Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book: February 2009

There are no references to euthanasia (mercy-killing) in The Urantia Book. But knowing what I do, I hope can form an opinion that will be in line with its teachings.

Euthanasia is an interesting subject, and once again in the news of the day. I can't tell you what to think - whether it is right or wrong. I suspect that every case is different. But it is my personal opinion that if a person has been in a vegetative state for some amount of time (in the recent case I read of, the person has been in such a state for over ten years!) and shows no sign of recovery, and no sign of brain activity, I would say that euthanasia would be justified. I know that if it was me in that bed, that I would not want to be kept alive if my Thought Adjuster had left. And we are told that when brain activity ceases, that is the equivalent of death, at which time the Adjuster returns to Divinington to await the personality and soul reunion. Do the soul and personality remain with the body until it is allowed to die?

The Urantia Book says this:

2. Intellectual (mind) death. When the vital circuits of higher adjutant ministry are disrupted through the aberrations of intellect or because of the partial destruction of the mechanism of the brain, and if these conditions pass a certain critical point of irreparability, the indwelling Adjuster is immediately released to depart for Divinington. On the universe records a mortal personality is considered to have met with death whenever the essential mind circuits of human will-action have been destroyed. And again, this is death, irrespective of the continuing function of the living mechanism of the physical body. The body minus the volitional mind is no longer human, but according to the prior choosing of the human will, the soul of such an individual may survive.

3. Physical (body and mind) death. When death overtakes a human being, the Adjuster remains in the citadel of the mind until it ceases to function as an intelligent mechanism, about the time that the measurable brain energies cease their rhythmic vital pulsations. Following this dissolution the Adjuster takes leave of the vanishing mind, just as unceremoniously as entry was made years before, and proceeds to Divinington by way of Uversa. p1230:1(112:3.3)

In days past, this was not ever thought about much, because a person who had sustained a serious injury would have naturally passed away, but in our times of amazing medical miracles and cutting-edge technologies, doctors have the power to keep a person alive undefinitely. But is that always wise? To me it seems like a case of science without the moderation of spirit.

Euthanasia comes from two Greek words meaning "good death." Lingering in a hospital bed, waiting for someone to "pull the plug" does not seems like a very merciful way to treat someone. Allowing them to have a "good death" seems to be, in these extreme sorts of cases, the best course of action.

This is a question that has prompted the rise of "living wills," which allow a person beforehand, to say how they would like such a situation handled if they are not able to speak or act on their own. "Natural death," as understood in The Urantia Book may not be possible in such a situation, and so a person has to demand it these days.

Thanks for this thought-provoking question.

Labels: death, euthanasia, living will, mercy-killing, personality, soul, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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I've been checking out your website and The Urantia Book passages...

Q: I've been checking out your website and The Urantia Book passages.
I'm very interested in your religion, its beliefs, references, etc. I'm currently a Lutheran and I'm finding out more about them that I don't like. I'm tired of mainstream Christianity. Do you have churches like other churches?

A: Urantia Book readers come from all manner of beliefs or lack thereof -- Catholic priests and nuns, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Mormons, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Moslems, atheists and agnostics and everything in between, even Lutherans.

There have been attempts in the past to establish a Urantia Church but the concept isn't particularly well received among Urantians -- you see, most of us believe that the teachings of The Urantia Book do not denote a new religion as much as they provide an umbrella under which all world religions can function. The Urantia Book is here, in part, to elevate and uplift the religious thought in the world, whether it be Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, or pagan, not to impose another form of religion.

The Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus introduced is what The Urantia Book calls the "invisible brotherhood."

The true churchâ€”the Jesus brotherhoodâ€”is invisible, spiritual, and is characterized by unity...(195:10.11)

Labels: churches, invisible church, Jesus, kingdom of heaven, The Urantia Book

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We had a dear friend pass away 5 days ago...Does he see us or hear us? Does he remember us?

Q: We had a dear friend pass away 5 days ago from cancer. He passed away suddenly. We had not talked to him since late December. He was going to do one more chemo treatment in December. He passed in the Hospital. He had not called His former spouse or us. We donâ€™t know details. He died at the hospital. He had been staying at his residence. Does he see us or hear us? Does he remember us?

