“The foregoing presentation of an idea of God within reach of the reasonable conception of the human mind, should bring to us a joy in the realization that God is not a myth, an incomprehensible something, or the mere life-principle, or even the spirit of mind, as many are now coming to believe; which is a vagary that at best can bring but little comfort and certainly cannot produce the faith requisite to command zeal of action. The childish feeling of wonder at the incomprehensibility of God has been such in the past as to cause an actual fear of spirit and spirit-manifestation. This wonder and fear have not been confined to the ignorant.
According to late newspaper reports, a prominent minister of England, upon witnessing a phenomenon attendant upon a woman engaged in a “religious revival”, was actually frightened at the manifestation of light, because it was supposed to be a manifestation of Spirit. We believe that fear causes much of the materialism and skepticism as to God and Spirit and the power of his angels to appear to men and guide their lives as in Bible times. Much skepticism also arises from the vagueness of the popular conception of God and his angels.
The Lord Christ, who spoke with the authority of Yahveh Elohim, pointed forward to the present time when he said, “The hour cometh, when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs, but shall tell you plainly of the Father”, and if the Spirit through the instrumentality of this volume has told you plainly of the Father, you should not allow the realistic conception of God to lower the greatness and sublimity of the ideal conception.
The natural inclination of man is to lose interest in a thing and to lower his estimate of it as soon as he begins to comprehend it; but we assure you that were it possible for you to have a glimpse of the realities of the existence of that wondrous Brotherhood, Yahveh Elohim, the Creators of the world, you would find their real nature and character so far transcending your former conception of God that your mind would sink beneath its effort to comprehend the wonders of that Deific Mind. Yet God in his love, wisdom, and goodness has so constructed us in his image and has led us so far into his likeness, that we can now begin to apprehend something of the realities of his own great nature.
If what has been said enables you, the true child of God, to look up with a realistic conception and exclaim in the language of the Master, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; as in heaven, so on earth”, then you will begin to comprehend the reason for the opening words of this prayer. For the soul recognizes the Father not as a myth, not as something far beyond the possibility of our perception, but as a real, tangible Existence, as an intelligent Being that is able to sympathize, through knowledge gained by experience, with all the weaknesses, all the vicissitudes of the human family, and yet loves us with a love transcending the love of the mother for the child in her arms, or the love of a husband for his bride.
This is a realization that will bring us nearer to God and bring God nearer to us; and in the order of the heavens, established by the great wisdom and goodness of God, we are brought in direct touch with his mind, his will, his loving sympathy, and his all-pervading mentality.”
Hiram Butler
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 