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TRUTH-COORDINATED LIVING
Week 1. Required reading, experiential assignment, and questions for your discussion group.
The required reading for the week includes the following quotes and comments, plus a document for which the link is supplied.
Truth-coordinated living
Jesus introduced the concept of truth-coordinated living as the secret of the beautiful wholeness of righteousness, which in turn is the key to transforming the apostles’ results in the gospel movement. This is the number one quote for our first week together. If ever you begin to feel overwhelmed by the course material and tasks, come back to this quote, ponder, and be peaceful. Essential to our adventure in this course, which is being taught this fall for the first time, is to discover ways of joyous (beautiful) coping with the multiplicity of intellectual (truth) and practical (goodness) challenges.
“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
“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. (155:1.4-5/1726.1-2)
Two comments. First, the beautiful wholeness of righteousness is a name for what is elsewhere called “the grandeur of genuine character achievement” (2:7.9/43.2). It is the fulfillment of our one supreme ambition, our one consuming desire: to become as we are in our sphere, like the Universal Father is “in his Paradise perfection of personality and in his universal sphere of righteous supremacy.” (1:0.3/21.3). Another version of this goal: “The world needs to see Jesus living again on earth in the experience of spirit-born mortals who effectively reveal the Master to all men.” (195:10.1/2084.1). Jesus many times repeated, “In the kingdom you must be righteous in order to do the work”; and “Be you therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (140:10.1/1584.4). The call to become and be like God is addressed not only to the apostles; one of the essentials of the gospel is “faith in the effectiveness of the supreme human desire to do the will of God—to be like God” (140:10.9/1585.7).
Becoming like God is not a one-sidedly spiritual affair, because God functions on all levels.
1:2.10 (24.8) As a physical controller in the material universe of universes, the First Source and Center functions in the patterns of the eternal Isle of Paradise, and through this absolute gravity center the eternal God exercises cosmic overcontrol of the physical level equally in the central universe and throughout the universe of universes.
Second comment. Jesus’ teaching about truth-coordinated living invites us to integrate scientific living and spiritual living. Most students of The Urantia Book have lots of ideas about spiritual living, but the idea of scientific living is new. This course emphasizes a sane and well-balanced path to wholeness, and during the coming weeks we will place greater emphasis on scientific living.
Scientific living: Fact
Scientific living begins with a sturdy grasp of facts and the exploratory discovery of causes. To help form our concept of scientific living, we begin with some passages from The Urantia Book.
(1222.6) 111:6.7 The expansion of material knowledge permits a greater intellectual appreciation of the meanings of ideas and the values of ideals. A human being can find truth in his inner experience, but he needs a clear knowledge of facts to apply his personal discovery of truth to the ruthlessly practical demands of everyday life.
(956.7) 86:7.4 Only comprehension of facts and wise manipulation within the laws of nature will enable man to get what he wants and to avoid what he does not want. Scientific knowledge, leading to SCIENTIFIC ACTION, is the only antidote for so-called accidental ills.
A major goal this first week is to find some way to engage in scientific action during daily life and thus to enhance our joy in living. Joy is our response to the discovery of beauty, and the discovery of the beauty of scientific living is our first step into the beautiful wholeness of righteousness.
Scientific living is about becoming more effective in everyday, material, practical tasks. This is not something we do on our own. Even when we are planning our day or designing a project, we have help.
5:3.5 (66.1) When you deal with the practical affairs of your daily life, you are in the hands of the spirit personalities having origin in the Third Source and Center; you are co-operating with the agencies of the Conjoint Actor. And so it is: You worship God; pray to, and commune with, the Son; and work out the details of your earthly sojourn in connection with the intelligences of the Infinite Spirit operating on your world and throughout your universe.
Do you have a big decision to make about your career or about the ministry that you are beginning to develop?
(1112.3) 101:6.7 Revelation teaches mortal man that, to start such a magnificent and intriguing adventure through space by means of the progression of time, he should begin by theorganization of knowledge into idea-decisions;
Scientific living exercises one of the three basic functions of cosmic mind (along with duty and worship).
16:6.6 (192.2) 1. Causation — the reality domain of the physical senses, the scientific realms of logical uniformity, the differentiation of the factual and the nonfactual, reflective conclusions based on cosmic response. This is the mathematical form of the cosmic discrimination.
