Religion

SPIRITUAL UNIVERSALIST

Jim Lantern

Mark Twain — “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Read article: Is the 3D Universe Just a Hologram? – Nature World News – 27 April 2015

SPIRITUAL UNIVERSALIST – A Way of Life – as a Virtual Reality Faith 

A new kind of Christian religion proposed by science fiction author Jim Lantern

“Virtual Reality” defined for use via computers and the Internet: An artificial environment, which is experienced through sensory stimuli – such as sights and sounds – provided by a computer or other similar device, and in which the actions of a person determines what happens in the environment. Also, the technology used to create or access a virtual reality.

“Virtual Reality” redefined for religion: The Physical Universe is the Virtual Reality of spiritual beings living in the Spiritual Universe. Physical bodies here are their avatars. The physical body is like a car, and the spiritual soul is the driver.

We have the ability to use computers to create virtual reality, in which we create characters, avatars, who can be killed, while we live on unharmed in the so-called real world. What if the physical universe is the virtual reality for spiritual beings living in the spiritual universe on spiritual worlds similar to planets? We are their avatars for them to function in physical form while in the physical universe. Here, they can be killed in physical form, while living on unharmed in their spiritual form. We are them in physical form. They are us. The physical body is like a car, and the soul is the driver. So each of us are just using our physical bodies for transportation while visiting this planet. We are soul travelers engaging in soul travel.

“Beam my soul to Earth.”

This is an explanation that could possibly answer all or most questions about physical life, where we came from, the creation of the earth and the physical universe. It is with some humor that we consider maybe God really did create the heavens and earth in only six days, and did so with his personal desktop computer! Then imagine trillions of other spiritual beings each creating trillions of physical realities – trillions of physical universes!

This is a variation of “Intelligent Design” – the theory that life and the universe cannot have come into existence by chance – that it was designed and created by one or more intelligent entities.

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ARTICLES of SPIRITUAL UNIVERSALIST – a Way of Life 

Updated 19 January 2015

1. Spiritual Universalist, as a kind of Virtual Reality Faith, is not a church or religious organization. It is a “way of life” to be lived, to be experienced mainly at a spiritual level.

2. Spiritual Universalist has no expenses, and therefore has no need to take up collections or accept donations of money for any purpose. It is free.

3. Spiritual Universalist has no physical locations for meetings, such as churches or temples, or any other buildings. It may have free websites for the convenience of believers to interact with each other – such as forums, Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress. [Members living in the same city may meet at locations such as public parks.]

4. Spiritual Universalist has no pastors or religious leaders. There are only believers participating as equals. There is no need for any person to stand between you and God [or to speak for God] – our creator or creators – for any purpose. [Or another way of looking at it, all members are like pastors, as equals.]

5. Spiritual Universalist recognizes total equality of men and women, and rejects all male-dominated religions. As there is a Creator Father there may also be a Creator Mother. As there is a Creator Son, there may also be a Creator Daughter. There may be more than one Creator Father, more than one Creator Mother, more than one Creator Son, more than one Creator Daughter.

6. Spiritual Universalist accepts the basic concept of Universalism as Universalists; not just Christian Universalists, not just Trinitarian Universalists, and not just Unitarian Universalists.

7. Spiritual Universalist accepts the basic concept of Intelligent Design, rather than the basic concept of godless evolution or the basic concept of biblical creation. We and all of the physical world we know was created by an intelligence – an intelligent spiritual being – that/who may be perceived to be the God of the Holy Bible.

8. Spiritual Universalist rejects the concept of a hell for eternal punishment for so-called sinners. Spiritual Universalist presents a difference between sin and willful evil; that sin is like a misdemeanor crime calling for limited punishment and forgiveness, while willful evil is like a capital crime calling for a spiritual death penalty being the instant obliteration of the soul or spirit. Spiritual beings may have rules for acceptable behavior while living in physical form in the physical universe, and there may be consequences for breaking those rules. You can’t wrongfully kill someone here, for example, and then live on without any punishment in the hereafter – even if killing them physically does not harm them spiritually – does not cause the death of a soul. Willful evil is a kind of anti-life virus. As there is matter and antimatter, there is life and antilife.

