Knjiga Urantije
DIO IV. Isusov život i učenja
POGLAVLJE 155
BJEŽEĆI SJEVERNOM GALILEJOM
BJEŽEĆI SJEVERNOM GALILEJOM
Paper 155
Fleeing Through Northern Galilee
Fleeing Through Northern Galilee
NEDUGO nakon dolaska u blizinu Kerese, Isus i dvadeset četvorica su ove sadržajne nedjelje otputovali malo dalje na sjever, gdje su proveli noć u jednom lijepom parku južno od Betsaide-Julias. Poznavali su taj tabor, jer su tu već jednom boravili. Prije nego što će poći na počinak, Učitelj je pozvao svoje sljedbenike da razgovaraju o planiranom obilasku Bataneje i sjeverne Galileje do obale Fenicije.
155:0.1 (1725.1)
SOON after landing near Kheresa on this eventful Sunday, Jesus and the twenty-four went a little way to the north, where they spent the night in a beautiful park south of Bethsaida-Julias. They were familiar with this camping place, having stopped there in days gone by. Before retiring for the night, the Master called his followers around him and discussed with them the plans for their projected tour through Batanea and northern Galilee to the Phoenician coast.
Isus je rekao: "Sjetite se kako psalmist govori o ovim vremenima, kazujući, 'Zašto se bune nežidovski narodi i zašto puci ludosti snuju? Ustaju kraljevi zemaljski, a vladari naroda se među sobom savjetuju i rote protiv Gospodina i Pomazanika njegova, govoreći, Neka nam je razbiti okove milosrđa i odbaciti spone ljubavi.'
155:1.1 (1725.2)
Said Jesus: “You should all recall how the Psalmist spoke of these times, saying, ‘Why do the heathen rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers of the people take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break the bonds of mercy asunder and let us cast away the cords of love.’
“Danas se ovo obistinjuje pred vašim očima. Ali vi nećete vidjeti ispunjenje ostatka proročanstva ovoga psalma, jer je njegov autor imao pogrešne ideje o Sinu Čovječjem i njegovoj misiji na zemlji. Moje je kraljevstvo utemeljeno na ljubavi, proglašeno u milosrđu i utvrđeno nesebičnom službom. Otac moj ne sjedi na nebu dok se podsmijeva nežidovskim narodima. On nije srdit u svom bijesu. Ispuniće se obećanje da će ovi tzv pogani (u stvarnosti njegova neuka i neupućena braća) biti Sinovi baštinici. Ja ću primiti ove nežidove raširenih ruku u milosrđu i ljubavi. Sva će ta ljubaznost i dobrota biti ukazana ovim tzv poganima, bez obzira na nesretne izjave zapisa koji govori kako ih Sin u svom trijumfu udara palicom gvozdenom i razbija na komade kao sud lončarski.' Psalmist vas poziva da služite Gospodinu sa strahom' - ja vas pozivam da svojom vjerom uđete u uzvišene privilegije božanskog sinovstva; on vam zapovijeda da se radujete s trepetom; ja vam nudim da se radujete sa sigurnošću. On kaže, 'Ljubite Sina da ne bude ljut, da ne popadate kad plane srdžba njegova.' Ali vi koji ste živjeli sa mnom dobro znate da ljutnja i gnjev ne ulaze u uspostavu kraljevstva nebeskog u srcima ljudi. No psalmist je nazrijevao svjetlo istine kad je u svom završnom upozorenju rekao: 'Blago onima koji se pouzdaju u ovoga Sina.'"
155:1.2 (1725.3)
“Today you see this fulfilled before your eyes. But you shall not see the remainder of the Psalmist’s prophecy fulfilled, for he entertained erroneous ideas about the Son of Man and his mission on earth. My kingdom is founded on love, proclaimed in mercy, and established by unselfish service. My Father does not sit in heaven laughing in derision at the heathen. He is not wrathful in his great displeasure. True is the promise that the Son shall have these so-called heathen (in reality his ignorant and untaught brethren) for an inheritance. And I will receive these gentiles with open arms of mercy and affection. All this loving-kindness shall be shown the so-called heathen, notwithstanding the unfortunate declaration of the record which intimates that the triumphant Son ‘shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ The Psalmist exhorted you to ‘serve the Lord with fear’—I bid you enter into the exalted privileges of divine sonship by faith; he commands you to rejoice with trembling; I bid you rejoice with assurance. He says, ‘Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish when his wrath is kindled.’ But you who have lived with me well know that anger and wrath are not a part of the establishment of the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men. But the Psalmist did glimpse the true light when, in finishing this exhortation, he said: ‘Blessed are they who put their trust in this Son.’”
Isus je nastavio poučavati dvadeset četvoricu, govoreći: “Nežidovi se ne bune bez razloga. Oni su uskog i skučenog gledišta, te su u mogućnosti usredotočiti svoje energije s velikim entuzijazmom. Njihovi su ciljevi nadohvat ruke i više ili manje vidljivi; oni se stoga hrabro i učinkovito bore za njihovo izvršavanje. Vi koji ste ispovijedili ulazak u kraljevstvo nebesko suviše ste nepostojani i neodređeni u načinu na koji širite svoja učenja. Pogani se izravno bore za svoje ciljeve; vaša je krivnja što ste okorjeli u stavu čežnje. Ako želite ući u kraljevstvo, zašto ga ne uzmete duhovnim napadom, onako kako pogani uzimaju grad u opsjedu? Vi ste jedva dostojni kraljevstva kad se vaše služenje u tolikoj mjeri sastoji u stavu oplakivanja prošlosti, jadikovanja zbog sadašnjosti i uzaludne nade u budućnost. Zašto se bune nežidovi? Zato što ne znaju istinu. Zašto vi čamite u uzaludnoj čežnji?Zato što ne slušate istinu. Prestanite sa svojom beskorisnom čežnjom i hrabro kročite naprijed radeći to što se odnosi na uspostavu kraljevstva.
155:1.3 (1725.4)
Jesus continued to teach the twenty-four, saying: “The heathen are not without excuse when they rage at us. Because their outlook is small and narrow, they are able to concentrate their energies enthusiastically. Their goal is near and more or less visible; wherefore do they strive with valiant and effective execution. You who have professed entrance into the kingdom of heaven are altogether too vacillating and indefinite in your teaching conduct. The heathen strike directly for their objectives; you are guilty of too much chronic yearning. If you desire to enter the kingdom, why do you not take it by spiritual assault even as the heathen take a city they lay siege to? You are hardly worthy of the kingdom when your service consists so largely in an attitude of regretting the past, whining over the present, and vainly hoping for the future. Why do the heathen rage? Because they know not the truth. Why do you languish in futile yearning? Because you obey not the truth. Cease your useless yearning and go forth bravely doing that which concerns the establishment of the kingdom.
