User:Richiar/Workspace 1
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[edit] Forum for Encyclopedic Standards project (ESF)
Quality Management Monitor or Quality Monitor, Quality Management Process, Quality Management Frame
The issue of encyclopedic standards has to do with aréte - & virtue. Aréte as a property, and its ontology, and its universality and particularity. "Quality management" would be the relationship of the population of editors to aréte in terms of this encyclopedia. Richiar 14:50, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
Quality areas and framework: 1) content 2) context 3) style 4) organization 5) communication 6) perception 7) skill in technical use of the Wiki tools and ability to compose an article 8) self control and working within one's proper limits of understanding.
"Framework management" would be the management or application of the above framework to the article in development and the encyclopedia.
The "framework management process" would involve the principles outlined in the introduction to Philosophy-rational debate and discussion.
gestalt cognitive dissonance or harmony - relationship to community of editors and to the article and sensitive to quality, an intangible reality, a distinction, and value, ontological, which includes perception and value and relationship as a unity, also understanding and discriminative ability for relativity
Cracking down on Politics Edit Warriors One of the weakest parts of Wikipedia's content is anything about politics. There are a spate of editors who edit wikipedia not to create an encyclopedia, but rather to push their political viewpoint as fact on a large website. I suggest that there is wide consensus to take strong and decisive action towards these editors - community bans from all articles about politics/current events. I further suggest that the only reason these actions are not taken is because of fears of backlash. I am very interested to hear if there are others who feel this way, or if there is a belief that we are not overly leniant with what I will call "politics edit warriors". Thank you. Hipocrite - «Talk» 18:07, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
Can you explain your campaign regarding David Horowitz then please?
User puts David Horowitz Freedom Center up for deletion: [5] Votes to delete FrontPage Magazine [6] which is edited by David Horowitz. Removes all External Links related to Horowitz:
National Lawyers Guild [7] [8] Bill Moyers [9] [10] [11] Christian Peacemaker Teams [12] [13] World Festival of Youth and Students [14] Evan Thomas [15] Mengistu Haile Mariam [16] Paul Booth (SDS activist) [17] Brandeis University [18] CounterPunch (newsletter) [19] Lynne Stewart [20] Political Research Associates [21] Mumia Abu-Jamal [22] Durban Strategy [23] Keith Ellison (politician) [24] Joel Beinin [25]
I have to agree there is much warring over politics, seems deleting a commentator you do not like is not the answer either. --NuclearZer0 18:09, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
A big reason is the way the sentence gets reworded as the pronoun changes. "I am defending Wikipedia." "You are being contentious." "He is a POV edit warrior." (Not that this situation is unique here; script writers use the technique often.) There are quite often counterclaims. Sorting them out is never simple, and always takes time. The policies are clear, handling the situations is non-trivial. GRBerry 18:30, 9 February 2007 (UTC) What value is gained by sorting it out? Ban em' all, let it sort itself out. Hipocrite - «Talk» 18:36, 9 February 2007 (UTC) I fully agree that Politics warriors are a big problem here, and may I suggest you start by looking in the mirror, Hipocrite! ፈቃደ (ውይይት) 18:43, 9 February 2007 (UTC) A 'crackdown' would accomplish exactly nothing. So you ban all the POV pushers on politics, somehow being completely fair and impartial in the process... and miraculously none of them create new accounts to get back into the game. A month later a whole new batch of politics POV pushers will discover the site and start it up all over again. It's a non-starter. Even setting aside the vast and many problems with implementing it, even imagining that it would somehow not cause far greater problems than it aimed to solve... the end result still would be of no benefit. The only real hope for dealing with such situations is to educate people on NPOV and verifiability and slowly build up a cadre of people who feel passionately about politics, but follow Wikipedia policy on writing about and discussing them. Ban the people who show no effort in even trying to comply after repeated efforts... but we desperately need to keep the ones who make any progress towards cooperative editing. --CBD 18:41, 9 February 2007 (UTC) we do already crack down on vandals, trolls and edit warriors. WP:NPOV is policy, and firmly in place. People are free to have an opinion, and to focus on documenting their selected point of view by referring to WP:RSs. But at the point where they try to spin the prose, or insist on undue representation of a fringe position, they are violating policy, and any admin may, and should, crack down on them. dab (𒁳) 19:55, 9 February 2007 (UTC) It would seem to me that the fairest thing to do would be for editors to limit themselves to AfDing only articles on subjects supportive of their own strongly held viewpoint, and eschewing doing so for those in opposition to it as a simple matter of WP:COI. Askari Mark (Talk) 22:24, 9 February 2007 (UTC) A lot of the NPOV editing of political articles is sorting the wheat from the chaff. I would argue (but not so much as to trawl a few dozen articles for examples) that some good notable information is provided by POV pushers (both for and against) which a dispassionate contributor who may not have been so inclined to do the research would not have found. Whilst it is undoubtedly frustrating to deal with such 'warriors' simply removing them may result in a case of baby/bathwater etc. LessHeard vanU 22:39, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Corporate censorship is happening-from Village Pump (policy)
Cracking down on Politics Edit Warriors One of the weakest parts of Wikipedia's content is anything about politics. There are a spate of editors who edit wikipedia not to create an encyclopedia, but rather to push their political viewpoint as fact on a large website. I suggest that there is wide consensus to take strong and decisive action towards these editors - community bans from all articles about politics/current events. I further suggest that the only reason these actions are not taken is because of fears of backlash. I am very interested to hear if there are others who feel this way, or if there is a belief that we are not overly leniant with what I will call "politics edit warriors". Thank you. Hipocrite - «Talk» 18:07, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
Concern about Corporate racketeer editors: What is the policy for dealing with PR people from the corporations described in wikipedia editing their own articles? I don't know a ton about wikipedia but I think that free advertising is not the purpose. Neither is censorship of a long and dirty corporate history. Personally I see NPOV as partly to blame. It is too easy to mean Mainstream or Status Quo... or complicity in power. Wikipedia use to be a place you could go to cut through the BS that you get on a google search where the results are paid for. Now that wikipedia is THE content creator for all the fake webpage robots and has so much influence... it is becoming a lot more contested. Articles are shorter and have less open conflict written out. I liked the conflict because it gave balance and I could link to both sides of the arguement. We need a more coherent ideal than absurd objectivity. It seems like the norm is becoming stylistically concise, naive, less informative, more palatable to those not in the know. The article in question is the Unilever article and the edits are being made by a user who admits to working for them making websites. The animal rights and other political criticisms have been de-linked in the name of NPOV. Has this sort of thing happened before? I think it is going to become more of an issue. I think it is a great project nonetheless, you are all admirable for participating. I am always melodramatic. ~rusl
All that can be done is to be vigilant and revert anything that seems to violate WP:NPOV. It is difficult, because paid PR people will be able to edit full time, so obviously they have an unfair advantage.--Runcorn 12:34, 4 February 2007 (UTC) NPOV *means* you get the good and the bad. Revert them. --BenBurch 16:38, 4 February 2007 (UTC) I have found it possible to deal with such concerns by persistence. It helps also if there is more than one person involved, so it doesn't get to a 1 on 1 personal matter. The determination of many of the WP editors is the equal of any hired PR, as is the special knowledge of how to work in WP. The editors who come to work on the article for their company have sometimes made very useful contributions; it might help to have a Wikiproject for commercial products. What I have learned to watch out for is the simultaneous starting of pages for many different individual products. For consumer products, especially product safety, Consumer Reports is a well known source of NPOV information. DGG 18:03, 4 February 2007 (UTC) Just a thought... PR departments for an international company usually operate from the head office on one continent/time zone. Find editors who are active outside of said company/dept. work hours who would be willing to patrol the pages for POV edits. LessHeard vanU 23:11, 4 February 2007 (UTC) Or you could just add the page to your watchlist and check for suspect edits. Caknuck 21:54, 9 February 2007 (UTC) True, but one of the comments is that multi-nationals can afford to hire a dept. to look after their interests and overwhelm a volunteer editor. I was suggesting patrolling an article out of office hours. LessHeard vanU 22:24, 9 February 2007 (UTC) I hadn't thought about this until I saw this section. There are sections in Wikipedia that document corporate corruption, but there would be a strong temptation for the coporates to try to re-write history in their favor. Don't let them win. Richiar 03:36, 8 February 2007 (UTC) Business ethics - Corporate crime This would be a conflict of interest. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:21, 8 February 2007 (UTC) As far as the animal testing section Unilever goes, keep in mind that NPOV can be applied to controversial issues. If we have legitimate sources for citation -- and bear in mind that when dealing with huge multinationals and issues, we need SOLID sources -- then we shouldn't shy away from stating the facts of the matter. Caknuck 21:54, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
Proposals for experimental committees:
1. Committee for development of stanards a) writing syle
2. Committee for application of standards
3. Committee for development of conflict resolution
4. Committee for resource location and preservation a) locating field experts b) protecting field experts 1) perserving work that is high quality from disruptive edits 2) preserving constructive momentum of high productive level editors
Proposal for case studies of areas of concern in forum format: Examples of "higher" and "lower" quality article, and examples of editor conflicts (individual and interpersonal)
Application of Robert Langs communication fields to Wikipeida:
Principle of communicative entropy
- structures for preservation of natural conversation
- Productive communication field - (Type P communication field or "type P CF)
- A progressive flow of editing occurs
- There is reasonable give and take in advancing the editing process
- editors are respectful of others editing, self-correcting their errors or "inferior level" edits, repectful of standard, boundaries, and limitations of their own and others
- There is a positive work environment
- the wiki general standards are supported
- additions and edits of the article and talk page are constructive (CE)
- Regressive communication field - (Type R communication field or "type R CF)
- debates are beginning to form, without progressive development of the editing, and positions are becoming rigid and contentious
- distorted use of Wiki principles occurs, such as misapplication of NPOV with defense of the misapplication, etc
- There is a frustrating work environment
- Additions to the article and talk page are non constructive (NCA)
- Disruptive communication field- (Type D communication field or "type D CF)
- editing attacks are occuring, disrupting constructive editing process
- There is a hostile work environment
- the Wiki general standards are undermined, and disruptive, low quality editing rules Wiki
- Additions to the article or talk page are destructive (DA) or DOA (dead on arrival)
References:
Robert Langs, Psychotherapy and Science, SAGE Publications, 1999 ISBN 0-7619-5616-6
Landmark Education-"Wisdom Course" steps: 1) listening/not listening 2) listening with primary, secondary, and tertiary actions 3) beginning coordinative action - to be continued
Other source material:
The Different Drum, M. Scott Peck, Community Making and Peace
To have or to Be? E. Fromm
The est Standard Training, Werner Erhard and Vic Gioscia, printed in Bioscience Communications, paper presented to the American Psychiatric Association, May, 1971. Reference for the origin of our life experience and self experience as "Source" and the resulting acceptance of personal responsibility for our experience of life and living.
Application of Field Being to Wikipedia:
Development of the idea of intentionality
International Institute for Field Being
Adoptation of Heidegger to article writing
"Being" of an article and presence, and "gathering" of multiple multidimensional streams of consciousness (Wilbur); "The Origin of the Work of Art" - Basic Writings
Locating resources:
1. experts with expertise in a particular field, eg. philosophy professor
-
- retaining participation
Concern about certification and credentialism
expertise and quality level is higher
[edit] Workspace for development of conflict resolution and editing protocols for ESF:
[edit] Quality Management Frame development
[edit] scoring system for communications
| Value | + | 0 | - |
| comm type | cell code 6 | cell code 7 | cell code 8 |
| High qual edit | cell code 10 | cell code 11 | cell code 12 |
| Contrib edit | cell code 14 | cell code 15 | cell code 16 |
| Mixed edit | cell code 18 | cell code 19 | cell code 20 |
| Non contrib edit | cell code 22 | cell code 23 | cell code 24 |
| Negative edit | cell code 26 | cell code 27 | cell code 28 |
| Dead on arrival | cell code 30 | cell code 31 | cell code 32 |
| High quality edit | Contributory edit | Mixed edit | Noncontributory edit | Negative edit | Dead on arrival |
| xxx-(+2)-xxx | xxx-(+1)-xxx | xxx-(+0.5)-xxx | xxx-(0)-xxx | xxx-(-1)-xxx | xxx-(-2)-xxx |
assuming good faith and its relationship to the communication frame
The structure of the Quality Management Frame: ///The Butterfly Effect - - [dependency-domination-interrelatedness]-[constructive-nonconstrucrive-destructive additions (CE-NCA-DA)]-[Quality as a distinction created in language]-[Relatonship to article-Relatonship to community of editors]-[the being of the article as a process in time]
Statement of intent: The material below is for the purpose of analyzing the structure of the conflict between editors, and to understand the nature of the conflict. This is within the context of the Forum for Encylopedic Standards. If a constructive method of conflict resolution is found, this will be posted on the Forum for Encyclopedic Standards. Once this purpose is acheived or not acheived, the material will be removed from this workspace, out of respect for all editors involved. -- Richiar
Recently in __ __ and __ there has been a strengthening of constructive influences and weakening of destructive influences - - Intention and meeting of contructive editors, and creating constructive co-ontogenic drift with small group structural coupling, with integration of the field occuring, rather than disintegration. 7 Feb 2007
[edit] Current Debate in Philosopy
What about a content fork to resolve conflict by temporarily separating two or more disparate and contentious pov's, (rather than evade NPOV)? This would allow monitoring of the conflict, whle at the same time let both parties do their own work without interferring with each other.
As it is, there are a number of editors leaving the scene, first with AB-02, and now AB-07. (I would grant that AB-07 does not have the same antagonistic belligerence that AB-02 had). -- (AB-09)
Attacks against authority of other editors in the editing community to correct one's own edits:
I'll just ignore this since you are obviously on one of your little power trips and make no substantive comment -- (AB-07)
I respectfully but firmly disagree with the proposals of user AB-07 in relation to this entry. -- (AB-08)
This is not a plebiscite but a talk page, a blank opinion agreeing or disagreeing is of no interest to us. -- (AB-07)
"I don't have a content stance, at present. I'm here to watch the conduct and editorship.", "I'm not convinced that all editors are furthering that objective as they might" blah blah. Then we had this rather strange 'workshop' in which the views of professional philosophers were mixed in with the views of two professional trolls, as though you could have a vote on it. Then after some pressure from me you recognised the problem for what it was. It took another administrator (G---) to step in and block the offender (but only for a week). What is up with this place? How dare you blame me for 'incivility'.
It is quite obvious the guy is a complete Troll. Just look through the edits. For goodness sake. -- (AB-03)
Like the man says, your opinion here is not correct. There are clearly a number of good editors who are frustrated with you illiterate, unsourced and highly idiosyncratic edits. If you persist in this, I am going to escalate the matter. This is a warning. -- (AB-03)
Thanks for your thoughful comment on my talk page. I do not consider myself to be more competent on articles than certain others. My point of view on certain issues may not be completely conformist to the kinf of editorship wiki-philosophy is attracting, this is another matter. As to scholarship levels, perhaps both yourself and the user, 2917(?) have high levels of scholarship, I'm of the opinion that you do. However this may be a problem insofars as it is some attempt to "show scholarship" and write for scholars thus ignoring other wiki readers.
As to reverting wholesale. It was I who was first reverted wholesale. Importantly, and aside from trying to compare titles of scholarship etc., when I made my edits I gave very explicit reasons for them on the talk page. Yet reversions persisted without a single comment to talk. This shows arogance and not scholarship. I do not consider the direction the B&T page is taking to be the right one, it is trying to summarise whole swaths of a very difficult text in few paragraphs of idiosyncratic language. The direction I wish to take the page is pedagogical (just look at the talk page on Continental there to see the difficulties and objections even analytic philosophers find here). -- (AB-07)
Above comments placed on user AB-08's talk page
[edit] Trial statement of clarification:
It has been a long time (or so it seems to this lurker) that the discussion on this page has been about the article. I've lived through many a fan feud, but Talk:Philosophy is not the place to indulge in personalities. -- (AB-01)
Agree. -- (AB-02)
The talk has been (mostly ) about what counts as a secondary source, and is directly related to the possibility of making any progress on this page. I and a number of other people (several user names mentioned here) would like to change the current introduction so that it unambiguously characterises the method of philosophy as rational, critical. Three editors, however, have consistently opposed this, namely you (AB-01), AB-07 and AB-02. Many sources have been cited as supporting this claim about the method of philosophy, you have continued to deny (especially AB-07) that these count as secondary sources.
