There are no strangers in God’s creation.

There are no strangers in God’s creation. To create as He created you can create only what you know, and therefore accept as yours. God knows His children with perfect certainty. He created them by knowing them. He recognizes them perfectly. When they do not recognize each other, they do not recognize Him. T-3.III.7:7-12

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

Once you see the Divine Spark in all God’s creation there are no strangers. You know them all. If you do not recognize another, it is because you do not know the Ground of Being, the Transcendent Source, the Life which animates all living things.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested, in step twelve, that we carry the message of our spiritual awakening to other people suffering from alcohol and other addictions. They don’t realize who and what they are: children of God. If they knew this they would experience great peace and joy. Having been spiritually awakened, we see this spark of the Divine in all people.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. When we know this inherent worth and dignity in others, there are no strangers. We then can live our sixth principle which is a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Today, I will look past superficialities and know the Divine in every one I meet. I will realize there are no strangers among us.

What you see is what you get.

I have said that only what God creates or what you create with the same Will has any real existence. This, then, is all the innocent can see. They do not suffer from distorted perception.” T-3.II.3:6-8  A Course In Miracles

Unitarian Universalists join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. It is seeing this inherent worth and dignity that the Course calls “miracle perception” or “right-minded seeing”.

Peace Pilgrim said that she would look for the Divine Spark in each person she met and focus on that.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested, in step three, that we make a decision to turn our willfulness over to the Will of God. This is a decision to engage in miracle perception also known as right mindedness.

Today, it is suggested that we shift our perception and thinking from the illusory world of the ego to the truth which is the unconditional love of God manifested in all God’s creation when we look deeply past superficialities to the Divine Spark within..

Rest in the Tao.

I have stated that the basic concepts referred to in this course are not matters of degree. Certain fundamental concepts cannot be understood in terms of opposites. It is impossible to conceive of light and darkness or everything and nothing as joint possibilities. They are all true or all false. It is essential that you realize your thinking will be erratic until a firm commitment to one or the other is made. A firm commitment to darkness or nothingness, however, is impossible. No one has ever lived who has not experienced some light and some thing. No one, therefore, is able to deny truth totally, even if he thinks he can. T-3.II.1:1-8

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

Truth has no opposite. It simply is whether we are aware of it or not.

In Alcoholics Anonymous, it is suggested in step five, that we finally admit the truth to God and another human being. The truth will set us free from the conditioning of the ego so we can enter into the embrace of Unconditional Love.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which is to be found in our hearts when we become aware of our natural inheritance which is unconditional love as the Universalists taught a few centuries ago.

Today, it is suggested that we give up the struggle between dichotomies, the yin and the yang,  that do not exist, and rest in the Tao.

Mother Nature and Homo Sapiens: Conflict or collaboration?

The idea that Mother Nature has become more dependent on homo sapiens than the other way around is an advance in human consciousness that has not yet occurred for the majority of the population. The biblical teaching to dominate the earth still fuels a grandiose sense of entitlement in homo sapiens which is having pernicious consequences.

The challenge of climate change is being met with technological thinking which is helpful but at a deeper level it is a spiritual problem and until their is a societal change of heart and mind we will continue down a self defeating path.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote a respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.

Good can withstand any form of evil.

The resurrection demonstrated that nothing can destroy truth. Good can withstand any form of evil, as light abolishes forms of darkness. The Atonement is therefore the perfect lesson. It is the final demonstration that all the other lessons I taught are true. If you can accept this one generalization now, there will be no need to learn from many smaller lessons. You are release from all errors if you believe this. T-3.1.7:6-11 

A Course In Miracles

The Atonement, in A Course Of Miracles, is the undoing of the separation. It is becoming aware of the Oneness that in truth we have never left. They killed Jesus' body when they crucified Him but they couldn’t kill His spirit which was resurrected and lives on. It is the light of the resurrection which dissolves darkness. If we experience the light of the Atonement we need to learn and know nothing else.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God. This suggestion encourages us to accept the Atonement.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person which is a recognition of the Atonement. The Atonement in the context of this principle means the Oneness of God’s creation which is imbued with worth and dignity.

Today, it is suggested that we rise above the divisiveness, exclusion, and separation of the world of the ego and enter into the realm of Oneness which is the unconditional love of God if even for a few seconds, or minutes or even longer if we wish.

The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of who and what we really are.

I have been correctly referred to as “the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world,” but those who represent the lamb as blood-stained do not understand the meaning of the symbol. Correctly understood, it is a very simple symbol that speaks of my innocence. The lion and the lamb lying down together symbolize that strength and innocence are not in conflict, but naturally live in peace. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” is another way of saying the same thing. A pure mind knows the truth and this is its strength. It does not confuse destruction with innocence because it associates innocence with strength, not with weakness.T-3.I.5:1-6

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

Innocence and strength are not in conflict, but innocence, meaning purity, is a strength because it has jettisoned all the baggage of the world of the ego which has conditioned the person’s awareness to believe it is defective, inadequate, weak, insecure, and threatened. The saying is ‘The Truth shall set you free.” The Truth is that your soul is perfect as God created it and if God created it who can stand against it?

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested in step three that we make a decision to turn our willfulness over to the Will of God. This means that we decide to go with the flow of the Universe, the Source of Creation and recognize our intrinsic Goodness..

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. It is this inherency that is pure, true, good, and beautiful. It is in this inherency that we find our strength. If God is with you, who can be against you?

Today, it is suggested that we accept the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of who and what we really are.

Sacrifice is a notion totally unknown to God.

Sacrifice is a notion totally unknown to God. It arises solely from fear, and frightened people can be vicious. Sacrificing in any way is a violation of my injunction that you should be merciful even as your Father in Heaven is merciful. It has been hard for many Christians to realize that this applies to themselves. Good teachers never terrorize their students. To terrorize is to attack, and this results in rejection of what the teacher offers. The result is learning failure. T-3.I.4:1-7

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

How often have Christian preachers given “fire and brimstone” sermons and “put the fear of god” in people “for their own good?” This is nothing Jesus ever taught or did.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is stated, in its eleventh tradition, that its program is to be offered based on attraction not on promotion. Spiritual truth, goodness, and beauty is recognized, shared and grown in the same way.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process in an effort to welcome all people in our covenantal relationship to affirm and promote our jointly held principles..

Today, it is suggested that we become aware of sacrifice as a requirement for spiritual growth to be sometimes a form of attack based on power relations rather than a means of experiencing unconditional love. Honey is better than vinegar. The carrot is better than the stick.