Book of Urantia

Originally Posted by Fresco

Anyone ever read this: http://www.urantia.org/en/urantia-book/read

Supposedly this book popped up out of nowhere, and nobody knows who wrote it. Very, very difficult book to read, it allegedly covers everything from God, to the Bible, the spiritual ascension process, alien life in the universe...etc...etc

Good luck trying to understand it . If you do you're better than me

LOL, yeah, found it at a used book store, tried it for about two days, haven't touched it since. Lot of loopy conjecture in there.

CS

Originally Posted by Deusdrum

In what way are you a student? What has the experience been like to be a Urantia follower? What is your or your family's philosophy regarding Spiritual matters? Have you had any firsthand experience that would verify your Urantian beliefs? Is there a group or church you attend, or anything of that nature?

Unless that is prying too much or something, just am curious as i read the entire thing at one point.

Colter


It is believed that in China, the combination of an availability of dinosaur bones strewn about, and natural gas flare-ups in certain regions of the country, fire breathing dragons evolved in lore.


Yes, I have been a UB reader for many years, I come from a family of closet UB readers. That is to say that, while my dad attended a conventional Christian Methodist church, at home he was a UB'er. My older brother is a reader but attends an evangelical church with his beloved girlfriend as Christianity is her passion.

* I have a relationship with God, the "reality response" of the UB in my soul was self-validating. Then there is the science and historic content of the UB that was not known or proven when the papers were revealed beginning in 1911.

* UB readers generally are independent. Some cities have study clubs that meet in homes. No official religion has been established yet around the UB per say. There are some cults around the world that use the UB as a foundation.




Cano

[Deusdrum]

I'm not sure what the significance of that first sentence has in relation to my question, but regardless, thank you for explaining it a bit. Always intrigued by the book, if also reticent towards it as well. Interesting to have some feedback from an adherent, follower or what have you.

Was aware of some of the details, as i've googled, wikipedia'd and done some very basic & shallow internet research into the Urantia book before.

One thing, why do you say the papers were revealed in 1911? According to wikipedia it originated between 1924 -1955 (and first published in 1955) Anyways, thanks again. ~

Originally Posted by Deusdrum

I'm not sure what the significance of that first sentence has in relation to my question, but regardless, thank you for explaining it a bit. Always intrigued by the book, if also reticent towards it as well. Interesting to have some feedback from an adherent, follower or what have you.

Was aware of some of the details, as i've googled, wikipedia'd and done some very basic & shallow internet research into the Urantia book before.

One thing, why do you say the papers were revealed in 1911? According to wikipedia it originated between 1924 -1955 (and first published in 1955) Anyways, thanks again. ~

The available histories on the Urantia papers concur that the "sleeping subject" came into contact with Dr. Sadler around 1911, that’s when the material began to come through. The Saddlers were then living in an apartment building while their new home at 533 Diversy Parkway was being built; thats the current offic of Urantia Foundation. It was "willed" to the trust upon Saddlers death. The early papers were presented to (an originally unrelated study group) that had been meeting in Saddlers home. These people were professionals, intellectuals, husbands and wives etc. They came to be known as "The Forum". The "contact commission" was the smaller group of people who were routinely present during the session's when the material was coming through. Saddler, his wife, who was also a doctor, Wilfred Custer Kellogg of the health food cereal empire, the Saddlers adopted daughter Christy, Bill Saddler Jr. and a couple others. NOTE: Saddler and Kellogg had married each others sisters. They were all originally Seventh Day Adventist but were excommunicated after they exposed what they felt were plagiarisms by Ellen G. White, the SDA prophetess.

Originally the Forum discussed current events in medicine and such. Dr Saddler began presenting the Urantia material to the group which by default altered the group’s direction and function. The presorted celestial beings who were communicating the material through the sleeping subject solicited "questions" about the material being presented, sort of like a "focus group" type of arrangement. So Saddler would read the papers as they came through and had been recorded by his daughter "Christy" who was a stenographer. Questions were generated and carried back to subsiquent sessions with the sleeping subject.


In my own words, the situation seemed to be that the celestials were saying, "we have been given a mandate to reveal more truth to this world at this time, what do you want to know?"

The papers in part I, II, and III came through over a 20 year period. The Jesus papers came through all at one time in 1934. The "revelators" insisted that the papers be studied and messengers trained before the book was published. The original nickel plates were set by R. L. Donnelly in Chicago and held in a vault until 1955 after adequate funds had been razed for the first printing.

Permission was granted by the "revelators" to print the book. In Dr Saddler’s words the celestial’s final communication was "Now you're on your own."......”they didn't even say goodbye”. :)


I'm familiar with much of the UB history, players and content. I can say that the Wikipedia on the Urantia Book gives pretty fair treatment in its synopsis.




Cano

[Deusdrum]

Cano - Thank you for the clarification.

