Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: free will, God, love, spirituality, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Friday, April 10, 2009

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

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

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

Here's an abbreviated quote that might be helpful:

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

And this:

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

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

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

Thanks for this interesting question!

Labels: decision, eternal life, free will, personality, soul, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

Permalink

Thursday, March 05, 2009

How can I continually do what is right and also please the lord?

Q: How can I continually do what is right and also please the lord? I always find myself doing what I do not want to do, and it's killing me. Please help me.

A: I understand what you're asking... how to do the right thing when the wrong thing is easier. There is no magic thought or deed that can force you to do right, because God has endowed you with free will which is the freedom to choose between good and bad, right and wrong -- you're just as free to choose either one. Since you want to do what is right then you are already able to discern what is good/bad or right/wrong and you're having difficulty making the choice to do the good thing. You're fortunate, because some people seem unable to discern which is which.

This is where character comes into play. Is your character strong or weak? If it's weak then you have to begin to strengthen it through making a series of simple/easy choices and stick with them; for example... no chocolate for the rest of the week; no smoking or drinking for the next 10 days, go to bed before 10pm this month, give 25 cents to every needy person you see for the next two weeks, no swearing for 5 days... these kinds of simple decisions will require you to concentrate on following through with your decision. As the simple decisions become easier to stick to then the more difficult ones will be come easier too.

If you already have a strong character and you're just not making good choices it's because you're lazy. To improve on that use a similar technique to the above but choose to do the kind of things that combat laziness. You may also have to make some choices regarding who your real friends and associates should be.

Basically, what you have to do is to strengthen your sense of morality, your integrity, your virtue. The only gift you have to give to God is your decision to do his will in your life.

Morality has its origin in self-consciousness. The physical environment entails the battle for existence; social surroundings necessitate ethical adjustments; moral situations require making choices in the highest realms of reason.

Limitations of intellect, curtailment of education, deprivation of culture, impoverishment of social status, even inferiority of the standards of morality resulting from the lack of educational, cultural, and social advantages, cannot invalidate the presence of the divine spirit in such unfortunate and handicapped but believing individuals.

Morality can never be advanced by law or by force. It is a personal and freewill matter and must be disseminated by the contagion of the contact of morally fragrant persons with those who are less morally responsive, but who are also in some measure desirous of doing the Father's will.

Labels: character, free will, God, morality

Permalink

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Questions Regarding Death

Q: I had a good friend pass away at 41 unexpectedly. How does God decide when is your time to pass away? When she died, did she go to sleep right away? Do their souls stay around for awhile?

A: Thank you for your question. According to The Urantia Book God is the infinite controller and sustainer of all creation but God does not micromanage. God loves us so much he has conferred free will which means how we live, the choices we make and consequences we receive, and how and when we die are not decisions God takes part in -- we can always ask for guidance, but we are the captains of our souls.

One of the consequences of living on an imperfect material world is that each of us has challenges to face that are imposed by our heredity, the family environment we grow up in, the decisions we make as we grow, and the just plain accidents that occur when living in such an unpredictable environment. We tend to become so wrapped up in our daily drama that we lose sight of the bigger picture -- that we're here for only a short while and then we begin in the less material realms right where we leave off here and that there is a grand spiritual adventure before us -- this life is a stepping stone for what's to come.

Losing someone near and dear is always a shock and is cause for reflecting on the lives we live and the meaning of it all. Peace be with you as you confront your friend's unexpected death but it was not God's doing, it's part of the normal process of material existence.

When she died she lost consciousness just like happens in deep, dreamless sleep. When she is awakened on the mansion worlds she will remember who she was and will begin the new life there. The sadness of losing a loved one is experienced by those left behind -- the joy and freedom of experiencing the continuation of life after earthly death is transcendent for the one awakening.

At times you may experience your friend's presence even though she is no longer here -- her life has affected the world around us to some degree -- but the real "she" is in a better place and is not present here and does not return or visit.

Peace be with you.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: death, free will, God, Larry Watkins, soul, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Is poverty is a curse to people?

Q: Is poverty is a curse to people? For example, the poor nations of Africa or Haiti are considered to be the poorest island in the caribbean. Why were and are these people's ancestors and offspring still going through this ordeal. especialy when innocent children are involved? If God is allowing this to happen...why? Or could there be another reason? Thanks for your opinion on this question.

