Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Sins Of The Fathers
Q: I have been told that the sins of the fathers are paid by the children for up to 7 generations. Where does this appear in the Bible? Thank you.
A: Here are some references to sins of the fathers:
Exodus Chapter 20 (5) You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, (6) and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments.
Numbers 14 (18) The LORD is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation.
Deuteronomy Chapter 5 (9) You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, (10) and doing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Jeremiah Chapter 32 (17) Ah, Lord Jehovah! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm. Nothing is too great for You. (18) You show loving-kindness to thousads, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their sons after them.
SINS OF THE FATHERS -- Euripides (c. 485-406 B.C.), Phrixus, fragment 970: "The gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children."
Also: "For the sins of your fathers you, though guiltless, must suffer." - Horace, "Odes," III, 6, l. 1.
"The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children." - Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice," act III, sc. V, l. 1
So it looks like God smites for up to 4 generations and not 7 -- that's much more comforting isn't it.
Let's look at some of what The Urantia Book has to say regarding this:
The Father's love follows us now and throughout the endless circle of the eternal ages. As you ponder the loving nature of God, there is only one reasonable and natural personality reaction thereto: You will increasingly love your Maker; you will yield to God an affection analogous to that given by a child to an earthly parent; for, as a father, a real father, a true father, oves his children, so the Universal Father loves and forever seeks the welfare of his created sons and daughters. (2:5.9)
Of Jesus it was truly said, "He trusted God." As a man among men he most sublimely trusted the Father in heaven. He trusted his Father as a little child trusts his earthly parent. His faith was perfect but never presumptuous. No matter how cruel nature might appear to be or how indifferent to man's welfare on earth, Jesus never faltered in his faith. He was immune to disappointment and impervious to persecution. He was untouched by apparent failure. (100:7.7)
Though many of the temple rituals very touchingly impressed his sense of the beautiful and the symbolic, he was always disappointed by the explanation of the real meanings of these ceremonies which his parents would offer in answer to his many searching inquiries. Jesus simply would not accept explanations of worship and religious devotion which involved belief in the wrath of God or the anger of the Almighty. In further discussion of these questions, after the conclusion of the temple visit, when his father became mildly insistent that he acknowledge acceptance of the orthodox Jewish beliefs, Jesus turned suddenly upon his parents and, looking appealingly into the eyes of his father, said: "My father, it cannot be true--the Father in heaven cannot so regard his erring children on earth. The heavenly Father cannot love his children less than you love me. And I well know, no matter what unwise thing I might do, you would never pour out wrath upon me nor vent anger against me. If you, my earthly father, possess such human reflections of the Divine, how much more must the heavenly Father be filled with goodness and overflowing with mercy. I refuse to believe that my Father in heaven loves me less than my father on earth." (125:0.6)
Jesus was baptized at the very height of John's preaching when Palestine was aflame with the expectancy of his message--"the kingdom of God is at hand" --when all Jewry was engaged in serious and solemn self-examination. The Jewish sense of racial solidarity was very profound. The Jews not only believed that the sins of the father might afflict his children, but they firmly believed that the sin of one individual might curse the nation. Accordingly, not all who submitted to John's baptism regarded themselves as being guilty of the specific sins which John denounced. Many devout souls were baptized by John for the good of Israel. They feared lest some sin of ignorance on their part might delay the coming of the Messiah. They felt themselves to belong to a guilty and sin-cursed nation, and they presented themselves for baptism that they might by so doing manifest fruits of race penitence. It is therefore evident that Jesus in no sense received John's baptism as a rite of repentance or for the remission of sins. In accepting baptism at the hands of John, Jesus was only following the example of many pious Israelites. (136:2.1)
"The divine riches of God's character must be infinitely deep and eternally wise. We cannot search out God by knowledge, but we can know him in our hearts by personal experience. While his justice may be past finding out, his mercy may be received by the humblest being on earth. While the Father fills the universe, he also lives in our hearts. The mind of man is human, mortal, but the spirit of man is divine, immortal. God is not only all-powerful but also all-wise. If our earth parents, being of evil tendency, know how to love their children and bestow good gifts on them, how much more must the good Father in heaven know how wisely to love his children on earth and to bestow suitable blessings upon them. (131:10.3)
One of the purposes of the Urantia revelation is to provide a more meaningful understanding of the personal relationship we have with our heavenly Father -- many beliefs are archaic and grounded in superstition and fear and are well in need of updating.
Thank you for your question.
Larry Watkins
Truthbook.comLabels: baptism, Bible, God, Jesus, Larry Watkins, relationship with God, sins of the fathers, The Urantia Book
Permalink
Friday, November 17, 2006
One True United Religion On Earth?
Q: Do you think there will ever be a time when there is only one united true religion on this earth?
A: It is planetary destiny that eventually all human beings will be united under one umbrella of religious philosophy.
Will it be Christian? Will it be Moslem? Will it be Jewish? Yes and no.
God loves us as individuals, not because we belong to a particular religion, sect, or group. As individuals we each approach God in our own way. Some people will want to express themselves through a Hindu orientation and others through a Buddhist one. But eventually when there is one united religion all religions will have the same philosophical umbrella defining who we are as children of God and who God is as our heavenly Father. We will have learned to appreciate one another for our differences and see one another as spiritual brothers and sisters -- the methods we use to relate to God will be of little importance.
This may be somewhat difficult to understand at this point in our development. That's one of the purposes of the teachings of The Urantia Book -- to provide an enhanced vision of the past and a bigger vision of what the future has in store.
Thank you for your question.
Larry Watkins
Truthbook.comLabels: God, Larry Watkins, philosophy, religion, unity
Permalink
Reincarnation? Life On Other Planets?
