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Книгата Урантия
Книгата Урантия, публикувана за пръв път от фондация „Урантия” през 1955 г., е била предоставена от небесни същества като откровение за нашата планета, Урантия.
Авторите на Книгата Урантия ни разказват за произхода, историята и съдбата на човечеството, а също и за нашата връзка с Небесния Отец. Те представят уникално и вълнуващо изображение на живота и учението на Иисус. Те откриват нови перспективи на времето и вечността за човешкия дух и предлагат нови подробности за нашето възходящо пътешествие в една приятелска и внимателно управлявана Вселена.
Книгата Урантия предлага ясна и стройна система, която обединява науката, философията и религия
4917 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 1955
1692 people are currently reading
2850 people want to read
About the author
Urantia Foundation
24 books34 followersThe Authorship of the Urantia Book was left Anonymous. It came about between 1925 and its publication on October 12, 1955. Those involved in its eventual publication were Dr. William S. Sadler (William Samuel Sadler) his wife Dr. Lena K. Sadler (Lena Kellogg), and their son William Samuel ("Bill") Sadler Jr. The Sadlers formed a group known as the Forum in 1925. The papers were said to have been received from Celestial Beings as a result of asking questions, gathered in the Forum. An anonymous person known as the "contact personality" or "sleeping subject" allegedly would speak and later write while in some kind of extraordinary trance or unconscious state. The Sadler's along with two members of Lena's family Anna Kellogg and Wilfred Kellogg, and Emma Louis ("Christy") Christensen were known as the Contact Commission. Perhaps they witnessed the papers being written or knew the identity of the one through whom they were written. The exact method for how they were written was never disclosed. They said they would take the hand written answers, and do proofreading and typing.
Urantia Foundation was established in 1950 to be the custodian of the inviolate text of The Urantia Book and to ensure that the book's teachings are spread, with the help of readers and fraternal organizations, to all people.
Urantia Foundation is a non-profit, educational foundation that operates under a Declaration of Trust. It has been printing the book in English since 1955, and in recent years has been translating the book into many other languages of the world.
Urantia Foundation was established in 1950 to be the custodian of the inviolate text of The Urantia Book and to ensure that the book's teachings are spread, with the help of readers and fraternal organizations, to all people.
Urantia Foundation is a non-profit, educational foundation that operates under a Declaration of Trust. It has been printing the book in English since 1955, and in recent years has been translating the book into many other languages of the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
January 21, 2024
About the Urantia Book
Posted on GoodReads September 18, 2009
This is my favorite book. I have been reading it, on and off, since 1972. It is the most complete, informative, reassuring, stimulating, mind-blowing, and inspiring book I have ever read. This book becomes a best friend that you always want near at hand. I have read it cover to cover a couple of times, and I have read sections over and over. I always interpret it in new ways, gaining new insights with every read. The Urantia Book has been a shaping force in my life and my identity. The truths contained in this book have guided me through the hardest times and helped me appreciate and value the best times. The authors paint the bigger picture for you, then show you how to find your place in that grand picture. It is not purely religious or philosophical as it provides concrete ways to see, believe, live, and act, in order to become a better person and find happiness, meaning, and fulfillment. Like great art, it only gets better with time.
To new readers, I recommend looking through the contents and reading sections that interest you, rather than reading all 2000+ pages from beginning to end the first time around. For many years, I read it section by section--choosing subjects that interested me---before reading it through. If you start reading it, and it doesn’t grab you, then I suggest reading the last section--Part IV--The Life and Times of Jesus (Christ Michael), which is 700+ pages. That final section reads more like a narrative; it is particularly inspiring and easy to get into.
There are many crazy rumors about this book, spread by people who know nothing about it. Ignore all that, and judge for yourself. This book has nothing in common with fundamentalism, evangelism, Mormonism, Dianetics, or any cults, “schemes to get rich and be successful,” or beliefs based on dogma or existing belief systems. It is very much about God, Jesus, angels, the order of the universe, and truth. It is not, in itself, a religion and it espouses no rituals other than personal prayer conducted in your own way, in private. It is not an exclusive belief system and is compatible with other open-minded religious beliefs or faiths. It warns against hocus pocus and hoodoo-voodoo fanaticism (my words not the Book’s ;-). It was written mostly in the 1930s and 40s and was published in 1955-- it is not a new age book. Some people who like this book are drawn to new age type books and many others are not. This book appeals to no particular culture, class, or creed. Although some kooky people are drawn to it, in general, the readers I have met have been very “normal” people, from all walks of life. I have met women and men in equal numbers, young and old, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Interfaith people, scientists, bankers, teachers, actors, doctors, computer engineers, people of different colors, straight and gay, liberal and conservative, northern, southern, urban and country dwellers . . . this is a book for all open-minded people who like to think and who are searching for the truth. After reading the book for 20 years, I wanted to discuss it with other readers (who are hard to find, by the way! ;-), so I decided to go to a study group in NYC, where I was living. I was afraid that there would be weird hippies in purple tie-dye forcing herb tea on me, but to my surprise, there were real normal people drinking strong coffee in a beautiful loft. After a few meetings, I realized I was the weirdest person in the group. ;-) Although some of the concepts are hard to understand, most of it is accessible to anyone---I started reading it when I was 16 and was completely absorbed and fascinated from the moment I saw it. As a professional writer and editor, I can assure you that the writing and editing is of the highest possible quality. At the very least, you will see that it is completely unique---unlike any book ever written. It is also a beautifully researched, highly consistent book that covers fascinating subjects with great depth. It introduces many new concepts, but there is a pervading logic and reason throughout that makes perfect sense to people like me, who have never been completely satisfied with answers found elsewhere, or who just could not find answers to certain questions anywhere else. This book has not answered all my questions, but amazingly enough, it has answered most of them, and I am someone with a helluva lot of questions! Happy travels through the infinitely satisfying terrains of the Urantia Book!
Posted on GoodReads September 18, 2009
This is my favorite book. I have been reading it, on and off, since 1972. It is the most complete, informative, reassuring, stimulating, mind-blowing, and inspiring book I have ever read. This book becomes a best friend that you always want near at hand. I have read it cover to cover a couple of times, and I have read sections over and over. I always interpret it in new ways, gaining new insights with every read. The Urantia Book has been a shaping force in my life and my identity. The truths contained in this book have guided me through the hardest times and helped me appreciate and value the best times. The authors paint the bigger picture for you, then show you how to find your place in that grand picture. It is not purely religious or philosophical as it provides concrete ways to see, believe, live, and act, in order to become a better person and find happiness, meaning, and fulfillment. Like great art, it only gets better with time.
To new readers, I recommend looking through the contents and reading sections that interest you, rather than reading all 2000+ pages from beginning to end the first time around. For many years, I read it section by section--choosing subjects that interested me---before reading it through. If you start reading it, and it doesn’t grab you, then I suggest reading the last section--Part IV--The Life and Times of Jesus (Christ Michael), which is 700+ pages. That final section reads more like a narrative; it is particularly inspiring and easy to get into.
There are many crazy rumors about this book, spread by people who know nothing about it. Ignore all that, and judge for yourself. This book has nothing in common with fundamentalism, evangelism, Mormonism, Dianetics, or any cults, “schemes to get rich and be successful,” or beliefs based on dogma or existing belief systems. It is very much about God, Jesus, angels, the order of the universe, and truth. It is not, in itself, a religion and it espouses no rituals other than personal prayer conducted in your own way, in private. It is not an exclusive belief system and is compatible with other open-minded religious beliefs or faiths. It warns against hocus pocus and hoodoo-voodoo fanaticism (my words not the Book’s ;-). It was written mostly in the 1930s and 40s and was published in 1955-- it is not a new age book. Some people who like this book are drawn to new age type books and many others are not. This book appeals to no particular culture, class, or creed. Although some kooky people are drawn to it, in general, the readers I have met have been very “normal” people, from all walks of life. I have met women and men in equal numbers, young and old, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Interfaith people, scientists, bankers, teachers, actors, doctors, computer engineers, people of different colors, straight and gay, liberal and conservative, northern, southern, urban and country dwellers . . . this is a book for all open-minded people who like to think and who are searching for the truth. After reading the book for 20 years, I wanted to discuss it with other readers (who are hard to find, by the way! ;-), so I decided to go to a study group in NYC, where I was living. I was afraid that there would be weird hippies in purple tie-dye forcing herb tea on me, but to my surprise, there were real normal people drinking strong coffee in a beautiful loft. After a few meetings, I realized I was the weirdest person in the group. ;-) Although some of the concepts are hard to understand, most of it is accessible to anyone---I started reading it when I was 16 and was completely absorbed and fascinated from the moment I saw it. As a professional writer and editor, I can assure you that the writing and editing is of the highest possible quality. At the very least, you will see that it is completely unique---unlike any book ever written. It is also a beautifully researched, highly consistent book that covers fascinating subjects with great depth. It introduces many new concepts, but there is a pervading logic and reason throughout that makes perfect sense to people like me, who have never been completely satisfied with answers found elsewhere, or who just could not find answers to certain questions anywhere else. This book has not answered all my questions, but amazingly enough, it has answered most of them, and I am someone with a helluva lot of questions! Happy travels through the infinitely satisfying terrains of the Urantia Book!
April 15, 2017
My mom was in a Urantia study group, at her church, in the '70s. I read some of it then, at 14 I asked her, "You do realize this book says we evolve from aliens don't you?"
I found it after she died, while cleaning out her house, and read it cover to cover. I loved the margin notes and highlghts she had left. It is an amazing read. My favorite sections are the history of Earth (Urantia) and the intricate story behind the 20+ years of Jesus' life not covered in the New Testament.
Long story short, God is the God of a vast universe system. Earth is a distant outpost; alien intervention is the administative system of God's cosmos; Jesus is the Son of God; the battle between good and evil on Earth has specific and fascinating origins.
