Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

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

A: Thanks for your note to Truthbook.com.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Thursday, November 05, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

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: betrayal, forgiveness, Jesus, Judas, relationship, Sorrow, The Lord's Prayer, The Urantia Book

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Sunday, July 19, 2009

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: atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, forgiveness, God, Jesus, sin, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book, water of life

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

What is the first step that I should do that will lead me in forgiving someone?

Q: Forgiving is one of the hardest thing to do to be able to fully submit yourself to God. What is the first step that I should do that will lead me in forgiving someone?

A: You are right that forgiving can be the hardest thing to do. All of us can relate to this...I guess the first thing you must do is to decide whether your un-forgiveness is helping you to achieve the kind of relationship you desire with God - your desire to willingly submit to his will. Is your unwillingness to forgive helping you in your search for peace and happiness in your inner life? Is your anger doing anything to right the situation? Is carrying the burdens of hurt and anger worth the effort?

When we have been sinned against by another - when our sense of right and wrong has been violated by another's words or actions, we recognize it, and we feel anger or indignation against that person - often rightly so. It is a very human response. Sometimes, we dream of revenge or retaliation - our anger burns bright, and we can fan the flames by harboring these feelings - sometimes for long periods of time. But is that helpful? The feelings of anger and hurt are heavy burdens to the heart, and usually do not in any way affect the offender, only the one who harbors them.

The Urantia Book tells us that "anger is like a stone hurled into a hornet's nest." It is a "mental poison" that can "interfere with the spiritual progress of the evolving soul."

So, what is one to do? Jesus was one of the most sinned-against persons we know. He was betrayed, he was deserted by his friends, he was wrongly put to death. And yet, through all of his trials, he remained loving, tolerant and forgiving. He said: "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

We must learn to forgive in this life. The first step is to realize the harm that unforgiveness can do to YOU, and that may lead you to make a decision to forgive. Ask God to show you the way to achieve it in your heart. Accept the fact that you are also in need of forgiveness, and pray to realize it. As you learn to forgive everyone who has ever wronged you, you will in turn start to experience forgiveness of your own misdeeds as well. This can be a very liberating experience.

From The Urantia Book:

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.p1638:4(146:2.4)

And that prayer is, of course, the "Lord's Prayer," which asks God to "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

When you can make that mental and spiritual decision to forgive another, you will feel a lifting of your burdens. Leave the offender to God, and remember that "forgiving tolerance" is one of the fruits of the spirit that we are called upon to produce in our lives. Forgiveness can be difficult, but making the effort is well worth it.

Labels: anger, forgiveness, fruits of the spirit, God, God's Will, Jesus, The Lord's Prayer

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Friday, November 14, 2008

Ten years ago I had an abortion, and now regret it. Will I ever see my child?

10 years ago I had an abortion. I really regret what I did and I wonder what has happened to the soul of the child. How can I come to terms with what I did and will I meet my child after death?

I am so sorry...regret is a terrible thing to bear, and I can sympathise. I don't share your same experience, but I have wrestled with overwhelming regret, and it can be debilitating.

First of all, let me try to put your mind to rest regarding the fate of your child. According the the teachings of The Urantia Book, your child is safe. While your child was not old enough to have possessed a soul (and this is true of any child under the general age of five years), it does have a potential soul, and a potential identity. Your child is located at the probationary nursery , and is being lovingly cared for by the cherubim until such time as either of its parents arrive on the Mansion Worlds.

Here's a wonderful quote from The Urantia Book regarding your possible future experience with your child:

But irrespective of parental experience, mansion world parents who have growing children in the probation nursery are given every opportunity to collaborate with the morontia custodians of such children regarding their instruction and training. These parents are permitted to journey there for visits as often as four times a year. And it is one of the most touchingly beautiful scenes of all the ascending career to observe the mansion world parents embrace their material offspring on the occasions of their periodic pilgrimages to the finaliter world. While one or both parents may leave a mansion world ahead of the child, they are quite often contemporary for a season. p531:3

In any event, your child is not lost, so please try to take heart from this information. Our Father is not willing that any should perish, and knowing that, we have to trust that even unborn mortals are given the same opportunity for eternal life that all mortals enjoy. I like to think that there are special places in the nursery where the unborn are nurtured and grown in safety and love. That is my own imagining, since this specific circumstance is not covered in The Urantia Book, but I feel sure that some provision is made, so that eventually, he or she will be able to choose to advance...and that you will sometime be able to meet. There is nowhere in The Urantia Book that teaches otherwise.

