Jesus to the Renaissance - Day 2

Good evening everyone. It's nice to see you all here again this evening. I might as well get started. We made a start yesterday a little bit hesitant, and I was talking about Saint Paul and some of the different influences on Paul. I realised actually I should have talked much more about this first of all to try and set the scene for the religious landscape. We study extensively about Judaism in the last few workshops, but also lots of other ideas that are floating around as well. To understand the world in which Jesus lived, but also the world in which the Church developed, we need to understand the religious landscape and the other kinds of ideas that were around. So, this is a little bit of the first-century religious landscape, and of course, it didn't start from there. There are lots of older ideas which fed into it.

First of all, just a little recap about Judaism. Jesus was a Jew, and Jesus' mum was a Jew. For a lot of people, it's really shocking, the idea that Jesus had a Jewish mum, and all Jesus' disciples were Jews. Briefly, Judaism is the belief in one God. In the beginning, God created the world. God is the creator of the world, as stated in Genesis one. Because God created the world and because God is good, that means the world that God created is a good world. This means the natural world, nature, is good; there's nothing to be afraid of. All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. All human beings are God's children. God created Adam and Eve, and the whole of humanity is descended from Adam and Eve. Another very important idea is that there's an absolute separation between God and human beings. There's no such thing as divine people or god-men; God is completely other in that sense. This is really important for Jews and for Muslims: this complete separation. God is God, and human beings are human beings.

Another important idea for the biblical understanding of anthropology is that human beings have free will. They can make choices, can make decisions, and also have to suffer the consequences of the decisions that they make. Again, another very important idea is that human beings should live a moral life. There's a right way of life; there are certain things which are forbidden. Not very many, but Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, they should keep sexual purity. This is expanded into the Ten Commandments: 'Thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal.' There’s a framework of certain things which are wrong; these are moral absolutes. People should live a moral life, and the law then frames this, creating boundaries for how one should live. Within those boundaries, there's a huge amount of freedom. God said to Adam and Eve, 'You can eat the fruit of any of the trees except one.' This means there are lots of different ways you can live your life in a creative way. There's no single way which is the right way of life, but there are certain things which are wrong.

People should live a good society. What's important here is how one lives one's life, living a moral life and creating a good society. Judaism is not really interested in life in the next world. The Bible talks about Jews believing in the life in the world to come, but they spend almost no time thinking about what the spiritual world is like or what it is like in the next world. They're not so much interested in going to heaven in that sense. Mostly, the focus is upon how you live your life in this world: live a moral life and a good life in this world, create a good society, and then when you die, you will have a place in the world to come. You will go to a place in the next world which is appropriate for someone who has lived a certain way of life. The emphasis here is all about living a moral life; it's not about correct belief. There’s a lot of space, a lot of freedom for what you believe; it's all about living within the framework of the law.

That's Judaism. We're generally speaking fairly familiar with it because Christianity is, in many ways, similar. The principle too is the worldview that we inherited. But there's another very ancient religion: Hinduism, which is also four or five thousand years old. It's quite different; it's polytheistic, meaning there's the belief in one God, but also there are many other gods which are like expressions of the different aspects of the one God. It's also very mythological. If you've ever read the Bhagavad Gita or the Ramayana, it's all about stories that are not historical in the same way the Bible is about history. Apart from Adam and Eve, that's not history, but from the time of Noah, it's understood that this is actually real history: Babel, real history, Abraham, real historical figures. In Hinduism, Rama, Sita, Krishna, and all these characters are not thought of as real historical figures; it's like a big, profoundly mythological story.

In terms of its theology, Hinduism is very much about reincarnation, the idea that you need to achieve perfection. Well, not so much perfection; you need to achieve samsara, which is some kind of becoming one with the Godhead. You can't do that in one lifetime; you have to do that over many lifetimes to be able to achieve that samsara. So, they believe in reincarnation. The goal is to overcome ignorance and desire, and to achieve moksha, which is no longer being reincarnated. Hindus regard Buddhism as a branch of Hinduism because there are many different forms of Hinduism. There was a basic religion of India, but many different kinds of Hinduism, many different ways of living and being a Hindu. Buddhism talks about the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, and here the goal is to achieve personal enlightenment. When you're enlightened, you achieve nirvana, and again, there's a belief in reincarnation as well. So, there's a focus here upon personal individual development.

