Spiritual sickness of the soul.

 

215. Spiritual sickness of the soul. Doing God’s will, living the life He has out lined for us to follow, is considered to be living in God’s eyes, while the absence of God, living only for the things of this worldly life, is considered to be a kind of spiritual death and illness to the spirit inside of man: I have been told, by some religious people, that the soul God created is perfect and therefore can’t suffer from illnesses or spiritual afflictions, but I ask you, if our soul has spiritual requirements, even though it’s essence is created to be perfect in God’s image, does it not stand to reason that if that soul is not having it’s spiritual requirements met, due to, for example, distance from God’s spiritual graces and tender loving care, then does it not stand to reason that, that spiritual essence known as the human soul or spirit might not be living a life style that is conducive to its spiritual health and well-being. I mean where do we really think all these murderers and psychopaths are coming from? It can’t be due to spiritual health and well-being, I mean didn’t Christ call himself a spiritual physician.  Christianity: Mark 2:16 “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?” 2:17 “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus was one of many spiritual physicians that have been sent to man by God at different intervals of time to heal man of his spiritual afflictions and help man overcome  his moral deficiencies in our trouble filled lives. Luke 1:70 “As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began:” Acts 3:21 “God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

BAHA’I FAITH: “These ailing ones must be tended by spiritual physicians, these who are the lost need gentle guides — so that from such souls the bereft may receive their portion, and the deprived obtain their share, and the poor discover in such as they unmeasured wealth, and the seekers hear from them unanswerable proofs.

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 272)

      So, it is definitely apparent that mankind does in fact, at various times, need spiritual physicians to come to this world to help the ailing souls of mankind with differing spiritual ailments. On the other hand, when we, as a human species listen to and observe God’s statutes and precepts all is well with our souls.  Judaism: Deuteronomy 4:4 “But ye that did cleave unto The LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.” In the writings of God’s messengers, Bahá’í, Christian, or otherwise, living the life God has out lined for us is considered being spiritually alive and healthful to the soul of man; while living outside of His law is considered living the life of the animal-beast, lurking inside of man, thinking only of material pleasures, and what we can get for ourselves out of this world; which is considered as being spiritually dead or spiritually unhealthy in the eyes of God:  Christianity: 1 Timothy 5:6 “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:”  Judaism: Psalms 41:4 “I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” Again, we hear it right out of the writings of the bible, living for the material pleasures leads humanity to a kind of spiritual death or sickness, because if man is strictly focused on the pleasures of this world, and on the flesh, he is not thinking about God or the development of his soul; he is thinking about mortal gain and what he can get out of this physical life. He is not thinking about how to become a better more enlightened soul, he is thinking about how to acquire more material wealth and what his status is in this world. This, as the spiritual writings tell us, is not the way to the development of the soul in man; It is the way to spiritual deprivation and spiritual disease and malnutrition of the soul. Some may think this is an odd way of describing the human soul, as being malnourished, but the spiritual side of mankind, the human soul, as pointed out earlier, has requirement as well as the human body does and when these spiritual requirements are not being met you have an unhealthy soul that is in dire need of spiritual substance and healing, which can only come from God and our living within the bounds He has laid out for us. Otherwise our spiritual nature is sickly and not flourishing towards ethereal well-being: Baha’i Faith: “How often do we see a man, poor, sick, miserably clad, and with no means of support, yet spiritually strong. Whatever his body has to suffer, his spirit is free and well! Again, how often do we see a rich man, physically strong and healthy, but with a soul sick unto death.” Man is in need of spiritual sustenance if he is really going to grow spiritually: “It is quite apparent to the seeing mind that a man’s spirit is something very different from his physical body.” “The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress and development of the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are independent of the physical body.” (Paris Talks, p. 65)  Christianity: 3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” Baha’i Faith: “If we are caused joy or pain by a friend, if a love prove true or false, it is the soul that is affected. If our dear ones are far from us — it is the soul that grieves, and the grief or trouble of the soul may react on the body.”

    “Thus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is the body joyous; if the soul falls into sin, the body is in torment!” “When we find truth, constancy, fidelity, and love, we are happy; but if we meet with lying, faithlessness, and deceit, we are miserable.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 65) Requirements for a healthy, ethereally flourishing, soul progressing towards a good quality spiritual well balance self are also further explained in the Bahá’í writings: Baha’i Faith: “The requirements are that your minds must be illumined, your souls must be rejoiced with the glad tidings of God, you must become imbued with spiritual moralities, your daily life must evidence faith and assurance, your hearts must be sanctified and pure, reflecting a high degree of love and attraction toward the Kingdom of Abha.” (Universal Peace, p. 460)  Judaism: Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Baha’i Faith: “We see that cold, heat, suffering, etc, only concern the body, they do not touch the spirit.” “Strive therefore, with heart and soul, to follow the precepts of the Blessed Perfection (Baha’u’llah), and rest assured that if ye succeed in living the life he marks out for you, Eternal Life and everlasting joy in the Heavenly Kingdom will be yours, and celestial sustenance will be sent to strengthen you all your days.”