"U svemu što činite, ne budite jednostrani i usko specijalizirani. Farizeji koji teže našem uništenju doista misle da obavljaju službu Božju. Postali su tako uskogrudo tradicionalni da su slijepi od predrasuda i okorjeli od straha. Obratite pozornost kako Grci imaju znanost bez religije, dok Židovi imaju religiju bez znanosti. A kada ljudi postanu tako zavedeni da prihvate uski i zbrkani raspad istine, njihova je jedina nada za spas u usklađenju s istinom - obraćenju.
155:1.4 (1726.1)
“In all that you do, become not one-sided and overspecialized. The Pharisees who seek our destruction verily think they are doing God’s service. They have become so narrowed by tradition that they are blinded by prejudice and hardened by fear. Consider the Greeks, who have a science without religion, while the Jews have a religion without science. And when men become thus misled into accepting a narrow and confused disintegration of truth, their only hope of salvation is to become truth-co-ordinated—converted.
"Dopustite da odlučno naglasim ovu vječnu istinu: Ako svojim usklađenjem s istinom naučite prikazati u svojim životima ovu lijepu cjelovitost ispravnosti, vaši će se bližnji povesti za vama kako bi i oni sami stekli to što vi imate. Stupanj u kojem sebi privlačite tražitelje istine predstavlja mjerilo vašeg obdarenja istinom, vaše ispravnosti. Mjera u kojoj morate nositi svoju poruku ljudima, na neki način predstavlja mjeru vašeg neuspjeha da živite život ispravnosti, usklađenja s istinom."
155:1.5 (1726.2)
“Let me emphatically state this eternal truth: If you, by truth co-ordination, learn to exemplify in your lives this beautiful wholeness of righteousness, your fellow men will then seek after you that they may gain what you have so acquired. The measure wherewith truth seekers are drawn to you represents the measure of your truth endowment, your righteousness. The extent to which you have to go with your message to the people is, in a way, the measure of your failure to live the whole or righteous life, the truth-co-ordinated life.”
U ponedjeljak ujutro, 23. svibnja, Isus je poslao Petra da prijeđe u Korozain s dvanaest evađelista, dok je on s jedanaestoricom krenuo putem koji je vodio duž Jordana između Damaska i Kafarnauma, a odande sjeveroistočno do raskrižja s putem koji je vodio u njihovo odredište, Cezareju-Filipovu, gdje su boravili i poučavali dva tjedna. Tu su stigli u popodnevnim satima u utorak, 24. svibnja.
155:2.1 (1726.4)
On Monday morning, May 23, Jesus directed Peter to go over to Chorazin with the twelve evangelists while he, with the eleven, departed for Caesarea-Philippi, going by way of the Jordan to the Damascus-Capernaum road, thence northeast to the junction with the road to Caesarea-Philippi, and then on into that city, where they tarried and taught for two weeks. They arrived during the afternoon of Tuesday, May 24.
Petar i evanđelisti su proveli dva tjedna u Korozainu, propovijedajući evanđelje kraljevstva maloj ali iskrenoj skupini vjernika. Ali nisu bili u stanju privući mnogo novih obraćenika. Niti jedan grad u Galileji nije dao tako malo duša u kraljevstvo kao Korozain. U skladu s Petrovim uputama, dvanaest evađelista nisu toliko govorili o ozdravljenju - stvarima fizičke prirode - koliko su s povećanom snagom propovijedali i poučavali o duhovnim istinama nebeskog kraljevstva. Ova dva tjedna u Korozainu predstavljaju pravo krštenje nedaćama za dvanaest evanđelista jer je to do tada bilo najteže i neproduktivnije razdoblje njihove karijere. Budući da im je na taj način uskraćeno zadovoljstvo osvajanja novih duša za kraljevstvo, svaki je od njih ozbiljnije i iskrenije preispitao svoju dušu i svoj vlastiti napredak na duhovnim stazama novog života.
155:2.2 (1726.5)
Peter and the evangelists sojourned in Chorazin for two weeks, preaching the gospel of the kingdom to a small but earnest company of believers. But they were not able to win many new converts. No city of all Galilee yielded so few souls for the kingdom as Chorazin. In accordance with Peter’s instructions the twelve evangelists had less to say about healing—things physical—while they preached and taught with increased vigor the spiritual truths of the heavenly kingdom. These two weeks at Chorazin constituted a veritable baptism of adversity for the twelve evangelists in that it was the most difficult and unproductive period in their careers up to this time. Being thus deprived of the satisfaction of winning souls for the kingdom, each of them the more earnestly and honestly took stock of his own soul and its progress in the spiritual paths of the new life.
Kad se činilo da više nema ljudi koji će tražiti ulaz u kraljevstvo, Petar je u utorak, 7. lipnja, okupio svoje suradnike i krenuo u Cezareju-Filipovu da se pridruže Isusu i apostolima. Stigli su oko podneva u srijedu i provelicijelu večer u raspravi svojih iskustava među nevjernicima Korozaina. Isus se tijekom večernjih rasprava ponovo osvrnuo na usporedbu o sijaču i skrenuo njihovu pozornost na vrijednost događaja koji mogu djelovati kao neuspjeh u životnim poduzećima.
155:2.3 (1726.6)
When it appeared that no more people were minded to seek entrance into the kingdom, Peter, on Tuesday, June 7, called his associates together and departed for Caesarea-Philippi to join Jesus and the apostles. They arrived about noontime on Wednesday and spent the entire evening in rehearsing their experiences among the unbelievers of Chorazin. During the discussions of this evening Jesus made further reference to the parable of the sower and taught them much about the meaning of the apparent failure of life undertakings.
Iako Isus nije poduzimao javni rad za ova dva tjedna boravka u Cezareji-Filipovoj, apostoli su održali brojne mirne zborove u gradu, tako da su mnogi vjernici došli u tabor razgovarati s Učiteljem. Pridobili su vrlo malu skupinu vjernika kao rezultat ovog posjeta. Isus je svaki dan razgovarao s apostolima, koji su sada mogli jasnije uočiti početak nove faze rada na poučavanju kraljevstva nebeskog. Počeli su shvaćati da "kraljevstvo nebesko nije hrana i piće, nego je realizacija duhovne radosti prihvaćanja božanskog sinovstva."
