Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

Q: Did Jesus take away the sins of the world?

A: The belief that Jesus came to earth in order to "take away the sins of the world" is as old as Christianity, but it is not the gospel of Jesus.

The belief in the concept of "original sin" is also an age-old idea, but has no basis in fact.

(194:2.1) Jesus lived on earth and taught a gospel which redeemed man from the superstition that he was a child of the devil and elevated him to the dignity of a faith son of God.

Jesus taught that human nature is not inherently sinful. He taught that sin is the deliberate choosing of a path or an action that is in direct opposition to God's will. We all still have that ability to choose between good and evil, so the possibility of sin is ever-present, even since Jesus came here.

Jesus' real mission on earth was to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of mankind - to proclaim the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, which are the cornerstones of this heavenly kingdom. By entering into this kingdom by faith, we are then fortified with a new purpose, and a new motivation to overcome sin through determination and personal responsibility to the ideals of the good, the true and the beautiful.

The whole idea of Jesus' purpose on earth as an atonement for the sins of mankind is set to rest once and for all in the teachings of The Urantia Book, and this is very good news for all of humanity. Please go HERE for a further exploration of the atonement doctrine.

For further study and inspiration about what really happened as a result of the Crucifixion, please see this reference regarding the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross.

And thanks for this very important question.

Labels: atonement, gospel of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus' mission, sin, the Cross

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

How liberal can we be with sexual activity?

Q: How liberal can one be with one`s sexual activity, and when does sexual activity become sinful, or even iniquitous?

A: In sexual activity, as in all other forms of human interaction, LOVE must be the rule of living, as Jesus has said. Jesus exhorted us to always do nothing to others that we would not want done to us, and more positively, to do unto others that which you desire others to do to you. In the sexual union, one would want to have mutuality of consent, and loving intentions above all. As long as there is that bond of love (ideally that of marriage or commitment), and a mutual desire, then there would certainly be room for a good bit of "liberality." What that might mean would have to be determined by the parties involved.

It seems to me that any activity, including sexual activity, becomes sinful only when it violates this rule - when it is purely selfish, or when it is harmful to another, either mentally, physically, or spiritually. And of course, if one persists in selfish or hurtful ways, then such activity would eventually meet the requirements of iniquity.

Read more about The Rule of Living

Thanks for this important question.

Labels: gospel of Jesus, iniquity, love, rule of living, sex, sin

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Friday, May 30, 2008

If Jesus fused, why didn't he go up in flames? Can people fuse and still remain on Earth?

Q: If Jesus was fused with his adjuster, why did he not go up in flames, so to speak? Is it possible that many human beings have fused with their adjusters and still live on earth?

A: I was happy to answer your question, and I can see why there might still be some confusion. We learn in The Urantia Book that mortals who fuse with their Adjusters while still on the planet go up in a flash of fire. Obviously, Jesus did not experience this.

I did some searches of The Urantia Book, and I was not able to find a definitive answer to this question, but maybe we can reason it out (being mindful that it may not be something that can be entirely understood.)

What occurs to me right away is the obvious problem that would have developed if he had fused...at the time of Jesus' baptism, his ministry was at its very beginning stages; to have him disappear from Earth at this stage would certainly have been counter-productive to his completing his mission of revealing the Father and establishing the Kingdom.

The passage that I cited above has this statement:

"He stood in the Jordan that day a perfected mortal of the evolutionary worlds of time and space. Perfect synchrony and full communication had become established between the mortal mind of Jesus and the indwelling spirit Adjuster, the divine gift of his Father in Paradise."

And: "This ceremony was the final act of his purely human life on Urantia..."

Since Jesus was also Divine - already of the Father himself - there likely was no need for him to fuse with his Adjuster as other humans do. Instead he was given the vision of himself as he really was:

"...the Son of Man saw the vision, presented by the now Personalized Adjuster, of himself as a Son of God as he was before he came to earth in the likeness of mortal flesh, and as he would be when the incarnated life should be finished. This heavenly vision was seen only by Jesus. "

"Throughout the remainder of Jesus' earth life this Personalized Adjuster was associated with him in all his labors; Jesus was in constant communion with this exalted Adjuster."