A: That's an interesting question and I'll offer a personal opinion colored by my association with the teachings of The Urantia Book. Let's discuss curses first. I believe curses can be effective, but only when the recipient believes that they are as well. I don't believe there's any power inherent in a curse or in evil; the power is in the influence which the recipient allows to affect them.

Through the evolutionary struggle humans have evolved beyond countless misconceptions and superstitions -- like the evil eye and curses. And although there are people who still believe in them they are misconceptions. While it's true that Haiti and nations in Africa are the poorest on earth, there is no real thing such as a generational curse. These countries are poor because of exploitation and the politics that govern them; the men, women and children there, their ancestors, and future generations suffer as long as as those conditions continue to exist. God is not responsible for creating the conditions -- that's the affairs of men who have been given the gift of free will. Those in power used their free will to subjugate the people within their sphere of influence -- their free will was directed in purely selfish ways.

Poverty is called a curse since it can make life so much harder than we would like it to be. In much of the world it's extremely difficult to rise above poverty but there are many examples of people who have done just that. And here in the United States it's almost necessary for someone to intentionally choose poverty in order to acquire that particular "curse".

The teachings of The Urantia Book help clarify and make sense of so much that seems senseless today. May I recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day from our site. It's a free service 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

Labels: curses, free will, Larry Watkins, poverty, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Who am I?

Conventional answers focus upon characteristics of a physical and social nature. Most people know their name, race, creed, ethnic group, nationality, occupation, family role, personality traits, social status, etc. They ARE all of these. Yet, knowing this, they continue to ask "Who am I?" There is something beyond their vital statistics and social data which people desire to know. It is as if they sense that they are part of something greater than their niche in the physical environment, and long to find out what it is.

There is not a biography in "Who's Who in America" which has a soul satisfying answer to this haunting question. All leave unanswered the identity of the biographer from a theological point of view, and leave unsatisfied the craving to know who we are in the universe or cosmos.

To discover who we are from a theological, universal or cosmic view, we must begin by exploring our characteristics which have theological, universal or cosmic significance. These should point toward who we really are.

As members of the human race, the highest order of animal life on earth, we share those characteristics held in common by human beings. If humans have any common characteristics of theological, universal or cosmic significance, then they also apply to you and me.

1. A Personality.

All who read this have one thing in common: each is a person. Persons have characteristics not shared by non-persons. These characteristics give us significant clues as to who we are.

Self-consciousness. Only persons can know that they exist as separate and distinct entities; can conceive of "I." This characteristic makes persons self-conscious: I am "I," every other person is "you," and every non-person is "it." Self-consciousness is absolutely essential to moral choosing.

Uniqueness, Individuality. No two persons are alike; each occupies a separate body and has different experiences. Each reacts differently to similar stimuli. "I" am unlike, to some extent, every other creature in the universe; and this makes "me" an individual: truly unique. (1225:37-1226:3) An understanding of this characteristic is essential to an assessment of human value. No one else can substitute for, or replace, a truly unique person.

Interpersonal Relations. Only persons have interpersonal relations. Relationships between persons and non-persons are not interpersonal. Animals and inanimate objects, not being persons, cannot interrelate "personally" with us. God is a "person," and this characteristic allows persons to have a personal relationship with God.

Wisdom. Of all material beings, only persons are endowed with minds capable of distinguishing between good and evil. Not all persons have this capability at all times; however no physical creature other than a person has wisdom. This characteristic is essential to the ability to make a free-will choice between good and evil.

Worship. Persons are the only material creatures who have a tendency to (a "spirit of") worship. Only persons can perceive that there is reality beyond the material, sense that it is "personal" in nature, sincerely esteem it for its values, and crave to develop a closer personal relationship with it. This characteristic is essential to our love and worship of God.
The above characteristics form the basis of personality. Each creature endowed with these characteristics has a separate and distinct personality, and is a personality. Personality is the key to individuality. No two personalities are the same.

Science cannot explain where personality comes from. There is nothing in the laws of genetics or the theories of evolution to indicate that personality has a scientific basis. The URANTIA Book says personality is a gift of the Father (79:9-11 1225:18-19 1226:14-15); that it is personality which gives mankind the prerogatives of self-determination, self-evolution, and self-identification with Deity. (1301:12-14) Why do we have this gift?

