as much as possible even if it hinders them in getting happy, rich, superior and respected.
5. Those who try to save and help unhappy people without trying themselves to be happy, rich, superior and respected.

The point at issue is that human beings should not want to be happy, rich, superior and respected, but they should follow teaching of God who would give them happiness, wealth, superiority, and respect at His will.

It means that Christ Jesus requests us to change our value system.  We should not live to be happy and successful in this society and to satisfy our desire in this world.  We should live to show full respect to God by following His teaching.

In other words, people are trying to be happy, rich, superior and respected like wolves, while followers of the God teaching are like sheep.  But these wolves are against God who created them.  Therefore, sooner or later the wolves will be punished no matter how much they become happy, rich, superior and respected in this world.

And, wolves and sheep are different species; there are no relationships between them.  It means that those who abandon being happy, rich, superior and respected due to the teaching of God will enter Heaven where those wolves cannot be admitted.

It also means that wolves have no ability to feel greatness and power of God, while sheep has.  If you can understand how great and powerful God is through this material world to the spiritual sphere, you would surely follow the teaching of God.  Compared with glory God promises His followers, worldly happiness, wealth, status, and fame are nothing.  So, the key is the ability to sense existence of God.  Wolves have lost or inherently lack this ability.  But those who are not a 100% wolf might repent and change their minds if they are taught truth.






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Mar 5:21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
Mar 5:22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
Mar 5:23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

"if any of you do err from the truth" - No Terror Issues in the World If...

A Pacific Ocean Shore 200 km West of Tokyo

No Terror Issues in the World If...

According to a study, 2,658 people were killed by terrorists around the world in 2014.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3322308/Number-people-killed-terrorists-worldwide-soars-80-just-year.html

However, violence involving guns in the US results in more deaths than those killed by terror.

Gun violence in the United States results in thousands of deaths and injuries annually.[1] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, firearms were used in 84,258 nonfatal injuries (26.65 per 100,000 U.S. citizens) [2] and 11,208 deaths by homicide (3.5 per 100,000),[3] 21,175 by suicide with a firearm,[4] 505 deaths due to accidental discharge of a firearm,[4] and 281 deaths due to firearms-use with "undetermined intent"[5] for a total of 33,169 deaths related to firearms (excluding firearm deaths due to legal intervention). 1.3% of all deaths in the country were related to firearms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States

So, it is not simple statistics that makes terror of today more alarming than violence involving guns in the US.

The following world map indicating degrees of danger caused by terror in countries show the significance of terror.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11629161/Mapped-The-countries-facing-the-greatest-threat-from-Islamic-extremists.html

Countries in green are safer, and countries in red are more dangerous in terms of terror attacks.

Developing countries almost mean countries with terror risk.  And most of developing countries are Islamic countries.  And some Islamic countries are big oil producers.  And the modern civilization depends on crude oil.  So, the issue of terror is one of major underlying challenges of the modern world.

But more alarmingly those countries under threats of terror are also countries with higher rates of poverty or higher rates of infant mortality.





Terror is from poverty.  And poverty is caused by wealthy people.  Or poor countries cannot be rich because wealthy countries do not help them.

Poverty and Islam are tow major factors of emergence of terror.  The opposite is rich and Christian countries where no terrorists emerge.

Conversely, rich Christians and Judaists are major causes for terror.  If Europeans and Americans are Muslims and poor, there must be no terror issues in the world.




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Jam 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jam 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

"they sought means to bring him in" - Japanese Paddy Agriculture

Paddy Fields around Tokyo

Japanese Paddy Agriculture

Wheat started to be cultivated in ancient Mesopotamia 8,000 years ago, though they made bread without fermentation.  At the same time, wheat was introduced into Egypt, but by chance ancient Egyptians found fermentation process that was adopted to their bread making.  Then this fermentation bread was imported to ancient Greece.  It paved the way for the ancient Greek-Roman Civilization.

The ancient civilizations in India was also established through wheat cultivation.  However in China, a civilization around the Yellow River, established 6,000 years ago, was based on wheat cultivatioｎ, but its another civilization around the Long River was established based on rice cultivation more than 10,000 years ago.

And, today there is a theory that rice cultivation was imported into ancient Japan from a region that belonged to the Long River Civilization about 3,000 year ago, though it was about 2,500 years ago that rice cropping started to prevail in Japan.

