© 2020 Gard Jameson
© 2020 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
| Water: Truth, Beauty, And Goodness | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 89 — March 2020 | National Meeting At Notre Dame Des Lumières |
Guard Jameson
of any problem of reality—human or divine, earthly or cosmic—except by the complete and unprejudiced study and correlation of three phases of universal reality: origin, history, and destiny. The right understanding of these three experiential realities provides the necessary basis for a wise estimate of present status.” (UB 19:1.6)
Our present difficulty in grasping the “present state” of the race question arises because our appreciable understanding of the origin, history, and destiny of The Urantia Book is largely confined to the pages of the book itself. The absence of corroborating evidence in the human record will be enough to turn many thinking people away. Such is our present status. Despite his own divine status, teachings, and life, Jesus suffered the same misunderstanding.
In short, few appreciate the divine spark that gave birth to our origins. This divine spark carried with it the potentials of evolutionary history, including the eventual advent of the human species and the diversity of six colored races. Few know the history of the planet as described by the authors of The Urantia Book, which helps explain much about the source of our present problems, including the problems of race and racism. And very few have as elaborate a picture of our destiny as that provided by The Urantia Book. In short, The Urantia Book presents itself as a revelation. The Urantia Book suggests a wondrous context, as great as the loving and merciful God of eternal and infinite space-time and as small as an earthworm trying to make its way through hard soil. To approach any part of our story without feeling our infinite, eternal and universal context, our origins, our history, our destiny, is to misinterpret and miss the meaning of the text.
On the first page, The Urantia Book makes it clear that it is a text that addresses the two primary approaches to understanding our human context: 1) cosmic consciousness, in other words our appreciation of the vastness of the cosmos and our place in this friendly universe, and 2) spiritual perception, that is, our inner spiritual life and the various ways in which God comes to indwell each of us, the Thought Adjuster, the Spirit of Truth, and the Holy Ghost, and the many ways in which God reveals His/Her loving Presence. These two parts enable us to grasp and appreciate our divine origins, our history, and our destiny. They are like two lenses, facilitating our ability to see, truly see, the underlying unity of reality and the sublime contours of the diversity of the universe. They are the telescope, cosmic consciousness, and the microscope, spiritual perception, through which we approach reality and its challenges.
Without the clarity provided by these two lenses, issues such as racial and personal prejudice and religious intolerance remain obstacles. Cosmic consciousness and spiritual perception can be better understood by quotes such as: “In all their dealings with intelligent beings, the Creator Son (Jesus) and his Paradise Father are dominated by love.” (UB 54:6.2)
A Midwayer writes: “As you look at the world, remember that the black spots of evil you see are set against a white background of ultimate good.” (UB 195:5.12) In other words, evil is impossible to understand without the experiential awareness of ultimate goodness, the gracious indwelling presence of God. When we consider the word “race” and the historical evil associated with that word, we must learn to see it in opposition to the reality of God’s infinite goodness, truth, and beauty; we must learn to test it against the demonstration of divine love, mercy, and service exemplified throughout the text, especially in the life and teachings of Jesus. This summer was a profoundly educational experience for me. In June, I attended the annual Voices for America’s Children conference in Washington, D.C. Just before the conference, I had the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum for the first time. Within the walls of this sacred site, I witnessed the horror of racism, prejudice, bigotry, and a godless philosophy. In July, I attended the North American Interfaith Network meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, and had the privilege of meeting some of the early civil rights pioneers, including Andrew Young, Carter T. Vivian, and Rev. Durley, who worked and marched alongside Martin Luther King. I visited some of the historic sites of this struggle that continues today, including Morehouse College and Ebenezer Church. Within the walls of Ebenezer, I heard Martin Luther King’s voice speak of the depth, breadth, and length of the human journey toward true freedom. I heard loud and clear the words of Carter T. Vivian when he said that only “radical love can heal radical racism.”