9. Spiritual Universalist rejects any religion that claims physical disabilities and/or illnesses of any kind is evidence that a person is or has been sinful and/or otherwise is not right with God. Spiritual Universalist presents the idea that we are not flawless because our creator or creators have not yet found the means to make us physically flawless, or for other reasons chose not to make us flawless, or that they themselves have limited knowledge and are experiencing a learning process as we in physical form are gradually upgraded physically with a process similar to the concept of evolution.

10. Spiritual Universalist presents the idea that our physical bodies are like cars, and our souls are the drivers. The energy of the cells of the physical body produce the unconscious mind and therein the id. The energy of the cells of the physical brain produce the conscious mind, subconscious, and therein the ego. The energy of the cells of the superphysical body of the soul produce the superconscious mind and therein the superego.

11. Spiritual Universalist presents the spiritual science that the spiritual universe is made from supermatter, compared to the physical universe made from matter.

12. Spiritual Universalist presents the belief that we in spiritual form were spiritually born into the spiritual universe on spiritual worlds similar to planets and made from supermatter; that after we live out a physical life in the physical universe we will return to our spiritual lives in the spiritual universe. When we physically die, our souls return to the spiritual universe from which they came and had pre-existence. Physical life begins with physical conception, but spiritual life begins before physical conception and then continues after a physical life.

13. Spiritual Universalist accepts the possibility of spiritual reincarnation, that the spiritual beings may repeatedly visit the physical universe to have more than one physical life.

14. Spiritual Universalist does not accept the need for physical rituals, such as for example water baptisms, but is not opposed to them because of how they do appear to benefit some people.

15. Spiritual Universalist is a 24/7 spiritual religion, not limited to physical participation one day each week. As the conscious mind and physical body does the physical work of the physical universe, the superconscious mind and superphysical soul does the spiritual work of the spiritual universe, as a kind of multitasking within both levels of existence at the same time. Spiritual participation can be anytime and anywhere, even all the time and everywhere.

16. Spiritual Universalist does not require worship of any kind, for any purpose, of any creator. Our creator or creators are not egotistical gods demanding humans worship them. Our relationship with God does not require worship, but should result in love and respect for God – our creator.

17. Spiritual Universalist accepts the possibility that prayers are a method of communication between the physical universe and the spiritual universe, between us in physical form and spiritual beings in spiritual form including those who created us. Prayers can result in spiritual beings, or otherwise our creators, making changes for the better to and within the spiritual universe, effecting events and our physical lives. By “praying all times in the Spirit” we in spiritual form can “pray without ceasing” 24/7. As the mind and body is engaged in the physical world, the soul and spirit is engaged in the spiritual world. Therefore, you may be engaged in any physical activity while praying at a spiritual level.

18. Spiritual Universalist accepts the possibility that Christ Jesus was a Creator Son who lived a physical life in the physical universe, here on earth, for the purpose of liberating our souls with knowledge of the physical and spiritual universes, rather than to die for our sins. Spiritual Universalist refers to that Creator Son as Christ Jesus rather than Jesus Christ, because Christ is a title like King, and we do not for example refer to King James as James King. Spiritual Universalist presents the idea that at one time there was only one Creator Son, but as time has passed within the spiritual universe more Creator Sons have been born, in addition to Creator Daughters.

19. Spiritual Universalist presents the idea that the actual purpose of physical life may be very important to spiritual beings, rather than just perhaps being a kind of entertainment like computer-generated virtual reality is for the humans on this planet. Perhaps wars are fought in the physical universe to save spiritual beings from being killed in a permanent death in wars in the spiritual universe, and then the winning side of a war here may be granted greater control of the spiritual beings in the spiritual universe. The ongoing battle between good and evil here may determine the fate of spiritual beings there, so physical life is important in that way, and other ways. What you do with your physical life here may impact your spiritual life there when you return to it. Do good here and then you will live better there as a kind of reward.

20. Spiritual Universalist accepts the existence of physical life on other physical worlds, other planets within the physical universe. Spiritual Universalist presents the idea that travel across physical space between inhabited planets may be fairly common in spiritual form rather than in physical form. Spiritual Universalist presents the idea of soul travel and soul migration between inhabited planets in the physical universe. Space traveling souls may carry knowledge for trade rather than physical cargo for trade between inhabited planets. A space traveling soul may leave a physical body behind on one planet, travel across space, and then be born into a physical body on another planet. Then, upon completing a mission, may return to the original physical body it left behind on the planet it came from, or be born into a new physical body.

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ABOUT SPIRITUAL UNIVERSALISM

Written by Jim Lantern

Updated 19 January 2015

The following includes excerpts from Wikipedia, mixed with my own words and modifications.