A: I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It must be hard to realize that your friend is gone so suddenly. Death seems always to take us by surprise, doesn't it?...it sounds as if he may have isolated himself in his final weeks and months, and I am sure that that adds to your sense of loss. Please accept my condolences.

The good news is that you seem to believe that it is possible for your friend to still be "somewhere," and you are exactly right. He is embarking on the supreme adventure, and it could be that he is right now awakening to his new life after death.

The Urantia Book teaches us that "death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery." I hope you can be cheered to imagine that this voyage has now started in earnest, and your friend is happy. Of course, this will be the privelege of all of us eventually - to pass from the death of the material body to a new life in the never-ending quest for God.

In the Urantia Book, we learn that our loved ones DO remember us, and their life in the flesh. As to whether he can see you, that is not possible, as his new residence is quite far away. But as you remember him, so does he remember you, and he'll be waiting to greet you and all of his other friends and family as they leave the planet, too, as a result of natural death. At that time you will most certainly see each other, so that is something that can give you great hope.

The Urantia Book contains a wealth of comforting material about the subject of Life after Death; Please feel free to visit HERE for much more information - you may especially like to see our videos "After You Die," and "You Can Live Forever," found on the same link.

Again, my sympathies are with you in this difficult time.

Labels: death, life after death, The Urantia Book

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Does The Urantia Book have a Golden Rule?

While TUB has quite a few references for the Golden Rule, there is no new description of it - it remains "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," but the teachings of the Urantia Book, and more especially, the teachings of Jesus elevate the Golden Rule and add a new dimension to it. Jesus referred to the Golden Rule as the Rule of Living.

Here are a few more passages which speak of this age-old "rule of living:"

From the Sermon on the Mount to the discourse of the Last Supper, Jesus taught his followers to manifest fatherly love rather than brotherly love. Brotherly love would love your neighbor as you love yourself, and that would be adequate fulfillment of the "golden rule." But fatherly affection would require that you should love your fellow mortals as Jesus loves you. p1573:3(140:5.1)

... Jesus' morality was always positive. The golden rule as restated by Jesus demands active social contact; the older negative rule could be obeyed in isolation. Jesus stripped morality of all rules and ceremonies and elevated it to majestic levels of spiritual thinking and truly righteous living. p1585:3(140:10.5)

In the kingdom of the believing brotherhood of God-knowing truth lovers, this golden rule takes on living qualities of spiritual realization on those higher levels of interpretation which cause the mortal sons of God to view this injunction of the Master as requiring them so to relate themselves to their fellows that they will receive the highest possible good as a result of the believer's contact with them. This is the essence of true religion: that you love your neighbor as yourself.
p1950:2(180:5.7)

This Truthbook page reveals the Golden Rule as taught by many earth religions, including Christianity.

Labels: brotherhhod of man, golden rule, Jesus, neighbor, religion, rule of living, The Urantia Book

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Lincoln's spirituality in his own words

February 12, 1:05 PM
by Kurt Barstow

The 16th President of the United States is noted both for steering the country through its most difficult period as well as for both his noble rhetoric and earthy aphorisms. Below is a selection of quotes from the man in celebration of his 200th birthday.

GOD:

It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, My great concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is the reason he makes so many of them.

The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party - and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose.

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.

RELIGION:

I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.

When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that's my religion.

NATION:

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. (2nd Inaugural Address)

CHARACTER AND THE HUMAN CONDITION:

Character is like a tree and reputation is like a shadow, the shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.

It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.

Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.

If we take habitual drunkards as a class, their heads and their hearts will bear an advantageous comparison with those of any other class. There seems ever to have been a proneness in the brilliant and warm-blooded to fall in to this vice. The demon of intemperance ever seems to have delighted in sucking the blood of genius and generosity.

To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

Nothing is more terrible than ignorance in action.

The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that anybody wishes to hinder him.

I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have.

We can complain that rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice that thorn bushes have roses.

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.

Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.

Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?

If you look for the bad in (hu)mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.

It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.

HUMAN RIGHTS:

We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names - liberty and tyranny.

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried upon him personally.

