Great Construction

Analysis of So-called Superstitions
Faith Should Always Be Calm, Cool-headed, Unruffled

     It sometimes happens that World Messianity is accused of being superstitious, and here I would like to analyze the true meaning of “superstition.”
     Of course, superstition, or misguided belief is the opposite of right belief. What occurs is that after continual confusion and delusion, what is not right is mistakenly considered to be right and taken as the basis for belief. I would like to explore exhaustively how “what is not right” should be interpreted. One example is in faith where something that is not beneficial is made to be understood as benefit. Disease is feigned to be healed when actually there has not been any effect at all. The founder of a religion is skillfully contrived to receive the adoration of others as a living god when actually that person is merely a human being. Such are some of the ways that what is not right is made to be considered right. Of course, the preceding is an explanation of superstition.
     And then again, there are those in medical practice who promise that healing will be accomplished, and patients place their faith in doctors to the result that lots of money and time is spent, and contrary to prediction, healing is not accomplished, and some even come close to death. Furthermore, in spite of the great efforts exerted and the substantial amounts from the national treasury spent each year on building tuberculosis sanatoriums, not only do the number of tuberculosis patients not decrease but treatment is continued on the baseless hope that someday a cure will be found. From a strict definition of the term, these examples should all be considered a magnificent superstition. However, rather than patients being superstitious about medical science, it would probably be more apt to say that medical professionals make a superstition of medical science. That is, medical science is a superstition based on good intentions.
     Even if we are referring to the same kind of superstition, as long as there is a deeply-held conviction that there is a great difference between consciously attempting to deceive an individual and the idea that a well-intentioned superstition is permissible, that the superstition cannot be censured because its motive is based on altruism for society and humanity, the harm to society is great because the power of the belief assimilated by the majority is strong.
     Based on this reasoning, when analysis of World Messianity is undertaken, there is not one speck of contradiction in what we say and what we do for the task of World Messianity’s salvation. Rather, because we present good results that surpass what we say, the word “superstition” does not apply.
     The only issue that remains is that if there had not been any wonderful examples of salvation through World Messianity, then our explanations would not be believed. Still, human beings have the weak point of not believing what is not in their experience, and there is probably no help for this weakness. However, what is difficult to deal with is that, as the proverb has it, when one dog barks, ten thousand dogs imitate it and bark, that is, when those who have some kind of reputation censure something with which they have never had contact before, it is axiomatic that mass psychology acts so that the whole population echoes the remarks, which is exceedingly troubling. However, even though that which is true is suppressed and censured, suppression is only temporary, and it is truth that what has been suppressed will eventually come to be trusted.
     Dictums such as “Believe, and it shall be given to you” and “if you do not believe, you cannot receive benefit” are often heard, but World Messianity does not say such. Rather, we say the opposite: doubt as much as you can. That is because to believe before perceiving you have received benefit is a lie to yourself. It is only natural that the truth you cannot help but admitting, even after you have doubted as much as you can, is the truth. Thus, in World Messianity, particularly there are miracles, and, in fact, so much benefit as to be thought too much. Above all, the growth of World Messianity testifies to this phenomenon more than anything else.
     Nevertheless, the following must also be kept in mind. Namely, that in society, there are those who get one benefit and then are thankful when they proceed to get three or four benefits, but this is not the way it should be. These individuals are bewitched by the magic of benefit, and this point is easily misconstrued. What should be done is when you get one benefit, believe to the level of one; when you get three benefits, believe to the level of three, and when you get ten benefits, you can adopt that faith whole-heartedly. Even in faith, not one speck of the irrational is permitted.
     Another factor to be careful about is that faith must above all preserve calmness and cool-headedness, levelheadedness. There are often individuals who in their appreciation become overly enthusiastic and go off the rails, but this kind of faith is blind and is false. When viewed from an outsider’s perspective, this kind of faith invites doubts about that religion itself, and, rather the result is that sin is committed because the individual involved has become an obstacle to world salvation, thus much discretion and prudence is required. True faith is above all common-sensical, does not lose its dignity, and strives to obtain the respect of members of the general public.

Hikari, Issue 9, May 14, 1949 
translated by cynndd

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“Iwayuru, Meishin no Kaibō,” published originally on the second page of Hikari, Issue 9, May 14, 1949, and, while Meishu-sama still alive, reprinted in the essays anthology for ministers Goshinsho: (Shūkyō-hen (Divine Writings: Volume on Religion), March 25, 1954, page 298, as far as is known has not appeared in translation.