Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

Q: Our degree of self-control is the measure of our soul. Is it cheating to use medications to increase ones control of emotions like anger, sexual lust, anxiety or any other emotional unbalance?

A: It may be a measure of a person's soul that they think enough of themselves and other people to want to do whatever they can to get help if they feel out of control in the way of harmful emotional states. These states can be due to so many things - environmental, inherited, or simple imbalance, some of which can be addressed through medications. Sometimes people are not thinking of anything but relief from their symptoms...getting that relief may help them in their spiritual life.

Whether or not such a person is "cheating" because they may be getting help with harmful emotions seems a very subjective and personal matter which is none of my business. If it helps people to navigate in this world a little better for awhile, where's the harm? And why pass any kind of judgment?

Is it cheating to take a tranquilizer to keep from getting an anxiety attack? Drugs are drugs; some are intended to normalize abnormal behavior. To not use them when they're available and intended to correct a particular behavior pattern would be ignorant.

Jesus taught us that self-mastery is an ideal worth striving for. Those of us who are lucky enough to have this Revelation know that true self-mastery is a spiritual achievement which can be had through perseverance, determination, faith, trust, and prayer. But even so, just because a person takes medication to help them through a rough time in their life does not mean that they are failing at self-mastery. Seeking help may, in itself, be evidence of self-mastery. And spiritual work can surely be done even with medication.

How you get to self-mastery not be not the important thing - THAT you get there seems more important.

Q: I fully understand that some people HAVE to use medications to be calm, like those in psychiatric asylums. Though I was wondering whether it is a spiritual achievement to get self-control, when you are chemically under control through administered medications. I heard, as an example, about this dude who almost lived in celibacy, though his celibacy was a result of medications....not supreme self-control. If a person then buys anger-, sexual management pills to become more spiritual, is the result then spiritual or is it almost a pathetic attempt to cheat God?

A: So, to rephrase that - just so we're clear: Someone knows that self-control is a spiritual achievement. They want that spiritual achievement, so they buy pills to control their behavior chemically, hoping to become more spiritual as a result of the control because they can't control themselves any other way...?

I can't speak for God, or anyone else, but if their desire is truly spiritual growth, it'll probably work out - maybe not that way, but some way. God knows the heart, and I am sure he judges on that alone.

To cheat God? Spiritual achievement occurs when will power is used to overcome compulsions or desires. If one has no overriding sexual impulses or no predilection toward anger because they have been deadened through medications, then being celibate or placid have no spiritual components.

Labels: medicine, self-control, self-mastery, soul, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

If A police officer kills someone is s/he judged by the Ancients of Days?

Q: If someone works as a police officer, and sometimes has to resort to killing criminals, how would the Ancients of Days evaluate such a personality?

A: I certainly cannot speak for the Ancients of Days, but I do know that the state has the right to protect its citizens; that is why we have laws and law-enforcement, such as the police force. If, in the execution of their duties, a "criminal" is killed by a police officer, it is often a case of perceived defense against harm to the individual officer, or to society-at-large. Until society has evolved to such a degree that its citizenry is governed by individual self-control, such unfortunate occurrences are inevitable.

In his Discourse on Sonship and Citizenship, Jesus said:

"The kingdoms of this world, being material, may often find it necessary to employ physical force in the execution of their laws and for the maintenance of order."

In our society, much scrutiny is usually attached to street killings by police officers - investigations are made, and judgments rendered right here on earth as to the guilt or innocence of the officer. As for the eternal consequences, that is impossible for any of us to rightly determine.

Thank you for this question...

Labels: citizenship, Jesus, police, protection, self-control, state, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Is sex before marriage bad or immoral?

Q: Is sex before marriage bad or immoral?

A: Let me begin this response to your thoughtful question by saying that The Urantia Book does not make moral edicts concerning sexual relationships. There are no, â€œThou shalt notsâ€� in the book. However, it does give us many reasons why our moral choices are vitally important to our spiritual growth and to human progress in general. It also gives us some great and practical advice concerning these matters. For instance: Paper 72, Government On A Neighboring Planet, and Paper 84, Marriage And Family Life, both give us guideposts the ideals human marriage and family relationships. Jesus also had some amazing things to say to John Mark about ideal family life in Paper 177, Wednesday, The Day Of Rest.