155:3.1 (1727.1)
Although Jesus did no public work during this two weeks’ sojourn near Caesarea-Philippi, the apostles held numerous quiet evening meetings in the city, and many of the believers came out to the camp to talk with the Master. Very few were added to the group of believers as a result of this visit. Jesus talked with the apostles each day, and they more clearly discerned that a new phase of the work of preaching the kingdom of heaven was now beginning. They were commencing to comprehend that the “kingdom of heaven is not meat and drink but the realization of the spiritual joy of the acceptance of divine sonship.”
Boravak u Cezareji-Filipovoj je bio prava kušnja za jedanaestoricu apostola; bila su to dva teška tjedna koja su jedva uspjeli preživjeti. Bili su gotovo sasvim depresivni, a nedostajao im je i povremeni stimulus Petrove entuzijastične ličnosti. U ovim je trenucima bilo doista teško vjerovati u Isusa i ići za njim. Iako su u ta dva tjedna preobratili samo nekolicinu duša, naučili su mnoga toga korisnog iz svojih svakodnevnih razgovora s Učiteljem.
155:3.2 (1727.2)
The sojourn at Caesarea-Philippi was a real test to the eleven apostles; it was a difficult two weeks for them to live through. They were well-nigh depressed, and they missed the periodic stimulation of Peter’s enthusiastic personality. In these times it was truly a great and testing adventure to believe in Jesus and go forth to follow after him. Though they made few converts during these two weeks, they did learn much that was highly profitable from their daily conferences with the Master.
Apostoli su naučili da su Židovi dostigli točku duhovne stagnacije i smrti jer su kristalizirali istinu u sustav vjerovanja; da ako istina postane formulirana tako da počne graničiti s preuzetnom isključivosti umjesto što će služiti kao putokaz duhovnom usmjerenju i napretku, takva učenja gube kreativnu i životvornu snagu i na kraju postaju puki konzervans i fosil.
155:3.3 (1727.3)
The apostles learned that the Jews were spiritually stagnant and dying because they had crystallized truth into a creed; that when truth becomes formulated as a boundary line of self-righteous exclusiveness instead of serving as signposts of spiritual guidance and progress, such teachings lose their creative and life-giving power and ultimately become merely preservative and fossilizing.
Sve više su od Isusa usvajali promatranje ljudskih ličnosti u smislu njihovih mogućnosti u vremenu i vječnosti. Naučili su da se mnoge duše najbolje mogu navesti na ljubav prema Bogu kojeg ne mogu vidjeti ako prvo nauče voljeti svoju vidljivu braću. I upravo je u tom kontekstu pripojeno novo značenje Učiteljevoj izjavi u vezi nesebičnog služenja bližnjima: "Ako nešto učinite jednom od moje najmanje braće, to učiniste meni."
155:3.4 (1727.4)
Increasingly they learned from Jesus to look upon human personalities in terms of their possibilities in time and in eternity. They learned that many souls can best be led to love the unseen God by being first taught to love their brethren whom they can see. And it was in this connection that new meaning became attached to the Master’s pronouncement concerning unselfish service for one’s fellows: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.”
Jedna od velikih lekcija ovog boravka u Cezareji ima veze s porijeklom religioznih tradicija, s velikom opasnosti dopuštanja da se osjećaj svetosti poveže s nesvetim stvarima, svagdašnjim idejama i svakodnevnim događajima. Na jednom od ovih vijećanja su naučili da istinska religija predstavlja čovjekovu iskrenu odanost njegovim najvišim i najispravnijim uvjerenjima.
155:3.5 (1727.5)
One of the great lessons of this sojourn at Caesarea had to do with the origin of religious traditions, with the grave danger of allowing a sense of sacredness to become attached to nonsacred things, common ideas, or everyday events. From one conference they emerged with the teaching that true religion was man’s heartfelt loyalty to his highest and truest convictions.
Isus je upozorio vjernike da ako njihove religiozne težnje budu posve materijalne, onda će usljed napredovanja znanja o svijetu prirode i postupnog gubitka vjere u njezino tobožnje nadnaravno porijeklo, na kraju biti lišeni svoje vjere u Boga. Ali ako njihova religija bude duhovna, onda napredak fizičkih znanosti nikada neće biti u stanju poremetiti njihovu vjeru u vječne stvarnosti i božanske vrijednosti.
155:3.6 (1727.6)
Jesus warned his believers that, if their religious longings were only material, increasing knowledge of nature would, by progressive displacement of the supposed supernatural origin of things, ultimately deprive them of their faith in God. But that, if their religion were spiritual, never could the progress of physical science disturb their faith in eternal realities and divine values.
Naučili su da religija, ako ima posve duhovnu motivaciju, čini život vrijednim življenja, puneći ga visokim ciljevima, dajući mu dostojanstvo transcendentnih vrijednosti i nadahnuće najviših motiva, dok u isto vrijeme tješi ljudsku dušu blaženim podstrekom nade. Istinska religija je osmišljena kako bi se umanjio pritisak postojanja; ona oslobađa vjeru i hrabrost za svakodnevni život i nesebično služenje. Vjera potiče duhovnu vitalnost i učinkovitost ispravnosti.
155:3.7 (1727.7)
They learned that, when religion is wholly spiritual in motive, it makes all life more worth while, filling it with high purposes, dignifying it with transcendent values, inspiring it with superb motives, all the while comforting the human soul with a sublime and sustaining hope. True religion is designed to lessen the strain of existence; it releases faith and courage for daily living and unselfish serving. Faith promotes spiritual vitality and righteous fruitfulness.
Isus je više puta učio svoje apostole da ni jedna civilizacija ne može dugo preživjeti gubitak onog najboljeg u svojoj religiji. I nikad nije posustao ističući dvanaestorici veliku opasnost od prihvaćanja religioznih simbola i ceremonija na mjesto religioznog iskustva. Cijeli je njegov život na zemlji dosljedno bio posvećen misiji odmrzavanja zamrznutih obličja religije u protočne slobode prosvijećenog sinovstva.
155:3.8 (1727.8)
Jesus repeatedly taught his apostles that no civilization could long survive the loss of the best in its religion. And he never grew weary of pointing out to the twelve the great danger of accepting religious symbols and ceremonies in the place of religious experience. His whole earth life was consistently devoted to the mission of thawing out the frozen forms of religion into the liquid liberties of enlightened sonship.
U četvrtak ujutro, 9. lipnja, nakon što su primili vijesti o napretku kraljevstva od Davidovih glasnika iz Betsaide, ova je skupina od dvadeset i pet učitelja napustila Cezareju-Filipovu putujući feničkom obalom. Zaobišli su močvare idući prema Luzu, dok nisu došli do puta koji je povezivao Magdalu s planinskim gorjem Libanona, odakle su nastavili do križanja s cestom za Sidon, gdje su stigli u petak popodne.
