Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

The following reply was given by one of our team to a young truth-seeker who wrote a lengthy letter expressing some amount of angst and confusion. This person is a new reader, but only after quite a lot of experiential seeking through magic, satanism, aliens, UFology, etc. S/he had now reached the point of finding The Urantia Book, but still had some searching questions regarding Truth. We add this excellent reply in hopes that it will minister to others in the same spot.

A: Thank you for visiting our site and for your note to us with your comments and questions. I'll take your points one by one.

We're glad youâ€™ve found The Urantia Book â€” one of its purposes is to address the kinds of confusion youâ€™ve expressed youâ€™ve been feeling and to shed light on how and why we are bewildered and to offer better initial assumptions upon which we can make the choices and decisions that are so necessary in order to have a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Youâ€™ve started your story by describing your rebellious attitude and your search for spiritual meaning; therefore youâ€™ve had a spiritual longing that was seeking to be addressed but wasnâ€™t met by the religious upbringing in your home life. Youâ€™re not alone; many people go through such a similar searching as well.

You wrote: I keep looking for something that i can call truth and belive in it without doubt. Sorry, but no one else can just give that to you â€” you'll have to seek it out, discover it, learn it for yourself. As part of your makeup as a human being though you have the capacity to discern truth; it's called a truth-response or a reality-response. You'll know in your gut whether or not something is true, beautiful, good from the way it resonates with you. Thatâ€™s what the search for truth entails; you'll read, discuss, and give thought to new concepts and ideas then the choice becomes yours as to whether to follow your intuition regarding its truth, beauty, or goodness and whether to accept or reject it â€” no one else can give this to you; it's personal and you own it.

As a human being you are endowed with a rational mind; it's a gift intended to help you make choices that are for your betterment. In order for something to be considered true and believable to you you'll have to reject emotional attachment to thoughts and actions that your rational mind prompts you are not true, beautiful, or good and that are working against your advancement as a kind, loving, empathetic, unselfish person. That's a first step toward finding the truth and happiness youâ€™re seeking.

You've reiterated how confused you are... that's because your actions are in conflict with your thoughts and your inner aspirations. It's also because you've based your actions on confusing and convoluted concepts that arenâ€™t truth based but are instead the kind of emotional wishful thinking and rebellious choices children make.

You said: i want the truth, the only truth about everything in this world, i am tired of living like this. Well, it looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but that's fine because youâ€™re young and as long as you donâ€™t squander your life further youâ€™ll have a good long time to achieve your goals. In your own convoluted way of searching you've managed to stumble upon the profound truth that it is you and the rest of the world are searching for although most people donâ€™t even know theyâ€™re searching or that theyâ€™re confused or that theyâ€™re building lives upon unsound and baseless principles.

You said: I don't care about life anymore... I can assure you that if you'll read and learn what The Urantia Book offers your life will become precious and a blessing. Youâ€™ve asked a number of specific questions too. Theyâ€™re good questions, the kind of questions seekers ask, but I'm not going to provide answers now since I have a better recommendation.

Even though The Urantia Book is a challenge to read it's written for you, not some group or some other person or for religious people or for non-believers; it's written for you at the point in your life where you've discovered it... so as difficult as some of it may be to comprehend you will begin to understand it better the more you stay with it.

The purpose of our website is to help people get a grip on what The Urantia Book is all about so that they don't have to dive right into the book by themselves and on their own. The Urantia Book is about personal discovery. You won't be able to join a cult or a church or an in-group. All we have to promote is the book itself â€” it's a book â€” we promote its teachings â€” if you read it your life will become new and valuable to you and to others. That's what we wish to share with any truth seeker. We have no interest or desire to deceive or to coerce; there's nothing to join or to contribute to; no one will contact you for anything; our site is simply a gift, just as The Urantia Book is a gift with no strings attached. Accept the gift willingly and gladly.

