Knjiga Urantije
DIO III. Povijest Urantije
POGLAVLJE 91 : EVOLUCIJA MOLITVE
Paper 91
The Evolution of Prayer
The Evolution of Prayer
91:0.1 (994.1)
PRAYER, as an agency of religion, evolved from previous nonreligious monologue and dialogue expressions. With the attainment of self-consciousness by primitive man there occurred the inevitable corollary of other-consciousness, the dual potential of social response and God recognition.
Najraniji oblici molitve nisu bili upućeni Božanstvu. Ti su izrazi bili nalik onome što bi čovjek rekao prijatelju kada se upušta u neki važan pothvat: “Poželi mi sreću.” Primitivni čovjek bio je podložan magiji; sreća, dobra i loša, ulazila je u sve domene njegova života. Ove molbe za sreću isprva su bile monolozi — tek neka vrsta razmišljanja naglas poklonika magije. Zatim su ti vjernici u sreću počeli tražiti potporu svojih prijatelja i obitelji, a uskoro bi se izvodio i neki oblik obreda koji je uključivao cijeli klan ili pleme.
91:0.2 (994.2)
The earliest prayer forms were not addressed to Deity. These expressions were much like what you would say to a friend as you entered upon some important undertaking, “Wish me luck.” Primitive man was enslaved to magic; luck, good and bad, entered into all the affairs of life. At first, these luck petitions were monologues—just a kind of thinking out loud by the magic server. Next, these believers in luck would enlist the support of their friends and families, and presently some form of ceremony would be performed which included the whole clan or tribe.
Kada su se razvili pojmovi duhova i sablasti, te su molbe postale upućene nadljudskim bićima, a s pojavom svijesti o bogovima takvi su izrazi dosegnuli razine prave molitve. Kao primjer mogu poslužiti neka australska plemena kod kojih su primitivne religijske molitve prethodile vjerovanju u duhove i nadljudske ličnosti.
91:0.3 (994.3)
When the concepts of ghosts and spirits evolved, these petitions became superhuman in address, and with the consciousness of gods, such expressions attained to the levels of genuine prayer. As an illustration of this, among certain Australian tribes primitive religious prayers antedated their belief in spirits and superhuman personalities.
Indijsko pleme Toda i danas upućuje molitve nikome posebno, baš kao što su činili rani ljudi prije pojave religijske svijesti. Samo što kod Toda to predstavlja regresiju njihove degenerirajuće religije na ovu primitivnu razinu. Današnji obredi svećenika mljekara kod Toda ne predstavljaju religijsku ceremoniju, budući da te neosobne molitve ne doprinose očuvanju niti unapređenju ikakvih društvenih, moralnih ili duhovnih vrijednosti.
91:0.4 (994.4)
The Toda tribe of India now observes this practice of praying to no one in particular, just as did the early peoples before the times of religious consciousness. Only, among the Todas, this represents a regression of their degenerating religion to this primitive level. The present-day rituals of the dairymen priests of the Todas do not represent a religious ceremony since these impersonal prayers do not contribute anything to the conservation or enhancement of any social, moral, or spiritual values.
Predreligijska molitva bila je dio mana-praksi Melanežana, oudah vjerovanja afričkih Pigmeja i manitou praznovjerja sjevernoameričkih Indijanaca. Plemena Baganda u Africi tek su nedavno izišla iz mana-razine molitve. U toj ranoj evolucijskoj zbrci ljudi su se molili bogovima—lokalnim i nacionalnim—fetišima, amajlijama, sablastima, vladarima i običnim ljudima.
91:0.5 (994.5)
Prereligious praying was part of the mana practices of the Melanesians, the oudah beliefs of the African Pygmies, and the manitou superstitions of the North American Indians. The Baganda tribes of Africa have only recently emerged from the mana level of prayer. In this early evolutionary confusion men pray to gods—local and national—to fetishes, amulets, ghosts, rulers, and to ordinary people.
Funkcija rane evolucijske religije jest očuvati i uvećati bitne društvene, moralne i duhovne vrijednosti koje se polako oblikuju. Tu misiju religije čovječanstvo ne opaža svjesno, ali se ona ponajviše ostvaruje kroz funkciju molitve. Praksa molitve predstavlja nenamjeran, ali ipak osoban i kolektivan napor svake skupine da osigura (da aktualizira) očuvanje tih viših vrijednosti. Kad ne bi bilo zaštitnog djelovanja molitve, svi bi se sveti dani brzo vratili na razinu običnih praznika.
91:1.1 (994.6)
The function of early evolutionary religion is to conserve and augment the essential social, moral, and spiritual values which are slowly taking form. This mission of religion is not consciously observed by mankind, but it is chiefly effected by the function of prayer. The practice of prayer represents the unintended, but nonetheless personal and collective, effort of any group to secure (to actualize) this conservation of higher values. But for the safeguarding of prayer, all holy days would speedily revert to the status of mere holidays.
Religija i njezina sredstva, od kojih je glavno molitva, povezani su samo s onim vrijednostima koje imaju opće društveno priznanje i odobravanje skupine. Stoga, kada je primitivni čovjek pokušavao zadovoljiti svoje niže emocije ili ostvariti neobuzdane sebične ambicije, bio je lišen utjehe religije i pomoći molitve. Ako je pojedinac želio postići nešto antisocijalno, bio je prisiljen potražiti pomoć nereligijske magije, pribjeći vračevima i tako ostati bez pomoći molitve. Molitva je stoga vrlo rano postala snažan poticaj društvenoj evoluciji, moralnom napretku i duhovnom postignuću.
