One Layman’S Contemporary Theology: Announcing the ‘Good News’

ONE LAYMAN’S

CONTEMPORARY

THEOLOGY

Announcing the ‘Good News’

Michael S. K. Toh

Copyright © 2014 by Michael S. K. Toh.

Library of Congress Control Number:         2014902915

ISBN:         Hardcover         978-1-4931-3768-8

         Softcover         978-1-4931-3767-1

         eBook         978-1-4931-3769-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scriptures taken from ‘Holy Bible, The New American Bible’,

Fireside Bible Publisher, Wichita Kansas, U.S, 1995-1996 Edition.

Rev. date: 07/09/2014

Xlibris LLC

1-800-455-039

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519858

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction—Fundamental Questions to Be Asked

Part I – The Search for God or the Creator

Chapter 2 Historical Understanding of God or a Creator

Chapter 3 A Cosmological Approach for the Existence of God or a Creator

The Evolution of the Cosmos (Our Universe)

The ‘Mother’ and ‘Parallel’ Universes

The Conscious Universe

What Has Been Revealed?

Chapter 4 A Logical Argument for the Existence of a Creator Based on Cosmology—An Exercise in Logical Deduction

The ‘Mother Universe’ Theory

The ‘Big Bang’ Theory

Chapter 5 Finding the Creator within Our Biological Make-Up—Are We Just a Mere Biological Machine of Evolution?

The Mind and Human Consciousness

Evolution of the Brain and Our Biological Body

Chapter 6 God and Evolution

The Debate between the Creationists and the Evolutionists

Grounds for Compromise and Reconciliation

Genesis and Evolution

A Possible Explanation

Chapter 7 The Indeterminable Nature of Science—The Uncertainty Principle

Chapter 8 Understanding the Mind through Our Collective Consciousness

The Archetype Ontology of Societies

Holotropic and Absolute Consciousness

Transpersonal and Near-Death Experiences

Chapter 9 Taking another Perspective in Understanding

Logic and Rationality

The Existence of a Creator through Scientific Rationalism

Part II – Major Religions of the World

Chapter 10 Beliefs of the Major Religions of the World

Hinduism or Brahmanism

Buddhism

Judaism

Islam

Christianity

Chinese Ethical Beliefs

Shintoism

Chapter 11 The Commonalities of All Religions

Chapter 12 The Derivatives of Religious Beliefs Impacting on Moral Values of Societies and Cultures

The Concept of Derivatives

The Derivatives of the Commonalities among the Major Religions

The Key Differences of the Derivatives among the Major Religions

Chapter 13 The Main Causes of Conflict Due to Different Derivates of History and Culture Resulting in Different Social Systems

The Derivatives amongst the Monotheistic Religions

Causes of Divisions among the Derivatives of the Hebraic-Islamic-Christian and Eastern Traditions Resulting in Different Social Systems

The Main Sources of Conflicts between the East and the West

Chapter 14 Answering the Questions

Part III – Understanding Human Nature

Chapter 15 Conventional Understandings of Human Nature

The Many Misunderstandings of Human Nature

A Matter of Adopting a Good Vantage Position

Chapter 16 The Three-Dimensional Parts of Human Nature—A New Vantage Position

Introduction—The Biological, Psychological, and Spiritual Natures

The Dynamics of the Three Forces

The Predominant Psychological Explanation of Human Nature

The ‘Order of Things’ in Understanding the Three Forces of Human Nature—A Balanced View

Using the Three-Dimensional Parts of Human Nature to Understand Jesus’ Mission

Chapter 17 Taking Our Vantage Position to Better Understand the Different Religious Practices and Paths to Enlightenment

Hinduism or Brahmanism

Buddhism

Judaism

Islam

Christianity

Chinese Ethical Beliefs

Shintoism

Summary of What Has Been Learnt

Chapter 18 Taking Our Vantage Position to Understand the Sinful Nature of Man

Explaining the Traditional Understanding of ‘Sin’

A Universal Benchmark for the Definition of Sin

Understanding Theological Sins and Virtues from Our Vantage Position

Chapter 19 Emotion and Intelligence

Chapter 20 The Emotion of Love—A Window to the Soul

Theological Foundation

Understanding ‘Gift-Love’ from Our Vantage Position

Developmental Stages of the Love Emotion

Difficulties in the Process of Expressing ‘Gift-Love’

Chapter 21 Love and Marriage

Chapter 22 On Becoming

Theological Foundation

The Interactional Elements Based on Our Vantage Position—A Model of Understanding

The Process of Becoming and Growth of the Spiritual Self

An Insight into the Meaning of Life in God’s Creation

Part IV – The Search Begins

Chapter 23 Which Religion Offers the Shortest Path to Enlightenment?

Chapter 24 Limitations in Establishing a Relationship with a God Who Is by ‘Definition’

The Concept of ‘Transposition’

Difficulties in ‘Transposing from Above’

Chapter 25 Examining Jesus’ Claim for Divinity—The Deity of Jesus Christ

References in the New Testament Regarding Jesus’ Claim for Divinity

Is it ‘True’ or ‘False’?

Jesus as the Incarnate of the ‘Word’ Being Coequal and Pre-existence with the Father

Chapter 26 The Bible

The Correct Mindset in Reading the Bible

The Old Testament

The New Testament

The Gospels

Disposition in Understanding the Gospels

Chapter 27 The Core of Christ’s Teaching

The Greatest of All Commandments

What Needs to Be Done to Gain Eternal Life

A Simple Philosophy of Life at the Individual Level of a Salvation that is Universal and Holistic

Chapter 28 Jesus’ Way

‘Dear Patrick’ Letter—An Insight into the Way of Living in the Meaning of Life

Why Did Christ Have to Die on the Cross for Mankind?

