© 2019 JJ Johnson
© 2019 The Urantia Book Fellowship
| Gems of Wisdom by Father Robert Schuer | Volume 19, Number 1, 2019 (Summer) — Index | Ancient Japan: Jōmon Culture |
¶ Introduction
Life, human life, begins at conception. [UB 103:2.1] “A child has been in existence for about nine months before it experiences birth.” This statement by a Melchizedek of Nebadon is also supported and inferred by a Solitary Messenger of Orvonton who states that Thought Adjusters (TAs) volunteer and forecast the intimate natures of the minds they volunteer to indwell. ([UB 108:2.1]) Embryologists, scientists that study this for a living, acknowledge that life begins at conception. Further support is provided by the midwayer commission where Gabriel made his appearance to Mary the following day after conception, which has led some UB students to conclude, erroneously, and make the claim that personality is bestowed at conception. Personality is bestowed, along with the personality circuit when a child ascends to the Universe Level of moral discernment. ([UB 2:2.6], [UB 5:6.6]) The metamorphosing process and prerequisite for the bestowal of personality with the personality circuit is peppered throughout this paper. (All Bold my emphasis)
This paper posits that the revelators of The Urantia Book (Urantia 1955) consider an understanding of “personality” used throughout the papers vitally important – maybe even urgently significant for the health of humanity - for Urantians to fully understand the spiritual and cosmic significance of what this term connotes. By the collective use of this word throughout the papers, it is eminently clear to this student that “personality” implies vast spiritual concepts unfathomed by humans prior to the publishing of this epochal revelation in 1955.
In this paper I take what I believe to be a novel position related to the bestowal of experiential human personality. I advance that the Father bestows personality specifically when an individual mortal creature [UB 2:2.6] “… [has] ascended to the universe level of moral discernment.” I maintain the point of view that personality is bestowed directly by our Universal Father save for instances when the Father delegates personality bestowal to the Infinite Spirit cf. ([UB 9:8.10]). Personality is the unique bestowal upon humans which the Universal Father makes upon the living and associated energies of matter, mind, and spirit, and which survives with the survival of the morontial soul. ([UB 0:5.11]).
This chief of Divine Counselors initiates the expanded and transformed use of “personality.” Throughout the Foreword he incrementally builds context to let the reader know he/she should get the sense that this concept is such an expansion of the conventional use of the term that it is entirely new to humankind.
Bear in mind, the Adjusters already know before the potential human is born, before he/ she has universe identity (birth), of the full complement of DNA configurations as well as intellectual and spiritual capacities.
We can say that life, human life, begins at conception with the potential to lead to the actuality of personality bestowal when a child ascends to the universe level of moral discernment. This potential is just as dominant at the initial moment of separation into a single-celled organism (zygote) as it is at any subsequent moment of emerging actuality.
I also make the bold and potentially controversial assertion that the instant personality is bestowed, which includes the simultaneous encircuitment by the personality circuit, the child has completed his/her ascension to the level of “universe moral discernment.” Prior to that instant, the human/ creature intellect is functioning initially only as animal intellect. It is not until the response of the sixth adjutant is exhibited and so recognized by the spirit of wisdom, the co-ordinator and articulator of all six, do their minds become immediately encircuited by the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of the Local Universe Mother Spirit.
I separate this paper into two parts. Part I covers the time frame from birth to personality bestowal; Part II discusses the time from conception to just prior to birth, including aspects of the possibility of the need for either personalization or repersonalization on the finaliter probationary worlds.
Part I discusses my central position: that personality is bestowed when a human being has ascended to the universe level of moral discernment. I provide rationale that discusses the various linkages between revelators; I provide anecdotal evidence from stories that support this contention; I cross reference multiple statements and assertions by at least a dozen authors in The Urantia Book to support this claim. These references are not just provided for the reader to have to make his/her own nexuses. I link all of them with specific justification that allows the reader to analyze my rationale.
Part II bookends the central theme. The lead up from conception to birth is a significant time prior to the morphogenesis of a human. I describe this growth phase as one in which the master physical controllers (MPCs) are in control of this phase of the process. Birth is a universe event and it is at that milestone that overcontrol is transitioned from the MPCs to the adjutant mind-spirits (AMSs). Part II also argues that only a birthed human may be either personalized or repersonalized on the finaliter probationary worlds.
