06-20-2007, 10:15 AM
“Persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
“I recently came across a definition of theism by Curtis Reese, of Chicago, the first part of which I thoroughly like, but the second part of which I have ventured to rewrite. ‘Theism is the hypothesis that the ultimate ground of the universe is intelligent will, working out a moral purpose, which we can understand at least to the degree necessary to co-operate intelligently, loyally, and gladly, for its fulfillment.’
“Putting that another way, shorn of its technical language, it means that we believe in God, that we believe in God's purpose, and that we believe in our capacity to understand that purpose, —not altogether, but enough that we may cooperate with it by devoting our intelligence and our energy and our will to help carry it to fulfillment.
“Now I am ready to define prayer, if you have followed me thus far. Prayer is the deliberate effort to see more clearly that purpose and to consecrate our own personal powers more wholeheartedly to its fulfillment. On that definition of prayer I am perfectly willing to stand. I believe that that is real prayer, as real as any in the past. On the other hand, I believe it is a conception of prayer which any thoughtful humanist or any thoughtful Unitarian will accept. Let me repeat: Prayer is the deliberate effort to see the divine purpose more clearly, and to pledge ourselves more loyally to its fulfillment” (Frederick M. Eliot, "The Unitarian Conception of Prayer," Fundamentals of Unitarian Faith: Five Sermons Preached in Unity Church, Saint Paul, October, 1926 [Unity Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1926], p. 62).
“I recently came across a definition of theism by Curtis Reese, of Chicago, the first part of which I thoroughly like, but the second part of which I have ventured to rewrite. ‘Theism is the hypothesis that the ultimate ground of the universe is intelligent will, working out a moral purpose, which we can understand at least to the degree necessary to co-operate intelligently, loyally, and gladly, for its fulfillment.’
“Putting that another way, shorn of its technical language, it means that we believe in God, that we believe in God's purpose, and that we believe in our capacity to understand that purpose, —not altogether, but enough that we may cooperate with it by devoting our intelligence and our energy and our will to help carry it to fulfillment.
“Now I am ready to define prayer, if you have followed me thus far. Prayer is the deliberate effort to see more clearly that purpose and to consecrate our own personal powers more wholeheartedly to its fulfillment. On that definition of prayer I am perfectly willing to stand. I believe that that is real prayer, as real as any in the past. On the other hand, I believe it is a conception of prayer which any thoughtful humanist or any thoughtful Unitarian will accept. Let me repeat: Prayer is the deliberate effort to see the divine purpose more clearly, and to pledge ourselves more loyally to its fulfillment” (Frederick M. Eliot, "The Unitarian Conception of Prayer," Fundamentals of Unitarian Faith: Five Sermons Preached in Unity Church, Saint Paul, October, 1926 [Unity Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1926], p. 62).