This book is a fascinating blend of science, cosmology, religious philosophy. It is available on-line and a free iPhone app. You will never view ancient aliens or ancient history in quite the same way.
I found it after she died, while cleaning out her house, and read it cover to cover. I loved the margin notes and highlghts she had left. It is an amazing read. My favorite sections are the history of Earth (Urantia) and the intricate story behind the 20+ years of Jesus' life not covered in the New Testament.
Long story short, God is the God of a vast universe system. Earth is a distant outpost; alien intervention is the administative system of God's cosmos; Jesus is the Son of God; the battle between good and evil on Earth has specific and fascinating origins.
This book is a fascinating blend of science, cosmology, religious philosophy. It is available on-line and a free iPhone app. You will never view ancient aliens or ancient history in quite the same way.
October 18, 2012
Saved my life. Main reason I didn't suicide in 1986 at the beginning of a 12-yr suicidal depression 1986-98, and one of the main reasons I became spiritual after growing up in an atheistic/agnostic family.
Almost completed replaced other cosmologies in my beliefs (Caveat: My early training as a mathematician & scientist...means that I hold many inconsistent views of reality simultaneously). Overall, I have a 99+% belief in this not-channelled, but esoteric work.
It's one of the VERY RARE books which I've reread every few years, always finding that my added experience allows new insights.
The symmetry, beauty, and grandeur of it's concepts is breathtaking & mind-blowing. I'm pretty smart (college at age 10), and this is the book which puts me in my place every time I have an attack of "inflation" (when I think that I'm "hot shit") or have had some spiritual or emotional break-though. Rereading the UB (Urantia Book) reminds me how little I know or have experienced, and how incredibly vast and inspiring the universe is.
2 days ago (10/16/12) I just started reading the UB again, copying quotes from papers 1-15 that I feel will help me in my present life (e.g. wisdom just at the edge of my understanding...)
Almost completed replaced other cosmologies in my beliefs (Caveat: My early training as a mathematician & scientist...means that I hold many inconsistent views of reality simultaneously). Overall, I have a 99+% belief in this not-channelled, but esoteric work.
It's one of the VERY RARE books which I've reread every few years, always finding that my added experience allows new insights.
The symmetry, beauty, and grandeur of it's concepts is breathtaking & mind-blowing. I'm pretty smart (college at age 10), and this is the book which puts me in my place every time I have an attack of "inflation" (when I think that I'm "hot shit") or have had some spiritual or emotional break-though. Rereading the UB (Urantia Book) reminds me how little I know or have experienced, and how incredibly vast and inspiring the universe is.
2 days ago (10/16/12) I just started reading the UB again, copying quotes from papers 1-15 that I feel will help me in my present life (e.g. wisdom just at the edge of my understanding...)
November 1, 2014
Paper 64 is very telling.....eugenics are definitely not a good thing and Europeans are not better stock because they did not stay in Africa to breed with the "lesser stock". Also, the book is absolutely loaded with 3-dollar words that often could have very easily used simplified alternatives. My gut rejects this as tripe no matter where it came from.
July 30, 2013
I thought that a detailed critique, on a rational level, should be presented for such a major “revelatory” religious work but this will be short and to the point. I studied the Urantia Book (UB) in the 80s and for a brief time it impressed me to the point where I felt it had much to offer and should indeed be regarded as worthy of serious consideration to help guide mankind towards a better spiritual and social existence. The UB has many admirers but it has largely been ignored by academics, theologians, the media or Christian apologists. As someone who had spent decades on the study of both exoteric and esoteric teachings and so-called revelations I had never come across a work that would even come close to the UB’s massive length (over two thousand pages), it quasi-scientific presentments, its claim to be a chronicle of the creation and history of the earth and the universe, its revision of Biblical texts and the complete biography of Jesus (including the “missing years”) and a proposition that mankind belongs to distinctive racial groups whose individual traits are to play a major role in human engineering and the organization of social endeavours for the betterment of human progress. The work is alleged to have been channeled from extraterrestrial beings but includes material plagiarized from published “human” writers (which presents a logistic and ethical quandary aside from UB’s other questionable elements).
The following are some of the reasons I have chosen to reject the UB’s credibility, from my own (indefinable) progressive universalistic liberal-conservative religious stance:
• The Urantia Book is far too complex to be comprehended or believed by other than a tiny minority of humankind. A trustworthy revelation would not be presented as such.
• It rejects most of the universal metaphysical concepts which are characteristic of Eastern religions, Jewish Qabalah, Muslim Sufism and western “wisdom” religions.
• The evidence by many researchers for the existence of reincarnation—at least in some form for some entities—is overwhelming. The UB categorically rejects reincarnation.
• The evidence for communication from “the dead” by researchers is likewise overwhelming. The UB rejects any such communication but does accept it from extraterrestrials.
• The UB rejects universal soul-survival. Research concerning NDE’s relates that spiritual survival is not dependent on a belief in God or in an afterlife but the UB teaches that those without faith will be extinguished spiritually at the time of death.
• UB’s story of Jesus is wonderfully presented and could possibly have become the foundation for a new reformation of Christianity. But, for that to occur, the other parts of the UB would have to be accepted as well, which was too tall an order.
• The cutesy place names (e.g. Jerusem, Salvington, Satania, Havona, Volvox) and proper names (e.g. Caligastia, Vorondadek, Matadormus) are not credible—are in fact laughable.
• Its racially preposterous slurs and directives will always be the UB’s Achilles heel, no matter how much they are rationalized and explained away:
Pages 770-771:
“At such a time the greatest test of wisdom of world leadership will present itself. Will Urantia [planet Earth] rulers have the insight and courage to foster the multiplication of the average or stabilized human being instead of the extremes of the supernormal and the enormously increasing groups of the subnormal? …The subnormal man should be kept under society’s control: no more should be produced than are required to administer the lower levels of industry, those tasks requiring intelligence above the animal level but making such low-grade demands as to prove veritable slavery or bondage for the higher types of mankind.”
Page 585
“…it seems that you ought to be able to agree upon the biologic disfellowshipping of your more markedly unfit, defective, degenerate, and antisocial stocks [of humanity].”
Page 921
“After all, the real jeopardy of the human species is to be found in the unrestrained multiplication of the inferior and degenerate strains of the various civilized peoples…”
Page 1088
“The church, because of overmuch false sentiment, has long ministered to the underprivileged and the unfortunate, and that has all been well, but this same sentiment has led to the unwise perpetuation of racially degenerate stock, which have tremendously retarded the progress of civilization.”
Page 1132
“…such inferior races as the Bushmen of Africa…”
The following are some of the reasons I have chosen to reject the UB’s credibility, from my own (indefinable) progressive universalistic liberal-conservative religious stance:
• The Urantia Book is far too complex to be comprehended or believed by other than a tiny minority of humankind. A trustworthy revelation would not be presented as such.
• It rejects most of the universal metaphysical concepts which are characteristic of Eastern religions, Jewish Qabalah, Muslim Sufism and western “wisdom” religions.
• The evidence by many researchers for the existence of reincarnation—at least in some form for some entities—is overwhelming. The UB categorically rejects reincarnation.
• The evidence for communication from “the dead” by researchers is likewise overwhelming. The UB rejects any such communication but does accept it from extraterrestrials.
• The UB rejects universal soul-survival. Research concerning NDE’s relates that spiritual survival is not dependent on a belief in God or in an afterlife but the UB teaches that those without faith will be extinguished spiritually at the time of death.
• UB’s story of Jesus is wonderfully presented and could possibly have become the foundation for a new reformation of Christianity. But, for that to occur, the other parts of the UB would have to be accepted as well, which was too tall an order.
• The cutesy place names (e.g. Jerusem, Salvington, Satania, Havona, Volvox) and proper names (e.g. Caligastia, Vorondadek, Matadormus) are not credible—are in fact laughable.
• Its racially preposterous slurs and directives will always be the UB’s Achilles heel, no matter how much they are rationalized and explained away:
Pages 770-771:
“At such a time the greatest test of wisdom of world leadership will present itself. Will Urantia [planet Earth] rulers have the insight and courage to foster the multiplication of the average or stabilized human being instead of the extremes of the supernormal and the enormously increasing groups of the subnormal? …The subnormal man should be kept under society’s control: no more should be produced than are required to administer the lower levels of industry, those tasks requiring intelligence above the animal level but making such low-grade demands as to prove veritable slavery or bondage for the higher types of mankind.”
Page 585
“…it seems that you ought to be able to agree upon the biologic disfellowshipping of your more markedly unfit, defective, degenerate, and antisocial stocks [of humanity].”
Page 921
“After all, the real jeopardy of the human species is to be found in the unrestrained multiplication of the inferior and degenerate strains of the various civilized peoples…”
Page 1088
“The church, because of overmuch false sentiment, has long ministered to the underprivileged and the unfortunate, and that has all been well, but this same sentiment has led to the unwise perpetuation of racially degenerate stock, which have tremendously retarded the progress of civilization.”
Page 1132
“…such inferior races as the Bushmen of Africa…”
January 28, 2017
"God the Ultimate implies the attained realization of the synthesized absonite-superpersonal, time-space-transcended, and eventuated-experiential values, coordinated on final creative levels of Deity reality."
Introduction
Supposedly communicated to humans from aliens/angels between the 1920s to 1950s, the Urantia Book (or Urantia Papers) uses a lot of unnecessary jargon, so it's difficult to understand. At over 2,000 pages, it's also very repetitious. They could have easily cut out 1,000 pages or so without losing anything. It's also filled with (then current) scientific information, which also serves to make it even more boring. I initially read this hoping it was a wholly unique religion, but it turns out to be just a modified form of Christianity (it's filled with quotes from the Bible).
