Jesus and the Urantia Book
Blog Stories
Childhood and Religion
From A Sikh Religionist...
"Charter for Compassion"
  Home Page
  Quote Of The Day
  Search the Urantia Book only
  The Urantia Book
  Jesus And The Urantia Book
  Urantia Book Video
  Urantia Book Audio
  The Gallery
  Heartwarming And Humorous Stories
  Discussion Forum
  Answers To Life's Toughest Questions
  News + Blogs
  How The Urantia Book Changed My Life
  Spiritual Studies
  Get Involved
  FAQ
  Links
  About Us
  Store
  Buscar solo en El libro de Urantia
  El Libro De Urantia
  Procure apenas no Livro de Urântia
  O Livro De Urantia
Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book



Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Have any of the planets and/or their respective moons in Urantia's solar system ever been inhabited by advanced, intelligent mortal life?

Q: Have any of the planets and/or their respective moons in Urantia's solar system ever been inhabited by advanced, intelligent mortal life? If so, what happened to them?


A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com.

About life in our solar system, The Urantia Book relates:

In your solar system only three planets are at present suited to harbor life. Urantia, in size, density, and location, is in many respects ideal for human habitation. (15:6.10)


Elsewhere in The Urantia Book we learn that there are several kinds of life in our universe.

The Urantia Book teaches us that there are three planets that are suitable to harbor life, but perhaps not intelligent life, as we know it. However, there MAY BE intelligent life on some of the moons in our solar system.

Even if a planetary moon may appear to have no familiar attributes that would support life as we know it on Earth, it may yet be able to support life-forms that are unlike us, for example, the nonbreathers. The nonbreathers are a fascinating group, and they are mortals like us, except that they are not Adjuster-fused. Their lives are very different from our own, as you will see if you follow the links.

We are told in The Urantia Book that there are nine moons in our local universe which can support the nonbreather type of life, and, intriguingly,

You would be more than interested in the planetary conduct of this type of mortal because such a race of beings inhabits a sphere in close proximity to Urantia. (49:3.6)

Earth science may be our best bet for eventually uncovering these mysteries. Some of the moons of Saturn, such as Titan, which has an atmosphere (nitrogen and methane) and Enceladus, which seems to have a "primordial soup" and "deep sea vent" components have been the subject of recent speculation concerning the possibilities of life as we know it, but I am far more intrigued by these other moons which may harbor nonbreathers, who enjoy a type of life quite unlike ours. Jupiter also has a number of moons that are of interest.

However fascinating this subject may be, we still cannot know whether this kind of life has existed, whether it presently exists on these moons for a certainty, or whether it may exist in future.

It is certainly a great subject to think about. Thanks so much for writing...

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



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: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



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: , , , ,


Permalink



...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: , , , ,


Permalink



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 sin—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: , , , ,


Permalink



What date did Contact Commission and/or The Forum commence transcribing the papers for the Urantia Book?

Q:What date did Contact Commission and/or The Forum commence transcribing the papers for the Urantia Book? Further, what is the correlation between these two groups or are they one and the same?

A: Thank you for your note regarding the Contact Commission and the Forum. Since there is practically no information in The Urantia Book itself regarding these questions, I went to the Urantia Book Historical Society.

I found several pages that will be of interest to you:

Focus on History provides a great list of topics. And in this list, I found Famous Firsts.

In this section, we learn that the organization and acquaintance of the pivotal members of the revelatory team were begun as early as 1906.

In 1922, the Contact Commission was formed to be "custodians of the Urantia manuscript, keeping the carbon copy of the typewritten transcript in a fireproof vault. They were also charged with full responsibility for supervising all the details connected with the publication of the Book, securing the international copyrights, etc."

And in 1928 "The Forum was formally established and the Sunday afternoon group took oaths of silence regarding the papers."

These two groups - The Contact Commission and the Forum - were complementary groups who worked together throughout the delivery of the Papers; however, the Forum contained far more members than the Commission.

Here is a passage describing both groups from a page called: "Sunday Afternoon Tea":

"A team from one family took on the responsibility of keeping the papers secure, transcribing the papers, giving people an opportunity to study them during the week, and getting them prepared for typesetting. This family was called the Contact Commission.

The group that assembled on Sunday afternoons was called The Forum, a term used in the Chautaqua Movement. For fifteen years the Forum members all contributed money to have the book printed. The Forum officially ended in May 1942."

I would suggest that you visit the links that I have provided, and explore this wonderful website which is dedicated to the preservation of the historical records surrounding the fifth epochal revelation to Urantia.

Thanks again for your note. Write back to us anytime.

Labels: , , ,


Permalink

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Does everyone have a guardian angel?

Q: Does everyone have a guardian angel?

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

To answer your question, here's a quote from The Urantia Book:

"The teaching about guardian angels is not a myth; certain groups of human beings do actually have personal angels. It was in recognition of this that Jesus, in speaking of the children of the heavenly kingdom, said: "Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones, for I say to you, their angels do always behold the presence of the spirit of my Father." (113:1.1)

Not everyone has a guardian angel, however. In further reading from the passage given above, we learn:

"Originally, the seraphim were definitely assigned to the separate Urantia races. But since the bestowal of Michael, they are assigned in accordance with human intelligence, spirituality, and destiny."(113:1.2)

Please click HERE for a fuller exploration of guardian angels. And you also may like to have a look at our comprehensive study on angels HERE

And thanks again for writing to us. We always love to hear from our visitors.

Labels: , ,


Permalink

Thursday, November 05, 2009

How can we know that the Urantia Book is a book from God and not from man?

Q: How can we know that the Urantia Book is a book from God and not from man?

A: Thanks for this important question. We always love to hear from our visitors.

The Urantia Book presents itself as a revelation of God to mankind - a revelation of epochal significance. It claims that numerous authors of celestial origin were employed to make it manifest to our planet, and that it was authorized by God to be delivered to the human races of Urantia.

The Urantia Book contains material that is mind-expanding and revelatory, and facts that have been heretofore unknown to mortals, providing answers to questions that we didn't even know we had. This material is designed to raise the spiritual consciousness of all of mankind. As well, The Urantia Book contains over one thousand concepts of human knowledge and wisdom that were already known at the time of its delivery to the planet. That is why it may seem that some of the information is "man-made;" it actually is. The authors clearly state this. However, the sheer weight and magnitude of the revelatory aspects of the material presented seems to me to be far beyond the abilities of human beings.

But how can we know? I am not sure that we can ever really KNOW. Maybe a better question is, how can we believe?

Pragmatically speaking, if some human, or group of humans, created this remarkable revelation from whole cloth, I feel sure that they would not have left the attribution of authorship to heretofore unnamed beings of celestial origin. To do that would run counter to everything I have ever experienced of human nature. In the 50+ years since its delivery, no human being has ever claimed authorship. It seems to me that only spiritual beings could have the selflessness required, and the years of dedication needed, to produce such a life-altering document for the sole benefit of humanity-at-large, without seeking personal recognition or thanks. That fact alone makes me sure that it is not "from man."

The recognition of Truth is like a bell resonating in the heart - once it is experienced, it cannot be denied. One does KNOW it in every fiber of one's being.

In my experience, this revelation which is The Urantia Book presents a collection of truths and a philosophy of living that, adopted as a whole, can be "acted out." It certainly can be "lived" in one's experience, and the result is a life that is lifted and ennobled far beyond one's fondest expectation. It produces inner happiness and spiritual assurance of a very high level. Even if it were the creation of man, it would still have that flavor. I, however, choose to believe that it is exactly what it says it is, simply because of its effects on my life.

It is the revelation of God, and the restatement of the life and teachings of Jesus in The Urantia Book that, to me, are overwhelming evidences of its authenticity. To me, no person, or group of persons, could have pulled this kind of knowledge - this kind of spiritual "flavor" - out of thin air. But even if they did, it would still resonate as true, nonetheless. Truth is truth...and it echoes in the soul. I believe it is from God because it has brought me closer to God, and stretched my soul and mind to their capacity. No mere mortal would have that as their final agenda - to what end? In my opinion, only a spiritual and divine agenda can be the purpose of such a revelation.

I cannot declare this for you, however. Each of us who are truthseekers must make the same journey when attempting discernment of any spiritual revelation - whether it is The Urantia Book, or another kind of revelation found in another place.

Experiment - put into practice the materials contained The Urantia Book and their effect on your life - and then you may come to the answer to this important question in your inmost self.

Thanks again for this great question, and best wishes in your search for Truth...

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



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 enemies—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 faith—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: , , , , ,


Permalink



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: “My 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: , , , , ,


Permalink



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: , , , , , ,


Permalink

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: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



If a person suffers from severe mental illness...

Q: If a person suffers from severe mental illness which caused them to commit wrongful acts while in a state of "mania" is there any chance for redemption? Does the ancient belief that the mentally ill are possessed by evil spirits have any credibility? What can a severely mentally ill person do, if they feel that are somehow being influenced by something they cannot control?

A: Thank you for writing to us here at Truthbook.com, a website dedicated to the teachings of The Urantia Book

Since your question is primarily concerning a person who suffers from mental illness, I must first advise you that the person in question (whether it is you, or someone else) should see a medical professional as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment. We are not equipped to lend medical advice...

No matter what our transgressions, there is always a chance for redemption, which can be synonymous with "salvation," as in this passage about Jesus' love towards sinners; and not only redemption, but "eternal rehabilitation." This Urantia Book quote is about the cross of Jesus, and its significance to sinners.

(188:5.2) "The cross forever shows that the attitude of Jesus toward sinners was neither condemnation nor condonation, but rather eternal and loving salvation. Jesus is truly a savior in the sense that his life and death do win men over to goodness and righteous survival. Jesus loves men so much that his love awakens the response of love in the human heart. Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. Jesus' death on the cross exemplifies a love which is sufficiently strong and divine to forgive sin and swallow up all evil-doing. Jesus disclosed to this world a higher quality of righteousness than justice—mere technical right and wrong. Divine love does not merely forgive wrongs; it absorbs and actually destroys them. The forgiveness of love utterly transcends the forgiveness of mercy. Mercy sets the guilt of evil-doing to one side; but love destroys forever the sin and all weakness resulting therefrom. Jesus brought a new method of living to Urantia. He taught us not to resist evil but to find through him a goodness which effectually destroys evil. The forgiveness of Jesus is not condonation; it is salvation from condemnation. Salvation does not slight wrongs; it makes them right. True love does not compromise nor condone hate; it destroys it. The love of Jesus is never satisfied with mere forgiveness. The Master's love implies rehabilitation, eternal survival. It is altogether proper to speak of salvation as redemption if you mean this eternal rehabilitation."

God's forgiveness is also forthcoming for our sinful acts:

(146:2.4) "...The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him..."

As for the second part of your question: There was a time on our planet when this belief that evil spirits could possess the minds of men did have some credibility...even in Jesus' time, there were rebel midwayers still roaming the earth - remnants of the Lucifer rebellion who were able to influence the minds of men - but since the day of Pentecost, over 2000 years ago, when the Spirit of Truth that Jesus promised was poured out upon all flesh, no evil spirit has had the power to affect the minds of mankind.

(77:7.8) "The entire group of rebel midwayers is at present held prisoner by order of the Most Highs of Edentia. No more do they roam this world on mischief bent. Regardless of the presence of the Thought Adjusters, the pouring out of the Spirit of Truth upon all flesh forever made it impossible for disloyal spirits of any sort or description ever again to invade even the most feeble of human minds. Since the day of Pentecost there never again can be such a thing as demoniacal possession."

As for the third part of your question: All of us sometimes have the feeling that we are influenced by factors out of our control, and yet, this does not necessarily denote mental illness; however, if a person is convinced that they are "severely mentally ill" it is of great importance that they go to see a medical professional as soon as possible...

And at any time, any person who feels ill - mentally or physically - can turn to prayer as a supplemental means of feeling better:

(91:6.2) "Prayer is not a technique for curing real and organic diseases, but it has contributed enormously to the enjoyment of abundant health and to the cure of numerous mental, emotional, and nervous ailments."

Thanks again for writing to us. Please click on the links provided to open the text and best wishes.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink

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: , , , , , , , ,


Permalink

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 God—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: , , ,


Permalink



How compatible is the Urantia Book with the Book of Mormon?

Q: How compatible is the Urantia Book with the Book of Mormon? Since the Book of Mormon and The Urantia Book differ slightly, which one is a more accurate representation of God as we know him?

A: On one level, The Urantia Book is fully compatible with no other avenues of study, whether geology, anthropology, astronomy, physics, philosophy, genetics, history, religion, or spirituality... and there's a reason for that. The Urantia Book claims to be an epochal revelation, providing new and heretofore unknown facts, meanings, values from which we can derive a better understanding of the cosmos and our place in it. Your first challenge then will be to determine whether you believe this claim or not. If not, then whether the teachings of The Urantia Book are compatible with the Book of Mormon or not will have little value for you.

The Urantia Book and the Book of Mormon differ more than slightly. Joseph Smith was inspired, was called upon to translate mysterious writing on gold plates, produced the Book of Mormon, was martyred along with many of his followers, and founded what in about a century and a half has become a major religious movement on the planet. The Urantia Book is associated with no human subject, was produced in English exactly as you see it today, has received little public acclaim as it spreads its influence slowly around the globe. Both Mormons and Urantians have a belief in God and angels and in the validity of revelation. Jesus has a predominant position in each.

The God and Jesus presented in the Book of Mormon represent God and Jesus from Joseph Smith's inspiration. Joseph was a strongly fundamental Bible believer before being visited by the angel -- the BoM presents a strongly fundamentalist relationship with God, a viewpoint that appeals to much of struggling humanity in need of authority and spiritual direction. The historical perspective of the BoM rests on Israelites coming to the New World around 1000 B.C., evolving a culture, and being visited by Jesus at the time of his death on the cross.

The God and Jesus presented in The Urantia Book have little resemblance to what any previous religious forms provide other than the distillation of the truth, beauty, and goodness of these religions augmented by what is newly revealed by TUB. Its historical perspective spans billions of years, the New World became inhabited by a red race traveling over the Bering Strait land bridge about 80,000 years ago, and the red race is the only race not to have been visited in some manner by Jesus in person.

Joseph Smith is not unique in the world of spiritual inspirations. Many prophets of the past felt God's hand touch them and they interpreted what they perceived -- the results are found in the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Torah, the Old and New Testaments, the Koran -- they're the foundations upon which civilization and culture rest and most people are satisfied with the traditions of the past. The Urantia Book is unique. It illuminates the past from a perspective that's not part of that past. It provides an umbrella under which all religions can be gathered and coexist peacefully. It provides a glimpse of God unfettered by human mind filters. It offers Jesus back to the world, as he intended, unencumbered by Christian doctrine. It presents a view of our place in the cosmos that is consistent, logical, meaningful, insightful, joyful and uplifting.

If I believed any religion offered a more accurate representation of God I would be an adherent of that religion, but as a long-time student of The Urantia Book and believer in its teachings I obviously believe that the facts contained in the UB and its spiritual perspective provides the most accurate and meaningful portrayal available. But that's me; you need to make this determination on your own and for yourself.

Thanks for this interesting and important question. I hope that you are subscribed to our daily "Quote of the Day," an easy and inspiring way to learn more about the teachings of this book. If not, 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 that you can discontinue at any time. Also, you might be interested in viewing some of our flash movies - in particular, "After You Die," and "You Can Live Forever" or click on "Audio Book Video" in the left column for a list of all our videos.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Friday, October 16, 2009

Where is Jesus' spirit now?

Where is Jesus' spirit now? Is part of it in humans also?

Thank you for your note to Truthbook.

Jesus is personally resident on Salvington, the sphere from which he rules this universe in "supreme sovereignty."

Although Jesus is no longer with us in the flesh, he did send the "promised helper" on the day of Pentecost.

You can read about this helper - The Spirit of Truth - HERE

And you can read about what happened on that day of Pentecost HERE

Jesus is very definitely a part of every human's life now, as he indwells every person and leads all believers into all truth.

Thank you for your question. I hope that you will click on the links above, and read more about this ever-present good Spirit that helps every one of us strengthen our connection to the Master.

Labels: , , ,


Permalink



Are Satan and Lucifer real?

Q: Are Satan and Lucifer real?

A: Thanks for this question to Truthbook.com.

Satan and Lucifer are both quite real.

I am giving you a link to a previous answer regarding Lucifer HERE so that you can read about both of these personalities, as well as Caligastia, our one-time Planetary Prince who followed them into rebellion against God.

In addition, we have recently added some new topical studies regarding "the devil" as well as Satan and Lucifer. I hope you will find all of this information helpful...

Thanks for writing to us here at Truthbook.

Labels: , , ,


Permalink



I'm quite surprised that you are trying to carve out an entirely new religion for Jesus...

Q:Good day to you...I stumbled on your website thinking it's a site that deals with more information on Jesus' works. I'm quite surprised that you have, or are trying to carve out, an entirely new religion for Jesus. Well I'm only curious to know what is in the Urantia book and what it says about Jesus.

One more question please, it appears there's a synergy between you and other religions; now if this is so, specifically what do you make of the Islamic version of Jesus and does Muhammad really come in as a prophet whom Jesus had talked about?

I will appreciate your response on these issues.

A: Thank you for taking the time to write to us at Truthbook.com. You have stumbled upon a website that deals with more information on Jesus... just like you were hoping for.

The Urantia Book isn't a religion although it contains much about religious history, its evolutionary and revelatory roots, meanings and values. But besides religion The Urantia Book contains much that is meaningful in the areas of spirituality, cosmology, astronomy, geology, physics, philosophy, ... you've discovered some of its religious implications; there are other avenues to uncover there as well.

We can only hope that a synergy will result between the teachings of The Urantia Book and other religions - it's a slow and gradual process. Religions have deep and historical roots. The Urantia Book is new, only having come into existence in 1955 so it has no tradition to rest upon. Its teachings have to tested for their own merit and against one’s personal discernment of truth.

We readers and students of The Urantia Book believe that what it relates about what Jesus said and did is as historically accurate as we will ever encounter since we also believe that the Urantia Book account comes from the records the angels keep relating to our lives. Jesus made no prophetic pronouncements about Mohammed; Mohammed was a prophet 600 years after Jesus' time.

As I understand it, the Jesus of Islam isn't much different from the Jesus portrayed by some Christian sects... a good man, a holy man, but not much different from other historical holy men. The Urantia Book corrects that misconception without diminishing the value of the prophets or other holy men.

You can read and listen to The Urantia Book being read on our site HERE

The Urantia Book can also be purchased from Amazon.com HERE...

I would recommend either the paperback or hard cover indexed versions which also come with a DVD containing the full text of the book that can be loaded onto your computer; from that you can produce individual audio CDs to listen to whenever or wherever it’s convenient.

Thank you for your note and for your comments. Please feel free to write any time.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Is God the darkness we see in the universe?

Q: Is God the darkness we see in the universe? And is that the darkness inside of every human when they close their eyes?

A: My first thought is that the darkness (and light) that we can see with our physical eyes is a purely physical perception. Even when we close our eyes, the darkness that we "see" is simply due to the fact that we have shuttered our eyes to the outside world.

When we view the sky in daytime, we see plenty of light, as our perception is that the sky is lighted up - and it is, because of the sunshine's reflection off of the earth's atmosphere. But when we see images from space - for example, from the Hubble Telescope, we see islands of lighted galaxies surrounded by large areas of darkness. This can be a confusing perception if we are aiming to "see" God. One might think that if God is everywhere, that the areas of darkness must be God as well; and that is true, in a sense.

We know from Urantia Book teachings that God, as the Infinite Spirit, Third Person of the Trinity - pervades all space.

(9:0.5) "The Infinite Spirit pervades all space; he indwells the circle of eternity; and the Spirit, like the Father and the Son, is perfect and changeless—absolute."

(2:1.1) " 'Touching the Infinite, we cannot find him out. The divine footsteps are not known.' The blinding light of the Father's presence is such that to his lowly creatures he apparently 'dwells in the thick darkness.'"

But...

(4:1.6) " 'The Father unceasingly pours forth energy, light, and life. The work of God is literal as well as spiritual. 'He stretches out the north over the empty space and hangs the earth upon nothing.' "

All of the space bodies that we can see are apparently suspended in darkness, and so I can see why one might think that the darkness IS God. But, so are all the areas of light. However, we need to use our mind and our spirit to resolve this issue:

(103:6.4) "When man analytically inspects the universe through the material endowments of his physical senses and associated mind perception, the cosmos appears to be mechanical and energy-material. Such a technique of studying reality consists in turning the universe inside out.

"A logical and consistent philosophic concept of the universe cannot be built up on the postulations of either materialism or spiritism, for both of these systems of thinking, when universally applied, are compelled to view the cosmos in distortion, the former contacting with a universe turned inside out, the latter realizing the nature of a universe turned outside in. Never, then, can either science or religion, in and of themselves, standing alone, hope to gain an adequate understanding of universal truths and relationships without the guidance of human philosophy and the illumination of divine revelation.

"Always must man's inner spirit depend for its expression and self-realization upon the mechanism and technique of the mind. Likewise must man's outer experience of material reality be predicated on the mind consciousness of the experiencing personality. Therefore are the spiritual and the material, the inner and the outer, human experiences always correlated with the mind function and conditioned, as to their conscious realization, by the mind activity. Man experiences matter in his mind; he experiences spiritual reality in the soul but becomes conscious of this experience in his mind. The intellect is the harmonizer and the ever-present conditioner and qualifier of the sum total of mortal experience. Both energy-things and spirit values are colored by their interpretation through the mind media of consciousness."

And so, while we see one thing through our physical senses, the actual truth of what we are seeing has to be modified through the ministry of Spirit and revelation before we can get the whole picture. We need more than our physical senses to understand the truth of God.

Please consider this passage from The Urantia Book:

(102:0.1) "Nameless despair is man's only reward for living and toiling under the temporal sun of mortal existence. Each day of life slowly and surely tightens the grasp of a pitiless doom which a hostile and relentless universe of matter has decreed shall be the crowning insult to everything in human desire which is beautiful, noble, lofty, and good.

"But such is not man's end and eternal destiny; such a vision is but the cry of despair uttered by some wandering soul who has become lost in spiritual darkness, and who bravely struggles on in the face of the mechanistic sophistries of a material philosophy, blinded by the confusion and distortion of a complex learning. And all this doom of darkness and all this destiny of despair are forever dispelled by one brave stretch of faith on the part of the most humble and unlearned of God's children on earth.

