© 1977 Duane L. Faw
© 1977 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
The URANTIA Book teaches that the universes are created for an “eternal and divine purpose” (UB 42:0.2) and that the purpose of “mortal creatures of animal origin.” including all mankind, is to become ascending sons of God. (UB 40:6.3) Rodan, the Greek philosopher from Alexandria, saw mortal man as fulfilling his basic purpose in the divine plan through mastering the “art of living.” (Paper 160)
Man shares with his primal ancestors the animal urges of survival: sustenance, safety, shelter and sex. But with the added endowments of the spirits of worship and wisdom (UB 62:5.4) man also responds to the human desires of greed, social recognition, self-aggrandizement, and self-importance. As a human animal, man is constantly lured by those things which gratify himself
But physical man has been given the potential to become a spiritual personality by choosing to do the will of the Father. (UB 118:1.2) This man can accomplish by converting his natural drives inherited from his animal ancestors into spiritual drives through attuning himself to his spiritual forebears. This is described by Rodan as developing: a spiritual counterpart of man’s animal urges, desires, and lures until he is only driven by those things which gratify the Father, reflected by concern for others.
The “art of living” is the process by which man develops his spiritual character. In a sense it is the technique by which one masters one’s physical self by achieving one’s spiritual potential. It is the method by which one rises above the mundane existence bound by finite reality and enjoys a sublime living among the expanded horizon of cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness. It is man’s pathway on his journey toward God.
— Duane Faw