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pet evil

31 posts · 6 participants · started Nov 16, 2016, 6:34 PM

MaraParticipant
Nov 16, 2016, 6:34 PM
So, I’m wondering about “pet evil” as mentioned by the revelators in connection with the story of Matadormous who said he was not content to be disciple of Jesus. He wanted more. But Jesus wanted to deliver him from the love of wealth, not necessarily from the wealth. The love of wealth was his pet evil. [“Almost every human being has some one thing which is held on to as a pet evil, and which the entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as a part of the price of admission.”]

163:2.7 Riches have nothing directly to do with entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but the love of wealth does. The spiritual loyalties of the kingdom are incompatible with servility to materialistic mammon. Man may not share his supreme loyalty to a spiritual ideal with a material devotion.

Is material devotion the only pet evil? What other pet evils can you think of?
KerynMember
Nov 16, 2016, 8:31 PM
Oh, I think there are many pet evils. Here’s one: pride.

^111:6.9^(1223.1) Of all the dangers which beset man’s mortal nature and jeopardize his spiritual integrity, pride is the greatest. Courage is valorous, but egotism is vainglorious and suicidal. Reasonable self-confidence is not to be deplored. Man’s ability to transcend himself is the one thing which distinguishes him from the animal kingdom.

^111:6.10^(1223.2)Pride is deceitful, intoxicating, and sin-breeding whether found in an individual, a group, a race, or a nation. It is literally true, “Pride goes before a fall.”

Interestingly, there is such a thing as “spiritual pride”, which is not a phrase that I have come across anywhere else, but apparently, it’s a doozy.

^163:6.6 ^(1807.5) The next day being the Sabbath, Jesus went apart with the seventy and said to them: “I did indeed rejoice with you when you came back bearing the good tidings of the reception of the gospel of the kingdom by so many people scattered throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. But why were you so surprisingly elated? Did you not expect that your message would manifest power in its delivery? Did you go forth with so little faith in this gospel that you come back in surprise at its effectiveness? And now, while I would not quench your spirit of rejoicing, I would sternly warn you against the subtleties of pride, spiritual pride. If you could understand the downfall of Lucifer, the iniquitous one, you would solemnly shun all forms of spiritual pride.
BradlyParticipant
Nov 16, 2016, 10:36 PM
Great topic!!

In support of Keryn’s post, I would submit that one form of pride is exhibited by close-minded prejudice (the blind loyalty to one’s current knowledge, understanding, and opinions) which prevents growth and creates a judgmental attitude toward all disagreements! All prejudice is ironically accompanied by ignorance – the actual lack of knowledge. The pride of the priesthood was illustrated by the ministry of Jesus….which resulted in his murder in an attempt to silence and blot out the light of truth in a form of fear of loss of power and control over others by domination….power lust more than spiritual pride?….or a combination and natural kinship of both?

Even some UB students cling to this claim that they and they alone truly understand what is plainly written to all others by their own self-dazzling “brilliance” in unlocking perceived mysteries by their own cleverness and keys to unlock truth from perceived mystery, fiction or metaphor!

100:1.2 (1094.4) Some persons are too busy to grow and are therefore in grave danger of spiritual fixation. Provision must be made for growth of meanings at differing ages, in successive cultures, and in the passing stages of advancing civilization. The chief inhibitors of growth are prejudice and ignorance.

159:4.9 (1768.5) “But the greatest error of the teaching about the Scriptures is the doctrine of their being sealed books of mystery and wisdom which only the wise minds of the nation dare to interpret. The revelations of divine truth are not sealed except by human ignorance, bigotry, and narrow-minded intolerance. The light of the Scriptures is only dimmed by prejudice and darkened by superstition. A false fear of sacredness has prevented religion from being safeguarded by common sense. The fear of the authority of the sacred writings of the past effectively prevents the honest souls of today from accepting the new light of the gospel, the light which these very God-knowing men of another generation so intensely longed to see.

Me here: I am also reminded of the culmination of the Apostle’s personal prides in seating, etc. when the Master finally washed their feet to demonstrate service and humility, by even their Creator Son. A lesson long in coming and not too successful for some.

I also think that all the mind poisons appear to have an addictive quality which also can delay entrance into the kingdom if we cannot or do not transcend them in mind and vanquish their power and influence in mind. Pride is one; there is also impatience and anxiety/fear to consider.

