What is spiritual brotherhood?

[Vern]

Sabinatu wrote: choosing NOT to know God becomes that person’s personal religion…

Sorry Sabinatu, this to me is an illogical statement, like saying a blind man chooses blindness having never experienced seeing.

To choose, any person—the chooser—must know fully that which is being considered.

How can someone make a judgment on something they wilfully avoid and therefore, know nothing about? None so blind as those who choose not to see.

And so we live in times where all around us we see them in their thousands—millions even—the blind leading the blind.

As Jesus said: 

“…Know you not that every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up? Turn now your attention to those who would know the truth. You cannot compel men to love the truth. Many of these teachers are blind guides. And you know that, if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the pit.…”

“…Man is only defiled by that evil which may originate within the heart, and which finds expression in the words and deeds of such unholy persons. Do you not know it is from the heart that there come forth evil thoughts, wicked projects of murder, theft, and adulteries, together with jealousy, pride, anger, revenge, railings, and false witness? And it is just such things that defile men, and not that they eat bread with ceremonially unclean hands.” ^{[Paper 153:3.5, page 1712.5]}

This reference to the heart as the core of a person’s being is worth reflecting on.

I find the list of things Jesus mentioned which can defile us quite instructive as to what is considered evil, commonly identifiable as bad:

1. murder,
2. theft,
3. adulteries,
4. jealousy,
5. pride,
6. anger,
7. revenge,
8. railings,
9. false witness.

[Vern]

OK, moving right along with this topic, time to look again at another aspect that those who would be great in the spiritual brotherhood are motivated to serve their fellows. To do spiritual work requires spiritual power and as such must be free of material expectations or self interest. We can do important work if we leave self out. The following words Jesus spoke to the apostles when he became aware of their spiritual pride is instructive.

 “No sooner does your faith grasp the identity of the Son of Man than your selfish desire for worldly preferment creeps back upon you, and you fall to discussing among yourselves as to who should be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom which, as you persist in conceiving it, does not exist, nor ever shall. Have not I told you that he who would be greatest in the kingdom of my Father’s spiritual brotherhood must become little in his own eyes and thus become the server of his brethren? Spiritual greatness consists in an understanding love that is Godlike and not in an enjoyment of the exercise of material power for the exaltation of self. In what you attempted, in which you so completely failed, your purpose was not pure. Your motive was not divine. Your ideal was not spiritual. Your ambition was not altruistic. Your procedure was not based on love, and your goal of attainment was not the will of the Father in heaven.” ^{[Paper 158:6.3, page 1758.4]}

The qualities of selfless altruism must be evident. Spiritual greatness in understanding love that is Godlike. Pure of purpose, motivated by the divine impulse to do the Father’s will. Activated by spiritual ideals based on love. It takes time—personal experience requiring exercise of living faith—to achieve the kind of self mastery that depends on spiritual realities of the kingdom regardless of the outward appearance of all material manifestations.

“How long will it take you to learn that you cannot time-shorten the course of established natural phenomena except when such things are in accordance with the Father’s will? nor can you do spiritual work in the absence of spiritual power. And you can do neither of these, even when their potential is present, without the existence of that third and essential human factor, the personal experience of the possession of living faith. Must you always have material manifestations as an attraction for the spiritual realities of the kingdom? Can you not grasp the spirit significance of my mission without the visible exhibition of unusual works? When can you be depended upon to adhere to the higher and spiritual realities of the kingdom regardless of the outward appearance of all material manifestations?” ^{[Paper 158:6.4, page 1758.5]}

 

[Vern]

Regarding spiritual brotherhood Jesus’ instruction is clear, we are to proclaim it.

Proclaim a spiritual brotherhood of the sons of God, not an outward kingdom of worldly power and material glory.

In conjunction with this proclamation is the teaching regarding man’s whole duty to love God with mind and soul and your neighbour as yourself.

 

Teach that man’s whole duty is summed up in this one commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself. ^{[Paper163:4.8, page 1805:5]}

 

[Bradly]

Greetings Friends….and welcome Sabinatu!!  I am really enjoying the discussion and the new perspective added.  I find the question of personal awareness and allegiance very interesting related to inclusion in the spiritual brotherhood.  Factually, as I understand the Revelation, every response to love is an engagement in reality and contributes to both soul and the Supreme.  Love is a divine spirit circuit and the choice to give love to others is a fundamental differentiation in and of itself.

