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Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Jesus, The Urantia Book states:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sunday, September 27, 2009

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: authorship, origins, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

An Interesting Hypothesis

Q: i never believed sadler had anything to do with the original transcripts of the
urantia papers. the papers came from europe, via an 1800's expedition that led the group through india, nepal, the himalayas and other places as well. that's where the papers began to be related by non-human beings. i can't believe people can cover up the truth and attribute the origin of the urantia papers to sadler or any other human. The papers are not from america, and the name urantia belongs to all humans. i can't believe all the court issues, and one day the truth will be revealed. sadler and others really did a good cover up job, but not good enough. I've been researching this since 1970 and i will never believe sadler's version and i certainly dont recognize any group who claims to themselves special titles and special authority over the urantia manuscripts. shame to all the liars for perpetuating the illusions of lies and falsehood. they will stand and face their own deceit one day.

Thank you for your interesting note. Your unique hypothesis is one I've never heard before. Why do you think it's a better one than the one that's commonly accepted? Why do you think the commonly accepted one is a fabrication? What to you is more meaningful about an origin in the east rather than originating in Chicago that would cause you to believe such an account?

To me it sounds as if you may be hanging onto the "new age" concepts that everything spiritually meaningful came from some ancient sources in China or Tibet or India in the 1800s. Since such new age concepts aren't supported by the teachings of The Urantia Book and since the Chicago origin of the Urantia papers is so well documented by many hundreds of personal letters, documents, and other records I don't find any reasonable support for such a contention.

If, as you believe, the papers originated in the east, what language would they have been given in? The papers themselves say they were indited in English. The reason English was chosen is first, it has the largest vocabulary of any written language which makes expression of the sublime concepts presented by the revelators somewhat easier, but even at that the language often proved to be a stumbling block. Still, the quality of English used in The Urantia Book is of the highest standard of any literary work -- that couldn't have been achieved by a translation from some less expressive language into English. Second, due to commerce, English is becoming the one-world-language that is so necessary in order for humanity to progress toward that one-world-government on its way toward light and life. More and more of the peoples of the world are becoming able to read the Urantia revelation in its original language, not inferior translations.

Another consideration would be that since much of the content of The Urantia Book comes directly from books previously published, although altered to express higher concepts than the original contained, and since some of those books weren't published until the 1930s, how would that material have been included if the original Urantia text came from somewhere in the east in the 1800s?

But, just as you said, I never believed Dr. Sadler had anything to do with the original transcripts of the Urantia papers either. He was a custodian and more the gatekeeper for their reception -- his job was to see that they were properly received, were reviewed, were put into untampered book form, and I believe he fulfilled his purpose better than nearly any other mortal presented with such a responsibility could or would have done.

You did say you can't believe people can cover up the truth and attribute the origin of the Urantia papers to Sadler or any other human. Neither can I -- all the more reason not to accept a far-east origin. Since the origin in Chicago is the most logical and most simple, that also would tend to make it the most believable.

I agree with you that the name Urantia belongs to all humans, not just to Americans, and I've not seen any evidence that anyone else believes otherwise. And as you said, the court issues are a sad chapter to our history, but certainly not unique.

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing why your interpretation makes better sense to you than what most of us accept as truth. One of the purposes of studying The Urantia Book is to become more fully in tune with truth, to dispel flighty thinking, to rely upon what our minds sense as being logical and of value; that requires altering our thinking and being able to accept truth as we find it rather than truth as we'd like it to be.

Labels: authorship, The Urantia Book, transcripts, truth, Urantia

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The Urantia Book And The Bible

Q: I was wondering who wrote the Urantia and it appears to me that this person had a tremendous insight into the Bible. The Urantia has help me to understand the Bible and vice versa. Therefore, I am very interested about the writer of The Urantia.

A: Who wrote The Urantia Book? If you'll go to our site at Truthbook.Com and take the link at the left side of the home page that says "FAQ" you'll find the first section contains answers "About The Urantia Book" which go into much more detail than what I'll be writing here. In one sense The Urantia Book is a compilation of many of the most significant writings produced over the past several hundred years or earlier and from several hundred authors who mastered in their fields. However, these authors just provided the foundation source material for the book's inspired teachings in science, religion, philosophy, social engineering, history, anthropology, theology, biology, archeology, physics, and the other topics the book addresses. The real authors of the 197 chapters of the book are both celestial beings (22 authors) and a commission of unseen planetary stewards residing here.