Any trait which becomes a “…. thing which is held on to as a pet evil, and which the entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as a part of the price of admission.”….retards growth and often makes us doubt God’s love, mercy and friendly universe. Such suspicions and paranoia cast a dark shadow over the mind and can often lead to despair. Judas is an example of how such a tormented mind can experience far worse than a mere obstacle….mind poisons poison the mind when ingested sufficiently.

Thanks Mara! = )

"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
GeneParticipant
Nov 17, 2016, 12:07 AM

“But the greatest error of the teaching about the Scriptures is the doctrine of their being sealed books of mystery and wisdom which only the wise minds of the nation dare to interpret. The revelations of divine truth are not sealed except by human ignorance, bigotry, and narrow-minded intolerance. The light of the Scriptures is only dimmed by prejudice and darkened by superstition

i think this may describe one of the possible ill effects that can be the result of misguided soverignity among religions that Jesus talked about at urmia?

and I’ll add selfishness.
BonitaParticipant
Nov 17, 2016, 7:16 PM
It’s my opinion that anything that we habitually engage in that prevents us from following the leading of our Thought Adjuster is a pet evil. We are supposed to be actively cooperating with our Adjusters, so any attitude which prevents committed loyalty interferes with the perfecting process. Anything interfering with the perfecting process is evil or potentially evil, and if we have a hand in creating that interference and have made it a habit, it is a pet, or favorite mechanism of avoiding truth. The list of possible mental maladaptations to reality are myriad.

Evil is defined as ” . . .the unconscious or unintended transgression of the divine law, the Father’s will. Evil is likewise the measure of the imperfectness of obedience to the Father’s will.” (148:4.3) Therefore, pet evils are not necessarily conscious, which is a bit scary. In order for evil to become sin, it has to be conscious. The ability to get rid of a pet evil obviously means that we first have to become conscious of it and understand why it’s evil. We have to recognize that it’s interfering with our loyalty to our Thought Adjuster, (God).

What is more interesting to me than naming all the pet evils in the world is the question: How do we discover what our pet evils are and what do we do about them once they’re recognized? Is it appropriate to point out pet evils in others if you recognize them? Jesus tried to point out Matadormus’ pet evil when he saw it, should we do the same? Or, was that just a special gift Jesus had and the rest of us should only worry about our own pet evil, the mote in our own eye?
KerynMember
Nov 18, 2016, 4:21 PM
Jesus never gave advice unless it was requested. I think we need to be vigilant in watching for our own pet evils, but unless someone asks us to provide them with our thoughts about theirs, be silent.

Although … thinking about this a bit more …. what if someone else’s pet evil results in harm to others? Should we be silent in that case? Perhaps we can defend and help those who are victimized by others’ evil acts while not condemning the person who committed them or outwardly blaming them? Just help the person who needs help and leave the cause unnamed?

I honestly don’t know the answer.
MaraParticipant
Nov 18, 2016, 4:40 PM
Glad this topic is not a dud (I hope).

They say evil is a deficiency of wisdom. [67:1.5]

They also say that evil may be perpetrated when the lesser is chosen in the place of the greater as a result of distortion or deception. [16:7.7]. So if the lesser is chosen, isn’t the choice conscious?

In Matadormous’s case it seems to me the issue was his devotion to wealth, the lesser, in place of his devotion to spiritual loyalties, the greater. Matadormous made his choice at that time. Reminds me of the mind arena of choice.
GeneParticipant
Nov 18, 2016, 6:27 PM
Evil is still just potential. Maybe our pet evils are those pesky private thoughts that haunt us that we just cannot get rid of no matter how hard we try or pray about it. The hyde glue of the animal mind that binds us to the self. The common difficulty that most humans share that can make self mastery such a difficult process. A human flaw that precipitates language in the 5th revelation that reminds us that it is more about our ideals, what we strive to be as opposed to what we are that is important. We are also reminded that we should not assume mercy from those who will eventually judge us so someone will be looking for sincerity.
BonitaParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 3:22 PM
It is true that, “One is free to choose and act only within the realm of one’s consciousness.” (34:3.8) However, this does not guarantee that one is conscious of the meaning or value of one’s choice. For instance, a child may make a conscious choice to stick his finger in a light socket, or into the flame of a burning candle, or put a detergent packet into his mouth without having any idea whatsoever of what it means to do any of those things. Some conscious choices are immature and imperfect, therefore evil. When Jesus defined evil as, ” . . . the unconscious or unintended transgression of the divine law, the Father’s will.” (148:4.3), he was referring to choices made with immature meanings and values, choices made due to erroneous thinking.