¶ Part I – The “when” and “why” of personality bestowal (From birth to bestowal)
How can it be that our Heavenly Father bestows experiential personality at around two years of age, including his personality circuit, and yet a child is in existence for about nine months before experiencing birth? What a conundrum! The following statement in Paper 102 is paramount in understanding our ascension career as it relates to potentials vs. actuals:
Although the establishment of the fact of belief is not equivalent to establishing the fact of that which is believed, nevertheless, the evolutionary progression of simple life to the status of personality does demonstrate the fact of the existence of the potential of personality to start with. And in the time universes, potential is always supreme over the actual. In the evolving cosmos the potential is what is to be, and what is to be is the unfolding of the purposive mandates of Deity. [UB 102:5.1]
As an example, to further drive home this point, in the final paragraph of this section, the Melchizedek notes that [UB 102:5.3] “Religion is [leads] to morality as love is [leads] to duty.” Ending with…again, “… this is because the spiritual potentiality of religion is dominant over the duty actuality of the morality of evolution.” The takeaway from this section is that, potentials are supreme/dominant over actuals in the time universes. We are to be careful not to mistake dominant for dominate.
With the above understanding we can now say that Life, a human life, begins at conception and has the ‘potential’ to become a finaliter. At conception, we can say a child has the potential for personality bestowal and to be Adjuster indwelt. As long as potential is used, because of [UB 102:5.1] above, we can input any stage of our (metamorphosing) ascension career all the way from conception to a paradise finaliter. We can even say, at conception a child has the capacity to experience birth and leave out the qualifier potential at this initial single stage of existence. However, and this is a biggie, we cannot say at conception a child has the capacity for personality bestowal and beyond. We have to qualify that with the word ‘potential’ if we go beyond the first stage. Allow me to explain the nuances and the two metamorphic stages[1] required as a prerequisite for personality bestowal to include the personality circuit.
So, the metamorphosing process that takes place for a human life at conception is identified as being in an embryonic, transient and parasitic stage of existence for these nine months.
Human beings possess identity only in the material sense. Such qualities of the self are expressed by the material mind as it functions in the energy system of the intellect. When it is said that man has identity, it is recognized that he is in possession of a mind circuit which has been placed in subordination to the acts and choosing of the will of the human personality. But this is a material and purely temporary manifestation, just as the human embryo is a transient parasitic stage of human life. Human beings, from a cosmic perspective, are born, live, and die in a relative instant of time; they are not enduring. But mortal personality, through its own choosing, possesses the power of transferring its seat of identity from the passing material-intellect system to the higher morontia-soul system which, in association with the Thought Adjuster, is created as a new vehicle for personality manifestation. [UB 112:5.4]
What about the second stage of metamorphic development I mentioned as a prerequisite for personality bestowal to include the personality circuit?
The second metamorphic stage of existence begins at birth when the “… material and purely temporary manifestation” exhibits qualities of self. It is designated a human being. At conception the child is described by the revelators as a ‘human life’ and after birth as a “human being.” The papers distinguish the use of human life versus human being. At and subsequent to birth, several descriptions are used, i.e. newborn, physical entity, human being, infant, baby etc. Before birth terms like human life, child, unborn, embryonic parasitic stage of existence etc. are used. Again, human life vs. human being.
Now that these two necessary metamorphic stages of existence have been identified, it is time to elaborate what transpires after a human life at the first stage completes; when the child experiences birth; and the beginning at the second stage, when the child, now a human being, exhibits qualities of self during this material and purely temporary manifestation.
At the first stage of metamorphic development, a child at conception has the potential to ascend to paradise. The child, at conception, also has the capacity to experience birth, but not the capacity to be encircuited with the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of our Local Universe Mother Spirit nor personality bestowal. Potential is required in expressing an actual at a future metamorphic stage of development.
At birth, a newborn infant is endowed with the seven adjutant mind-spirits
- Adjutant-spirit minds. This is the ministry of a local universe Mother Spirit functioning through her seven adjutant mind-spirits on the teachable (nonmechanical) level of material mind. On this level material mind is experiencing: as subhuman (animal) intellect in the first five adjutants; as human (moral) intellect in the seven adjutants; as superhuman (midwayer) intellect in the last two adjutants. [UB 42:10.4]
It will be helpful to break away from this sequential story to offer the following mind-level ministries for context. Important to bear in mind, just as potential is supreme (dominant) over actual to appreciate the ascension career, so are the mind-level ministries critical during these metamorphic stages. The three mind-level ministries are: at conception (Living Mind), at birth (Creature Mind), and when all six adjutants are unified and functional ( superminded – Holy Spirit ).
