Korean Pastor Says ‘How Humankind Came To Be’ Can Guide the Path to Heaven

Korean pastor Pastor Kang Seok-jeong Yun Jeong Lee/The Epoch Times

A Korean pastor said that Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi’s article “How Humankind Came To Be” “can be a guide to the path to heaven.”

On March 8, The Epoch Times met with Pastor Kang Seok-jeong at a cafe in Myeongdong, the center of Seoul. Pastor Kang is the head of the southeastern regional branch of the Citizens for Unveiling Confucius Institutes (CUCI). Pastor Kang, who has donated blood more than 500 times in 60 years, looks young and energetic despite his 78 years of age.

“The four great saints of mankind are Shakyamuni, Confucius, Jesus, and Socrates, but if I were to add one more, I think it would be Mr. Li Hongzhi,” Pastor Kang said when asked about his overall impression of Li’s article.

“The title of the article is ‘How Humankind Came To Be,' and the answer is that we can only be saved by returning to the original purpose for which God created us,” he said.

Returning to the Purpose for Which God Created Humans

As a Christian pastor, Kang said: “I sympathized with Mr. Li’s statement that the Creator made a larger expanse outside of the Earth. I think it means the same thing as the east side of the Garden of Eden in Christianity.

“The whole universe was created so mysteriously that human perception and wisdom cannot know it all, and there are limits to what can be revealed.”

Kang said Li’s use of the term “heaven,” the kingdom of God, and the phrase “man was made by the divine out of clay” are also similar to Christianity.

“In his article, Mr. Li implied that we should return to the original purpose for which the Creator directed the divine beings to make man from dust,” he said. “We seem to be living a life for ourselves but in the end, it is a life for God, and we have forgotten that,” he added.

He added, “Each of us has his own family, his own country, his own people, etc., but in the common problem of humanity, if we return to the fundamental purpose for which the Creator made us, our hearts will be at ease and we will no longer be anxious.”

As for reincarnation: “In the essence of our Christian faith, we die to live forever. It’s about going to heaven and living forever,” he said. “The way to live forever is to return to the original purpose for which the Creator or God created us,” Kang said, “and all such people can be saved.”

Letting Go of Greed

Kang also resonated with the idea of why life is hard and how to deal with it. “There are many times when we have difficulties in the world because we are greedy,” he said. “Through this article, I realized that if we let go of our greed and empty our minds, there is nothing difficult.”

“Mr. Li’s teaching made me reflect on my own life,” he said. “It solidified my belief that people should think and act more carefully so that they don’t make mistakes and errors in life. If I think about whether I am doing this for others, and think about others, I will not have to struggle, and my joy will be multiplied.”

“I understood it as a teaching that makes us think of the world as wide as the sky and the depth of life as deeper than the ocean,” Kang said, “and only by living like that can we feel a beautiful life.”

Kang, who has read Mr. Li’s writing more than five times, said: “You may not understand this article after reading it once or twice, but after reading it repeatedly for the third and fourth time, I felt like I was a Taoist just by reading it, and there was a feeling of being moved ... of being touched.”

Falun Gong Brings Inner Peace and Benefits Society

Kang also gained a better understanding of Falun Gong through the article.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice that involves meditative exercises and moral teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Since July 1999, the CCP regime has severely persecuted Falun Gong, with hundreds of thousands of adherents detained in prisons, labor camps, and brainwashing centers, often while also being tortured. Thousands have died, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center, though the true number is likely far higher.

“The CCP is persecuting Falun Gong because they think it will expand its power and control the CCP, but in my opinion, it has nothing to do with that,” he said, adding, “It can soothe people’s hearts and make them feel peaceful and stable, which can actually make them more loyal to the country and the state.”

“No matter how much the CCP persecutes it, Falun Gong will not disappear, but will spread,” Kang said, referring to the CCP’s 24-year persecution of Falun Gong since 1999. “The fire that burns in our hearts cannot be extinguished by humans, only by God,” he said.

‘I Hope it Will Be Widely Shared’

Kang also said that if this writing is shared widely, it will inspire people to design their own hearts. “It is an inspiring writing that makes you think about how to live in the world and gives you a lesson to design your own heart,” he said. “I think the more this writing is passed on, the more people read it, the more thoughtful people will be moved to control and design their own hearts,” he said.

“I want everyone to read it, but I want to recommend it to politicians and professors, first,” he said, explaining that “if intellectuals read it first and put down and empty their minds, they can serve as a great pioneer for the so-called ’reform of the mind' movement.”

Kang said: “The world has become so polluted and has lost its essence. The foundations have faded, and morality has completely collapsed. I hope that many people will read this work as a textbook for character education or in forums and lectures.”