© 1995 Kenneth Glasziou
© 1995 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
Some years ago I wrote an article for a newsletter circulated among Urantia Book readers implying that the scientific content of The Urantia Book contains errors. This statement brought an impassioned response categorically denying that the book could contain error and stating that in no circumstances would the revelators lie to us.
I admit to having subscribed to similar sentiments when I first discovered the book’s high quality of spiritual truth. Eventually, however, I discovered so many examples of what I felt sure were errors that the demands of simple logic required me either to abandon my faith in the book as revelation or to delve more deeply into the nature of epochal revelation. In part, what follows is a result of that research.
The authors of The Urantia Book clearly tell us the book is limited by our finite conceptual capacities and language, and the restrictions of their revelatory mandates. The Foreword to the book states:
The concept of the I AM is a philosophic concession which we make to the time-bound, space-fettered, finite mind of man, to the impossibility of creature comprehension of eternity existences — nonbeginning, nonending realities and relationships. To the time-space creature, all things must have a beginning save only the ONE UNCAUSED — the primeval cause of causes. Therefore do we conceptualize this philosophic value-level as the I AM, at the same time instructing all creatures that the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit are coeternal with the I AM; in other words, that there never was a time when the I AM was not the Father of the Son and, with him, of the Spirit. (UB 0:3.23)
In giving us such time-dependent concepts, the book unabashedly acknowledges that they are “inaccurate,” but that it is necessary to do so because our feeble finite minds are incapable of comprehending the incomprehensible-a spaceless, timeless infinity. Remarkably, the revelators have managed to perform a feat of philosophic explanation that permits us to retain the concept of a monotheistic theology, an idea that proved so serviceable for the welfare of the children of Abraham, and subsequently to Christianity and Islam. So did the revelators lie to us? No, of course not, for they tell us what they are doing.
To fully appreciate the Fifth Epochal Revelation, we need to consider the enormous difficulties confronting the revelators in coping with our relatively primitive mental and spiritual capacities. There were also further limitations imposed by the mandates under which they were authorized to work. In addition, we need to note that this revelation nowhere claims to be divinely inspired, or a product of divine dictation. It is given to us by a goodly number of celestial or superhuman beings ranging from very high personalities (Divine Counselors, Perfectors of Wisdom, Universal Censors, etc.) to mere midwayers and seraphim who, reputedly, are not all that far above our own levels of intellect. And even in Part I of the book provided by the senior group of authors — all of whom have probably experienced the very presence of the Universal Father on Paradise — we observe their humble admission of limited knowledge in words like “I/we do not know/understand/comprehend…” at least 35 times!
In giving us such time-dependent concepts, the book unabashedly acknowledges that they are “inaccurate,” but that it is necessary to do so because our feeble finite minds are incapable of comprehending the incomprehensible — a spaceless, timeless infinity.
Jesus, in discussing the Scriptures with Nathaniel, says, “Mark you well, Nathaniel, nothing which human nature has touched can be regarded as infallible. Through the mind of man divine truth may indeed shine forth, but always of relative purity and partial divinity. The creature may crave infallibility, but only the Creators possess it.” (UB 159:4.8) Only the Creators possess infallibility! None of the authors of the Urantia Papers were of Creator status! Hence we would indeed be foolish to regard The Urantia Book as an infallible revelation. The authors of the book further tell us:
Truth is inconcussible — forever exempt from all transient vicissitudes, albeit never dead and formal, always vibrant and adaptable — radiantly alive. But when truth becomes linked with fact, then both time and space condition its meanings and correlate its values. Such realities of truth wedded to fact become concepts and are accordingly relegated to the domain of relative cosmic realities. (emphasis added) (UB 118:3.3)
None of the Fifth Epochal Revelation claims to be infallible truth. The authors of the book repeatedly state or imply this fact. In discussing the Urantia Papers they tell us:
These papers differ from all previous revelations, for they are not the work of a single universe personality but a composite presentation by many beings. But no revelation short of the attainment of the Universal Father can ever be complete. All other celestial ministrations are no more than partial, transient, and practically adapted to local conditions in time and space. While such admissions as this may possibly detract from the immediate force and authority of all revelations, the time has arrived on Urantia when it is advisable to make such frank statements, even at the risk of weakening the future influence and authority of this, the most recent of the revelations of truth to the mortal races of Urantia. (UB 92:4.9)
There are other important statements that should make us aware of the limitations of The Urantia Book. In the Foreword the authors state that, “…we shall, in all our efforts to reveal truth and co-ordinate essential knowledge, give preference to the highest existing human concepts pertaining to the subject to be presented.” (UB 0:12.11) For Part I of the book we are told, “…more than one thousand human concepts representing the highest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings” have been used. (UB 0:12.12) In Part IV of the book, the midwayer responsible for preparing the narrative of The Life and Teachings of Jesus utilized thought gems and superior concepts assembled from “more than two thousand human beings who have lived on earth from the days of Jesus down to the time of the inditing of these revelations, more correctly restatements.” (UB 121:8.13) Other sources were used only when the midwayer could testify that he had failed to find the required conceptual expression in purely human sources.