"This saving faith has its birth in the human heart when the moral consciousness of man realizes that human values may be translated in mortal experience from the material to the spiritual, from the human to the divine, from time to eternity."

It is by FAITH that we see beyond our physical perceptions and come to know the "Father of lights." The darkness that we perceive when we close our eyes or view the night sky is deceptive, if this perception is as far as we go in looking for evidence of God in our experience. There dwells within every mortal a "light" that can only be perceived through the ministry of spirit:

(1:3.3) "The spiritual luminosity of the Father's personal presence is a "light which no mortal man can approach; which no material creature has seen or can see." But it is not necessary to see God with the eyes of the flesh in order to discern him by the faith-vision of the spiritualized mind."

(107:4.5) "There is a characteristic light, a spirit luminosity, which accompanies this divine presence, and which has become generally associated with Thought Adjusters. In the universe of Nebadon this Paradise luminosity is widespreadly known as the "pilot light"; on Uversa it is called the "light of life." On Urantia this phenomenon has sometimes been referred to as that 'true light which lights every man who comes into the world.'"

So, I would say that while God certainly does pervade that darkness that we see with our physical eyes, he cannot be defined as that darkness alone; he is also a luminous presence - within AND without - that can only be "seen" with the anointed eyes of faith.

Thanks for this most interesting question.

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



What does the Urantia Book say about the search for 'real' religion, and how can I know when I've found it?

Q: I am always searching for the right religion or spiritual practice to believe in. This feels like a never-ending quest, and it's very tiring! Spiritual writings seem to tell us that we will find peace when we find truth, but I am not at peace - even when I read the Urantia Book. What does the Urantia Book say about the search for 'real' religion, and how can I know when I've found it?

A: It sounds like you have not read quite enough of The Urantia Book yet, if you are still not finding that peace that you are looking for, and also, since you seem not to know what it says about "real religion." Little do you seem to understand that you HAVE found what you need, but there are steps you must make before you can "realize" what you have found.

I would strongly suggest that you read the religion papers, starting HERE. These papers are some of the most inspiring papers, and some of my all-time favorites regarding religion. Read them all carefully, and then, read them again. They go from Paper 99 to Paper 103.

In a nutshell, The Urantia Book's teachings on religion boil down to this: you are indwelt by a fragment of God, and this indwelling Spirit is there to help guide you into a knowledge of God's will, and to help you grow your immortal soul. Your religion is a personal relationship with God, and is manifested and made real by your own personal experience with God.

You will not find it from without, but you WILL find it by going within and establishing that personal relationship with God. You can read the words of spiritual writing all day long, but even the teachings of The Urantia Book will not help you unless, and until, you reach up to God, who is ALL Truth. When you do, he will reciprocate by reaching down to you; you will eventually achieve the peace that you seek when you make that effort. You'll start to find evidence of this "real religion" in your personal experience; it will be meaningful to you, personal and profound.

Some thoughts from the religion papers, referenced above:

"...true religion is the devotion of the self to the service of meaningful and supreme values."

"True religion is to know God as your Father and man as your brother."

"True religion is a wholehearted devotion to some reality which the religionist deems to be of supreme value to himself and for all mankind."

"Since true religion is a matter of personal spiritual experience, it is inevitable that each individual religionist must have his own and personal interpretation of the realization of that spiritual experience."

"...religion is genuine and worth while if it fosters in the individual an experience in which the sovereignty of truth, beauty, and goodness prevails, for such is the true spiritual concept of supreme reality. And through love and worship this becomes meaningful as fellowship with man and sonship with God."

Some other helpful quotes: Click on the links to open the text.

(2:6.1) "In the physical universe we may see the divine beauty, in the intellectual world we may discern eternal truth, but the goodness of God is found only in the spiritual world of personal religious experience. In its true essence, religion is a faith-trust in the goodness of God. God could be great and absolute, somehow even intelligent and personal, in philosophy, but in religion God must also be moral; he must be good. Man might fear a great God, but he trusts and loves only a good God. This goodness of God is a part of the personality of God, and its full revelation appears only in the personal religious experience of the believing sons of God."

(5:4.2) "The great and immediate service of true religion is the establishment of an enduring unity in human experience, a lasting peace and a profound assurance."

I could go on, but it is up to you to make the effort now. Persevere in your quest for God - it is the most satisfying journey you will ever make. Once you begin to have that personal spiritual experience for yourself, you will find a real religion you can believe in and the inner peace that you seek. The Urantia Book will give you the tools, but you have to do the work with those tools - so keep reading, and don't give up!

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Sunday, September 27, 2009

How can I know Urantia book is not a temptation from the devil...?

Q: How can I know Urantia book is not a temptation from the devil or some evil forces? I am a Catholic I was told this is the only religion.

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

When we hold the beliefs of some particular religion, we can become frightened into thinking that any deviation from that theology is dangerous; it is then natural that we look upon anything new as suspect - even evil - and to be avoided. This can be true even though our inner spirit may testify to us that we have found something quite wonderful. Fear can hold us back from embracing new truth.

How do we know that The Urantia Book is not of the devil or from other "evil forces?"

Knowledge is power - one of the best features of The Urantia Book is a complete and factual exploration of Lucifer, Satan, and various other evil personalities who have so negatively impacted our planet. The expose is anything but favorable for them. If The Urantia Book was meant to tempt someone into sympathy for these beings, it could be considered a failure in that regard...

However, the overwhelming teachings of The Urantia Book surround the fact that man is a child of God and is a valued member of the family of this loving Father-God. In addition, one of the cornerstone teachings of The Urantia Book is that you carry a part of God himself within your mind, which forever ennobles you as a being of eternal status whose destiny is to one day reunite with that Source of all goodness on Paradise. One of the functions of this Divine fragment is to guide you into a knowledge of God's will, and to help you to develop an immortal soul. This concept can hardly be considered a temptation of the devil, for the devil does not lead men to God.

Your question might have been sent from any number of people who have been told that their religion is "the only religion." Reason tells us that not all of these claims can be correct.

Is there only one true religion? The Urantia Book states:

(143:7.2) "True religion is the act of an individual soul in its self-conscious relations with the Creator; organized religion is man's attempt to socialize the worship of individual religionists."

Now, if that was the extent of organized religion's attempts to reach the truth-seeker, there would be no conflict, but often, the organization also teaches retribution of some sort if the faithful person should question or abandon this teaching. This retribution is usually in the form of eternal damnation. This could be the source of your uneasiness about any other teaching being of a possibly "evil" source.

Any serious study of The Urantia Book will deliver you from these kinds of fears. You harbor within yourself an unerring guide for discerning truth. It is the Spirit that Jesus sent when he left the earth - the promised helper and Comforter. To be safe, always approach any study of a religious text with a prayer for discernment, asking that Jesus be your guide. In this way, you can't ever be "tempted" into a false belief, for Jesus will ever be faithful to your trust in him. Fear not..." Divine truth is best known by its spiritual flavor."

While the teachings of The Urantia Book do not promote any particular church as superior to any other, an affiliation with a God-centered church is entirely compatible with a belief in Urantia Book concepts. Many Urantia Book readers are practicing Catholics; however, the truthseeker must know that the only "true" religion is in the realm of personal spiritual experience, and this is the only religion that Jesus ever taught.

I suggest that you read Jesus' Discourses on True Religion HERE

In this section we learn that:

"Jesus made it clear that the great difference between the religion of the mind and the religion of the spirit is that, while the former is upheld by ecclesiastical authority, the latter is wholly based on human experience."

The Catholic Church, along with many other organized and institutionalized religions, constitutes a religion of the mind - a religion of authority. From this information, and after reading the above Discourses of Jesus, you should be able to form a personally meaningful resolution to the issue regarding the exclusive truth claimed by the Catholic Church.

You may remember that Jesus himself was accused of being in league with the devil during his ministry by people who were desperate to discredit him. His ideas were so revolutionary because they threatened the authority of the religious institutions of his time - so much so, that they eventually murdered him for espousing these liberating ideas to the people. Why? Because the religion of the spirit - true religion - forever leaves the individual religionist free to embrace the truth wherever s/he may find it;

"...true religion is delivered from the custody of priests and all sacred classes and finds its real manifestation in the individual souls of men."

Jesus' teachings are revolutionary today, too. The religion of Jesus still threatens the religions of authority, and sometimes people dismiss it out of fear of some imagined retribution because of what they have been told. The only real proof that you will ever be able to find about any truth is to use your own discernment to separate fact from fantasy. If you can suspend your fears and open your mind, you will find your sincere search for truth rewarded.

Finally, I leave you with this encouraging passage regarding God, and religion:

(2:6.1) "In the physical universe we may see the divine beauty, in the intellectual world we may discern eternal truth, but the goodness of God is found only in the spiritual world of personal religious experience. In its true essence, religion is a faith-trust in the goodness of God. God could be great and absolute, somehow even intelligent and personal, in philosophy, but in religion God must also be moral; he must be good. Man might fear a great God, but he trusts and loves only a good God. This goodness of God is a part of the personality of God, and its full revelation appears only in the personal religious experience of the believing sons of God."

Thanks again for writing. I hope this answer has been of help to you.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



Who is the author of this book? When was this book written? Who found this book?

Q: Who is the author of this book? When was this book written? Who found this book?

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.

To give you an immediate answer: The authors of The Urantia Book are numerous celestial personalities. The book was delivered to humanity through a lengthy process of questions and answers in the early years of the 20th century, and completed in book form in 1955. This book has been found by thousands of people over the years, even though it is not promoted or marketed as other books are; you are one who has found it, and we hope that you will visit our site and explore the matchless teachings of The Urantia Book for yourself. Only an honest exploration of its contents will reveal to you its treasure.

For more detailed information regarding your questions, I am referring you to THIS SECTION of our site, which will give you several other versions of answers to your questions. I would also suggest that you visit our FAQ section HERE, where you will find numerous other questions and answers regarding origins and content.

Please write back should you have other questions - and thanks again for your interest in The Urantia Book.

Labels: , ,


Permalink

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Is farming and eating animals right?

Q: Is farming and eating animals right?

A: The Urantia Book makes no pronouncements regarding the morality of eating meat, or the farming and raising of animals for food.

We do learn though, that Adam and Eve were vegetarians, as in this quote:

(76:3.7) Up to the time of leaving the first garden, Adam and his family had always subsisted on fruits, cereals, and nuts. On the way to Mesopotamia they had, for the first time, partaken of herbs and vegetables. The eating of meat was early introduced into the second garden, but Adam and Eve never partook of flesh as a part of their regular diet. Neither did Adamson nor Eveson nor the other children of the first generation of the first garden become flesh eaters.

(66:4.7) The practice of subsisting on a nonflesh diet dates from the times of the Caligastia one hundred, for this custom spread near and far to affect the eating habits of many surrounding tribes, groups of origin in the once exclusively meat-eating evolutionary races.

However, just because these beings chose a non-flesh diet, it does not mean that meat-eating is somehow a moral issue.

Consider this passage from a section called "The Cradle of Civilization:"

The evolutionary peoples (notably the Chinese) early learned to plant seeds and to cultivate crops through observation of the sprouting of seeds accidentally moistened or which had been put in graves as food for the departed. But throughout southwest Asia, along the fertile river bottoms and adjacent plains, the Andites were carrying out the improved agricultural techniques inherited from their ancestors, who had made farming and gardening the chief pursuits within the boundaries of the second garden.

For thousands of years the descendants of Adam had grown wheat and barley, as improved in the Garden, throughout the highlands of the upper border of Mesopotamia. The descendants of Adam and Adamson here met, traded, and socially mingled.

It was these enforced changes in living conditions which caused such a large proportion of the human race to become omnivorous in dietetic practice. And the combination of the wheat, rice, and vegetable diet with the flesh of the herds marked a great forward step in the health and vigor of these ancient peoples. (81:1.6)

Thanks for this question. I hope my answer has been helpful. Please click on any of the links for more information.

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



Why are we born? What is the purpose of living? Why am I living?

Q: Why are we born? What is the purpose of living? Why am I living?


A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com, a website dedicated to the teachings of The Urantia Book. I will answer your questions with Urantia Book quotes, and I hope you will click on each link to expand these important ideas

We are born to come to know and love God as our spirit Father.

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

(1:1.2) The Universal Father never imposes any form of arbitrary recognition, formal worship, or slavish service upon the intelligent will creatures of the universes. The evolutionary inhabitants of the worlds of time and space must of themselves - in their own hearts - recognize, love, and voluntarily worship him. The Creator refuses to coerce or compel the submission of the spiritual free wills of his material creatures. The affectionate dedication of the human will to the doing of the Father's will is man’s choicest gift to God; in fact, such a consecration of creature will constitutes man's only possible gift of true value to the Paradise Father. In God, man lives, moves, and has his being; there is nothing which man can give to God except this choosing to abide by the Father's will, and such decisions, effected by the intelligent will creatures of the universes, constitute the reality of that true worship which is so satisfying to the love-dominated nature of the Creator Father.

Our purpose in life is to share and co-create our lives with God.

(108:0.2) Nothing in the entire universe can substitute for the fact of experience on nonexistential levels. The infinite God is, as always, replete and complete, infinitely inclusive of all things except evil and creature experience. God cannot do wrong; he is infallible. God cannot experientially know what he has never personally experienced; God's preknowledge is existential. Therefore does the spirit of the Father descend from Paradise to participate with finite mortals in every bona fide experience of the ascending career; it is only by such a method that the existential God could become in truth and in fact man's experiential Father. The infinity of the eternal God encompasses the potential for finite experience, which indeed becomes actual in the ministry of the Adjuster fragments that actually share the life vicissitude experiences of human beings.

(2:2.6) God is eternally and infinitely perfect; he cannot personally know imperfection as his own experience, but he does share the consciousness of all the experience of imperfectness of all the struggling creatures of the evolutionary universes of all the Paradise Creator Sons. The personal and liberating touch of the God of perfection overshadows the hearts and encircuits the natures of all those mortal creatures who have ascended to the universe level of moral discernment. In this manner, as well as through the contacts of the divine presence, the Universal Father actually participates in the experience with immaturity and imperfection in the evolving career of every moral being of the entire universe.

We are born to develop God-consciousness.

(0:12.12) ...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 experience — God-consciousness.

(5:5.11) God-consciousness, as it is experienced by an evolving mortal of the realms, must consist of three varying factors, three differential levels of reality realization. There is first the mind consciousness — the comprehension of the idea of God. Then follows the soul consciousness — the realization of the ideal of God. Last, dawns the spirit consciousness — the realization of the spirit reality of God. By the unification of these factors of the divine realization, no matter how incomplete, the mortal personality at all times overspreads all conscious levels with a realization of the personality of God.

You are living to grow an immortal soul of survival value, and then, live forever.

(1:3.7) In the inner experience of man, mind is joined to matter. Such material-linked minds cannot survive mortal death. The technique of survival is embraced in those adjustments of the human will and those transformations in the mortal mind whereby such a God-conscious intellect gradually becomes spirit taught and eventually spirit led. This evolution of the human mind from matter association to spirit union results in the transmutation of the potentially spirit phases of the mortal mind into the morontia realities of the immortal soul. Mortal mind subservient to matter is destined to become increasingly material and consequently to suffer eventual personality extinction; mind yielded to spirit is destined to become increasingly spiritual and ultimately to achieve oneness with the surviving and guiding divine spirit and in this way to attain survival and eternity of personality existence.

(5:5.13) Eternal survival of personality is wholly dependent on the choosing of the mortal mind, whose decisions determine the survival potential of the immortal soul. When the mind believes God and the soul knows God, and when, with the fostering Adjuster, they all desire God, then is survival assured.

Finally, you are a completely unique individual in the family of God. No one else can do what you have to do here on the earth. You are the only one who can reflect back to the world your unique part of the personality of God.

(12:7.9) The love of the Father absolutely individualizes each personality as a unique child of the Universal Father, a child without duplicate in infinity, a will creature irreplaceable in all eternity. The Father's love glorifies each child of God, illuminating each member of the celestial family, sharply silhouetting the unique nature of each personal being against the impersonal levels that lie outside the fraternal circuit of the Father of all. The love of God strikingly portrays the transcendent value of each will creature, unmistakably reveals the high value which the Universal Father has placed upon each and every one of his children from the highest creator personality of Paradise status to the lowest personality of will dignity among the savage tribes of men in the dawn of the human species on some evolutionary world of time and space.

Thank you for this most important question. I hope my reply has been helpful

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



My heart is broken by the wickedness and betrayals of my fellow beings...

Q: My heart is broken by the wickedness and betrayals of my fellow beings, how to heal? and furthermore, to love and trust them?

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

I hear a lot of sorrow in your note. I am sorry to hear that you have experienced such problems in your relationships with others. Regarding betrayal, The Urantia Book says that "of all forms of evil, none are more destructive of personality status than betrayal of trust and disloyalty to one's confiding friends." So, it is little wonder that you have been so affected by this loss of trust.

Jesus once spoke of this very thing in this passage:

(149:6.12) "Well did the Prophet Jeremiah describe many mortals when he said: `You are near God in the mouth but far from him in the heart.' And have you not also read that direful warning of the prophet who said: `The priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. At the same time they profess piety and proclaim that the Lord is with them.' Have you not been well warned against those who `speak peace to their neighbors when mischief is in their hearts,' those who `flatter with the lips while the heart is given to double-dealing'? Of all the sorrows of a trusting man, none is so terrible as to be `wounded in the house of a trusted friend.'"

And of course, we know that Jesus, too, experienced betrayal in his life from his trusted apostle, Judas.

How to heal from such a thing? Learning to forgive is a vital part of living a happy life. Even when we have every reason to nurse a grudge, or fan the flames of anger against another, it is always better to practice forgiveness towards those who have wronged us. And this practice will bring healing to your soul. It is not always easy to forgive, but as we do it, we will also be forgiven for our own misdeeds. We all crave forgiveness when we have done wrong, so we must also be willing to give it to others. Our heavenly Father is always willing to forgive:

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

Of course, that prayer is "The Lord's Prayer," which may help you to come to that place where you can forgive. It is worth the effort.

Jesus was fond of using Scripture in his ministry. Here is a passage that he used more than once. I hope it will comfort you:

(126:4.2) "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the meek, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to set the spiritual prisoners free; to proclaim the year of God's favor and the day of our God's reckoning; to comfort all mourners, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy in the place of mourning, a song of praise instead of the spirit of sorrow, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, wherewith he may be glorified.

As for loving and trusting people who once betrayed you, that will be a process in which the offending parties will have to earn your good graces again. You can love and forgive by an act of the will, and because it is the right thing to do, but learning to trust may take some time, and trust should not be given until it has been earned. In the meantime, you can safely place your trust in God, who is always faithful.

Thanks again for writing to us. Please consider signing up for our free service -Quote of the Day - which will deliver a message of hope and inspiration each day from the matchless teachings of The Urantia Book.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



If a woman has had three different husbands on earth, which one will she wind up with in Heaven?

Q: If a woman has had three different husbands on earth, which one will she wind up with in Heaven?

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

When you get to heaven, you will be reunited with those people with whom you enjoyed some kind of meaningful relationship. This will possibly include parents, children, friends, and yes - spouses. No meaningful relationship is ever lost - nothing of real value ever disappears in the universe, and all relationships with other personalities are an end in themselves, with eternal value.

However, it is an error to think that a person's marriages continue in Heaven. While we do enjoy the fellowship of many personalities - both those that we knew on Earth, and many new ones - our life after death is for the purpose of guiding each individual along the Father's ascension plan; the only goal of that plan is to reach Paradise. Our mortal, physical bodies are not resurrected; instead we acquire a new form which is not physical. We no longer reproduce children, nor do we have sexual experiences as we do on earth. There is no need for marriage in Heaven as we know it on Earth, as that part of our earthly existence is over.

In truth, we will be more like the angels when we resurrect into our new life after death. Here is a passage from The Urantia Book which explains something of the way we will be after we pass from this life:

(38:2.2) Though seraphim are very affectionate and sympathetic beings, they are not sex-emotion creatures. They are much as you will be on the mansion worlds, where you will "neither marry nor be given in marriage but will be as the angels of heaven." For all who "shall be accounted worthy to attain the mansion worlds neither marry nor are given in marriage; neither do they die any more, for they are equal to the angels."

The "Mansion Worlds" are those stopping places on our way to Paradise, and where we will meet our loved ones from our earth-life.

The only part of us that survives this earthly life is our immortal soul, which is spiritual in nature. While you will know and be known, remembered and remembered by, your former earthly associates, the bonds of marriage that you enjoyed on earth will not continue into your eternal adventure.

Thanks very much for this interesting question. I hope that this reply has been useful to you...

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Monday, September 14, 2009

If Heaven has its own language, does Satan also have his own?

Q: If Heaven has its own language, does Satan also have his own?

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

The language of heaven is harmony and spiritual peace. The Urantia Book tells us that "Forever, music will remain the universal language of men, angels, and spirits."

I like to think of a Heaven where we will sing to one another in beautiful musical tones. And even here on earth, we can learn to communicate with one another in the harmonious language of the Spirit that connects us all under the beneficent Fatherhood of God. It may not be strictly musical here on Earth, but it is harmonious...

On the other hand, Satan and his cohort, Lucifer, have a different way of communicating. Their call was not for harmony, but for insurrection against the Father's rule, causing great dis-harmony in the entire universe:

From The Urantia Book:

(53:4.1) The Lucifer manifesto was issued at the annual conclave of Satania on the sea of glass, in the presence of the assembled hosts of Jerusem, on the last day of the year, about two hundred thousand years ago, Urantia time. Satan proclaimed that worship could be accorded the universal forces—physical, intellectual, and spiritual—but that allegiance could be acknowledged only to the actual and present ruler, Lucifer, the "friend of men and angels" and the "God of liberty."

Self-assertion was the battle cry of the Lucifer rebellion. One of his chief arguments was that, if self-government was good and right for the Melchizedeks and other groups, it was equally good for all orders of intelligence. He was bold and persistent in the advocacy of the "equality of mind" and "the brotherhood of intelligence."

Even though the Lucifer Rebellion has been over for many, many years on our planet, we still find its language ingrained into our world; we still bear the remnants of its destructive influence. We struggle with a disbelief in God, and we witness a prevailing attitude of self-will, as opposed to a heartfelt dedication to God's will. Many still seek "false liberty, the assumption of self-assertion."