In the thirty years that I have studied these teachings one thing becomes absolutely apparent to me about matters like premarital sex. Each human must grapple with these decisions using their own highest understanding of personal morality, truth and righteousness. Each person must weigh all such moral decisions, like having sex out of wedlock, with utmost consideration for the meaning, value, and consequence of the decision. The Heavenly Father requires us to grow through prayerful and reflective decision making. That is, decisions based on our highest moral understanding and inner guidance. Consider the following quote: "The keys of the kingdom of heaven are: sincerity, more sincerity, and more sincerity. All men have these keys. Men use them--advance in spirit status--by decisions, by more decisions, and by more decisions. The highest moral choice is the choice of the highest possible value, and always--in any sphere, in all of them--this is to choose to do the will of God."

Each person has to determine what God's will is for himself or herself. I tried to help my own children to make intelligent decisions, not by demanding that they not do something, but by giving them the tools they need (in reality the education) to make wise decisions when confronted with difficult situations. We frankly discussed human sexuality, and I gave them the benefit of my experience. I told them what I wished someone had told me. Did they engage in premarital sex? Perhaps, I canâ€™t really say for sure. But if they did, I know that they completely understood that first and foremost, sex is how humans procreate. In other words, sex brings little humans into the world, and with little humans comes huge, even cosmic responsibilities. The first question any person should ask themselves before having sex is; â€œWould I want this man/woman to be the father/mother of my children?â€� Being a father or mother is, at the very least, a lifelong commitment.

Is sex before marriage bad or immoral? It certainly can be depending upon the intent of the people engaged in it. Mankind all too often engages in pleasure mania, doing something for no other reason than that it feels good, and becomes unwilling to make any effort to take responsibility for consequences that come with his or her actions, nor for spiritual growth or commitment.

As a woman, I feel that sex is the ultimate act of submission. We women open up and let another person enter into our most intimate and personal self. This, in my thinking, is never something to be taken lightly. Through this act of submission, we women risk not only our emotional well-being (as it is easy for a woman to fall under these circumstances) but we are also the ones who will take on the lion's share of responsibility in the case of pregnancy. If the man is not willing to take equal responsibility for the possible consequences of "sex" (childbearing) the results can be devastating for the woman. I think any wise woman will take time for careful consideration before having sex with anyone.

Ultimately, the real challenge for any of us humans is self-control. Anything that gives man pleasure can be abused. Any good thing can become a bad thing if it is done recklessly, excessively, or thoughtlessly. Well, that's my best thinking on this subject, and I hope it's helpful.

Thank you for a thought-provoking question.

Every blessing...Paula

Labels: children, marriage, morality, Paula, self-control, sex, The Urantia Book

Permalink

Friday, November 18, 2005

Is masturbation wrong?

Q: What does the Urantia Book say about masturbation, and is it wrong?

A: The Urantia Book doesn't speak directly about masturbation or the rightness or wrongness of most things â€“ this is left up to our own understanding. Here are two quotes from the book that may help to provide some insight:

Let man enjoy himself; let the human race find pleasure in a thousand and one ways; let evolutionary mankind explore all forms of legitimate self gratification, the fruits of the long upward biologic struggle. Man has well earned some of his present day joys and pleasures. But look you well to the goal of destiny! Pleasures are indeed suicidal if they succeed in destroying property, which has become the institution of self maintenance; and self gratifications have indeed cost a fatal price if they bring about the collapse of marriage, the decadence of family life, and the destruction of the home â€“ man's supreme evolutionary acquirement and civilization's only hope of survival. (84:8.7)

Someday man should learn how to enjoy liberty without license, nourishment without gluttony, and pleasure without debauchery. Self control is a better human policy of behavior regulation than is extreme self denial. Nor did Jesus ever teach these unreasonable views to his followers. (89:3.7)

Labels: masturbation, pleasures, self-control, self-denial, self-gratification, 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 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010

RSS Feed

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