So, my recommendation to you, since you've now made this awesome and unfathomable discovery, is for you to ease into tackling something that's so radically different from everything youâ€™ve learned so far. Certainly feel free to read the book, because that's what this is all based upon. The Urantia Book is available at most bookstores, through Amazon.com, at most libraries, and on-line on our site where you can read it and listen to it at the same time. But more than tackling the book I think you would benefit most by just spending time on our site and learning about it through the insights and impressions of others. Become familiar with what's there.

Each of the left side links contains a wealth of information about The Urantia Book. Check them out just to see what they hold. Watch the videos and other presentations that have been made available. Read the answers to life's toughest questions section. Read how The Urantia Book has changed the lives of others. Read the frequently asked questions section. Consider checking out our discussion forum where you can just read the interactions between Urantia readers and non-readers or you can join in and participate if you like. Check out the links in the center of our home page â€” each of them leads to a new section. A good many of your questions will be answered without you having even opened the book.

The Urantia Book covers an enormous amount of material. Our site is primarily devoted to promoting that aspect of the book relating to life and teachings of Jesus. Many people have trouble with Jesus, much of which stems from having him forced upon them in unappealing ways. Another of the objectives of The Urantia Book is to return the true Jesus to the people of the world. Jesus wasn't a Christian and the Christian Church doesn't own the rights to him; he came for everyone and our goal is to help people of all faiths and of no faith whatsoever rediscover and be reintroduced to who he was, why he came and what he means to you personally.

Your study assignment can take a good amount of time but I think you'll find it both enjoyable and highly profitable. Please feel free to contact us again as you begin to get a more defined feeling about what this book has to offer to you.

Labels: conflict, mind, The Urantia Book, truth, truthseeking

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Sunday, August 09, 2009

Will You go to heaven????

Q: Will You go to heaven????

A: Personal belief and faith help define the mental personal realities we each live in but in order to be "real" they require a foundation based on the rock solidness of logical, objective reality. Most people give little thought and little introspection to logic or to objective reality, relying more on seat of the pants, what feels good, or just accepting what others believe for themselves. So, for example, while believing or having faith in the Easter Bunny or in Santa Clause may provide comfort for a believer, that doesn't make that belief "real."

Among all the other gifts God has given us, there's one that helps us overcome the tendency toward wishful thinking, helps us discern reality. If we're to make sense of this complicated and confusing life we need to rely on that gift; it's given to us for that purpose, and that gift is a logical mind... a mind that works to make order out of chaos and to sort fact from fiction, to give us real perspective.

Another gift from God is that of God reaching down to help draw us up toward him and one of the ways this is done is through revelation -- knowledge that's outside of evolutionary acquirement, knowledge that's true, beautiful, and good, knowledge that can be relied on.

Most who actually study the teachings of The Urantia Book eventually come to believe that its teachings are logical and grounded and they come to believe that it is what it claims to be, a divine revelation, that what it portrays is "real." So, based on those two beliefs it's not a difficult step to take to accept what The Urantia Book relates about heaven, which is much more complete and detailed than any other teaching one might encounter.

It's my firm conviction, based on years of study of The Urantia Book, which speaks to me in ways nothing else ever has, is that God is good, God loves me, God provides for me, God has a near infinite plan for my spiritual adventure and development, that this life is but the very first rung at the bottom of the ladder to paradise and eternity, and that when I die I do not disappear. Jesus, through his resurrection, made it evident that death is not an end but is just a transition. So yes, I am confident that when I die I will "go to heaven" although what that means entails much more than the common concept of "heaven."

How about you? Will you go to heaven? Have you checked out our more detailed study called "There is Life After Death" on our home page...

Do you have questions about what it says? Do the videos there give you pause to consider? Has this reply been of any benefit to you?

Thank you for your question and best wishes...

Labels: God, heaven, life after death, mind, The Urantia Book

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Is it appropriate to shout HALLELUJAH!, LORD JESUS!, and AMEN! when discussing religion?

Q: Is it appropriate to shout HALLELUJAH!, LORD JESUS!, and AMEN! when discussing religion?

A: Well, I guess that that depends upon with whom you are having the discussion...

