Evening Exchange; Healing the Relationship with God

Clearing the path to a better relationship with God. Up next an evening Xchange. Good evening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi welcome to evening exchange each night here on evening exchange we bring you political and economic information hopefully to improve the lives of those who live in our community but we cannot overcome the political and economic ills that face us unless we can heal the spiritual physical and psychological problems that confront us each and every day. Tonight we embark on a weeklong series of shows that will hopefully help us heal. We begin the series with a look at healing the relationship with God. Throughout the history of the church particularly the African-American church in this country there has been a close tie to the belief that an all powerful all seeing God the so-called Negro

spiritual which grew out of the cotton fields of the South has grown into an internationally recognized art form. Most prominent leaders of blacks in this country are often ministers the richest institutions in our communities are often churches. But even with these strong ties to the church we still continue to kill each other on the streets every day. We commit suicide with drug and alcohol abuse murder with excess of sales of drug and alcohol where is God in all of this. Some would say that black people have lost touch with a God force. Joining us tonight to discuss this are three men who represent three different paths to God. The Reverend Harrison Benton is a Christian. He is the associate minister at St. Marks eight in the church in Oxon Hill Maryland. Ghaith no cause she's is an Islamic holy man called an imam. We used to know him as Loni's subjects. And also joining us is swarmy Christian APOD a spiritual minister in a

religious tradition that has its roots in India. Welcome to all of you. That I got it right which used to call yourself classic. It. OK. Now however we know you by another name but we know that you are a deeply devoted Muslim what I would like you and the other gentlemen to do first is try to explain to our viewers what your own relationship to God is. How does it that relationship help you to get through the trials and tribulations of everyday of your life. Before we take on society at large or Cojo First of all in each of our lives we have to begin our conversation in his name. We say this M.A. ruckman around him in the name of God the most gracious most merciful. Each of us all our life and our existence to our Creator. There is a beginning and there is our in my own personal relationship

with my creator is one of total submission. We have a name Muslim which means one who admits to the will of God. So my relationship with my creator is one of total submission to his will and to do his will and whatever is his will not my will is what I should seek to do. This is the whole purpose of man on earth. In the Quran and I conclude in the Koran it states that the Creator made man and jinn only to worship him. When we follow that path we are successful by his grace. We will investigate that path a little bit more as we go along Rev.. Your own. Yes Cojo my. My path is you Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. And that path also

encompasses the father the Heavenly Father just as my brother has pointed out the key ingredient is obedience without obedience. Then there is nothing at all that we can really accomplish because we have to first realize who is in charge who is the one that has created us. And understanding that it is God Almighty who is our Creator. He is the potter we are the clay. And through his molding process we are made what we call God has laid down various rules and regulations through his commandments that we have to follow and in order for us to maintain our place within within the path within the spiritual path then we must first recognize that obligation is to be obedient to His will and not our will. And I think that if I may point out that the real problem that we are having today.

And that we have had throughout history as has been in the area where man has decided that he would approach this thing from his particular view. I'd like to share with you especially the young people at church trust the one that can see around the corners because you can. And if we can just take that as some of understanding then we know because he is the one who has made us and that's where I come from grace. I'm very much interested in the whole pursuit of how to understand universal truth isms. You know we have relative knowledge or material knowledge and information or data processing. We have religion and we have spirituality. So sometimes there are demarcations that causes people to be very sectarian and it causes them to minimize going deeper and being able to have a deeper connection with the Godhead. So as we become more natural we naturally

begin to go back and back to ancient wisdom ancient wisdom automatically brings us into an afro Asiatic connection. It brings us to looking at things beyond Western scholarship and my own life is that of a product of Western scholarship. I'm a product of a graduate of Ivy League schools. I'm a product of the Eastern tradition as a guru and the African tradition as an African High Chief now to bring all of that together allows me as an individual to know that there are certain things that go beyond races geographical environments and even scriptures. There are certain things that helps an individual to have his or her direct contact with the Godhead. I'm interested in helping people to know about the kind of techniques that allows them to experience what is accessible as we look at the essence of religion. Which brings us to spirituality. You spend a lot of time in Africa. Why. What do you do there and how does that enhance your relationship with God.