All these ideas were floating around in the ancient world. There was a lot of trade, a lot of people moving backwards and forwards, travelling, and ideas travelling. These ideas from Hinduism and Buddhism were known within the ancient world of the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. Another really important religion that had a huge impact a little bit closer to Israel was Zoroastrianism in Persia. Jews spent quite a lot of time in this area after the Babylonian conquest. Zoroastrianism has a different kind of cosmology. There's the idea of a cosmic dualism: an eternal battle between good and evil. There's Ahura Mazda, who is the good god, meaning light, and the good god has six holy immortals. The good god lives in heaven, but at the same time, there's an evil destructive spirit, the source of evil, death, who takes people to hell. This eternal dualism battle between good and evil is the main focus, along with good words, good thoughts, and good deeds. This dualistic aspect was incredibly influential in the ancient world.

Then we look at Greek religion, which is very polytheistic. There are many gods who used to live on Mount Olympus. The chief god was Zeus. I talked about this when I was giving the workshop on joining the dots and how the gods came about. The gods are very human in many ways; they're all flawed characters. They have a mixture of good and bad within them, a mixture of moral and immoral, and often conflict with each other. Everything is controlled by something called fate. Fate decides the outcomes of people's lives, and it even decides the outcomes of the gods. Sometimes the gods say they themselves are controlled by fate. In other words, they say, 'Don't blame me; it's not my fault; it's fate that made me do it.' For example, when Agamemnon stole Achilles' wife, Agamemnon said to Achilles, 'Don't blame me; it's not my fault; the gods made me do it; blame them; it was fate.' This is a different way of understanding what it is to be a human being; human beings don't have free will.

The Greeks did believe in life after death and spent a lot of time thinking about it. Hades was a god of the underworld; he ruled the underworld, which was called Hades, where everybody went. Later on, other religions came along that talked about a place called Tartarus and also the Elysian Fields. You might remember the Elysian Fields from the film Gladiator, where the main character ends up going there when he dies. The Orphic mysteries were very influential and important. Dionysius, the son of Zeus and Persephone, was killed, torn apart, and consumed by the Titans. In retribution, Zeus struck the Titans with a thunderbolt and turned them all to ash. From these ashes, humanity is born, similar to the dust of the earth. Humanity has a dual nature: the body, or soma, inherited from the Titans, and a divine spark of soul inherited from Dionysius. Here, the body comes from the Titans, who were not very nice; they were evil. So, automatically, the body is tainted with being somehow evil, whereas the divine spark or soul is inherited from Dionysius, who comes from the gods.

To achieve salvation from the titanic material existence, one has to be initiated into the Dionysian mysteries and undergo ritual purification. This involves reliving the suffering and death of the god. Here, you have the idea that the soul or the spark is trapped in the physical body, which comes from the Titans. In order to be free, one has to be initiated into certain mysteries, which involve certain kinds of knowledge, certain kinds of rituals, and undergoing some kind of ritual purification. The Orphics believed that after death, they would spend eternity alongside Orpheus and other heroes in the Elysian Fields. The uninitiated would be reincarnated indefinitely. This idea of reincarnation originally comes from Hinduism, also feeding into Greek religion and Greek philosophy. Plato believed in reincarnation, but they get stuck indefinitely. This is the idea of eternal punishment. The Orphics were an ascetic sect. Bertrand Russell, a philosopher, wrote a very famous book on the history of Western philosophy, and his speciality was particularly Greek philosophy. He said the Orphics were an ascetic sect; wine to them was only a symbol, as later in the Christian sacrament. Dionysius, the god of wine, was part of these rituals. People would drink wine, and when they drank wine, the inner barriers would break down.

The Dionysian mysteries involved rituals that sought to achieve ecstatic spiritual experiences, often through the consumption of wine. In modern times, people may seek similar experiences through substances like LSD or ecstasy. The Orphics, who followed these mysteries, viewed wine merely as a symbol, akin to its use in the Christian sacrament. They pursued a union with the divine, believing that through this intoxication, they could acquire mystic knowledge unattainable by ordinary means. This quest for mystical knowledge parallels the experiences of many during the 1960s, such as Aldous Huxley, who documented profound insights gained from drug use.

