I do not believe that a special redeemer is needed to save humanity. Christ in God did his part to bring drifting humanity ashore. Now it is our turn imbued with God consciousness and living in union with God to nudge derailed humanity back on the tracks. I do not believe in hell as I cannot think of God, an infinitely loving Father/Mother, sending somebody to hell for eternal damnation. Instead of hell I do postulate some setting for purification or consciousness modification. The powerful parables and stories that Christ narrated and reported by his disciples and evangelists in Gospels are meant for metanoia (change of mind; conversion) to the Kingdom of God Christ, while going about doing good, communicated his all-consuming, passionate message about the necessity of turning to and working for the Kingdom of God full time rather than get lost in worldly distractions, pursuits, amassing wealth, recognition, approval, acceptance, and glory, which is nothing else but an illusion or maya.
Buddha also conveyed his message of compassion, detachment, and liberation from misery and unhappiness in neat homely stories. He did not want anybody to follow him. He wanted everybody to be enlightened (buddha) like him. When Hinduism was being dragged in the mud especially by arrogant Westerners, Vivekananda captured the soul of Hinduism and conveyed the sanatana dharma in its pristine purity to the West and the East. Narayana Guru dared to challenge the evil caste system and was undeterred in dismantling one of the most vicious systems of serfdom ever devised by the Brahmins to keep the majority of humans in India in oppressive servitude. He was bold enough even to challenge the varnashrama (performance of social duties based on caste) of Gandhi, the most powerful Indian leader of the time when Gandhi visited him. In the final years of his life he is reported to have been saddened by the direction the organization (SNDP) he had guided was taking.
Gandhi moved religion as a ministry of service, truth, and no-violence even into the arena of politics. Thus religion representing the best aspirations in humans, religion as the best way of being with God and humans, religion as the best ministry of compassion, service, love, and realization pointing to realities beyond this world, was liberated from the corrupt, vested interests of establishments and institutions, fossilized rites and rituals, and dogmatic edicts and proclamations, and lifeless motions. Religion liberated from muck by reformers is tantamount to spirituality. Currently religion can be compared to a heart with clogged arteries that may not be saved even with surgical bypasses.
Men like Christ, Buddha, Gandhi, Socrates serve as eminent models to steer and guide humanity to its destination. It is important that all study at least the major religions, and glean and gather what is necessary from them for their spiritual food and guiding light. Ideally a body of spiritual guides can provide enlightened consultative services for the best course humanity needs to take. Since that may not be feasible, a college or council of religious heads in the world who can serve as a consultative and guiding body for the administrators elected from various nations to run the temporal affairs of this world is strongly advocated. It would be something similar to the United Nations. No veto power for anybody. There is no place for hierarchical arrangements jockeying for power and control. The members of the council of religious heads, who will agree among themselves for a minimum necessary and required program for the world, will be characterized by love and genuine service, humility and search for truth, and not by a preoccupation with who is more important, who is more doctrinally pure, and who has the one true religion. Let people in true freedom and conscience choose what is best for them with God’s grace. The main strength of the pure sanathana dharma equated with the best in Hinduism lies in letting people choose their own path of enlightenment and realization in true freedom. Where there is true love, all the distinctions and all that separates one from another become irrelevant.
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"Lead me from the unreal to the real, Lead me from darkness to light, Lead me from death to immortality, Om, peace, peace, peace..." (Rigveda)
" So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7, 12)
Programming, Deprogramming, and Reprogramming the World – 10