It's divided into four main sections. First we're told at length how perfect God is. Then, we're told about the corporate hierarchy and structure of the cosmos. Next, we're given a history of Earth (er... I mean Urantia). Finally, the book finishes up with a retelling of the Jesus story.
It's written in a very jumbled way. Terms, persons, and events are referred to in the beginning of the book as if you're supposed to know what they are, but you have to wait until later in the book for them to be defined or explained.
There's a mixture of good and bad commonsense advice like you'd find in any self-help book or wisdom literature. The authors consider philosophy to be superior to science for some reason. This book sometimes tells us things such as the word "salary" is derived from the word "salt". Thanks aliens, but if you're going to go out of your way to give us a message, tell us something we don't already know.
The Corporate Bureaucracy of the Cosmos
"The plans, policies, and administrative acts of the local universe are formed and executed by this Son, who, in conjunction with his Spirit associate, delegates executive power to Gabriel and jurisdictional authority to the Constellation Fathers, System Sovereigns, and Planetary Princes."
A large portion of the book is dedicated to describing the bureaucratic hierarchy of the cosmos and all the different job titles. We learn such useful tidbits such as Master Spirit Number Four is the Master Spirit responsible for determining influence regarding Father-Son policies and procedures in the councils of the Seven Master Spirits.
The cosmic government has three branches (executive, deliberative, and judicial) much like the United States government. The symbol for the Trinity government of all creation is three azure blue concentric circles on a white background. Lucifer's banner, by the way, is white with one red circle with a black solid circle in the center.
There is no female aspect to the trinity at the top of the org chart (the Spirit is compared to a mother at one point, but seems to actually be a male). Mothers do get mentioned further down the corporate ladder, but overall, women are largely absent. This is a man's universe after all.
We are told God is energy in one place, God is love in another. We're told light without heat is a nonspiritual manifestation of the Deities. It also goes into the difference between the Father, Son, and Infinite Spirit. They're mainly the same, but one difference is that the Infinite Spirit possesses the amazing power of antigravity and is able to slow down energy to the point of materialization. So, there's that.
The Structure of the Universe
"The absolute perfection of the infinite God would cause him to suffer the awful limitations of unqualified finality of perfectness were it not a fact that the Universal Father directly participates in the personality struggle of every imperfect soul in the wide universe."
The planet on which we live is Urantia. Our system is Satania. Our constellation is Norlatiadek. Our local universe is called Nebadon (the creation of a Creator Son named Michael who incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth.). And of course, Nebadon is located inside Orvonton, the seventh superuniverse. The nearest neighboring universes, by the way, are: Avalon, Henselon, Sanselon, Portalon, Wolvering, Fanoving, and Alvoring.
Except for Henselon, Nebadon has had more Sons of the Lanonandek rebel than any other local universe, so we're kind of the bad boys of the cosmos.
Although Michael's headquarters is officially located on Salvington, the capital of Nebadon, he spends a lot of time away. So Gabriel handles things while he's gone.
The headquarters of the superuniverse is Uversa. The central universe is called Havona. Havona's not a time creation, but rather eternal existence. The first of all mortals to attain Havona is Grandfanda, who hailed from planet 341 of system 84 in constellation 62 of local universe 1,131 situated in superuniverse number one. The first of the Graduate Guides, in case you need to know that, is Malvorian. Also, Servital number 842,842,682,846,782 of Havona is named Sudna, just, you know, FYI.
Paradise
"When ascenders attain the postulated seventh stage of spirit existence, they will therein experience the realization of a new meaning-value of the absoluteness and infinity of the triodities as such is revealed on absolute levels in the Supreme Being, who is experiencible."
Paradise is apparently ellipsoid rather than being spherical as you'd expect, being one sixth longer in the north-south diameter than in the east-west diameter. The Trinity dominates the personal or upper plane while the Unqualified Absolute the nether or impersonal plane. It's composed of a materialization of stationary systems of reality called absolutum which is neither dead nor alive. Space originates just below nether Paradise while time originates just above upper Paradise. Part of Paradise operates as a gigantic heart whose pulsations direct currents to the outermost borders of physical space.
One Paradise-Havona day is just seven minutes, three and one-eighth seconds less than one thousand years of Earth's (sorry I mean Urantia's) present Leap-year calendar.
We each have direct access to God via our indwelling Mystery Monitors and Thought Adjusters, which is basically your own conscious. When your material personality unites with your spirit Adjuster (which is a part of God), it creates an immortal soul.
After death, we will go through "just 570" separate morontia (the intermediate stage between material and spiritual) changes. The first things we'll learn on the mansion worlds will be the languages of Satania and Nebadon. There are different races in heaven each with its distinct social tendencies. Humans who didn't get to have sex in mortal life get to experience it when they ascend to the system capitals.
There are seven heavens: the seven mansion worlds, Jerusem, Edentia and its satellites, Salvington and the surrounding educational spheres, Uversa, Havona, and Paradise.
We're told headquarter worlds have a light about the intensity of Urantia sunlight when the sun is shining overhead at ten o'clock in the morning, but we're not told what part of the world or what time of the year, so that doesn't really help us picture the intensity of this light, now does it?
Celestial Orders of Beings
Rather than being male and female, seraphim are negative and positive, and most assignments require two angels. Angles don't really have wings, but rather energy insulators or friction shields.
Did you know that in the last periodic report to Uversa, the Paradise records indicated that there were 21,001,624,821 Trinity Teacher Sons in service? Also, we have in our superuniverse about one and a quarter million High Son Assistants (why not give us the specific number as they did for the Trinity Teacher Sons?). "While they can impart to you the lore of the universe concerning their one idea or ideal, it is well-nigh pathetic to observe them seeking knowledge and information on hosts of other subjects, even from the ascending mortals."
Obedience to hierarchy is usually a virtue and at one point, "sin" is used as a synonym for rebellion. However, a group known as Mighty Messengers are put through a test in which they have to disobey their superiors:
"They are a class of perfected mortals who have been rebellion tested or otherwise equally proved as to their personal loyalty; all have passed through some definite test of universe allegiance. At some time in their Paradise ascent they stood firm and loyal in the face of the disloyalty of their superiors, and some did actively and loyally function in the places of such unfaithful leaders."
There's an order called Solitary Messengers who must work alone because when in transit, if two or more are in close proximity, they are "thrown out of liaison with the higher circulating forces. They are 'short circuited' as you might describe it in illustrative symbols."
Like the Talmud, this book provides relative speeds of different orders of angels: "The limit of velocity for most nonenseraphimed beings is 186,280 miles of your world per second of your time; the midway creatures and certain others can, often do, attain double velocity--372,560 miles per second--while the seraphim and others can traverse space at triple velocity, about 558,840 miles per second." Also, "Solitary Messengers can go in very short order, not independently of time and space as do the Gravity Messengers, but nearly so."
There's living barometers known as frandalanks. The frandalanks that register time in addition to quantitative and qualitative energy presence are called chronoldeks. Also, there's this: "Material sons vary in height from eight to ten feet, and their bodies glow with the brilliance of radiant light of a violet hue."
(Psuedo)Science
Fungi are "a retrograde movement in evolution, being plants which have lost their chlorophyll-making ability and have become more or less parasitic. The majority of disease-causing bacteria and their auxiliary virus bodies really belong to this group of renegade parasitic fungi."
Some of the scientific information contained in this book was current at the time it was written, however I suspect much of it was speculative even then. I've at least never heard of the three stages of gravity presented herein.
In the pregravity stage called segregata, force appears. In the gravity stages called ultimata, force becomes energy. In the postgravity stages called triata, energy-matter discloses response to the control of linear gravity. Apparently, personality is responsive to gravity and we learn that mind gravity can operate independently of material and spiritual gravity.
In addition to atoms and electrons, we learn there are also ultimatons, whatever they are. The maximum temperature is upwards of 35,000,000 degrees, but there is no absolute zero. A dekamillennium is 10,000 standard years which is about 50,000 of our years. The decimal system, we are told, is inherent in the physical universe. And here I thought humans used the decimal system because we just happened to have ten fingers.
Binary stars are caused by suns getting too big and splitting apart. "Calcium possesses an individuality and a longevity excelling all of the more common forms of matter." This is why "remnants of solar calcium literally ride the light beams." The sodium atom is also capable of light and energy locomotion, by the by.
Our solar system is said to have ten planets. (I guess the aliens haven't heard that Pluto got a demotion.) I was initially impressed when it said eagles, ducks, pigeons, and ostriches all descended from dinosaurs, but then later it said placental mammals descended from a little reptilian dinosaur with a comparatively large brain, so less impressed there. Overall, I'd say the aliens have a poor grasp of how evolution works. As another example, it says "Mice reproduce much more rapidly than elephants, yet elephants evolve more rapidly than mice."
They also employ the fine tuning argument to prove God's existence. Did you know there are "fifty thousand facts of physics and chemistry" which refute the theory that we came about by chance? Well, there you go. That settles it.
Why Earth Is So Evil
We're told "your small and insignificant planet is of local universe concern simply because it is the mortal home world of Jesus of Nazareth." Ours is the only planet in the universe visited by a creator son. Most planets would welcome him, but we didn't because we're more evil than normal.
Urantia (Earth) is more conflict prone than normal. Regular worlds advance through education rather than conflict. The divine plan was for us to be more spirit responsive, but the plan failed. Why are we so wicked? Well, that depends on which section of the book you're reading.
In one place, we're told our planet sucks because we were an experiment. In another place, the reason given is our Adam didn't adhere to the original plan which means our spirit of brotherhood is lacking. Another reason Earth is evil is because our father Michael was slow to condemn us. He should have destroyed us, but he just couldn't because we're his children. All you parents of evil kids out there can understand this. Like Michael, you know the right thing to do is kill your child, but you just can't bring yourself to do it.
