Episode:Jesus in Galilee—Crisis and Consequences (Part 10)

From Symmetry of Soul


You can come out from among those of your fellows who choose to remain satisfied with a religion of mind, who crave security and prefer conformity.

You can elect to exchange your feelings of authoritative certainty for the assurances of the spirit of adventurous and progressive faith.

You can dare to reject the authority of the traditions of record which are now regarded as the word of God.

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Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Born of the Spirit, God-Knowingness, Personal Spiritual Experience

Summary by Kermit

Commentary after Review

Opening this final episode of our long arc Jesus in Galilee, we briefly discussed the idea of adventure. Jesus calls each of his followers to the supreme adventure of all human existence—man seeking God, for himself, and as himself, and finding him. Contrasted with sacred texts extant in the world today it’s worth noting that the 5th ER makes no claim of exclusivity as far as being a revelation of truth, neither does it proscribe a truth seeker from following truth's manifold expressions wherever they might be found. Recognizing our two masters in life the call to adventure is frequently blunted by the animal indolence of the second master. How will courage appear on the mansion worlds without the fetters of the flesh? We are reminded that even after attaining personality recognition of the Universal Father while on our sojourn on the third circuit of Havona, we will be confronted with yet greater challenges such that we will require angelic help to face even more arduous exertion before entrance into the eternity service in the Mortal Corps of the Finality. Word to the wise, do not be too satisfied with your present state of cosmic attainment regardless of how glorious they may seem. There is ever and always much more.

155:6. The Second Discourse on True Religion

In similar fashion to the first discourse on true religion, the midwayers let us know this is a restatement of the substance of the Master’s teaching. Having left the twenty-four to pray and reflect on the challenges posed with his first discourse, he now addresses them in affirmation of their choice to go forward with him in the mission of proclaiming new truths of the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men. He reiterates his expectations for them to leave behind the authority and tradition of their fathers’ religion and continue to pursue the discovery of finding God for themselves, in themselves, and of themselves as a fact in their own personal experience. We remarked that today, many have taken the step of abandoning the theology of mind of their ancestors only to languish in darkness seeking meaning and value in the works of man. The remedy for this darkness lies in finding the humility to surrender one’s adult understanding of things and as a child reach above the things of self and man to the real God.

The Master continues to draw contrast between the intellectual belief in traditional authority and its orientation to things past with the living faith which enables one to grasp the reality of God. For the feeling of settled security of the religion of authority, the heavy price of one’s spiritual freedom and religious liberty is required. Listen to our discussion of the precision of meanings of the midwayers’ use of the terms liberty and freedom in connection with this contrast.

We find parallels today in Jesus’ admonition to give up the practice of always quoting the prophets of old and praising the heroes of Israel. The 5th ER can serve as a similar stumbling block to the Master’s exhortation to become living prophets and spiritual heroes of the kingdom today.

The authors remind us that the religion of the mind (authority) is conditioned by and associated with the various racial viewpoints of man, resulting in diverse expressions of the religious urge. Only the uniform spirit endowments of man can hope to supercharge the divergent mind religions of authority with the religion of the spirit, paving the way for the realization of the brotherhood of man. Further comparing and contrasting the religions of authority and the religion of the spirit we are led into discussion of the difference between uniformity and unity. The religion of the spirit requires only uniformity of insight and destiny, unity of spirit feeling while allowing for diversity of belief.

While the Master has strong words for the false religious teachers of Israel, he does not fail to put the struggles of the children of Abraham into a broader context pointing out that their centuries’ long quest for discovery of the truth about God has prepared the way for his own revelation of the Father.

The Master goes on to suggest the consecrations required for progress in our quest for expanded cosmic consciousness we so often mention on SoS when he invites his hearers (and us) to the dual adventures of attempting to discover the will of the living God, and the supreme experience of honestly trying to do that divine will. He further adds that the spirit he and the Father shall send into the world on his departure is not only the gateway to all truth, but accessible to the individual as the spirit of idealistic beauty.

He reminds us that God’s word is not confined to the olden records, but being born of the spirit enables the creature to discern the word of God wherever it happens to take origin. He again commends acquiring the spiritual simplicity of a child as the best way of realizing the kingdom of heaven. Also he encourages us to cultivate a genuine inner life explaining that the mind, while not the seat of the spiritual nature, is the gateway thereto.

We are warned against trying to prove to others that we have found God, but he provides two positive demonstrations of God-knowingness:

  • exhibition of the fruits of the spirit in daily life; and
  • demonstrating a life plan risking everything you are and have on the adventure of survival after death in pursuit of finding the God of eternity.

Jesus assures his men that the Father responds to the faintest flicker of faith of the fearful and frail, but he expects more from them. His gospel teachers are expected to believe with a whole heart and exhibit a faith which dominates the full triunity of reality in their lives—body, mind, and spirit.

The Master concludes his address: “You are my apostles, and to you religion shall not become a theologic shelter to which you may flee in fear of facing the rugged realities of spiritual progress and idealistic adventure; but rather shall your religion become the fact of real experience which testifies that God has found you, idealized, ennobled, and spiritualized you, and that you have enlisted in the eternal adventure of finding the God who has thus found and sonshipped you.”

Notes by Brad

  • Ready for a new adventure? It's all adventure from here on. Even after our material bodies are left behind it will take courage.


  • When you let go of the old ways of tradition and authority, and grab ahold of a new way, which new way will it be?
    • Humanists let go of the old, but they re-gripped something akin to what Lucifer encouraged.
      • You end up gripping yourself. Self-righteousness.
    • Aim higher. Reach toward something very high.


  • To find the peace that passes all understanding, you must let go of the peace that does not pass understanding.
    • We all will have built something like this. You don't really understand, though
    • Enter the kingdom as a child.


  • Being truly born again will lead to a true advent: genuine God-knowingness.


  • Religion of the mind versus religion of mind.
    • Dropping the "the" can help you think less individually. This isn't about MY mind. It's a larger concept.
    • Don't think you can be "born of the Adjuster" in your mind. That is not possible. You'll grab a vivid island of heat in your own mind. Think less individually about mind and spirit.


  • Don't try to do any of this in a self-help mode. You can't build a better self, yourself. Provide favorable conditions.
    • Set a willingness in your mind to be grown. Follow after Jesus.


  • Animals only know of the past and the present. The religion of the mind binds one to the past, as well.


  • Are you a Urantia Book quote engine? You might have a religion of the mind, the modern equivalent of quoting the prophets of old.
    • It's a challenging line to walk.
  • Even if you don't know why unity is, you can start by not being satifsied with mere uniformity. Aim higher.
  • God gave each of a temple within (unity). Not a church without (uniformity).


  • Uniformity is not evil. It should just be applied to high concepts: destiny. Insight. Eternal matters, not temporal matters.
  • Zeal is not evil. It should just be applied to ideals, not ideas.


  • The Spirit of Truth also can be thought of the "spirit of unification," a less abstract concept.


  • "Feel the presence of God" is not a call to feel your thoughts about God.
    • That is mere religion of mind.



  • Your religion will always try to naturally fall back to the religion of the mind. Left unconscious, this is what religion does naturally. Be unnatural.