Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

Q: What is GOD's name? According to the bible and the Jehova's Witness, his name is Jehova (YHWH in Hebrew). How important is it that we recognize his name?

A: Perhaps the best way to look at it is this: if you have a wonderful father yourself, one you love deeply and respect and look up to and wanted to please you'll probably call him daddy or dad or father. That's what Jesus did... he called God "Father" and God is our Father just like he is Jesus' Father. So why not think of God as your Father or your heavenly Father?

Yes, I understand the name thing is big with Jehovah's Witnesses and Jehovah is a perfectly fine name, as are Abba and Allah and Yahweh, or any of the other thousand names for God, but personally I don't think any one name carries more weight than any other. What we call God is less important than our attitude toward God in our hearts and the final sentence in The Urantia Book is, "When all is said and done, the Father idea is still the highest human concept of God." That's good enough for me.

Thank you for the question and best wishes. I hope this reply has helped you come to a decision.

Labels: Fatherhood of God, God, Jesus, name of God, The Urantia Book

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Sunday, June 07, 2009

Can the departed soul look back on us and see and feel how much we are thinking of him and missing him?

Q: I read your "There is Life after Death" and I have a practical question. Can the departed soul look back on us and see and feel how much we are thinking of him and missing him? And does the departed soul try to help us and comfort us...if so how? Or does the departed soul just keep going onward on his own individual journey oblivious of the people he left behind who love and miss him and cannot go on without him?

A: That's a good question with a difficult answer. If we answer "no" there's no looking back, then that destroys the hope and anticipation so many people carry with them about being comforted and loved by their departed loved ones and their devotion to the memories of those who have died. If we answer "yes" then we're ignoring what The Urantia Book teaches about life and life after death and promoting ghost belief and thoughts of spirit intervention into our daily lives.

The Urantia Book makes it clear that we're under the watchcare of angels; that's the job they're assigned and they fulfill their obligation fully, lovingly, and with compassion. The angels are also responsible for transporting the souls of the departed to the mansion worlds â€” there are no souls left wandering about earth, they're either placed in a spiritual slumber or they're taken to the mansion worlds which are both physically far away and mindally far removed.

It is possible however that mindal energies that were used by the departed are still active here on earth, at least for a while â€” that may account in some manner of the experiences people relate about connections with the departed. It is also possible that those starting out on their mansion world careers may wish to assure their loved ones that they're alive and well and such a desire may be carried back by angels to be delivered in such a way that it seems as though there's been contact. It's also possible that the departed are simply in a spiritual sleep state until other loved ones join them before they pass as a group to the mansion worlds. In any case it would still be within the realm of possibility that the angels of our supervision simply provide encouragement and comfort to us in the most meaningful of ways to ease our sorrow, grief, and burden.

So to be specific, we're not told that departed souls can look back and feel how much we are thinking and missing them. There will be meetings of loved ones on the mansion worlds, whether all are resurrected at the same time or whether there's a delay. It's true that the journey is an individual one but we always do it in concert with others and loved ones play an important part in everything we do.

I hope that reply brings you some comfort.

Labels: angels, life after death, Mansion Worlds, soul

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Why are so many religionists caught up in the terrifying "End of time conspiracy theory" at this time on our planet?

Q: Why are so many religionists caught up in the terrifying "end of time conspiracy theory" at this time on our planet?

A: For centuries, the Scriptures have provided mankind with the only written records of God's voice and inspiration, and the Scriptures are full of dire warnings regarding the times when the world will come to an end. The certainty that the end of the world is imminent has been present throughout our history. Many an age has been designated as humanity's last, and it is no different now. Those who place all their faith in these supposedly inerrant writings are naturally filled with the fear that they engender, and those who hold to the belief that God is a punishing deity are diligently on the lookout for evidences of God's displeasure and retribution. And some of these predictions have come to pass in our times...with every fulfillment of these earthly prophecies, more credence is lent to them, part and parcel. But is it real? Does the "end of the world" mean the end of everything? Should we be afraid?