155:4.1 (1728.1)
On Thursday morning, June 9, after receiving word regarding the progress of the kingdom brought by the messengers of David from Bethsaida, this group of twenty-five teachers of truth left Caesarea-Philippi to begin their journey to the Phoenician coast. They passed around the marsh country, by way of Luz, to the point of junction with the Magdala-Mount Lebanon trail road, thence to the crossing with the road leading to Sidon, arriving there Friday afternoon.
Tijekom pauze za ručak u sjeni visećeg grebena u blizini Luza, Isus je isporučio jedan od najznačajnijih govora koje su njegovi apostoli imali priliku čuti tijekom njihovih zajedničkih godina. Tek što su sjeli da prelome kruh, Šimun Petar je upitao Isusa: "Učitelju, budući da Otac na nebu sve zna i budući da je njegov duh naša podrška u uspostavi kraljevstva nebeskog na zemlji, zašto ćemo bježati pred prijetnjama naših neprijatelja? Zašto se odbijamo suočiti s neprijateljima istine?" Ali prije nego što je Isus počeo odgovarati na Petrovo pitanje, Tomo je požurio da upita: “Učitelju, stvarno želim znati što to nije u redu s religijom naših neprijatelja u Jeruzalemu. Koja je stvarna razlika između njihove religije i naše? Odakle tolika razlika u vjerovanjima, ako svi tvrdimo da služimo istog Boga? " A kad je Tomo završio s pitanjem, Isus je rekao: “Dok ne želim zanemariti Petrovo pitanje jer dobro znam da je lako pogrešno protumačiti razloge koji me navode na trenutno izbjegavanje otvorenog sukoba s židovskim vlastima, mislim da će biti od veće koristi za sve vas ako prvo odgovorim na Tomino pitanje. To ću učiniti poslije ručka."
155:4.2 (1728.2)
While pausing for lunch under the shadow of an overhanging ledge of rock, near Luz, Jesus delivered one of the most remarkable addresses which his apostles ever listened to throughout all their years of association with him. No sooner had they seated themselves to break bread than Simon Peter asked Jesus: “Master, since the Father in heaven knows all things, and since his spirit is our support in the establishment of the kingdom of heaven on earth, why is it that we flee from the threats of our enemies? Why do we refuse to confront the foes of truth?” But before Jesus had begun to answer Peter’s question, Thomas broke in, asking: “Master, I should really like to know just what is wrong with the religion of our enemies at Jerusalem. What is the real difference between their religion and ours? Why is it we are at such diversity of belief when we all profess to serve the same God?” And when Thomas had finished, Jesus said: “While I would not ignore Peter’s question, knowing full well how easy it would be to misunderstand my reasons for avoiding an open clash with the rulers of the Jews at just this time, still it will prove more helpful to all of you if I choose rather to answer Thomas’s question. And that I will proceed to do when you have finished your lunch.”
Isus je odbio pokazati omalovažavanje prema religiji fizičkih osjetila i praznovjernih strahova prirodnog čovjeka, iako je izrazio žaljenje zbog činjenice da je toliko ovog primitivnog oblika bogoslužja ustrajalo u religijskim praksama inteligentnijih ljudskih rasa. Isus je objasnio da se velika razlika između religije uma i religije duha sastoji u tome da se religija uma temelji na autoritetu crkve, dok se religija duha u potpunosti temelji na ljudskom iskustvu.
155:5.6 (1729.1)
The religion of the physical senses and the superstitious fears of natural man, the Master refused to belittle, though he deplored the fact that so much of this primitive form of worship should persist in the religious forms of the more intelligent races of mankind. Jesus made it clear that the great difference between the religion of the mind and the religion of the spirit is that, while the former is upheld by ecclesiastical authority, the latter is wholly based on human experience.
Sve dok ljudske rase ne postanu inteligentnije i potpunije civilizirane i dalje će ustrajati mnogi od tih djetinjastih i praznovjernih obreda koji su tipični evolucijskim praksama primitivnih i zaostalih naroda. Sve dok ljudski rod ne uznapreduje na razinu višeg i općenitijeg priznavanja stvarnosti duhovnog iskustva, mnogi muškarci i žene nastavljaju pokazivati osobnu sklonost prema tim religijama autoriteta koje zahtijevaju samo intelektualni pristanak, za razliku od religije duha koja podrazumijeva aktivno sudjelovanje uma i duše u pustolovini vjere koja se kvata u koštac s rigoroznim stvarnostima progresivnog ljudskog iskustva.
155:5.8 (1729.3)
Until the races become highly intelligent and more fully civilized, there will persist many of those childlike and superstitious ceremonies which are so characteristic of the evolutionary religious practices of primitive and backward peoples. Until the human race progresses to the level of a higher and more general recognition of the realities of spiritual experience, large numbers of men and women will continue to show a personal preference for those religions of authority which require only intellectual assent, in contrast to the religion of the spirit, which entails active participation of mind and soul in the faith adventure of grappling with the rigorous realities of progressive human experience.
Prihvaćanje tradicionalnih religija autoriteta predstavlja tehniku izbjegavanja stvarnosti u traženju zadovoljenja čežnji duhovne prirode. Okoštale, kristalizirane i fiksirane religije autoriteta pružaju sigurno utočište čovjekovoj zbrkanoj i izbezumljenoj duši od napadaja straha i muka neizvjesnosti. Takva religija zahtijeva od svojih poklonika, kao cijenu za ova zadovoljstva i uvjerenja, samo pasivni i čisto intelektualni pristanak.
155:5.9 (1729.4)
The acceptance of the traditional religions of authority presents the easy way out for man’s urge to seek satisfaction for the longings of his spiritual nature. The settled, crystallized, and established religions of authority afford a ready refuge to which the distracted and distraught soul of man may flee when harassed by fear and tormented by uncertainty. Such a religion requires of its devotees, as the price to be paid for its satisfactions and assurances, only a passive and purely intellectual assent.
Na zemlji će dugo živjeti ti bojažljivi, uplašeni i neodlučni pojedinci koji prije svega traže ovaj način osiguranja duhovne utjehe, iako kroz svoju povezanost s religijama autoriteta kompromitiraju suverenitet svojih ličnosti, unizuju dostojanstvo vlastitog samopoštovanja i u potpunosti predaju svako pravo na sudjelovanje u tom najuzbudljivijem i najinspirativnijem od svih ljudskih iskustava: osobnoj potrazi za istinom, uzbuđenju suočavanja s opasnostima intelektualnog otkrića, ustrajnom istraživanju stvarnosti osobnog religioznog iskustva, vrhovnom zadovoljstvu doživljavanja osobnog trijumfa stvarnog ostvarenja pobjede duhovne vjere nad intelektualnom sumnjom koja se časno ostvaruje u najvišoj pustolovini cjelokupnog ljudskog postojanja - čovjekovoj potrazi za Bogom i njegovom pronalaženju Boga, za sebe i od sebe.