On discussions about personalities, well, those have concerned the behaviour of AB-07, who is making it difficult for bona fide editors to make progress on the article. Again, that concerns progress on the article. -- (AB-03)
AB-01 the latest conversation has been on a matter which is crucial to the development of the page: how we treat primary and secondary sources. Also, AB-03 had some quite valid concerns over my edits to the page not long ago, which may be found above, and upon which he acted appropriately. -- (AB-04)
And I must admit I am floundering on that issue. I am too new to be as familiar with Wiki policy, but I am balking a little at writing an article on, say, Being and Time, if it has to cite commentaries on Being and Time rather than the book itself. Maybe I am misunderstanding. Note, I am not saying it can't be done, but it might have to be left to people who have a collection of such commentaries. -- (AB-05)
It's a matter of judgment. Remember WP:OR was brought in as a weapon against cranks and trolls. If you write something that, as an expert, you feel is one of the things most other experts on the subject would agree with as obvious, don't bother to cite. No other expert editor will challenge you. By contrast, if a crank writes something silly, you can then challenge them, and revert. If they persist in reverting without citation, off they go to jail. If a crank challenges you about something, you will probably have to provide a citation (whether this has to go into the article, or whether you merely have to satisfy the crank, I'm not sure). If you get repeatedly get challenged on things that don't need citation, send them to jail. What really needs hardening is the attitude to these sort of people. As you've seen, there's a tendency to blame experienced and expert editors for reacting badly to cranks. I'm hoping this will change. -- (AB-03)
I'm relieved the discussion is less shrill this time around. AB-03's position is basically that of most serious academic-subject Wikipedians, but I have to say one further thing: I think better sourcing can be very useful even for the parts of an article that are "common knowledge" to experts in a field. It serves three useful purposes there: first, prophylactically protecting against cranks' challenges and allowing non-expert editors to revert them more easily; second, providing further reading to interested lay readers; third, perhaps most important, it forces self-clarification on the expert writer during the writing process. It has often been true in my own writing for Wikipedia that finding secondary, pedagogical sources improves and clarifies the writing, rather than just providing support for common-knowledge claims. So, to take AB-05's example, it's surely better to have an expert-written article on Being and Time than a crank-written, original-research one, even if both rely on no source but the original text; but best of all, and the eventual desired goal for all Wikipedia articles, is to have an article that cites many secondary sources like commentaries and scholarly articles, rather than doing the interpretation in its own (Wikipedia's own) voice. -- (AB-06)
The "method of philosophy as rational, critical" AB-03. - Why, AB-03, do you insist? This article is not about Analytic philosophy. And the three of us recognize that Continental philosophy recognizes that man is not so rational and critical as one would have him be. These often are philosophers who, inter alia, have been very strongly influenced by Marx and Freud (and it is unfortunate that Freud does not fit neatly into the pigeon-hole of philosophy). How do you defend against the charge that "rationality" is merely a personal preference of one who wishes to characterize philosophy so? Suppose 90% of the world-class philosophers agree with you. But what about the other 10%? Are they wrong?
I think that the three of us just recognize that there are major world-class philosophers who claim that man (including great philosophers) are not as Rational as we would like them to be. Why is that such a great insurmountable problem? -- (AB-02) P.S. I second AB-06's comment above.
My objection to "rational" being pushed harder in the introduction than it already is has nothing to do with "primary" vs. "secondary" but rather has to do with citing philosophers from one school of philosophy and ruling out by definition all other schools. It's a little like a Harvard man defining "university" as "a center of learning in Massachusetts" and citing other Harvard men to back him up. It seems to me that the current introduction: "Some encyclopedias have described philosophy in terms of intellectual inquiry and the use of critical analysis and reasoning, as well as dialogue or introspection, to solve intractable and fundamental problems. [4] Others state that philosophy examines the process of inquiry itself." makes Dbuckner's point as strongly as it needs to be made. -- (AB-01)
[To AB-02] But this is your own research. What I object to is the implication in "Some encyclopedias have described philosophy in terms of intellectual inquiry ..." that perhaps other encyclopedias have described philosophy as something else. You have yet to produce a single citation for your claim that it is otherwise. The onus is, according to WP:OR to show that there is a significant minority with an opposing view. You have not even shown that. Which encyclopedia or reference book says that philosophy is not rational or critical enquiry? -- (AB-03)
[edit] Principles to propose for use
communication forms:
accusation vs assertion
primary process
secondary process
misinterpretation of communication
misinterpreation of principle
misconstrued context - transactional game
defiance of "authority" of another editor-rational and irrational authority in the community of editors
Trolling and miscontrued trolling, and waging a tendentious compaign against the editing community, or sophomoric level of understanding
Intent
Distinquishing linquistic domains:
"being" of the article, the activity, etc
Quality of a) editor action b) editor observation
Qualities of the article
Qualities of the a) editing process b) communication field
Qualities of the Policy
Qualities of the Administration
Duration of the conflict
Level of conflict
Duration of patience of (the average) editor
Wilbur, holons, and the 4 Quadrants
Hierarchy of Righteousness, Justice, fairness, _______, kindness, and stage of evolution, and "golden rule"
distinctions in linguistic domains:
subversion
malice
Racket - Racketeer: one that engages in a pattern of persistent conduct that subtracts from the quality of the article
Resisting correction of dysfunction (RCD)
Perpetration of dysfunction (PD)
Contribution edit (CE): an addition that adds to the quality of the article, forwards its development, and contributes the editing community
Noncontributory addition (NCA): additions that do not add to the quality or status of an article, but do not necessarily represent a subtraction of its quality. A noncontributory edit is an addition to the article, but not an edit.
Destructive additon (DA): an addition that subtracts from the quality of the article and its status. It is destructive to the editing community. It is definitely not editing.
Expert contributor:
[edit] Definitions
expository; - [1]; - tendentious - pugnacious - obstreperous - cogency - obfuscation
[edit] Urantia Book version 1
Revision as of 00:37, 8 January 2007
1. opening section:
UrantiaThe Urantia Book is a spiritual and philosophical tome that discusses God, science, religion, history, philosophy, and destiny. Sometimes it is referred to as "The Urantia Papers", or the "Fifth Epochal Revelation" or by the abbreviation of "TUB". The book originated in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. sometime between 1924 and 1955, but its authorship is considered to be a mystery. (See Mysterious origin.)
The authors of The Urantia Book state their intent is to "present enlarged concepts and advanced truth" in an "endeavor to expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception". Among many other topics, it expands on the origin and meaning of life, describes humankind's place in creation, discusses the relationship between God and man, and presents a detailed biography of Jesus. The book is 2,097 pages long, and consists of a Foreword and 196 papers, divided into four parts.
The Urantia Book introduces the word Urantia as the name of the planet Earth. "Urantian" is a derivation used to denote anyone or anything that originates on Earth. Colloquially, the word "Urantian" is sometimes used to denote an individual who admires and believes in the book, but this meaning is not found in the book itself.
The Urantia Foundation first published the Urantia Papers as The Urantia Book in 1955 in English. Translations into numerous languages are available and several new translations are in process. In 2001, Urantia Foundation lost the U.S. copyright to the English version in a court decision and it went into the public domain. Complete, free audio versions and searchable editions of The Urantia Book are available on the internet.
Contents [hide]
1 Overview of The Urantia Book
2 Teachings
2.1 Nature of God
2.2 God and the individual
2.3 Cosmology
2.3.1 Organization of the cosmos
2.3.2 Comparison to science
2.4 History and future of the world
2.4.1 The Lucifer rebellion
2.4.2 Adam and Eve
3 Comparisons to religious teachings
3.1 Comparison to Christianity
3.2 Comparison to Buddhism
3.3 Comparison to other world religions
4 Consideration as literature
5 Mysterious origin
6 Critical views
6.1 Criticism of claims as a revelation
6.2 Criticism of science
6.3 Plagiarism allegations
7 Adherents
8 Symbols
9 The Urantia Book in popular culture
10 See also 11 References 12 External links
2. overview section - earlier version (1)
Overview of The Urantia Book The Urantia Book consists of the following:
Table of Contents Foreword Part I: The Central and Superuniverses Part II: The Local Universe Part III: The History of Urantia Part IV: The Life and Teachings of Jesus The Foreword is in outline form and is presented as a guide to the terminology used throughout the rest of the book, introducing explanations for concepts and words that are developed in greater detail with later papers.
Part I consists of 31 papers regarding "The Central and Superuniverses". Some of these papers are "The Universal Father", "God’s Relation to the Universe", "God’s Relation to the Individual", "The Eternal Son", "The Infinite Spirit", "The Paradise Trinity", and "The Eternal Isle of Paradise". Through the presentations of these papers, Part I addresses what are considered the highest levels of creation beginning with the concepts of the eternal and infinite God.
Part II consists of Papers 32 through 56, which are dedicated to an array of subjects pertaining to "The Local Universe". Papers include "The Evolution of the Local Universes", "Administration of the Local Universe", "Personalities of the Local Universe", "The Seraphic Hosts", "Physical Aspects of the Local Universe", "The Seven Mansion Worlds", "Planetary Mortal Epochs", "The Lucifer Rebellion", and "The Spheres of Light and Life". Part II expands on Part I and presents narratives on the inhabitants of local universes and their work, as it is coordinated with God’s plans in the larger schemes of creation.
Part III consists of Papers 57 through 119 and compiles a broad history of the earth titled, "The History of Urantia". Topics include "The Origin of Urantia", "Life Establishment on Urantia", several narratives on evolution, "The First Human Family", "The Planetary Rebellion", "The Default of Adam and Eve", "The Origins of Worship", "The Foundations of Religious Faith", "Deity and Reality", "The Adjuster and the Soul", "Personality Survival", and "The Bestowals of Christ Michael". Part III presents a story of yet further examination and explanation of the origin, history, purpose and destiny of the Earth and of its inhabitants.
Part IV consists of Papers 120 through 196 and narrates "The Life and Teachings of Jesus." Included are papers on the "Bestowal of Michael on Urantia", "Birth and Infancy of Jesus", "The Early Childhood of Jesus", "The Later Adult Life of Jesus", detailed narratives on Jesus’ trip to Rome, "John the Baptist", "Baptism and the Forty Days", "The Twelve Apostles", and "Beginning the Public Work." Part IV presents details about several preaching tours (1, 2, 3, 4), miracles (1, 2, 3, 4), crises (1, 2), and events that led to the crucifixion, death and resurrection. It continues from there with papers on Pentecost and finally, "The Faith of Jesus". Part IV illustrates many of the concepts presented in the first three parts through the story of Jesus' life.
Teachings - earlier version (1)
Nature of God God in the narrative of The Urantia Book is the creator and upholder of all reality — an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite and eternal spirit personality.
The most fundamental teaching about God in the book is that he is a loving Father. "The face which the Infinite turns toward all universe personalities is the face of a Father, the Universal Father of love." Even during the development of numerous other themes in The Urantia Book, God as a loving Father is emphasized as the central, unifying attitude of God toward his creation.
From Paper 2, "The Nature of God":
God is inherently kind, naturally compassionate, and everlastingly merciful. And never is it necessary that any influence be brought to bear upon the Father to call forth his loving-kindness. The creature's need is wholly sufficient to insure the full flow of the Father's tender mercies and his saving grace. Since God knows all about his children, it is easy for him to forgive. The better man understands his neighbor, the easier it will be to forgive him, even to love him.
Only the discernment of infinite wisdom enables a righteous God to minister justice and mercy at the same time and in any given universe situation. The heavenly Father is never torn by conflicting attitudes towards his universe children; God is never a victim of attitudinal antagonisms. God's all-knowingness unfailingly directs his free will in the choosing of that universe conduct which perfectly, simultaneously, and equally satisfies the demands of all his divine attributes and the infinite qualities of his eternal nature.
God is said to be a mystery though because of the infinite scope of his perfection and all his attributes. From Paper 1, "The Universal Father":
God is not hiding from any of his creatures. He is unapproachable to so many orders of beings only because he "dwells in a light which no material creature can approach." The immensity and grandeur of the divine personality is beyond the grasp of the unperfected mind of evolutionary mortals. He "measures the waters in the hollow of his hand, measures a universe with the span of his hand. It is he who sits on the circle of the earth, who stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreads them out as a universe to dwell in." "Lift up your eyes on high and behold who has created all these things, who brings out their worlds by number and calls them all by their names"; and so it is true that "the invisible things of God are partially understood by the things which are made." Today, and as you are, you must discern the invisible Maker through his manifold and diverse creation, as well as through the revelation and ministration of his Sons and their numerous subordinates.
God according to the book is one Deity who functions on a range of different levels of reality, both personal and impersonal. God is taught to exist in a Trinity of three perfectly individualized persons who are co-equal: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. These persons are referred to by additional titles in the book, primarily as the "Universal Father", "Eternal Son", and "Infinite Spirit". While stating that the concept of one God in three persons is difficult to fully understand, the book says:
The fact of the Paradise Trinity in no manner violates the truth of the divine unity. The three personalities of Paradise Deity are, in all universe reality reactions and in all creature relations, as one. Neither does the existence of these three eternal persons violate the truth of the indivisibility of Deity.
The Father, Son, and Spirit are considered "existential" persons of Deity, those in existence from the eternal past to the eternal future. In addition, three persons of Deity are described who are "experiential", or incomplete and in the process of actualizing: God the Supreme, God the Ultimate, and God the Absolute. Of these three, God the Supreme, or "the Supreme Being", is given the most explanation, as the person of Deity evolving in time and space to unify finite reality and the infinite. "The Supreme is God-in-time; his is the secret of creature growth in time; his also is the conquest of the incomplete present and the consummation of the perfecting future." The persons of God the Ultimate and God the Absolute are considered to be remote from the possibility of comprehension and are covered on a limited basis.
Many types of celestial beings are enumerated in the book, one of particular note is a joint "offspring" of the Universal Father and Eternal Son called a "Creator Son". A divine Creator Son is considered the full representation of the Universal Father and Eternal Son that is possible to people. Jesus of Nazareth is identified as a Creator Son who incarnated on Earth and whose life and teachings are portrayed as the fullest revelation of the personality and attitude of God ever given to humanity.
Paper 196, the final paper, states:
To "follow Jesus" means to personally share his religious faith and to enter into the spirit of the Master's life of unselfish service for man. One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it.
[edit] God and the individual section - earlier version (1)
God and the individual God is described as the Father of each individual through the direct gift of a fragment of his eternal spirit, called a Thought Adjuster. The Thought Adjuster is also called a "Mystery Monitor," "inner voice," "divine spark," and "pilot light." The concept is in ways comparable to the Hindu atman, the ancient Egyptian ka, and the Quaker inner light. From philosophy, it is similar to Socrates' "daimonion." In relation to biblical traditions, the Thought Adjuster is described by the book as the meaning behind "being made in God's image" and the "kingdom of God is within."
According to The Urantia Book, each normal-minded person receives one such fragment at the time of his or her first independent moral decision, on average around the age of five years and ten months. The Adjuster then serves noncoercively as a divine partner for the rest of life, and to the extent that a person consents with their free will to want to find God, it constantly leads the person toward more mature, spiritualized thinking. Through the practice of learning how to follow the inner leadings of the Adjuster — choose "God's will" — the individual progresses to greater God consciousness and spiritual growth.
A person's Thought Adjuster is described as distinct from the soul. In The Urantia Book's teachings, the degree to which a human mind chooses to accept its Adjuster's guidance becomes the degree to which a person's soul "grows" and becomes a reality that can then survive death. The soul is in essence an embryonic spiritual development, with one parental factor being the divine Adjuster and the other being the human will.