Emotion has its place in religious experience, but subjecting others to that kind of personal emotional experience might not be the best thing, especially if you are simply in a discussion of religion, and even more especially if you are trying to interest them in true spiritual reality. A discussion implies that you are using the mind, and not the emotions. Not everyone who is religious has those kinds of emotional impulses. Sometimes that sort of thing seems contrived and artificial, but sometimes it is genuine. Regardless, I think it is certainly inappropriate if someone ends up feeling uncomfortable or excluded.

It is entirely appropriate to shout out when you are among your inner circle who will likely appreciate it, and who may even join in your exuberance...I am thinking of some church services, where people are shouting out right and left. I think that is a good thing. And sometimes it does just feel really good to declare a heartfelt "Amen!" among your brethren. But in other circumstances, people might just think you are some kind of a fanatic, and they'll be put off by such a display.

Religion is best grasped and appreciated by the MIND, not by the emotions. While religious thought can produce heartfelt emotion, one should always use common sense about expressing it appropriately.

Labels: emotion, mind, religion, The Urantia Book

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Monday, December 08, 2008

The Urantia Book and I.Q.

Q: How will The Urantia Book help me increase my intelligence in all I do, i.e my I.Q?

A: If IQ is a true measure of how well a person uses their mind, then studying The Urantia Book will definitely be beneficial and improve such a score because it requires conscious choosing to use mind in a meaningful manner. If it's not just an improvement in a test score that you're after, studying The Urantia Book will enhance your perceptions by giving you insight you would otherwise be missing into how the things of the world around you interrelate and how the unperceived spirit world pervades reality.

You may be in possession of a great mind -- but if all even a great mind is fed is trivial, the mind has very little to work with or to make associations with and life becomes mundane, flat and unrewarding. If your mind is fed the best in human concepts and food for the soul it will be given the nutrition necessary to make meaningful evaluations and insightful connections. Life will become vibrant and filled with enthusiasm.

You may possibly discover material that inspires you as much as The Urantia Book will, but you will not find material that will stimulate your mind in the multitude of ways it does. On a superficial level, just by being consciously aware as you study the book, your English will improve as will your vocabulary and sentence structure. Over time, the perceptions gained through your study infuse all you think and do -- the best in human knowledge is at your fingertips.

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 from our site that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of this marvelous book with an audio clip and a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Labels: insight, IQ, mind, perception, The Urantia Book, vocabulary

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Friday, October 17, 2008

How Powerful Is My Mind?

Q: can I move things around me by just imaging it in my mind? Would GOD give me that talent?

A: I don't believe it has ever conclusively been proven that human beings have this power. A lot of very realistic demonstrations make it look as if this is possible, but slight-of-hand "magicians" are very clever in making illusions seem real -- like David Copperfield being able to pass through the Great Wall of China or to make a passenger plane disappear. Does he actually do these things? No, not at all, but they look real to us, our eyes deceive our minds. Does Uri Geller actually bend spoons with his mind -- not that I'm aware. Again I think it's an illusion and a trick that appears real.

An Indian guru was once asked by one of his students if the guru would walk across the lake over to the next town. The guru replied that it didn't seem like a good use of time to practice for 15 years to be able to do this when he could easily take the row boat.

The world isn't supported on a foundation of magic -- reality is logical and rational. We can do spectacular things with our minds, but we're given hands and feet for moving things. Would God give you that talent? If it were possible to move things mentally it would be due to your unique hereditary endowment that made your brain somewhat different from others. God would not bless or curse you over your fellows since God does not play favorites.

May I recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day. It's a free service from our site that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of this marvelous book with an audio clip and a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book -- a book like noneother regarding the nature of reality. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Labels: God, logic, magic, mind, power, proof, quote of the day

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Is there such a thing as "soul travel?"

Q: Is there anything called soul travel as practice by eckanker or other school of thought?