Summing the sequence laid out above as described in [UB 36:5.15]:
Living mind, prior to the appearance of capacity to learn from experience, is the ministry domain of the Master Physical Controllers (MPCs). Creature mind (first five adjutants); before acquiring the ability to recognize divinity and worship Deity, is the exclusive domain of the adjutant spirits. With the appearance of the spiritual response (sixth adjutant) of the creature intellect, such created minds at once become superminded, being instantly encircuited in the spirit cycles (Holy Spirit) of the local universe Mother Spirit. (A Vorondadek Son stationed on Urantia as an observer and acting in this capacity by request of the Melchizedek Chief of the Supervising Revelatory Corps.)
Living Mind (First sentence, at conception and until birth) – First Mind Level
Living mind, prior to the appearance of capacity to learn from experience, is the ministry domain of the Master Physical Controllers (MPCs).
This Living Mind Level at conception is nonteachable but nonmechanical (being a ‘living mind’). It is ministered by the MPCs because, as explained in the preceding paragraph [UB 36:5.14], nonteachable can be exclusively used (since the option of ‘or’ is provided) and for the purpose of this level of Living Mind, the mechanical mind is replaced with nonmechanical. Since this is a living mind it is ministered by the MPCs as nonteachable nonmechanical. The last sentence of [UB 42:10.3] also opens the door for this reasoning with allowing for nonteachable and with [UB 36:5.14] (last sentence – use of ‘or vs. and’) allowing for nonmechanical. This disclosure permits the MPCs in [UB 36:5.15] to be able to minister to this first level of mind. Bear in mind that prior to birth it is referred to as living mind vs. living material ‘intellect’ mind system. This metamorphic stage of development is the ‘transit embryonic stage of existence’ as previously referenced. This level of mind ministry by the MPCs, at conception, has the potential for the child to become a finaliter. This level of mind ministry, at conception, has the capacity to experience birth after about nine months. The level of mind ministry, at conception, does not have the capacity, at this first stage of metamorphic development, to be encircuited by the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of our Local Universe Mother Spirit not to mention personality bestowal as well as the personality circuit.
Creature Mind (Second sentence, from birth to supermind encircuitment) - Second Mind Level Creature mind, before acquiring the ability to recognize divinity and worship Deity, is the exclusive domain of the adjutant spirits and UB 42:10.4 meets this requirement. The seven adjutant mind-spirits are endowed at birth by our Local Universe Mother Spirit. This material and purely temporary manifestation exhibit a quality of self and designates a human being with (moral) intellect during the development of this second (temporary) metamorphic stage of existence.
Superminded (Third sentence, encircuited in the spirit cycles of the local universe) – Third Mind Level With the appearance of the spiritual response, spirit of worship functioning, the creature intellect ascends to the universe level of moral discernment and adjutant of wisdom signals ([UB 108:2.2-3]) to Local Universe Mother Spirit that this prerequisite is met; at that same moment the encircuitment of the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of our Local Universe Mother Spirit is manifest including the capacity for the reception of the Spirit of Truth ([UB 194:2.3]) – help prepare for Thought Adjuster. At this same instant, personality is bestowed, including the personality circuit.
With the appearance of the spiritual response of the creature intellect, such created minds at once become superminded, being instantly encircuited in the spirit cycles of the Local Universe Mother Spirit at the Universe Level of mind-ministry – The Holy Spirit.
Now that the stage has been set with the three levels of mind ministry, from Living mind at conception to birth (ministered by the MPCs), let’s discuss the creature mind that was endowed with the seven adjutant mind-spirits by our Local Universe Mother Spirit at birth.
As we know, the first five adjutant mind- spirits on this level of material mind are experienced as subhuman (animal) intellect; as human (moral) intellect when all six adjutant mind-spirits are unified and functional. At birth, the child has human personality. Initially only the first five adjutants are experienced as creature (animal) intellect but always being co- ordinated and articulated by the adjutant of wisdom ([UB 36:5.12]). As the first five adjutants evolve in function the baby grows and eventually attains to human (moral) intellect as described in [UB 42:10.4]. Even though the baby is experiencing initially with the first five adjutants, the creature intellect is being co- ordinated and articulated by the spirit of wisdom. It is endowed with all seven, with the adjutant of wisdom providing over care and supervision as the human personality evolves from creature, material (animal) intellect, to human personality with (moral) intellect.
The Seventh circle suggests the minimum and maximum limits of these stages of maturity realization. Develop is the qualifier here. If the human being has not developed the minimum qualities before death, they will be personalized (not repersonalized) on the probationary nursery. More on this later.