Well my work in Africa is as a consultant. I'm a consultant to various diplomats. And people who are involved in projects concerning nation building. But also my work there's a lot with notions of self-sufficiency see religion or spirituality and material progress should be should go hand-in-hand. Concomitantly if there's only religion without some science and some effectiveness it'll be sentimentalism. If there is philosophy for instance without religion it will be mental speculation. And if there is a religion that doesn't have a universal al-Hadi to it a belief system that could hold up under all circumstances then it is something that is somewhat transitory. So as we go back and back to for instance things like the African culture they begin to look and notice that there are certain themes that are universal to all ancient cultures civilizations that were very natural and allow

humankind to function harmoniously with nature. With allow humankind to have reverence toward God conceptions where they were the supreme Godhead or angels arch angels. It allowed individuals the techniques of how to be able to be more in having religious experiences allow me to interrupt though because I have to yank us back to 20th Century verging on the 21st century United States of America today where mainstream values call for people to work hard. If it's preferable get rich and move ahead in the society often not giving any consideration on a regular basis to what relationship God has to that. What do you say in these times when young people young black people in particular are killing each other on the street over drugs over expensive jackets over expensive sneakers when we couldn't look. And we we call it black on black crime but we could be calling a Christian Christian crime. We could be calling

the situation in the middle east Muslim on Muslim war. We don't characterize it like that but it can be characterized in that way. When we come back to that prison when you run into an agnostic when you run into an atheist in today's world and that person says look at all of these things why should I even believe that there was a God why should I even believe that there is a force that is operating here. What do you say to that. Well. Cojo Well first of all the reality of the universe is order. It's discipline in itself makes it quite clear of a universal power. A great eminent. Intelligence beyond our understanding. The order of the universe. The manner of our birth. And

the manner of life and death is ignorant knowledge of the existence of the Supreme Being and what has happened to the society has happened because they strayed away from the belief in the oneness of God is called Tukwila and Islam. Once you move away from the oneness you fall into all kinds of problems. Now today all of the society is baffled by. The crime. Not only just on the streets but in every walk of life most human beings are trying to say well I want to feel good about myself. They're saying I don't know myself. I really want to feel

better. I'm I'm not confident. This is really what most of the people are saying. They are really confused. And really this is because they have left the point of discipline in their lives. Maybe I'll get a chance to come back to this but I just want to point out that. When man makes a covenant with God and we've all made that covenant with him and in the process of our birth this is a covenant that must stand. And must be abided by. Isn't it possible though for somebody to be saying their prayers every day according to the yes several times a day going to church every day saying their purse every day meditating every day more than once a day and still be confused still lack confidence still be directionless.

What if it's panicle. You know if we do things on the surface we get surface superficial reactions. You know 90 percent of Americans say they believe in God. If we look at the world we'll find something unusual that at any one given time about 45 countries are in some sort of conflict. Many of those conflicts are religiously oriented. Why. Because we have taken religion as we do business economics and politics race tribalism. We have created more and more in groups and out groups and we have allowed the differences instead of creating unity and harmony and to allow it to go deeper into essence essential things we have allowed those things to create more dissensions. You know if we look at the world Cojo we see that about 2 billion people in the world profess to be Christians about a billion or so professed to be Muslims about 900 million or so profess to be Hindus and about half of the Buddhists and we go on even in America and we have something like 10 to 15

