© 2006 Olga López
© 2006 Urantia Association of Spain
Introduction by Olga Lopez
In the documento 92 we are told that there are two influences that can modify and elevate the dogmas of natural religion: the pressure of customs that progress slowly and the periodic illumination of the revelations of the time. Revealed religion makes it possible to compensate for the defects of evolutionary religion, elevating it towards higher spiritual goals, but without presenting teachings that are too far removed from the ideas of the time in which they are presented. Revelation must always keep in touch with evolution, and in fact it does. Revealed religion must always be limited by man’s capacity to receive it.
It is always difficult to induce the evolutionary mind to willingly accept advanced revealed truth. As evolutionary creatures, human beings must achieve their religion through evolutionary techniques. Religion will always be evolutionary, revealed, or a combination of the two.
The Urantia Book contains some revealed teachings destined to spiritually elevate humanity, which form what the revelators call the fifth epochal revelation. In this same documento 92 we are told about the previous revelations, which you all already know, represented by well-defined personalities: the Planetary Prince, Adam and Eve, Machiventa Melchizedek and Jesus of Nazareth. This fifth revelation, however, does not have a name or a tangible personality behind it, but is the result of the joint work of a series of celestial personalities that remain in the background.
Regarding this fifth revelation, there are two features that I would like to highlight:
- This revelation has been given to us before it has fully come to fruition. That is, our current time is not the time when this revelation is going to be widely known. The readers of the first generations are going to be in the minority.
- On normal planets, most of the teachings of the fifth revelation are offered to the inhabitants of these worlds in eras much later than the one we currently find ourselves in (UB 52:7.3). In the Book we are told, for example, even about Paradise and Havona; on other planets this revelation is made only in the age after the Teacher Son. And all this counting on the fact that these revelations were given to a humanity that is behind a dispensation or more with respect to the average planetary plan (UB 52:3.6).
We could ask ourselves then why this revelation has been given to us, if it seems to be premature no matter how we look at it. But the point is that it has been given to us, that it has not come to us here and now by pure chance, that if it has been given to us it is because we can do something useful with it, which is undoubtedly what the revelators expect of us. . Taking advantage of the parable of the talents, we have to take advantage of the talent that has been given to us, instead of hiding it so that no one can see it or steal it from us.
When the revelation contained in the Book is known, it seems that the natural step, apart from looking for other readers to share the impressions that the Book inspires in us, is to talk about the book to others, to try to make the people around us feel the same sensation that we do when making contact with his teachings. Many of us have tried to make the Book known to others. Most of the time, at best we have obtained indifference. We deduce then that the shots do not go that way, that it is useless to talk about the Book regardless of the interlocutor, and we wait for better moments to comment on it.
Much has been written about the dissemination of the Book’s teachings, and there is practically unanimity in these aspects:
- Massive and indiscriminate dissemination is not only not beneficial, but it may be detrimental to the future of revelation.
- There is not one method of dissemination, but many, but they must be used in the best way to produce the expected result.
- It is not necessary to stress about the Book; the important thing is to make his teachings known. What is important is the content, not the container or the way in which these teachings were delivered to us.
As committed readers of revelation, we want to get things right, so we search the Book and the writings of other readers for the best way to make its teachings known. The Book does not give explicit instructions on how to make the revelation known, but it does give many implicit instructions. For example, we can read about how previous revelations came about and learn from their successes and their failures. And, although they are all examples to learn from, I highlight the fourth revelation (that is, the life of Jesus) because in his words and in his dialogues with his contemporaries we see an example of coherence and of knowing how to relate to his contemporaries.
In the first place, more than his words, it was his attitude towards life that fascinated and convinced those who dealt with him at some point in their lives. He was an example of life, which is (in my opinion) the number one requirement to be authentic disseminators of revelation. There is nothing that disavows our message more than behaving differently from what we preach. Although as imperfect mortals it is very difficult for us to live with 100 percent coherence, we must at least try to make our coherence as close to that percentage as possible. That will give a credibility to our message that no reasoned defense of revelation could achieve.
