Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

Q: I have a query. Do the departed souls affect us? If they are not happy do they cause us suffering? Do we have to pay for the misdeeds and sufferings of our ancestors? What does one do to bring peace to the departed souls? I do not understand that when we are good why we have to suffer for someone else's misdeeds and sins. Its unfair.

A: Thank you for your question to Truthbook.com. Yes, what you've related would be unfair if it were true. I know many people suffer from the burden they believe the departed have placed upon them. In some cultures people die because of their belief that those who've departed can influence them so profoundly, so it's not a problem to be dismissed lightly.

Our minds are powerful influences and can perform amazing things, some hard to believe. Having powerful minds and the free will to direct them however we choose is a birthright we all are endowed with. Some people are willing to turn over the control and function of their minds to others -- the others don't have the capacity to control a healthy mind without the willful consent of the person being controlled. So, yes, some people can and do suffer from someone else's misdeeds, but it is a choice they've made, perhaps unconsciously, to do.

The Urantia Book has the most complete and factual information about the birth of the soul, how it functions, what it does, where it and we go upon death, and what the life hereafter will be like. There's a short presentation on our site titled After You Die that should be of comfort to you and help answer your question. Briefly though, the answer to your question is no, departed souls do not physically or mentally affect us -- they leave earth and are involved in activity that's meaningful to their own development and are not involved in any further activity here on earth; they do not return. Energy patterns and mindal energy systems that had been part of that person's makeup while alive may still exist once the individual is gone -- sensitive people can tap into those energies or even those not so sensitive can as well if they choose to. It's a matter of free will choice whether one wants to indulge in these undertakings or not; they can as easily be dismissed and disregarded, whether they're real or not.

Do we pay for the misdeeds and sufferings of our ancestors? Only if we choose to aim our minds in those directions -- yes, some people do suffer from such perceived burdens, but again, it's their choice to do so, whether the choice has been made consciously or unconsciously; such choices can be reversed by refusing to entertain thoughts along those lines. Our Father in heaven does not burden his mortal children; we are not held accountable for another individual's actions -- it's only our own actions that matter. Just as the Father did not require an innocent sacrifice in order to appease wrath, neither does the Father require that we pay for the sins of others -- it's our choice if that's what we choose to do. Jesus has exhorted us to fear not; trust Jesus.

May I recommend that you spend time at our site to help you understand these answers better and 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, The Urantia 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: Jesus, life after death, soul, suffering, the departed, The Urantia Book

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Friday, November 17, 2006

Dreams And Visions Of The Departed

Q: My Grandmother of 91 years old finaly passed on Nov. 5th 2006
My Grandfather passed away last year on August 1st. 2005.
Ever since then my grandma was never the same. She always would tell
us that shes tired and that she wants to go be with "Daddy" that was
what she use to call my grandfather when was alive. A few days before
she passed my mom told me that she had visions of her mother and of her
husband my grandpa and that he was standing in a bright light with his
arms wide open singing their favorite song "Because of You."

The nurse from hospice that was taking care of my grandmother did mention that
this sort of thing happens a lot of times when a person is very close
to passing on. What is your opinion on that sort of thing?

I guess its sort of soothing or comforting to me especialy in
this time of grief losing my grandparents back to back. My grandparents
raised my brother and myself from birth and its so hard to part from
them. Thanks again for your time.

A: I hope you received the newsletter announcing the "After you die"
presentation -- if not, it and several others are available from the home
page of our site from links on the upper left side.

Yes, I'll be happy to give you my opinion based upon my understanding
of the teachings of The Urantia Book. Every one of us has opinions on
all aspects of life, death, and everything in between and we base those
opinions on what we've read, what we've learned in school, from TV or
radio, from superstition, from friends and neighbors and family and from
what we learn through our own meditations and prayers. So it's not too
strange for someone to say they're basing their opinion on teachings
they've acquired through study of a particular book, especially after
having studied that book you've come to believe that this one is exactly
what it claims to be, a divine revelation given to us by angels. I don't
expect anyone else to believe that unless they've actually read the
book and decided for themselves too so this can be considered just my own
personal opinion. Still, The Urantia Book is very specific about what
happens to us at death and after -- that's one of the reasons we have it
today, to help us understand why we're here, why we die, where we go
afterwards, what our destiny is.