Another reason we're so evil is that our Planetary Prince, Caligastia, rebelled along with our System Sovereign Lucifer. Lucifer "maintained that all government should be limited to the local planets and their voluntary confederation into the local systems." He also wanted the right of secession. So apparently, it's evil to want liberty and state rights. (Although, at another point, Lucifer's sin was said to be impatience.) References to the Lucifer Rebellion in the early part of the book had me looking forward to when it would finally be described, but I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. It turned out to be just as boring as the rest of the book.
By the way, we haven't progressed musically as much as our neighboring planets because Adam and Eve didn't survive. What we consider music isn't real music, you see.
Proverbs
There's a list of 28 statements of human philosophy which correspond to moronita mota. Many of them say the same things. Variations on strength coming from adversity and fear holding people back from their full potential.
There are also seven commandments condensed from the Biblical ten (don't kill, don't steal, etc.) One of the commandments is "You shall not doubt that faith is the only requirement for eternal salvation" which, when you think about it, makes the other six commandments moot. Just saying.
(Psuedo)History
In recounting the history of "Urantia", we're told a version of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The prehumans were chiefly concerned with food, then once food wasn't an issue, we went on to worry about other things.
Our early ancestors apparently enjoyed the companionship of "enormous birds able to carry one or two average-sized men for a nonstop flight of over five hundred miles." On some planets, these birds are intelligent enough to speak many words. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, they are now extinct on our own planet.
Rather than evolution being a slow, gradual thing, primates apparently just gave birth to humans one day. The first two humans were twins named Andon and Fonta and childbirth was not painful back then.
We learn that Neanderthals were "deathly afraid of clouds" and there used to be giants. People have different colored skin today because our ancestors' skins "manifested a unique tendency to turn various colors upon exposure to sunlight."
Property inheritance is called a "distinct social advance". (Doesn't this promote laziness, which is condemned elsewhere?) There's also a definate anti-Communist theme to this book. (Although the writers don't seem to know what Communism is since they claim Communists have kings at one point.)
This book mostly focuses on Christianity, although it does name check other religions at times. I was impressed that they acknowledged Judaism's debt to Zoroastrianism and Aknatan.
The writers tell us that the doctrines of early Christianity are based on the religious experiences of three people: Philo of Alexandria, Jesus of Nazareth, and Paul of Tarsus. I was surprised to see Philo listed there since he's a Jew whose contribution to the formation of Christianity has largely been forgotten today.
A few mistakes in the Bible are pointed out as well. We're told the four beasts of the Book of Revelation aren't hideous, but are actually of unparalleled beauty and exquisite form. Also, while the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a figure of speech, the Tree of Life was not a myth.
Racism
"The more backward humans are usually employed as laborers by the more progressive races. This accounts for the origin of slavery on the planets during the early ages."
And then there's the racism. After reading about a thousand pages of this nonsense (what can I say? I'm a masochist), I was shocked when racism suddenly popped up out of nowhere.
We're told some races are superior to others: "the red man stands far above the indigo--black--race." The first humans were the Eskimos. They prefer cold climate today because they came about during an ice age. The races are described as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo. Some of them have merged together, some are now extinct. Here's a few more fun quotes:
"It is neither tenderness nor altruism to bestow futile sympathy upon degenerated human beings, unsalvable abnormal and inferior mortals."
"The selective elimination of inferior human strains" will "tend to eradicate many mortal inequalities."
"The weak and the inferior have always contended for equal rights."
When interracial matings "take place between the lower or inferior strata, creativity is diminished, as is shown by the present-day peoples of southern India."
"Most worlds seriously address themselves to the tasks of race purification, something which the Urantia peoples have not even yet seriously undertaken."
Jesus
Mercifully, we now get to the end: a really long section retelling the story of Jesus. We're told the Bible got a few things wrong and left other things out. The story supplies specific dates such as "Just before noon on sunday, January 12, a.d. 27".
We're told "Joseph was a black-eyed brunet; Mary, a brown-eyed well-nigh blond type". We get the story of how Mary and Joseph met (Joseph was employed by Mary's father to build an addition to his house. When Mary brought Joseph a cup of water during a noontime meal, their courtship began.) Joseph was not an old man as in Catholic tradition, rather the reason he's absent in Jesus's later life is because he died in a tragic accident.
Jesus doesn't really perform miracles. Rather than raising a young man from the dead, he simply realizes a young man who appears to be dead is really still alive. When he tells the disciples where to cast their nets to catch fish, it wasn't a miracle, Jesus just happened to know where the fish were. The resurrection of Jesus/Michael was spiritual rather than physical in nature, so Jesus didn't have nail marks in his hands after he was resurrected like the gospel story says.
As in Mormonism, Jesus espouses the idea of revelation not being situated in a particular time and place, but continuing even to today. I liked when Jesus pointed out a problem with the golden rule: If a man wants to have sex with someone, and does to them what he wants them to do to him, that's actually a sin.
According to this book, the key to world peace is global regulation of money and trade, plus use of a global language and a global religion. Oh, and eugenics.
Conclusion
If you thought this review was boring and hard to get through, just try reading the book. (Actually, your life would probably be better if you didn't.) I don't even know why I read it. Glutton for punishment, I guess.
Introduction
Supposedly communicated to humans from aliens/angels between the 1920s to 1950s, the Urantia Book (or Urantia Papers) uses a lot of unnecessary jargon, so it's difficult to understand. At over 2,000 pages, it's also very repetitious. They could have easily cut out 1,000 pages or so without losing anything. It's also filled with (then current) scientific information, which also serves to make it even more boring. I initially read this hoping it was a wholly unique religion, but it turns out to be just a modified form of Christianity (it's filled with quotes from the Bible).
It's divided into four main sections. First we're told at length how perfect God is. Then, we're told about the corporate hierarchy and structure of the cosmos. Next, we're given a history of Earth (er... I mean Urantia). Finally, the book finishes up with a retelling of the Jesus story.
It's written in a very jumbled way. Terms, persons, and events are referred to in the beginning of the book as if you're supposed to know what they are, but you have to wait until later in the book for them to be defined or explained.
There's a mixture of good and bad commonsense advice like you'd find in any self-help book or wisdom literature. The authors consider philosophy to be superior to science for some reason. This book sometimes tells us things such as the word "salary" is derived from the word "salt". Thanks aliens, but if you're going to go out of your way to give us a message, tell us something we don't already know.
The Corporate Bureaucracy of the Cosmos
"The plans, policies, and administrative acts of the local universe are formed and executed by this Son, who, in conjunction with his Spirit associate, delegates executive power to Gabriel and jurisdictional authority to the Constellation Fathers, System Sovereigns, and Planetary Princes."
A large portion of the book is dedicated to describing the bureaucratic hierarchy of the cosmos and all the different job titles. We learn such useful tidbits such as Master Spirit Number Four is the Master Spirit responsible for determining influence regarding Father-Son policies and procedures in the councils of the Seven Master Spirits.
The cosmic government has three branches (executive, deliberative, and judicial) much like the United States government. The symbol for the Trinity government of all creation is three azure blue concentric circles on a white background. Lucifer's banner, by the way, is white with one red circle with a black solid circle in the center.
There is no female aspect to the trinity at the top of the org chart (the Spirit is compared to a mother at one point, but seems to actually be a male). Mothers do get mentioned further down the corporate ladder, but overall, women are largely absent. This is a man's universe after all.
We are told God is energy in one place, God is love in another. We're told light without heat is a nonspiritual manifestation of the Deities. It also goes into the difference between the Father, Son, and Infinite Spirit. They're mainly the same, but one difference is that the Infinite Spirit possesses the amazing power of antigravity and is able to slow down energy to the point of materialization. So, there's that.
The Structure of the Universe
"The absolute perfection of the infinite God would cause him to suffer the awful limitations of unqualified finality of perfectness were it not a fact that the Universal Father directly participates in the personality struggle of every imperfect soul in the wide universe."
The planet on which we live is Urantia. Our system is Satania. Our constellation is Norlatiadek. Our local universe is called Nebadon (the creation of a Creator Son named Michael who incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth.). And of course, Nebadon is located inside Orvonton, the seventh superuniverse. The nearest neighboring universes, by the way, are: Avalon, Henselon, Sanselon, Portalon, Wolvering, Fanoving, and Alvoring.
Except for Henselon, Nebadon has had more Sons of the Lanonandek rebel than any other local universe, so we're kind of the bad boys of the cosmos.
Although Michael's headquarters is officially located on Salvington, the capital of Nebadon, he spends a lot of time away. So Gabriel handles things while he's gone.
The headquarters of the superuniverse is Uversa. The central universe is called Havona. Havona's not a time creation, but rather eternal existence. The first of all mortals to attain Havona is Grandfanda, who hailed from planet 341 of system 84 in constellation 62 of local universe 1,131 situated in superuniverse number one. The first of the Graduate Guides, in case you need to know that, is Malvorian. Also, Servital number 842,842,682,846,782 of Havona is named Sudna, just, you know, FYI.
Paradise
"When ascenders attain the postulated seventh stage of spirit existence, they will therein experience the realization of a new meaning-value of the absoluteness and infinity of the triodities as such is revealed on absolute levels in the Supreme Being, who is experiencible."
Paradise is apparently ellipsoid rather than being spherical as you'd expect, being one sixth longer in the north-south diameter than in the east-west diameter. The Trinity dominates the personal or upper plane while the Unqualified Absolute the nether or impersonal plane. It's composed of a materialization of stationary systems of reality called absolutum which is neither dead nor alive. Space originates just below nether Paradise while time originates just above upper Paradise. Part of Paradise operates as a gigantic heart whose pulsations direct currents to the outermost borders of physical space.
One Paradise-Havona day is just seven minutes, three and one-eighth seconds less than one thousand years of Earth's (sorry I mean Urantia's) present Leap-year calendar.
We each have direct access to God via our indwelling Mystery Monitors and Thought Adjusters, which is basically your own conscious. When your material personality unites with your spirit Adjuster (which is a part of God), it creates an immortal soul.