Chapter 29 Relating Life with the Godhead

Jesus Being the Universal ‘Role Model’

Relating to Jesus

Understanding God’s Nature through Jesus

Sufferings

Chapter 30 The Trilogy of Concepts—The Holy Trinity

The Nature of the Physical World

The Trilogy of Concepts in Psychology

The Trilogy of Concepts in Philosophy

The Triune Understanding of Human Nature

Relating this to the Spiritual—The Holy Trinity Decoded

Part V – The Universal Position

Chapter 31 The Jews’ Claim for Pre-Eminence

Chapter 32 Hell and the Unsaved

The Literal Interpretation of ‘Hell’ as a Place of ‘Fire and Brimstone’

The Metaphorical View of ‘Hell’

The Purgatorial View as a Purifying Process

The Annihilationism View

Possibility of Differential Fates of ‘Hell’ Incorporating the Ideas of Reincarnation and Annihilationism

Chapter 33 The Path to Enlightenment

The Universality in the Path to Enlightenment

The Role of Suffering in the Path of Enlightenment

Chapter 34 The Universality of Christ’s Teaching

The Embodiment of the Commonalities of Other Religions in Jesus’ Teaching

Focusing on the Spiritual Interpretation of the Gospels

Universality of God’s Salvation

The Similarities between Confucianism and the Teaching of Jesus

The Differences and Combination of Both

Chapter 35 The Practical Difficulties in Living Up to a Righteous Life

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke)

The Problem of Pains and Sufferings

The Act of Redemption

Chapter 36 Moral Issues in the Context of Modern Times from Our Vantage Position

The Theological Foundation

Morality—A New Approach in Understanding

Human Rights and Individual Freedom

Women’s Rights

Sexuality in General and Homosexuality

Killing in General

Abortion, Contraception, Stem Cell Research, Cloning, Genetic Engineering, In-Vitro Fertilisation, and Other Related Issues

Other Societal Issues

Chapter 37 Christianity and the Contemporary Times

Understanding the Narrow Gate from a Wider Holistic Perspective

The Misconceptualisation of Religions that Have Led to the Rise and Fall of Empires

Blending the Eastern Philosophical Insights with the Values of Jesus

Knowledge of At Least the Fundamental Truths—The Meaning of Life

Chapter 38 Christianity and Future Times—Towards the End-Time

Theological Framework

Jesus’ Prediction of the End-Time

The Derivatives—4 or 5 Models of Social System (or ‘Way of Life’)

Changes Need to Be Made in the East and the West

Chapter 39 Condensed Summary and Conclusions

Bibliography

Applying to All Aspects of Life and Humanity

‘For You have placed Your Holy Word with me,

Words of Truth lie within my heart,

Written on each page in the beginning

There is a call for me to play my part.

I am just a little pencil in the hands of the loving Creator

Who sends a letter of understanding in the meaning of life,

in the order of things, to express

the cognitive component of His Love to the world.

There can only be One Universal Truth.

The claim for many truths is a contradiction

That prevents one from finding the Fundamental Truths.

Praise be to the Creator, however It is being conceived,

Wherein is found the universality of all truths.

Let the author be tested by the revelation he brings,

Rather than by the power of influence in his name.’

A Simple, Universal, and Holistic Philosophy of Life

At the Individual Level of a Salvation:

‘Do our Best in the Circumstances we are placed in and the

Talents we are given for the Right Reason’

This Book is in Search for the ‘Right Reason’

PREFACE

Every human being, from whatever background, culture, or persuasion, at some point in time, will ask the question, ‘What is the meaning of our existence?’ in one form or another, such as, ‘Why are we here?’, ‘Is there a purpose?’, and if there is a purpose, ‘How are we to live a life to conform to this purpose?’. The pursuit of these answers has been undertaken by philosophers and theologians of the past and scientists of the modern era, manifested in a myriad of philosophies, religious beliefs, and scientific postulations that often appear to be at odds with one another.

Indeed, the answers to these types of questions are not easy to find because one has to contend with the myriads of religious teachings and the interpretations of them from all sources of knowledge and backgrounds over a long period of time in recorded history, especially in the modern era, where much knowledge has been uncovered and made available through cross-cultural fertilisation and modern means of communication, amidst a pervading pluralistic world culture. Often, the discoveries of scientific knowledge and insights brought about by a convergence of ideas in the modern era seem to contradict the traditional orthodox views in understanding ‘nature in the order of things’ and the meaning of our existence.

The inability to find answers to these questions often leads a person to adopt a materialistic world view of life, either as an agnostic or atheist in their beliefs, whilst others who remain steadfast in their innate inclination in the search for ultimacy turn to religions as an anchorage to satisfy this quest. Ultimacy is the human inclination that seeks to find the ultimate answer to the meaning of life, a drive that is apparently universal among all people in all cultures, even among the agnostics and the atheists, and all those who believe in something through faith, from whatever persuasion they may come from.

This drive for ultimacy is manifested in the beliefs each culture has adopted as a result of the derivatives of their own history and culture. This innate search for ultimacy is indicative that there is a spiritual part of our being that seeks to find the original source of our creation, for without it existence becomes meaningless and nonsensical to the point where our intuitive rational mind in all its true honesty finds it very difficult to accept. ‘Why should this be so?’ remains a mystery, and so the search for the meaning of life will continue ad infinitum as long as humanity remains on this Earth.

Most of the theological religious dissertations take on positions upon a set of premises and develop their dogma based upon these fundamental assumptions. In fact, all religious theologies start with the acceptance of a Creator or a God, or at least some forms of a Higher Being, and the acceptance of a spiritual realm of existence. Their rationales and formulations are based more upon the terms of reference that have been adopted, linked to the derivatives of their own histories and cultures. Often, these fundamental assumptions are not open to being questioned, and there is no basis of a consistent logical framework in the respective theologies and dogmas that had been formulated to understand and explain these fundamental premises to embody all aspects of the human condition.

All of the monotheistic religion theologies, for example, start with their respective interpretation of their Bible (or Koran) and argue on the standpoint that their Bible (or Koran) is the only true source of reference to understanding God and the meaning of life. Yet there are as many interpretations as there are different monotheistic religions and denominational movements, creating what appear to be differences and contradictions, even within any one of the monotheistic religions. All these differences are the by-products of the derivatives of histories of the different cultures of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, where these had promulgated and are caused by our biological and psychological natures (to be explained later).

