Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

Q: It's all very confusing, the life after death part! Simplistically, what actually happens when we die?

A: Thanks so much for writing to us with this question about our life after death. Even with the revelatory information about the process that we have from The Urantia Book, it is understandable that there is some uncertainty. Death is still the "great unknown" in a lot of ways. Really, it is simply the "great adventure" that we all have yet to experience.

I suppose if this life here on Earth had been explained to you before you incarnated it would have seemed very confusing too, yet you gradually became aware of your surroundings, your mother and father's faces, eating and sleeping and eventually the greater world around you. It's a natural process and now it's all familiar and natural to you...

Each night when you go to sleep you surrender your consciousness with the expectation that when you awake it will be given back to you just like it was when you went to sleep... and sure enough! Wouldn't you expect that that's pretty much what will occur when you die?

You'll die, for whatever reasons, either peacefully or with struggle. You'll gradually awaken as a newly arrived soul to new surroundings that you'll become familiar with over time as you become aware of the greater world around you. Eventually you'll recall that you'd had a previous life in the flesh, and that your personality had survived that death and that you are now embarked upon a fantastic new adventure.

In any event, you will lose consciousness at death, just as in nightly sleep - but we know from Urantia Book teachings, that we will awaken again on the Mansion Worlds. It is our faith and our desire for survival that ensures our awakening, so try not to be overly concerned - just cultivate faith and trust in God's goodness.

At death, your Thought Adjuster takes leave of your mind, while your soul, your mind and your personality are taken by the angels and kept in perfect safety until your resurrection, which takes place when your soul is re-united with your Adjuster on the Mansion Worlds. You will be unconscious until that resurrection experience, and so it will be just like waking up here, only you'll have that consciousness of having survived the death experience.

And don't forget: Jesus provided the living proof that life continues after death through his resurrection... that we begin over there just as we left off over here. He was a human just as we are human. He rose from the dead, and so will you (except of course, you will awaken on the Mansion Worlds). Trust Jesus.

I hope that this reply has been of some help to you...for some inspiration, please see our flash movie called "After You Die" HERE

And you might also enjoy looking through our study on Life after Death HERE

Thanks again for writing to us.

Labels: consciousness, death, Jesus, life after death, Mansion Worlds, soul, The Urantia Book

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Monday, February 15, 2010

I am trying to know more about my Jesus...

Q: I'm from Kerala in India. By birth I am Hindu. But I met Jesus in 2006 on my college days. I believe in Jesus.

I am trying to know more about my Jesus. I read Bible & other christian magazine. But I don't get the details about Jesus's childhood. When I search the Internet I saw Your great Urantia Book - Part IV the life and teachings of Jesus. That was a grateful feel on my heart. But I have several doubts on it. Where did you get these details, I mean where do we get these writings. Which historian tell this details?

I am studying in Malayalam medium (language of Kerala) and study English as optional language. So I don't understand some words in this Book. I would like know, The Urantia Book translated to Malayalam, the language of Kerala in India? I want to know more about my Jesus. Please help me.

In the name of Jesus

A: Thank you for writing to Truthbook.com. Our website is designed to promote the teachings of The Urantia Book, and especially those of Jesus from Part IV of the book. You have stumbled upon a treasure that is gradually becoming more widely known but is still unknown to most people.

You've said you have several doubts. Well, healthy and open-minded skepticism is to be encouraged when confronted with new and controversial material. In material of a spiritual nature you have to test what you're learning against your own perceptions of truth, beauty, goodness -- no one else's opinions and beliefs can be of any real value to you.

You asked where did we get these details. The details were given to us by the authors of The Urantia Book which was first published in 1955. We have a considerable amount of information on our website about the history of The Urantia Book so please take some time to become familiar with what's provided there. A good place to begin with the historical aspects of the book is found under the heading "The Urantia Book" on our home page -- Urantia Book history is located HERE. Please be aware however that all the information "about" The Urantia Book does not substitute for actually reading the book and learning first hand for oneself.

You asked which historian knows this information. Surprisingly enough, there are many old books that contain portions of this story -- books written by authors who apparently were inspired in some manner during the course of their lifetimes. The beauty of The Urantia Book is that its authors assimilated much of this obscure information, combining it in a masterful way and adding to it material that is unique to the teachings of The Urantia Book. The Urantia Book claims itself to be a revelation of truth. The authors of the book are celestial beings, angels, the true historians of the universe. They have access to the records of all that has transpired and their records of the life and teachings of Jesus are partially recounted here in a never-before revealed way.

If you're curious about the overall historical perspective provided by The Urantia Book, of which the life and teachings of Jesus is just a part, please spend some time reviewing the Urantia Book Timeline -- also found as an entry under the left-hand menu heading "The Urantia Book" on our home page. Also, on the home page you'll find "Jesus and The Urantia Book", "Answers to Life's Toughest Questions", "How The Urantia Book Changed My Life", and "FAQ" -- each of these will help you in your understanding of just what it is you've stumbled upon.

It's understandable that you don't understand some of the words in this book. The Urantia Book may contain some of the most complex writing ever made in the English language. Even native English speakers marvel at the language, and struggle too, and there is much there that can't be absorbed on a single reading. Many students of The Urantia Book study the book for the remainder of their lives, always finding new insight, new concepts, new ideas.

The Urantia Book has been translated into about a dozen different languages at this time and additional translations are under way but I don't believe Malayalam is one of them. But, I can tell from your writing that your grasp of English is excellent -- certainly good enough to understand Part IV of the book. Also, please understand that as a revelation given in the English language The Urantia Book can't be translated into any other language without losing some of its impact. As difficult as it may be for you, you'll get much more from reading the book in English rather than as a translation into some other language from the original. There can be no better study for the mastery of the English language than to read this life and teachings of Jesus.

You want to know more about Jesus -- I suggest you have been inspired to discover Jesus in The Urantia Book -- there is no better, more authentic, more real depiction of Jesus on the planet at this time. Read with an open mind and an open heart, taste the savor of the words as you read, ask for guidance in knowing the truth. Jesus left his spirit here, the Spirit of Truth, at Pentecost when he ascended. That spirit is here just for you, to help you find and to know what is true. Trust Jesus.

Please feel free to write with your questions or concerns. Part IV of The Urantia Book begins Please feel free to write with your questions or concerns. Part IV of The Urantia Book begins HERE with Paper 120. At the top of each Paper you'll see a (((Listen))) link where the text will be read aloud so you can hear and read at the same time -- you may find this helpful.

Labels: details, doubts, history, Jesus, The Urantia Book, Urantia Book Timeline

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Tuesday, February 09, 2010

I have a very important question regarding different versions of "The Bible..."

Q: Greetings!.. I have a very important question regarding different versions of "The Bible" - KJV ( King James Version ) vs. NIV ( New International Version ). One - the KJV - refers to Christ as "The son of God.". The other - the NIV - refers to Christ as "The Son of man." Please explain which is the correct interpretation. I do not want to be deceived by one or the other, and am a bit confused..

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com. As a site promoting the teachings of The Urantia Book we're not overly concerned with the Bible although we believe it is an important and valuable historical and religious work upon which the Christian religion is based and should therefore not be modified to suit the politics of the day. Our main interest is more along the lines of where The Urantia Book and the Bible correlate and where they diverge in their teachings.

Your question about the difference between the Son of God and the Son of Man is addressed in detail in the account of Jesus' life presented in The Urantia Book. You may also be interested in reading and listening to this compelling and complete biography of Jesus on our site. As you will learn, although Jesus had a divine pre-existence before being born here as Jesus, still, as a fully human child he had questions in his mind to be resolved about his purpose and life's work. Here's one of the paragraphs that explains a bit about why Jesus was drawn to the term "Son of Man" as a youngster:

126.3.6 In the course of this year Jesus found a passage in the so-called Book of Enoch which influenced him in the later adoption of the term "son of man" as a designation for his bestowal mission on Urantia. He had thoroughly considered the idea of the Jewish Messiah and was firmly convinced that he was not to be that Messiah. He longed to help his father's people, but he never expected to lead Jewish armies in overthrowing the foreign domination of Palestine. He knew he would never sit on the throne of David at Jerusalem. Neither did he believe that his mission was that of a spiritual deliverer or moral teacher solely to the Jewish people. In no sense, therefore, could his life mission be the fulfillment of the intense longings and supposed Messianic prophecies of the Hebrew scriptures; at least, not as the Jews understood these predictions of the prophets. Likewise he was certain he was never to appear as the son of man depicted by the Prophet Daniel.

You may wish to do a SEARCH of The Urantia Book from our site using the term Son of Man -- there are well over 200 references to that phrase, a term that was used by others than Jesus as well. Son of Man basically indicates that Jesus was fully human and fully representative of human beings, their thoughts and actions and relationship to God the Father.

Son of God is also an accurate term in association with Jesus since he was fully divine after his baptism by John at which time the knowledge of his pre-existence was fully restored. Jesus was both human and divine -- unlike us, who are wholly human in nature. The term Son of God is found in The Urantia Book well over 100 times.

Please feel free to spend some time at our site in order to research and get a better grasp of the significance of these two phrases. I hope this has helped answer your question.

Labels: Bible, Jesus, son of God, son of man, The Urantia Book

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Why is the Bible in the Urantia book but the Urantia book is not in the Bible?

Q: Why is the bible in the Urantia book but the Urantia book is not in the bible?

A: Thanks so much for your note to us here at Truthbook.com. We are always glad to hear from our visitors and friends.

You want to know why the Bible is mentioned in The Urantia Book, but not vice-versa - the Bible does not mention The Urantia Book.