Philosophy also absorbed these mystical elements, particularly through figures like Pythagoras, who was not only a mathematician but also a religious leader. His teachings influenced Plato, who became a pivotal figure in European philosophy and culture, shaping early Christian thought. The intertwining of Greek religion and philosophy created a worldview that significantly impacted the development of Christianity. Paul, for instance, was born in the Hellenistic world, influenced by various currents of thought, and his writings reflect these diverse ideas.

Roman religion, while similar to Greek polytheism, was primarily a state religion focused on political significance rather than spiritual truth. It lacked depth in discussing truth and was more about performing rituals to gain favour from the gods. As a result, many Romans sought spiritual fulfilment outside their own religious practices, turning to Judaism and Greek mystery religions. The Roman emperors, who were seen as divine figures, further complicated the relationship between religion and the state, with the state becoming a source of identity and authority.

The concept of the state as sacred was articulated by philosophers like Hegel, who viewed the state as the spirit of God in the world. This idea led to a culture where the state was worshipped, and citizens derived their identity from it. This theme of state worship persisted into the 20th century, influencing ideologies like fascism and communism. The religious landscape during the time of Jesus was thus marked by competing ideas and the emergence of various religious movements, including Gnosticism, which Hans Jonas later explored.

Hans Jonas, a German Jew and student of prominent philosophers, became interested in Gnosticism and its literature, which offered alternative perspectives on spirituality. He argued that Gnosticism provided insights into existentialism and the modern world. Jonas posited that Gnosticism, while often viewed as heretical by early Christians, played a significant role in shaping early Christian thought. His work highlighted the complexities of these ancient beliefs and their influence on Christianity, challenging traditional views.

The Gnostic texts, often excluded from the biblical canon, present a different narrative of creation and the nature of God. These texts, such as the Secret Book according to John, depict a complex cosmology involving a supreme god and various emanations, including Christ and Sophia, the embodiment of wisdom. This reinterpretation of biblical stories, such as the creation of Adam and Eve, illustrates how Gnostic thinkers recast traditional narratives to fit their theological frameworks, presenting a distinct worldview that diverged from orthodox Christianity.

The Gnostics believed that Adam and Eve were created with divine sparks of light, predestined to be saved, while non-Gnostics lacked this spark and were merely material beings. This notion contrasts sharply with the idea that all human beings are the sons and daughters of God. Another myth within Gnosticism posits a duality between a good god and an evil god, each with their own sons. In this myth, the sons of the evil god defeat the good god, shattering him and imprisoning his essence within matter. This leads to the belief that human beings possess a divine spark that is imprisoned in their physical bodies, which are viewed as prisons from which they must be saved. Thus, salvation becomes a central theme, with the emphasis on returning to heaven.

In Gnostic thought, Christ is seen as a pre-existing heavenly saviour who descends to deliver a message of salvation. This message can only be heard by those who are spiritually attuned, allowing them to be saved. The Gnostic narrative of redemption presents a retelling of the story of Adam and Eve, where Adam's consumption of the fruit from the tree of knowledge is portrayed as a positive act. The serpent, often viewed negatively in traditional interpretations, is seen as a guide towards acquiring the necessary knowledge, or gnosis, for salvation. This inversion of the traditional narrative highlights the Gnostic belief that knowledge is essential for liberation.

The Gnostic view of salvation diverges significantly from that of Judaism, which focuses on building a just and peaceful society rather than seeking salvation. Gnostics perceive themselves as trapped in an evil world, yearning to escape through divine knowledge. They believe that salvation comes not from moral living but from acquiring the right knowledge, which will enable them to navigate the spiritual realm. Gnosticism asserts that Jesus is the saviour, but rather than salvation from sin, it is salvation from ignorance that is sought. This understanding contrasts with Christianity, which emphasises the need for forgiveness of sins through Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

Christianity's focus on salvation through forgiveness of sins is fundamentally different from Gnostic beliefs, which centre on spiritual knowledge. Gnostics assert that Jesus embodies the truth and that knowing this truth will lead to freedom. Many of these ideas, such as the dualism of good and evil, are rejected by the biblical narrative, which maintains that matter is inherently good as it is created by God. In Gnostic thought, the material world is often viewed as the creation of a lesser deity, the demiurge, rather than the God of the Old Testament. This perspective leads to a belief that the spiritual realm is superior to the material world, which is seen as flawed.