Scientific living enhances our prayer life.
(1638.3) 146:2.3 2. That prayer which is inconsistent with the known and established laws of God is an abomination to the Paradise Deities. If man will not listen to the Gods as they speak to their creation in the laws of spirit, mind, and matter, the very act of such deliberate and conscious disdain by the creature turns the ears of spirit personalities away from hearing the personal petitions of such lawless and disobedient mortals.
Scientific living enhances our capacity to function as spiritual teachers.
(1138.5) 103:7.7 What both developing science and religion need is more searching and fearless self-criticism, a greater awareness of incompleteness in evolutionary status. The teachers of both science and religion are often altogether too self-confident and dogmatic. Science and religion can only be self-critical of their facts. The moment departure is made from the stage of facts, reason abdicates or else rapidly degenerates into a consort of false logic.
Scientific living is a phase of loving.
110:3.9 (1206.7) 3. Loving man and sincerely desiring to serve him — wholehearted recognition of the brotherhood of man coupled with an intelligent and wise affection for each of your fellow mortals.
Scientific living enables us to have a fuller and more balanced concept of God.
(1222.5) 111:6.6 Science is the source of facts, and mind cannot operate without facts. They are the building blocks in the construction of wisdom which are cemented together by life experience. Man can find the love of God without facts, and man can discover the laws of God without love, but man can never begin to appreciate the infinite symmetry, the supernal harmony, the exquisite repleteness of the all-inclusive nature of the First Source and Center until he has found divine law and divine love and has experientially unified these in his own evolving cosmic philosophy.
196:3.2 (2094.1) There are just three elements in universal reality: fact, idea, and relation. The religious consciousness identifies these realities as science, philosophy, and truth. Philosophy would be inclined to view these activities as reason, wisdom, and faith — physical reality, intellectual reality, and spiritual reality. We are in the habit of designating these realities as thing, meaning, and value.
Here’s the first part of my definition of scientific living.
Scientific living means acting in the light of the relevant truths of science. The truths of science are truths of fact. Scientific living begins with stage one: being aware of fact, understanding fact at a level that is normally satisfactory for practical purposes, and focusing effectively on the task at hand. When we focus well, we notice facts that would be easy to overlook, face facts that are hard to deal with, and establish important facts with care instead of jumping to conclusions.
This quote from Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, p. 13.
Studying how Jesus grew up from early childhood to his later adult life gives us a model of how we can develop scientific living and help others to do so.
As a child [Jesus] accumulated a vast body of knowledge; as a youth he sorted, classified, and correlated this information; and now as a man of the realm he begins to organize these mental possessions preparatory to utilization in his subsequent teaching, ministry, and service in behalf of his fellow mortals . . . . (127:6.14/1405.6)
127:3.15 (1400.7) Jesus possessed the ability effectively to mobilize all his powers of mind, soul, and body on the task immediately in hand. He could concentrate his deep-thinking mind on the one problem which he wished to solve, and this, in connection with his untiring patience, enabled him serenely to endure the trials of a difficult mortal existence — to live as if he were “seeing Him who is invisible.”
127:4.4 (1401.4) While Jesus was most methodical and systematic in everything he did, there was also in all his administrative rulings a refreshing elasticity of interpretation and an individuality of adaptation that greatly impressed all the children with the spirit of justice which actuated their father-brother. He never arbitrarily disciplined his brothers and sisters, and such uniform fairness and personal consideration greatly endeared Jesus to all his family.
127:6.15 (1405.7) Born into the world a babe of the realm, he has lived his childhood life and passed through the successive stages of youth and young manhood; he now stands on the threshold of full manhood, rich in the experience of human living, replete in the understanding of human nature, and full of sympathy for the frailties of human nature. He is becoming expert in the divine art of revealing his Paradise Father to all ages and stages of mortal creatures.
Jesus’ ability to adjust his ministry to all ages and stages of mortals is a perfect illustration of revealing truth in accord with the receptivity principle. See the assigned document for this week: https://sites.google.com/site/ubquestionsandstudies/sharing-the-urantia-book-wisely/getting-the-gospel-movement-back-on-track
Jesus’ implied that we need scientific living in our participation in the gospel movement as we address varying groups of people.