Let me be clear from the outset. The Urantia Book is not a racist text; as the great explorer Sir Hubert Wilkens stated, it is “completely consistent” throughout the text. It is repeated over and over again that God is love, unconditional love, and that He does not tolerate injustice and the exercise of unjust power against others. Every quote in The Urantia Book must be taken in the context of a loving respect for the divine status and personal rights of each individual in the universe. Like other readers, I have had my moments of reflection and anxiety over the racial content of the book. With over forty years of reading the text, I see a pattern from beginning to end of the book, which affirms the absolute dignity of each person in the eyes of God. This perspective is the foundation of The Urantia Book. Nothing in the book can be understood without this perspective.
One of the clearest archetypes of revelation is that there is a unity underlying the diversity of creation that leads to an adventure of developing meanings and values in our personal and collective experience. “God is unity.” (UB 56:0.1), and diversity characterizes every aspect of our physical, intellectual, and spiritual reality. The Urantia Book puts it another way by stating that within each person there is a quality of vertical depth, breadth, and length. The depth comes from the quality of our relationship with divine realities, our divine communion and worship. The breadth comes from the quality of our relationships with one another, our family and community ties. The dimension of length comes from our personal engagement with the meanings and values of our journey through life, the emergence of character. Depth, breadth, and length the book tells us are the three dimensions of what it means to be a person. (UB 112:1.5)
The Urantia Book states that “even wisdom is divine and sure only when it has cosmic scope and spiritual motivation.” (UB 54:1.7) This statement clearly separates the perspective of The Urantia Book from any ideology that has perpetuated racism, or attempted to use unjust power to undermine the well-being of others. We hear again and again that “God is no respecter of persons,” a phrase repeated sixteen times throughout the book, from beginning to end. Speaking to Peter on one of his last visits to Urantia, Jesus said: “If you love me, Peter, feed my lambs. Do not neglect your ministry to the weak, the poor, and the young. Preach the gospel without fear or favor; never forget that God is no respecter of persons. Serve your fellow men as I have served you; forgive your fellow mortals as I have forgiven you.” Let experience teach you the value of meditation and the power of intelligent thinking.” (UB 192:2.2)
The ideologies that drove Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, Rwanda, Cambodia, South Africa, and many places of genocidal racism and violence were, in the words of The Urantia Book, Luciferian, based on a false illusion of freedom, based on self-affirmation and denial of the reality of God and the spiritual dimension of our existence, denial of the rights and dignity of any free-will personality. It is a specious philosophy, odious to the authors of The Urantia Book, and the source of untold pages of tragedy in our history.
A Mighty Messenger makes this clear when he writes: “No error is greater than the kind of self-deception which leads intelligent beings to the thirst to exercise their power over other beings, in order to deprive them of their natural freedoms. The golden rule of human equity rises against all these frauds, injustices, selfishness and lack of righteousness. Only authentic and true freedom is compatible with the reign of love and the ministry of mercy.” (UB 54:1.8)
Now imagine how confused I was when I took the course titled Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective taught by Professor Barbara King of the College of William and Mary. In the lecture titled: Do Human Races Exist? She made it clear that they do not. To quote her, “Contemporary biological anthropologists have reached a near consensus in answering this question: however sociologically useful the concept of race may be, there is no biological validity to the idea that human races exist. No matter how one tries to carve up the human species into discrete races—based on skin color and other genetic attributes—it turns out that there is too much variability within each ‘race’ for the idea to have any biological meaning… Race is a constructed concept.”
Dr. King illustrated his point by putting a slide of a Norwegian next to an African Pygmy, stating that “there is more variation within the so-called races than between them,” that there was more variability within the Pygmy population than between the Pygmies and the Norwegian population.
Compare Dr. King’s statement, “No such entity as a pure human race exists in the world today,” with what we read in paragraph UB 82:6.1, “There are no pure races in the world today.” And you can see where most of the confusion comes from. Given our current view of scientific research, there are no pure races; in fact, there is apparently no scientific data to support the term “race” as a biological concept. Today’s scientists do not have the privileged viewpoint of The Urantia Book; and, they would be laughed out of academia if they were to use The Urantia Book as the basis for their conclusion.