But even so, the loud voices of sin and rebellion can be effectively replaced in our consciousness by a wholehearted desire to find the voice of God within ourselves. Even though it is a "still, small voice," it can be heard over the loud voice of evil when one takes the time, and seeks the quiet time to find it within. And when we become accustomed to seeking and finding that voice, we are then able to communicate its beauty to our world through love and brotherhood.

Thank you again for this interesting question. Please accept my invitation to subscribe to our free service - Quote of the Day - which will help you to hear that harmonious voice of Heaven every day through Urantia Book quotes.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



I am searching for peace everywhere but still, I never get it...

Q: Hello Brother, I am searching for peace everywhere but still, I never get it. How can I and how will I receive it?

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

You are not alone in your search for peace. Just look around you - read the news, watch the TV, look into the eyes of your fellow men. All of us long for peace in this world filled with unrest.

Peace in the outer world will come only after the need for war is ended. World peace will only come when mankind stops fighting for power and supremacy over his fellow men. The Urantia Book offers a unique perspective on peace. I invite you to have a look at our topical study on Peace HERE.

But I sense that you are looking for a different kind of peace - inner peace - peace of mind...

Again, The Urantia Book, and most especially the teachings of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, offers any individual the means by which they can secure this kind of peace for themselves. The Urantia Book offers us the assurance of cosmic citizenship in the family of God, and the knowledge that we have a high and noble purpose for living. The religion of Jesus offers inner peace of the highest order.

(194:3.3) To Jesus, mortal life had dealt its hardest, cruelest, and bitterest blows; and this man met these ministrations of despair with faith, courage, and the unswerving determination to do his Father's will. Jesus met life in all its terrible reality and mastered it—even in death. He did not use religion as a release from life. The religion of Jesus does not seek to escape this life in order to enjoy the waiting bliss of another existence. The religion of Jesus provides the joy and peace of another and spiritual existence to enhance and ennoble the life which men now live in the flesh.

When we search for this kind of peace, we have to go no further than our own inner lives.

Here are some practical suggestions for finding inner peace from The Urantia Book:

(111:5.4) Peace in this life, survival in death, perfection in the next life, service in eternity—all these are achieved (in spirit) now when the creature personality consents—chooses—to subject the creature will to the Father's will.

(100:4.3) Spiritual growth yields lasting joy, peace which passes all understanding.

(100:6.6) One of the most amazing earmarks of religious living is that dynamic and sublime peace, that peace which passes all human understanding, that cosmic poise which betokens the absence of all doubt and turmoil. Such levels of spiritual stability are immune to disappointment. Such religionists are like the Apostle Paul, who said: "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else shall be able to separate us from the love of God."

(101:8.4) Faith vitalizes religion and constrains the religionist heroically to live the golden rule. The zeal of faith is according to knowledge, and its strivings are the preludes to sublime peace.

(160:5.10) ...But are we willing to pay the price of this entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Are we willing to be born again? to be remade? Are we willing to be subject to this terrible and testing process of self-destruction and soul reconstruction? Has not the Master said: "Whoso would save his life must lose it. Think not that I have come to bring peace but rather a soul struggle"? True, after we pay the price of dedication to the Father's will, we do experience great peace provided we continue to walk in these spiritual paths of consecrated living.

You can see that dedicated religious living is the only sure way to secure inner peace; and it is not always easy to find. But the search is well worth the effort. Jesus said:

(157:2.2) "It is not the purpose of true religion merely to bring peace but rather to insure progress. And there can be no peace in the heart or progress in the mind unless you fall wholeheartedly in love with truth, the ideals of eternal realities. The issues of life and death are being set before you—the sinful pleasures of time against the righteous realities of eternity. Even now you should begin to find deliverance from the bondage of fear and doubt as you enter upon the living of the new life of faith and hope. And when the feelings of service for your fellow men arise within your soul, do not stifle them; when the emotions of love for your neighbor well up within your heart, give expression to such urges of affection in intelligent ministry to the real needs of your fellows."

The above quotes are but a tiny part of the revelation that is contained in The Urantia Book. Please click on any of the links to expand the quote and read more. I recommend that you visit our site often, and get to know The Urantia Book. One good way to start is to subscribe to our free service - Quote of the Day - which will deliver to your inbox a daily inspirational quote. In addition, there are many features on our site that will offer you great hope and encouragement to live your best spiritual life. And it is only that inner spiritual life that can ever deliver true and lasting peace. If more of us concentrated our efforts towards this kind of inner peace, outer peace would soon follow.

Finally, HERE is a selection of some of the best practical advice on living in the words of Jesus. Following this advice will contribute mightily to your success in finding the peace you seek.

Thanks again for writing, and best wishes...

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



How can I change my life richer?

Q: How can I change my life richer?

A:Thank you for your note to Truthbook.

It may be that you are not a native English-speaking person, so I am going to have to guess at the exact meaning of your question here...

You ask how you can change your life so that it is richer...? That could mean richer in a material sense, as in money or possessions, or it could mean richer in a spiritual sense. I will assume it is the latter - that you want to know how to make your spiritual life richer. I cannot give any advice to make your material life richer...

First, be encouraged to know that God lives within your mind, and that he is approachable in your thoughts. This is a powerful part of the revelation of The Urantia Book. God is your spirit Father, and he loves you with the affectionate love of a Father. This knowledge will help you to feel free to communicate with that most innermost part of yourself through quiet times of meditation and prayer. God hears our prayers, and if your aim is to enrich your inner spiritual life, you will be rewarded by an increased sense of peace and connection if you make the effort to reach up to God. As you reach up in your thoughts and prayers, God will reach down to meet you where you are and as you are. Share your inner life with God. Memorized words are not necessary...God answers the attitude of your soul.

Become interested in the people in your life - cultivate a friendly attitude towards all, and learn to love people, even with all their faults, for that is how God loves you. Know that God dwells within everyone else, too, and that makes all people your brothers and sisters. Learn to look for the beautiful in life, and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit.

From The Urantia Book:

(193:2.2) "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

Know that you are part of a divine plan that promises you eternal life. This eternal life is yours by a simple act of acceptance of your status as a child of God.

To gain the most inspiration for improving and enriching your life in all ways, I recommend reading The Urantia Book. For starters, please feel free to subscribe to our free Quote of the Day service, which will deliver an inspirational message to you daily. Each quote will have a link to the text of The Urantia Book, which will enlarge your understanding.

And come back often. The Urantia Book is available to read on our site, and you can listen as well. We have a top-notch search engine, and many other features to help you on your spiritual path.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



Why do we consider the Bible as the word of God?

Q: Is the Bible really the true word of God, although it is written by men? Why do we consider the Bible as the word of God? Why are some gospels not included in the new testament? What shows that the Bible is in its original pure form still today?

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

The Bible is considered by many people to be the true "word of God," even though it is written by men. They believe that the words in the Bible are true because they were "inspired" by God.

I will quote a portion of another reply given to a person who wrote asking a similar question. I hope you will find it helpful:

"Much of the material in the Bible in the Old Testament is older than written language, so it came from oral tradition handed down from generation to generation until eventually written language was able to record it.

All the books of the Bible, Old and New Testament, were separate manuscripts along with the many other traditional "holy" teachings and manuscripts. It wasn't until about 300 A.D. that the decision was made by the church at Rome that only a specific set of these holy materials were to be used as the basis for the Christian religion and then the specific books of the Old and New Testament were decided upon and all the rest were discarded.

Before the printing press was invented documents were copied by hand by monks and rabbis and other holy men. The original manuscripts were written in a number of different languages and were since translated from the original into the various other languages of the world."

As you can see, there really is no "pure form" of the Bible in existence today, if there ever was such a thing at all. Today's Bible is a collection of some of the highest spiritual thought received by holy- and not-so-holy men over the centuries; and prior to the advent of The Urantia Book, it really was about the best that mankind had in the way of "Divine" thought. The Bible has always been, and still is, one of the best sources of inspiration and guidance on the planet. It forms the basis for Christianity as we know it.

The Urantia Book teaches us that revelation is a continuous process in the individual and periodic in the form of epochal revelation. Epochal revelations are rare events in which communication is established between man and Heaven in order to help mankind to progress spiritually. The Urantia Book is one such epochal revelation, and it is meant for the whole world - not just Jews and Christians. The Urantia Book does not intend to supplant or replace the Bible, but it does illuminate its beginnings, and it does clarify for us the meaning of so-called "sacred Scriptures." Jesus himself was a student of Scripture; he used the Scriptures very liberally in his early years, and even in his ministry. But he did not consider them "sacred." and he chose only those passages that supported his own (epochal) revelation of God to mankind.

The true "word of God" is to be found within the heart of any sincere truth-seeker. We know the truth through our own experience - through trial and error - through seeking and finding. We have an inner guide called the Spirit of Truth which ever leads us into all truth. And so, we are wise to read any religious text - even The Urantia Book - with intelligent discernment. Truth will always be apparent to one who is honestly seeking it. Truth is found in many places, and does not belong to any one person or any group of persons. It is available to all who seek.

Thank you again for your note. I hope you will visit our site often and learn about the teachings of The Urantia Book, while you pursue your interest in the Bible.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Stop using the Name of Jesus to deceive people...

Q: After browsing through your Urantia website for an hour or so, I feel compelled to write that your organization is merely using highly philosophical, theological, and religious language to cover up what is essentially a liberal approach to Christianity, albeit combined with speculative cosmology about the existence of so-called intelligent cosmic beings.

I believe that you should stop using the historical and revelatory Christian faith to be your launching pad for speculative and fanciful spiritual theologising....say what you really believe...your evolutionary perspective is truly at odds with historical and evangelical Christianity.

...stop using the Name of Jesus, who is the King of kings, and Lord of Lords, and not some Christ Michael incarnate on this earth, to deceive people into believing that you are leading people to the truth. The Bible is very clear in this respect in 1 John 5:12:

"He who has the Son of God (the Second Person of the Trinity, who became both God and Man at his incarnation on this earth as in John 1:14) has the life ('zoe' in Greek); he does not have the Son of God does not have the life."


A: Thank you for your post to Truthbook.com... we always appreciate hearing from those who have discovered our website. I'll reply to your comments as I read down through your note.

You've judged a book by its cover. I'll give you the benefit for having browsed our site for an hour or so; we get many appraisals of what we're all about from people who've spent far less time than that before thinking they've got the full picture and can offer meaningful criticism.

First, we are "merely" nothing, especially not a liberal approach to Christianity. What we are is a website that promotes the teachings found in one specific book and we promote those teachings because, unlike the majority of our critics, individually, without coercion, with an inquiring and open mind, we have actually read the book and made an informed decision regarding its purpose and content and meaningfulness to our lives. Once having started down that path, eventually we may choose to look for like-minded people who have also read this marvelous and tremendous book – that's how this and other Urantia websites were established.

We are not merely using highly philosophical, theological, and religious language; The Urantia Book portrays what are perhaps the highest philosophical, theological, and religious ideals ever expressed in English. To convey those concepts requires exceptional usage and you were at least aware of that aspect in what you read.

You've given us too much credit. No human or organization is responsible for the words of The Urantia Book. A human organization was responsible for getting the Urantia material printed of course but no human is connected with the material itself other than in 1955 being responsible for spelling and punctuation. Because you've spent an hour or so perusing a website rather than the months or so required to actually read the million and a half words of text of the greatest revelation disclosed to the world in over 2,000 years, there's no way you would have recognized that The Urantia Book contains the best in human thought magnified by the wisdom of far greater intelligence than humans exhibit. There is no way we can be responsible for ceasing, as you requested, to use the historical and revelatory Christian faith as a launching pad for speculative and fanciful spiritual theologizing; that's how it's portrayed by the words of the book. If you delve deeper into this material you will understand that The Urantia Book is not promoting any organized religion, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, pagan, or New Age.

You've suggested that we're perpetrating a dishonesty, not being open or declaring in plain language what we really believe. Maybe you can explain yourself better or give an example but that's not so at all; there's no way we could be more up-front in our opinion or the material we promote.

You are absolutely correct in saying that the evolutionary perspective of The Urantia book is truly at odds with historical and evangelical Christianity. We are not proponents of historical or evangelical Christianity nor do we portray ourselves to be. The Urantia Book is not a Christian document in the sense you're thinking of. The Urantia Book clearly teaches us the true nature and purpose of Jesus. Jesus does not belong to Christianity; it is supposed to be the other way around.

Your suggested prohibition against using the name of Jesus because The Urantia Book is not the Bible we've received before. I'll be perfectly clear: The Urantia Book is not the Bible. In stating that Jesus is not some Christ Michael incarnated on this earth you've objected to something for which you have no understanding. Obviously the Bible doesn't contain that information and so you reason that your objection is valid... what if Jesus was known as Michael before incarnating here? What if that was true? What if it is time for new wine to displace that in the old wine skins? How would you know? How will you know Truth? Certainly not by dismissing a book by its cover, or through a cursory glance.

As an example, in our exchange here, if this were 2,000 years ago, what you've essentially done is walked by a gathering at the roadside on your way to some destination and as you passed you've caught the turn of a phrase and the whisper of an unfamiliar idea. Continuing on your way you've mulled over what you heard with a bit of humor and condescension because it didn't correlate with the orthodoxy that you had accepted as Truth. You didn't know and didn't care to know that the speaker you passed by was Jesus; on a spiritual level your brief encounter was meaningless. This is fundamentally what has happened with this one hour critique.

I could give you some masterful quotes from The Urantia Book to back up my reply to you just as you've given some great quotes from the Bible, but I won't. Students of The Urantia Book love and appreciate the Bible for what it is. Most students of The Urantia Book come to have a more profound appreciation of the Bible than they ever had before encountering what you've just stumbled upon and are trying to dismiss.

We're willing to address well thought out and measured criticism regarding the teachings of this little-known book which proclaims itself to be the fifth epochal revelation of truth to the world; it comes to us in book form. Jesus was the fourth epochal revelation of truth to the world; he was a Son of God and the son of man. However, the teachings of The Urantia Book aren't totally devoted to religion or spirituality; those are but two of its numerous revelations. There is no way you, or anyone else can criticize what has been superficially gleaned; howver, reasoned criticism from an in-depth reading will be considered. Are you willing to look deeper? Are you willing to risk discovering truth that may surpass what you already possess?

A study of The Urantia Book takes nothing away from one's knowledge of and love for the Bible, or any other true religious text. There are religious authorities among all the major religious organizations who know, study, and are enthralled by what The Urantia Book discloses. Are you willing to at least dip a few toes in to test the water? You've termed yourself another truth lover; is your love for truth strong enough that you will follow wherever it may lead, whatever may be its apparent source?

There are 197 chapters in The Urantia Book. The first 5 lay the groundwork for an enhanced spiritual connection with God. My suggestion, if you're sincere about a meaningful criticism of The Urantia Book is that you begin by reading Paper 1 and continue on to Paper 5 and then write back from a more informed point of view. I'm not suggesting that you believe anything you read but I do request that you read with an open, inquiring, and critical mind. Take notes as you read if you wish and listen to the text read aloud as you read the words... then come back here and tell me if you've learned anything and what your informed criticism is. I'll be happy to give more attention to your opinion.

Best wishes, and may God be with you.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



Are Marriages fixed in Heaven and taking place on Earth, as per the creator's will?

Q: Are Marriages fixed in Heaven and taking place on Earth, as per the creator's will?

A: Thank you so much for your note to us here at Truthbook.

It is a sweet idea, isn't it - this belief that two people are somehow divinely ordained to be together? And it could be that having this belief can influence two people to work harder than they otherwise might to make a marriage work. But we learn in The Urantia Book that marriage is a strictly evolutionary social institution, and of purely human sanctity - it evolved in response to the need for the stability and progress of humanity. Out of the marriage institution the family was created, which The Urantia Book teaches is the "master civilizer." Marriage allowed for stability of the family unit in primitive times, and it is an institution that still has the highest potential still, if we could somehow figure out how to do it right...so many marriages fail, even those that are performed in a sacred context between spirit-minded people.

I suggest that you read HERE for more information regarding Urantia Book teachings about this vital development in human civilization. And in the meantime, here is a partial section from Paper 83 - "The Marriage Institution" which clearly addresses your question :

(83:8.2) The likening of human associations to divine associations is most unfortunate. The union of husband and wife in the marriage-home relationship is a material function of the mortals of the evolutionary worlds. True, indeed, much spiritual progress may accrue consequent upon the sincere human efforts of husband and wife to progress, but this does not mean that marriage is necessarily sacred. Spiritual progress is attendant upon sincere application to other avenues of human endeavor.

Neither can marriage be truly compared to the relation of the Adjuster to man nor to the fraternity of Christ Michael and his human brethren. At scarcely any point are such relationships comparable to the association of husband and wife. And it is most unfortunate that the human misconception of these relationships has produced so much confusion as to the status of marriage.

It is also unfortunate that certain groups of mortals have conceived of marriage as being consummated by divine action. Such beliefs lead directly to the concept of the indissolubility of the marital state regardless of the circumstances or wishes of the contracting parties. But the very fact of marriage dissolution itself indicates that Deity is not a conjoining party to such unions. If God has once joined any two things or persons together, they will remain thus joined until such a time as the divine will decrees their separation. But, regarding marriage, which is a human institution, who shall presume to sit in judgment, to say which marriages are unions that might be approved by the universe supervisors in contrast with those which are purely human in nature and origin?

Nevertheless, there is an ideal of marriage on the spheres on high. On the capital of each local system the Material Sons and Daughters of God do portray the height of the ideals of the union of man and woman in the bonds of marriage and for the purpose of procreating and rearing offspring. After all, the ideal mortal marriage is humanly sacred.

As you can see from the above quote, marriage is not "fixed in Heaven," nor is it necessarily the "creator's will."

However, I think it is safe to say that marriage is the highest estate to which one can aspire for the purposes of creating the family, and fostering those Godly ideals of love, loyalty, devotion, forgiveness and tolerance that are so vital to a successful marriage and a successful society. When two people are mutually united in this endeavor, and most especially when when they have God at the head of their union and the resulting family, this marriage can be surely an example of a "sacred" union, and this kind of union is well-worth pursuing.

Vast numbers of people desire this kind of ideal close relationship when they enter into marriage, and yet unfortunately, we can see how many marriages are dissolved when the going gets tough or intolerable. A great many marriages do not even rise to the level of the sacred, but are entered into in a quite secular way - for any number of reasons.

One may surmise that if marriage is fixed in Heaven there would be a higher success rate. There can be many reasons for the great number of failed marriages, but it is simply further evidence of the purely human nature of mortal marriage.

Thank you again for writing to us - I hope that this response has been helpful to you.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Saturday, September 05, 2009

GOD or Extraterrestrial?

Q: In every relegion, it is assumed that GOD is in the sky. Whenever believers refer GOD, they point at the sky, Stories of each religion tells that GOD will come from sky to solve our problems. GOD used to come to this earth in our ancient stories in this manner. Now my question is, could GOD could be some ET (extra terrestrial) having more IQ than human on earth, who used to visit earth often in earlier days?.
Hence, whether GOD or ET ?

A: Thank you for your question to Truthbook.com -- we're pleased you discovered our site, a site that focuses on the teachings of The Urantia Book. Your question is not an uncommon one from those who are searching for meaning.

As students of this marvelous book we believe, we're assured, that the universe is filled with intelligent life, the vast majority of it being considerably more intelligent than we human beings. Yet, even so, seldom is there ever contact with those superior physical or spirit beings -- life on this world, as on all others, is designed to develop independently of external influence -- that's why God put it all in motion.

So yes, there are more ET's out there than can be imagined, but no, we don't have contact with them except in a very few rare instances. We have learned from The Urantia Book that beginning about 500,000 years ago the primitive humans of this world did have contact with superior physical and spiritual beings -- we received a planetary prince, a spirit being who was to oversee the continuing evolution and development of the human races, and he and his physical staff did so according to plan for nearly 300,000 years. You can read about (and listen too) the Planetary Prince here. Then, about 200,000 years ago, due to the Lucifer Rebellion, the Planetary Prince defaulted in this mission and was lost to the evolving civilizations, giving rise to many myths, fairy tales, folklore and legends that continue to this day. A little less than 40,000 years ago we received a pair of biologic uplifters, Adam and Eve, whose purpose was to improve human genetics and whose mission was to have continued on for eons into the future, failed after a couple of hundred years, also due to the effects of the Lucifer Rebellion and also giving rise to more of the myths and legends we still encounter. About 4,000 years ago we received another celestial visitor, Machiventa Melchizedek, whose material visitation with Abraham of about 100 years duration is briefly mentioned in the Old Testament and a few other writings. Then 2,000 years ago Jesus was born here, a true celestial visitation that changed the course of world history, as did the previous 3 visitations to a lesser degree. You can read (and listen to) the life and teachings of Jesus, a captivating year by year recitation, beginning here.

God does exist "out there" -- God also exists "in here," inside of you. Partly because of the myths and legends we think mainly of God being "out there" and are prone to substitute ETs for the true and living God the Father. We're a confused and misguided world and the search for truth is a difficult one that is disregarded by so many. God is the first source and center of all things, including all those intelligent ETs -- we just seek to try to make sense of it all and to get our facts straightened out.

May I 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. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Best wishes and may God be with you...

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Thursday, September 03, 2009

What are the birthdays of each of the twelve apostles?

Q: What are the birthdays of each of the twelve apostles?

A: The Urantia Book does not give the birthdates of the apostles; however, it does supply their ages at the time that they became apostles of Jesus:

Andrew - 33 years-old
Simon Peter - 30 years-old
James Zebedee - 30 years-old
John Zebedee - 24 years-old
Philip - 27 years-old
Nathaniel - 25 years-old
Matthew Levi - 31 years-old
Thomas - 29 years-old
James Alphes - 26 years-old
Judas Alpheus - 26 years-old
Simon Zelotes - 28 years-old
Judas Iscariot - 30 years-old

Please see our topical study of the Apostles for much more information on each of these special ambassadors of the kingdom.

And thank you for your inquiry.

Labels: , ,


Permalink



Why was Jesus was born into this world, Urantia, as a 'helpless babe'?

Q: What does it mean when we always read from The Urantia Book that Jesus was born into this world, Urantia, as a 'helpless babe'?

Is it because He was not accompanied by arch-angels and Melchizedeks to help propagate His teachings as Magisterial Son are helped?

Is it because He had to resort to the help of common fishermen and carpenters of His generation to help Him and not on other mighty bestowal Sons who could have upheld His message and teachings in high esteem having a perfect understanding of the kingdom of God themselves?