The seventh circle. This level is entered when human beings develop the powers of personal choice, individual decision, moral responsibility, and the capacity for the attainment of spiritual individuality. This signifies the united function of the seven adjutant mind-spirits under the direction of the spirit of wisdom, the encircuitment of the mortal creature in the influence of the Holy Spirit, and, on Urantia, the first functioning of the Spirit of Truth, together with the reception of a Thought Adjuster in the mortal mind. Entrance upon the seventh circle constitutes a mortal creature a truly potential citizen of the local universe. [UB 110:6.13]
Again, these are suggested minimums and maximums. The minimum begins when the seventh adjutant mind-spirit articulates ([UB 108:2.2-3]) the child has ascended to the Universe Level of moral discernment, indicating the creature mind has exhibited the worship outreach, at once ([UB 36:5.15]), is instantly encircuited with the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit. The maximums of the seventh circle will be advanced later.
Now for the climax… Personality Circuit and Personality Bestowal
In [UB 2:2.6] below, the Divine Counselor is describing when and how the ‘personality circuit’ is encircuited.
The personality circuit is established when “a mortal creature ascends to the universe level of moral discernment.” This also includes the bestowal of personality ([UB 5:6.6]). This is at the same moment the adjutant of wisdom confirms the sixth adjutant mind-spirit is functioning and the child is now experiencing with the (moral) intellect. This is a ‘trinity event’ in the sense that when a child ascends to the universe level of moral discernment in recognition of the spirit response of the spirit of worship, being confirmed by the adjutant of wisdom, and acknowledged by the Local Universe Mother Spirit, she instantly encircuits her spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of the Universe Mother Spirit. This is the Supermind ([UB 36:5.15]) functioning at the Universe Level. It is a Nebadon variant of the cosmic mind of the Superuniverse of Orvonton. Ascending to the Universe Level of moral discernment is the prerequisite and what our Paradise Father set as the criteria for his personality bestowal and his personality circuit. A Divine Counselor of Uversa confirms this and adds additional support in describing this instantiation moment. ([UB 5:6.6])
God is eternally and infinitely perfect, he cannot personally know imperfection as his own experience, but he does share the consciousness of all the experience of imperfectness of all the struggling creatures of the evolutionary universes of all the Paradise Creator Sons. The personal and liberating touch of the God of perfection overshadows the hearts and encircuits the natures of all those mortal creatures who have ascended to the universe level of moral discernment. In this manner, as well as through the contacts of the divine presence, the Universal Father actually participates in the experience with immaturity and imperfection in the evolving career of every moral being of the entire universe. [UB 2:2.6]
Capacity for divine personality is inherent in the prepersonal Adjuster; capacity for human personality is potential in the cosmic-mind endowment of the human being. But the experiential personality of mortal man is not observable as an active and functional reality until after the material life vehicle of the mortal creature has been touched by the liberating divinity of the Universal Father, being thus launched upon the seas of experience as a self-conscious and a (relatively) self-determinative and self- creative personality. The material self is truly and unqualifiedly personal. [UB 5:6.6]
[UB 5:6.6] – Personality Bestowal When Bestowed: Touched by the liberating divinity of the Universal Father
Result: Now observable as an active and functional reality. Considered as self-conscious and truly unqualifiedly personal.
[UB 2:2.6] – Personality Circuit When Encircuited: When the personal and liberating touch of the God of perfection encircuits the natures of those mortal creatures who have ascended to the universe level of moral discernment.
Now, this sheds light and gives more meaning as to when personality is bestowed and describes that at that time mortal man is observable as an active and functional reality. Prior to that, the material life vehicle of the newborn child, was still evolving and developing the first five adjutants, a human being with (creature) intellect, all the time being co-ordinated and articulated by the spirit of wisdom. It was not recognized as being observable as an active and functional reality, a human being with (moral) intellect.
When a child responds to the spirit of worship, it has ascended to the universe level of moral discernment (moral intellect). Having been co-ordinated and articulated all along to the Local Universe Mother Spirit by the adjutant of wisdom, at that moment, my so- called mortal “trinity event” took place. 1) Encircuitment of the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of our Local Universe Mother Spirit (supermind manifestation - Instantly encircuited in the Spirit Cycles at the Universe Level), 2) Capacity for the Spirit of Truth and 3) The instantiation of the bestowal of personality and the encircuitment of the personality circuit.
