USA President Trump says Rev. Billy Graham delivered same beautiful message, "God loves you"; Trump prays for more Billy Graham like persons to spread love and hope to every precious child of God
For me, a Hindu, one of the extraordinary things about the Christian faith is its faith in God's love for man (human beings). 'God loves you' or 'Jesus loves you' is the message that its missions and its preachers proclaim with strong faith.
It took me quite some time to understand that Hinduism too has that message. My initial beliefs in Hindu traditions were focused on the philosophical aspects of it which during my youth (and probably is the same even today) were taught mainly through the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads (Vedanta) scripture and commentary/discourses on it. The third part of the Prasthana Trayee, namely the Brahma Sutra, was not so popularly read and shared in Hindu missions of Bombay/Mumbai during the 1970s to 1990s which is when I was into exploring that part of Hindu scripture in and around Bombay/Mumbai.
I failed to detect and understand the message of Love of God for man in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. I think the reason for that failure of mine would have been rooted in my lack of faith in an interventionist God. I preferred to view these scriptures from an intellectual point of view taking away from them beliefs in Karma, need to overcome the weaknesses of Kama (desire/lust), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (infatuation), Mada (pride) and Matsarya (jealousy) and thereby experience a peaceful consciousness within me, etc. In particular, I doubted the miraculous powers attributed to God in Hindu scripture like Bhagavadam (Bhagavat Purana) and Ramayana (accounts of the Hindu Avatars).
So God to me then was more of a non-interventionist force which is ever peaceful. I felt that the peace of God that passeth understanding which the Bible talked about, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A7&version=KJV, was similar to what my understanding of God was.
This view of mine did not have any concept of God loving me! For me, it was a detached onlooker/witness God watching the drama of his creation going on.
Later I faced some very tough challenges in life which prodded me towards devotion (Bhakti) and devotional surrender to God. Krishna was a natural choice for me as my Ishta Devata (favourite divine being/god) as I had read Bhagavad Gita many times, and had also read his life story in the Bhagavadam (Bhagavat Purana) though without faith in the miracles reported there.
Later, destiny brought me to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It is in my spiritual journey as a Sathya Sai devotee with the Sathya Sai fraternity and later with physical form Sathya Sai, that I really understood the power of prayer and the loving response of Bhagavan to it. And Bhagavan would say, again and again and again, that God is love and that love is God. Of course, this love is selfless love. Today, I have great belief in that teaching of Bhagavan. And so I too hold the deep belief that God loves man like that of the Christian faith.
Later I understood that even the Upanishads imply this great love of God for not only man but all creation. I have not re-read the Bhagavad Gita for many years now but I am quite sure that when I re-read it I will see the message of God's love for man in it too.
I also now have developed great faith in accounts of divine figures like Rama, Krishna and Jesus Christ in Hindu and Christian scripture, including the miracles attributed to them.
Now I am very impressed with Rev. Billy Graham because of these strong beliefs he had that God loves man, and how he spread that faith in God and God's love for man among millions of people around the world. Yes, Rev. Graham also believed that the way to God was ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. I do not share that belief of Rev. Graham. I believe that the way to God is THROUGH MANY DEITIES of which JESUS CHRIST is one, and Rama, Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai Baba are some of the other DEITIES through whom one can approach/reach/attain/realize God.
I am not upset with Rev. Graham for having his belief of CHRIST being the ONLY WAY. I respect his belief so long as he does not impose his belief on me.
But I am deeply struck by the dedicated life of Rev. Graham in spreading the gospel of Christ as he understood it, and how he was able to inspire so many millions around the world to have that belief in Christ and Christ's love for them. I consider him to be a very inspiring figure in this regard. Therefore I am putting up so many posts on him even though most of my readers who are either Hindus and/or Sathya Sai devotees (some of them being Christians), do not seem to be that interested in my posts about Rev. Billy Graham.
Rev. Billy Graham's body is being honored in the USA Capitol, a rare honour given to USA civilians. Given below are some extracts from "Remarks by President Trump at Ceremony Preceding the Lying in Honor of the Reverend Billy Graham", https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-ceremony-preceding-lying-honor-reverend-billy-graham/, 28th Feb. 2018 :
Thank you, Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell. And, most importantly, thank you to the entire Graham family for honoring us with your presence here today. Thank you.
In the spring of 1934, Billy Graham’s father allowed a group of Charlotte businessmen to use a portion of the family’s dairy farm to gather for a day of prayer.
On that day, the men prayed for the city. They prayed that, “Out of Charlotte, the Lord would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.”
We are here today, more than 80 years later, because that prayer was truly answered.
Billy Graham was 15 years old at the time. Just a few months later, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
That choice didn’t just change Billy’s life — it changed our lives. It changed our country, and it changed, in fact, the entire world.