The theologies that have been developed exclude all other religions, which do not follow the Bible (or Koran), and yet, at the core of their beliefs is the existence of a loving Creator of all of humankind. If their God is the Creator of all humankind, how, then, is it possible that some are more privileged than others in knowing Him? Thus, it makes it difficult for someone who is areligious—an agnostic or atheist—or belonging to another religion or culture, to embrace the many frames of reference and accept the dogmas that have been formulated.

Yet there are what appear to be even greater differences between religions of other faiths. Likewise, with the other religions, many of their fundamental assumptions and bases of their beliefs are not being questioned and subject to further investigation to look at it from a universal perspective that is holistic, that conform to a consistent logical framework. Even those who have ‘faith seeking understanding’ and those who want ‘understanding seeking faith’ will soon find it difficult to come to terms with the contradictions these different theologies generate across each other and the inevitable conflicts real-life experiences present.

As a result, many are following religions based upon just blind faith and pursuing causes that are in fact accountable for the world’s conflicts. And many who are not brought up with any religious tradition, and are faced with all worldly realities of life, tend to turn away from any belief that seeks to emphasise the importance of our spiritual realm of existence because of the overwhelming influences of what materialism can cause and are pursuing causes of a worldly nature.

With the emergence of scientific knowledge and the resultant derivatives of a materialistic world culture, the beliefs of a Creator and a spiritual realm of existence are increasingly being questioned and debated. In fact, due to the materialistic world view of life, many have denied the existence of a spiritual realm of life, and all the modern values are focused on acquiring material things such as financial wealth, status, fame, and power. These have become the dominant values that are adopted and embraced in the modern-world culture—which are what rule our lives in the majority of cases. Success in life is promoted as being wealthy, successful in his or her career, famous, and powerful. We are so overwhelmed by our biological and psychological needs in their ascendancies that the ‘meaning of life’ has become one of successes in all of these things. The derivatives of many cultures, especially in the modern era, seem to be actively promoting the ‘ideal lifestyle’ of being rich and famous: that financial wealth and power conquers all things.

In today’s world culture, one only has to see the active promotion of politicians’ and wealthy businessmen’s lifestyles, idols who are successful in entertainment and sports and atheistic scientists and intellectuals who claim to be all-knowing and successful in acquiring wealth through their positions to understand what is recognised as being successful. Yet, for all those who have succeeded in acquiring all these, there comes a time when all of them harbour a feeling of void and meaninglessness in what they have acquired. The yearning for a more meaningful purpose of existence is found wanting in the innermost part of the human psyche, and this can only be explained from the spiritual perspective as the other forces that control us, the biological and psychological aspects of our nature, would have been fully satisfied by the acquisition of wealth, fame, and power. Thus, the meaning of life can only be found by transcending that beyond our biological and psychological states.

With the advancements in the sciences, more and more people are becoming areligious and turning away from religion simply because many of these fundamental assumptions about the existence of a Creator or the spiritual realm of life have not been properly addressed in the light of new knowledge, and in fact, with this new knowledge, many of the traditional teachings have outlived the time in terms of morality with respect to what real life presents. The discoveries of science challenge these teachings and seem to contradict the dogmas many of the traditional religions preached.

The greater discoveries in the sciences, especially physics, biology, and psychology, appeal closer to our senses and consequently depreciate the importance of the spiritual realm of our existence because the latter demands proofs similarly from the physical materialistic realm of science. This has become the greatest stumbling block to even argue about the validity of religious teachings and the announcement of the ‘Good News’ that the Creator has come in the person of Jesus Christ.

Those who embrace religion without the proper understanding and conviction of the existence of a Creator or a spiritual realm have come to believe through blind faith or misguided understanding, often deviating from the core essence of their religious teachings and the true meaning of life.

Many have embraced religions simply because it is fashionable to do so in the context of a materialistic world culture where everyone wants it all—a comfortable place in this world and a promised place in heaven. We see the successes in life in all of those things the materialistic world promotes as synonymous with success for entry into heaven, when, in fact, as we will discover later in this book, it is just the opposite.

We have acceded to the demands of our biological and psychological natures, bonded by the derivatives, wanting to belong to an exclusive group, even to the extent of fighting for it for whatever reasons. The religious derivatives of self-righteousness and that one can ‘buy’ their places in heaven are popularly held by many religious people, at the abandonment of being really spiritual, which is universal, where both are often misunderstood to be equated, with religiosity being the dominant exclusive concept.

Being religious is often associated with being members of a ‘club’ (institution), a religious sect, or a denominational church. Religion has become better organised, and as a result of this, the emotional experiential dimension associated with religion has been downplayed and misplaced—being religious means belonging to a religious group, satisfying the needs for fellowship and emotional psychological security, following the rituals, attending services, and abiding by the codes of conduct or ‘commandments’; charity, compassion, and love have been replaced by donations to charitable organisations, and religious fervour is associated with status to those who exhibit great zeal, follow the outward appearances in the codes of conduct, and are able to volunteer and contribute most to these organisations.

Religiousness is marked by outward appearances and behaviours associated with a religious group rather than maintaining spiritualism from within. A religious person is one who outwardly abides by the religious laws, commandments, or codes of conduct, even to the extent of being an extremist or a fundamentalist. The psychological forces that are at work are insurmountable because often these outward manifestations of religiousness are being recognised, promoted, and rewarded as normative social practices by an adherent group. The process of indoctrination has a marked effect on religious thoughts and behaviours. Religious persons are often associated with stature and are counted by numbers; evangelism has used marketing tools in propagating the faith, the success of which is marked by the numbers ‘belonging to the club’.

The emotional experiential dimension has been misplaced or distanced in the religious practices of many organised religions in the modern era. This does not mean that the inner spiritualism from within is absent but that the outward manifestations of behaviours have been conditioned and reinforced at the danger of it camouflaging the true emotional experiences from within, leading to deception and hypocrisy, inconsistencies in manifestations of behaviour, and the pursuit of causes under the wrong pretences.