And, just in case you have questions about your own survival, please see our featured page on Life After Death>

As for coming to terms with your actions, let me quote a favorite passage from The Urantia Book that has been of great solace to me:

Do not become discouraged by the discovery that you are human. Human nature may tend toward evil, but it is not inherently sinful. Be not downcast by your failure wholly to forget some of your regrettable experiences. The mistakes which you fail to forget in time will be forgotten in eternity. Lighten your burdens of soul by speedily acquiring a long-distance view of your destiny, a universe expansion of your career. p1739:3(156:5.8)

It is important that you learn to forgive yourself, and move forward. I am sure that, at the time, you did this for what may have seemed to be good and sufficient reasons. Ten years is a long time to carry this burden on your heart, and for your own well-being, you must release it. Maybe the knowledge that your child is not really lost will help you to do that.

Said Jesus: "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." p1736:4(156:2.7)

So, you can see from this comforting passage from Jesus that the first step in your renewal is to confess your wrongdoing, which you likely have already done, and receive God's forgiveness for it. And one of the surest ways to receive that forgiveness is to practice the forgiveness of others in your life who may have wronged you.

Again, from The Urantia Book:

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. P1638,(146:2.4)

So, while you are already forgiven, you will actually experience the fullness of that forgiveness as you, in turn, forgive others.

Yours is not the first case that I have heard of where there is regret following this decision. I am adding your letter to our site (minus any identifying information, of course) in hopes that others may see your experience and think twice before making this life-changing choice.

Maybe you could look for an opportunity to personally minister to women who are facing this dilemma; in this way, you could see some real good come from your experience.

Labels: abortion, forgiveness, Jesus, life after death, probationary nursery, regret, The Urantia Book, unborn

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Saturday, September 13, 2008

I Want To Come To Peace With My Past

Q: Please help me out. How can I come to peace with my past? I will be very thankful to you.

A: We all do things that we regret, and many of us have experienced things in our past that were not pleasant. Oftentimes, bad experiences, or bad choices can stay with us for a long time and can get in the way of living in the present, and can keep us from being happy.

If you have bad memories of something you did, I would advise that you ask God's forgiveness, and allow his forgiveness to sink into your soul. If your conscience is bothering you, please see our topical study on Conscience here. One of the most important lessons that Jesus gave about conscience us is this:

(156:2.7) "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."

Jesus is saying that we must not have feelings of guilt, once we have confessed, because God forgives us. If we continue to feel guilty, we are throwing his gift of forgiveness away.

If it is some bad experience that you have not been able to forget or forgive, please see our study on Forgiveness here.

Forgiveness is a two-way street. We must forgive others for any offense, and in turn, we are then forgiven for offenses that we may have done to others. Remember the Lord's Prayer, where Jesus taught us to say "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is a very important step to take in order to put our past behind us and start fresh.

What would you think of a mountain climber who stops her climb after every stumble, after every rock in the road, and sits down and cries about her mis-step? You would probably think her very silly! It is likewise with us - we are all on a journey, climbing ever higher to reach God. We cannot afford to stop in our journey to cry over every bump in the road - instead, we get up, brush ourselves off, and figure out how to avoid those bumps in the future. Then we can carry on with a light heart.

Finally, I hope you will be cheered by this additional lesson from Jesus:

(156:5.8) Do not become discouraged by the discovery that you are human. Human nature may tend toward evil, but it is not inherently sinful. Be not downcast by your failure wholly to forget some of your regrettable experiences. The mistakes which you fail to forget in time will be forgotten in eternity. Lighten your burdens of soul by speedily acquiring a long-distance view of your destiny, a universe expansion of your career.

