Jeff Evangelist Evan was reminiscing with scientist Simon about his childhood, when he would be moved to tears while reading the New Testament gospels, especially in Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus’ beautiful wholeness of righteousness. “Happy are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” That righteousness is a gift from God is … Read more
Watch Mystical Maria: Talk of the spirit of God within is often a way of affirming that we can each have our own personal spiritual experience of God. We do not have to go along with stuffy traditional authority or superficial contemporary enthusiasms—even mine. Scientific Simon: All over the world, religious experience tends to reflect … Read more
Spiritual liberation from inner resistance and outer obstacles comes from using spiritual force to break through to the new life in God.
Evan: I came across a definition of the gospel that puzzles me because it’s different, but it really attracts me. The gospel—the supreme desire to do the Father’s will coupled with the supreme joy of the faith realization of sonship with God.
Sophia, if I were just meeting you, and if you expressed this concern, I would say, if you receive God as your Father, then you are a daughter of God. That means that you are born again. And that means that you have the power to overcome doubt. And that victory is your faith. Your salvation, your eternal life is assured. And you stay with the program by doing the will of your divine Parent.
Seven friends discuss the question, “How important in the religion that Jesus lived and taught, was the teaching that Jesus is the divine Son of God?”
Sophia the philosopher and Evan the evangelist discuss the possibility of growth after death. Why is heaven not just one place? The Hebrew Bible speaks of “the heaven of heavens.” Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. In Second Corinthians, Paul refers to a man (most probably himself) being caught up in the third heaven. Hmmm. What’s going on?
Why do people reject the father concept of God? Of the various reasons, I consider two here. First, some fathers are terrible parents. Second, generations of sensitive, well-informed, and ethically committed persons have been persuaded that the father concept of God (at least without mention of the motherhood of God) is sexist. To this second concern, I respond with selections from chapters on scientific, philosophical, and spiritual living in my book, Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.
Ali from Iran and Miguel from Colombia meet in a world religions class and have an extended conversation about a sentence in their assigned reading: Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.