As you likely know, The Urantia Book is the fifth of five epochal revelations of God to mankind. The previous (4th) epochal revelation was that of Jesus of Nazareth - the bestowal of Christ Michael of Nebadon as the babe of Belthlehem. And the Bible contains pretty much all that humanity has had about the life of Jesus up till the arrival of The Urantia Book, even though the Bible itself is not an epochal revelation, but a compilation of previous inspired writings. It is understandable that The Urantia Book would mention these stories and try to enhance our understanding of them through its revelatory teachings.

When Jesus was on earth, many things that he said and taught are revisited in The Urantia Book. For example, Jesus mentions angels and heaven, life after death and the mansion worlds. He also reveals the loving heavenly Father in the various Bible books, and many of the miraculous happenings of his life are described. The Urantia Book describes all of them in far greater detail than their mere mention. In fact, Jesus' entire life is expanded and detailed so greatly that the Bible stories about him pale in comparison. Context is added, history is added, the personalities of the key people in Jesus' life are greatly expanded, and the true mission and teachings of the Son of Man are newly restated.

So, in that sense, the Bible accounts, while not specifically mentioning a new revelation, do act as a sort of precursor to this new 21st century restatement of his life and teachings.

Likewise, the 3rd epochal revelation of God to mankind - that of Machiventa Melchizedek did teach that another Son of God, born of woman, would come to the earth, but he does not specifically mention him by name.

Even further back, the 2nd epochal revelation of God to man - Adam and Eve - did not mention nor predict the arrival of the 3rd revelation, that of Melchizedek. Of course, Melchizedek was an emergency bestowal, and the absence of any hint can be easily understood.

And finally, the first epochal revelation of God to man - that of Caligastia...The Urantia Book states: "The plans for race upstepping are prepared by the Planetary Prince and his staff and are executed by Adam and Eve." But nowhere that I know of in the book does Caligastia speak of the Edenic pair, or predict their arrival.

So, the fact that The Urantia Book is not mentioned in the Bible fits the pattern of all previous revelations, in that it contains hints of the next revelation. But it is not until that revelation arrives that these "seeds" are able to flourish.

Each succeeding epochal revelation is meant to build on the previous one, but they are not always predicted or predictable.

I hope that this answer has been helpful to you today. Thanks for writing to us, and please write back any time...are you subscribed to our free Quote of the Day service? If not, please feel free to click on the link and sign up!!!

Labels: Bible, Jesus, revelation, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Why does The Urantia Book say, "if any man has Christ Jesus in him, he is a new creature...?

Q: Why does the UB say, "If any man has Christ Jesus in him, he is a new creature; old things are passing away; behold all things are becoming new." Because "Christ Jesus in you" is antichrist in my book.

A: I am a little perplexed at your reference to the "antichrist" in connection to this statement about Christ Jesus being within us. It is my understanding that the antichrist is an individual that is supposed to appear sometime after the rapture and the tribulations of the Bible - a being who will seem to be good, but will actually be bad.

I found this website which lists 27 ways (from Bible verses) in which we will be able to recognize this being, and nowhere in there do I see anything about having Jesus as our inner companion, and being a new creature because of it.

I just want to include this entire passage from The Urantia Book that you referenced, so we can look at it together:

Jesus was the perfectly unified human personality. And today, as in Galilee, he continues to unify mortal experience and to co-ordinate human endeavors. He unifies life, ennobles character, and simplifies experience. He enters the human mind to elevate, transform, and transfigure it. It is literally true: "If any man has Christ Jesus within him, he is a new creature; old things are passing away; behold, all things are becoming new."(100:7.18)

This is one of the most inspiring statements that I've ever read. I think that anyone who has been born of the Spirit, anyone who has seen in Jesus' life the ideal of doing God's will, anyone who follows the religion of the Spirit as Jesus taught - anyone who has had any experiences like this with the Master knows that experience with Jesus truly does "elevate, transform, and transfigure" our minds.

Jesus is literally still with us, represented as the Spirit of Truth. It is the presence that he promised. Jesus talked about the promised helper many times:

"When I have gone to the Father, and after he has fully accepted the work I have done for you on earth, and after I have received the final sovereignty of my own domain, I shall say to my Father: Having left my children alone on earth, it is in accordance with my promise to send them another teacher. And when the Father shall approve, I will pour out the Spirit of Truth upon all flesh. Already is my Father's spirit in your hearts, and when this day shall come, you will also have me with you even as you now have the Father. This new gift is the spirit of living truth. (180:4.1)

"...when my spirit comes to indwell you, he will illuminate the difference between sin and righteousness and will enable you to judge wisely in your hearts concerning them." (180:6.2)

" ...I am going to send you my spirit, just like me except for this material body. This new teacher is the Spirit of Truth who will live with each one of you, in your hearts, and so will all the children of light be made one and be drawn toward one another. And in this very manner will my Father and I be able to live in the souls of each one of you and also in the hearts of all other men who love us and make that love real in their experiences by loving one another, even as I am now loving you." (180:4.5)

And this bestowal of the Spirit of Truth happened on the day of Pentecost.

HERE Is a good section to read for you. Perhaps you misunderstand the function of the Spirit of Truth - the promised helper. Among other things in this section, we read:

The new helper which Jesus promised to send into the hearts of believers, to pour out upon all flesh, is the Spirit of Truth. This divine endowment is not the letter or law of truth, neither is it to function as the form or expression of truth. The new teacher is the conviction of truth, the consciousness and assurance of true meanings on real spirit levels. And this new teacher is the spirit of living and growing truth, expanding, unfolding, and adaptative truth. (180:5.1)

The Spirit of Truth works in the mind with the Thought Adjuster. This is a great mercy for humanity, and without these Divine spiritual helpers we would be lost even more than we already are...

...But we know that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; and we further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. But even more certainly we know that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experienceâ€”God-consciousness. (0:12.12)

The indwelling Spirit of Truth does not make us think that WE are God. What it does do, is bring us CLOSER to God in loving parent/child relationship and in greater CONSCIOUSNESS of him. And through that relationship and through experiencing God in this way - in our minds and thoughts - we eventually strive to become more like God, our Spirit Father. But no sincere seeker of God would ever think of replacing him, nor think that having the indwelling Presence would somehow be anything but good. I suspect that may be another aspect of this question you have about "antichrist" - this idea that somehow man is going to start to believe that he is a god, or somehow equal to God - very "antichrist," indeed. But it bears no relation whatsoever to this passage that you cited.

Any connection of the Spirit of Truth with a being who is "anti" Christ just does not add up. Jesus lives in the heart of every believer, ministering and answering when he is asked. He stands at the door and knocks...willing to reveal divine Truth to us. Jesus not only SEEMS to be good, he really IS good.

But don't take my word for it. He lives in your heart, too...and you can always call upon him to find out if there is any truth contained in the assumptions you have made...if you are sincere, he will always answer you.

I hope that my reply was of some help...

Labels: antichrist, Jesus, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book

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Why did Jesus tell his followers not to write any of his teachings down?

Q: Why did Jesus tell his followers not to write any of his teachings down?

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com We are always pleased to hear from our visitors...

As regards your question: here is the advice given to Michael from Immanuel at the occasion of his seventh bestowal - that of Jesus of Nazareth

"...To the end that you may not unnecessarily contribute to the creation of subsequent stereotyped systems of Urantia religious beliefs or other types of nonprogressive religious loyalties, we advise you still further: Leave no writings behind you on the planet. Refrain from all writing upon permanent materials; enjoin your associates to make no images or other likenesses of yourself in the flesh. See that nothing potentially idolatrous is left on the planet at the time of your departure." (120:3.7)

"The first thing Jesus did, after thinking through the general plan of co-ordinating his program with John's movement, was to review in his mind the instructions of Immanuel. Carefully he thought over the advice given him concerning his methods of labor, and that he was to leave no permanent writing on the planet. Never again did Jesus write on anything except sand. On his next visit to Nazareth, much to the sorrow of his brother Joseph, Jesus destroyed all of his writing that was preserved on the boards about the carpenter shop, and which hung upon the walls of the old home. And Jesus pondered well over Immanuel's advice pertaining to his economic, social, and political attitude toward the world as he should find it."(136:4.2)

So, I don't think it was a matter of his followers not writing things down, but Jesus himself, and for the reasons given in the first quote, above. As we know, his followers wrote PLENTY! Please click on any of the links to read more...

And thanks again for writing to us. If you have not already done so, I hope that you'll want to subscribe to our free "Quote of the Day" service, and receive a Urantia Book quote with a beautiful image each day, so you can start your day with inspiration...

I hope this has been helpful to you. Please write back any time!!! And Happy NewYear!

Labels: Christ Michael, Immanuel, Jesus, likenesses, The Urantia Book, writings

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Monday, December 28, 2009

How can I clear my problems?

Q: How can I clear my problems?

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com.

Your question is not very specific, although your problems probably are...I can only give you some advice taken from The Urantia Book in way of response:

Successful living is nothing more or less than the art of the mastery of dependable techniques for solving common problems. The first step in the solution of any problem is to locate the difficulty, to isolate the problem, and frankly to recognize its nature and gravity. The great mistake is that, when life problems excite our profound fears, we refuse to recognize them. Likewise, when the acknowledgment of our difficulties entails the reduction of our long-cherished conceit, the admission of envy, or the abandonment of deep-seated prejudices, the average person prefers to cling to the old illusions of safety and to the long-cherished false feelings of security. Only a brave person is willing honestly to admit, and fearlessly to face, what a sincere and logical mind discovers.