155:5.10 (1729.5)
And for a long time there will live on earth those timid, fearful, and hesitant individuals who will prefer thus to secure their religious consolations, even though, in so casting their lot with the religions of authority, they compromise the sovereignty of personality, debase the dignity of self-respect, and utterly surrender the right to participate in that most thrilling and inspiring of all possible human experiences: the personal quest for truth, the exhilaration of facing the perils of intellectual discovery, the determination to explore the realities of personal religious experience, the supreme satisfaction of experiencing the personal triumph of the actual realization of the victory of spiritual faith over intellectual doubt as it is honestly won in the supreme adventure of all human existence—man seeking God, for himself and as himself, and finding him.
Religija duha znači napor, borbu, sukob, vjeru, odlučnost, ljubav, odanost i napredak. Religija uma - teologija autoriteta - zahtijeva od svojih formalnih vjernika malo ili ni malo napora. Tradicija je sigurno utočište i lagodan put za one bojažljive i neodlučne duše koje se instinktivno klone borbe duha i mentalne nesigurnosti povezane s ovim putovanjem vjere koje vodi u smionu avanturu na otvorenim pučinama neistražene istine u potrazi za dalekim obalama duhovnih stvarnosti koje otkriva progresivni ljudski um i doživljava ljudska duša u svojoj evoluciji.
155:5.11 (1729.6)
The religion of the spirit means effort, struggle, conflict, faith, determination, love, loyalty, and progress. The religion of the mind—the theology of authority—requires little or none of these exertions from its formal believers. Tradition is a safe refuge and an easy path for those fearful and halfhearted souls who instinctively shun the spirit struggles and mental uncertainties associated with those faith voyages of daring adventure out upon the high seas of unexplored truth in search for the farther shores of spiritual realities as they may be discovered by the progressive human mind and experienced by the evolving human soul.
Isus je dalje rekao: “U Jeruzalemu su religiozne vođe formulirale različite doktrine koje su koncipirali njihovi tradicionalni učitelji i stari proroci, od kojih su ovi učitelji formirali sustav intelektualnih uvjerenja, religiju autoriteta. Sve takve religije apeliraju samo na ljudski um. A mi se sada spremamo krenuti u smrtonosni sukob s takvom religijom jer se spremamo početi hrabro naviještanje nove religije - religije koja nije religija u današnjem smislu te riječi, religije koja prije svega apelira na božanski duh Oca mojega koji boravi u umu čovjeka; religije koja izvodi autoritet iz plodova prihvaćanja onoga šte se tako sigurno javlja u osobnom iskustvu svih koji istinski i iskreno postanu vjernici u istine ovog višeg duhovnog zajedništva."
155:5.12 (1729.7)
And Jesus went on to say: “At Jerusalem the religious leaders have formulated the various doctrines of their traditional teachers and the prophets of other days into an established system of intellectual beliefs, a religion of authority. The appeal of all such religions is largely to the mind. And now are we about to enter upon a deadly conflict with such a religion since we will so shortly begin the bold proclamation of a new religion—a religion which is not a religion in the present-day meaning of that word, a religion that makes its chief appeal to the divine spirit of my Father which resides in the mind of man; a religion which shall derive its authority from the fruits of its acceptance that will so certainly appear in the personal experience of all who really and truly become believers in the truths of this higher spiritual communion.”
Pokazujući na svakog od dvadeset četvorice i pozivajući ih po imenu, Isus je rekao: "A sada, koji će od vas radije ići ovim jednostavnim putem konformizma s utemeljenom i fosiliziranom religijom, religijom za koju se zalažu farizeji u Jeruzalemu, umjesto da podnese teškoće i progone koji prate misiju naviještanja boljeg puta ljudskog spasenja, u isto vrijeme ostvarujući zadovoljstvo vlastitog otkrivanja krasota i stvarnosti živog i osobnog iskustva u vječnim istinama i vrhovnim veličanstvima kraljevstva nebeskog? Vidite li sebe kao bojažljive mekušce koji traže ono što je nadohvat ruke? Bojite li se predati svoju budućnost u ruke Boga istine, čiji ste sinovi? Jeste li nepovjerljivi prema Ocu, čija ste djeca? Želite li ići natrag na lagodni put sigurnosti i intelektualne fiksacije religije tradicionalnog autoriteta, ili želite zasukati rukave i ići naprijed sa mnom u tu nesigurnu i nestabilnu budućnost proglašenja novih istina religije duha, u kraljevstvo nebesko u srcima ljudi?"
155:5.13 (1730.1)
Pointing out each of the twenty-four and calling them by name, Jesus said: “And now, which one of you would prefer to take this easy path of conformity to an established and fossilized religion, as defended by the Pharisees at Jerusalem, rather than to suffer the difficulties and persecutions attendant upon the mission of proclaiming a better way of salvation to men while you realize the satisfaction of discovering for yourselves the beauties of the realities of a living and personal experience in the eternal truths and supreme grandeurs of the kingdom of heaven? Are you fearful, soft, and ease-seeking? Are you afraid to trust your future in the hands of the God of truth, whose sons you are? Are you distrustful of the Father, whose children you are? Will you go back to the easy path of the certainty and intellectual settledness of the religion of traditional authority, or will you gird yourselves to go forward with me into that uncertain and troublous future of proclaiming the new truths of the religion of the spirit, the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men?”
Sva dvadeset četvorica njegovih slušatelja su se podigli da pokažu ujedinjenu i odanu reakciju na te riječi, u ovoj rijetkoj prilici emocionalnog apela kojim se Isus poslužio, ali on je podigao ruku i zaustavio ih, govoreći: "Idite sada u osamu, da svaki bude nasamo s Ocem, i tu bez emocija nađite odgovora na moje pitanje, a nakon što pronađete takav autentični i iskreni stav duše, slobodno i neustrašivo odgovorite Ocu mojem i Ocu vašemu, čiji je beskonačni život ljubavi sam duh religije koju proglašavamo."
155:5.14 (1730.2)
All twenty-four of his hearers rose to their feet, intending to signify their united and loyal response to this, one of the few emotional appeals which Jesus ever made to them, but he raised his hand and stopped them, saying: “Go now apart by yourselves, each man alone with the Father, and there find the unemotional answer to my question, and having found such a true and sincere attitude of soul, speak that answer freely and boldly to my Father and your Father, whose infinite life of love is the very spirit of the religion we proclaim.”