Labels: Abraham Lincoln, character, God, human rights, Kurt Barstow, nation, religion, spirituality

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Is atheism a conspiracy theory?

Q: Is atheism a conspiracy theory?

A: The world abounds with conspiracy theories, but I have never heard of a serious one that involves atheism. Of course, if there were a serious effort afoot, maybe it would not advertise itself on the Internet.

To my understanding, atheism is a case of doubt as to the truth of the existence of God - not only doubt, but a conviction that there is no unseen Deity at all. Agnosticism allows room for doubt, but an avowed atheist is sure that there is no God.

I am sure that even persons who are honest of heart can be atheists. I have often thought, though, that a true atheist is one of the most spirit-minded of persons, as they devote their lives to dis-proving that which is not provable, except in the realm of faith and spiritual experience. Likewise, God's existence is neither able to be dis-proved. If there is such a conspiracy, I think that it will have little chance of ultimate success, as the overwhelming majority of people on Earth DO believe, and have always believed, in some form of Deity Presence.

The seeds of atheism were sown on this planet in the long-ago days of the Lucifer Rebellion. Lucifer himself taught evolving man that there was no God, and this was one of the cornerstones of his infamous Manifesto. Unfortunately, we still see the repercussions of his insanity even today in the form of atheism as a "philosophy." It takes quite a long time for the effects of rebellion to be eradicated.

Because we do not have the spiritual helpers that a normal planet enjoys, such as Adam and Eve and a resident Planetary Prince, we humans must rely on faith and desire to find God. For some, this is a leap that they are not prepared to take, and so they prefer instead to rely wholly upon their material senses, which are hardly adequate to discern spiritual presence. Little wonder that atheism can flourish in a world that glorifies the scientific method divorced from spiritual insight.

In our 21st Century world, atheism seems to be enjoying a resurgence, but is it a serious threat? Is there an organized and concerted effort to undermine belief in God? I have not ever heard of that, but that is not to say that some atheists may desire such an effort, as they can be quite strident in their unbelief. There is also a "church" whose members worship Satan, but does that constitute a "conspiracy theory?" I think these are just confused folks who have yet to learn the reality - or the possibility - of God through their own experience.

Having said all of this, I realize that there may be those who DO know God, but who deny him deliberately - not from honest doubt, but as a deliberate act of rebellion and rejection of his love and mercy. They may in turn try to convince others to do likewise. It has been pointed out to me that such persons are now, and have been in the past, hard at work to deny God. This sort of "atheist" is different, and far more sinister, I think - maybe in line with the sophistries of Lucifer, who did the same thing in those dark, long-ago days of the Rebellion. I suppose there may be a flavor of "Conspiracy" connected with such an effort, but I seriously doubt whether many people who already know God will be tempted to join such a movement...but to answer your question - in this case, atheism just MAY be a conspiracy theory...

Labels: atheism, conspiracy theories, God, Lucifer, Lucifer Manifesto

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When does the soul enter the human body?

Q: When does the soul enter the human body?

A: There has long been speculation about the soul - what it is, where it resides, how it is nurtured...but it is a fairly common belief that the soul is the non-material component of a human being, a component that possesses immortality. And this belief is true. Only the details have been missing.

The Urantia Book dispels all doubt as to the soul's origin and purpose. We learn that the soul is the spiritual counterpart of a human being which is born at the moment of the person's first moral choice - usually at about age five. Coincident with the first moral choosing, this occasion also marks the arrival of the indwelling Spirit of God into the mind of a human being. At this time, this brand new entity is created, and its evolution and growth is continued throughout a lifetime by every new choice towards the good, true and beautiful.

Rather than something that enters a human from without, the immortal soul is born from within, and is nurtured by continued identification with the indwelling Spirit of God. And at the end of life, it is this entity which survives the death experience and goes on to eternal life.

Please see Jesus' Discourse on the Soul for a far more inspiring explanation than I can give...

Thank you for this important question...

Labels: God within, Jesus, soul, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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Do our Thought Adjusters cooperate with each other? And if so, can they do so over vast distances?

Q: Do our Thought Adjusters cooperate with each other? And if so, can they do so over vast distances?