The wise and effective solution of any problem demands that the mind shall be free from bias, passion, and all other purely personal prejudices which might interfere with the disinterested survey of the actual factors that go to make up the problem presenting itself for solution. The solution of life problems requires courage and sincerity. Only honest and brave individuals are able to follow valiantly through the perplexing and confusing maze of living to where the logic of a fearless mind may lead. And this emancipation of the mind and soul can never be effected without the driving power of an intelligent enthusiasm which borders on religious zeal. It requires the lure of a great ideal to drive man on in the pursuit of a goal which is beset with difficult material problems and manifold intellectual hazards.

Even though you are effectively armed to meet the difficult situations of life, you can hardly expect success unless you are equipped with that wisdom of mind and charm of personality which enable you to win the hearty support and co-operation of your fellows. You cannot hope for a large measure of success in either secular or religious work unless you can learn how to persuade your fellows, to prevail with men. You simply must have tact and tolerance.

But the greatest of all methods of problem solving I have learned from Jesus, your Master. I refer to that which he so consistently practices, and which he has so faithfully taught you, the isolation of worshipful meditation. In this habit of Jesus' going off so frequently by himself to commune with the Father in heaven is to be found the technique, not only of gathering strength and wisdom for the ordinary conflicts of living, but also of appropriating the energy for the solution of the higher problems of a moral and spiritual nature. But even correct methods of solving problems will not compensate for inherent defects of personality or atone for the absence of the hunger and thirst for true righteousness. (160:1.7)

Do not be so slothful as to ask God to solve your difficulties, but never hesitate to ask him for wisdom and spiritual strength to guide and sustain you while you yourself resolutely and courageously attack the problems at hand. (91:6.5)

Jesus advised

â€œMy brethren, you must all learn the value of rest and the efficacy of relaxation. You must realize that the best method of solving some entangled problems is to forsake them for a time. Then when you go back fresh from your rest or worship, you are able to attack your troubles with a clearer head and a steadier hand, not to mention a more resolute heart. Again, many times your problem is found to have shrunk in size and proportions while you have been resting your mind and body.â€�(143:3.3)

Jesus, To the young man who was afraid:

"...You and your problems of living are real; you cannot escape them as long as you live...Set your mind at work to solve its problems; teach your intellect to work for you...Your mind should be your courageous ally in the solution of your life problems (130:6.3)

Problem-solving is an activity which will likely never end - either here, or in our eternal careers. The advice given above should be read carefully, and followed to the best of your ability.

Labels: intellect, Jesus, mind, problems, rest, The Urantia Book

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

What about the gospel of Thomas and the gospel of Mary?

Q: What about the gospel of Thomas and the gospel of Mary? Also, what about the Christian Gnostics in the first and second Centuries AD?

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com...

I did a cursory search on these gospels that you cite, and it was an interesting read. I assume you want to know what we think about these accounts of Jesus' life, as opposed to the teachings of The Urantia Book...?

It does not surprise me that people are searching - and finding - snippets of information about Jesus discovered in newly uncovered documents from the times of Jesus. Jesus' impact upon his day and time - and in the following centuries - was profound. It would not surprise me that there are probably pages and pages of writings that were available from those times, but which did not make the cut for inclusion into what we know as the Bible. After all, Jesus did live a life of 33 years on Earth. Many knew him, and I am sure, many wrote things about him - things that may have never seen the light of day until recent times.

Because of the exclusive nature of the Biblical writings, there has long been a fear of "adding or subtracting" anything because of the warnings regarding such things. The Bible has long been considered so sacred, that anything else written, or discovered from those times now has an odor of suspicion connected with them among Bible purists. It is one reason that The Urantia Book is looked upon with suspicion by such purists. However, this fear is becoming less prohibitive as people understand that much of the truth of Jesus' life has been hidden from them by those who have tried to encapsulate his life and control the dissemination of truth. God does not act in this way, but has continued to reveal himself to humankind in ways large and small.

The truth is, people are convinced that there has to be more information about Jesus than the scanty accounts of only three years of his life that we are given in the traditional Bible. And they are right. It only stands to reason that this would be so...

I don't claim to be a Biblical scholar, or knowledgeable in either these two gospels that you cite, or about the Christian Gnostics. I am, however, fairly knowledgeable about the revelation contained in The Urantia Book - the restatement of the Life and Teachings of Jesus - which comprise nearly a third of this marvelous book. This restatement is derived from the account of one who was acquainted Jesus for his entire life, from childhood, to grave, to resurrection. This eyewitnesses is a spiritual being whose memories are more accurate, and more inclusive than anything I have ever read about Jesus from any other source. It is a part of the epochal revelation from God to man which is The Urantia Book.

This being states:

"ACTING UNDER THE supervision of a commission of twelve members of the United Brotherhood of Urantia Midwayers, conjointly sponsored by the presiding head of our order and the Melchizedek of record, I am authorized to place on record the narrative of the life transactions of Jesus of Nazareth as they were observed by my order of earth creatures, and as they were subsequently partially recorded by the human subject of my temporal guardianship [the apostle Andrew]. Knowing how his Master so scrupulously avoided leaving written records behind him, Andrew steadfastly refused to multiply copies of his written narrative. A similar attitude on the part of the other apostles of Jesus greatly delayed the writing of the Gospels." (121:0.1)

I have added a link to the above statement, so that you will understand what the United Brotherhood of Urantia Midwayers is, and why we can believe this account of Jesus' life. This link also will take you to those papers of the book that chronicle Jesus' life story.

Midwayers are "planetary historians," and are of invaluable assistance to the mortal races still today. They are the permanent citizens of our planet, and their only purpose is to aid mortals in their quest for God. The link in this paragraph will give you more information about these amazing beings

Please read HERE for even more information regarding the mdwayer accounting of Jesus' life. It will explain to you in far greater detail how the narrative was obtained and recorded.

Among other interesting things, this being states:

" [Acknowledgment: In carrying out my commission to restate the teachings and retell the doings of Jesus of Nazareth, I have drawn freely upon all sources of record and planetary information. My ruling motive has been to prepare a record which will not only be enlightening to the generation of men now living, but which may also be helpful to all future generations. From the vast store of information made available to me, I have chosen that which is best suited to the accomplishment of this purpose. As far as possible I have derived my information from purely human sources. Only when such sources failed, have I resorted to those records which are superhuman. When ideas and concepts of Jesus' life and teachings have been acceptably expressed by a human mind, I invariably gave preference to such apparently human thought patterns. Although I have sought to adjust the verbal expression the better to conform to our concept of the real meaning and the true import of the Master's life and teachings, as far as possible, I have adhered to the actual human concept and thought pattern in all my narratives. I well know that those concepts which have had origin in the human mind will prove more acceptable and helpful to all other human minds. When unable to find the necessary concepts in the human records or in human expressions, I have next resorted to the memory resources of my own order of earth creatures, the midwayers. And when that secondary source of information proved inadequate, I have unhesitatingly resorted to the superplanetary sources of information." (121:8.12)

In the end, I do not concern myself with these new supposed "gospels" of Jesus, because I believe that I possess the only account of his life that is completely accurate - that which is found in the pages of The Urantia Book, and which is freely available to you, and all others who choose to read and compare. For me, information supplied by these superhuman sources carries far more weight than anything written by humans.

While there may be nuggets of truth and inspiration contained in other gospels, the Life and Teachings of Jesus, as contained in The Urantia Book supplies me with all I need in understanding who Jesus was, what his mission was, as well as a detailed accounting of all of his most important and life-changing teachings. I might read these other accounts of Jesus' life, but when I want real accuracy, I rely upon The Urantia Book. Read it, and you'll see why...

Thanks again for your note to Truthbook.com. If you want even more information regarding midwayers, the gospels, Jesus, or any other subject regarding things spiritual, please use our handy SEARCH feature to assist you...

Best Wishes...

Labels: Bible, gnostic gospels, Jesus, Jesus' "lost years", midwayers, revelation, The Urantia Book

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

On which day did Christ rose the dead?

Q: On which day did Christ rose the dead?

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com, a website dedicated to the teachings of The Urantia Book

I am going to assume that English is your secondary language...I am wondering if you might be writing to us from India? Your question could be answered in two ways: 1) On which day did Jesus rise from the dead? or 2) On which day did Jesus resurrect the dead? I will answer both questions.

1) On which day did Jesus rise from the dead?

The Urantia Book declares that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning, April 9, A.D. 30, at about 3am. HERE is the whole story. Please click on the link to open up the page that describes the Resurrection in detail.

2) On which day did Jesus resurrect the dead?

When Jesus had resurrected from the tomb, (see the above reference), one of his first acts was the release thousands of souls from the sleep of death into eternal life. This "dispensational resurrection" is described HERE. By clicking on this link, you will read the description of these sleeping souls, and the reasons for their resurrection as a group. About this resurrection, The Urantia Book teaches:

"Notwithstanding that countless individuals having personal seraphic guardians and those achieving the requisite attainment of spiritual personality progress had gone on to mansonia during the ages subsequent to the times of Adam and Eve, and though there had been many special and millennial resurrections of Urantia sons, this was the third of the planetary roll calls, or complete dispensational resurrections. The first occurred at the time of the arrival of the Planetary Prince, the second during the time of Adam, and this, the third, signalized the morontia resurrection, the mortal transit, of Jesus of Nazareth." (189:3.3)

I hope that this answer has been helpful to you. If you have any other questions, please write back any time.

And if you are not already signed up, please accept my invitation to subscribe to our free Quote of the Day service HERE. Just click on the red "Subscribe to the Quote of the Day" link under the picture and follow the directions.