Matadormus believed that his wealth was evidence of his favor with God. This was what was taught by the Jewish spiritual leaders so he had every reason to think this way and put a high value on his wealth. The fact that this is a mistaken way to think was something Matadormus was not conscious of. His meanings and values concerning God’s nature were immature and imperfect, therefore evil. He had to become conscious of this erroneous type of thinking before he could give it up and mature spiritually. The child who sticks his finger in the fire becomes conscious rather quickly of his erroneous thinking, but something that has been ingrained by one’s religion, entrenched within the culture and recognized as truth by society, is much harder to uproot.

130:1.5 Evil is the immature choosing and the unthinking misstep of those who are resistant to goodness, rejectful of beauty, and disloyal to truth. Evil is only the misadaptation of immaturity or the disruptive and distorting influence of ignorance.

130:4.11 Error (evil) is the penalty of imperfection. The qualities of imperfection or facts of misadaptation are disclosed on the material level by critical observation and by scientific analysis; on the moral level, by human experience. The presence of evil constitutes proof of the inaccuracies of mind and the immaturity of the evolving self. Evil is, therefore, also a measure of imperfection in universe interpretation. The possibility of making mistakes is inherent in the acquisition of wisdom, the scheme of progressing from the partial and temporal to the complete and eternal, from the relative and imperfect to the final and perfected.
MaraParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 4:25 PM
Everyone has made great points! Thanks!

I thought of a couple of things pertaining to the original remark of the revelators:

Mara wrote:

“Almost every human being has some one thing which is held on to as a pet evil, and which the entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as a part of the price of admission.”

Pet. What do they mean by pet? What is a pet? Why have pets? Metaphorically speaking or not.

Secondly, the phrase “which the entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as a part of the price of admission.” This informs us that the admission price will get you in, but then what? Isn’t it a revolving door? What what are the other parts of the price?
BonitaParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 4:35 PM

Mara wrote: Isn’t it a revolving door?

Are you asking if the kingdom of heaven has a revolving door?
MaraParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 4:51 PM
Yes, in the sense that you can back out anytime. Even on the morontia worlds.
BonitaParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 5:46 PM
I’m not sure I’d call it a revolving door, but I agree that it is not a one-way door. We’re not guaranteed to stay in the kingdom of heaven until after fusion when the decision is deemed to be final. Jesus explained many times that once we’re in the kingdom of heaven we are expected to grow. If we don’t grow, God will dig about our roots and do whatever he can to help us grow, but he can’t do anything against the sovereignty of our free will. If we refuse and repeatedly say “no!” our branch will will get lopped off, just like you’d prune any dead branch off a tree. But most importantly, this happens according to our own free will, something that we choose for ourselves by refusing to cooperate. I think entrance into the kingdom is one thing and growth within the kingdom is another.

If you recall, Jesus told Matadormus that he was in the kingdom based upon his faith. But Matadormus wanted more, he wanted to be a messenger, not just a faith disciple, he wanted to begin growing within the kingdom. However, he had a problem which inhibited the necessary growth and not until he removed that inhibition did he finally begin growing.

In terms of using the term “pet” I think the author is referring to a cherished way of thinking about something or a favorite attitude habitually used to interact with reality. Pet-like thinking can be true or evil (erroneous). TUB gives us an excellent illustration of a person with pet evils in Judas Iscariot. His were particularly evil, but TUB also points out deficiencies in every single one of the apostles. Some imperfections were more problematic than others, but we’re told that it was their long association with Jesus which eventually helped them overcome those “pet evils”. The same thing applies to us today. If we live our lives along with Jesus in our souls, we can be taught true meanings and values and eventually come to recognize our own pet evils and rise above them. It’s a growth process.
MaraParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 8:10 PM
Yes, Matadormous eventually dealt with his pet evil and came around to that which Jesus asked him to do. [163:2.7] Said Jesus, “You see how difficult it is for those who have riches to enter fully into the kingdom of God! Spiritual worship cannot be shared with material devotions; no man can serve two masters. You have a saying that it is’easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the heathen to inherit eternal life. And I declare that it is as easy for this camel to go through the needle’s eye as for these self-satisfied rich ones to enter the kingdom of heaven.” [163:3.1]

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And later Jesus said, “Whatever thing or person comes between you and the love of the truths of the kingdom, must be surrendered. If one’s wealth does not invade the precincts of the soul, it is of no consequence in the spiritual life of those who would enter the kingdom.” [163:3.3] A thing or a person could be a pet evil.

