Origin The Challenge to the Global Community of Religions
"In this new ecological age of developing global community and interfaith dialogue, the world religions face what is perhaps the greatest challenge that they have ever encountered. Each is inspired by a unique vision of the divine and has a distinct cultural identity. At the same time, each perceives the divine as the source of unity and peace. The challenge is to preserve their religious and cultural uniqueness without letting it operate as a cause of narrow and divisive sectarianism that contradicts the vision of unity and peace. It is a question of whether the healing light of religious vision will overcome the social and ideological issues that underline much of the conflict between religions." ~ Dr. Steven C. Rockefeller, Middlebury College, Spirit and Nature, p. 169
CONTENTS | INVOCATION | INTRODUCTION | PROLOGUE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21
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INVOCATION

Synopsis
Title Page
This Archive
Advisors and Contributors
Foreword by Ninian Smart
How to obtain a printed (hardbound/paperback) version

PROLOGUE:
MANY PATHS TO ONE GOAL

The Truth in Many Paths
Tolerance and Respect for All Believers

INTRODUCTION
The Purpose of World Scripture
The Organization of World Scripture
The World's Religions and Their Scriptures
Acknowledgements
Notes

ESSAY:
World Scripture and Education for Peace

PART ONE:
Ultimate Reality and the Purpose of Human Existence

CHAPTER 1: Ultimate Reality
Traces of God's Existence
The One
Formless, Emptiness, Mystery
Transcendent, All-Pervasive Reality
Sovereign and Omnipotent
Omniscient
Immanent and Near at Hand
Eternal -- in a World of Transience
The Creator
Goodness and Love
Divine Father and Mother

CHAPTER 2: Divine Law, Truth, and Cosmic Principle
Eternal Truth
Moral Law
The Decalogue
The Golden Rule
Polarity, Relationality, and Interdependence
Cosmic Justice

CHAPTER 3: The Purpose of Life for the Individual
Joy and Happiness
For God's Good Pleasure
Image of God and Temple of God
Inborn Goodness and Conscience
Original Mind, No Mind
Perfection
True Love

CHAPTER 4: The Purpose of Life in the Family and in Society
The Family
Parents and Children
Husband and Wife
Friendship
Unity and Community
Equality
The People of God
The Ideal Society

CHAPTER 5: The Purpose of Life in the Natural World
The Sanctity of Nature
Reverence for Life
The Microcosm
Dominion
The Lord of Spirits
Creation Rejoices

CHAPTER 6: Life Beyond Death and the Spiritual World
The Spiritual World: Mystery, Multiplicity, Analogy, Harmony
The Immortal Soul
Prepare Now for Eternity
Passage Beyond
Heaven
Hell
Spiritual Benefactors
Spiritual Error and the Occult

PART TWO:
Evil, Sin, and the Human Fall

CHAPTER 7: The Human Condition
Ill
The War Within
Ignorance
Idolatry
Pride and Egotism
Selfish Desire, Lust, and Greed

CHAPTER 8: Fall and Deviation
The Human Fall
Demonic Powers
Heresy
Degraded Human Nature
God's Grief

CHAPTER 9: The Major Sins
Good and Evil
Adultery
Murder
Theft
Lying and Deceit
Hypocrisy
Slander, Gossip and Foul Speech
Addiction

PART THREE:
Salvation and the Savior

CHAPTER 10: Salvation-Liberation-Enlightenment
Grace
Universal Salvation
Atonement and Forgiveness of Sins
Healing
Liberation
Enlightenment
Crossing the Waters
Reversal and Restoration
Peace
Help and Deliverance
The Refining Fire
Born Anew
Eternal Life
The Unitive State

CHAPTER 11: The Founder
Call and Awakening
Rejected by the World
The Victor
He Who Subjugates Satan
The Revealer of Truth
The Man for Others
The Living Presence
The Person and Character of the Founder: Divine Person
Human Person
The Succession of Founders and Messengers

PART FOUR:
The Religious Life

CHAPTER 12: Responsibility and Predestination
Decision
Individual Responsibility
Synergy
Predestination
Karma and Inherited Sin
Duty

CHAPTER 13: Self-cultivation and Spiritual Growth
Spiritual Growth
Cultivate the Good
Sincerity
Purity
Self-Control
Preparing the Start
Vigilance
Perseverance and Patience