Thanks again for contacting us, and best wishes...

Labels: dispensational resurrection, Jesus, resurrection, The Urantia Book

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What are the fruits of the spirit? How can we have the fruits in our everyday lives?

Q: What are the fruits of the spirit? How can we have the fruits in our everyday lives?

A: Thank you so much for writing to us here at Truthbook.com.

Here are two passages from The Urantia Book that set forth similar lists of the Fruits of the Spirit. The second one is spoken by Jesus, and I have bolded each list for you. Both lists are valuable, but Jesus expands our understanding of these valuable traits in a very inspiring way. I suggest you read each passage carefully, for they will both give you the answer to your question:

"The consciousness of the spirit domination of a human life is presently attended by an increasing exhibition of the characteristics of the Spirit in the life reactions of such a spirit-led mortal, "for the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance." Such spirit-guided and divinely illuminated mortals, while they yet tread the lowly paths of toil and in human faithfulness perform the duties of their earthly assignments, have already begun to discern the lights of eternal life as they glimmer on the faraway shores of another world; already have they begun to comprehend the reality of that inspiring and comforting truth, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."(34:6.13)

"Peace be upon you. You rejoice to know that the Son of Man has risen from the dead because you thereby know that you and your brethren shall also survive mortal death. But such survival is dependent on your having been previously born of the spirit of truth-seeking and God-finding. The bread of life and the water thereof are given only to those who hunger for truth and thirst for righteousnessâ€”for God. The fact that the dead rise is not the gospel of the kingdom. These great truths and these universe facts are all related to this gospel in that they are a part of the result of believing the good news and are embraced in the subsequent experience of those who, by faith, become, in deed and in truth, the everlasting sons of the eternal God. My Father sent me into the world to proclaim this salvation of sonship to all men. And so send I you abroad to preach this salvation of sonship. Salvation is the free gift of God, but those who are born of the spirit will immediately begin to show forth the fruits of the spirit in loving service to their fellow creatures. And the fruits of the divine spirit which are yielded in the lives of spirit-born and God-knowing mortals are: loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace. If professed believers bear not these fruits of the divine spirit in their lives, they are dead; the Spirit of Truth is not in them; they are useless branches on the living vine, and they soon will be taken away. My Father requires of the children of faith that they bear much spirit fruit. If, therefore, you are not fruitful, he will dig about your roots and cut away your unfruitful branches. Increasingly, must you yield the fruits of the spirit as you progress heavenward in the kingdom of God. You may enter the kingdom as a child, but the Father requires that you grow up, by grace, to the full stature of spiritual adulthood. And when you go abroad to tell all nations the good news of this gospel, I will go before you, and my Spirit of Truth shall abide in your hearts. My peace I leave with you."(193:2.2)

We see from reading these passages, that the Fruits of the Spirit are increasingly exhibited in the life of the believer when s/he has been born of the Spirit - that is, when a person comes to the "consciousness of the spirit domination of a human life."

It is not so much a matter of "having" these ideal qualities of living in our daily experience, but more a matter of living and experiencing them as a result of this Spirit-consciousness. Their realization is a natural outworking - "life reactions" - of the understanding and experience of one's sonship with God, and resulting brotherhood with the family of man. Once we understand who and what we are, we naturally wish to live a life of love of God and service to our brothers and sisters, as Jesus taught us to do, and which he so superbly demonstrated in his earth-life.

I hope that this answer has been helpful to you. Thanks again for writing, and please feel free to write anytime. If you are not yet signed up, I invite you to subscribe to our free Quote of the Day service which will deliver to your inbox a daily quote from The Urantia Book to help you in your spiritual life. Please click on the link to get started...

Labels: born again, fruits of the spirit, Jesus, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, December 03, 2009

The divinity of Jesus is a lie.

Q: The divinity of Jesus is a lie. (NB: The questioner included a very lengthy post regarding his/her belief that Jesus was not a divine being.)

A: Thank you for your post to Truthbook.com and for your interest in the topic of Jesus. Your subject line says "the divinity of Jesus is a lie" and you've supplied a lot of information about similarities between Mithraism, paganism, and Christianity. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the teachings of The Urantia Book -- it does an excellent job of covering this identical material, pointing out the similarities between Mithraism, paganism, and early Chrisitianity... so your information comes as no real surprise to any student of The Urantia Book.

However, you've mixed up the myth with the actuality. While these myths are similar, the one being borrowed from the other, the mythical trappings of Christianity in no way invalidate the meaning of Jesus' life and teachings -- instead they simply fog up the issues. One can study and appreciate and love Jesus without studying, appreciating, and loving Christian tenets.

Jesus was a real person -- we know this for a fact since the course of human history was changed by the life this one human being lived. Such profound alterations in the stream of evolutionary change don't occur because of conspiracy theory, fairy tale, myth, or wishful thinking; they can only occur from the transpiring of actual events... the life and teaching of one remarkable human being being just such an event. If you can't acknowledge that Jesus was a real person then nothing else I have to say will be of any value to you.

Neither does The Urantia Book support a virgin birth nor a birthday of December 25th -- so again, you've provided nothing that isn't supported by the teachings of this marvelous book. Have you looked at The Urantia Book? Or did you just assume that because our site promotes the life and teachings of this extraordinary man that we were also promoting Christian dogma? The Urantia Book is not a Christian document although it supports much of what Christianity is founded upon, as well as that which is true and good in the other religions of the world. One of the goals of The Urantia Book is to lift Jesus up from the confines of Christianity and to give him to all the world, to believers and non-believers alike. Here's a brief quote from the book that you might find meaningful:

"The time is ripe to witness the figurative resurrection of the human Jesus from his burial tomb amidst the theological traditions and the religious dogmas of nineteen centuries. Jesus of Nazareth must not be longer sacrificed to even the splendid concept of the glorified Christ. What a transcendent service if, through this revelation, the Son of Man should be recovered from the tomb of traditional theology and be presented as the living Jesus to the church that bears his name, and to all other religions!" (196:1.2)

Your post did nothing to reinforce your subject line that the divinity of Jesus is a lie, it only substantiated that much of Christian dogma was borrowed from earlier myths -- and on those points we agree. I hope that if you wish to pursue this topic you will become more familiar with what you have stumbled upon regarding the teachings of The Urantia Book. One way to begin to understand the teachings of this book is to subscribe to the daily "Quote of the Day," from our site. Just go to Truthbook.com, and click on Quote of the day (right in the middle of the page) and then click on "subscribe." It is a free service. Also, you might be interested in viewing some of our flash movies. Just click on "Audio + Video" in the left column. These will begin to give you an overview of what our site is really about.

Labels: Christianity, Jesus, Jesus' divinity, The Urantia Book

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Friday, November 20, 2009

How do you move on when surrounded by circumstances which reminds you of a past life?

Q: How do you move on when surrounded by circumstances which reminds you of a past life?

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com. We are always happy to try and assist our friends with their concerns, if we can...

Your question may have to do with either a kind of life which you led in your present life on this earth, and no longer lead - or, I am wondering if you are asking about a past life, as in reincarnation...?

Moving forward in a new kind of life, after renouncing a kind of life that we no longer wish to lead can be a challenge. And here, I am going to assume that you want to move forward in a spiritual, or moral sense. (I apologize if this is not correct.) When once we decide to adopt a better way of living, we are always faced with the remnants of the old life. It can take time to implement the new behaviors - to replace old habits with new and better ones. On this subject, Jesus teaches:

"Forewarn all believers regarding the fringe of conflict which must be traversed by all who pass from the life as it is lived in the flesh to the higher life as it is lived in the spirit. To those who live quite wholly within either realm, there is little conflict or confusion, but all are doomed to experience more or less uncertainty during the times of transition between the two levels of living. In entering the kingdom, you cannot escape its responsibilities or avoid its obligations, but remember: The gospel yoke is easy and the burden of truth is light." (159:3.7)

With determination and perseverance, the old patterns gradually fade, as we increasingly experience the joys and satisfactions of the newer and better ways. Success breeds success, and so one has to just keep reinforcing that success by living one's inner truth, and staying close to God. The circumstances of the old ways can be a hindrance at first - we can be surrounded by the reminders of the way we used to live; but in time, all of that will fade if we remain true to our desire to be better and do better. Don't lose faith. God will help you to overcome even the most difficult circumstances if you are sincere in your desires.

If your question is regarding your belief that you had a previous life in another reincarnation, I would have to advise you that your belief may need a revision. Reincarnation is a belief that many hold. I also had this belief at one time, but I no longer believe it to be true.

Jesus taught that reincarnation is not true. What IS true is that, rather than reincarnating on this planet again and again, we are resurrected into the new life of the Father's ascension plan after our death. In this new life, we do experience many "translations," rising ever higher, from mortal to spirit status, but the life that we experience here on earth is our one and only life in the flesh. It is the "vale of soul-making." Once we die here, we are never doomed to have to repeat the earthly life, but the soul that was created here is an entity of eternal value and will more forward. .

I find this teaching far more attractive and believable than reincarnation, which seems to me to be quite a dismal proposition, especially since our world is such a dark world, torn by rebellion and tainted by sin. The Father's plan provides an endless journey to true "enlightenment."

I hope that this reply has addressed your question. Please write back if it has not, or if you have any other questions. And thanks again for writing to us.

Labels: ascension scheme, change, God, Jesus, progress, reincarnation

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

A sincere inquiry from a Sikh religionist...

