© 2007 Luis Coll
© 2007 Urantia Association of Spain
–A problem as old as humanity itself: the conservatism of ancient religions and the clash of new ideas and beliefs about God and religion among new generations.
What do you do when you are open-minded and have personal beliefs about God and religion?
When we encounter some of those conservative, narrow-minded, old-fashioned religious people—no matter what religion they are—and we try to share some new ideas about God and our personal beliefs, we can find ourselves in a long, serious debate, arguing until we’re blue in the face and getting nowhere. “No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or the new wine will burst the wineskins and spill out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins (new youth and new generations), and both will be preserved” (Luke 5:37,38).
If a person has any personal religious belief that is out of the ordinary and does not fit in with the “status quo” of the official and established religions, he is immediately branded as what is so fashionable today - sect, or sectarian -
Here are some quotes from a not-so-famous book (at the moment) that give us a good idea of what happens when we encounter such a conflict.
But there is no excuse for the involvement of the church in commerce and politics; such unholy alliances are a flagrant betrayal of the Master. And the genuine lovers of truth will be slow to forget that this powerful institutionalized church has often dared to smother newborn faith and persecute truth bearers who chanced to appear in unorthodox raiment. (UB 195:10.13)
Believers or small groups of people who have randomly appeared with new concepts and ideas about God have always been persecuted by the major religions.
And forget not: We have made no direct attack upon the persons or upon the authority of those who sit in Moses’ seat; we only offered them the new light, which they have so vigorously rejected. We have assailed them only by the denunciation of their spiritual disloyalty to the very truths which they profess to teach and safeguard. We clashed with these established leaders and recognized rulers only when they threw themselves directly in the way of the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to the sons of men. And even now, it is not we who assail them, but they who seek our destruction. Do not forget that you are commissioned to go forth preaching only the good news. You are not to attack the old ways; you are skillfully to put the leaven of new truth in the midst of the old beliefs. Let the Spirit of Truth do his own work. Let controversy come only when they who despise the truth force it upon you. But when the willful unbeliever attacks you, do not hesitate to stand in vigorous defense of the truth which has saved and sanctified you. (UB 178:1.16)
The greatest Teacher of all time taught us that religion was a matter of each individual’s personal experience and relationship with God.
The Universal Father never imposes any form of arbitrary recognition, formal worship, or slavish service upon the intelligent will creatures of the universes. The evolutionary inhabitants of the worlds of time and space must of themselves—in their own hearts—recognize, love, and voluntarily worship him. The Creator refuses to coerce or compel the submission of the spiritual free wills of his material creatures. The affectionate dedication of the human will to the doing of the Father’s will is man’s choicest gift to God; in fact, such a consecration of creature will constitutes man’s only possible gift of true value to the Paradise Father. In God, man lives, moves, and has his being; there is nothing which man can give to God except this choosing to abide by the Father’s will, and such decisions, effected by the intelligent will creatures of the universes, constitute the reality of that true worship which is so satisfying to the love-dominated nature of the Creator Father. (UB 1:1.2)
Don’t believe in God or religion? Great! Then you’re ready for the greatest adventure of all.
There have been great adventurers and explorers around the world who have set out to explore new lands and seas, even risking their lives to discover new goals and objectives, even to the point of conquering the Moon.
Then you too can begin the greatest adventure of all – that of the man who seeks God through his personal experience and finally finds Him!
…you must advance from where you are (UB 195:10.1)
True it is, you mortals are of earthly, animal origin; your frame is indeed dust. But if you actually will, if you really desire, surely the heritage of the ages is yours, and you shall someday serve throughout the universes in your true characters—children of the Supreme God of experience and divine sons of the Paradise Father of all personalities. (UB 112:7.19)
L.Coll
Note: For a more detailed study on this topic: – Urantia Book chapters UB 194, UB 195, UB 196.