This title may sound a little too severe. I cannot help that, however, since it is a true statement.<\/p>\n
We can say that materiahsm or atheism is a most dangerous idea from our point of view. Frankly, if we knew for a fact there were no God in this Universe, many of us would have gained money by cheating others, would be doing anything we desired without any self-restraint, would be living in the lap of luxury, and would have attained some prominence in the world.<\/p>\n
However, now that we have been awakened to the Reality of God, we can never do such things. We have no alternative but to live in the right way as much as possible, and to strive to become the kind of individuais who are deeply concerned for the welfare of others. Otherwise, we can never attain our own true happiness and so will not be able to lead lives worth living.<\/p>\n
This is no mere theory. There have been too many instances in the History of man in which crooked people, even though they have prospered at one period, have eventually fallen. Yet, in spite of such past examples, the majority of people do not seem to realize the truth of the above facts, and society at large is still full of criminals and criminal acts.<\/p>\n
I believe that atheism, or disbelief in God, is the primary source of criminal deeds, of such heinous crimes as homicide, fraud and burglary, and also of corruption by people of high social status, disturbances on city streets, and innumerable other wrong acts. We may say that atheism is the mother of crime. Therefore, if we intend to totally eliminate wrongdoing from our society, it is obvious that atheism must first be eradicated; there is no alternative.<\/p>\n
In modern Japan, however, the majority of the intellectuals, the government officials and the educators are apparently obsessed with the illusion that belief in God is a superstition. They are trying to fight crime whith such conventional methods as legal controls, education and preaching. No matter how hard they may try, such methods only prove fruitless; daily newspapers tell us how ineffective they are.<\/p>\n
The above fact shows that advocating faith in God is the only efficient method by which to purify society. It is unfortunate, however, that the majority of the intellectuals in modern Japan are atheists. They even believe that an atheistic point of view is a necessary qualification to be either a member of the intelligentsia or a journalist. Worse still, those who ently advocate atheism are regarded as progressive.<\/p>\n
This world will never become a livable and happy place unless the present social trend is reversed and atheists are regarded as passe, while those who believe in God are considered the true intelligentsia who are in vanguard of this era.<\/p>\n
May 7th, 1952<\/p>\n
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