For the sake of corroboration, I asked one of my fellow professors at UNLV, anthropology professor Alyssa Crittenden about race. Without batting an eyelid, she responded that “race” is not considered a legitimate biological term by any credible expert in the field. My exploration of understanding “race” in The Urantia Book had apparently hit a brick wall. So, I think a different approach needs to be taken. That approach involves our sensitivities around genetics.
I remember my niece suffering from a chromosomal deficiency and her father having her sterilized so that she would not inadvertently reproduce another child, an important eugenic decision. In relation to my niece, I can honestly use the words “grossly unfit, defective, degenerate (degraded), and socially unfit.” In her case, I can see evidence of why The Urantia Book suggests that “civilization is helpless without the fulcrum of a healthy and normal mind, firmly based on an equally healthy and normal heredity.” (UB 70:8.18) that “heredity is the foundation of all character.” (UB 72:4.2)
Furthermore, I remembered my cousin, who has epilepsy, telling me that she discovered her epilepsy after giving birth to her daughter, who now also has epilepsy. This girl, my cousin, clearly decided not to have any more children, another important eugenic decision. In her case, in full awareness, she made a self-assessment of certain hereditary defects that led her to her decision, a decision requiring courage and insight.
In neither case does heredity as a biological fact reflect the infinite value of each of these individuals. God’s unconditional love embraces all his creatures.
Unlike Nazi Germany and the authority granted to its dictator, The Urantia Book tells us that only a Material Son and Daughter are capable of making such clear assessments of biological stability. (UB 37:9.10) And that is why The Urantia Book says it so clearly: “The difficulty in carrying out such a radical program on Urantia is the lack of competent judges to adjudicate the biological fitness or unfitness of individuals of the races of your world. Despite this obstacle, it seems that you should be able to agree on biological dissociation from the most notoriously unfit, defective, or antisocial bloodlines.” (UB 51:4.8) That is precisely what my niece’s father decided; that is precisely what my cousin decided. These are courageous decisions backed by sound genetic science.
Although mentioned only once in The Urantia Book (UB 111:4.4), eugenics is certainly an important and timely topic of conversation. Much scientific attention is given to our genetic makeup and how disease is promoted or retarded by specific genetic markers. We receive information frequently in the news. When we choose life partners, there are, at some level, genetic evaluations made by all. We are told that “the spectacular cases of bad results from the endogamy of hereditary abnormalities impressed more strongly the human mind; it followed that advancing mores formulated more and more taboos against all marriages between close relatives.” (UB 82:5.2)
When we consider the word “race,” we must somehow learn to internalize the realization that “God loves every creature as a child, and his love overshadows every creature in time and eternity.” (UB 118:10.5) “unduplicated in infinity…irreplaceable in all eternity.” (UB 12:7.9) At a recent seminar on worship and wisdom, I was bold enough to suggest that there is a reason why the adjutant of worship precedes the adjutant of wisdom, perhaps suggesting that without worship we can expect little wisdom. Remember Jesus’ counsel to Peter: “Let experience teach you the value of meditation and the power of intelligent reflection.” (UB 192:2.2) When Jesus says that “God is no respecter of persons, nor of races, nor of nations, nor is there favoritism with the Universal Father” (UB 156:2.4) he is telling the truth. And, it is a truth that overshadows and informs every page of The Urantia Book.
As I say in my philosophy classes, wisdom is a matter of perspective. The Urantia Book invites a perspective that is cosmic in its scope and spiritual in its motivation. Without such a perspective, we can hope for little wisdom in the problems we face personally and collectively. In the pages of The Urantia Book, we learn some very important points in trying to understand the origin, history, and destiny of our planet. These points directly affect our appreciation regarding the subject of race:
As to origins, life on this planet was not fortuitous or accidental but had divine origins, with the Life Carriers and their team, with Michael of Nebadon and the Mother Creator Spirit. The book clearly states that life emerges from the primal outpouring of divine potentials. But, it is recognized that evolution is indeed a struggle, that violence and war are endemic to the human condition. In the context of this struggle for survival of the fittest, there is indeed violent behavior on a large scale; history shows this to be the factual truth. Prior to the arrival of a Planetary Prince, “unrelenting war” seems to be the normal course of affairs on an evolutionary planet. We have learned of the extermination of the orange and green races; of the diaspora of the red race on the Bering Isthmus, “the decimated tribes of the red race” (UB 79:5.6), “seven thousand men, women and children” (UB 64:7.5).