about 5000 different types of religious sects in Africa from ten to fifteen thousand and worldwide about three hundred thousand people profess even to be Jesus. So there's no lack. Three hundred thousand three side three thousand three thousand. I was only aware of about 10. I was in the work that we have about 2500 of more than half the night in Nigeria itself. So there's no lack of people who carry a religious banner. We pledge allegiance under God our dollar under God. The president plaid is under God. But what's wrong. What we find more and more godlessness. It means that we have to go deeper into really understanding more about the spiritual rule of law living in it and therefore will become more godly and there will be serious differences. Reverend Wright I'm glad this is this is a subject that is very dear to me in my search for answers. I found that first of all we have to look at

who man is and how man was created and in that process we find that the uniqueness of man is his will and we of self will. Man has the ability to make decisions. And whenever that decision process come into play then man can either make the right decision or the wrong decision. And I think that when we look at a lot of the problems that we are confronted with the day we have to really weigh the way man has use his free will. God has given specific guidelines as to how that wheel should be and man has taken liberty to do it his way in so many instance I was share with my brother while we were out in the lobby. I am doing a undo intermix identical work on first kings for class and I'm taken at

Harvard University School of vanity. And in the course of looking at the response that God makes to Solomon after Solomon had prayed in and made his dedication of the temple. Conditions were set forth and out of those conditions. Solomon and his sons had a responsibility to either obey disobeyed obey and this is where the limit comes in. We are placed in a position where we have to obey this obey God's mandate God's conditions. But as you have expressed we have free will. What distinguishes human beings from other species is our capacity for abstract thought. And it seems that we often use this capacity for abstract thought to rationalize our greatest weaknesses. It seems to me that the greatest weaknesses among human beings are the desire for power and the desire for luxury greed and the desire to control

during the times of slavery. Several religious Doc's doctrines were used to rationalize slavery religious doctrines was used to rationalize discrimination. And now I find religious doctrines being used to rationalize wealth. If we want to accumulate things we can say forget the part of the Bible that said it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. That's not what it really meant. We managed to rationalize what you meant and that the president takes the oath of office on this God. We rationalized power using religion. How do we change that. How does the kind of submission that you are talking about translate itself into people being able to solve our greatest problems Cojo. It is not just a matter of someone saying they believe and don't actually practice and it must be practice. I guess one of the examples I can give you now

is example of Ramadan. Now Islam as Islam is not a religion per se it is not among the Muslims referred to as a religion as such it's more or less a way of life and it has a structure that deals with every facet of your life. Now what I want to point out here is how can Muslims Christians Jews others who who seek a better way of life maintain that life. It is a matter of discipline. Now the Ramadan practice which comes every year Muslims go on a fast for 30 days from now on Sunday. We were in that now and I just broke my fast just recently with the with the water. OK. Now it's dark over here right. Now. What happens here. This is a discipline process that our Creator has laid out for us what does it do. First of all we are protected doing this month

from the things that you mentioned from the last from the from the anger from the from the from the weaknesses for power and these things. How is this done. First of all the physical aspect of ourselves that is material eating and things like this we discipline that. It gives us discipline over ourselves. And then of course we're not with our wives during the day we're with them during the night. This gives us the aspect of having power over that type of lust. We're with each other during the months so that we are concentrating totally on the Creator. All right. So it eliminates that aspect that would dominate us. This is a cleansing process. This is a cleansing process. And also it has its own cleansing rituals when we pray and so forth and so on. But quite importantly quite importantly during this month we do not get angry with each other if we start fighting and arguing

with each other we break off as fast as broken. So during this month we are taught how to discipline and in the rituals of Islam which we pray five times a day. It allows us to stop whatever we are doing television ready old ball games anything and take a few minutes out to turn to our Creator which is exactly what I have so right now gives us strength. All right. We'll be right back. We will open our phones and allow you to join the discussion with our religious and spiritual spokespersons. When we come back. Welcome back. Our topic tonight is healing in particular the relationship with God. We are

joined by the Reverend Harrison Benton. Imam Gaith nor Kassir and Swami Krystyna pod. Thank you all for joining us again. What we do have to go right to the telephones. We know you've been anxiously waiting to communicate with our guests. You are first. You are on the air. Caller go ahead please. OK. Peace and blessings to everyone who at this time. OK I have some questions for everyone. But I will ask the reverend first. OK Reverend I'm under the impression that Christians believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and if this is the case I'd like to ask you why is it that if that is the belief why is it that in John Chapter 20 very 17 in the King James Version of the Bible Jesus is making a statement. He says touch me not by him not yet he sent it to my father. But go tell my brethren that I have to send it to my father and to your father and to my