The attempts at winning the hearts and minds of followers have resulted in dogmatic beliefs that defy logic against the knowledge that is available in the modern era, and therefore, it becomes necessary to resort to the call for faith. The clever use of psychology in wanting to recruit ‘members of an exclusive club’, and use of subtle forms of indoctrination is the key to winning the hearts and minds of the followers. These blind faiths create misguided convictions, leading to conflicts and heated arguments over trivial differences, often forgetting the commonalities in the core of all religious beliefs. Often, this is because there is no vantage position that can explain the contradictions that exist in the respective beliefs, resulting in each trying to champion their own causes under misguided conceptualisation.

The faithful often find discomfort even to listen to another point of view that does not conform to one’s beliefs, and this is because there is no one vantage position that can be adopted to explain the inconsistencies that are found in their beliefs. This is further compounded by the psychological forces at work. The psychology of having self-esteem at the danger of wanting to be one-upmanship on people is a very powerful force that prevents one from listening to another point of view that is founded upon a consistent logical framework (see Prof. David McClelland and David Burnham’s article on ‘Power is the Great Motivator’, a Stage I and II Power).

The forces of group dynamics are indeed very powerful, which is accountable for blind obedience to authority and helps interpret a set of beliefs that can lead to animosities, even wars and other atrocities committed in the name of righteousness. The feeling of insecurity, losing the feeling of self-righteousness and self-esteem, and being ostracised are very real, and they help to discourage people from adopting a different perspective in looking at things through self-revelation that could perhaps be able to provide a more consistent logical framework in understanding the ‘order of things’ that is universal in the meaning of life from a holistic perspective.

The approach adopted by this author is to start addressing the fundamental questions that need to be asked and addressed, without taking on any prior position. It starts by asking certain basic questions that all of us, especially those who are atheists, agnostics, or anti-religious, would like to find rational answers to that can be defended within a ‘consistent logical framework’. We start by examining the question about the existence of a Creator or a Higher Being and then look for the pointers for this and the existence of the soul.

To look for answers to these questions, all aspects of contemporary knowledge, especially those that relate to what has been discovered in the sciences, have to be examined. The objective is to incorporate all knowledge that has been discovered in the sciences and the established knowledge in all fields of our material world with all the spiritual experiences of the human psyche, in a consistent logical way. The criterion for the pursuit of ‘truth’ is to use our inbuilt deductive logic (‘intuitive rationalism’) to establish a ‘consistent logical framework’ to be tested by induction (or the establishment of ‘pointers’ that are consistently logical) that are universal and holistic, an approach that is similarly adopted in the search for scientific knowledge.

In finding answers to these fundamental issues, we have to look into all fields of knowledge, including contemporary scientific knowledge in cosmology, physics, biology, psychology, and all other accepted related fields of knowledge as in anthropology, parapsychology, thanatology (NDE and OBE), theology, and epistemology. It is in abstracting those components of knowledge that fit into an overall ‘consistent logical framework’ that the search for the truths can be pursued.

The intention is not to find undeniable evidences to prove the existence of a Creator (or a Higher Being), that there is a soul, or that there is life after death, but only to establish the pointers based upon logical deduction in the face of existing knowledge in the fields of science and all the experiences of the human psyche. If all these pointers that conform to a ‘consistent logical framework’ support the likelihood of the existence of a Higher Being and a spiritual realm of life, then we have to give more credence to the conclusions drawn therefrom.

We look for these pointers from all sources of knowledge—from the sciences, from religions, from our innate rational mind, from observations of the wonders that surround us, and from within our human psyche, especially that which relates to our propensity to love and our intuitive search for the ultimate (our inbuilt ‘intuitive rationalism’), where some have identified this as our ‘Collective Consciousness’, ‘Absolute Consciousness’, and the ‘Archetype’. In this process, we try to reconcile what appear to be differences by maintaining a consistent logical framework, based upon the fundamental premises that have been revealed and embraced, instead of adopting shifting terms of reference on all issues that are posed, guided by our inbuilt ‘intuitive rationalism’.

The pointers that have been established, from what is known in the sciences and the experiences of the human psyche, point to the likelihood of the existence of a Creator and the spiritual realm of our existence. We then attempt to study the core beliefs of the major religions of the world and try to find the commonalities among them, to be guided by the universality of application to the human condition. If we focus on the core of all religious beliefs, we discover the fundamental truths of all religions with respect to the human condition, especially that which relate to the existence of a Creator and spiritual nature of Man with the common pursuit of ultimacy.

In this process, we have to come up with a new vantage position to reconcile the seemingly contradictory knowledge that has been uncovered in these fields. Ultimately, the belief in a Creator and the meaning of life can only be determined by each individual’s experiences from the emotional depth of the human psyche. This book is written for the purpose of finding a revelatory new vantage position where all this knowledge can be integrated within a consistent logical framework, aimed at eliminating contradictions.

The effort is to eliminate contradictions to arrive at a consistent logical framework by starting with adopting well-founded fundamental premises—if this is not possible and it leads to more contradictions, then the fundamental premises have to be re-examined more closely, and they may need to be revised. The attempt is to eradicate contradictions by providing logical explanations where possible on all the facts and fundamental premises that have been established and embraced. The guiding principle for all fundamental truths is that they can be logically defended consistently, should have universal application from a holistic perspective, and remain valid through the passage of time by the filtered concepts that are universal. Only by these means can the fundamental truths be revealed, through the same method of investigation and mode of analysis adopted in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

This approach is not to present another ‘packaged point of view’ like all the other dogmatic teachings or ‘branded knowledge’ with restrictive and sometimes contradictory ‘terms of references’, which may be logical within each of their own terms of reference, but to use all sources of knowledge and abstracts from these ‘packages point of view’ only the ideas that fit into an overall consistent logical framework of understanding that is holistic and universal. Only by adopting this approach that the fundamental truths of ‘nature in the order of things’ for the meaning of life can be uncovered, the same set of logical deduction and induction that is similarly used in the process of establishing scientific knowledge.

