EVOLUTION OF THE SPIRIT

 

 

The things that you see, the things you touch, feel, and sense all have corresponding spiritual existence by the principle of duality.  The principle states that every being comes with a pair, opposite, or twin.  Examples:  left hand-right hand; mother-father; male-female; left and right eye; good and evil; negative-positive electricity; light-darkness; in general, presence and absence of a quality.

 

As scientifically proven man evolved from animals.  Evidently, God must be very patient and wanted for the material component of man to approach His image before He created man.  By image, we mean physical appearance, attribute, power to create and reproduce, power to decide, power to think, and power to change consciously his environment.  God created nature not instantly but imposed rules or laws which the created beings, from the spirit down to material beings, have to follow.  God decreed the principle of evolution and principle of duality.  The principle of evolution may be stated this way: from the simplest to the most complicated, from the imperfect to the perfect being.  Using your mind, you can therefore split the process of evolution into classes, with each class exhibiting distinct characteristics.  For example, from the birds and the fishes, lions, tigers, monkeys, and then man. From the herbs to the trees.  The evolution is not continuous, does not proceed smoothly but class by class.  Because of the effect of heredity, distinctions between classes are preserved.

 

This principle of evolution does not apply only to material things but correspondingly to spiritual beings.  From the pure elementals, dwarfs, fairies, enkantos, to man, and so on until the spirit perfects himself and becomes one with God.  The material usually evolves to a more perfect being but sometimes it degenerates.  Likewise, spiritual evolution although generally conceived as proceeding upward may be interrupted by downward slides.  For man, he can hasten his spiritual evolution with good deeds, right thoughts, and right words, prayers, meditation, sacrifice, and fasting. 

 

These things elevate the spirit to higher planes of existence by resisting and neutralizing the gravitation pull of material things like carnal pleasure, honor, power over the fate of others, riches or the power to make use of material things, self-glorification, hate, and envy.

 

Man, with his limited sense experience, delimited this principle of spiritual evolution into heaven and hell.  When you do good, you are saved.  If not, you go to hell.

 

Therefore, heaven and hell should be treated as psychological aids of almost all churches to motivate the imperfect and weak man to resist the pull of material things so that he can be promoted spiritually in the long series of spiritual evolution.  Some can do it fast, by leaps.  Some step by step.  Spiritual evolution can be likened to climbing a long, long stairway.  By one’s good deeds, prayers, and detachment from material things, he rises to the next step.  It does not necessarily mean one has to die to go to the next higher step. Elevation can happen right here on Earth.  When one loves his neighbors, he may automatically climb the next step.  The higher he is in the ladder, the lesser the gravitational pull.  That is why Jesus could not be tempted by the offer of the devil for honors, riches, and glory on Earth as he was up, up the ladder.  When one indulges in the pleasures of Earth, he goes down the ladder with the pull of Earth becoming stronger and stronger.  That is why the greedy person keeps on accumulating wealth which he cannot possibly use and enjoy in his lifetime.  The acquisition has become his obsession. 

 

If one goes down the ladder and the pull of Earth becomes stronger and stronger, it would be next to impossible for one to go up again.  However, this can be overcome.  With prayer.  God in his kindness gifted man with the power of prayer.  When one asks in all sincerity, it is readily granted so long as it will elevate him to the next higher step.  The effect of prayer is like a sinking ship emitting an SOS signal.  By its own efforts, the ship cannot save itself.  But through the help of others, it can be rescued.

 

God wants it that way.  When one stumbles, He expects other men to lift up his fellowmen.  He sent Jesus Christ to provide an example so that more men can climb the infinite ladder with God as the highest point.

 

When one dies, his position in the ladder is reassessed.  The punishments, difficulties, and temptations he overcomes on Earth are credited to him and eventually he is promoted several steps.  Or he is demoted, in case the assessment proves unfavorable.  He is sent back to Earth for another series of trials until he perfects himself to a certain level and he is ready for higher planes of existence.  This going back is reincarnation.