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In my daily reading recently, I puzzled over this paragraph. I thought I would bring it to the forum for discussion, and would love to hear others’ thoughts and interpretations of the quote, below. It comes from paper 140: “The Ordination of the Twelve”.
140:8.27 (1583.1) The three apostles were shocked this afternoon when they realized that their Master’s religion made no provision for spiritual self-examination. All religions before and after the times of Jesus, even Christianity, carefully provide for conscientious self-examination. But not so with the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus’ philosophy of life is without religious introspection. The carpenter’s son never taught character building; he taught character growth, declaring that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. But Jesus said nothing which would proscribe self-analysis as a prevention of conceited egotism.
I wonder if self-examination could lead to excessive “ponderous” thinking about self or lead one to like self too much. Could it lead to judgmentalism? Is that a word? What Jesus wants is personal progress and it seems possible that too much self examination could lead to heavy burdens of guilt or confidence on the order of Lucifer’s. In my observation people can compare themselves to others and feel inadequate or develop low self esteem.
What we can do is examine what we like and decide to become more like God, which I believe is progress and not burdensome.
Possible?
Until we human-morontia hybrids become “spiritual”, I can’t see how it’s possible for us to undertake anything like a valid “spiritual self-examination“. What may get mistaken for such within evolutionary systems of faith, is surely not worth the anguish or pride it’s written on?
Think of our nature as the intersection of eternal absolutes, Person and Adjuster. In this business of personalizing our adjuster (where sincerity and love are the only measure), who are we to evaluate such eternal repercussions?
Thinking of how love serves as currency in the economy of the Personal domain, then like a baby’s job is little more than to eat and grow bigger, ours appears to be little more than learning to endure, engender and to enjoy ever more love. If so, then how is it possible to worry, and not to be happy? Character growth, not “character building”; yep, that makes sense
Nigel
Keryn wrote: “All religions before and after the times of Jesus, even Christianity, carefully provide for conscientious self-examination.”Jesus taught self-forgetfulness, among other things. (3:5:13), (143:2:2), (180:5:12), (196:0:8), (196:0:9)
P.1091 – §8 Primitive man made little effort to put his religious convictions into words. His religion was danced out rather than thought out. Modern men have thought out many creeds and created many tests of religious faith. Future religionists must live out their religion, dedicate themselves to the wholehearted service of the brotherhood of man. It is high time that man had a religious experience so personal and so sublime that it could be realized and expressed only by “feelings that lie too deep for words.”
Remember when Jesus went into the Perean hills to make decisions with his human mind to follow the path of the divine? His human mind still asks questions, but it “unfailingly accepts the divine answers as final rulings in this combined life of living as a man in the world while all the time submitting unqualifiedly to the doing of the Father’s eternal and divine will.” (136:9:5)
P.1523 – §1 By these decisions Jesus set a worthy example for every person on every world throughout a vast universe when he refused to apply material tests to prove spiritual problems, when he refused presumptuously to defy natural laws. And he set an inspiring example of universe loyalty and moral nobility when he refused to grasp temporal power as the prelude to spiritual glory.
He was tested even as we are.
(128:1:2) Joshua ben Joseph knew full well that he was a man, a mortal man, born of woman. This is shown in the selection of his first title, the Son of Man. He was truly a partaker of flesh and blood, and even now, as he presides in sovereign authority over the destinies of a universe, he still bears among his numerous well-earned titles that of Son of Man. It is literally true that the creative Word–the Creator Son–of the Universal Father was “made flesh and dwelt as a man of the realm on Urantia.” He labored, grew weary, rested, and slept. He hungered and satisfied such cravings with food; he thirsted and quenched his thirst with water. He experienced the full gamut of human feelings and emotions; he was “in all things tested, even as you are,” and he suffered and died.
Greetings my friends – Great topic and posts! Construction is a designing, measuring, forming, and building project, one item at a time in a lineal fashion where one thing depends upon another thing and the order of their arranging depends upon a deciphering of engineering.
Growth is a natural result of nourishment, exercise, and time that requires no critical evaluation and planning for its result.
I think growth can be nurtured and given enhanced opportunity by self selected conditions but does not depend on analysis or even comprehension of the process itself. Love, service, sincerity, integrity, loyalty, intention, motivation – or our pursuit and appreciation for and expressions of truth, beauty, and goodness bring all desirable results….but its “form” may tilt or be not square or plumb from time to time. If this were a construction project, we would need to “de-construct” or tear down that which is not yet square and true. But with growth…..well, what grotesque forms I passed through from babe and toddler/wobbler and chubby youth to gangly teen with pimples and freckles and all that embarrassment to the handsome lad I became….eventually. No one would have purposefully constructed the stages of my natural growth into the specimen of bodacious manhood I was to become!!! (hahahahhahaha – humor to make the point).