Mankind has long believed in a mysterious god who really has it in for humanity. We are naturally afraid of such a deity, and we feel powerless to survive his awful wrath. Here we are, sitting ducks, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Fear is the enemy here - not God. Unreasoned fear is a trap into which we all can fall, and it is to be studiously avoided with the antidotal balm of faith and trust in the God of Love.

So, why are so many caught up in this cycle of fear? Probably because they do not know a better way. The Urantia Book provides 21st century wisdom with which to navigate the sea of negativity and fear in which we find ourselves. Rather than an inevitable, destructive outcome that we must face, the revelatory teachings of The Urantia Book, and especially the teachings of Jesus, give us great hope and a new way of viewing the panorama of human existence - free of fear, and with the light of reason based on the revelation of a merciful God of Love, and a new religion based on personal spiritual experience. It is man himself who has created the state of the world in which we find ourselves, and it is man, guided by God's love and wisdom, who can, and will, co-create with God a new kind of world - a world based on the Fatherhood of God and the resultant brotherhood of man - a world that will be regenerated by the adoption of the true religion of Jesus. The Urantia Book calls this wonderful time of renewal the Age of Light and Life, the "acme of evolutionary material development." It will take us a long time to reach this stage, but we can, and WILL reach it.

Little in God's creation is set in stone. Humanity may be hurtling into the end of an age, but this does not necessarily mean that the world is coming to an end, or that all are doomed. Ages come and ages go. Man still maintains the power of freewill, and can form his destiny day-to-day in co-creation with God, who is Love. Whether we as a species will turn the present tide of materialism and destruction - or not - depends wholly on the spiritual regeneration of individual religionists. The outcome may seem iffy at times, but we have it within our power to change the outcome from one of death and destruction to one of spiritual regeneration and progress.

Please see The Modern Problem

Jesus promised:

p1608:1(143:1.4) "I have come into this world to do the will of my Father and to reveal his loving character to all mankind. That, my brethren, is my mission. And this one thing I will do, regardless of the misunderstanding of my teachings by Jews or gentiles of this day or of another generation. But you should not overlook the fact that even divine love has its severe disciplines. A father's love for his son oftentimes impels the father to restrain the unwise acts of his thoughtless offspring. The child does not always comprehend the wise and loving motives of the father's restraining discipline. But I declare to you that my Father in Paradise does rule a universe of universes by the compelling power of his love. Love is the greatest of all spirit realities. Truth is a liberating revelation, but love is the supreme relationship. And no matter what blunders your fellow men make in their world management of today, in an age to come the gospel which I declare to you will rule this very world. The ultimate goal of human progress is the reverent recognition of the fatherhood of God and the loving materialization of the brotherhood of man."

p2093:5(196:2.11) Jesus offered no rules for social advancement; his was a religious mission, and religion is an exclusively individual experience. The ultimate goal of society's most advanced achievement can never hope to transcend Jesus' brotherhood of men based on the recognition of the fatherhood of God. The ideal of all social attainment can be realized only in the coming of this divine kingdom.

To Thomas:

p1916:2(176:3.2) "And even you, Thomas, fail to comprehend what I have been saying. Have I not all this time taught you that your connection with the kingdom is spiritual and individual, wholly a matter of personal experience in the spirit by the faith-realization that you are a son of God? What more shall I say? The downfall of nations, the crash of empires, the destruction of the unbelieving Jews, the end of an age, even the end of the world, what have these things to do with one who believes this gospel, and who has hid his life in the surety of the eternal kingdom? You who are God-knowing and gospel-believing have already received the assurances of eternal life. Since your lives have been lived in the spirit and for the Father, nothing can be of serious concern to you . Kingdom builders, the accredited citizens of the heavenly worlds, are not to be disturbed by temporal upheavals or perturbed by terrestrial cataclysms. What does it matter to you who believe this gospel of the kingdom if nations overturn, the age ends, or all things visible crash, since you know that your life is the gift of the Son, and that it is eternally secure in the Father? Having lived the temporal life by faith and having yielded the fruits of the spirit as the righteousness of loving service for your fellows, you can confidently look forward to the next step in the eternal career with the same survival faith that has carried you through your first and earthly adventure in sonship with God.