The North Carolina farm boy walked out of those fields, into a great and beautiful history. Starting at a small Bible school in Florida, he soon led a nationwide revival — from a large tent in Los Angeles, to 100,000 people in a single day at Yankee Stadium, to more than 2 million people at Madison Square Garden, over 16 weeks in 1957.
...
In London, Tokyo, Seoul, Bogota, Moscow, New Delhi, Saigon, Johannesburg, and scores of other places all over the world, Reverend Graham shared the power of God’s word with more than 200 million people, in person, and countless others through television and radio where people loved to watch and listen.
In 1978, with the support of the Catholic Bishop who would soon become Pope John Paul II, Reverend Graham went to Poland and spoke of the meaning of the cross to a people suffering under the soulless oppression of communism.
Billy Graham carried his message around the world, but his heart, as Franklin will tell you, was always in America.
He took his message to the poorest places, to the downtrodden and to the brokenhearted, to inmates in prison, and to the overlooked and the neglected. He felt a great passion for those that were neglected.
Everywhere he went, Reverend Graham delivered the same beautiful message: God loves you. That was his message. God loves you.
We can only imagine the number of lives touched by the preaching and the prayers of Billy Graham –- the hearts he changed, the sorrows he eased, and the joy he brought to so many. The testimony is endless.
Today, we give thanks for this extraordinary life. And it’s very fitting that we do so right here in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, where the memory of the American people is enshrined.
Here in this room, we are reminded that America is a nation sustained by prayer. The painting to my left is of the pilgrims as they embarked for America, holding fast to the Bible and bowing their heads in prayer.
...
Around us stand the statues of heroes who led the nation in prayer during the great and difficult times, from Washington to Lincoln to Eisenhower to King.
And, today, in the center of this great chamber lies legendary Billy Graham, an ambassador for Christ who reminded the world of the power of prayer and the gift of God’s grace.
Today we honor him as only three private citizens before him have been so honored.
And like the faithful of Charlotte once did, today we say a prayer for our country, that all across this land the Lord will raise up men and women like Billy Graham to spread a message of love and hope to every precious child of God.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. Thank you very much.
--- end extracts from President Trump's remarks ----
Ravi: I fully join in this prayer of USA President Donald J. Trump (country being USA in this context though my country is India), "And like the faithful of Charlotte once did, today we say a prayer for our country, that all across this land the Lord will raise up men and women like Billy Graham to spread a message of love and hope to every precious child of God."
[I thank whitehouse.gov and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
It took me quite some time to understand that Hinduism too has that message. My initial beliefs in Hindu traditions were focused on the philosophical aspects of it which during my youth (and probably is the same even today) were taught mainly through the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads (Vedanta) scripture and commentary/discourses on it. The third part of the Prasthana Trayee, namely the Brahma Sutra, was not so popularly read and shared in Hindu missions of Bombay/Mumbai during the 1970s to 1990s which is when I was into exploring that part of Hindu scripture in and around Bombay/Mumbai.
I failed to detect and understand the message of Love of God for man in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. I think the reason for that failure of mine would have been rooted in my lack of faith in an interventionist God. I preferred to view these scriptures from an intellectual point of view taking away from them beliefs in Karma, need to overcome the weaknesses of Kama (desire/lust), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (infatuation), Mada (pride) and Matsarya (jealousy) and thereby experience a peaceful consciousness within me, etc. In particular, I doubted the miraculous powers attributed to God in Hindu scripture like Bhagavadam (Bhagavat Purana) and Ramayana (accounts of the Hindu Avatars).
So God to me then was more of a non-interventionist force which is ever peaceful. I felt that the peace of God that passeth understanding which the Bible talked about, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A7&version=KJV, was similar to what my understanding of God was.
This view of mine did not have any concept of God loving me! For me, it was a detached onlooker/witness God watching the drama of his creation going on.
Later I faced some very tough challenges in life which prodded me towards devotion (Bhakti) and devotional surrender to God. Krishna was a natural choice for me as my Ishta Devata (favourite divine being/god) as I had read Bhagavad Gita many times, and had also read his life story in the Bhagavadam (Bhagavat Purana) though without faith in the miracles reported there.
Later, destiny brought me to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It is in my spiritual journey as a Sathya Sai devotee with the Sathya Sai fraternity and later with physical form Sathya Sai, that I really understood the power of prayer and the loving response of Bhagavan to it. And Bhagavan would say, again and again and again, that God is love and that love is God. Of course, this love is selfless love. Today, I have great belief in that teaching of Bhagavan. And so I too hold the deep belief that God loves man like that of the Christian faith.
