"Much of the content of Life and Teaching was inspired by the New Thought movement. Spalding was a member of a New Thought group in San Francisco during the early 1920’s when he wrote Life and Teaching Volume One and the first chapters of the book were published in the groups magazine."
http://www.bairdtspalding.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-baird-t-spalding/
"New Thought holds that Infinite Intelligence, or God, is everywhere, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.[4][5]
Although New Thought is neither monolithic nor doctrinaire, in general, modern-day adherents of New Thought share some core beliefs:
God or Infinite Intelligence is "supreme, universal, and everlasting";
divinity dwells within each person, that all people are spiritual beings;
"the highest spiritual principle [is] loving one another unconditionally... and teaching and healing one another" *;
and
"our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living".[4][5]**
The New Thought movement originated in the early 19th century, and survives to the current day in the form of a loosely allied group of religious denominations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of beliefs concerning metaphysics, positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative visualization, and personal power." **
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Thought
Many people, groups, movements etc use the term LOVE to support various ideas and justify behaviours. The recent SSM "debate", vote and legalisation featured Malcom Turnbull declaring "What a day for LOVE!" *** It's clear LOVE means many different things to many different people. What or who defines LOVE then ? Does it matter? It would matter if someone used LOVE to justify something that wasn't GOOD or RIGHT or REALLY loving. So some things must be TRULY LOVE and others not. The commandment to LOVE one another when placed in the right context and not incorrectly stated as the "highest principle" or commandment recognises that TRUE LOVE emanates from GOD and we emanate LOVE TRULY to our neigbour to the extent we love God with all our heart soul mind and strength! God IS love but (as Spalding claims) love is not God. The distinction is important just as the distinction between FIRST and SECOND commandments is important. Without this clear distinction we risk manifesting a love that is not TRUE, a love defined merely by our selves or some other erroneous spirit, a love that is more about love of SELF than love of God and neighbour!
Pete
* Jesus (as recorded on the Gospel) said the Greatest Commandment is to love God with and all your heart soul and mind.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A35-40&version=NIV
** New Age ideas
***
--Previous Message--
: Well, John, Baird Spalding's published works
: on his journey around India are fictional...
: (although it is a fact that Spalding did get
: round to visiting India in 1936) ...with the
: further thought that Spalding's words on Our
: Father's message of love, are also well
: publicised. It has been said that Spalding's
: book Life and Teaching of the Masters of
: the Far East 1894 intrigued James Hilton
: and inspired him to write his Lost Horizon
: .
:
: The greatest attribute of God is Love. The
: Tree of Life is located in the very depth of
: our soul. The most perfect and abundant
: fruit that grows and ripens is Life giving
: Love; it is the great healing force in the
: world. Love never fails to meet every demand
: of the human heart. The Divine principal of
: Love may be used to eliminate every sorrow,
: infirmity, in-harmony, ignorance and all
: mistakes of mankind. Love is God; eternal,
: limitless, changeless, infinite. It is the
: pulse of the world, the heartbeat of the
: Universe. ~Baird T. Spalding
:
:
: A new command I give you: Love one another.
: As I have loved you, so you must love one
: another. ~John 13:34
:
: It is mu impression that Baird Spalding
: understand that there was something precious
: contained in the words of Jesus when He
: spoke so purposely of love of our neighbour.
:
: end
:
:
:
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