Associated with end-times prophecy is the promise of the return of the Master to the earth. In this, The Bible and The Urantia Book agree. Jesus WILL one day return here. But does this event signal the end of the world?

Jesus said:

p1915:3(176:2.6) "...concerning the times of the coming again of the Son of Man, no one in heaven or on earth may presume to speak. But you should be wise regarding the ripening of an age; you should be alert to discern the signs of the times. You know when the fig tree shows its tender branches and puts forth its leaves that summer is near. Likewise, when the world has passed through the long winter of material-mindedness and you discern the coming of the spiritual springtime of a new dispensation, should you know that the summertime of a new visitation draws near.

"But what is the significance of this teaching having to do with the coming of the Sons of God? Do you not perceive that, when each of you is called to lay down his life struggle and pass through the portal of death, you stand in the immediate presence of judgment, and that you are face to face with the facts of a new dispensation of service in the eternal plan of the infinite Father? What the whole world must face as a literal fact at the end of an age, you, as individuals, must each most certainly face as a personal experience when you reach the end of your natural life and thereby pass on to be confronted with the conditions and demands inherent in the next revelation of the eternal progression of the Father's kingdom."

Instead of gnawing over the dire predictions of Biblical prophecy, we all might be better served to anticipate this coming "spiritual springtime;" to discern the signs of its advent, and contribute to it by our personal dedication to the ideals of truth, beauty and goodness in our lives. When this season of renewal does come to pass, we may indeed see an end of the world as we now know it (which may not be the worst that could happen, in my opinion!), and the inauguration of a new, and better world to come - a world ruled through the supremacy of God, the Universal Father of Love - and the final realization of the kingdom of heaven.

Thanks for this great question. I hope it has been helpful to you. Be of good cheer!

Labels: end of the world, end times, faith, fear, Jesus, prophecy, The Urantia Book, trust

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If God is always with us then why are people making mistakes?

Q: Why did God create us? What was the reason to create this world? Why can't every person can't see God? If God is always with us then why are people making mistakes?

A: These are questions that many people ask. The Urantia Book gives us answers, and so I am glad that you wrote.

Why did God create people? Because God is love, and love craves love in return:

p21:2 (1:0.2) The myriads of planetary systems were all made to be eventually inhabited by many different types of intelligent creatures, beings who could know God, receive the divine affection, and love him in return. The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures. "God created the heavens and formed the earth; he established the universe and created this world not in vain; he formed it to be inhabited."

All people have it within their power to know God. God is knowable, and he is not in hiding:

p25:3 (1:3.3) The Universal Father is not invisible because he is hiding himself away from the lowly creatures of materialistic handicaps and limited spiritual endowments. The situation rather is: "You cannot see my face, for no mortal can see me and live." No material man could behold the spirit God and preserve his mortal existence ...But it is not necessary to see God with the eyes of the flesh in order to discern him by the faith-vision of the spiritualized mind.

So, we see that it is only with "faith-vision" that we can see the Father. But this is entirely possible, because God has sent each mortal being a piece of himself - a "pilot light" - to dwell within their mind, helping each of us through our lives to be successful in finding him, and "seeing" him with our spiritual senses.

But we have to choose to find God. It is our freewill choices that sometimes get in the way of our finding God, and doing his will in our lives. God always respects our freewill and does not interfere with our choices. As a result, we often make mistakes, we do the wrong things and sometimes, we sin.

We are spirit beings at our core, but we live in the world, and the world can make a lot of noise - there are a lot of distractions that we all deal with, so it is important to make times of quietness and try to listen to the "still, small voice" of God that is there for us when we really desire to hear it.