I am the totality of that unique personality who conceives of itself as "I"; there is no other such creature in the universe. I will always be that personality. The personality who I know as "I" is constant and changeless. I am self-conscious: I know the difference between good and evil, and can choose to do either; I can foresee the social consequences of my acts. The cosmic status of my personality is affected by these choices.

2. Man. the Highest Animal. Material man is seen as the highest order of animal life, the acme of creation. He has been given dominion over all the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28) Where did man come from? What does this power signify?

Logically, man could have arrived on earth by one or more of four means:
(1) evolved here by natural processes as a result of a colossal series of incidents, accidents, and coincidences;
(2) created here as man by fiat of God;
(3) created here by mindful use of principles of evolution and mutation; or
(4) transported here from another place.

Pure science has no better answer than that man sprang from method (1), a colossal series of incidents, accidents and coincidences. The odds favoring production of mankind in such a manner are so infinitesimally small that most sensible people reject it as a viable theory. It is said that, under the laws of probability, if enough apes were set before enough word processors and given enough time, one of them would produce a photo-ready copy of The Encyclopedia Britannica. It is one thing to speculate, statistically, that the entire work can be reproduced in that manner, and quite another to propose that it was actually written in that manner. Those believing that the universe, with mankind in it, was actually produced by mindless, directionless phenomena of chance accept something far more implausible than that The Encyclopedia Britannica was accidentally written by an ape.

Fundamentalist Christian theology holds that man came to earth by way number (2), fiat creation by God. Whether or not this is a fact, it contains the essential truth that man appeared on earth as a creative act of Deity, which is theologically significant.

The URANTIA Book teaches that the basic human stock was placed on this planet by way number (3): creation by mindful use of evolution and mutation. (667:33-39) It was planned to up step the human race by interbreeding with material stock brought to earth by way number (4): transportation from another place (Adam & Eve, 583:8-10),however, relatively little benefit accrued from this effort because of the Adamic default. (736:30-35)

For all practical purposes, it is immaterial whether mankind arrived on earth as a result of way (2), (3) or (4), or by any combination thereof; the point is that man appeared--not by accident--but as a result of creation by Deity. Why would Deity create (by any means) "man in His own image" and give him "dominion over" all other physical creation? This is a significant question. Its answers give further clues as to who we are.

Let us postulate that the physical universe of galaxies, suns, planets, moons, etc., was created (by whatever means) to provide a physical environment within which to bring into existence various forms of life designed to support, and to culminate in, "beings" with the qualities of mankind. If so, the development of life forms not only would advance toward the desired end of producing mankind, but also would support him when he came into being. This is exactly what happened on earth; we can only speculate whether it happened elsewhere. If no higher form of physical creature appears, we can reason that the creative process was designed to culminate in, and support, mankind.
I am the capstone of physical creation. I, and those like me, have dominion over all the earth. But why? How does this help Deity?

3. Free Will and Mandatory Choices.

Man is said to exercise free will; and so he does. But only to the extent that he can perceive options and understand their consequences. Wisdom is essential to free will. Civilized society does not hold its members criminally accountable for their misdeeds unless the culprit knew, or should have known, that the act was wrong. This is the basis for excusing the insane from criminal responsibility. Deity has at least as high a standard.

Out of all material creation, only man is aware of the qualities of his relationship with others, has the ability to foresee the consequences of his conduct in terms of impact on others. Only man is able to know the difference between good and evil. See definition of Evil in Part III.A, below. Therefore, only man has the ability to do evil.

There is another reason why man is the only material creature able to do evil: man, alone is able to overcome his animal nature. Animal behavior is governed by genetics and environment only; but man is able to overcome these by another behavior-regulating force: wisdom, and the free will to use it.

Lower animals always respond to a situation in accordance with their nature and training. A hungry tiger finding a lost child in the jungle acts in accordance with its nature, with no thought of any consequences. A starving man finding the child is instantly aware that a moral choice, if not a spiritual one, is involved. The tiger is absolved of moral blame if it eats the child; the man is not. Why this difference? The two reasons are:
(1) because only the man could know it was wrong, if not evil, and
(2) only the man had control over his own conduct: free will. These differences are of major theological significance.

The fact that man recognizes the difference between good and evil in any situation places upon him the inescapable burden to choose between the two. The more sensitive he becomes, the more differences he observes, and the more choices he must make. Most people constantly face such choices.

