© 2023 Mark Blackham
© 2023 International Urantia Association (IUA)
| Focus on the Father | Tidings — June 2023 — Index | Savor Friendship: A Tribute to Delae Sowu (1962 – 2023) |
¶ Written by a Urantia Book Student
The God Experience is founded on the concepts, values, and ideals portrayed in The Urantia Book. With those matchless teachings woven throughout its pages, it is a welcoming and approachable guide to embracing God and spirituality. And while it only mentions The Urantia Book briefly in the first chapter, it does include many short quotations, an appetite-whetting feature that will lead the curious reader to the original source.
A Booklife Review – “Putting aside all religious affiliations, 80 percent of Americans say they still believe in some notion of God or a greater spirit being,” writes Bonair in this thoughtful guide to using mindfulness, meditation, and prayer to seek a true connection to the Spirit of God. While Bonair acknowledges that using the term “God” can be limiting, he aims to help those who are “spiritual but not religious” understand the divine nature of a “universal Creator” by exploring religious misconceptions and developing a fresh understanding of God’s character. That character, according to Bonair, is compassionate and gracious, the opposite of the angry and unforgiving deity often depicted in organized religion.
Readers will find this a valuable resource to quiet the noise of the physical world and tap into a deeper understanding of the spiritual realm. Bonair starts by breaking down the historical representations of God, touching on the interplay between science and faith, the ancient roots of Western religion, and the barriers created by spiritual myths—and he contends those barriers should be stripped away in order to see the “human attempt to connect and identify with the spirit phase of reality” underneath. To help readers experience a “personal spiritual experience,” Bonair offers a host of meditation and self-reflection techniques that will cultivate an open mind, including positive visualizations, developing meaningful prayer habits, and a convenient nine-step spiritual problem-solving method.
Bonair’s accommodating style allows readers the grace and opportunity to grow in a way that will align with their unique spiritual beliefs, and throughout the guide he contends that spirituality is a basic human need (it’s “ironic that millions of people who openly reject religion also profess to live spiritual lives, or at least to entertain spiritual ideals” he writes). This insightful debut is the perfect resource for anyone seeking to enhance their spiritual self.
Available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble
¶ References
| Focus on the Father | Tidings — June 2023 — Index | Savor Friendship: A Tribute to Delae Sowu (1962 – 2023) |