The brotherhood of men was entrusted to men whom, even after seeing the Morontia Jesus, still dared to entertain thoughts and ideas of a material kingdom. There was certainly going to be a distortion of the good news in the early days since the understanding of these devoted eleven men was not up to expected levels.
The kingdom of course would have been better understood and effectively propagated in the early days if there were other bestowed Divine Sons along with Jesus to help.


A: Jesus bestowed himself seven times in his universe, each time as a citizen of the realm into which he was bestowed. His bestowal on Urantia was certainly to provide a new revelation of the Father to the planet, but as well, it was a necessary thing that he be conceived and born as a normal human being, a "helpless babe," so that he could truly experience the life of that is lived by mortals such as us. If he had come accompanied by celestial helpers, his life would not have been the typical kind of life, and he could not have truly claimed his title of "son of man." No human being has at his or her disposal a vast army of celestial helpers at their instant command...Jesus expressly declined any celestial help. You can read about his bestowals HERE - and specifically about his seventh bestowal (on Urantia ) HERE. Both of these Papers are revealed knowledge that will help any student of Jesus to understand the amazing mission of the Son of God, son of man...when it was finished, Jesus could rightly claim sovereignty over his universe because he had earned that right. And we are the better for it.

Jesus' humanity has long been eclipsed as a result of the evidences of his divinity - the miracles, his dramatic death and resurrection, etc. He was both, but his humanity has never seemed quite as important as his Divinity. This is why The Urantia Book is so important - to show mankind how to live a life dedicated to the will of God, as Jesus' life was. He is truly "one of us." And we can relate to him because of that fact, and identify with him, as he really did live a fully human life.

This is one reason that the apostles may have had problems really getting some of what he said - he was so human, and such a good friend to them. You might imagine how they felt being told that they were in service to a divine Son of God.

(2:0.2) The nature of God can be studied in a revelation of supreme ideas, the divine character can be envisaged as a portrayal of supernal ideals, but the most enlightening and spiritually edifying of all revelations of the divine nature is to be found in the comprehension of the religious life of Jesus of Nazareth, both before and after his attainment of full consciousness of divinity.

This life of Jesus before his full consciousness of divinity comprises quite a lot of years, and is a very important study... how his entire life reflected his one-pointed search for the will of God in all things.

Would the kingdom have been "better understood and effectively propagated in the early days if there were other bestowed Divine Sons along with Jesus to help.?" I am sure it would have, but this was not what a normal human being would have as helpers. Jesus lived the real life of a real human being. And in spite of the fact that his simple message became garbled and confusing, the religion that HAS survived is yet a powerful force on the planet today:

(194:4.6) Christ was about to become the creed of the rapidly forming church. Jesus lives; he died for men; he gave the spirit; he is coming again. Jesus filled all their thoughts and determined all their new concept of God and everything else. They were too much enthused over the new doctrine that "God is the Father of the Lord Jesus" to be concerned with the old message that "God is the loving Father of all men," even of every single individual. True, a marvelous manifestation of brotherly love and unexampled good will did spring up in these early communities of believers. But it was a fellowship of believers in Jesus, not a fellowship of brothers in the family kingdom of the Father in heaven. Their good will arose from the love born of the concept of Jesus' bestowal and not from the recognition of the brotherhood of mortal man. Nevertheless, they were filled with joy, and they lived such new and unique lives that all men were attracted to their teachings about Jesus. They made the great mistake of using the living and illustrative commentary on the gospel of the kingdom for that gospel, but even that represented the greatest religion mankind had ever known.

Thanks for this question!

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



what is the difference between the Will of the Universal Father and the Will of the Eternal Son?

Q: Please, in your opinion, what is the difference between the Will of the Universal Father and the Will of the Eternal Son? I just discovered from The Urantia Book that there is the Will of the Eternal Son and the Will of the Father as I was reading about Magisterial Sons being subjected to the Will of the Eternal Son and not to the Universal Father. I am quite perplexed about it.

A: I wonder if this is the reference you are asking about:

(20:6.5) The mortal-bestowal careers of the Michaels and the Avonals, while comparable in most respects, are not identical in all: Never does a Magisterial Son proclaim, "Whosoever has seen the Son has seen the Father," as did your Creator Son when on Urantia and in the flesh. But a bestowed Avonal does declare, "Whosoever has seen me has seen the Eternal Son of God." The Magisterial Sons are not of immediate descent from the Universal Father, nor do they incarnate subject to the Father's will; always do they bestow themselves as Paradise Sons subject to the will of the Eternal Son of Paradise.

This Eternal Son is the second person of the Trinity. Most religions assume that Jesus is this person, but we know from Urantia Book revelation that he is not. Instead, Jesus is a Creator Son on the order of Michael, and he is of origin in the Universal Father, whereas, Magisterial Sons are called Paradise Sons, originating in the Eternal Son.

(7:6.5) Much as the Creator Sons are personalized by the Father and the Son, so are the Magisterial Sons personalized by the Son and the Spirit. These are the Sons who, in the experiences of creature incarnation, earn the right to serve as the judges of survival in the creations of time and space.

I am answering you in a sort of roundabout way, but I think it will help you to understand better if you can bear with me here. I would suggest you first read about the Seven Master Spirits In this section, we learn about the "associative possibilities mathematically inherent in the factual existence of the three persons of Deity."

And they all evidently have their own "will aspects" of Deity.

Getting a grasp on the idea of the Seven Master Spirits will help you to understand this next passage. I offer it as an example in which Jesus was subject to all of these "wills" of all seven of the Master Spirits in his seven bestowals in our universe.

(119:8.4) These various will aspects of the Deities are eternally personalized in the differing natures of the Seven Master Spirits, and each of Michael's bestowals was peculiarly revelatory of one of these divinity manifestations. On his Melchizedek bestowal he manifested the united will of the Father, Son, and Spirit, on his Lanonandek bestowal the will of the Father and the Son; on the Adamic bestowal he revealed the will of the Father and the Spirit, on the seraphic bestowal the will of the Son and the Spirit; on the Uversa mortal bestowal he portrayed the will of the Conjoint Actor, on the morontia mortal bestowal the will of the Eternal Son; and on the Urantia material bestowal he lived the will of the Universal Father, even as a mortal of flesh and blood.

Jesus, being a Creator Son, and of origin in the Father, is subject finally to the will of the Father, and all the other "divinity manifestations." But Magisterial Sons are of origin in the Eternal Son, as in the first quote above:

"The Magisterial Sons are not of immediate descent from the Universal Father, nor do they incarnate subject to the Father's will; always do they bestow themselves as Paradise Sons subject to the will of the Eternal Son of Paradise."

This is referring to the second Master Spirit, that of the Eternal Son. Magisterial Sons do bestow themselves on planets such as ours, and I expect they are subject to the will of the Eternal Son because that is their point of origin, as in the above quote.

But you might assume that since the Eternal Son is one of the Trinity, then he is on an equal footing with God the Father, and so, maybe the difference is academic in the end...or maybe not. The Trinity is a mystery beyond my comprehension....

I am not sure if this adequately answers your question, but I hope it has given you some material to study, so that you understand these distinctions.

Thanks again for this great question - keep reading!!!

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I don't understand why, if this is our introductory life, why some people are born hereditarily disposed to mental illness...

Q: I don't understand why, if this is our introductory life, why some people are born hereditarily disposed to neurosis, psychosis, schizophrenia, bi-polarism, retardation, etc...... How does a personality work through that? What a horrible start. How unfair. How can an individual "do the will of God" in this context? Surviving in this rat race is hard enough. Certainly the individual didn't deserve this since this is only the very first experience of what life is. Sometimes life can get so unbearable for these people, suicide is the only relieving option. What's the wisdom in seeing yourself crumble in dignity because one cannot participate "adequately" in society. Yet, we are expected to "Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Then there are those born with a golden spoon and those with charm , beauty and ultra-charisma; the highly gifted intellectual; the musically gifted genius; the leaders, the heroes etc.....What a cake walk for them. Yes, life is wonderful for them. What a great introduction to life. Surely their decision to want to survive and continue on this adventure of life is easily made. It is fueled by such positive experiences and so much to look forward to.

As for the former, I think they'd think twice whether to participate again in a universe where you have no choice of what card is dealt to you and at the risk of "annihilation"

A: You raise age-old questions - and the bottom line is - Life is not fair. It has always been this way, and probably always will be this way. Why? Because we are trapped in a time-space situation where there is always the chance of sorrow, where our fortunes can change in the blink of an eye, where uncertainty is the only constant. Everything changes in this life except the presence of God. This does seem unfair, especially if you feel you have gotten that "short stick..."

Just because a person is born into this life with hereditary tendencies to mental illness does not automatically mean they are less able to do God's will in their life. These kinds of problems can seem overwhelming, and they occcur through no fault of the person - likewise those with physical disabilities may seem terribly disadvantaged when you view them through the eyes of the material. But Jesus said:

"In the matter of sickness and health, you should know that these bodily states are the result of material causes; health is not the smile of heaven, neither is affliction the frown of God.

"The Father's human children have equal capacity for the reception of material blessings; therefore does he bestow things physical upon the children of men without discrimination. When it comes to the bestowal of spiritual gifts, the Father is limited by man's capacity for receiving these divine endowments. Although the Father is no respecter of persons, in the bestowal of spiritual gifts he is limited by man's faith and by his willingness always to abide by the Father's will." (166:4.10)

So, even if one has not received a goodly inheritance in a material sense, still each person receives "spiritual gifts," and it is how those are used that determines spiritual growth and progress. When God advises us to "be ye perfect," I think this only means that we do the best we can with what we have, and become the best person we can be within the confines of the life that we have. No one - not even the most well-endowed person on Earth, can ever come close to actually being perfect as God is in this one, short life, but we CAN be the most perfect person possible given the limitations that have been placed upon us - whether physically or mentally - by using our spiritual gifts (the Thought Adjuster, the Spirit of Truth, etc) to become like God. This becoming like God is not a material striving, but a spiritual one. Paraphrasing something that Jesus said once - if wealth is the smile of Heaven, why are not more wealthy people drawn to the Gospel? Why is it so often the meek, the afflicted, the humble, the downtrodden, who turn to God?

Sometimes, the most beautiful, the richest, and the most gifted people are those who feel no need of God. They are satisfied - and why shouldn't they be? Life seems easy; however, don't be fooled by outward shows of happiness by the seemingly "beautiful people." All of us are dealing with some kind of struggle in our lives, no matter our station in life. But it is those who struggle, those who have to tread the paths of rugged faith, who may be the luckiest in the long run. Remember this passage?

Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation. (48:7.14)

Having to work through difficulties means lots of decisions, lots of opportunities to choose hope over despair - faith over fear. And by always choosing the good, one can improve one's life immeasurably, even if outward circumstances may not change.

Look at famous people who have overcome great adversity - people like Steven Hawking, or Temple Grandin (who suffers from severe autism, and who has become a noted national voice in the humane treatment of animals). I have a sister who suffers from schizophrenia - although her life has been hard, she is very much a shining star in many respects because of her reliance on Jesus - she is still afflicted, but she helps herself through her difficulties with God's help. I shudder to think how bad things could be for her if not for those choices she has made in the spiritual sense.

In fact, this page of the inevitabilities is a good one to read again - especially when we are feeling that our lives are harder than they need to be.

As for those who might opt out of life because of having to deal with unfortunate experiences here on Earth: no matter what we have to experience here, it is the EXPERIENCE of living that is important; we can get that no other way than by living this life through. Having an attitude of bitterness about life indicates a need for more faith and trust in the goodness of God. Bitter resignation may be an easy way out, but is it the best way? This is an illustration of our inability to make eternal decisions here. I don't believe anyone who is beset with material problems can rightly make a decision not to go on to eternal life simply because they can't see a better future. Sometimes, the best we can do is just hang on and keep our little light of faith burning ...and that is enough to get us through. And there are rewards for just hanging on - maybe not material rewards, but rewards that are just as real and even more valuable in the long run.

This is such a short (The Urantia Book calls it "intriguing...")life - compared to the eternity of adventure and progress that awaits us...

The Urantia Book illuminates so much of this for us - I wish everyone could learn of God's goodness through its teachings.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Without associating with any religious sect can a soul which is knowledgeable in science and history make it to the higher realms?

Q: Without associating with any religious sect can a soul which is knowledgeable in science and history make it to the higher realms? Can relatives here on earth pray for a sleeping survivor to move him straight to the mansions?

A: Just as God is no respecter of persons, neither is God respecter of earthly religions -- there's none that's "better" in God's eyes than another. Whichever religious sect is most meaningful to you, or none at all, should be perfectly fine.

I presume by "soul" you're meaning "person" -- the soul is the transportation vehicle to the mansion worlds for the personality and life experiences of the person who has died and has no relationship to science or history, which are mindal activities. What's important to make it "to the higher realms" is spiritual development through spirit-led decisions as a mortal. The faintest flicker of faith is all that's really required for a soul to reach those higher realms after death.

And yes, certainly the relatives or acquaintances or even complete strangers can pray for those who've departed. It won't move them along any faster, for again since God is no respecter of persons... either those who are prayed after or those who are not. It's the decision of the angels how rapidly one is moved from the sleeping survivor condition to incarnation on mansion world number one -- the length of time between death and resurrection is of no real consequence. Sleeping survivors are generally resurrected as a group at the end of an age, or at a dispensational roll-call, such as occurred following the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb. He took a great many souls to heaven all at once.

May I 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 the marvelous Urantia Book with an audio clip and a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Best wishes, and thank you for your question. I hope that the reply has been meaningful.

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



They say If you make one step towards God, he takes 1000 toward you. I have taken all possible steps towards him but he never makes any step towards m

Q: They say If you make one step towards God, he takes 1000 toward you. I have taken all possible steps towards him but he never makes any step towards me. Why?

A: I wonder what kinds of steps towards God you have taken?

And then I wonder what kind of steps that you expect God to make towards you?

I wonder what your relationship is with God...do you have a relationship with him?

Since I don't know very much about you, I will answer your question with some solid teachings from The Urantia Book that may be of some help to you.

Most importantly, you should know that God dwells within you - in your mind. You can always find him there - he is there as your "pilot light" - the "lamp unto your feet." God is not an aloof Deity residing somewhere in Heaven, apart from his children. Even though he can be found in Paradise, he is also living your life with you at this very moment. Remember - God is a spirit, but he is also a personality. We can relate to him as a person - like the perfect father. No need for memorized prayers - just open your inmost heart to him, without any thought of reward or reply. Like any person, God responds to love and sincerity, and he will help you to connect to this Highest part of yourself, if that is your real desire.

God does hear us when we speak to him, and he does know when we are seeking him. I don't know why you have this sense that he has not made steps toward you...If you are not aware of the steps he is taking, maybe you are not looking in the right places...God's response to us is in the innermost reaches of our highest spiritual thinking, and may be more concerned with meeting your deepest needs and desires with values, not things. If you are looking in a material sense for evidence of God's steps in your direction, you may not ever see it without spiritual insight.

You might try some dedicated times of quiet mental reflection with just talking with God as your primary focus, and see if you get some kind of inspiration that way. But, before you start, find ten things to be grateful for, and thank God for your blessings. In these quiet times, ask God to help you recognize his answers to you. And then listen carefully...

Try to relax, and try to trust God more. Like any good father, he wants your trust and your faith - he wants you to love him like a happy child loves its faithful parent. Keep talking with God, and pay attention. You may be getting more evidence of his Presence than you expect...

I invite you to discover a new revelation of God, found in The Urantia Book. Please feel free to visit our page called "Finding God." Click there on any of the links to open up a whole new way to frame your approach to God.

Thanks for writing...

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



What is your viewpoint about the baptism of Jesus and His Cross? Are you with sin or without sin now? How can you solve the problem of daily and futur

Q: What is your viewpoint about the baptism of Jesus and His Cross? Are you with sin or without sin now? How can you solve the problem of daily and future sins?

A: Thank you for your letter to Truthbook.com. We are always glad to hear from truth-seekers.

You asked: What is your viewpoint about the baptism of Jesus and His Cross?

I think that Jesus death on the cross was the great tragedy of our history; that a divine Son of God - the ambassador and creator of the universe - should be brutally tortured and hung on a cross to die is a spectacle of human depravity and cruelty. Nonetheless, through that decision that Jesus made - to allow his life to play out in the most human way - we are gifted with a shining example of human willingness to follow God's will to the nth degree. He showed us throughout his life how to be a son of God - how to live the spirit-filled and spirit-led life - how to overcome sorrow, disappointment and even death through faith and through willingness to do the Father's will.

You might like to read "Lessons from the Cross" from The Urantia Book

You then asked: Are you with sin or without sin now?

We are all without sin, in the sense that we are not born sinful. We may become sinful by our own willful choices that take us away from the Father's will of truth, beauty and goodness. But that is a freewill choice; we also have the choice to walk in God's ways and do our best to live a righteous life, full of the fruits of the spirit. There is no inherent sinfulness in man, no "original sin." Jesus never taught that; instead he taught that we are faith-sons of God, and through that faith we are granted salvation. Referencing your first question: I don't believe that Jesus' death on the cross had any bearing on the question of my being with or without sin. That is a function of freewill choice; always was, and always will be.

And: How can you solve the problem of daily and future sins?

Just so we are clear, the following is a passage from The Urantia Book, and the speaker is Jesus:

"Sin is the conscious, knowing, and deliberate transgression of the divine law, the Father's will. Sin is the measure of unwillingness to be divinely led and spiritually directed."

Turning that around we can say that solving the problem of daily and future sin is to deliberately follow divine law, and be willing to be divinely led and spiritually directed. This becomes more and more a real possibility when we understand that we are indwelt by God himself, in the form of the Thought Adjuster - that spark of God that indwells the mind of each mortal. We can choose to listen and be directed. We can choose to spend time seeking the "still, small voice" within at times of decision, doubt or confusion. We can choose to say "It is my will to do your will," and then actually try do it

It is a responsibility that all truth-seekers, and all spiritual seekers have - to walk the talk; to really put into practice what we say we believe. It is challenging to all who are sincere of heart, and we all falter - we all fail at times - we all choose the wrong thing sometimes...but one thing that I have noticed in my years of spiritual seeking: the closer I get to God, the worse I feel when I take the wrong path, and the quicker I am to try and make amends and get right again. And I know that I am forgiven when I sincerely recognize my error and decide to change. So, as time goes on, we should be able to expect that our own experience will help us to increasingly avoid sin. It feels much better when we do the right thing!

Thank you for this question. I hope the reply has been helpful...

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink

Thursday, August 13, 2009

This world really needs help...

Q: The Adam and Eve on our world defaulted. From my understanding they were bestowed even as Jesus was bestowed to help progress our world spiritually. Adam and Eves are normally bestowed on all other planets(in Satania) of our order from my understanding. This means that some Adam and Eves did not default on some planets and have contributed their quota to these planets. I was just pondering over how spiritually developed and mortally civilized this planets now have become since if any paradise son visits any of these planets, they will already have the spiritual affinity and strength to easily believe truths and know God.

If this is the case, then this world really needs help. Of course Jesus has brought down the Spirit of Truth but after over 2000 years, 'this' is how far we've come. 'It is horror' in Russia. This is a place where people choose to walk almost naked on the streets especially during these times of much enjoyed sunshine. Naked pictures hang freely on the streets. Television is an eye-saw sometimes. Alcohol is water for some people. Civilization is...............

I just want us all to agree in prayer that Father will shower more of His love over Urantia by sending in more help in any way or form to help save this quarantined planet of our sojourn.


A: I had no idea of the state of your society there in Russia...it sounds pretty free-wheeling and liberal - but maybe not always in a good way. I am old enough to remember a time when Russian society was portrayed to Westerners as very dreary, bleak, and Godless. After the fall of Communism in the 80s, things began to change and it sounds like they have changed pretty dramatically. In my opinion, this is a natural outcome of severe repression being replaced by severe liberality. It is like the swing of a pendulum: when it is swung too far one way, the opposite swing will take it as far the other way. Stabilization will take many more swings before the pendulum rests somewhere in the middle.

It is so very sad about our Adam and Eve - their default (along with the planetary rebellion) really put us back as a global civilization. If things had gone according to God's plan, we would still have our Material Son and Daughter - the Garden of Eden would be known world-wide as the center for spiritual culture and education, and there would be no doubt about the presence of God, or the goodness and reality of spirituality. As you point out, the planets on which Adam and Eve were successful "have the spiritual affinity and strength to easily believe truths and know God." Unfortunately for us, we have to muddle through without these wonderful celestial ambassadors. It is no wonder that mankind feels orphaned and alone in the universe - confused about our place and purpose...

From The Urantia Book:

(51:3.9) Your world has been visited by four orders of sonship: Caligastia, the Planetary Prince; Adam and Eve of the Material Sons of God; Machiventa Melchizedek, the "sage of Salem" in the days of Abraham; and Christ Michael, who came as the Paradise bestowal Son. How much more effective and beautiful it would have been had Michael, the supreme ruler of the universe of Nebadon, been welcomed to your world by a loyal and efficient Planetary Prince and a devoted and successful Material Son, both of whom could have done so much to enhance the lifework and mission of the bestowal Son! But not all worlds have been so unfortunate as Urantia, neither has the mission of the Planetary Adams always been so difficult or so hazardous. When they are successful, they contribute to the development of a great people, continuing as the visible heads of planetary affairs even far into the age when such a world is settled in light and life.

(51:6.3) Think what it would mean on your world if somewhere in the Levant there were a world center of civilization, a great planetary university of culture, which had functioned uninterruptedly for 37,000 years. And again, pause to consider how the moral authority of even such an ancient center would be reinforced were there situated not far distant still another and older headquarters of celestial ministry [the Planetary Prince] whose traditions would exert a cumulative force of 500,000 years of integrated evolutionary influence. It is custom which eventually spreads the ideals of Eden to a whole world.

(51:7.5) ...if Urantians could only observe life on such a planet, they would immediately appreciate the value of those things which their world has lost through embracing evil and participating in rebellion.

For further reading, you might want to go to Paper 52, Planetary Mortal Epochs to compare the ideal with the way things are on Urantia.

