Yes Bonita, there are those who count their own circles and those with the seeming ability or willingness to assess the progress of others. I also agree that a charlatan without an audience is not a charlatan at all….it does take an audience. And while it is often true that it is the newer reader that is more easily misled, that’s not always the case. The “special” status or chosen people syndrome is a greater temptation in my view. But there are those who seem grounded and well read and still succumb to the allures of self delusion. I’ve known many of each flavor over the years.
The UB is filled with facts and truths which contradict the preconceptions of the student. For me, it seems, that new concepts I come to believe by study of the UB, still offer further opportunity for prejudice and the need for correction of those new, now preconceptions. I find group study, like this forum and other forms of association, helps me to continually challenge my current thinking or conclusions and keep me always in a state of transcending prior understanding into greater understanding by the contributions and various perspectives encountered in groups…..especially open and multiple groups. It is quite educational, if one is open minded, to learn about the Revelation, about other people, and about my own response/reaction to both of those by listening to and conversing with many different perspectives.
I spent a long time as an isolated reader before meeting another one. And I spent a long time, again 20 years later, as an isolated reader by choice due to some bitter disappointments in organizational disunity and dysfunctionality before dipping my toe back in the pool of diversity and within the “movement”. And this is one source of my interest in the topic. What are the advantages of engaging with others despite the great disparity between so many beliefs and practices, despite the one shared text?
Bonita, I agree so much with your call for educational opportunities as a priority within the movement…rather than so many of the other options available. This is key to me as well….the Revelation speaks for itself and the reading and studying of it, both individually and together, is the primary goal of mine as a member of the movement – dissemination of the text and association with those with the fruits of the spirit as evidence of personal progress in the spirit….the dedication to truth, beauty, and goodness by each to support those who find this book and also wish such community with others.
"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."
) to draw attention to the word that qualifies “unity” in this discussion. Aren’t we talking about “spiritual unity”? I think so.