Can Chung Pyung Ancestor Liberation Really Liberate Our Ancestors?

This weekend is the Ancestor Liberation at Belvedere.

Honestly I have never enjoyed or appreciated this activity. My Catholic and Protestant ancestors go to war every time I hear about it… and so do me and my wife. For Japanese members it makes perfect sense. You give money to your ancestors for their good fortune: It’s what you do. However for Protestants it’s just plain wrong. It is seemingly exactly what the Catholics were doing in the form of “condolences”: pay money and have your deceased “skip” purgatory and go straight to heaven.

I have two main problems with this practice.

1. DP states clearly that restoration is accomplished through deeds of those with a physical body. For example if a person has a drinking problem, he will attract two different types of spirits… those that want to help him…and those don’t. If he overcomes, he helps both of them. It’s a substantial victory for the man and all parties involved. Hooray!

Nowhere does it say you can use money to buy your way out of your fallen nature.

Of course money can be seen as a measure of someone’s sweat and hard work, but in reality the effort to make that money varies greatly from person to person. There are plenty of people who have lots of money and have never worked a day in their life.

2. People have free will. You cannot change a person’s mind and heart by paying for it. In the world we live in, we understand this clearly. For example if you want to witness to someone on earth, you cannot pay a third party, and have their mind altered. Either you can win them over or you cannot. Either they were prepared or they weren’t. Never have we conspired together to burn bags of cash in order to bring new members. However in the Spirit World, suddenly all things are possible? People are easily pliable? I contend that people, living or not, still maintain free will. Money does not change minds and hearts. Only love, sincerity, hard work and truth does that.

For example my mother died last year. She has never been friendly to our church (to put it mildly). Now they are telling me that that by filling out a form and paying a sum of money, she’s going to a workshop? Good luck with that. I hope that pays your hospital bill.

In a recent twist I am hearing (not officially of course, but thought the Kodan grapevine) that now you can prepay an Ancestor Liberation for yourself. Seriously WTF [What the Fuck]? I guess they are assuming that we are all going straight to hell. Thanks for the vote of confidence guys!

When I was a young member, being blessed was a “milestone”. It was a victory. Now it’s like “blessing shmeshing”… you’re still going to hell… unless you give us a month’s rent. Really?

My cynical side is telling me that this is all a load of crap… an elaborate ruse to bilk even more money from those hoarding Japanese. Perhaps I can setup a payment plan and have these horrible thoughts purged from my head. And be sure to let me know when the “attitude adjustment” programs are available for the children.