Urantia Book Commentary and Articles

Summary Of The Presentation On Spiritual Healing
Mr. Henry Begemann
March 4, 1977

Spiritual Healing could be viewed as one factor of the vast process of supremacy, spirit dominance over mind and mind over matter, pattern caused to appear.

(See p. 1274, 6,4-7 and 1275, 7,5-9 - titles to be counted as paragraphs)

The ordination -- mandate, p. 1570, 4.1;

A. proclaim liberty to the spiritual captives
B. proclaim joy to those in the bondage of fear
C. heal the sick, in accordance with the will of my Father in heaven

p. 1590, 9.1-2 Jesus taught the twelve how to heal. What he taught is not communicated, only some clues:

p 1590, 9.2-4 "... the whole man..." p. 1591, 2 & 3: Diseases of the flesh, Troubled minds. (Giving clues for really interested students is an often practiced method of the authors of the Urantia Book).

The whole man:
1. the material energy system
2. the mindal energy system
3. the spirit energy system (different from the indwelling spirit)
4. personality
a. true personality, changeless
b. identity, (personality identifying itself with a living organism to get self-knowledge through experience).
On our level, and throughout the local universe-career the I, or ego, or self, is not yet centered in the spirit-energy system, but in the mind-energy-system.
5. The Thought Adjuster, the indwelling spirit, not yet really a part of man.
6. Soul, born of two parents, mind and Adjuster, the embryonic morontia-mind including a potential/actual new self, reborn man. (the Biblical concept of "the old man" and "the new man")

Relationship between "the whole man" and disease:
P484, 1.1 "The spirit is the architect, the mind is the builder, the body is the building."

A. The architect can be inactive or "captive;" The mind can be without director and in error; The body can exemplify and manifest the error of mind.
B. Purely physical disease. 57, 6 (...the mis-thinking) the collective mind influences nature and creature.

The healing-process indicated by ordination-mandate.

A. Liberty for the Spiritual Captives... The spiritual energy-system is non-active through the overpowering tendencies, convictions, and fears of the ego, that is centered in mind. Reversion of truth: matter dominates mind, (material) mind dominates spirit.

Living, experienced, TRUTH causes the mind-center, the self, to strive for spirit -- (real value) domination. Then the creative nature of spirit manifests itself. This is liberty -- sonship. Intellectual "truth" is insufficient for spiritual healing.

When the captain of the mind-ship listens to the advice of the pilot, he steers his ship free from the shoals, into the open sea of spirit. page 1217, 5.1

The liberated spiritual energy-system regenerates the mindal and material energy systems.

B. Joy for those in bondage of fear.... Fear is an attitude of the mind. Mind, lacking the creativity of the spiritual energy-system, is in bondage of its concepts of material reality. page 140, 2.2-4.

Mind, innately creative, thus creates fear images, which can become obsessions. Fear is a strong factor in the collective mind also. According to Jesus, the remedy for fear is joy. The BEAUTY of life is the basis and reason for joy. Life, as the Universal Father meant it for his children, is beautiful. When we experience the love of our Father, this love casts out fear, through the liberated creativity of the spiritual energy-system.

Experienced values create their channels of expression. Fear is a concomitant of illness. Jesus often began his treatment with "Be not afraid." Fear often expresses itself in the material body as some form of disease accordant with the special form of the fear. (Mind dominating matter).

Every Thought Adjuster brings with him an individual plan of life for his subject.

42, 8.4-7 "Happiness ensues from the recognition of truth because it can be acted out; it can be lived...."

C. "I send you forth ... to heal the sick in accordance with the will of my Father in Heaven."

Two meanings:
1. healing is in accordance with his will;
2. our healing work should be done in accordance with his will.

Both interpretations seem valid. What is the will of God? On the personal, spiritual level the Thought Adjuster is called the will of God. On the physical level, pattern is called the will of God. Mind (with the self-center) is confronted with mystery above and below. p. 1223, 6.2:

"Why do you not allow the Adjuster to strengthen you with Cosmic Power while you wrestle with the temporal difficulties of creature existence?"

On p. 3, 4.3 power is mentioned as a disclosure of divinity on impersonal levels. Conclusion: personality has not power. Power is not personal.

p. 10, 4.4: "That quality of ... personality by virtue of which pattern is caused to appear may be attributed to God - Deity ..., to the co-existence of personality and power."

Though personality has not power, there exists a relationship between personality and power. This relationship The Urantia Book mostly calls "Sonship with God."

page 2097, whole second par., is very enlightening for the "Sonship with - God" - consciousness. It is more than God-knowingness, more than embryonic soul-consciousness, more than the faith-experience of Sonship, it is the actual experience of the divine presence, "equivalent to the integration of the self with the universe, and on its highest levels of spiritual reality." It is actually participating in the process of Supremacy.

