More on Urantia

1998-11-14 09:28:00

Note to Polara,

I think you are like the lost sheep in the parable of Jesus. When he is found he brings more joy than the 99 who were not lost. The group thought they had lost you and now you seem to be back again and everyone seems glad about it.

If you think this list gave you an unfriendly welcome for posting Urantia material you should have seen what happened to me. Before I finished writing Book I of The Immortal, I thought I would try an experiment and see if anyone in the AOL [America On Line] forums would be interested in learning the Keys of Knowledge.

I posted some information about the idea in a couple categories and if you think you got some rejection in our list you should have read the responses I received. Some of it was not printable and I never tried that again. I quickly discovered that when in Rome do as the Romans do.

If I was in "A Course In Miracles" folder, for example, I found that I needed to center my remarks around something the book said or I would be looked upon with suspicion. Even then I sometimes found myself an unwelcome guest because I did not always give interpretations of material under discussion that fit into the thoughtform of the group.

Therefore, from personal experience let me say this. The Keys of Knowledge group consists of as nice and tolerant people as you can find anywhere. Rick who is the initiator of the list was just trying to keep the group centered on the purpose of the list and I believe the majority think he has done an admirable job of this sometimes touchy problem.

Now I will reply to your reply. I don't want this to be taken as an attack on anything you may believe in, but as an examination of a source that may or may not have some truth for us. First I might add that it is probably a good thing you have a PhD if you are a Urantia student. The book is not for the mentally challenged.

Rather than the Urantia papers just materializing in a safe the whole idea for the Urantia book was headed up by William Sadler who broke off from the Seventh Day Adventist Movement and was even friends with the founder Ellen White.

Around the year 1912, Wilford Kellogg, who lived in an apartment below Sadler started receiving some strange messages while in an unconscious state. Sadler found the channeled material very interesting and formed a group to discuss the new scriptures and formulate new questions to ask. This process of putting together the Urantia Book continued for around forty years with the study group growing to as many as 300 persons. Some believe that portions of Urantia was added and edited by Sadler and that he personally wrote some of the latter sections of the book about the life of Christ.

The Urantia people continue to present the history of the book as if it just dropped out of the sky, but enough of the original insiders have talked so we now know that the appearance of the book is no more mysterious than any other channeled book available.

The Urantian philosophy of life after death for man does not include reincarnation of any kind for man, but some type of ascension to heavenly spheres similar to that taught in many other religions who believe in only one earth life. From what I can gather Urantia teaches no life before birth (an essential ingredient to reincarnation), but that who we are was made up by God at birth.

Here are some quotes from the book:

"Spornagia are the only creatures in all the universe of Nebadon who experience this or any other sort of reincarnation." (Urantia, Page 528)

And what are Spornagia?

"Spornagia are neither spirits nor persons; they are an animal order of existence, but if you could see them, you would agree that they seem to be perfect animals." (Urantia, Page 416)

I also find it interesting that The Keys of Enoch list that you were searching for also teaches reincarnation. Many students think Urantia teachings on reincarnation are similar to The Aquarian Gospel and other metaphysical works, when in reality it is in opposition. The definite opposition is: One life on earth and possible annihilation versus many lives and eventual progression for all. Even the Dark Brothers will choose The Path of Light ages and ages hence.

You give some additional information about Urantia beliefs. You say the person only sleeps for three days, however, if the soul is escorted to the Morontia worlds by a seraphim he is limited to traveling at 550,000 miles per second. This would therefore take hundreds or thousands of years of sleeping to get to the Jerusem orbit.

You do not seem to disagree with what I said about the Urantia doctrine of annihilation, but I think you made a deceptive statement here. You say annihilation is a "conscious free will decision..." Not so. According to Urantia it is no more free will than is the Christian Doctrine of the bad guy going to a burning hell. Both of them suffer their punishment kicking and screaming with resistance.

Here is what Urantia says about it:

"The greatest punishment (in reality an inevitable consequence) for wrongdoing and deliberate rebellion against the government of God is loss of existence as an individual subject of that government. The final result of wholehearted sin is annihilation. In the last analysis, such sin-identified individuals have destroyed themselves by becoming wholly unreal through their embrace of iniquity.

"The factual disappearance of such a creature is, however, always delayed until the ordained order of justice current in that universe has been fully complied with. Cessation of existence is usually decreed at the dispensational or epochal adjudication of the realm or realms. On a world such as Urantia it comes at the end of a planetary dispensation.

"Cessation of existence can be decreed at such times by co-ordinate action of all tribunals of jurisdiction, extending from the planetary council up through the courts of the Creator Son to the judgment tribunals of the Ancients of Days. The mandate of dissolution originates in the higher courts of the super universe following an unbroken confirmation of the indictment originating on the sphere of the wrongdoer's residence; and then, when sentence of extinction has been confirmed on high, the execution is by the direct act of those judges residential on, and operating from, the headquarters of the super universe.

"When this sentence is finally confirmed, the sin-identified being instantly becomes as though he had not been. There is no resurrection from such a fate; it is everlasting and eternal."

(Urantia, Page 37)

The information you put forward does not contradict my statement. The following quote from Urantia is just not correct:

"The local universes are of decimal construction. There are just one hundred distinguishable atomic materializations of space-energy in a dual universe; that is the maximum possible organization of matter in Nebadon." (Urantia, Page 477)

There are 11 elements over the number 100 that were discovered after Urantia was published and some of them are more stable than some of the elements below the number 100. The maximum discovered so far is 111 not 100.

Some other flagrant mistakes made by these perfect messengers of God are:

"The surface temperature of the Sun is 6000 degrees F." (Urantia, Page 463)

Truth: It is now established that the temperature of the Sun is 10,000 degrees F.

"Mercury always keeps the same face toward the sun." (Urantia, Page 657)

Truth: This was thought to be so when Urantia was published, but recent space exploration has proven this to be false. Mercury rotates so all parts of the planet are exposed to the sun.

On the same page we are told the Moon does not turn on it's axis.

Truth: The Moon turns on its axis once every 28 days.

I am pointing this out to illustrate the problem with presenting a teaching as coming from infallible messengers sent directly from the presence of a perfect God. If Urantia is as it purports to be, then these mistakes would not be in there.

I challenged you to reveal to me even one new principle that is taught in Urantia or an old one where more light is revealed. You quoted what you thought were seven principles. The problem is that none of these were statements revealing principles and none of them were new.

A display of specialized skill does not signify possession of spiritual capacity. Cleverness is not a substitute for true character. This is not a principle. This is an observation that the general man on the street already realizes.

Higher knowledge deals with principles and requires a certain attuning with the spiritual self to be able to apply it. For instance, anyone can learn how to write down musical notes, but to compose a beautiful and original melody requires an attuning with music itself. Anyone can memorize a scale of notes but only the person who is in tune with music can come close to understanding the principle behind music and write original scores. Writing new music involves working with a principle whereas the notes are just data.

Outside of not receiving soul contact, the biggest problem I have with Urantia is that there are no new principles revealed. All through the book only data is talked about.

The challenge still stands unfulfilled!

Find me one new principle taught in Urantia!

Other inspired books teach new things around principles, so you would think Urantia would since it was supposed to be revealed by much higher beings than Peter, Paul or Moses.

The understanding of a principle can reveal thousands of facts or data, but it often takes a thousand facts or data to understand one principle.

One must understand a principle to teach or lead others to it.

My next posting will be on a principle.

I hope you read it.