Students of The Urantia Book are introduced to a remarkable and inspiring presentation of spiritual truth. We are on a journey of discovery. For us truth is relative, progressive, experiential. There are grades of relativity for the truth in the book. Each of us is expected to discover his or her own truth. Undoubtedly some of its truth comes close to being divine truth — may even be divine truth. But that discovery is personal and experiential.
At the very bottom of the gradation of relative truth is the science component of The Urantia Book. The revelators tell us:
Mankind should understand that we who participate in the revelation of truth are very rigorously limited by the instructions of our superiors… We full well know that, while the historic facts and religious truths of this series of revelatory presentations will stand on the records of the ages to come, within a few short years many of our statements regarding the physical sciences will stand in need of revision in consequence of additional scientific developments and new discoveries… The cosmology of these revelations is not inspired. It is limited by our permission for the co-ordination and sorting of present-day knowledge. While divine or spiritual insight is a gift, human wisdom must evolve. (UB 101:4.2)
Only in special circumstances could the revelators go beyond the bounds of present day (1930’s) knowledge. Important lost knowledge could be restored, and where there were vital gaps in otherwise earned knowledge, information could be supplied. What could be clearer about the scientific knowledge of The Urantia Book? It contains a contemporary cosmology to help integrate a revelation of spiritual truth. In effect it says, “Expect to discover errors, but please do not throw out the baby with the bath water, do not discard the genuine religious truths contained therein.”
Many of us have tended to ignore these statements of the limitations of The Urantia Book. Only in recent years has there been any concerted effort to identify the human sources of Urantia Book material. Slowly it is becoming evident that the book’s own statements regarding human sources are accurate. Much of its science and cosmology is directly derived from human sources available at the time of the inditing of the Papers.
The Urantia Book contains revelation; of that I am sure! It contains a vast amount of authentic and original religious truth just waiting for us to discover and make our own. It also contains a cosmology appropriate to the level of human knowledge in the 1930’s. Hidden in that cosmology, there is prophetic information to discover that covers vital missing gaps in our knowledge. Why was the book written in this strange way when many of the problems so generated could easily have been avoided simply by not mentioning them? Was it really necessary to give us such near unbelievable information such as the incredible passenger birds, that every fourth child of Adamson and Ratta was born invisible, or that a single couple gave birth to red, green, blue, yellow, and indigo children?
I do not pretend to have the answers to the many mind-boggling riddles that have arisen during twenty years of continuous struggle to understand The Urantia Book. My personal conclusion is that it is not infallible. It does contain errors and some of it for me is incomprehensible. Nonetheless, my awe and respect for the book has increased with time. As the years go by, more and more, its contents becomes the hub about which my very existence revolves.
I do not pretend to have the answers to the many mindboggling riddles that have arisen during twenty years of continuous struggle to understand The Urantia Book. My personal conclusion is that it is not infallible. It does contain errors and some of it for me is incomprehensible. Nonetheless, my awe and respect for the book has increased with time. As the years go by, more and more, its contents becomes the hub about which my very existence revolves. But it is not the mere book that is the center of the hub. It is its simple central message: the revelation that I am the child of a gracious, compassionate, and loving Heavenly Father and the recipient of a progressive spiritual ministry unfolding the meaning of my existence.
Ken T. Glasziou, M. Sc., Ph. D., is a research scientist, retired, who is active in church work in Australia. He is author of Science and Religion; The New Age Beyond 2,000 A.D., and Christ or Chaos: The Evolution of a Revelation.