For this material to be printed in book form required human beings, but they had no involvement in producing the text other than to at times to ask for clarification or to submit questions during its period of reception. Although this is a very unorthodox way for a book to be produced, the teachings of The Urantia Book stand on their own merits -- students of the book read and study in spite of its unconventional origin -- there is no human authority, no person to look up to or revere, no official religion, no clergy that interprets or speaks for the authority and validity of the book's teaching. That's up to each reader to come to grips with themselves. There are organizations of readers to promote the teachings and fellowship and to assure that books are printed and distributed, of which we are one, but the book stands on its own without a human heritage.

So, yes, the authors of the Urantia Papers had tremendous insight into the Bible as well as into every other aspect of human activity. There is nothing else like The Urantia Book in print -- it is unique. We're glad you found the book and that it has helped you understand the Bible -- for most readers The Urantia Book makes the Bible even more precious and meaningful.

Labels: authority, authorship, Bible, The Urantia Book

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Urantia Book Questions

Q: Who wrote the Urantia Book? How do we know what you say is true? The Bible has been re-written so many times that it becomes questionable, but how can we believe or trust the writings of The Urantia Book? Where are you getting your facts?

A: Thank you for your questions about The Urantia Book.

The authors of the Urantia Book are celestial personalities. Some are ascended mortals, some are angels, some are high Sons of God - all were mandated by The Ancients of Days to deliver the Urantia Papers to humanity. This delivery took place during the early years of the 20th century, and was completed in 1934. The final section of The Urantia Book - the Life and Teachings of Jesus - were delivered in toto a short time later, and the entire book was first published in final form in 1955 in Chicago. Many of the concepts (over 1000) in the book were already here on the planet in those days, in already published works, and the Revelators re-worded and re-worked many of these high human concepts and incorporated them into the text. So, in that sense, there was also a fair amount of worthwhile human thought involved - in a peripheral way. But the main bulk of the information in The Urantia Book is a brilliantly crafted treatise of celestial origin - completely unique.

I am not an author of the book, and I have no way to convince you that what is contained in its covers is true. The only way that one can discern the truth of The Urantia Book is by opening it up and reading it. Many people who have done just that are completely convinced of its truth, and have allowed that truth to expand their worldview, inform their spiritual lives, and improve their understanding of, and communion with, God. Others read some of it, and decide that they are not interested, or they decide to leave it alone for any number of reasons. The Truthbook.com site is dedicated to making the Urantia Book available and accessible to people on the internet. We exist for that purpose, and are not in the business of proselytising or trying to convince anyone of anything. The Urantia Book stands alone, on its own merits. Again, the only way to know of its truth is to read it for yourself and judge for yourself whether or not it is, indeed, true.

Having said that, I wish to expand a little bit on one or two things, just by way of further explanation, so you can make an informed decision about it. One of the concepts of The Urantia Book that is very attractive is the concept of the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth is that "good spirit" that was promised by Jesus to take his place after his ascension into heaven, and which was delivered to humanity at Pentecost. This Spirit is in every way like Jesus, except for the fact that it is a spiritual reality, not a material reality, as Jesus was in the flesh. The Spirit of Truth indwells each person and assists us to discern truth, wherever it is found. You possess this Spirit as well as anyone else, and I invite you to keep that in mind, and keep an open mind, when you approach The Urantia Book.

The Urantia Book does parallel the Bible in many respects, and explains to us why the Bible and all ancient Scripture must also be read with discernment - just because of the human element that was involved in all of that re-writing and such...and you should also read The Urantia Book with that same discernment. Jesus himself was very selective in his use of Scripture. The Urantia Book does not claim to be inerrant, or the "word of God." It is a gift of Revelation to Earth, and is meant to fill in the gaps in our understanding of earth history, of universe cosmology, of Divinity, and of the life and teachings of Jesus. I am sure you would agree that there do exist many, many gaps in our knowledge of these things. The Urantia Book answers all of these many questions in a way that is satisfying both intellectually and spiritually. Part IV - The Life and Teachings of Jesus - is one superb example of this kind of filling in the gaps, as it narrates the life of Jesus as a whole - from his birth, through his childhood, his adolescence, and into his manhood and his mission of proclaiming the good news as we have only known it from the New Testament. The difference is that in The Urantia Book, ALL the missing years and missing events are, for the first time, given to us to enjoy and as sublime inspiration for our modern times.