I think the self forgetting issue is also key. Self absorption is a real potential of self evaluation. It is important, I think, to evaluate situations and intersections of choice based on prior experience and to gain more understanding of cause and effect and to divine our own true motives and intentions that lead to our decisions. But these are course corrections and response adjustments that do not require “critical” assessment I do not think. It seems to me that growth is self correcting when given the resources needed.
100:6.3 (1100.5) The marks of human response to the religious impulse embrace the qualities of nobility and grandeur. The sincere religionist is conscious of universe citizenship and is aware of making contact with sources of superhuman power. He is thrilled and energized with the assurance of belonging to a superior and ennobled fellowship of the sons of God. The consciousness of self-worth has become augmented by the stimulus of the quest for the highest universe objectives — supreme goals.
100:6.4 (1100.6) The self has surrendered to the intriguing drive of an all-encompassing motivation which imposes heightened self-discipline, lessens emotional conflict, and makes mortal life truly worth living. The morbid recognition of human limitations is changed to the natural consciousness of mortal shortcomings, associated with moral determination and spiritual aspiration to attain the highest universe and superuniverse goals. And this intense striving for the attainment of supermortal ideals is always characterized by increasing patience, forbearance, fortitude, and tolerance.
100:6.5 (1100.7) But true religion is a living love, a life of service. The religionist’s detachment from much that is purely temporal and trivial never leads to social isolation, and it should not destroy the sense of humor. Genuine religion takes nothing away from human existence, but it does add new meanings to all of life; it generates new types of enthusiasm, zeal, and courage. It may even engender the spirit of the crusader, which is more than dangerous if not controlled by spiritual insight and loyal devotion to the commonplace social obligations of human loyalties.
100:6.6 (1101.1) One of the most amazing earmarks of religious living is that dynamic and sublime peace, that peace which passes all human understanding, that cosmic poise which betokens the absence of all doubt and turmoil. Such levels of spiritual stability are immune to disappointment. Such religionists are like the Apostle Paul, who said: “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else shall be able to separate us from the love of God.”
I am reminded of my own youth and that of children and grandchildren how the younger “strive” and “yearn” to do that which is just beyond reach and those just a little older or bigger can do. To run faster and jump higher. To master skills and tools. To achieve!! Parents must only serve and not obstruct such a natural process of growth to witness its miracle.
The examples that come to mind when I read this paragraph are from both the Jewish and Christian traditions.
In Jewish tradition, the day of atonement is a day of both a food and liquid fast and a day in wich you are to “afflict your soul.” In other words, examine yourself.
In Christian thought, you are to examine yourself daily and repent daily for any sin you may have committed. Some Christians fast and pray as do the jews as well. There are various fasts for various durations and for various purposes practiced buy both Jews and Christians, but that is my take on that paragraph.
chucksmith1982 wrote: ..to examine yourself daily…Check in with dad.The only reason we exist is the connection with Father. When we experience that most intimate inner connection we are alive.The strength of the father child connection is evidence of your faith. Sureity of sonship is a response to the Father’s invitation call to be perfect, as he is perfect, and your willingness to co-operate will ensure the corrective process, relax and cease to resist the Father’s loving guidance. Chuck my friend, I believe he wishes you to have life, and have it in abundance.The whole question of self examination is a non-issue for a believer, whose only concern, is his or her relationship with the Father as evidenced by social fragrance of fruits of the spirit……….loving service to others.Salvation should be taken for granted by believers in the Fatherhood of God.All this concept of atonement and sacrificial salvation is rooted and grounded in selfishness. Jesus taught that service to one’s fellows is the highest concept of the brotherhood of spirit believers. Salvation should be taken for granted by those who believe in the fatherhood of God. The believer’s chief concern should not be the selfish desire for personal salvation but rather the unselfish urge to love and, therefore, serve one’s fellows even as Jesus loved and served mortal men. [Paper188:4.9, page 2017.4]
Believer is only concerned about present separation from God. A wholehearted…….real……..believer is an obedient………totally trusting…….. son or daughter.
Neither do genuine believers trouble themselves so much about the future punishment of sin. The real believer is only concerned about present separation from God. True, wise fathers may chasten their sons, but they do all this in love and for corrective purposes. They do not punish in anger, neither do they chastise in retribution. [Paper 188:4.10, page 2017.5]
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