Q: Hope this mail of mine finds you in the very best of health and happiness. Can you please explain to me what this Urantia Book is all about? What is the history of this book? And another thing: your site's name is Truthbook.com, so according to this title you have to cover every subject - not only about Jesus. I have studied more than this site about Jesus; he was a nothing but the reincarnation of the Lords, ok? So try to cover all the subjects apart from Jesus...

A: I see by your name that you are a Sikh, that you've sent to us an attractive document on the beliefs of Hinduism, and that the belief in reincarnation is a major factor in your belief system. We honor your beliefs and recognize them as a force for good in the world -- may God be with you.

Can I explain to you what The Urantia Book is all about? No, I'm sorry I cannot. It is a revelation and a cosmology; it contains 196 chapters and over a million words, chapters that focus on the nature of God, on the creation of the knowable universe, on the creation of life in that universe, on the evolution of the material universe, on the implantation of life and how it has progressed on this planet, how mankind has evolved and evolved his civilizations, societies, cultures, how God reaches down to make contact as mankind reaches up for that same contact. It gives a history of the world from the perspective of the angels and other beings who have been here over these past millions of years. It is non-sectarian and doesn't espouse any religion. So -- no, I cannot explain what The Urantia Book is all about -- however, it is written just to you, just as it is written just to me, and the only way you can possibly know what it is all about is by reading it for yourself. It's a personal journey and revelation -- a revelation intended just for you and not for me to interpret for you.

So yes, you're right, our site is named Truthbook.com and according to this title this book would have to cover every aspect, not only about Jesus -- and it does just that. The Urantia Book, a revelation for humanity notwithstanding one's religion, culture, race, gender, level of education, social position -- contains what we as human beings need to know in order to become cosmic citizens in an intelligent and friendly universe that teems with intelligent life.

Do you need to read this book? There are no requirements -- it's there if you have questions regarding your life and its true meaning, why and how you as a person were born, where you will go when this life is over, what your ultimate destiny as a creature of free will will be.... or if you have questions regarding the material universe, science, physics, geology, anthropology, or an interest in philosophy, that link between the material and the spiritual. The Urantia Book covers all of this in great detail -- it's an education from top to bottom in cosmic citizenry. If you're satisfied with what you've learned already through your education and through your religion then why spend the time and effort to learn more? But if you still have some lingering questions, if there's still a flicker of wonder at the world about you, if you just have an insatiable desire to know more... as many people do... then you will be delighted, awed, enthralled, uplifted, shaken, challenged, reborn through your association with this book. It is an epochal revelation -- no one reads it with an open and inquiring mind who is not shaken by the encounter. Its study is truly an uplifting, life-altering experience.

I understand your deep conviction to your religion and the teachings of reincarnation. In my youth as a seeker I studied Buddhism, Hinduism, the Hindu religion and Hindu philosophy. I believed I had lived past lives and that I had many more before me and I believed it with all my heart. That's no longer the case -- the teachings of The Urantia Book provide an explanation for life and the meaning of religion in that life that not only transcends the religions of the world, it offers instead a more logical, more meaningful, more enlightened explanation for the progression of life than any earthly religion has yet to offer, including the theory of reincarnation. Should you choose to study this book you will find that it will not rip out beliefs you already hold dear, it will instead supplant them with a deeper way of understanding those beliefs, a way for you to modify and adjust your thinking that is expansive and uplifting. Your Hindu and Sikh beliefs will be fortified and enhanced. There are many readers of The Urantia Book in India, just as there are in all countries. They come from all belief systems and from having had no belief to begin with. Clergy, priests, nuns, ministers, rabbis, monks... practitioners of all forms of religion have discovered that the teachings of The Urantia Book augment and uplift their belief.

I can understand your resistance to teachings aimed specifically at Jesus, particularly since the Hindu religion recognizes so many truly holy men. What it is you're resisting is not Jesus but it is the version of Jesus that the Christian Church has promoted, projected, and forced into the psyches of the peoples of the world. The Jesus of The Urantia Book is Jesus before Paul and the Christian Church took hold of his life and message and turned it into a world religion about Jesus, rather than promoting the religion of Jesus. If you have an interest in learning just why Jesus lived a life among us, what his mission was, what his true teachings were, how they apply to all people of all cultures and to all religions then you will want to read about the true Jesus disclosed by the angels who were present with him during his earth life here.

In any case and for whatever reason, you've stumbled upon something that's much bigger and much more grand than you have any idea of at this moment and that's usually for a purpose. So why not follow that leading -- begin to study. If you feel compelled to resist or reject the teachings then write back and let us know why - we're here to listen. You can read on-line and listen to the words being spoken as you read along -- to begin go here.

Best wishes, and thank you for writing. Feel free to write back at any time.

Labels: cosmology, Hinduism, history, Jesus, reincarnation, revelation, Sikhism, The Urantia Book

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Your website is good, but you're promoting only Jesus. Why ???

Q: Your website is good, but you're promoting only Jesus. Why ???

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com and we're pleased you appreciate our website. You asked why are we promoting only Jesus. Our site promotes all the teachings of The Urantia Book and we emphasize especially the teachings of Jesus as they're given in The Urantia Book.

The Urantia Book proclaims itself to be a revelation of truth of epochal, world-wide, significance, the fifth such epochal revelation to have been given to the world. The life and teachings of Jesus constitute the fourth epochal revelation of truth and those teachings are recounted in a separate section of this book (see link) for the purpose of placing his life and teachings in their proper perspective.

Jesus was a real person, living a real life, teaching new revelatory concepts. The message of his life and his teachings has been submerged under the mantle of the Christian religion. Jesus wasn't a Christian -- the example of his life and the focus of his teachings were intended for all humanity, for all religions and even for those without religion. The restatement of Jesus' life and teachings in Part 4 of The Urantia Book is intended to elevate Jesus above the confines of one religion and to make him understandable and available to all, not just from a Christian perspective.

Please spend a bit more time at our site... you'll see that we don't promote only Jesus. The historical context of The Urantia Book includes the history of humanity before the time of Adam and Eve, it explains Adam and Eve and the evolution of culture and civilization down to the arrival of Melchizedek, 2000 years before Jesus. It describes the peoples of India, China, Eurasia and how the races mingled, how and why religion is meaningful. It describes the nature of God, the creation of the cosmos, how stars are formed how planets evolve. We have all of this on our site along with spiritual studies, questions and answers, videos, audio clips, discussions, pictures... all focusing on these various aspects of the teachings from this most marvelous of books, this revelation for humanity.

Yes, The Urantia Book does elevate Jesus but it also speaks of Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tse, and many other historical figures -- speaks of them from a perspective never before encountered. If you have an open and curious mind you'll be confronted with ideas you've never considered before so please feel free to browse.

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. The "subscribe" link is underneath the image.

Best wishes, thank you for writing and feel free to do so again at any time.

Labels: history, Jesus, revelation, teachings of Jesus, The Urantia Book

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...how come the whole world doesn't know more about this book?

Q: The Urantia Book has given me a lot, now after reading it and re reading it I have learned and understood a lot of concepts, I know there are still millions of things to understand, but how come the whole world doesn't know more about this book? I think things would be easier here in this planet if this book could become public knowledge, and follow all those magnificent words that Jesus Christ said. To be honest I don't like the way things are developing right now: wars, crime, violence, no values, intolerance, and it seems nobody cares.

A: How come the whole world doesn't know about this book? For several reasons I think, the first being a policy of non-promotion that was pervasive from the time of publication in 1955 until the 1990s when the internet took hold.

Many of the early readers thought the book should only be spread through word of mouth, from person to person. The book itself is another reason -- it's written in a style that speaks to introspective and thinking people and not particularly to the general reading public. General readers prefer their inspiration coated in fluff that's easy to digest and The Urantia Book is unequivocal in relating its message. And another reason may be that The Urantia Book is a personal - not a group - revelation; it's written for the person holding it on their lap, reading its words -- that's about the only way the revelation is disclosed and transmitted... from the ink on the page to the mind of the reader. I can fill the mind of someone else with all the cool, unique, fascinating facts the book contains and it just becomes a bunch of interesting stuff. I can't transmit the revelatory nature of its message. That only comes from putting in the time and effort required to read the book for oneself. Lots of people think they know all about The Urantia Book but unless they've actually read it for themselves they really don't.

We all wish for peace and tranquility here -- but wishing accomplishes nothing. The Urantia Book makes it clear that the only way true peace and tranquility will come is through the teachings of Jesus infusing the hearts and minds of the world's inhabitants. To do that the true teachings of Jesus need to be removed from the hold on them that Christianity imposes - to be freed for all religions and all people - separate from religious dogma.

We have a study titled "War and Peace" in the Spiritual Studies category... you can go to it here... that condenses the teachings of The Urantia Book on this topic, discussing the value and tragedy of war and how to get past it; it may be of some help to you.

Labels: Jesus, peace, teachings of Jesus, The Urantia Book, war

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Are there consequences for past sin, even after accepting sonship with God?

Q: Are there consequences for past sin, even after accepting sonship with God?

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com.

There are always consequences associated with sin, whether one has accepted sonship with God or not. Faith-sons of God are capable of sin, and even faith-sons of God suffer consequences of such sin. Whether the sin was committed before realization of sonship, or after, sin is still sin, and its consequences are inevitable.

If a person has no consciousness of being deliberately sinful, then what may appear to be sinful may not be in reality, but that is not for us to judge...

However, you ask about "past sin," which makes me think you are asking about some kind of "original sin," or inherited sin...

There are no such things as either inherited sin or original sin. The Urantia Book clearly helps us to understand the true nature of sin. Please read HERE, where we learn that sin is deliberate disloyalty to God. We also learn in this passage about God's forgiveness of sin.

