© 2003 Jean Royer
© 2003 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
| Approaching some scientific aspects of The Urantia Book | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 25 — Spring 2003 | Story of a visit |
Are we really sure, as Shakespeare wrote, that Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise? Curiously, one of the most sympathetic aspects of the Urantia Book is the affirmation of the ignorance of the revelators; temporary ignorance or definitive ignorance. Thus, I noted 9 occurrences of the expression “I don’t know” (there are others but which fall within common human language).
A Divine Counselor tells us, speaking of the Stationary Sons of the Trinity: I do not know what their final number will be, but I can indicate that, at the time of the last periodic report to Uversa, the paradisiacal records mentioned that there were 21,001,624,821 in service.
Or again, speaking of the Solitary Messengers: Although one of these extraordinary beings is associated with me in the present mission, I do not know how many such personalities there are in the universe of universes. UB 23:0.2 And in UB 24:1.9: I do not know how many secondary circuit supervisors there are in the grand universe, but on Uversa there are 84,691.
A Perfecter of Wisdom tells us: I do not know the exact number of Teacher Sons in Nebadon; there are many thousands. (UB 20:8.2)
Likewise, in UB 21:1.4 he confesses: I do not know the exact number of Creator Sons in existence, but I have good reason to believe that there are more than seven hundred thousand.
We should not conclude from this that ignorance relates exclusively to figures.
Our Divine Advisor also questions himself on more delicate problems: Does the Father in Paradise suffer? and he answers straight away: I don’t know. (UB 3:6.6)
A Solitary Messenger humbly acknowledges: I do not believe I know completely what goes on in the cosmic association of a divine Monitor and a human mind. UB 108:5.7
Also: As to what is happening in the archives of Divinington, I know nothing about it, but I suppose that the file of this Adjuster is placed in the secret circles of the inner courts of Grandfanda, acting head of the Corps of the Finality. UB 112:7.13
However, it is still much more common to find the same expression in the plural, indicating that this ignorance is not simply personal, but that it extends to the whole order and even beyond. The expression “We do not know” is found 22 times in the book. Here are just a few examples:
Regarding the bestowals of the Eternal Son in Havona, the Divine Counselor acknowledges: …we do not know whether he added anything to the presumed experiential fitness of his existential nature… In any event, if the Eternal Son acquired anything during these bestowal missions, we believe he has retained it ever since, but we do not know what it was. (UB 7:5.7)
Concerning personality, he further tells us: The Father confers personality by his own free will. We can only conjecture why he does it, and we do not know how he does it. Nor do we know why the Third Source confers personalities not of the Father, but the Infinite Spirit does this of its own accord, in creative conjunction with the Eternal Son, and in many ways unknown to you. (UB 9:8.10)
Nor are these only problems of a non-material nature, but also physical questions, which one might have thought were resolved in the minor sector thanks to the knowledge of the Master Physical Controllers and other centers of power. The Perfector of Wisdom in UB 11:6.1 admits: We do not know the actual mechanism of the breathing of space; we simply observe that all space is alternately contracting and expanding.
As for the limits of space, which worry our earthly scientists so much and which they hope to be able to pronounce without limits or determined by the extension of the Big Bang, this is what he tells us: We do not know if vertical space (reservoir) is intended to always function as a counterweight to horizontal space (universe); we do not know if there is a creative intention concerning unpenetrated space. (UB 11:6.3) and in UB 11:7.4: This penetrated space extends horizontally outwards, from the proximity of the peripheral Paradise through the fourth level of exterior space and beyond the periphery of the master universe; but how much beyond that, we do not know.
This inability to know the theoretical boundaries of the universe is however tempered in a way which would nevertheless leave our scientists in great embarrassment, in fact, it is a question after the penetrated space, as it is defined in the book (cf. UB 11:6.3) of open space:
The central universe is the creation of eternity; the seven superuniverses are the creations of time; the four outer space levels are undoubtedly destined to eventuate-evolve the ultimacy of creation. And there are those who maintain that the Infinite can never attain full expression short of infinity; and therefore do they postulate an additional and unrevealed creation beyond the fourth and outermost space level, a possible ever-expanding, never-ending universe of infinity. In theory we do not know how to limit either the infinity of the Creator or the potential infinity of creation, but as it exists and is administered, we regard the master universe as having limitations, as being definitely delimited and bounded on its outer margins by open space. (UB 12:1.16)
Unfortunately we are not told what an open space is. We are here before a mystery, and speaking of mystery, we are still in the dark. The word is used about 120 times in the book, but many of these occurrences are on a human scale, such as we find in expressions like “the cult of mysteries”
Mysteries are also sometimes called “secrets”, for example on the sacred spheres which surround the Paradises. Let us see, or listen, to what the Perfector of Wisdom tells us:
The secrets of Sonarington include the secret of the incarnation of the divine Sons. When a Son of God becomes a Son of Man, is literally born of woman, as occurred on your world nineteen hundred years ago, it is a universal mystery. It is occurring right along throughout the universes, and it is a Sonarington secret of divine sonship. The Adjusters are a mystery of God the Father. The incarnation of the divine Sons is a mystery of God the Son; it is a secret locked up in the seventh sector of Sonarington, a realm penetrated by none save those who have personally passed through this unique experience. Only those phases of incarnation having to do with your ascension career have been brought to your notice. There are many other phases of the mystery of the incarnation of the Paradise Sons of unrevealed types on missions of universe service which are undisclosed to you. And there are still other Sonarington mysteries. (UB 13:1.8)
This type of mystery, of secret, is destined to feed our ignorance eternally, because the Gods do not betray the secret, but fortunately we are warned that there are no arbitrary secrets and that everything that can be revealed will be. Our Divine Counselor has these comforting words, referring to the Inspired Spirits of the Trinity: I am convinced that there are no arbitrary secrets in the universe; this is why I will never cease my efforts to solve the mystery of isolation of these Spirits who belong to my order of creation. (UB 19:5.11)
This is why man, while recognizing certain limitations, is encouraged in his turn to try to eliminate all his ignorance and to unravel all the apparent secrets which he now encounters and which he will encounter in his long ascent towards Paradise.
Love of adventure, curiosity, and dread of monotony—these traits inherent in evolving human nature—were not put there just to aggravate and annoy you during your short sojourn on earth, but rather to suggest to you that death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery. (UB 14:5.10)
John Royer
(well helped, it is true, by a Divine Counselor and a Perfector of Wisdom)
| Approaching some scientific aspects of The Urantia Book | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 25 — Spring 2003 | Story of a visit |