The propositions that result are therefore not dogmatic in character to challenge other ‘packaged points of views’ but are more dynamic in understanding things in their proper ‘order of things’, that attempt to explain all aspects of the human condition that are more holistic and universal. There should not be any shifting in the ‘terms of reference’ but only in the adoption of a broader ‘term of reference’ that fits into an overall ‘consistent logical framework’. Such an approach is rather radical and poses many controversies because of the overwhelming negative forces of our biological and psychological forces at work, which prevent many from transcending beyond these forces and the derivatives that bind us.

In any form of a ‘vantage position’ adopted, there will always be another point of view, but the determinant of the right ‘vantage position’ ought to be one that conforms to an overall ‘consistent logical framework’ that is holistic and universal. The core of these fundamental truths should be used as the basis of judgment, instead of the periphery apparent contradictory issues that are linked, which are beyond the accepted term of reference founded upon an overall consistent logical framework and are the purview of another term of reference that is myopic. It is the intention of the heart that is holistic and universal that counts and not necessarily the resultant periphery issues.

As an example, there are a lot of criticisms against Mother Teresa’s mission to help the poor for being unable to look into wider issues like tackling poverty worldwide and the so-claimed mismanagement of funds, when, in fact, these aspects of issues were not within her jurisdiction and overriding control, ignoring the overall consistent core set of values of her mission. So it is the same with Jesus—there were many people who criticised Him during His time and even today criticise His belief system by pointing out that He has allowed so much suffering in the world, ignoring the fact that at the heart of His messages is the spiritual concern of humankind and not the biological and psychological conditions.

In today’s world derivatives of history and culture, where pluralism reigns supreme, there will always be controversies and arguments upon any ‘vantage position’, but it is the overall consistent logical framework of an adopted ‘vantage position’ that can explain a more holistic and universal position that really counts.

The content of this book does not provide a new religious theology to challenge all other theologies that have been developed. The approach is expected to help expand understanding of an extended view in understanding the meaning of life in the ‘order of things’ that fits into an overall ‘consistent logical framework’ that is holistic and universal, which includes the spiritual part of our being. The propositions arrived at are, therefore, not dogmatic in character, but an understanding that is dynamic based upon the criteria of universality and holism that fits into an overall ‘consistent logical framework’. It only provides a new vantage position in looking at all issues facing the human condition, to analyse how each religion attempts to play its role in addressing the issues that life presents.

In the process of establishing a consistent logical framework of understanding, a new vantage position to look at human nature has been developed. This vantage position enables us to delineate and explain all that is found in the human condition, and it adheres consistently to the logical framework and the fundamental premises that have been revealed. The focus is on discovering the universal fundamental truths that can be applied to all of humanity, to reconcile with the fundamental premises we have come to embrace about the Creator and the human condition. In the process, we come to understand the three dimensional aspects of human nature—the biological, psychological, and spiritual—arrived at as a result of contemporary knowledge in the physical, biological, and psychological sciences and the discoveries in the understanding of the human psyche.

Our vantage position soon reveals that the differences in addressing the issues are basically biological and psychological in nature. Our vantage position enables us to focus on what is important in the light of the spirituality found common to Man and the differences that are caused by what I call derivatives that are responsible for divisions, which are biological and psychological in nature.

Guided by this vantage position, we look again at all religions to understand the commonalities in the core of each of their beliefs and discover that these commonalities are found in the spiritual emotional experiential dimension of all religions, and the differences in dogmas, rituals, and practices are the results of derivatives in different histories and cultures, which are basically biological and psychosocial in nature. We have discovered and understand that there are commonalities in the core of all religions and ethical beliefs that are universal—we should then focus on what unites rather than that which divides. We discover then, that it is the biological and psychological parts of our nature that bind us, and they are the causes of division. All of us have become a slave to our biological and psychological natures. Adopting our vantage position, we also realise that the emotional part of our nature holds the key to understanding our link with the spiritual part of our being which is universal.

Adopting our vantage position enables us to see that the differences among the various religions are due to the derivatives of history and culture. Derivatives are the ideas and concepts giving rise to the beliefs, philosophies, or practices and general ways of looking at things forced upon the individuals by the powerful force of conformity caused by the workings of group dynamics associated with different cultures of the groups. Derivatives have, as their roots, the biological and psychological forces at work. It also enables us to see a more comprehensive understanding of religions and all other aspects of life in a more consistent logical way. It enables us to understand the relativity in the ‘order of things’ in human lives, which can now be better understood within a more consistent and logical framework.

Hopefully, adopting our vantage position will enable us to find a more direct path in the process of ‘becoming’, a process in the discovery of the spiritual self, the ‘image of God’ in which all of us are created. Adopting our vantage position and using the consistent logical framework that has been developed will enable us to discover a more direct route to achieving a common outcome which all of humanity and religions share. Hopefully, with our new vantage position, we will be able to unify all religious beliefs by focusing on all that unite rather than those that divide, where all the fundamental truths can be embraced.

It does not mean that the past teachings or even current teachings of religions are wrong but that they have each provided a different path or understanding for trying to achieve the same thing. All religions and ethical beliefs take on different paths, but all undergo the same journey. It is this focus of commonalities that should provide a common understanding of all religions, which should have universal applications. However, very often, great debates and arguments are centred on the differences in derivatives at the danger of ignoring the core of their beliefs, which, in many cases, has led to animosity and even wars on these counts. It is in the core of their beliefs and the emotional experiential dimension of these beliefs that really matter, and it is these that should be focused on to discover the commonalities in all of humanity. It reconciles the universal belief and acceptance among all the religions of the world with the concept of a loving and just Creator.

Based upon the fundamental truths that have been revealed with respect to human nature and the contingent problems that we face, we then look at all the religions to uncover which is the one that embodies all of these truths. Adopting this approach, we inevitably come to examine the teaching of the man called Jesus, who is the only figure in human history who claimed to be ‘God Incarnate’. Using deductive logic, we then subject this supposition to the test, and the conclusion arrived at, through the understandings provided by our vantage position, is that He must be what He claimed to be. With this conviction, the existence of God or the Creator is then confirmed.