Later I understood that even the Upanishads imply this great love of God for not only man but all creation. I have not re-read the Bhagavad Gita for many years now but I am quite sure that when I re-read it I will see the message of God's love for man in it too.
I also now have developed great faith in accounts of divine figures like Rama, Krishna and Jesus Christ in Hindu and Christian scripture, including the miracles attributed to them.
Now I am very impressed with Rev. Billy Graham because of these strong beliefs he had that God loves man, and how he spread that faith in God and God's love for man among millions of people around the world. Yes, Rev. Graham also believed that the way to God was ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. I do not share that belief of Rev. Graham. I believe that the way to God is THROUGH MANY DEITIES of which JESUS CHRIST is one, and Rama, Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai Baba are some of the other DEITIES through whom one can approach/reach/attain/realize God.
I am not upset with Rev. Graham for having his belief of CHRIST being the ONLY WAY. I respect his belief so long as he does not impose his belief on me.
But I am deeply struck by the dedicated life of Rev. Graham in spreading the gospel of Christ as he understood it, and how he was able to inspire so many millions around the world to have that belief in Christ and Christ's love for them. I consider him to be a very inspiring figure in this regard. Therefore I am putting up so many posts on him even though most of my readers who are either Hindus and/or Sathya Sai devotees (some of them being Christians), do not seem to be that interested in my posts about Rev. Billy Graham.
Rev. Billy Graham's body is being honored in the USA Capitol, a rare honour given to USA civilians. Given below are some extracts from "Remarks by President Trump at Ceremony Preceding the Lying in Honor of the Reverend Billy Graham", https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-ceremony-preceding-lying-honor-reverend-billy-graham/, 28th Feb. 2018 :
Thank you, Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell. And, most importantly, thank you to the entire Graham family for honoring us with your presence here today. Thank you.
In the spring of 1934, Billy Graham’s father allowed a group of Charlotte businessmen to use a portion of the family’s dairy farm to gather for a day of prayer.
On that day, the men prayed for the city. They prayed that, “Out of Charlotte, the Lord would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.”
We are here today, more than 80 years later, because that prayer was truly answered.
Billy Graham was 15 years old at the time. Just a few months later, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
That choice didn’t just change Billy’s life — it changed our lives. It changed our country, and it changed, in fact, the entire world.
The North Carolina farm boy walked out of those fields, into a great and beautiful history. Starting at a small Bible school in Florida, he soon led a nationwide revival — from a large tent in Los Angeles, to 100,000 people in a single day at Yankee Stadium, to more than 2 million people at Madison Square Garden, over 16 weeks in 1957.
...
In London, Tokyo, Seoul, Bogota, Moscow, New Delhi, Saigon, Johannesburg, and scores of other places all over the world, Reverend Graham shared the power of God’s word with more than 200 million people, in person, and countless others through television and radio where people loved to watch and listen.
In 1978, with the support of the Catholic Bishop who would soon become Pope John Paul II, Reverend Graham went to Poland and spoke of the meaning of the cross to a people suffering under the soulless oppression of communism.
Billy Graham carried his message around the world, but his heart, as Franklin will tell you, was always in America.
He took his message to the poorest places, to the downtrodden and to the brokenhearted, to inmates in prison, and to the overlooked and the neglected. He felt a great passion for those that were neglected.
Everywhere he went, Reverend Graham delivered the same beautiful message: God loves you. That was his message. God loves you.
We can only imagine the number of lives touched by the preaching and the prayers of Billy Graham –- the hearts he changed, the sorrows he eased, and the joy he brought to so many. The testimony is endless.
Today, we give thanks for this extraordinary life. And it’s very fitting that we do so right here in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, where the memory of the American people is enshrined.
Here in this room, we are reminded that America is a nation sustained by prayer. The painting to my left is of the pilgrims as they embarked for America, holding fast to the Bible and bowing their heads in prayer.
...
Around us stand the statues of heroes who led the nation in prayer during the great and difficult times, from Washington to Lincoln to Eisenhower to King.
And, today, in the center of this great chamber lies legendary Billy Graham, an ambassador for Christ who reminded the world of the power of prayer and the gift of God’s grace.
Today we honor him as only three private citizens before him have been so honored.
And like the faithful of Charlotte once did, today we say a prayer for our country, that all across this land the Lord will raise up men and women like Billy Graham to spread a message of love and hope to every precious child of God.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. Thank you very much.
--- end extracts from President Trump's remarks ----
Ravi: I fully join in this prayer of USA President Donald J. Trump (country being USA in this context though my country is India), "And like the faithful of Charlotte once did, today we say a prayer for our country, that all across this land the Lord will raise up men and women like Billy Graham to spread a message of love and hope to every precious child of God."
[I thank whitehouse.gov and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
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