First, some history…

The Universalist Church of America was a Christian Universalist religious denomination in the United States (plus affiliated churches in other parts of the world). Known from 1866 as theUniversalist General Convention, the name was changed to the Universalist Church of America in 1942. In 1961, it consolidated with the American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association. This new version may be described as being a variation of Trinitarian Universalism. It is not Unitarian Universalism – we are not Unitarians and are not Unitarian Universalists. However, they are welcome to participate as members of this new version.

The plan and design…

It is my intention to at least try to partly restore the original Universalist Church – in particular the Universalist Church of America as a kind of basic model. Even so, this does not exclude people of other countries from participating. This is international, not limited to Americans – US citizens. It will only exist and function via the Internet. It will not have any expenses, and so no donations of money needed – it will be free.

Although this new variation accepts Christ Jesus as a Son of God – a Creator Son, being classified as “Christian” is not primary, but rather one of the elements of this religion. There are two major differences between traditional Christian churches and this new version…

1. Christ Jesus did not come to this world to die for our sins, but to liberate our souls – so that we may return to heaven – after having been spiritually quarantined here during a great war in heaven, which lasted for thousands of years.
2. At one time there was only One Son of God, but now there are many Sons of God – as well as many Daughters of God; our agreement with the ancient belief of God being a Mother Spirit in addition to a Father Spirit – so this revived religion is not a male-dominated religion, but is one that recognizes the equality of men and women.

The defining theology of Universalism is universal salvation; Universalists believe that the God of love would not create a person knowing that that person would be destined for eternal damnation. They concluded that all people must be destined for salvation. Some early Universalists, known as Restorationists and led by Paul Dean, believed that after death there is a period of reprobation in Hell preceding salvation. Other Universalists, notably Hosea Ballou, denied the existence of Hell entirely. This new version is in partial agreement with Ballou – that there is no Hell for eternal punishment. We do believe there is a “Lake of Fire” where condemned souls are instantly obliterated. This ties in with our belief that “sin” is like a misdemeanor crime calling for limited punishment and eventual forgiveness, while “willful evil” is like a capital crime calling for the death penalty – the instant and permanent death of a condemned soul – rather than endless punishment.

In Christian theology, universal reconciliation (also called universal salvation, Christian universalism, or in context simply universalism) is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls – because of divine love and mercy – will ultimately be reconciled to God.The Primitive Baptist Universalists (also called Primite Baptist Universalists) are Christian Universalist congregations located primarily in the central Appalachian region of the United States. They are popularly known as “No-Hellers” due to their belief (unlike most other Christian denominations) that there is no Hell per se, but that Hell is actually experienced in this life. Further, Primitive Baptists, also known as Hard Shell Baptists, Anti-Mission Baptists, or Old School Baptists are conservative Baptists adhering to a degree of Calvinist beliefs that coalesced out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 1800s over the appropriateness of mission boards, Bible tract societies, and temperance societies. The adjective “Primitive” in the name has the sense of “original.”

Spiritual Universalists may be referred to as being “more spiritual than religious.” For this version, we believe spiritual participation is more important than physical participation. This is a difficult concept for some people, especially those who only use their physical senses to perceive the physical world, and have not developed spiritual senses for perceiving the spiritual world .

While having mentioned Baptists, it is important at this point to present an important difference. For this version, we do not believe physical rituals are necessary – such as water baptisms as a good example. Most human rituals are really done to convince and satisfy other humans who need or want or demand to see evidence of physical participation as proof of one’s faith. Some people pray out loud. We believe that is not necessary. Speaking is a physical activity using mouth to produce sound, and using ears to receive the sound. We believe in silent prayer – to be done spiritually with the mind. The energy of the physical cells of the physical body produce the unconscious mind and id. The energy of the physical cells of the physical brain produce the conscious mind, subconscious, and ego. The energy of the spiritual cells of the spiritual soul produce the superconscious mind and the superego. As the physical body does the physical work of the physical universe, the spiritual body does the spiritual work of the spiritual universe, as a kind of multitasking at two different levels of existence of life. Therefore, we can pray and worship at a spiritual level anytime and anywhere, even all of the time and everywhere, while being physically active or sleeping.