God and to your god. This is John Chapter 20 verse 17. Jesus is God in the flesh. He makes the statement there. That's how he got it. So how was it substantiated. What is your own belief before the Reverend as what is your own belief about my own belief I have to go by what Jesus here is saying and from what I can read in the Bible Jesus is not God Himself. OK maybe a portion of God he is not God. OK. That thing that you must understand verses is that Jesus as he ministered here on earth had Anthony himself out to be man. So he basically is the man God in a sense. And from that from that perception yes he shows his obedience to his father who in a sense in reality

is him. There are three according to the Christian faith and that is the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and they are all one. And if you can just understand that he is not speaking as God in this instance he's speaking as the Son of God. Thank you very much. Let's take another telephone calls. If you're on the air Caller go ahead please. First I'd like to say it takes courage of dealing with such a refreshing topic at this time and I liked it. I have seen you produce the joy of Jefferson. OK. And I'd like to ask the three panelists on their opinion about life after death. If there is life after death heaven or hell as we've been told you know since we were young. Is there a correlation between the life you live are your life and where you go afterwards. A very interesting question. Is there life after that and is there a correlation between the way you live your life and where you go in the afterlife.

I think this touches upon what we're discussing earlier that there is more need for accountability. One of the reasons people are sometimes very superficial is that they don't take on accountability. So one of the most significant things about the theme of reincarnation lets us understand from the Biblical point of view that you reap what you sow. From the scientific point of view for instance from the laws of physics laws of conservation that every activity has a corresponding reaction. Now this is like real quick this principle reincarnation is one of the kind of universal truisms that helps to bring the glue which can eradicate some of the problems of fragmentation that causes so much of the problems of what we have now a weapons culture and it takes society yes that causes black on black violence that causes the depression and causes drug abuse other things. Now if we go back and notice something we'll find that every major tradition of the world either directly or indirectly touches upon

reincarnation. It is a part of mystical Christianity and we can discuss that later. It is a part of Hinduism Buddhism. So Rasin Isn't it is it is in the American Indian philosophy the African philosophy the ancient Greek philosophy. See the principles of these kind of these notions because they're now being minimize it causes people now to deal more and more with just the surface the material it causes to have the Western paradigm what we're thinking how to conquer over nature rather than co-exist with nature. It causes us to minimize the fact that there's one God you know whether you call God Allah Yahweh Jehovah Krishna is the same God and the same God sends a different prophets are similar message. Are you saying that we don't really internalize the notion of reincarnation that has been in fact internalized in all cultures throughout history by not internalizing that notion we live only for now we do not

feel that there are consequences for our actions later on is that which is categorically and I saying this is part of the contemporary Western sham that causes people to be individualistic egocentric. It minimizes communalism socialism and being your brother's keeper. Reincarnation if we accept it lets us know that you must be or brother or sister's keeper. Love your neighbor as yourself. It helps to have that kind of spiritual unity that can't eradicate much of the ambiguity like another telephone call it's your call you're on the air go ahead please. Thank you Cojo for the present for the brother because I know that our salvation that people will come to our spiritual leadership and my quest to spiritual leadership. What direction would you give. Swami Krishna part two the leaders of society at this time for guidance.