The book many times links the biblical New Testament teachings of becoming like a little child in attitude of trust and sincerity as being the essential and ideal stance each person should have toward God. This attitude of open-minded teachability is what facilitates spiritual growth in liaison with the work of the Thought Adjuster and invariably leads a person to love and serve other people. The book is strongly fideistic and teaches that neither science nor logic will ever be able to prove or disprove the existence of God, that faith is necessary to become conscious of God's presence in human experience, the Thought Adjuster.
From Paper 101, "The Real Nature of Religion":
Religious experience, being essentially spiritual, can never be fully understood by the material mind; hence the function of theology, the psychology of religion. The essential doctrine of the human realization of God creates a paradox in finite comprehension. It is well-nigh impossible for human logic and finite reason to harmonize the concept of divine immanence, God within and a part of every individual, with the idea of God's transcendence, the divine domination of the universe of universes. These two essential concepts of Deity must be unified in the faith-grasp of the concept of the transcendence of a personal God and in the realization of the indwelling presence of a fragment of that God in order to justify intelligent worship and validate the hope of personality survival. The difficulties and paradoxes of religion are inherent in the fact that the realities of religion are utterly beyond the mortal capacity for intellectual comprehension.
Persistently embracing sin is the same as rejecting the leadings of the Adjuster, the same as rejecting the will of God. Constant selfishness and sinful choosing will lead eventually to iniquity and full identification with unrighteousness, and since unrighteousness is unreal, it results in the eventual annihilation of the individual's identity — personalities like this become "as if they never were." The book says that "in the last analysis, such sin-identified individuals have destroyed themselves by becoming wholly unreal through their embrace of iniquity." The concepts of Hell and reincarnation are not taught.
From Paper 5, "God's Relation to the Individual":
The great God makes direct contact with mortal man and gives a part of his infinite and eternal and incomprehensible self to live and dwell within him. God has embarked upon the eternal adventure with man. If you yield to the leadings of the spiritual forces in you and around you, you cannot fail to attain the high destiny established by a loving God as the universe goal of his ascendant creatures from the evolutionary worlds of space.
The book says that a person is ultimately destined to fuse with his or her divine fragment and become one inseparable entity with it, if the person has chosen to accept the Adjuster's leadings and become self-identified with it. The act of fusion is the moment when a human personality has successfully and unalterably won eternal life, typically taking place in the afterlife, but also a possibility during earthly life. Once fused with his or her fragment of God, a person continues as an ascending citizen in the universe and travels through numerous worlds on a long, adventurous pilgrimage of growth and learning that eventually leads to God and Paradise. Mortals who reach this stage are called "finaliters". The book goes on to discuss the potential destinies of these "glorified mortals of the realms".
The Urantia Book places much emphasis on the idea that all individuals have the same opportunity to come to know God, and it says nothing can hinder or hurt a human being's spiritual progression if he or she is sincerely motivated to be spirit led. To want to know God and become like him is to be the supreme quest of each person. God mandated "be you perfect, even as I am perfect," and brought into existence a vast universe scheme of ascension to assist mortal man in attaining the goal. The destiny of each person who chooses to search for God is to traverse the many levels of creation to "meet God".
People are to actively work to understand each other and to seek to live in love and peace, being of help to one another. The practice of the "religion of Jesus" is to love the Father with a person's whole being, thereby growing to love each person the way Jesus loves people; that is, recognizing and serving others unselfishly as brothers and sisters.
[edit] Cosmology section - earlier version (1)
Cosmology
The Urantia Book presents a unique cosmological perspective on the universe and humankind's relation to it. It teaches that the universe is vastly older than current scientific theories state, and that the universe is the product of intelligent and purposeful organization, rather than originating in the Big Bang.
Organization of the cosmos The term "universe" is used to denote a number of different scales of organization. (The book was written at a time when galaxies outside of the Milky Way were still called "island universes".) A superuniverse is roughly the size of a galaxy or group of galaxies. A local universe is described as approximately 0.00001 the size of a superuniverse. The modern dictionary definition of universe — all existing matter and space taken as a whole — is referred to as the "master universe". When the term "universe" is used alone, the type of universe usually can be inferred from the context.
From pages 1-2 in the "Foreword":
Your world, Urantia, is one of many similar inhabited planets which comprise the local universe of Nebadon. This universe, together with similar creations, makes up the superuniverse of Orvonton, from whose capital, Uversa, our commission hails. Orvonton is one of the seven evolutionary superuniverses of time and space which circle the never-beginning, never-ending creation of divine perfection — the central universe of Havona. At the heart of this eternal and central universe is the stationary Isle of Paradise, the geographic center of infinity and the dwelling place of the eternal God.
The seven evolving superuniverses in association with the central and divine universe, we commonly refer to as the grand universe; these are the now organized and inhabited creations. They are all a part of the master universe, which also embraces the uninhabited but mobilizing universes of outer space.
The visualization of the cosmos presented from the center outward is:
The Isle of Paradise — "the most gigantic organized body of cosmic reality in all the master universe." The Sacred Spheres of Paradise — 21 enormous worlds, 3 circuits of 7 worlds each — the Worlds of the Father, the Worlds of the Son, and the Worlds of the Spirit orbiting in three processions on the inner margin of space. Havona — one billion (1,000,000,000) perfect worlds across seven circuits, with "upwards of thirty-five million worlds" in the first or inner circuit, "over two hundred and forty-five million worlds" in the seventh or "outermost" circuit, and "proportional numbers" of worlds in the intervening circuits. Surrounding these are "dark gravity bodies" that "completely encircle and enshroud Havona" and whose "multitudinous bodies" are "divided into two equal elliptical circuits by a unique space intrusion". The Isle of Paradise, the 21 Sacred Spheres, the 1 billion worlds of Havona, and the orbiting dark gravity bodies taken as a whole are interchangeably referred to as the "central universe", the "divine universe", and the "Paradise-Havona system". The central universe is surrounded by a "relatively quiet midspace zone" of lessened motion and undisclosed diameter. Beyond the midspace zone, seven superuniverses swing around the central universe and have an approximate diameter of 400,000 - 500,000 light-years. These contain the evolutionary worlds of time and space. The seven superuniverses are then immediately surrounded by another midspace zone "which varies in width but averages 400,000 light-years". One of the stated purposes of the cosmos is to provide worlds where intelligent life may be created or evolved from primitive life. Each of the seven superuniverses, when fully developed, would have approximately one trillion inhabited worlds. Each divisional level has "architectural worlds", including a headquarters sphere, which are worlds made to order and are independently lighted and heated for the celestial and other life of those spheres. They are created to be administrative and educational worlds and are said to be at the approximate, and sometimes exact, gravity center of their regions of inhabited worlds and physical systems. A detailed organization of superuniverses is provided. Briefly, levels of organization are: Individual inhabited worlds such as Urantia Local systems — 1,000 inhabited worlds Constellations — 100 local systems Local universes — 100 constellations Minor sectors — 100 local universes Major sectors — 100 minor sectors Superuniverses — 10 major sectors Beyond are enormous uninhabited "outer space levels". The first outer space level is estimated to be 50 million light-years in diameter and surrounded by a midspace zone of approximately the same diameter. The second, third, and fourth outer space levels surround each previous level with greater and greater magnitude and each is separated by a midspace zone of about the same magnitude as the previous space level. From Appendix 3, Section 3 in "Sadler, William S., Jr., Appendices to A Study of The Master Universe", the authors of The Urantia Book "postulate an additional and unrevealed creation" beyond this, "a possible never-beginning, never-ending universe of infinity."
[edit] Comparison to science section - earlier version (1)
Comparison to science The book describes alternative explanations to current hypotheses in science regarding the universe's origin, and suggests sources of error in current astronomical observations.
Many influences interpose to make it appear that the recessional velocity of the external universes increases at the rate of more than one hundred miles a second for every million light-years increase in distance. By this method of reckoning, subsequent to the perfection of more powerful telescopes, it will appear that these far-distant systems are in flight from this part of the universe at the unbelievable rate of more than thirty thousand miles a second. But this apparent speed of recession is not real; it results from numerous factors of error embracing angles of observation and other time-space distortions.
The concept of "space respiration" — that all of space itself undergoes "two-billion-year expansion-contraction cycles"—is claimed to be part of the explanation for astronomic redshift. The Urantia Book says we are currently almost half way through an expansion cycle.
The Urantia Book states that the cosmology in the papers will be in need of revision as new discoveries emerge in science, and that its presentations are not meant to be a substitute for science.
[edit] History and future of the world section - earlier version (1)
History and future of the world - earlier version (1)
Urantia is considered one inhabited sphere among many others in the universe, an evolutionary world destined to sometime reach a future stage of "light and life". The growth from a planet coalescing from gas and dust, into a sphere ready for life implantation, to the inception of primordial life, through plant and animal evolution, to primitive human development and evolution, and onward through progressive evolutionary social stages finally culminating in the height of what human civilization can become, is the pattern and plan for the achievement of the potential destiny of every inhabited, evolutionary, world in the entire finite creation. The contribution each planet makes to the universe as a collective whole is beyond actual human comprehension. Yet it is but one small aspect of an even larger plan and goal for the entire finite, experiential, time-space creation. The history and destiny of Urantia is covered in The Urantia Book in great depth. This is but a small summary of the narrative.
"The Urantia Book" - Paper 52:1: "From the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order: 1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man. 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man. 3. Post-Adamic Man. 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man. 5. Postbestowal Son Man. 6. Post-Teacher Son Man. 7. The Era of Light and Life." These stages are characterized by various developmental milestones which are initially purely evolutionary but subsequently supplemented by revelation through long periods or at specific milestones in evolutionary development. For example, the hallmarks of the "Pre-Planetary Prince Man" epoch include that primitive man chiefly engages in survival pursuits as hunter-gatherers, primitive tribal development, is bellicose toward strangers, and has only rudimentary fear-based superstitions as a religious reaction to life, for a period that varies from 150,000 to 1,000,000 years on a typical planet.
It is the evolutionary destiny of humankind to reach a far off stage of life, "the final epoch", on the planet; a time when all mortals will fuse and translate to the next worlds rather than suffer death. Urantia, at this time, has very few fusion candidates. It, as a whole, must traverse several more evolutionary stages before it reaches the first stage of "Light and Life" where most mortals are able attain the fusion potential during their 'earthly life'.
It is said that the "Pre-Planetary Prince" stage of planetry evolution is the "dark and bloody" era of a planets life history. This stage is followed by the arrival of the "Planetary Prince" that brings in the next evolutionary period, the "Post Planetary Prince" stage in a planets social evolution. The Planetary Prince is a created spirit being of the local universe in the "Lanonandek" series. The Lanonandeks are the continuous rulers of the inhabited worlds and the "rotating sovereigns" of the universe planet systems. In a normal evolutionary path, this is when government appears on a planet, and tribes begin to advance in increased organization into a "high state of civilization". The average length of time for this period is 500,000 years. The Planetary Prince and his staff provide religious revelations to the planet which contributes to these higher social achievements. Agricultural activity and the domestication of animals occur during this period.
The third stage is the "Post-Adamic" stage, which occurs with the arrival of the assigned Adam and Eve to begin the new phase of evolution. Also known as the "Material Son and Daughter", this order of being is created by the (local) Universe Creator: in our case, Christ Michael of Nebadon, known also on this planet as Jesus of Nazareth. The "Material Sons" are 8-10 feet tall and glow with the brilliance of radiant light of a violent hue. While blood circulates through their material bodies, they are also surcharged with divine energy and saturated with celestial light. They are equal in status but have male and female sexual reproductive endowments. On their arrival on a planet, a "Garden of Eden" is constructed by this pair. The chief mission of the Adam and Eve pair is reproduction and the biological uplifting of the races of mankind, in combination with plans from the resident Planetary Prince. This era lasts about 25,000 years, which will bring in the next era "the Post-Magisterial Son" period of evolution.
There is usually significant biological improvement in the human races during the Adam and Eve mission. With the "completion of the task of race blending" what is seen socially is a period where internationalism becomes widespread, nationalism receeds, and there develops the "brotherhood of mankind". "Great ethical advancement characterizes this era. World-wide peace-the cessation of race conflict and national animosity-is the indicator of planetary ripeness for the advent of the third order of Sonship, the Magisterial Son".
When the population of an inhabited world has progressed to the point that the different races have blended and are biologically fit, the "brotherhood of man" is flourishing, and the nations of the earth are learning to live together in peace and tranquility, the next age, the age of the "Magisterial Son", is approaching readiness. While the Planetary Prince and the Material Sons (Adam and Eve) are of local universe origin, the Magisterial Son (also known as an Avonal Son) is of Paradise origin. The average time for this age is 25,000 to 50,000 years.
When the Paradise Avonal Sons come to a planet on a magisterial mission to assist in a planet's evolution, they are always incarnated, but they do not experience birth, nor do they experience death. They yield up their planetary life forms at the end of their mission and return to their Paradise status. Their visit on a planet extends the horizon of revealed religion and revealed truth, to portray the functioning of the local system and its tributaries.
With the visit of the Magisterial (Avonal) Son, economic liberation of the planet often will occur: the daily work that is required to sustain each individual's independence is said to require just 2 1/2 hours of work a day. People of this age use much of their time in self- improvement and in advancement of the planet. Political government and social administration have advanced to a high level of efficiency.
During the closing phases of the Magisterial age, society begins to return to more simplified, natural ways of living. There is a flowering of art, music, and higher learning. Towards the end of this age, a religious awakening is said to occur, bringing in an age of world-wide spiritual enlightenment. This is the beginning of the 5th stage of evolution, the age of the "Bestowal Son".
The 5th stage of social evolution is called the age of the "Post-Bestowal Son". These bestowal sons are always of the Avonal order (except in the case where a "Creator Son" undergoes a bestowal mission: in Urantia's case-Jesus). A planet receiving the mission of a Bestowal Son needs to have acheived a certain level of educational culture. The "passion" of human living in this evolutionary stage is said to be "the penetration of cosmic reality and communion with spiritual reality". The Bestowal Son is described as establishing "the new and living way". Bestowal Sons are required to die on the planet of their mission. According to plan, they are resurrected on the 3rd day and ascend to the "right hand of the Universe Father". Following this, the "Spirit of Truth" is sent out to the planet. The Post-Bestowal age generally lasts from 10,000 to 100,000 years.
[In the Post-Bestowal age] it becomes possible to put the golden rule into practicle operation. The teachiings of Jesus are really applicable to a mortal world which has had the preliminary training of the prebestowal Sons with their dispensatons of character enoblement and culture augmentation. -Paper 52 secton 5
The 6th stage of social evolution is known as the age of "Post-Teacher Sons". These beings have origination with the Trinity of Paradise. This mission is the Trinity's addition to the preceeding efforts of all the divine personalities who have contributed to the development of an inhabited world. The revelation of truth in now extended to the central universe and to Paradise. An entirely new order of society has arrived, which is very spiritual. (It is noted that the physical administration of a world during this age requires about 1 hour a day on the part of every adult individual). Natural death becomes less frequent, as there is more bypassing of death through spirit fusion. The end of this stage leads into the "age of Light and Life".
[edit] The Lucifer rebellion section - earlier version (1)
The Lucifer rebellion - earlier version (1)
Para 1 In The Urantia Book, the "Lucifer Rebellion" is discussed as a part of the history of not only Urantia, but of 36 other nearby inhabited planets. Lucifer is described as a brilliant spirit personality, a "Son of God" who ruled the local system of "Satania" in the constellation of "Norlatiadek", where Urantia resides. His position as "System Sovereign" included governance of 619 inhabited planets. Satan is said to be a separate individual, Lucifer's first lieutenant.
Para 2 Lucifer denied the existence of God, according to The Urantia Book, and his rebellion was against the established hierarchial universe governments of the "Creator Son" and the "Ancients of Days". He declared that he personally was sovereign in his local system of Satania, and he asserted that the liberty of self-governance also was due to each "planetary prince" concerning their individual planets within Satania. On Urantia, the planetary prince is identified as "Caligastia". Ultimately, 37 out of the 619 inhabited planets joined Lucifer in the rebellion. Caligastia and the other planetary princes each attempted to make the mortal populations of their planets view them as godheads. Caligastia's assistant, Daligastia, declared that Caligastia was "God of Urantia". In response to the rebellion, the entire system of Satania was put into spiritual isolation by higher authorities to protect the rest of the universe.
