© 2010 Olga López
© 2010 Urantia Association of Spain
The great attraction that catastrophism has in the minds of many people is undeniable. Many people do not like what they see, feel that we are headed for a forward flight and want (either consciously or unconsciously) a break with the current situation. Since changes on a planetary scale are costly and require a lot of time and effort, they think that a catastrophe would be a way to solve many problems at the stroke of a pen; It would be a way of doing a “clean slate”, although of course it would be a very drastic way that would entail a great cost in all areas (in this case, the economic cost would be the least important, since what would be at stake is our survival as humanity)
From time to time, as president of the association, I get questions from readers or curious people in general, who want us to express our opinion before the many web pages with a conspiracy and catastrophic tinge. In general, these people are interested in knowing if The Urantia Book says anything about the profound changes that some predict (at the time of writing these lines, there is a lot of buzz about the year 2012 and the possible fulfillment of the Mayan prophecies).
First of all, it must be made clear that The Urantia Book is not a book of prophecies; that’s not to say that there aren’t some claims that can be taken as something that will happen in the future. It is also true that none of them is located at a specific time; We don’t know when they will occur. It’s more; it is not always clear if it is a “prophecy” or simply the overt expression of a wish. Here are a couple of examples:
“Sooner or later another and greater John the Baptist is due to arise proclaiming “the kingdom of God is at hand”—meaning a return to the high spiritual concept of Jesus, who proclaimed that the kingdom is the will of his heavenly Father dominant and transcendent in the heart of the believer—and doing all this without in any way referring either to the visible church on earth or to the anticipated second coming of Christ.” (UB 170:5.19)
“. . . some day a real musician may appear on Urantia, and whole peoples will be enthralled by the magnificent strains of his melodies. One such human being could forever change the course of a whole nation, even the entire civilized world. . . .” (UB 44:1.15)
Specifically, the first quote, which refers to the future coming of “another John the Baptist”, has made many readers wonder when it will occur, and if that moment is close in time (in fact, there is a movement that affirms that John the Baptist has been reincarnated here and lives right now on our planet - add information about it) It is also intriguing that this person (who is yet to appear) is compared to John the Baptist; we all know that John the Baptist was the announcer of Jesus of Nazareth, our Creator Son no less. But this paragraph of the UB tells us that this religious leader will not allude to the second coming of Christ. Is it perhaps referring to the arrival of another teacher son, as foreseen in the planetary stages of mortals?
“. . . Urantia is not proceeding in the normal order. Your world is out of step in the planetary procession. . . .”” (UB 52:6.1)
“. . . Again we find Urantia out of step with its sister spheres in that your Jesus has promised to return. That promise he will certainly fulfill, but no one knows whether his second coming will precede or follow the appearances of Magisterial or Teacher Sons on Urantia.” (UB 52:7.1)
Since we live on an atypical planet that doesn’t seem to quite follow these stages, anything could be possible. Many conjectures have been made regarding this subject, which have caused rivers of ink to flow among the readers of the book.
One of the things that I like the most about what is said in the book, but which I also admit is unappealing to the vast majority of people, is the emphasis placed on evolution as the most effective process of change, in place of radical and abrupt changes. It is true that, for example, in the case of the evolution of species, “sudden” changes occur, but these are perfectly natural and are somehow “written” in the genetic material of living beings. The book advocates slow but effective change.
However, it is true that in the history of our planet we find certain “outbreaks” that cannot be explained as part of the gradual evolution of civilizations. How to explain, for example, the rise of religious leaders and philosophers of the sixth century B.C. C.? This is what The Urantia Book says of that moment in our history, one of the “seven major religious epochs of post-Adamic Urantia” UB 92:5.8 :
“. . . Many men arose to proclaim truth in this, one of the greatest centuries of religious awakening ever witnessed on Urantia. Among these should be recorded Gautama, Confucius, Lao-tse, Zoroaster, and the Jainist teachers. . . .” (UB 92:5.12)
There was another remarkable “eclosion”, this time in the field of science, which we could place in the 17th century. One only has to remember the great scientific development that occurred in Old Europe thanks to great scientists like Newton, Descartes, Leibniz, Pascal, Bacon, etc., who managed to make science walk independently from religion, and that he would detach himself in this way from his suffocating tutelage. We can also highlight the so-called Industrial Revolution, which began at the end of the 18th century and which revealed itself as a time that brought spectacular changes to Western civilization, which gradually dragged other peoples down.
And, already in our time, what about the Internet? The Internet emerged at the end of the 20th century and a few years later, in the early years of the 21st century, it has become a new space for human interaction with possibilities that a few years ago we did not even dare to dream of. The Internet is making humanity take giant steps towards true globalization (which at the moment is economic globalization and not exactly fair, but that is another matter). I only note this fact: if Facebook were a country, and its inhabitants were the users registered in this well-known social network, it would be the third country in the world in number of inhabitants, only surpassed by China and India (in 2010, the number of Facebook users is already 500 million) There is no doubt that the Internet will bring profound and important changes on a planetary level. We are already experiencing some of them, but I am sure that the future will hold many surprises for us.