But, we have to take heart...we have been blessed by the bestowal of Christ Michael of Nebadon, born as the helpless babe of Bethlehem. Jesus chose our little backward planet as the universe scene of his revelation of God the Father - an amazing bestowal which, while unusual and out of order, has done a tremendous service towards the upstepping of our spiritual consciousness over the past 2000+ years. Even though his message and mission has been adulterated and misunderstood over the centuries, we now have the fifth epochal revelation - The Urantia Book - restating, and renewing Jesus' purpose, to help steer us back on course and further our spiritual regeneration with his pure message of the "good news," the realization of the Fatherhood of God and the resultant development of the planetary brotherhood of man. Those of us who have read and adopted this revelation from our celestial benefactors are equipped to help change our world for the better.

It might seem an almost overwhelming task, given the amount of confusion and strife that still exists here, but it is not meant to happen overnight (even though we might wish for a dramatic spiritual revolution). Just as the example of Russian society shows us, too rapid a change can bring unwelcome results. As Jesus said: "...everything must await the coming of its time." Many people speculate about the appearance of a Magisterial Son...I hope that it happens, of course, and I believe that it WILL happen. But when, is anyone's guess. I think that when it does happen we'll all know about it, but until then...

We who have accepted our sonship, and who dwell in the spiritual kingdom of heaven, must be content to seed our personal world with as much truth, beauty and goodness that we can muster - to effect change first, in our personal lives, and then to exhibit the fruits of the spirit which will draw others to a better way that they themselves would like to adopt. It can be discouraging to see the evidence of our planetary failures, but it can also be tremendously encouraging to experience our own spiritual victories as agondonters and truth-sharers.

I definitely add my prayers to yours that we are given some help - and soon. But even as we are, we have the great gift of The Urantia Book, and the assurance of eternal life. This often-crazy life is a very short sojourn in comparison...

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



Please can you please help me understand the full meaning of the popular phrase, "To do the will of Father in Heaven ?"

Q: Please can you please help me understand the full meaning of the popular phrase, "To do the will of Father in Heaven ?"

A: How do we actually DO the will of God? These quotes may give you some direction and encouragement:

(111:5.1) The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God—with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible. Sharing is Godlike—divine. God shares all with the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit, while they, in turn, share all things with the divine Sons and spirit Daughters of the universes.

The imitation of God is the key to perfection; the doing of his will is the secret of survival and of perfection in survival.

(111:5.6) This choosing of the Father's will is the spiritual finding of the spirit Father by mortal man, even though an age must pass before the creature son may actually stand in the factual presence of God on Paradise. This choosing does not so much consist in the negation of creature will—"Not my will but yours be done"—as it consists in the creature's positive affirmation: "It is my will that your will be done."

Doing the will of the Father in Heaven is truly an "inside job." The will of God exists in the form of the indwelling Spirit of God in the minds of mortals (known in Urantia Book teachings as the Thought Adjuster, or Mystery Monitor), and the finding and doing of that will consists in sharing that inner life - the life apart from the purely mechanical function of the brain - the life of the mind, and in the arena of free will. In other words, it is our mandate to choose, of our own free will, to do the will of God, allowing the leadings of the indwelling Spirit to inform our choices in life.

Finally, I chose the following quotes to give you an even broader view of the function of the will of God in the mind of man.

(12:7.7) The will of God does not uniformly prevail in the heart of the God-seeking material mortal, but if the time frame is enlarged beyond the moment to embrace the whole of the first life, then does God's will become increasingly discernible in the spirit fruits which are borne in the lives of the spirit-led children of God.

(34:7.6) ... present-day mortals would experience less of this apparent warfare between the flesh and the spirit if they would enter the spirit kingdom, wherein the faith sons of God enjoy comparative deliverance from the slave-bondage of the flesh in the enlightened and liberating service of wholehearted devotion to doing the will of the Father in heaven.

(39:4.14) The keys of the kingdom of heaven are: sincerity, more sincerity, and more sincerity. All men have these keys. Men use them—advance in spirit status—by decisions, by more decisions, and by more decisions. The highest moral choice is the choice of the highest possible value, and always—in any sphere, in all of them—this is to choose to do the will of God. If man thus chooses, he is great, though he be the humblest citizen of Jerusem or even the least of mortals on Urantia.

(107:0.4) Any mortal who has seen a Creator Son has seen the Universal Father, and he who is indwelt by a divine Adjuster is indwelt by the Paradise Father. Every mortal who is consciously or unconsciously following the leading of his indwelling Adjuster is living in accordance with the will of God. Consciousness of Adjuster presence is consciousness of God's presence.

This is about as full an explanation that I can give in a letter. If you like, you can see our topical study of The Will of God for even more inspiring quotes and links to specific Urantia Book text.

Thanks for writing!

Labels: , ,


Permalink



I read many Bibles but they are different so the question is, who wrote the Bible as a whole? Is it really words of God?

Q: I read many Bibles but they are different so the question is, who wrote the Bible as a whole? Is it really words of God?

A: Much of the material in the Bible in the Old Testament is older than written language, so it came from oral tradition handed down from generation to generation until eventually written language was able to record it.

All the books of the Bible, Old and New Testament, were separate manuscripts along with the many other traditional "holy" teachings and manuscripts. It wasn't until about 300 A.D. that the decision was made by the church at Rome that only a specific set of these holy materials were to be used as the basis for the Christian religion and then the specific books of the Old and New Testament were decided upon and all the rest were discarded.

Before the printing press was invented documents were copied by hand by monks and rabbi's and other holy men. The original manuscripts were written in a number of different languages and were since translated from the original into the various other languages of the world.

According to The Urantia Book, in the New Testament Matthew was written for the edification of Jewish Christians and was written by Isador, one of Matthew's disciples. Mark wrote his gospel, the first one written, in A.D. 68 at the insistence of Peter and the early church at Rome and the other Apostles based their versions on Mark's manuscript. Luke began to follow Paul in A.D. 47 and wrote his gospel in A.D. 82. John (Zebedee) inspired the gospel attributed to him which was written by his associate, Nathan, a Greek Jew in 101 A.D.

Is the Bible the words of God? The Bible contains the words of God as interpreted by those to whom God spoke -- through inspiration, through revelation, through prayer. The words of the Bible are sacred to the extent that they bring man closer to God and open man's heart to spirit ministry. The Bible provides the spiritual foundation upon which Western Civilization has been built.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



Reply to a desperate young Truth-Seeker

The following reply was given by one of our team to a young truth-seeker who wrote a lengthy letter expressing some amount of angst and confusion. This person is a new reader, but only after quite a lot of experiential seeking through magic, satanism, aliens, UFology, etc. S/he had now reached the point of finding The Urantia Book, but still had some searching questions regarding Truth. We add this excellent reply in hopes that it will minister to others in the same spot.

A: Thank you for visiting our site and for your note to us with your comments and questions. I'll take your points one by one.

We're glad you’ve found The Urantia Book — one of its purposes is to address the kinds of confusion you’ve expressed you’ve been feeling and to shed light on how and why we are bewildered and to offer better initial assumptions upon which we can make the choices and decisions that are so necessary in order to have a meaningful and fulfilling life.

You’ve started your story by describing your rebellious attitude and your search for spiritual meaning; therefore you’ve had a spiritual longing that was seeking to be addressed but wasn’t met by the religious upbringing in your home life. You’re not alone; many people go through such a similar searching as well.

You wrote: I keep looking for something that i can call truth and belive in it without doubt. Sorry, but no one else can just give that to you — you'll have to seek it out, discover it, learn it for yourself. As part of your makeup as a human being though you have the capacity to discern truth; it's called a truth-response or a reality-response. You'll know in your gut whether or not something is true, beautiful, good from the way it resonates with you. That’s what the search for truth entails; you'll read, discuss, and give thought to new concepts and ideas then the choice becomes yours as to whether to follow your intuition regarding its truth, beauty, or goodness and whether to accept or reject it — no one else can give this to you; it's personal and you own it.

As a human being you are endowed with a rational mind; it's a gift intended to help you make choices that are for your betterment. In order for something to be considered true and believable to you you'll have to reject emotional attachment to thoughts and actions that your rational mind prompts you are not true, beautiful, or good and that are working against your advancement as a kind, loving, empathetic, unselfish person. That's a first step toward finding the truth and happiness you’re seeking.

You've reiterated how confused you are... that's because your actions are in conflict with your thoughts and your inner aspirations. It's also because you've based your actions on confusing and convoluted concepts that aren’t truth based but are instead the kind of emotional wishful thinking and rebellious choices children make.

You said: i want the truth, the only truth about everything in this world, i am tired of living like this. Well, it looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but that's fine because you’re young and as long as you don’t squander your life further you’ll have a good long time to achieve your goals. In your own convoluted way of searching you've managed to stumble upon the profound truth that it is you and the rest of the world are searching for although most people don’t even know they’re searching or that they’re confused or that they’re building lives upon unsound and baseless principles.

You said: I don't care about life anymore... I can assure you that if you'll read and learn what The Urantia Book offers your life will become precious and a blessing. You’ve asked a number of specific questions too. They’re good questions, the kind of questions seekers ask, but I'm not going to provide answers now since I have a better recommendation.

Even though The Urantia Book is a challenge to read it's written for you, not some group or some other person or for religious people or for non-believers; it's written for you at the point in your life where you've discovered it... so as difficult as some of it may be to comprehend you will begin to understand it better the more you stay with it.

The purpose of our website is to help people get a grip on what The Urantia Book is all about so that they don't have to dive right into the book by themselves and on their own. The Urantia Book is about personal discovery. You won't be able to join a cult or a church or an in-group. All we have to promote is the book itself — it's a book — we promote its teachings — if you read it your life will become new and valuable to you and to others. That's what we wish to share with any truth seeker. We have no interest or desire to deceive or to coerce; there's nothing to join or to contribute to; no one will contact you for anything; our site is simply a gift, just as The Urantia Book is a gift with no strings attached. Accept the gift willingly and gladly.

So, my recommendation to you, since you've now made this awesome and unfathomable discovery, is for you to ease into tackling something that's so radically different from everything you’ve learned so far. Certainly feel free to read the book, because that's what this is all based upon. The Urantia Book is available at most bookstores, through Amazon.com, at most libraries, and on-line on our site where you can read it and listen to it at the same time. But more than tackling the book I think you would benefit most by just spending time on our site and learning about it through the insights and impressions of others. Become familiar with what's there.

Each of the left side links contains a wealth of information about The Urantia Book. Check them out just to see what they hold. Watch the videos and other presentations that have been made available. Read the answers to life's toughest questions section. Read how The Urantia Book has changed the lives of others. Read the frequently asked questions section. Consider checking out our discussion forum where you can just read the interactions between Urantia readers and non-readers or you can join in and participate if you like. Check out the links in the center of our home page — each of them leads to a new section. A good many of your questions will be answered without you having even opened the book.

The Urantia Book covers an enormous amount of material. Our site is primarily devoted to promoting that aspect of the book relating to life and teachings of Jesus. Many people have trouble with Jesus, much of which stems from having him forced upon them in unappealing ways. Another of the objectives of The Urantia Book is to return the true Jesus to the people of the world. Jesus wasn't a Christian and the Christian Church doesn't own the rights to him; he came for everyone and our goal is to help people of all faiths and of no faith whatsoever rediscover and be reintroduced to who he was, why he came and what he means to you personally.

Your study assignment can take a good amount of time but I think you'll find it both enjoyable and highly profitable. Please feel free to contact us again as you begin to get a more defined feeling about what this book has to offer to you.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



I am reading Part IV of The Urantia Book. Can you tell me why Jesus is called Michael?

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

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

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

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

Best of luck, and thank you for writing.

Labels: , ,


Permalink

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Are there self-conscious Destiny Reservists among us?

Q: There are people out there that are convinced that a Reserve Corps of Destiny could not possibly exist amongst us but, what better time for this to occur if not now, specially with all the dynamics playing out at all levels on the world stages...? We have the NASA photos taken by Cassini of an Architectural Sphere as referred to in the Urantia Book and a man who is part of the Reserve Corps of Destiny saying that he was taken there and is sharing his insight with us, that should be more than enough to warrant an investigation by the Officials of the Urantia Foundation. Even an amateur astronomer reporting strange phenomena in the night sky from his own back yard to an official astronomy agency is taken more seriously than when I reported the news of (NASA photos and Michael) to the Urantia Foundation. Negligence or incompetence... still not quite sure what to think?

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com. I found some confusion in what you wrote that I'd like to address.

Urantia Foundation is the publisher of The Urantia Book -- that's their primary function. They're not a research organization or an endorsing organization -- their purpose is to publish the book.

The reader organization that would be promoting, endorsing, investigating, would be the Urantia Brotherhood, which is now known as The Urantia Book Fellowship. However, that organization has other priorities than those you've mentioned. We at Truthbook.com, through our discussion board, our Frequently Asked Questions and our Answers to Life's Toughest Questions sections do address the kinds of questions you've brought up to a limited degree. Primarily though, research and investigation are left to individuals to pursue on their own and are not part of any organizational strategy.

You've brought up several points that I'd like to clarify. You've said "Urantia Foundation legally being the only authority for the Urantia Book," ... there is no legal authority... interpretations of the teachings of TUB are left to individual readers. You've said "There are people out there that are convinced that a Reserve Corps of Destiny could not possibly exist amongst us." Most Urantia Book students I know certainly would not deny that there is a Reserve Corps of Destiny on this world comprised of at least 1000 individuals; after all, The Urantia Book tells us this is the case and most students believe The Urantia Book to be true and accurate. You've brought up as a fact that there's an architectural world orbiting Saturn. That's not common knowledge; I'd discount it as a flight of fancy and wishful thinking until it's reputably verified and which I find highly unlikely ever to happen. You've attributed this architectural vehicle to being necessary for Michael's journey -- the only way this would be known, as far as I know, is through channeling, the popular version of fortune telling and séance, so I don't wonder that Urantia Foundation was disinterested in pursuing this line of conjecture. You've mentioned an individual who's calling himself a Mortal Corps of Destiny Reservist. Self-proclaiming exalted persons are a dime a dozen... we have the self-proclaimed Caligastia, the self-proclaimed Christed One, the self-proclaimed Planetary Teacher, all kinds of self-proclaimed demons and devils, all kinds of saints and celestial pretenders, and any number of self-proclaiming reservists. This one has a website -- so does Caligastia, so does the Aquarian Concepts Community -- a quite nice on in fact -- so do many of the others.

You mentioned "The Urantia Book states that there are "...universe conscious citizens on Urantia..." human beings here on Earth with us now who have "...insight of cosmic citizenship that far transcends the sphere of their terrestrial abodes..." Yes, most students of The Urantia Book I'm familiar with exhibit such qualities. You've mentioned this self-proclaiming reservist being taken to the architectural world to observe it and to report back. In the 1950's books were published about scientists, farmers, psychologists, housewives, being taken up in UFOs and given all kinds of valuable information -- 60 years have gone by and nothing's come of it all so that wasn't particularly useful either except as mental diversions and pleasant daydreams.

I'll certainly agree that this is a confused and misinformed world, due mainly to the outworkings of the Lucifer rebellion. Presuming that one is making any kind of spiritual connection through channeling is certainly one of those human mistakes. You mentioned "warning about the dangers of this type of closed door attitude or mentality..." Some flights of fancy warrant a closed door mentality -- being open and accepting of everything is the sign of a lack of immaturity and cosmic insight; we need to use our minds to discern truth, not to be accepting of every seemingly new thing. You've mentioned "It is ironic that a leading authority of the Urantia Book the Official Urantia Foundation is not interested," and I again remind you that Urantia Foundation is not a leading authority of The Urantia Book, they're a publisher. The best organizational authority at this time will probably be found at the Urantia Book Historical Society site, the best personal authority will be the students of the book.

So, from my interpretation, you've based a lot of your concern on channeled information, which is never a reliable source for truth. Your best source for meaningful truth is in the book itself; it's not intended to be a springboard into fanciful conjecture but more as a grounding for introspective and meaningful thinking.

Best wishes

Labels: , , ,


Permalink



Will You go to heaven????

Q: Will You go to heaven????

A: Personal belief and faith help define the mental personal realities we each live in but in order to be "real" they require a foundation based on the rock solidness of logical, objective reality. Most people give little thought and little introspection to logic or to objective reality, relying more on seat of the pants, what feels good, or just accepting what others believe for themselves. So, for example, while believing or having faith in the Easter Bunny or in Santa Clause may provide comfort for a believer, that doesn't make that belief "real."

Among all the other gifts God has given us, there's one that helps us overcome the tendency toward wishful thinking, helps us discern reality. If we're to make sense of this complicated and confusing life we need to rely on that gift; it's given to us for that purpose, and that gift is a logical mind... a mind that works to make order out of chaos and to sort fact from fiction, to give us real perspective.

Another gift from God is that of God reaching down to help draw us up toward him and one of the ways this is done is through revelation -- knowledge that's outside of evolutionary acquirement, knowledge that's true, beautiful, and good, knowledge that can be relied on.

Most who actually study the teachings of The Urantia Book eventually come to believe that its teachings are logical and grounded and they come to believe that it is what it claims to be, a divine revelation, that what it portrays is "real." So, based on those two beliefs it's not a difficult step to take to accept what The Urantia Book relates about heaven, which is much more complete and detailed than any other teaching one might encounter.

It's my firm conviction, based on years of study of The Urantia Book, which speaks to me in ways nothing else ever has, is that God is good, God loves me, God provides for me, God has a near infinite plan for my spiritual adventure and development, that this life is but the very first rung at the bottom of the ladder to paradise and eternity, and that when I die I do not disappear. Jesus, through his resurrection, made it evident that death is not an end but is just a transition. So yes, I am confident that when I die I will "go to heaven" although what that means entails much more than the common concept of "heaven."

How about you? Will you go to heaven? Have you checked out our more detailed study called "There is Life After Death" on our home page...

Do you have questions about what it says? Do the videos there give you pause to consider? Has this reply been of any benefit to you?

Thank you for your question and best wishes...

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



Can you please help me to understand the various levels of realms in the heavens...?

Q: Can you please help me to understand the various levels of realms in the heavens and their hierarchy? For instance Salvington, Uversa, Edentia, Jerusem etc. I'm confused about them. Thank you.

A:Thanks for this interesting question. Yes, the hierarchy of the realms...we have quite a journey ahead of us!

All of the worlds that you mentioned are architectural spheres, meaning that they are not evolutionary planets such as Urantia, but are specially created for the express purposes of mortal ascension. Following are some of the features of these planets (as well as some you did not mention, but which are part of our ascension journey), and the order in which we will visit them. From the Urantia Book:

(15:7.5) Jerusem, the headquarters of your local system of Satania, has its seven worlds of transition culture, each of which is encircled by seven satellites, among which are the seven mansion worlds of morontia detention, man's first postmortal residence. As the term heaven has been used on Urantia, it has sometimes meant these seven mansion worlds, the first mansion world being denominated the first heaven, and so on to the seventh.

Edentia, the headquarters of your constellation of Norlatiadek, has its seventy satellites of socializing culture and training, on which ascenders sojourn upon the completion of the Jerusem regime of personality mobilization, unification, and realization.

Salvington, the capital of Nebadon, your local universe, is surrounded by ten university clusters of forty-nine spheres each. Hereon is man spiritualized following his constellation socialization.

Uminor the third, the headquarters of your minor sector, Ensa, is surrounded by the seven spheres of the higher physical studies of the ascendant life.

Umajor the fifth, the headquarters of your major sector, Splandon, is surrounded by the seventy spheres of the advancing intellectual training of the superuniverse.

Uversa, the headquarters of Orvonton, your superuniverse, is immediately surrounded by the seven higher universities of advanced spiritual training for ascending will creatures. Each of these seven clusters of wonder spheres consists of seventy specialized worlds containing thousands upon thousands of replete institutions and organizations devoted to universe training and spirit culture wherein the pilgrims of time are re-educated and re-examined preparatory to their long flight to Havona. The arriving pilgrims of time are always received on these associated worlds, but the departing graduates are always dispatched for Havona direct from the shores of Uversa.

Here are some additional study aids for you:


Ascension Plan Topical Study

Ascension Career Chart

Journey to Paradise Chart

You may also use our terrific search engine HERE to plug in any of the names of all of our future destinations to get even more information about the amazing journey that awaits us!

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



The "Planet of the Cross "

Q: How come the creatures on other inhabited planets know of us and even refer to our planet as the planet of the cross while we have no idea of them?

A: Thanks for this question.

(188:4.1) It is a fact that Urantia has become known among other neighboring inhabited planets as the “world of the cross.�

Well, we do have some idea of these other planets since receiving The Urantia Book, but you are right. We do not know of these other planets as they know of us. They know enough about us to know what has happened here - that Christ Michael of Nebadon incarnated here as a mortal of the realm and died here on a cross. We only know that there are many other planets "out there" who know of us as "the world of the cross." We are told something of these other planets in The Urantia Book, but precious little, really; only enough to know that we are pretty backward in comparison.

The reason for this lack of knowledge on our part is due to the Lucifer rebellion, and our one-time Planetary Prince's participation in it. Once Caligastia threw his support behind Lucifer's efforts to unseat the Father's rule, our planet - and our whole system - was placed under "spiritual quarantine;" in other words, we were isolated from the rest of the planetary systems, so as not to allow the rebellion to spread unchecked. It is like what happens when a person comes down with a contagious disease. That person is placed under quarantine and isolated from the rest of the population until they get well, or else many, many people might also contract the same disease.

From The Urantia Book:

(67:3.1) The outbreak of rebellion on Jerusem, the capital of Satania, was broadcast by the Melchizedek council. The emergency Melchizedeks were immediately dispatched to Jerusem, and Gabriel volunteered to act as the representative of the Creator Son, whose authority had been challenged. With this broadcast of the fact of rebellion in Satania the system was isolated, quarantined, from her sister systems. There was "war in heaven," the headquarters of Satania, and it spread to every planet in the local system.

As to why we are able to know little or nothing of other worlds, even with the Urantia revelation:

(50:6.1) The isolation of Urantia renders it impossible to undertake the presentation of many details of the life and environment of your Satania neighbors. In these presentations we are limited by the planetary quarantine and by the system isolation. We must be guided by these restrictions in all our efforts to enlighten Urantia mortals, but in so far as is permissible, you have been instructed in the progress of an average evolutionary world, and you are able to compare such a world's career with the present state of Urantia.

And why other planets (not under quarantine) know so much about us:

(33:6.5) From Salvington, broadcasts are simultaneously directed to the constellation headquarters, the system headquarters, and to individual planets. All higher orders of celestial beings are able to utilize this service for communication with their fellows scattered throughout the universe. The universe broadcast is extended to all inhabited worlds regardless of their spiritual status. Planetary intercommunication is denied only those worlds under spiritual quarantine.