After death, we will go through "just 570" separate morontia (the intermediate stage between material and spiritual) changes. The first things we'll learn on the mansion worlds will be the languages of Satania and Nebadon. There are different races in heaven each with its distinct social tendencies. Humans who didn't get to have sex in mortal life get to experience it when they ascend to the system capitals.
There are seven heavens: the seven mansion worlds, Jerusem, Edentia and its satellites, Salvington and the surrounding educational spheres, Uversa, Havona, and Paradise.
We're told headquarter worlds have a light about the intensity of Urantia sunlight when the sun is shining overhead at ten o'clock in the morning, but we're not told what part of the world or what time of the year, so that doesn't really help us picture the intensity of this light, now does it?
Celestial Orders of Beings
Rather than being male and female, seraphim are negative and positive, and most assignments require two angels. Angles don't really have wings, but rather energy insulators or friction shields.
Did you know that in the last periodic report to Uversa, the Paradise records indicated that there were 21,001,624,821 Trinity Teacher Sons in service? Also, we have in our superuniverse about one and a quarter million High Son Assistants (why not give us the specific number as they did for the Trinity Teacher Sons?). "While they can impart to you the lore of the universe concerning their one idea or ideal, it is well-nigh pathetic to observe them seeking knowledge and information on hosts of other subjects, even from the ascending mortals."
Obedience to hierarchy is usually a virtue and at one point, "sin" is used as a synonym for rebellion. However, a group known as Mighty Messengers are put through a test in which they have to disobey their superiors:
"They are a class of perfected mortals who have been rebellion tested or otherwise equally proved as to their personal loyalty; all have passed through some definite test of universe allegiance. At some time in their Paradise ascent they stood firm and loyal in the face of the disloyalty of their superiors, and some did actively and loyally function in the places of such unfaithful leaders."
There's an order called Solitary Messengers who must work alone because when in transit, if two or more are in close proximity, they are "thrown out of liaison with the higher circulating forces. They are 'short circuited' as you might describe it in illustrative symbols."
Like the Talmud, this book provides relative speeds of different orders of angels: "The limit of velocity for most nonenseraphimed beings is 186,280 miles of your world per second of your time; the midway creatures and certain others can, often do, attain double velocity--372,560 miles per second--while the seraphim and others can traverse space at triple velocity, about 558,840 miles per second." Also, "Solitary Messengers can go in very short order, not independently of time and space as do the Gravity Messengers, but nearly so."
There's living barometers known as frandalanks. The frandalanks that register time in addition to quantitative and qualitative energy presence are called chronoldeks. Also, there's this: "Material sons vary in height from eight to ten feet, and their bodies glow with the brilliance of radiant light of a violet hue."
(Psuedo)Science
Fungi are "a retrograde movement in evolution, being plants which have lost their chlorophyll-making ability and have become more or less parasitic. The majority of disease-causing bacteria and their auxiliary virus bodies really belong to this group of renegade parasitic fungi."
Some of the scientific information contained in this book was current at the time it was written, however I suspect much of it was speculative even then. I've at least never heard of the three stages of gravity presented herein.
In the pregravity stage called segregata, force appears. In the gravity stages called ultimata, force becomes energy. In the postgravity stages called triata, energy-matter discloses response to the control of linear gravity. Apparently, personality is responsive to gravity and we learn that mind gravity can operate independently of material and spiritual gravity.
In addition to atoms and electrons, we learn there are also ultimatons, whatever they are. The maximum temperature is upwards of 35,000,000 degrees, but there is no absolute zero. A dekamillennium is 10,000 standard years which is about 50,000 of our years. The decimal system, we are told, is inherent in the physical universe. And here I thought humans used the decimal system because we just happened to have ten fingers.
Binary stars are caused by suns getting too big and splitting apart. "Calcium possesses an individuality and a longevity excelling all of the more common forms of matter." This is why "remnants of solar calcium literally ride the light beams." The sodium atom is also capable of light and energy locomotion, by the by.
Our solar system is said to have ten planets. (I guess the aliens haven't heard that Pluto got a demotion.) I was initially impressed when it said eagles, ducks, pigeons, and ostriches all descended from dinosaurs, but then later it said placental mammals descended from a little reptilian dinosaur with a comparatively large brain, so less impressed there. Overall, I'd say the aliens have a poor grasp of how evolution works. As another example, it says "Mice reproduce much more rapidly than elephants, yet elephants evolve more rapidly than mice."
They also employ the fine tuning argument to prove God's existence. Did you know there are "fifty thousand facts of physics and chemistry" which refute the theory that we came about by chance? Well, there you go. That settles it.
Why Earth Is So Evil
We're told "your small and insignificant planet is of local universe concern simply because it is the mortal home world of Jesus of Nazareth." Ours is the only planet in the universe visited by a creator son. Most planets would welcome him, but we didn't because we're more evil than normal.
Urantia (Earth) is more conflict prone than normal. Regular worlds advance through education rather than conflict. The divine plan was for us to be more spirit responsive, but the plan failed. Why are we so wicked? Well, that depends on which section of the book you're reading.
In one place, we're told our planet sucks because we were an experiment. In another place, the reason given is our Adam didn't adhere to the original plan which means our spirit of brotherhood is lacking. Another reason Earth is evil is because our father Michael was slow to condemn us. He should have destroyed us, but he just couldn't because we're his children. All you parents of evil kids out there can understand this. Like Michael, you know the right thing to do is kill your child, but you just can't bring yourself to do it.
Another reason we're so evil is that our Planetary Prince, Caligastia, rebelled along with our System Sovereign Lucifer. Lucifer "maintained that all government should be limited to the local planets and their voluntary confederation into the local systems." He also wanted the right of secession. So apparently, it's evil to want liberty and state rights. (Although, at another point, Lucifer's sin was said to be impatience.) References to the Lucifer Rebellion in the early part of the book had me looking forward to when it would finally be described, but I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. It turned out to be just as boring as the rest of the book.
By the way, we haven't progressed musically as much as our neighboring planets because Adam and Eve didn't survive. What we consider music isn't real music, you see.
Proverbs
There's a list of 28 statements of human philosophy which correspond to moronita mota. Many of them say the same things. Variations on strength coming from adversity and fear holding people back from their full potential.
There are also seven commandments condensed from the Biblical ten (don't kill, don't steal, etc.) One of the commandments is "You shall not doubt that faith is the only requirement for eternal salvation" which, when you think about it, makes the other six commandments moot. Just saying.
(Psuedo)History
In recounting the history of "Urantia", we're told a version of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The prehumans were chiefly concerned with food, then once food wasn't an issue, we went on to worry about other things.
Our early ancestors apparently enjoyed the companionship of "enormous birds able to carry one or two average-sized men for a nonstop flight of over five hundred miles." On some planets, these birds are intelligent enough to speak many words. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, they are now extinct on our own planet.
Rather than evolution being a slow, gradual thing, primates apparently just gave birth to humans one day. The first two humans were twins named Andon and Fonta and childbirth was not painful back then.
We learn that Neanderthals were "deathly afraid of clouds" and there used to be giants. People have different colored skin today because our ancestors' skins "manifested a unique tendency to turn various colors upon exposure to sunlight."
Property inheritance is called a "distinct social advance". (Doesn't this promote laziness, which is condemned elsewhere?) There's also a definate anti-Communist theme to this book. (Although the writers don't seem to know what Communism is since they claim Communists have kings at one point.)
This book mostly focuses on Christianity, although it does name check other religions at times. I was impressed that they acknowledged Judaism's debt to Zoroastrianism and Aknatan.
The writers tell us that the doctrines of early Christianity are based on the religious experiences of three people: Philo of Alexandria, Jesus of Nazareth, and Paul of Tarsus. I was surprised to see Philo listed there since he's a Jew whose contribution to the formation of Christianity has largely been forgotten today.
A few mistakes in the Bible are pointed out as well. We're told the four beasts of the Book of Revelation aren't hideous, but are actually of unparalleled beauty and exquisite form. Also, while the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a figure of speech, the Tree of Life was not a myth.
Racism
"The more backward humans are usually employed as laborers by the more progressive races. This accounts for the origin of slavery on the planets during the early ages."
And then there's the racism. After reading about a thousand pages of this nonsense (what can I say? I'm a masochist), I was shocked when racism suddenly popped up out of nowhere.
We're told some races are superior to others: "the red man stands far above the indigo--black--race." The first humans were the Eskimos. They prefer cold climate today because they came about during an ice age. The races are described as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo. Some of them have merged together, some are now extinct. Here's a few more fun quotes:
"It is neither tenderness nor altruism to bestow futile sympathy upon degenerated human beings, unsalvable abnormal and inferior mortals."
"The selective elimination of inferior human strains" will "tend to eradicate many mortal inequalities."
"The weak and the inferior have always contended for equal rights."
When interracial matings "take place between the lower or inferior strata, creativity is diminished, as is shown by the present-day peoples of southern India."
"Most worlds seriously address themselves to the tasks of race purification, something which the Urantia peoples have not even yet seriously undertaken."
Jesus
Mercifully, we now get to the end: a really long section retelling the story of Jesus. We're told the Bible got a few things wrong and left other things out. The story supplies specific dates such as "Just before noon on sunday, January 12, a.d. 27".
We're told "Joseph was a black-eyed brunet; Mary, a brown-eyed well-nigh blond type". We get the story of how Mary and Joseph met (Joseph was employed by Mary's father to build an addition to his house. When Mary brought Joseph a cup of water during a noontime meal, their courtship began.) Joseph was not an old man as in Catholic tradition, rather the reason he's absent in Jesus's later life is because he died in a tragic accident.