A: What an interesting question...it took me into some research of The Urantia Book to find the answer for you.

As you likely know, the Thought Adjusters are those fragments of God which indwell the minds of mortals. It is in this way that God is able to experience life with his creatures, and assist mortals in their search for truth, beauty and goodness. The Thought Adjusters ARE god, and collectively, constitute God. When we are told that "God is within" it is literally true.

Since the Divine fragments of God which indwell the minds of mortal man are all part and parcel of the Universal Father, I think it would be safe to say that Adjusters would always co-operate with each other. And they also co-operate with other spiritual influences, such as the Spirit of Truth and the seraphic hosts. But we are told that they act alone in our minds, although there might be instances of "possible co-ordination," as in this passage:

Apart from possible co-ordination with other Deity fragments, the Adjusters are quite alone in their sphere of activity in the mortal mind. The Mystery Monitors eloquently bespeak the fact that, though the Father may have apparently resigned the exercise of all direct personal power and authority throughout the grand universe, notwithstanding this act of abnegation in behalf of the Supreme Creator children of the Paradise Deities, the Father has certainly reserved to himself the unchallengeable right to be present in the minds and souls of his evolving creatures to the end that he may so act as to draw all creature creation to himself, co-ordinately with the spiritual gravity of the Paradise Sons. Said your Paradise bestowal Son when yet on Urantia, "I, if I am lifted up, will draw all men." This spiritual drawing power of the Paradise Sons and their creative associates we recognize and understand, but we do not so fully comprehend the methods of the all-wise Father's functioning in and through these Mystery Monitors that live and work so valiantly within the human mind. p1190:2(108:4.1)

I also found these passages which speak of the communication of Adjusters with one another (which would seem to be implicit in co-operation), and as interplanetary liaisons; this would seem to answer the question of their ability to communicate (or co-operate) over vast distances. All of these passages imply co-operation, as well as communication:

Since Adjusters can plan, work, and love, they must have powers of selfhood which are commensurate with mind. They are possessed of unlimited ability to communicate with each other, that is, all forms of Monitors above the first or virgin groups. As to the nature and purport of their intercommunications, we can reveal very little, for we do not know. And we further know that they must be minded in some manner else they could never be personalized. p1181:5(107:5.2)

When a world is isolated by rebellion, when a planet is cut off from all outside encircuited communication, as was Urantia after the Caligastia upheaval, aside from personal messengers there remains but one possibility of direct interplanetary or universe communication, and that is through the liaison of the Adjusters of the spheres. No matter what happens on a world or in a universe, the Adjusters are never directly concerned. The isolation of a planet in no way affects the Adjusters and their ability to communicate with any part of the local universe, superuniverse, or the central universe.
p1190:5(108:4.4)

Undoubtedly these higher and more experienced types of [self-acting] Adjusters can communicate with those in other realms. But while self-acting Adjusters do thus intercommunicate, they do so only on the levels of their mutual work and for the purpose of preserving custodial data essential to the Adjuster ministry of the realms of their sojourn, though on occasions they have been known to function in interplanetary matters during times of crisis. p1196:11(109:2.9)

These are isolated quotes, answering the gist of your question, but no isolated passage can take the place of actually learning about the ministry of Thought Adjusters in depth.

The following papers of The Urantia Book give us the most complete picture of the mysterious Thought Adjusters:

Paper 107:Origin and Nature of Thought Adjusters

Paper 108:Mission and Ministry of Thought Adjusters

Paper 109:Relation of Adjusters to Universe Creatures

Paper 110:Relation of Adjusters to Individual Mortals

Paper 111:The Adjuster and the Soul

Thanks for this interesting question!

Labels: communication, God, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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I am a 19 years old male. Is age or sex, related to a personâ€™s potential for spiritual achievements?

Q: I am a 19 year-old male. Is age or sex, related to a personâ€™s potential for spiritual achievements?

A: Neither age nor sex have any bearing on a person's potential for spiritual achievements. Whether here on earth, or in life eternal, all of God's children stand on an equal footing in spiritual value, and all who choose survival will receive an opportunity for advancement. There may be other factors that may affect our potential, such as heredity or genetic lineage, but age and sex are of no consequence when thinking about spiritual potential.

