Chapter V - Prayer and Atonement
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the traits of heathen Deities, and not of our God, the
the traits of heathen Deities, and not of our God, the
Principle that is Love.
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God's wrath vented on his only son, is without logic
God's wrath vented on his only son, is without logic
or humanity, and but a man-made belief. The beauti-
ful import of this hard place in theology is, that suf-
fering is an error of personal sense that Truth destroys,
and sin falls, a broken reed, at the feet of Love. The
Rabbinical teachings said, "He that taketh one doc-
trine firm in faith, has the holy ghost dwelling in him."
But this receives a strong rebuke from our Master, who
said, "Faith without works is dead." Faith, as a be-
lief, is but a pendulum between nothing and some-
thing, holding on to no foundations; but the advanced
understanding that is sometimes misnamed faith, is the
evidence gained from spiritual sense that rebukes the
belief of personal sense, and brings out of experience
the Life that is God. In Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and
English, the word "faith" embraces two meanings,
viz., "trustfulness" and "trustworthiness." The first
trusts all to another, and the second understands and
relies on one's self. "Lord, I believe, help thou mine
unbelief," expresses the helplessness of a blind faith,
whereas "Believe, and you shall be saved," is self‑
reliant, trustworthy faith that implies the understand-
ing that brings its own reward. The Hebrew gives
the following signification of the verb, "to believe:"
"To be firm, lasting, constant," and this certainly ap-
plies to Truth understood; for firmness in error will
never save man from sickness, sin, or death. An ac-
quaintance with the original texts, together with a wil-
lingness to give up beliefs founded on dynasties and
the worst passions of men, for the advanced views of
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civilization and the spiritual sense of Truth, makes the
civilization and the spiritual sense of Truth, makes the
scriptures a chart of Life to man.
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Christ and God are words synonymous. Christ sig-
Christ and God are words synonymous. Christ sig-
nifies the Soul and Principle of the man, Jesus. The
manner of expressing him in Scripture gives the mean-
ing of this relationship, viz., Jesus, the son of God,
i.e., the idea of Principle, and the offspring of Soul,
and not sense.
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Publius Lentulus wrote to the conscript fathers at
Publius Lentulus wrote to the conscript fathers at
Rome, – "The disciples of Jesus believe him the son
of God." Those who were taught by him the science
of being, reached the glorious perception that God is
the only author of man. The virgin mother first con-
ceived this idea of God, and named it Jesus; the illu-
mination of spiritual sense had put to silence personal
sense with Mary, thus mastering material law and
establishing through demonstration that God is the
father of man. The science of being overshadowed
the pure sense of the virgin mother with a full recog-
nition that Spirit is the basis of being. The idea we
call Substance, and Mary named Jesus, dwelt forever
in the bosom of the Father, in the Principle of man,
and woman perceived it because of her more spiritual
nature. The belief that Life originates with the sexes,
is strongest in the most material natures; whereas the
understanding of the spiritual origin of man cometh
only to the pure in heart. Man and woman, as ideas
of God, i.e., Spirit, meet Soul's expectancy, and are
immortal evidences that Spirit is harmonious, and man
eternal. Jesus was the offspring of Mary's self-con-
scious God-being in creative Wisdom; hence he was
more spiritual, more the idea of God, and demonstrated