CHAPTER 14: Faith
Faith
Devotion and Praise
Fear, Submission, and Obedience
Anxiety
Gratitude
Argument with God

CHAPTER 15: Wisdom
The Search for Knowledge
Scripture and Tradition
Poverty of Conceptual Learning
Scripture Teaches in Parables
Learning and Practice
Teacher and Disciple
New Wine and Old Wineskins

CHAPTER 16: Worship
Prayer
The Name of God
Meditation
Ritual
Beyond Ritual

CHAPTER 17: Offering and Sacrifice
Offering
Donations
Self-Sacrifice
Persecution and Martyrdom

CHAPTER 18: Self-Denial and Renunciation
Self-denial and No-self
Repentance, Confession, and Restitution
Humility
Restraint and Moderation
Control Anger
Subdue Desires and Passions
Detachment from the Senses
Renunciation of Wealth
Asceticism and Monasticism
Separation from Family
Separation from the World

CHAPTER 19: Live for Others
Loving-kindness
Serving Others
Sacrificial Love
Giving and Receiving
Charity and Hospitality
Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Judge Not
Love Your Enemy
Turn the Other Cheek
Good Deeds
Labor and Industry
Honesty and Expediency
Witness

PART FIVE:
Providence, Society, and the Kingdom of Heaven

CHAPTER 20: Good Government and the Welfare of Society
The Pillars of Society
The Prophet and Reformer
War Against Evil
Respect for Legitimate Governments
Government by Divine Law
Consideration for the People
Leadership by Example and Honest Government
Judgments and Punishments
Providence and the Mandate of Heaven

CHAPTER 21: Eschatology and Messianic Hope
Tribulation
The Last Judgment
The Messiah
The Kingdom of Heaven

Interspirit Network for global illumination
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CHAPTER 14, FAITH
FEAR, SUBMISSION, AND OBEDIENCE

       In this section are gathered representative passages on the fear of
God, submission to God, and obedience to God's will.  The fear of God
sometimes means to serve God out of fear of punishment, as in the passage
from the Upanishad on the fearsomeness of Shiva and from the African
traditional ritual of Ofo.  But usually the fear of God is a more exalted
emotion, an awe and respect for Ultimate Reality who has graciously
provided for our lives.  Fear includes the notions of duty and loyalty to
God, who is worthy of all service because of his continual blessings and
help.  It includes the idea of awe and respect, since God is awesome,
mighty, and wonderful.  It also includes the notions of shame and the fear
of the consequences of sin, which guard people from unseemly behavior and
sins which would cause injury to themselves.

       Submission or surrender to God is a theme especially prominent in
Islam, whose name means Submission; but it is also an important theme of
Vaishnavite Hinduism, wherein surrender to Krishna is regarded as the core
teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.  The virtue of obedience to God is
particularly significant in the Abrahamic religions, which envision God as
a Person who acts in history and in the lives of individuals.  In Eastern
religions we also find passages calling us to conform to the will of
Heaven and to conform our will to the nature of Ultimate Reality.


O you who believe!  Fear God as He should be feared, and die not except in
a state of islam.

                           Islam.  Qur'an 3.102

- - - - - - - - - - - -
Qur'an 3.102: Cf. Qur'an 2.130-36, p. 757; Hadith of Tirmidhi and Ibn
Majah, p. 465.
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And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep
the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I [Moses] command you
this day for your good?

                      Judaism.  Deuteronomy 10.12-13


The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.

                  Judaism and Christianity.  Psalm 25.14


Call on Him with fear and longing in your hearts: for the Mercy of God is
near to those who do good.

                            Islam. Qur'an 7.56


To fear God and commune with Him is the whole secret of faith for those
who serve the cause of the true God.

                       Omoto Kyo.  Michi-no-shiori


The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.

                 Judaism and Christianity.  Habakkuk 2.20


Divine things,
Proceeding from the mind
  Of the unseen kami--
How awesome, and
Not to be taken lightly!

    Shinto.  Norinaga Motoori, One Hundred Poems on the Jewelled Spear


Shiva, the sovereign of the gods, He in whom all the worlds rest, He who
rules over all two-footed and four-footed beings, to that god let us
sacrifice an oblation.