So, the other planets receive broadcasts informing them of the goings-on around the universe. We here on Urantia are denied such broadcasts.

Even Jesus terrible death on the cross was broadcast to the universe:

(187:6.3) Thus ended a day of tragedy and sorrow for a vast universe whose myriads of intelligences had shuddered at the shocking spectacle of the crucifixion of the human incarnation of their beloved Sovereign; they were stunned by this exhibition of mortal callousness and human perversity.

But, there is a silver lining to all of this dreary news, and we find words of comfort here:

(50:7.1) On first thought it might appear that Urantia and its associated isolated worlds are most unfortunate in being deprived of the beneficent presence and influence of such superhuman personalities as a Planetary Prince and a Material Son and Daughter. But isolation of these spheres affords their races a unique opportunity for the exercise of faith and for the development of a peculiar quality of confidence in cosmic reliability which is not dependent on sight or any other material consideration. It may turn out, eventually, that mortal creatures hailing from the worlds quarantined in consequence of rebellion are extremely fortunate. We have discovered that such ascenders are very early intrusted with numerous special assignments to cosmic undertakings where unquestioned faith and sublime confidence are essential to achievement.

On Jerusem the ascenders from these isolated worlds occupy a residential sector by themselves and are known as the agondonters, meaning evolutionary will creatures who can believe without seeing, persevere when isolated, and triumph over insuperable difficulties even when alone. This functional grouping of the agondonters persists throughout the ascension of the local universe and the traversal of the superuniverse; it disappears during the sojourn in Havona but promptly reappears upon the attainment of Paradise and definitely persists in the Corps of the Mortal Finality

And this:

(108:4.4) When a world is isolated by rebellion, when a planet is cut off from all outside encircuited communication, as was Urantia after the Caligastia upheaval, aside from personal messengers there remains but one possibility of direct interplanetary or universe communication, and that is through the liaison of the Adjusters of the spheres. No matter what happens on a world or in a universe, the Adjusters are never directly concerned. The isolation of a planet in no way affects the Adjusters and their ability to communicate with any part of the local universe, superuniverse, or the central universe. And this is the reason why contacts with the supreme and the self-acting Adjusters of the reserve corps of destiny are so frequently made on quarantined worlds. Recourse is had to such a technique as a means of circumventing the handicaps of planetary isolation.

We here on Urantia are still in the process of getting well from the effects of our terrible disease of rebellion. One hopes that in the not-too-distant future, we will once more be reconnected to the system circuits. But in the meantime, we must soldier on as agondonters, with our indwelling adjusters and living faith to guide our way. We have also been blessed by the revelation of The Urantia Book, and in time, its truths will seep into humanity's spiritual consciousness to lead us into a new age of spiritual evolution. In time, our quarantine will be lifted...

Thanks again for this great question! Please click on any of the links to find out much more about all of these issues of quarantine and isolation.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



A Question About Going Seriously Astray

Q: Do you think that mortal sons of God, after having tasted of the glories and beautiful realities of sonship with Father through faith can ever apostasize or turn iniquitous? Can truly enlightened mortal sons who have accepted son-ship ever reject Father after having known of His sweet will and unending glories? I think that apostasy (iniquity)of such deadly nature can only be exercised by heavenly enlightened creatures and not mortals.

A: It seems that you have made an important distinction between the iniquitous rejection of God by high spirit beings (such as Satan, Lucifer and Caligastia) and mortal beings like us who grasp God through faith. It is hard enough to understand how a high Son of God such as Lucifer, can be subject to rejecting God's love and mercy; it is harder still to understand how a faith-son of God can reject him, having once experienced his love and mercy as a result of that faith-decision. I don't know of anyone who has done that...but...

No matter how committed we are to God, and no matter how convicted we are of the truth of God - and even if we have tasted of the sweetness of his tender mercies, there always remains the possibility of going astray, simply because we have the freewill choice to do so. Until we have made the ultimate decision, and fused with our Thought adjuster, we are always free to decide differently.

I do think, like you, that once having made that leap of faith into acceptance of sonship with God, rejection of that sonship seems highly unlikely. For me, it seems an impossibility - maybe for you, too. But there always remains that possibility, remote as it might be.

In any event, Satan, or any other spirit being does not have any power to make that rejection for another. Even if a person may be somewhat half-hearted in their commitment to sonship with God, Satan does not have any power to affect their decisions unless that person knowingly seeks his influence, or decides to knowingly embrace sin. Again, all created beings retain the power of choice over their own souls; any rejection of God will come from within, not from without. The "devil" is given far more credit for influencing mortals than he deserves. Oftentimes, it is a person's own unwillingness to keep close to God, or to a tendency to fall prey to their own weaknesses that may separate them from God. The love of God is shed abroad in the hearts of mankind, and is available to all.

Jesus said:

"The child, being immature and lacking in the fuller understanding of the depth of the child-father relationship, must frequently feel a sense of guilty separation from a father’s full approval, but the true father is never conscious of any such separation. Sin is an experience of creature consciousness; it is not a part of god’s consciousness."(174:1.4)

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Friday, July 31, 2009

Can We Reconcile Biblical Prophecy with The Urantia Book?

Q: How can we connect the prophecy of Isaiah when he said that ".....Truly, it was for their sins that he was killed....." and later said that His soul was made an offering unto death. How do you/we understand these things in relation to the meaning of the atonement in the Urantia book?

A: How do I understand these things? I choose to believe what Jesus taught about his mission, and it had nothing to do with his sacrificing himself as an atonement for the sins and guilt of mankind, regardless of what Isaiah said in these passages. Jesus never presented himself in this way - in the Bible, or in The Urantia Book. Further, The Urantia Book explains to my full satisfaction that our heavenly Father is not a vengeful and strict god who needs to sacrifice his sinless son as some sort of ransom for the sins of mankind. I much prefer - and love - the God who I discovered within its pages. And my personal experience with this loving God validates my belief.

Jesus did not believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures, and neither do it, so it is not an important issue for me. Jesus picked and chose only those Scripture passages that supported his mission on earth, which was to procliam the loving Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. I don't worry about connecting the Bible with The Urantia Book, except as a point of reference. Since finding The Urantia Book, I have been drawn to the Bible as never before, but simply as a valuable, and often inspirational reference work.

Isaiah is covered quite well in The Urantia Book, and it is explained that there were in actuality, two Isaiahs - the earlier and the later. You can read more about these two Isaiahs and some of their beautiful quotations about God HERE. Even the second Isaiah "never ceased to proclaim this "God of love."

If you choose to believe these isolated passages of Isaiah, rather than what Jesus revealed of himself while on the earth, and now, through the revelation of The Urantia Book, that is up to you. If you think that they have to be connected, I disagree. I regret that can't help you to reconcile this issue.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink

Sunday, July 19, 2009

How to cope with big disappointments in life and related pain and sorrow? Is there an experience I MUST have here?

Q: How to cope with big disappointments in life and related pain and sorrow? Is there an experience here on earth that I must absolutely do because I will not be able to do it after my physical death?

A: You are not alone in asking this question regarding pain and sorrow - these kinds of experiences are part of the human condition, and affect all of us at one time or another. Sometimes, the pain is great, and we wonder "why," or, "why me?" Well, we might also ask "why?" when we are blessed with good experiences...and I am sure you have had those, also. Of course, the pain really gets our attention...

The Urantia Book provides a wonderful perspective on the inevitable changes that we humans go through in this life. Among the nine points of sage advice given, is this:

Is pleasure-the satisfaction of happiness-desirable? Then must man live in a world where the alternative of pain and the likelihood of suffering are ever-present experiential possibilities.(3:5.14)

And there is this:

The greatest affliction of the cosmos is never to have been afflicted. Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation.(48:7.14)
You cannot perceive spiritual truth until you feelingly experience it, and many truths are not really felt except in adversity.(48:7.18)

This is taken from a section of The Urantia Book listing "twenty-eight statements of human philosophy" that are used in teaching new arrivals to the Mansion Worlds. You will find many of these very comforting and illuminating.

Sorrowful experiences can make us or break us. On a world that is filled with free-willed beings, error and its resulting pain and sorrow are simply a part of life. At the same time, as free-willed beings, we have the opportunity to use these experiences for our growth, rather than a reason to just give up. It is important to remember that nothing stays the same in this life. All is subject to change. Only God is changeless. It is our job to learn to establish and nurture a relationship with God so that when the hard times come, we are able to weather the changes, knowing that no matter what, we are assured of inevitable victory over all matters of the world on which we live through our free-will identification with our highest Self. The Urantia Book reveals to us a loving heavenly Father, a good God who knows all about our sorrows and pain because he experiences all of it with us. We have an intimate and ever-present friend in the Father. His Spirit actually dwells within our minds. Take heart:

It is literally true: "in all your afflictions he is afflicted." "In all your triumphs he triumphs in and with you."(1:5.16)

A study of the life of Jesus is quite helpful in hard times as well, as Jesus experienced just about the worst times that ever were heaped onto a human being. He emerged victorious over many of the sorrowful times in his life, and even over death, and he showed us how we can do the same, no matter our lot in life.

The experience that we have must have here in our earthly lives is the experience of life itself, and its associated joys, sorrows, spiritual progress and growth. Once we are translated into our next life - our eternal life - we will experience a whole different kind of existence - one in which the earthly kinds of experiences will no longer be possible. There's nothing we experience here that can't be augmented or improved upon in the mansion world experience but nevertheless, the angels are envious of the mortal lives we live so there's a quality to this life that's hard if not impossible to compensate for. While we are here, we have important work to do:

From The Urantia Book:

Very important is the work of preparation for the next higher sphere, but nothing equals the importance of the work of the world in which you are actually living. (48:6.26)

Your short sojourn on Urantia, on this sphere of mortal infancy, is only a single link, the very first in the long chain that is to stretch across universes and through the eternal ages. It is not so much what you learn in this first life; it is the experience of living this life that is important. Even the work of this world, paramount though it is, is not nearly so important as the way in which you do this work. There is no material reward for righteous living, but there is profound satisfaction - consciousness of achievement - and this transcends any conceivable material reward.(39:4.13)

The overcoming of adversity can be seen as a certain source of this "profound satisfaction."

Jesus taught:

"It is the Father's will that mortal man should work persistently and consistently toward the betterment of his estate on earth. Intelligent application would enable man to overcome much of his earthly misery." (148:5.3)

I do hope that this reply has been of some help and comfort to you.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



Why do people struggle to believe the noble and enlightening truths in these revealed papers?

Q: Why do people struggle to believe the noble and enlightening truths in these revealed papers? The Bible says that in the end times, the earth shall be filled with knowlegde and the glory of the Lord. I believe that this revelation is just the begining of a series of revelations to flood the world for the sake of the salvation of the souls of men. Our generation must desist from stiff-neckedness and unnecessary prejudice. Otherwise, they will miss Jesus again like the Jews missed him during the Masters sojourn on earth.

A: Why do people struggle with Urantia Book truths? It could be that some people are just not spiritually hungry - it could be that some are frightened by the idea of spiritual freedom - but for many, it is hard to accept a new revelation of a loving God who does not have it in for them. Jesus' message of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is such a simple and uplifting truth, but it is hard for many to accept that they are ennobled sons of God and not sinful wretches. What if this revelation is wrong, and hell is real? To accept the teachings of The Urantia Book requires faith, and a willingness to hear the truth in one's innermost being, and to trust in the revelation of God that Jesus embodied - a God of love and mercy; it requires a willingness to accept the spiritual mandates of Jesus to "love one another;" a willingness to actually live the religion OF Jesus. AND it requires the willingness to question all the "sacred cows" of the religions of authority. For some, this is more than they can do; they lack the "ears to hear."

Remember the Parables of the Sower? These parables were a powerful truth in Jesus time, and they are true in our times, too.

This revelation has been on the planet for a little over 50 years, and is only now being disseminated over the internet. It is meant to minister to this planet for a long time, but I hope it does not take centuries before we realize as a planet what a gift we have been given. As you say, the Jews missed him - and he ended up losing his life prematurely as a result of fear and suspicion. (As you so aptly put it: "stiff-neckedness and unnecessary prejudice.") As a result, the original message of Jesus became contaminated and adulterated, to everyone's detriment.

The good news about this revelation is that it is in book form, and cannot be killed, so it is up to us who understand what it is to put it into practice in our lives, and spread the good news as we are called to do. It will take time, but I pray that those who are seeking will find these truths before long, so that the kingdom is enlarged, and we begin to see more of the effects of these truths on our tired old world.

Thanks again for writing - great question, and a thoughtful subject...

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



Please help me understand this...

Q: Please help me understand this, Jesus said "That which you see going on about this temple is the way in which your fathers sought to symbolize the bestowal of the divine spirit upon the children of faith, and you have done well to perpetuate these symbols, even down to this day". It tells me that Jesus did not criticize their symbolising the spirit bestowal on all mankind as the gift of Father. what is the spiritual meaning therefore of their symbolising the forgiveness of sins by the sacrificing of a spotless lamb, upon which all their sins were confessed, and the blood sprinkled on them for the forgiveness of sins. Which part of Jesus' life fulfilled this ceremony of the jews?.Thank you.

A: Thank you for writing to us here at Truthbook. In the quote which you cite, Jesus is speaking to a group of believers who were with him at the Feast of Tabernacles. During the course of the harvest feast, live animal sacrifices were made and water was outpoured to symbolize the divine spirit. Just for clarity, I will quote the entire passage that you cite in your question:

At the conclusion of this early morning service Jesus continued to teach the multitude, saying: "Have you not read in the Scripture: `Behold, as the waters are poured out upon the dry ground and spread over the parched soil, so will I give the spirit of holiness to be poured out upon your children for a blessing even to your children's children'? Why will you thirst for the ministry of the spirit while you seek to water your souls with the traditions of men, poured from the broken pitchers of ceremonial service? That which you see going on about this temple is the way in which your fathers sought to symbolize the bestowal of the divine spirit upon the children of faith, and you have done well to perpetuate these symbols, even down to this day. But now has come to this generation the revelation of the Father of spirits through the bestowal of his Son, and all of this will certainly be followed by the bestowal of the spirit of the Father and the Son upon the children of men. To every one who has faith shall this bestowal of the spirit become the true teacher of the way which leads to life everlasting, to the true waters of life in the kingdom of heaven on earth and in the Father's Paradise over there."(162:6.3)

It is true that Jesus never criticized the religious practices of the sincere religionists of his day - he always respected the honest efforts of those who desired a closer walk with the Father and a deeper understanding of God.

Clearly, in the last sentences of the passage, Jesus foretells of the Spirit of Truth which was bestowed on all mankind on the day of Pentecost; this Spirit of Truth is now a fact in the inner life of all believers.

As to the second part of your question: "what is the spiritual meaning therefore of their symbolising the forgiveness of sins by the sacrificing of a spotless lamb, upon which all their sins were confessed, and the blood sprinkled on them for the forgiveness of sins:"

The people of Jesus' day were practicing their faith and religion in the best way that they knew up to that time. Their religion was evolved through centuries of civilization, and much of it was still tinged with the remnants of the primitive ideas of sacrifice as a necessary part of placating and appeasing a mysterious Deity who inspired dread and awe. The rituals of the sacrificial killing of a spotless animal satisfied this requirement of appeasement - it was the way things had been done for time out of mind, and was the religious standard for generations before Jesus arrived on the scene to proclaim a better way. For individual believers, I am sure that it may have held significant spiritual power for them, and there is no reason to think that God was displeased at the sincere devotion of an individual who believed this was the right thing to do. This belief has even persisted to our 21st century times, in the form of the atonement doctrine, which is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith - namely, that Jesus is now the embodiment of the olden ritual of blood sacrifice - by his death, he has atoned for all of the sins of mankind, and it means a lot to the people who believe it. But, it is a belief grounded in fear - fear of a punishing god. Even in our supposed superior civilization, the "traditions of men" have presumed to keep mankind in the shackles of unnecessary ritual and belief, lest they be punished by God; but this was not the teaching of Jesus. That is a religion of men - a religion of authority...

You ask: "Which part of Jesus' life fulfilled this ceremony of the jews?"

The Christian church has put Jesus in the role of atoner, the role that once was held by a lamb or a bullock. But is this what Jesus intended? The Urantia Book - and more specifically the Life and Teachings of Jesus restated within its pages - tell us a different story - a story that belongs to ALL people, and not just to the Christian church, who claims to represent him.

Jesus revealed a loving heavenly Father - a Father who does not require sacrifice to gain his love, or for the forgiveness of sins - a Father who forgives his children even before they have need of forgiveness - a Father who does not ask that an innocent child be killed to atone for another child who has sinned. Christianity has long held that man is a sinful creature, in need of redemption, but Jesus' teachings say otherwise. Jesus says that although man may have evil tendencies, he is not inherently sinful. This was a new revelation in Jesus' times, and it is still a shocking truth to modern-day mankind, who remains persistent in believing in a God of retribution and vengeance.

There is no "original sin;" there is no inherent badness in man that has to be washed away through atonement by the taking of an innocent life. And so, Jesus' life was never meant to become a fulfillment of these kinds of ceremonies. Jesus established a new kind of religion. He stated clearly that man is a child of God, and through this shared sonship with the Father, that all people are related in the spiritual sense, and part of the larger brotherhood of mankind. He elevated man to a faith-son of God. He taught that faith is the one and only requirement for entrance into the kingdom of heaven and survival into eternal life. Most importantly, Jesus taught and LIVED a new kind of religion - the religion of personal spiritual experience - which effectively liberates the spiritual captives, and frees the souls of human beings to live lives of originality and freedom before God. No more does mankind have to live in cowering fear of God, but instead, can live in joyous co-creation with God, whose will for man is only goodness. You can read more about this religion of Jesus HERE.

The teachings of The Urantia Book reveal anew that man is indwelt by a fragment of the loving heavenly Father - that this indwelling spirit is there as a guide, and - along with the Spirit of Truth - this indwelling spirit, and the religion of Jesus, can help mankind to reach a new level of spiritual understanding and a new level of spiritual development. This understanding and development is what is sorely needed in the tumultuous times of the 21st century, and is one of the reasons that this amazing revelation has been given to us at this time.

And finally, The Urantia Book states: "One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it." (196:1.3)

Through this knowledge - this amazing revelation of the Master's life - mankind can finally be delivered from the olden ideas of atonement and sacrifice into the new and progressive religion of the Spirit - the religion that Jesus himself lived while on earth.

Thank you so much for this very interesting and thoughful question...!

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Four Questions Re: The Urantia Book, The Bible, and Jesus

Following are several questions submitted in one request. Two of our Truthbook team (L) and (M) have given their answers in reply.

Q: Do you follow the teachings of the Urantia Book only?

L: Basically, students of The Urantia Book are individuals coming from all manner of background; they do their own thing. Some feel they're escaping organized religion and seek refuge in the teachings of TUB. Others are grateful for their religious heritage and continue on in it. Some have no tradition of religious belief before finding TUB. There are Urantia Book readers who are pastors, ministers, priests, nuns, rabbis, preachers of every Christian denomination, Jews, Muslims, Hindus... The teachings of TUB are not "a" religion; they clarify, augment, emphasize and uplift what is best "in" religion. There are no rules for readers/students/believers -- it's a book; it's a superlative education; we read it and are edified and uplifted by it.

M: The Urantia Book is unique in that it contains many, many truths gleaned from many different established religions, and at the same time, encourages us to develop what Jesus called the religion of personal spiritual experience; it is this revealed teaching that inspires me to find the best in any religion, and to nurture and grow that personal experiential relationship with God in whatever I do. So, in that sense, I do follow the teachings of The Urantia Book, but the experience leaves me free to follow the truth wherever I find it.

Q: What is your viewpoint on the King James Bible?

L: Students of The Urantia Book have no orthodox viewpoint. Some readers are Bible scholars. Some readers hardly know the Bible at all. Personally, I like the King James better than any of the more modern versions, but I think you're asking do Urantia Book readers view the Bible as the infallible word of God and the answer to that would be a pretty unanimous no although most Urantia Book readers appreciate and take comfort in the Bible.

M: I personally prefer the New Jerusalem Bible, which is in common, everyday language. To me, other Bibles are difficult to read because the language is so stilted. I never had much interest in the Bible before I found The Urantia Book, but now I use it pretty regularly as a reference work. Jesus quoted scripture quite often in his life, and I have read many of those parts of the Bible. I do not believe it is inerrant, but like Jesus, I do find much in it that is quite valuable and worthwhile.

Q: Who is Jesus to you?

L: Again, a personal reply -- I didn't understand Jesus before I became a student of The Urantia Book and, in fact, it was my desire to know Jesus better that led me to become a reader of the book 35 years ago. To me, Jesus is Lord. He's the maker and administrator of this world. He's my guide as a human being and he's my nearest goal when I become a spirit being. He's who I turn to when I need help or comfort or wisdom or advice. His spirit is here to help me discern and sift truth from error. I trust Jesus.

M: I knew Jesus from my early childhood as a Catholic, and he always seemed to me to be quite real; however, I also found that the Church was full of inconsistencies regarding Jesus and his words, and I had a hard time separating Jesus from the hypocrisy I experienced. I left the church in my 20s, but I never abandoned Jesus completely. Once I freed myself from the authority of the church, I started to see Jesus differently; however, I did not seriouly think about Jesus for awhile after that. When I discovered The Urantia Book many years later, I was thrilled and deeply moved to rediscover the Jesus that I always loved as a child, and SO much more. Today, Jesus is once again my friend, my companion, my brother, and my Divine pathway to the Father. I believe in him and trust him, and I love him.

Q: Do you believe him to be the son of God who died for mankind's sins?

L: I believe Jesus to be a Son of God of a special order -- The Urantia Book guides us away from the tendency to believe that our race or religion, or in this case, world, is the most important one and that its aspects are superior to any others. Jesus came for all the peoples of this world, not just Christians, of which there were none until some time after he died. He also came for all the worlds of his dominion -- we're not the only one but we are nearly the most barbaric and that's partly the reason he chose to come to this place. So yes, "a" Son of God, a divine being, a creator not a creature like us. Did he come to die for mankinds sins? Again, among students of The Urantia Book, the answer to that would be a pretty unanimous no. We hold God the Father in too high regard to relegate him to human purposes and emotions. God is not vindictive, retributive, jealous, or any of the other human-like attibutes he's so often described as having. God is love and does not condemn his children, neither the divine ones nor the mortal ones, to pain and suffering and sacrifice. Jesus understood this and tried to teach it to a world that didn't understand him or his heavenly Father.