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As for Judas, I am inclined to think a main problem was his inclination to be a loner and refused to trust his fellow apostles.

193:3.2 “Simon, you still cling to your old ideas about the Jewish Messiah and the material kingdom. But you will receive spiritual power after the spirit has descended upon you, and you will presently go into all the world preaching this gospel of the kingdom. As the Father sent me into the world, so do I send you. And I wish that you would love and trust one another. Judas is no more with you because his love grew cold, and because he refused to trust you, his loyal brethren. Have you not read in the Scripture where it is written: ‘It is not good for man to be alone. No man lives to himself’? And also where it says: ‘He who would have friends must show himself friendly’? And did I not even send you out to teach, two and two, that you might not become lonely and fall into the mischief and miseries of isolation? You also well know that, when I was in the flesh, I did not permit myself to be alone for long periods. From the very beginning of our associations I always had two or three of you constantly by my side or else very near at hand even when I communed with the Father. Trust, therefore, and confide in one another. And this is all the more needful since I am this day going to leave you alone in the world. The hour has come; I am about to go to the Father.”
BonitaParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 9:04 PM
I think there is a need to be more specific when using the word “loner”. There are many reclusive, introverted types in this world who are not necessarily misanthropic, antisocial or devoid of trust in their fellow man. Judas had an unfortunate confluence of negative character traits which doomed him. Granted, the fact that he preferred to isolate his personality while also refusing to confide his innermost thoughts to his fellow apostles, or to Jesus, was the the culminating self-destructive feature of his fractured existence. But there have been plenty of other “loners” in history who have been lauded, even sainted, so it’s primarily about the circumstances and intentions of each individual, I would think.
MaraParticipant
Nov 19, 2016, 11:33 PM
Even Jesus kept two or three of this associates near at hand when he went off to commune with our Father. The apostles were sent out two by two to teach and preach. Jesus plainly says it is not good for man to be alone. Eve was warned “never to stray from the side of her mate, that is, to attempt no personal or secret methods of furthering their mutual undertakings.” [75:2.4]

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I am comforted to read the following, because it informs me that I too will receive consideration to the circumstances of my unwise decisions and erroneous thinking, either by my omission or by my commission. I am in fact small, my sphere of influence is small, tiny in the scheme of things.

[. . .] Even so, it was always a comfort to Adam and Eve, as well as something difficult for them to understand, to ponder the only personal message they ever received from Michael. This message, among other expressions of friendship and comfort, said: “I have given consideration to the circumstances of your default, I have remembered the desire of your hearts ever to be loyal to my Father’s will, and you will be called from the embrace of mortal slumber when I come to Urantia if the subordinate Sons of my realm do not send for you before that time.” [76:5.3 ]

Maybe my pet evil is small too.
growthingraceParticipant
Dec 1, 2016, 4:25 AM
This was incredibly helpful for me. I like the idea of a pet being a cherished way of thinking. Connecting this idea with evil being an error in thinking, I think a pet evil may be the way we erroneously view how life/God/ourselves should be. In attaching ourselves to this view, we cannot see the way when our adjusters try to guide us toward it. Once we decide we know something definitively, we shut ourselves down from learning more. Why should I learn if I have the answer already? This is why we must give up our pet evils to gain entrance into the kingdom – it isn’t that heavenly Father won’t grant us entrance, rather that we won’t be able to see it due to our stubborn attachment to our own ideas.
MaraParticipant
Dec 1, 2016, 6:09 PM
Hello growing in grace!

growthingrace wrote:

Why should I learn if I have the answer already?

Good question. Maybe you mean being fixated on one’s beliefs (answers?), rather than faith?

101:8.2 Belief is always limiting and binding; faith is expanding and releasing. Belief fixates, faith liberates. But living religious faith is more than the association of noble beliefs; it is more than an exalted system of philosophy; it is a living experience concerned with spiritual meanings, divine ideals, and supreme values; it is God-knowing and man-serving. Beliefs may become group possessions, but faith must be personal. Theologic beliefs can be suggested to a group, but faith can rise up only in the heart of the individual religionist.

Or maybe you are referring to opinions about something, such as having a ready answer at hand on a given subject indicating to others that no further discussion would avail. In other words the door of one’s mind is closed about the subject. Amen. Adios. End of story.

