© 1995 Ann Bendall
© 1995 The Brotherhood of Man Library
Limitations of Revelation | Volume 2 - No. 1 — Index | The Purpose and Limitations of the Fifth Epochal Revelation |
What a delight it would be for our Thought Adjuster if we were open-minded when we first pick up The Urantia Book, but the reality is that very few of us are! We will read the book through our perceptual filtering system which will translate its contents to accord with our current ideas of truth and reality.
The Urantia Book can be a revelation, it is mind-expanding, and can be decidedly disconcerting. We might discard a goodly number of our values and beliefs as a consequence of first reading. We might also read what we want to see. And even if we do change some of our values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of long standing are hard to change.
We will come to the book with our religious ideology. This was first formed in childhood with the advent of our Thought Adjuster whose arrival was dependent upon our beginning to learn that it is “more blessed to give than to receive.”(UB 103:2.9). And by the time our Thought Adjuster arrives we have developed a “strong and well-unified egoistic nature.”(UB 103:2.9). We have very clear and simple ideas about life, others, and ourselves in relation to life and others.
As we mentally develop throughout childhood these ideas expand and we learn all the socialization rules of our culture. In one culture these might include a sense of achievement in shooting as many ‘infidels’ as possible; in another culture, the rule might be to ignore ‘infidels.’
Truth never yet fell dead in the streets; it has such affinity with the soul of man, the seed however broadcast will catch somewhere and produce its hundred fold.
Theodore Parker, A Discourse of Matters Pertaining to Religion
Perhaps we have been blessed in being reared in a religious environment which placed more emphasis on heaven than hell, as a result of which “the mind of the normal child moves positively, in the emergence of religious consciousness, toward moral righteousness and social ministry, rather than negatively, away from sin and guilt.” (UB 103:2.6) In this instance, The Urantia Book will be much less of a culture shock than for those of us reared in the opposite environment.
With adolescence and the extended mental capacity for abstract thinking, we begin to look at the values and beliefs of our parents and society, and start to ask why? There is now the mental capacity, but not necessarily the desire, to question all that has been held out to us as fact and reality. Adolescence is a wonderful period in which not only is there now developed the mental capacity to question but physical development has kept apace the mental, and we can actually enforce our will, our wishes, as well as being able to reject the will and wishes of others.
Now if we were good, loving little children who were taught to be considerate of others, to conform to their wishes, this period of life will cause minimal stress for those around us. However it will cause us distress, for deep down we know that “The self has rights as well as one’s neighbors. Neither has exclusive claims upon the attention and service of the individual.” (UB 103:5.4) If we resolve our values dilemma by placing consideration for others above our ‘higher truth’ we normally decide not to think or question. Jesus was not such a ‘good’ child:
“OF ALL Jesus’ earth-life experiences, the fourteenth and fifteenth years were the most crucial. These two years, after he began to be self-conscious of divinity and destiny, and before he achieved a large measure of communication with his indwelling Adjuster, were the most trying of his eventful life on Urantia. It is this period of two years which should be called the great test, the real temptation. No human youth, in passing through the early confusions and adjustment problems of adolescence, ever experienced a more crucial testing than that which Jesus passed through during his transition from childhood to young manhood.” (UB 126:0.1)
Time passes and maturity and independence march into our life and then the fun begins as we are forced to recognize that we are responsible for ourselves. The day arrives, with most of us, when we really start to question as to what this life is all about. The clock is flying around, and as we look behind we ask; “Where did it go? What have I done?”
We yearn to know God better. We do not get the same thrill in attending church services. We feel that we are going along through life on someone else’s philosophy which, with minimal introspection, is full of holes. And then we are told of The Urantia Book.
We will approach the reading of the book with our religious and personal history, with a set of values and beliefs, some of which we are questioning, some of which we are not, and have consciously or unconsciously decided are beyond question. We can declare that we are ‘open-minded’, the reality is we are not. For example, a dedicated religionist who is dissatisfied with her church might pick up The Urantia Book. However if she has been heavily indoctrinated with the story that the Bible is the sealed work of God, His final say on paper; if she is very confused as to what the concept ‘sin’ is, and believes that she must always be wary when she is having a good time because it might be the serpent/apple phenomenon— then she will experience a great deal of inner turmoil in being a possessor of The Urantia Book.
And should she be prepared to revamp her beliefs to be more in accordance with The Urantia Book she will cause extreme distress to those friends of her prior beliefs
For those who have dabbled in the psychic, The Urantia Book (but not necessarily its contents) will be automatically embraced. After all, it is not written by humans! People with such beliefs often need excitement and mystery, as well as the feeling of being special and different. They regard their human life as too dull and monotonous. Therefore the contents of the book will be processed through their perceptual filter so as to attribute every happening in their day to a midwayer, finaliter or teacher son.
For those seeking truth, they have only to open the pages. Some will start at the fourth section to see if the portrayed image of Jesus is offensive to their Christian beliefs, others will start at Part 1 and be enthralled at the beauty and TRUTH of the description of God.