Do you feel like the Urantia book is in general compatible with the Bible? Or other alternative Christian type books like 'A Course In Miracles'? If you are familiar that one.

I remember some parts of the book that raised some points of contention for me; offhand for example the idea that animals do not have a soul, that shamanism was portrayed in a kind of less than complimentary way, and also some of the seemingly racist overtones of it in parts, or what could be construed at least as racist overtones.

It's not my intention to debate how 'true' the Urantia may be or not; just curious as to how you interpret these or other particular parts of the book.

Anyways, thanks again for your feedback. Good to get some perspective from someone with some history and experience with the book.

Peace . ~

Originally Posted by Deusdrum

Cano - Thank you for the clarification.

Do you feel like the Urantia book is in general compatible with the Bible? Or other alternative Christian type books like 'A Course In Miracles'? If you are familiar that one.

I remember some parts of the book that raised some points of contention for me; offhand for example the idea that animals do not have a soul, that shamanism was portrayed in a kind of less than complimentary way, and also some of the seemingly racist overtones of it in parts, or what could be construed at least as racist overtones.

It's not my intention to debate how 'true' the Urantia may be or not; just curious as to how you interpret these or other particular parts of the book.

Anyways, thanks again for your feedback. Good to get some perspective from someone with some history and experience with the book.

Peace . ~

The UB is compatible with the Bible in the same sense that the New Testament is compatible with The Old Testament.

On race the UB explains that we all have a genetic inheritance of varying quality but are loved equally by our heavenly Father and are subsequently all brothers and sisters. One with an inferior inheritance had no more to do with that then one with a superior inheritance. The genetic deficiencies which persist are the result of the Lucifer rebellion and Eve's default when she mated with a mortal of the realm and disrupted the plan of planetary redemption.

Shamanism evolved into modern day priesthoods.

Animals don't have survival capability although they are en-circuited with mind and the spirit compliments.


Cano

[Deusdrum]

Originally Posted by Cano

The UB is compatible with the Bible in the same sense that the New Testament is compatible with The Old Testament.

On race the UB explains that we all have a genetic inheritance of varying quality but are loved equally by our heavenly Father and are subsequently all brothers and sisters. One with an inferior inheritance had no more to do with that then one with a superior inheritance. The genetic deficiencies which persist are the result of the Lucifer rebellion and Eve's default when she mated with a mortal of the realm and disrupted the plan of planetary redemption.

Shamanism evolved into modern day priesthoods.

Animals don't have survival capability although they are en-circuited with mind and the spirit compliments.


Cano

Yes, all how i understood it as expressed in the book, and all of which i have a problem with, based upon my beliefs and personal experience.

RELATIVITY OF CONCEPT FRAMES

"Partial, incomplete, and evolving intellects would be helpless in the master universe, would be unable to form the first rational thought pattern, were it not for the innate ability of all mind, high or low, to form a universe frame in which to think. If mind cannot fathom conclusions, if it cannot penetrate to true origins, then will such mind unfailingly postulate conclusions and invent origins that it may have a means of logical thought within the frame of these mind-created postulates. And while such universe frames for creature thought are indispensable to rational intellectual operations, they are, without exception, erroneous to a greater or lesser degree.

Conceptual frames of the universe are only relatively true; they are serviceable scaffolding which must eventually give way before the expansions of enlarging cosmic comprehension. The understandings of truth, beauty, and goodness, morality, ethics, duty, love, divinity, origin, existence, purpose, destiny, time, space, even Deity, are only relatively true. God is much, much more than a Father, but the Father is man’s highest concept of God; nonetheless, the Father-Son portrayal of Creator-creature relationship will be augmented by those supermortal conceptions of Deity which will be attained in Orvonton, in Havona, and on Paradise. Man must think in a mortal universe frame, but that does not mean that he cannot envision other and higher frames within which thought can take place." UB

Cano

Originally Posted by Deusdrum

Yes, all how i understood it as expressed in the book, and all of which i have a problem with, based upon my beliefs and personal experience.

Not everything can be true.

Cano

"The very pessimism of the most pessimistic materialist is, in and of itself, sufficient proof that the universe of the pessimist is not wholly material. Both optimism and pessimism are concept reactions in a mind conscious of values as well as of facts. If the universe were truly what the materialist regards it to be, man as a human machine would then be devoid of all conscious recognition of that very fact. Without the consciousness of the concept of values within the spirit-born mind, the fact of universe materialism and the mechanistic phenomena of universe operation would be wholly unrecognized by man. One machine cannot be conscious of the nature or value of another machine."

"If man is only a machine, by what technique does this man come to believe or claim to know that he is only a machine? The experience of self-conscious evaluation of one’s self is never an attribute of a mere machine. A self-conscious and avowed mechanist is the best possible answer to mechanism. If materialism were a fact, there could be no self-conscious mechanist. It is also true that one must first be a moral person before one can perform immoral acts." UB

Cano