Labels: age, sex, spiritual growth, spirituality, The Urantia Book

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Will we know one another in heaven?

Q: Will we know one another in heaven?

A: Thank you for taking the time to write to us with this question. I think it is a concern that many of us have had. Some of the most beautiful and comforting parts of The Urantia Book are its teachings about life after death. And one of the sweetest is the teaching that we we will indeed, know one another in heaven. In fact, our relationships are the most important thing we do here on earth - so important, that they have eternal value.

"... much of your past life and its memories, having neither spiritual meaning nor morontia value, will perish with the material brain; much of material experience will pass away as onetime scaffolding which, having bridged you over to the morontia level, no longer serves a purpose in the universe. But personality and the relationships between personalities are never scaffolding; mortal memory of personality relationships has cosmic value and will persist. On the mansion worlds you will know and be known, and more, you will remember, and be remembered by, your onetime associates in the short but intriguing life on Urantia." p1235:4(112:5.22)

The "morontia level" is a level of existence which is between the purely physical, and the purely spiritual. It is a stage that we pass through after our life on earth is over. And the mansion worlds are our first stopping-place on our way to Paradise. The "Father's many mansions" that Jesus mentioned are these same worlds. I imagine that this experience will fulfill all of our dreams of Heaven.

Please click visit our study on Life After Death to find lots more information on this topic, including Quotes of the Day and flash movies...

Thanks for writing. I hope this has been helpful to you. Write back any time. Would you like to subscribe to our daily Quote of the Day service? Just go to our home page, click on Quote of the Day (in the middle) and then click subscribe.

Labels: life after death, memory, morontia, relationship, The Urantia Book

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Is it appropriate to shout HALLELUJAH!, LORD JESUS!, and AMEN! when discussing religion?

Q: Is it appropriate to shout HALLELUJAH!, LORD JESUS!, and AMEN! when discussing religion?

A: Well, I guess that that depends upon with whom you are having the discussion...

Emotion has its place in religious experience, but subjecting others to that kind of personal emotional experience might not be the best thing, especially if you are simply in a discussion of religion, and even more especially if you are trying to interest them in true spiritual reality. A discussion implies that you are using the mind, and not the emotions. Not everyone who is religious has those kinds of emotional impulses. Sometimes that sort of thing seems contrived and artificial, but sometimes it is genuine. Regardless, I think it is certainly inappropriate if someone ends up feeling uncomfortable or excluded.

It is entirely appropriate to shout out when you are among your inner circle who will likely appreciate it, and who may even join in your exuberance...I am thinking of some church services, where people are shouting out right and left. I think that is a good thing. And sometimes it does just feel really good to declare a heartfelt "Amen!" among your brethren. But in other circumstances, people might just think you are some kind of a fanatic, and they'll be put off by such a display.

Religion is best grasped and appreciated by the MIND, not by the emotions. While religious thought can produce heartfelt emotion, one should always use common sense about expressing it appropriately.

Labels: emotion, mind, religion, The Urantia Book

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What is the first step that I should do that will lead me in forgiving someone?

Q: Forgiving is one of the hardest thing to do to be able to fully submit yourself to God. What is the first step that I should do that will lead me in forgiving someone?

A: You are right that forgiving can be the hardest thing to do. All of us can relate to this...I guess the first thing you must do is to decide whether your un-forgiveness is helping you to achieve the kind of relationship you desire with God - your desire to willingly submit to his will. Is your unwillingness to forgive helping you in your search for peace and happiness in your inner life? Is your anger doing anything to right the situation? Is carrying the burdens of hurt and anger worth the effort?

When we have been sinned against by another - when our sense of right and wrong has been violated by another's words or actions, we recognize it, and we feel anger or indignation against that person - often rightly so. It is a very human response. Sometimes, we dream of revenge or retaliation - our anger burns bright, and we can fan the flames by harboring these feelings - sometimes for long periods of time. But is that helpful? The feelings of anger and hurt are heavy burdens to the heart, and usually do not in any way affect the offender, only the one who harbors them.

