© 2024 François Audet
© 2024 Urantia Association of Quebec
Francois Audet
Quebec
It has happened to me sometimes, as perhaps to some of you, when confronted with the vicissitudes of life, to console myself by rereading papers 47 and 48 dealing with the world of mansions and morontia life. Human nature being what it is, it is sometimes tempting to do a selective reading of the Urantia Book, to concentrate on the exciting aspects and to ignore the restrictive aspects. During certain presentations, an idyllic world was dangled before us, castles in Spain so to speak, morontia versions! I have even heard some, and it has also crossed my mind, almost wish for death in order to move on to something more pleasant and easy! The following text therefore seeks to counterbalance this tendency to “run away” and attempts to substitute a more positive vision in accordance with the revelation.
¶ The morontia body
First surprise, during the resurrection, we will be endowed with a morontia body whose appearance will reflect certain attributes of our physical body! The fact that we are female or male seems to have an impact since we are told that we will be intrigued for ages by entities of the other sex, even after having reached the finaliter stage. Our race also seems to be reflected in the morontia aspect since we find “seven radial wings, the resurrection halls of the mortal races. Each of these structures is devoted to the assembly of one of the seven races of time” (UB 47:3.5). We will have access to racial interpreters (UB 48:6.22) to help us harmonize our racial differences. Our morontia organs of communication will be different from those coming from a planet without an atmosphere (UB 40:5.15): “When you encounter these modified mortal types on the mansion worlds, you will find no difficulty in communicating with them. There they speak the same system language but by a modified technique.” The number of brains (from one to three depending on the planet of origin) is reflected at the morontia level (UB 40:5.17): “The intellectual and spiritual differential between the three brain types characterizes individuals who are otherwise quite alike in mind endowment and spiritual potential, being greatest in the temporal life and tending to diminish as the mansion worlds are traversed one by one.”
¶ Mental and spiritual abilities
Second surprise, they will initially be very similar to those we have on Earth (UB 47:4.6): “Pause to consider: Mansonia number one is a very material sphere, presenting the early beginnings of the morontia regime. You are still a near human and not far removed from the limited viewpoints of mortal life, but each world discloses definite progress. From sphere to sphere you grow less material, more intellectual, and slightly more spiritual. The spiritual progress is greatest on the last three of these seven progressive worlds.”
¶ Faith in God
There will be no proof of the existence of God on the morontia worlds. Belief in God will remain an act of faith. This seems surprising, but it is the logical consequence of Paper 53 on Lucifer’s rebellion. Let me explain. Despite the fact that Lucifer denied the existence of the Universal Father, many celestial beings followed him in his rebellion. Now, if this existence were obvious, Lucifer would have lost all credibility. There would have been no need for the celestial beings to attend the long speeches of Lucifer and Gabriel (53:5.6) to decide what to do next.
¶ Make efforts
This is a common aspect of all life on all levels: physical, morontia, and spiritual. We are told (UB 103:5.7): “The pursuit of the ideal—the striving to be Godlike—is a continuous effort before death and after. The life after death is no different in the essentials than the mortal existence. Everything we do in this life which is good contributes directly to the enhancement of the future life. Real religion does not foster moral indolence and spiritual laziness by encouraging the vain hope of having all the virtues of a noble character bestowed upon one as a result of passing through the portals of natural death. True religion does not belittle man’s efforts to progress during the mortal lease on life.”
In the world of mansions, we will learn new languages and this will require effort (UB 48:3.13): “You will not acquire new languages automatically; you will learn a language over there much as you do down here…”
In the section on Mansion World Educators we are told (UB 48:5.7): “There are no royal roads, short cuts, or easy paths to Paradise. Irrespective of the individual variations of the route, you master the lessons of one sphere before you proceed to another.”
Effort does not always produce joy, but there is no happiness without intelligent effort. (UB 48:7.10)
There is no happiness without progress, and to progress you have to make efforts. This happiness is immediately accessible to us on Earth! (UB 100:4.3): “The greatest happiness is indissolubly linked to spiritual progress. Spiritual growth provides lasting joy, a peace that surpasses all understanding.”
Death added nothing to the intellectual possession or to the spiritual endowment, but it did add to the experiential status the consciousness of survival. (UB 48:7.25)
¶ Conclusion
No need to dream about the future! It is better to live each day intensely, and not put off what you can do today. Here are some quotes that support this advice:
“Those things which you might have learned on earth, but which you failed to learn, must be acquired . . .” (UB 48:5.7)
“The mansonia life early teaches the young morontia pupils that postponement is in no sense avoidance. After the life in the flesh, time is no longer available as a technique of dodging situations or of circumventing disagreeable obligations.” (UB 48:5.8)
“Very important is the work of preparation for the next higher sphere, but nothing equals the importance of the work of the world in which you are actually living.” (UB 48:6.37)
“Every mortal gain is a direct contribution to the enrichment of the first stages of the immortal survival experience.” (UB 103:5.7)
The weak indulge in resolutions, but the strong act. Life is but a day’s work—do it well. The act is ours; the consequences God’s. (UB 48:7.13)
“Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole.” (UB 100:1.4)
The eternal adventure is already underway for those who are searching for God. Death is merely a transition to continuity.
The adventure continues!