What is spiritual brotherhood?

234 posts · 7 participants · started Jun 18, 2015, 9:25 PM

1. B

   BradlyParticipant
   Jun 23, 2015, 9:39 PM

   I am indeed benefiting by and enjoying the topic too Mara…..one that perplexes me still and for a long time.  While I am not to judge others nor discriminate in my service and love expressions to any of God’s children, yet I am to be wise and not indulge in false sympathy and seek out cooperative and productive team efforts/results that are expressions of my service loyalties.   Well….who’s on first??????   We are told to be wise as the serpent and innocent as the dove…..so we ARE to be discerning in our caring and sharing and notice the wolves in sheep’s clothing and the wolves who don’t bother with sheep’s clothing both.  We are to protect ourselves from the unrighteousness of others without becoming unrighteous or self righteous.

   This is all very confusing, even confounding to me.

   I know the Master did not come to live a life of example for the normal person – I mean a routine.  He did live and make a living and raise a family like we do but he had a mission and ministry of universe upliftment – more than an exemplary mortal life after all.  So we must be careful when trying to emulate his way; but, I have always been delighted somehow and intrigued by his willingness to “filter” and distill larger groups into smaller ones and then refine them by turmoil, conflict, struggle, and challenge into even smaller groups of tested, tried, and true individuals and groups of individuals for the work at hand.  Jesus was no populist.  Neither did he care for adulation or adoration except that shared with him for Father.

   There’s a quote that goes something like:  Why do you call me good?  Which means to me…..I am but my Father’s Son.  I am only who all may be…..child of God.

   Glorious.  As brother Vern says:  “A faithful agondonter is something to be.”   Indeed Vern, indeed.  May all find sufficient faith for that adventure which awaits all who will BE faith sons and daughters in the heavenly family.

   

   "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."

2. B

   BradlyParticipant
   Jun 24, 2015, 1:29 PM

   196:2.7 (2093.1) You would be neither shocked nor disturbed by some of Jesus’ strong pronouncements if you would only remember that he was the world’s most wholehearted and devoted religionist. He was a wholly consecrated mortal, unreservedly dedicated to doing his Father’s will. Many of his apparently hard sayings were more of a personal confession of faith and a pledge of devotion than commands to his followers. And it was this very singleness of purpose and unselfish devotion that enabled him to effect such extraordinary progress in the conquest of the human mind in one short life. Many of his declarations should be considered as a confession of what he demanded of himself rather than what he required of all his followers. In his devotion to the cause of the kingdom, Jesus burned all bridges behind him; he sacrificed all hindrances to the doing of his Father’s will.

   196:2.8 (2093.2) Jesus blessed the poor because they were usually sincere and pious; he condemned the rich because they were usually wanton and irreligious. He would equally condemn the irreligious pauper and commend the consecrated and worshipful man of wealth.

   196:2.9 (2093.3) Jesus led men to feel at home in the world; he delivered them from the slavery of taboo and taught them that the world was not fundamentally evil. He did not long to escape from his earthly life; he mastered a technique of acceptably doing the Father’s will while in the flesh. He attained an idealistic religious life in the very midst of a realistic world. Jesus did not share Paul’s pessimistic view of humankind. The Master looked upon men as the sons of God and foresaw a magnificent and eternal future for those who chose survival. He was not a moral skeptic; he viewed man positively, not negatively. He saw most men as weak rather than wicked, more distraught than depraved. But no matter what their status, they were all God’s children and his brethren.

   196:2.10 (2093.4) He taught men to place a high value upon themselves in time and in eternity. Because of this high estimate which Jesus placed upon men, he was willing to spend himself in the unremitting service of humankind. And it was this infinite worth of the finite that made the golden rule a vital factor in his religion. What mortal can fail to be uplifted by the extraordinary faith Jesus has in him?

   196:2.11 (2093.5) Jesus offered no rules for social advancement; his was a religious mission, and religion is an exclusively individual experience. The ultimate goal of society’s most advanced achievement can never hope to transcend Jesus’ brotherhood of men based on the recognition of the fatherhood of God. The ideal of all social attainment can be realized only in the coming of this divine kingdom.

   "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."

3. V

   VernParticipant
   Jun 24, 2015, 2:32 PM

   Mara wrote: Spiritual brotherhood is when we-see-the-Creator-Son-we-see-the-Universal-Father brotherhood!  Wow!