The mind and soul which gives love may have no context or belief system that credits the Creator or the Source of love – but love does not flow from the lower 5 Adjutants; it is not animal or basic circuitry of mind…it is the high expression of mortal mind in liason and response to the ministry of spirit – the higher expressions include faith in, worship of, and then communion with God.

So is the Brotherhood include those who have faith AND demonstrate self forgetting love?  My opinion is that it does NOT include those who profess belief and have faith but do not serve through love.  But it may include those who have no belief or faith but are love responsive?  There are those who grow soul and those who do not; contribute love or do not; respond to spirit or not.  I am intriqued by the notion that we all and each choose a religion for self, even in a denial of God…I would only agree with that premise to the degree that there is fruit on the vine of such choosing and knowing that such fruit only comes by the spirit and in response to the spirit and in recognition that such fruit is not subject to our beliefs about its source and power.

Faith in God and choosing to seek Him and be like Him is of great importance in Circle progress I am sure, and how can one be in the Kingdom or Brotherhood of Believers without belief?  And choosing to act on belief?  Perplexing.  All I know for sure is love is the secret sauce that nurtures soul and illuminates the dark no matter our beliefs otherwise.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Mara]

Sabinatu wrote: choosing NOT to know God becomes that person’s personal religion…

I agree that the choice NOT to know God can be a person’s personal religion.  I was acquainted with a person who was very “religious” about his unbelief in God to the extent that he was a member of the Bright society and proud of it.  He moved away and told me he wasn’t worried about making friends there, because he would hookup with other “Bright” people.  Finding like-minded people helps an individual not feel so lonely in a new place, or anywhere for that matter.

.

But true religion is defined as the wholehearted devotion to some reality which the religionist deems to be of supreme value to himself and for all mankind. (100:6:1)  They tell us the “. . .supreme value of the religionist may be base or even false, but it is nevertheless religious.”  For example they tell us this: “This religious devotion to supreme values is shown in the relation of the supposedly irreligious mother to her child and in the fervent loyalty of nonreligionists to an espoused cause.”  More to read on the subject of the marks of religious living here 100:6:0 .

(155:6:8  ) Every race of mankind has its own mental outlook upon human existence; therefore must the religion of the mind ever run true to these various racial viewpoints. Never can the religions of authority come to unification. Human unity and mortal brotherhood can be achieved only by and through the superendowment of the religion of the spirit. Racial minds may differ, but all mankind is indwelt by the same divine and eternal spirit. The hope of human brotherhood can only be realized when, and as, the divergent mind religions of authority become impregnated with, and overshadowed by, the unifying and ennobling religion of the spirit–the religion of personal spiritual experience.

 

The “sunshine” of the unifying and ennobling religion of the spirit is the hope of brotherhood – human and spiritual.  A big thanks! to all of you for your contributions to the topic: Vern, Mark, Midi, Bradly, Sabinatu!

[Anonymous]

Sabinatu wrote:

The inability to “know” God as a person might well be a biologic retrogression, a spiritual “autism”, if you will. Not the person’s fault.

But choosing NOT to know God becomes that person’s personal religion and that is the paradox of “religion” – everyone is going to construct a personal religion sooner or later

In re-reading your statement above, your first sentence could be considered as true.  However, the question might lend itself to further evaluate why there might be an “inability to “know” God as a person”, where one would need to define “God as a person”; then for an individual who chooses “NOT to know God” would prompt the query, is, or was it, a lack of education (in upbringing), or an event which may have changed a previous belief or, a scientific understanding, which cannot be established, because the “spiritual” aspect is not seeable?  I would agree that “everyone is going to construct a personal religion sooner or later” but, would that not depend on the definition of “religion” where the Urantia Book seems to use the word “religion” in various manors, and does not necessarily infer an established construct, where it would seem that your association to “spiritual brotherhood” would be an assimilation.

Then there would be your statement below, which would imply the need for additional study?

Sabinatu wrote:

Moving on in agreement that Andon and Fonta were the apex of biologic achievement of mind, I am speculating that maybe for some current atheists, their atheism IS a biologic regression of mind and not a choice?

