Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2003 8:59 pm +0000
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Location: North Dakota
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Quote: 49:4.9 But mortal mind without immortal spirit cannot survive. The mind of man is mortal; only the bestowed spirit is immortal. Survival is dependent on spiritualization by the ministry of the Adjuster—on the birth and evolution of the immortal soul; at least, there must not have developed an antagonism towards the Adjuster's mission of effecting the spiritual transformation of the material mind.
Quote: I think many and not just UB readers believe everyone has a soul, a soul from physical birth.
Quote: (110.6.13) The seventh circle. This level is entered when human beings develop the powers of personal choice, individual decision, moral responsibility, and the capacity for the attainment of spiritual individuality. This signifies the united function of the seven adjutant mind-spirits under the direction of the spirit of wisdom, the encircuitment of the mortal creature in the influence of the Holy Spirit, and, on Urantia, the first functioning of the Spirit of Truth, together with the reception of a Thought Adjuster in the mortal mind. Entrance upon the seventh circle constitutes a mortal creature a truly potential citizen of the local universe.
And so, here it truly begins. This is not physical birth, it is not even soul birth, it is the potential of soul birth. But now let’s see if we can find a reference for true soul birth.
Quote: 111.2.4 There are three and not two factors in the evolutionary creation of such an immortal soul. These three antecedents of the morontia human soul are:
111.2.5 1. The human mind and all cosmic influences antecedent thereto and impinging thereon.
111.2.6 2. The divine spirit indwelling this human mind and all potentials inherent in such a fragment of absolute spirituality together with all associated spiritual influences and factors in human life.
111.2.7 3. The relationship between material mind and divine spirit, which connotes a value and carries a meaning not found in either of the contributing factors to such an association. The reality of this unique relationship is neither material nor spiritual but morontial. It is the soul.
Number 3 presents us with a most challenging proposition. The soul is the relationship between the mind and the spirit (thought adjuster). I cannot find any other humanly perceived reality that accurately represents this truth. Relationships are real, we believe, but real and representative of an actual, functional, literal value-based reality? I can’t even imagine such a thing. What I can do, though, is experience such a thing. But even this experience will not be realized by my mind unless I choose to realize it, to place my faith in it. When I do, I experience its truth, and that is the key to the mystery. The mind is only one participant in the creation of the soul, yet it is through our mind that we recognize the experience of it. This creative experience is not from within the mind but attached to and associated with the mind. How we know this, is that our minds are able to be willed to do things for our personality, but the spirit we cannot will. We can’t force or will the spirit to participate which simply means that we can’t control its development. All we can do is will to participate. That puts the spirit in the proper place and our will takes the hind seat.
So, now comes the last of the key constituent factors in our soul development. We must participate, decide to allow the spirit to control our direction, as the book says, be our pilot. I have found that this process is done unconsciously most of the time. This means that even inadvertent decisions to participate by individuals who have no knowledge of what is happening, are germane to our soul growth. God takes everything we allow as his materials to build our souls, even when we don’t consciously know we are participating. That is why our Thought Adjusters are heroes. This satisfies the requirement for the slightest flicker of faith.
Quote: 155.6.17 Now, mistake not, my Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith. He takes note of the physical and superstitious emotions of the primitive man. And with those honest but fearful souls whose faith is so weak that it amounts to little more than an intellectual conformity to a passive attitude of assent to religions of authority, the Father is ever alert to honor and foster even all such feeble attempts to reach out for him.
But Jesus said we must experience rebirth ourselves in order to enter the kingdom and I for one, don’t believe he was talking about either our physical death or this possibly "feeble attempt to reach our for him" activity. There is more to all this. Much more.
Quote: 140:1.4 “But for you, my children, and for all others who would follow you into this kingdom, there is set a severe test. Faith alone will pass you through its portals, but you must bring forth the fruits of my Father’s spirit if you would continue to ascend in the progressive life of the divine fellowship. Verily, verily, I say to you, not every one who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but rather he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Jesus often referred to the kingdom of heaven. Frequently when he did, he spoke of what we now know as fusion. Jesus used the term born again as the point in human experience when the will of man consciously enlists in the adventure of spiritual growth; of seeking common ground with the thought adjuster where we will eventually “see eye to eye”. The only way all his pronouncements make sense is to think of physical death as inconsequential in our spiritual development. Other than to recognize the obvious and astounding reformation of our perspective we attain when we realize we are looking back, as ourselves, at death, the thing we feared the most, add this. Until we lose consciousness at death we have never experienced the complete and total lack of consciousness, ever. During the transition from physical to Morontial there is a period of this non-consciousness. Upon reawakening our consciousness reappears and we are again ourselves, complete with a new body, but conscious. We are aware of nothing in between, including being non-conscious. My contention and conclusion here is that while we exist in a conscious state, time awareness is how we measure the movement of reality. During the non-consciousness between here and Mansonia #1 we have a consciously measurable time period of nil; a moment, only the essence of separation of consciousness. Said another way, consciousness on this planet ends and the instant we lose that we reawaken, re-conscious-ize, in a new body; instant, zero awareness of the period in between. Literally, awake here, awake there, no other awareness; not one essential moment apart.