Choices between good and evil usually take the form of choices between self interests and (1) societal interests or (2) spiritual interests. Societal interests involve "right vs. wrong," sociological terms pertaining to morality. Spiritual interests involve "good vs. evil," theological terms pertaining to spirituality. This is an important difference. That which seems right may be evil. (Proverbs 14:12) Knowledge of good and evil is not the same as knowledge of right and wrong.

It is said that God provides no rewards or punishments; only consequences. God provides "consequences" only for free-will choices. He judges by the "heart:" the intent to do that known to be either good or evil. Good done accidentally or under duress has no spiritual value to the do-gooder. Evil done through ignorance or accident has no spiritual consequences upon the evildoer; but the choice of evil over good is sin, and the wages of sin is spiritual death.

Why did Deity enable mankind to ignore its animal nature? This quality of free will is given to man in order that he may perform important service to Deity, service which would be impossible without it. In Part I.C, above, four "desires" of Deity are proposed which are attainable through creatures with (1) the ability to ascertain the will of God and (2) the absolute power to obey or disobey it as they choose.

I AM an animal liberated from my animal nature and given both the wisdom to recognize the nature and con sequences of my acts and the free will to act as I choose. I therefore face constant choices of both a moral and spiritual nature. I have the power to ascertain the will of God if I seek to do so. I can increasingly gain knowledge of good and evil. (Compare Genesis 2:9,17; 825:39-40) Most knowledge comes from the Indwelling Spirit within me. (1457:40-43) Much comes from revelation, and some is portrayed in holy books. These provide the knowledge which makes me accountable for my subsequent acts.

The three human characteristics mentioned above do much to reveal who we are from a theological and cosmic point of view.

Labels: characteristics, Christian, free will, God, identity, individuality, personality, relationship, self-consciousness, The Urantia Book, universe, Who's Who in America, wisdom, worship

Permalink

Friday, February 24, 2006

I dearly love my wonderful pets. Can I ultimately have them back in the future life?

Q: I dearly love my wonderful pets. Can I ultimately have them back in the future life? Perhaps recreated for me?

A: Where would we be without our pets or without animals in general who give us such appreciation, happiness and joy, attention, love and affection? Unlike other people, animals can give us attention and show us affection when we want it. Pets are like visible ministering angels; they can help the mentally and physically sick heal faster, give love to the unloved, and help us feel the joyous sense of being alive. They offer us the opportunity to take responsibility for a thinking and feeling creature other than ourselves. Their majesty, beauty, power, delicacy brings us a sense of humility and awe and often mirrors back to us like no other encounter can. Surely we are blessed to have the variety of animals living here with us that we do; we're all the better because of them in their infinite variety.

From The Urantia Book we learn that our deep appreciation for animals is natural since human origins are from animal ancestry although now there are a number of traits that elevate us above the animals, one being our moral and religious natures and the other being personality. Humans can learn not only through experience but by thinking ahead and drawing conclusions, looking before we leap, whereas animals ordinarily learn only by leaping. They achieve goals based on accumulated experience; we can examine the goal and judge its value, can discriminate between ends as well as between means, can know what we are doing, why we are doing it, where we are going, and how we will get there without ever having to have the actual experience.

One of the challenging concepts of The Urantia Book is that animals do not possess personality whereas humans do, and that it is personality that survives physical death; this means that we continue on in our existences once our lives here on earth are through but that our beloved pets don't. And any pet owner will readily say their cat or dog definitely does have a personality so obviously The Urantia Book is wrong. The difficulty lies in what we commonly define as personality and the Urantia book definition. In Urantia book terms, personality is the unique gift of the Father in heaven bestowed upon free-will creatures. Human beings are the lowest order of free-will creatures in creation. Animals, being lower on the scale of life than human beings, are not free-will creatures and do not have personality bestowed upon them. The personality we recognize in our animals is the result of the interaction between animal and human and the accumulated experiences of the animal; we associate their interaction with us as being their unique personality.

The love and association we experience through our pets enriches our lives, makes us better people, enlarges us emotionally, all of which is to the benefit of the development our our soul, the vehicle that carries personality on into the spirit world. And there we will again encounter lower life forms that will be like our animals were here, where we will receive love and recognition and have the opportunity to express them to lower forms just as we have here.