Wouldn’t the understanding, to the quality of mind, as had been established, or acquired by, “Andon and Fonta”, be the fundamental basics required to be categorized as “human”, where if one assumes the “lemur” of old, was different, than what is examined today, where they have found evidence of skeletal remains on “Madagascar”, which indicated a much larger breed, more liking to the stature of a human; indicating your statement of “biologic regression” as possible, yet I’m not sure if it might not be considered as a “base” model, but not necessarily considered as your autistic comparison, but might be worthy of additional study?  However, you may need to present additional parallels as to your “atheism” association?

 

   

 

[Vern]

Bradly wrote: …we all and each choose a religion for self…

Hi Bradly, exactly.

I agree, it is consistent with Jesus’ liberating proclamation currently outworking itself throughout mankind; “The Kingdom is within you.”

Precisely because of the the reality of free-will choice, entry into the “Kingdom” is optional, the Father does not compel.

The Adjuster’s work in the mind is a mystery, unconscious to the all but very few mortals. Bradly, as you well pointed out, most mortals are motivated by love—the desire to do good to others—they are sincere and moral. This fact is evidence that they are responsive positively to spirit leading. To such individuals, I maintain, “atheism” is impossible, no matter what in their state of ignorance, they may say. In a previous post in this thread I provided the appropriate quote from The Urantia Book to qualify this (see below).

The sincere effort of man to become a mechanist represents the tragic phenomenon of that man’s futile effort to commit intellectual and moral suicide. But he cannot do it. ^{([Paper195:7.10, page 2079.5]}

But he cannot do it!

To deny God, you must Know God and once you know God—the source of love and life itself—you would never deny him.

The very ability to deny God is, to my thinking, a validation of his presence—proof we are not automatons.

Godlessness is insanity, in its futile attempt to place self above God. The Lucifer Rebellion is proof of the possibility of “cosmic insanity”—choice to opt out of the universe family adventure—where oblivion becomes the final solution.

I sincerely doubt self destruction would be the choosing of a sane, fully informed man or woman. I maintain, no human is informed to that degree of knowing about God—we are all imperfect mortals who know little of all there is to know. Therefore in Jesus’ final plea of mercy on our behalf “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do,” all misguided souls live in grace. Once death has terminated the mortal experience there will be a thorough accounting of the soul.

[Sabinatu]

With all due respect, Vern, please reconsider how you are using my few posts to make an enormous amount of assumptions about what is between the lines of those few posts of mine.  Preach if you must but do not direct that preaching at ME, personally. Thanks.

I can assure you, there is nothing between the lines.  I just threw it out there that maybe atheists can’t help being atheists because they have a biological retrogression/degeneration and that patience needs to be exercised when dealing with them SOCIALLY.  We are talking about “brotherhood”, here, after all…which means that we have a duty to each other to NOT allow another revolutionary overthrow of the social order with atheism or “greed is good” absolutisms.  Personally, I will continue to operate from experiential wisdom when it comes to atheists and atheism, which is to try and figure out whether the person has a biological issue or whether the person has chosen the “religion” of godlessness.  Free will is free will, right?

So Vern, can you, rationally, make so many psychological assumptions about how reading The Urantia Book landed with me – spiritually, materially, socially, politically, economically or in any other way through so few posts?

I continue to be interested in the topic and in your personal opinions about it, hope you keep it about YOU and your personal experiences without using me and mine for contrast or spin….

[Sabinatu]

@Midichlorian – good questions.  I am expecting you to eventually find the answers to them all on your own.

Scientifically speaking, the mental baseline of the human mind, according to The Urantia Book, begins with Andon and Fonta.

This information is definitely a “revelation” – new info for all of humanity if it happens to be the truth.

Can we agree that the truth that we all accept is that we have no way to apply the typical methods for finding the truth through facts provided by preserved knowledge from those days about a million years ago because we HUMANS have no such preserved knowledge, right?

 

[Sabinatu]

@Mara – wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove – btw, there is nothing wrong with having a motive….

Thanks for an interesting topic, no matter what….”The act is mine, the consequences, God’s”

[Vern]

Vern wrote:…which finds expression in the words and deeds of such unholy persons.

