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Notes
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Question: Your Imperial Majesty, what advice would you give a person who is considering the claims of Christ, perhaps for the first time?
H.I.M.: I would tell a person who is considering the claim of Christ for the first time that it is necessary to have faith in the Almighty, that it is necessary to have love, and that it is necessary to conduct oneself in a manner that we have been taught to do in the Bible. I would advise him to read and to study the Bible.
I would also advise him to seek the secular knowledge, for the more one knows the more he realizes the need for a prime mover, the need for a Creator, a Creator who is good, and the need for salvation and also for peaceful life upon Earth.
I would also tell him to learn and to think for himself the ways he would serve the Lord. In this thought and in this undertaking of his, he will inevitably the way of serving his fellow men, for his faith would then be manifested by his conduct. If we dedicate ourselves to this fundamental task, then we will have a peaceful world and will be assured of not transgressing against the will and the Commandments of God.
Question: Your Imperial Majesty, are there any incidents in your life which stand in your memory as times when faith in Christ sustained you?
H.I.M.: There are many instances in my life where belief in the Almighty and the Christian faith have sustained me, times of trouble and difficulties. No matter what may befall a human being, he can always succeed in overcoming it if he has the strength of faith and prays to God, for inevitably He comes to the assistance of those who believe in Him and those that through their work live an exemplary life. This goes not only for Christians in my view, but for all men. I think God communicates with those that find themselves in misfortune. In particular, when my country Ethiopia was invaded by aliens several years ago, I was sustained in that period by my faith in God and in the abiding belief that justice, however it may take time, will ultimately prevail. If I did not have faith in the Almighty and in His righteousness and that justice inevitably prevails, then I would have lost hope and thus the interests of my country would have been ignored. Because I attempted to maintain my faith in Him, and because all Ethiopians maintained their faith in the ultimate goodness of the world and in the grand design that the Almighty has for all men in the world, we were able to victoriously re-enter out country and rid ourselves of evil forces. If I did not have in my heart the love of God I don’t think I would have acted in the manner that I did. The love of God brings a sense of religiousness in a human being, it gives him comfort for the future and assurance that right cause will ultimately prevail.
Question: As a mature Christian, have you a special word for young people of these days?
H.I.M.: On this occasion I address all those within our Empire. Our Christianity is not restricted to a given church and I stress above all that we do not wish to make distinctions. My advice to all is to fulfill the Ten Commandments. If the nation for which I am the Emperor follows and accepts this, since it is also what I accept and follow, I would believe our country is not only historically Christian but also actively Christian.
Question: Your Imperial Majesty, as a figure of world importance and probably one of the best known men in the world today, I should like to ask you this question: What meaning can the birth of Christ have for the nations of the world today?
H.I.M.: As I said before, the birth of Christ is celebrated all over the world. When I say the whole world it does not mean that all people would observe it in the same manner. In all the places that I have visited, including the Muslims and the Buddhists, we have seen the observance. But for Christians, it is an act conducted with love.
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