Jesus said: "You are in this world, but your lives are not to be worldlike..." So, even though we live in the world, we have to make the effort to go apart from the world on a regular basis - to remember our spiritual identity and to connect with the Source of that identity, which is God. Remember, God is always as near as a thought, for he dwells within your mind.

It can be frustrating to realize that not everyone wants to do the right things, and not everyone desires to know God. We all pay the price for the misdeeds of others at times, but the good news is that each individual person can choose to do good, and to find God within themselves. Sometimes, that is the best any of us can do. And in this way, we can help others by our example. When we, as God's children, do make that effort to stay close to God, we naturally become more like God, who is our spirit-Father. Like Jesus, we can learn to "go about doing good," and this is a powerful way to live a happy life in spite of the troubles that we see around us.

And finally, here's a bit of encouragement from The Urantia Book:

p2097:1 (196:3.30) Be not discouraged; human evolution is still in progress, and the revelation of God to the world, in and through Jesus, shall not fail.

Thanks for this great question. I hope that you will decide to subscribe to our free service - Quote of the Day - which will help you on a daily basis to stay on your own spiritual path. And please feel free to explore the many other features of our Truthbook.com site which will help inspire you to live your best life with God.

Labels: free will, God, love, spirituality, The Urantia Book

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Friday, May 29, 2009

Are we reincarnated in the sense that Buddhists believe?

Q: Are we reincarnated in the sense that Buddhists believe?

A: In a word - no.

Here is a quote from The Urantia Book. This is taken from the life of Jesus:

There was, throughout all these regions, a lingering belief in reincarnation. The older Jewish teachers, together with Plato, Philo, and many of the Essenes, tolerated the theory that men may reap in one incarnation what they have sown in a previous existence; thus in one life they were believed to be expiating the sins committed in preceding lives. The Master found it difficult to make men believe that their souls had not had previous existences. p1811:5 (164:3.4)

Buddhism and Urantia Book teachings are similar in some ways, but not in regards to reincarnation. The closest The Urantia Book comes to Buddhism in the matters of life and death is the Buddhist teaching of Nirvana - final liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth, and the end of suffering.

The Urantia Book teaches that we will enjoy a true resurrection following our death, never to return to the Earth. In our new life on the Mansion Worlds, there will be no suffering, and we will be faced with the prospect of an "eternal adventure." True, we do enjoy successive lives - but never will we lose our personalities or our identities - and we always keep our memories. Our successive lives reflect our gradual transformation from a purely mortal being to a bonafide spirit, and our destiny lies in the worlds of Paradise and beyond...

Please take a few minutes and enjoy one of our flash movies which will help you to understand some Urantia Book teachings regarding what happens After You Die

There is a lot more information here about Life after Death as well

Thanks for this great question!

Labels: Buddhism, life after death, Mansion Worlds, Nirvana, reincarnation, The Urantia Book

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Can you tell me why Jesus is called Michael?

Q: I am reading Part IV of the Urantia Book. Can you tell me why Jesus is called Michael? When I try to tell my Catholic family about Jesus' life & teaching, they are skeptical about the name Michael.

A: Parts I-III of The Urantia Book cover your question in detail, Papers 21 and 33 specifically; also Papers 119 and 120 just prior to the "Times of Michaels's Bestowal" Paper will help you understand these concepts. You can read these Papers on-line beginning here (Paper 21; Paper 33; Paper 119; Paper 120) and can listen to them as you read along from our site.

Jesus had existed as a person for countless ages before being born here but we haven't been given his prior name, Jesus being the English form of the name Joseph and Mary gave their baby. Variations of the name Jesus are what we know him by here on Earth. Michael is not his name, it is a title for an order of celestial beings as it has been coined in the English language. The name Michael is attributed to an archangel in the Bible but thatâ€™s due to a confusion of the personalities involved.