This is fair warning to those who seek entry to the spiritual brotherhood, kindred are evidenced by spiritual fragrance, their fruits—love tolerance, loyalty, nobility, courage, sincerity, faith, light heartedness, good cheer, honesty, openness, humility, forgiveness, happiness, fellow feeling, sympathy, compassion, sorrow, pity, tenderheartedness, meekness, tranquility, kindness.

By their fruits you will know them.

Just as surely, if these friuts are not evident, you will know also.

Good is manifest all the more clearly, in contrast to it’s opposite, evil.

Best way to over come evil is to go about doing good—by loving people.

Jesus taught us not to resist evil but to find through him a goodness which effectually destroys evil.

Love obliterates wrongs.

Divine love does not merely forgive wrongs; it absorbs and actually destroys them. ^{[Paper188:5.2, page 2018:1]}

The spiritual brotherhood are the Father’s ambassadors in partnership with Michael of Nebadon in a mighty project of salvation/redemption/rehabilitation.

The cross forever shows that the attitude of Jesus toward sinners was neither condemnation nor condonation, but rather eternal and loving salvation. Jesus is truly a savior in the sense that his life and death do win men over to goodness and righteous survival. Jesus loves men so much that his love awakens the response of love in the human heart. Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. Jesus’ death on the cross exemplifies a love which is sufficiently strong and divine to forgive sin and swallow up all evil-doing. Jesus disclosed to this world a higher quality of righteousness than justice — mere technical right and wrong. Divine love does not merely forgive wrongs; it absorbs and actually destroys them. The forgiveness of love utterly transcends the forgiveness of mercy. Mercy sets the guilt of evil-doing to one side; but love destroys forever the sin and all weakness resulting therefrom. Jesus brought a new method of living to Urantia. He taught us not to resist evil but to find through him a goodness which effectually destroys evil. The forgiveness of Jesus is not condonation; it is salvation from condemnation. Salvation does not slight wrongs; it makes them right. True love does not compromise nor condone hate; it destroys it. The love of Jesus is never satisfied with mere forgiveness. The Master’s love implies rehabilitation, eternal survival. It is altogether proper to speak of salvation as redemption if you mean this eternal rehabilitation. ^{[Paper 188:5.2, page 2018:1]}

[Anonymous]

Sabinatu wrote:

I am expecting you to eventually find the answers to them all on your own.

Who’s to say that I haven’t already, yet in-depth discussion would reveal much; nevertheless much is in the understanding of one’s material, and spiritual reality?  Literal understanding of the Urantia Book, can shed little but, curiosity in what is held between the lines can be much more interesting, however for many, much to complex.

[Sabinatu]

@Vern – “Divine love” is repeated over and over again….I am still working on “like” someone new every day…

[Sabinatu]

@midi – I never read between the lines, that is right up there as a path to tragic consequences of misunderstanding as is listening to the voices in your head – so much for humor and mirth….Jesus did mention that having more of a humor gene would have helped his tribe…

But we all take some things more seriously than others…for instance, Christians are being slaughtered around the world these days in no small part because of the “greed is good” revolution that took over both Christianity and Capitalism in the USA.

If there is this “spiritual brotherhood”, channeling divine love and all of us (for the sake of debate, even, let’s pretend we are all brothers) are living as shining examples of “tolerance, loyalty, nobility, courage, sincerity, faith, light heartedness, good cheer, honesty, openness, humility, forgiveness, happiness, fellow feeling, sympathy, compassion, sorrow, pity, tenderheartedness, meekness, tranquility, kindness” in the “greed is good” environment, then should not we brothers be utilizing all that spiritual power, via social media, to save the Christians, and heck, even some good capitalists, from being killed because of the media campaign that successfully convinced the world that “greed is good” is all we got as USA citizens, Readers of TUB, and ambassadors, followers, or even current authoritative leaders of the religion of Jesus?

Might be a rhetorical question…

[Vern]

Sabinatu wrote:Vern, please reconsider how you are using my few posts…

Sorry Sabinatu if from your few posts I have misunderstood the meaning of the words you used.

I thought you raised a very valid point to be considered by application of reason which I did. It was the idea communicated in the message I was addressing and I am grateful that you put it forward for consideration. As I am grateful to all who take time to share ideas on this forum.

If I am in error I gladly welcome correction, I sincerely mean that.

What exactly was it that gave you the impression I was making it personal?

[Author]

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