Chapter Nineteen:
Americanpresidentland
Everyone slowly opened his eyes. Oxal, Odin, and Arcturas were gone. Dorothy shook her head in awe. "What a wonderful experience!" she said. "And what an enlightening experience! If people on the earth could have seen and heard all of this, their eyes would really be opened."
"Do you think they would accept what was said, and change their ways?" asked the Scarecrow.
The Lion and Tin Woodman shook their heads.
"But why not?" said Dorothy. "How could they help but see that their lives have great meaning — that they don't just live and die and that's the end of it?"
"Remember," said the Lion, "they did not believe Jesus Christ when He tried to tell them some of these things and, even today, many of His followers do not really follow His teachings."
"Yes, you're right," said Dorothy. "I know a cranky old lady who goes to church every Sunday, and she smiles and nods to everyone there, but we all know how mean spirited she is. She scowls at children who walk by her, as if she resents their very presence. She even tried to take my little dog away from me.
"There is a Jewish family in the village," continued Dorothy. "Their little girl and I are friends. Sometimes I go to her home to play. Her mother and father and big brother are so kind and loving. They are always giving me food to take home. They do not have an awful lot themselves, but they share what they have."
"Sometimes people forget," said the Lion, "that Jesus was of the Jewish faith. He had no intention of starting a new religion. He was only trying to uplift the thoughts and aspirations of his people. His followers called themselves Christians because they wanted to follow his teachings more than the traditional Jewish teachings. His teachings were misinterpreted by later followers and sometimes deliberately distorted or had parts removed by them in order to suit the Church's thinking at the time. It is sad that some Christians today make judgments on the other faiths. Some even go so far as to believe that non-Christian religions, are doomed unless they convert to Christianity. God loves all people. He is not concerned with their individual beliefs and religions. He wants only for His children to grow spiritually and to love one another; to express kindness and gentleness and to live in peace and understanding. That is all He wants. Each may think as he wishes religiously, as long as those thoughts are of the highest order and as long as there is a desire to know more of the nature of God and His universe. Too many are smugly satisfied with their religious beliefs and will investigate no further, believing sincerely that they have been told all that God wishes for them to know, and so will refuse to listen to any other point of view, or to study the many writings that exist, some of which are very spiritual in nature. These people deprive themselves of a great deal of knowledge, thereby inhibiting their spiritual advancement. Of course, others are spiritually advanced who do not even belong to any organized religion or philosophy."