Jesus, while human, also was God. This makes him a totally unique person. It seems to me to have been unnecessary for him to fuse in the usual way, as the partnership of his mortal self with his Adjuster was already perfected that day in the Jordan. As well, as noted above, his mission would have been effectively ended had he disappeared in the flash of fire. Since he now knew of a certainty who he really was, he was then able to partner quite effectively with his Personalized Adjuster for the remainder of his earth life.

Did this Adjuster indwell the mind of Jesus, as is true of us? It sounds as if it did not, but remained somewhat separate from him, but "associated" and in "constant communion" nonetheless.

As to the second part of your question:
I can think of no good reason for a person to remain, even if s/he could, once fusion has occurred. But aside from that, we read that: "...fusion during physical life instantly consumes the material body..." (p1212:3), so there would be no body left in any event. And once fusion has taken place, the entire purpose for a mortal life has been fulfilled, so no reason to go further in that state of being.

I hope that this reply has been useful to you. Thanks for writing back, and please feel free to write again, anytime...

Labels: fusion, gospel of Jesus, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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Did Jesus fuse with his Adjuster while on Earth?

Thank you for this question. Obviously, Jesus was a very special human being, and the events of his baptism in the Jordan culminated in a very special union of human and divine - a unique kind of union with a very special Adjuster. In this following section you will read about the events of that day, including the special kind of fusion that occurred with the human Jesus that day in the Jordan. (I have bolded the pertinent paragraphs pertaining to your question)

p1510:4 ((136:2.1)) Jesus was baptized at the very height of John's preaching when Palestine was aflame with the expectancy of his messageâ€”"the kingdom of God is at hand"â€”when all Jewry was engaged in serious and solemn self-examination. The Jewish sense of racial solidarity was very profound. The Jews not only believed that the sins of the father might afflict his children, but they firmly believed that the sin of one individual might curse the nation. Accordingly, not all who submitted to John's baptism regarded themselves as being guilty of the specific sins which John denounced. Many devout souls were baptized by John for the good of Israel. They feared lest some sin of ignorance on their part might delay the coming of the Messiah. They felt themselves to belong to a guilty and sin-cursed nation, and they presented themselves for baptism that they might by so doing manifest fruits of race penitence. It is therefore evident that Jesus in no sense received John's baptism as a rite of repentance or for the remission of sins. In accepting baptism at the hands of John, Jesus was only following the example of many pious Israelites.

When Jesus of Nazareth went down into the Jordan to be baptized, he was a mortal of the realm who had attained the pinnacle of human evolutionary ascension in all matters related to the conquest of mind and to self-identification with the spirit. He stood in the Jordan that day a perfected mortal of the evolutionary worlds of time and space. Perfect synchrony and full communication had become established between the mortal mind of Jesus and the indwelling spirit Adjuster, the divine gift of his Father in Paradise. And just such an Adjuster indwells all normal beings living on Urantia since the ascension of Michael to the headship of his universe, except that Jesus' Adjuster had been previously prepared for this special mission by similarly indwelling another superhuman incarnated in the likeness of mortal flesh, Machiventa Melchizedek.

Ordinarily, when a mortal of the realm attains such high levels of personality perfection, there occur those preliminary phenomena of spiritual elevation which terminate in eventual fusion of the matured soul of the mortal with its associated divine Adjuster. And such a change was apparently due to take place in the personality experience of Jesus of Nazareth on that very day when he went down into the Jordan with his two brothers to be baptized by John. This ceremony was the final act of his purely human life on Urantia, and many superhuman observers expected to witness the fusion of the Adjuster with its indwelt mind, but they were all destined to suffer disappointment. Something new and even greater occurred. As John laid his hands upon Jesus to baptize him, the indwelling Adjuster took final leave of the perfected human soul of Joshua ben Joseph. And in a few moments this divine entity returned from Divinington as a Personalized Adjuster and chief of his kind throughout the entire local universe of Nebadon. Thus did Jesus observe his own former divine spirit descending on its return to him in personalized form. And he heard this same spirit of Paradise origin now speak, saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." And John, with Jesus' two brothers, also heard these words. John's disciples, standing by the water's edge, did not hear these words, neither did they see the apparition of the Personalized Adjuster. Only the eyes of Jesus beheld the Personalized Adjuster.