Finally, you may get even more understanding of this subject through this passage spoken by Jesus;

Then Jesus made this final statement: "The Father in heaven does not willingly afflict the children of men. Man suffers, first, from the accidents of time and the imperfections of the evil of an immature physical existence. Next, he suffers the inexorable consequences of sinâ€”the transgression of the laws of life and light. And finally, man reaps the harvest of his own iniquitous persistence in rebellion against the righteous rule of heaven on earth. But man's miseries are not a personal visitation of divine judgment. Man can, and will, do much to lessen his temporal sufferings. But once and for all be delivered from the superstition that God afflicts man at the behest of the evil one. Study the Book of Job just to discover how many wrong ideas of God even good men may honestly entertain; and then note how even the painfully afflicted Job found the God of comfort and salvation in spite of such erroneous teachings. At last his faith pierced the clouds of suffering to discern the light of life pouring forth from the Father as healing mercy and everlasting righteousness." (148:6.11)

Thanks for writing to us, and I hope this answer has been of help to you...

Labels: forgiveness, God, Jesus, sonship, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, November 05, 2009

Why do wicked people live longer in their wickedness without conspicuous evidence of God's judgment on their lives?

Q: Why do wicked people live longer in their wickedness without conspicuous evidence of God's judgment on their lives?

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com, a website dedicated to the teachings of The Urantia Book.

There certainly is no shortage of supposedly wicked people these days. There have always been those who take unfair advantage of others, and who appear to live relatively carefree lives in spite of their wickedness. I understand why this is disturbing to you...none of us likes to see this.

Unfortunately, there will likely always be those who embrace evil ways. When human beings have the choice of freewill - when the choice of good or evil is given - there will always be some who choose evil and sin. Even Jesus said: "...some people are really wicked at heart; they deliberately choose to do mean things..."

On the material plane, the wicked may be seen to get away with a lot of bad behavior - even live long and outwardly prosperous lives. But don't be fooled by that. Eventually, all unrepentant wickedness is dealt with by God's justice.

We are given a lot of leeway here on this earth...we can choose goodness and live lives of freedom and originality with God, or we can choose evil, and allow wickedness to creep into our lives and distort our souls. But the fruits of these choices are very different. The fruits of the righteous are joy in the Spirit, while the wicked lead troubled lives. Again, Jesus, quoting Scripture said: `The wicked flee when no man pursues.' `The wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest, but its waters cast up mire and dirt; there is no peace, says God, for the wicked.'

So, even though it may appear to the on-looker that a wicked person has it made, this is not the case. In this same section from which the above quote was taken, Jesus speaks to us of contentment, and how different it is from the life of evildoing:

"Simon, some persons are naturally more happy than others. Much, very much, depends upon the willingness of man to be led and directed by the Father's spirit which lives within him. Have you not read in the Scripture the words of the wise man, `The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts'? And also that such spirit-led mortals say: `The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage.' `A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked,' for `a good man shall be satisfied from within himself.' `A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance and is a continual feast. Better is a little with the reverence of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred therewith. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without rectitude.' `A merry heart does good like a medicine.' `Better is a handful with composure than a superabundance with sorrow and vexation of spirit.'

"Much of man's sorrow is born of the disappointment of his ambitions and the wounding of his pride. Although men owe a duty to themselves to make the best of their lives on earth, having thus sincerely exerted themselves, they should cheerfully accept their lot and exercise ingenuity in making the most of that which has fallen to their hands. All too many of man's troubles take origin in the fear soil of his own natural heart. `The wicked flee when no man pursues.' `The wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest, but its waters cast up mire and dirt; there is no peace, says God, for the wicked.'

"Seek not, then, for false peace and transient joy but rather for the assurance of faith and the sureties of divine sonship which yield composure, contentment, and supreme joy in the spirit." (149:5.2)

In the end, it is those who seek goodness who also possesses joy and peace. Even though they may not possess the world's riches or ill-gotten gains, they do possess an inner peace that the deliberately wicked can never possess.

Finally, this passage from a discourse that Jesus gave to his apostles on affairs of the kingdom:

"He never ceased to warn his disciples against the evil practice of retaliation; he made no allowance for revenge, the idea of getting even. He deplored the holding of grudges. He disallowed the idea of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. He discountenanced the whole concept of private and personal revenge, assigning these matters to civil government, on the one hand, and to the judgment of God, on the other. He made it clear to the three that his teachings applied to the individual, not the state. He summarized his instructions up to that time regarding these matters, as:

Love your enemiesâ€”remember the moral claims of human brotherhood.

The futility of evil: A wrong is not righted by vengeance. Do not make the mistake of fighting evil with its own weapons.

Have faithâ€”confidence in the eventual triumph of divine justice and eternal goodness." (140:8.5)

That last sentence is of greatest importance when perplexed by the phenomenon of wickedness in the world.

Thanks again for this question to Truthbook. Please write anytime, and if you have not yet done so, please feel free to sign up for our free Quote of the Day service which will deliver a message of goodness and cheer to your inbox daily.

Labels: evil, God, Jesus, justice, The Urantia Book, wickedness

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As we are Christians, I believe we are more in GOD'S HEART...

Q: As we are Christians, I believe we more in GOD'S HEART and what I wanted to know, is SATAN the only thing GOD was unhappy about since he was chased out of heaven to earth?

A: You say that you believe that Christians are closer to God's heart. I would have to say that I disagree with you about that. God is no respecter of persons - he does not prefer this person over that one, but loves all of his children the same. All of God's children are on an equal footing, and possess the same potential for eternal life. Christians, Muslims, Jews, even those persons who do not belong to a particular religion, have an equal place in God's heart. It is not the religion that you belong to, but the fact that all people are indwelt by God that unifies all of us, and leaves no one out. God is spirit Father to all.

From The Urantia Book:

"To every spirit being and to every mortal creature in every sphere and on every world of the universe of universes, the Universal Father reveals all of his gracious and divine self that can be discerned or comprehended by such spirit beings and by such mortal creatures. God is no respecter of persons, either spiritual or material. The divine presence which any child of the universe enjoys at any given moment is limited only by the capacity of such a creature to receive and to discern the spirit actualities of the supermaterial world." (1:4.6)

"The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man present the paradox of the part and the whole on the level of personality. God loves each individual as an individual child in the heavenly family. Yet God thus loves every individual; he is no respecter of persons, and the universality of his love brings into being a relationship of the whole, the universal brotherhood." (12:7.8)

As for the second part of your question - about Satan being "chased out of Heaven to Earth..."

There is a great deal of confusion about Satan and the devil on our world. The Urantia Book sorts it all out for us, and reveals the truth about Satan and Lucifer and the devil - these three are separate beings, and all have an interesting story. Understanding the true nature of these beings and their roles in our planet's history is one of the most amazing parts of the revelation of The Urantia Book. Please see our topical study on Satan HERE, to learn the truth about this being, and his place in our history. From there, you can follow the links to read more about Lucifer and the devil as well.

In short, I can tell you that Satan was not "chased" from Heaven. Satan was a once-beautiful created son of God, and he was assigned as a lieutenant of Lucifer. Together, Satan and Lucifer launched the terrible rebellion against God's rule which is still causing the world trouble even today. Satan is no longer on our planet, but is, along with Lucifer, in custody on one of the prison worlds of space.

"Lucifer and Satan freely roamed the Satania system until the completion of the bestowal mission of Michael on Urantia. They were last on your world together during the time of their combined assault upon the Son of Man." (53:8.1)

"...Satan is now unqualifiedly detained on the Jerusem prison worlds." (53:9.4)

Finally, about God being unhappy...

"Jesus said: â€œMy brother, God is love; therefore he must be good, and his goodness is so great and real that it cannot contain the small and unreal things of evil. God is so positively good that there is absolutely no place in him for negative evil.'"(130:1.5)

"God is love"; therefore his only personal attitude towards the affairs of the universe is always a reaction of divine affection".(2:5.1)

God loves Satan and Lucifer just as much as he loves any of his children. The fact that they rebelled against him has still not destroyed his love:

"God loves the sinner and hates the sin: such a statement is true philosophically, but God is a transcendent personality, and persons can only love and hate other persons. Sin is not a person. God loves the sinner because he is a personality reality (potentially eternal), while towards sin God strikes no personal attitude, for sin is not a spiritual reality; it is not personal; therefore does only the justice of God take cognizance of its existence. The love of God saves the sinner; the law of God destroys the sin. This attitude of the divine nature would apparently change if the sinner finally identified himself wholly with sin just as the same mortal mind may also fully identify itself with the indwelling spirit Adjuster. Such a sin-identified mortal would then become wholly unspiritual in nature (and therefore personally unreal) and would experience eventual extinction of being. Unreality, even incompleteness of creature nature, cannot exist forever in a progressingly real and increasingly spiritual universe." (2:6.8)

And this is precisely what will happen to both Lucifer and Satan, unless they eventually accept God's love and mercy. Up to the present, they have not. It could be that God feels unhappiness or sorrow over his erring children, but his attitude of love is his primary response to his creation.

Thanks again for writing back to us here at Truthbook. I hope that this answer has been of some help to you...

Labels: Christian, God, Jesus, mercy, Satan, The Urantia Book

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I was unfaithful to my spouse ~ something I thought I'd never do. I now feel "blocked" spiritually...

Q: I was unfaithful to my spouse ~ something I thought I'd never do. I stopped the affair, but our marriage is now ending. I have huge regret for my actions but can't get that chapter out of my head. I now feel "blocked" spiritually, like I can't forgive myself and move on. I feel like part of me is gone. Please help.

