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Re: Re: Was Jesus a Pure Devotee?
Nathan Parker (nparker@crl.com) wrote:
ken stuart (ken_stuart@macshasta.snowcrest.net) wrote:
: of ISKCON or Evangelical Christianity or Fundamentalist Islam, they work
: since God is only interested in the faith and love component, and doesn't
: care about theological concepts, no matter whether they are true or false.
: THUS, since the devotee receives real fruits from his devotion, he
foolishly
: believes that all his intolerant theological concepts are thereby validated
: as true.
: Ken
>I am curious as to on what you base your ideas that God doesn't care about
>any philosophy. Is it on a scripture or is it from your head or perhaps
>from one of the many "Bhagavans"?
Most clearly is:
>From the Bhagavad Gita As It Is (9:30):
"One who is engaged in devotional service, even if he commits the most
abominable actions, is to be considered saintly because he is rightly
situated.
PURPORT
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that if a person falls down but is
wholeheartedly engaged in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, the
Lord, being situated within his heart, purifies him and excuses him from that
abomination."
Now I am not talking about abominable actions, just having small wrong
theological views. Thus, Krishna devotees, Muslims, Jehovah's witnesses,
Jews and Universalists, all cannot be 100% correct because their theological
views are incompatible.
But they ALL can be devoted to the transcendental service of the Supreme
Lord. Thus, they all receive the confirmation in their lives that such
devotion is indeed the best possible thing.
BUT, since 99.9 % of such devotees have only experienced this through one
path, then they automatically assume that every little detail of this path is
correct. Then, when they see that other paths have different minor details,
they assume that these other paths cannot work. The main reason for this is
that devotion and its fruits are entirely subjective and one cannot tell
directly that people on other paths also experience the same thing.
Here are some other scriptural quotes:
>From the New Testament (Luke 23:32,33,42,43):
"Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with
him."
"And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they
crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left."
"One of the criminals....said,"Jesus remember me when you come into your
kingdom."
"And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you , today you will be with me in
Paradise."
This criminal was clearly not a scholar and obviously had never seen the
Bible. :-)
All that was needed was that he had faith in the Christ.
>From the Bhagavad Gita As It Is (12:8):
"Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage
all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a
doubt."
"Just" clearly means don't bother with anything else.
None of this is to say that theology and understanding is automatically bad
and counterproductive (although it can be for some people). For many, if not
most people, it is helpful in figuring out that devotion is the best path.
:-)
Saint Thomas Aquinas spent years writing the definitive Catholic theology.
Then he renounced it all for the path of devotion.
Hari Bol !
Ken
ken@macshasta.com