We may think it unreasonable or unjust that we're not reunited with our earthly pets when we depart here but consider that many people and some religions believe/teach that when we die it is all over, that nothing survives death, that despite the example Jesus provided we live, we die, and that's it for the human personality. In light of such nihlistic thought the understanding that it's our pets that don't survive takes on a different significance. Which would make more logical sense, that your life as a human being is of no ultimate value and ceases when you die, or that animal life, unblessed by free-will and divine personality does not survive?

When our beloved pets die their life energy returns to whence it came; they survive in our memories. When we die we will be blessed with associations of other life forms like the animals left behind. Think of the love and attachment you felt for the first pet you had and how, when it died you thought there would never be another to replace it. Then eventually you had another pet that you loved as much as the first -- you remembered the first as fondly as you cherished the next. You couldn't have the first back but you found something that substituted so well you were equally delighted with the second. So it will be in the life to come.

Yours is a good question and we've added it to our discussion board so that you can have the benefit of the thoughtful responses of our online Urantia Book reader community. You can visit this board and see these responses by clicking here: http://forums.truthbook.com/viewforum.php?f=11. and going to the forum titled "Questions & Answers."

May I also recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day. It's a free service 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

Labels: animals, free will, humans, Jesus, Larry Watkins, memory, personality, pets, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Thursday, February 09, 2006

What difference does it make to anyone what choices I make for myself?

Q: What difference does it make to anyone what choices I make for myself, whether I go to school, live productively in society, have a career, or a family, or whatever, so long as I donâ€™t hurt anyone else and do my best to live with the choices I make?

A: There is no need to apologize for the life you have chosen for the sake of those who have expectations about your choices in life. Itâ€™s your life and you have every right to choose not to go to school, not to have children, not to get a job, and not to participate in society. If these life choices did not and do not appeal to your sensibilities, you are right to reject them, and you owe no one an apology or even an explanation. However, if you have regrets about the choices you have made then you are really apologizing to yourself. And you will need to forgive yourself if some of your life choices didnâ€™t have the outcome you had hoped for and then make better choices in the future. Try not to feel so bad, this is a part of life.

Each day we make choices that will affect our future. No matter what choice we make, the path we take will be fraught with difficulty and joy. No one chooses the perfect path, for the path of perfection does not exist in this world. All we can possibly choose here is a path toward perfection, and that path is long and arduous, and full of trial and error. So often we think â€œIf only I had done it this wayâ€� or â€œI would have been better off if only I had done that.â€� We would do better to make the most of the path we have chosen, to bring meaning and value into our life as it is, and let go of regrets and guilt about what might have been. God is the master at making lemonade out of lemons, and we could all stand to emulate this divine quality in our own lives. If we feel that we have made a serious error in choice, we must do all that we can to correct that mistake. I have a Native American friend who says, â€œIf you make a wrong turn, you must make two right turns, one to correct the wrong turn, and one just for growth.â€�

You say that you are not great in the kingdom but you are a child of God, regardless of your current frail human status. What father of a large family would ever slight the youngest member just because he was young and inexperienced? The youngest in a family is often greatly blessed by the experience of his older and wiser siblings who willingly help him find his way, if he will only be willing to ask for their help and listen to their instructions. You would do well not to slight yourself. God is no respecter of persons, and he loves you as much as the mightiest spirits of creation.

Rest assured that God is always here to help you in every creative endeavor. He will help you to share these good gifts with humanity only first you must desire his help. Pray for it, and it will be forthcoming.

Every blessingâ€¦.Paula

Labels: free will, God, Paula, regret

Permalink

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

What happens to a person who commits suicide?

A: What happens to a person who commits suicide?

B: God's plan is that we live a full, productive, and meaningful life here in the flesh. Suicide would be an individual's free will choice not to participate.

The Urantia Book's definition for suicide is "fleeing from the realities of mortal existence". Other than that there's no real discussion about the spiritual consequences of suicide in the book. My studies lead me to believe that suicide indicates not only a weakness of character but a high degree of selfishness and disregard for friends, relatives, and loved ones. The value of this one life in the flesh is emphasized continually throughout the book so to treat a precious opportunity with such disregard surely reaps consequences in the next life to come. Presumably a person arriving on the mansion worlds from a suicide doesn't encounter circumstances much different from those a person arriving because of natural death would but there will be more for them to learn in compensation for their weakness of character and lack of compassion.