I guess the technical explanation would be that at conception we're
connected to a mind circuit -- this is an energy pattern that our brains,
once they're developed, use to gather and express thoughts and ideas as
well as through which personalities are expressed. When we die our
personality disconnects from this circuit to be given a different, more
encompassing one for our continued existence on the mansion worlds. It is
possible for those of us who are left behind to connect with what has
been left in this energy circuit which can be very real to us and we can
continue to experience the presence of our loved ones even though
they're no longer here.

The Urantia Book makes it clear that this is our first and only life
here -- that we go on to better things when we leave. That means the
departed do not come back even though it can appear that they do. Ghosts
and apparitions don't exist in the real sense; we are not destined to
hang around here for any reason after we die -- we go on over there just
where we left off here and we don't hang around waiting for loved ones.
But that doesn't mean that those who are left behind can't still feel
as though the departed are near or might meet with them in dreams
because the mind connection can still be experienced.

When we die we do reunite with the loved ones who have gone on before
us -- your grandparents are enjoying reassociating with their parents,
siblings, and other loved ones now just as you will enjoy reuniting with
them once you've depart here.

So, yes, I believe it's quite possible to have visions of and hear the
voices of departed loved ones -- visions and voices that can be as good
as real but which in actuality aren't because the loved one really
isn't hanging around in a spirit world attempting to communicate with us
here. They're off in a new existence but looking forward to reuniting
with those they've left behind.

I hope that answer is comforting as well as informative. Best wishes
and feel free to write any time.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: death, destiny, dreams, Larry Watkins, the departed, The Urantia Book, visions

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Friday, October 27, 2006

Do my loved ones remember me in Heaven?

Q: My mother and father are gone and I was their only child. I'm worried if they will remember me and that I'm still here on Earth when their resurrected, will they remember me while I continue my test here on Earth?

A: The Urantia Book offers us a great wealth of information and comfort regarding the process of death and the experience of mortal resurrection. More importantly, it also offers us assurances that on our eternal journey through the Father's realms, we will always "...know and be known - remember and be remembered by, our onetime associates in the short but intriguing life on Urantia."

This quote is from the section titled "Survival of the Human Self," p1232. It is part of Paper112 entitled "Personality Survival."

As to whether your parents remember you now, while you still are on earth...they surely do, just as you remember them. Not only that, but they remember only the best of times that they shared with you. All experiences that you shared that were less than wonderful will have been forgotten, but the love that they feel for you is still as real now as it was when they were with you here on earth. The loving relationships that we establish on earth are eternal relationships, and can never die, for they have eternal value.

Quoting from the same section as above, "...mortal memory of personality relationships has cosmic value and will persist."

And when you yourself pass over into the Father Mansions, you will be given an opportunity to reunite with your loved ones. I know it will be a joyous time for all of you! The fact that you still hold your parents in your heart means that they have not really gone from you - their physical presence is gone, but that love is so real that it will remain with you for the rest of your days, and beyond. The teaching that they gave and the way they raised you have made you the person you are today, and you carry them in your heart and mind because of it. And I am sure that you had an equally profound effect upon them.

Do your parents remember you today as you remember them? They do. Just as in our earthly life, those with whom we have love ties are always connected to us. Time and space are no barriers to this connection. Even if we don't think of each other every minute, we know our loved ones care for us as we care for them. And when we need them, all we need to do is think of them, remember them and their love, and their "love presence" is upon us in an instant. That is the reality of love, and God is the source of the comfort that it gives, since he is the Author of Love itself.

You are so correct to describe this life as a "test." This earthly life is a testing time, and part of that test for us is to grow a living faith in the Father's goodness, and the promise of Jesus, who said, "If you are the faith sons of my Father, you shall never die; you shall not perish." When you are having hard times in your life, I hope you will remember your parents, and trust that they are remembering you as well. Trust in God, hold Jesus's hand, and be of good cheer. In God's universe, love is just about the most important thing there is.

MaryJo
Truthbook.com

Labels: Earth, God, love, Mary Jo, memory, the departed, The Urantia Book