A: Thank you for your question. Yes, there is something called soul travel. It's associated with confusing beliefs about souls disconnecting from the body and traveling around, observing, becoming ghosts, reincarnating -- beliefs that are ancient and based in superstition. The process is along the lines that intent, or meditation, or drugs can allow the soul to detach, that it remains attached to the body only through a thin silver cord, that it can travel great distances -- to other planets as well -- and as long as the cord is attached the soul will return to the body but if it breaks it won't return. Eckankar focuses on teaching this technique and other meditation practices promote it as well -- after all, who wouldn't want to be able to fly off and observe all manner of interesting things?

It's a mind game deception. Our minds are powerful as well as directable. We do have the ability to direct our mind and a conscious connection so that it may seem we have left our body. Mind can detect information at a distance but "you" don't leave one place and travel to another. Through practice one can strengthen the connection to the subconscious mind's psychic abilities and participate in many otherwise strange mind games. Such a practice will disengage one from reality substituting the practical to make it become impractical.

The Urantia Book warns against attempting to augment psychic abilities, offering instead a practical, inspiring, spiritually beneficent cosmology which answers life's most challenging questions and gives focus to human longings and desires in a logical, positive, and uplifting manner. There's more than enough in reality to satisfy curiosity and the desire for adventure without veering away into augmenting unreality experiences.

Another of our responders has a few words on this subject as well...

I wonder if you are familiar with The Urantia Book teaching on the soul? I find it to be one of the loveliest parts of the Revelation. And it goes like this: When a child reaches the age of reason - anywhere from 5-7 years - and makes a conscious choice for good, that is the time when God sends a fragment of himself to indwell that child's mind. The Urantia Book calls this fragment the Thought Adjuster. And, it signals the birth of the soul. Thereafter, every moral choice that the child makes results in growth of the soul. The soul is comprised on only goodness, and it is that part of us that will survive us after our material bodies have died here on earth. It grows throughout our lifetime, and will actually be our true appearance when we awaken on the Mansion Worlds of God.

I only add this because sometimes people have a fuzzy understanding of just what the soul is - I know I did, before I read about it in The Urantia Book.

Personally, I would not like to think of my soul traveling away from me. I agree that our minds, including imagination, can play tricks on us - if we are so-minded. But they also can be influenced greatly by our spiritual choices. Maybe your spiritual frame of mind wants to think that your soul can travel to other realms, perhaps, but what does that really mean? There really are only two realms - the material and the spiritual. If you want to travel to spirit realms, you have to go no further than your own mind, where that fragment of God still resides, and get to know him. That is the best spiritual realm of all, and it is in the here-and-now, and will help your soul to grow, and you'll be conscious of everything.

If you are thinking more along the lines of remote-viewing or something, I would definitely not want to send my soul somewhere less than spiritual. This seems dangerous to me, only because it really could disassociate you from reality - reality being spiritual - and this would not be beneficial for your soul's growth. I don't know the limits of the human mind, and I find remote-viewing kind of interesting, but I doubt that it has anything to do with our soul. Again, this is a confusion of mind and soul, in my opinion.

Some additional soul quotes from The Utantia Book:
The material self has personality and identity, temporal identity; the prepersonal spirit Adjuster also has identity, eternal identity. This material personality and this spirit prepersonality are capable of so uniting their creative attributes as to bring into existence the surviving identity of the immortal soul.

Having thus provided for the growth of the immortal soul and having liberated man's inner self from the fetters of absolute dependence on antecedent causation, the Father stands aside. Now, man having thus been liberated from the fetters of causation response, at least as pertains to eternal destiny, and provision having been made for the growth of the immortal self, the soul, it remains for man himself to will the creation or to inhibit the creation of this surviving and eternal self which is his for the choosing. No other being, force, creator, or agency in all the wide universe of universes can interfere to any degree with the absolute sovereignty of the mortal free will, as it operates within the realms of choice, regarding the eternal destiny of the personality of the choosing mortal. As pertains to eternal survival, God has decreed the sovereignty of the material and mortal will, and that decree is absolute.
p71:2 (5:6.7)

The association of actuals and potentials equals growth, the experiential realization of values. But growth is not mere progress. Progress is always meaningful, but it is relatively valueless without growth. The supreme value of human life consists in growth of values, progress in meanings, and realization of the cosmic interrelatedness of both of these experiences. And such an experience is the equivalent of God-consciousness. Such a mortal, while not supernatural, is truly becoming superhuman; an immortal soul is evolving.
p1097:3 (100:3.6)

Labels: Eckankar, mind, soul, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Is Euthanasia or Suicide Acceptable?