Q: Part 1: Does Urantia consider the possibility of rebirth or reincarnation?
Part 2: Is there life on other galaxies and do we continue to learn after death?
A: The Urantia Book is a revelation -- it claims that distinction and those of us who have read and studied it to determine if the claim is unfounded have arrived at the conclusion that it is what it claims to be. Revelation will substantiate some long-held beliefs but it will also give new and often startling insights that can unsettle cherished opinions.
The theory of reincarnation is appealing for several reasons: it seems to offer an explanation for the inequalities of life, it can offer hope for those who desire a continuation of life and meaning beyond the lives we presently find ourselves in, and it's an indication of a plan that overrides and controls our very existence. But the theory of reincarnation addresses these concepts in meager and very unsatisfactory terms and at best one is left with only hazy ideas of how and why it all fits together. Still, it would be difficult to give up a belief in the theory unless there was something much better in place to substitute.
The Urantia Book goes into all the ramifications of these musings in great detail and with exquisite definition and lays out a plan of so much greater satisfaction, logic, meaning than any teachings of reincarnation attempt. Actually, reincarnation is but a hazy reflection of a grand concept of the mortal ascendant career that we enter into once our life here is through, a concept disclosed long ago in the early days of human history that has since been misinterpreted to mean repeated lives here on earth.
Regarding life on other galaxies and continuing to learn: creation isn't the simple mechanistic forces that produce matter in the fashion described through science. True there is energy and matter but there is also spirit and it is spirit for which creation was made. The material universe is creation put into motion by God for the expression of spirit and personality.
Galaxies exist for the purpose of expressing personality. Not all stars support planets nor do all planets support material life but so many do that the numbers are nearly limitless. The purpose of material will-creature life is that it is the starting point for personality expression on a long and glorious ascendant career, where knowledge and understanding continue to be our eternal goal.
May I recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day at our site. It's a free service that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of this marvelous book along with 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. To subscribe go to the upper right corner of our home page, click on Quote of the Day and follow the instructions. And of course I would recommend that you test for yourself the teachings of The Urantia Book to find out if they ring true. It's available at most book stores and libraries or can be purchased on-line through our site.
Best wishes and thank you for your questions.
Larry WatkinsLabels: death, galaxies, God, Larry Watkins, reincarnation, The Urantia Book
Permalink
Dreams And Visions Of The Departed
Q: My Grandmother of 91 years old finaly passed on Nov. 5th 2006
My Grandfather passed away last year on August 1st. 2005.
Ever since then my grandma was never the same. She always would tell
us that shes tired and that she wants to go be with "Daddy" that was
what she use to call my grandfather when was alive. A few days before
she passed my mom told me that she had visions of her mother and of her
husband my grandpa and that he was standing in a bright light with his
arms wide open singing their favorite song "Because of You."
The nurse from hospice that was taking care of my grandmother did mention that
this sort of thing happens a lot of times when a person is very close
to passing on. What is your opinion on that sort of thing?
I guess its sort of soothing or comforting to me especialy in
this time of grief losing my grandparents back to back. My grandparents
raised my brother and myself from birth and its so hard to part from
them. Thanks again for your time.
A: I hope you received the newsletter announcing the "After you die"
presentation -- if not, it and several others are available from the home
page of our site from links on the upper left side.
Yes, I'll be happy to give you my opinion based upon my understanding
of the teachings of The Urantia Book. Every one of us has opinions on
all aspects of life, death, and everything in between and we base those
opinions on what we've read, what we've learned in school, from TV or
radio, from superstition, from friends and neighbors and family and from
what we learn through our own meditations and prayers. So it's not too
strange for someone to say they're basing their opinion on teachings
they've acquired through study of a particular book, especially after
having studied that book you've come to believe that this one is exactly
what it claims to be, a divine revelation given to us by angels. I don't
expect anyone else to believe that unless they've actually read the
book and decided for themselves too so this can be considered just my own
personal opinion. Still, The Urantia Book is very specific about what
happens to us at death and after -- that's one of the reasons we have it
today, to help us understand why we're here, why we die, where we go
afterwards, what our destiny is.
I guess the technical explanation would be that at conception we're
connected to a mind circuit -- this is an energy pattern that our brains,
once they're developed, use to gather and express thoughts and ideas as
well as through which personalities are expressed. When we die our
personality disconnects from this circuit to be given a different, more
encompassing one for our continued existence on the mansion worlds. It is
possible for those of us who are left behind to connect with what has
been left in this energy circuit which can be very real to us and we can
continue to experience the presence of our loved ones even though
they're no longer here.
The Urantia Book makes it clear that this is our first and only life
here -- that we go on to better things when we leave. That means the
departed do not come back even though it can appear that they do. Ghosts
and apparitions don't exist in the real sense; we are not destined to
hang around here for any reason after we die -- we go on over there just
where we left off here and we don't hang around waiting for loved ones.
But that doesn't mean that those who are left behind can't still feel
as though the departed are near or might meet with them in dreams
because the mind connection can still be experienced.
When we die we do reunite with the loved ones who have gone on before
us -- your grandparents are enjoying reassociating with their parents,
siblings, and other loved ones now just as you will enjoy reuniting with
them once you've depart here.
So, yes, I believe it's quite possible to have visions of and hear the
voices of departed loved ones -- visions and voices that can be as good
as real but which in actuality aren't because the loved one really
isn't hanging around in a spirit world attempting to communicate with us
here. They're off in a new existence but looking forward to reuniting
with those they've left behind.
I hope that answer is comforting as well as informative. Best wishes
and feel free to write any time.
Larry Watkins
Truthbook.comLabels: death, destiny, dreams, Larry Watkins, the departed, The Urantia Book, visions
Permalink
Xerpi