If this is the case, then it warrants us to look deeper into understanding this Man, His teaching, and the spiritual messages He delivered to mankind, rather than the various interpretations promulgated by the different denominational churches in His name. It is in the universality of His teaching that is in focus and not the interpretations of it influenced by the derivatives (the history and tradition of the Christian churches) that really matter. The teaching of Jesus, His messages, life, and resurrection will be better understood based upon our vantage position, which reveals the universality of His act of redemption. It is through interpreting His life, death, and resurrection and His messages from the spiritual perspective that the meaning of life is directly revealed, and this understanding of His teaching is facilitated by adopting our vantage position in looking at human nature.

It is perhaps through this fundamental approach that we hope to give meaning to the understanding of the Creator’s unique gift to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, it is only through Him that the existence of the Creator is confirmed, whom we can refer to as ‘God’, thus confirming the concept of monotheism, but His teaching also embodies the emotional element in the belief of a Higher Being; this is being conceived by other religions and ethical beliefs of the world as well through the emotional element of our nature. It is the core of His teaching that touches at the emotional experiential dimension of human nature that embraces all the fundamental truths of mankind.

From our vantage position in understanding human nature, we then look into the books of the Bible and analyse the messages that have been revealed using this established frame of reference. The attempt is to establish a consistent logical framework of understanding that inevitably lead us to the Gospels and the teaching of Jesus. The Gospels thus represent God’s direct revelation to mankind. In understanding Jesus’ teaching, we need to understand the Old Testament, a written record in which the history of the Hebrew has been ‘proportioned’ for the coming of Jesus, is something that is ‘interesting to know’, and subsequently, in the Acts, Letters and the Book of Revelation are something that ‘we need to know’. Our vantage position provides us with a consistent logical framework in directing us to look at the Bible, instead of adopting the traditional orthodox view that creates a lot of confusion and inconsistencies in beliefs and contradictory treatments of the text in the Bible. It provides us with a more concise and direct path in focusing on Jesus’ teaching and the only true revelation it brings.

Ultimately, it is in the Gospels that there is something that is ‘important for us to know’ because this comes from Jesus who claimed to be God in human flesh and, thus, represents a direct revelation of God to mankind. This is to embrace the fundamental premise that Jesus is God Incarnate in human flesh, and it represents one of the fundamental truths we have come to embrace. All the other parts of the Bible only provide us with the supports and insights in further understanding Jesus’ messages. We should then be able to discern those that distract and focus on those that promote the emotional experiential dimension of beliefs, which is the most important aspect of His teaching. It is in the spiritual dimension which has universal application that the interpretations of Jesus’ messages are upheld, nevertheless, taking into account our biological and psychological conditions and the derivatives of history and culture that bind us.

Adopting our vantage position, we then realise that Jesus, represented as the ‘Son’, allows us to emotionally relate to the ‘Father’ more through the biological and psychological pathway that promotes the ‘image of God’ in us, that is, our propensity to love. The ‘Holy Spirit’ provides us with the intellectual understanding of the messages Jesus taught. It is the ‘Holy Spirit’ that reveals the cognitive aspect of understanding as time evolves with new knowledge that should conform to a ‘consistent logical framework’, but more importantly, it is in the emotional aspect of heightening our love emotion through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that really matters. The cognitive understanding only brings about a better and stronger commitment to the faith. The roles of the ‘Father’, ‘Son’, and ‘Holy Spirit’ in the concept of the ‘Holy Trinity’ then become logical and clear, that is, within an overall ‘consistent logical framework’ (see the Holy Trinity being decoded in later text).

From our vantage position, it reveals that revelation is an evolutionary process, as far as mankind is concerned because of our ‘fallen nature’ and the derivatives of history and cultures that bind us; although, God’s revelation to us is complete in Jesus. These have given rise to different interpretations of the Gospels influenced by our psychosocial conditions and the derivatives of cultures at different times of human history—the results of which had created many contradictions that are difficult to reconcile, especially in the light of new discoveries of knowledge in the sciences, the convergence of cultures and philosophical and scientific insights into the human condition. Very little attempts have been made to reconcile these contradictions as the history of the world unfolds, but instead, more irreconcilable contradictions have been created.

Bishop John Shelby Spong (1999), the controversial Episcopal Bishop of Newark in the United States, termed these apparent irreconcilable contradictions of the traditional theological ecclesiastical theistic concept of the monotheistic religions with postmodern knowledge as ‘believer in exile’, but by adopting our vantage position it is not a matter of ‘being exiled’ but one of ‘being reconciled’. Man’s understanding of God’s revelation is an evolutionary process because there is still much knowledge that has yet to be discovered. In the meantime, the best we can do is to try uncovering these fundamental truths based upon contemporary knowledge guided by adopting a ‘consistent logical framework’. There are many discoveries of knowledge and insights that are yet to come, and thus, revelation continues to be an evolutionary process, but at least, based upon our vantage position, it provides us with a guide to interpret God’s complete revelation in Jesus as new knowledge is being discovered.

The divisions among religions and even within the Christian movements that arise as a result of the derivatives can be better understood, and it is, in fact, in the core of Jesus’ teaching focusing on the spiritual dimension of our human nature that the meaning of life is revealed to everyone and not the interpretations of His teaching by the different churches bonded by the derivatives of history and culture that claim to spread the ‘Good News’ in His name. It is not the various interpretations of the Bible by different Christian denominations that really matter, but the focus ought to be on the Man and the fundamental truths that have been revealed to us by Jesus Christ. It is in the experiential emotional aspects of His teaching that lead to the establishment of a spiritual love relationship with the Creator that count.

Understanding the biological and psychological forces that bind us, we realise that some organisation is needed to propagate the ‘Good News’, but it is in understanding the true messages of Jesus that really matter. All ‘followers of Jesus Christ’ are those who live by the dictates of His teaching, not necessarily belonging to an exclusive group which preaches in His name. Accepting Jesus as God Incarnate and that He is the Creator of all things, it is erroneous to adopt the view that He draws everything onto Himself as an egocentric identity, and salvation is conditional only upon acknowledging Him, thereby depreciating His universal perfect act of salvation and the core of His teaching that has universal application. This is a great anthropomorphic tendency caused by our biological and psychological conditions that makes Christians identify themselves as belonging to an exclusive privileged group, in marked contradiction to the belief that Jesus is God Incarnate in human flesh and that He created all of humankind with His act of redemption, being perfect for the whole of the human race.

