Book of Discipline
Chapter VII
GOD SHOWETH THE DIFFERENCE BETWIXT THE RELIGION OF THE OLDEN TIME AND THAT OF THE PRESENT.
1. TO the All One, Jehovih, now as in the olden time, and for all time to come, all honor and glory, worlds beyond number.
2. The Highest Ideal, the Nearest Perfect the mind can conceive of--let such be thy Jehovih, even as in the olden time, which is the Ever Present thou shalt set thy heart and mind and soul upon to love and glorify above all things, forever and ever.
3. The All Highest in thy neighbor which he manifesteth--that perceive and discourse upon--all else in him, see not nor mention.
4. The All Highest subject--that discourse upon--all else pass by.
5. The first lowest thoughts pertain to eating and drinking; and on these the man of darkness delighteth to discourse.
6. The second lowest thoughts pertain to sexual matters; and on these the man of darkness delighteth to discourse.
7. The third lowest thoughts pertain to man's selfishness, as bodily comforts and luxuries, as ease and riches, as to what he hopes and desires for himself; and on these the man of darkness delighteth to discourse.
8. The fourth lowest thoughts pertain to criticising others, as to doctrine, religion, philosophy, behavior, and so on, forever pulling all things to pieces; and the man of darkness delighteth in such discourse.
9. To abandon such discourse, and to discourse on the highest subjects, in preference, such as teaching, imparting knowledge, suggesting remedies for the unfortunate and unlearned, for improving in excellence the homes of others, the agriculture, mechanics and such like; the man of light delighteth to apply himself to these, both in word and practice, forever building up.
10. Consider then what thy mind shall go in search of, that it may pursue the highest. This is serving the All Highest, instead of darkness.
11. Now all of these things were taught in the religion of the olden time, and were given to man by thy God to raise man up toward my heavenly kingdom.
12. Nevertheless this religion pertained to man's own entity, a religion that was to be answered either in reward or punishment upon himself personally. His own salvation being the subject paramount to all other considerations.
13. And even where they founded brotherhoods, as the brotherhood of Brahma; brotherhood of Buddha, and brotherhood of Jesus, they were nevertheless but selfish brotherhoods, whose aim was the salvation of each one's own self.
14. Neither was it possible in the olden time to give man any other
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religion, it being necessary to appeal to his own advantages to make him heed thy God.
15. But now, behold, O man, I come to give a great religion, yet not to set aside the old; I come to such as do fulfill the old, and to give them the religion of Gods themselves!
16. Saying unto them: Go save others, and no longer concern yourselves about yourselves.
17. Go ye and provide a place of second resurrection on earth, where the people shall put away all low things and practice the all highest.
18. And call ye out unto the Uzians to come and inherit the place with you.
19. Nevertheless whosoever is only concerned as to the salvation of his own soul is not yet ready for the religion I give unto you.
20. Mine shall not concern themselves as to their own self's salvation; for having faith in Jehovih, that if they raise others up, with their own wisdom and strength, they are already saved, and without fear.
21. Compare then my second resurrection in heaven with that which thou wouldst found on earth for the glory and honor of thy Creator.
22. How chooseth thy God his initiates? Hath he censors?--saying to all who come--hold, be ye examined and tried, to prove ye are worthy the second resurrection?
23. Nay, verily, for this would imply inquisition--a court of darkness.
24. Now, behold, O man, after the second resurrection was established in heaven, I called out unto all the heavens of the earth, saying: Come, all ye of the first resurrection, also, let my guardians go down to mortals and proclaim unto all people--the kingdom of God is open to all who choose to come.
25. Now some, who were not strong in faith in Jehovih said: Will we not be overrun with angels of darkness?
26. But thy God answered them, saying: That is not our matter; ours is to serve Jehovih by working for all whom He inspireth to come unto us. Because any one desireth to come--that is sufficient testimony that the light of Jehovih is upon him.
27. Others said: What of the indolent and the shiftless? Will they not overrun us and thus set aside the good we aim at?
28. And thy God answered them, saying: When ye practice the all highest, behold, the others will depart away from you.
29. Then others questioned, saying: Suppose they who come shall practice darkness--such as slander, or tattling--what then shall be done?
30. And thy God answered them, saying: Answer them not, lest ye also practice darkness.
31. Again they questioned, saying: Suppose they are good, but indolent? Suppose they say: Let us rest and sleep, Jehovih will provide for His chosen--what sayest thou of them?
32. And thy God answered, saying: Censure them not, for they are weak or diseased. Let your example heal them. Is it not in the covenant to do good with all of one's wisdom and strength? Because they do little, the matter is betwixt them and Jehovih?