So please tell us if you can come out what makes you think that the leaders of society are interested in that kind of spiritual guidance. What makes you think that that the president of the United States the presidential candidates the people who lead the Congress and the institutions of society will open themselves up to this kind of spiritual guidance. Because this prayer that you describe. I press and media like you have failed to give us any other. Thank you. So if we look at today's world order we are now globally in a very sort of suicidal arrangement. There is threat of nuclear war a chemical biological war. There is resource depletions there is racism and tribalism. There is so many problems of drug abuse. You know we go on and on any one of these problems produces a very dismal future for the human planet. So many people are beginning to see that the problems are beyond just human solutions.

Humankind is acting in on a metaphysical level. Let's say first material and then a psychic and then a spiritual. How do you stop people from using the arguments that are making. And the very real and profound beliefs that you have as a way to get out of dealing with problems because we all know that God the force uses human beings as the vehicles for making changes in society. And I am increasingly hearing people say oh there's nothing we can do about this drug and the violence. It's in God's hands. And that very often is an excuse for them not feeling the need to or the will to assist in doing anything about those put a godly person as a warrior a prophet was a revolutionist was active. We do not sit back and meditate and pray in any bonafide tradition without acting upon what those messages are.

OK. And the thing that's important for us to understand too is that when Jesus ministered here on earth his ministry was to go to the hurting people to go to those who were suffering with disease and ministered to them where they were. The problem I think we have we have with our churches and in our religious war is the fact that we have somehow abandoned this this this will to meet the people where they are. I feel that Bursch for me that if we what we have here tonight if we as religious leaders throughout the country can start coming together and forget about denominational and religious beliefs in terms of particular groups and just come together and deal with the problems and confront the problems that do exist out there then I think that change can can't change it can be made. I feel very strongly that

the changes will have to be made by the religious community. I don't think that the federal government the state level government up even the county or whoever can make those type of changes because this problem is a moral problem. Let's go back to the telephone caller you're on the air. Go ahead please. My question is directed to Reverend Bentley. Why do Christians keep compromising Jesus distance by a knowledge of the pitch that was created by Michael and the Christ in the last supper. And this is not support that one believes in the word of a pitcher. That's a very interesting question because it is a problem that has plagued us in this country for some time. We we have been really awakening to a new understanding through an Afrocentric perspective. Dr. Kane Felda has addressed this issue in his book trouble in biblical waters. Dr came

to here at Howard University and there are all those who have addressed this particular area in which you speak. Yes. At that time you have to realize one thing is the European audience depicting Christ as they saw him. And and basically as they look and it's up to us to really understand that that is their past that is their perception. And we don't necessarily have to accept that as black people. We know that the geographical area tells a much stronger story than than the painting that's paying back to the telephone call it's your turn. You're on the air go ahead please. You got three black ministers up there. Whatever the title. Yes. You have a swami an imam and a minister. All right. But basically all on a level of religion on a level of religious what.

They are saying. OK. Yes. All right. Hard to believe in one God. Yes. Now if they can't get together themselves as leaders or disciples of God I think the mass is going to. OK wait a second because these are the simplifications that I love. They are together. They're sitting here together. Yes sir. Do you understand what I'm saying to you about this new studio triggered your own way. Good afternoon we got some are out there. You understand we got daughters now and are going to stay there it always and never had to answer because I don't understand your question. Are you saying is listen if the leaders can get together if they want that how do they expect the flocks to come together but they can get together. These these individuals are not only they can be busy they can meet at anytime they want to meet they are willing to consult with one another because what you're saying is that everybody has

to be one religious man and no one on the ground. OK. I want to address this and say I understand you they'll address that the mother has a theme in his he. He has a good theme in as much as that part of the problem is that as leaders we have to be proper role models. So his sizing is that there's more need for the leaders to interact is that cause of a bonafide. Now it is also need for leaders for to adhere to the prophets. Now if we take three things we see that every major bona fide prophet says something similar. The other things are more details. They say love God with all of your heart. If this is that this world is not a home and that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. There is enough common ground for everyone in the religious orientation to work on those things and to make programs and things happen in the community. Yes. Cojo the point I want to make here is that

from our teaching in the Koran those who are Christians who are Jews who believe in God and others should work strongly in their faith and the Quran says vie with one another in good works. So the people go out and they vie in whatever their beliefs are. They vie in good works. OK. And this law judges God judges people on the basis of their their works. I just want to to mention that Islam does not accept reincarnation. And he didn't mention that. So if he is in souviens which is part of Islam for some people are not in the true Sufism it's not a reincarnation in the sense that we can discuss in a sense that you mention it but in Islam generally it's not an acceptance of reincarnation.