By the time a child ascends to the universe level of moral discernment and is recognized as self-conscious and truly unqualifiedly personal it is around two years of age, a toddler. The indwelling thought adjuster arrives just under six (~ 1934) years ([UB 108:2.1]). I call it the 5-10-4 effect. That is five years, ten months and four days. Pinning down to the average date of arrival is not given for the bestowal of personality and the personality circuit. However, a meaningful and acceptable time frame can be arrived at from [UB 2:2.6] and [UB 5:6.6].
There have been long time students, when reading [UB 2:2.6], regarding ‘moral discernment,’ assumed that meant ‘moral choice,’ ‘moral decision’ and the author was talking about the Thought Adjuster. Upon closer look and reflection, that is clearly not the case. This is established in the sentence that followed ‘moral discernment’ that it is not referring to the Divine Presence.
To arrive at the age of around two years old for the bestowal of personality and personality circuit, the following link makes this observation: How do children develop a sense of self? https://theconversation.com/how-do-children-develop-a-sense-of-self-56118
But it is not until children approach their second birthday that they start to develop a sense of self and are able to reflect on themselves from the perspective of somebody else.
As one drills down further, additional links shows how richly this is referenced with 13 published artifacts including contemporary books. This idea, and my position, is on solid ground. [http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/](http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/emotions/according-experts/self-conscious-emotions
It is more than reasonable to conclude that toddlers can exhibit this Universe level of moral discernment. I can point to a number of anecdotal stories that exhibit this capability, but none are so uplifting to the human spirit than a good friend, a long time Urantia Book student, articulated to me as we were discussing my ideas about this paper. Before I retell this story, I believe it is instructive to re- state what I posited in the introduction: an understanding of “personality” used throughout the papers is vitally important – maybe even urgently significant for the health of humanity - for Urantians to fully understand the spiritual and cosmic significance of what their use of “personality” connotes. I believe students of the Urantia Papers who process and detect in their lives these esoteric cosmic concepts will not only recognize events that support what the revelators have provided the Urantian humanity, but actively look for these occasions.
My friend (I will call him Bob) is the maternal-sided grandfather to a toddler (I will call him Mason) who was not yet three years old (around 2 1/2) at the time. They were at a family event where Bob found himself sitting directly opposite Mason and one of Mason’s contemporaries – a child of about two – at a rectangular wooden kitchen table. I will refer to this other child as Maddox. The area was a combination living and kitchen space with about twenty adults and an equal number of children of all ages but mostly between one to four years old. It was quite a boisterous and happy occasion Mason’s parents had organized in honor of the “new house” as Mason calls it.
As a plate of food was simultaneously being placed in front of the two boys, Bob noticed Mason began to reach into Maddox’s plate with what Bob reactively thought in his mind was to grab some food. Who knows what a child of two might impetuously decide to do, thought Bob. My good friend immediately called Mason’s name out quite loudly in order to get Mason to stop his hand from plunging unceremoniously into Maddox’s plate – after all, he had one of his own, didn’t he? According to Bob, both Mason’s mother and grandmother heard this calling of Mason’s name, saw what was about to transpire, and began to rebuke Mason for doing so.
Bob recalls that almost instantaneously (and it seems time was moving in slow motion in Bob’s memory of it) Mason looked up to Papa and said: “… he had a hair in his food; I just wanted to take it out.” My friend immediately attempted to rectify the reactions of Mom and Grandma (but the noise in the room drowned out his attempts). So, Papa lowered his head and voice to Mason and provided a grandfatherly statement of support that Mason’s actions were OK but Maddox probably didn’t want other hands in his food. “It’s best you let Maddox take the hair out.” Bob then loudly proclaimed to the crowd that “… we’re doing OK; Mason was just getting a hair out of Maddox’s food; Maddox is going to get it out himself. Mason was just trying to help Maddox.”
What comes to mind after hearing this story reinforces what the Divine Counselor says about morality: that it has its origin in the reason of self-consciousness. And that “social surroundings necessitate ethical adjustments; [while] moral situations require the making of choices in the highest realms of reason.” You may have your own anecdotal stories similar to this one. It is reasonable to conclude that at least on the surface of this event, Mason clearly exhibited arrival at the universe level of moral discernment as defined in this paper, if not before.
When [UB 2:2.6] and [UB 5:6.6] talk about a self- creative personality that is truly and unqualifiedly personal and having ascended to the universe level of moral discernment, when the Holy Spirit first manifests, this constitutes the encircuitment of the personality circuit concurrently with the bestowal of personality. A child can now experience as a self-conscious and a (relatively) self-determinative and self- creative personality. The material self is truly and unqualifiedly personal.
