PR9VERBs: THE SAGE'S PRINCIPLES OF A RATIONAL SPIRITUAL QUEST:
PROVERBS: 4 PRINCIPLES FOR FORMULATING YOUR SPIRITUAL BELIEF SYSTEM:
(1) 14:15: "The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.".
Don't formulate your spiritual beliefs on blind faith. Avoid the gullible faith commitment of simpletons.
(2) 25:2: " It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings to search things out."
A burning spiritual quest is essential. God deliberately embedded mysteries into creation, so that humanity might launch scientific and spiritual quests to unravel these mysteries.
(3) 25:27: "It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep."
To be rational, seekers must recognize their limitations and avoid forming dogmatic beliefs in claims for which sufficient evidence is lacking. a spiritual quest must determine which issues contain too many unknowns to be rationally understood.
(4) 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight."
Basic assumptions are rationally arbitrary and divine guidance cannot be secured through a totally agnostic approach.
So to learn the correct core assumptions, one must initially trust in God passionately but provisionally, passionately to receive self-authenticating insights about your spiritual path, and provisionally because your beliefs must remain flexible to accommodate disillusionment with beliefs that don't stand up upon closer scrutiny or ultimately don't ring true in your life experience.
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