BELIEF AND DISBELIEF
Activate The Inner Vision
MAN has an innate need for something to depend upon in this world; something which he can look up to. To believe in God is to look up to Him alone, while disbelief is to live in veneration of others besides Him.
In ancient times, awe of natural phenomena, such as the moon and the sun, dominated people’s lives. In the modern age, however, man has become more materialistic, finding fulfilment in such things as wealth and the greatness of other human beings. Whatever the object of his veneration may be, man is satisfying an instinctive urge in looking up to these things and depending upon them. The urge is real enough, but such means of fulfilling it, which amount to worship of others besides God, are false.
To truly believe in God is to find the true answer to the human search for a superior Being. It is to see beyond superficial forms to the Ultimate Reality that lies hidden within all things.
A believer is one who is not beguiled by the outward splendour of worldly things. He realizes that everything has been created by God. He is not overawed by things of material grandeur, because he knows that they, like him, have been created by God. He does not look to mortals for fulfilment of his needs, for he knows that they themselves are helpless before God — that all are in truth His humble servants. He presses on until, passing by all creation, he reaches the Creator himself.
A believer is one who acknowledges that everything is from God. Seeing that he has no power in this world, he looks to God for help and protection. The beauty of this world serves to remind him of God’s beauty; the greatness of natural phenomena impresses on him the greatness of the One who created them. So absorbed is he in the glory of God that he loves nothing more than to spend his time singing the praises of the Lord.
To believe in God is to see the invisible force behind visible objects. This requires a special vision, enabling one to penetrate superficial forms and perceive the reality of all things.
One endowed with such vision sees God's greatness everywhere; he looks only to God as great. He submits entirely to God, and trusts in Him alone. So engrossed in God’s overpowering greatness does he become that all worldly creatures, including himself, fade into insignificance in his sight.
True Character
Inclinations towards peace or violence serve as indicators of the true character of the human being.
If the former proves the humanity of the individual, the latter proves his animality, despite his appearing to be a human being.
