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Teach Us To Pray
Unfoldment
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[Teach Us To Pray]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
God's pure life and substance are constantly renewing and
rebuilding His holy temple, my body.
New and rich ideas arise in my mind, and I demonstrate
prosperity.
"UNITY claims that the Bible teaches evolution; just where
is the evolution of Jesus taught?"
The evolution of Jesus was a combination of mind and body
unfoldment.
The body of Jesus developed from germs planted in Mary, His
mother. Science says that all stages of unfoldment from the
most primitive animal to man are illustrated in the
development of the human organism. So we must conclude that
the body of Jesus was an unfoldment from sense to Spirit.
However Unity teaches the evolution of both soul and body;
an evolution summarized in the 1st chapter of John under
the head of the unfoldment of the Word. Bible authorities
say that "Word" is a poor translation of the Greek word
Logos. Logos
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conveys the idea of implanted God--Mind in man--from which
the perfect man logically evolves.
God is Spirit. In creation Spirit takes the form of mind,
implanting itself in substance and becoming manifest as
perfect man. Here is condensed in a few words what would
take volumes to describe. Here are epitomized all books on
physiology and evolution, mental science and psychology,
religion and spiritual philosophy.
In the rocks beneath our feet are preserved the bones of
mammoth creatures that have been succeeded by finer types
of animal life. Here is evidence of evolution from lower to
higher types of life. Anthropology teaches that the earth
has been inhabited by man for at least half a million
years. Many hold that the present body of man has within it
natural forces that would transform it if they were
released. Those who read between the lines have discovered
that the Bible veils evolution in rites, ceremonies, and
acts of personalities.
As all words in every language have their root in the
thoughts and acts of man, so all the rites and ceremonies
of religion represent man's relation to his source, God,
and the development of his soul.
The two baptisms, that of John and Jesus, represent the two
common steps in the growth of the soul, denial and
affirmation, the dropping of the old and the laying hold of
the new. This is evolution.
In totality John the Baptist represents the perfected
natural man who recognizes his finality and his willingness
to surrender his personality so that
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the superman Christ may supplant him, thus symbolizing the
evolution of the soul from the personal to the spiritual.
It is essential that a clear understanding be had of the
principles involved in the transition from the natural to
the spiritual, otherwise the way will be difficult.
Jesus praised John as the most perfect of those born of
women--that is, of the Adam or natural man--but He
explained that John even in his perfection was not to be
compared with the spiritual man. He also commented on the
futile efforts of those on the natural plane who attempt by
will force (violence) to attain the spiritual ("kingdom of
heaven").
In the process of developing out of the natural into the
spiritual not only the mind but the body also is affected.
The energy locked up in the cells of the physical are
released and the body of flesh is transformed into a
radiant body of light. This is a day-by-day transformation
of the cells until the whole body is "electrified" and
passes over into the fourth dimension or kingdom of the
heavens. Jesus accomplished this transformation of His body
and it became an electrical dynamo broadcasting life germs
through our race consciousness. We are to follow Him in
this transformation.
These life germs of Jesus' body form the nucleus of a new
race organism for all people. All persons everywhere may
partake of (eat) the radiant body (bread) of Jesus by
exercising faith in Him as the
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great source of pure Spirit substance, sown as soul seed
for the saving of humanity from sense consciousness.
Not only may one eat of this superbody substance but one
may also drink through faith of His transcendent life. Such
eating of His body and drinking of His life or blood is the
"Holy Communion" of which sincere Christians partake daily.
The understanding that this very intimate relation exists
between Jesus and His true followers is transforming the
body of thousands of Christians who formerly labored under
the thought that the new body in Christ was to be attained
after death.
"I am the resurrection, and the life." "If a man keep my
word, he shall never see death."
When man understands that he is always right in the
presence of a supermind force that is perpetually pushing
him into higher states of consciousness and finer physical
radiations, he cannot help co-operating with it in the
divine urge toward higher things.
No man can retard this universal upward sweep of the whole
creation, but in the exercise of his inherent free will man
can insulate his soul and body, separate himself from it,
and thus become lost in the delusions of sense. To join the
Holy Spirit in its efforts to gain the attention and
co-operation of all men we make it a practice to join with
people of like mind in every walk of life in affirming
words that bind us to the mighty moving Spirit of Jesus
Christ.
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