On the other hand I would like to mention that if a religion embraces the universality of all that has gone before then there should be some direction of the people to see that God's plan is to allow development. But we need also to recognize in results that which is best for mankind. So they have all of the different organizations now aside from religion that are out here trying to make people feel good and give them confidence when the essence in the beginning is total submission to one God. Ok my colleague talks with religious leaders not being able to get together. And I answered that to go on. I know he's giving us the answers that twosomes

is going to carry as well. I want to say something because earlier you talked about people who have a superficial approach to their religion and I don't think that we can take all religions at face value simply because we want to avoid conflict. By which I mean when a religious leader gets a promise from Mike Tyson for five million dollars to build a famous shrine and that religious leader ends up leading a prayer group outside of the Mike Tyson trial shouldn't reasonable people come to conclusions and have opinions about that religious leader not about the religion but about that religious leader. So when we make blanket statements about religions not being coming not being able to come together shouldn't each rational human being seek out look at the motives of religious ideology and look at what they do. The people need to really look at the scripture of the religions. OK here we have a we have a problem. You take say in

the Middle East sometimes many people here given the idea of what they consider Islam and the ease of where it may be coming from may have some problems especially the way the press feels that we tell the people look at your neighbor Muslim look at your brother and look at the Scriptures. Many of the people today including the those professed in religion have not really seriously studied the Bible or the Torah of the injured who said look at your brother. Certainly that is important. But first let's look at over the first year it must have something to measure your brother by. Yes of course. But he states that the Koran is the criteria by which you measure your brother Koran as well as the Bible and that is a measure. So you must know this first. Yes. Then when you see your brother you say will you not act and as you should. Right. And you have a right to condemn him.

Thank you. See what actually is religion. Religion is a vehicle. It's not that when we get to paradise or the Kingdom of God that we are Christians Episcopalians Muslims Hindus but we are servants of God. So therefore the religion is to allow us to form certain types of interactions. We can commit ourselves and begin to make a deeper connection. OK. So as we make those could I'm saying as we make those connections certain things should happen which allows a person to be God conscious every scripture says like the al-Hadi is complimentary to the Quran says the highest expense in Paradise is to have the vision of Allah. The Bible says the pure in heart shall see God. There is a problem today that not so many religious leaders have contact with the spiritual realm. See God really believe their own scriptures. OK Reverend Ben from a Christian viewpoint that is a major problem and one thing we must realize and we must be very clear about the scriptures state very clearly that there are

those who can be classified who are false prophets. So we have to realize that this is an element that we have to contend with regardless of how we look at it. So those elements are going to be there. So the point that we really need to understand is that since those elements are there we don't want to focus on those elements and have them to draw us off course. There are religious leaders in the area that are communicating that are getting certain jobs done but too often the media will focus on those people who are who are doing the negative. Those people who may be classified as false or not that of a telephone caller you're on the air go ahead please. I have two quick statements and I would like to address it to the Muslim Brothers on the panel. People say that Islam is a natural religion for the black man and Christianity is the white man's religion. If you go back in search history you'll find that Arab Muslims were the first black slave owners and they were not only they were Muslims