Perhaps you'd have better success with your family by not discussing Michael and concentrating instead on the similarities between what you're reading and what your family already knows about Jesus. You'll find out as you go along that it's not just the term Michael that will be a challenge for your family to accept from you. We've all experienced the challenge you're encountering - we want to share the marvelous information we're absorbing but those closest to us either aren't interested or they think we're somewhat disturbed.

May I also recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day. It's a free service from our site that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of this marvelous book with an audio clip and a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book.

Labels: Christ Michael, Jesus, The Urantia Book

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The Urantia Book says Jesus was not in a physical body after his resurrection - how then did he break bread?

Q: The UB says Jesus was not in a physical body after his resurrection - how then did he break bread? Did he also eat? The Bible says he did.

A:Thanks for writing with this interesting question.

I am going to start with a few passages from Paper 189 The Resurrection. This way, we'll all understand better the nature of the resurrected form of Jesus. However, I suggest a complete reading of this paper for the best understanding of what happened that day:

"...at two minutes past three o'clock, this Sunday morning, April 9, A.D. 30, the resurrected morontia form and personality of Jesus of Nazareth came forth from the tomb."

"...the body of flesh in which he had lived and wrought on earth for almost thirty-six years was still lying there in the sepulchre niche, undisturbed and wrapped in the linen sheet, just as it had been laid to rest by Joseph and his associates on Friday afternoon. ..the body which they were guarding was now a discarded outer covering which had no further connection with the delivered and resurrected morontia personality of Jesus.

(Note: To find out exactly what happened to Jesus' physical body, please go here.)

"...On Friday he laid down his life as a mortal of the realm; on Sunday morning he took it up again as a morontia being of the system of Satania in Norlatiadek.

"...He did come forth from this tomb of Joseph in the very likeness of the morontia personalities of those who, as resurrected morontia ascendant beings, emerge from the resurrection halls of the first mansion world of this local system of Satania.

When Jesus resurrected from the tomb, he was in a physical form, but he was not visible to everyone. His body was made from "morontia" material, which is the next form which all mortals will assume upon resurrection after death. He only made his presence known to certain people, and he could appear and disappear at will. Perhaps you'll remember his meeting with Mary Magdalene at the tomb; she did not at first recognize him, as he was very changed, but as soon as he spoke, she instantly knew it was the Master.

This seems to be a good place to explain why it was that Jesus appeared in this form. This is revealed material that can only be found in The Urantia Book, as far as I know, but it makes perfect sense when you see the whole story.

As part of Jesus' mission to Urantia, he was required to assume the form of all creatures of his vast universe. You can read all about these various bestowals, seven in all, and the reasons for his mission here.

Jesus' seventh and final bestowal was as the babe of Bethlehem, Jesus of Nazareth, who grew up as a mortal of the realm, just as all mortals do. And Jesus died as a mortal of the realm as well, although his death was particularly brutal and violent - not the same as most humans - but still, he did die a "natural" death, as would any mortal. While he was here in physical form, he revealed the Father to mortals and established the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of mankind, which was a most important part of his overall mission to our universe.

After that, he had to experience the natural outcome of human life and death, and that was as a newly resurrected mortal, in the form that all of us mortals will assume when we die - the above-mentioned morontia form. The only difference between what Jesus experienced and what we will experience is that Jesus remained on earth to spend more time with his followers before he finally left the earth for the last time. We will not be doing that - but in all other respects, what happened to Jesus is what will happen to us when we die, except that we will be resurrected on the Mansion Worlds as morontia beings - changed, but with our personalities intact and recognizable by those of our loved ones who went there before us. Our mortal bodies will remain on earth, to turn into the dust from which they came. We learn in The Urantia Book that we will eat food of "a kingdom of living energy unknown on the material worlds"

You can read more about this unique material in Paper 48 -The Morontia Life

p542:4 (48:1.7) Paul learned of the existence of the morontia worlds and of the reality of morontia materials, for he wrote, "They have in heaven a better and more enduring substance." And these morontia materials are real, literal, even as in "the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." And each of these marvelous spheres is "a better country, that is, a heavenly one."