191:4.4 (2042.1) “Go, then, into all the world proclaiming this gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men to all nations and races and ever be wise in your choice of methods for presenting the good news to the different races and tribes of mankind.
The sciences that contribute to scientific living include the social sciences; and social sciences involve the interpretation of the meaning of the diverse forms of human expression. The discipline of interpreting texts is hermeneutics. And because an excellent interpretation of The Urantia Book is needed to guide us in the responsible use of the book in our attempted service and ministry, we will focus on some of application.
The quest for knowledge and understanding leads through study.
123:5.2 (1362.3) For three years — until he was ten — [Jesus] attended the elementary school of the Nazareth synagogue. For these three years he studied the rudiments of the Book of the Law as it was recorded in the Hebrew tongue. For the following three years he studied in the advanced school and committed to memory, by the method of repeating aloud, the deeper teachings of the sacred law. . . .
129:1.9 (1420.6) At the Capernaum synagogue [Jesus] found many new books in the library chests, and he spent at least five evenings a week at intense study. . . .
137:7.14 (1535.6) As they thus tarried before embarking on their active public preaching, Jesus and the seven spent two evenings each week at the synagogue in the study of the Hebrew scriptures. . . .
Course overview
After the first two weeks, we will undertake applications of scientific living in cosmology, biology, psychology, and history. For now, these are the quotes and the document for you to consider.
In the realm of cosmology, we will cultivate our attitude in response to Jesus’ teaching that we live in a friendly universe.
133:1.4 (1469.3) “Ganid, I [Jesus] have absolute confidence in my heavenly Father’s overcare; I am consecrated to doing the will of my Father in heaven. I do not believe that real harm can befall me; I do not believe that my lifework can really be jeopardized by anything my enemies might wish to visit upon me, and surely we have no violence to fear from our friends. I am absolutely assured that the entire universe is friendly to me to me — this all-powerful truth I insist on believing with a wholehearted trust in spite of all appearances to the contrary.”
Here’s our leading quote on scientific living in the realm of biology.
(1209.4) 110:6.4 It is to the mind of perfect poise, housed in a body of clean habits, stabilized neural energies, and balanced chemical function — when the physical, mental, and spiritual powers are in triune harmony of development — that a maximum of light and truth can be imparted with a minimum of temporal danger or risk to the real welfare of such a being. By such a balanced growth does man ascend the circles of planetary progression one by one, from the seventh to the first.
Next, our leading quote on scientific living in psychology.
“To become acquainted with one’s brothers and sisters, to know their problems and to learn to love them, is the supreme experience of living.” (130:2.6/1431.1)
And finally a document relevant to scientific living in the realm of history: https://sites.google.com/site/ubquestionsandstudies/sharing-the-urantia-book-wisely/getting-the-gospel-movement-back-on-track
Experiential education
The educational method in this course is experiential.
This is the keynote of the whole [Nebadon] educational system: character acquired by enlightened experience. The teachers provide the enlightenment; the universe station and the ascender’s status afford the opportunity for experience; the wise utilization of these two augments character. (37:6.3/412.3)
Consider the wide-ranging and practical character of education as directed by the Planetary Prince’s staff (50:4/575), by Adam and Eve (74:7/835), and in the advanced civilization on a neighboring planet (72:4/812). Jesus trained the first six apostles for four months prior to beginning their experiential training. The other apostles received a one-week review of that instruction prior to their experiential training. They began with person-to-person ministry before moving into public speaking. Peter’s school of prophets “was conducted on the plan of learning and doing. What the students learned during the forenoon they taught to the assembly by the seaside during the afternoon. After supper they informally discussed both the learning of the forenoon and the teaching of the afternoon.” (148:1/1657)
Experiential Assignment for Week 1
On our well-balanced and sane effort to integrate scientific living with spiritual living, this course leads you to cultivate the soil for growth through a project in which you cultivate the soil for growth. This week’s assignment has three aspects.
First, notice that we all already apply scientific living in daily life to some degree. Now begin to find some new applications of this concept. The previous quotes show that scientific living is a dimension of our material, intellectual, and spiritual lives; so we cannot restrict the concept to some one part of our lives. The project has implications for daily life generally. During this first week, you will enhance your focus on facts, sustaining attention as needed to establish important facts with care and to face facts that are challenging.
