© 1991 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
(This discussion summarizes thoughts and opinions expressed by members of the Sunshine Coast Study Group during and subsequent to a meeting on 21/9/91)
The paper on communication with the spiritual world that appears in this issue of Six-O-Six, was read during the study group session. Mark Kulieke’s recently published booklet entitled ‘Birth of a Revelation’ was also read. Mark catalogues ways in which he thought that messages and materials from celestial personalities may have been received by the Revelatory Commission. Two are those described in The URANTIA Book relating to the contact personality through whom the Urantia Papers were received. A third refers to materialization, and a fourth to audio messages for which there is adequate evidence in the Book (see UB 114:7.9).
Mark also describes a method, akin to channelling, by which a member of the contact group wrote down inner impulses that were apparently accepted by the Commission as genuine instructions. Mark suggests that perhaps all of the members of the Commission had this capacity. One who claimed to have had such a ‘gift’ must have been Emma Christensen. A letter from Thomas and Carolyn Kendall of June 21, 1990, responding to a special report from the Urantia Foundation, states that in November 1980: “Christy had Martin read a message to me which had allegedly come to her earlier in the week. It said '‘Do not become involved in long negotiations with Mr. Weiss. Read page 840.’” It appears that the Foundation acted on this as being a genuine instruction from our celestial supervisors.
Another person who apparently claims to communicate with our unseen friends is Martin Myers. In a letter of June 21, 1990, former trustee, Helena E. Sprague states: “Martin apparently believes that he is designated by ‘mandates’ to govern the affairs of The URANTIA Book. Martin has been heard, with several present, to bestow approval of the midwayers on one individual, and to tell another, ”the midwayers are not pleased with you."
In considering the validity of such messages, at least two difficulties present themselves. Several sources have stated that no further messages were received from the celestial beings subsequent to the one that gave permission to publish The URANTIA Book. A second difficulty is how to reconcile such claims with the content of the book. On UB 93:2.8, it is stated:
“During the incarnation in the flesh, Machiventa was in full contact with his eleven fellows of the corps of planetary custodians, but he could not communicate with other orders of celestial personalities. Aside from the Melchizedek receivers, he had no more contact with superhuman intelligences than a human being.” UB 93:2.8
Does it seem likely that Christy would have been better situated to communicate with celestial personalities than was Machiventa Melchizedek? Remembering that any communication with the spiritual world must come to us via our Thought Adjuster, consider this statement from the Book:
“…it is hazardous to attempt the differentiation of the Adjuster’s concept registry from the more or less continuous and conscious reception of the dictations of mortal conscience. These are problems which will have to be solved through individual discrimination and personal decision. But a human being would do better to err in rejecting an Adjuster’s expression through believing it to be a purely human experience than to blunder into exalting a reaction of the mortal mind to the sphere of divine dignity. Remember, the influence of the Thought Adjuster is for the most part, though not wholly, a superconscious experience.” (UB 110:5.5)
The URANTIA Book makes it clear that at this stage of our evolutionary development, we Urantians need to be exceedingly cautious in ascribing a divine origin to our strong feelings.
“To be strongly and strangely impressed to do something or to go to a certain place does not necessarily mean that such impulses are the leadings of the indwelling spirit.” (UB 159:3.6)
Consider now an earlier message, supposedly from a celestial source, that has caused no end of discord in the Urantia movement. Mark Kulieke gives a longer version than the one quoted by Foundation President Thomas Kendall (June 21, 1990) as having been given to him by Christy in 1966. For present purposes, we use the shorter version. The message, said by Christy to have been received in 1942, stated: “You have not done enough to protect the name. You must carefully safeguard the name Urantia. Make it very safe for one generation so that it cannot be pre-empted. In a common law trust you hold the name. You do it also in the copyright. You must carefully register it with a division of government which controls trade relations, trademarks. In all ways you must safeguard the name. This is one of your most important duties.” The clumsiness of language is not consistent with the elegant use of English in The URANTIA Book.
Mark Kulieke’s version is even more clumsy. Both versions contain two glaring errors for neither the common law trust nor the copyright were held in 1942. Messages from supposedly celestial sources seem to have been responsible for much conflict in the Urantia movement. Could some of these problems have been avoided if this type of message had received the same degree of extreme skepticism said to have been held by Dr. Sadler when considering the validity of the Urantia Papers?
The study group discussion concluded with deliberations on the significance of these passages from Part IV, the Life of Jesus:
That evening, after the session of questions and answers, John said to Jesus: “Master, yesterday I went over to Ashtaroth to see a man who was teaching in your name and even claiming to be able to cast out devils. Now this fellow had never been with us, neither does he follow after us; therefore I forbade him to do such things.” Then said Jesus: “Forbid him not. Do you not perceive that this gospel of the kingdom shall presently be proclaimed in all the world? How can you expect that all who will believe the gospel shall be subject to your direction? Rejoice that already our teaching has begun to manifest itself beyond the bounds of our personal influence.” (UB 159:2.1)
“Always respect the personality of man. Never should a righteous cause be promoted by force.” (UB 159:3.2)
Seeing that Jesus instructs us not to promote even a righteous cause by force, how can one justify the promotion by force of causes of dubious validity? And did not Jesus say: “Be willing to suffer injustice rather than to go to law among yourselves.” (UB 140:3.14)