Q: Some people these days are opting for euthanasia and suicide - the terminally ill and people who feel they have lived past their use- by date. How does this action sit with God?

A: Thank you for this interesting question. It is true that people today are beginning to question whether they want to stay on the earth while they have diseases that may rob them of a quality of life that they desire. They make these decisions not only on an individual level, but also begin to question whether laws can be made to assist others when they feel that their life has reached a point of unsustainability without extreme medical intervention or discomfort of other kinds. Physical pain is a big factor - money or availability of resources may be a factor as well. The Urantia Book does not specifically address these questions, although suicide is mentioned, most meaningfully in this quote:

p1773:2 (160:1.5) Suicide among men testifies that such beings have emerged from the purely animal stage of existence, and to the further fact that the exploratory efforts of such human beings have failed to attain the artistic levels of mortal experience. Animals know not the meaning of life; man not only possesses capacity for the recognition of values and the comprehension of meanings, but he also is conscious of the meaning of meaningsâ€”he is self-conscious of insight.

From this quote we can see that suicide is not a good choice because it fails to address the issues of living a life that includes pain of some kind. All mortals experience pain of one kind or another, but we are called to address those issues, and reach, with God, a means of living a good life in spite of our mortal troubles. And this kind of life is possible when we go in partnership with God.

The issue of euthanasia is a bit thornier, but this issue comes down to whether one person, or group of persons can make the decision for another whether to continue a life or end it. In some cases - the one that comes readily to my mind is that of the woman a few years back, who was on a life-support machine - the issue seems somewhat clear. In this woman's case, she was being kept alive by artificial means when her brain had ceased to function, yet some of her relatives were determined to keep her body alive, in a vegetative state. The husband eventually won, saying that he knew from her when she was functioning, that she did not desire this kind of intervention. And so, her machine was disconnected, and she died soon afterwards. Was this murder? Or was it compassion?

God seems silent on this issue, and I certainly cannot presume to speak for God, but I think we can use our reasoning minds to make some conclusions about euthanasia. And to do so, I will speak only for myself. I have a directive in my will that instructs my loved ones to let me go when my brain has ceased to function, and not to keep me alive with artificial means. We learn in the Urantia Book that, once the brain has ceased to function, the Thought adjuster leaves, and the only mechanisms that are left are those keeping the physical body alive - the heart beating, the lungs taking in air, etc. When there is no brain function, there is no longer a reason to have a breathing body, in my opinion. In such an extreme circumstance, there is also no consciousness, and life loses any meaning for the one inhabiting the body.

I certainly cannot support euthanasia for a person who has potential for life and spiritual progress, no matter what the ailment may be. In our modern life, when we have so many medical miracles, and life-sustaining methods, we will surely be confronted with more of these kinds of ethical questions. But for me, the issue is pretty clear. Once the mind is demonstrated to be non-functioning, and the person has lost the ability to think and reason and is in a life-support situation, I see no moral problem with pulling the plug and letting that person go to God, where they can continue their upward ascension. Again - I cannot presume to say that this is what God wills. In these kinds of situations, there are social mores that come into play, and these change from generation to generation. But I do believe that God wants us to live as long as we can - to be productive, to be able to love him and receive his love in return, to contribute to our world, and serve our fellows. I do not believe that he means for us to just be a breathing body, and that that is a good enough reason to be alive. Since God indwells each of us at the level of mind, the evaluation of that mindal function has to be the final determiner as to whether euthanasia can be a valid and moral act.

I hope that this answer is helpful to you...

Sincerely,
MaryJo
Truthbook.com

Labels: brain function, euthanasia, God, Mary Jo, mind, suicide, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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Drugs, Chemicals, Alcohol - And Their Effects On Spirituality

Q: What is the role of mind altering drugs, chemicals, alcohol and its effect on the body and spirituality?

