Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

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: end of the world, end times, faith, fear, Jesus, prophecy, The Urantia Book, trust

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Are Reptilians real?

Q: Are Reptilians real?

A: Have you personally had contact with Reptilians? Our human nature contains not only the vestiges of our long evolutionary origin, up through ghost fear, worship of plants, stones and nature, the concepts of chance, good and bad luck, ancestor worship, fetishes, totems, charms, magic, shamans, medicine men, and primitive forms of prayer but also higher forms of logical thinking, genuine prayer, communion and worship; we've carried a lot of baggage in our minds to reach this point in our long evolutionary struggle.

Just as there are those who delight in fear and fearful thoughts, there are those who delight in digging into the inexplicable and the seemingly strange and weird happenings reported about the globe; they make careers of it. We still hang onto notions that there's an underpinning of magic in reality and that "anything's possible." And for those who seek out strangeness, it's there.

Do you understand who Jesus was, why he came, what he did, what he taught, who he is now? If so then the fear of the unknown will have little influence on your thoughts and behavior. The retelling of Jesus' life and teachings, devoid of religious doctrines, is one of the purposes of the gift to humanity of The Urantia Book, a book that sets straight the troubled history of our world and reestablishes a logical and meaningful foundation to reality.

Jesus' watchword was "Fear not." He said: "I am absolutely assured that the entire universe is friendly to me--this all-powerful truth I insist on believing with a wholehearted trust in spite of all appearances to the contrary." and "Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Genuine meekness has no relation to fear. It is rather an attitude of man co-operating with God--"Your will be done." Only the spirit-indwelt mind can comprehend that the universe is friendly to the individual.

The religious impulse does serve a necessary function for human well being; among other benefits it offers peace and release from unfounded fear.

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

Labels: fear, Jesus, Reptilians, The Urantia Book

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Ingredients for Spiritual Health

Dawn Obrecht M.D.

One dictionary gave me 14 different definitions for â€œspirit.â€�
The base word is from the Latin spirare, â€œto breathe.â€� Common
uses of spirit and spiritual include â€œpertaining to the
sacred,â€� â€œvital, supernatural being or essence,â€� â€œthe
immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person,â€� and several
others.

There is more than one route to spiritual healthâ€¦ many doors to
the same room... different perspectives, different ways of saying
the same thing. Here is one door, a simple triad of ingredients:
Donâ€™t Judge, Donâ€™t Compare, and Donâ€™t Have a Need to Know Why.
The End.

If you can do this, no need to read further. You are living on a
spiritual basis.

For those who want a little more discussion, letâ€™s look at
â€œDonâ€™t Judge.â€� As human beings, we are not in charge of the
Universe. Try saying this, â€œThere is a God and itâ€™s not me.â€�
If you find the word â€œGodâ€� objectionable, use â€œForce of the
Universeâ€� or â€œNatureâ€� or something else you want to replace
that three letter word, â€œGod.â€� The sun rises and sets and you
are not in charge of it. The same applies to everything else. The
only things we are in charge of are our own behavior, our thoughts,
and sometimes our feelings.

If we want to judge a situation, another person, anything at all,
we are trying to play God. If we can let God do the judging, we
find we can be more open-minded. We can see what people do as just
behavior, often obnoxious, but just what they are doing, not doing
TO US. If we can be open-minded, and not judge, we can often be of
service and help someone instead of buying into negativity. This
allows others to be more real, to just be human, and allows us to
be the best person we can be. By not judging, we can treat all
people equally and fairly, not see ourselves as victims, and let
God be in charge. When we practice this, we find we are living on a
spiritual basis. This is by no means a suggestion to tolerate
abuse; more on that in a future column. The point is, donâ€™t get
caught up in anotherâ€™s behavior; donâ€™t judge it, donâ€™t be a
victim, just detach from the God job and do your own job of being
the best human being you can be regardless of what the world has in
store for you.

â€œDonâ€™t Compare.â€� Right. When we compare, we either see
ourselves as better than (richer, better looking, smarter, etc.) or
as not as good as (poorer, fatter, balder, shorter, less education,
worse job, dumber, etc.) another. Either way, we cut ourselves off
from others. We are using a psychological maneuver to stay distant
from others, to stay dissatisfied, with ourselves and/or others. As
with many other personality traits, this comes from not being
comfortable with whom and what we are, from low self-esteem. We
find ways to avoid closeness and acceptanceâ€¦ of others and of
ourselves. We isolate, emotionally if not physically. We find
ourselves alone, even in a crowd. Stop it. See what happens if you
just stop comparing yourself to others and simply start being who
you are. Try seeing yourself and everyone else as Godâ€™s kids,
playing down here in His sandbox, chopping wood and hauling water,
doing the best we can with what we have to work with. Accept
yourself, and others, for just who we are, nothing less, nothing
more, and donâ€™t compare!

â€œDonâ€™t Have a Need to Know Why.â€� Many of us operate out of
FEAR, fearing tomorrow, regretting yesterday. Obviously, if we know
what is going to happen, and why, we would beâ€¦ that three letter
word againâ€¦ God. If we know all things, then life might be easier,
(you think?); but we would be kicking God out of His job again.
Living on a spiritual basis requires us to trust, trust that God
has a plan and we donâ€™t get to know what it is until it happens.
We are just players, not directors, of this life thing. If we play
the best we can, being responsible, reliable, honest, kind,
accepting and all those other spiritually healthy things, we get to
have joy and peace, knowing we are being the best person we can be.
Try it. It really works.

Living a spiritual life means living a life of trust. It means
breathing deeply and asking for help in dealing with whatever life
throws at us, trusting God will give us the spiritual strength and
capacity to get through, maybe even to find joy and peace. In fact,
just trusting can be joyful and peaceful!

Dr. Dawn Obrecht is the only MD addiction medicine specialist on
the western slope of Colorado. She is a Fellow of the American
Society of Addiction Medicine and her office is in Steamboat
Springs. She can be reached at 970-846-8479 or docdawn@hotmail.com.

Labels: comparisons, Dawn Obrecht M.D., fear, God, judgment, spiritual health

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