© 2002 The Brotherhood of Man Library
What might have happened if leaders of all major Christian sects had fully endorsed the Urantia Papers as being God-given revelation immediately after the book was printed in 1955?
Assuming they did so, millions of committed Christian everywhere may have been induced to attempt living their lives in a manner they imagined to be an imitation of the life of Jesus. Then, on seeing them do so, and how they so loved one another, virtually the whole community in all dominantly Christian countries may have followed. Presumably, with this magnificent example of love confronting them, the rest of the world would soon have been inspired to do likewise—and the age of light and life would have been virtually upon us.
A significant proportion of the early readers of The Urantia Book believed that at least the first part of this scenario was both inevitable and desirable. Some sent books to prominent world leaders such as the Pope, Kings and Queens, prime ministers, presidents, congressmen and the like, and local leaders, the expectation being that the divine authority of the revelation would quickly gain recognition, and occasion immediate repentance and conversion.
One of the more probable eventual outcomes from such a scenario would have been the economic collapse of these countries, followed by widespread poverty, with hunger and starvation becoming endemic, and followed by unconstrained outbreaks of contagious diseases. In one word, disaster. On a miniature scale, this happened to very early Christians in Jerusalem who soon were starving and had to be supported by donations from communities at Antioch and elsewhere.
The strongest minds are often those of whom the noisy world hears least.
William Wordsworth
Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more seriously reflection concentrates upon them: the starry heaven above me and the moral law within me.
Immanuel Kant
It appears that the authors of the Urantia Papers were quite aware of the potential for a new authoritative divine revelation to wreak chaos. “It is nearly fatal to the continuance of civilization to undertake their wholesale modification by radical revolution.” (UB 68:4.6) And referring to prior experience, “The Dalamatia teachers sought to add conscious social selection to the purely natural selection of biologic evolution. They did not derange human society, but they did markedly accelerate its normal and natural evolution. Their motive was progression by evolution and not revolution by revelation.” (UB 66:6.6)
Not long after this, the Caligastia rebellion did occur, with the apparent expectations having parallels to what some early readers had for the Urantia Papers: “The complete and radical reorganization of the whole world was attempted; revolution displaced evolution as the policy of cultural advancement and racial improvement.”
However the results differed from expectations: “Among the superior and partially trained sojourners in and near Dalamatia there appeared a sudden advancement in cultural status, but when these new and radical methods were attempted on the outlying peoples, indescribable confusion and racial pandemonium was the immediate result. Liberty was quickly translated into license by the half-evolved primitive men of those days.” (UB 67:5.1)
When providing us with the Urantia Papers, their authors must surely have given deep consideration about how it could be done in order to achieve maximum effectiveness while at the same time keeping the risks to a minimum.
A consequence of the earlier rebellion was the frustration of Adam and Eve during their attempts to fulfill their allotted task of genetic upgrading of the human race, the effect being the extremely limited results flowing from their efforts. Presently our genetic potential is only a little above that of the original life plasm introduced to this planet.
Once the Urantia Papers were completed and ready to go to print, it appears that the recipients were informed we are now “on our own.” That means we bear full responsibility for introducing their message to the rest of Urantians. Thus we need to carefully consider our resources, our potentials, and ask what our reasonable expectations might be.
On the scale of intellectual and spiritual capacity covering all minded beings that inhabit finite reality, humanity is at the very lowest level. And even within our own category of finite mortal being, we are described as from a “disordered and backward world like Urantia.” (UB 55:2.10)
Among our catalogue of attributes as presented in the Urantia Papers is: ‘man possess the lowest type of personality;’ we are ‘the lowest of will creatures;’ we have ‘the lowest mind of all;’ and ‘though we may be naturally God-seeking we are not inherently God-knowing.’
To cap the list: “The whole principle of biologic evolution is such that it makes it impossible for primitive man to appear on the inhabited worlds with any large endowment of self restraint.” (UB 118:8.5) And, “Mortal man is a machine, a living mechanism; his roots are truly in the physical world of energy. Many human reactions are mechanical in nature; much of life is machinelike.”
I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing often-times
The still, sad music of humanity.
William Wordworth
When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun with nettles.