But physical healing not only implies dedication to doing the Father's will as expressed by the indwelling presence, it also requires recognition of the Father's will as pattern. We need an enlightened and unshakable faith and pattern is the basis for that.

Pattern, like personality, is an unfathomable mystery because the Universal Father is the source of both.

But there are some essential aspects of pattern which our book has revealed and which we should remember:

1. Pattern is perfect, absolutely or relatively, depending on the level on which it has been projected. Its gravity-debt has already been paid p.3, 3.4.

2. Pattern does not control energy, like gravity does. In this respect it more resembles love. Pattern is the GOODNESS of the Universal Father, who "fills all things." Pattern should be accepted in living faith. Pattern constitutes the validity-basis for the divine command: "Be ye perfect as I am perfect." In final analysis the Universal Father himself has paid the gravity-debt. More directly the Creator Sons and their subordinates have paid the gravity-debt for us by projecting pattern. The perfection of pattern is already here.

God's GOODNESS is not the same as God's mercy. God is good because he shares his perfection with us as the ever-present, perfect pattern, waiting to be activated. He is merciful because he knows that the realization of perfection is a process in time. Even the realization of relative perfection as manifested in healing is, in most cases, a process. Jesus' healings were instantaneous, because his faith was so much stronger and more enlightened than ours. As a Creator Son he was above time, but it is not clear if, or in how far he acted as Creator Son, when healing. Anyway, he taught his apostles how to heal.

Our healing mostly is the result of a faith struggle between the spiritual mind and the material mind. And this struggle can only be won through the help of the indwelling spirit, our Father-friend within.

A Divine Counselor summarizes it on p. 43, 5.4 as follows: "Health, sanity, and happiness are integrations of truth, beauty and goodness as they are blended in human experience. Such levels of efficient living come about through the unification of energy systems, idea systems, and spirit systems."

And on page 42, 8.4: "Happiness ensues from the recognition of truth because it can be acted out..."

Spiritual healing is a privilege, not a "must." It belongs in the category mentioned on page 1866.

Medical science has its place in evolution.

Labels: disease, fear, God, Gospel of Jesus, healing, Henry Begemann, Mind, pattern, spiritual healing, The Urantia Book, Thought Adjuster

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Seven Urantia Book Historic Truth Affirmations

Meredith Sprunger
4/25/88

1. God is experiencable in human existence. All of us can experience God because we are all children of the Heavenly Father.

2. We will receive eternal life if we have faith and trust in God.

3. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. We are asked to love one another, as Jesus loves us.

4. The ministry of the Spirit is without measure and is efficacious. It is limited only by our receptive capacities.

5. We live in an orderly, intelligent, and progressive universe.

6. Human life has a divine purpose. There is meaning in our planetary history, values in our present situation, and hope for future generations.

7. The most important knowledge in the world is knowing the religious life of Jesus. The most important spiritual practice is living the religion of Jesus.

SEVEN URANTIA BOOK BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS

1. The material and spiritual cosmology of the universe is much greater and more purposefully organized than most scholars have envisioned. The number and diversity of spirit personalities and intelligent beings transcends our most imaginative speculation.

2. The finite universe in inhabited, and is a delegated creation composed of local universes which were brought into being by "Only Begotten" Creator Sons of the Universal Father. These Sons rule over their creations and all mortals who proceed to the Father are assisted in their pilgrimage by the benevolent ministry of these Sons. In this context the role of Jesus for our planet takes on additional significance and importance.

3. The universe is growth oriented and friendly. We must suffer the consequences for our misdeeds, but a literal "Hell" is a humanistic illusion.

4. Personal realities are dynamically interrelated; our mind bridges the dichotomy between matter and spirit; the Indwelling Spirit of God is our authentic self and has an ideal plan for our development; our soul is a divine-human creation which evolves as we make decisions harmonious with truth, beauty, and goodness; personality is a unique bestowal of the Universal Father which never changes and has unlimited potential to organize and integrate all present and future capacities and experiences.

5. The pathway to salvation and Paradise is evolutionary in nature. After death we take up our spiritual growth just where we left off I this life. We partiipate in our own growth toward perfection. The universe is a gigantic university, training mortals for a great and glorious future.

6. The idea that a sense of guilt, repentance, and self-examination are necessary for spiritual growth is replaced by the priorities of faith; self-forgetfulness; service; and self-mastery.

7. Religion is personal experience with God. Religious institutions are second order social creations. Truth is dynamic and cannot be imprisoned in creeds or dogmas; it is a spiritual reality which is living and growing.

Labels: cosmology, eternal life, God, Gospel of Jesus, love, Meredith Sprunger, Mind, personality, purpose, religion of personal experience, soul, Spirit ministry, the universe