Gospel of Heaven written and spoken by Mokichi Okada
Part 2: Teachings in 1935~3 February 1950
Meshiya-kyo has unusually developed in a short period and our teachings have spread over with increasing speed. This would be an unprecedented incident in religious history. What is it for? While we are living in a hard world, people spend money and time to keep believing in this religion earnestly. There must be a reason for it. Furthermore, believers cover various social classes. For example, they are, people engaged in medium commerce and industry, workers and farmers, as well as, politicians, doctors, professors, members of the Diet, superior officials and leading business people. Now the number of believers nearly reaches two hundred thousand. Just from these facts, we should consider why it happens.
At present, not a few people close their eyes to those facts, never get involved and self-righteously decide that it is a superstitious and evil religion. That is true and what does it tell you? As a matter of fact, most of the newly established religions until today didn’t have true value. Therefore, we should not criticize such people unconditionally. The newly established religions looked brilliant indeed when they were found. They seemed to promise the future as a great religion. As time passed, however, they lost their vitality and ended in an anti-climax. Many people know this truth. In fact, only a few new religions exist now. Since people in society remember this fact, they would naturally consider new religions as a superstitious and evil religion.
Then let me explain ours. So, please throw all kinds of such remembrance, drop the whole matter and calmly look through the fact with colourless glasses. In that case, you would promptly understand the effect of Johrei, which is our characteristic method. This is the most effective one in religious history nor in human history, which is beyond your imagination. It is, of course, not a just theory nor self-satisfaction but a real fact. I will show you a proof. That is the reports written by believers who are saved by Johrei. They wrote their experience with full of gratitude. The reports are piled up on the desk and introduced as a thank-you report in our newspapers.
The authorities and other people in all fields often investigate whether their reports are true or not but no one has ever come to complain that they are incorrect. That is interesting. In the reports, you can find that people who were told not to have much time left, to be told incurable by the doctor or to be nothing done with modern science but they, of course, recovered completely. Besides the disease, uncountable examples of miracle daily happen in every aspect. They are all unbelievable with present people’s common sense.
When knowing those facts, people cannot but believe that what we call, Paradise on Earth without disease, poverty and conflict as an unbelievable ideal can come true. To tell the truth, therefore, the work that we are doing now is not a religious act. When speaking of religion, people tend to associate it with already established religions and such an idea rather prevents them from grasping the real nature of ours. The truth is that our religion does the unprecedented great work of salvation. Now the world faces a great turning point. It would be difficult to avoid human crisis without this great salvation. Therefore, God chose me as the executor of this great work. I dare not say that I am Meshiya or Messiah. What I can say now is that God has me exert the power of a person like Messiah in the future. When looking back through religious history, however, it is obvious that every religion is misunderstood in society for a certain period no matter what kind of religion it is. Our religion is not an exception. It is always misunderstood by someone. On the other hand, however, the supporters are gradually increasing. Therefore, I just act as God orders and go with the tide while relying on Him completely. (20 December 1949)
Translated by N.H.