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This subject fascinates me. It’s also perplexing. How could there be such a thing as false liberty? Seems to be an oxymoron. Isn’t liberty liberty? Some synonyms for liberty are: independence, freedom, autonomy, sovereignty, self-rule, self-determination, self-government, human rights, prerogative, right, freewill choice. These seem to be desirable to me. How can liberty be false?
What is true liberty?
Liberty has to do with the gift of choice, or free will. All personalities are free to make choices and act upon them. True liberty results from doing God’s will; false liberty comes from acting against God’s will. That’s basically how I see it in a nutshell.
I think the difference between true and false liberty is pretty thoroughly covered in Paper 54 Section 1.
Curious:
do you think for example: that rebellious Midwayers believed in their hearts they were doing Gods will?
I love it when TUB uses contrasts to help illustrate a difficult concept. Such is done for this question about the difference between true liberty and false liberty:
(614.1)54:1.6 True liberty is the associate of genuine self-respect; false liberty is the consort of self-admiration. True liberty is the fruit of self-control; false liberty, the assumption of self-assertion. Self-control leads to altruistic service; self-admiration tends towards the exploitation of others for the selfish aggrandizement of such a mistaken individual as is willing to sacrifice righteous attainment for the sake of possessing unjust power over his fellow beings.
For me, it seems to come down to the ego. Are our choices driven by our ego? If so, they may be an exercise of false liberty. If our choices are motivated by love and service, then they are true liberty. I agree with Bonita’s comments about God’s will.
I think we all agree that liberty of choice is necessary, albeit liberty is curtailed according to the level a being functions on. As humans, we have essentially two choices. Do we want to have relationships with Deities or with ourselves? If we choose ourselves, then we are rebels against the universe which is swarming with friendly Deities. According to our choice, Deity either comes to us or keeps its distance. Without the presence of Deity as partner to our personality, there is no truth, no true identity. What’s left is falsehood or error, or choosing unreality over reality. That’s just another way to say that true liberty comes when personality chooses to be friendly with Deity and thus align itself with universe reality. False liberty results from the opposite alignment.
Related quotes: 13:4.5; 112:5.2; 118:9.2; 132:3.9; 133:5.8; 180:5.8
I didn’t know there were such a thing as true liberty and false liberty until I read the UB. To me true liberty is the realization that God has a plan for me of which I know very little, because I am in my infancy. I trust him. I want to be a part of the adventure he has designed for the purpose of achieving all that he has planned for me. His plan for me is more than I can ever imagine. I think trust is a big part of true liberty. Trust and faith. Faith – because I cannot see or know beyond the range of my human endowments. – I believe more than I can actually prove to anyone that God made my life possible and I am going home to Paradise to worship him in person and after that only God knows.False liberty the way I see it must be anti-God. It is an intentional idea that people do not need God. It’s the idea you are free to do and be whatever you choose for yourself – free will choosing – which choice does not pertain to or relate to the reality of God, and therefore has nothing to do with one’s origin nor one’s destiny. It’s the idea you don’t need God. You can do everything yourself, if you just put your mind to it.Curious: do you think for example: that rebellious Midwayers believed in their hearts they were doing Gods will?
Of the Midwayers, I do not know. But you raise an interesting question I wonder about from time to time: How do you know you are doing God’s will? I think the fact that such a question would occur indicates to oneself that, yes, you are on the right track. Otherwise, why would such a question ever come up in your mind? Of what others are doing and whether or not what they are doing is God’s will? I do wonder.
Curious: do you think for example: that rebellious Midwayers believed in their hearts they were doing Gods will?
Of the Midwayers, I do not know. But you raise an interesting question I wonder about from time to time: How do you know you are doing God’s will? I think the fact that such a question would occur indicates to oneself that, yes, you are on the right track. Otherwise, why would such a question ever come up in your mind? Of what others are doing and whether or not what they are doing is God’s will? I do wonder.
If this idea has value in reality then I can assume that with sincere effort coupled with the divine gifts we have at our disposal, we simply get better at this the more we work at it?
Another thing to consider when discussing liberty is truth. We all know that truth sets us free. Liberty comes from living the truth because truth can be acted out (2:7.6). Truth can be acted out because it is real, it conforms to the reality of the cosmos. That which is untrue (false) cannot be acted out because it is unreal. Attempting, over and over and over again, to act out untruth results in a self-destructive spiral, because it is imaginary, delusional and destined to become unreal or non-existent. That’s what false liberty is all about, the failure to sincerely recognize truth and actually attempt to live it.
141:7.6 Jesus laid great emphasis upon what he called the two truths of first import in the teachings of the kingdom, and they are: the attainment of salvation by faith, and faith alone, associated with the revolutionary teaching of the attainment of human liberty through the sincere recognition of truth, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus was the truth made manifest in the flesh, and he promised to send his Spirit of Truth into the hearts of all his children after his return to the Father in heaven.
