Reward and punishment.

 

195. Reward and punishment. The religions of God are based on the principles of reward and punishment, so this teaching is found throughout the religions of God as a control factor for our actions in this world: Baha’i Faith: “The Great Being saith: The structure of world stability and order hath been reared upon, and will continue to be sustained by, the twin pillars of reward and punishment….”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 218) 

 CHRISTIANITY: Matthew 25:46 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,” 1:8 “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” 1:9 “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of The Lord, and from the glory of His power;” 1 Corinthians 3:8 “Now every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” 3:14 “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”  Judaism: Ezra 13. Esdras “And therefore be thou not curious how the ungodly shall be punished, and when: but inquire how the righteous shall be saved, whose the world is, and for whom the world is created.” (Deuterocanonical Apocrypha) 1 Esdras “And whosoever shall transgress the law of thy God, and of the king, shall be punished diligently.” 4 Ezra Esdras “For the just, which have many good works laid up with Thee, shall out of their own deeds receive reward.” (Deuterocanonical Apocrypha,) Hosea 4:9 “And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.”

 ISLAM: Letter 3. “People will be rewarded or punished according to their deeds, the day on which evil doers will suffer for their vicious and wicked ways.” 21. Remember a man receives the reward according to actions he has done in this world because in the next world only the result of such deeds as he has done during his lifetime shall reach him.

        (Ali b. Abi Taalib, Letters from Nahjul Balaagh)

Islam: “Remember that this world is working under the laws ordained by Him, and it consists of assemblage and aggregation of actions and reactions, causes and effects, calamities and reverses, pains and pleasures and rewards and punishments, but this is not all which the picture depicts, there are things in it which are beyond our ken, things which we do not and cannot know and things which cannot be foreseen and foretold, for example the rewards and punishments on the Day of Judgement.”

(Ali b. Abi Taalib, Letters from Nahjul Balaagh)

Islam: 165. “When they disregarded the warnings that had been given them, We rescued those who forbade evil; but We visited the wrongdoers with a grievous punishment, because they were given to transgression.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   7)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: 7. “Even He whose two awards, whereof He ordains, men shall attain, who so are living or have been or shall be. In immortality shall the soul of the righteous be joyful; in perpetuity shall be the torment of Liars. All this doth Mazda Ahura (God) appoint by His Dominion.”

(Zoroaster, The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Yasna 45)

 Zoroastrianism: “Zarathushtra wants us always to remember that the consequences of right and wrong deeds are quite different.” “Those that are evil have no hope of saving their souls (from punishment) in the other world from God. Thus without any thought of spiritual faith they become strong for evil through the power of the latent animal passions.” “Man, therefore, ought to refrain and curb every tendency towards devilish actions, and (in his life) exhibit to his fellow creatures, till the end of this world’s existence, deeds that are worthy of the soul.” “A perfectly wise man remains everywhere mindful,” of his actions. “The thought of adoring the one Life-giver (i.e. God) is due to living in accordance with His laws.” “The Lord delights in persons who on all occasions conduct themselves in accordance with His wishes and behests;” “Be it known that, the man whose thoughts, words and deeds have the tendency of his Master’s, and in whose heart is, through the instrumentality of the good religion, union with the Creator Ohrmazd (Ahura Mazda, God), the highest, — that man is for himself. And that man conveys himself by means of that true path (system) to the shining mansion of perpetual goodness and complete joy.”

(Zoroaster, Hymns of Atharvan p. 742 and The Denkard)

 Zoroastrianism: Denkard. Zoroaster, “Be it known that, for man there are both these things from the holy Dadar [Creator] — reward for righteousness, and punishment for sin.” “Be it known that, according to the precepts of the good religion the income of righteousness is its reward. And the pains of sin must be considered its punishment.” “And it is for this reason that meritorious people who aspire to the good reward, ought to thank the Giver of the reward of merit. — Again a person keeps free from sin on account of (his fear of) punishment for sin (in this world).”

 HINDUISM: 240. “Single is each being born; single it dies; single it enjoys (the reward of its) virtue; single (it suffers the punishment of its) sin.”

(Hindu, Laws of Manu chapter 4)

 Hinduism: 1. “He who instigates to, he who assists in, and he who commits (an act, these three) share its rewards in heaven and its punishments in hell.”

(Hindu, The Dharma Sutras, Apastamba Prasna 2, Patala 11, Khanda 29)

 BUDDHISM: 1. “Here and beyond he is glad. The doer of good is glad both ways. He is glad and rejoices to see his own good deeds.” “Here and beyond he is punished. The wrong-doer is punished both ways. He is punished by the thought, “I have done evil”, and is even more punished when he comes to a bad state.” “Here and beyond he rejoices. The doer of good rejoices both ways. He rejoices at the thought, “I have done good”, and rejoices even more when he comes to a happy state.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))

 SABEANISM: “The good behold and are refreshed: the wicked are discomfited and the children of (this) world abashed” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba chapter 35)

Sabeanism: “If right is different than wrong, then their retribution also must be different. They cannot lead to the same goal. The distinction between right and wrong is fundamental to man. Man lives under the power of supreme reality of moral distinctions and of their absolute significance. To invalidate the hypothesis would be to invalidate the life which is based upon it.” (Sabeanism, Seth son of Adam)

 BABI RELIGION: “Say, this earthly life shall come to an end, and everyone shall expire and return unto my Lord God Who will reward with the choicest gifts the deeds of those who endure with patience. Verily thy God assigneth the measure of all created things as He willeth, by virtue of His behest; and those who conform to the good-pleasure of your Lord, they are indeed among the blissful.” “But the verdict of divine chastisement is pronounced against those who have turned away disdainfully from Me and have repudiated the conclusive proofs and the unerring Book with which God hath invested Me, and on the Day of Severing they shall find no protector or helper.” “I swear by Him Who createth all beings and unto Whom all shall return, if anyone at the hour of death beareth hatred towards Me or disputeth the clear tokens wherewith I have been invested, then naught but afflictive torment shall be his lot. On that day no ransom will be accepted, nor will any intercession be permitted, unless God so please. Verily He is the All-Compelling, the All-Glorious; and no God is there other than Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty, the Most Severe.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 19 and 160)

BAHA’I FAITH: “O people of God! That which traineth the world is Justice, for it is upheld by two pillars, reward and punishment. These two pillars are the sources of life to the world. Inasmuch as for each day there is a new problem and for every problem an expedient solution, such affairs should be referred to the House of Justice that the members thereof may act according to the needs and requirements of the time.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 128)