What is remarkable about Japan is that wheat cultivation never became a mainstream of its agriculture.  From ancient days to today, the Japanese have mainly cultivated rice.  No bread making from wheat was tried in Japan before its Westernization that started in the middle of the 19th century.

While the Chinese Civilization partly relied on wheat cultivation, the Japanese Civilization solely depended on rice cultivation.  In this context, Japan is the only major civilization that has developed solely relying on rice and paddy fields.  This is one of unique characteristics of Japan among developed countries and major countries in the world.

From one grain of rice, 200 grains are reproduced, while one grain of wheat produces only 20 grains.   From a same area of crop land, rice provides calories 1.6 times more than wheat does.  In addition to the natural environment suitable for rice cropping and making paddy fields, this efficiency of rice must make it the major staple for Japanese agriculture.

But, paddy agriculture is very different from wheat farming, which fostered uniqueness of the Japanese culture against Chinese and European cultures.  Rice cannot be grown in the concave-convex fields.  To fill the field with water, it must be even.  To set up a paddy field is not so easy as to plant seeds in grassy and uneven land.

As for uniqueness of the Japanese culture, Japanese did not experience full-scale hunting and stock raising era.  They entered the era of rice cropping after a hunting-gathering era.  The Japanese archipelago has no great plains or plain forests suitable for full-scale cattle breeding.

So, while wheat farming and experiences of hull-scale hunting and cattle breeding are common in the mainstream of the world, including Europe, India and China, Japan lacks such traditions.  But Japanese have been engaged in almost solely rice farming.

The key to understanding Japan and the Japanese is this tradition of paddy agriculture.

For example, sushi with rice and seafood is a result of this uniqueness.




Trend of Yield Amount of Rice in Japan
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/raichou/20120718/1342585287


Ranking of Rice Yield by Country

1	China	203,612,200
2	India	159,200,000
3	Indonesia	71,279,709
4	Bangladesh	51,500,000
5	Vietnam	44,039,291
6	Thailand	36,062,600
7	Myanmar	28,767,000	2
8	Philippine	18,439,406
9	Brazil	11,782,549
10	JAPAN	10,758,000

11	Cambodia	9,390,000	2
12	US	8,613,094

Rice bowl
http://kenkou-kokoro.com/archives/507



Wheat


Rice


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Luk 5:18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
Luk 5:19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

"not come to destroy, but to fulfil" - Question on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Pacific Ocean Coast 200 km West of Tokyo

Question on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo Prefecture has a public budget reaching 13 trillion yen ($125 billion).  It has 160,000 public servants.  Its GDP is about 92.4 trillion yen ($870 billion) equivalent to GDP of the 14th largest country in the world.

However it is estimated that if an M7-class earthquake occurred (whose probability is 70% in 30 years), Tokyo would suffer 23,000 deaths and economic damage worth 95 trillion yen.

But what the Japanese Government and the Tokyo prefectural office are doing is preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with total costs of 1.8 trillion yen ($17 billion).   What is worse, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear accident is not yet completely fixed while about 100,000 people are still in a state of evacuation in Fukushima Prefecture.

But is there any reason for Japan and Tokyo to venture on the Olympics despite the ongoing effect of the 2011 natural disaster and the Fukushima nuclear accident and the coming disaster?

It is a question for Japanese too difficult to answer now.


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Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

"him that was possessed with the devil" - Haiku Genius Shiki Masaoka

Tokyo-Nagoya Expressway

Haiku Genius Shiki Masaoka

Haiku is a form of Japanese poems, now worldly learnt and practiced.

The most famous author or haiku poet in the history of the Japanese modern literature is Shiki Masaoka, one of the best friends of notable author Soseki Natsume.

Masaoka Shiki (October 14, 1867 – September 19, 1902), pen-name of Masaoka Noboru),[2] was a Japanese poet, author, and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry.[3] He also wrote on reform of tanka poetry.

Some consider Shiki to be one of the four great haiku masters, the others being Matsuo Bashō, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaoka_Shiki

Shiki Masaoka suffered from illness for a long period time, though he wrote many works while he was forced to stay in his home due to illness.