All this does not seem to be the result of chance, of the fortuitous concurrence of a series of circumstances. Then, at this point, we could ask ourselves if these more or less sudden changes are due to the action of the celestial beings who supervise our planet. The Urantia Book speaks of the existence of ten seraphic bodies that watch over the progress of our planet. In document 114, “The planetary government of the seraphim”, these bodies are alluded to, of which I would like to highlight these four:
“2. The progress angels. These seraphim are intrusted with the task of initiating the evolutionary progress of the successive social ages. They foster the development of the inherent progressive trend of evolutionary creatures; they labor incessantly to make things what they ought to be. . . .” (UB 114:6.6)
“3. The religious guardians. These are the “angels of the churches,” the earnest contenders for that which is and has been. They endeavor to maintain the ideals of that which has survived for the sake of the safe transit of moral values from one epoch to another. . . .” (UB 114:6.7)
“6. The angels of the future. These are the projection angels, who forecast a future age and plan for the realization of the better things of a new and advancing dispensation; they are the architects of the successive eras. . . .” (UB 114:6.10)
“10. The angels of industry. This seraphic group is concerned with fostering industrial development and improving economic conditions among the Urantia peoples. This corps has been seven times changed since the bestowal of Michael.” (UB 114:6.14)
If we stop to reflect a little on these seraphic bodies and their work on Urantia, it is hard to believe that the social, intellectual and spiritual evolution of humanity is something random and chaotic. Although free will is sacred to our celestial partners, we are not alone: they can and do help us.
Considering the aid we receive from the superhuman government of our planet, and reflecting on the doomsday ideas that have been so popular since the end of World War II, doesn’t it seem illogical to think that they are going to let us self-destruct? And much less if we consider that this was the planet where the sovereign of our local universe, Miguel de Nebadon, was awarded.
In this regard, there is a really revealing paragraph in The Urantia Book, in which it is indicated that a Creator Son reserves the right to directly influence the world in which he donated himself as a mortal:
. . . A Master Son may at will vary the order of the spiritual adjudication and evolutionary adjustment of the inhabited planets. And such Sons do make and carry out the plans of their own choosing in all matters of special planetary needs, in particular regarding the worlds of their creature sojourn and still more concerning the realm of terminal bestowal, the planet of incarnation in the likeness of mortal flesh. (UB 21:5.9)
So, it follows, if the same Creator Son of our local universe has a special “love” for the planet of his final bestowal, I don’t think our humanity will be allowed to go all the way in the self-destructive spiral that many insist on seeing in the current situation.
We could classify the catastrophes that most worry the general public into two large groups:
- Catastrophes produced by our attacks on Earth: climate change, the nuclear threat, depletion of natural resources, etc.
- Catastrophes coming from outside and due to causes beyond our control: meteorites, approach of the planet Hercobulus, etc.
Faced with the first group, it is clear that we all have our share of responsibility and therefore we can all do something to prevent them from occurring. These would be the catastrophes caused by man, which can occur due to our unconsciousness, our selfishness and our short-sightedness. And, since they depend on us, we have a moral duty to help prevent them. There we will always have the members of the superhuman government to help us in whatever they can (which is more than we imagine), as long as we pitch in. No one is going to come from on high to do what we can achieve with our own means. Furthermore, I must insist that free will is sacred in the universe. They won’t help us if we don’t want to be helped.
For my part, I would add that we, as readers of The Urantia Book, should convey to everyone who wants to listen to us a message of optimism. The message that the book transmits is, without any doubt, positive: humanity is destined for utopia, understood in the best of uses of this term.
As for the second group (catastrophes that do not depend on us), I am quite skeptical as to its plausibility. I do not deny that there is a probability (no matter how small) that a celestial body such as a meteorite could fall on Earth and cause the Apocalypse, but it is a bit absurd to worry about something that we cannot avoid and that is out of our control. . In any case, I also refer to what was stated above: we are not left to our own luck. Michael of Nebadon would not allow it. Let’s remember that he promised to return!
In addition, there is a well-known paragraph among the readers of The Urantia Book that, in my opinion, is a true balm against any concern caused by the hypothetical catastrophes that humanity could suffer:
“If some physical catastrophe should doom the planetary residence of an evolving race, the Melchizedeks and the Life Carriers would install the technique of dematerialization for all survivors, and by seraphic transport these beings would be carried away to the new world prepared for their continuing existence. The evolution of a human race, once initiated on a world of space, must proceed quite independently of the physical survival of that planet, . . .” (UB 51:2.3)
So why worry? If a threat jeopardized the continuity of humanity living on Earth, we would be transferred to another planet to continue our evolution. End of problem. Still, I find it hard to believe that our Creator Son would let Urantia be destroyed, even though its inhabitants might be moved to another planet. It gives me that, if only out of pure sentimentality, I would not allow that to happen.
¶ References
- Light and Life Magazine (all old issues): https://aue.urantia-association.org/numeros-antiguos-del-lyv/