© 2022 Paula Thompson
© 2022 The Urantia Book Fellowship
| Walls, Doors, and Windows: The Psychology of Disseminating the Teachings of the Urantia Book | Volume 22, Number 1, 2022 (summer) — Index | Your Answer Book |
by Paula Thompson
As a new reader of The Urantia Book, you may have read or heard about the author’s use of “human sources.” I write this article with the intent of shedding some light on why the human source authors used in The Urantia Book were vital to our being able to understand it. This article is based on my conclusions and speculations after decades of pondering this matter.
The Urantia Book claims to be a revelation of truth; it does not claim to be a revelation of fact. It states, “One can be technically right as to fact and everlastingly wrong in the truth (UB 48:6.33).” This is a thought-provoking statement, and can even be perplexing because our scientific culture seems to dictate that truth and fact are essentially the same thing. However, are they? I pondered this statement, and asked God to show me a practical example of it-a metaphor to help me understand it. Then, I found several examples of this within the book itself.
One classic example is an archangel’s statement on truth and fact as illustrated by the caveman analogy in “Paper 100. Religion in Human Experience.” The fact is, the caveman is “a short, misshapen, filthy, snarling hulk of a man standing, legs spread, club upraised, breathing hate and animosity as he looks fiercely just ahead.” The truth is that “In front of this animated human crouches a sabertoothed tiger. Behind him, a woman and two children.” The fact is this cave dweller is little more than a wild animal himself. The truth is he possesses much that is good and noble in the human race. The differences between truth and fact, though subtle, are quite real.
In light of what we now know of the human source authors of The Urantia Book, I hope to provide a fresh look at what the revelators had to say about their use of these human sources, as well as their stringent mandate to use them whenever possible. In order to accomplish this, it is helpful to think like a revelator.
Right now, imagine that you are a highly evolved being who has been assigned the task of revealing truth to the “mortal creatures living on a sin-stricken, evil-dominated, self-seeking, isolated world, such as Urantia (UB 55:5.1).” Imagine that what follows is a briefing for the task, along with the following mandates from the superuniverse rulers regarding that task:
- In all your efforts to reveal truth and coordinate essential knowledge, give preference to the highest existing human concepts pertaining to the subjects to be presented (cf. UB 0:12.11)
- Resort to pure revelation only when the concept of presentation has had no adequate previous expression by the human mind (cf. UB 0:12.11).
- In making these presentations about God and his universe associates, select as the basis of these papers human concepts representing the highest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings. Wherein these human concepts, assembled from the God-knowing mortals of the past and the present, are inadequate to portray the truth as you are directed to reveal it, you may unhesitatingly supplement them, drawing upon your own superior knowledge of the reality and divinity of the Paradise Deities and their transcendent residential universe. (cf. UB 0:12.12)
- You may draw freely upon all sources of record and planetary information (cf. UB 121:8.12). And although it is exceedingly difficult to present enlarged concepts and advanced truth to the humans of Urantia, remember as you endeavor to expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception, that you are restricted to the use of a circumscribed English language of the realm (cf. UB 0:0.2).
- Further, you are to introduce new terms only when the concept to be portrayed finds no terminology in English which can be employed to convey such a new concept partially or even with more or less distortion of meaning (cf. UB 0:0.2 ).
Further, the superuniverse rulers are fully cognizant of the difficulties of your assignment; they recognize the impossibility of fully translating the language of the concepts of divinity and eternity into the symbols of the language of the finite concepts of the mortal mind. But remember that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. Be even more certain that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experience-God-consciousness. (cf. UB 0:12.13)
No doubt, our beloved revelators received just such a briefing before undertaking the monumental task of presenting the fifth epochal revelation of truth to the mortals of Urantia. As we look objectively at their revelatory mandate, we get insights into the difficulty of their task. They surely did a thorough assessment of the assets and liabilities inherent in their undertaking and crucial to their ultimate success. Even so, the Divine Counselor, whose words I borrowed in creating this mock briefing, were quite matter of fact.
However, we find in the beginning of “Paper 121 : The Times of Michael’s Bestowal,” a more detailed acknowledgement and explanation of the human sources used by one of the twelve Urantia Midwayers who presented the Jesus papers. I think it provides some great insights into the reasons for the revelatory mandate to use human sources. This midwayer gives us a comprehensive explanation of his process in choosing the human source material. Why? Perhaps it is because, knowing us so well, he knew we would stumble over the human source materials when we did, eventually, discover them. Midwayers, unlike celestial beings, are truly terrestrial, and have a remarkable understanding of humans. They have served us faithfully through our long, long evolutionary struggle. I submit that they know us better as a group of beings than anyone save the Father himself. No doubt, the revelatory commissioners relied heavily upon them for insight and understanding about the unusual situation our planetary isolation has caused.
