Sabinatu wrote: …His few denunciations were largely directed against pride, cruelty, oppression, and hypocrisy.
Sab my friend, I’m keenly concerned as you are at the evidence of “pride,” “cruelty,” “oppression,” and “hypocrisy” which abounds in the society to which we belong. A society that has lost its moral compass by willful resistance to spirit leading.
I, like you, think the “ever nice-nice” “boiled frog” position of my fellow religionists is reality avoidance. Patience is a virtue but doing right is advocated when confronted by obvious wrong. I’m sure Christianity can begin to act more in accordance with the principles it proclaims as virtuous. Christianity must cease its ambitious grasp at power, rather, by virtue of its acts of loving service in promoting peace, prove itself worthy.
Ambition is dangerous until it is fully socialized. You have not truly acquired any virtue until your acts make you worthy of it. [Paper48:7.19, page 557.3]
It is said “pride goes before the fall” there are many clever people in the world and that is evidence of an intelligent and educated society, however, cleverness is no substitute for true character.
A display of specialized skill does not signify possession of spiritual capacity. Cleverness is not a substitute for true character. [Paper48:7.3, page 556.3]
The lessons of history and the loving spirit ministry of our Though Adjuster patiently instructs and lovingly warns each one of us respecting critical tendencies and the subtle development of pride-of-self and its associated “exaggeration” of the feeling of self-importance. So sad to witness in today’s society, it seems this loving inner counsel is not being as fully heeded as it could be.
The world is experiencing characteristics already anticipated, and described to us as a stage of the “Material Comfort Era.”
The material-comfort era. After food problems have been partially solved and some degree of security has been attained, the additional leisure is utilized to promote personal comfort. Luxury vies with necessity in occupying the center of the stage of human activities. Such an age is all too often characterized by tyranny, intolerance, gluttony, and drunkenness. The weaker elements of the races incline towards excesses and brutality. Gradually these pleasure-seeking weaklings are subjugated by the more strong and truth-loving elements of the advancing civilization. [Paper 50:5.6, page 577.1]
We are certainly seeing manifestation of excesses and brutality even in the most civilized of nations. However, it’s better to focus on what is worth striving for and work with every ounce of strength towards it. Excess of godlessness is most contrastive and instructive, focusing the resolve of the strong and truth-loving elements of society to act.
To enjoy privilege without abuse, to have liberty without license, to possess power and steadfastly refuse to use it for self-aggrandizement — these are the marks of high civilization. [Paper 48:7.8, page 556.8]
Cruelty is incompatible with the advancing ideals of a high civilization which aim to advance the nobility of the person, militarism is already being replaced by industrialism as a peaceful means of achieving harmonious human relations. Christianity could do more to promote peace by disassociating itself from all forms of militarism.
Militarism is autocratic and cruel — savage. It promotes social organization among the conquerors but disintegrates the vanquished. Industrialism is more civilized and should be so carried on as to promote initiative and to encourage individualism. Society should in every way possible foster originality. [Paper 70:2.18, page 786:9]
…Old-fashioned war did select the innately great men for leadership, but modern war no longer does this. To discover leaders society must now turn to the conquests of peace: industry, science, and social achievement. [Paper 70:2.21, page 786:12]
Institutionalized Christianity once could turn a deaf ear to the plight of the “oppressed,” but no longer, for these same oppressed have now become the beneficiaries of the struggles for emancipation and are now the informed members of a democratic society enfranchised with the legitimacy of voting rights under law.
A godless humanitarianism is, humanly speaking, a noble gesture, but true religion is the only power which can lastingly increase the responsiveness of one social group to the needs and sufferings of other groups. In the past, institutional religion could remain passive while the upper strata of society turned a deaf ear to the sufferings and oppression of the helpless lower strata, but in modern times these lower social orders are no longer so abjectly ignorant nor so politically helpless. [Paper 99:1.5, page 1087:2]
Christianity has betrayed its spiritual mission when it is seen to favour the wealthy and ignore the rest. That is the height of hypocrisy. The Father “loathes hypocrisy” so we are well instructed to actively differentiate ourselves from it, in full confidence it is the right thing to do.
“You do well to be meek before God and self-controlled before men, but let your meekness be of spiritual origin and not the self-deceptive display of a self-conscious sense of self-righteous superiority. The prophet spoke advisedly when he said, ‘Walk humbly with God,’ for, while the Father in heaven is the Infinite and the Eternal, he also dwells ‘with him who is of a contrite mind and a humble spirit.’ My Father disdains pride, loathes hypocrisy, and abhors iniquity. And it was to emphasize the value of sincerity and perfect trust in the loving support and faithful guidance of the heavenly Father that I have so often referred to the little child as illustrative of the attitude of mind and the response of spirit which are so essential to the entrance of mortal man into the spirit realities of the kingdom of heaven.” [Paper 149:6.11, page 1676:5]
Sab my friend, I see you more as a rough diamond than a negative disrupter, it seems you are a practitioner of the principle that “truth never suffers from honest enquiry,” however, it would do no harm to be “soothed by the milk of human kindness” every now and then.