M: I do believe Jesus to be a divine Son of God. As pointed out above, The Urantia Book teaches us that Jesus is one of many Sons, just as there are many inhabited worlds, and many universe systems throughout God's vast creation. Jesus did indeed come to our earth - he chose us especially - and he did die here, but I do not believe that he died as a punishment from God, or as a sacrificial lamb to atone for mankind's sins. His mission was to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts of mankind, to proclaim the good news of the Fatherhood of God and the resultant brotherhood of mankind, and to live and die as a true man among men (and women). He was to portray to mortal eyes the love of the infinite and invisible God who is his, and our, Father. The fact that he died in such a cruel way was not the will of God, but as the consequence of the fears and prejudices of the times in which he lived. His new religion of the spirit was terribly threatening to the religions of authority of his day and time. He was killed by men - not by God. But he did die a "natural" death, and as a result, he did complete that part of his mission, to resurrect victoriously on the 3rd day. He showed all mortals of all worlds in his universe how to live as a "son of God."

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Monday, July 06, 2009

Who Am I, Really?

Q: Who Am I, Really?

A: That's a good question that would have a pretty imprecise answer were it not for the teachings of The Urantia Book - The Urantia Book is all about answering that very question. So the best response would be to tell you to read the book and to decide for yourself, but instead I'll provide a condensed version.

First, you are a unique personality - there's never been nor ever will be another you. That's because personality is a divine and unique gift from the Father, yours being but one facet of a nearly infinite whole. This unique and divine personality is now being expressed in human form as yourself, but what you believe to be your personality and what others see as you aren't that unique and divine entity, what's being observed and experienced is your character interpreted as you.

Your personality is changeless, but your character will change as it becomes more in tune with your personality. It will appear that you mature and grow and develop wisdom during this life; still, this is only the bottom rung on a ladder of progress stretching to eternity. Your personality is so rich in endowment that unfathomable time is required for your character to develop its full potential in expressing that true personality.

Here on earth, you are also a product of your environment and of both biological and cultural heredity. If your biological heredity is faulty it will be pretty difficult to overcome those shortcomings in this life but you'll be provided ample opportunity to do so in what's to come after this life is over. Environmental and cultural hereditary defects can be overcome by exercising your character and another God given attribute, free will. If you choose to let the circumstances of life dominate you then you will have hardly exercised your free will at all, exhibiting instead character weakness that needs to be strengthened. If you invoke your free will in overcoming hardship and privation to build a life of accomplishment and joy character growth will result.

Your character is the result of the choices and decisions you make; how you think about and treat yourself, other individuals and the world around you; honesty, loyalty, truthfulness, responsibility; your attitude toward life and your place in the cosmos.

So, you are nearly infinite potential being expressed through a developing finite character. You have the aid and guidance of unseen spirit forces to assist and you have the influence of the Holy Spirit and of the Spirit of Truth to help you with the challenging decisions life requires you to make. You're a tadpole striving to become a frog which will eventually transform into a prince as long as you keep the goal in mind and continually strive for God-likeness. God is the home to which we all yearn to return.

Please see our topical study on Personality for a lot more information about who you are.

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink

Thursday, June 25, 2009

What is GOD's name?

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

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

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

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

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Sunday, June 07, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please see The Modern Problem

Jesus promised:

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

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

To Thomas:

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

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

Jesus said:

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

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

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

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

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Friday, May 29, 2009

Are we reincarnated in the sense that Buddhists believe?

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

A: In a word - no.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for this great question!

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



Can you tell me why Jesus is called Michael?

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: , ,


Permalink



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

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

A:Thanks for writing with this interesting question.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for this most interesting question.

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink

Sunday, May 10, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

The answers to your questions will come...

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

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

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Monday, April 27, 2009

Why is life running so fast?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for the question...

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



How can I improve my prayer life?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for this great question...

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What is the Pursuit of Beauty?

Q: I read about the pursuit of Truth, Goodness and Beauty in the UB. I can conceptualize the pursuit of Truth and Goodness, but what is the Pursuit of Beauty?

A: This is some of what The Urantia Book relates about beauty:

its discernment is the discovery and integration of reality;
art consists of harmony in unity;
beauty implies the presence of an appreciative mind and the recognition of the synthesis of diversity stemming from oneness;
beauty is always triumphant over ugliness.

To apply the above definitions to one's life would constitute a pursuit of beauty; to disregard them would not. For example, some people think tattoos and piercings are beautiful, some splash paint on canvas and call it beautiful, some make noise and call it beautiful. It doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to realize that nearly anything disorienting or unreal can be considered beautiful by a mind out of touch with reality. The pursuit of harmony and unity will produce a reality response that resonates with the source of true beauty.

I hope this reply helps; in any case, feel free to post any time.

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



What does the UB say about sin? Homosexual relation?

Q: What does the UB say about sin? How can an individual know if something is a sin? Are homosexual relations a sin?

A: Here are a few Urantia Book quotes that will help you to understand what sin is, as contrasted with evil, error and iniquity:

(67:1.4) There are many ways of looking at sin, but from the universe philosophic viewpoint sin is the attitude of a personality who is knowingly resisting cosmic reality. Error might be regarded as a misconception or distortion of reality. Evil is a partial realization of, or maladjustment to, universe realities. But sin is a purposeful resistance to divine reality—a conscious choosing to oppose spiritual progress—while iniquity consists in an open and persistent defiance of recognized reality and signifies such a degree of personality disintegration as to border on cosmic insanity.

Error suggests lack of intellectual keenness; evil, deficiency of wisdom; sin, abject spiritual poverty; but iniquity is indicative of vanishing personality control.

(148:4.4) [Jesus said:] "Sin is the conscious, knowing, and deliberate transgression of the divine law, the Father's will. Sin is the measure of unwillingness to be divinely led and spiritually directed."

So, we can see that sin is a conscious choice to "oppose spiritual progress" and a "deliberate transgression of the divine law, the Father's will." In other words, one must know that what one is doing is a clear violation of the principles of truth, beauty and goodness, and then decide to do it anyway. This constitutes sin.

The ability to recognize sinful behavior is tied up with the development of a strong character. Here are some passages that illuminate this topic:

(140:4.8)Remember: While inherited urges cannot be fundamentally modified, emotional responses to such urges can be changed; therefore the moral nature can be modified, character can be improved. In the strong character emotional responses are integrated and co-ordinated, and thus is produced a unified personality. Deficient unification weakens the moral nature and engenders unhappiness.

(160:1.2) Human life consists in three great drives--urges, desires, and lures. Strong character, commanding personality, is only acquired by converting the natural urge of life into the social art of living, by transforming present desires into those higher longings which are capable of lasting attainment, while the commonplace lure of existence must be transferred from one's conventional and established ideas to the higher realms of unexplored ideas and undiscovered ideals.

(184:2.12) It requires a great and noble character, having started out wrong, to turn about and go right. All too often one's own mind tends to justify continuance in the path of error when once it is entered upon.

As for homosexual relations, this is an issue that The Urantia Book says nothing about. Although it does extol the value of friendship between same-sex persons, there are no guidelines in the book either for or against sexual relations in such a loving friendship, or the morality of such relations. Unlike the Bible, The Urantia Book is not specific about many of the social issues we face today, and it does not make blanket claims about specific behaviors. These "mores" are determined age to age by the prevailing sentiments of society. Having said that, I would also say that the teachings of The Urantia Book do exalt the man-woman relationship, along with marriage, children and family life, as the highest ideal of relationship. In all inter-personal relations, unselfish love - the desire to do good to others - should be the primary concern.

And regarding the sex urge, consider this quote:

(82:1.10) No human emotion or impulse, when unbridled and overindulged, can produce so much harm and sorrow as this powerful sex urge.

Ideally, spiritually-seeking people can look forward to a stage of development in which they are less bothered by matters of sexuality and physical conflict, and more towards a time when they can transcend these kinds of matters through spiritual identification. I might suggest that you take a look at The Spirit and the Flesh.
In it, we read the following, which is a very positive and encouraging passage - and a very good reason to stay on the spiritual path:

"Those God-knowing men and women who have been born of the Spirit experience no more conflict with their mortal natures than do the inhabitants of the most normal of worlds, planets which have never been tainted with sin nor touched by rebellion. Faith sons work on intellectual levels and live on spiritual planes far above the conflicts produced by unrestrained or unnatural physical desires. The normal urges of animal beings and the natural appetites and impulses of the physical nature are not in conflict with even the highest spiritual attainment except in the minds of ignorant, mistaught, or unfortunately overconscientious persons. "

I would invite you to interpret this reply and the above quotes with your highest, most spiritual thinking while deriving a personally meaningful answer to this question.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



Are the Thought Adjuster and Personality alien to each other?

Q: The Urantia Book speaks as though the Thought Adjuster and Personality are alien to each other, yet they both come from God-Father. Why would God play such a game with Him/Her self ?

A: I guess it might seem like some sort of a game that God is playing, but somehow, I don't think that is the case. To me, it is a very interesting, but also very logical thing he does...far more than a mere "game," it is an amazing opportunity that he gives to his mortal and finite children of time.

Mortal beings are endowed with personality, but Adjusters are not - they are designated "pre-personal," indicating that they have personality potential. But while Adjusters do not possess personality, they do possess divine "identity," while the mortal does not, except as potential in the evolving soul. And so, the eventual fusion of the pre-personal Adjuster and the personality of man constitutes the creation of a new kind of being altogether - one with the characteristics and the identity of both the human and the Divine.

In order for the human to achieve this divinity, s/he must make those kinds of decisions and choices throughout life that constitute "spirit-identification," by allying the self with the will of God. These kinds of decisions result in the growth of an immortal soul; it is this immortal entity that is able to eventually fuse with the pre-personal Adjuster. In this way, the Adjuster achieves fusion with that aspect of personality which was once bestowed upon the mortal, and with which that mortal was able to effect those decisions to be like God. In turn, the mortal becomes eternally God-identified. The two become one - a whole new creature capable of completing the Paradise ascent - the return to the Paradise Father who bestowed both of these components. Unless this happens, the mortal creature cannot make this supernal journey.

Far from being alien to each other, these two components of God do - with the consent of the mortal of their indwelling - conspire and cooperate in this amazing creation of a being of eternal status and dignity. The personality and the Thought Adjuster - both gifts of God to evolving mortals - are really the closest of associations in potential. It is the decision of the freewill mortal that activates and completes this liaison. By taking advantage of this opportunity, we can progress from the lowest of the low, to the highest of the high.

As an aside, you might enjoy this intriguing section about the Universal Father as The God of Personality.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



Two questions: Is it cheating to use medications to increase ones control of emotions?

Q: Our degree of self-control is the measure of our soul. Is it cheating to use medications to increase ones control of emotions like anger, sexual lust, anxiety or any other emotional unbalance?

A: It may be a measure of a person's soul that they think enough of themselves and other people to want to do whatever they can to get help if they feel out of control in the way of harmful emotional states. These states can be due to so many things - environmental, inherited, or simple imbalance, some of which can be addressed through medications. Sometimes people are not thinking of anything but relief from their symptoms...getting that relief may help them in their spiritual life.

Whether or not such a person is "cheating" because they may be getting help with harmful emotions seems a very subjective and personal matter which is none of my business. If it helps people to navigate in this world a little better for awhile, where's the harm? And why pass any kind of judgment?

Is it cheating to take a tranquilizer to keep from getting an anxiety attack? Drugs are drugs; some are intended to normalize abnormal behavior. To not use them when they're available and intended to correct a particular behavior pattern would be ignorant.

Jesus taught us that self-mastery is an ideal worth striving for. Those of us who are lucky enough to have this Revelation know that true self-mastery is a spiritual achievement which can be had through perseverance, determination, faith, trust, and prayer. But even so, just because a person takes medication to help them through a rough time in their life does not mean that they are failing at self-mastery. Seeking help may, in itself, be evidence of self-mastery. And spiritual work can surely be done even with medication.

How you get to self-mastery not be not the important thing - THAT you get there seems more important.

Q: I fully understand that some people HAVE to use medications to be calm, like those in psychiatric asylums. Though I was wondering whether it is a spiritual achievement to get self-control, when you are chemically under control through administered medications. I heard, as an example, about this dude who almost lived in celibacy, though his celibacy was a result of medications....not supreme self-control. If a person then buys anger-, sexual management pills to become more spiritual, is the result then spiritual or is it almost a pathetic attempt to cheat God?

A: So, to rephrase that - just so we're clear: Someone knows that self-control is a spiritual achievement. They want that spiritual achievement, so they buy pills to control their behavior chemically, hoping to become more spiritual as a result of the control because they can't control themselves any other way...?

I can't speak for God, or anyone else, but if their desire is truly spiritual growth, it'll probably work out - maybe not that way, but some way. God knows the heart, and I am sure he judges on that alone.

To cheat God? Spiritual achievement occurs when will power is used to overcome compulsions or desires. If one has no overriding sexual impulses or no predilection toward anger because they have been deadened through medications, then being celibate or placid have no spiritual components.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Friday, April 10, 2009

How is it possible for a first time personality to even be mature enough, wise enough to make eternal decisions?

Q: The Urantia Book describes the process by which we will eventually become one with our Thought Adjuster through "cooperating", submitting our will to God's will; making decisions, choices etc.... How is it possible for a first time personality to even be mature enough, wise enough to make eternal decisions?

A: It may not be possible to make eternal decisions in this earth life, although we can certainly make decisions that contribute to our eternal life. Like the process you describe in your question, we can choose to cooperate with our Thought Adjuster, we can decide that God's will is what we want in our lives, and we can reinforce those basic decisions with the every-day kinds of choices that we all face. By doing this, we grow our soul - the immortal part of us that will survive the death experience. And that is the eternal part of us that will eventually fuse with the TA. Even if we haven't made the "final decision" here - still, by contributing to our soul's growth, we are just that much better able to eventually make that decision when we are really ready.

Here's an abbreviated quote that might be helpful:

p449:4(40:8.1) ...practically all surviving mortals are fused with their Adjusters on one of the mansion worlds or immediately upon their arrival on the higher morontia spheres...

And this:

p538:1(47:8.3) This is a brilliant age for ascending mortals and usually witnesses the perfect fusion of the human mind and the divine Adjuster. In potential, this fusion may have occurred previously, but the actual working identity many times is not achieved until the time of the sojourn on the fifth mansion world or even the sixth.

For me, it is enough of a hope that my faith is sufficient to ensure that I will survive to wake up on the Mansion Worlds, and I think that is the best that most us can wish for at this juncture in our lives. And that's pretty good news! The Urantia Book teaches that fusion with the TA may be a long way off, even after we survive. That kind of decision is not made lightly, even though we may feel that we want it while we are here. As far as I know, only Enoch was able to achieve it here on Urantia, when he went up in a "flash of fire." The Urantia Book says that he was "the first," so maybe there have been others since then, but I don't know...Through our continuing purification, spirit identification, and education on the Mansion Worlds, we can hope to become far better equipped to make that kind of eternal decision when the time is right.

Just for interest, you might like to read about Death and Translation on the Spheres of Light and Life. I think we here on Urantia are going to be waiting a long time before that becomes a reality, but someday...

Thanks for this interesting question!

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



There is at this time a man in Brazil INRI CHRISTO...There is at this time a man in Brazil INRI CHRISTO ...

Q: There is at this time a man in Brazil INRI CHRISTO. He has founded the new church of Christ SOUST. What can you tell of him, is he the Christ among us of the second coming?

A: Just to be sure, I googled the name that you gave me, and came across a YouTube video of this man. Within a few seconds, I knew he could not be Jesus, as he was talking about demonic possession. From the time of Pentecost, there has been no such thing as demonic possession, and the devil is not an "energetic body," as this man claims; instead, the devil is the fallen one-time Prince of this planet. Jesus, when he walked the earth, vanquished this deceiver, and has taken his place.

Jesus did promise to someday return to the earth, and we can rest on that promise. But as to the hour or the day, no one can say.

Jesus said: "But the times of the reappearing of the Son of Man are known only in the councils of Paradise; not even the angels of heaven know when this will occur. However, you should understand that, when this gospel of the kingdom shall have been proclaimed to all the world for the salvation of all peoples, and when the fullness of the age has come to pass, the Father will send you another dispensational bestowal, or else the Son of Man will return to adjudge the age. p1915:2 (176:2.5)

I think you can be quite sure that this man is not who he claims to be.

As to your second question: who is inri cristo?

I think this is simply a mortal man who has delusions of being Jesus. I would not put any faith in such a person; instead, you would do well to visit our site and read about the REAL Jesus. Please go HERE for much more information about Jesus. Or go HERE to read the complete life and teachings of Jesus as presented in The Urantia Book, a Revelation of truth, beauty and goodness for the entire planet. This will serve you far better than putting your faith in pretenders

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Do please wake up

Q: Do you honestly believe that a woman can give birth to 63 children (your story about Adam and Eve)? What sort of process does your brain go through in order to deny the scientifically possible to believe this nonsense? Do please wake up.

A. Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com and yes, it does sound pretty preposterous doesn't it? You didn't mention the fact that Adam and Eve were supposed to be close to 8 feet tall when the native population was under 6 feet tall -- that would seem pretty preposterous, too. Also, that it's recounted that their bodies gave off a slight aura of color that could be seen with normal vision. If you want to pick at preposterousness then the recounting of the story of Adam and Eve is a great place to begin.

I think you'd have to understand a bit about what else The Urantia Book relates before being able to pluck the story of Adam and Eve from it and have it make much sense. Let me supply a bit of background for you.

Primarily, reality isn't material only; it's both material and spiritual although our relationship with the spiritual is tenuous at best -- we are, after all, the lowest form of free-will and personality endowed creatures in the universe and are intended to be living a nearly totally material existence here. Notwithstanding our ignorance, there is a spiritual overcontrol and administration that is ultimately in control of all material reality; it's responsible for, among many other things, seeing that each inhabited world receives an Adam and Eve at the appropriate time.

Adam and Eve are actually special creations called Material Sons (sometimes Material Sons and Daughters). The Urantia Book contains considerable information about these Material Sons, you can read a bit about them here...and here...

Feel free to further your critique once you've read the material.

Human evolution on an inhabited world proceeds along a normal evolutionary course and human beings naturally evolve up to an apex of physical, mental, and spiritual capacity. In order to develop beyond this limited natural apex an infusion of superior DNA is required, again a normal but rather spectacular event on a planet. This is done by these specially designed beings, the Material Sons, often called biologic uplifters, coming in person. Here's a bit more detailed write-up about this event if you're interested, which appears to scientifically verify this preposterous appearing event having occurred at the exact time in ancient history where The Urantia Book places it.

However, to address your point specifically; the purpose of an Adam and Eve when they are bestowed upon a planet, is to have children. Childbirth is not painful for Eve, it's her primary function and purpose for being here and she can and does have children one after another. So, yes, we do honestly believe that a superhuman woman such as Eve can give birth to considerably more than 63 children. The process our brain goes through is to understand what and why The Urantia Book relates the wealth of significant material it does. We don't deny what is and what isn't scientifically possible, and not only have woken up because of our study of The Urantia Book, we hope to assist everyone who can intelligently assess this material to wake up as well.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



When did Catholicism begin?

Q: When did Catholicism begin and where can I find a book to read about the beginnings of Catholicism

A: I am not sure that you are aware that you have asked your question at a site dedicated to the teachings of The Urantia Book...? The Urantia Book is the most recent revelation of God to mankind - the previous revelation of this magnitude was the mortal incarnation, life, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, over 2000 years ago. The Urantia Book includes in Part IV a complete restatement of the life and teachings of Jesus - perhaps that is how you came to believe that you could get your questioned answered, since our site is also dedicated to spreading the good news of Jesus' gospel...? I just want you to be aware that The Urantia Book is not connected to either the Catholic Church, or any other church. It is not a religion, in and of itself, but promotes the religion of personal experience, which is the religion that Jesus established when he was on earth. This religion differs in some fundamental ways from traditional Christian, or Catholic beliefs. But The Urantia Book is quite clear on Jesus' Divinity, so it is consistent in belief with all traditional churches in that regard.

The Catholic Church dates its beginnings to the confession of Peter - the occasion upon which Jesus asked the Apostles "Who say you that I am?" to which Peter replied, "You are the Deliverer, the Son of the living God." Following this declaration by Peter, the other eleven apostles agreed that Peter had spoken for all of them.

It was supposedly said by Jesus that "Upon this rock [Peter] I will build my church," making Peter the first "Pope," according to Catholic dogma. And so, throughout all of these centuries, every pope of the Catholic Church is said to be the representative of Peter, and the leader of the Church.

Since you have asked this question about the Catholic church at our site, I feel it might be of interest to you to know the differences between the Catholic Church, which is a religion ABOUT Jesus, and the actual religion OF Jesus, as presented in The Urantia Book. Please bear with me, if you will. I hope your mind is open enough to entertain some new information.

In The Urantia Book, we are given a detailed, almost day-by-day account of the life of Jesus. And this account includes the story of this conversation with Peter and the apostles. It was a very important occasion, as it was the first time that the apostles finally understood, and openly declared, that Jesus was not only a great teacher and a holy man (the Son of man), but that he was in truth, the actual Son of God as well, God-made-flesh.

I am providing a link HERE, so that you can read for yourself the account of this momentous occasion in The Urantia Book. Jesus established that day, not a church, but a living spiritual reality called the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Urantia Book teaches us that Jesus did not come to earth to establish a formalized church, even though many churches did spring up in his name following his death and resurrection. Instead, Jesus came to proclaim the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man; he came to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in the very hearts of mankind, so that man could know for certain that God is his Father, and so that every human being can have personal spiritual relations with that loving Father, as Jesus himself did.

Many churches claim that theirs is the "one, true church." Catholicism is one of them. One feature of any such church is dogma - theological teachings that must be embraced and rules that must be adhered to, lest a person suffer damnation, supposedly at the hands of a judgmental and jealous God. Jesus himself was raised in orthodox Judaism, and was also taught that he must adhere to Jewish dogma, principles and rituals so that he would stand in favor with God. As you know, he rebelled against that very strict upbringing.