Jesus doesn't really perform miracles. Rather than raising a young man from the dead, he simply realizes a young man who appears to be dead is really still alive. When he tells the disciples where to cast their nets to catch fish, it wasn't a miracle, Jesus just happened to know where the fish were. The resurrection of Jesus/Michael was spiritual rather than physical in nature, so Jesus didn't have nail marks in his hands after he was resurrected like the gospel story says.
As in Mormonism, Jesus espouses the idea of revelation not being situated in a particular time and place, but continuing even to today. I liked when Jesus pointed out a problem with the golden rule: If a man wants to have sex with someone, and does to them what he wants them to do to him, that's actually a sin.
According to this book, the key to world peace is global regulation of money and trade, plus use of a global language and a global religion. Oh, and eugenics.
Conclusion
If you thought this review was boring and hard to get through, just try reading the book. (Actually, your life would probably be better if you didn't.) I don't even know why I read it. Glutton for punishment, I guess.
April 26, 2010
100:4.4 "In physical life the senses tell of the existence of things; mind discovers the reality of meanings; but the spiritual experience reveals to the individual the true values of life. These high levels of human living are attained in the supreme love of God and in the unselfish love of man. If you love your fellow men, you must have discovered their values. Jesus loved men so much because he placed such a high value upon them. You can best discover values in your associates by discovering their motivation. If someone irritates you, causes feelings of resentment, you should sympathetically seek to discern his viewpoint, his reasons for such objectionable conduct. If once you understand your neighbor, you will become tolerant, and this tolerance will grow into friendship and ripen into love.
100:4.5 In the mind's eye conjure up a picture of one of your primitive ancestors of cave-dwelling times—a short, misshapen, filthy, snarling hulk of a man standing, legs spread, club upraised, breathing hate and animosity as he looks fiercely just ahead. Such a picture hardly depicts the divine dignity of man. But allow us to enlarge the picture. In front of this animated human crouches a saber-toothed tiger. Behind him, a woman and two children. Immediately you recognize that such a picture stands for the beginnings of much that is fine and noble in the human race, but the man is the same in both pictures. Only, in the second sketch you are favored with a widened horizon. You therein discern the motivation of this evolving mortal. His attitude becomes praiseworthy because you understand him. If you could only fathom the motives of your associates, how much better you would understand them. If you could only know your fellows, you would eventually fall in love with them.
100:4.6 You cannot truly love your fellows by a mere act of the will. Love is only born of thoroughgoing understanding of your neighbor's motives and sentiments. It is not so important to love all men today as it is that each day you learn to love one more human being. If each day or each week you achieve an understanding of one more of your fellows, and if this is the limit of your ability, then you are certainly socializing and truly spiritualizing your personality. Love is infectious, and when human devotion is intelligent and wise, love is more catching than hate. But only genuine and unselfish love is truly contagious. If each mortal could only become a focus of dynamic affection, this benign virus of love would soon pervade the sentimental emotion-stream of humanity to such an extent that all civilization would be encompassed by love, and that would be the realization of the brotherhood of man."
~ The Urantia Book, Paper 100, page 1098
100:4.5 In the mind's eye conjure up a picture of one of your primitive ancestors of cave-dwelling times—a short, misshapen, filthy, snarling hulk of a man standing, legs spread, club upraised, breathing hate and animosity as he looks fiercely just ahead. Such a picture hardly depicts the divine dignity of man. But allow us to enlarge the picture. In front of this animated human crouches a saber-toothed tiger. Behind him, a woman and two children. Immediately you recognize that such a picture stands for the beginnings of much that is fine and noble in the human race, but the man is the same in both pictures. Only, in the second sketch you are favored with a widened horizon. You therein discern the motivation of this evolving mortal. His attitude becomes praiseworthy because you understand him. If you could only fathom the motives of your associates, how much better you would understand them. If you could only know your fellows, you would eventually fall in love with them.
100:4.6 You cannot truly love your fellows by a mere act of the will. Love is only born of thoroughgoing understanding of your neighbor's motives and sentiments. It is not so important to love all men today as it is that each day you learn to love one more human being. If each day or each week you achieve an understanding of one more of your fellows, and if this is the limit of your ability, then you are certainly socializing and truly spiritualizing your personality. Love is infectious, and when human devotion is intelligent and wise, love is more catching than hate. But only genuine and unselfish love is truly contagious. If each mortal could only become a focus of dynamic affection, this benign virus of love would soon pervade the sentimental emotion-stream of humanity to such an extent that all civilization would be encompassed by love, and that would be the realization of the brotherhood of man."
~ The Urantia Book, Paper 100, page 1098
October 19, 2021
Good Lord ... Nothing but a lot of gibberish in my opinion.
I grant you that the Universe is way to complex for the human mind to understand.
If this book was indeed peesented to us by aliens or whatever, they should have spoken on a lower level so we could understand better. I could only try to digest a few sections of it ... way to crazy in my opinion.
If it is indeed true and correct, then I have a Very Long Road to travel ...
I grant you that the Universe is way to complex for the human mind to understand.
If this book was indeed peesented to us by aliens or whatever, they should have spoken on a lower level so we could understand better. I could only try to digest a few sections of it ... way to crazy in my opinion.
If it is indeed true and correct, then I have a Very Long Road to travel ...
April 10, 2008
First of all, this book is not for everyone. It deals with the creation of our universe, the history of man, energy, time, space, and the reason for the fabric of our existence. I feel this book is way ahead of it's time. Now many of the ideas presented in this book contradict Christianity and virtually all dogma in some form or another. This book is very long and I will be reading it for many years to come.
The contents of this book came to be through "channeling." For those of you who don't know what that is, it is when people receive information from a supposed alterior source, like a spirit guide, angel, or guardian of some kind. If you don't buy into this concept in any way shape or form, this book will be a complete waste of time.
However, if you do buy into it, this is probably the most brilliant, in depth piece of writing you'll ever come across.
The contents of this book came to be through "channeling." For those of you who don't know what that is, it is when people receive information from a supposed alterior source, like a spirit guide, angel, or guardian of some kind. If you don't buy into this concept in any way shape or form, this book will be a complete waste of time.
However, if you do buy into it, this is probably the most brilliant, in depth piece of writing you'll ever come across.
October 17, 2019
The Urantia Book is the only book I've read over and over again, each reading more amazing than the last.
I'm not going to attempt to describe the contents - it is in the public domain - grab a copy and become a citizen of the universe of universes.
I'm not going to attempt to describe the contents - it is in the public domain - grab a copy and become a citizen of the universe of universes.
November 12, 2025
Who dictated this Cosmological, Philosophical, Religious.... sort of compendium to W. Sadler is still a mystery.
Mind-boggling, yet worth-pondering. Some aspects of science approached are too advanced for the time it was dictated (from mid 1920's till 1950).
Mind-boggling, yet worth-pondering. Some aspects of science approached are too advanced for the time it was dictated (from mid 1920's till 1950).
Read
July 28, 2011Un libro que carece de realidad; no tiene autor y además habla del universo de super-universos sin tener ninguna base científica. Habra que preguntarse que opinan los cientificos, austronomos, etc. Otra cosas como la formación de la tierra y sus siete razas. Dudoso planteamiento; pero mi mayor decepción es que después de haber leído “La rebelión de lucifer” y “Los caballos de Troya” de Juan José Benítez; me diera cuenta que la mayor parte de estos libros son casi una copia del libro de “Libro de Urantia”.
March 24, 2008
Hands down the most amazing, powerful, transforming and enlightening book on the planet. That this is not the most lightweight read would be an understatement. If you get into this book, you'll be reading it for life, and the more you read the more amazing the whole picture becomes. And once the significance of the book itself (a one-of-a-kind epochal revelation) is grasped, one's perspective of this crazy backward planet earth in time and space, will be changed forever.
September 2, 2016
My first memory of the Urantia Book was as a child marveling over the thickness and heft of the book in the reference section of the public library. Of course, being a child I didn't really understand the contents of it at all. Later as a scholar of religion, I procured a copy for myself, as I gathered quite a few of the various sacred texts of the world. I made a single attempt to read it back then, but the sheer density and obtuseness of the first few papers had me laying it aside and there it languished on my shelf for the past fifteen or so odd years untouched. Currently, due to the nature of my job as a night watchman, I have all the time in the world to read, and I figured that The Urantia Book might kill a few nights worth of empty time.
Being that I'm more a curiosity seeker than a sincere inquirer into religion, I have to give credit to the people that come at it from the angle of faith. The first two-thirds of the book are so relentlessly tedious and repetitive, that the truly odd and entertaining bits are buried under massive mind numbing heaps of verbiage. I would liken the whole descriptions of super-universes, universes and long lists of celestial administrators to a massive cosmic corporate org chart, where much is written, but very little is actually said. I noted to myself, in all the long lists of job titles, not one celestial being holds the position of *editor*, which perhaps is why this "divinely commissioned and written" book is so long. It easily could have been half the length with no loss of content or message. The last third of the book holds the narrative of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, who in Urantian theology is reckoned to be the human incarnation of Michael, the administrator of our local universe. While this section is much more readable and is at times rather moving, it's still overly long and repetitive. Much of the impact of the traditional biblical narrative comes from the punchiness and brevity of the sayings of Jesus. Having him expound at length for pages on end to his clueless apostles, while entertaining, takes much away. Instead of adding depth, it subtracts it.
Overall, much of the weirdness of the book comes from it's discussion of the early history of mankind and it's strong eugenic bent. To be fair, the whole systemization is far too idiosyncratic and eccentric to really be offensive, unless one is looking to be offended. As the book desires to be a grand unification of science and spirituality, the whole science end of it is interesting from an anthropological and sociological standpoint. The celestial beings, or the human author purporting to be celestial beings were certainly well read on the scientific views of their time, so it comes across as an interesting picture of what much of consensus was back in the 1930s, and how much of our understanding of cosmology, geology and biology has developed and changed from those early views.