   Hi Mara, I’m glad you, me, Bradly,……… we, are getting benefit from looking deeper at what constitutes spiritual brotherhood. It’s all predicated on how open each of us is to accepting as true the faith-fact of sonship with God. The Spirit of Truth is vital to this great profundity. What a sincere truth seeker discovers by living truth personally experienced and substantiated by obedience to spirit leading

   Though the Spirit of Truth is poured out upon all flesh, this spirit of the Son is almost wholly limited in function and power by man’s personal reception of that which constitutes the sum and substance of the mission of the bestowal Son. The Holy Spirit is partly independent of human attitude and partially conditioned by the decisions and co-operation of the will of man. Nevertheless, the ministry of the Holy Spirit becomes increasingly effective in the sanctification and spiritualization of the inner life of those mortals who the more fully obey the divine leadings. ^{[Paper34:5.5, page 379:5]} 

   It is really combined spirit ministry that leads each one of us Godward. That task is made all the more effective when the fact of sonship is fully embraced.

   As individuals you do not personally possess a segregated portion or entity of the spirit of the Creator Father-Son or the Creative Mother Spirit; these ministries do not contact with, nor indwell, the thinking centers of the individual’s mind as do the Mystery Monitors. Thought Adjusters are definite individualizations of the prepersonal reality of the Universal Father, actually indwelling the mortal mind as a very part of that mind, and they ever work in perfect harmony with the combined spirits of the Creator Son and Creative Spirit. ^{[Paper 34:5.6, page 379:6]} 

   It is our endowment of spiritual symmetry in the combined ministry of Father, Son and Spirit as consciously made real results in realization of the faith-fact of sonship with God. Unshakable confidence of cosmic citizenship, rightful place within the universe family, the everlasting spiritual brotherhood.

   The presence of the Holy Spirit of the Universe Daughter of the Infinite Spirit, of the Spirit of Truth of the Universe Son of the Eternal Son, and of the Adjuster-spirit of the Paradise Father in or with an evolutionary mortal, denotes symmetry of spiritual endowment and ministry and qualifies such a mortal consciously to realize the faith-fact of sonship with God. ^{[Paper 34:5.7, page 380.1]}

   In the whole Urantia book there are only two instances of the specific words combined; “fact of sonship.” There are however, hundreds of references attesting to this fact of sonship throughout The Urantia Book, for it is the one crucial teaching we are actually instructed to pass on to our fellows, share with all we meet. Quench the spiritual thirst yearning for refreshment, the saving message of Sonship with God and consequent brotherhood of mankind………the Gospel of Jesus.

   One of the erroneous concepts adopted by Christianity is the fatalistic notion of Jesus going through his life as if enacting a pre-scripted ritual over which he had no real control, a slave to prophecy, rather than him freely, motivated by love towards those who plotted against him, who knew not what they were doing, and choosing to lay down his life for them. It was not a requirement of his bestowal experience for him to have come to such a violent end, suffer such a painful and lingering death.

   Sin and rebellion have nothing to do with the fundamental bestowal plan of the Paradise Sons of God, albeit it does appear to us that the salvage plan is a provisional feature of the bestowal plan. ^{[Paper186:5.8, page 2003:2]}

   Christianity would do well to appreciate the consecration of faith and the power that comes from the covenant Jesus made with his Father; “it is my will, that your will be done,” was his unwavering consecration of choice. We still would love Jesus as revealed to us through the example of his faith motivated perfect life and saving message of his teachings had he not been put to death by cruel hands of ignorant mortals

   The salvation of God for the mortals of Urantia would have been just as effective and unerringly certain if Jesus had not been put to death by the cruel hands of ignorant mortals. If the Master had been favorably received by the mortals of earth and had departed from Urantia by the voluntary relinquishment of his life in the flesh, the fact of the love of God and the mercy of the Son — the fact of sonship with God — would have in no wise been affected. You mortals are the sons of God, and only one thing is required to make such a truth factual in your personal experience, and that is your spirit-born faith. ^{[Paper 186:5.9, page 2003:3]}

   Interesting to note how the word “fact” is utilised in that paragraph, based as it is, on the creature-creator relationship, father-child:

   1. fact of the love of God
   2. fact of sonship with God

   Acceptance of these facts as true, constitutes spiritual brotherhood and fruits-of-the-spirit are the natural manifestation of outgoing love.

