Episode:The Urantia Papers on the Reason for Revelation (Part 2)
The proof that revelation is revelation is a straightforward fact of human experience. One can recognize that revelation actually synthesizes the apparently divergent sciences of nature and the theology of religion into a consistent and logical universe philosophy. And true revelation never renders science unnatural, religion unreasonable, or philosophy illogical.
Keywords: Urantia, Revelation, Reason, Logic, Faith
Summary by Kermit
101:2. The Fact of Religion
Remembering our original purpose here is seeking to understand the reason for revelation, not so much a study of the fullness of religion. But it is religion that launches us into the cosmos. The fact of religion is here defined as consisting wholly in the religious experience of rational and average human beings. We spent considerable time plumbing the meaning of the three elements of this sentence: religious experience and the human qualities rational and average. First we examined the contrast between religious experience versus spiritual experience. Religious experience is defined as personal spiritual experience. The distinguishing feature here being the presence and action of personality. Throughout human history, spiritual experience has frequently been labeled religious experience.
Religion is a universe fact, not a delusion. As such it must have a rational foundation. Genuine religion is incompatible with an irrational mind. However, the merely spiritual may coexist with irrationality. The history of so-called religion is filled with examples of irrationality.
Why do they say average? What’s wrong with exceptional? Individuals who demonstrate some exceptional gift or bias in the animal-origin adjutant mind are often unbalanced in their mental functioning. Personality has great difficulty in encompassing an asymmetric adjutant mind. It is the relatively balanced average, adjutant mind that can be encompassed by personality, thus moving an individual from merely spiritual experience to genuine religious experience.
The 4th ER, with its gifts of the spirit ministries of the Spirit of Truth and universal bestowal of Thought Adjusters enables the individual to acquire a genuine relationship with spiritual reality in the inner life. The 5th ER is now here to challenge us to hone this relationship not only with religion but with science as well. It is revelation, in human experience that synthesizes the sciences of nature with the theology or religion into a consistent and logical universe philosophy that is able to provide answers to an inquisitive mortal mind which craves to know how the Infinite works out his will and plans in matter, with minds and on spirit—a cosmic, holistic, recognition of the triune nature of reality.
Science and religion employ the methods of reason and faith respectively. Philosophy utilizes logic in the attempt to achieve unity in the comprehension of the reality and relationships of matter and spirit by the mediation of mind. But this logic must be complemented by revelation to compensate for the absence of the morontia viewpoint. And true revelation ever renders science natural, religion reasonable, and philosophy logical.
Reason in the study of science infers a First Cause. But it is religious faith that transforms this First Cause of science into a God of salvation. And it is revelation which further validates this faith (spiritual insight). Our challenge is to use the 5th ER not to merely confirm our beliefs, but to attempt the refutation of our faith. Genuine faith will stand, but beliefs masquerading as faith will not.
Can we have faith without revelation? Yes! All that is required to receive by grace, the gift of faith, is the Holy Spirit and the Father’s gift of personality. When the seventh adjutant mind spirit becomes seated upon our electrochemical mechanism we become encircuited in the Holy Spirit (cosmic mind and intuitions) and personality engages it. The fact of faith is founded on using the spiritual insight born of the third cosmic intuition, as a person. This is faith as gift. This initial measure of faith only grows up through testing and exercise. Find it, take personal possession of it—personalize it. This makes it living faith, which can grow into soul trust. Yes, courage is required in faith testing. Does this sound like Jesus’ gospel for the multitudes? The 5th ER is “looking” for adults of God. Further, the spiritual insight (faith) in the God who is LOVE must never eclipse the intelligent recognition of the fact of pattern which is Paradise. Avoid the bias of unity over individuality, of personality over pattern. Seek balance and proportion thus enabling progress in symmetry. [104:4.8-14, p. 1148]
Our unnamed Melchizedek author presents two reasons for believing in a God who fosters human survival:
- Human experience, personal assurance, the somehow registered hope and trust initiated by the indwelling Adjuster.
- The revelation of truth, either by personal ministry of the SoT, the world bestowal of divine Sons or the written word.
Listen to the archives of this show for an illuminating description of the process of how the encircuitment of the Holy Spirit opens the way to the unifying action of the SoT in bridging the gap in cosmic circle attainment that enables mortals below the third psychic circle (circles 4 through 7), to receive a Thought Adjuster, thus initiating the creation of an embryonic soul, capable of recognizing the truth of human survival.
We are reminded again of the process whereby revelation compensates for the utter failure of metaphysics and partial failure of philosophy in the recognition that the First Cause of science, and religion’s God of salvation are one and the same Deity.
The proofs of the triune nature of universal reality (science, religion, and philosophy) are reason, faith, and logic, respectively. However, the proof (validation) of revelation is human experience. Revelation confirms the experiential harmony of the knowledge of science, happiness from religion, and the unity from philosophy—man’s triune approach to universal reality. Our discussion led to reflection on the difference between happiness and joy. Joy is often cited as an element of spiritual experience, but it requires personal spiritual experience to attain happiness, it is a choice.
Although nature discloses nothing which would preclude the universe from being seen as the handiwork of the God of religion, contemplation of nature reveals only a God of nature, not a God of personal survival. It is revelation that enables man to see the same God in nature as faith exhibits in his soul. The religious faith step of finding God in the soul initiates the larger recognition and progressive comprehension of the triune nature of reality.
Epochal revelation is periodic, auto-revelation is continuous. In auto-revelatory experience be certain to discern the threefold divine function of not only the Adjuster gift of the Father, but the SoT of the Son, and the HS of the Universe Spirit. The recognition that our hunger and thirst for righteousness originates in our deepest nature (the divine Adjuster). This enables the development of that soul trust and assurance we call the way of salvation. Thus the faith, trust, and assurance of true religion are ever contrasted with the intellectual assent, credulity, and established authority of evolutionary religion.
The still small voice of the initial threefold thread of cosmic consciousness given by grace is often lost in the din of the incessant clamoring of an inescapable self for recognition. It is through the quiet reflection of this faint spiritual awareness and its harmonization with morals and logic that allows God to grow us in our symmetry of soul.