Here’s what they say about spiritual fixation:

100:1.2 Some persons are too busy to grow and are therefore in grave danger of spiritual fixation. Provision must be made for growth of meanings at differing ages, in successive cultures, and in the passing stages of advancing civilization. The chief inhibitors of growth are prejudice and ignorance.

Maybe you might be talking about prejudice and ignorance too. But it seems to me “spiritual fixation” implies that the person already is IN the kingdom of heaven. I’m thinking a pet evil pertains to what a person treasures the most. Is it our heavenly Father? Is it another person? Is it what a person loves the most? Money? Things? Power? Knowledge? I think the comments about the parables of Jesus might shed light on spiritual fixation, as defined in the UB.

169:1.15 Jesus was very partial to telling these three stories at the same time. He presented the story of the lost sheep to show that, when men unintentionally stray away from the path of life, the Father is mindful of such lost ones and goes out, with his Sons, the true shepherds of the flock, to seek the lost sheep. He then would recite the story of the coin lost in the house to illustrate how thorough is the divine searching for all who are confused, confounded, or otherwise spiritually blinded by the material cares and accumulations of life. And then he would launch forth into the telling of this parable of the lost son, the reception of the returning prodigal, to show how complete is the restoration of the lost son into his Father’s house and heart.
growthingraceParticipant
Dec 2, 2016, 4:50 AM
Can I say all of the above? All good points. I think a pet evil is the thing that gets in the way of our continued growth. Your pointing out the difference between belief and faith resonates with me. I think I, personally, get stuck in belief at times – my ideas of how things are or should be. It typically seems to happen when I feel the need to feed my own ego. When we retreat to the place where we are feeding the ego (be it spiritual pride, materialism, power, etc) doing the will of God goes out the window. We cannot serve two masters.
BonitaParticipant
Dec 2, 2016, 12:27 PM

growthingrace wrote: . . . it isn’t that heavenly Father won’t grant us entrance, rather that we won’t be able to see it due to our stubborn attachment to our own ideas.

I think this is spot-on. Erroneous thinking, for whatever reason and to what end, prevents us from seeing reality (truth). There are plenty of ways to butter this bread, each with differing levels of evil (imperfection). What is being pointed out in TUB is that everyone has one preferred comfort zone of reality avoidance which can be hard to give up because it is hard to “see” oneself doing it. It’s hard to “see” because it’s a favorite way of “seeing” reality, a way that gives the mind a level of contentment and the person a feeling of self-worth. But the goal is to “see” as God the Father “sees” (sixth level of the golden rule), and it’s not about the self so much as it is about the rest of reality and the self’s relation to it. I think this takes growth in wisdom as well as faith.

Do beliefs get in the way of wisdom? Most certainly they can do that, depending on what they are. Not all beliefs are evil (unreal). Some beliefs are helpful, some have value. For instance, belief in the Son as a revelation of the Father is a belief worth trusting. Belief in a friendly universe despite all evidence to the contrary is a belief with true value. Value is the key. Recognizing value is part of gaining wisdom and wisdom is the gateway to the soul where value lives. Unwillingness to challenge one’s beliefs (contentment with personal prejudice, or pet evil), resistance to the recognition that one’s beliefs might be of questionable value, and reluctance to reinterpret all this within the context of one’s life, can result in habitual erroneous thinking (evil) and maladjustment to realty.

Matadormus believed that wealth was evidence that he was living a righteous life. He believed, like most Jews, that wealth was a measure of one’s favor with God for having lived the righteous life. Why on earth would Matadormus want to give up something like that? He had no idea that this belief was a maladjustment to reality, that God does not reward righteousness with material wealth. He was ignorant of that truth, so the value of wealth was his reality, his place of contentment and self-worth. Jesus tried to open his eyes, to help him “see” otherwise. It took time, but Matadormus did challenge his belief and began to “see” the wisdom of changing his thinking. And a change in thinking often leads to a change in behavior. And a change in behavior results in a trail of actualized reality (living truth) within the universe. It’s all good, but it takes time and it takes a willingness to think with the soul where one is taught the difference between what has value and what is value.

130:4.10 The eye of the material mind perceives a world of factual knowledge; the eye of the spiritualized intellect discerns a world of true values. These two views, synchronized and harmonized, reveal the world of reality, wherein wisdom interprets the phenomena of the universe in terms of progressive personal experience.

100:3.5 Values can never be static; reality signifies change, growth. Change without growth, expansion of meaning and exaltation of value, is valueless – is potential evil. The greater the quality of cosmic adaptation, the more of virtue of which these activities take place.

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