My friends made a big fuss when their Mom predicted her death. Well, it’s not everyday Mom says she is going to die. Their Mom did succumb to lung cancer later that day. We sat and they talked about what a great person she was and reminisced on old times long gone. But they kept coming back to Mom’s recent prediction. They found great meaning in this event. Much of it seems to have come from their faith in Mom’s organizational abilities. Planning her end was consistent with the way she lived her life. Thus in their minds the prediction was an extension of who she was and not some random expressed thought that just happened to come true.
The faith of many in God is also connected to this process of finding meaning in the seemingly random events of life. The current emotional explosion in Muslim dominated countries reflects this search for meaning through the connection of theology and random events. The Danish consulate in Lebanon was burned to the ground by a mob because of a cartoon in a Danish newspaper. There doesn’t seem to be a way of rationalizing this event. There is no obvious connection between the newspaper and the government of Denmark. There is no obvious connection between a worldwide religious movement and some guy doodling on a piece of paper. And yet the protestors define the meaning of the event as being an “insult to our faith”. Despite the difficulty in rationalizing violence as a religious faith response, the protestors put all of the pieces together and went on the attack. The problem is that many faith responses – and this one in particular – appear to be functioning outside of the bounds of reason.
The Urantia Book says that religion is “wholly rational insight which originates in man’s mind-experience” (1105.2). When the book speaks of insight it is talking about that learning which comes from the spiritual forces which are influencing us to be more Godlike. When the book speaks of rationality it is talking about the reasoning abilities inherent within the human mind. In other words – true religious experience involves both spiritual guidance and human reasoning. The book says that religion is reasonable, rational and logical. It also says that even though spiritual truth is beyond reason, reason is an important part of our growing experience of God’s presence. And so, religious concepts should always be able to withstand the scrutiny of human reason. God wants us to use our minds as well as our hearts when developing the highest human concepts of our Father in Heaven.
The continuing world-wide violence in the name of religion shows that our world needs to reject religious ideas which do not stand up to reasonable examination. The search for meaning cannot be held hostage by the mixing of random events with age old traditions. Too many people are locked into belief systems which make no logical sense in our quickly advancing world culture. The ideas of The Urantia Book, which I believe are the most reasonable and logical of any and all religious concepts to date, need to be promoted to the fullest extent. It isn’t enough to urge someone to read the book. The concepts within the book need to be promoted as much as the book itself. Unquestioned belief systems need to be replaced by the reasonable concepts that were given to us through revealed truth. It is these truth concepts stimulating the inherent logic of our minds in concert with the always present spiritual forces that will move the search for meaning ever higher.
Author relates God, science, personal responsibility to global peace
Jan 12,2007
With “God Refined: A Proposal for Peace”, Robert Kezer answers what may be our most important question: Can the average person make a difference in the world, or are we destined to a future beyond our control -- one of increasing war, environmental destruction, and disparity between the rich and poor?
Today, many people feel religious strife is tearing us apart. Yet, rather than our spirituality destroying us, Kezer says it is what has stopped the carnage from getting worse: this, he offers, is a clue for ending the violence consuming our planet.
In God Refined, we are challenged to accept global change as personal responsibility. Drawing on the Urantia Revelation, he teaches the unified nature of creation, that our relationship with God is personal, and that all religions are considered equal under the umbrella of a single sovereign Creator.
On a planet becoming ever more violent, Kezer offers the tools we need to survive. His approach is simple, direct, and compelling: abolishing war is our responsibility, not that of our leaders. Believing that crisis creates opportunity, he visualizes a new era of global community -- one where women enjoy full partnership with men in all decision-making, from the family level to the world stage. Relating humanity’s evolution to individual personal growth, we are presented with a path to a higher order of existence, one from which peace can have its first true chance.
God Refined: A Proposal for Peace is offered in paperback and in a Complimentary E-book edition for those people for whom the cost would impose a hardship.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kezer returned to college in 2002 pursuing a self-designed program in Peace Studies: he graduated in 2006 with bachelors’ degrees in International and Religious Studies from the University of Oregon. Working to become bilingual so he can also present in Spanish, he writes and speaks on God, religious tolerance, and our tools for abolishing war. Bob has one adult son and lives in Eugene, Oregon.
ABOUT THE BOOK: ”God Refined: A Proposal for Peace” by Robert A. Kezer 2006. First Edition. 6 x 9; 60 pages. ISBN: 978-0-6151-3810-7. Available through bookstores and in paperback ($12.99 p&h), e-book ($6.98), and complimentary download at http://stores.lulu.com/bobkezer. Publication Date: 1 March 2007.
Xerpi