A: That's a very good question worthy of consideration. Let's begin in this manner: some people abstain from all drugs, alcohol, and chemicals. Others will use any one or a combination of the 3 infrequently and sparingly. Still others indulge and yet others destroy their own lives and the lives of those close to them with these same substances. Ask anyone and they'll justify their abstinence or level of use, at least justify them within in their own minds. The main difference seems to be that most (or all that I am aware of) truly spiritually perceptive people are either abstainers or infrequent and frugal users, so the use-to-enlightenment curve appears to be logarithmic. An indiscriminate use at one time or another may have no long-term effects; it all depends upon how much risk one is willing to choose to indulge in.

Here are two passages from The Urantia Book that provide some insight into an answer to this question:

"Lack of spiritual capacity makes it very difficult to transmit to such a material intellect the spiritual truths resident in the higher superconsciousness. It is to the mind of perfect poise, housed in a body of clean habits, stabilized neural energies, and balanced chemical function â€” when the physical, mental, and spiritual powers are in triune harmony of development â€” that a maximum of light and truth can be imparted with a minimum of temporal danger or risk to the real welfare of such a being. By such a balanced growth does man ascend the circles of planetary progression one by one, from the seventh to the first."

"Mortal mind is a temporary intellect system loaned to human beings for use during a material lifetime, and as they use this mind, they are either accepting or rejecting the potential of eternal existence. Mind is about all you have of universe reality that is subject to your will, and the soul â€” the morontia self â€” will faithfully portray the harvest of the temporal decisions which the mortal self is making. Human consciousness rests gently upon the electro-chemical mechanism below and delicately touches the spirit-morontia energy system above. Of neither of these two systems is the human being ever completely conscious in his mortal life; therefore must he work in mind, of which he is conscious. And it is not so much what mind comprehends as what mind desires to comprehend that insures survival; it is not so much what mind is like as what mind is striving to be like that constitutes spirit identification. It is not so much that man is conscious of God as that man yearns for God that results in universe ascension. What you are today is not so important as what you are becoming day by day and in eternity."

These and other passages should help us realize that the connection between our minds and our soul and spiritual reality are very tenuous under the best of circumstances. With us even the best of circumstances aren't particularly good to begin with â€” our biological makeup is sub-par, our hereditary endowments are lacking, our family life as we grow and mature is often a shambles, society surrounding us exudes destructive and negative influences. Add to that what appears to be a predisposition toward ingesting mind and consciousness altering substances and one could begin to wonder why we were even chosen to receive the gift of this revelation; most of us give its messages and warnings little heed, preferring instead to follow our whims of predisposition.

The experimentation with and use of consciousness altering substances is a pervasive, and for the most part accepted, part of society. Many Urantians discovered the book during "the drug daze" that have transpired since the 1960s and many of them continue to feed their habits, justifying them within their own minds and exhibiting by example that they're willing to settle for less than the best in their spiritual discoveries here on earth. Both of what are considered to be benign substances, tobacco and marijuana, produce observable physical alterations to cell structure; it follows to reason that they influence the delicate body-mind connection as well.

"Always should the domains of the physical (electrochemical) and the mental response to environmental stimuli be differentiated, and in turn must they all be recognized as phenomena apart from spiritual activities. The domains of physical, mental, and spiritual gravity are distinct realms of cosmic reality, notwithstanding their intimate interrelations."

One of the differences that separate human beings from animals is that human beings can learn through observation and analysis; they don't have to have an experience in order to understand and learn. In the area of mind altering substances and the effects they have on the lives we live here in the material world most of us don't function as particularly high order human beings. We should be able to conclude without actually having the experience that the role of mind altering drugs, chemicals, alcohol and their effects on the body and on spirituality have so little to offer of any real value, so little that the risk is too great to be considered an appealing enticement.

Thank you for your question. 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 from our site that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of this marvelous book with an audio clip and a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: alcohol, drugs, Larry Watkins, mind, mind-altering, spirituality, The Urantia Book