Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

While TUB has quite a few references for the Golden Rule, there is no new description of it - it remains "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," but the teachings of the Urantia Book, and more especially, the teachings of Jesus elevate the Golden Rule and add a new dimension to it. Jesus referred to the Golden Rule as the Rule of Living.

Here are a few more passages which speak of this age-old "rule of living:"

From the Sermon on the Mount to the discourse of the Last Supper, Jesus taught his followers to manifest fatherly love rather than brotherly love. Brotherly love would love your neighbor as you love yourself, and that would be adequate fulfillment of the "golden rule." But fatherly affection would require that you should love your fellow mortals as Jesus loves you. p1573:3(140:5.1)

... Jesus' morality was always positive. The golden rule as restated by Jesus demands active social contact; the older negative rule could be obeyed in isolation. Jesus stripped morality of all rules and ceremonies and elevated it to majestic levels of spiritual thinking and truly righteous living. p1585:3(140:10.5)

In the kingdom of the believing brotherhood of God-knowing truth lovers, this golden rule takes on living qualities of spiritual realization on those higher levels of interpretation which cause the mortal sons of God to view this injunction of the Master as requiring them so to relate themselves to their fellows that they will receive the highest possible good as a result of the believer's contact with them. This is the essence of true religion: that you love your neighbor as yourself.
p1950:2(180:5.7)

This Truthbook page reveals the Golden Rule as taught by many earth religions, including Christianity.

Labels: brotherhhod of man, golden rule, Jesus, neighbor, religion, rule of living, The Urantia Book

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Friday, October 20, 2006

What are appropriate sexual relations with a life partner?

Q: What are appropriate sexual relations with a life partner?

A: The Urantia Book has a number of things to say about relationships but rather than quoting the book I'm giving my personal opinion.

Why make sexual relations different from any other relation? Why couldn't the question as meaningfully have been "what are appropriate eating arrangements with someone you love?"

We fixate on sex as if it were the key to happiness and fulfillment, both of which can be had with no sex at all. Like wealth, one can be happy and fulfilled with it or without it (but given the choice happiness and fulfillment with wealth is usually preferable.) Wealth and sex are often the focus of ambition when instead they're sideline issues that are accorded paramount priorities.

Three categories of sexual activity:

1) power and control sex -- licentious sex without regard for the other's free will

2) narcissistic and recreational sex -- sex with little or no regard for the other's emotional or physical wellbeing.

3) loving sex -- sex as an _expression of love and respect, the desire to do good to another

Nature has made sex a strong motivator built into character in order to bring male and female together for the perpetuation of the species -- without it any species would be short-lived since there are enough differences between the sexes that they would tend to remain apart. Numbers 1 and 2 above are animal origin behaviors, but human beings who have more than animal in their makeup will place this strong motivator in the context of number 3. With a spiritual focus our interactions with others regarding sex as with all our other interactions would be with a loving approach but with the current cultural forces at play the two lower categories are given just as much emphasis as if this were natural human behavior

Thank you for your question.

Larry Watkins

Truthbook.com (continue...)

A: I know that you have already had a reply from Larry, but I hope you won't mind the feminine point of view as well...

As you are well aware, sex in all its forms enjoys a very big focus in our American society - and an underserved one, in my opinion. I imagine it is because so many of us equate love with sex, and everyone desires love; but as Larry pointed out in his reply, one can have a perfectly happy - and love-filled - life without sex. Sexual relations are not a necessary ingredient for a whole life, despite what we see in our advertisements and entertainment, but sex IS a necessary ingredient if one wishes to create children and family. Likewise, the pursuit of family life is not necessary to enjoy a fulfilled life, but sex in this context is certainly necessary to sustain the human species and deserves careful, thoughtful consideration.

If you are lucky enough to have a life partner, I would say that you would do well to always follow the "golden rule" in the area of sexual relations, as well as in all other forms of communication. Always treat that person with the respect and care with which you yourself would desire that they treat you. As for the details of this kind of relationship, I cannot judge or prescribe. Many things are possible, but are all things desirable? This is something that only you and your partner can determine. The Urantia Book teaches us that any successful long-term relationship must be based on "genuine and mutual personal devotion." All other things will follow happily if that basis is first established

The Urantia Book treats sex largely in an historical context - as one important ingredient in the progression of civilization; but one thing it does say is that sex can be the source of much sorrow if used intemperately. I think many of us from the age of the "sexual revolution" of the 60's can attest to the truth of that admonition. Unfortunately, there is no rule-book regarding the sexual relations of individuals, but the strong, healthy bonding of two souls, based on true love and mutual devotion, is a great place to start

Thanks so much for writing.

Sincerely,
Mary Jo
Truthbook.com

Labels: golden rule, Larry Watkins, Mary Jo, sex, The Urantia Book

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