One of the resurrection appearances that Jesus made was to the two brothers at Emmaus, and on this occasion, Jesus did sit down to dinner with these two brothers. Here is a passage from that story:

"By this time they had come near to the village where these brothers dwelt. Not a word had these two men spoken since Jesus began to teach them as they walked along the way. Soon they drew up in front of their humble dwelling place, and Jesus was about to take leave of them, going on down the road, but they constrained him to come in and abide with them. They insisted that it was near nightfall, and that he tarry with them. Finally Jesus consented, and very soon after they went into the house, they sat down to eat. They gave him the bread to bless, and as he began to break and hand to them, their eyes were opened, and Cleopas recognized that their guest was the Master himself. And when he said, "It is the Masterâ€”," the morontia Jesus vanished from their sight.

Again, Jesus appeared to the apostles (his thirteenth resurrection appearance), and again, there was bread. Here is a passage from that section:

"Jesus spoke to them, saying: "Come now, all of you, to breakfast. Even the twins should sit down while I visit with you; John Mark will dress the fish." John Mark brought seven good-sized fish, which the Master put on the fire, and when they were cooked, the lad served them to the ten. Then Jesus broke the bread and handed it to John, who in turn served it to the hungry apostles. When they had all been served, Jesus bade John Mark sit down while he himself served the fish and the bread to the lad. And as they ate, Jesus visited with them and recounted their many experiences in Galilee and by this very lake. "

In this passage, we are left wondering whether Jesus actually ate the fish, but I suspect not, as his new form had no need for food of the earthly kind. But he did sit with them, he prepared the fish, and served the meal of fish and bread to John Mark. And he broke the bread with his hands. Never having had any experience with morontia materials, I cannot say how this was accomplished, but if morontia material is of a "more enduring substance," I suspect that physical material can be easily manipulated with it. So, breaking bread would not be a difficult act.

To me, it is also not a very important detail whether Jesus actually ate anything. The important feature of these stories is the fact of his resurrection, and that he did spend a considerable amount of time with many people before finally leaving Urantia for the last time. During these nineteen appearances, he reiterated his teachings, and said fond farewells to many. His resurrection from the dead after his mortal life is of particular interest to us, as it is what we can anticipate as our experience as well following our death.

Thank you for this most interesting question.

Labels: break bread, Emmaus, Jesus, Mansion Worlds, morontia, resurrection, The Urantia Book

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Testify to Love

This is a video featuring "Testify to Love" by Avalon. We hope that you will enjoy it.

The refrain:

For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love.
I'll be a witness in the silences
When words are not enough.
With every breath I take,
I will give thanks to God above.
For as long as I shall live,
I will testify to love.

"Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world"

Jesus, The Urantia Book p2047:5 192:2.1

Labels: Avalon, Jesus, love, music, video

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

I have many questions about life, I need his guidance, I don't know what to do...

Q: I have many questions about life, I need his guidance, I don't know what to do...

A: You may not always feel his guidance, but never doubt or wonder about God's PRESENCE in your mind. He is as close as a thought, and he wants to help you. Quiet down your mind, and let yourself relax enough to hear that "still, small voice..." Return yourself to this present moment only, for that is where you'll find God - and think only about your breath for awhile. This will help you to remain in the minute. Relax.

(160:3.1)...meditation makes the contact of mind with spirit; relaxation determines the capacity for spiritual receptivity.

It is a challenge sometimes to really relax in body and mind, but every time you try, you'll get better at it. This will help you feel calmer, and will help you to be more open to what God has to say to you.

You are dearly loved by your heavenly Father. He knows what you are going through. You may not know what to do, but your Father does. Do your best to try some quiet times to practice relaxing, but even when you can't, you CAN turn your thoughts to God in any moment.