    

4. M

   MaraParticipant
   Jun 24, 2015, 6:15 PM

   Bradly wrote:   “And it was this very singleness of purpose and unselfish devotion that enabled him to effect such extraordinary progress in the conquest of the human mind in one short life. Many of his declarations should be considered as a confession of what he demanded of himself rather than what he required of all his followers.”  (196:2.7 (2093.1)

   I am very much on this same train of thought, Bradly,  in the conquest of the human mind.  Jesus demanded this of himself.  He is the Son of Man endowed with the mind of man.  He is experienced in the tribulations inherent in the human mind endowment.  He knows all about what is required in conquering of the human mind.  We mustn’t forget this fact and take the man out of Jesus.  What he requires of his followers is to aim for the achievement of the conquest of the human mind. To us it is an ideal and I think we must keep a watch because the mind can be a mischievous thing.  In my opinion it is both dealing with our human mind, and at the same time taming this mind to follow the ever beckoning leading of God’s will.  I would say Jesus was shocked when the water was turned to wine in Cana, as a result of his human and tender feelings toward his mother.  One must keep a watch on one’s mind, as it can go into all manner of mischief.
5. MK

   Mark KurtzParticipant
   Jun 24, 2015, 7:16 PM

   Yes, Mara!

   You have such a good summation here about why it’s important to tame one’s mind.  I need all the help available for this adventure!  I’ve always wondered about how to achieve conquest of mind.  It is amazing to realize Jesus attained this level of union with the Father in just 29 years.  Its easy to ask of him:  How did you do that?

   Mark

6. B

   BradlyParticipant
   Jun 24, 2015, 9:30 PM

   It has been a life long struggle for me to learn both the importance (value) of taming the mind and the methods which assist in that effort.  This business of transferring the seat of identity is no easy task (or not for me).  I’ve written before about improving our response-ability and have found, for me, that is where to start.

   We seem to have an immediate reaction or response mechanism that is innate and is self centered – what’s in it for me, what’s the danger or potential loss/cost to me.  Often these are emotionally based or charged and other times they are calculated prior to choice and act.  I began to closely examine each and every reaction I had to reduce fear and anger and retort and angles of advantage in many, many situations.  I began to ask “why?” is this my response?  What is the effect on me and mind and choice and outcome to act from fear or hope of advantage or anger?

   It is more difficult, or was to me, to understand how doing the right thing for the right reason actually benefits me in life.  But as I did so I could see things in new ways that stabilized my life and reduced confusion and chaos.  But still I clung to a need to manage outcomes and control things which cannot be controlled.  Now, life is easier in many ways which were difficult with the challenges being deeper and more interesting, if not less confounding; and my results seem to flow from living in a jet stream or current of life that supports me in important ways.  Hard to describe.  Hardly complete, even barely begun.

   But there is great wisdom in the teaching to be righteous for righteous sake.  There is reward for choosing to do the right thing for the right reason.  The cost is nothing and yet everything, especially relationships, improve at every level of being.  This tadpole thing isn’t bad at all….eventually.

   

   "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."

7. MK

   Mark KurtzParticipant
   Jun 24, 2015, 10:24 PM

   All this sounds like Jesus and his self mastery!  Good!  We need the discussion among individuals, associations, communities, regions and nations.  Self mastery reaching divine levels is the secret to real peace and security.  Do not we feel safe among those we do not fear?  Those who will not harm us are those from whom we are granted security and freedom.   Mind control is worthy and to find the Jesus ways is to find balance.  Recall the authors tell us most mortals are not happy.  Jesus became happy with himself as he became more attuned to the Father, who is the ultimate and eternal model of the highest ideals.

8. B

   BradlyParticipant
   Jun 25, 2015, 2:32 AM

   Hello Mark – yes I agree, there are specific methods and strategies presented to us regarding self mastery, wisdom, and spirit progression.  Actually, self  mastery is something many people accomplish without any specific religiosity or spirit related intention.  All professionals must learn to master self for the proper professional “response” in any given situation – whether doctor, nurse, fireman, search and rescue, soldier, or whatever…..the mind must manage its response regardless of the circumstances, situation, crisis, chaos, or even horror in which it finds itself.  This is learned.  It is technique.  It improves with experience.  It can be self taught to the mind that pays attention and discerns and considers the causes of the effects observed….and results experienced.

   It is the higher brain learning to control the lower.  It results in the opportunity to then learn prioritization, risk assessment, strategy development, and tactical decision making.  The mind may reach this operational efficiency and productivity even prior to spiritization and love response – this is HUMAN potential and is available to each prior to transferring the seat of identity to spirit and universe reality alignment.

   Spirit response becomes a super-charging effect to such a mind.  It adds proper motive, intent, and priority to free will choice with a mind that is response-ABLE.  Skill applied with proper motive and priority results in a life that is far different than unhappy folk even believe is possible.

