The Difference Between Good and Evil

[Jim Spencer]

Jim,

Whenever we see the words; "we/you must", "we/you should"----take note. This is the presumption that "I know what is best" or in your case, "Rev.Moon knows what is best"---------for my/your life. Rev. Moon cannot control me, you, or even the decisions his own physical children make for their lives. That responsibility is sovereign to each of us. God equipped each person with their own unique personality and indwelling divine guide. He sent prophets to give mankind big lessons---to help humanity navigate the general universal pathways towards the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. But, it is still up to the individual to choose his course. And God DID NOT give humans the mandate to become the spiritual judges of one another. We can discern accurately, but only from a position of Heavenly Love---never in judgment. Even Jesus did not come to judge man---but to SAVE him. You love this "Satan" word----as if you really know who is attached to Satan or not. By judging other's with limited knowledge---you are sending the message----"I know what's is best for others; I know absolute truth; I accurately discern Satan's control on your life."  

Boy Jim---you don't realize the pressure you are putting yourself under. How do you sleep at night with all that judgmental responsibility that you have taken on yourself? If I went around trying to find Satan in my brothers and sisters, I'd be full of fear too because I know, that I could not possibly live up to the standards I'm trying to set for others. You must be full of stress and uncertainty. Because the human being has his divine spirit and his soul----he cannot feel at peace and rest as long as he is not in harmony with God. I guess we all just have to ask ourselves how we feel inside. Are we like the flat ocean on a sunny day or like a stormy sea with blowing wind and billowing clouds? Are we so-filled with happiness that we are bursting with love---or are we walking around with a chip on our shoulder and mad at the world?

Evil in the world is generally caused due to a lack of respect for other living beings space. Whenever evil occurs---it generally happens when one being invades the space of another being---whether it be a physical assault on another, a social, economic, mental, or spiritual invasion.

Jesus did not consider most people as being evil----only ignorant. On the cross he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing". Jesus message was, "if any man wants to come to me, he can through faith". "If he invites me, I will come". God created the universe and by His mighty power, he rules in the Kingdoms of men. He is the upholder and the sustainer of all life. And yet, Almighty God does not rule men by force. He respects man through his Free Will Gift. He even allows evil men to live long lives so that they will have time to change their hearts.

If we want to become God-centered Christlike people----then we must learn to respect the Free Will Gift of others. We must understand that each person has his own personal relationship with God and that God manifests Himself through his children in different ways. Evil has been caused when some individual being decided that he had all the answers for everybody else. When someone does this, they are operating out of their Ego----not from the spirit of God. Most wars have been caused by either religious beliefs or the differences in ideologies. And usually, there is a charismatic leader that subscribes to some religious belief or ideology---that does the thinking for the group----and has a dedicated following. Don't we all know about Jim Jones, David Koresh, that Japanese Cult leader, the Polygamous Mormons, Wikkans, Hara Khrisha, Children of God, the followers of the little fat guy in the Rolls Royce, Rajneesh, etc, etc, etc? Every one of the followers of those religions believed that their leader was the 2nd Coming. Is it really more logical to question or to blindly follow?

When these leaders impose their understanding on others---it is usually to great detriment. All the way back from the Pharoahs to the religious ministers of today---you can determine who is coming from relative goodness and who is coming from relative evil. Men of peace such as Budda, Jesus, Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Ghandi, Amma, Yogananda, Maharishi----etc----all conducted their personal belief systems through non-invasive ways--they did not use negative influence and fear to persuade their followers.

Mohamed, Stalin, Mao, Lenin, the early Popes, and some fundamental religious leaders---usurped the Free Will Gift through intimidation, guilt trips, fear-based, psychological brainwashing, and outright physical intimidation----in order to spread their ideologies or religions.