One could see the Urantia Book as an attempt to create a response to the scientific and social challenges facing Protestant Christianity in the early 20th century (and with it's strong fideistic bent and arguments against ritual, tradition, mysticism and asceticism it's definitely Protestant). If Earth is just one small planet in a massive universe, and if life evolved over eons, and mankind is descended from the apes, then the spiritual warp and woof must also follow and not only explain it, but in its own way, incorporate it into its system. Hence heaven and the afterlife being built into the cosmological set up of the universe, and spiritual growth also follow evolutionary (and eugenic) mores.
It's certainly an ambitious project, but in the end it bites off more than it can chew and ends up becoming an artifact of its time and place. That combined with the fact that it simply is not written in a way the average person could easily digest means that this gigantic book is likely to be a curiosity sitting on many a library shelf instead of the grand reformation of the message of Jesus for a modern era. 1.5 out of five stars.
Being that I'm more a curiosity seeker than a sincere inquirer into religion, I have to give credit to the people that come at it from the angle of faith. The first two-thirds of the book are so relentlessly tedious and repetitive, that the truly odd and entertaining bits are buried under massive mind numbing heaps of verbiage. I would liken the whole descriptions of super-universes, universes and long lists of celestial administrators to a massive cosmic corporate org chart, where much is written, but very little is actually said. I noted to myself, in all the long lists of job titles, not one celestial being holds the position of *editor*, which perhaps is why this "divinely commissioned and written" book is so long. It easily could have been half the length with no loss of content or message. The last third of the book holds the narrative of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, who in Urantian theology is reckoned to be the human incarnation of Michael, the administrator of our local universe. While this section is much more readable and is at times rather moving, it's still overly long and repetitive. Much of the impact of the traditional biblical narrative comes from the punchiness and brevity of the sayings of Jesus. Having him expound at length for pages on end to his clueless apostles, while entertaining, takes much away. Instead of adding depth, it subtracts it.
Overall, much of the weirdness of the book comes from it's discussion of the early history of mankind and it's strong eugenic bent. To be fair, the whole systemization is far too idiosyncratic and eccentric to really be offensive, unless one is looking to be offended. As the book desires to be a grand unification of science and spirituality, the whole science end of it is interesting from an anthropological and sociological standpoint. The celestial beings, or the human author purporting to be celestial beings were certainly well read on the scientific views of their time, so it comes across as an interesting picture of what much of consensus was back in the 1930s, and how much of our understanding of cosmology, geology and biology has developed and changed from those early views.
One could see the Urantia Book as an attempt to create a response to the scientific and social challenges facing Protestant Christianity in the early 20th century (and with it's strong fideistic bent and arguments against ritual, tradition, mysticism and asceticism it's definitely Protestant). If Earth is just one small planet in a massive universe, and if life evolved over eons, and mankind is descended from the apes, then the spiritual warp and woof must also follow and not only explain it, but in its own way, incorporate it into its system. Hence heaven and the afterlife being built into the cosmological set up of the universe, and spiritual growth also follow evolutionary (and eugenic) mores.
It's certainly an ambitious project, but in the end it bites off more than it can chew and ends up becoming an artifact of its time and place. That combined with the fact that it simply is not written in a way the average person could easily digest means that this gigantic book is likely to be a curiosity sitting on many a library shelf instead of the grand reformation of the message of Jesus for a modern era. 1.5 out of five stars.
October 21, 2020
Depending on ones point of view it either:
1)imaginatively expands on the broader aspects of possible reality throughout the Universes of Universes and the history of earth from a religious/scientific worldview
2)Corrects many of the false beliefs regarding G_d, history, religion and politics, science etc. and especially focuses on correcting the beliefs about Jesus, his life, his mission, the purpose of it all with regard to salvation and the true religion that Jesus intended his followers to hold on to.
3)It greatly distorts Christianity, in a cunning way it twists things here and there with malice and intent under the guise of a more sophisticated and thorough understanding of reality.
...or some combination thereof
1)imaginatively expands on the broader aspects of possible reality throughout the Universes of Universes and the history of earth from a religious/scientific worldview
2)Corrects many of the false beliefs regarding G_d, history, religion and politics, science etc. and especially focuses on correcting the beliefs about Jesus, his life, his mission, the purpose of it all with regard to salvation and the true religion that Jesus intended his followers to hold on to.
3)It greatly distorts Christianity, in a cunning way it twists things here and there with malice and intent under the guise of a more sophisticated and thorough understanding of reality.
...or some combination thereof
January 2, 2017
I became aware of this book from a Netflix comment on a movie I did not watch, and now cannot find. The comment perked my curiosity, but the book did not deliver. Does it answer all the questions in the universe? No. Does it explain everything that ever was and ever will be? No. It is the great uniting force that once you read it you will be utterly enlightened? No. This book is a few thousand pages of saying absolutely nothing, and trust me I am incredibly adept at saying nothing in a verbose manner, and thus using primary school logic - 'it takes one to know one.'
I am glad I read it, but I am left with more questions than answers. I found nothing worth my time in the book, and honestly cannot figure out why the book spawned a cult, one that's members post comments on random Netflix videos, no less. If you are a member of said cult, and wish to talk to me about what you found in the book please message me. I would love to hear from you. If you are someone who is questioning whether the book is worth your time, I would suggest looking elsewhere. There are so many books to read, and this one is one you could/should pass over in order to read something worth while.
I am glad I read it, but I am left with more questions than answers. I found nothing worth my time in the book, and honestly cannot figure out why the book spawned a cult, one that's members post comments on random Netflix videos, no less. If you are a member of said cult, and wish to talk to me about what you found in the book please message me. I would love to hear from you. If you are someone who is questioning whether the book is worth your time, I would suggest looking elsewhere. There are so many books to read, and this one is one you could/should pass over in order to read something worth while.
August 18, 2007
Frightening. So you've got this book mostly written in the 30s by a bunch of freaky weirdies. And it says some awesome stuff like "And God spoke and said the proton is one thousand times the mass of an electron" and other totally out-of-nowhere-ness. Most people focus on the overwhelming cosmology at the beginning of the book, or the biography of Christ at the end; both those sections just drag after a while and don't have much to add. I got into the middle sections, the philosophical/scientific bits, and found it a more satisfying read. I'm not surprised that most Urantia society members are doctors and scientists; I found myself swayed by the angels' arguments the further I got into the work.
This review was meant for the hardcover edition The Urantia Book. But it does just as well here.
This review was meant for the hardcover edition The Urantia Book. But it does just as well here.
June 16, 2009
I know how fortunate I am to have been relatively free of so-called religious "stuff" when I came upon this book back in 1980. I count this freedom from dogma as the main reason I was able to read this book and judge it on its own. It has certainly changed my life, and will do the same for anyone who assimilates this book into their own life. While you must do your own work and make your own progress, the rewards are infinite. Too many people will come to this with preconceived notions of what religion is as well as their own indoctrination into what I call 'evolutionary belief systems." Give 'em up people, they're the very thing that stifles your progress.
January 24, 2014
Let me just say that I had to read and re-read these pages because of the content. So intense and prolific. I felt, at times, that this book came from a higher source. I recommend this book to everyone, definitely a must-read.
March 14, 2015
First off, let me say I have NOT finished this book, which I know is wimpy since it's only 2,132 pages, pages thinner than onion skin. But I would like to meet the person who can sit down and read this from cover to cover w/o having to take long breaks, because this book is a mind bender. Whether you are a staunch believer in any religion or a total atheist, if you delve deep enough into this book it will leave you thoroughly rattled.
Secondly, let me say this has been well reviewed under a shorter name, and the name above is actually incorrect, it's JUST "The Urantia Book", but I picked this one to write under because this bookcover, is the one I have. I've had to replace it twice, because twice, "friends" have asked to borrow it, and never returned it.
For myself, I was raised Catholic but by the time I discovered this I had hung up my kneeling bench and was deep into meditation. So, when I saw there was one whole. . . chapter is hardly the word for it, but anyway, section on the Life of Christ, I skipped by that, I'd had quite enough of that thank you very much. What grabbed me were the sections on the seven universes, and life on a similar planet. Eventually I turned back to the beginning and tried to slowly make my way through that. It's not easy. I've got a pretty good ability to read, but reading this book requires long pauses to digest what I've read.
L O N G. . . pauses.
The Urantia Book was written... well, it's been a while since I poked my nose in there, but I think it was back in the 30s, I know it was a good chunk before my time, and that's what gets you. The science that goes on in this book is just mind blowing. And well written, and edited, if indeed anyone did edit it.
Warning!!! If you decide to pick it up, whoever got their hands on the copyright have now divvied it up into more than one book. Get your hands on a one-volume full book so as to see it how it was meant to be seen, there's no other way to appreciate it for what it is.
Secondly, let me say this has been well reviewed under a shorter name, and the name above is actually incorrect, it's JUST "The Urantia Book", but I picked this one to write under because this bookcover, is the one I have. I've had to replace it twice, because twice, "friends" have asked to borrow it, and never returned it.
For myself, I was raised Catholic but by the time I discovered this I had hung up my kneeling bench and was deep into meditation. So, when I saw there was one whole. . . chapter is hardly the word for it, but anyway, section on the Life of Christ, I skipped by that, I'd had quite enough of that thank you very much. What grabbed me were the sections on the seven universes, and life on a similar planet. Eventually I turned back to the beginning and tried to slowly make my way through that. It's not easy. I've got a pretty good ability to read, but reading this book requires long pauses to digest what I've read.
L O N G. . . pauses.
The Urantia Book was written... well, it's been a while since I poked my nose in there, but I think it was back in the 30s, I know it was a good chunk before my time, and that's what gets you. The science that goes on in this book is just mind blowing. And well written, and edited, if indeed anyone did edit it.
Warning!!! If you decide to pick it up, whoever got their hands on the copyright have now divvied it up into more than one book. Get your hands on a one-volume full book so as to see it how it was meant to be seen, there's no other way to appreciate it for what it is.