Staying close to God will be the most help to you, no matter what it is in your past that is troubling to you - his very Presence exists within you, and he is as close as a thought. He wants to commune with you. He loves you and wants you to be happy and to have a joyous life of love and service in his spiritual Kingdom on earth. Speak to him in your heart, and he will answer.

If you have not already done so, please feel free to subscribe to our free service - Quote of the Day .
You will receive a daily inspiration from The Urantia Book, which will help you to maintain a spiritual perspective on life and which will cheer and uplift you on your journey.

Labels: conscience, forgiveness, God, Jesus, peace, The Lord's Prayer, The Urantia Book

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Campaign for Love and Forgiveness

Please cut and paste this flash movie into your browser, and enjoy.

http://www.loveandforgive.org/popup_video.php?flv=http://www.ikshare.com/1.00.02/flv/love_and_forgiveness.flv&jpg=&bgcolor=bfc689&autoplay=true

And after you do that, cut and paste this address into your browser so that you can visit The Campaign for Love and Forgiveness.

http://www.loveandforgive.org/

You'll be inspired and cheered by these positive happenings in our seemingly hopelessly violent world.

I wanted to embed the movie. I could not do it, but the information is worth the trouble to cut and paste.

Labels: Campaign for Love and Forgiveness, Fetzer Institute, forgiveness, love

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Does God Forgive Adultery?

Q: Does God forgive adultery? I was truly in love with this man, still am, although I am no longer in the relationaship. I know it was wrong, regardless of my love for him, and am profoundly sorry and overwhelmingly ashamed and terribly guilt ridden.

A: Let me put your mind at rest, if I can. God forgives ANYTHING, from what I understand of his loving and merciful nature. God has forgiven you even before you know you need forgiveness. What a great Dad he is!!!

I am not going to presume that your experiences with adultery constitute sin - it sounds as if you might have already made that judgment upon yourself. But adultery is certainly a violation of accepted mores. You say that you felt great affection for this man, and those feelings seemingly justified your, and his, actions. Even though you may have known that it was wrong, you did it anyway because it felt so right to love as you did. Of course, there are far-reaching consequences to such actions, and maybe you also experienced some of those, or saw them in the other people whose lives were affected by your decisions.

Love in its purest sense is the desire to do good to others - but real love must encompass all of our brothers and sisters, not just a special one here or there. Real, honest love will never be consciously selfish or hurtful to another - and that includes the spouse and family of the married man.

Maybe you'll be comforted by this quote of Jesus from The Urantia Book:

p1861:5(170:2.19) "Jesus taught that sin is not the child of a defective nature but rather the offspring of a knowing mind dominated by an unsubmissive will. Regarding sin, he taught that God has forgiven; that we make such forgiveness personally available by the act of forgiving our fellows. When you forgive your brother in the flesh, you thereby create the capacity in your own soul for the reception of the reality of God's forgiveness of your own misdeeds."

In order for you to feel forgiven you must now proceed with the business of forgiving all of those in your life who may have wronged YOU. This is no small task for most people, but it can be easily accomplished with the right frame of mind. It may include forgiving your former partner, as well.

Learn to look for God's will in all of this, and try to see a bigger picture. Get your mind off of yourself, and try to see in others the same kinds of personality foibles that created your own misdeeds, be they pride, greed, arrogance, or selfishness. Remember how easy it was for you to fall prey to these, and it may be much easier to see how another could err in the same way you did - maybe not by doing what you did, but in other ways. Then, forgiveness becomes easier. Eventually, you will find God's forgiveness in your own heart, if you open that heart to real sympathy with others and the trials they experience. Set everyone free from your own judgment.

The fact that you are remorseful is a good sign that you may now think more carefully about it if you are ever again faced with such a possibility. You know by its consequences in your, and other's lives, that what you did was not good, not Godly, and you can amend your life in accordance with that knowledge - and also, maybe help others who may be tempted to fall into the same trap. And I think you'll agree that it was a big trap.

We all make mistakes, and we all fall short of our highest ideals. It is the human condition. But the important thing to remember is that in every moment, we can make a new start, and we can change our ways of looking at things so that we don't repeat those mistakes again. The consciousness of guilt and remorse is the way we know we have done the wrong thing, and it speaks well of you that you are taking that to heart, rather than continuing to justify your actions.

