Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book: Is Reincarnation Real?

Q: Towards the bottom of page 1811 in part 4, the text reads:

"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 (Jesus) found it difficult to make men believe that their souls had not had previous existences."

Is the Midway author of this text saying that there is no reincarnation? I'd very much like to know how others who have studied the Urantia papers interpret this passage. Thank you very much.A: There are a number of teachings in The Urantia Book that many readers find difficult to first accept at face value and the reincarnation issue is one over which many stumble.

A: Everyone comes to The Urantia Book with predisposed baggage â€” spiritual, religious, psychological, intellectual. We all have beliefs and prejudices and opinions that we rely on to help us answer life's toughest questions to our own satisfaction and to make sense of the world around us. The Urantia Book is a phenomenon from outside the flow of human events or the personal realities we've managed to concoct and for some its teachings are just too challenging and they dismiss it, usually without taking the time or making the effort to have actually begun to understand it â€” they just see that it doesn't agree with their preconceptions so assume it, and not they, are mistaken.

So, some readers say they believe The Urantia Book but they still cling to beliefs that run counter to its teachings; others accept TUB and allow the new wine to fill new wineskins â€” there's a natural tension between ego and humility that must at some time be resolved.

The teachings of reincarnation that originated in eastern philosophy may well be remnants of the teachings of the planetary prince from over 500,000 years ago. In a sense they're reflections of the actual "reincarnation" we experience on the mansion worlds as we progress through them but rather than understanding this as a journey that transpires after we leave here it became a belief associated with mortal existence. For reincarnation to occur, a pre-existent soul left over from the previous past life, has to exist so that it can be inserted into a new body and start the cycle all over again; The Urantia Book clearly explains that the soul is born in this, the first and only life in the flesh, when the first moral decision is made. The evolving soul is the vehicle that carries individuality at death to the mansion worlds so that you begin over there where you left off here. The soul does not linger on earth, does not reincarnate.

Eastern philosophies are inspired as well as being of evolutionary origin â€” they contain truths and legends and myths mixed in with superstition and fear, ghosts and psychic upwellings, just like the Western philosophies do. These philosophies help make sense of why the human condition is so confused but they add another layer of confusion in the process.

The Urantia Book teachings are more consistent, more logical, more elevating, more exciting than anything that the theory of reincarnation has to offer â€” it's just a matter of deciding for one over the other.

Thanks for the question.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: eastern philosophy, Jesus, reincarnation, The Urantia Book

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2 Comments:

query: You quote a Urantia Paper that Jesus had difficulty getting across to others that they had no prior existence. YET, Jesus said to his disciples after the Transfiguration account in the Bible: "If you 'can' accept it...John the Baptist IS Elijah who was to come..." And even though, when John was asked if he was Elijah...he stated "no"...it indicates that either he didn't know who he truly was OR, he didn't want to call attention to himself in light of him being the forerunner of Christ, Jesus.AGAIN, it was Jesus himself who stated: "IF you 'can' accept it John the Baptist IS Elijah who was to come...probably referencing the Book of Malachi. In other words Jesus promulgated or at least hinted to reincarnation. And even Job stated that he was brought forth from his mother and to his "mother" he would return. There are other passages in the Bible that refer to reincarnation (at least of a kind). Your referenced statement as to reincarnation appears antagonistic to Jesus's saying. Also, you mention in your Life After Death treatises that 'there are no ghosts' Yet, the witch of Endor (O.T.) called up the spirit of Samuel and it spoke to King Saul and rebuked him for having the witch call up his spirit. Please comment on this. Thank you.

By Anonymous, at 5:34 PM

Dear Anonymous,

Since The Urantia Book states that Jesus had difficulty getting across to others that they had no prior existence, then it's obvious that Jesus wanted to impress upon his followers that reincarnation is a myth. That's pretty straight forward â€” if one accepts that The Urantia Book is true, and a revelation, then trying to squeeze a belief in reincarnation into the mix is to repudiate the true revelatory nature of The Urantia Book. It's clear that Jesus wanted others to understand they did not exist before this earth life.

I don't find references in the Bible of Jesus saying John the Baptist is Elijah, but then I don't have to justify the Bible â€” being a forerunner doesn't mean being one and the same, it can mean ancestor or herald. That there are verses in the Bible that may appear to refer to reincarnation is not proof that reincarnation is more than a myth. The Urantia Book's referenced statement of Jesus discounting reincarnation is not antagonistic to Jesus's Biblical sayings, it's simply antagonistic to interpretations of scripture which may be inaccurate.

As for ghosts, there are no souls of deceased people that hang around earth causing mischief or consternation. Just like reincarnation, which may appear to have proofs that satisfy those who wish it to be real, ghosts can appear to be a reality for those wishing confirmation that our souls can and do return to earth, haunting the living. People like mystery and they like being scared - this seems the likeliest explanation for "ghosts." Ghost-fear is a remnant from our ancestral past, and has no place in the adventure of the religion of spiritual experience that Jesus practiced and taught. In the religion of Jesus, the resurrected souls of the children of God progress toward eternal life; they have no need to backtrack to their former residence.

The Urantia Book provides a profoundly more detailed, logical and sensible explanation for death, and the life behind it, than either the theory of reincarnation or a belief in ghosts can do. For those seeking greater understanding it is wise to set aside old prejudices, open the mind, and invest some quality time in learning just what it is The Urantia Book has to offer.

By Ad Astra, at 5:58 PM