33. Lastly, O man, how can they, who live the all highest, cast the first stone at their neighbor?
34. For the act itself would be the committing of darkness.
35. Nevertheless, whoso hath strength and yet will not support himself--teach thou one such man to change his attributes, and thou shalt be honored amongst Gods.
36. Thy glory is to fulfill the all highest thyself. When all who can, will do this, thereon rest thy faith that the quickening power and wisdom of Jehovih will sustain His kingdom through His holy angels.
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Urantia Book, 44:0.11 - The Celestial Artisans
Never in your long ascendancy will you lose the power to recognize your associates of former existences. Always, as you ascend inward in the scale of life, will you retain the ability to recognize and fraternize with the fellow beings of your previous and lower levels of experience. Each new translation or resurrection will add one more group of spirit beings to your vision range without in the least depriving you of the ability to recognize your friends and fellows of former estates.
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Princess Bride 1987 Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) and Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya)
Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. -
Urantia Book, 117:4.14 - The Finite God
And here is mystery: The more closely man approaches God through love, the greater the reality -- actuality -- of that man. The more man withdraws from God, the more nearly he approaches nonreality -- cessation of existence. When man consecrates his will to the doing of the Father's will, when man gives God all that he has, then does God make that man more than he is.
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Urantia Book, 167:7.4 - The Talk About Angels
"And do you not remember that I said to you once before that, if you had your spiritual eyes anointed, you would then see the heavens opened and behold the angels of God ascending and descending? It is by the ministry of the angels that one world may be kept in touch with other worlds, for have I not repeatedly told you that I have other sheep not of this fold?"
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Urantia Book, Foreword - 0:12.12 - The Trinities
But we know that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; and we further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. But even more certainly we know that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experience—God-consciousness.
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Urantia Book, 1:4.3 - The Mystery Of God
When you are through down here, when your course has been run in temporary form on earth, when your trial trip in the flesh is finished, when the dust that composes the mortal tabernacle "returns to the earth whence it came"; then, it is revealed, the indwelling "Spirit shall return to God who gave it." There sojourns within each moral being of this planet a fragment of God, a part and parcel of divinity. It is not yet yours by right of possession, but it is designedly intended to be one with you if you survive the mortal existence.
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Urantia Book, 1:4.1 - The Mystery Of God
And the greatest of all the unfathomable mysteries of God is the phenomenon of the divine indwelling of mortal minds. The manner in which the Universal Father sojourns with the creatures of time is the most profound of all universe mysteries; the divine presence in the mind of man is the mystery of mysteries.
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Urantia Book, 1:4.6 - The Mystery Of God
To every spirit being and to every mortal creature in every sphere and on every world of the universe of universes, the Universal Father reveals all of his gracious and divine self that can be discerned or comprehended by such spirit beings and by such mortal creatures. God is no respecter of persons, either spiritual or material. The divine presence which any child of the universe enjoys at any given moment is limited only by the capacity of such a creature to receive and to discern the spirit actualities of the supermaterial world.
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Urantia Book, 11:0.1 - The Eternal Isle Of Paradise
Paradise is the eternal center of the universe of universes and the abiding place of the Universal Father, the Eternal Son, the Infinite Spirit, and their divine co-ordinates and associates. This central Isle is the most gigantic organized body of cosmic reality in all the master universe. Paradise is a material sphere as well as a spiritual abode. All of the intelligent creation of the Universal Father is domiciled on material abodes; hence must the absolute controlling center also be material, literal. And again it should be reiterated that spirit things and spiritual beings are real.
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Urantia Book, 50:6.4 - Planetary Culture
Culture presupposes quality of mind; culture cannot be enhanced unless mind is elevated. Superior intellect will seek a noble culture and find some way to attain such a goal. Inferior minds will spurn the highest culture even when presented to them ready-made.
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Urantia Book, 54:1.6 - True And False Liberty
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.
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Urantia Book, 54:1.9 - True And False Liberty
How dare the self-willed creature encroach upon the rights of his fellows in the name of personal liberty when the Supreme Rulers of the universe stand back in merciful respect for these prerogatives of will and potentials of personality! No being, in the exercise of his supposed personal liberty, has a right to deprive any other being of those privileges of existence conferred by the Creators and duly respected by all their loyal associates, subordinates, and subjects.
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Urantia Book, 54:1.8 - True And False Liberty
There is no error greater than that species of self-deception which leads intelligent beings to crave the exercise of power over other beings for the purpose of depriving these persons of their natural liberties. The golden rule of human fairness cries out against all such fraud, unfairness, selfishness, and unrighteousness.