When the returned and now exalted Personalized Adjuster had thus spoken, all was silence. And while the four of them tarried in the water, Jesus, looking up to the near-by Adjuster, prayed: "My Father who reigns in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come! Your will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven." When he had prayed, the "heavens were opened," and the Son of Man saw the vision, presented by the now Personalized Adjuster, of himself as a Son of God as he was before he came to earth in the likeness of mortal flesh, and as he would be when the incarnated life should be finished. This heavenly vision was seen only by Jesus.

It was the voice of the Personalized Adjuster that John and Jesus heard, speaking in behalf of the Universal Father, for the Adjuster is of, and as, the Paradise Father. Throughout the remainder of Jesus' earth life this Personalized Adjuster was associated with him in all his labors; Jesus was in constant communion with this exalted Adjuster.

Labels: baptism, fusion, gospel of Jesus, Jordan River, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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Thursday, February 09, 2006

What Is The Proper Role Of Organized Religion?

Q: What Is The Proper Role Of Organized Religion?

A: Jesus came to earth to save people from bad religious organizations, not bad political organizations. He died in the attempt.

Organized religions result from socialization of persons with common religious experiences. They hold no ecclesiastical authority; yet God supports collective action in His behalf. (Matthew 18:20) They represent collective religious action.

Organized religions have been mixed blessings. They have preserved certain coals of spiritual truth which flame up from time to time, and even now may be rekindled; they have collected and saved writings, music and art reflecting the highest thoughts of mankind; they have maintained a popular awareness that there is a God to be reckoned with; and they have sheltered many saints who otherwise may have been destroyed. Yet, on the other hand, they have been fraught with hypocrisy and corruption; claimed status and authority which they did not possess, and used it to enslave millions; they have prostituted the banner of God before political and business causes; they have engaged in internecine warfare over minutiae of doctrine; they have repeatedly persecuted the saints; and--most important--they have stood in the way of individual spiritual progress by millions of truth-seekers.

There is no practical way by which the true worship of God can be expanded without some social organization behind it. Man is a social animal, and needs the company of others on all of life's journeys. Groups can always accomplish things which individuals cannot: maintain places and opportunities for group worship, provide literature and training; provide ministries and missions, etc. And, most important, they can create and support communities and environments in which the worship of God is encouraged.

It is great error for organized religion to become involved in politics. This is the evil which led to downfall of the Jewish kingdom and later, to the dark ages. God is a God of persons, not of causes. God loves each person on both sides of every controversy with equal fervor. For organized religion to become involved on either side is an unholy alliance. It stifles new-born faith and persecutes true believers.

To prepare for its proper role, organized religion should unburden itself of all ancient armor and armaments, all excess baggage, and come forth with the true soul-saving gospel of Jesus: that God is our Father, and we are his children; and that all men and women must learn to live as one spiritual family. In seeking Him to esteem Him, people also find themselves and feel good about it. And they become concerned about their neighbors.

Religion can, and should, create social communities of those with common religious experiences; to confirm the reality of their experiences, to reinforce their feelings of value, to encourage their continued efforts, to minister to the needs of the community, and to avoid feelings of isolation. Even religionists need social approval. And weaker and more timid souls need the shelter of some institution for early development.

Instead of destroying present religious organizations and forming new ones, we should focus upon the highest truths in each, thereby transforming them. We should build upon the foundations already laid. Existing religions have some good practices, talents and assets in place. All they need is proper direction. Religionists are better advised to work within responsive religious organizations to make them more fruitful rather than to abandon them and work alone.

Labels: God, gospel of Jesus, Jesus, politics, religion, society

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