But also I would add that you must forgive yourself. Stop dwelling on those feelings of regret, stop beating up on yourself, wipe the slate clean and start fresh with your life. This might be a good time to re-assess what love really means to you...? With God's help, fearlessly address the personal shortcomings that created the mental atmosphere in you in which you felt justified to proceed with your acts, and ask him for healing in those areas. It may not happen ovenight, but it will happen if you remain sincere of heart.

Most importantly, remember you are a beloved child of God - stand firmly on that solid truth - and he will never forsake you when you ask him for his help and mercy.

Labels: adultery, forgiveness, Jesus, love, remorse, The Urantia Book

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Saturday, February 03, 2007

Difficult Forgiveness

Q: My father was a violent, abusive man, in every way possible and imaginable. He is 81 now, and while not physically violent anymore (although the threat is always there), he is still horribly verbally abusive. Not all the time, just most of the time. The damage done to me in childhood has been a central theme of my entire adult life. I have been in and out of therapy to try and sort it all out. I am just plain tired of giving so much of my energy to this man. I am not even angry anymore. I just want to move on. There are still things that therapy can and will help with, but it's not addressing the spiritual aspects.

I am truly torn about forgiving him. I have tried and even succeeded about some of the lesser evils, but it's not enough. But the big stuff is much harder. I love him, and I want to hurt him too; I want him to feel as badly as I do for what he did to me. I used to want to make peace between us, but it just isn't possible as he refuses to accept any responsibility. He claims nothing ever happened. So whatever peace is made will be one-sided, but that's what I want most anyway -- I want to find a way to put this to rest in my own heart and get on with my life before it's all used up.

The bible preaches forgiveness, I know that. And I know that it's for my own peace. But I just cannot let it go no matter how hard I try. Maybe I don't know how.
What does the UB have to say about such things?

A: The Urantia Book does have a lot to say about forgiveness but most of it relates to us asking for God's forgiveness. Here are 4 quotes though that come closest to addressing the problem you've described. The first quote, although talking about sin in a more cosmic sense, does present the attitude of the sinner which parallels what you've said about your father.

And when sin has so many times been chosen and so often been repeated, it may become habitual. Habitual sinners can easily become iniquitous, become wholehearted rebels against the universe and all of its divine realities. While all manner of sins may be forgiven, we doubt whether the established iniquiter would ever sincerely experience sorrow for his misdeeds or accept forgiveness for his sins. (67:1.6)
The second quote indicates that the idea of confession and forgiveness germinated in primitive religious concepts and rituals. If you're looking for something akin to "closure" you're bound to be disappointed -- there is no such condition. In true forgiveness, you give up the attachment, that link you've formed with the one you're forgiving such that it no longer exerts control over your thoughts and emotions even though the wrong remains real.

The idea of confession and forgiveness early appeared in primitive religion. Men would ask forgiveness at a public meeting for sins they intended to commit the following week. Confession was merely a rite of remission, also a public notification of defilement, a ritual of crying "unclean, unclean!" Then followed all the ritualistic schemes of purification. All ancient peoples practiced these meaningless ceremonies. Many apparently hygienic customs of the early tribes were largely ceremonial. (89:2.5)

The next quote indicates that in God's eyes your father is as worthy of love as you are. In the last sentence it suggests that your prayer may be most effective if it focuses on your own self-control.

In all your praying be fair; do not expect God to show partiality, to love you more than his other children, your friends, neighbors, even enemies. But the prayer of the natural or evolved religions is not at first ethical, as it is in the later revealed religions. All praying, whether individual or communal, may be either egoistic or altruistic. That is, the prayer may be centered upon the self or upon others. When the prayer seeks nothing for the one who prays nor anything for his fellows, then such attitudes of the soul tend to the levels of true worship. Egoistic prayers involve confessions and petitions and often consist in requests for material favors. Prayer is somewhat more ethical when it deals with forgiveness and seeks wisdom for enhanced self-control. (92:4.3)

This last quote is a partial synopsis of the core values of Jesus' teachings. It suggests that if you could love your father as Jesus loved, the forgiveness you seek would dispel the influence the sins of your father exert upon you and you would in effect be rehabilitated. Jesus is our model; we should seek to be more like him.