As for the history of our planet, we have a vivid picture of how this planet has deviated from the normal planetary historical progression. We are told that “life on an inhabited world is so changed by rebellion that you can hardly, if at all, imagine this regime on a normal planet.” (UB 52:2.1) With the rebellion of our Planetary Prince and the default of our material Son and Daughter, the course of our planetary history has been inevitably changed for the worse with disastrous historical consequences. Without the perspective of these two planetary events, it is indeed a confused and disastrous state of affairs.
Imagine if our history books had recorded that, through the advances made by the Material Son and Daughter, 36,000 years ago the planet had entered an era of “world peace—the cessation of racial strife and national animosity” (UB 52:3.12 ) that at that time there would have appeared on the planet an “amalgamated race… somewhat of an olive shade of the violet hue.” With the full completion of the amalgamation of the races, nationalism weakening (what is the current state of nationalism on the planet?), and the brotherhood of man beginning to truly materialize (how close are we to this reality?); representative government beginning to replace monarchical or paternal forms of government. (how many years ago did representative government begin to take shape on the planet?) The educational system becoming global (how much of the planet is universal education still not a reality?), and the languages of the races gradually giving way to the language of the violet people (how close are we to a language?).” (UB 52:3.10) This is the era of “universal peace and cooperation.” (UB 52:3.10) Imagine, in comparison with the history with which we are familiar, how different our present conditions would be. Racism would have long since faded from the memory of humanity. Only with the insight and privileged perspective of The Urantia Book can we appreciate the statement that “the entire program of race improvement was rapidly destroyed on Urantia.” (UB 51:5.4)
And so what we must live with is the realization that in the short term, few will open themselves to such a cosmic context and spiritual perspective. We are told that The Urantia Book was given long before its worldwide mission to foster the ground of transformation, now and in the future.
As we have observed, the question of “race” is a matter of historical perspective. We will have no immediate success in trying to defend the concept of “race.” When The Urantia Book becomes more widely available, it will behoove us to assert that the text is not racist while graciously acknowledging that without the conceptual and historical framework of The Urantia Book, the passages we have shared and many others are difficult to understand. Since none of us were there in the Indian Highlands to observe the emergence of six colored races; we must admit that this is what happened. Similarly, since none of us were there to observe the time of the Planetary Prince and the rebellion that followed; we admit that this is what happened. Since none of us were there to witness the Garden of Eden and its inhabitants, including the Material Son and Daughter; we admit that this is what happened. We have little or no empirical evidence, only our “response to reality,” to the sublime integrity of the text, and to our experience of spiritual realities.
In conclusion, what attracted me to The Urantia Book may be similar to what attracted you. The incomparable picture of Deity in all its phases, especially showing God as a true, loving, and wise parent, attracted me to the book. The exciting and sublime life and teachings of Jesus attracted me to the book. The enchanting picture of life after death and the innumerable beneficent beings who populate the universe attracted me to The Urantia Book. If I had read only Papers 51, 52, 64, 82, I would have moved on long ago. But, seeing what I see of God and his countless merciful beings moving through the galaxies, of the Creative Mother Spirit and her co-partner, Jesus, Michael of Nebadon, I can reconsider Papers 51, 52, 64, 82 as fitting into a larger context. Such a context recognizes the human limitations inherent in an evolving planet, and yet it is bold to suggest that racial fusion and cooperation are necessary in the future evolution of a planet. Such a vision suggests that we humans must learn, with a spirit of love, an expression of mercy, and selfless service to determine, as best we can, the importance of genetics in the future evolution of the human species and the spiritual realization of the planet.