The answers to your questions will come...

Please write back if we can help with any questions about The Urantia Book. and in the meantime, I hope you'll take about three minutes, relax yourself, and have a look at one of our flash videos called "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Thanks for writing with your concerns...I hope this reply has been helpful

Labels: God, meditation, prayer, relaxation, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Playing for Change Peace Video

This is a great music video produced by Play for Change - peace through music.

Labels: God, love, music, peace, playing for change, war

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Why is life running so fast?

Q: Why is life running so fast? please can you tell something comforting?

A: Why is life running so fast? I'm sure it would be more comforting to us all if the pace of life slowed down. There have been periods of hundreds of thousands of years in human history where there was little if any personal, cultural, or societal change and today we experience more of those changes in just one year than most of humanity ever experienced in a lifetime.

Perhaps these extracts from The Urantia Book will provide some clarity:

Nature is a resultant of two cosmic factors: first, the immutability, perfection, and rectitude of Paradise Deity, and second, the experimental plans, executive blunders, insurrectionary errors, incompleteness of development, and imperfection of wisdom of creatures, from the highest to the lowest. Nature therefore carries a uniform, unchanging, majestic, and marvelous thread of perfection from the circle of eternity; but on each planet, and in each individual life, this nature is modified, qualified, and perchance marred by the acts, the mistakes, and the disloyalties of creatures; and therefore must nature ever be of a changing mood, whimsical withal, though stable underneath. (4:2.3)

Human life is an endless change unified by the stability of the unchanging personality. (112:5.20 )

When men pray for providential intervention in the circumstances of life, many times the answer to their prayer is their own changed attitudes toward life. (118:10.21)

Remember that the order of progressive evolution is subjected to sudden and unexpected periodical changes in both the material and the spiritual worlds. (170:4.4)

In terms of material and spiritual progress we have a long way to go in order to enter that more enlightened age that's destined to evolve. The accelerated pace of change that we're experiencing is an indication that that evolution is underway and even at this rapid rate our arrival at that state of relative peace and calm will be far into the distant future. As the quote above indicates, prayer is the best action for helping us accept the circumstances of life and for finding happiness during our fast-paced and tumultuous lives.

Finally, here is another reference that may be of help to you, as well as an inspiration for weathering these changes of modern life- Religion and Social Reconstruction.

Among other things in this section, we learn that "Mankind is on the march toward a new and unrevealed planetary destiny."

Thank you for the question...

Labels: change, life, personality, prayer, progress, The Urantia Book

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Did Jesus take away the sins of the world?

Q: Did Jesus take away the sins of the world?

A: The belief that Jesus came to earth in order to "take away the sins of the world" is as old as Christianity, but it is not the gospel of Jesus.

The belief in the concept of "original sin" is also an age-old idea, but has no basis in fact.

(194:2.1) Jesus lived on earth and taught a gospel which redeemed man from the superstition that he was a child of the devil and elevated him to the dignity of a faith son of God.

Jesus taught that human nature is not inherently sinful. He taught that sin is the deliberate choosing of a path or an action that is in direct opposition to God's will. We all still have that ability to choose between good and evil, so the possibility of sin is ever-present, even since Jesus came here.

Jesus' real mission on earth was to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of mankind - to proclaim the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, which are the cornerstones of this heavenly kingdom. By entering into this kingdom by faith, we are then fortified with a new purpose, and a new motivation to overcome sin through determination and personal responsibility to the ideals of the good, the true and the beautiful.

The whole idea of Jesus' purpose on earth as an atonement for the sins of mankind is set to rest once and for all in the teachings of The Urantia Book, and this is very good news for all of humanity. Please go HERE for a further exploration of the atonement doctrine.

For further study and inspiration about what really happened as a result of the Crucifixion, please see this reference regarding the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross.

And thanks for this very important question.

Labels: atonement, gospel of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus' mission, sin, the Cross

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Is it wrong to want to acquire material wealth and possessions?