The Urantia Book tells us that "anger is like a stone hurled into a hornet's nest." It is a "mental poison" that can "interfere with the spiritual progress of the evolving soul."

So, what is one to do? Jesus was one of the most sinned-against persons we know. He was betrayed, he was deserted by his friends, he was wrongly put to death. And yet, through all of his trials, he remained loving, tolerant and forgiving. He said: "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

We must learn to forgive in this life. The first step is to realize the harm that unforgiveness can do to YOU, and that may lead you to make a decision to forgive. Ask God to show you the way to achieve it in your heart. Accept the fact that you are also in need of forgiveness, and pray to realize it. As you learn to forgive everyone who has ever wronged you, you will in turn start to experience forgiveness of your own misdeeds as well. This can be a very liberating experience.

From The Urantia Book:

The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him, but such forgiveness is not available in your personal religious experience until such a time as you forgive your fellow men. God's forgiveness in fact is not conditioned upon your forgiving your fellows, but in experience it is exactly so conditioned. And this fact of the synchrony of divine and human forgiveness was thus recognized and linked together in the prayer which Jesus taught the apostles.p1638:4(146:2.4)

And that prayer is, of course, the "Lord's Prayer," which asks God to "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

When you can make that mental and spiritual decision to forgive another, you will feel a lifting of your burdens. Leave the offender to God, and remember that "forgiving tolerance" is one of the fruits of the spirit that we are called upon to produce in our lives. Forgiveness can be difficult, but making the effort is well worth it.

Labels: anger, forgiveness, fruits of the spirit, God, God's Will, Jesus, The Lord's Prayer

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How can you know whether you are just human or if you are a divinely bestowed personality?

Q: With such a focus on bestowal missions in TUB, how can you know whether you are just human or if you are a divinely bestowed personality?

A: Are you thinking that maybe because of the focus more people will be claiming to be divine? That's possible -- because of TUB more people are claiming to have special connections to spirit beings since any time that attention is given to something out of the ordinary people with unstable tendencies rush to use it to their advantage. We all like to think we're special -- and we are, but not in a worldly fashion and it's the worldly that exerts such a strong pull on the ego.

Divinely bestowed personalities know who they are -- Caligastia, Adam and Eve, Melchizedek, Jesus. They understood where they'd come from and what it was they intended to do while here so there was no doubt in their minds. Jesus, as a child, faced some confusion, but as he grew up and matured the knowledge came back to him. So, if you're a divinely bestowed personality you know your past and your future. If you're a self-deluding person you'll make yourself believe there's something divine and extra special about you, but deep down you'll know it's a deception.

It's my guess that there are no divinely bestowed personalities in human form on the planet at this time and that there won't be any for some time to come. We're pretty much left to our own devices by deity since it's important that we evolve naturally and solve our own problems. But at some point we'll have evolved to the point where we're ready for a new teacher and one will come. However, TUB has been here for 50 years and is still unknown -- it's going to take a while for it to have its intended effect and we'll need to absorb the fifth in order to be ready for something additional.

Labels: Adam and Eve, bestowal, Caligastia, ego, Jesus, Melchizedek, personality, The Urantia Book

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Why Do The Urantia Book authors flatter Satan and Lucifer?

Q: Is it not misleading of the TUB authors to be so flattering in their descriptions of Lucifer, Satan, Caligastia and Cano? How can these people be phrased as so brilliant when they ignored God?

A: That is a good question - the authors of The Urantia Book waste no glowing words when describing these rebels as they were before they decided to ignore God. In my opinion, I think they do this just to provide a vivid contrast upon which to view the enormity of their transgressions. They were all high and brilliant beings, capable of so much, and entrusted with so much - and yet, despite their high station, each of them succumbed to the all-too-familiar delusions of ego and self-interest. I find it a fascinating portrayal.

What I come away with is that no one is exempt from God's rule, and no one can expect to escape the repercussions of knowingly and willingly going against God's will, no matter how brilliant they may seem to be. We have a saying: "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." It seems to fit here...

At the same time, the authors also waste no words in describing their shortcomings, or the effects of their planet-changing decisions - on them and on us - and that is quite a contrast as well, when we realize just how far they fell. These once esteemed beings made a big mess for us here, and now, they are fallen so far that their very existence is threatened - by their own choices.