   Mark – it interesting that you say so many are not happy, yet almost all children are born happy, sharing, caring, gregarious, etc.  They are, so unfortunately, often taught to revert to animal mind when they are so prepared to be spirit minded as infants and toddlers.  No racism, sexism, hate, etc.  They only need to be taught how to think and learn.  It is sad that we move away from such a sweet place and must struggle to return to this child like faith and hope we are born with so much later.  We must all come to have faith in our Father and our Family that we are also born into to return to this happy state…..but it is not so obvious, eh?   There are obstacles….the ego of self serving and adoration and protection, pleasures, amusements, distractions, difficulties, tragedies, deprivations, even horrific sufferings so many must endure in some form and combination.

   But the mind that can exercise WILL and discernment and judgment to experience, can indeed become the master of SELF….or at least they can once they understand the seat of self is soul and no longer mind.  This is the progression I think, higher mind controls lower mind, but then higher mind must relinquish itself to soul and Father’s love of all by seeing all others as precious family for our tender care.  I only speak of an opinion and philosophy….certainly not a process or result over which I have any authority or mastery.

   I wonder what the Revelation might offer us ……..I recall The Wisdom of Rodan and the earliest Buddists and the Tao giving us great specifics and clues both.  We are born into duality.  We must master both the material world and the spirit alignment of our true nature.  I could use more time for such a challenge……Blessings and thanks for your thoughts.

   

   "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."

9. V

   VernParticipant
   Jun 25, 2015, 2:51 PM

   Forgiveness is an act of love. The Father already loves the child, with a pure affection radiant with the healing balm of rehabilitation.

   …The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him, but such forgiveness is not available in your personal religious experience until such a time as you forgive your fellow men.… ^{[Paper 146:2.4, page 1638.4]}

   Yes, there is still quite a bit of confusion to clear up. Thank God we have the Spirit of Truth constantly saying, this is the way.

   The forgiveness of love is the most powerful force to be set in motion to make things right.

   The cross forever shows that the attitude of Jesus toward sinners was neither condemnation nor condonation, but rather eternal and loving salvation. Jesus is truly a savior in the sense that his life and death do win men over to goodness and righteous survival. Jesus loves men so much that his love awakens the response of love in the human heart. Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. Jesus’ death on the cross exemplifies a love which is sufficiently strong and divine to forgive sin and swallow up all evil-doing. Jesus disclosed to this world a higher quality of righteousness than justice — mere technical right and wrong. Divine love does not merely forgive wrongs; it absorbs and actually destroys them. The forgiveness of love utterly transcends the forgiveness of mercy. Mercy sets the guilt of evil-doing to one side; but love destroys forever the sin and all weakness resulting therefrom. Jesus brought a new method of living to Urantia. He taught us not to resist evil but to find through him a goodness which effectually destroys evil. The forgiveness of Jesus is not condonation; it is salvation from condemnation. Salvation does not slight wrongs; it makes them right. True love does not compromise nor condone hate; it destroys it. The love of Jesus is never satisfied with mere forgiveness. The Master’s love implies rehabilitation, eternal survival. It is altogether proper to speak of salvation as redemption if you mean this eternal rehabilitation. ^{[Paper 188:5.2, page 2018:1]}

   The Spirit of Truth makes Jesus real in our lives and lights our soul with capacity to love as he loves, with the redeeming love of forgiveness.
10. A

    AnonymousInactive
    Jun 25, 2015, 3:12 PM

    Bradly wrote:

    [. . .] yet almost all children are born happy, sharing, caring, gregarious, etc. They are, so unfortunately, often taught to revert to animal mind when they are so prepared to be spirit minded as infants and toddlers. No racism, sexism, hate, etc. They only need to be taught how to think and learn.

    The use of the word child, or in this case “children” may be somewhat misleading in its context, where we are all children, but when placed in reference to a young child, they are primarily experiencing the animal mind where their senses and emotions are being experienced anew, within their given environment, and inherited status.  It might seem that these children must “be taught how to think and learn” however, the challenge from those who propose to teach have often not found themselves beyond their own ability to understand another individuals thoughts, whereby to assist as to teaching.  Children generally learn through observation and interaction where their thought process is being developed to fit that which they have or are observing at any one moment, where these sensory responses affect what they are thinking based on that experience, very similar to the learning of a language which may be different or strange which may not be much different from a person who had some disability, like being color blind and someone else telling them that this is the color red, green or blue, etc.  They will retain these experiences, sometimes with difficulty when, from that example, there is no or little difference in their minds between two or more associated colors, which they may perceive as one color or merely varied shades or hues.