You can come to trust the writings of The Urantia Book, but not because I say so, because Truthbook says so, or because IT says so. Your own Spirit within will bear witness to you if you are a sincere seeker for the truth. Doubt is the human condition, and nothing bad will happen to you if you decide not to seriously read The Urantia Book. The most important thing is to keep searching for God, to stay on the road to righteousness, follow Jesus, love God, and be a good sister to others.

Thanks again for writing. I hope this reply has been helpful to you. Please feel free to subscribe to the Quote of the Day, a free service of Truthbook.com, and also please look over our site. You might find some of the Urantia Book history helpful (click on The Urantia Book in the left hand menu, and choose a topic) and also you might like to read some of the personal stories of people who feel that The Urantia Book changed their lives for the better (on the left-side menu).

Labels: authorship, Bible, Jesus, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book, trust, Truthbook

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Three Important Questions

Q: 1. What is the source of the Urantia book? Who wrote it and where did the extra-biblical information come from?
2. What is the means by which a person enters into relationship with God? Is it automatic for everyone, or is there something that a person must believe or do?
3. Who is responsible for authorititively interpreting the teachings in the Urantia book? Is there an individual or group who is responsible?

Thank you for your post to Truthbook.com. Yes, this can be confusing on first contact -- I'll see if I can help.

For background, The Urantia Book speaks for itself; it claims to be the next (the fifth) revelation of truth to the world following on the heels of Jesus and as such it proclaims that nothing that has transpired in the intervening 2000 years is of the epochal significance it presents to you personally. There are organizations that publish the book and handle administrative tasks related to the shepherding of the revelation but there are no official pronouncements about the book's contents other than those the book makes regarding itself. As a new revelation of divine truth it is written specifically to you, not to any one culture, group, religion, race, but to each of its individual readers. It is a revelation of truth in book form with no authorized human spokesperson.

With that background the answer to your first question is -- the authors of the 196 Papers (or chapters) of the book plus its foreword are listed and described within the text of the book -- we'd call them celestial beings because they do not live here (on Urantia) -- they were tasked with a divine mandate to present the new knowledge and spiritual insight that are contained in the book. This occurred in the 1930s and was completed by the early 1940s; the book was first published in 1955. Some of the celestial beings either are, or are in close contact with, the angels administering life on this world -- the extra-biblical information you mention comes either from previously published or written records, or, when those were inadequate, it and other revelatory material comes from the records the angels keep.

Your second question: an excellent and insightful question. There is no teaching, no philosophy, no religion that is required in order to enter into a relationship with God. Teachings, religions, philosophies can help, can provide stepping stones and bridges to know and understand our heavenly Father, but any human being, even one born and raised in the jungle, can have a personal relationship with God -- God resides within every human being (in the Urantia revelation this divine fragment of the heavenly Father is named the adjuster, thought adjuster, mystery monitor). God is right here within us, we each have an inborn urge to seek God in whatever manner we may and if we do so a connection is made. Meditation may help, prayer and worship may help, a tragic or life-altering event may help or the connection may just come naturally. However natural this connection may be, it isn't automatic or automatically experienced because many people don't recognize its existence. God reaches down to us but we are required also to reach up toward God in order for that connection to occur.

Your third question -- who is responsible for authoritatively interpreting its teachings? You are. No one else is. The book is written to you -- your challenge is to read it. If it rings true your life will be transformed. If it doesn't then it would be your duty to refute its teachings -- that's something many attempt to do without reading the book or understanding its message so such criticisms are irrelevant. There are thousands of students of The Urantia Book who would be willing to discuss their understanding of its teachings with you but the only way to know the truth is to taste and experience if first hand.

Best Wishes,

LarryWatkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: authorship, God, interpretation, Larry Watkins, relationship with God, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster