© 2020 Suzanne Kelly, Richard Jernigan, Jeffrey Wattles, André Radatus, Mark Kurtz, Claude Flibotte
© 2020 International Urantia Association (IUA)
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¶ In This Issue
- Journal Editorial – November 2020 – Suzanne Kelly, USA
- Jesus and Politics: – Richard Jernigan, USA
- Living the Gospel and Proclaiming with Power in the 21st Century – Jeffrey Wattles, USA
- To Be as Masterful a Teacher as the Master – André Radatus, Canada
- Comprehension – Advancing Brilliance from Insight – Mark Kurtz, USA
- Implantation of Life on a Planet – Claude Flibotte, Canada
- About the Journal
- Ways to Donate to Urantia Association International
¶ Journal Editorial – November 2020
Suzanne Kelly, USA
Greetings fellow Urantians and welcome to the final Journal of 2020, and my final editorial for the Journal as Chief Editor. I have been extremely fortunate to have been the Chief Editor in for this publication for over a decade and have enjoyed every minute of it. There have been so many wonderful and enlightening essays from around the world that we have shared and translated and I foresee many, many more from new and seasoned readers that will expand our understanding of this incredible tome, The Urantia Book!
The new Chief Editor will be Mark Blackham from Canada. Mark was introduced to The Urantia Book in 1973 when it was pointed out to him by a homeless man he met in a library. Since then, the book has always played a vital role in his life, serving as a spiritual guide and a divine inspiration. He is currently the Vice President of the Urantia Association of Canada and serves on the Public Relations and Publications Committees of Urantia Association International, where he helps with editing and graphic design. On another project, he assists the Urantia University Institute with online curriculum design. Mark will take the Chief Editorial reins in 2021 and continue to introduce works of discovery and interpretation of the truths found within The Urantia Book by sharing them with the Urantia audience living such a life on such a planet.
¶ Jesus and Politics
Richard Jernigan, USA
¶ How Do We Reconcile Living in the Kingdom and Living in the World?
(Editor’s note: This is from a presentation given at the 2018 Urantia Association International conference in the Netherlands)
Politics are an intense and unavoidable part of being human. Each day, politics intrudes into our news feeds and our daily lives. Political awareness and opinion are just as diverse and impassioned among Urantia Book readers as they are throughout the rest of the world. Just look at Urantia Book reader comments on social media to get a taste of that.
So as readers, how do the teachings of The Urantia Book inform our politics? How should they inform our politics?
Jesus was fully cognizant of his world’s political and economic problems. In a conference one day on the Sea of Galilee with Peter, James, and John, he had a frank conversation about how his apostles should deal with politics, economics, and social issues. “He recognized the need for social justice and industrial fairness, but he offered no rules for their attainment” [UB 140:8.15]. The writers in this section say Jesus was not a political reformer, and we should “never make the mistake of associating Jesus with a particular political or economic theory, with any social or industrial system” [UB 140:8.10]. Jesus instead sought to “make all men Godlike and then stand by sympathetically while these sons of God solve their own political, social, and economic problems” [UB 140:8.18]. Jesus’ great focus was to teach us without qualification that God is our loving father and that we are all brothers and sisters. Regardless of who we are and what we believe, the universe is one vast family.
¶ Living the Gospel and Proclaiming with Power in the 21st Century
Jeffrey Wattles, USA
(Editor’s note: This is from a presentation given at the 2018 Urantia Association International conference in the Netherlands)
Stand under the waterfall … Allow yourselves to be drenched in the beauty of Jesus’ many-sided gospel. We can know God as a loving and merciful Father, who has sent his spirit to live within us. We are free to use our own language to name him in the way that expresses our own spiritual discovery. We know that we are part of a world-wide family that is slowly evolving toward a high destiny in a process that is now going through a difficult and dangerous transition, one that will eventually lead to a new civilization based upon post-materialistic meanings and values.
We want the whole world to know Jesus’ life-giving truth, and we know how to proclaim. As Jesus bestowed his life upon us, we proclaim by our lives of thought, word, and deed. We fill our hearts with love, serve as we are able, and speak truth as the opportunity arises. Yes, we live in difficult times for the gospel. But as we follow Jesus, the “calm and happy laborer," we sustain our poise. So how shall we rise to the level of power where our living becomes a proclaiming to our generation in this 21st century?
¶ To Be as Masterful a Teacher as the Master
André Radatus, Canada
(Editor’s note: This is from a presentation given at the 2018 Urantia Association International conference in the Netherlands)
Everyone knows the futility of preaching about things that are desirable, yet the general helplessness in this situation is so great, and the need so dire, that one prefers to repeat the old mistake instead of racking one’s brains over a subjective problem. Besides, it is always a question of treating one single individual only and not ten thousand, where the trouble one takes would ostensibly have more impressive results, though one knows well enough that nothing has happened at all unless the individual changes.
The effect on all individuals, which one would like to see realized, may not set in for hundreds of years, for the spiritual transformation of mankind follows the slow tread of the centuries and cannot be hurried or held up by any rational process of reflection, let alone brought to fruition in one generation. -Carl Gustav Jung, The Undiscovered Self, 1958
The Swiss psychiatrist and father of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, reminds us that the world needs fewer preachers and better teachers.
Students of The Urantia Book know as well that the mass of humanity progresses one person at a time, not by teaching them en masse, but as they are ready to grow.
Youth are often “inartful” in teaching all the truth they’ve acquired but haven’t yet lived.
My experience encountering The Urantia Book in Canada is a testament to that. More pain could have been avoided had I understood that even good words can fall on deaf ears, especially when experience is not there to back them up.
¶ Comprehension – Advancing Brilliance from Insight
Mark Kurtz, USA
Ability to comprehend is the mortal passport to Paradise. Willingness to believe is the key to Havona. The acceptance of sonship, co-operation with the indwelling Adjuster, is the price of evolutionary survival [UB 26:4.15].
Comprehending God to enter Paradise? We have little idea what Paradise is and what to expect and now we are informed we must comprehend to enter! Urantia Book authors are giving us advance notice there is work to do. Paradise is not automatic; we must grow into qualifying for Paradise. Comprehension advances brilliance and we may assume it also energizes curiosity and desire to know the Father. Gaining brilliance is a growth process over an “eternity of time!” We start simply on our nativity sphere.
Very early we recognize but do not understand authority. As a child we did not comprehend our parents were our first exposure to authority and law, but later we likely comprehended why and how they applied their home law. Later, we begin questioning through an adjustment period leading to maybe greater understanding. We eventually comprehend someone special likes us and wants to spend time with us! Do you recall this neat moment? It is really nice to become aware someone loves us. As we age we comprehend more of life and later we comprehend there is more to the planet. We begin to comprehend more even though we understand there is continuing mystery. Our progress varies according to many factors. The “golden years” could be the best planetary experiences if we worked on comprehending situations, life, purposes and the God of our imagination! Similarly and on a grand scale, we must comprehend more as we progress toward Paradise.
¶ Implantation of Life on a Planet
Claude Flibotte, Canada
What exactly is life plasm? To my knowledge, blood plasma does not carry the genotype of an individual or a race. So, what else transmits genetic information if not the genes in the chromosomes of the ovule and sperm? Having said that, what did the Life Carriers implant on our planet when we read that they developed the model of life right here on our planet?
550,000,000 years ago, the Life Carrier corps returned to Urantia. In co-operation with spiritual powers and superphysical forces we organized and initiated the original life patterns of this world and planted them in the hospitable waters of the realm. [UB 58:4.2]
This implantation of the original life patterns (3 implantations) was based on the existence of salt in the sea water. For this reason, the blood that circulates in our body is salty.
¶ About the Journal
The Journal is produced twice yearly and contains essays, articles and study aids by readers and for readers of The Urantia Book. Any interpretations, opinions, conclusions, or artistic representations, whether stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Urantia Association International, the National or Local Urantia Associations, or the editorial team of the Association’s Journal.
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¶ Ways to Donate to Urantia Association International
The world is changing fast and Urantia Association International is in a unique position to foster the Urantia revelation in so many ways. With localized teams in the form of associations springing up across the globe, we are ready to help anyone, anywhere, to study and spread the teachings that we all hold so dear.
The Association has only one paid staff member to manage and coordinate our worldwide activities. All other services are rendered by devoted students who donate their time (and often their treasure) to the projects that help bring us closer to our heavenly Father. Thank you to our faithful volunteers and donors!
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