Para 3 Jesus, as the "Creator Son" whose government was rebelled against, adopted a policy of noninterference. When he was incarnated as "God in man" and went up to Mt. Hermon for the "temptation", as the story is told in Biblical history, the authors of The Urantia Book state it was really to settle the rebellion for the entire system. "Said Jesus of Caligastia: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast down." Subsequently, Lucifer, Satan, Caligastia and all the personalities who followed them, "fell from Heaven". In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John is said to have glimpsed the symbolism of this when he saw the tail of a dragon knock down one third of the stars. All of the high personalities who followed Lucifer were "dethroned and shorn of their governing powers".
Para 4 The Urantia Book discusses the causes and repercussions of the rebellion to explain the reasons why Urantia has so many varying and confused concepts of God. The effect the rebellion had on the developments of evolutionary life on our world, as compared to the "normal evolution of an inhabited world", is also presented.
[edit] Adam and Eve section - earlier version (1)
Adam and Eve
According to The Urantia Book, the first humans were Andon and Fonta, not Adam and Eve. Humans evolved from primates and eventually reached a mental capacity to have free will and spiritual receptivity. Andon and Fonta were a brother and sister living approximately a million years ago, and were the first to reach this state. They mated to produce offspring who went on to evolve to become modern humans.
Adam and Eve were celestial beings in material form who came to Urantia approximately 38,000 years ago after the early primitive human races had evolved and expanded to a certain level. Adam and Eve were to be the supermortal "material rulers" representing the spiritual government of the planet to the human races. One of their main assignments was to create an additional race that would go on to mix with the evolutionary races and "biologically uplift" them.
In a deviation from the original and divine plan, which was for only their offspring to mate with the evolutionary races, Eve conceived directly with a primitive human to speed up the results. When Adam heard about her transgression of the plan, he did it too. This became the default of Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were punished by having the majority of their offspring taken into Universe custody and being deprived of the sustenance of the "Tree of Life". They became mortal. Even with that, they had a much longer life span and stronger immune systems than the evolutionary races. The population of the planet was deprived of the full benefit of the intended plan for upliftment and improvement.
When the surrounding tribes discovered the default they became angry and destroyed the garden of Eden. Adam, Eve and the remaining children were forced to leave the area, and eventually they migrated and established a second garden where they lived out the rest of their natural lives while still working as much as they could to uplift the races of the planet.
[edit] Comparison to religious teachings section
Comparisons to religious teachings
Comparison to Christianity Of all current world religions, The Urantia Book's teachings are likely the most consistent with the teachings of Christianity. There are significant differences between The Urantia Book and commonly accepted Christian beliefs though. Many believers see it as extending Judeo-Christian religious concepts in the same way the New Testament may be considered an evolutionary expansion of Old Testament ideas.
Jesus is held in high regard by The Urantia Book, as he is in the New Testament of the Bible. Part IV, more than one third of the content in The Urantia Book, is devoted to a narrative of his life and teachings.
The following are attributed to Jesus, as in the Bible:
He was a Son of God incarnate, born to Mary and Joseph He was God in man, both human and divine He lived a perfect life and was without sin He is "the light of the world" He revealed God to man as "the way, the truth, and the life" He performed many of the miracles described in the Bible, such as the resurrection of Lazarus, the turning of water into wine, the feeding of the five thousand, and numerous healings of the blind, diseased, and infirm He taught twelve apostles, eleven of whom who went on to spread his teachings He settled a rebellion with Lucifer He was crucified and three days later rose from the dead He will return to our world again some day The Urantia Book shares the following general concepts with most Christian faiths:
God is the creator of all reality God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite, and eternal God is described as a loving personality–"God is love"–and there is no sin, unrighteousness, or evil in him God is a single deity but exists in a Trinity of three persons God has a vast "heavenly host" Believers can have a personal relationship with God and are to be "born of the spirit" Those having faith will survive death Angels are sent to guard and minister to people throughout their lives Some differences with Christianity include:
Jesus' crucifixion is not considered an atonement for the sins of humanity. The crucifixion instead is taught to be an outcome of the fears of the religious leaders of the day, since his teachings were a threat to their coffers and positions of authority. God is never wrathful or angry, but a personality entirely motivated by fatherly love. There was no Fall of Man. When Jesus was 28 and 29, he toured Rome, Greece, and nearby regions in the company of two natives of India, Gonod and Ganid. Jesus is described as the human incarnation of "Michael of Nebadon," one of more than 700,000 "Paradise Sons" of God, or "Creator Sons." Jesus is not considered the second person of the Trinity as he is in Christianity. The book refers to the Eternal Son as the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is said to have a co-creator consort, the "Mother Spirit" of Nebadon, also known as the "Divine Minister." This spirit is said to be the bestower of mind to all living beings in Nebadon and the Holy Spirit from Christian traditions. Jesus was born on earth through natural means of conception. The Virgin Birth is said to be the product of human myth developed later. In rising from the dead, Jesus was in a "more glorified form," a transitional stage between material and spiritual existence known as the "morontia" form. As with all mortals, his physical body was subject to decomposition, but celestial beings removed his body from the tomb for the immediate dissolution of his remains through a process of "accelerated time." At Pentecost his spirit, known as the Spirit of Truth, was bestowed on all humankind, rather than the Holy Spirit The return of Jesus is described as "an event of tremendous sentimental value," but otherwise "of no more practical importance to human beings than the common event of natural death." The book says that Jesus may return to the world many times. Common Christian eschatology doctrines, such as the Rapture, where Jesus returns to take faithful believers to heaven and leaves behind unbelievers for tribulation, are not supported.
[edit] Comparison to Buddhism section
Comparison to Buddhism The Urantia Book considers Buddhism one of the "great international, interracial faiths" and says it "has shown an adaptability to the mores of many peoples that has been equaled only by Christianity."
Gautama Siddhartha is called a real prophet whose doctrines were revolutionary and amazing for their time. He is credited with being one of the seven outstanding teachers in human history, a group that includes Moses, Laozi, and the Apostle Paul.
The teaching that a divine nature — the Buddha-nature — resides in all people, and that through their own endeavors people can attain a realization of this inner divinity, is cited as one of the clearest presentations of the concept of the Thought Adjuster to be found in non-revelatory religion.
The book says Gautama's experience was tragic, however, in that he was an "orphan prophet" whose philosophy failed early on to envision the reality of a spiritual God.
Despite this, the book states: "Buddhism is a living, growing religion today because it succeeds in conserving many of the highest moral values of its adherents. It promotes calmness and self-control, augments serenity and happiness, and does much to prevent sorrow and mourning. Those who believe this philosophy live better lives than many who do not."
Comparison to other world religions Numerous facets of the book are recognizeable in other world religions. There are commonalities with Islam, Taoism, Judaism, Hinduism, Shinto, and Confucianism, and several other religions throughout recorded history. The authors of The Urantia Book encourage the study of all religions to take "the best" from them.
Paper 131, "The World's Religions", discusses more in-depth those facets of some of the world's religions that have commonalities with the "religion of Jesus", but there are also numerous other references to the world's various religions throughout Part III, "The History of Urantia", beginning with Paper 86, "Early Evolution of Religion".
[edit] Consideration as literature section
Consideration as literature The Urantia Book has been enjoyed as a form of science fiction, historical fiction, or fantasy. The Urantia Book is noted for its high level of internal consistency and an advanced writing style. Even Gardner, in his critical book, writes that it is "highly imaginative" and that the "cosmology outrivals in fantasy the cosmology of any science-fiction work known to me."
Parts I, II, and III are chiefly written in expository language. The papers are informational, matter-of-fact, and instructional. Part IV of the book is written as a biography of Jesus' life, and some feel it is a rich narrative with well-developed characters, high attention to detail, woven sub-plots, and realistic dialogue. Considered as literature, Part IV is favorably compared to other retellings of Jesus' life, such as The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago and Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock. Skeptic Martin Gardner considers Part IV to be an especially "well-written, impressive work," and says, "Either it is accurate in its history, coming directly from higher beings in position to know, or it is a work of fertile imagination by someone who knew the New Testament by heart and who was also steeped in knowledge of the times when Jesus lived."
[edit] Mysterious origin section
Mysterious origin The exact circumstances of the origin of The Urantia Book are not known. There is no known human author of the book. It is written as if directly presented by numerous celestial beings appointed to the task of providing a new spiritual revelation to humankind.
The documented history is that a person whose identity has remained unknown received the material from celestial intelligences while asleep. The individual, known as the "sleeping subject" or "contact personality", is said to have been kept anonymous in order to prevent undesirable future veneration or reverence for him.
As early as 1911, Dr. William S. Sadler and his wife Dr. Lena Sadler (born Lena Kellogg), both practicing physicians in Chicago, Illinois, became the attending physicians of the sleeping subject after the individual's wife reported that she could not wake him. Over time, the unconscious subject produced communications that seemed to be from entities who claimed to be spiritual beings. Drs. Lena and William Sadler were respected physicians in Chicago and well known in the community. Dr. William Sadler had a reputation as a debunker of paranormal claims and generally is portrayed as not believing in supernatural claims.
A group of Sadler's friends, former patients, and colleagues originally began meeting for intellectual discussions in 1924, but became interested in the strange communications of the sleeping subject when Sadler mentioned the case and read samples at their request. Shortly afterwards, a communication was received that this group would be allowed to devise questions and that answers would be given by the celestial beings through the contact personality.
Sadler presented this development to the group, and they generated hundreds of questions without full seriousness, but it resulted in the appearance, one by one, of answers in the form of fully written papers. The process continued as they became more impressed with the quality of the answers and continued to ask questions, until all papers now collected together as The Urantia Book were received. The group was known as the Forum. A smaller group of five individuals called the Contact Commission, including the Sadlers, was responsible for gathering the questions from the Forum, acting as the custodians of the handwritten manuscripts that were presented as answers, and arranging for proofreading and typing of the material that arrived.
The Sadlers and others involved, now all deceased, claimed that the papers of the book were physically materialized from 1925 until 1935 in a way that was not understood even by them, with the first three parts being completed in 1934 and the fourth in 1935. The last Forum gathering was in 1942. Also documented are methods of reception that Dr. Sadler refuted as the way the papers were received.
After all of the written material was received in 1935, an additional period of time took place where requests for clarifications resulted in revisions. Dr. Sadler and his son William (Bill) Sadler, Jr. at one point wrote a draft introduction but were supposedly told by the revelators that they could not add their introduction because "A city can not be lit by a candle."[1] The Foreword was then provided by the celestial beings. Bill Sadler is noted to have composed the table of contents that is published with the book, however.
The communications with the celestial beings purportedly continued for another two decades while members of the Forum began to study the book in depth, and according to Dr. Sadler and others, permission to publish the book was given to them in 1955. An organization called Urantia Foundation was formed from early believers, and through privately raised funds, the book was published under international copyright on October 12, 1955.
[edit] Critical views section
Critical views The Urantia Book has received limited published or formal critical analysis. Likely the most common points of contention include:
It claims to be a revelation from celestial beings and is written as if directly presented by these celestial beings. To those who assert that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, it denies some Christian doctrines that are held to be true and therefore is not acceptable. From a scientific point of view, parts of the science it describes conflict with modern theories. Some of the concepts are alleged to have been plagiarized.
Criticism of claims as a revelation In Paper 92, "The Later Evolution of Religion", the authors list the papers as the fifth revelation of "epochal significance" to humankind, the fourth epochal revelation having been the life of Jesus.
The book has been in print since 1955, but in comparison to other religious or holy books that have a recent origin and revelatory claims, such as the Book of Mormon, popularity of The Urantia Book has not grown as fast.
Unlike new religious movements with higher growth rates such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Scientology, and Church of Christ, Scientist, the movement inspired by The Urantia Book has no institutions such as churches, reading rooms, or temples, and has no membership by which a census of the number of followers can be taken. As of 2004, the Urantia Foundation had one office in Chicago and five people on staff.
The claim of revelation in The Urantia Book has been criticized for various reasons. Skeptics such as Martin Gardner say it is a product of human efforts rather than a revelation because some of its science is flawed. Because the book does not support certain fundamental tenets of Christianity, while at the same time presenting an account of Jesus' life with non-Biblical elements, those with a Christian viewpoint have argued it cannot be a divine revelation. Some have considered it to be gnostic, however The Urantia Book does not advocate tenets associated with Gnosticism. Other critics have felt that at over 2,000 pages — nearly twice the length of the King James Bible — it is too long, complex, and bureaucratic in its thinking.
[edit] Criticism of science section
Criticism of science In Paper 101, "The Real Nature of Religion," the authors write:
We full well know that, while the historic facts and religious truths of this series of revelatory presentations will stand on the records of the ages to come, within a few short years many of our statements regarding the physical sciences will stand in need of revision in consequence of additional scientific developments and new discoveries. These new developments we even now foresee, but we are forbidden to include such humanly undiscovered facts in the revelatory records. Let it be made clear that revelations are not necessarily inspired. The cosmology of these revelations is not inspired.
Skeptics like Martin Gardner see the science in The Urantia Book as clear reflections of the views that prevailed at the time the book is said to have originated. The claim by the authors that no unknown scientific discoveries could be imparted is seen as a ruse to allow mistakes to be dismissed later. That presentation of post-1955 scientific knowledge is avoided is seen as evidence it was written by humans and not by celestial beings with superior knowledge.
Criticisms regarding the science in The Urantia Book include:
The described formation of the solar system is consistent with the Chamberlin-Moulton planetesimal hypothesis [2]. Though popular in the early part of the 20th century, by the early 1940s it was discarded by Henry Russell's argument that it was incompatible with the angular momentum of planets such as Jupiter [3]. The currently accepted scientific explanation for the origin of the solar system is based on the nebular hypothesis. The age of our universe is stated to be more than 1,000,000,000,000 years old and the universe is said to periodically expand and contract — respire — at 2-billion-year intervals. The big bang theory is not supported. A fundamental particle called an "ultimaton" is proposed, with an electron being composed of 100 ultimatons. The particle is not known to be described anywhere else and the concept is not supported by modern particle physics. Some species are said to have evolved suddenly from single mutations without transitional species. The theory originated with Dutch botanist Hugo De Vries but was short-lived and is not now supported. According to The Urantia Book, colored human races originated suddenly in one generation and in one family, producing brothers and sisters that variously turned blue, yellow, red, green, orange, and indigo when exposed to sunlight. Their offspring favored the parent color subsequently. Later, Adam and Eve produced a violet race. In the book's account, the superior races were violet, blue, yellow, and red, and the other three were inferior. The green and orange races were driven to extinction, and the rest mixed over time. Modern evolutionary theory does not support the account. The book repeats the idea prevalent at the time of its origin that one side of the planet Mercury always faces the sun due to tidal locking. In 1965, radio astronomers discovered that Mercury actually rotates fast enough for all sides to see exposure to the sun. The book says that a solar eclipse was predicted in 1808 by the Native American prophet Tenskwatawa. The eclipse actually was predicted in late April of 1806 and occurred on June 16, 1806. The book can be interpreted as saying that sunlight is "highly heated and agitated electrons." Solar radiation consists of photons, however, not electrons. Gardner finds it odd that the term "photon" is not used in the book. It was coined in 1926. Controversial statements about human races can be found in the book. Supporters state that criticism has arisen mainly due to reading passages out of context. Gardner believes that Dr. William Sadler, who wrote some eugenicist works, had a hand in editing or writing the book, and that this is how the ideas were included.
Some adherents of the book believe that all of the information in The Urantia Book, including its science, is literally true, while others do not believe that the science is correct, accepting the book's caveats.
Dr. Meredith Sprunger, a liberal believer in The Urantia Book and retired minister in the United Church of Christ, writes "research has revealed that virtually all of the scientific material found in The Urantia Book was the accepted scientific knowledge of the period in which the book was written, was held by some scientists of that time, or was about to be discovered or recognized." He argues against its literal infallibility and that fundamentalism over the book is "just as untenable as Biblical fundamentalism."