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. (188:5.2)

The citations at the end of the quotes will take you to the context of the quote.
A full and thorough examination of the life and teachings of Jesus can and does provide the best therapy for the heart, mind, and soul that we can experience here on earth. You can love your father, but you may not like him. You may forgive him but that does not absolve him of the pain he's caused you except that now your mind will no longer be compelled to dwell upon it.

Thank you for your question and may God bless you.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: abuse, forgiveness, Jesus, love, prayer, The Urantia Book, violence

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Monday, January 08, 2007

Forgive and Forget?

Q: In the Bible it says to forgive and forget. What if a person gives you a lifetime of pain, not only to you, but everyone in your family and countless others as well? I have had substance abuse problems due to this. I cannot find it in my heart to forgive this person. Am I wrong?

A: From the sound of your letter, I would say that you are carrying a big load of anger and hurt, as well as some confusion. You already know that God tells us to forgive and forget, and in your heart, you believe it, but in the present circumstances, you are finding it next to impossible to carry out this act of forgiveness.

It is so difficult when one person can cause so much heartache and distress to others. I have had experiences like this in my own life, and I know it is not easy to forgive. If it was, we would likely never have wars, murders, divorces, or all the other miseries that one person can inflict upon another. Forgiveness is an act practiced by those who want to be Kingdom-dwellers - who want to rise above "the world," where we are told that "revenge is sweet" and discover the true sweetness of taking the high road.

Forgiveness is VITAL to your well-being. I am not going to tell you that you are wrong for not wanting to forgive, but I don't think you would have written such a heartfelt question, with so much anguish, if you did not believe that your heart needed a reason to change. I believe you want to forgive, but your hurts and angry feelings are clouding your mind and judgment right now.

One thing I want to tell you is that the act of forgiveness is NOT for the offender. By forgiving, we don't justify the offenses of the person, we don't excuse their behavior, but we release them from our own judgment, and by doing so, we release ourselves from the terrible burdens of anger, pain and disappointment. And I think you would agree - these terrible heavy feelings ARE burdens of the worst sort.

It might be that this person is beyond help, is blind and deaf to the misery that they place on their friends and family. It might do no good at all even to forgive them to their face. You may want to cut this person out of your life altogther (and that might be a good idea, from the sound of things). Just because we forgive, it does not mean that we have to make ourselves available for further abuse. If you can, find ways to distance yourself from this situation.

Forgiveness is not for THEM. It is for YOU...

Right now, this offending person has a great deal of power over you. You are angry and confused. You are doubting yourself, and using substances to relieve this pain. And you may feel that you are unable to do what God has asked of you - all because you have given over control of your feelings and emotions to be manipulated at the whim of this person. Can you see that?

There will never be a sure way for you to change the behavior of the person who causes such pain, but there is one person that you can control, and it isYOU! Forgiveness is an "inside job," and it will effectively restore your power where it belongs - in your own inner life, doing what YOU know to be best.

It happens inside of you - in your mind - and it causes a change of heart when done by an act of the will, especially when we know that it is God's will that we do so. This is true freedom - to have control over our own emotions and our own responses to the actions of others.

When we wholeheartedly align our will with the Father, we can expect a very good result.

This will take a full surrender on your part - surrender to the goodness and the mercy of God - knowing that he will make all things right, in his way and in his time. Surrender your feelings of anger and pain to God, and ask that he sanctify your heart and wash it clean. Lay your burdens upon him, and lay this offending person at his feet. Then, leave them there.

I don't promise that this is easy, but I do promise trhat it is the right thing to do. It could be that you may have to do this more than once or twice - particularly if this offending person is still in your life. But with every effort, you will gain strength and you will experience victory over this problem.

We have the example of the Master, who gave his very life at the hands of muderers and betrayers, and yet, he was able to say, "forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." He was dogged for all the years of his ministry by people who hated him and wished evil on him - people who plotted against him and sought his ruin. And yet he still forgave - even while in the act of dying at their evil hands. I think it's safe to say that he understands what you're going through. Trust him to help you through it and over it.