With this concept of instantaneous awareness, the presence of the “afterlife” becomes, experientially, a change in consciousness and nothing more. That is how close it is. Said like that it isn’t a “now and then” issue at all. It is a change of perspective in the continuousness of the ever present “now”.
As fantastic an experience as that resurrection will be, Jesus said we can know that reality “NOW!”. It is the reality of being “born again” and here is a great confusion. Being born again experientially transcends the experience of resurrection as a qualitatively spiritual action but it does not give us the same quantitative experience as the resurrection. The transition of one’s devotion from self-appointed to God appointed is so profound and life altering that it is an experience of eternal consequence; one that is feelingly experienced and never forgotten. Resurrection on Mansonia #1 does not provide the same quality of devotion and resulting personal experience in spirit reality, but it does provide us with an astounding change of both circumstances and perspective. So, resurrection on Mansonia and Born Again are not the same, and neither of them are necessarily fusion. But to attain fusion we must have made the devotional decision to commit all we are and will ever be to God. Somewhere along the path to that decision we each become born again. Simply said, our decision to commit is attended to by our Thought Adjuster and the connection is experiential, recognizable and unforgettable.
I know when I made that decision. The Urantia Book tells us the event is a definite experience. It certainly was for me. I also know and remember the earlier experience of deciding to find God, but that was not the same as having God acknowledge my decision to follow him, to trust him, to do his will.
Whether it happens suddenly or gradually we are still able to actively notice the change in perspective from being self-directed to willingly and willfully allowing God to direct and openly inspect our lives. It does not happen automatically. It happens deliberately. Apparently, it often doesn’t happen until we arrive on Mansonia. But whenever or however it happens it provides us with an unforgettable experience!
Soul growth is nearly automatic, at least to some degree, reference the faint flicker. As described, some humans decide to repudiate even the faint flicker and forego the whole adventure, losing their connection with the Thought Adjuster. Moreover, some get to Mansonia and decide not to participate in the “severe test”. Facing one’s selfishness on earth is hard but facing one’s selfishness without the benefit of procrastination must be truly intense. But the severe test is real for everyone who will follow God.
I don’t understand why so many of us apparently think living in heaven will be easier than here. The greatest challenges of life aren’t in process of learning about God; the greatest challenges are in the facing of ourselves on more sincere and deep levels, with God. The deeper we go, the harder it is to recognize our selfish errors and the more important and personal our relationship with God becomes. If we object to such deep sincerity here, why do we think we will find it so much more appealing after death? Life eternal is simply the consciousness of consciously sharing our deepest inner life openly with God; and then sharing that relationship with each other. If hiding from this process is our habit, then awakening to the removal of death as a means of putting things off will be not so pleasant. Breaking bad habits will be part of our severe test. Seeking direct confrontation with the dark depths of our inner being that we may willingly decide to allow God to enlighten us there is the epitome of bravery, according to the book. Sooner or later we will have to do it. I choose sooner.
To recap my thoughts which I admit are somewhat rambling, let me say this.
Souls are automatic but require effort to grow, ours and the adjusters. We can eliminate our souls individually if we choose. We awaken on the Mansion Worlds if we have a soul. We must embrace the great challenge of seeking, knowing, growing and living in relation to God deliberately and intentionally. Sooner or later we must be Born Again into that degree of commitment, i.e., the full hearted embrace of the path God has for us to follow. Fusion happens when we have finally made the final irrevocable decision to stay the course, to follow God. That is when we have passed the Great and Severe Test; when we have come to terms with God, His terms not ours.
And to think that Enoch and Elijah and who knows if any others have done that while on this planet is astounding. And they didn't have the Urantia Book either.
Quote: Any thoughts about this?
Yea, a few! Thanks for the question Enno.
Jim
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