Jesus preached against the establishment of any religion that would try to imprison the Truth and he became a great threat to the authority of the church leaders, who had him killed for his original and life-saving ideas. Jesus taught us that there is a true freedom of religious expression that can only be found through personal relations with God, who dwells within every man. It is through progressive and willing identification with this indwelling Spirit that man is able to achieve communion with the Father. Jesus was not in favor of any priest, rabbi, or other supposed "holy men" standing between man and God. He taught that we can live lives of spiritual freedom and originality with only our inner Spirit as our infallible guide.

Since you came upon our site, and took the time to ask a question of us, I hope that you will stay awhile, and read a bit more from The Urantia Book.

The Urantia Book clearly states that:

One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. p2090:4(196:1.3)

Please go HERE to our web page dedicated to Jesus, which contains many Urantia Book links, including a link to the story of Jesus' life and teachings (at the top of the page), as well as beautiful videos that you might enjoy.

And HERE to read about the beginnings of the Christian church, which bears Jesus' name.

As for books about the beginnings of Catholicism, I am sure you could find a wealth of selections at Amazon.com. They frequently have second-hand books at a great savings.

Thanks for hanging in with me this far. I don't know why you chose to ask your question of us, but I am glad that you did. Please write back any time...I hope you will take this gentle nudge, given in the spirit of brotherhood, to expand your knowledge and understanding of Jesus as presented in The Urantia Book. It is a book like no other, and a Revelation of God whose only equal is that of the Master, Jesus of Nazareth himself.

Labels: , , ,


Permalink



Who is this spirit that came to Lourdes, and many other places?

Q: Mother Mary has had many visitations to the Earth since her "Assumption". Who is this spirit that came to Lourdes, and many other places? Was Mary a disciple of Jesus?

A: Marian visitations and apparitions have been going on for decades. I remember as a child in Catholic school, Fatima and Lourdes were very hot topics, and they were always quite a mystery to me...still are! As late as the 1960s, apparitions - supposedly of Mary - were seen for many months by some young girls in Garabandal, Spain and caused quite a stir in the Catholic community. These apparitions are often accompanied by warnings, many very dire, about coming disasters, chastisements, and so forth. I remember in the Fatima visitations, there was supposedly a miracle, where the sun seemed to descend upon many thousands of people. This is pretty well documented through eyewitness reports, but seems to have been somewhat subjective, as many - even believers - saw nothing at all.

Over the centuries since Jesus walked the earth, Mary has been elevated to the status of a virtual deity among Catholics. She is seen as an intercessor, pleading with mortals to mend their ways, lest her son wreak some sort of disaster upon humanity for its wicked ways. She is seen as almost begging us, implying that she cannot stay her son's hand forever, meaning that Jesus will punish us severely if we don't repent. It is interesting to note that all of these apparitions occurred to Catholic youngsters, primarily adolescent girls.

The Urantia Book offers no information that I can find about this sort of thing, although I wish that it did. Were these phenomenon purely subjective? Were they a case of mass hysteria? Was there really a good spirit communicating with young children, offering clues to the future? If so, who could it be? As far as I know, there are no documented corrobortions of the predictions of any of these visitations. Many, many people experienced healing of ailments, as at Lourdes, but was this a real case of miraculous healing, or was it the faith of the ailing person that cured them? We have evidence of this happening during Jesus' life, as in the case of the woman with the spirit of infirmity. Faith is a powerful adjunct to healing.

Unfortunately, I can offer no explanation for these events, and while I find them very interesting - even amazing - I have a hard time believing that they are Divine visitations. Our heavenly Father does not deal in fear and warnings, but in love and salvation. God works from within the individual heart and soul, and I think he would not need to use such dramatic means to call attention to himself. He waits for his children to come to him, and dwells as the "still, small voice," leading the way to his will. Having said that, I sometimes wish that there could be some kind of world-wide Divine event that would get the attention of people who need some proof of God, but so far, that has not happened. The truth is that we humans are engaged in a life that requires rugged faith and the religion of personal spiritual experience to produce any real spiritual progress - not apparitions and visitations by supposedly supernatural beings. Consider this Urantia Book quote:

Religion lives and prospers, then, not by sight and feeling, but rather by faith and insight. It consists not in the discovery of new facts or in the finding of a unique experience, but rather in the discovery of new and spiritual meanings in facts already well known to mankind. The highest religious experience is not dependent on prior acts of belief, tradition, and authority; neither is religion the offspring of sublime feelings and purely mystical emotions. It is, rather, a profoundly deep and actual experience of spiritual communion with the spirit influences resident within the human mind, and as far as such an experience is definable in terms of psychology, it is simply the experience of experiencing the reality of believing in God as the reality of such a purely personal experience.
p1105:1(101:1.4)

As to the second part of your question: Mary, the mother of Jesus was not strictly a disciple of Jesus. She was his mother; and throughout Jesus life, Mary was at various times loving, proud, perplexed, hopeful, and also bitterly disappointed as to the course that her son's life took. She was quite a normal human mother, with a normal mother's care and concern for her child's welfare. You can read more about Mary HERE

The "Marys" who were disciples of Jesus were Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the sister of Lazarus.

I wish I could have given you a better answer, but I hope this has been of some help to you...

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink

Thursday, March 26, 2009

I read in FAQ that people go to the Mansion Worlds or "they go to sleep, to await a dispensational resurrection". What kind of living/life leads to on

Q: I read in FAQ that people go to the Mansion Worlds or "they go to sleep, to await a dispensational resurrection". What kind of living/life leads to one or the other?

A: Thanks for writing to us with this question. Here is a Urantia Book description of sleeping survivors - those who are awaiting dispensational resurrection:

Sleeping Survivors. All mortals of survival status, in the custody of personal guardians of destiny, pass through the portals of natural death and, on the third period, personalize on the mansion worlds. Those accredited beings who have, for any reason, been unable to attain that level of intelligence mastery and endowment of spirituality which would entitle them to personal guardians, cannot thus immediately and directly go to the mansion worlds. Such surviving souls must rest in unconscious sleep until the judgment day of a new epoch, a new dispensation, the coming of a Son of God to call the rolls of the age and adjudicate the realm, and this is the general practice throughout all Nebadon. It was said of Christ Michael that, when he ascended on high at the conclusion of his work on earth, "He led a great multitude of captives." And these captives were the sleeping survivors from the days of Adam to the day of the Master's resurrection on Urantia.p341:1(30:4.4)

As you can see, the key here is whether one has been entitled to a personal guardian. From The Urantia Book: "since the bestowal of Michael, they [personal guardians] are assigned in accordance with human intelligence, spirituality, and destiny. "

This attainment of a personal guardian has much to do with the seven cosmic circles of attainment. I suggest you give this a careful read.

Another Urantia Book passage on this subject:

Mortals of the individual orders of ascension. The individual progress of human beings is measured by their successive attainment and traversal (mastery) of the seven cosmic circles. These circles of mortal progression are levels of associated intellectual, social, spiritual, and cosmic-insight values. Starting out in the seventh circle, mortals strive for the first, and all who have attained the third immediately have personal guardians of destiny assigned to them. These mortals may be repersonalized in the morontia life independent of dispensational or other adjudications.p569:3(49:6.8)

These circles are a spiritual kind of benchmark by which human progress is measured. There are no precise definitions given - in fact only a few of these circles are described at all, but this following passage does shed some light on the subject, and offers clues as to the kind of behavior and attitude one should cultivate in order to successfully navigate them:

It is to the mind of perfect poise, housed in a body of clean habits, stabilized neural energies, and balanced chemical function—when the physical, mental, and spiritual powers are in triune harmony of development—that a maximum of light and truth can be imparted with a minimum of temporal danger or risk to the real welfare of such a being. By such a balanced growth does man ascend the circles of planetary progression one by one, from the seventh to the first. p1209:4(110:6.4)

It is not necessarily a bad thing to be a sleeping survivor - it could be that many of us will be in that group - it simply means that the growth needed for attaining that third circles was not attained before death. This could be due to any number of factors - some may be beyond one's control; nonetheless, all sleeping survivors are still counted among the saved, as they are resurrected in groups at the end of divine dispensations, such as that of Jesus, when he finally departed from Earth. They go on to progress in eternity just as do all others.

Thanks for this interesting question!

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink

Friday, March 20, 2009

Who is God the Supreme and God the Ultimate?

Q: If the Universal Father is the God of all creation, the First Source and Center, and perfect in all aspects then who is God the Supreme and God the Ultimate?

A: Our God is a wonderful administrator, as well as the Universal Father, God of all creation and "perfect in all aspects." He is the perfect Executive, among all of his other sterling attributes.

What makes a perfect executive? Well, good executives always delegate authority. The Universal Father has delegated authority in the persons of the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit, for starters, creating the perfect Trinity. It is a mystery, but this Trinity of the persons of God are, like him, eternally present, having had no beginning. A great mystery, but true nonetheless.

Together with the three persons of the Trinity, there are four other Deity manifestations -seven in all You have named God the Supreme, and God the Ultimate:

God the Supreme—the actualizing or evolving God of time and space. Personal Deity associatively realizing the time-space experiential achievement of creature-Creator identity. The Supreme Being is personally experiencing the achievement of Deity unity as the evolving and experiential God of the evolutionary creatures of time and space.p4:9(0:2.12)

It is through the Supreme that the First Source and Center experiences individuality and creation. God the Supreme allows the Universal Father to experience growth - the growth of the time-space creations. The Universal Father, in and of himself, is already perfect, as you pointed out. He has no need to experience growth, as he is perfect. Through the Supreme, he is able to escape that "limitation."

Having achieved existential Deity expression of himself in the Son and the Spirit, the Father is now achieving experiential expression on hitherto impersonal and unrevealed deity levels as God the Supreme, God the Ultimate, and God the Absolute; but these experiential Deities are not now fully existent; they are in process of actualization. p10:11 (0:7.4)

Finally:

Do not entertain the idea that, since the Universal Father has delegated so much of himself and his power to others, he is a silent or inactive member of the Deity partnership. Aside from personality domains and Adjuster bestowal, he is apparently the least active of the Paradise Deities in that he allows his Deity co-ordinates, his Sons, and numerous created intelligences to perform so much in the carrying out of his eternal purpose. He is the silent member of the creative trio only in that he never does aught which any of his co-ordinate or subordinate associates can do. p362:5(32:4.1)

So, to sum up: The Universal Father is, was and always will be. He had no beginning and he will have no end. His is primal force and power. The Son is the Father's divine Word, and the Spirit is eternal Action. All three are eternal, and have no beginning or end. The remaining Deity manifestations are experiential and evolutionary. They did have a beginning, but will have no end, as they eventually manifest their purposes in the Universe of Universes.

So, even though God is indeed, perfect in himself, he has created a situation where he is able to escape that perfection to such an extent that he can actually experience imperfection. Another way he does this is to bestow himself in the form of the Thought Adjusters, and so, he even experiences the day-to-day lives of even his lowliest creatures like you and me.

To me, it seems a brilliant plan - and who could expect any less of our great and good Spirit Father?

I hope this has been helpful to you. If you would like to pursue further study, nothing will take the place of actually reading The Urantia Book in its entirety; however, you can do spot-studies by using our search feature, which can help you to pinpoint words and phrases. And please feel free to sign up for Quote of the Day, our daily offering of the best of Urantia Book quotes sent to your inbox, free of charge. Go HERE , or just click on subscribe

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


Permalink



Since the Adam and Eve failure why not simply scrap the project and do it over?

Q: Since the Adam and Eve failure why not simply scrap the project and do it over? And as to the Calagastia upheaval why not simply send a new resident planetary prince in the old one's stead?

A: It's hard to answer for the decisions of the administrators of life development on this world; we have limited and short sighted vision while they understand the outworkings of events far beyond our understanding. So I'll have to guess.

By scrapping the project and doing it over I'm assuming you mean send Adam and Eve back to clean up after themselves. That does seem to be a possibility, although an unlikely one. It may be that more good will come from allowing us to work our own way through this predicament by ourselves, if possible. Also, having a highly advanced culture imposed on us from the outside now presents its own set of problems. I don't expect the vast majority of humanity would take kindly to being invaded by aliens and having their will imposed upon us. UB readers like the prospects... most everyone else would resist I imagine.

As for the Planetary Prince -- I believe Jesus fills that function for now and he some day will return, whether invisible or in person we don't know. It just doesn't look like we're in line for outside help beyond whatever's already being provided. It would be great if the plan had been carried out, if we had a visible and invisible 500,000 year old seat of planetary administration and a 38,000 year old Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve running worldly affairs but it looks like the life on this experimental world will continue to unfold along the lines of the predominantly material driven promptings of our own doing, leaving it up to ourselves to discover the spiritual underpinnings of reality.

Thank you for your question. Hope the answer was of some help.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink

Friday, March 13, 2009

Are the teachings of Jesus practicable?

Q: Are the teachings of Jesus practicable?

A: Jesus' teachings are certainly practicable - even after 2000 years, the life and teachings of Jesus provide the best source of knowledge that any child of God needs to lead a successful spiritual life. Jesus was a Divine being, and yet he was also a true human who lived a normal life, just as we do. Even though we will not live life in exactly the same way, still, the life that Jesus lived and the teachings that he gave are ever fresh, ever relevant to any mortal who wishes to know how to live as a son or daughter of God. Jesus was, and is, truly one of us.

What are the teachings of Jesus? Jesus taught us that we are children of a loving God, and that as such we are all connected in one great family - we are all brothers and sisters because we share the same Father. Jesus taught that by faith, we become sharers with him in the Kingdom of Heaven, and we become true universe citizens.This truth of Jesus' teaching has not changed. We are still called to seek God through faith, to love God as our Father and to love one another - to serve one another, and to treat others with love and tolerance. Jesus lived as he taught, and so the study of his life is vital to an understanding of what it means to be a child of God

This is one of the greatest gifts that we receive when we read The Urantia Book - we are gifted with Jesus' entire life story - not just the few years of his public ministry that are in the Bible. We see his life as he lived it in his day and time, but in that life are to be found all of the kinds of challenges, joys and discoveries that all normal humans experience; not in exactly the same way, but human nature is not so different today than it was in his time. Emotions are the same - the search for truth, beauty and goodness is the same today as it was then, and the God that Jesus revealed through his life is still the same God - today and evermore.

From The Urantia Book:

To "follow Jesus" means to personally share his religious faith and to enter into the spirit of the Master's life of unselfish service for man. One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. p2090:4(196:1.3)

And:

The nature of God can be studied in a revelation of supreme ideas, the divine character can be envisaged as a portrayal of supernal ideals, but the most enlightening and spiritually edifying of all revelations of the divine nature is to be found in the comprehension of the religious life of Jesus of Nazareth, both before and after his attainment of full consciousness of divinity.p33:2(2:0.2)

In Part IV of The Urantia Book is to be found this complete life story. I hope you will be inspired to read it, and through reading it, to be assured that in Jesus' life - both before and after his realization of his Divinity - is to be found solid guidance and wisdom for our 21st century lives.

Thank you for writing to us with this important question.

Labels: , , ,


Permalink



What happens to the majority of humans after death?

Q: What happens to the majority of humans after death?

A: The Urantia Book has quite a lot of information regarding eternal life, e.g., what an ascension candidate is, what happens to us after we die, and what the eternal career has in store. Much time is spent in the discussion and revelation of the ascension plan for humans. Just as Jesus died a mortal death and resurrected in three days' time, so we, too, can anticipate resurrection - not here on earth, as in the case of Jesus, but in one of the Father's seven mansion worlds that Jesus told us about, and about which The Urantia Book devotes a great deal of its teachings

We are told that "Mortals are all animal-origin evolutionary beings of ascendant potential." (underline is mine) And as Adjuster-indwelt mortals, all of us here on Urantia have as our destiny the adventure of one day returning to the Father on Paradise.

The section titled The Ascending Mortals begins:

"The following narrative presents the universe career of an Adjuster-indwelt mortal. The Son- and Spirit-fused mortals share portions of this career, but we have elected to tell this story as it pertains to the Adjuster-fused mortals, for such a destiny may be anticipated by all of the human races of Urantia." (underline is mine)

I think it is safe to say that the majority of humans will follow this career. Of course, there are those who may not, but that remains an individual choice, and one which may not be able to be finally and rightly made until we have passed from death on this planet to the status of survivor.

As to the immediate experience of life after death, I would invite you to view our short and beautiful flash video called After You Die, which outlines in great detail the teachings of The Urantia Book about this fascinating subject.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink



How did you get your information? That is, about Jesus, God, Yahweh , Melchizedek, etc.

Q: I am quite intrigued about your facts about Jesus. I have been searching for the life style of Jesus before he started his ministry. But I have a question: How did you get your information? That is, about Jesus, God, Yahweh , Melchizedek, etc.

A: Thank you for your note and we're glad to hear that you're intrigued by the material we offer about Jesus. May I suggest that the more you read and know and understand the life and teachings of Jesus the more real he will become and the stronger the connection you will experience. You can begin the story as it is related in The Urantia Book from our site HERE where you can also listen to the text as you read along.

To understand how this information has become available you have to have an understanding of The Urantia Book; the recounting of Jesus' life and teachings is but one of the four parts that comprise this masterful book, first printed in 1955. The purpose of the book is not only to lift Jesus' life and teachings up from the Christian dogma that has surrounded it for the past 2,000 years but also to place it in context with the most recent revelation of spiritual truth to our world, the Urantia revelation, which is sometimes described as a handbook for acquiring cosmic citizenry.

We have a number of study aids available on our site to help with understanding The Urantia Book -- if you'll view our home page at www.truthbook.com in the blue links section at the left side you'll see "Jesus and The Urantia Book," "Urantia Book Video," "Answers to Life's Toughest Questions," "How The Urantia Book Changed My Life," "Spiritual Studies," and "FAQ" -- each of these sections will each provide a wealth of information about the book and about some of the people who study it. As informative and interesting as these materials are however, nothing substitutes for reading the book for oneself and making a personal decision regarding its authenticity, truth content, and value.

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. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Best wishes in your search and please feel free to write any time.

Labels: , , , , ,


Permalink

Thursday, March 05, 2009

I don't have anything against the Urantia Book but how do the authors know certain things that are not even mentioned in the Bible ...?

Q: I don't have anything against the Urantia Book but how do the authors know certain things that are not even mentioned in the Bible - such as Adam and Eve were not the first ones who lived in Earth, the presence of Prince Caligastia,etc..?

A: How the authors know these things is no mystery -- the authors live in a reality different from ours and information such as you've mentioned is readily available to them, much like someone living near the Library of Congress and having ready access to its more than 18 million books compared with someone having no internet or library connection living in a rural area. They know more because they have access to more. A large part of The Urantia Book is its revelatory nature - the authors reveal things that have been heretofore either unknown, or forgotten, or misunderstood. The subjects that you mentioned are part of that revealed knowledge. The stories of Adam and Eve, and the Planetary Prince put our history into a new, understandable, and Divine perspective - they help us to gain a new worldview of ourselves - our origins and our destiny.

Maybe the question you really wanted to ask is, why should I believe this information since it's not found elsewhere?

First, you shouldn't believe anything just because someone says you should believe it. You're in possession of a rational mind that can provide you with reality and truth responses and you're the only one responsible for your own beliefs. If something doesn't seem rational, doesn't seem real, doesn't seem true to you then either you should do more investigation or you should reject it. Second, perhaps 90% of what's contained within the pages of The Urantia Book is found at least in part in other published works; they may not be well known but then that's part of the purpose of The Urantia Book, to make them known, for them to be identified and to be studied. Furthemore, you are in possession of the Spirit of Truth - the literal representation of Jesus, who he promised he would leave with us when he left our earth. This is our sure and ever-present guide into all truth.

There's only one way to know if The Urantia Book is real and if it is true and that is to read it for yourself and to decide for yourself. Is it logical? Does it make sense? Does it exhibit truth, goodness, beauty? Does it give you hope and enhance your thinking and your living? Most importantly, does its teachings help you to become closer to God, and improve your relationship with him? If you find the answers to these questions being yes, then why be confused by anything less?

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

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink



The Urantia book often refrences "human beings". What does the term "human" encompass, inhabitants of Urantia, or all universal world inhabitants?

Q: The Urantia book often references "human beings". What does the term "human" encompass, inhabitants of Urantia, or all universal world inhabitants?

A: To be human is a condition of mind, having a connection with the sixth and seventh adjutant mind spirits. Paleontologists define human beings as having human skeletons; The Urantia Book indicates that there were human-like beings long before the first true humans evolved, before worship and wisdom appeared as mind endowments; that's what differentiates human beings from human-like animals.

All worlds with free will mortals ministered to by the seven adjutant mind spirits will be inhabited by human beings; when the revelators want to specifically refer to human life here on earth they refer to us as Urantians rather than generically as human beings.

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



Is there a copy of this book made for a teenager at a young adult’s level? Thank you for your help.

Q: Is there a copy of this book made for a teenager at a young adult’s level? Thank you for your help.

A: Thank you for your note. Many readers today began reading The Urantia Book as teenagers -- some quite young. There have been several "restatements" of The Urantia Book aimed at simplifying the concepts; that may or may not be a good idea since it is the usage of the language that is the revelation and not the facts the book contains -- any simplification will concentrate on facts. However, the MorningStar Foundation, does carry all of the Urantia related materials currently available and you might look there for something you think would be appropriate.

People of any age can read and appreciate much of what's contained in The Urantia Book...The Lucifer Rebellion, the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Andon and Fonta, and all of Part IV.

A special bond can develop between parent and child as these stories are read aloud and the ideas presented there are discussed. Also, since the book is available in audio readers can play the audio as they read along, a great way to expand comprehension of the material.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

What does The Urantia Book say about the practice of euthanasia?

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

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

The Urantia Book says this:

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for this thought-provoking question.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Permalink



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

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

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

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

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

The true church—the Jesus brotherhood—is invisible, spiritual, and is characterized by unity...(195:10.11)

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: , ,


Permalink



Does The Urantia Book have a Golden Rule?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: , , , , , ,


Permalink

Saturday, February 14, 2009

When does the soul enter the human body?

Q: When does the soul enter the human body?

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

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

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

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

Thank you for this important question...

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paper 107:Origin and Nature of Thought Adjusters

Paper 108:Mission and Ministry of Thought Adjusters

Paper 109:Relation of Adjusters to Universe Creatures

Paper 110:Relation of Adjusters to Individual Mortals

Paper 111:The Adjuster and the Soul

Thanks for this interesting question!

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



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

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

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

Labels: , , , ,


Permalink



Will we know one another in heaven?

Q: Will we know one another in heaven?

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

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

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

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

Thanks for writ