Religion from A Melchizedek Viewpoint—Pt 22, Individual & Philosophy Coordinated

This week we continue our study on Religion from The Urantia Book. We've covered 4 of the 5 papers that are the seminal papers about human religion. 

We've learned so far that although religious awakening is a gradual process, some spiritual births are accompanied by crisis and anguish while others can be a natural growth of the recognition of spiritual values. Because personalities are unique, no two individuals interpret divine leadings the same way. People tend to agree more easily on religious goals rather than on beliefs or creeds.

Every human being experiences conflict between self-seeking and altruistic impulses. An unselfish choice in the face of a desire to be selfish constitutes a primitive religious experience. God-consciousness is sometimes attained as the result of seeking for help in the resolution of such moral conflicts. 

As we continue our study of Paper 103 §2 (Reprised) & 6: We'll see that our human ideals tend to grow by geometric progression, while our ability to live up to those ideals grows only arithmetically. Rather than hoping to live up to our highest ideals, we might do better to try to seek God and become more like him. The pursuit of the ideal (striving to be Godlike) is a continuous effort before and after death. The good accomplished in mortal life carries over to the enhancement of the next life and directly contributes to the first stages of immortalexperience. Every person is truly the architect of his or her own eternal destiny.

Our highest human philosophy should be based on the reason of science, the faith of religion, and the insight of revelation. Genuine religion is not merely thinking, but is also feeling, acting, and living. The earmarks of true religion are faith in a supreme Deity, hope of eternal survival, and love-especially love of one's fellows.

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