91:1.2 (995.1)
Religion and its agencies, the chief of which is prayer, are allied only with those values which have general social recognition, group approval. Therefore, when primitive man attempted to gratify his baser emotions or to achieve unmitigated selfish ambitions, he was deprived of the consolation of religion and the assistance of prayer. If the individual sought to accomplish anything antisocial, he was obliged to seek the aid of nonreligious magic, resort to sorcerers, and thus be deprived of the assistance of prayer. Prayer, therefore, very early became a mighty promoter of social evolution, moral progress, and spiritual attainment.
Ali primitivni um nije bio ni logičan ni dosljedan. Rani ljudi nisu uviđali da materijalne stvari ne spadaju u područje molitve. Te jednostavne duše zaključivale su da hrana, sklonište, kiša, divljač i druga materijalna dobra unapređuju društveno blagostanje, pa su stoga počele moliti za te fizičke blagodati. Iako je to predstavljalo izopačenje molitve, poticalo je nastojanje da se ti materijalni ciljevi ostvare društvenim i etičkim djelovanjem. Takvo izopačenje molitve, premda je snižavalo duhovne vrijednosti, ipak je izravno uzdizalo ekonomske, društvene i etičke običaje.
91:1.3 (995.2)
But the primitive mind was neither logical nor consistent. Early men did not perceive that material things were not the province of prayer. These simple-minded souls reasoned that food, shelter, rain, game, and other material goods enhanced the social welfare, and therefore they began to pray for these physical blessings. While this constituted a perversion of prayer, it encouraged the effort to realize these material objectives by social and ethical actions. Such a prostitution of prayer, while debasing the spiritual values of a people, nevertheless directly elevated their economic, social, and ethical mores.
Molitva ima oblik monologa samo u najprimitivnijem tipu uma. Ona ubrzo postaje dijalog i brzo se razvija do razine skupnog štovanja. Molitva znači da su predmagijske inkantacije primitivne religije evoluirale do stupnja na kojem ljudski um prepoznaje stvarnost dobrohotnih blagotvornih moći ili bića koja mogu unaprijediti društvene vrijednosti i uvećati moralne ideale, te da su ti utjecaji nadljudski i različiti od ega samosvjesnog čovjeka i njegovih bližnjih smrtnika. Stoga se prava molitva ne pojavljuje sve dok se djelovanje religijske službe ne zamisli kao osobno.
91:1.4 (995.3)
Prayer is only monologuous in the most primitive type of mind. It early becomes a dialogue and rapidly expands to the level of group worship. Prayer signifies that the premagical incantations of primitive religion have evolved to that level where the human mind recognizes the reality of beneficent powers or beings who are able to enhance social values and to augment moral ideals, and further, that these influences are superhuman and distinct from the ego of the self-conscious human and his fellow mortals. True prayer does not, therefore, appear until the agency of religious ministry is visualized as personal.
Kod onih smrtnika koji nisu oslobođeni primitivnog ropstva straha postoji stvarna opasnost da svaka molitva može dovesti do morbidnog osjećaja grijeha, neopravdanih uvjerenja o krivnji, stvarnih ili umišljenih. Ali u suvremenim vremenima nije vjerojatno da će mnogi provoditi dovoljno vremena u molitvi da bi došli do takvog štetnog razmišljanja o vlastitoj nedostojnosti ili grešnosti. Opasnosti koje prate izopačenje i izvitoperenje molitve sastoje se u neznanju, praznovjerju, kristalizaciji, devitalizaciji, materijalizmu i fanatizmu.
91:1.6 (995.5)
With those mortals who have not been delivered from the primitive bondage of fear, there is a real danger that all prayer may lead to a morbid sense of sin, unjustified convictions of guilt, real or fancied. But in modern times it is not likely that many will spend sufficient time at prayer to lead to this harmful brooding over their unworthiness or sinfulness. The dangers attendant upon the distortion and perversion of prayer consist in ignorance, superstition, crystallization, devitalization, materialism, and fanaticism.
I molitva i magija nastale su kao posljedica čovjekovih prilagodbenih reakcija na urantijsko okruženje. No osim te opće povezanosti imaju malo zajedničkoga. Molitva je oduvijek označavala pozitivno djelovanje ega onoga koji moli; uvijek je bila psihička, a ponekad i duhovna. Magija je obično značila pokušaj manipuliranja stvarnošću bez utjecaja na ego manipulatora, onoga koji prakticira magiju. Unatoč svojim neovisnim izvorima, magija i molitva često su bile međusobno povezane u kasnijim stadijima razvoja. Magija se ponekad uzdizala uzvišenjem ciljeva, od formula preko rituala i zaklinjanja do praga istinske molitve. Molitva je ponekad postajala toliko materijalistička da se izopačivala u pseudomagijsku tehniku izbjegavanja ulaganja napora koji je nužan za rješavanje urantijskih problema.