What camp do you think that Rev. Moon and his followers are in? Are they respecting that each human being is a unique child of God, each with his own mind, heart, and soul? Do they respect the fact that God gave each person their own divine spirit and that He leads them through the Spirit of Truth and the Holy Spirit? Or, are they trying to assert their own view of truth and calling anything that is different "satanic" or "evil?" Jesus never called people evil because they had their own beleifs. He only called people evil that usurped the Free Will Gift of God and invaded other's space through selfishness.For example, regarding a man's personal wealth:

"Jesus never taught that it was wrong to have wealth. He required only the twelve and the seventy to dedicate all of their worldly possessions to the common cause. Even then, he provided for the profitable liquidation of their property, as in the case of the Apostle Matthew. Jesus many times advised his well-to-do disciples as he taught the rich man of Rome. The Master regarded the wise investment of excess earnings as a legitimate form of insurance against future and unavoidable adversity. When the apostolic treasury was overflowing, Judas put funds on deposit to be used subsequently when they might suffer greatly from a diminution of income. This Judas did after consultation with Andrew. Jesus never personally had anything to do with the apostolic finances except in the disbursement of alms. But there was one economic abuse which he many times condemned, and that was the unfair exploitation of the weak, unlearned, and less fortunate of men by their strong, keen, and more intelligent fellows. Jesus declared that such inhuman treatment of men, women, and children was incompatible with the ideals of the brotherhood of the kingdom of heaven."

Are men of faith supposed to attempt to discern evil using their own standards and their own understanding of universal truth?

Jim, do you really feel that you are qualified to pass judgment on your brothers and sisters based on your understanding of God and his universe? Do you really think you are that Christlike--a spirit-led being of light and life. When you make your harsh pronouncements as to who is good and who is evil---do you not realize that you are really judging yourself? Are you ready to take the responsibility for the spiritual lives of other seekers on the pathway? Did you not remember Jesus' words, "you seek high and wide for a spiritual child, and when you get one, you make them twice as much a child of hell as yourself?". Did you not read and understand the parable about "first taking the mote out of your own eye so that you can better see to take it out of your neighbors' eye?"

Jim, less PRIDE OF SELF lead us away from God---each one of us has to constantly be on the watch to guard against us operating out of our physical mind where our fallen natures reside. Before we can counsel others, we first must understand ourselves----where we have deficiencies in our own character. We must first attend to our own spiritual health before we can heal others. So the question that I must ask myself everyday is; "is my motivation to love and serve; to heal and help; to nurture and teach?" Or are my words and actions coming from fear-based motivation where pride, anger, jealousy, and revenge, live? When you obsess with labeling anything you don't agree with as being "evil" or "satanic";-----you run the risk of becoming the very thing you hate.

Jesus said, "yes---you can be my disciple---it's a free gift obtained by faith". But then he also said, "yes, it's free, but you will have to endure a severe test to implement it. You will have to go the way of your own personal cross of soul destruction and reconstruction" (paraphrased). In order to become a spirit-led disciple of Christ---the ego has to go---the unatural view of SELF must be  replaced by the healthy love of self as seen through God's eyes. Until YOU and I can gather up the neccessary courage to TOTALLY SURRENDER to God (no one else)----we will remain behind the fortress of the fallen mind. As long as we live behind these walls, not letting God himself to enter our hearts, we can never overcome the flesh. So many people have trauma in their lives. This weakens our hold on our finite physical bodies, and teaches us to let go and let God do the work. Jesus mandate to "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand", was the call to subjugate ourselves to the leading of the indwelling spirit through repentance. Each one of us should know when we need to repent. If you do not know that you need to repent or think that you don't need to-------you most assuredly DO!

One of the signs that you are growing in love and spiritual maturity is a self-awareness that we are very tiny.

 

The Kingdom of Heaven begins within your spirit when you allow God to guide you; when you turn it all over to Him; when you realize that you don't know very much at all. Your job Jim, as is my job---is not to be a judge of good and evil over other men's souls. Our job is to become the embodiment of the LOVE OF GOD; a candle lighting the way for others; a white light of peace, joy, and love---a true brother or sister to all creation; a representative of Christ Michael; a servant to all; respecting all-----seeing the image of the Father in all. We are to become the embodiment of the light of truth that will attract other's by the divine Christ-love that flows through us."