A: I feel so sorry that you are suffering such painful regret. I understand regret, as I suffered with it for quite awhile in my past - still do, at times - but when it was at its worst, I was no good to anyone...I can understand that space of inertia, where you can't really move forward because the past is just too heavy around your heart...

Whatever your misdeeds were - in this case, infidelity - they are already forgiven. I can say that with absolute certainty, and I hope you can take that in and believe it as well. God has forgiven you, especially since you have recognized and seem to have sincere remorse for what you did.

You are right: a very important piece of forgiveness is to forgive yourself. Jesus said:

"My disciples must not only cease to do evil but learn to do well; you must not only be cleansed from all conscious sin, but you must refuse to harbor even the feelings of guilt. If you confess your sins, they are forgiven; therefore must you maintain a conscience void of offense." (156:2.7)

That is kind of a "wow" statement, but it is very true. When we continually harbor the feelings of sorrow and regret over our failings, we simply cannot move forward. And so, it is important that you begin to actively and seriously think about forgiving yourself.

One technique that was of some help to me during some particularly dark days was to imagine that I was looking at my life as from the outside - as if I was looking at a friend, perhaps. How would I respond to a beloved friend or relative who was in the same situation I was in? Would I withhold my love and care from her because she was unfaithful to her husband? I can see she's sorry...and has taken steps to stop the affair...would I shun her, and expect her to wallow in sackcloth and ashes? Or would I say to her: "You know, we all make mistakes in life. We all fall short of our ideals. One mistake does not define a whole life. I love you, and I know you will do better in the future. You''ll learn from this, and it will never happen again"

In short, practice the same kind of compassionate love on yourself as you would practice on a beloved friend or sister or brother. To refuse to do so effectively says "no thanks" to God's forgiveness. Thinking that you are unworthy of forgiveness is really an act of pride...there is no one who cannot be forgiven - no one. Try to let this truth sink into your inner being...

What you are going through cannot be ignored or wished away. You do have to deal with it, but it does not have to last forever. You say that you feel spiritually blocked. This is understandable. I have some suggestions from The Urantia Book; take all, some, or none, but I want you to know that it is the kind of truth revealed in The Urantia Book that brought me back from the brink many years ago. I know that if you are a truthseeker, you will always benefit from its truths and comforts. And if you do this assignment, maybe you'll be too busy in the present to want to dwell in the past. These activities will help you live in the present moment, which is where we find God and open that channel of relationship with him. God is our heavenly spirit Father and he loves us with a fatherly affection. He wants to help you.

I would like to suggest that you begin your spiritual recovery by doing a bit of reading in The Urantia Book. Start with Papers 1-5 - about God the Father and his love for us, and perhaps you might like to read Papers 100-103 - these are dealing with spiritual growth and reality of religious experience, and are mightily inspiring. Start with either one.

It is important that you try to gain a larger view - one that is not concentrated solely on your problems. You are a human being of eternal destiny and you carry within you a Divine spark of God. I guarantee that if you sincerely acknowledge the presence of God who walks through your life with you, you will find new purpose and a way forward. Not only that, but you will learn new ways of viewing your life and your choices and you'll gain strength to deal with the present problems you are experiencing as a result of this past event.

Another suggestion I can offer is to find someone who needs you - find someone who is worse off than you are and do some service for them with no thought of repayment. There are lonely people everywhere. Look for them...nursing homes, in homeless shelters, women's shelters, hospice...there are volunteer positions you could add to your day - delivering meals to seniors through "Meals on Wheels" for example. Find something to do. Fill your spare time with service to others. Instead of lamenting your loss, you may find a part of you that will fill the empty places. Again, this is an activity which encourages present-moment living - the eternal NOW, where God can be found..

Said Jesus: "My children, if there exists a true and living connection between the child and the Father, the child is certain to progress continuously toward the Father's ideals. True, the child may at first make slow progress, but the progress is none the less sure. The important thing is not the rapidity of your progress but rather its certainty. Your actual achievement is not so important as the fact that the direction of your progress is Godward. What you are becoming day by day is of infinitely more importance than what you are today." (147:5.7)

The fact that you are reaching out now says to me that you are turning a corner. I am so glad that you chose Truthbook.com as a place that you felt good enough about to share this personal time in your life, and I will agree with you in prayer right now that you will from this day forward, seek truth, beauty and goodness in your life, and you will find it.

Labels: forgiveness, God, infidelity, Jesus, service, spirituality, The Urantia Book

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Monday, November 02, 2009

I am devastated when children are abducted and murdered.

Q: I am devastated when children are abducted and murdered. Please tell me that they are not alone in their last hour. It saddens me while a child is being tortured the world continues and unaware of their pain.

A: All humanity suffers when children are mistreated and murdered. It is an outrage that touches all of us very deeply...

I don't know if I can ease your heart through this pain you feel, but I can tell you that our God is a loving and kind Father to all his children. In life and in death, none of us is ever alone. I do not know for sure, but I like to think that there is some sort of mechanism in the brain that, at some point, shields a victim of such suffering from feeling the full brunt of the pain and fear of such an experience.

Here is a passage from The Urantia Book that may help ease your mind somewhat:

(39:5.11) ...During moments just prior to physical death a reflective phenomenon sometimes occurs in the human mind, and this dimming consciousness seems to visualize something of the form of the attending angel, and this is immediately translated into terms of the habitual concept of angels held in that individual's mind.

We can only hope that a youngster undergoing such a terrible experience may be blessed with such a vision of peace and loveliness. I suspect that the ministering angels do attend these young ones, and ease their passing in ways that we cannot know. And once the child has passed on the the next world, their eternal journey of adventure and joy will begin, despite the terrible circumstances of their death. For this, we can be grateful.

Remember how much Jesus loved children? He was always sensitive to them, and advised all of us to become like children in order to really be able to receive his tender mercies. Knowing this, I am sure that any child who suffers a hard death in this way has a special dispensation of mercy as they pass into his everlasting arms. I can't say for sure, but I prefer to think it is true, since there is no proof to the contrary...

It saddens me as well, to think of the terrible things that happen on our world - not only to children, but to innocent men and women in all kinds of circumstances. Many people are caught in situations all the time that stagger our imaginations and leave us feeling sad and powerless when we dwell upon them. If we were aware of each instance of suffering and pain that occur on our world, none of us could carry on. This does not mean that we are not sympathetic, though. Anyone who hears of such things is saddened and upset by them.

We have a choice though...we can choose to allow ourselves to become paralyzed by sadness and laden with sorrow over these kinds of crimes against humanity, or we can activate our highest mind, and pray for right thinking and a knowledge of God to spread over our world. We can selflessly love the children that we do know, and teach them to love others, and to love God. We can join, or contribute to groups that work to alleviate the suffering of innocent victims. We can put our energy to work in positive ways that serve others. These are activities that we CAN control, and positive action has a ripple effect on our world.

I know that my reply may not give you the kind of relief that you desire, but I do hope that you will open your heart to God and allow him to speak thoughts of peace to your soul. Staying close to God is a sure cure for these times when we feel overwhelmed by events that are out of our control, but which touch our hearts so acutely.

Finally, if you are not already signed up, please take advantage of our free service - Quote of the Day. Each day, you will receive a Urantia Book quote to help lift you up and inspire you to reach your highest spiritual goals.

Thanks for writing. Please feel free to write back any time...

Labels: angels, children, God, Jesus, love, service, Sorrow, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Did you read the revelations of Anne Emmerich, who stated that jesus was born on 25th November 6 BC and not on the 21st August 7 BC ...?

Q: Who wrote The Urantia Book? Was there a revelation to the author by God? Did you read the revelations of Anne Emmerich, who stated that jesus was born on 25th November 6 BC and not on the 21st August 7 BC as you are alleging?

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com. We are always glad to hear from people who are interested in the revelations of The Urantia Book.

The Urantia Book was written by a group of spiritual beings, including angels, Melchizedeks, and other various orders of celestial beings. HERE is a link to the "Table of Contents" of The Urantia Book, which lists the authors. You can use our handy SEARCH feature to find out more about each of them, if you wish. Simply type in the name of the author and press "search."

The Urantia Book is totally unique in that it is a revelation given in book form. The book is, in itself, the revelation - not to the authors, but to humanity. The authors were mandated by the Ancients of Days to deliver the revelatory information in this form, and it was completed in 1934, published in 1955.

The Urantia Book is unlike Scripture, in that it is not an "inspired" document. It is, however, a revelation of epochal significance - the 5th of such revelations that have been given to our planet. Each of the five revelations of God to mankind has been an attempt to communicate spiritual truth to the races of Earth (Urantia). Among the previous revelations, you'll no doubt recognize Adam and Eve, Melchizedek, and the incarnation of Jesus as the babe of Bethlehem.

Epochal revelations are rare, and periodic; all are designed to uplift mankind into a new understanding of God, and man's relationship to God. The Urantia Book contains within its pages the newest and most replete descriptions of God and the created universes, the detailed history of our own universe and our planet, and a full third of the book contains a complete restatement of the life and teachings of Jesus, including all the "lost years" that have been heretofore unavailable anywhere else.

Part of this new revelation of the Master's life is the accurate date of Jesus' birth, which is revealed as August 21, 7BC. I am adding a link HERE so that you can read for yourself a scientific and scholarly exploration of the accuracy of that date. To me, it makes the conclusive case for the accuracy of the date given in The Urantia Book.

I did look into Anne Emmerich, and I discovered that she was an 18th century German Catholic nun who was known as a "Mystic, Visionary, Stigmatist, Prophet." I could not find the specific reference regarding the birthdate of Jesus, however, I do understand that many, many people over many, many centuries, have claimed - and still claim - to have visions of God and special knowledge of, and from him, and that many people put a lot of credence into such visions.