    For those who would teach these children, by presenting new information, which is not understood or associated in these young minds, must also use a method of observation, where responsive action from presented information will be unique to each child, and if these teachers assume that these responses fit to specific patterns which they, themselves have either been trained to know or have experienced for themselves under similar circumstances, may present reflective action which may be counter productive to any individual child or other children who are observing but not necessarily part of that interaction.  Therefore, children and adults, must be allowed to interact and any observations must be associated with questions or passive interrogation as to the action response by the observed, in order to ascertain their current thinking which they have associated as either good or bad and responded from reflex and not knowledge of an interaction with another.  In order to teach a child, the teacher must be able to place them self into their own child mind, whereby the teacher learns how to teach those minds which are developing as unique individuals.  One primary objective is to set simple rules or principles which are presented and enforced uniformly by those who must, through actions, which are being observed, as being non discriminating and orderly to all.  Straying from these rules will only create confusion in those who process information in their minds differently, because we are all different we also think and learn differently, which will affect us as we grow.

11. M

    MaraParticipant
    Jun 25, 2015, 8:55 PM

    I am thrilled others are participating here.  I can tell by your words you are inspired.  We inspire each other and I truly believe each of us is getting new insights through the process of our sharing here.  I’m always worried about the philosophic fallacy of abstraction which is the practice of focusing the attention upon one aspect of reality and then of pronouncing such an isolated aspect to be the whole truth. (P.42 – §6)

    Jesus of Nazareth, as a man among men, personally achieved the status of light and life over nineteen hundred years ago on Urantia. (P.636 – §0)   Our Creator Son and God are one.  He admonishes every kingdom believer to become one with him even as he and his Father are one.  (P.1985 – §1)  This is about the individual, not the temporal group.  Our Creator Son Jesus stands. for both the Father and the Eternal Son to the creatures of ten million inhabited worlds.  (P.80 – §0)

     

    Vern wrote: “The true church—the Jesus brotherhood—is invisible, spiritual. . . .” [Paper 195:10.11, page 2085.3]

     

    The true church is not temporal. It has no man-made boundaries. No organizations, churches or communities can encompass it.  It’s invisible because it is within.  It is personal.

     

    P.1862 – §7   The religion of the kingdom is personal, individual; the fruits, the results, are familial, social. Jesus never failed to exalt the sacredness of the individual as contrasted with the community. But he also recognized that man develops his character by unselfish service; that he unfolds his moral nature in loving relations with his fellows.

    – §8   By teaching that the kingdom is within, by exalting the individual, Jesus struck the deathblow of the old society in that he ushered in the new dispensation of true social righteousness. This new order of society the world has little known because it has refused to practice the principles of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. And when this kingdom of spiritual per-eminence does come upon the earth, it will not be manifested in mere improved social and material conditions, but rather in the glories of those enhanced and enriched spiritual values which are characteristic of the approaching age of improved human relations and advancing spiritual attainments.

     

    It’s the “Jesus brotherhood” because —

    P.1711 – §3   “The Father and I are one; the Son does only that which the Father teaches him, while all those who are given to the Son by the Father, the Son will receive to himself. You have read where it is written in the Prophets, You shall all be taught by God,' and thatThose whom the Father teaches will hear also his Son.’ Every one who yields to the teaching of the Father’s indwelling spirit will eventually come to me.”

     

    “Eventually,” he says,  because there are religions whose practitioners do not believe Jesus is the Son of God.  Do you think the Jesus brotherhood is a subset of the spiritual brotherhood?  Or is spiritual brotherhood a subset of of the Jesus brotherhood?  Or are they one and the same?

     

     

12. B

    BradlyParticipant
    Jun 26, 2015, 12:38 PM

    I think they are one and the same.  At least for mortals on the material worlds.  Knowledge of specifics is not a requirement to be in the circle of believers.  It is the belief and faith OF Jesus that defines this singular group and not, yet, any belief IN Jesus or Michael or any other being other than the Father…or so I understand the teachings.  All who hear the true voice, hear the same voice.  All who respond to the Spirits of the Father, Mother, and Son respond to the same spirit.  All who bring their will into reality alignment are abiding in the same family and same brotherhood/sisterhood.  The words chosen to acknowledge or describe this reality experience in love and in service are irrelevant compared to the experience itself and the results which flow….the fruits of the spirit derive from the true vine.  Always.

    196:0.13 (2089.3) Jesus does not require his disciples to believe in him but rather to believe with him, believe in the reality of the love of God and in full confidence accept the security of the assurance of sonship with the heavenly Father. The Master desires that all his followers should fully share his transcendent faith. Jesus most touchingly challenged his followers, not only to believe what he believed, but also to believe as he believed. This is the full significance of his one supreme requirement, “Follow me.”

