CHRISTIANITY VERSUS MATERIALISM
In Christianity the reason to be good is because God says so. God commands obedience to certain rules of behavior. Obedience is rewarded by Heaven. Disobedience is punished by Hell.
Technically, in Christianity, one is saved by faith rather than by obedience. But Saint Paul explains in Chapters 8 and 9 of his letter to the Romans that the faithful who are saved are the same as the obedient believers. This was also taught by Martin Luther and John Calvin, the two men most responsible for the Protestant Reformation.
Many people hate Christianity. They go into rebellion against this idea of an angry and jealous God threatening everybody with hellfire because of something Adam did. They think such an idea is nonsense. Often they embrace materialism. They are not aware of any other alternative way of thinking.
Karl Marx was one of these haters of Christianity. He was a materialist. He believed that religion is composed entirely of illusions.
TYPE 1 RELIGION IS ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE
It is not necessary to choose between Christianity and materialism. Type 1 religion is another alternative.
It is possible to do what is good because it is beneficial both to others and to oneself. One can do what is good because it makes one happy. One can do what is good because it is the road to love and joy. One can do what is good because it is the way to work gradually toward a higher state of existence and awareness.
Take an extreme example. Imagine getting a gun and going out on the street and shooting six strangers so they die. Also suppose that, for whatever reason, there is no danger whatever from law enforcement. Even after this harmful act against others, you are entirely free to continue with your life the way it was, without any action against you by law enforcement. Do you think that your life will be unaffected by this very harmful act against others?
As the saying goes, “No man is an island.”.
Destructive actions against others harm not only them, but also oneself, in the long term.
The harm to oneself is not because there are angels keeping account books recording your “sins” or “crimes”, and planning trouble for you which will balance the account. It is because, deep down, you know that it was not cool. It was not OK. If anyone is keeping account, you are keeping your own account, and you will bring your own retribution upon yourself. It’s not very mathematical. But when you do a harmful act to another, somewhere, deep down, you make a little mark against yourself.
The road to happiness is the opposite. You do good for people. You help people. You serve people. You do what you can to make the world a better happier place.
THE BODY IS DIRECTED BY THE SPIRITUAL BEING
Man is a composite being. He has a body. He is a spiritual being. The body is animated and directed by the spiritual being.
Both the body and the spiritual being require care and maintenance. Both the body and the spiritual being can be harmed, damaged, weakened, and generally put into a worse condition. Both the body and the spiritual being can be improved, repaired, strengthened, and generally put into a better condition.
CHRISTIANITY SAYS MAN NEEDS TO BE PARDONED BY GOD
The idea that the spiritual being can be harmed or benefited is not a familiar idea in Western Civilization. That’s because Christianity is not concerned with the condition of the spiritual being as such. Christianity is concerned with the record of sins and good deeds. In Christianity the condition of the soul is the same as its legal standing in relation to God’s laws and God’s judgment. In Christianity, man is saved because Jesus has “atoned” for his sins. This is a legal issue. Man is legally guilty. But God, the Almighty Judge, forgives man, that is, He forgives believers, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is a legal pardon. It does not relate to the condition of the soul, or the spiritual being.
The idea that the spiritual being can be in a better or worse condition, apart from his legal status, does not exist in Christianity. Accordingly, the Type 1 idea that man can improve himself spiritually or make himself worse spiritually, apart from his legal relationship with God, does not exist in Christianity.
In Christianity, man does not need to improve himself spiritually. He needs God’s forgiveness and God’s pardon.
Compare this to the health of the body. If a man is in prison awaiting trial for murder, the issue is not whether he is healthy or sick. The issue is whether he is guilty, and whether he might be pardoned for some reason.
THE SPIRITUAL BEING NEEDS CARE AND MAINTENANCE
In Type 1 religion, the condition of the spiritual being is a health issue. It is not a legal issue.
To maintain the health of the body, it is important to eat right, get rest, get exercise, avoid harmful drugs, and generally take care of the body. In the same way, it is necessary to take proper care of an automobile, if you want it to continue to work properly. It is necessary to take care of a computer.
The spiritual being is not a material object. But there are natural laws (not legal laws) which affect its health and well being. Certain actions cause certain results. If you throw dishes on the floor, they will break. If you drive into a tree, your car will be wrecked. If you eat bad food, you will get sick. If you do harmful acts to others, you will get spiritually sick.
Type 1 ethics is based on what is needed to take proper care of oneself as a spiritual being. How does one achieve happiness, love, and joy? What way of life leads to harmony, happiness, and higher states of existence, and greater awareness of spiritual things?
Hinduism says that the purpose of life is to achieve happiness, and that this can be done by living honestly and by achieving higher states of awareness. Buddhism says that life is suffering, and that this can be remedied by right living and by removing the causes of suffering.
THE UNIVERSE IS GOD’S PLAYGROUND
In Hinduism, the universe is God’s playground, and life is God’s “play”. God is having fun. Krishna – the greatest Hindu savior, or “avatar”, an incarnation of God – dances and plays the flute. He wears a peacock feather in his hair, symbolizing God’s play, or “lila” in Sanskrit. He even has a girlfriend, a milkmaid named Radha.
What a cheerful outlook on life!
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