Are you operating from your lower self or your Higher Self?

The ego cannot oppose the laws of God any more than you can, but it can interpret them according to what it wants, just as you can. That is why the question, “What do you want?” must be answered. You are answering it every minute and every second, and each moment of decision is a judgment that is anything but ineffectual. Its effects will follow automatically until the decision is changed. T-5.V.6:1-4

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

We can choose knowingly or unknowingly to separate ourselves from the will of God. People side with the ego and do it all the time. And then they wonder why they suffer and are unhappy.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This truth and meaning is to be found in the will of God. The search for this truth and meaning according to the will of God is called “discernment.”

Today, it is suggested that we step back from our ego desires and attempt to discern the will of God, our Higher Power, our Transcendent Source, the Ground of Being, the Tao, whatever we wish to call it. It is our Higher Self as compared to our ego based Lower Self.

Does justice require restoration or punishment?

The ego does not perceive sin as a lack of love, but as a positive act of assault. This is necessary to the ego’s survival because, as soon as you regard sin as a lack, you will automatically attempt to remedy the situation. And you will succeed. The ego regards this as doom, but you must learn to regard it as freedom. T-5.V.4:10-13

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

A Course In Miracles is very cryptic. The verses take a lot of unpacking to understand their meaning. 

In today’s verses, it is written that the ego does not see sin as a lack of love but rather as an attack of some sort. Redemption, exoneration, the undoing of the harm caused by sin makes it even more real and consequential when what really is necessary is the rising above the illusion of sin as attack and instead see it as a lack of love which requires a move from the perpetrator role with concomitant guilt  to the position of forgiveness which entails the giving up of the ego and returning to the place of unconditional love which is a healing that the Course calls “Atonement” or the becoming one with the All and healing the separation..

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.. This principle encourages restorative not punitive criminal justice practices.

Today, it is suggested that we  consider sin as a lack of love instead of attack. Reframing sin in this way contributes to much more beneficial ideas about redemption and salvation.

What do you believe: conditional love or unconditional love?

Whatever you accept into your mind has reality for you. It is your acceptance of it that makes it real. If you enthrone the ego in your mind, your allowing it to enter makes it your reality. This is because the mind is capable of creating reality or making illusions. I said before that you must learn to think with God. To think with Him is to think like Him. This engenders joy, not guilt, because it is natural. Guilt is a sure sign that your thinking is unnatural. Unnatural thinking will always be attended with guilt, because it is the belief in sin. T-5.V.4:1-9

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

The bumper sticker reads, “Perception is reality.” Psychologists call it “confirmation bias.” What we think we are going to see, or what we want to see, we tend to see. Do we believe in conditional love or unconditional love? Conditional love is based on a fear of scarcity while unconditional love is based on a belief in abundance. Jesus often would say to his disciples something like “Why do you worry? Worry is unnecessary if you only knew how much your Father in heaven loves you.” The question now becomes, “Do you believe you are loved?”

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth. This encouragement involves a sense of unconditional love which washes away a belief in sin and feelings of guilt, and in their place a sense of peace and joy.

Today, it is suggested that we choose what we want to believe: in the ego and conditional love or in Spirit and unconditional love.

Look for the Divine Spark in every person and declare it worthy and dignified.

The ego is quite literally a fearful thought. However ridiculous the idea of attacking God may be to the sane mind, never forget that the ego is not sane. It represents a delusional system, and speaks for it. Listening to the ego’s voice means that you believe it is possible to attack God, and that a part of Him has been torn away by you. Fear of retaliation from without follows, because the severity of the guilt is so acute that it must be projected. T-5.V.3:7-11

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

We separated our ego from the non dual Oneness and then fear retaliation. We feel guilty for what we have done. We project our guilt onto others thinking them unworthy.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. UUs undo the guilt and fear acknowledging God’s unconditional love for God’s creation.

Today, it is suggested that we look for Divine Spark in every person and declare it worthy and dignified.

Do you dwell in the world of the ego or the world of Spirit?

The ego is the part of the mind that believes in division. How could part of God detach itself without believing it is attacking Him? We spoke before of the authority problem as based on the concept of usurping God’s power. The ego believes that this is what you did because it believes that it is you. If you identify with the ego, you must perceive yourself as guilty. Whenever you respond to your ego you will experience guilt, and you will fear punishment. The ego is quite literally a fearful thought. T-5.V.3:1-7

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

The ego having separated itself from its Transcendent Source feels guilty and fears punishment. There is that fear of inadequacy and deficiency that gives rise to our sense of shame. The sense of shame gives rise to compulsive behaviors that are mood altering and while temporarily there is a feeling of relief, in the long run the compulsive behavior increases our suffering and anguish.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This inherent worth and dignity arises from our recognition and acknowledgement of our origin coming from our Transcendent Source.

Today, it is suggested that departure from ego thoughts to the non dual Oneness within is worthy of practice through meditation..

United we stand, divided we fall.

What is truly blessed is incapable of giving rise to guilt, and must give rise to joy. This makes it invulnerable to the ego because its peace is unassailable. It is invulnerable to disruption because it is whole. Guilt is always disruptive. Anything that engenders fear is divisive because it obeys the law of division. If the ego is the symbol of the separation, it is also the symbol of guilt. Guilt is more than merely not of God. It is the symbol of attack on God. This is a totally meaningless concept except to the ego, but do not underestimate the power of the ego’s belief in it. This is the belief from which all guilt really stems. T-5.V.2:3-12

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

At our incarnation we separated ourselves from the non dualistic Oneness of the Ground Of Being. For this we feel guilty and the guilt engenders fear of retribution. This guilt and fear is the basis for the illusion of the ego and maintains its strength. 

Disregarding the work of the ego to separate and divide and seeking instead unification with the Oneness from which we separated ourselves is the source of peace and joy.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to accept one another and encourage spiritual growth which involves a love for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Today, it is suggested that we seek to unite and not divide, to take comfort in rejoining the Oneness of consciousness where peace and bliss abide. This involves mindfulness and meditation.

What do we owe others?

 

Question 1. What Do You Owe to Others? … In other words, what is the best way to treat the people who are in your life, and the groups you’re most concerned about?

Justice 

Fairness 

Respect 

Honesty 

Decency 

Cooperation 

Generosity

 

McIntosh, Developmental Politics, p.183

 

All of the virtues are important and I endeavor to treat people with all these seven virtues in mind. If I had to pick a basic virtue, it would be honesty. People are not free if they are lied to.

Unitarian Universalists join together to affirm and promote, justice, equity, and compassion in human relations and in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.