One night he saw a dream.  There was one dying animal.  It was crying hard, being afraid of its death.  Then, there came a rabbit.  The rabbit showed extreme sympathy to the animal, extending its fore-paw to the animal that held it and put it in its mouth.  And then, the animal died in peace and calmness.  Then, there was another animal dying and crying.  Again, the rabbit approached it, extending its fore-paw to the animal that held it and put it in its mouth.  And then, the animal died in peace and calmness.  Then there was another...

When he woke up, Shiki could not help but recall the dream.


Shiki argued what were commonplace haiku and what were not.

According to Shiki Masaoka, commonplace haiku are descriptive in presenting a scene or a situation without much mind of a poet or without much art of handling a subject.


Splitting firewood all alone
Is my younger sister as if
keeping insides for the winter
- Shiki Masaoka

Shiki Masaoka, when he was still healthy, called his mother and younger sister from his local home town to Tokyo so that they could live together, though his father had died many years ago.  But after Shiki became sick, they devoted themselves to care of him.  According to Shiki, his sister was a very tough and cool woman.




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Mar 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Mar 5:16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

"the prayer of faith shall save the sick" - The Holocaust and Islamic Wars

Mt. Fuji, Japan

The Holocaust and Islamic Wars

Pious Muslims pray to God five times or so a day.  Muslim women covered their hair and skins with veils or so.  They don't even drink alcohol, at least, so openly.

But contemporary Christian Europeans and Americans do not pray to God so often and their women love to expose their skins.  They have no restriction on drinking alcohol and some of them are drug addicts.

What is worse, under the slogan of liberal or progressive today's Western culture accept abnormal men and women, which Muslims cannot accept.

So, it seems reasonable that God loves Muslims and hates Europeans and Americans.  Accordingly, Satan is attacking Muslims, which can be seen in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.  The more Muslims suffer, the more Satan with corrupt Europeans and Americans is rejoiced.

This is one way of interpretation of the global situation of today from a viewpoint of true religion.

Put simply, the core of Judaism and Christianity has been contaminated by Western material civilization that produced capitalism, commercialism, and worship of money.  But why don't they perish and get terminated, while Europeans and Americans are so rotten and corrupt, being brainwashed by Satan?

The answer is the Holocaust that occurred in WWIII with six million Judaists executed by Nazis.  The aftershock was so grave among Europeans and Americans.  This grave trauma was engraved in the minds and hearts of Europeans and Americans.  It has had effect of protecting them from Satan who wanted to make Europeans and Americans make more wars and kill one another as much as possible.  The reason why the Third World War has not occurred to date is the remaining aftershock of the Holocaust.

No matter how much corrupt and rotten Europeans and Americans, they are still under effect of the Holocaust.  That is why order and law are observed, and total destruction of morals and ethics are prevented in Europe, America and other nations ruled by mostly by the European race.
Today's wars, civil wars, and armed conflicts in the Islamic world must work like the Holocaust.  Its aftershock will be so grave and deep that future Muslims would be prevented from getting corrupt and rotten like the European race.  Of course, this discussion is based on the assumption that the Islamic world will be also modernized and industrialized, getting under influence of capitalism, commercialism, and worship of money as we see in Dubai.

Economies of the ummah
SAKIB SHERANI — PUBLISHED AUG 12, 2013 08:05AM

The most authentic list comes from the seminal 2010 study by the Pew Research centre, which lists Muslim-majority countries at 49. Including the Muslim population of countries that have a large Muslim minority cohort, such as India and Nigeria among others, the combined total of adherents to Islam is around 1.62 billion, or roughly 23pc of the world population. 

Muslim countries account for 21.7pc of the world’s land mass, with the largest Muslim country in terms of geographic size being Kazakhstan. It is followed by Algeria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. 

Nearly 22pc of the Muslim population of the world resides in the Arab countries, while almost 1.3 billion Muslims are residents of the remaining Muslim-majority countries.

The aggregate size of the economies of all Muslim countries put together is around $5.7 trillion — or 8.1pc of the world total. The largest economy in the Islamic world is Indonesia with a size of $846 billion, followed by Turkey ($775bn) and Saudi Arabia ($577bn). Iran is the only other Muslim country with a GDP larger than $500bn.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1035026

At least there is potential for economic success in the Islamic world.  The key to success must be a change of the Islamic paradigm.  For example, if Muslims are given another Koran that recommends them to import the essence of the Western civilization, apart from religious aspects, future Muslims might leverage science and technology developed in the Western world more smoothly.



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Jam 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.