The first mention of true and false liberty is in Paper 54 – 54:1:0 in connection with the rebellion of 200,000 years ago (more or less). A higher universe personality, a Lanonandek Son – our System Sovereign at the time, hatched his ideas in his own mind (53:2:3) due to his pride of self in which he actually believed he was doing something good (53:2:5), and he succumbed to the urge of self and surrendered to the sophistry of spurious personal liberty — rejection of universe allegiance and disregard of fraternal obligations, blindness to cosmic relationships. (53:0:1)
It’s one thing to succumb to the urge of self and to believe what you’re doing is “good”, to reject allegiance to God, to disrespect fraternal obligations and turn a blind eye to cosmic relationships, as an individual person carrying out one’s personal choice. It’s quite another thing to campaign, as a brilliant executive promoting your corrupted and willful ideas, by premeditation to influence everyone else to join the bandwagon. It’s the scale of the campaign that makes the difference, and, I think the brilliance of the personality of the instigator, the one who promulgates a falsehood – a perversion of truth – bears heavily on culpability of the individual.
Well said Mara. I think it a foundational error to wish to or attempt to predict, predetermine or manage/manipulate others into results. The end NEVER justifies the means….and yet many do so believe this falsehood. The “end” is not ours to know or manage…but the means of service in love of ALL others and each other is the best route to the best end…individually and collectively. Otherwise, we put ourselves above others, even Deity itself, and demonstrate a lack of faith, trust, loyalty, and confidence in God’s will, way, power, purpose, and process….it is the highest/lowest form of self puffery and self promotion and self satisfaction….that we know better. Easier to understand as a tadpole’s folly than for one so high in authority, trust, and experience as Lucifer and his fellow conspirators. The angels and midwayers I understand well enough…..leadership and loyalty to authority combined to bring unusual confusion and doubt to a crowd who had never known such before. I believe all or most all such ones came to the reality and truth of the matter soon enough.
False liberty dominates and diminishes the liberty of others or disregards it (at best) which defies and defiles the WAY of love. To love oneself over others is to disconnect from the circuitry of love….and reality. We are provided this option as an inherent potential in free will and individual-ness or selfhood. But one option is false….always….the option of self serving and self love. The consequences of this liberty is also inevitable……
Bradly wrote: False liberty dominates and diminishes the liberty of others . . .And need I point out a perfect example of false liberty we’ve all just recently seen on this forum? Trolling is an exercise of false liberty.
Bradly wrote: “False liberty dominates and diminishes the liberty of others . . .”
And need I point out a perfect example of false liberty we’ve all just recently seen on this forum? Trolling is an exercise of false liberty.
Me here: Very true. I must confess however, my exercise of false liberty in response to this. I think that situation was an important opportunity to realize the “audience” and my obligation to respond to such an opportunity to act like an ambassador of the kingdom of believers and those who abide in faith. I admit I still am attached to being right and to convince others of my rightness (there is some part of me that keeps delighting in my own brilliance! – hahaha) – and there is nothing humble about those emotional reactions, even though I was sorely abused….it’s not about me.
We are here to share and care and discover further appreciation for truth, beauty, and goodness. It has been enlightening to feel the ego enlarge and the urge to correct and dominate and convince rise up….too quickly and too easily and too often. It is not what happens but how I respond to what happens that both determines and demonstrates maturity, balance, wisdom, and reality alignment. May I do better with my liberty in those challenges to come. I thank this community for its collective response and unity in the face of such an onslaught of vulgarity and self love as we experienced together here….and there will be further opportunities to come….count on it. Peace.
Bradly wrote: I admit I still am attached to being right and to convince others of my rightness (there is some part of me that keeps delighting in my own brilliance! – hahaha)Ummm . . . . excuse me, but when you’re convinced that you’re right about something, you should have the courage to speak up and defend your opinion. In light of the extreme inaccuracies and nonsense most recently spewed upon this forum, I think your words were more likely the result of following your loyalties to divinity than to your ego. I mean, what kind of man would Peter, or Stephen, or any of the martyrs, have been if they buckled under the tyranny of false liberty and kept their mouths shut? There’s a time for speaking up, it just takes wisdom to know when and what to say. But the impulse to defend the truth should never be squelched, in my opinion. To do so takes no cojones at all. Spiritual cowards flip flop with the wind. Spiritual bravery requires taking a stand, just like Gabriel, like Van, like Amadon, like countless others who weren’t afraid to say what they thought about the sophistries of erroneous thinking.
There’s nothing wrong with delighting in your own brilliance provided it doesn’t lead to conceit and pride. As long as you attribute the source of your brilliance, I don’t see being bedazzled by it as a problem. That is, unless you’re completely delusional and believe you have a direct line to the Almighty who whispers universe secrets in your ear. Seriously, so few take delight in deep thinking, so to say that you take delight in your own deep thinking is actually a badge of honor, on some level. At least you try, and no doubt, your efforts dazzle you because you actually get results from your deep thinking! What a concept!
What a delightful and generous “rebuke”. Thanks for that. I did not intend to be self demeaning….just acknowledge the reality that I still have much to learn….and there is no small challenge to responding to the false liberty others may take for themselves at the expense of others. I cannot tell you my appreciation for the words of comfort and encouragement I have enjoyed over my years with this Forum. I find it a most wonderful place to learn and share…..and share a caring for one another.
You teach me further Bonita. I would charge the gates of hell without a second thought for truth and for another….if there were such a place. Indeed, the faithful must have courage and commitment and tenacity and give all glory to those who provide such assets to the believer. Another form of paradox…spiritual courage to stand up to tyranny and yet to be humble while so doing. Tricky business yet for me but….I’m learning. Here’s to true liberty! May the stronger protect the weaker and do so with sublime confidence in our source and destiny. Service. In love….and more wisdom to come. Behold the mighty tadpole….an agondontor to be.
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