Jesus said, What you believe I would do to others, do likewise."

One last thing - and this comes from my own personal experience: Over a period of time, we can establish patterns of behavior with troublesome people, and it may take some time and distance for you to reclaim yourself through forgiveness. Then, when and if you decide to re-connect, you can begin to establish better boundaries and healthier patterns of behavior with this person, so they will know you mean business, and that you no longer are at their mercy. No more will they be able to manipulate you. You will have risen above their misery, and your own - and you may then even be able to provide a good example for others in your life who have been likewise affected.

It will be of great help to you if you can stop seeing yourself as a victim. You can only be victimized if you allow it. Up til now, maybe you didn't know this. Now you do. Take charge of yourself. Ask God to help you, and he will.

Remember - forgiveness is for YOU, not them. Do it for yourself. Pray for the offender, leave them with God, but know that by forgiving them, you are raising YOURSELF up to where you ought to be - where God wants you to be.

Thanks so much for writing, and sharing this difficult problem.

Sincerely,

MaryJo
Truthbook.com

Labels: Bible, forgiveness, God, God's Will, Jesus, Mary Jo

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Friday, December 15, 2006

Fall From Grace

Q: I believe in God and have been brought up in a christian home but fell from grace. I still sin all the time and ask for forgiveness.
Will I still go to heaven even if I continue to fall?

A: Each religion and even each sect within a religion has its own
teachings about sin so this can be a confusing topic but it is one that The
Urantia Book clears up profoundly by making two things ever so clear. One
is that we mortal beings are fallible, we make mistakes, we sin, and we
learn. That's the way God has created us; therefore God doesn't hold it
against us that we make mistakes or that we sin because that's natural
for us. The second observation is that this life in the flesh is just
the first rung on a long ladder to perfection and that all that's
required to stay on the ladder and to progress rung by rung is even just a
small flicker of faith, a belief in God or in something higher than
ourselves.

That said, when you are tempted to do something you know is wrong or
beneath you don't do it -- doing something you know to be wrong is sinful,
a giant step above mere evil. Asking for forgiveness is always a good thing.
Recall Jesus' words that pertain to just about every situation, "fear
not". God has provided the ascension scheme just so beings like you and
I can become perfected over time; it's part of the plan that we will
participate even though we begin so imperfect.

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 along with 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 go to the upper right corner of our home page, click
on Quote of the Day and follow the instructions.

Thank you for your question.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

I hope you won't mind one more point of view on your question to Truthbook.

What I read in your question is something that seems to be epidemic in our world - and that something is - fear of God.

I know that in traditional religions, and even in the Bible, we are told that we must have "fear of the Lord," and it seems to me to be a very unfortunate choice of words. I would rather prefer "respect." And dare I say? I think that God would prefer that, also.

The Urantia Book offers modern mankind a new and expanded concept of God - not as a judge, not as someone who is watching for us to slip up - but as a loving, always loving Father.

I heartily invite you to read the first few papers of the Urantia Book regarding the Universal Father. I guarantee that you will feel much better in evaluating your own "fall from grace." I invite you to imagine the perfect earthly father - someone who is always loving, always forgiving, always understanding of your shortcomings and frailties. A father who never condemns, but who is always ready to comfort you in your shame when you feel you have fallen short of his expectations for you.

If you can imagine a human Father being that good, try to imagine the Divine Father, who must be all of that and much, much more.

As Larry has so well pointed out, it is part of the Father's plan that we are "perfecting," but not perfect. God understands, and his love binds up every wound and every hurt we may inflict on ourselves in the way of guilt and shame. It is not his plan that we should harbor these abiding feelings about ourselves. And neither should we be over-scrupulous when evaluating the degrees of our oun sinfulness, imagining that we are worse than we actually are.

A sense of having done something wrong is healthy, and remorse is a good thing, along with resolve to not repeat the offense. If you truly feel you are sinning too much, simply quit whatever you do that seems sinful to you, and ask God to fill that space with his love and with a better idea. Then forgive yourself, for God has already forgiven you.