Perhaps another reason that we are told so much about their one-time brilliance is so that we, as mortals, are not tempted to glorify our own egos. By knowing more about how even such elevated beings such as Lucifer, Satan and Caligastia can fall from grace, we may be less tempted to think that we are immune from such folly ourselves - even in our lowly, mortal estate. It is something to think about...

I consider the case of Cano a bit differently, as it seems to me that he was something of an unwitting player in Eve's default - indirectly encouraged by the wiles of Caligastia, through Serapatatia. He was deluded, but not as haughty in his transgression of the Father's will as the others, as he seems to have truly thought, like Eve and Serapatatia, that he was doing a good thing. He was impatient for results, like Eve, and he was over-awed by the seeming brilliance of supposedly "higher" beings than himself. In the cases of Lucifer, Satan and Caligastia, their downfall seems to have sprung from their own arrogance, and I fault them as the instigators, preying on innocence to further their aims. We learn no more of Cano following his death, but I like to think that his transgressions have been forgiven.

We can all take a lesson in humility from these stories. We are led to infer that closeness to God, and sincerity of heart is of paramount importance, and that seeking, and doing, the Father's will is always the best course of action, no matter what our limited minds may think.

And we can be sure by these contrasts, that God does not play favorites, or tolerate willing disobedience from any personality. But we also see that God's love, forgiveness and mercy is ever available, even when we have done the wrong thing - another lesson which the rebels have yet to learn, apparently.

Labels: Cano, God, Lucifer, Lucifer Manifesto, Satan, The Urantia Book

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Do we have to pay for the misdeeds and sufferings of our ancestors?

Q: I have a query. Do the departed souls affect us? If they are not happy do they cause us suffering? Do we have to pay for the misdeeds and sufferings of our ancestors? What does one do to bring peace to the departed souls? I do not understand that when we are good why we have to suffer for someone else's misdeeds and sins. Its unfair.

A: Thank you for your question to Truthbook.com. Yes, what you've related would be unfair if it were true. I know many people suffer from the burden they believe the departed have placed upon them. In some cultures people die because of their belief that those who've departed can influence them so profoundly, so it's not a problem to be dismissed lightly.

Our minds are powerful influences and can perform amazing things, some hard to believe. Having powerful minds and the free will to direct them however we choose is a birthright we all are endowed with. Some people are willing to turn over the control and function of their minds to others -- the others don't have the capacity to control a healthy mind without the willful consent of the person being controlled. So, yes, some people can and do suffer from someone else's misdeeds, but it is a choice they've made, perhaps unconsciously, to do.

The Urantia Book has the most complete and factual information about the birth of the soul, how it functions, what it does, where it and we go upon death, and what the life hereafter will be like. There's a short presentation on our site titled After You Die that should be of comfort to you and help answer your question. Briefly though, the answer to your question is no, departed souls do not physically or mentally affect us -- they leave earth and are involved in activity that's meaningful to their own development and are not involved in any further activity here on earth; they do not return. Energy patterns and mindal energy systems that had been part of that person's makeup while alive may still exist once the individual is gone -- sensitive people can tap into those energies or even those not so sensitive can as well if they choose to. It's a matter of free will choice whether one wants to indulge in these undertakings or not; they can as easily be dismissed and disregarded, whether they're real or not.

Do we pay for the misdeeds and sufferings of our ancestors? Only if we choose to aim our minds in those directions -- yes, some people do suffer from such perceived burdens, but again, it's their choice to do so, whether the choice has been made consciously or unconsciously; such choices can be reversed by refusing to entertain thoughts along those lines. Our Father in heaven does not burden his mortal children; we are not held accountable for another individual's actions -- it's only our own actions that matter. Just as the Father did not require an innocent sacrifice in order to appease wrath, neither does the Father require that we pay for the sins of others -- it's our choice if that's what we choose to do. Jesus has exhorted us to fear not; trust Jesus.

May I recommend that you spend time at our site to help you understand these answers better and 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, The Urantia 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. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Labels: Jesus, life after death, soul, suffering, the departed, The Urantia Book

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