March 9, 2009
"The Urantia Book" is difficult to describe. It's a 2097 page comprising a 196 distinct papers that describe God, the created universe, and all the myriad entities that inhabit said universe. Supposedly "channeled" through a certain William S. Sadler, a psychiatrist, lecturer on comparative religion, and prolific author, by various celestial beings. I think that the book is a tremendous work of Sadler's imagination and an important philosophical and mythological construct. Which is to say, it's stupid to proseletize The Urantia Book as the absolute truth, but it's invaluable as a abstract speculative model -- and it's a damn good read!The Urantia book is a cross between Star Trek, the Bible ,Orson Scott Card and Edgar Cayce.The last 800 pages construct a life of Jesus Christ that is much better read than say Norman Mailer's "A Gospel According To The Son", or the disappointing, blasphemous "The Last Temptation Of Christ". I found one of the more intriguing passages of the book to be the LuciferManifesto, which purports to be the document that started the rebellion that got Lucifer andthose planets that followed him (including our planet Earth, called Urantia) ostracized and
isolated from the rest of the Universe. Yo! It's all about self-rule, something like the Declaration of Independence...
isolated from the rest of the Universe. Yo! It's all about self-rule, something like the Declaration of Independence...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2010
I've had the distinct pleasure of having one branch of my group of friends, actually believe this and form book study groups around it. So fun. But so reminiscent of Christianity and its Bible studies, it makes one shudder. The third part is where it really gets going, elaborating on the history of the universe and of man, and the fourth part about Jesus is pretty in depth. Just don't drink the Kool-Aid and it's fine. The fact that it IS Kool-Aid for some people is scary though.
August 14, 2018
Finally having finished this book feels like a milestone in my life. I can honestly say it has answered all of my questions about God, the afterlife, and Jesus, while presenting even more material for thoughtful reflection than I could have asked for. The incredibly sophisticated vocabulary, combined with the fact that the entire book is internally consistent, convinces me that no single human could have written it. The proof is in the reading.
Now that I know about the celestial hierarchy and the evolution of mankind on this planet, the book encourages readers to go out and live the philosophy of Jesus, thus reshaping our world. That is what is meant by an epochal revelation, of which the UB is the fifth (the fourth was Jesus Christ). If I could earn a Masters degree in Urantia Studies at any university I would do it, and know that I had only scratched the surface of this magnificent tomb, but that is not what the revelators intend. Therefor, respectfully, I decline to write too much more about it here and rather encourage others to take a look even as I proceed with my second reading.
1:0.6 - "This sublime search for the God of universes is the supreme adventure of the inhabitants of all the worlds of time and space."
Now that I know about the celestial hierarchy and the evolution of mankind on this planet, the book encourages readers to go out and live the philosophy of Jesus, thus reshaping our world. That is what is meant by an epochal revelation, of which the UB is the fifth (the fourth was Jesus Christ). If I could earn a Masters degree in Urantia Studies at any university I would do it, and know that I had only scratched the surface of this magnificent tomb, but that is not what the revelators intend. Therefor, respectfully, I decline to write too much more about it here and rather encourage others to take a look even as I proceed with my second reading.
1:0.6 - "This sublime search for the God of universes is the supreme adventure of the inhabitants of all the worlds of time and space."
October 13, 2015
This is my most perused book for nearly 40 years to date. I still read and share some selections everyday. This is a very advanced, complex, 2097 page book which few mortals will want to initially peruse cover-cover. So, I suggest you look at http://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-s... and start reading at any place of interest or of your expertise. This Fifth Epochal Revelation of Truth was indited into English by supernal beings circa year 1935, and given to help advance all peoples and religions on our planet Urantia (full given name) which was shortened to Urth long ago; now it is spelled as Earth, but still pronounced as Urth. Ur stands for light.
This very unique, profound tome of Truth in English is in the public domain to allow sharing selected gems as you wish. It is best to select or paraphrase portions of this Revelation which add to the truths that others already know. Jesus works positively and does not contend with any sincere human truth-seeker or truth-finder.
Christians may want to read Part IV first on the supernal Life and Teachings of Jesus; and sample other sections as you desire.
This very unique, profound tome of Truth in English is in the public domain to allow sharing selected gems as you wish. It is best to select or paraphrase portions of this Revelation which add to the truths that others already know. Jesus works positively and does not contend with any sincere human truth-seeker or truth-finder.
Christians may want to read Part IV first on the supernal Life and Teachings of Jesus; and sample other sections as you desire.
May 31, 2020
My faith contained in one book. All the books I ever read and everything I believed in, slowly, but surely, finally pointed me to this book. I guess I could that the eagerness that drove me to be a good reader was only a mean to find and understand this one book. It gave me much peace, by strengthening and maturing my faith. I wish everyone else the same, but this book must come at the right time for each one. I only hope everyone, sometime before dying, reads it and has the courage and enlightenment to believe and be closer to God.
Read
December 21, 2008Read this cover to cover about 10 years ago. Hmmmm. Found it very interesting, had some strange dreams while reading it, don't really know how to rate it, or review it. All I can say is I would love to be in a room with the group of people who wrote this book, have a drink, and a long conversation.....
February 29, 2008
You want to be enlightened? Read this wonderful yet very difficult to comprehend book. But beware, because all the information that contained in this book will blow your mind into a state that you will never imagined!
June 22, 2009
For the week starting Sunday, June 21st:
June 21
The intellectual earmark of religion is certainty; the philosophical characteristic is consistency; the social fruits are love and service. [The Urantia Book, p. 1126, par. 5:]
June 22
Many who are inwardly sure about God fear to assert such feelings of certainty because of the multiplicity and cleverness of those who assemble objections and magnify difficulties about believing in God. [The Urantia Book, p. 1126, par. 6:]
June 23
It requires no great depth of intellect to pick flaws, ask questions, or raise objections. [The Urantia Book, p. 1126, par. 6:]
June 24
Of God, the most inescapable of all presences, the most real of all facts, the most living of all truths, the most loving of all friends, and the most divine of all values, we have the right to be the most certain of all universe experiences. [The Urantia Book, p. 1127, par. 4:]
June 25
The wisdom of the world is not necessary to an exercise of saving faith in eternal realities. [The Urantia Book, p. 1127, par. 6:]
June 26
In reality, every human being defines religion in the terms of his own experiential interpretation of the divine impulses emanating from the God spirit that indwells him [The Urantia Book, p. 1129, par. 8:]
June 27
The psychology of a child is naturally positive, not negative. [The Urantia Book, p. 1131, par. 4:]
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February 2, 2012
I had this book for decades before I learned much about where it came from. It is an amazing book to read just to wonder about it's validity or origins. Then I found out its origins.
From a functional point of view, there is not much in this book to elevate you spiritually. I doesn't have the answer. But that being said, to each their own and you have to make up your own mind.
However, to read it from the beginning, can do things to your mind. People tend to browse this book and discount its use for any reason. But if you learn how they mean to present things, it is a very fascinating book. It's deep, if in no other way, then in its many layers of explication. If you can get through this book you can get through any book.
There is another book out about where this came from and it is a fascinating story.
Am I a better person for having read this? Yes, but not for the reasons the book professes. I got this when I was younger and had it most my life. It was a source of fascination. Then when I read about where it came from, how, and how it was diluted even under the auspices of it's writers, I found it even more fascinating. Along the way I learned about the Seventh Day Adventist Church and how a bunch of nonsense that is and how that merged into the Urantia foundation, Kellogg's cereal empire, and the history of America.
From a functional point of view, there is not much in this book to elevate you spiritually. I doesn't have the answer. But that being said, to each their own and you have to make up your own mind.
However, to read it from the beginning, can do things to your mind. People tend to browse this book and discount its use for any reason. But if you learn how they mean to present things, it is a very fascinating book. It's deep, if in no other way, then in its many layers of explication. If you can get through this book you can get through any book.
There is another book out about where this came from and it is a fascinating story.
Am I a better person for having read this? Yes, but not for the reasons the book professes. I got this when I was younger and had it most my life. It was a source of fascination. Then when I read about where it came from, how, and how it was diluted even under the auspices of it's writers, I found it even more fascinating. Along the way I learned about the Seventh Day Adventist Church and how a bunch of nonsense that is and how that merged into the Urantia foundation, Kellogg's cereal empire, and the history of America.
December 11, 2018
First of all, this is just a book and it is not for everyone. Sound doctrine is essential for a Christian’s discipleship and growth because what we believe determines how we live. The entire Christian life depends on sound doctrine: we can’t worship God or grow in holiness or serve others or share the gospel without it.Now many of the ideas presented in this book contradict Christianity and virtually all dogma in some form or another.
This book is very long and it is only a book. I will be reading the bible for many years to come.
The contents of this book came to be through "channeling." For those of you who don't know what that is, it is when people receive information from a supposed anterior source, like a spirit guide, angel, or guardian of some kind.This book will be a complete waste of time.
However, if you do buy into it, this is probably the most brilliant, in depth piece of writing you'll ever come across unless you read the living word, the Bible Learn to look steadily at Me in all your moments and all your circumstances. Though the world is unstable and in flux, you can experience continuity through your uninterrupted awareness of My Presence. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
—2 Corinthians 4:18
This book is very long and it is only a book. I will be reading the bible for many years to come.
The contents of this book came to be through "channeling." For those of you who don't know what that is, it is when people receive information from a supposed anterior source, like a spirit guide, angel, or guardian of some kind.This book will be a complete waste of time.
However, if you do buy into it, this is probably the most brilliant, in depth piece of writing you'll ever come across unless you read the living word, the Bible Learn to look steadily at Me in all your moments and all your circumstances. Though the world is unstable and in flux, you can experience continuity through your uninterrupted awareness of My Presence. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
—2 Corinthians 4:18
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