Second, since we can’t work on every aspect of our lives at once, we need a focus—one or a small number of growth needs to work on. Therefore, select an area in which you need to grow, an area that you would like to work on during this course. If it is psychologically reasonable for you to do so, choose your number one growth need, your “front-burner issue.” 163:2.7 (1802.3) “Almost every human being has some one thing which is held on to as a pet evil, and which the entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as a part of the price of admission.” You decide what to focus on, but do not simply build on a strength that you already have. State the growth project in positive terms. For example, it’s not about overcoming fear or addiction; it’s about fostering courage or self-mastery.
If you cannot find a reason to choose just one area to focus on, here are some strategies that may help you design an effective project. First of all, acknowledge the fact that during the normal day a wide variety of issues surface which, for that period of time, we properly regard as our front-burner issue. Second, you can generalize; note, for example, the tremendous breadth of the concept of self-mastery presented in 143:2/1609–10; you might say that your goal is to deal promptly and effectively with unbeautiful emotions when they arise. Third, it may be the case that a particular relationship touches on a number of growth challenges. Fourth, you may be at a place in life where your goal is to balance and integrate your character in its fullness; in this case, you might want to adopt as your “golden rule” for your project a phrase (possibly a quote) that symbolizes the spectrum of qualities that you seek, for example, the “beautiful wholeness of righteousness.” Finally, it may be better to make an arbitrary choice of a focus and make significant progress on that rather than to diffuse your concentration and wander without power; growth flourishes when our good decisions are reinforced with force and constancy.
It is normal to experience confusion about the project for a few days. (I do not give examples of projects because of the tendency to imitate associates, which leads some students to imitate an example instead of going through the authentic struggle that is so productive of growth.) If your confusion persists for more than a few days, email the instructor. I am happy to help you structure a project that suits you. Do not become anxious if your start is delayed. We are taking two introductory weeks to get the projects launched.
There is no need to share personal details with the instructor or with other students, though you may do so if you choose.
There is no pressure to complete your growth by any particular date. Growth has its own rhythm and cannot be forced. The projects require that we cultivate the soil for growth. Success requires sincerity, persistence, and wholeheartedness. You cannot exert effort in a quick spurt and expect a worthy result. Insights may come quickly, but we’re after more than insight.
Third, review the quotes previously listed above, thinking of them in terms of your daily life in general and your focus in particular. Do not be overambitious or in a hurry. You will begin to get some ideas of things you could do. Begin to get active right away—beautifully, without anxiety or a sense of pressure, but trusting in your teamwork with God and grateful for this opportunity to learn together. Make notes in a journal on (1) what you tried, (2) what happened, and (3) what you learned.
Questions for Discussion
1. From the quotes relevant to scientific living, pick one that you find to be especially meaningful, and write a paragraph about why it is meaningful to you. Share this paragraph with your study group (there are two of these: Friends in Fact and Companions in Causation).
2. As you begin to consider the experiential project, see whether you find it reasonable by next Wednesday, September 28, to select a primary focus or a few main things you want to work on. Would you be comfortable sharing the positive goal are you striving for? The sharing of personal details is neither requested nor suppressed; some may choose to do so, but remember: self-revelation is voluntary. In any case, we support you in prayer, we give thanks for the opportunity to begin to know you, and we worship the Creator for bestowing on you your unique personality and for sending his spirit to be the very nucleus of that personality. As you began applying the project in daily life, do you have anything to report briefly in your study group about your experience?
3. What does scientific living mean to you in the context of your own philosophy of personal growth and cosmic evolution? Please write 1-2 paragraphs to share in your study group. Advanced readers are to express themselves in a way that is accessible to beginning readers.
Finally, if the very concept of scientific living seems confusing, take heart: we devote the first two weeks to introducing it. And if you were unable to fulfill all the tasks, please be peaceful. It’s a friendly universe, and we understand that not every assignment is realistically reasonable for every student. Indeed, being realistic is one of the essentials in scientific living. There’s never enough time for everything, but there’s always enough time to do the Father’s will.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