Evanđelisti i apostoli su otišli u osamu na kratko vrijeme. Bili su uzbuđeni u duhu i nadahnuti u umu, dok su njihove emocije bile duboko uskomešane onim što je Isus rekao. No, kad ih je Andrija pozvao da se okupe, Učitelj je samo rekao: "Neka nam je nastaviti putovanje. Idemo u Feniciju na neko vrijeme, a svi trebate moliti Oca da preobrazi vaše emocije uma i tijela u više odanosti uma i u iskustva duha koja donose dublje zadovoljstvo."
155:5.15 (1730.3)
The evangelists and apostles went apart by themselves for a short time. Their spirits were uplifted, their minds were inspired, and their emotions mightily stirred by what Jesus had said. But when Andrew called them together, the Master said only: “Let us resume our journey. We go into Phoenicia to tarry for a season, and all of you should pray the Father to transform your emotions of mind and body into the higher loyalties of mind and the more satisfying experiences of the spirit.”
Dok su putovali, dvadeset četvorica su isprva šutjeli, ali su onda počeli razgovarati, a oko tri sata poslije podne više nisu mogli ići dalje; ponovo su zastali i Petar je otišao k Isusu, govoreći: “Učitelju, govorio si riječi života i istine. Želimo još toga čuti; molimo te da nas dalje uputiš u te stvari."
155:5.16 (1730.4)
As they journeyed on down the road, the twenty-four were silent, but presently they began to talk one with another, and by three o’clock that afternoon they could not go farther; they came to a halt, and Peter, going up to Jesus, said: “Master, you have spoken to us the words of life and truth. We would hear more; we beseech you to speak to us further concerning these matters.”
Vi ste se izabrali izdvojiti od vaših bližnjih koji su odabrali ostati zadovoljni religijom uma, onih koji teže sigurnosti i traže konformizam. Odlučili ste zamijeniti emocije autoritativne sigurnosti za uvjerenja duha avanturističke i progresivne vjere. Usudili ste se uložiti protest mukotrpnom robovanju institucionalnoj religiji i odbaciti autoritet tradicije pisane riječi koja se trenutno smatra Božjom. Otac naš je doista govorio kroz Mojsija, Iliju, Izaiju, Amosa i Hošeu, ali on nije prestao upućivati riječi istine svijetu nakon što su ti stari proroci završili svoje iskaze. Otac moj nije pristran prema bilo kojoj rasi ili generaciji i ne daje riječ istine jednom razdoblju dok je uskraćuje drugom. Nemojte činiti glupost tako što ćete nazivati božanskim to što je u cijelosti ljudsko i pazite da znate razabrati riječi istine koje ne dolaze iz tradicionalnih izvora takozvanog nadahnuća.
155:6.2 (1730.6)
You have come out from among those of your fellows who choose to remain satisfied with a religion of mind, who crave security and prefer conformity. You have elected to exchange your feelings of authoritative certainty for the assurances of the spirit of adventurous and progressive faith. You have dared to protest against the grueling bondage of institutional religion and to reject the authority of the traditions of record which are now regarded as the word of God. Our Father did indeed speak through Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea, but he did not cease to minister words of truth to the world when these prophets of old made an end of their utterances. My Father is no respecter of races or generations in that the word of truth is vouchsafed one age and withheld from another. Commit not the folly of calling that divine which is wholly human, and fail not to discern the words of truth which come not through the traditional oracles of supposed inspiration.
Pozvao sam vas da budete ponovo rođeni, da budete rođeni od duha. Pozvao sam vas iz tame autoriteta i uspavanosti tradicije u transcendentno svjetlo ostvarenja mogućnosti najvećeg otkrića koje ljudska duša može učiniti - uzvišenog iskustva pronalaženja Boga za sebe, u sebi i od samoga sebe, i obavljanja svega toga kao činjenice u svom vlastitom iskustvu. I tako možete preći iz smrti u život, od autoriteta tradicije do iskustva poznavanja Boga; tako ćete proći od tame u svjetlost, od vjere koju ste naslijedili od svoje rasne grupe u osobnu vjeru koju postižete stvarnim iskustvom; i na taj način možete napredovati od teologije uma koju primate od svojih predaka do istinske religije duha koja će biti izgrađena u vašim dušama kao vječno obdarenje.
155:6.3 (1731.1)
I have called upon you to be born again, to be born of the spirit. I have called you out of the darkness of authority and the lethargy of tradition into the transcendent light of the realization of the possibility of making for yourselves the greatest discovery possible for the human soul to make—the supernal experience of finding God for yourself, in yourself, and of yourself, and of doing all this as a fact in your own personal experience. And so may you pass from death to life, from the authority of tradition to the experience of knowing God; thus will you pass from darkness to light, from a racial faith inherited to a personal faith achieved by actual experience; and thereby will you progress from a theology of mind handed down by your ancestors to a true religion of spirit which shall be built up in your souls as an eternal endowment.
Vaša se religija mijenja od pukog intelektualnog vjerovanja u tradicionalni autoritet u stvarno iskustvo te žive vjere koja je u stanju shvatiti stvarnost Boga i svega što se odnosi na božanski duh Oca. Religija uma vas beznadežno veže za prošlost; religija duha se sastoji u progresivnom otkrivenju i uvijek vas mami prema višim i svetijim dostignućima u duhovnim idealima i vječnim stvarnostima.
155:6.4 (1731.2)
Your religion shall change from the mere intellectual belief in traditional authority to the actual experience of that living faith which is able to grasp the reality of God and all that relates to the divine spirit of the Father. The religion of the mind ties you hopelessly to the past; the religion of the spirit consists in progressive revelation and ever beckons you on toward higher and holier achievements in spiritual ideals and eternal realities.
Religija autoriteta može pružiti trenutni osjećaj utemeljene sigurnosti, ali za to prolazno zadovoljstvo plaćate gubitkom svoje duhove slobode i religiozne ovlasti. Moj Otac ne zahtijeva kao cijenu ulaska u kraljevstvo nebesko da sebe prisilite na vjerovanje u stvari koje su vam duhovno odbojne, nesvete i neiskrene. Od vas se ne traži da izgubite svoj vlastiti osjećaj milosti, pravde i istine pokoravanjem nekom zastarjelom sustavu religijskih formi i ceremonija. Religija duha vam zauvijek daje slobodu da slijedite istinu gdje god vas upravi usmjerenje duha. A tko će znati - možda ovaj duh ima nešto za podijeliti s ovom generacijom što su prošle generacije odbile čuti?
