The Philosophy Of The Urantia Book

[Archaeopteryx]

This was the answer I gave you before you got out the "knit picking stick" again:

In order to find spiritual truth one must search in spirit, but you want the end of the adventure before you start the search. I'm in the adventure, I'm in the search, I cannot prove to you the discoveries I have made so far other than share bits of wisdom and encouragement. You are trying to use science to analyze spirit.

This I can say with certainty, once a person begins their search in earnest for God, they have already found him. Going forward they will come to know him better.​

Asking you how you assess progress in spiritual understanding is "knit-picking"? Asking you how you determine which concepts are inadequate and which have merit is "knit-picking"? It doesn't matter to you?

 

[Archaeopteryx]

Answer the question. Would you destroy the concepts of a 5 year old child because they don't think like you, or would you allow them to grow up?

Ah, I see. Sorry, I misread it earlier. I missed the word "think".

As I stated in another discussion, I would encourage the child to ask questions and investigate.

 

[Colter]

You mean that the change I resisted when I went from Christian of 40 years, to not being a Christian.

I think that would qualify as a change and a change that required me to have an open mind and accept and recognize new knowledge I did not possess.

That's true, that's a fair point, that was a change. I'm referring more to considering things that you may not have considered, like the Christian religion of Paul isn't the same thing as the gospel of Jesus 3 years before the cross? stuff like that.

A change for me was realizing that some of what I didn't believe at all in the OT was based on real events, but interpreted inaccurately by the authors of so called scripture and further distorted by redactions by later generations.

 

[bhsmte]

That's true, that's a fair point, that was a change. I'm referring more to considering things that you may not have considered, like the Christian religion of Paul isn't the same thing as the gospel of Jesus 3 years before the cross? stuff like that.

A change for me was realizing that some of what I didn't believe at all in the OT was based on real events, but interpreted inaccurately by the authors of so called scripture and further distorted by redactions by later generations.

And you know what I have or haven't considered how exactly?

 

[Colter]

Ah, I see. Sorry, I misread it earlier. I missed the word "think".

As I stated in another discussion, I would encourage the child to ask questions and investigate.

Right, that's true of spirituality, it's not appropriate for me to tell a guy or gal in Zambia that they are wrong about their spiritual perceptions. I should be willing to ask, learn and share, see what we have in common --->I<---- can learn from them, perhaps they from me. This attitude represents and advance in religious evolution. It should be our hope that future generations would be able to adopt this Liberal approach but for now a gallon cannot fit into a quart. Change s very slow in religion.

 

[Colter]

And you know what I have or haven't considered how exactly?

I don't know that, I was using it as an example, you may have considered all possible things in arriving a the decision of godlessness.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

Right, that's true of spirituality, it's not appropriate for me to tell a guy or gal in Zambia that they are wrong about their spiritual perceptions. I should be willing to ask, learn and share, see what we have in common --->I<---- can learn from them, perhaps they from me. This attitude represents and advance in religious evolution. It should be our hope that future generations would be able to adopt this Liberal approach but for now a gallon cannot fit into a quart. Change s very slow in religion.

Which brings us back to my previous questions; the very same questions you dismissed as "knit-picking."

 

[Colter]

Right, that's true of spirituality, it's not appropriate for me to tell a guy or gal in Zambia that they are wrong about their spiritual perceptions. I should be willing to ask, learn and share, see what we have in common --->I<---- can learn from them, perhaps they from me. This attitude represents an advance in religious evolution. It should be our hope that future generations would be able to adopt this Liberal approach but for now a gallon cannot fit into a quart. Change is very slow in religion.

 

[Colter]

Which brings us back to my previous questions; the very same questions you dismissed as "knit-picking."

This was my answer, don't have anymore answer.

Live and let live.

In the fellowship of faith we don't need to critically analyze the God concept of another or define it with doctrines or creeds. On an evolutionary world, in time and in space, from Gods perspective we are a work in progress. That could be said to be part of Gods plan for mortals. However inadequate our current concepts may be, what we are is not as important as what we are becoming.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

This was my answer, don't have anymore answer.

Live and let live.

In the fellowship of faith we don't need to critically analyze the God concept of another or define it with doctrines or creeds. On an evolutionary world, in time and in space, from Gods perspective we are a work in progress. That could be said to be part of Gods plan for mortals.

I already responded to this:

Live and let live.

In the fellowship of faith we don't need to critically analyze the God concept of another or define it with doctrines or creeds. On an evolutionary world, in time and in space, from Gods perspective we are a work in progress.

You cannot claim it is a work in progress if you cannot actually demonstrate any significant progress in our understanding. We can only progress in our understanding if we admit the possibility of error and critically examine whether the claims are credible. How do we do that?

However inadequate our current concepts may be, what we are is not as important as what we are becoming.

How do we identify which of these concepts are inadequate and which have merit?

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I think this question bears repeating:

Colter, it seems as though you are saying that it doesn't matter whether someone is wrong about the divine; it doesn't even matter how wrong they are, so long as they have faith. I find this remarkable, but not in a good way. Don't you care about the truth?

 

[St. Helens]

I have read bits and pieces of the UB here and there on the internet. I am going to be frankly honest about the UB as I have about a lot of modern theological movements. I don't have the faith it requires to believe in this theological system. It presents even more difficulties for me then Openism or a universe creating itself. Yes it takes faith to believe in those things.

 

[Winken]

In practice, it seems to be a pathway to conflicting claims of knowledge.

Faith IS. Faith is entirely Spiritual, never mind-mental-emotional. Faith does not get "bigger" or "smaller." Rather than a pathway to knowledge, it is the connection to our Creator. Not "a" connection..... THE connection. What shall we say, then? Faith IS. God IS. Once one accepts and proclaims that Truth (Romans 10:8-13), one is "in tune" with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher/Guide, NOT religion, not philosophy, not psychology, not reasoning, not rationale: Spiritual.

We can short-circuit the Spiritual relationship with our Creator, but there is a reset button, 1 John 1:9. That relationship can never be cancelled, not by God, not by an individual who, yielding to the old human, sinful nature, proclaims "I am no longer a Christian." One may toss the title, but never forfeit the relationship.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Change s very slow in religion.

That's because it has no method for determining truth.

 

[FreeinChrist]

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[James Is Back]

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