and they were the first owners of black slaves and the white man picked the practice up from the Arab Muslims. And also my second statement I would like to make sometimes the Muslim also say that the white man wrote the Bible if you go in the Bible and you search the Bible you'll find you'll find out that the black race and the black continent is mentioned more than any other race in the Bible. And if the white man wrote the Bible then he certainly exalted the black man in the black continent and left himself almost practically out of it. So I would like him to go and rest at St.. Thank you very much. We're going to fight the race war now. Yeah. Well I'd like to answer you from from the Koran. The Koran accepts the Torah and Jew and the Jew and Torah commonly referred to as the as the bible. OK. As coming from God. OK. Now I think the question about who wrote the Bible I think that each day you may be

talking about the distortions that have come in to the to the Scriptures and some like the reference to King James and some of the things that have taken place. There's been alterations there obviously and of course the book of King James itself is dedicated to. I mean it's written there in the Bible itself for that. So Christians don't and don't disagree with that. There's been many many changes and many alterations. So that's that part of it. The other question was What have you to do with the Arabs taking slaves and teaching the white men how to do. Yes. Yes. This is often used as as you know to say that well you know religion is not Islam does not. It does not do this. However what she's saying is questionable in terms of who did this. That for us there were Arabs who had slaves. How can you be a a Muslim through in this sense from the Koran. OK. And have slaves as in the

interpretation that has been given now. It was the prophet of the law who came and abolished slavery that was going on in Arabia at the time through a gradual process. And you see it in the in the in the Koran it's the fact that Islam in America drew attention to the fact of the the Jesus as as was mentioned before and the face of the white Jesus and everything Islam does not accept images of any human being as divine. And that's that's simplified in a way it's too short to explain all this. The problem is with television you have to take breaks every now and then we're going to take one and then we'll come right back with our spiritual leaders the subject of spiritual healing. Stay with. The. Welcome back we've been talking about

spiritual healing with a minister and a mom and a swami and you and it's now your turn. Thank you caller for joining us. You're on the air. Go ahead please. I don't go anywhere the question burning question that always fascinated me. Religion. I religion. Christian doctrine in particular. No one could be one of the worst human beings that ever lived. And before you die we repent and then all is forgiven. In other words if I am to die I go to heaven when I fire we will think you see this day. Oh good. And the thing is important for us to understand is as simple as is stated. Yes it's true and it does work that way. But that person once a person makes that confession confession cannot be a mental means it has to be a hot confession the person has to be very sincere about

that example is in Scripture is the thief on the cross with Christ that that man at his point of death was able to accept Christ. The only thing he said is that remember me when you go into your kingdom. And that was sufficient. And it was sincere and because it was sincere. Christ told him that that he would be with him. And I think that is the key that we have to understand is not just saying it because a lot of people will come to Christ by just making this statement and thinking that just praying the prayer of salvation is the thing that's going to bring about the change. That does not bring about the change. You have to really want to do it and it has to be hot. We know that you can't trust God you can't manipulate God. But there is sincerity and then there's sincerity. We are a very emotional people and there are those of us who go to church on Sunday and get so carried away by the service that we have a sincere

feeling of wanting to give our souls to the Lord to give our lives to the Lord. And then on Monday morning we've forgotten about the service we've forgotten what we did. We go back to lying cheating and stealing again and some little voice within us. That's all right on Sunday. Everything will be alright because I will ask for forgiveness. It is a kind of sincerity when it happens but there is a for nothing if not a plan that I am going to do bad some more. How do you deal with that. Well you see there's two types of practitioners in each edition. And this can be used as a barometer. There are those who are exoteric practitioners who are mainly caught up in the ritual and the external. OK. And are often hypocritical and sectarian there's esoteric those who are more into trying to have deep understanding of the prophets and to live as the prophets gave us the message. Those personalities do not have difficulty they have unity with diversity. They love to see religion in a spiritual sense glorifying the Lord whatever it

and whatever form it may come as long as it is something that is God centered. Those who are insecure or. Those who do not have deep connections they become very intimidated by other differences by other traditions and they have to make theirs the only one or the best one. OK let's go back to the telephone caller. You're on the air. Go ahead please. Hello. I would like to address this question to you but of Islam and I'd like to see from I'm aleikum alaykum Islam please. What I would like to ask them do you consider the teachings of a larger Mahamat class acts to be Islam that is suppose to be spoken. It's 13 x would that be OK. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad came into Islam from a teaching given to him by a master Feraud Mohammad who brought him the Quraan