"Thou art unborn," with these words some come near to Thee, trembling.  O
Rudra, let Thy gracious face protect me for ever! O Rudra! hurt us not in
our offspring and descendants, hurt us not in our own lives, nor in our
cows, nor in our horses!  Do not slay our men in Thy wrath, for, holding
oblations, we call on Thee always.

              Hinduism.  Svetasvatara Upanishad 4.13, 21-22


- - - - - - - - - - - -
Deuteronomy 10.12-13: Cf. Exodus 14.30-31, p. 751; Deuteronomy 6.20-8.20,
p. 1084.  Psalm 25.14: The Covenant is the agreement defining the
relationship between God and Israel, and by extension to all people, with
its specific obligations and promised blessings for obedience, curses for
disobedience. Qur'an 7.56: Cf. Qur'an 8.2-4, p. 751; Hadith of Darimi, p.
828; Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 67, p. 338.  Habakkuk 2.20: This expresses the
awesome sense of the numinous.  Cf. Kikuya Prayer, p. 779.
- - - - - - - - - - - -


This Ofo we have come today to consecrate you.  You will start today to be
effective.  Anybody that has poison that can kill, any man or woman or
anybody who steals and denies it, if he is brought and if this Ofo is
brought and he or she swears on it may you kill him or her.  Anybody that
commits an incest or any other kind of abomination against the earth deity
may this Ofo kill him.

You the holder of this Ofo, if you commit any of these crimes may this Ofo
kill you.  Earth goddess you have heard.  Thunder you have heard.
Ebirike, our ancestors have you heard?  Yam goddess listen, water spirit
and the spirit of the latrine, you have all heard.  Be our witness today
that anybody who commits abomination should die!  I think I am correct?
Yes!

        African Traditional Religion.  Igbo Consecration (Nigeria)


May your fear of Heaven be as strong as your fear of man!

                      Judaism.  Talmud, Berakot 28b


The fear of God is mighty and of great weight.
Egoism is worthless and just vociferous.
Walk under the weight of such great fear;
And through Divine grace obtain knowledge of God.
None crosses the ocean of existence unless he bear fear;
Through fear the fear-directed life is beautified with divine love.
Through fear of God, the fire of fear blazes in the human frame.
Through fear of God and love is molded spiritual beauty.
Without fear of God all that is uttered is misshapen and worthless--
The mold and the shaping strokes both blind....

Through fear of God vanish worldly fears.
The fear of God which eliminates all other fear--
       how may it be called fear?
No other resting place is except Thee;
All that happens is Thy will.
One might be afraid of it if anything other than God held any fear--
To be shaken with such fears is sheer perturbation of mind.

                 Sikhism.  Adi Granth, Gauri, M.1. p. 151


- - - - - - - -
Svetasvatara Upanishad 4.13, 21-22: Shiva has many aspects, one of which
is the God of destruction.  In this fearful aspect he is worshipped in
this passage from the Upanishads.  Rudra is an epithet of Shiva.  Igbo
Consecration: The Ofo stick is a central religious symbol of the Igbos. It
represents the connection between the human world and the spiritual world,
and is used to connect with spiritual power, give blessings, empower
curses, solemnize oaths, enforce justice, and bring the collective wisdom
and power of the ancestors to bear on social and political decisions.  Cf.
Igbo Trial, p. 372.  Berakot 28b: For a Chinese story about someone who
had no fear of heaven, see Treatise on Response and Retribution, pp. 374f.
Cf. Analects 3.13, p. 827.
- - - - - - - - - - - -


The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

                 Judaism and Christianity.  Proverbs 9.11


He in whom the fear of sin comes before wisdom, his wisdom will endure;
but he in whom wisdom comes before the fear of sin, his wisdom will not
endure.

                       Judaism.  Mishnah, Abot 3.11


Monks, two bright things guard the world: shame and fear of blame.  If these
two bright things did not guard the world... the world would fall into
promiscuity, as is the case with goats, sheep, poultry, pigs, dogs, and
jackals.

                         Buddhism.  Itivuttaka 36


Whosoever submits his will to God, while doing good, his wage is with his
Lord, and no fear shall be upon them, neither shall they sorrow.

