The Reality of Religious Experience – Paper 103

[Bradly]

103:9.12 (1142.3) There is a reality in religious experience that is proportional to the spiritual content, and such a reality is transcendent to reason, science, philosophy, wisdom, and all other human achievements. The convictions of such an experience are unassailable; the logic of religious living is incontrovertible; the certainty of such knowledge is superhuman; the satisfactions are superbly divine, the courage indomitable, the devotions unquestioning, the loyalties supreme, and the destinies final—eternal, ultimate, and universal.

The study of Papers 100-103 has been a very rewarding adventure for me, begun a little over  a year ago or about one Paper every 3 months or so.  I so appreciate those who came on this journey of discovery with me and contributed to my greater appreciation and understanding of so many important concepts and teachings related to our personal religious experience and transformative spiritualization.  All of the topics remain open for anyone to add to or continue by questions or opinions or related materials as you may wish.

One of the most profoundly important matters presented in these studies for me is summarized above in this last quote from Paper 103.

No matter how faulty our metaphysics or how false our beliefs or how ignorant we may be about the universe or even God or how strong our prejudice or how primitive are our creeds and dogmas or how superstitious we may be….still may we experience faith and truth and grow in the spirit and grow soul for the eternal adventure by a personal religious experience that delivers us from darkness, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty to the fruits of the Spirit and this inner experience and relationship with God can attach our branch to the Divine Vine of love and nurture us and transform us into sublime beings of eternal potential and unimaginable adventure!!

We come to trust God in all matters as we come to know the affection, tender mercy, kindness, patience, and abiding love as his children in this loving family and friendly universe…and we may come to know this no matter how little else we may know.

The correction of error and elimination of confusion by the addition of knowledge delivered by self revelation, personal revelation, epochal revelation, and experiential wisdom combine to enhance the quality and progress of such an experience.  As we learn fact and truth, our lens of universe perspective both widens its view and adds depth to view to deliver a more objective vision of reality.  Metaphysical constructs get replaced by realism and fact, faith is supplemented and complimented by truth, hope becomes assurance, uncertainty becomes unshakeable confidence in the ultimate outcomes of adventure and sublime peace replaces prior anxieties and confusions.

103:9.12 (1142.3) There is a reality in religious experience that is proportional to the spiritual content, and such a reality is transcendent to reason, science, philosophy, wisdom, and all other human achievements. The convictions of such an experience are unassailable; the logic of religious living is incontrovertible; the certainty of such knowledge is superhuman; the satisfactions are superbly divine, the courage indomitable, the devotions unquestioning, the loyalties supreme, and the destinies final—eternal, ultimate, and universal.

[André]

Hi siblings,

Brain storming generate from your last posts Bradley.

Jesus encouraged questions from others and offered questions to begin conversations and shared discovery. It would be such a pity if the audience here had questions which did not get ask
How exemplary pointing out Bradley this way to reaching out.
Encourage question and offer questions to draw out the participant.
Might be done to favorise expression of oneself?
He asks us questions to draw us out, not to gain information.
161:2.7

And then Jesus went over to Philip, who, standing up, heard this message from his Master: “Philip, you have asked me many foolish questions, but I have done my utmost to answer evey one.181:2.20

The correction of error and elimination of confusion by the addition of knowledge delivered by self revelaton, personal revelation, epochal revelation, and experiential wisdom combine to enhance the quality and progress of such an experience.

I noticed how TUB express what you said with economy of words.

And this was his method of instruction: Never once did he attack their errors or even mention the flaws in their teachings. In each case he would select the truth in what they taught and then proceed so to embellish and illuminate this truth in their minds that in a very short time this enhancement of the truth effectively crowded out the associated error. 132:0.4

Thank you Bradley for such reminder.
André

[Teobeck]

As a 29 year UB reader, I used to post regularly on these forums. Some here know that I had an experience where I was taken to heaven by a big angel in 1976, in answer to prayer. I had studied the Bible for 14 years prior to discovering the UB. I majored in in Philosophy at Emory, and attended John Marshall Law School. I’m now 80, and have Lymphoma.

Bradley’s quote of Paper 103, specifically 103:9.12 (1142.3),  “There is a reality in religious experience that is proportional to the spiritual content, and such a reality is transcendent to reason, science, philosophy, wisdom, and all other human achievements.” covers my experience with the family of God the Father, and Jesus the Son. My decision to try to do the will of God through studying the life of Jesus as portrayed in the UB has culminated in my religious experience as therein stated, and would add that it also transcends anxiety, worry, physical pain and much more, as well as achievements.

I started a blog, Urantia Gospel Parallels.net 9 years ago, and now have had more than 160,000 visitors. I didn’t have the technical skills to finish the project as technology advanced, but notice that a frequent visitor is the Vatican  IP address.

I would finally state that actually understanding and comprehending parts of the UB has been more difficult for me than sorting Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Kant. This is why I know it wasn’t written by humans. I just contemplate it line by line.

On a lighter note, I’m still playin’ the blues on guitar with local bands in local clubs in the Atlanta area, even after chemo last year, and helping poor folks with legal problems. I attribute my state of mind to my religious experience.

[Bradly]

Thanks Teobeck for your presence and comments here, and especially for your personal testimony and ministry at your blog.  I have spent some time today at your blog site http://www.gospel-parallels.net and enjoyed it very much.

 

I notice that you post really nice art works with your biblical and Urantia quotes and personal commentary.  I’m sure you know of it already but here’s a link to the TruthBook Art Gallery that I find very inspiring.

 

https://truthbook.com/religious-art-gallery

 

Thanks again for being here.  Best wishes my fellow tadpole.

Bradly

[Teobeck]

Thanks, Bradly for your nice comments. Your posts are an affirmation of my notion that it takes some serious intellectual acumen for people to actually comprehend the UB. Bonita was another person who I often went head to head with and she could re-sharpen a razor.

Of course thankfully part IV was less confusing and is attractive for anyone and everyone. Reading it first allowed me to tackle the first parts. The content definitely stands on its own.

^196:3.34 The great challenge to modern man is to achieve better communication with the divine Monitor that dwells within the human mind. Man’s greatest adventure in the flesh consists in the well-balanced and sane effort to advance the borders of self-consciousness out through the dim realms of embryonic soul-consciousness in a wholehearted effort to reach the borderland of spirit-consciousness—contact with the divine presence. Such an experience constitutes God-consciousness, an experience mightily confirmative of the pre-existent truth of the religious experience of knowing God. Such spirit-consciousness is the equivalent of the knowledge of the actuality of sonship with God. Otherwise, the assurance of sonship is the experience of faith. (My emphasis added.)

Best wishes to this community and all earnest God seekers.

[Author]

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