suggested to him and others that this book the Koran would be the healing for all mankind and Boully lodging Mahamat brought that same Quraan to the people whom he taught in addition to that Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Incorporated a message tailored for the African-American who was in such a terrible condition traditionally as Islam was brought to people. Many of our people here and here in America would turn a deaf ear. They were embedded into what they had believed and had been taught and they were subjects. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad in incorporating that aspect or leaning very heavily to that aspect of the entire idea of Islam was able

to bring this out. Let me explain. You only have a minute or so. OK. Islam embraces all facets of life. Your ethnicity as well as your your your your physical your emotional you it embraces all things now at periods of times. There are certain things that are needed for people and sometimes these things are done in this way not in a traditional way. Did he bring it. And there are many people who disagree with the way that he brought it today. What a lot is to judge over all. And many of us including myself came to the broader understanding of Islam and to the recognition of Islam and his universal sense by way of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the other guy was Brother brother Clarence 13 X who is who is now long since passed who broke with Malcolm X when Malcolm was the minister in New York and formed something that has now descended into the 5 percent

Nation of Islam. The imam descended as he said that despite the imam and I were talking in the interim he is a wonderful writer and I've been encouraging him to write and he knows the history of the Nation of Islam as well as anyone else that I can think of and he plans to do that writing. And of course you'll be able to get more information about everything you asked for and these other spiritual leaders of course are available to you. That's our show for tonight. Oh we can take another telephone call. Come in. Go to the phones. Thank you. I'm there. Caller go ahead please. Yes. My name is Lawrence and I wanted to know you probably spoke a lot about Islam and Christianity. Basically what I wanted to know is what is religion. You're a man you'll see a lot of things. Basically what I want to do want to address is the fact that without the knowledge of you so what

good is actually true. This is significant because religion should not just be only a faith proposition consideration. Religion should turn anytime there's Faith and investment is wise. It shows certain fruits. So when people are religiously involved and there's still so much captured captivated by sense gratification by lust by greed then there's something a little weak about the belief system. They go deeper and that's some of the things that's coming up in this wonderful discussion we're sharing some of the similarities. But one of the things that's coming up also is that many things have come to be due to changes due to Bible changes or due to tradition changes. We get back to the natural to the ancient to the original. We learn more of the spiritual technology to be able to be more divine and we can not however deny especially for the poor people of the world. The attractiveness of having things the attraction of being able to live a comfortable life. The attraction of being able to have a nice home the

attraction of being able to have an automobile. How do we on the one hand ministered to the spirit of those people be they in be in Nigeria or on 14th Street in northwest Washington and at the same time encourage them to strive to be comfortable. Home. Obviously people would disagree with the world. It could be said to be in the world but not to be of the world that one has to be poor one has to be intelligent literate but one has to be detached genuinely tappet needs to be the servant of God and to pray the lord thy will be done whatever you know none of us none of us disagree on that. The point is is that people have looked upon religion as simply piety and total spirituality. And many religious people have gone in that direction whereas actually religion are a way of life as it is in Islam it embraces all facets of life. It means that you the Muslim must work and he must provide for himself and

for his family and all things being equal. There is a balance in life. That is our show for tonight. Our thanks to each of our holy men for joining us tomorrow. We will continue our programs on healing with a look at ways to heal the physical body with some help from the mind. We will talk with a traditional doctor or an acupuncturist and a spiritual healer. We will also take a look at how to heal your finances. That's all tomorrow at 7:00 here on evening exchanges from all of us to all of you. Have a pleasant. Evening Xchange depends on your contributions. Please send your donation to W H m m TV 22:22 Fort Street Northwest Washington DC 2 0 0 5 9