Other believers maintain that the book has prophetically anticipated scientific advances already. They believe more of its science — if not all of it — will be proven correct in the future. Gardner evaluated many of these claims as of 1995 and found them unconvincing. Some arise because the book is said to have been indited by the revelators by 1935, but then was not published until 1955. Science discovered during the two intervening decades can be perceived as prophetic by believers, while skeptics think such facts were added prior to publication. For instance, the catalytic role that carbon plays in the sun's nuclear reactions is described in the book, though Hans Bethe's announcement of the discovery was not made until 1938.
The only apparent anticipation of science the book has made, in Gardner's opinion, is that it says the magnetic sense that homing pigeons possess is "not wholly wanting as a conscious possession by mankind." In 1980, a British zoologist, Robin Baker, published evidence that humans have a limited magnetic sense.
[edit] Plagiarism allegations section
Plagiarism allegations The Urantia Book states in its Foreword that it used "human concepts, assembled from the God-knowing mortals of the past and the present." In recent years, students of the papers have found that the free use of other sources appears to be true, with none of the material allegedly used from other sources cited or referenced within the book.
In 1992, a reader of The Urantia Book, Matthew Block, self-published a paper that showed nineteen alleged examples of The Urantia Book utilizing material published earlier. All of the source authors identified in Block's paper were published in English between 1905 and 1943 by U.S. publishers and are typically scholarly or academic works that contain concepts and wording similar to what is found in The Urantia Book. Gardner found that at least one of the source book authors was quoted in earlier works by Dr. Sadler, and most of the books purportedly would have been available to Dr. Sadler or Forum members in Chicago prior to 1955.
Block claimed to have discovered over 125 source books and articles written by over 90 authors that he reported were incorporated into the papers. The use of outside source materials was studied by Gardner, and he concluded that the book did use many of the sources noted by Block in his 1992 article.
For instance, Gardner and Block note that Paper 85 appears to have been taken from the first eight chapters of Origin and Evolution of Religion by E. Washburn Hopkins, published by Yale University Press in 1923. Each section of the paper corresponds to a chapter in the book, with several passages possibly used as direct material. Likewise, much of The Urantia Book material relating to the evolution of mankind appears to have been directly taken from Henry Fairfield Osborn, Man Rises to Parnassus: Critical Epochs in the Prehistory of Man published by Princeton University Press in 1928.
In one example cited by Block, the original author discusses the periodicity of the chemical elements and concludes that the harmony in the construction of the atom suggests some unspecified plan of organization. After being "plagiarized," the authors of The Urantia Book assert that this harmony is evidence of the intelligent design of the universe. W. F. G. Swann writes on page 64 of The Architecture of the Universe (italics indicate edits, bolding indicates deletions):
Starting from any one of them [i.e., chemical elements], and noting some property such as the melting point, for example, the property would change as we went along the row, but as we continued it would gradually come back to the condition very similar to that which we started ... The eighth element was in many respects like the first, the ninth like the second, the tenth like the third, and so on. Such a slate of affairs point[s] not only to a varied internal structure, but also to a certain harmony in that variation suggestive of some organized plan in building the atom.
Contrast with The Urantia Book's version:
Starting from any one element, after noting some one property, such a quality will exchange for six consecutive elements, but on reaching the eighth, it tends to reappear, that is, the eighth chemically active element resembles the first, the ninth the second, and so on. Such a fact of the physical world unmistakably points to the sevenfold constitution of ancestral energy and is indicative of the fundamental reality of the sevenfold diversity of the creations of time and space.
Block and many believers do not see the use of human source materials as plagiarism. Block writes:
One probable reason that the human sources were left undisguised was to enable students to discern, through comparative analysis, how this coordination of planetary knowledge was actually effected. As mentioned above, the initial analyses have already proved tremendously illuminating in this regard. Another reason was to keep us aware of the book’s anchorage in a specific time and place. While a very large part of the book is of timeless value and perennial applicability, some of its discussions directly address and respond to the world situation of the early 20th century. Thus, every generation will have to determine the relevance and applicability of certain of the book’s teachings to its own situation.
Emerging from all these discoveries is the gratifying realization that the Urantia Book is exactly what its authors claim it to be....
It should be noted that the wording and phraseology is not a verbatim replication, and no plagiarism has been proven officially. In some instances, the authors of The Urantia Book have made subtle changes to, or expansions of, the possible source materials.
Believers propose that the source texts were invariably improved and this points to their divine origin. However, in some cases the book also propagates material from the original sources that modern science has claimed to be incorrect.
[edit] Adherents section
Adherents There is no way to gauge who "adherents" are and no groups to census. However, it appears that a growing number of people are reading the book and forming study groups, creating and joining Internet discussion groups, and hosting or visiting websites about it.
Many people find The Urantia Book to be attractive because it offers a reconciliation for the apparent innumerable discrepancies between modern science and religion. The Urantia Book does not advocate organized religion, neither does it oppose it. Adherents of The Urantia Book have been alleged by some critics as being involved in a cult, however in practice characteristics normally associated with cults are not present. There is no central charismatic figure, no hidden mysteries, no rituals or ceremonies, and there is not a teaching that the book's followers are chosen people whereas all others are lost.
The Urantia Book teaches friendliness, non-violence (while saying that organized society has a right to employ force to enforce just laws), and a life of unselfish ministry toward others. Readers say the book contains advanced teachings that are conducive to spiritual growth.
[edit] Symbols section
Symbols A symbol described in The Urantia Book consists of three concentric blue circles on a white background. The circles are said to have symbolized several trinity associations in the history of humankind. The authors of The Urantia Book indicate its revealed meaning as being "the infinity, eternity, and universality of the Paradise Trinity of divine maintenance and direction."
The original publisher, Urantia Foundation, placed the concentric circles on the cover of The Urantia Book and has a United States trademark. The circles are used to indicate other organizations affiliated with the Urantia Foundation.
The Urantia Association International, which is the main readership organization in the movement, has been licensed by Urantia Foundation to use the three blue concentric circles on a white background.
Some other groups use the symbol in various altered forms.
The Urantia Book in popular culture German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's massive opera cycle Licht is not "based on" the book (as sometimes is said), but does make reference to it in the first and third acts of Donnerstag (Thursday), and in the symbols associated with two of the three main characters, Michael and Lucifer. The American band Deadsy is influenced by The Urantia Book, and makes references to it in several songs. The album Monolith, by the American progressive rock group Kansas, was largely influenced by The Urantia Book, reflecting an interest in the movement by bandmember Kerry Livgren before his conversion to Christianity. The psychedelic/rock group Spirit likewise released a series of albums influenced by The Urantia Book during the mid-1970s. This was well after the band's commercial heyday had ended and the influence is most notable on the albums Spirit of '76 and Son of Spirit. Jazz Fusion band Weather Report's seventh album titled "Heavy Weather" features a track titled "Havona" which is written by bass guitar legend Jaco Pastorius.
See also Glossary of terms in The Urantia Book
References Urantia Foundation (1955). The Urantia Book. Urantia Foundation. ISBN 0-911560-02-5 Gardner, Martin (1995). Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-955-0 Gooch, Brad (2002). Godtalk : Travels in Spiritual America. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-44709-1 House, Dr. H. Wayne (2000). Charts of Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-38551-2
External links Urantia Foundation The Urantia Foundation website - publisher; complete information about the book. Urantia [readers international] A worldwide non-profit group whose participants have similar interests in reading, sharing, and living the Urantia Book. The Urantia Book Fellowship Website of The Urantia Book Fellowship Urantia Association International Website of Urantia Association International The Urantia Book International Directory of global Urantia Book resources and organizations Truthbook.com A website which features an inline audio reading alongside the text of The Urantia Book Free Audio Book Listen to or download free MP3 audio version of The Urantia Book from the Internet Archive. How The Urantia Book Came Into Existence by William S. Sadler, Jr., February 18, 1962. "Some Human Sources of The Urantia Book" by Matthew Block. Describes suspected parallels Block found between The Urantia Book and possible human sources of material. Urantia Book Related Web Sites: Over 175 Sites in 22 Categories A review of The Urantia Book at ReligiousTolerance.org A review of The Urantia Book at The Skeptic's Dictionary Urantia United Edited UB text that is intended to suit Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faith traditions. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Urantia_Book"
[edit] Urantia Book revision 2:
Revision as of 22:13, 14 January 2007
Introductory section remains the same as revision 1
Overview of The Urantia Book The Urantia Book consists of the following:
overview section remains the same as revision 1
Teachings
Nature of God
up to this point the teachins and Nature of God are the same as revision 1
[edit] UB revision 2 God and the individual section
God and the individual God is described as the Father of each individual through the direct gift of a fragment of his eternal spirit, called a Thought Adjuster. The Thought Adjuster is also called a "Mystery Monitor," "inner voice," "divine spark," and "pilot light." The concept is in ways comparable to the Hindu atman, the ancient Egyptian ka, and the Quaker inner light. From philosophy, it is similar to Socrates' "daimonion." In relation to biblical traditions, the Thought Adjuster is described by the book as the meaning behind "being made in God's image" and the "kingdom of God is within."
According to The Urantia Book, each normal-minded person receives one such fragment at the time of his or her first independent moral decision, on average around the age of five years and ten months. The Adjuster then serves noncoercively as a divine partner for the rest of life, and to the extent that a person consents with their free will to want to find God, it constantly leads the person toward more mature, spiritualized thinking. Through the practice of learning how to follow the inner leadings of the Adjuster — choose "God's will" — the individual progresses to greater God consciousness and spiritual growth.
A person's Thought Adjuster is described as distinct from the soul. In The Urantia Book's teachings, the degree to which a human mind chooses to accept its Adjuster's guidance becomes the degree to which a person's soul "grows" and becomes a reality that can then survive death. The soul is in essence an embryonic spiritual development, with one parental factor being the divine Adjuster and the other being the human will.
The book many times links the biblical New Testament teachings of becoming like a little child in attitude of trust and sincerity as being the essential and ideal stance each person should have toward God. This attitude of open-minded teachability is what facilitates spiritual growth in liaison with the work of the Thought Adjuster and invariably leads a person to love and serve other people. The book is strongly fideistic and teaches that neither science nor logic will ever be able to prove or disprove the existence of God, that faith is necessary to become conscious of God's presence in human experience, the Thought Adjuster.
From Paper 101, "The Real Nature of Religion":
Religious experience, being essentially spiritual, can never be fully understood by the material mind; hence the function of theology, the psychology of religion. The essential doctrine of the human realization of God creates a paradox in finite comprehension. It is well-nigh impossible for human logic and finite reason to harmonize the concept of divine immanence, God within and a part of every individual, with the idea of God's transcendence, the divine domination of the universe of universes. These two essential concepts of Deity must be unified in the faith-grasp of the concept of the transcendence of a personal God and in the realization of the indwelling presence of a fragment of that God in order to justify intelligent worship and validate the hope of personality survival. The difficulties and paradoxes of religion are inherent in the fact that the realities of religion are utterly beyond the mortal capacity for intellectual comprehension.
Persistently embracing sin is the same as rejecting the leadings of the Adjuster, the same as rejecting the will of God. Constant selfishness and sinful choosing will lead eventually to iniquity and full identification with unrighteousness, and since unrighteousness is unreal, it results in the eventual annihilation of the individual's identity — personalities like this become "as if they never were." The book says that "in the last analysis, such sin-identified individuals have destroyed themselves by becoming wholly unreal through their embrace of iniquity." The concepts of Hell and reincarnation are not taught.
From Paper 5, "God's Relation to the Individual":
The great God makes direct contact with mortal man and gives a part of his infinite and eternal and incomprehensible self to live and dwell within him. God has embarked upon the eternal adventure with man. If you yield to the leadings of the spiritual forces in you and around you, you cannot fail to attain the high destiny established by a loving God as the universe goal of his ascendant creatures from the evolutionary worlds of space.
The book says that a person is ultimately destined to fuse with his or her divine fragment and become one inseparable entity with it, if the person has chosen to accept the Adjuster's leadings and become self-identified with it. The act of fusion is the moment when a human personality has successfully and unalterably won eternal life, typically taking place in the afterlife, but also a possibility during earthly life. Once fused with his or her fragment of God, a person continues as an ascending citizen in the universe and travels through numerous worlds on a long, adventurous pilgrimage of growth and learning that eventually leads to God and Paradise. Mortals who reach this stage are called "finaliters". The book goes on to discuss the potential destinies of these "glorified mortals of the realms".
The Urantia Book places much emphasis on the idea that all individuals have the same opportunity to come to know God, and it says nothing can hinder or hurt a human being's spiritual progression if he or she is sincerely motivated to be spirit led. To want to know God and become like him is to be the supreme quest of each person. God mandated "be you perfect, even as I am perfect," and brought into existence a vast universe scheme of ascension to assist mortal man in attaining the goal. The destiny of each person who chooses to search for God is to traverse the many levels of creation to "meet God".
People are to actively work to understand each other and to seek to live in love and peace, being of help to one another. The practice of the "religion of Jesus" is to love the Father with a person's whole being, thereby growing to love each person the way Jesus loves people; that is, recognizing and serving others unselfishly as brothers and sisters.
[edit] UB revision 2 Cosmology section
Cosmology
The Urantia Book presents a unique cosmological perspective on the universe and humankind's relation to it. It teaches that the universe is vastly older than current scientific theories state, and that the universe is the product of intelligent and purposeful organization, rather than originating in the Big Bang.
Organization of the cosmos The term "universe" is used to denote a number of different scales of organization. (The book was written at a time when galaxies outside of the Milky Way were still called "island universes".) A superuniverse is roughly the size of a galaxy or group of galaxies. A local universe is described as approximately 0.00001 the size of a superuniverse. The modern dictionary definition of universe — all existing matter and space taken as a whole — is referred to as the "master universe". When the term "universe" is used alone, the type of universe usually can be inferred from the context.
From pages 1-2 in the "Foreword":
Your world, Urantia, is one of many similar inhabited planets which comprise the local universe of Nebadon. This universe, together with similar creations, makes up the superuniverse of Orvonton, from whose capital, Uversa, our commission hails. Orvonton is one of the seven evolutionary superuniverses of time and space which circle the never-beginning, never-ending creation of divine perfection — the central universe of Havona. At the heart of this eternal and central universe is the stationary Isle of Paradise, the geographic center of infinity and the dwelling place of the eternal God.
The seven evolving superuniverses in association with the central and divine universe, we commonly refer to as the grand universe; these are the now organized and inhabited creations. They are all a part of the master universe, which also embraces the uninhabited but mobilizing universes of outer space.
The visualization of the cosmos presented from the center outward is:
The Isle of Paradise — "the most gigantic organized body of cosmic reality in all the master universe." The Sacred Spheres of Paradise — 21 enormous worlds, 3 circuits of 7 worlds each — the Worlds of the Father, the Worlds of the Son, and the Worlds of the Spirit orbiting in three processions on the inner margin of space. Havona — one billion (1,000,000,000) perfect worlds across seven circuits, with "upwards of thirty-five million worlds" in the first or inner circuit, "over two hundred and forty-five million worlds" in the seventh or "outermost" circuit, and "proportional numbers" of worlds in the intervening circuits. Surrounding these are "dark gravity bodies" that "completely encircle and enshroud Havona" and whose "multitudinous bodies" are "divided into two equal elliptical circuits by a unique space intrusion". The Isle of Paradise, the 21 Sacred Spheres, the 1 billion worlds of Havona, and the orbiting dark gravity bodies taken as a whole are interchangeably referred to as the "central universe", the "divine universe", and the "Paradise-Havona system". The central universe is surrounded by a "relatively quiet midspace zone" of lessened motion and undisclosed diameter. Beyond the midspace zone, seven superuniverses swing around the central universe and have an approximate diameter of 400,000 - 500,000 light-years. These contain the evolutionary worlds of time and space. The seven superuniverses are then immediately surrounded by another midspace zone "which varies in width but averages 400,000 light-years". One of the stated purposes of the cosmos is to provide worlds where intelligent life may be created or evolved from primitive life. Each of the seven superuniverses, when fully developed, would have approximately one trillion inhabited worlds. Each divisional level has "architectural worlds", including a headquarters sphere, which are worlds made to order and are independently lighted and heated for the celestial and other life of those spheres. They are created to be administrative and educational worlds and are said to be at the approximate, and sometimes exact, gravity center of their regions of inhabited worlds and physical systems. A detailed organization of superuniverses is provided. Briefly, levels of organization are: Individual inhabited worlds such as Urantia Local systems — 1,000 inhabited worlds Constellations — 100 local systems Local universes — 100 constellations Minor sectors — 100 local universes Major sectors — 100 minor sectors Superuniverses — 10 major sectors Beyond are enormous uninhabited "outer space levels". The first outer space level is estimated to be 50 million light-years in diameter and surrounded by a midspace zone of approximately the same diameter. The second, third, and fourth outer space levels surround each previous level with greater and greater magnitude and each is separated by a midspace zone of about the same magnitude as the previous space level. From Appendix 3, Section 3 in "Sadler, William S., Jr., Appendices to A Study of The Master Universe", the authors of The Urantia Book "postulate an additional and unrevealed creation" beyond this, "a possible never-beginning, never-ending universe of infinity."
