Great Construction

A Difficult Problem of Unparalleled Scope

     The problem I am going to discuss here is one that is very grave, whose resolution is troublesome, and which has probably not occurred until now. This issue is nothing other than what can only be called the futile resistance which has been naturally generated by the growth of World Messianity. World Messianity’s expansion has had a proportionate influence on certain professions and trades. As all know, this influence is not just on the medical professional, particularly doctors, but of course to a large extent also extends to existing religions as well.
     The situation outlined above has characteristics that indeed are inevitable. Unlike other profit-making organizations, political parties, and movements based on some ism, World Messianity points out the shortcomings of competitors and of those in the same line of work but does not insist on its own superiority. For the purpose of making a world of happy people and removing misfortune from humanity, World Messianity has no other significance than that of a sacred work of salvation.
     For that reason, why is it that those who have been determined to be suffering from incurable intractable diseases either by medical science or by other means come to be in a favorable condition? Here we omit the reasons we are always citing, but looking at these results, one will acknowledge the causes of the phenomenal growth of World Messianity. The reader may understand the growth by observing the effect we have on other enterprises, as I related above. In the difficult world we live in, there is no reason for an ignorant person to fervently believe in something that shows no result. Think about it. There must be a reason why people would give up on and have nothing to do with a medical profession that has progressed so much. There is nothing to say but that those who put World Messianity in the category of superstition are nothing but fools. Stating it in the form of a metaphor, if you sell a coarse item for a high price, nobody will buy it, but if you sell a high-quality item cheaply, everyone will buy it. The ironclad rule of the survival of the fittest operates rigorously.
     The clear fact in this regard is that those who get sick immediately go to a doctor and are examined. This is the received wisdom of modern peoples. There is not one person who from the very beginning entrusts their precious life to a superstitious cult that is so censured. In spite of the fact that patients go to famous hospitals and doctors and undergo all kinds of treatments, not only do they not improve, rather their conditions worsen, and in desperation, it is only natural that they arrive at the mental state where they would seek anything that would help them, even if it be a heretical and superstitious religion. Somehow or another, they encounter the recommendation of someone who has experienced our work, come to World Messianity, and full of doubts, receive Johrei. Upon receiving Johrei, their condition shows notable improvement, and soon they recover completely. This experience becomes the motive for most people who join us and is also a reason for the unprecedented growth of World Messianity.
     When the above facts are considered, what is easily understood is that if patients receive medical treatment and sufficiently recover, that is the end of it, they would not come to World Messianity, and thus we would be unable to get any new followers. In such circumstances, that superstitious and heretical religions would have no room to exist and thus would disappear is not anything but apparent.
     As can be seen from this discussion, despite the accolades for the progress of medical science, the fact that people nowadays race to superstitious and heretical religions indeed stems from the impotence of medical science. Therefore, those who have completely recovered thanks to World Messianity and who later again or whose family members come down with an illness, abhor medical treatment and depend on World Messianity’s Johrei. Because of their personal experience, they know that Johrei is more effective than medical treatment. If medical science were superior to Johrei, the results should be the opposite from the above. Another point I want to make is that until now no one has heard of a case where someone’s condition worsened due to Johrei but improved thanks to medical science. For our part, we have no intention of censuring medical science, but we do have to state the truth as it is. That is because as long as our mission is the creation of a world without disease, the very correction of medical science is basic.
     Therefore, in order to eliminate the generation of this problem, what is most necessary is the recovery of sick persons by medical treatment. That is, showing results of the healing of medical science through the facts. If patients could rapidly recover one after another, what need would there be for them to run off to superstitious religions? However, there seem to be persons who appear to acknowledge that there is no efficacy to the medical treatment by doctors. As one manifestation of this acknowledgment, the medical association of one district tried to encourage the authorities to suppress our work and used false advertising in the local newspapers to attempt to interfere explicitly and implicitly with World Messianity. Such action of course is an evil path and can only be said to expose the desperate attempts by doctors to stand up to World Messianity. However, we ourselves certainly sympathize with their point, but the situation is very difficult as long as we pursue the task of world salvation under the will of God. We are caught between our sympathy as human beings for their plight and the directions we have received from God.
     When I make such a statement, materialists may interpret it as an adroit use of God’s name, and it is not easy to get people to understand. Since it is a difference of the fundamental notion distinguishing substance which can be seen from spirit which cannot be seen, it is probably like the conflict between an alcoholic and a teetotaler. All that can be said at this point is that when the world reaches a certain stage, I can categorically state that even materialists will surely transfer to the side of those who believe in spirit.
     In conclusion, what we desire is that if contemporary medical science were superior to divine spiritual treatment, we would immediately become medical doctors and work to save humanity. In that case we would not have to suffer censure as a superstitious and heretical religion and we could swagger about openly and aboveboard. Therefore, the fact that nowadays, people show interest in superstitious and heretical religions is because medical science is unable to solve the problem of human sickness and disease. In which case, it would probably not be amiss to say that half the blame lies with medical science. Above, I have rather frankly urged my case, but please understand that my words are only inevitable as we are concerned with saving the world.

Hikari, Issue 37, November 26, 1949
    translated by cynndd