Again, at birth, just as at conception, we have the potential to become finaliters. At birth we have the potential, just as at conception, to be indwelt by our Thought Adjuster who ‘forecasted’ and volunteered at conception to indwell the chosen child. At birth, we do not have the capacity to be indwelt by a Thought Adjuster, only the potential. At birth, we do have the capacity for personality bestowal because, at birth, we are endowed with the seven adjutant mind-spirits which enables us to ascend to the universe level of moral discernment. This manifests when the spirit of worship makes its first contact with the mind of the child. At this same moment the spirit of wisdom articulates this event to the Local Universe Mother Spirit, and at that instant – the Mother Spirit encircuits the child with the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit of our local universe Mother Spirit (The first function of Universe Level of mind ministry ). This also includes the capacity for reception of The Spirit of Truth which, all combined, is the prerequisite for the instantiation of the personality circuit and simultaneous bestowal of personality. At this stage of metamorphic development, we now have the capacity for the Thought Adjuster to indwell the child. As yet, we do not have the capacity to become a finaliter. During this continued temporary material manifestation of metamorphic development, once a moral decision is made (vs. moral discernment), just under six years old, then we can say the ‘sky’ is the limit…or should we say Paradise is our destination depending on the individual choice of this faith son- daughter of God. When we are indwelt by our Divine Fragment, we no longer have to say we have only the potential to become a finaliter, we can now say, unqualifiedly, we have the capacity and it is dependent on our personal choice.
Moral discernment is the linchpin the revelators point to when discussing personality - specifically the universe level of moral discernment. There is but one reference to this compound term in the entire set of papers - by a Divine Counselor acting by authority of the Ancients of Days on Uversa. It appears in paper two, specifically at [UB 2:2.6]:
God is eternally and infinitely perfect; he cannot personally know imperfection as his own experience, but he does share the consciousness of all the experience of imperfectness of all the struggling creatures of the evolutionary universes of all the Paradise Creator Sons. The personal and liberating touch of the God of perfection overshadows the hearts and encircuits the natures of all those mortal creatures who have ascended to the universe level of moral discernment. In this manner, as well as through the contacts of the divine presence, the Universal Father actually participates in the experience with immaturity and imperfection in the evolving career of every moral being of the entire universe.
Discernment is the capability of being able to see, recognize, understand, or decide something. An ability to discern means one is aware of something and knows what it is; one can perceive an object or situation but discerning means with less than one-hundred percent clarity. Moral discernment presages morality; one can’t make a moral decision without first having a foundation of moral discernment. Moral discernment implies the acquisition of the norms and standards of one’s society or religion. Thus, a moral decision is different in kind from attaining moral discernment capabilities. Morality implies a decision(s). Morality cannot simply be reduced to the acquisition of the norms and standards of one’s society or religion. These differences inform us that children’s morality involves exercising judgment, rather than directly resulting from the inculcation of norms by societal influences, presumably by parents.
Nevertheless, there should be no speculation regarding what the Divine Counselor means by “liberating touch.” For the next sentence clearly differentiates the personality circuit from the thought adjuster. “In this manner” refers to the preceding sentence regarding the Father’s liberation of the mortal creature as the first of two Father- components - the second refers to the divine adjuster (an objective presence in the mind of the mortal) – describing how the Father “actually participates in the experience of every moral being of the entire universe.” The entire universe clearly refers to the seven superuniveses, Havona, and Paradise (The Grand Universe).
As noted in the introduction, personality is independent of, and antecedent to, the bestowal of the Thought Adjuster. The revelators tell us emphatically that on Urantia UB 108:2.1 “Adjusters reach their human subjects, on the average, just prior to the sixth birthday. In the present generation [first half of the 20th century] it is running five years, ten months, and four days; that is, on the 2,134th day of terrestrial life.” What this implies is that a child, perhaps one that is a normally endowed toddler of two years old, having ascended to the universe level of moral discernment, met the prerequisite of the endowment of the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth and Personality Bestowal to have the capacity for the indwelling of the divine fragment.