Horace Walpole
Adding these together to get a total for our attributes might persuade even the most narcissistic among adherents of the Urantia revelation to take serious thought concerning the personal implications referenced by: “The great danger that besets the creature is that, in achieving liberation from the fetters of the life mechanism, he will fail to compensate this loss of stability by effecting a harmonious working liaison with spirit. Creature choice, when relatively liberated from mechanical stability, may attempt further self-liberation independent of greater spirit identification.” (UB 118:8.4)
Because of the natural mechanical component of our response to situations, our behavior patterns tend not to derive from the considered actions of a spirit-directed intelligence but have their origin in primordial reflexes associated with self-preservation, dominance, territorialism, and the survival of our species. Mostly, they will be inappropriate for one hoping or striving to live a life in the imitation of Jesus.
Our one and only realistic saving grace is to be located in the potential associated with our spirit indwelling. Though in this mortal life we can never escape the electrical and mechanical aspects of our existence, we can “increasingly learn to subordinate this physical life machine by the process of consecrating the human mind to the execution of the spiritual urges stemming from our spirit indwelling.” (UB 118:8.2)
So why don’t we just get on with it? Well, it seems there is a problem. Whereas it is true that the spirit liberates and mechanism limits the function of human will, for our present level on the evolutionary tree of spiritual progress, our mental stability is strongly linked with our automatic and mechanistic control systems. Uncoupling these mechanisms introduces a potential instability that may become of great danger not only to ourselves but for those with whom we associate—and in extreme instances (such as Napoleon and Hitler for example), may threaten the stability of the societies in which we live.
The Urantia Papers inform us about how the slowness of human cultural progress testifies to the effectiveness of these evolutionary components of material inertia that operate to reduce our rate of advance and, in doing so, contribute to overall stability. However, when culture advances at too great a pace, our civilizations contain within themselves the seeds of their own destruction. (UB 118:8.6)
How do these warnings relate to dangers deriving from the ways we seek to spread the book and its message? A potential source of danger stems from individuals who are self-deluded concerning the reality of the relationship they share with their indwelling spirit forces. The harm they may cause to gullible souls, though usually limited, may nevertheless be extensive.
There are of course many spectacular examples, the Waco and Jones debacles springing quickly to mind. But these are only the examples that make the news. Problems best forgotten have already arisen within the Urantia movement and probably will occur again as the book wends its way into third world countries. The sum total of human misery derived from such incidents can be quite enormous.
Alone, alone, about the dreadful wood
Of conscious evil runs a lost mankind,
Dreading to find its Father.
W.H. Auden
To save your world you asked this man to die: would this man, could he see you now, ask why?
Epitaph to an unknown soldier. (W.H. Auden)
The lesson? Outreach needs to be spirit-directed. We must make every effort to see that this is so but any attempt to institute authoritarian control would be self-defeating.
For the individual, it is essential to be aware that our personal spirit alliance will only work for long term good if we have indeed effected a truly harmonious working relationship with our indwelling God-Spirit. Anything other than the possession of a functional harmony will not only fail, but may have unexpected and unwanted consequences if we presume upon it.
The Urantia Papers repeatedly emphasize our need for seeking unbroken personal relationships with our Indwelling Spirit, for consecrating our wills to the doing of God’s will, for living our lives in selfless service (as Jesus lived his), and for the bearing of the fruits of the spirit as a critical adjunct. Is the conscious ignoring of these affirmations a rejection of God’s will?
“The proof of fraternity with the divine Adjuster consists wholly in the nature and extent of the fruits of the spirit which are yielded in the life experience of the individual believer. ‘By their fruits you shall know them.’” (UB 5:2.4)
That quote leaves us with little doubt about a recommended course of action to spread the message. The fruits of the spirit are the life reactions of a spirit-led mortal. They are “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.”
Jesus spent the major portion of his life serving on a person to person basis. But when he engaged in public ministry it was with a group—his apostles and the women’s corps—and was usually combined with service ministry.
For most of us, our serving needs to begin in the home. Only when those who know us best can recognize in us the love and goodness that was in Jesus would it be safe for us to engage in public ministry. Otherwise our act would be an hypocrisy.
Remembering that evolution rather than revolution is the preferred option, then yes, by our fruits we can be known and we can make a difference.
“Your mission to the world is founded on the fact that I lived a God-revealing life among you; on the truth that you and all other men are the sons of God; and it shall consist in the life which you will live among men—the actual and living experience of loving men and serving them, even as I have loved and served you. Let faith reveal your light to the world; let the revelation of truth open the eyes blinded by tradition; let your loving service effectually destroy the prejudice engendered by ignorance. By so drawing close to your fellow men in understanding sympathy and with unselfish devotion, you will lead them into a saving knowledge of the Father’s love.” (UB 191:5.3)