Human beings never doubt the sincerity of their own tears. Yet they do not realize that the most fearful poison which deceives and kills their conscience is none other than their own tears. They regard their tears as pure, sincere, good, and beautiful to the point of blindness. But in truth, most human tears and sorrows arise from selfish emotions born out of unfulfilled greed and desires. In other words, sorrow and tears deceive the conscience, and the seven emotions of man (envy, jealousy, strife, lust, pride, falsehood, and hatred) deceive the good conscience. Because the value of one’s own tears has become absolute, people feel no need to question their authenticity, but simply accept them as truth and purity without filter. Yet because the value of their own tears has become so absolute, all people fail to realize that by the tears shed from their emotions—pursuing their own desires and greed—their conscience is steadily dying. As the conscience dies, only a desolate and empty heart grows. This is common to all who live according to the nature of the flesh, whether they profess faith or not.
Of course, there are unforgettable tears shed in childhood under abuse, violence, pain, and wounds, or tears of emotion in success and victory. But even these tears also arise from desires of the five senses of the flesh. In other words, tears shed for oneself in emotional feeling can never be truly beautiful or righteous, because such tears are nothing more than tears born of fleshly desires and greed.
For example, when North Korea’s dictator Kim Jeong-il died, the world saw North Koreans weeping in mourning on broadcasts. Could such tears truly be called genuine? Likewise, can the tears shed while watching a tragic drama or a sad movie be called beautiful and pure? Can tears shed in regret at losing first place, or conversely, in triumph after victory, be considered pure and beautiful? Can the tears of believers who seek worldly well-being and prosperity according to the desires of the flesh truly be pure, righteous, and beautiful before God? Are they not all tears for happiness, success, ideals, and prosperity, born of fleshly greed and desire?
All tears shed for one’s own happiness, love, success, ideals, and wishes are nothing but emotional tears born of fleshly desire. Likewise, tears shed from hardship, suffering, and pain when things do not go as one pleases are nothing but greed born of desire. All human tears and sorrows arising from emotions born of fleshly passions are self-deception of the conscience, greed disguised as truth and purity, resentment and bitterness clothed in the illusion of goodness and righteousness. This is true alike of Buddhists or Christians who claim to reflect and repent, of those who boast of having attained enlightenment, or of unbelievers belonging to the world. All alike are bound by the desires of the flesh. Therefore, whether those claiming enlightenment, or those shouting the love of the cross and professing to have received the Holy Spirit, none can be examples as light and salt of the world; instead, they overflow with corruption, degeneration, falsehood, and evil, offering only eloquent sermons and hollow words, false love and compassion adorned with beautiful slogans and titles.
The result of all religions today, rotting and decayed and stinking with corruption, is the fruit of words and theories born of fleshly desire. Under the power of deified religion, the outcome of human desire rooted in the nature of the flesh has produced only cruel and abominable fruits that should never arise among men. Wicked people, unable even to put to death their own fleshly desires, speak of enlightenment, salvation, the Spirit, power, and spirituality, presenting themselves as though they were gods or messengers of God. By using religion as a pretext to rationalize their sin, the conscience of religious people has become not only cruel but shocking. The faith of all religious adherents, alike, pursues unsatisfied desires, serving God with corruption and falsehood mingled with the world and material things, rationalizing and excusing their fleshly desires and greed. They proclaim their own arguments as though they were truth, as though they were the Word, as though they were faith, and have deified them. For this reason, not a single religion exists on earth today that truly serves as an example of light and salt.