155:6.5 (1731.3)
While the religion of authority may impart a present feeling of settled security, you pay for such a transient satisfaction the price of the loss of your spiritual freedom and religious liberty. My Father does not require of you as the price of entering the kingdom of heaven that you should force yourself to subscribe to a belief in things which are spiritually repugnant, unholy, and untruthful. It is not required of you that your own sense of mercy, justice, and truth should be outraged by submission to an outworn system of religious forms and ceremonies. The religion of the spirit leaves you forever free to follow the truth wherever the leadings of the spirit may take you. And who can judge—perhaps this spirit may have something to impart to this generation which other generations have refused to hear?
Sram tim lažnim učiteljima religije koji hoće povući gladne duše natrag u mutnu i daleku prošlost i tamo ih ostaviti! I tako su ti nesretni ljudi osuđeni na strah od svakog novog otkrića, dok su zbrkani svakim novim otkrivenjem istine. Prorok koji je rekao: "On će biti u savršenom miru čiji je um ostao na Bogu," nije izrazio puko intelektualno vjerovanje u autoritativnu teologiju. Ovaj je čovjek u svojom poznavanju istine otkrio Boga; on nije tek govorio o Bogu.
155:6.6 (1731.4)
Shame on those false religious teachers who would drag hungry souls back into the dim and distant past and there leave them! And so are these unfortunate persons doomed to become frightened by every new discovery, while they are discomfited by every new revelation of truth. The prophet who said, “He will be kept in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on God,” was not a mere intellectual believer in authoritative theology. This truth-knowing human had discovered God; he was not merely talking about God.
Upozoravam vas da odbacite praksu citiranja starih proroka i hvalospjeva herojima Izraela i da umjesto toga težite postati živi proroci Svevišnjega i duhovni heroji predstojećeg kraljevstva. Doista može biti vrijedno ukazati poštovanje vođama koji su poznavali Boga u prošlosti, ali zašto pri tome žrtvovati najveće iskustvo ljudske egzistencije: pronalaženje Boga sami za sebe i njegovo poznavanje u vašim vlastitim dušama?
155:6.7 (1731.5)
I admonish you to give up the practice of always quoting the prophets of old and praising the heroes of Israel, and instead aspire to become living prophets of the Most High and spiritual heroes of the coming kingdom. To honor the God-knowing leaders of the past may indeed be worth while, but why, in so doing, should you sacrifice the supreme experience of human existence: finding God for yourselves and knowing him in your own souls?
Svaka ljudska rasa ima svoje jedinstveno gledište ljudske egzistencije; religija stoga uma uvijek mora odražavati ove različite rasne stavove. Religije autoriteta nikada ne mogu postići ujedinjenje. Ljudsko jedinstvo i smrtno bratstvo se mogu postići samo visokim obdarenjem religije duha. Ljudi različitih rasa mogu imati različite umove, ali u cijelom ljudskom rodu prebiva jedan te isti božanski i vječni duh. Nada ljudskog bratstva jedino može biti ostvarena samo kada i kako različite umne religije autoriteta postanu nadahnute i nadsvođene ujedinjujućom i oplemenjujućom religijom duha - religijom osobnog duhovnog iskustva.
155:6.8 (1732.1)
Every race of mankind has its own mental outlook upon human existence; therefore must the religion of the mind ever run true to these various racial viewpoints. Never can the religions of authority come to unification. Human unity and mortal brotherhood can be achieved only by and through the superendowment of the religion of the spirit. Racial minds may differ, but all mankind is indwelt by the same divine and eternal spirit. The hope of human brotherhood can only be realized when, and as, the divergent mind religions of authority become impregnated with, and overshadowed by, the unifying and ennobling religion of the spirit—the religion of personal spiritual experience.
Religije autoriteta jedino mogu podijeliti ljude i navesti ih da savjesno zauzmu protivne pozicije; religija postupno privlači ljude u zajednicu i navodi ih da jedni drugima pokažu suosjećajno razumijevanje. Religije autoriteta zahtijevaju od ljudi ujednačenost uvjerenja, ali to je nemoguće ostvariti s obzirom na današnje okolnosti u svijetu. Religija duha zahtijeva jedino jedinstvo iskustva - ujednačenost sudbine - potpuno dopuštajući raznolikost uvjerenja. Religija duha traži samo ujednačenost uvida, a ne ujednačenost gledišta i perspektive. Religija duha ne traži jednolikost intelektualnih pogleda, već samo jedinstvo osjećaja duha. Religije autoriteta se kristaliziraju u beživotna kreda; religija duha prerasta u sve veću radost i slobodu oplemenjujućih djela suosjećajne službe i milostivog posluživanja.
155:6.9 (1732.2)
The religions of authority can only divide men and set them in conscientious array against each other; the religion of the spirit will progressively draw men together and cause them to become understandingly sympathetic with one another. The religions of authority require of men uniformity in belief, but this is impossible of realization in the present state of the world. The religion of the spirit requires only unity of experience—uniformity of destiny—making full allowance for diversity of belief. The religion of the spirit requires only uniformity of insight, not uniformity of viewpoint and outlook. The religion of the spirit does not demand uniformity of intellectual views, only unity of spirit feeling. The religions of authority crystallize into lifeless creeds; the religion of the spirit grows into the increasing joy and liberty of ennobling deeds of loving service and merciful ministration.
Ali pazite da bilo koji od vas ne gleda s prezirom na djecu Abrahama zato što su podlijegli ovim zlim danima tradicionalne jalovosti. Naši su se preci dali u neumornu i strastvenu potragu za Bogom i pronašli su ga onako kako ga nije pronašla niti jedna druga kompletna rasa ljudi od doba Adama, koji je bio upoznat s ovim pitanjima zbog toga što je i sam bio Sin Božji. Moj Otac nije previdjeo priznati ovu dugu i neumornu borbu Izraela, sve od vremena Mojsija, kako bi pronašli i spoznali Boga. Kroz mnoge napaćene generacije, Židovi nisu prestali s radom, naporom, mukama i podnošenjem patnji i bolnih iskustava pogrešno shvaćenog i preziranog naroda i sve to kako bi mogli prići malo bliže otkriću istine o Bogu. Naši su oci bez obzira na sve propuste i spoticaje Izraela, od Mojsija do vremena Amosa i Hošea, cijelom svijetu postupno otkrili sve jasniju i istinitiju sliku vječnog Boga. I tako je pripravljen put za još veće otkrivenje Oca koje ste vi pozvani uzjamno podijeliti.