Always remember, in relation to the indwelling of the Thought Adjuster, if the Spirit of Truth is present on the planet and spirit of worship is exhibited, the spirit of wisdom ‘begins to function ’ in its own right, and when a moral decision is made the adjuster instantly invades the mortal intellect. (UB 108:2.3, UB 62:6.5). With regard to the phrase ‘begins to function’, as it relates to the spirit of wisdom above, it would prove helpful to keep this in context with UB 36:5.12. The spirit of wisdom is also the co- ordinator and articulator of all the others. All the adjutant mind-spirits evolve in function. I look forward to current and future Urantia students and scholars to expand on this insight.
¶ Part II – The before-and-after personality bestowal
At the beginning of Part 1, I presented a conundrum on how personality can be bestowed at around two years of age and yet fits in with a child being in existence for about nine months before experiencing birth. I’ve devoted eleven pages to explain my conjectures with references to back up my position and the rationale behind it. Now the second, and I hope, final conundrum.
As I have stated in the introduction, only a birthed human may be either personalized or repersonalized on the finaliter probationary worlds. I make this conjecture, in part, because I associate the fact of the Archangel personality record keepers who [UB 37:3.7] “[keep straight] each mortal of time from the moment of birth” with the [UB 47:2.1] “acquirement of individual status on the universe records.”
The Worlds of the Archangels. The seventh group of the encircling Salvington worlds, with their associated satellites, is assigned to the archangels. Sphere number one and all of its six tributary satellites are occupied by the personality record keepers. This enormous corps of recorders busy themselves with keeping straight the record of each mortal of time from the moment of birth up through the universe career until such an individual either leaves Salvington for the superuniverse regime or is “blotted out of recorded existence” by the mandate of the Ancients of Days. [UB 37:3.7]
But, what happens when infants die during the time after birth but before personality is bestowed - before my so-called ‘trinity event’ - before ascending to the universe level of moral discernment and encircuited in the spirit presence of the Holy Spirit and simultaneously with the instantiation of the personality and personality circuit? The Probationary Nursey – Infant-receiving schools - is the safety net to ensure the potential survival of these young ones.
¶ After birth and before personality bestowal
From birth until personality is bestowed, the baby is always ‘Personalized’ (vs. Repersonalized) with the noted requirements that a Brilliant Evening Star describes.
The infant-receiving schools of Satania are situated on the finaliter world, the first of the Jerusem transition-culture spheres. These infant-receiving schools are enterprises devoted to the nurture and training of the children of time, including those who have died on the evolutionary worlds of space before the acquirement of individual status on the universe records. In the event of the survival of either or both of such a child’s parents, the guardian of destiny deputizes her associated cherubim as the custodian of the child’s potential identity, charging the cherubim with the responsibility of delivering this undeveloped soul into the hands of the Mansion World Teachers in the probationary nurseries of the morontia worlds. [UB 47:2.1]
It is these same deserted cherubim who, as Mansion World Teachers, under the supervision of the Melchizedeks, maintain such extensive educational facilities for the training of the probationary wards of the finaliters. These wards of the finaliters, these infants of ascending mortals, are always personalized as of their exact physical status at the time of death except for reproductive potential. This awakening occurs at the exact time of the parental arrival on the first mansion world. And then are these children given every opportunity, as they are, to choose the heavenly way just as they would have made such a choice on the worlds where death so untimely terminated their careers. [UB 47:2.2]
¶ After personality bestowal and before Thought Adjuster arrival
What about the toddlers who die after personality is bestowed but before being indwelt by the Thought Adjuster? From Personality bestowal and before Adjuster arriving, the child is Repersonalized in the probationary nursery. ([UB 47:2.3-4])
On the nursery world, probationary creatures are grouped according to whether or not they have Adjusters, for the Adjusters come to indwell these material children just as on the worlds of time. Children of pre- Adjuster ages are cared for in families of five, ranging in ages from one year and under up to approximately five years, or that age when the Adjuster arrives. [UB 47:2.3]
¶ After Adjuster Arrival and not chose the Paradise career
And what about Adjuster-indwelt children and youths who die and have not made the choice concerning the Paradise career? To answer that situation, I point to what the Brilliant Evening Star says about this:
The Adjuster-indwelt children and youths on the finaliter world are also reared in families of five, ranging in ages from six to fourteen; approximately, these families consist of children whose ages are six, eight, ten, twelve, and fourteen. Any time after sixteen, if final choice has been made, they translate to the first mansion world and begin their Paradise ascent. Some make a choice before this age and go on to the ascension spheres, but very few children under sixteen years of age, as reckoned by Urantia standards, will be found on the mansion worlds. [UB 47:2.5]
All children on the evolving worlds who have Thought Adjusters, but who before death had not made a choice concerning the Paradise career, are also repersonalized (‘also’ is referring to [UB 47:2.3-4] after personality bestowal but before adjuster arrival) on the finaliter world of the system, where they likewise grow up in the families of the Material Sons and their associates as do those little ones who arrived without Adjusters, but who will subsequently receive the Mystery Monitors after attaining the requisite age of moral choice. ([UB 47:2.4])
As you can see, children who are bestowed with Personality but not made a moral decision (PreAdjuster age) and those Adjuster-indwelt children as well as youths are Repersonalized in the infant receiving schools. The precious little ones at birth who die before personality bestowal are Personalized (wards of the finaliters) per [UB 47:2.1-2] above.