(Bahá’í Faith, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 460 and Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 113)

BAHA’I FAITH: “They, however, that have failed to seek this shelter, have deprived themselves of this privilege, and are powerless to benefit from the spiritual sustenance that hath been sent down through the heavenly grace of this Most Great Name.” (Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 189)  Judaism: Psalms 42:11 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance.”

    Those who have deprived themselves of this glorious, indomitable God given bounty will still exist in this life and in the next life, but their existence, their spiritual capacity, will be greatly diminished from the exulted station they could have achieved in this earthly life. They will go on existing, and though their plight will be dire, you can’t exist in this life without some spiritual development occurring. Everything dealing with that soul will be moving in slow motion; which, according to the books of God, is a condition of man being unenlightened, and this, according to the writings of God’s holy prophets, is a form of spiritual death. Baha’i Faith: “Thus do the unbelievers seek to remedy the sickness of their hearts, utterly heedless that they thus render themselves accursed of all who dwell in heaven and on earth.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 26)

 BABI RELIGION: “They were immersed in superstitions,” “they could only be the superstitions of diseased brains. She expounded the new doctrine, bringing out its truth, but always encountered the same argument of Jabulqa. Exasperated, she finally told them: ‘Your reasoning is that of an ignorant and stupid child; how long will you cling to these follies and lies? When will you lift your eyes towards the Sun of Truth?”

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 593 and 624)

BAHA’I FAITH: “Physical life, in comparison with eternal life in the Kingdom, is considered as death. So Christ called the physical life death, and said: ‘Let the dead bury their dead.’ Though those souls possessed physical life, yet in His eyes that life was death.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 126)

 CHRISTIANITY: Matthew 8:22 “But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” Which, is another way of saying let the unenlightened souls, which are those lacking in spiritual development and health, bury the souls of those that have passed on out of this mortal life.  Judaism: Sirach 34:17 “He raiseth up the soul…. He giveth health, life, and blessing.” (Deuterocanonical Apocrypha,)  Islam: 124. “Whenever there cometh down a Surah, some of them say: ‘Which of you has had his faith increased by it?” “Yea, those who believe, their faith is increased, and they do rejoice. But those in whose hearts is a disease, it will add doubt to their doubt, and they will die in a state of unbelief. See they not that they are tried every year once or twice? Yet they turn not in repentance, and they take no heed.” 89. “And he said, ‘I am indeed sick (at heart)!”’ (The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surahs 9 and 37) 29. “Do those in whose hearts is a disease, think that Allah (God) will not bring to light all their rancor?” “Life was allowed in heathen countries for the soul’s health.” (Mathnavi of Rumi Vol 6)  Zoroastrianism: 1. “(Yea,) we sacrifice to the thoughts of the mind, and to the good wisdom, and to the good and blessed sanctity, and to the good religious knowledge, and to good health (of soul and body).” (The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Visperad 4)  Hinduism: “I know not what would heal the grief Burned into soul and sense,” (the) “soul, which rests serenely lord….,comes to tranquility; And out of that tranquility shall rise The end and healing of his earthly pains, Since the will governed sets the soul at peace.” (Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 2)  Buddhism: “The lotus will grow sweetly fragrant, delighting the soul, so also among those who are like rubbish the wise student of the truly enlightened Buddha shines brightly with wisdom above the blinded crowd.” “Health is the greatest gift; contentment is the greatest wealth; trusting is the best relationship;” Found in the body and in the soul of mankind. (Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards)) These are just a few of the quotations found throughout the various religions of God that speak not only of the spiritual death of the human soul due to lack of spiritual drive found within mankind; but here also are statements from these same religious writings of God that speak of the spiritual nature and health and well-being of the soul and our need for spiritual sustenance from God and living by the scriptural guidelines, which brings down the spiritual sustenance and blessings from God unto our needy souls. 

 BABI RELIGION: “It’s an ill world for peaceful souls!” that helps create unhealthy souls.

(Moojan Momen, The Babi  and Baha’i Religions 1844-1944, p. 422)

BAHA’I FAITH: “These are the counsels of Abdu’l-Bahá’ ‘It is my hope that out of the bestowals of the Lord of Hosts ye will become the spiritual essence and the very radiance of humankind, binding the hearts of all with bonds of love; that through the power of the Word of God ye will bring to life the dead now buried in the graves of their sensual desires; that ye will, with the rays of the Sun of Truth, restore the sight of those whose inner eye is blind; that ye will bring spiritual healing to the spiritually sick.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 36)