Spiritual fellowship
103:4.1 (1133.1)The characteristic difference between a social gathering and a religious gathering is that the religious gathering, unlike the secular, is permeated by an atmosphere of community. In this way, the association of people creates a sense of brotherhood with the divine, and this constitutes the beginning of group worship of God. Participating in a common meal was the first form of social community, and therefore early religions prescribed that a portion of the ceremonial offering be eaten by those who participated in the ceremony. Even in Christianity, this mode of community is adhered to in the Lord's Supper. The atmosphere of communion provides a refreshing, comforting period of truce in the conflict between the selfish ego and the altruistic impulse of the indwelling spirit-Mentor. And this is the prelude to true worship of God - the practicing of the presence of God that culminates in the emergence of the brotherhood of men.
103:4.2 (1133.2)When primitive man felt that his fellowship with God was interrupted, he resorted to making a sacrifice of one kind or another in order to bring about a reconciliation, to restore the friendly relationship. The hunger and thirst for righteousness leads to the discovery of truth, and truth multiplies ideals, and this creates new problems for the individual religious man, for our ideals tend to grow according to a geometrical series, while our ability to live by them only increases according to an arithmetical series.
103:4.3 (1133.3)Guilt (not being aware of sin) comes from interrupting spiritual communion either from a lowering of one's moral ideals. One can only be delivered from such a difficult situation by the realization that the highest moral ideals one has are not necessarily synonymous with the will of God. Man cannot expect to live according to his highest ideals, but he can remain faithful to his goal of finding God and becoming more and more like him.
103:4.4 (1133.4)Jesus wiped out all the ceremonies of sacrifice and atonement. He destroyed the basis of all this imaginary guilt and sense of isolation in the universe by the firm statement that man is a child of God: he placed the relationship between the creature and the Creator on a child-father basis. God becomes a loving Father to his mortal sons and daughters. All ceremonies that are not a legitimate part of this close family relationship are abolished forever.
103:4.5 (1133.5)God the Father deals with man, his child, not on the basis of his actual virtue or dignity, but according to the motives he recognizes in the child-the intent and purpose of the creature. The relationship is that of intercourse between father and child and is driven by divine love.
A Consideration of The Urantia Book
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