91:2.2 (995.7)
Both prayer and magic arose as a result of man’s adjustive reactions to Urantian environment. But aside from this generalized relationship, they have little in common. Prayer has always indicated positive action by the praying ego; it has been always psychic and sometimes spiritual. Magic has usually signified an attempt to manipulate reality without affecting the ego of the manipulator, the practitioner of magic. Despite their independent origins, magic and prayer often have been interrelated in their later stages of development. Magic has sometimes ascended by goal elevation from formulas through rituals and incantations to the threshold of true prayer. Prayer has sometimes become so materialistic that it has degenerated into a pseudomagical technique of avoiding the expenditure of that effort which is requisite for the solution of Urantian problems.
Kada je religija lišena osobnog Boga, njezine se molitve prevode na razine teologije i filozofije. Kada je najviši pojam Boga u nekoj religiji pojam neosobnog Božanstva, kao u panteističkom idealizmu, premda to pruža osnovu za određene oblike mističnog zajedništva, pokazuje se pogubnim za snagu istinske molitve, koja uvijek predstavlja čovjekovo duhovno zajedništvo s osobnim i nadređenim bićem.
91:2.5 (996.3)
When religion is divested of a personal God, its prayers translate to the levels of theology and philosophy. When the highest God concept of a religion is that of an impersonal Deity, such as in pantheistic idealism, although affording the basis for certain forms of mystic communion, it proves fatal to the potency of true prayer, which always stands for man’s communion with a personal and superior being.
Tijekom ranijih razdoblja rasne evolucije, pa čak i u današnje vrijeme, u svakodnevnom iskustvu prosječnog smrtnika molitva je uvelike pojava čovjekova općenja s vlastitom podsviješću. No postoji i područje molitve u kojem intelektualno budna i duhovno napredujuća osoba postiže u većoj ili manjoj mjeri dodir s nadsvjesnim razinama ljudskog uma, područjem u kojem prebiva unutarnji Ispravljač Misli. Osim toga, postoji i određena duhovna faza istinske molitve koja se odnosi na njezino primanje i prepoznavanje od strane duhovnih sila svemira, a koja je posve različita od svake ljudske i intelektualne povezanosti.
91:2.6 (996.4)
During the earlier times of racial evolution and even at the present time, in the day-by-day experience of the average mortal, prayer is very much a phenomenon of man’s intercourse with his own subconscious. But there is also a domain of prayer wherein the intellectually alert and spiritually progressing individual attains more or less contact with the superconscious levels of the human mind, the domain of the indwelling Thought Adjuster. In addition, there is a definite spiritual phase of true prayer which concerns its reception and recognition by the spiritual forces of the universe, and which is entirely distinct from all human and intellectual association.
Djeca, kada prvi put uče služiti se jezikom, sklona su razmišljati naglas, izražavati svoje misli riječima čak i kada nema nikoga tko bi ih mogao čuti. S pojavom stvaralačke mašte djeca često počinju razgovarati s izmišljenim drugovima. Na taj način ego u nastajanju nastoji uspostaviti zajedništvo s izmišljenim alter egom. Ovom tehnikom dijete rano uči pretvarati svoje monologe u pseudo-dijaloge u kojima taj alter ego daje odgovore na njegovo verbalno razmišljanje i izražavanje želja. Velik dio razmišljanja odraslog čovjeka mentalno se odvija u razgovornom obliku.
91:3.1 (996.7)
Children, when first learning to make use of language, are prone to think out loud, to express their thoughts in words, even if no one is present to hear them. With the dawn of creative imagination they evince a tendency to converse with imaginary companions. In this way a budding ego seeks to hold communion with a fictitious alter ego. By this technique the child early learns to convert his monologue conversations into pseudo dialogues in which this alter ego makes replies to his verbal thinking and wish expression. Very much of an adult’s thinking is mentally carried on in conversational form.
Rani i primitivni oblik molitve bio je vrlo sličan polumagijskim recitacijama današnjeg plemena Toda, molitvama koje nisu bile upućene nikome osobito. Ali takve tehnike molitve imaju sklonost razvijati se u dijaloški oblik komunikacije pojavom ideje alter ega. S vremenom se pojam alter ega uzdiže do uzvišenijeg statusa božanskog dostojanstva, i molitva se pojavljuje kao sredstvo religije. Kroz mnoge faze i tijekom dugih razdoblja ova primitivna vrsta molitve predodređena je razvijati se prije nego što dosegne razinu inteligentne i uistinu etičke molitve.
91:3.2 (996.8)
The early and primitive form of prayer was much like the semimagical recitations of the present-day Toda tribe, prayers that were not addressed to anyone in particular. But such techniques of praying tend to evolve into the dialogue type of communication by the emergence of the idea of an alter ego. In time the alter-ego concept is exalted to a superior status of divine dignity, and prayer as an agency of religion has appeared. Through many phases and during long ages this primitive type of praying is destined to evolve before attaining the level of intelligent and truly ethical prayer.
Kako ga poimaju uzastopne generacije smrtnika koji mole, alter ego evoluira kroz duhove, fetiše i duhove prirode, preko politeističkih bogova, i naposljetku do Jednog Boga — božanskog bića koje utjelovljuje najviše ideale i najuzvišenije težnje ega koji moli. Molitva tako djeluje kao najmoćnije sredstvo religije u očuvanju najviših vrijednosti i ideala onih koji mole. Od trenutka začeća ideje alter ega pa sve do pojave koncepcije božanskog i nebeskog Oca, molitva je uvijek podruštvljujuća, moralizirajuća i produhovljujuća praksa.
