© 2000 Stephen
© 2000 The Urantia Book Fellowship
(Note: The author has asked us to withhold his full identity to protect his professional status and connections. We are complying with his request. - Editors)
Why was The Urantia Book given? I. find an answer here: “It is helpful to man’s cosmic orientation to attain all possible comprehension of Deity’s relation to the cosmos…” (UB 118:1.1) Comprehension is an intellectual function. One of the points I wish to prove in this paper is that The Urantia Book has more of a truth-function than a goodness- or beauty-function.
In several places where the book speaks of a triad of science-philosophy-religion, or of matter-mind-spirit, we find that revelation consistently comes down in the phi-losophy/mind category:
The highest attainable philosophy of mortal man must he logically based on the reason of science, the faith of religion, and the truth insight afforded by revelation. . . . (UB 103:6.15)
The truth an understanding of cosmic relationships, universe facts, and spiritual values - can best be had through the ministry of the Spirit of Truth and can best be criticized by revelation. But revelation originates neither a science nor a religion; its function is to co-ordinate both science and religion with the truth of reality. (UB 103:7.8)
Both of these passages are surrounded by disparage-ments of human metaphysics. Revelation, by mediating between science and religion in ways that metaphysics was unable to do, provides a basis for criticizing human un-derstandings of truth. This is confirmed by the passage on five values of revelation. Some of what revelation does is to: “clarify knowledge by: 1. The reduction of confusion by the authoritative elimination of error…3. The restoration of important bits of lost knowledge concerning epochal transactions in the distant past. 4. The supplying of information which will fill in vital missing gaps in otherwise earned knowledge.” (UB 101:4.5-10)
Elimination of error is philosophically “critical”, while supplying missing truth is philosophically “construc-tive”.
The eventual function of The Urantia Book in human society will be to enable philosophic sorting and censoring, to aid in the critique of religion. Of course, it will be a very long time before The Urantia Book gains widespread acceptance as a “censor” of religion and philosophy. In the meantime this seems to be the function of individuals who utter effective and truthful words in social venues: in churches, in schools, in print. “Effective” is the key word in that sentence. Merely spouting revelation in a way that ignores the readiness or the sensitivities of one’s hearers, is ineffectual.
In our attempts to be truth-revealers, we must be-come “audience-sensitive”, both in intellectual and in per-sonal ways. It is helpful that one be “educated” in the subject matter on which one speaks. When we criticize Christianity, for instance, are we well-informed? Do we recognize the diversity of thinking among Christians? Do we appreciate the importance of Christian proclamation of the divinity of the Creator Son? Do we work with or against the angels of the churches?
We can also benefit from having audience-sensitivity in a personal sense: using Jesus’ method of “making intimate and personal contact” (UB 134:2.3) with the people. When intimacy exists, any instance of insensitivity on The Urantia Book reader’s part will evoke a protest, and the reader will be forced either to appreciate the motivation of the protest or to break off the relationship. Our effectiveness as philosophic leaveners will improve greatly if we learn to be intellectually and personally sensitive to our hearers.
I have made my central points. There is an impor-tant consequential point that also involves audience-sen-sitivity. Earlier I cited the passage on five values of revelation, but I did not quote the fifth value, which is this: “Presenting cosmic data in such a manner as to illuminate the spiritual teachings contained in the accompanying revelation.” (UB 101:4.10). This is a compelling argument against pub-lishing the Jesus Papers (or a portion thereof) separately: they are not accompanied by the cosmic data that is needed to make sense of much of the content: Who are the Ancients of Days? What is meant by “earning of the perfected sovereignty?” What were the “affairs of…the Lucifer rebellion” that he was to “untangle?” What is a Personalized Thought Adjuster, a morontia form, a bestowal life? Some-one may say that these questions will prompt the new read-ers to go purchase the whole book, and a few will undoubtedly do that. But others will either ignore or mis-interpret these important terms. The fact is, insufficient “cosmic data” are here “accompanying” the “spiritual teach-ings.” If we’re going to throw these terms at new readers, we need to give them the whole story.