Comparison to science The book describes alternative explanations to current hypotheses in science regarding the universe's origin, and suggests sources of error in current astronomical observations.
Many influences interpose to make it appear that the recessional velocity of the external universes increases at the rate of more than one hundred miles a second for every million light-years increase in distance. By this method of reckoning, subsequent to the perfection of more powerful telescopes, it will appear that these far-distant systems are in flight from this part of the universe at the unbelievable rate of more than thirty thousand miles a second. But this apparent speed of recession is not real; it results from numerous factors of error embracing angles of observation and other time-space distortions.
The concept of "space respiration" — that all of space itself undergoes "two-billion-year expansion-contraction cycles"—is claimed to be part of the explanation for astronomic redshift. The Urantia Book says we are currently almost half way through an expansion cycle.
The Urantia Book states that the cosmology in the papers will be in need of revision as new discoveries emerge in science, and that its presentations are not meant to be a substitute for science.
[edit] UB revision 2 History and future of the world section
History and future of the world It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss) Urantia is considered one inhabited sphere among many others in the universe. The book's extensive teachings about the history of Urantia include its physical development billions of years ago from cataclysmic meteor captures, the gradual changes in conditions that allowed life to develop, and the long ages of organic evolution that started with microscopic marine life and led to plant and animal life in the oceans, later on land. The emergence of humans is taught to have occured from a branch of primates about a million years ago.
The Urantia Book says "this story is graphically told within the fossil pages of the vast 'stone book' of world record ... the pages of this gigantic biogeologic record unfailingly tell the truth if you but acquire skill in their interpretation". Unlike current scientific views, evolution is said to be orderly and controlled. Primordial life is taught to have been intelligently planned and implanted by "Life Carriers", instead of arising spontaneously. The book stresses that "mortal man is not an evolutionary accident", and that the purpose of evolution on a planet such as Urantia is to produce creatures of "will dignity" that can develop spiritual natures and survive material existence, going on to have eternal spiritual careers.
The Urantia Book teaches not only biological evolution, but that human society and spiritual understandings evolve by slow progression, subject both to periods of rapid improvement and the possibility of retrogression. Progress is said to follow a divine plan that includes periodic gifts of revelation and ministry by heavenly teachers, which eventually will lead to an ideal world status of "life and light" in the far distant future.
From Paper 52, "Planetary Mortal Epochs":
From the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order:
1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man. 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man. 3. Post-Adamic Man. 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man. 5. Postbestowal Son Man. 6. Post-Teacher Son Man. 7. The Era of Light and Life.
Though there is the ideal and divine plan, it is fostered and administered by various orders of celestial beings who are less than perfect. Through mistakes or deliberate rebellion, the plan can be wrecked, requiring long spans of time to recoup lost progress. Urantia is taught to be a markedly "dark and confused" planet that is "greatly retarded in all phases of intellectual progress and spiritual attainment" compared to more typical inhabited worlds, due to an unusually severe history of rebellion and default by its spiritual supervisors.
Early human development According to The Urantia Book, the first primitive humans were Andon and Fonta, not Adam and Eve. Andon and Fonta were a brother and sister living approximately a million years ago who were the first evolutionary primates to have the mental capacity for free will and spiritual receptivity. Their decision to separate from their less advanced relatives constituted the first instance when human will operated. They mated to produce offspring who went on to evolve into various races of primitive humans, and ultimately, modern humans.
On a typical planet, a certain amount of time transpires between the appearance of free will and the arrival of the first spiritual ruler of a planet to assist with the growth of society, the Planetary Prince. The length of the epoch varies from 150,000 to 1,000,000 years on an ordinary planet. Hallmarks of a typical "Pre-Planetary Prince Man" epoch include that primitive man chiefly engages in survival pursuits as hunter-gatherers, is bellicose toward strangers, and has only rudimentary fear-based superstitions as a religious reaction to life.
The "Pre-Planetary Prince" stage of evolution is said to be the "dark and bloody" era of a planet's history, and on Urantia it was prolonged and extraordinarily brutal. But "notwithstanding all the vicissitudes of the early ages of human emergence, the performances of primitive man represent a splendid, even a heroic, chapter in the annals of an evolutionary world of time and space."
[edit] UB revision 2 The Lucifer rebellion section
Para 1 The Lucifer rebellion The arrival of a "Planetary Prince" brings the next era of development, the "Post-Planetary Prince" stage of a planet's social evolution. Though not visible to people, the Prince has a loyal corps of superhuman staff who are material and interact directly with the primitive tribes of a world. In a normal evolutionary path, agricultural activity and the domestication of animals occurs, human government emerges, and the tribes begin to advance in increased organization toward a "high state of civilization". The Planetary Prince and his staff provide religious revelations and contribute to the higher human social achievements. The average length of time for this period is 500,000 years.
Para 2 The planetary prince of Urantia is identified as "Caligastia", who arrived with assistants about a half million years ago, and established a settlement near the Persian Gulf, in the area that later became Mesopotamia. In The Urantia Book, the "Lucifer Rebellion" is discussed as a part of the history of Urantia during its Post-Planetary Prince stage. Lucifer is described as a brilliant spirit personality, a high "Son of God" who was the chief executive ruler of the local system of "Satania", with oversight and authority over more than 600 inhabited worlds and their planetary princes.
Para 3 Through self-contemplation and pride, Lucifer became corrupt and ultimately denied the existence of God, issuing a "Declaration of Liberty" manifesto in a rebellion against the established hierarchial universe governments of the "Creator Son" and the "Ancients of Days". He declared that he personally was sovereign in his local system of Satania, and he asserted that the liberty of self-governance also was due to each planetary prince concerning their individual planets within Satania.
Para 4 Caligastia was one of 37 planetary princes who joined with Lucifer, and each attempted to make the mortal populations of their planets view them as godheads. On Urantia, the result was a "devastating calamity" to early human society, sinking it back to a much more primitive state. In response to the rebellion, the entire system of Satania was put into spiritual isolation by higher authorities to protect the rest of the local universe. Jesus, as the Creator Son whose government was rebelled against, adopted a policy of noninterference, and allowed the rebellion to run its course for hundreds of thousands of years.
The Urantia Book discusses the causes and repercussions of the rebellion to explain the reasons why Urantia has so many varying and confused concepts of God.
[edit] UB rv2 expanded section of Adam and Eve
Para 1 Adam and Eve Also known as a "Material Son and Daughter", the arrival of an Adam and Eve begins the "Post-Adamic" epoch in human development. The chief mission of an Adam and Eve pair is to multiply and create an additional race of superior humans that will go on to mix with the evolutionary races and "biologically uplift" them. An Adam and Eve also are meant to be the supermortal "material rulers" who represent the spiritual government of the planet to the human races, providing continuous advancements in religious understandings and remaining as visible heads of planetary affairs even far into the age of light and life. When they arrive on a planet, a "Garden of Eden" is constructed. According to The Urantia Book, they came to Earth approximately 38,000 years ago, and their garden was located in an area now under water on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea.
Para 2 Normally, an Adam and Eve work in combination with the resident Planetary Prince, but in the case of Urantia, Caligastia was still present as an active rebel who wanted to bring about the failure of their mission. Additionally, the isolation of the planet due to the rebellion deprived them of access to outside advice and support from superior spiritual beings.
Para 3 From Paper 75, "The Default of Adam and Eve":
Adam and Eve found themselves on a sphere wholly unprepared for the proclamation of the brotherhood of man, a world groping about in abject spiritual darkness and cursed with confusion worse confounded by the miscarriage of the mission of the preceding administration. Mind and morals were at a low level, and instead of beginning the task of effecting religious unity, they must begin all anew the work of converting the inhabitants to the most simple forms of religious belief. Instead of finding one language ready for adoption, they were confronted by the world-wide confusion of hundreds upon hundreds of local dialects. No Adam of the planetary service was ever set down on a more difficult world; the obstacles seemed insuperable and the problems beyond creature solution.
Para 4 In a deviation from the original and divine plan, which was for only their offspring to mate with the evolutionary races, Eve conceived directly with a primitive human to speed up the results. When Adam heard about her transgression, he realized the full predicament of the failure, and deliberately joined her in default to share her fate.
Para 5 Adam and Eve were punished by having the majority of their offspring taken into Universe custody and being deprived of the sustenance of the "Tree of Life". They became mortal. Even with that, they had a much longer life span and stronger immune systems than the evolutionary races. The population of the planet was deprived of the full benefit of the intended plan for upliftment and improvement.
Para 6
When the surrounding tribes discovered the default, it led to an attack and the destruction of the Garden of Eden. Adam, Eve, and their remaining children were forced to leave the area, and eventually they migrated and established a second garden where they lived out the rest of their natural lives while still working as much as they could to uplift the races of the planet.
Para 7
There is usually significant biological improvement in the human races during an Adam and Eve mission, an era that lasts about 25,000 years. With the "completion of the task of race blending", what is seen socially is a period where internationalism becomes widespread, nationalism receeds, and there develops the "brotherhood of mankind". "Great ethical advancement characterizes this era ... World-wide peace—the cessation of race conflict and national animosity—is the indicator of planetary ripeness for the advent of the third order of Sonship, the Magisterial Son".
[edit] UB rv2 new sections
Melchizedek
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"The power of the fallen Prince to disturb human affairs was enormously curtailed by the mortal incarnation of Machiventa Melchizedek in the days of Abraham"
Jesus of Nazareth
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The fifth stage of social evolution is called the age of the "Post-Bestowal Son". These bestowal Sons are always of the Avonal order (except in the case where a "Creator Son" undergoes a bestowal mission: in Urantia's case-Jesus). A planet receiving the mission of a bestowal Son needs to have achieved a certain level of educational culture. The "passion" of human living in this evolutionary stage is said to be "the penetration of cosmic reality and communion with spiritual reality". The bestowal Son is described as establishing "the new and living way". Bestowal Sons are required to die on the planet of their mission. According to plan, they are resurrected on the third day and ascend to the "right hand of the Universe Father". Following this, the "Spirit of Truth" is sent out to the planet. The Post-Bestowal age generally lasts from 10,000 to 100,000 years.
[In the Post-Bestowal age] it becomes possible to put the golden rule into practical operation. The teachings of Jesus are really applicable to a mortal world which has had the preliminary training of the prebestowal Sons with their dispensations of character ennoblement and culture augmentation. - Paper 52 section 5
When Jesus was incarnated as "God in man" and went up to Mt. Hermon for the "temptation", as the story is told in Biblical history, the authors of The Urantia Book state it was really to settle the rebellion for the entire system. "Said Jesus of Caligastia: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast down." Subsequently, Lucifer, Caligastia and all the personalities who followed them, "fell from Heaven". In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John is said to have glimpsed this symbolically when he saw the tail of a dragon knock down one third of the stars. All of the high personalities who followed Lucifer were "dethroned and shorn of their governing powers".
[edit] UB revison 2 new section: Future of human development
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When the population of an inhabited world has progressed to the point that the different races have blended and are biologically fit, the "brotherhood of man" is flourishing, and the nations of the earth are learning to live together in peace and tranquility the age of the "Magisterial Son" approaches readiness. While the Planetary Prince and the Material Sons (Adam and Eve) are of local universe origin, the Magisterial Son (also known as an Avonal Son) is of Paradise origin. The average time for this age is 25,000 to 50,000 years.
Here, again, Urantia deviates: There has never been a magisterial mission on your world, neither was your bestowal Son of the Avonal order; your planet enjoyed the signal honor of becoming the mortal home planet of the Sovereign Son, Michael of Nebadon.
When the Paradise Avonal Sons come to a planet on a magisterial mission, they are always incarnated, but they do not experience birth or death. They yield up their planetary life forms at the end of their mission and return to their Paradise status. Their visit on a planet extends the horizon of revealed religion and revealed truth, to portray the functioning of the local system and its tributaries.
With the visit of the Magisterial (Avonal) Son, economic liberation of the planet often will occur: the daily work that is required to sustain each individual's independence is said to require just 2 1/2 hours of work a day. People of this age use much of their time in self-improvement and in advancement of the planet. Political government and social administration have advanced to a high level of efficiency.
During the closing phases of the Magisterial age, society begins to return to more simplified, natural ways of living. There is a flowering of art, music, and higher learning. Towards the end of this age, a religious awakening is said to occur, bringing in an age of world-wide spiritual enlightenment. This is the beginning of the fifth stage of evolution, the age of the "Bestowal Son".
On normal worlds [the bestowal Son] does not appear in the flesh until the races have ascended to the highest levels of intellectual development and ethical attainment. But on Urantia the bestowal Son, even your own Creator Son, appeared at the close of the Adamic dispensation, but that is not the usual order of events on the worlds of space.
The sixth stage of social evolution is known as the age of "Post-Teacher Sons". These beings have origination with the Trinity of Paradise. This mission is the Trinity's addition to the preceeding efforts of all the divine personalities who have contributed to the development of an inhabited world. The revelation of truth in now extended to the central universe and to Paradise. An entirely new order of society has arrived, which is very spiritual. It is noted that the physical administration of a world during this age requires about 1 hour a day on the part of every adult individual. Natural death becomes less frequent, as there are more who bypass death through spirit fusion. The end of this stage leads into the first "age of light and life".
It is the evolutionary destiny of humankind to reach this far off stage of life, "the final epoch". Urantia, as a whole, must traverse several more evolutionary stages before it reaches even the first stage of "light and life".
[edit] UB revison 2 Comparisons to religious teachings section
Comparisons to religious teachings
Comparison to Christianity Of all current world religions, The Urantia Book's teachings are likely the most consistent with the teachings of Christianity. There are significant differences between The Urantia Book and commonly accepted Christian beliefs though. Many believers see it as extending Judeo-Christian religious concepts in the same way the New Testament may be considered an evolutionary expansion of Old Testament ideas.
Jesus is held in high regard by The Urantia Book, as he is in the New Testament of the Bible. Part IV, more than one third of the content in The Urantia Book, is devoted to a narrative of his life and teachings.