Q: Is it wrong to want to acquire material wealth and possessions?

A: It is not wrong to want material wealth or possessions. Nowhere did Jesus teach that we have to renounce material success in order to be his followers; only to his apostles, and those who would be his apostles, did he counsel a renunciation of material possessions in order to live in spiritual community. It is one's inmost motivation that matters in this regard.

Here are some Urantia Book references that will give you more information about Jesus' attitude towards wealth, and those who possess it. Click on the links to read more:

After Jesus had counseled the rich young man, Matadormus, Jesus and Peter had this exchange:

(163:3.3) As they went off by themselves, Jesus was grieved that Matadormus did not remain with them, for he greatly loved him. And when they had walked down by the lake, they sat there beside the water, and Peter, speaking for the twelve (who were all present by this time), said: "We are troubled by your words to the rich young man. Shall we require those who would follow you to give up all their worldly goods?" And Jesus said: "No, Peter, only those who would become apostles, and who desire to live with me as you do and as one family. But the Father requires that the affections of his children be pure and undivided. Whatever thing or person comes between you and the love of the truths of the kingdom, must be surrendered. If one's wealth does not invade the precincts of the soul, it is of no consequence in the spiritual life of those who would enter the kingdom."

(163:2.10) Riches have nothing directly to do with entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but the love of wealth does. The spiritual loyalties of the kingdom are incompatible with servility to materialistic mammon. Man may not share his supreme loyalty to a spiritual ideal with a material devotion.

Further, Jesus said:

(165:4.5)" ... it is not a sin to have honorable wealth; but it is a sin if you convert the wealth of material possessions into treasures which may absorb your interests and divert your affections from devotion to the spiritual pursuits of the kingdom. There is no sin in having honest possessions on earth provided your treasure is in heaven, for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. "

Jesus spoke further on wealth and its uses and drawbacks in his parable called Dividing the Inheritance .

And, Jesus did offer a good deal of advice to his followers regarding the proper use of material wealth, if we should chance to acquire it.

In the study of the above links, you should be able to clearly see the attitude that a spiritually inclined soul should have towards the desire for material wealth and possessions.

Thank you for this important question.

Labels: Jesus, riches, the rich young man, wealth

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How can I improve my prayer life?

Q: I am a born again Christian and lately I can't pray, Every time I try to pray there are no words I can say and sometimes I feel so empty inside and I can't even understand what I am saying when I pray. How can I improve my prayer life?

A: When I read your question, this quote from The Urantia Book immediately came to mind:

(91:8.12) Words are irrelevant to prayer; they are merely the intellectual channel in which the river of spiritual supplication may chance to flow...God answers the soul's attitude, not the words.

If you want to improve your prayer life, try to just BE in the presence of God for a while without saying any memorized prayer words. Reach out to God with your inmost soul, and he'll surely help you to know what to do about your concern. Just doing that will possibly help you to feel better connected to God.

I think we all go through dry spells in our spiritual life - at least I do. It is uncomfortable to say the least, when we feel as though we are not able to talk to God as we once could; worse, that perhaps we are not being heard. We feel that emptiness so deeply. Refuse to yield to anxiety over this issue, but know that there is a light at the end of this tunnel that you are in...try to relax. God knows your desire.

Here are a couple of Urantia Book quotes to help you through this time in your life.

Jesus' Discourse on Prayer This link will inspire you to look at prayer as Jesus did.

And THIS is a link to a section of The Urantia Book which has always been of help to me with my prayer life. It deals with praying and the "alter ego," that part of us that comes into play when we "talk to ourselves..." Maybe it will be helpful to you right now.

In addition, you might go to our topical study on Prayer for more advice and inspiration from The Urantia Book.

Don't give up. I will agree with you right now in prayer that you'll turn the corner soon.

Thanks for this great question...

Labels: alter ego, God, Jesus, prayer, The Urantia Book

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