Why Has God Created a World in Which There Is Suffering? part4
Wed, 01/30/2008 - 13:30 — admin
TEACHER: Your questions lead us right into point four. And the answer to them begins with the assertion that we should not expect to see the vast majority of earthly citizens engaging themselves in devotional service to God, since the material world happens to be that portion of God’s kingdom which has been set aside for those who do not wish to serve Him. Just as one would not expect to find many sane people in an insane asylum, or very many honest men in a prison, similarly one shouldn’t expect to find a great number of dedicated servants of God here in the material world. In every country, a certain location-namely, the prison-has been set aside for those citizens who have chosen to go against the laws of that country. Inside the prison, you will find that an exceedingly high percentage of the occupants are dishonest persons. In respect to the overall population, however, the prison population is only a small minority, and a neutral observer would not make the mistake of judging the whole country simply on the basis of the quality of those persons who live in the prisons.
If one only has the vision to see within the prison walls, then something may appear to be amiss; but if his scope of vision encompasses not only the prison, but what lies beyond it, then he will have a correct perspective.
Our proposal that the material world has been created by God as a place of existence for those who have chosen not to serve Him entails the introduction of two additional concepts:
The existence of a spiritual world inhabited solely and wholly by the Supreme Person and His intimate servants, and
A fall or exit from that spiritual world, and a corresponding entrance or appearance in this world, by the individuals who currently reside here. This exit from the spiritual world occurs at the moment the individual chooses not to serve God. The concept of a ‘fall from grace’ by the soul can be found in numerous philosophies and religions. In itself, this concept is not sufficient to unravel the mystery of evil, but when viewed in connection with God’s purpose in allowing this fall to take place, it certainly sheds a great deal of light on the subject. The Old Testament, the writings of Plato, the Vedic literature, the Book of Mormon, etc., all speak of the spiritual world in which the soul resided before coming to the material dimension. Plato, for example, speaks of the soul “losing her wings” and thus becoming overcome by evil and taking on first a human body, and then slipping lower into the animal species.13
Recent studies at the Oak Ridge Atomic Research Center have revealed that about 98 percent of all the atoms in a human body are replaced every year. You get a new suit of skin every month and a new liver every six weeks. The lining of your stomach lasts only five days before it’s replaced. Even your bones are not the solid, stable, concrete-like things you might have thought them to be: They are undergoing constant change. The bones you have today are different from the bones you had a year ago. Experts in this area of research have concluded that there is a complete, 100 percent turnover of atoms in the body at least every five years. In other words, not one single atom present in your body today was there five years ago.*MICHAEL: If the natural function of the soul is serving God, why are there so few people in this world who are seriously engaged in this activity? If rendering service to God is beneficial to the individual soul, why have so many chosen not to do it? Why do the majority of people (even the religious ones) really seem to be living for themselves and not for God?
Science of Identity Foundation – Siddhaswarupananda
* Taken from Guy Murchie, The Seven Mysteries of Life (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1978), pp. 321-22.
TEACHER: Your questions lead us right into point four. And the answer to them begins with the assertion that we should not expect to see the vast majority of earthly citizens engaging themselves in devotional service to God, since the material world happens to be that portion of God’s kingdom which has been set aside for those who do not wish to serve Him. Just as one would not expect to find many sane people in an insane asylum, or very many honest men in a prison, similarly one shouldn’t expect to find a great number of dedicated servants of God here in the material world. In every country, a certain location-namely, the prison-has been set aside for those citizens who have chosen to go against the laws of that country. Inside the prison, you will find that an exceedingly high percentage of the occupants are dishonest persons. In respect to the overall population, however, the prison population is only a small minority, and a neutral observer would not make the mistake of judging the whole country simply on the basis of the quality of those persons who live in the prisons.
If one only has the vision to see within the prison walls, then something may appear to be amiss; but if his scope of vision encompasses not only the prison, but what lies beyond it, then he will have a correct perspective.
Our proposal that the material world has been created by God as a place of existence for those who have chosen not to serve Him entails the introduction of two additional concepts:
The existence of a spiritual world inhabited solely and wholly by the Supreme Person and His intimate servants, and
A fall or exit from that spiritual world, and a corresponding entrance or appearance in this world, by the individuals who currently reside here. This exit from the spiritual world occurs at the moment the individual chooses not to serve God. The concept of a ‘fall from grace’ by the soul can be found in numerous philosophies and religions. In itself, this concept is not sufficient to unravel the mystery of evil, but when viewed in connection with God’s purpose in allowing this fall to take place, it certainly sheds a great deal of light on the subject. The Old Testament, the writings of Plato, the Vedic literature, the Book of Mormon, etc., all speak of the spiritual world in which the soul resided before coming to the material dimension. Plato, for example, speaks of the soul “losing her wings” and thus becoming overcome by evil and taking on first a human body, and then slipping lower into the animal species.13