Here is what the Midwayer tells us in:
[Acknowledgment: In carrying out my commission to restate the teachings and retell the doings of Jesus of Nazareth, I have drawn freely upon all sources of record and planetary information. My ruling motive has been to prepare a record which will not only be enlightening to the generation of men now living, but which may also be helpful to all future generations. From the vast store of information made available to me, I have chosen that which is best suited to the accomplishment of this purpose. As far as possible I have derived my information from purely human sources. Only when such sources failed, have I resorted to those records which are superhuman. When ideas and concepts of Jesus’ life and teachings have been acceptably expressed by a human mind, I invariably gave preference to such apparently human thought patterns. Although I have sought to adjust the verbal expression the better to conform to our concept of the real meaning and the true import of the Master’s life and teachings, as far as possible, I have adhered to the actual human concept and thought pattern in all my narratives. I well know that those concepts which have had origin in the human mind will prove more acceptable and helpful to all other human minds. When unable to find the necessary concepts in the human records or in human expressions, I have next resorted to the memory resources of my own order of earth creatures, the midwayers. And when that secondary source of information proved inadequate, I have unhesitatingly resorted to the superplanetary sources of information.
The memoranda which I have collected, and from which I have prepared this narrative of the life and teachings of Jesusaside from the memory of the record of the Apostle Andrew-embrace thought gems and superior concepts of Jesus’ teachings 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. The revelatory permission has been utilized only when the human record and human concepts failed to supply an adequate thought pattern. My revelatory commission forbade me to resort to extrahuman sources of either information or expression until such a time as I could testify that I had failed in my efforts to find the required conceptual expression in purely human sources. UB 121:8.12-13
Our friend the Midwayer describes here how he was forbidden to use “extrahuman sources” unless absolutely necessary. He was even required to justify his use of “extrahuman sources” when indeed no suitable “human sources” could be found. This left me wondering, why are these human sources so important? The Midwayer mentions our human “thought pattern(s)” three times. I think this a clue as to why the human sources are vital to the success of the fifth epochal revelation and to all epochal revelations as well.
The Midwayer goes on to say:
While I, with the collaboration of my eleven associate fellow midwayers and under the supervision of the Melchizedek of record, have portrayed this narrative in accordance with my concept of its effective arrangement and in response to my choice of immediate expression, nevertheless, the majority of the ideas and even some of the effective expressions which I have thus utilized had their origin in the minds of the men of many races who have lived on earth during the intervening generations, right on down to those who are still alive at the time of this undertaking. In many ways I have served more as a collector and editor than as an original narrator. I have unhesitatingly appropriated those ideas and concepts, preferably human, which would enable me to create the most effective portraiture of Jesus’ life, and which would qualify me to restate his matchless teachings in the most strikingly helpful and universally uplifting phraseology. In behalf of the Brotherhood of the United Midwayers of Urantia, I most gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to all sources of record and concept which have been hereinafter utilized in the further elaboration of our restatement of Jesus’ life on earth. (UB 121:8.14)
(I love the way he acknowledges the human sources.)
The following quote provides some insight regarding the constructs of human thought and thought patterns:
Partial, incomplete, and evolving intellects would be helpless in the master universe, would be unable to form the first rational thought pattern, were it not for the innate ability of all mind, high or low, to form a universe frame in which to think. If mind cannot fathom conclusions, if it cannot penetrate to true origins, then will such mind unfailingly postulate conclusions and invent origins that it may have a means of logical thought within the frame of these mind-created postulates. And while such universe frames for creature thought are indispensable to rational intellectual operations, they are, without exception, erroneous to a greater or lesser degree. (UB 115:1.1)
I have concluded that the revelators have to incorporate the use of human sources to deliver all epochal revelations. They cannot mechanically recreate our own unique universe framework, being as it is peculiarly conditioned by rebellion and isolation.
Moreover, if they did just deliver their thoughts unaided and un-translated within these human constructs, we likely would not understand their message at all. Had they not used these human sources, the whole book might then read like the foreword and be largely incomprehensible to most human beings.
I can only speculate as to how perfect beings differ from us in their thought patterns, but I have concluded that the differences are like a vast chasm that renders it all but impossible for them to communicate with us in an intelligible way. This chasm has to be bridged if they are to deliver an epochal revelation to us. The best way, perhaps the only way, to bridge the chasm is by utilizing other human minds-not just any human minds, but minds just like our own, that have grown up inside an identical human construct conditioned by rebellion and universe isolation.
When looking at the five epochal revelations The Urantia Book says have been given to humankind, one can see how vitally and intricately human beings were incorporated into each one. It should not surprise us that humans are instrumental in delivering truth to other humans. After all, God does live in his children.
¶ References
- Article obtained from The Fellowship site
| Walls, Doors, and Windows: The Psychology of Disseminating the Teachings of the Urantia Book | Volume 22, Number 1, 2022 (summer) — Index | Your Answer Book |