Other Points of View
There are other viewpoints out there from sincere students of The Urantia Book. Some believe that personality is bestowed at conception, others somewhere during the trimester of pregnancy. Still others firmly believe personality is bestowed at birth. I respect all of them. However, after reading this position paper, if anyone holds a point of view different from the one outlined in this paper, they are challenged to explain what [UB 2:2.6] and [UB 5:6.6] means to them as well as the support references.
¶ Conclusion/Epilogue
Let us not treat lightly that a child’s life begins at conception. Bear in mind, after all, the ideal mortal marriage is humanly sacred. (UB 83:8.5) Our marriages on six O six being humanly sacred, pause to consider how much more divinely sacred and precious is a child’s life at conception that has been ordained by our Paradise Parent for the potential to be indwelt by his divine fragment and ascend to paradise with a wonderful career path of experience along the way. All of this in advance…after all, in the time universes potentials are always supreme over actuals.
This paper is entirely my point of view. However, it has gone thru a peer-review process of a small group of long time students of Ole’ Blue. Their experiences vary; parents with children and grandparents, single parents, and interested long-time students of the papers. The combined total of experiencing and studying this revelation participating in the peer-review process is over 300 years.
When all is said and done, the ascension career from conception to the mortal corps of finality is based on Love, focused on Love, driven by Love and motivated by Love by the LOVE of our Heavenly Paradise Father. Yes, it’s true, our Heavenly Father loves us SO much he can’t help himself!
Freely received, freely give… JJ Johnson Urantia Book references used in arriving at this point of view: [UB 2:2.6], [UB 5:6.6], [UB 36:5.14], [UB 36:5.15], [UB 37:3.7], [UB 42:10.4], [UB 47:2.1], [UB 47:2.2], [UB 47:2.3], [UB 47:2.4], [UB 47:2.5], [UB 49:6.12], [UB 83:8.5], [UB 102:5.1], [UB 103:2.1], [UB 108:1.2], [UB 108:2.2], [UB 108:2.3], [UB 112:5.4], [UB 122:3.4], and [UB 194:2.3] Urantia Foundation, 1955.
JJ Johnson retired from U.S. State Department, Foreign Service, in 2012 and now resides in Phoenix, AZ. Johnson remains active with the Grand Canyon Urantia Book Society. JJ is a dedicated and devoted Urantia student whose zeal in supporting the Fifth Epochal revelation’s messages has been apostolic in nature. JJ is a Founding Member and Past President of the Grand Canyon Society for Readers of The Urantia Book, he served for many years on a number of committees. After meeting a blind reader at an Urantia conference, Johnson’s dogged insistence and resolute persistence achieved the publication of the very first Urantia Book translated into Braille. Johnson’s ombudsman service to the Urantia movement is truly international in scope. From 2001 to 2012, Johnson facilitated study groups from Islamabad, Pakistan, to Rangoon, Burma as well as Moscow and Beijing. Between these embassy postings, JJ was assigned to the mobile communications team that supported Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her trips abroad. These trips and embassy postings afforded him the opportunity to place Urantia Books in National Libraries and Universities in more than 20 countries as well as catalyzing new readers along the way.
¶ References
- Article obtained from The Fellowship site
| Gems of Wisdom by Father Robert Schuer | Volume 19, Number 1, 2019 (Summer) — Index | Ancient Japan: Jōmon Culture |
¶ Notes
For purposes of this paper I use the term “metamorphic” to describe human growth beginning at conception. I further delineate two distinct cosmically significant stages that the revelation distinguishes: 1) from conception to just prior to birth and 2) from birth onward.
There is a back story that led up to this position paper that you may find intriguing and useful. It has to do with Evangelism and _The _Urantia Book and Universe-Conscious citizens. If interested contact: JJ_6062003@Yahoo.com ↩︎