The Church is then looked at as being all those who spread the ‘Good News’ in His name, not so much by being labelled as Christians, but by living a life that conforms to His teaching—that is the true meaning of being a ‘follower of Jesus Christ’! Announcing the ‘Good News’ in this way will be more effective in spreading the Gospels to every nation, and it will truly abide by what Jesus has taught. It is in the attempt at overcoming the biological and psychological forces and the derivatives of history and culture that bind us, that we announce the ‘Good News’ that is universal to embrace all of humanity.

This, then, is the true meaning of His perfect act of salvation for the entire human race. Looking at the Gospels from our vantage position brings about a clearer understanding of the universality of Christ’s teaching and His perfect act of salvation, which is open to all of humankind regardless of whatever persuasion or religious affiliations each belongs to.

Understanding this, ‘evangelism’ will be just a matter of announcing the ‘Good News’ that the Creator has dwelt among us in the person of the historical Jesus and to embrace the fundamental universal truths that apply to the whole of the human race that He has revealed. Relating to Him and His teaching only offers us a more direct route to understanding the meaning of life and the nature of the Creator, and it facilitates us in the process of establishing a loving relationship with Him because at once we can relate to the Creator more directly through Jesus Christ biologically, psychologically, and spiritually.

Thus, understanding the universality of His messages, we are able to address the contemporary moral issues in the modern era. Not all moral issues can be addressed because there is still much unknown knowledge that has yet to be discovered, but at least there are some guides as to the basis of a judgment. In the final analysis, it is our personal relationship with the Creator, guided by our emotion of spiritual love and, out of this, to live a life by doing God’s works in accordance with the natural course of events in the ‘order of things’ that really matters, and the meaning of life can then be revealed to each according to his or her endowments and circumstances. Within this framework, there is no judgment made as regards to specific beliefs or actions, for everyone will be held accountable in accordance with the way life is lived out on this Earth, in accordance with each placement in the drama of God’s Plan on this Planet Earth.

The issues of morality with respect to universal application should be guided by the universal propensity to love that is found common among the humankind. Morality is, therefore, relational, using the spiritual benchmark as the basis of judgment (moral issues will be discussed in Chapter 36). In addition, it should be guided by going along with ‘nature in the order of things’ by doing God’s work. These precepts are taught by Jesus if the Gospels were to be interpreted spiritually, based upon our vantage position.

The concepts of metaphysics (has its root in ‘Gnosticism’) and pluralism have overwhelmed today’s world culture and are the increasing causes of human conflicts and wars among nations. Economic materialism, individual pursuit of wealth and power founded upon ‘individual freedom’, to exploit nature through ‘free enterprise’ and the capitalistic system (the prevailing Monetary Market System), etc. have been founded upon this mindset, and this will lead the world civilisation to the end-time. The belief and the conviction held by many that any disequilibrium from within a system is attributed to interferences from outside sources and that all contradictions are to be tolerated within a society where there is freedom of individuals, acceding to our ‘fallen nature’ under the misconceptualised democratic model founded upon the Western concept of one-man-one-vote to be facilitated by the World Monetary Market System, will inevitably lead to conflicts, and the exercise of power, motivated by greed, will become the only recourse to resolving them.

To prevent disequilibria from within, one has to anticipate the possible causes from without, thus the predominant and popularly held value of ‘attack is the best form of defence’ in such a mindset. Coupled with the misinterpretations of the Christian Bible with the zeal of evangelism giving rise to self-righteousness, the proactive championing of these Western values has created confrontational conflicts that eventually lead to wars and the path to the end-time.

This is further facilitated by our ‘fallen nature’, which is due to our biological and psychological over-indulgences, that generates great demand for materialism and the promotion of consumerism. The Western concept of democracy in a pluralistic social system without the exhortation of cultivating virtues as a requirement for leadership will accede to the majority, who, by human nature, will demand the satisfaction of their immediate biological and psychological needs as the basis of electing men into power. This is especially so when the worldwide Monetary Market System is in force. The current signs of ‘global warming’ due to over-exploitation of the world resources by upsetting ‘nature in the order of things’ and worldwide failures of capitalism (‘economic meltdown’) strongly point to these forces that are at work, which no one man or group of men can ever hope to reverse, that will lead the world to the end-time.

With the development of weapons of mass destruction and the evolution of science (computer technology and genetic biological engineering) through the course of current history, the attempts at resolving these conflicts through the use of power and consequential upset of nature against the ‘order to things’ will eventually lead to the annihilation of civilisation as we know it.

As far back as 501 BC, Confucius, a wise man of ancient China, emphasised the importance of living with nature and to cultivate the highest virtues in Man’s conduct and that society should be built upon the virtues of men, as against the perceived ‘good’ conduct of men who are bonded by psychology and the derivatives. The importance of observing the ‘order of things’ in living with nature is central to the evolution of the Chinese society and culture of old, which now proved to be overwhelmed by the metaphysical and pluralistic misconceptualised understanding of ‘democratic’ societies and ‘individual freedom’ of the modern era.

The evolutionary process in the old China was guided by the philosophical concept of ‘dialecticism’. To live with nature is to balance between the dialectic opposite forces in nature, the ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’. Morality in such a society, thus, hinges upon a standard set of values embraced by the adherent group, which is ‘Chinese’ in character that belongs to the ‘civilised kingdom’. Men who are chosen into positions of power must demonstrate the homogenous set of virtues that is based upon Confucius’s teaching. The Chinese democratic system is, therefore, based upon electing men into power who have developed these virtues. It is a universal concept that has no ethnicity and allegiance to any religion. Such a social system or ‘way of life’ has proved to be slow in the development of science because it failed to venture beyond the scope of the confined belief in working with nature and not over-exploiting it.