The Gnostic tradition includes the idea of a pre-existing Christ, who descends to redeem humanity. This notion parallels the Christmas carols that speak of a redeemer coming down from heaven. Gnosticism also introduces the concept of salvation through gnosis, where individuals must possess the right knowledge to pass through various spiritual layers guarded by archons. This belief system is reminiscent of video games, where players must have the correct answers to progress. A notable verse from Saint Paul suggests that if the rulers of this world had known Jesus' true nature, they would not have crucified him. This interpretation has been re-evaluated within the Unification Church, revealing a deeper Gnostic framework in Paul's writings.

The Gnostic texts, many of which were destroyed by the early church, were rediscovered in the mid-20th century, shedding light on early Christian thought. The Nag Hammadi library, found in Egypt, contains texts that illustrate the intersection of Jewish and Christian Gnosticism. Scholars continue to explore these texts to understand their impact on early Christianity. The Gospel of Judas, for instance, presents a perspective that justifies Judas' actions as part of a divine plan. Understanding these texts requires a nuanced approach, particularly when examining the writings of Paul, who is often seen as a pivotal figure in the development of Christian theology.

Recent scholarship, particularly by Jewish scholars, has provided fresh insights into Paul's writings. These scholars approach Paul from a Jewish perspective, contrasting sharply with traditional Christian interpretations. They argue that Paul, rather than being a quintessential Jew, was a convert to Judaism and that his teachings represent a departure from Jewish thought. This perspective allows for a deeper understanding of the cultural and intellectual milieu in which Paul operated, revealing the complexities of his theological contributions.

Paul was a policeman working for the high priest, tasked with rounding up troublemakers who threatened Roman rule. He believed that Paul was one of these individuals. When Paul went to Damascus, he had letters of authority from the high priest to persecute Jews who believed in Jesus. This piqued the interest of the speaker, who sought to understand the origins of the ideas found in Paul's letters. Many Christians assume that Paul was a Christian and that his letters form the foundation of Christian theology, but the speaker argues that Paul was not a Christian. Instead, he was interested in tracing the ideas in Paul's writings, some of which he could link to the Hebrew Bible, while others seemed to originate from outside Judaism.

The speaker references two books written by Maccabee, one of which is titled 'Paul and Hellenism.' Maccabee traced many of Paul's ideas back to Hellenism, Gnostic religions, and mystery cults. He concluded that Paul adopted and adapted Gnostic ideas, Christianising them for his audience. Paul saw himself as the apostle to the Gentiles, who were not Jews, and he aimed to present the message he received from Jesus in a way that would be accessible to them. Maccabee argued that Paul understood Gnostic concepts and packaged the Christian message accordingly, presenting Jesus as a Gnostic redeemer who descended into the world to bring salvation.

The speaker notes that many aspects of Christianity have been Christianised from pagan traditions. For example, Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, coincides with a Roman festival that marked the lengthening of days after the winter solstice. Similarly, Christmas trees and Easter eggs have pagan origins. The Gnostics spoke of an inferior creator, the demiurge, while Paul suggested that an evil power had taken over the world. The Gnostics viewed the law as a prison sent by an evil god, while Paul moderated this by saying that angels were responsible for the Torah, which God has now replaced with the teachings of Jesus. This shift marked a new age of salvation by grace and faith, contrasting with the Old Testament's emphasis on law observance.