The following are attributed to Jesus, as in the Bible:
He was a Son of God incarnate, born to Mary and Joseph He was God in man, both human and divine He lived a perfect life and was without sin He is "the light of the world" He revealed God to man as "the way, the truth, and the life" He performed many of the miracles described in the Bible, such as the resurrection of Lazarus, the turning of water into wine, the feeding of the five thousand, and numerous healings of the blind, diseased, and infirm He taught twelve apostles, eleven of whom who went on to spread his teachings He settled a rebellion with Lucifer He was crucified and three days later rose from the dead He will return to our world again some day The Urantia Book shares the following general concepts with most Christian faiths:
God is the creator of all reality God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite, and eternal God is described as a loving personality–"God is love"–and there is no sin, unrighteousness, or evil in him God is a single deity but exists in a Trinity of three persons God has a vast "heavenly host" Believers can have a personal relationship with God and are to be "born of the spirit" Those having faith will survive death Angels are sent to guard and minister to people throughout their lives Some differences with Christianity include:
Jesus' crucifixion is not considered an atonement for the sins of humanity. The crucifixion instead is taught to be an outcome of the fears of the religious leaders of the day, since his teachings were a threat to their coffers and positions of authority. God is never wrathful or angry, but a personality entirely motivated by fatherly love. There was no Fall of Man. When Jesus was 28 and 29, he toured Rome, Greece, and nearby regions in the company of two natives of India, Gonod and Ganid. Jesus is described as the human incarnation of "Michael of Nebadon," one of more than 700,000 "Paradise Sons" of God, or "Creator Sons." Jesus is not considered the second person of the Trinity as he is in Christianity. The book refers to the Eternal Son as the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is said to have a co-creator consort, the "Mother Spirit" of Nebadon, also known as the "Divine Minister." This spirit is said to be the bestower of mind to all living beings in Nebadon and the Holy Spirit from Christian traditions. Jesus was born on earth through natural means of conception. The Virgin Birth is said to be the product of human myth developed later. In rising from the dead, Jesus was in a "more glorified form," a transitional stage between material and spiritual existence known as the "morontia" form. As with all mortals, his physical body was subject to decomposition, but celestial beings removed his body from the tomb for the immediate dissolution of his remains through a process of "accelerated time." At Pentecost his spirit, known as the Spirit of Truth, was bestowed on all humankind, rather than the Holy Spirit The return of Jesus is described as "an event of tremendous sentimental value," but otherwise "of no more practical importance to human beings than the common event of natural death." The book says that Jesus may return to the world many times. Common Christian eschatology doctrines, such as the Rapture, where Jesus returns to take faithful believers to heaven and leaves behind unbelievers for tribulation, are not supported.
Comparison to Buddhism The Urantia Book considers Buddhism one of the "great international, interracial faiths" and says it "has shown an adaptability to the mores of many peoples that has been equaled only by Christianity."
Gautama Siddhartha is called a real prophet whose doctrines were revolutionary and amazing for their time. He is credited with being one of the seven outstanding teachers in human history, a group that includes Moses, Laozi, and the Apostle Paul.
The teaching that a divine nature — the Buddha-nature — resides in all people, and that through their own endeavors people can attain a realization of this inner divinity, is cited as one of the clearest presentations of the concept of the Thought Adjuster to be found in non-revelatory religion.
The book says Gautama's experience was tragic, however, in that he was an "orphan prophet" whose philosophy failed early on to envision the reality of a spiritual God.
Despite this, the book states: "Buddhism is a living, growing religion today because it succeeds in conserving many of the highest moral values of its adherents. It promotes calmness and self-control, augments serenity and happiness, and does much to prevent sorrow and mourning. Those who believe this philosophy live better lives than many who do not."
Comparison to other world religions Numerous facets of the book are recognizeable in other world religions. There are commonalities with Islam, Taoism, Judaism, Hinduism, Shinto, and Confucianism, and several other religions throughout recorded history. The authors of The Urantia Book encourage the study of all religions to take "the best" from them.
Paper 131, "The World's Religions", discusses more in-depth those facets of some of the world's religions that have commonalities with the "religion of Jesus", but there are also numerous other references to the world's various religions throughout Part III, "The History of Urantia", beginning with Paper 86, "Early Evolution of Religion".
Consideration as literature The Urantia Book has been enjoyed as a form of science fiction, historical fiction, or fantasy. The Urantia Book is noted for its high level of internal consistency and an advanced writing style. Even Gardner, in his critical book, writes that it is "highly imaginative" and that the "cosmology outrivals in fantasy the cosmology of any science-fiction work known to me."
Parts I, II, and III are chiefly written in expository language. The papers are informational, matter-of-fact, and instructional. Part IV of the book is written as a biography of Jesus' life, and some feel it is a rich narrative with well-developed characters, high attention to detail, woven sub-plots, and realistic dialogue. Considered as literature, Part IV is favorably compared to other retellings of Jesus' life, such as The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago and Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock. Skeptic Martin Gardner considers Part IV to be an especially "well-written, impressive work," and says, "Either it is accurate in its history, coming directly from higher beings in position to know, or it is a work of fertile imagination by someone who knew the New Testament by heart and who was also steeped in knowledge of the times when Jesus lived."
Mysterious origin The exact circumstances of the origin of The Urantia Book are not known. There is no known human author of the book. It is written as if directly presented by numerous celestial beings appointed to the task of providing a new spiritual revelation to humankind.
The documented history is that a person whose identity has remained unknown received the material from celestial intelligences while asleep. The individual, known as the "sleeping subject" or "contact personality", is said to have been kept anonymous in order to prevent undesirable future veneration or reverence for him.
As early as 1911, Dr. William S. Sadler and his wife Dr. Lena Sadler (born Lena Kellogg), both practicing physicians in Chicago, Illinois, became the attending physicians of the sleeping subject after the individual's wife reported that she could not wake him. Over time, the unconscious subject produced communications that seemed to be from entities who claimed to be spiritual beings. Drs. Lena and William Sadler were respected physicians in Chicago and well known in the community. Dr. William Sadler had a reputation as a debunker of paranormal claims and generally is portrayed as not believing in supernatural claims.
A group of Sadler's friends, former patients, and colleagues originally began meeting for intellectual discussions in 1924, but became interested in the strange communications of the sleeping subject when Sadler mentioned the case and read samples at their request. Shortly afterwards, a communication was received that this group would be allowed to devise questions and that answers would be given by the celestial beings through the contact personality.
Sadler presented this development to the group, and they generated hundreds of questions without full seriousness, but it resulted in the appearance, one by one, of answers in the form of fully written papers. The process continued as they became more impressed with the quality of the answers and continued to ask questions, until all papers now collected together as The Urantia Book were received. The group was known as the Forum. A smaller group of five individuals called the Contact Commission, including the Sadlers, was responsible for gathering the questions from the Forum, acting as the custodians of the handwritten manuscripts that were presented as answers, and arranging for proofreading and typing of the material that arrived.
The Sadlers and others involved, now all deceased, claimed that the papers of the book were physically materialized from 1925 until 1935 in a way that was not understood even by them, with the first three parts being completed in 1934 and the fourth in 1935. The last Forum gathering was in 1942. Also documented are methods of reception that Dr. Sadler refuted as the way the papers were received.
After all of the written material was received in 1935, an additional period of time took place where requests for clarifications resulted in revisions. Dr. Sadler and his son William (Bill) Sadler, Jr. at one point wrote a draft introduction but were supposedly told by the revelators that they could not add their introduction because "A city can not be lit by a candle."[1] The Foreword was then provided by the celestial beings. Bill Sadler is noted to have composed the table of contents that is published with the book, however.
The communications with the celestial beings purportedly continued for another two decades while members of the Forum began to study the book in depth, and according to Dr. Sadler and others, permission to publish the book was given to them in 1955. An organization called Urantia Foundation was formed from early believers, and through privately raised funds, the book was published under international copyright on October 12, 1955.
Critical views The Urantia Book has received limited published or formal critical analysis. Likely the most common points of contention include:
It claims to be a revelation from celestial beings and is written as if directly presented by these celestial beings. To those who assert that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, it denies some Christian doctrines that are held to be true and therefore is not acceptable. From a scientific point of view, parts of the science it describes conflict with modern theories. Some of the concepts are alleged to have been plagiarized.
Criticism of claims as a revelation In Paper 92, "The Later Evolution of Religion", the authors list the papers as the fifth revelation of "epochal significance" to humankind, the fourth epochal revelation having been the life of Jesus.
The book has been in print since 1955, but in comparison to other religious or holy books that have a recent origin and revelatory claims, such as the Book of Mormon, popularity of The Urantia Book has not grown as fast.
Unlike new religious movements with higher growth rates such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Scientology, and Church of Christ, Scientist, the movement inspired by The Urantia Book has no institutions such as churches, reading rooms, or temples, and has no membership by which a census of the number of followers can be taken. As of 2004, the Urantia Foundation had one office in Chicago and five people on staff.
The claim of revelation in The Urantia Book has been criticized for various reasons. Skeptics such as Martin Gardner say it is a product of human efforts rather than a revelation because some of its science is flawed. Because the book does not support certain fundamental tenets of Christianity, while at the same time presenting an account of Jesus' life with non-Biblical elements, those with a Christian viewpoint have argued it cannot be a divine revelation. Some have considered it to be gnostic, however The Urantia Book does not advocate tenets associated with Gnosticism. Other critics have felt that at over 2,000 pages — nearly twice the length of the King James Bible — it is too long, complex, and bureaucratic in its thinking.
Criticism of science In Paper 101, "The Real Nature of Religion," the authors write:
We full well know that, while the historic facts and religious truths of this series of revelatory presentations will stand on the records of the ages to come, within a few short years many of our statements regarding the physical sciences will stand in need of revision in consequence of additional scientific developments and new discoveries. These new developments we even now foresee, but we are forbidden to include such humanly undiscovered facts in the revelatory records. Let it be made clear that revelations are not necessarily inspired. The cosmology of these revelations is not inspired.
Skeptics like Martin Gardner see the science in The Urantia Book as clear reflections of the views that prevailed at the time the book is said to have originated. The claim by the authors that no unknown scientific discoveries could be imparted is seen as a ruse to allow mistakes to be dismissed later. That presentation of post-1955 scientific knowledge is avoided is seen as evidence it was written by humans and not by celestial beings with superior knowledge.
Criticisms regarding the science in The Urantia Book include:
The described formation of the solar system is consistent with the Chamberlin-Moulton planetesimal hypothesis [2]. Though popular in the early part of the 20th century, by the early 1940s it was discarded by Henry Russell's argument that it was incompatible with the angular momentum of planets such as Jupiter [3]. The currently accepted scientific explanation for the origin of the solar system is based on the nebular hypothesis. The age of our universe is stated to be more than 1,000,000,000,000 years old and the universe is said to periodically expand and contract — respire — at 2-billion-year intervals. The big bang theory is not supported. A fundamental particle called an "ultimaton" is proposed, with an electron being composed of 100 ultimatons. The particle is not known to be described anywhere else and the concept is not supported by modern particle physics. Some species are said to have evolved suddenly from single mutations without transitional species. The theory originated with Dutch botanist Hugo De Vries but was short-lived and is not now supported. According to The Urantia Book, colored human races originated suddenly in one generation and in one family, producing brothers and sisters that variously turned blue, yellow, red, green, orange, and indigo when exposed to sunlight. Their offspring favored the parent color subsequently. Later, Adam and Eve produced a violet race. In the book's account, the superior races were violet, blue, yellow, and red, and the other three were inferior. The green and orange races were driven to extinction, and the rest mixed over time. Modern evolutionary theory does not support the account. The book repeats the idea prevalent at the time of its origin that one side of the planet Mercury always faces the sun due to tidal locking. In 1965, radio astronomers discovered that Mercury actually rotates fast enough for all sides to see exposure to the sun. The book says that a solar eclipse was predicted in 1808 by the Native American prophet Tenskwatawa. The eclipse actually was predicted in late April of 1806 and occurred on June 16, 1806. The book can be interpreted as saying that sunlight is "highly heated and agitated electrons." Solar radiation consists of photons, however, not electrons. Gardner finds it odd that the term "photon" is not used in the book. It was coined in 1926. Controversial statements about human races can be found in the book. Supporters state that criticism has arisen mainly due to reading passages out of context. Gardner believes that Dr. William Sadler, who wrote some eugenicist works, had a hand in editing or writing the book, and that this is how the ideas were included.
Some adherents of the book believe that all of the information in The Urantia Book, including its science, is literally true, while others do not believe that the science is correct, accepting the book's caveats.
Dr. Meredith Sprunger, a liberal believer in The Urantia Book and retired minister in the United Church of Christ, writes "research has revealed that virtually all of the scientific material found in The Urantia Book was the accepted scientific knowledge of the period in which the book was written, was held by some scientists of that time, or was about to be discovered or recognized." He argues against its literal infallibility and that fundamentalism over the book is "just as untenable as Biblical fundamentalism."
Other believers maintain that the book has prophetically anticipated scientific advances already. They believe more of its science — if not all of it — will be proven correct in the future. Gardner evaluated many of these claims as of 1995 and found them unconvincing. Some arise because the book is said to have been indited by the revelators by 1935, but then was not published until 1955. Science discovered during the two intervening decades can be perceived as prophetic by believers, while skeptics think such facts were added prior to publication. For instance, the catalytic role that carbon plays in the sun's nuclear reactions is described in the book, though Hans Bethe's announcement of the discovery was not made until 1938.
The only apparent anticipation of science the book has made, in Gardner's opinion, is that it says the magnetic sense that homing pigeons possess is "not wholly wanting as a conscious possession by mankind." In 1980, a British zoologist, Robin Baker, published evidence that humans have a limited magnetic sense.
Plagiarism allegations The Urantia Book states in its Foreword that it used "human concepts, assembled from the God-knowing mortals of the past and the present." In recent years, students of the papers have found that the free use of other sources appears to be true, with none of the material allegedly used from other sources cited or referenced within the book.
In 1992, a reader of The Urantia Book, Matthew Block, self-published a paper that showed nineteen alleged examples of The Urantia Book utilizing material published earlier. All of the source authors identified in Block's paper were published in English between 1905 and 1943 by U.S. publishers and are typically scholarly or academic works that contain concepts and wording similar to what is found in The Urantia Book. Gardner found that at least one of the source book authors was quoted in earlier works by Dr. Sadler, and most of the books purportedly would have been available to Dr. Sadler or Forum members in Chicago prior to 1955.
Block claimed to have discovered over 125 source books and articles written by over 90 authors that he reported were incorporated into the papers. The use of outside source materials was studied by Gardner, and he concluded that the book did use many of the sources noted by Block in his 1992 article.
For instance, Gardner and Block note that Paper 85 appears to have been taken from the first eight chapters of Origin and Evolution of Religion by E. Washburn Hopkins, published by Yale University Press in 1923. Each section of the paper corresponds to a chapter in the book, with several passages possibly used as direct material. Likewise, much of The Urantia Book material relating to the evolution of mankind appears to have been directly taken from Henry Fairfield Osborn, Man Rises to Parnassus: Critical Epochs in the Prehistory of Man published by Princeton University Press in 1928.
In one example cited by Block, the original author discusses the periodicity of the chemical elements and concludes that the harmony in the construction of the atom suggests some unspecified plan of organization. After being "plagiarized," the authors of The Urantia Book assert that this harmony is evidence of the intelligent design of the universe. W. F. G. Swann writes on page 64 of The Architecture of the Universe (italics indicate edits, bolding indicates deletions):
Starting from any one of them [i.e., chemical elements], and noting some property such as the melting point, for example, the property would change as we went along the row, but as we continued it would gradually come back to the condition very similar to that which we started ... The eighth element was in many respects like the first, the ninth like the second, the tenth like the third, and so on. Such a slate of affairs point[s] not only to a varied internal structure, but also to a certain harmony in that variation suggestive of some organized plan in building the atom.
Contrast with The Urantia Book's version:
Starting from any one element, after noting some one property, such a quality will exchange for six consecutive elements, but on reaching the eighth, it tends to reappear, that is, the eighth chemically active element resembles the first, the ninth the second, and so on. Such a fact of the physical world unmistakably points to the sevenfold constitution of ancestral energy and is indicative of the fundamental reality of the sevenfold diversity of the creations of time and space.
Block and many believers do not see the use of human source materials as plagiarism. Block writes:
One probable reason that the human sources were left undisguised was to enable students to discern, through comparative analysis, how this coordination of planetary knowledge was actually effected. As mentioned above, the initial analyses have already proved tremendously illuminating in this regard. Another reason was to keep us aware of the book’s anchorage in a specific time and place. While a very large part of the book is of timeless value and perennial applicability, some of its discussions directly address and respond to the world situation of the early 20th century. Thus, every generation will have to determine the relevance and applicability of certain of the book’s teachings to its own situation.
Emerging from all these discoveries is the gratifying realization that the Urantia Book is exactly what its authors claim it to be....