Persons such as Anne Emmerich have a certain appeal, simply because their lives are so extraordinary - they seem to have a direct pipeline to God; but the mental states that produce such lives are not always healthy, nor are they reliable as avenues to God. By saying this, I do not intend to demean her, or her visions; she certainly did live a life which appears to have been dedicated to God. However, I am reluctant to place any faith in the accuracy of her visions simply because they appear to be the result of extraordinary physical deprivation.

About Jesus, The Urantia Book states:

(100:5.11) However favorable may have been the conditions for mystic phenomena, it should be clearly understood that Jesus of Nazareth never resorted to such methods for communion with the Paradise Father. Jesus had no subconscious delusions or superconscious illusions.

If Jesus did not rely on such things, I question whether he means for his children to experience such things, either. That Anne Emmerich did experience them speaks more to her religious fervor than of actual communication with God. This is however, my opinion. You are of course, free to form your own opinion.

The Urantia Book reveals the nature of the indwelling God - that "spark" of Divinity that lives in the mind of every person, and which provides everyone their own "pipeline to God." The Urantia Book calls this fragment of God the Thought Adjuster. God's communion is available to all of us - not as visions and mystical experiences, but as the gentle leadings into the knowledge of God's will through the proof of individual spiritual experience in ordinary day-to-day living. We are also blessed with the ministry of the Spirit of Truth - that good Spirit who Jesus promised, and who was poured out on all flesh on the occasion of Pentecost. This Spirit of Truth gives all people the ability to discern and sort out Truth - and to find the Truth wherever it may appear. It is through the Spirit that one can discern for themselves whether The Urantia Book - or any other spiritual revelation - is true or not. With sincerity of motive and prayerful approach, the truth can be felt by the sincere seeker as an unmistakable inner resonance.

I might suggest that, while you explore this subject of visionary knowledge by mystics, that you do yourself the favor of exploring The Urantia Book as well. Line them up and see how they differ, and how they correspond with each other. Allow Jesus and the Spirit of Truth to guide you in this endeavor. And please feel free to sign up for our free Quote of the Day service, which will deliver to your inbox a daily passage from the matchless teachings of The Urantia Book.

Again, thank you for your note. Please write back any time...

Labels: Anne Emmerich, authorship, inspiration, Jesus, mysticism, Pentecost, revelation, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Please teach me how to meditate.

Q: I have gone to your site and I was searching about meditation. Please teach me how to meditate.

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com. We are always available to answer questions from our visitors, and we are happy to try and help you in your spiritual path as we can.

Meditation is an important topic. It is a meaningful way to go within oneself for the purpose of communing with God.

You want to be taught how to meditate: I am not really qualified to teach you how to meditate, but I can certainly point you in the right direction.

While on earth, Jesus of Nazareth practiced meditation on a regular basis. Even as a child he would practice quiet times of communion with God. We are given no specific how-to details in The Urantia Book, but we are told numerous times that it was his practice to go off by himself for his times of communing with the Father. By reading and learning how Jesus did this, we can glean important clues about how to do it ourselves.

For many years, and for many cultures, meditation has been seen as a sort of "emptying" process, whereby we try to blank out any outer stimulus and become somewhat passive in hopes of receiving communion with spiritual forces; meditation, as practiced by Jesus, seemed to have none of these qualities. His methods of meditation appeared to be "active." The meditation practices of Jesus involved active thinking, rather than the passive approach. His times of communion with God always included worship. He used his mind to commune with God; and this is not surprising once we understand that our minds are indwelt by a "spark" of God who desires communion with us. Our deepest and highest thinking is a sure way to engage that fragment of God and to receive its wisdom in our inmost spiritual experience.

One key factor in meditation is relaxation. This Urantia Book passage helps one to see the value of meditation and relaxation which combine to produce a state of worship:

"The effort toward maturity necessitates work, and work requires energy. Whence the power to accomplish all this? The physical things can be taken for granted, but the Master has well said, "Man cannot live by bread alone." Granted the possession of a normal body and reasonably good health, we must next look for those lures which will act as a stimulus to call forth man's slumbering spiritual forces. Jesus has taught us that God lives in man; then how can we induce man to release these soul-bound powers of divinity and infinity? How shall we induce men to let go of God that he may spring forth to the refreshment of our own souls while in transit outward and then to serve the purpose of enlightening, uplifting, and blessing countless other souls? How best can I awaken these latent powers for good which lie dormant in your souls? One thing I am sure of: Emotional excitement is not the ideal spiritual stimulus. Excitement does not augment energy; it rather exhausts the powers of both mind and body. Whence then comes the energy to do these great things? Look to your Master. Even now he is out in the hills taking in power while we are here giving out energy. The secret of all this problem is wrapped up in spiritual communion, in worship. From the human standpoint it is a question of combined meditation and relaxation. Meditation makes the contact of mind with spirit; relaxation determines the capacity for spiritual receptivity. And this interchange of strength for weakness, courage for fear, the will of God for the mind of self, constitutes worship. At least, that is the way the philosopher views it.

"When these experiences are frequently repeated, they crystallize into habits, strength-giving and worshipful habits, and such habits eventually formulate themselves into a spiritual character, and such a character is finally recognized by one's fellows as a mature personality. These practices are difficult and time-consuming at first, but when they become habitual, they are at once restful and timesaving. The more complex society becomes, and the more the lures of civilization multiply, the more urgent will become the necessity for God-knowing individuals to form such protective habitual practices designed to conserve and augment their spiritual energies." (160:3.1)

We learn from this passage that meditation is a practice that is "protective," in that it can "conserve and augment...spiritual energies.."

Here is another passage from The Urantia Book, describing somewhat the methods that Jesus used:

"But the greatest of all methods of problem solving I have learned from Jesus, your Master. I refer to that which he so consistently practices, and which he has so faithfully taught you, the isolation of worshipful meditation. In this habit of Jesus' going off so frequently by himself to commune with the Father in heaven is to be found the technique, not only of gathering strength and wisdom for the ordinary conflicts of living, but also of appropriating the energy for the solution of the higher problems of a moral and spiritual nature. But even correct methods of solving problems will not compensate for inherent defects of personality or atone for the absence of the hunger and thirst for true righteousness.

"I am deeply impressed with the custom of Jesus in going apart by himself to engage in these seasons of solitary survey of the problems of living; to seek for new stores of wisdom and energy for meeting the manifold demands of social service; to quicken and deepen the supreme purpose of living by actually subjecting the total personality to the consciousness of contacting with divinity; to grasp for possession of new and better methods of adjusting oneself to the ever-changing situations of living existence; to effect those vital reconstructions and readjustments of one's personal attitudes which are so essential to enhanced insight into everything worth while and real; and to do all of this with an eye single to the glory of Godâ€”to breathe in sincerity your Master's favorite prayer, "Not my will, but yours, be done."

"This worshipful practice of your Master brings that relaxation which renews the mind; that illumination which inspires the soul; that courage which enables one bravely to face one's problems; that self-understanding which obliterates debilitating fear; and that consciousness of union with divinity which equips man with the assurance that enables him to dare to be Godlike. The relaxation of worship, or spiritual communion as practiced by the Master, relieves tension, removes conflicts, and mightily augments the total resources of the personality. And all this philosophy, plus the gospel of the kingdom, constitutes the new religion as I understand it. This worshipful practice of your Master brings that relaxation which renews the mind; that illumination which inspires the soul; that courage which enables one bravely to face one's problems; that self-understanding which obliterates debilitating fear; and that consciousness of union with divinity which equips man with the assurance that enables him to dare to be Godlike. The relaxation of worship, or spiritual communion as practiced by the Master, relieves tension, removes conflicts, and mightily augments the total resources of the personality. And all this philosophy, plus the gospel of the kingdom, constitutes the new religion as I understand it." (160:1.10)

Meditation is an important, and often neglected tool for gaining spiritual insight and wisdom. I think that people in general are confused about what it means, and how to do it effectively. One clue though, is in this idea of an active, "thinking" type of practice, rather than a purely passive anticipation.

Here are some further Urantia Book quotes about meditation:

Religious habits of thinking and acting are contributory to the economy of spiritual growth. One can develop religious predispositions toward favorable reaction to spiritual stimuli, a sort of conditioned spiritual reflex. Habits which favor religious growth embrace cultivated sensitivity to divine values, recognition of religious living in others, reflective meditation on cosmic meanings, worshipful problem solving, sharing one's spiritual life with one's fellows, avoidance of selfishness, refusal to presume on divine mercy, living as in the presence of God. The factors of religious growth may be intentional, but the growth itself is unvaryingly unconscious. (100:1.8)

The more healthful attitude of spiritual meditation is to be found in reflective worship and in the prayer of thanksgiving. (100:5.10)

It seems to me that the most important factor in learning a meditation technique that is workable for an individual relies on one's sincere desire to actually do it, and then to experiment with various ways that are used by other people. To that end, I would like to direct your attention to a very insightful and interesting study on "Meditation, Jesus-Style" This was written by a long-time Urantia Book student who gives us a fresh, modern-day approach to meditation, using Urantia Book teachings. It is a scholarly, detailed study, and has been very helpful to me in my meditation practices. I hope you'll give it a look...

Please click on any of the links provided in this answer to open the text; you may also find our Topical Study on Meditation useful.

Thanks again for letting us help you to explore this most important topic. I hope that this answer is meaningful to you.

Labels: communion, Jesus, meditation, The Urantia Book

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