91:3.3 (997.1)
As it is conceived by successive generations of praying mortals, the alter ego evolves up through ghosts, fetishes, and spirits to polytheistic gods, and eventually to the One God, a divine being embodying the highest ideals and the loftiest aspirations of the praying ego. And thus does prayer function as the most potent agency of religion in the conservation of the highest values and ideals of those who pray. From the moment of the conceiving of an alter ego to the appearance of the concept of a divine and heavenly Father, prayer is always a socializing, moralizing, and spiritualizing practice.
Jednostavna molitva vjere svjedoči o snažnoj evoluciji u ljudskom iskustvu, pri čemu su se drevni razgovori s izmišljenim simbolom alter ega primitivne religije uzdigli do razine duhovnog zajedništva s duhom Beskonačnog i do istinske svijesti o stvarnosti vječnog Boga i Rajskog Oca svega inteligentnog stvaranja.
91:3.4 (997.2)
The simple prayer of faith evidences a mighty evolution in human experience whereby the ancient conversations with the fictitious symbol of the alter ego of primitive religion have become exalted to the level of communion with the spirit of the Infinite and to that of a bona fide consciousness of the reality of the eternal God and Paradise Father of all intelligent creation.
Ostavljajući po strani sve ono u iskustvu molitve što nadilazi čovjekovo sebstvo, treba imati na umu da je etička molitva izvrstan način uzdizanja vlastitog ega i jačanja sebstva za bolji život i viša postignuća. Molitva potiče ljudski ego da traži pomoć na dvije strane: za materijalnu pomoć u podsvjesnom spremištu smrtnog iskustva, a za nadahnuće i vodstvo na nadsvjesnim granicama dodira materijalnog i duhovnog, kod Tajanstvenog Monitora.
91:3.5 (997.3)
Aside from all that is superself in the experience of praying, it should be remembered that ethical prayer is a splendid way to elevate one’s ego and reinforce the self for better living and higher attainment. Prayer induces the human ego to look both ways for help: for material aid to the subconscious reservoir of mortal experience, for inspiration and guidance to the superconscious borders of the contact of the material with the spiritual, with the Mystery Monitor.
Prosvijetljena molitva mora priznati ne samo vanjskog i osobnog Boga nego i unutarnje i neosobno Božanstvo — Ispravljača koji prebiva u čovjeku. Posve je prikladno da čovjek, kada moli, nastoji obuhvatiti pojam Oca Svih na Raju; ali za većinu praktičnih svrha djelotvornija je tehnika vratiti se pojmu bliskog alter ega, kao što je to činila primitivna svijest, a zatim uvidjeti da se ideja tog alter ega razvila od puke fikcije do istine o Božjem prebivanju u smrtnom čovjeku u stvarnoj prisutnosti Ispravljača, tako da čovjek može, takoreći, razgovarati licem u lice sa stvarnim, istinskim i božanskim alter egom koji prebiva u njemu i koji je sama prisutnost i bit živoga Boga, Oca Svih.
91:3.7 (997.5)
Enlightened prayer must recognize not only an external and personal God but also an internal and impersonal Divinity, the indwelling Adjuster. It is altogether fitting that man, when he prays, should strive to grasp the concept of the Universal Father on Paradise; but the more effective technique for most practical purposes will be to revert to the concept of a near-by alter ego, just as the primitive mind was wont to do, and then to recognize that the idea of this alter ego has evolved from a mere fiction to the truth of God’s indwelling mortal man in the factual presence of the Adjuster so that man can talk face to face, as it were, with a real and genuine and divine alter ego that indwells him and is the very presence and essence of the living God, the Universal Father.
Nijedna molitva ne može biti etička kada onaj koji moli traži sebičnu prednost nad svojim bližnjima. Sebična i materijalistička molitva nespojiva je s etičkim religijama koje se temelje na nesebičnoj i božanskoj ljubavi. Sve takve neetičke molitve vraćaju se na primitivne razine pseudomagije i nedostojne su napredujućih civilizacija i prosvijetljenih religija. Sebična molitva krši duh svake etike utemeljene na pravednosti i prožete ljubavlju.
91:4.1 (997.6)
No prayer can be ethical when the petitioner seeks for selfish advantage over his fellows. Selfish and materialistic praying is incompatible with the ethical religions which are predicated on unselfish and divine love. All such unethical praying reverts to the primitive levels of pseudo magic and is unworthy of advancing civilizations and enlightened religions. Selfish praying transgresses the spirit of all ethics founded on loving justice.
U svim svojim molitvama budite pravedni; ne očekujte da Bog pokazuje pristranost, da vas voli više nego svoju drugu djecu, vaše prijatelje, susjede, pa čak i neprijatelje. Ali molitva prirodnih ili evoluiranih religija u početku nije etička, kao što je to u kasnijim religijama otkrivenja. Svaka molitva, bilo pojedinačna bilo zajednička, može biti ili egoistična ili altruistična. To jest, molitva može biti usmjerena na sebstvo ili na druge. Kada molitva ne traži ništa ni za onoga koji moli ni za njegove bližnje, tada takva stanja duše teže razinama istinskog štovanja. Egoistične molitve uključuju ispovijedi i molbe često obiluju zahtjevima za materijalne blagodati. Molitva je etičnija kada traži oproštenje i mudrost za postizanje veće samokontrole.