                           Islam.  Qur'an 2.112


Abandon all supports and look to me for protection.  I shall purify you
from the sins of the past; do not grieve.

                      Hinduism.  Bhagavad Gita 18.66


He who submits to the yoke of the Torah liberates himself from the yoke of
circumstance.  He rises above the pressures of the state and above the
fluctuations of worldly fortune.

                       Judaism.  Mishnah, Abot 3.6


"They are My servants" [Leviticus 25.55]--not servants' servants.

                    Judaism.  Talmud, Baba Metzia 10a


I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him
who sent me.

                         Christianity.  John 6.38


- - - - - - - - - - - -
Itivuttaka 36: This fear is only a beginning stage of faith, a guard at
the gate of hell rather than the way to heaven.  Cf. I Ching, Great
Commentary 1.3.4, p. 902.  Qur'an 2.112: On Muhammad's absolute obedience
to God, see Qur'an 6.50, p. 655.  Bhagavad Gita 18.66: This passage gives
the essence of surrendering to God in the Hindu bhakti tradition.  Baba
Metzia 10a: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 12.5-7, p. 761; Abot 1.3, p. 941.  John
6.38: Cf. Matthew 7.21, p. 811; Patet 6, p. 902.
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O you who believe!  Be mindful of your duty to God, and seek the way to
approach unto Him, and strive in His way in order that you may succeed.

                           Islam.  Qur'an 5.35


A sacrificial vessel:
The superior man, taking his stance as righteousness requires, adheres firmly
to Heaven's decrees.

              Confucianism.  I Ching 50: Sacrificial Vessel


Make [God's] will as your will,
so that He may make your will as His will;
make naught your will before His will,
so that He may make naught the will of others before your will.

                       Judaism.  Mishnah, Abot 2.4


Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield
yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and
your members to God as instruments of righteousness.

                    Christianity.  Bible, Romans 6.13


Abiding by your commandment is preferable to worshipping you.  Obeying
your commandment conduces to deliverance and contravenes from bondage.

                       Jainism.  Vitaragastava 19.4


Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
       as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
       and to hearken to the fat of rams.

             Judaism and Christianity.  Bible, 1 Samuel 15.22


What is thy command?  What is thy wish?
       Is it for praise?  Is it for worship?
Proclaim, O Wise One, that we may hear
       for which of the decrees rewards shall be assigned--
Instruct us through Right,
       paths good to tread, of Good Mind!

                   Zoroastrianism.  Avesta, Yasna 34.12


- - - - - - - - - - - -
Qur'an 5.35: Cf. Kikuya Prayer, p. 779.  Abot 2.4: Cf. Dharmasangiti
Sutra, pp. 162f.; Proverbs 3.5-6, p. 752; Patet 6, p. 902.  I Ching 50:
Cf. Analects 20.3.1, p. 750.  1 Samuel 15.22: Cf. Micah 6.6-8, pp. 860f.
Yasna 34.12: Cf. Yasna 33.14, p. 876; Patet 6, p. 902.
- - - - - - - - - - -


Why does God require of us obedience?...  Man must push away and overcome
the factors of the Fall [of man].  Because the Fall originated from
disobedience, God must order us to have absolute obedience as a necessary
condition to restore this.  Therefore in our religious way of life we
cannot complain.  We have no excuse; we must have absolute obedience.

               Unification Church.  Sun Myung Moon, 9-11-72


Ritual purification, though million-fold, may not purify the mind. Nor may
absorption in trance still it, however long and continuous. Possessing
worlds multiple quenches not the rage of avarice and desire. A thousand
million feats of intellect bring not emancipation. How then to become true
to the Creator? How to demolish the wall of illusion? Through obedience to
His Ordinance and Will. Says Nanak, This blessing too is pre-ordained.

                Sikhism.  Adi Granth, Japuji 1, M.1, p. 1


- - - - - - - - - - - -
Sun Myung Moon, 9-11-72: p. 867.  On not complaining, see Bhagavad Gita
3.31-32, p. 162; Book of Songs, Ode 40, p. 707; Var Majh, M.1, p. 707.
Japuji 1, M.1: Cf. Micah 6.6-8, pp. 860f.
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