An important difference between the old church and the new church is of course the use of the Internet. This new version is not actually a “church” as we know them to be today. This new concept is that the “church” exists spiritually within each of us, not externally as physical buildings where church-goers usually meet, and not officially as a religious organization. I’m eliminating the involvement of government, such as for being a tax-exempt organization. This new version will have no expenses. Therefore, no money will be collected. Membership is free. Donations of money will not be accepted for any purpose. There is no process for joining – no signing up – as membership is automatic for those who decide to refer to themselves as members. Acceptance is automatic, so no one can reject you for any reason. Further, there will be no geographical address, no mailing address, no street address, no email address, and no phone number. There might eventually be a Facebook Page and a Twitter account for members to interact. WordPress is being used as the only website, and it is free to use.

As a Christian denomination, Christian Universalism originated during the late 18th century with theUniversalist Church of America. There is currently [in 2014] no single denomination that is uniting Christian Universalists, but a few denominations teach some of the principles of Christian Universalism or are open to them. In 2007, the Christian Universalist Association was founded to serve as an ecumenical umbrella organization for churches, ministries, and individuals who believe in Christian Universalism.

For this new version, there is no organizational structure. There is no pastor. No human needs to stand between you and our Creator. So we are opposed to religious organizational structures – such as those used by the Catholic Church, Episcopal Churches, and Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints), as three examples. Each member has equal means to participate at a spiritual level, and each member is spiritually equal. This includes equality of men and women. We may be comparable to the Knights of the Round Table – a table with no head where all who sit at it are equals. If there were a “head” of our table, so to speak, such as where King Arthur might sit, then it would be a spiritual being as “head” – such as Christ Jesus.

Virtual Reality Faith is the belief that the physical universe is the virtual reality of spiritual beings living in the spiritual universe. Our physical bodies are their avatars while functioning in the physical universe. Spiritually, we are them. The physical body is like a car. The soul is the driver.

Universalism refers to religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability. Universalism is a term used to identify particular doctrines considering all people in their formation.

In a broad sense, universalism claims that religion is a universal human quality. This can be contrasted with non-universalist religions. Religion in this context is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

In Christianity, universal reconciliation is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls—because of divine love and mercy—will ultimately be reconciled to God. Unitarian Universalism believes that religion is a universal human quality, emphasizing the universal principles of most religions and accepting other religions in an inclusive manner, believing in a universal reconciliation between humanity and the divine. Even so, Unitarians exclude Christ Jesus as a Son of God – only accepting him as a great teacher. Unitarian Universalism historically grew out of Christian Universalism but is not an exclusively Christian denomination. It formed from a 1961 merger of two historically Christian denominations, the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association, both based in the United States. Unitarians do not believe in a Holy Trinity – such as the traditional Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. Trinitarian Universalists accept the traditional Holy Trinity. For this new version, the Holy Trinity is the Great Maternal Spirit for all female life, the Great Paternal Spirit for all male life, and the Holy Life Spirit for all genderless life.

Universalism has had a strong influence on modern Hinduism, in turn influencing western modern spirituality.

A community that calls itself universalist may emphasize the universal principles of most religions and accept other religions in an inclusive manner, believing in a universal reconciliation between humanity and the divine. For example, some forms of Abrahamic religions happened to claim the universal value of their doctrine and moral principles, and feel inclusive. A belief in one common truth is also another important tenet. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching than national, cultural, or religious boundaries.

Christian Universalism is a kind of Christian theology which includes the belief in the doctrine of universal reconciliation, the view that all human beings and all fallen creatures will ultimately be restored to right relationship with God in Heaven.

The term “Christian Universalism” was used in the 1820s by Russell Streeter of the Christian Intelligencer of Portland – a descendant of Adams Streeter who had founded one of the first Universalist Churches in September 14, 1785. Christian Universalists believe this was the most common interpretation of Christianity in Early Christianity, prior to the 6th century. Christians from a diversity of denominations and traditions believe in the tenets of this belief system, such as the reality of an afterlife without the possibility of eternal presence in hell.

Membership: Now, you need not take any physical action in order to become a member. No place to sign up. No membership list. You may, however, use the Like button as a means to signal your agreement and intent to now be a member, if you want to. Even so, using the Like button will not automatically make you a member or mean you are a member. To become a member, you need only change your personal beliefs to become basically a Universalist. The change in your faith need not be proved to me or to any other people. Finally, you need not be in total agreement with everything I’ve just presented. I expect the personal beliefs of members to be diverse to some extent.

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