    196:0.14 (2090.1) Jesus’ earthly life was devoted to one great purpose — doing the Father’s will, living the human life religiously and by faith. The faith of Jesus was trusting, like that of a child, but it was wholly free from presumption. He made robust and manly decisions, courageously faced manifold disappointments, resolutely surmounted extraordinary difficulties, and unflinchingly confronted the stern requirements of duty. It required a strong will and an unfailing confidence to believe what Jesus believed and as he believed.

    170:5.11 (1865.1) The kingdom, to the Jews, was the Israelite community; to the gentiles it became the Christian church. To Jesus the kingdom was the sum of those individuals who had confessed their faith in the fatherhood of God, thereby declaring their wholehearted dedication to the doing of the will of God, thus becoming members of the spiritual brotherhood of man.

    "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."

13. M

    MaraParticipant
    Jun 26, 2015, 6:15 PM

    Well said Bradly!  Thank you.

     

    We self-identify as faith-sons, sons of the living God. God is always first and foremost to me. We worship him, not Jesus. Jesus founded the religion of personal experience in doing the will of God. Jesus makes the living God more real to us by the life he lived and as his SoT ever reveals to us. Christianity got it wrong, because Paul, the organizer and overseer of his enlarging flock of believers, saw the glorified Jesus as the object of worship. Paul’s idea of the kingdom of God included his flock of believers and eventually it became the brotherhood-church, as against other people who believed in God but who had other religious traditions which did not accept Jesus as the Son of God. Are those others who do not accept Jesus as the Son of God included in the spiritual brotherhood?

     

    196:2:6   Jesus founded the religion of personal experience in doing the will of God and serving the human brotherhood; Paul founded a religion in which the glorified Jesus became the object of worship and the brotherhood consisted of fellow believers in the divine Christ. In the bestowal of Jesus these two concepts were potential in his divine-human life, and it is indeed a pity that his followers failed to create a unified religion which might have given proper recognition to both the human and the divine natures of the Master as they were inseparably bound up in his earth life and so gloriously set forth in the original gospel of the kingdom.

    196:3:19    The Hebrews had a religion of moral sublimity; the Greeks evolved a religion of beauty; Paul and his conferees founded a religion of faith, hope, and charity. Jesus revealed and exemplified a religion of love: security in the Father’s love, with joy and satisfaction consequent upon sharing this love in the service of the human brotherhood.

     

14. B

    BradlyParticipant
    Jun 26, 2015, 7:48 PM

    The question I have is this:  are those who believe in God but exclude others by their creeds, doctrines, ceremonies, “holy” books, etc. IN the spiritual brotherhood or do they exclude themselves by their exclusion of others?  Must love overcome all such judgments and distinctions held by the believer for inclusion?  For does not the definition of member also require the recognition that all people are the children of God and we are all one family?  Does such ignorance matter?

    I may include those who exclude me it seems.  It’s a quandary.  Glad to leave such parsing to those more qualified.  Certainly we all end up in the same place and family.

    "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."

15. A

    AnonymousInactive
    Jun 26, 2015, 8:36 PM

    (1962.1) ^181:2.26 And then Jesus went over to Thomas, who, standing up, heard him say: “Thomas, you have often lacked faith; however, when you have had your seasons with doubt, you have never lacked courage. I know well that the false prophets and spurious teachers will not deceive you. After I have gone, your brethren will the more appreciate your critical way of viewing new teachings. And when you all are scattered to the ends of the earth in the times to come, remember that you are still my ambassador. Dedicate your life to the great work of showing how the critical material mind of man can triumph over the inertia of intellectual doubting when faced by the demonstration of the manifestation of living truth as it operates in the experience of spirit-born men and women who yield the fruits of the spirit in their lives, and who love one another, even as I have loved you. Thomas, I am glad you joined us, and I know, after a short period of perplexity, you will go on in the service of the kingdom. Your doubts have perplexed your brethren, but they have never troubled me. I have confidence in you, and I will go before you even to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

     

16. M

    MaraParticipant
    Jun 26, 2015, 9:12 PM

    Bradly wrote: The question I have is this: are those who believe in God but exclude others by their creeds, doctrines, ceremonies, “holy” books, etc. IN the spiritual brotherhood or do they exclude themselves by their exclusion of others?

     

    Your question is similar to mine.   My opinion is that if you believe in God (by whatever name you prefer to call him) and desire to do His will, you are in the spiritual brotherhood.  You may not actually be able to recognize or verbalize your membership in this brotherhood, because of your creeds, doctrines, ceremonies, holy book, prejudices and so on. Such people exclude themselves because of their reliance  on their holy books and their reliance on interpretations of others (teachers, priests, holy men, gurus).  But from God’s view, He sees us that way in spite of all other of our differences and preferences we might promulgate or manifest.

