Michael Larkin wrote the following at:
“It seems to me that Christianity, in positing Jesus alone as God,
inevitably distances the rest of us from the possibility of enlightenment
/salvation. At the same time, it attempts to have its cake and eat it by
insisting that through the doctrine of the redemption, salvation is rendered
possible for all. This somewhat lessens personal responsibility for achieving
it, although one still has to join the club (be baptised) and live a relatively
blameless life to achieve salvation. It's no bad thing to do good acts, refrain
from harming others, and so on, in fact these are probably necessary for
achieving enlightenment. But they aren't sufficient, because behind our acts is
our motivation for doing them, and this needs to be more than the essentially
selfish desire to attain paradise, or to avoid punishment in hell.”
Allow me to both praise and criticize. Larkin did an
exceptionally good job of encapsulating what many believe. I view some of
them as very widely held misconceptions about Christianity, misconceptions
which indeed are widely held even among Christians. I will address these.
I must begin by affirming two things: First, I am no
theologian, and am therefore without authority. Second, I have enormous
respect for Hindu-Buddhism as a metaphysics and philosophy. From my seven
years military service in Korea and Japan, my limited contact with their
religions left me with the impression that the respect is mutual.
Larkin’s tone reflects that respect, and I commend him for it.
The chief difference between Christian and Hindu thinking is that
whereas Christians focus on salvation, the Eastern religions focus on achieving
enlightenment.
Salvation is undeserved, but is the free gift of a merciful
God. Enlightenment, on the other hand, involves personal achievement
through individual effort. While these are not mutually exclusive,
neither one of them is a substitute for the other. They are like apples and
oranges. We can have both, but—one can be unenlightened and saved, and
another can be unsaved and enlightened.
The Bible tells us that salvation and good deeds go hand in hand,
but salvation is not the result of good deeds. Truly selfless good deeds
occur when the only incentive to do them is gratitude. Having received
salvation and being aware of it, the saved person is eager to express his
devotion to God. He expects nothing in addition, because the ultimate
gift is already given. Indeed, saved Christians experience persecution
and even death, not in search of salvation, but in gratitude for it.
The Trinity is, as Larkin recognizes, not three gods, but three
persons (aspects) of the one God. Jesus is God in the flesh. The
Father is the Creator of all physical and spiritual reality. The Holy
Spirit might be what Hindus describe as the unknowable essence.
In my fallible view, salvation is the default condition of all
humans, based on the Biblical teaching that we are utterly incapable of
achieving it for ourselves. Salvation can, however, be rejected by a
knowing, willful and persistent effort, which I believe is what the Bible
represents as taking the mark of the beast, or the blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit. This knowing, willful and persistent effort is agonizingly
painful, and no one who loves God can begin to understand why anyone would do
it, but we are assured that many do.
One of the many amazing descriptions of Jesus is His exemplary
humility and servitude. Seeking nothing for Himself, He left His throne
in heaven, lowered Himself to physical form, demonstrated love and compassion
for sinners, and then suffered a humiliating death while forgiving his
murderers.
I understand that there are many denominations of Christianity
that have conflicting teachings. There are many in the clergy who are the
selfsame hypocrites that Jesus condemned. And I understand most of all,
that I am a sinner myself, not worthy to tie the shoelaces of the Savior.
Even so, I know that Jesus
loves each and every one of us with a love that surpasses understanding.
If one seeks true enlightenment, then let him begin there.
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