Since our perspective of the meaning of life is so limited here it must be that no matter what difficult life situations we encounter it is important to meet them head on to the best of our ability.

The Urantia Book stresses that God the Father is forgiving - God gives second chances until they're no longer acknowledged by the recipient, until we decide we don't want another chance. I suspect then that the effects of suicide have a stronger effect upon the loved ones left behind than they do on the one who has departed.

Labels: free will, God, life, suicide, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Questions About Angels

Q: Who was the first angel?

A: I guess that's something you're going to have to wait to have answered in the mansion worlds. Since we're in a small area of just one of the superuniverses that orbit around paradise and since the other superuniverses were inhabited before ours was, the first angel would have been created for the first free will creatures of the first superuniverse long before where we reside was even created.

You'll have more success in trying to learn who the angels of your supervision are â€“ they'd be of more importance to you.

Q: Can it be possible to talk to you guardian angels and get a response back?

A: Rather than just saying no it would be better to say anything is possible; it's just very improbable that you will ever actually talk to your guardian angels or even know for certain they're there. They're called guardian angels because they watch over you; it's not in their job description to convince you that they're there, to make life easier for you or to talk to you, however much you may desire it. Just knowing they're there and that you're loved is blessing enough.

Q: Are angels only men?

A: Angels aren't sex creatures like we are but they do have positive or negative energy attributes similar to masculine or feminine traits. The angels we encounter in the Bible tend to have masculine names like Michael, Gabriel and Emmanuel but those beings weren't really angels in the strict sense â€“ they're beings of a different order from the angels who actually minister to us. The ministering angels tend to work in positive and negative energy pairs â€“ both masculine and feminine.

You may enjoy browsing through the angels section on our site and in our gallery â€“ you'll see that much of classical art has historically depicted angels as feminine.

Labels: angels, creatures, feminine, free will, guardian angels, masculine

Permalink

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Material concerns and spiritual growth

Q: Does spiritual growth and progress depend on purely material concerns like what we eat or wear?

A: Free will through experience is aligning with the Father's will, led into alignment by the indwelling spirit of God, prodded into transformation by angelic and spiritual helpers in a divine conspiracy. In the inner life we realize that God is real and personal, in fact God is inextricable from our daily existence, except when we ignore God. Where we live, what we wear, whom we love, and what we eat seem to be within the realm of personal choice.

Our conscious choices, even mundane choices, create the future in some measure. We mature in mind as well as body. Soul growth arises as we become more real, more aware. When that personal realm is uplifted by awakening to the presence of God's Spirit within, the range of choice begins to implement factors of discernment, penetrating insight into outcomes resultant from our choosing. The whole realm of physical health, energy, stamina, even courage, seems tied to choices of when and what we consume or take in. We also appear to be called to make choices about what to eliminate, to overcome, to forgive, and even to forget.

There is the self, yet everywhere there are others whose need for altruistic help brings us into relationships, not merely the magnetism of sexual attraction or romantic love. The authors of The Urantia Book even suggest that economic necessity will lead eventually to brotherhood. We have the power to lend a hand, if we choose. Families and friendships grow stronger and deeper as worship and wisdom are brought into daily existence. Devotions and meditation season the tough realities of our contemporary civilization, making a place for insight into "the wholeness of events."

Our world poses us the most exquisite choice panorama. Diet, health, religion, sexual and affectional preferences, political philosophy, personal discipline, labor or profession, and altruistic service all call to us to engage in living fully, utilizing our God-given power of choice for that which is true, beautiful, and good.

When we evolve toward transformation, we seem to be opening to the destiny that God desires us to implement, to the benefit of our world in its painfully uncertain cruise upon the waters of environmental and social destiny. May our loyalties to high ideals, tempered by our realistic appraisal of opportunities and liabilities, aid us in moving our troubled world one more step toward Light and Life.

Stephen Zendt

Labels: free will, material existence, spiritual growth, Stephen Zendt, the future, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Monthly Archives - Previous Articles
October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009

RSS Feed

The Urantia Book : Pictures of Jesus : Angel Pictures: Inspirational Quotes : Life After Death : Story of Jesus : Truthbook.com : Urantia : The Urantia Book