We are indeed privileged to have the perspective of The Urantia Book. Racism is an emotionally complex issue that exists to some extent in all of us, regardless of the color of our skin. Each year, I attend two youth camps called Camp Anytown, sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada. There, I observe, no matter the context, all children begin to see, recognize, and dismantle the roots of their own prejudice and bigotry. Simply reading The Urantia Book does not absolve the prejudice and bigotry that we personally carry in our own baggage. That is our personal responsibility. Where is the racial prejudice in your bag? Can you observe your own personal bias regarding racial diversity? What kind of religious bigotry do you engage in? Do you denigrate other religious traditions in deference to The Urantia Book? How do you maintain personal prejudices, against this or that person, because of their opinions, their temperament, their social position? Each of these positions is a slap in the face to the ideal of civil rights and spiritual self-control. Each of these positions directly impedes our personal relationship with God and with our family. One day, when Andrew Young was in contact with the Klu Klux Klan, he asked his wife, Jean, to point their gun at the person with whom he was speaking. She responded by saying, “I won’t. Under that skin is a child of God. He’s sick with racial prejudice, which is all the more reason why I won’t point the gun.”
If I have learned anything over the past 40 years, it is that the only effective solvent for racial prejudice, religious bigotry, and personal bias is our identification with God and God’s unconditional and merciful love through the enlightening experience of worship and the exercise of free will in selfless service. What does each of us do to cultivate this realization? By our fruits we will be known; what will be said of us as disciples of the fifth epochal revelation? The emotional trauma of millennia of racism, including the history of slavery in America, Nazi Germany, Rwanda, Serbia Croatia, Cambodia, South Africa, and so many other places, is deeply ingrained in our bloodstream. As Desmond Tutu suggests, there must be a reconciliation and healing of these wounds both personally and collectively. Only God can heal these wounds and to the extent that we consent to His personal presence and action, we allow our own personal healing and transformation.
An attack on the diversity of creation is an attack on the very person of God and the underlying unity of reality. When we attack our racial diversity, we foster racial prejudice and racism. When we attack our religious diversity, we separate ourselves from the very source of that diversity, God. When we attack our social diversity, the diversity of our personal perspectives, our temperaments, our sexuality, we create a culture of ignorant prejudice. When we embrace our racial diversity, we move toward the realization of the family of God. When we embrace our religious diversity, we move ever closer to the realization of the personal presence of God. When we embrace our social diversity, we move ever closer to our personal and collective freedom in a planetary-scale story of exodus. In other words, an attack on the cosmic principle of diversity is an attack on reality itself, on the possibility of true unity in our personal and collective experience. The Civil Rights Movement opened the door to the true appreciation of personality, to seeing diversity within the unity of human expression. As Carter T. Vivian shared with us, “Martin saved us all.” Martin Luther King highlighted our ultimate salvation when he wrote, “The mark of the meaning of ultimate reality is found in personality.” Do we not see that if we do not move forward, equipped with a moral compass and cosmic consciousness, toward appreciating our diversity, whether we are talking about race, religion, ethnicity, or sexuality, we are holding back the very reality we long for, God and God’s wonderful love?
My great-grandfather, William Henry Jameson, outside the Tremont Temple in Boston, built pianos and shipped the beauty of music south. He brought back in empty crates, slaves, those precious flowers of humanity. He housed them and cared for them in Boston.
I challenge each of us to discover in our own personal adventure how we can carry the beautiful harmonies of God’s love, and come away with a fuller appreciation of our diversity. Only God’s love and service to humanity, Jesus said, will heal and transform all these wounds. And this, my friends, is the message of The Urantia Book. May we have the courage to drink in Jesus’ words: “Let experience teach you the value of meditation and the power of intelligent reflection” so that we can share the good news without fear or hesitation, so that we can serve our brothers and sisters as Jesus served us, so that we can celebrate the diversity of God’s creative unity!
Translation G. Michelson-Dupont
| Water: Truth, Beauty, And Goodness | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 89 — March 2020 | National Meeting At Notre Dame Des Lumières |