91:4.3 (998.1)
In all your praying be fair; do not expect God to show partiality, to love you more than his other children, your friends, neighbors, even enemies. But the prayer of the natural or evolved religions is not at first ethical, as it is in the later revealed religions. All praying, whether individual or communal, may be either egoistic or altruistic. That is, the prayer may be centered upon the self or upon others. When the prayer seeks nothing for the one who prays nor anything for his fellows, then such attitudes of the soul tend to the levels of true worship. Egoistic prayers involve confessions and petitions and often consist in requests for material favors. Prayer is somewhat more ethical when it deals with forgiveness and seeks wisdom for enhanced self-control.
Dok nesebična molitva jača i tješi, u materijalističkoj molitvi čovjek je osuđen na razočaranje i konačno otrježnjenje, kako napredujuća znanstvena otkrića pokazuju da čovjek živi u fizičkom svemiru zakona i reda. Jedino je djetinjstvo pojedinca ili rase obilježeno primitivnim, sebičnim i materijalističkim molitvama. I, do određene mjere, sve su takve molbe djelotvorne jer neizostavno vode naporima i nastojanjima koja doprinose postizanju odgovora na takve molitve. Prava molitva vjere uvijek doprinosi unapređenju tehnike življenja, čak i kada takve molbe nisu vrijedne duhovnog priznanja. Ali duhovno napredna osoba mora biti vrlo oprezna kada pokušava obeshrabriti primitivni i nezreli um u pogledu takvih molitava.
91:4.4 (998.2)
While the nonselfish type of prayer is strengthening and comforting, materialistic praying is destined to bring disappointment and disillusionment as advancing scientific discoveries demonstrate that man lives in a physical universe of law and order. The childhood of an individual or a race is characterized by primitive, selfish, and materialistic praying. And, to a certain extent, all such petitions are efficacious in that they unvaryingly lead to those efforts and exertions which are contributory to achieving the answers to such prayers. The real prayer of faith always contributes to the augmentation of the technique of living, even if such petitions are not worthy of spiritual recognition. But the spiritually advanced person should exercise great caution in attempting to discourage the primitive or immature mind regarding such prayers.
Zapamtite, čak i ako molitva ne mijenja Boga, ona vrlo često donosi velike i trajne promjene u onome koji moli u vjeri i s pouzdanim očekivanjem. Molitva je donijela mnogo duševnog mira, vedrine, smirenosti, hrabrosti, samosvladavanja i pravednog rasuđivanja među muškarcima i ženama evoluirajućih rasa.
91:4.5 (998.3)
Remember, even if prayer does not change God, it very often effects great and lasting changes in the one who prays in faith and confident expectation. Prayer has been the ancestor of much peace of mind, cheerfulness, calmness, courage, self-mastery, and fair-mindedness in the men and women of the evolving races.
U štovanju predaka molitva vodi njegovanju predačkih ideala. Ali molitva, kao obilježje štovanja Božanstva, nadilazi sve takve prakse jer vodi njegovanju božanskih ideala. Kako pojam molitve kao svojevrsnog alter ega postaje uzvišen i božanski, tako se i čovjekovi ideali uzdižu od pukih ljudskih prema nadljudskim i božanskim razinama, a rezultat svih takvih molitava jest unapređenje ljudskog karaktera i duboko ujedinjenje ljudske ličnosti.
91:5.1 (998.4)
In ancestor worship, prayer leads to the cultivation of ancestral ideals. But prayer, as a feature of Deity worship, transcends all other such practices since it leads to the cultivation of divine ideals. As the concept of the alter ego of prayer becomes supreme and divine, so are man’s ideals accordingly elevated from mere human toward supernal and divine levels, and the result of all such praying is the enhancement of human character and the profound unification of human personality.
Ali molitva ne mora uvijek biti pojedinačna. Grupna ili zajednička molitva vrlo je djelotvorna jer je njezin društveni učinak snažno povezujući. Kada se skupina uključi u zajedničku molitvu za moralno uzdizanje i duhovni napredak, takva pobožna djela povratno djeluju na pojedince koji čine tu skupinu; svi postaju bolji zbog sudjelovanja. Čak i cijelom gradu ili čitavom narodu može pomoći takva molitvena pobožnost. Ispovijedi, pokajanja i molitve potaknuli su pojedince, gradove, narode i čitave rase na snažne napore reforme i na hrabra djela odvažnih postignuća.
91:5.2 (998.5)
But prayer need not always be individual. Group or congregational praying is very effective in that it is highly socializing in its repercussions. When a group engages in community prayer for moral enhancement and spiritual uplift, such devotions are reactive upon the individuals composing the group; they are all made better because of participation. Even a whole city or an entire nation can be helped by such prayer devotions. Confession, repentance, and prayer have led individuals, cities, nations, and whole races to mighty efforts of reform and courageous deeds of valorous achievement.