    Jesus said the spiritual brotherhood is the sum of all individuals who confess their faith in the fatherhood of God and declare to do His will, the text of which you have so graciously provided us.

    Bradly wrote: 170:5.11 (1865.1) The kingdom, to the Jews, was the Israelite community; to the gentiles it became the Christian church. To Jesus the kingdom was the sum of those individuals who had confessed their faith in the fatherhood of God, thereby declaring their wholehearted dedication to the doing of the will of God, thus becoming members of the spiritual brotherhood of man.

    Bradly wrote:  For does not the definition of member also require the recognition that all people are the children of God and we are all one family?

    Technically, we are one family.  From God’s view, there are two great groups: those who desire to do His will, and those who do not.  He encourages even the faintest flicker of faith, and we are admonished not to judge another’s faith.  Such matters are between God and the individual.  We can discern the results of loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace.   Are these divine fruits of the spirit exclusive only to one group of people?

    Bradly wrote:  Does such ignorance matter?

    In my opinion, no, because as you say we’re all going to end up in the same place and family in the morontia.  It does not matter whether you know or whether you do not know you are a member of the spiritual brotherhood.

    Students of the UB do know more, and therefore, these discussions take place among us for our mutual edification.  The more we know, the more we are accountable for.

    Bradly wrote:  Must love overcome all such judgments and distinctions held by the believer for inclusion?

    In my opinion, yes, eventually love will by its benign virus of its contagion.  Thanks Midi for that great reference to what Jesus told Thomas.  It’s spot on.

     

     

17. MK

    Mark KurtzParticipant
    Jun 26, 2015, 9:19 PM

    Friends, do you recall Jesus would say to individuals, “My friend, I perceive you are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven”?  In observing such persons, he did not place judgements about their spiritual difficulties or “pigeon hole” them.  Instead, he observed them moving in the right direction.  Recall the authors tell us our present situation is not as important as the direction in which we are moving.  It is our decisions that place us into the Kingdom, which if we continue in sustaining and sincere desire, will maintain us in the spiritual brotherhood.  Being within the spiritual brotherhood is a divine judgment on high, perhaps each day.  Continual choosing (moving) is observed on high as accumulating affirmation of our soul’s desire.  This continued affirmation and moving in the right direction eventually results in fusion with the Father’s Adjuster.

    Spirit we cannot see, but we are in the Brotherhood Jesus established if we choose the Father’s will.  It is this choosing that is the ticket to membership.  This choosing must be sincere and honest of heart.  Therefore, entry into the “membership” is sincerity, more sincerity, and still more sincerity.   Marvelous is it all!!!!!!!

18. B

    BradlyParticipant
    Jun 27, 2015, 1:30 PM

    Yes Mark….Jesus taught that by every single choice we either draw nearer or step back from reality or closeness to God.  He also told the story of the prodigal son.  No matter our choices, we remain in the family of God and abide in his love until we come to our senses and gain perspective to priorities.  The love is never withheld even when it is rejected or unknown by the child.

     

    "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."

19. V

    VernParticipant
    Jun 28, 2015, 11:43 AM

    Bradly wrote: …the story of the prodigal son.

    A good illustration of both the love of the Father and the capacity of an errant child to return home, be forgiven.

    I was posting today’s Though Gem and was thinking it is an example of the power of the spiritual brotherhood to cause unbelievers to ponder, whence comes such certainty—the strength of character to be a living example of such profound and unshakable faith?

    The certainty of the God-knowing religionist

    should not be disturbed by the uncertainty

    of the doubting materialist,

    rather should the uncertainty of the unbeliever

    be mightily challenged by the profound faith

    and unshakable certainty of the experiential believer. 

    ^{[Paper 103:8.5, page 1140.5]}

     

20. M

    MaraParticipant
    Jun 28, 2015, 5:55 PM

    So lovely, my brothers! So well spoken.  Thank you so much.