Second, Jesus addressed the seeker, the one who hungered for truth and thirsted for perfection. He did not waste efforts on those who did not seek God. He did not throw pearls to pigs. It did not use, therefore, the massive and indiscriminate publicity that I have mentioned before.
Third, Jesus used many scriptural references that supported the truths he wanted to convey. He did not condemn the religion of his contemporaries as a whole, but knew how to take advantage of the good that it contained and use it to support his claims. In his speech, affirmative phrases predominated over negative ones; of the latter the commandments are a typical example. Therefore, it is not a matter of belittling the beliefs of others, no matter how aberrational they may seem to us, but of highlighting what they may have as positive and enhancing them with the revealed teachings. Nobody likes to have their beliefs mocked, much less their person. If we earn the respect and goodwill of our interlocutors, they will be more receptive to what we are going to tell them.
Of course, we are not Jesus and we cannot expect to do so well all the time, but I am convinced that we can all contribute to spreading the revelation, using our best abilities and our intuition to know when it is time to “drop”. something about the teachings of the Book.
Regarding the “where”, there are two areas in which to make known the teachings of the Book. The first and most obvious is our immediate environment: family, work, friends, hobbies, etc. If we think that it is not enough to drop the revelation to our “near neighbors”, the “information society” also offers us many possibilities for our words to have a greater echo, especially since the appearance of the Internet as a network of networks. : newsgroups, mailing lists, web forums, blogs… If the list is long as regards the Internet, we also have other means at our disposal if we dare with them: forums, books, organization of seminars, conferences , etc. And, if we have enough imagination, the opportunities can be endless.
In any of these areas, it is not advisable to cite the source immediately, nor to give explicit publicity for the Book, because that can generate hostile attitudes. It is not about selling any product, but about keeping your eyes and ears wide open, because any occasion can be propitious. I believe that we all have the antenna that alerts us when we find ourselves before a seeker of the truth. All of us here definitely belong to that group, so it’s easy for us to recognize those on similar wavelengths.
Another important detail in my opinion is that I do not think we should stick to the religious teachings of the Book, because the revelation also covers intellectual and material aspects that we should not ignore. It also spreads the message by taking a stand on issues of politics, ethics, and culture. The teachings form an integrated whole, in the same way that people are a whole made up of body, mind and spirit.
To conclude, I would like to insist on the tremendous responsibility that, as readers of the first generations, we have with respect to the decades to come. It is our responsibility to keep the flame of revelation alive for when the time comes when it is fully known throughout the world. The revelation could be compared to a tree that grows slowly but that reaches centuries of life. It is important to let the tree grow, but if we do not plant the seed, if we do not water it so that it gives rise to the tree, the tree will not come into being. Ours is not a minor task, because it depends on us that the message of the revelation spreads generation after generation and extends to the greatest number of seekers of the truth.
¶ Comments from attendees
It is not a question of disseminating the UB per se, but of preparing ourselves, being aware of the method and making the teachings known, but being very cautious. It is not about “selling” the UB. You have to go a little ahead, imitating the Master.
If the source is cited too soon, people are immediately left with the phenomenal aspect: in the form, in how the UB was made known. There are people who only seek the miracle, the supernatural. It is not worth insisting on them.
Jesus made his apostles look within themselves and then make known the good news of the kingdom. We have to learn pedagogy, psychology and sociology. We have to learn to be teachers, but without waiting forever to be teachers “of the whole.” Of course, we have to live a coherent life, be consistent with the message we transmit.
It is also necessary to maintain a degree of commitment to dissemination, taking into account that we learn at the same time that we teach. The best testimony is the testimony of life.
Many people read the Book but there are things they don’t understand. Those people would go to the conferences, talks, seminars that the readers did.
Often people tell us about their problems and we provide the answers they need without even realizing it. This is a sign that we have internalized the Book. This provokes a positive reaction: it is an excellent way to disseminate the teachings.
It is dangerous to speak of UB “crudely”. In this aspect, Jesus is a good model to follow. More than talking a lot, we have to learn to listen and know how to respond. In the long run, long speeches are not necessary, but to feed the heart of each one. We have to try to make this world more and more spiritual.