It should be noted that the wording and phraseology is not a verbatim replication, and no plagiarism has been proven officially. In some instances, the authors of The Urantia Book have made subtle changes to, or expansions of, the possible source materials.
Believers propose that the source texts were invariably improved and this points to their divine origin. However, in some cases the book also propagates material from the original sources that modern science has claimed to be incorrect.
Adherents There is no way to gauge who "adherents" are and no groups to census. However, it appears that a growing number of people are reading the book and forming study groups, creating and joining Internet discussion groups, and hosting or visiting websites about it.
Many people find The Urantia Book to be attractive because it offers a reconciliation for the apparent innumerable discrepancies between modern science and religion. The Urantia Book does not advocate organized religion, neither does it oppose it. Adherents of The Urantia Book have been alleged by some critics as being involved in a cult, however in practice characteristics normally associated with cults are not present. There is no central charismatic figure, no hidden mysteries, no rituals or ceremonies, and there is not a teaching that the book's followers are chosen people whereas all others are lost.
The Urantia Book teaches friendliness, non-violence (while saying that organized society has a right to employ force to enforce just laws), and a life of unselfish ministry toward others. Readers say the book contains advanced teachings that are conducive to spiritual growth.
Symbols A symbol described in The Urantia Book consists of three concentric blue circles on a white background. The circles are said to have symbolized several trinity associations in the history of humankind. The authors of The Urantia Book indicate its revealed meaning as being "the infinity, eternity, and universality of the Paradise Trinity of divine maintenance and direction."
The original publisher, Urantia Foundation, placed the concentric circles on the cover of The Urantia Book and has a United States trademark. The circles are used to indicate other organizations affiliated with the Urantia Foundation.
The Urantia Association International, which is the main readership organization in the movement, has been licensed by Urantia Foundation to use the three blue concentric circles on a white background.
Some other groups use the symbol in various altered forms.
The Urantia Book in popular culture German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's massive opera cycle Licht is not "based on" the book (as sometimes is said), but does make reference to it in the first and third acts of Donnerstag (Thursday), and in the symbols associated with two of the three main characters, Michael and Lucifer. The American band Deadsy is influenced by The Urantia Book, and makes references to it in several songs. The album Monolith, by the American progressive rock group Kansas, was largely influenced by The Urantia Book, reflecting an interest in the movement by bandmember Kerry Livgren before his conversion to Christianity. The psychedelic/rock group Spirit likewise released a series of albums influenced by The Urantia Book during the mid-1970s. This was well after the band's commercial heyday had ended and the influence is most notable on the albums Spirit of '76 and Son of Spirit. Jazz Fusion band Weather Report's seventh album titled "Heavy Weather" features a track titled "Havona" which is written by bass guitar legend Jaco Pastorius.
See also Glossary of terms in The Urantia Book
References Urantia Foundation (1955). The Urantia Book. Urantia Foundation. ISBN 0-911560-02-5 Gardner, Martin (1995). Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-955-0 Gooch, Brad (2002). Godtalk : Travels in Spiritual America. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-44709-1 House, Dr. H. Wayne (2000). Charts of Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-38551-2
External links Urantia Foundation The Urantia Foundation website - publisher; complete information about the book. Urantia (readers international) A worldwide non-profit group whose participants have similar interests in reading, sharing, and living the Urantia Book. The Urantia Book Fellowship Website of The Urantia Book Fellowship Urantia Association International Website of Urantia Association International The Urantia Book International Directory of global Urantia Book resources and organizations Truthbook.com A website which features an inline audio reading alongside the text of The Urantia Book Free Audio Book Listen to or download free MP3 audio version of The Urantia Book from the Internet Archive. How The Urantia Book Came Into Existence by William S. Sadler, Jr., February 18, 1962. "Some Human Sources of The Urantia Book" by Matthew Block. Describes suspected parallels Block found between The Urantia Book and possible human sources of material. Urantia Book Related Web Sites: Over 175 Sites in 22 Categories A review of The Urantia Book at ReligiousTolerance.org A review of The Urantia Book at The Skeptic's Dictionary Urantia United Edited UB text that is intended to suit Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faith traditions. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Urantia_Book"
[edit] Microcomparison of versions of UB:
[edit] Microcomp UB (v1)
History and future of the world
Para 1 Urantia is considered one inhabited sphere among many others in the universe, an evolutionary world destined to sometime reach a future stage of "light and life". The growth from a planet coalescing from gas and dust, into a sphere ready for life implantation, to the inception of primordial life, through plant and animal evolution, to primitive human development and evolution, and onward through progressive evolutionary social stages finally culminating in the height of what human civilization can become, is the pattern and plan for the achievement of the potential destiny of every inhabited, evolutionary, world in the entire finite creation. The contribution each planet makes to the universe as a collective whole is beyond actual human comprehension. Yet it is but one small aspect of an even larger plan and goal for the entire finite, experiential, time-space creation. The history and destiny of Urantia is covered in The Urantia Book in great depth. This is but a small summary of the narrative.
Para 2 "The Urantia Book" - Paper 52:1: "From the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order: 1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man. 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man. 3. Post-Adamic Man. 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man. 5. Postbestowal Son Man. 6. Post-Teacher Son Man. 7. The Era of Light and Life." These stages are characterized by various developmental milestones which are initially purely evolutionary but subsequently supplemented by revelation through long periods or at specific milestones in evolutionary development. For example, the hallmarks of the "Pre-Planetary Prince Man" epoch include that primitive man chiefly engages in survival pursuits as hunter-gatherers, primitive tribal development, is bellicose toward strangers, and has only rudimentary fear-based superstitions as a religious reaction to life, for a period that varies from 150,000 to 1,000,000 years on a typical planet.
Para 3 It is the evolutionary destiny of humankind to reach a far off stage of life, "the final epoch", on the planet; a time when all mortals will fuse and translate to the next worlds rather than suffer death. Urantia, at this time, has very few fusion candidates. It, as a whole, must traverse several more evolutionary stages before it reaches the first stage of "Light and Life" where most mortals are able attain the fusion potential during their 'earthly life'.
Para 4 It is said that the "Pre-Planetary Prince" stage of planetry evolution is the "dark and bloody" era of a planets life history. This stage is followed by the arrival of the "Planetary Prince" that brings in the next evolutionary period, the "Post Planetary Prince" stage in a planets social evolution. The Planetary Prince is a created spirit being of the local universe in the "Lanonandek" series. The Lanonandeks are the continuous rulers of the inhabited worlds and the "rotating sovereigns" of the universe planet systems. In a normal evolutionary path, this is when government appears on a planet, and tribes begin to advance in increased organization into a "high state of civilization". The average length of time for this period is 500,000 years. The Planetary Prince and his staff provide religious revelations to the planet which contributes to these higher social achievements. Agricultural activity and the domestication of animals occur during this period.
Para 5 The third stage is the "Post-Adamic" stage, which occurs with the arrival of the assigned Adam and Eve to begin the new phase of evolution. Also known as the "Material Son and Daughter", this order of being is created by the (local) Universe Creator: in our case, Christ Michael of Nebadon, known also on this planet as Jesus of Nazareth. The "Material Sons" are 8-10 feet tall and glow with the brilliance of radiant light of a violent hue. While blood circulates through their material bodies, they are also surcharged with divine energy and saturated with celestial light. They are equal in status but have male and female sexual reproductive endowments. On their arrival on a planet, a "Garden of Eden" is constructed by this pair. The chief mission of the Adam and Eve pair is reproduction and the biological uplifting of the races of mankind, in combination with plans from the resident Planetary Prince. This era lasts about 25,000 years, which will bring in the next era "the Post-Magisterial Son" period of evolution.
Para 7 There is usually significant biological improvement in the human races during the Adam and Eve mission. With the "completion of the task of race blending" what is seen socially is a period where internationalism becomes widespread, nationalism receeds, and there develops the "brotherhood of mankind". "Great ethical advancement characterizes this era. World-wide peace-the cessation of race conflict and national animosity-is the indicator of planetary ripeness for the advent of the third order of Sonship, the Magisterial Son".
Para 8 When the population of an inhabited world has progressed to the point that the different races have blended and are biologically fit, the "brotherhood of man" is flourishing, and the nations of the earth are learning to live together in peace and tranquility, the next age, the age of the "Magisterial Son", is approaching readiness. While the Planetary Prince and the Material Sons (Adam and Eve) are of local universe origin, the Magisterial Son (also known as an Avonal Son) is of Paradise origin. The average time for this age is 25,000 to 50,000 years.
When the Paradise Avonal Sons come to a planet on a magisterial mission to assist in a planet's evolution, they are always incarnated, but they do not experience birth, nor do they experience death. They yield up their planetary life forms at the end of their mission and return to their Paradise status. Their visit on a planet extends the horizon of revealed religion and revealed truth, to portray the functioning of the local system and its tributaries.
With the visit of the Magisterial (Avonal) Son, economic liberation of the planet often will occur: the daily work that is required to sustain each individual's independence is said to require just 2 1/2 hours of work a day. People of this age use much of their time in self- improvement and in advancement of the planet. Political government and social administration have advanced to a high level of efficiency.
para 9 During the closing phases of the Magisterial age, society begins to return to more simplified, natural ways of living. There is a flowering of art, music, and higher learning. Towards the end of this age, a religious awakening is said to occur, bringing in an age of world-wide spiritual enlightenment. This is the beginning of the 5th stage of evolution, the age of the "Bestowal Son".
The 5th stage of social evolution is called the age of the "Post-Bestowal Son". These bestowal sons are always of the Avonal order (except in the case where a "Creator Son" undergoes a bestowal mission: in Urantia's case-Jesus). A planet receiving the mission of a Bestowal Son needs to have acheived a certain level of educational culture. The "passion" of human living in this evolutionary stage is said to be "the penetration of cosmic reality and communion with spiritual reality". The Bestowal Son is described as establishing "the new and living way". Bestowal Sons are required to die on the planet of their mission. According to plan, they are resurrected on the 3rd day and ascend to the "right hand of the Universe Father". Following this, the "Spirit of Truth" is sent out to the planet. The Post-Bestowal age generally lasts from 10,000 to 100,000 years.
[In the Post-Bestowal age] it becomes possible to put the golden rule into practicle operation. The teachiings of Jesus are really applicable to a mortal world which has had the preliminary training of the prebestowal Sons with their dispensatons of character enoblement and culture augmentation. -Paper 52 secton 5
para 10 The 6th stage of social evolution is known as the age of "Post-Teacher Sons". These beings have origination with the Trinity of Paradise. This mission is the Trinity's addition to the preceeding efforts of all the divine personalities who have contributed to the development of an inhabited world. The revelation of truth in now extended to the central universe and to Paradise. An entirely new order of society has arrived, which is very spiritual. (It is noted that the physical administration of a world during this age requires about 1 hour a day on the part of every adult individual). Natural death becomes less frequent, as there is more bypassing of death through spirit fusion. The end of this stage leads into the "age of Light and Life".
[edit] Microcomp UB (v2) (Waz)
History and future of the world is split off to "The Future of Human Development"
Para 1
Urantia is considered one inhabited sphere among many others in the universe. (v2)
- Urantia is considered one inhabited sphere among many others in the universe, an evolutionary world destined to sometime reach a future stage of "light and life". (v1)
- The second sentence is more active and alive, both are correct in content. (My pov).
The book's extensive teachings about the history of Urantia include its physical development billions of years ago from cataclysmic meteor captures, the gradual changes in conditions that allowed life to develop, and the long ages of organic evolution that started with microscopic marine life and led to plant and animal life in the oceans, later on land. (v2)
- The growth from a planet coalescing from gas and dust, into a sphere ready for life implantation, to the inception of primordial life, through plant and animal evolution, to primitive human development and evolution, and onward through progressive evolutionary social stages finally culminating in the height of what human civilization can become, is the pattern and plan for the achievement of the potential destiny of every inhabited, evolutionary, world in the entire finite creation. (v1)
- Both sentences are too long. Both are correct in content. The second sentence is more active. (My pov).
The emergence of humans is taught to have occured from a branch of primates about a million years ago. (v2)
- The contribution each planet makes to the universe as a collective whole is beyond actual human comprehension. Yet it is but one small aspect of an even larger plan and goal for the entire finite, experiential, time-space creation. The history and destiny of Urantia is covered in The Urantia Book in great depth. This is but a small summary of the narrative. (v1)
- Both sentences are correct on content. Sentence 2 is more expository, and too long. (My pov).
Para 2
The Urantia Book says "this story is graphically told within the fossil pages of the vast 'stone book' of world record ... the pages of this gigantic biogeologic record unfailingly tell the truth if you but acquire skill in their interpretation". (v2)
- "The Urantia Book" - Paper 52:1: "From the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. (v1)
Unlike current scientific views, evolution is said to be orderly and controlled. (v2) These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order: 1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man. 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man. 3. Post-Adamic Man. 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man. 5. Postbestowal Son Man. 6. Post-Teacher Son Man. 7. The Era of Light and Life." (v1) Primordial life is taught to have been intelligently planned and implanted by "Life Carriers", instead of arising spontaneously. (v2)
- These stages are characterized by various developmental milestones which are initially purely evolutionary but subsequently supplemented by revelation through long periods or at specific milestones in evolutionary development. (v1)
The book stresses that "mortal man is not an evolutionary accident", and that the purpose of evolution on a planet such as Urantia is to produce creatures of "will dignity" that can develop spiritual natures and survive material existence, going on to have eternal spiritual careers. (v2)
- For example, the hallmarks of the "Pre-Planetary Prince Man" epoch include that primitive man chiefly engages in survival pursuits as hunter-gatherers, primitive tribal development, is bellicose toward strangers, and has only rudimentary fear-based superstitions as a religious reaction to life, for a period that varies from 150,000 to 1,000,000 years on a typical planet. (v1)
Para 3The Urantia Book teaches not only biological evolution, but that human society and spiritual understandings evolve by slow progression, subject both to periods of rapid improvement and the possibility of retrogression. Progress is said to follow a divine plan that includes periodic gifts of revelation and ministry by heavenly teachers, which eventually will lead to an ideal world status of "life and light" in the far distant future.
Para 4 From Paper 52, "Planetary Mortal Epochs":
From the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order:
Para 51. Pre-Planetary Prince Man. 2. Post-Planetary Prince Man. 3. Post-Adamic Man. 4. Post-Magisterial Son Man. 5. Postbestowal Son Man. 6. Post-Teacher Son Man. 7. The Era of Light and Life.
Para 6Though there is the ideal and divine plan, it is fostered and administered by various orders of celestial beings who are less than perfect. Through mistakes or deliberate rebellion, the plan can be wrecked, requiring long spans of time to recoup lost progress. Urantia is taught to be a markedly "dark and confused" planet that is "greatly retarded in all phases of intellectual progress and spiritual attainment" compared to more typical inhabited worlds, due to an unusually severe history of rebellion and default by its spiritual supervisors.
Para 7Early human development According to The Urantia Book, the first primitive humans were Andon and Fonta, not Adam and Eve. Andon and Fonta were a brother and sister living approximately a million years ago who were the first evolutionary primates to have the mental capacity for free will and spiritual receptivity. Their decision to separate from their less advanced relatives constituted the first instance when human will operated. They mated to produce offspring who went on to evolve into various races of primitive humans, and ultimately, modern humans.
Para 8On a typical planet, a certain amount of time transpires between the appearance of free will and the arrival of the first spiritual ruler of a planet to assist with the growth of society, the Planetary Prince. The length of the epoch varies from 150,000 to 1,000,000 years on an ordinary planet. Hallmarks of a typical "Pre-Planetary Prince Man" epoch include that primitive man chiefly engages in survival pursuits as hunter-gatherers, is bellicose toward strangers, and has only rudimentary fear-based superstitions as a religious reaction to life.
Para 9The "Pre-Planetary Prince" stage of evolution is said to be the "dark and bloody" era of a planet's history, and on Urantia it was prolonged and extraordinarily brutal. But "notwithstanding all the vicissitudes of the early ages of human emergence, the performances of primitive man represent a splendid, even a heroic, chapter in the annals of an evolutionary world of time and space."