However, with the advancement in science in today’s world culture under the metaphysical outlook, with the discoveries of the structure of atoms and the genetic make-up of life, the ecological upset of the ecosystem and the massive weapons of mass destruction, great dominance of economic materialism, the moral issue of violating nature has become an issue that points to the inevitable event of the end-time.

Confucius’s concept of living with ‘nature in the order of things’ thus becomes relevant and revealing, especially in modern times, but at the same time, the evolutionary history of mankind has now outlived the ideal to which a civilised society was intended. The traditional beliefs of the Chinese in today’s world culture are now anachronistic, which can no longer exist in practical terms, and if it did, it could no longer survive to meet the demands of the modern era.

However, if humanity is to save itself, there ought to be a synthesis of values between the East and the West that are accepted as universal by a concerted effort to build a world culture that is consistent with a ‘way of life’ that is consonance with this universal set of values, modelled upon the Chinese tradition; a society and culture that are harmonious, abide by ‘nature in the order of things’. People elected to lead and govern must be based upon the virtues associated with these values, perhaps combined with some reformed Western democratic ‘check and balances’ based upon these values. However, understanding the biological and psychological natures that bind us which are universal (such as identification with race and religion, creed, and power), these forces will always work against the ideal of a ‘social system’ that will benefit the whole of humanity.

With the discoveries in the sciences and the consequential attempts at controlling and manipulating the forces of nature, dominated by economic materialism and pluralism, there is a greater chance of upsetting nature in the ‘order of things’, which no one man or group of men can ever hope to reverse, and thus, the drama of life on Earth, as part of God’s Plan, being the author of the drama, is now being unveiled in the course of human history. Ultimately, it is human nature, which is universal, overwhelmed by the biological and psychological forces at work, that will predominate, and this will inevitably lead humanity to the end-time. Life on Earth must, therefore, be looked at from two levels—individual and macro levels. Salvation is offered only at the individual level, whilst at the macro level, it is part of God’s Plan; with the increasing negative parts of the overwhelming biological and psychological forces at work, it will lead the world to the end-time.

The whole meaning of life on Earth at a wider holistic level can best be understood if we adopt the position that God or the Creator has proportioned the history of the Hebrews’ history and culture for His first coming in the person of Jesus Christ, and it is mankind, through the wrongful use of the ‘free will’, that has, on a larger holistic level, proportioned the history of the world (which includes the evolving derivatives of all the different histories and cultures of the world) for His second coming, when Christ shall return at the end-time, as foreseen and predicted by Him as part of the drama on Earth.

In adopting this holistic point of view, it reconciles the apparent great contradiction as to why God does not shape the evolution of the history of the world antecedent to His act of salvation in accordance with the ideal of a perfect world, with the fundamental concept of a loving and just God. For the second coming of Jesus, there is less of an interference in the changes of events because He has already come and demonstrated the true ‘meaning of life’ by His teaching (the ‘Word’ spoken), death, and resurrection (the mission accomplished, focused on the spiritual), and He has left the exercise of the ‘free will’ for mankind to embrace the ‘Word’.

It is an inevitable event which both the ‘Son’ and ‘Father’ know, but the timing because Jesus existed in the biological and psychological forms at that time when He said it, is something that is left to mankind through its use of the ‘free will’ in the developments of the world derivatives antecedent to His death and resurrection that will lead humanity to the end-time. His ‘Father’ who is in the spiritual form (see later chapter on the Holy Trinity being decoded) is the only One who knows the final time of the end-time. Jesus only revealed the ‘Signs of the Time’ for the future when He was still on Earth; these will be created by mankind in the evolutionary process of the modern era, without interfering with man’s ‘free will’ that accounts for the trend in the evolution of these Signs.

It is believed by this author that there is a reason for everyone to be here, and the reason must be looked at from a holistic perspective, a perspective that goes beyond an era or a generation and our dimension of existence, quite apart from the issue of salvation, for salvation is individualistic, that points to the individual’s relationship with the Creator or Creation in all its aspects. All of us are just players in the drama of life on Earth; each has a role to play, and all roles are of equal importance because of the connectiveness of human lives that participate in and contribute to the course of human history as it unfolds in accordance to God’s Plan. God’s Plan includes the drama of life on Earth and beyond in the afterlife. It is then for the individuals to overcome the negative effects of the biological and psychological forces at work that are detrimental to the enhancement of the spiritual soul so that the path of salvation can be won.

In fact, the result of this book bears credence to this conviction because reflecting back on my own life and the lives of other better known individuals, through the holistic perspective, the meaning of life is now better understood and revealed. Looking back on the lives of others in the past, ‘big’ or ‘small’, ‘significant’ or what appears to be ‘insignificant’ (from a narrow perspective), reveals the meaning of life for each of these individuals as the drama on Earth unfolds as part of God’s Plan. A clear example of this is the lives of Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus, whose lives, by our standard and what we normally accept as the benchmark of success, would be considered as ‘unsuccessful’, but in terms of God’s Plan, the roles that they played are highly significant and vitally important. What goes beyond is more important, and it is a matter of individual salvation in establishing a personal love relationship with the Creator, however He is being conceived.

Out of all these, for the individuals, a simple philosophy of life that is universal and holistic emerges, and that is for every individual to ‘Do the best in the circumstances they are placed in and the talents they are given for the RIGHT REASON’. All religions or ethical beliefs of the world are striving towards finding out the ‘Right Reason’, but it is, in fact, looking at the more direct and spiritually oriented teaching that embodies the entire human race, which is universal and holistic, that defines which is closer to the Right Reason. The Right Reason is the universal benchmark for morality.

In this respect, Jesus’ teaching and the life that He lived have shown us a sharper understanding of the Right Reason, based upon the universal propensity of spiritual love, and that is to accept that our life on Earth will transcend that beyond to the afterlife (to accept the spiritual dimension of our nature). If the Wrong Reason is posed in the circumstances one is placed in, one cannot do one’s best with respect to the true meaning of life