We have to adapt to the interlocutor, without putting ourselves on a higher plane, but not lower either. We must try to speak their same language.
The important thing is not to be great teachers, but to take the plow and plow. Practice will be who will teach us. It is about adding, of contributing something new to the interlocutor. It is not about creating new religions or sects, but adding to what the other already knows. If we get rejection, it’s better to back down and not insist.
We have a lot where we can “spoon.” When our interlocutor shows interest, it is because there is already something inside him. Let’s keep in mind that if we don’t disclose the treasure locked up in the UB, no one will do it for us. Let’s try it with the possibilities that are offered to us.
A good proposal would be to create groups of committed volunteers who organize meetings with themes that are not necessarily the same as those of the UB. These themes would be ordered, so that first they were more superficial and little by little they went to a more inner circle, that is, from the mundane to the spiritual. Continuing with this proposal, a spiritual teaching center could be created.
Jesus told us “ask and it will be given to you” and, in addition, we have two very important helpers: the Adjuster and the Spirit of Truth, who always respond to our requests, although not always in the way we expect.
It is important to leave a written testimony of our experiences for future generations, as this is a very good way of transmitting the truth. It is good to try to write down our experiences, our sensations in a notebook. Personal communication is very important.
Writing our own life experience is a good idea, but we must be realistic. It probably doesn’t have much circulation, but the important thing is that someone reads it and feels interested. God writes straight with crooked lines. “Trojan Horses” are a good example.
When we open the UB, it opens to us. We can consider ourselves privileged for having known these teachings. We cannot put our light under the bed, it has to illuminate the room.
The Urantia movement is just beginning and we do not want to be labeled the same as institutionalized religions. We want to form a well-established base. If we are afraid, it is not of ridicule but of being wrong.
If the Urantia movement differs from known religions in anything, it is in its approach to religion as personal experience. This indisputably marks a great difference with respect to religions. It’s important to be clear about what issues people care about: the big questions (who are we, where do we come from, where are we going), why does evil exist in the world, and why does God allow it to exist?
Diffusion sometimes follows unsuspected paths. Sometimes it is not bad to cite the source at the beginning, because that is exactly what arouses interest.
Today it can be seen that there is a whole “trail” of people who come out of religions but who need a place to go and which at the moment they lack. The UB can be very well received among these people.
The Book is like a blueprint that shows us the path to follow, but we must travel the path speaking from within, communicating with our Adjuster, allowing ourselves to be guided by the seven adjutant spirits of the mind. We have to take advantage of the encounters with our fellow men, whether they last a second, a few days or a lifetime.
The UB is a very valuable source of knowledge, but the important thing is to translate it into our own experience: patience, love, understanding, knowing how to listen. From there we extend it to others, we radiate it.
We must not follow the example of those groups of readers who overintellectualize the Book. Let’s be patient. Let us remember that impatience is a poison for the spirit.
Knowledge without experience is not only useless, but also a drag. Intellectualizing the UB is not enough: you have to feel it, give it heart, reach people, remove their consciousness, make them aware of the upper world, the world of the spirit. Although it would also be interesting to influence the new generations on the intellectual aspects of UB, because it can bring them closer to spiritualization.
Every book has something positive, and that is that it can make many people read and discover answers. But there are also many other possibilities: painting, music… UB is a food from which each one extracts what they need and makes it known. If we keep it to ourselves, we lose it. Everyone has to contribute something to the world, something that they are very good at doing.
We all want to be important. The world suffers from much exaltation of the ego. Jesus, on the other hand, was the humblest of men. We must avoid the temptation of feeling important, when in reality we are tools at the service of God. Egos play tricks, even in heaven: let’s not forget what happened to Lucifer.
Side works on the Book are a great way to spread the word about it. Reader meetings are also very important, because it helps to see different nuances.
Jesus of Nazareth is a living example in the UB. He is our Teacher. If we work the UB, the UB works with us. The Adjuster is in charge of adjusting our mind. Like Jesus, we have to win souls for the kingdom. In short, any diffusion method must be slow but sure to bear fruit.
¶ References
- Light and Life Magazine (all old issues): https://aue.urantia-association.org/numeros-antiguos-del-lyv/