It also might be of interest to you to read what Jesus has to say about the subjects of "evil, sin, and iniquity," found in Paper 148, section 4. Page 1660.

And again - please read the first few papers of Part I of the Urantia Book to get a boost of happiness about God, and his loving relationship with you, and all of humanity. It is guanteed to ease your fear and give you peace about God!

Take heart!

Sincerely,

MaryJo
Truthbook.com

Labels: ascension, Christian, fear of God, forgiveness, grace, Larry Watkins, Mary Jo, religion, The Urantia Book

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Wednesday, January 18, 2006

How does a person forgive a mother's wrong?

Q: How does a person forgive a mother's wrong (adultery)?

A: Perhaps it isn't up to you so much to forgive as it is to learn to accept the weaknesses or wrongs of another. God forgives; we must learn to let go and to accept things as they are.

Here are several paragraphs from The Urantia Book that may be of help to you â€“ the links will take you into the text of the book.

God is inherently kind, naturally compassionate, and everlastingly merciful. And never is it necessary that any influence be brought to bear upon the Father to call forth his loving kindness. The creature's need is wholly sufficient to insure the full flow of the Father's tender mercies and his saving grace. Since God knows all about his children, it is easy for him to forgive. The better man understands his neighbor, the easier it will be to forgive him, even to love him. (2:4.2)

In all your praying be fair; do not expect God to show partiality, to love you more than his other children, your friends, neighbors, even enemies. But the prayer of the natural or evolved religions is not at first ethical, as it is in the later revealed religions. All praying, whether individual or communal, may be either egoistic or altruistic. That is, the prayer may be centered upon the self or upon others. When the prayer seeks nothing for the one who prays nor anything for his fellows, then such attitudes of the soul tend to the levels of true worship. Egoistic prayers involve confessions and petitions and often consist in requests for material favors. Prayer is somewhat more ethical when it deals with forgiveness and seeks wisdom for enhanced self control. (91:4.3)

A wise man is occupied with the search for truth, not in seeking for a mere living. To attain the perfection of Heaven is the goal of man. The superior man is given to self adjustment, and he is free from anxiety and fear. God is with you; have no doubt in your heart. Every good deed has its recompense. The superior man murmurs not against Heaven nor holds a grudge against men. What you do not like when done to yourself, do not to others. (131:9.4)

It has been said that if one TRULY repents, one will be forgiven. BUT, we often times make the same mistake, even though we know the things we do are wrong and ask forgiveness again. Are we forgiven as many times as needed? OR are we forgiven once. I cannot seem to reconcile that. How many chances do I have before I'm given up on?

Your concerns seem to be based upon your understanding of the judgmental and wrathful God portrayed in the Bible. Other religions see other facets of God and in The Urantia Book we learn of the God that Jesus came to disclose to the world, a loving heavenly Father.

We're not divine beings, we're human beings, the lowest rung on the ladder of free will creatures. As such, we're prone to learn by making mistakes - in fact, we're expected to make mistakes. And in making mistakes we're not condemned because of them - sin and error are simply part of the makeup of being human.

God forgives our errors and our sins as we acknowledge them and ask for forgiveness. God never gives up on you. Jesus mentions forgiving the wrongdoer seventy times and seven - not many of us would commit the same mistake that many times without acquiring the lesson behind it so you can expect that you have more chances than you will ever use up.

The real question you've asked though is how bad can you be yet still be assured of everlasting survival. The Urantia Book makes it clear that our eternal survival is assured so long as we have a flicker of faith, have some measure of desire to do God's will, and choose to survive of our own volition. Even very bad people here on earth can meet those requirements. Those choosing to live bad lives will have most unhappy life experiences here although ample opportunity is provided for making amends once we've passed beyond this life.

One other aspect of your question comes to mind: what you're seeing as mistakes may or may not actually be mistakes. Differing cultures around the world judge the same action in various ways so what may be perceived as a mistake in one could be perceived as perfectly natural in another. What you may want to do, rather than condemn yourself, is to attempt to see your actions from God's perspective before judging yourself.

Labels: adultery, forgiveness, God, Jesus, prayer, survival, The Urantia Book