Episode:Religion in Depth—Human Experience (Part 2)
Religion cannot be bestowed, received, loaned, learned, or lost. It is a personal experience which grows proportionally to the growing quest for final values. The factors of religious growth may be intentional, but the growth itself is unvaryingly unconscious.
Keywords: Urantia, Religion, Meanings, Values, Self-Realization
Summary by Kermit
Commentary on Review
We amplified on the discussion of the terms progress and growth putting some finer distinction on the linear quality of progress and the non-linear quality of growth. Recalling our study of Thought Adjusters, spirit is potentially directive of the mindal self, as in imposing a direction—progressing mind (development). When pointing to a holistic cosmic perspective on which the direction is predicated the revelators use the term growth. Going further, the potential of the perfectingness of spirit that imposes itself down upon the mindal self is found in personality, spirit pattern, which encompasses the three fold nature of reality, hence fundamentally holistic, non-linear. The discussion progressed, the dynamics of these processes being quite abstract require revisiting the archive for more details, except to say that as phenomena are downstepped from higher levels of mind spirit interaction they become less holistic and more linear in their aspect. It should be remembered that all spirit ministries imposed upon your mind are potentially directive, i.e. have a will behind them (e.g. though adjuster, holy spirit, spirit of truth), and you fundamentally insert your will and your personality into this in an attempt to synchronize with the purposing of the whole.
100:1.7
We proceeded to carefully unpack the remaining three paragraphs of this section and the first five paragraphs of section 2.
Note in the statement that religion cannot be bestowed, received, loaned, learned, or lost, that these words refer to transactions in time. Yet, religion is bound back to eternity, notwithstanding, the Father who inhabits eternity is said to “bestow” both personality and Thought Adjusters on His universe creatures. In addition to connecting us with eternity, religions also consists of engaging spirit, the qualities of which are called values. We reflectively engage values in the form of ideals. Our religion is thus a system of ideals.
We then set out to sort out the terms cosmic growth, religious growth, and spiritual growth. Spiritual growth emphasizes the fundamental aspect of growth as perfecting spirit. The authors emphasize the holistic nature of growth beyond the foundational perfecting spirit to include the immediate consequences of religion as binding back to eternity and the immediate consequences thereof. Cosmic growth is another way of implying a holistic three-fold nature describing that is waits for the accumulation of meanings and expanding elevation of values.
We next undertook to understand why this growth is unconscious and further how we eventually become conscious of having been grown. In going back to the differences between progressing mind (progress and development) and perfecting spirit (growth), progress in the consciousness of mind, perfecting spirit is above mind, above consciousness, in the superconsciousness. Thus, growth occurs in the superconscious, of which we are not conscious therefore growth is unconscious. However, the experience of the realization of the reality of unconscious religious growth is the one positive proof of the functional existence of the superconsciousness. The profundity of this process is wrapped up in the faith grasp of our personality.
In addition to our “big five” favorable conditions (loyal, humble, just, sincere, patient) which we can supply to be grown, our author gives us a list of habits of thinking and acting which favor religious growth:
- cultivated sensitivity to divine values,
- recognition of religious living in others,
- reflective meditation on cosmic meanings,
- worshipful problem solving,
- sharing one’s spiritual life with one’s fellows,
- avoidance of selfishness,
- refusal to presume on divine mercy,
- living as in the presence of God.
We examined these habits in considerable detail. Check them out in the archive of this broadcast.
100:2. Spiritual Growth
This section is more technical with respect to the dynamics of what is going on in our experience. The description of this process of spiritual growth includes reference to spiritual development and spiritual progress, with a reminder that these phenomena are occurring above mind in the realm of spirit. We are encouraged to think of the linearity of the development and progress activities in the form of a circuit, encircuitment in a cosmic circuit that includes the triune cosmic elements. It is important to also remember that the cosmic circuit is not a self-contained process but is objectively observable by others in the spiritual fruits, which show forth in the lives of true religionists.
For those who seek to grow spiritually, start with our spiritual poverty (humility) and go up. Recognition of the hunger for perfection and the desire to know God and be like him leads to a wholehearted purpose to do the will of the Father in heaven. And we are reminded that this doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God. This is a doing of a most refined nature that does not have anything to do with the movements of the body of activities in the external world. This doing of God’s will is in the same aspect as love being the desire to do good to others (in the inner life), and not the doing good to others (service) in the external world.
Our final paragraph read clearly is understandable only in light of the truth of religion being tied to eternity and spirit.
Notes by Brad
- Remember in [Paper 112] where they say spirit is potentially directive of the self.
- Progress is about spirit direction "along a line," while growth is more about the holistic view.
- Personality is spirit pattern, and it fundamentally is holistic, non-linear, encompassing the threefold-ness of reality.
- Our personal will comes first, but we should consecrate that will to the larger will of the whole.
- Progress and growth aren't synonyms, but if pressed you can maybe keep them as "confusion words." But you'll eventually run into apparently illogical or misleading sentences.
- That said, ensure you have a better definition of religion, as we've covered here. That is important.
- [Paper 100] sometimes makes it onto lists of people's favorite papers.
- Spirit has qualities. They are known as values. When you reflectively engage values, you discover ideals.
- Lots of adjective associated with growth here. Those adjective help remind us that growth is perfecting spirit.
- The cosmic growth phrase suggests threefold actuality.
- Nobility is your human-ness, your trans-animal-ness. Like the noble gases in chemistry that are relatively unreactive to material things.
- Climb the ladder: prayer, to thanksgiving, to worship
- The habits of thinking and acting suggested here... can we truly take them into the temporal world and practically live them? It isn't usual water-cooler talk.
- Why ever be afraid? Ever anxious? You are standing next to God all the time.
- You can have peace that passes all understanding. Even at the water cooler at work. And you won't be aloof or disinterested. YOu just won't be.... frothy and all in the moment.
