Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

This is a very inspiring presentation. It is a reprise of a lecture given by Randy Pausch, a very learned man, both mentally and spiritually, who was facing imminent death at the time of this talk. The original talk was given to his students, and this one is a condensed version from the Oprah Show. Good lessons for life!

Labels: cancer, choice, death, family, joy, Oprah, Rany Pausch

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

How do I know if I am destined to survive...?

I am concerned about the use of the term 'surviving mortal.' How do I know if I am destined to survive, and is there any chance I will not survive between my planet of origin and the first Mansion world?

I guess there is always a chance, but it seems to me that the overwhelming feeling that one gets from reading the Revelation is that the vast majority of human beings WILL survive in eternity. And that includes you.

My understanding is that one must simply CHOOSE to survive, and then have FAITH that that survival is inevitable. Doubt is the one thing that the believer has to resist, and so Jesus always exhorted us to develop a living faith - one that leaves no room for doubt. Unless you deliberately choose otherwise, your survival is assured.

"The door of eternal life is wide open to all; "whosoever will may come"; there are no restrictions or qualifications save the faith of the one who comes."(139:12.7)

Even if you may fear that your own faith might be somewhat lacking, The Urantia Book says this:

... it is the nature of the Sons of God to give every created being a full and equal chance for salvation and survival. Jesus wanted not only the mortals of this world but the onlookers of innumerable other worlds to know that, when doubts exist as to the sincerity and wholeheartedness of a creature's devotion to the kingdom, it is the invariable practice of the Judges of men fully to receive the doubtful candidate. p1566:6 (139:12.7)

The Master looked upon men as the sons of God and foresaw a magnificent and eternal future for those who chose survival. He was not a moral skeptic; he viewed man positively, not negatively. He saw most men as weak rather than wicked, more distraught than depraved. But no matter what their status, they were all God's children and his brethren. p2093:3 (196:2.9)

I think you can rest assured that you will also be given every opportunity to survive, if that is your desire. Your faith and your own choice in this matter are the keys to eternal life.

I hope you will take a look at two of our short flash presentations regarding this issue. One is: You Can Live Forever and the other one is After You Die. Both of these presentation are beautiful condensations of Urantia Book truth regarding the surety of survival, and eternal life.

Labels: choice, death, faith, God, Jesus, survival, The Urantia Book

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Is Our Family Pre-Determined?

Q: Are the parents you receive on Earth pre-planned according to some kind of guideplan? Some children grow up under very spiritually dry environments e.g. the son and daughter of Anthony Lavey, compared to the children of Martin Luther King, Jr.

A: As far as we know from the teachings of The Urantia Book, the only pre-planning of parents that has transpired over the million year course of human history was the selection of Jesus' earth parents -- the three most promising sets of parents were identified and Joseph and Mary were chosen from among them to provide the incarnation of the Creator Son the best opportunity for fulfilling his pre-ordained mission. Normal human beings don't have pre-ordained missions that require fulfilling.

The purpose of the mansion worlds is to provide the remedial environment for whatever is lacking in this material life. People brought up in non-spiritual environments, such as in the Satanic church, can still develop spiritualized thinking -- they still have guardian angels, the ministry of the Spirit of Truth, Thought Adjusters -- just as those raised under the best of conditions can disavow the spiritual reality of life. Environment has a strong impact but it can be overcome through choice.

At conception our personality, the potential for the person we're to become, most likely gravitates toward parents who might provide the kind of environment suitable for our development. But, through the vicissitudes of life, there's no insurance that life will unfold as might have been projected. So, in answer to this question, it would appear that basically no, parents are not pre-ordained; it's the luck of the draw and we learn to make the best of the circumstances into which we're born.

Labels: Anthony Lavey, choice, Jesus, Jr, Mansion Worlds, Martin Luther King, parenting, personality, The Urantia Book