91:5.3 (998.6)
If you truly desire to overcome the habit of criticizing some friend, the quickest and surest way of achieving such a change of attitude is to establish the habit of praying for that person every day of your life. But the social repercussions of such prayers are dependent largely on two conditions:
Ali umovi većeg duhovnog prosvjetljenja trebaju biti strpljivi i tolerantni prema onim manje obdarenim intelektima koji žude za simbolizmom kako bi mobilizirali svoj slabi duhovni uvid. Snažni ne smiju s prijezirom gledati na slabe. Oni koji su svjesni Boga bez simbolizma ne smiju uskraćivati milosnu službu simbola onima kojima je teško štovati Božanstvo i poštovati istinu, ljepotu i dobrotu bez vanjskih oblika i rituala. U molitvenom štovanju većina smrtnika predočuje neki simbol cilja svojih pobožnosti.
91:5.7 (999.3)
But the minds of greater spiritual illumination should be patient with, and tolerant of, those less endowed intellects that crave symbolism for the mobilization of their feeble spiritual insight. The strong must not look with disdain upon the weak. Those who are God-conscious without symbolism must not deny the grace-ministry of the symbol to those who find it difficult to worship Deity and to revere truth, beauty, and goodness without form and ritual. In prayerful worship, most mortals envision some symbol of the object-goal of their devotions.
91:6.1 (999.4)
Prayer, unless in liaison with the will and actions of the personal spiritual forces and material supervisors of a realm, can have no direct effect upon one’s physical environment. While there is a very definite limit to the province of the petitions of prayer, such limits do not equally apply to the faith of those who pray.
Molitva nije tehnika za liječenje stvarnih i organskih oboljenja, ali značajno pridonosi zdravlju i iscjeljenju mnogih mentalnih, emocionalnih i živčanih bolesti. Čak i kod bakterijskih oboljenja molitva često povećava djelotvornost drugih ljekovitih postupaka. Molitva često pretvara razdražljivog i osornog bolesnika u uzor strpljenja i nadahnuće svim drugim napaćenim ljudima.
91:6.2 (999.5)
Prayer is not a technique for curing real and organic diseases, but it has contributed enormously to the enjoyment of abundant health and to the cure of numerous mental, emotional, and nervous ailments. And even in actual bacterial disease, prayer has many times added to the efficacy of other remedial procedures. Prayer has turned many an irritable and complaining invalid into a paragon of patience and made him an inspiration to all other human sufferers.
Bez obzira na to koliko može biti teško uskladiti znanstvene sumnje u djelotvornost molitve s trajnim porivom da se traži pomoć i vodstvo iz božanskih izvora, nikada ne zaboravi da je iskrena molitva vjere moćna sila za promicanje osobne sreće, individualne samokontrole, društvene harmonije, moralnog napretka i duhovnog postignuća.
91:6.3 (999.6)
No matter how difficult it may be to reconcile the scientific doubtings regarding the efficacy of prayer with the ever-present urge to seek help and guidance from divine sources, never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment.
Molitva, čak i kao čisto ljudska praksa, dijalog s vlastitim alter egom, predstavlja tehniku najučinkovitijeg pristupa ostvarenju onih rezervnih snaga ljudske prirode koje su pohranjene i očuvane u nesvjesnim područjima ljudskog uma. Molitva je zdrava psihološka praksa, neovisno o njezinim religijskim implikacijama i duhovnom značenju. Činjenica je ljudskog iskustva da će većina ljudi, ako su dovoljno pritisnuti nevoljama, na neki način moliti nekom izvoru pomoći.
91:6.4 (999.7)
Prayer, even as a purely human practice, a dialogue with one’s alter ego, constitutes a technique of the most efficient approach to the realization of those reserve powers of human nature which are stored and conserved in the unconscious realms of the human mind. Prayer is a sound psychologic practice, aside from its religious implications and its spiritual significance. It is a fact of human experience that most persons, if sufficiently hard pressed, will pray in some way to some source of help.
Molitva je bila neizostavan čimbenik u napretku i očuvanju religijske civilizacije, i još uvijek može snažno pridonijeti daljnjem unapređenju i produhovljenju društva ako se oni koji mole budu molili u svjetlu znanstvenih činjenica, filozofske mudrosti, intelektualne iskrenosti i duhovne vjere. Molite onako kako je Isus učio svoje učenike—iskreno, nesebično, pravedno i bez sumnje.
91:6.6 (999.9)
Prayer has been an indispensable factor in the progress and preservation of religious civilization, and it still has mighty contributions to make to the further enhancement and spiritualization of society if those who pray will only do so in the light of scientific facts, philosophic wisdom, intellectual sincerity, and spiritual faith. Pray as Jesus taught his disciples—honestly, unselfishly, with fairness, and without doubting.
Ali djelotvornost molitve u osobnom duhovnom iskustvu onoga koji se moli ni na koji način ne ovisi o intelektualnom razumijevanju takvog štovatelja, njegovoj filozofskoj pronicljivosti, društvenom položaju, kulturnom statusu ili drugim smrtnim postignućima. Psihički i duhovni prateći učinci molitve vjere neposredni su, osobni i iskustveni. Ne postoji druga tehnika kojom svaki čovjek, bez obzira na sva druga smrtna postignuća, može tako učinkovito i neposredno pristupiti pragu onog područja u kojem može komunicirati sa svojim Stvoriteljem, gdje stvorenje dolazi u dodir sa stvarnošću Stvoritelja, s unutarnjim Ispravljačem Misli.
91:6.7 (1000.1)
But the efficacy of prayer in the personal spiritual experience of the one who prays is in no way dependent on such a worshiper’s intellectual understanding, philosophic acumen, social level, cultural status, or other mortal acquirements. The psychic and spiritual concomitants of the prayer of faith are immediate, personal, and experiential. There is no other technique whereby every man, regardless of all other mortal accomplishments, can so effectively and immediately approach the threshold of that realm wherein he can communicate with his Maker, where the creature contacts with the reality of the Creator, with the indwelling Thought Adjuster.
Misticizam, kao tehnika njegovanja svijesti o prisutnosti Boga, posve je hvalevrijedan, ali kada takve prakse vode u društvenu izolaciju i završavaju religijskim fanatizmom, tada postaju gotovo za osudu. Prečesto ono što prenapregnuti mistik smatra božanskim nadahnućem zapravo predstavlja uzdizanja vlastitog dubokog uma. Dodir smrtnog uma s njegovim unutarnjim Ispravljačem, premda je često potaknut posvećenom meditacijom, još se češće olakšava predanom i ljubavlju ispunjenom službom u nesebičnom služenju svojim bližnjima.
91:7.1 (1000.2)
Mysticism, as the technique of the cultivation of the consciousness of the presence of God, is altogether praiseworthy, but when such practices lead to social isolation and culminate in religious fanaticism, they are all but reprehensible. Altogether too frequently that which the overwrought mystic evaluates as divine inspiration is the uprisings of his own deep mind. The contact of the mortal mind with its indwelling Adjuster, while often favored by devoted meditation, is more frequently facilitated by wholehearted and loving service in unselfish ministry to one’s fellow creatures.
Veliki religijski učitelji i proroci prošlih vremena nisu bili krajnji mistici. Bili su to muškarci i žene koji su poznavali Boga i koji su mu najbolje služili nesebičnim služenjem svojim bližnjima. Isus je često vodio svoje apostole na kratka razdoblja osame kako bi se posvetili meditaciji i molitvi, ali većinom ih je držao u službenom dodiru s mnoštvom. Čovjekova duša treba duhovnu vježbu jednako kao i duhovnu hranu.
91:7.2 (1000.3)
The great religious teachers and the prophets of past ages were not extreme mystics. They were God-knowing men and women who best served their God by unselfish ministry to their fellow mortals. Jesus often took his apostles away by themselves for short periods to engage in meditation and prayer, but for the most part he kept them in service-contact with the multitudes. The soul of man requires spiritual exercise as well as spiritual nourishment.
Religijska ekstaza je dopuštena kada proizlazi iz razboritih prethodnih stanja, ali su takva iskustva češće plod čisto emocionalnih utjecaja nego očitovanje dubokog duhovnog karaktera. Religiozne osobe ne bi smjele smatrati svako živopisno psihološko predosjećanje i svako snažno emocionalno iskustvo božanskim otkrivenjem ili duhovnom komunikacijom. Istinska duhovna ekstaza obično je povezana s velikom vanjskom smirenošću i gotovo potpunom emocionalnom samokontrolom. Ali istinska proročka vizija jest nadpsihološko predosjećanje. Takvi doživljaji nisu pseudohalucinacije niti ekstaze nalik transu.
91:7.3 (1000.4)
Religious ecstasy is permissible when resulting from sane antecedents, but such experiences are more often the outgrowth of purely emotional influences than a manifestation of deep spiritual character. Religious persons must not regard every vivid psychologic presentiment and every intense emotional experience as a divine revelation or a spiritual communication. Genuine spiritual ecstasy is usually associated with great outward calmness and almost perfect emotional control. But true prophetic vision is a superpsychologic presentiment. Such visitations are not pseudo hallucinations, neither are they trancelike ecstasies.
Ljudski um može reagirati na takozvano nadahnuće kada je osjetljiv bilo na uzdizanja podsvjesnog bilo na poticaje nadsvjesnog. U oba slučaja pojedincu se čini da su takva proširenja sadržaja svijesti više ili manje strana njemu samome. Neobuzdani mistički entuzijazam i snažna religiozna ekstaza nisu dokaz nadahnuća navodno božanskog porijekla.
91:7.4 (1000.5)
The human mind may perform in response to so-called inspiration when it is sensitive either to the uprisings of the subconscious or to the stimulus of the superconscious. In either case it appears to the individual that such augmentations of the content of consciousness are more or less foreign. Unrestrained mystical enthusiasm and rampant religious ecstasy are not the credentials of inspiration, supposedly divine credentials.
Ali molitva nema stvarne veze s tim iznimnim religijskim iskustvima. Kada molitva postane previše estetska, kada se gotovo u potpunosti sastoji od lijepog i blaženog promatranja rajske božanstvenosti, tada gubi velik dio svojeg društvenog utjecaja i naginje misticizmu te izolaciji svojih sljedbenika. Postoji određena opasnost povezana s pretjeranom privatnom molitvom, a ona se ispravlja i sprječava zajedničkom molitvom i skupnim pobožnostima.
91:7.13 (1001.4)
But prayer has no real association with these exceptional religious experiences. When prayer becomes overmuch aesthetic, when it consists almost exclusively in beautiful and blissful contemplation of paradisiacal divinity, it loses much of its socializing influence and tends toward mysticism and the isolation of its devotees. There is a certain danger associated with overmuch private praying which is corrected and prevented by group praying, community devotions.
Postoji doista spontani aspekt molitve, jer se primitivni čovjek počeo moliti mnogo prije nego što je imao jasnu predodžbu o Bogu. Rani čovjek imao je običaj moliti u dvije različite situacije: Kad je bio u prijekoj potrebi, doživio bi impuls da potraži pomoć; a kad bi bio ushićen, prepuštao bi se impulsivnom izražavanju radosti.
91:8.1 (1001.5)
There is a truly spontaneous aspect to prayer, for primitive man found himself praying long before he had any clear concept of a God. Early man was wont to pray in two diverse situations: When in dire need, he experienced the impulse to reach out for help; and when jubilant, he indulged the impulsive expression of joy.
91:8.4 (1001.8)
To some individuals prayer is the calm expression of gratitude; to others, a group expression of praise, social devotions; sometimes it is the imitation of another’s religion, while in true praying it is the sincere and trusting communication of the spiritual nature of the creature with the anywhere presence of the spirit of the Creator.
Molitva može biti spontani izraz svijesti o Bogu ili besmisleno ponavljanje teoloških formula. Može biti zanosna hvala duše koja poznaje Boga ili ropska pokornost ustrašenog smrtnika. Ponekad je dirljiv izraz duhovne težnje, a ponekad otvoreno izvikivanje pobožnih fraza. Molitva može biti radosna hvala ili skrušena molba za oprost.
91:8.5 (1001.9)
Prayer may be a spontaneous expression of God-consciousness or a meaningless recitation of theologic formulas. It may be the ecstatic praise of a God-knowing soul or the slavish obeisance of a fear-ridden mortal. It is sometimes the pathetic expression of spiritual craving and sometimes the blatant shouting of pious phrases. Prayer may be joyous praise or a humble plea for forgiveness.
Molitva može biti djetinji vapaj za nemogućim ili zrela molba za moralni rast i duhovnu snagu. Molitvena prošnja može biti za svagdašnji kruh ili može utjeloviti svesrdnu čežnju da se pronađe Bog i vrši njegova volja. Može biti posve sebičan zahtjev ili istinski i veličanstven čin usmjeren prema ostvarenju nesebičnog bratstva ljudi.
91:8.6 (1001.10)
Prayer may be the childlike plea for the impossible or the mature entreaty for moral growth and spiritual power. A petition may be for daily bread or may embody a wholehearted yearning to find God and to do his will. It may be a wholly selfish request or a true and magnificent gesture toward the realization of unselfish brotherhood.
Molitva može biti gnjevni vapaj za osvetom ili milosrdni zagovor za vlastite neprijatelje. Može biti izraz nade da će se promijeniti Bog ili snažna tehnika promjene samoga sebe. Može biti ponizna molba izgubljenog grešnika pred tobože neumoljivim Sucem ili radosni izraz oslobođenog sina živućeg i milosrdnog nebeskog Oca.
91:8.7 (1001.11)
Prayer may be an angry cry for vengeance or a merciful intercession for one’s enemies. It may be the expression of a hope of changing God or the powerful technique of changing one’s self. It may be the cringing plea of a lost sinner before a supposedly stern Judge or the joyful expression of a liberated son of the living and merciful heavenly Father.
Suvremeni je čovjek zbunjen mišlju da bi s Bogom mogao razgovarati na posve osoban način. Mnogi su napustili redovitu molitvu; mole samo kad su pod neobičnim pritiskom—u izvanrednim prilikama. Čovjek se ne bi trebao bojati razgovarati s Bogom, ali samo bi duhovno dijete pokušalo nagovoriti ili umišljalo da može promijeniti Boga.
91:8.8 (1001.12)
Modern man is perplexed by the thought of talking things over with God in a purely personal way. Many have abandoned regular praying; they only pray when under unusual pressure—in emergencies. Man should be unafraid to talk to God, but only a spiritual child would undertake to persuade, or presume to change, God.
Bog odgovara na čovjekovu molitvu dajući mu povećano otkrivenje istine, produbljeno uvažavanje ljepote i prošireni pojam dobrote. Molitva je subjektivna gesta, ali dolazi u dodir s moćnim objektivnim stvarnostima na duhovnim razinama ljudskog iskustva; ona je smislen poseg čovjeka za nadljudskim vrijednostima. Ona je najsnažniji poticaj duhovnog rasta.
91:8.11 (1002.3)
God answers man’s prayer by giving him an increased revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness. Prayer is a subjective gesture, but it contacts with mighty objective realities on the spiritual levels of human experience; it is a meaningful reach by the human for superhuman values. It is the most potent spiritual-growth stimulus.
91:8.12 (1002.4)
Words are irrelevant to prayer; they are merely the intellectual channel in which the river of spiritual supplication may chance to flow. The word value of a prayer is purely autosuggestive in private devotions and sociosuggestive in group devotions. God answers the soul’s attitude, not the words.