    I’d like to bring you further along with me on this spirit adventure. I am so thrilled each one of you have been inspired to contribute here. I miss Bonita, but even so we make a good study team without her. Perhaps a day will come when she can set aside her irritations and join us again. I hope so, and  I hope I haven’t flubbed up on the reference links I’ve used in this post.
    We’re told, “. . .polytheism is monotheism in the making.” Moses taught monotheism. Many African tribes, except through missionary work of Christians and Mohammedans, are not yet beyond the fetish stage of religious evolution. (92:6:1 ) Ikhnaton swung a whole nation from polytheism to monotheism in the guise of the sun-god. ( 95:5:6)  “The Hindus likewise combined their multifarious deities into the ‘one spirituality of the gods’ portrayed in the Rig-Veda, while the Mesopotamians reduced their gods to the more centralized concept of Bel-Marduk. These ideas of monotheism matured all over the world not long after the appearance of Machiventa Melchizedek at Salem in Palestine.  But the Melchizedek concept of Deity was unlike that of the evolutionary philosophy of inclusion, subordination, and exclusion; it was based exclusively on creative power and very soon influenced the highest deity concepts of Mesopotamia, India, and Egypt.” (96:0:1) In the Hebrews monotheism was not an unbroken and continuous conceptual development (96:1:2 ), “. . . they nearly lost their opportunity of becoming the people who would serve as a vital link in the spiritual evolution of Urantia, the group who would conserve the Melchizedek teaching of one God until the times of the incarnation of a bestowal Son of that Father of all.” (96:6:2 ) “And the Greeks would have eventually achieved a true monotheism in the concept of Zeus except for their retention of the overcontrol of Fate. A God of final value must, himself, be the arbiter of fate and the creator of destiny.” (98:1:3 ) “The great monotheists, the Hebrews and Mohammedans, found it difficult to distinguish between worshiping three gods, polytheism, and trinitarianism, the worship of one Deity existing in a triune manifestation of divinity and personality.” (104:1:9 )  “And it should be made plain in this record that all these teachings portraying monotheism were largely derived, directly or indirectly, from the preachments of the missionaries of Machiventa Melchizedek, who went forth from their Salem headquarters to spread the doctrine of one God–the Most High–to the ends of the earth.” (131:0:1 )

     
    I keep going back to Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom of God. When Jesus talked about “the living God,” he referred to a personal Deity–the Father in heaven. ( 1:7:1) “The Jews had long conceived of God as a king over all, even as a Father of the nation, but never before had large numbers of mortal men held the idea of God as a loving Father of the individual.” ( 141:4:1 ) And this is the Jesus-revelation. Jesus is this “. . . the gift of God to all men and for all ages–the revelation of the love of the Father in heaven for all his creatures on earth.” (175:1:5 ) “[H]is life of achieving the Father’s will becomes man’s most real and ideal revelation of the personality of God.” “[I]n Jesus’ earth life we are inspired by the perfect demonstration of such a realization and revelation of the personality of God in a truly human experience.” ( 1:6:8)

     

    (145:5:6  ) When Jesus heard this, he answered: “Andrew, have I not taught you and these others that my mission on earth is the revelation of the Father, and my message the proclamation of the kingdom of heaven? How is it, then, that you would have me turn aside from my work for the gratification of the curious and for the satisfaction of those who seek for signs and wonders? Have we not been among these people all these months, and have they flocked in multitudes to hear the good news of the kingdom? Why have they now come to besiege us? Is it not because of the healing of their physical bodies rather than as a result of the reception of spiritual truth for the salvation of their souls? When men are attracted to us because of extraordinary manifestations, many of them come seeking not for truth and salvation but rather in quest of healing for their physical ailments and to secure deliverance from their material difficulties.

     

    The sum and substance of the religion of Jesus became the worship of God and the service of man. “[…] Jesus made the care of God for man like the solicitude of a loving father for the welfare of his dependent children and then made this teaching the cornerstone of his religion. And thus did the doctrine of the fatherhood of God make imperative the practice of the brotherhood of man.” (159:5:7 ) To me he means that each and every one of us is in the brotherhood of man. Those people who by virtue of belief and faith in one God are in fact folded into the spiritual brotherhood. The fact of spiritual brotherhood is a new revelation to us, and the way I see it the spiritual brotherhood includes any people who have even a tiny spark of belief and faith in one God. Those who do not yet have even a tiny spark can yet discover it within themselves. The spark is now a combined spark of the Father and the Son.

    (162:6:3 ) “But now has come to this generation [the generation of Jesus and ours too] the revelation of the Father of spirits through the bestowal of his Son, and all of this will certainly be followed by the bestowal of the spirit of the Father and the Son upon the children of men. To every one who has faith shall this bestowal of the spirit become the true teacher of the way which leads to the life everlasting, to the true waters of life in the kingdom of heaven on earth and in the Father’s Paradise over there.”

     

    ( 16:9:14)  And Fatherhood becomes, or may become, a universe reality to all moral creatures because the Father has himself bestowed personality upon all such beings and has encircuited them within the grasp of the universal personality circuit. We worship God, first, because he is, then, because he is in us, and last, because we are in him.

     

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