The letters of Paul are the earliest Christian literature we have, predating the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels. Initially, the Jerusalem church, led by Peter and James, was dominant, as they were the disciples who knew Jesus personally. However, after the destruction of the Jerusalem church in 70 A.D., Paul's teachings became more influential. Maccabee concluded that while Paul borrowed from Gnostic ideas, he was not a Gnostic himself. The speaker reflects on a comment made about the role of angels in the revelation of the Torah, noting that the Hebrew Bible clearly states that God spoke to Moses directly, not through an angel. Moses insisted that God accompany the Israelites, highlighting the unique relationship between the people of Israel and God.

The speaker argues that Paul attempts to navigate the complexities of the Hebrew Bible, which portrays God as loving and just, in contrast to the Gnostic view of an evil deity. Paul bypasses figures like Abraham and Moses, focusing instead on faith and the idea that the law is a curse. This perspective aligns with Gnostic beliefs that the law comes from an evil god. The speaker points out that Paul's teachings introduce concepts like predestination, which are foreign to the Hebrew Bible. Paul speaks of God's wisdom as a mystery, a notion that contrasts with the clarity of the Hebrew scriptures, where God's laws are explicitly revealed.

The speaker discusses the Eucharist, noting that Paul claims to have received his teachings directly from the Lord, rather than from the Jerusalem church. This claim is significant because it establishes Paul's authority and the uniqueness of his message. The Eucharist, as described by Paul, is profoundly shocking from a Jewish perspective, as Jews are forbidden to consume blood. This idea of drinking the blood of a human being is alien to Jewish tradition and evokes primitive religious practices. The speaker concludes that Paul's teachings shaped the way the Gospels were written, influencing the understanding of the Eucharist in early Christianity.

So Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I'll raise them up on the last day. For my flesh is true fruit and my blood is true drink, and those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me." For me, this is not at all shocking. The reason it's not shocking for me is that this is the literature which I grew up on. For me, this is just profound. But then someone like Hans Jonas says, "Well, where does this come from? Where do these ideas come from? Where does this ritual come from? It's not a Jewish ritual; it's not from the Hebrew Bible. It comes from somewhere else." He would say, "Well, actually these rituals come from Dionysius and these kinds of rituals, and before that from cannibalism, where people would eat the blood of their enemies. By drinking the blood and eating the flesh of the person they defeated, they would be getting that person's energy. It's really primitive stuff. Except this is the culture which I grew up in; for me, it's not shocking. But actually, when you unpack these ideas and where they come from, that's where these things come from."

A lot of scholars then have been looking at this. This is not a new idea. These are things that Rudolf Bultmann, the German New Testament scholar in the 1920s and 30s, was unpacking a lot of these ideas. Before that, someone called Fraser, who wasn't a Christian, recovered a lot of these kinds of ideas from Egyptian mystery cults. So again, looking at that, people say, "Okay, let's have a look at this. Let's have a look at the Gospel of John and see if it matches with the Gospel Gnostic myth of redemption." This is the beginning of the Gospel of John. Again, it's something which is read; I'm so familiar with this. I know it off by heart because it's read every Christmas service: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things came into being through him. Without him, not one thing came into being." So, how does that work? Well, that's exactly that Gnostic myth, that diagram I showed you of the parent creating the Son, and from the Son come all these other realms and all these other things. That's where it comes from. It's a very beautiful, very profound, very mystical expression of the Gnostic myth. It's not from the Hebrew Bible; the Hebrew Bible's account of the creation of the world in six days is very, very different. You know, very different to this account.

Without one thinking, "What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people?" Again, it's connected to light. This is again connected to Zoroastrianism, the God of light. Again, that's where it comes from, that kind of idea: the light and the darkness; the darkness is evil. It's sort of inherited from Zoroastrianism. You find it coming to Gnosticism there. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. So again, you've got this conflict here between the light and the dark, which again you get from Zoroastrianism. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. So, you know, he's come down from heaven onto earth. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

Gnostics are profoundly anti-Semitic. The whole Gnostic myth posits that Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, is an evil god, and the Jews are portrayed as foolish for being deceived by this evil deity. This anti-Semitism also surfaces in the writings of Saint Paul. However, the Gospel states, 'To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God.' This reflects the idea that those who received the Divine Principle received a spark of divinity, and the Word became flesh and lived among us. This notion is distinctly non-Gnostic, as Gnostics believe that matter is evil. Some Gnostic versions even suggest that Jesus did not truly take on flesh; rather, his physical body was merely an illusion. This statement contradicts the Gnostic perspective, which is why the Gospel was written to address these misconceptions.

