Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 556
Malfuzat - English translation of Urdu Volume 10 556 Question: One day I went to the church. There, the priest said in his lecture that, ‘Man is a very insignificant creature and a filthy worm. It falls lower and lower on a daily basis and is not even fit to make progress. That is indeed why God gave His only Son by way of expiation to save him from sin and for his salvation. ’ However, I know that man can make progress in virtue. At this time if this child of mine does something wrong due to ignorance, after a while, with more wisdom and knowledge, he will realize on his own that this was a bad deed. He will aban- don it and do good. What is your belief in this matter? Answer: The Promised Messiah as said: ‘Man is virtuous, and can perform virtuous deeds. He has been given the faculties to make progress. Man can attain salvation by making progress in piety. ’ Question: These people [Christians] say that a person can do all the good deeds in the world, but he is ruined unless he believes in the Atonement through Christ. What do you say in this matter? Answer: A person needs action and effort. There is no need for the Atonement. The spiritual system is akin to the physi- cal system. In the physical system, consider the example of a farmer. With great effort he prepares the land, sows the seed, and waters it. Does he need any atonement? No! He needs hard work and action. I do not believe at all that there is no way for salvation except through Atonement. In fact, Atonement is an obstacle and an obstruction in the path of human progress. Purity means that a person should not succumb to his car- nal passions that want him to turn away from God and indulge