Others who feel estranged from their loved ones, due to their feeling different (a correct and natural emotion for, indeed, everyone is different from everyone else), might simply look up a concordex, read about fusion candidates, and immediately increase their fire insurance on house and contents in love and consideration for their shortly-to-be-parted- from loved ones.
1.The environment is one factor.
Not too many people are as strong as Jesus and prepared to forsake family, home and friends as he was and did.
Assuming the reader dedicatedly tries to read and understand some of the contents of The Urantia Book, then they are going to feel estranged from their old religious buddies. Having The Urantia Book makes people lonely. They have a new language and new concepts of life. The Urantia Book is seen as the panacea for all ills. They start to talk to those close to them, trying to share the ‘good news’ or win converts. It is all well-intentioned but can reek havoc in their social world. Tactlessly they go to their church and attempt education of those who do not want education. They become estranged. Everyone starts to comment on how different/peculiar they are. The pull of the statistical mean occurs—evolution— where revelation is forced to accommodate to the level of the current environment.
The Urantia Book teaches us wisdom and understanding of others who might not want us to be wise and understanding—simply obliging and conforming.
Some will resolve the environmental pressure to conform by quietly hiding The Urantia Book, treating it like stolen fruit, pulling it out when their loved ones are not around.
Others might be forced to have a ceremonial burning at the stake.
Other readers, perhaps with a higher level of self esteem, may have a little more courage and determination and be able to effect acceptance by their peers. Maybe it will look more like a truce: “You read the book if you wish but stop hitting me over the head with it”.
And others will go quietly about their educational pursuits within a loving and accepting environment.
And then there will be those few who are blessed with having enquiring friends and relatives who might also decide that they would like to read its contents.
2. Other factors are the existing beliefs and values on which a person functions.
A goodly number of these will be introjected (absorbed without any thought) in childhood. Consequently when it comes to religious beliefs— revelation that it be—The Urantia Book will not purge these values from a person’s being by the pure process of its possession. As in the example given above, if a person was reared in an environment where the Bible was God’s last word to mankind, then this belief will insidiously cause a lot of stress for the reader. Deep down they will question, “what if”? Could this be the work of the devil, or did God change His mind and decide to write another 2097 pages?
Friends ask how it came to be and we try to explain it was not automatic or inspired writing like all the nasty things that are talked about in relation to the occult. It was, well. . . ?!!
3. And then The Urantia Book supplies no rules or regulations.
All other religions, including the one to which the individual currently belongs, are neat and tidy. There is an in-group and an out-group. There are rules and rituals. Really it is not too much of a hassle being a Christian, just do what everybody else does or what you think they do.
Where are the rules in The Urantia Book? What is one supposed to be or do?
It is all so nebulous—doing God’s will, loving others as God loves us as exemplified by Jesus—it literally requires thought and effort every minute of the day. Actually it looks like a full time job! But worse still, it is a solitary path. You have to do it by yourself (if you exclude God, Jesus, the seraphim and the rest of the celestial gang.)
All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The world wants to be deceived. The truth is too complex and frightening; the taste for truth is an acquired taste thatfew acquire.
Walter Kaufrnann, I and Thou: A Prologue
4. Perhaps you are more partial to Moses’ God than Jesus’ God
Some people have a need for a ‘lesser God’ than the God of Jesus. They might need judgment day, hell and “the devil made me do it” to explain the ways of this planet, the behaviour of themselves, and the workings of universal justice. Let’s face it, hell is an effective way to ensure a fitting future for the Hitler’s of this world. It is just and fair!
The ‘lesser God’ helps individuals to ignore acceptance of responsibility for their actions, as well as to come to grips with their own imperfection. The rub of Moses’ God is that if it was not the devil who made you do it, then it was a sin and you are one day to join Hitler. Hence the need for an active-in-mankind’s-affairs devil.
Although not exhaustive, the above are the major reasons as to why one person will embrace The Urantia Book, another reject it, and a third accept it alongside contradictory beliefs. The human being is neither rational nor irrational but has a decided leaning towards arationality!
Assuming the new reader has high self esteem, determination, courage, support and/or acceptance, the next major step they take is when they decide to stop reading and start studying. Then the real pain comes in the discarding of redundant values and beliefs, myths and misperceptions, many of which have been such a comfort and solace!
We must be prepared to look at the stories we tell ourselves and call our factual life experiences. If we can acknowledge that there might be a different interpretation from the one we currently hold, then we can allow our Thought Adjuster to tell us the true story—which will be much more beautiful than our myth, for now it will be rich in self-understanding.
The student’s pathway becomes a faith adventure whereby we have the courage to make our decisions, discard out-dated values and beliefs, and change our attitudes and behaviours—with the utmost of confidence that we will be guided and supported by the God-spirit and by Jesus’ Spirit of Truth.
Limitations of Revelation | Volume 2 - No. 1 — Index | The Purpose and Limitations of the Fifth Epochal Revelation |