The Gospel of John presents a challenge to Gnostic beliefs. It states, 'The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.' This indicates that the law, which was given through Moses, is now discounted and has been superseded. Grace and truth are now accessible through Jesus Christ. The Gnostic perspective focuses on knowledge and truth, suggesting that as long as one believes in and knows the truth, salvation is attainable. This view neglects the importance of being a loving person or living according to the law, as the law has been rendered obsolete.

The Gospel also states, 'No one has ever seen God.' However, it clarifies that it is the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made Him known. This leads to the assertion that the New Testament reveals God as a God of love. Many people overlook the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, which profoundly reveals God's heart. For instance, in the fourth chapter of Genesis, it is written that when God looked at the world, He grieved. God was broken-hearted upon witnessing the violence and suffering present from the very beginning of creation. This depiction of God's suffering heart is incredibly profound, as it resonates deeply with the experience of a parent witnessing their child's suffering.

Contrary to the portrayal of God in the Old Testament as an evil deity who punishes, the New Testament offers a different perspective. The beginning of the Gospel of John contrasts with the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—which state that Jesus was born of human parents, specifically a virgin named Mary. In John's Gospel, however, Jesus appears to come from heaven without any human lineage, resembling a Gnostic myth where he simply plops onto the earth without being born of a human being. This lack of a human origin raises significant theological questions.

As I delve deeper into this material, I realise that there is a vast amount of content to explore. Initially, I thought this would be straightforward, but I have discovered a wealth of information that requires further examination. I had intended to discuss Martian, but I have not yet gathered the necessary material. There is much to unpack in this topic, and I appreciate your patience as I navigate through these complex ideas.

For me, this is fascinating. I need to sort of try and figure out for myself, so a lot of this is just me trying to put all the pieces into place of all the books and things I've thought about and read over the last 40 years. I'm trying to put the puzzle together, which is why it can be a bit difficult sometimes. This is just an experiment, trying to explore these things and unpack what was going on in the early days of Christianity. I'm also trying to make sense of the principles and our own spiritual community, trying to understand these concepts.

Christians are always concerned about salvation. However, we don't talk very much about salvation in the Principle; we talk about restoration. Restoration is about making things better, making things good again. The German word 'enmity' reflects a Jewish idea: Jews are trying to restore the world, to make it the way it is supposed to be. In the Principle, it states that salvation is restoration. This is a way for the Principle to transition from Christian theology and the understanding of salvation to what we really want to discuss, which is restoration. Restoration is about how we can make this world better; it is not about what I need to do to go to heaven when I die.

The Father never focused on that. His concern was how to make the world in which he lived a better place. In his autobiography, he describes himself as a global citizen. Every time he encountered something wrong, he thought, 'What can I do to solve this problem?' This is the Jewish approach. The Father was not an orthodox traditional Christian who simply said, 'Just believe in this and you can be saved.' Sometimes, he was incredibly challenging. I remember he said, 'You think just because you remember the Unification Church, you're going to go to heaven? Not true.'

All that matters is what you accomplish and how you live your life in this world, making a difference. Now, Christians say, 'Oh, you just need to believe in Jesus and be born again, and that's it; you're saved.' The Father said, 'No, you're all tribal messiahs.' This means you need to go and restore, making the world in which you live a better place. If you want to go to heaven, you have to create heaven in this world. This is Jewish thinking, completely focused on this world.

If you want to go to heaven when you die, you need to create heaven and live in heaven while you're alive. This means, of course, that heaven is a world of love. You need to create loving families, which means getting on well with your parents, your siblings, your spouse, your cousins, your neighbours, and even that wicked uncle—the black sheep of the family that nobody likes to talk about. It is about resolving and restoring all these relationships in this world. Yes, it is about loving, caring for, and helping people in this world. Then, when you die, you'll be with all these loving people in the next world—your family and friends. But if you think, 'Oh, I've been blessed, I've had the holy wine, I'm saved,' you're mistaken. That's not true.