155:6.10 (1732.3)
But watch, lest any of you look with disdain upon the children of Abraham because they have fallen on these evil days of traditional barrenness. Our forefathers gave themselves up to the persistent and passionate search for God, and they found him as no other whole race of men have ever known him since the times of Adam, who knew much of this as he was himself a Son of God. My Father has not failed to mark the long and untiring struggle of Israel, ever since the days of Moses, to find God and to know God. For weary generations the Jews have not ceased to toil, sweat, groan, travail, and endure the sufferings and experience the sorrows of a misunderstood and despised people, all in order that they might come a little nearer the discovery of the truth about God. And, notwithstanding all the failures and falterings of Israel, our fathers progressively, from Moses to the times of Amos and Hosea, did reveal increasingly to the whole world an ever clearer and more truthful picture of the eternal God. And so was the way prepared for the still greater revelation of the Father which you have been called to share.
Nikada ne zaboravite da postoji samo jedna avantura koja je ljepša i uzbudljivija od čovjekovog nastojanja da otkrije volju živog Boga, a to je predivno iskustvo iskrenog pokušaja da se ta božanska volja sprovede u djelo. I ne zaboravite da se Božja volja može obavljati u bilo kojem zemaljskom zvanju. Neki pozivi nisu sveti a drugi svjetovni. Sve stvari su svete u životima onih kojima upravlja duh; to jest, onih koji su podređeni istini, oplemenjeni ljubavlju, dominiram milošću i obuzdani pravednosti - pravdom. Duh koji ćemo Otac moj i ja poslati na svijet nije samo Duh Istine, već je i duh idealističke ljepote.
155:6.11 (1732.4)
Never forget there is only one adventure which is more satisfying and thrilling than the attempt to discover the will of the living God, and that is the supreme experience of honestly trying to do that divine will. And fail not to remember that the will of God can be done in any earthly occupation. Some callings are not holy and others secular. All things are sacred in the lives of those who are spirit led; that is, subordinated to truth, ennobled by love, dominated by mercy, and restrained by fairness—justice. The spirit which my Father and I shall send into the world is not only the Spirit of Truth but also the spirit of idealistic beauty.
Morate prestati tražiti Božju riječ jedino na stranicama starih zapisa teološkog autoriteta. Oni koji su rođeni od duha Božjega će odsada raspoznavati Božju riječ, bez obzira odakle ona naočigled vuče porijeklo. Božanska istina ne treba biti zanemarena ako je naočigled potječe iz ljudskog izvora. Mnoga vaša braća imaju umove koji prihvaćaju teoriju o Bogu, dok oni duhovno ne shvaćaju Božju prisutnost. Upravo iz tog razloga sam vas toliko puta učio da se kraljevstvo nebesko najbolje može ostvariti stjecanjem duhovnog stava iskrenog djeteta. Ovim ne preporučam da ljudi usvoje mentalnu nezrelost, nego da prisvoje duhovnu jednostavnost takvog lako vjerujućeg djeteta s puno povjerenja. Nije toliko važno poznavati činjenicu Boga, koliko je važno iz dana u dan rasti u sposobnosti osjećanja prisutnosti Boga.
155:6.12 (1732.5)
You must cease to seek for the word of God only on the pages of the olden records of theologic authority. Those who are born of the spirit of God shall henceforth discern the word of God regardless of whence it appears to take origin. Divine truth must not be discounted because the channel of its bestowal is apparently human. Many of your brethren have minds which accept the theory of God while they spiritually fail to realize the presence of God. And that is just the reason why I have so often taught you that the kingdom of heaven can best be realized by acquiring the spiritual attitude of a sincere child. It is not the mental immaturity of the child that I commend to you but rather the spiritual simplicity of such an easy-believing and fully-trusting little one. It is not so important that you should know about the fact of God as that you should increasingly grow in the ability to feel the presence of God.
Nakon što počnete pronalaziti Boga u svojoj duši, s vremenom ćete ga početi opažati i u dušama drugih ljudi i na kraju u svim stvorenim bićima i cijelom stvaranju moćnog svemira. Ali kako se Otac može pojaviti kao Bog vrhovnih odanosti i božanskih ideala u dušama ljudi koji posvećuju tako malo ili ni malo vremena meditativnoj kontemplaciji tih vječnih stvarnosti? Dok um nije sjedište duhovne prirode, on je doista njezin pristup.
155:6.13 (1733.1)
When you once begin to find God in your soul, presently you will begin to discover him in other men’s souls and eventually in all the creatures and creations of a mighty universe. But what chance does the Father have to appear as a God of supreme loyalties and divine ideals in the souls of men who give little or no time to the thoughtful contemplation of such eternal realities? While the mind is not the seat of the spiritual nature, it is indeed the gateway thereto.
Nego pazite, moj Otac uvijek odgovara i na najtiši titraj vjere. On uzima u obzir fizičke i praznovjerne emocije primitivnog čovjeka. A kad se radi o iskrenim ali bojažljivim dušama čija je vjera tako slaba da ne predstavlja ništa više od intelektualnog konformizma u pasivnom stavu suglasnosti s religijama autoriteta, Otac je uvijek na oprezu da pokaže poštovanje i poticaj čak i takvim militavim pokušajima dopiranja do njega. Ali od vas koji ste pozvani iz tame u svjetlost očekuje se da vjerujete cijelim svojim srcem; vaša vjera treba dominirati nad spojenim stavovima tijela, uma i duha.
155:6.17 (1733.5)
Now, mistake not, my Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith. He takes note of the physical and superstitious emotions of the primitive man. And with those honest but fearful souls whose faith is so weak that it amounts to little more than an intellectual conformity to a passive attitude of assent to religions of authority, the Father is ever alert to honor and foster even all such feeble attempts to reach out for him. But you who have been called out of darkness into the light are expected to believe with a whole heart; your faith shall dominate the combined attitudes of body, mind, and spirit.
Vi ste moji apostoli i vama religija ne smije postati teološko utočište u kojem možete pronaći zaklon u strahu od suočavanja s okrutnim stvarnostima duhovnog napretka i idealističke pustolovine; vaša religija prije svega treba postati činjenica stvarnog iskustva koje svjedoči da je Bog pronašao, idealizirao, oplemenio i produhovio vas, i da ste uvršteni u vječnu pustolovinu pronalaženja Boga koji je tako pronašao vas i učinio vas svojim sinom.
155:6.18 (1733.6)
You are my apostles, and to you religion shall not become a theologic shelter to which you may flee in fear of facing the rugged realities of spiritual progress and idealistic adventure; but rather shall your religion become the fact of real experience which testifies that God has found you, idealized, ennobled, and spiritualized you, and that you have enlisted in the eternal adventure of finding the God who has thus found and sonshipped you.