© 1978 Michael A. Painter, Troy Bishop, Jim McNelly, Marilyn Hauck
© 1978 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
As we search to build a foundation upon which all the religions of the world can stand, perhaps no other concept offers such a solid cornerstone as that of communication with the Thought Adjuster. Regardless of the disparities in their cosmologies, theologies, liturgies, etc., most religions would recognize that the relationship between God and man is one of the most important issues. As a result, we have an immediate bridge to help us cross over to various religious traditions. And, perhaps most importantly, a reservoir of religious tradition is found to which we can not only give but from which we can also take. I emphasize taking from other religious traditions because many people appear strained to find something of value in the various religious traditions.
The first step is to open our minds and look for what is similar in religious traditions instead of what is different.
We have learned that the Thought Adjuster indwells our minds. Also, we have learned that if we wish to postulate a subconscious realm of the mind, we should also postulate a superconscious realm. This superconscious realm is the abode of the Adjuster. To attempt to communicate with the Adjuster, we should direct our mind to the superconscious level. This can best be achieved when we are at ease, ie., when our minds are free from domination by any particular thought, our emotions are under control, and our bodies are relaxed and tension-free.
— Michael A. Painter
Indianapolis, Indiana
Aside from Jesus, who is your favorite human personality in The URANTIA Book? Why? Did this mortal do something that inspired you to make a difficult decision at some point in your life? Did the loyalty of Amadon help deepen your commitment to doing the Father’s will? Do you feel a special admiration for the qualities of any one of the apostles — Andrew’s quiet leadership, Peter’s enthusiasm, the Alpheus twins’ faith in spite of their inability to really understand everything involved, Thomas’ intellectual probing? Do even the weaknesses of so many of the mortals help you to better understand yourself?
We would like to plan a future issue of The URANTIAN Journal on this topic. If you have a favorite human personality, other than Jesus, and would consider contributing an article, we would like to hear from you.
— The Editors
This paper, printed here in its entirety, was presented at the Second Central Atlantic Conference of URANTIA Book readers, Rockville, Maryland, an October 28, 1978.
On our world and in our day, in the life of each person of normal mind, a strange and wonderful thing happens, usually just before her or his sixth birthday. When a human mind makes its first moral decision, this mind is granted a spirit identity. A fragment of God arrives from Paradise to take up residence in this now-prepared human mind. This spirit is known by many names: the Thought Adjuster, the Mystery Monitor, the Father fragment, the Divine Gift. A prepersonal entity, this indwelling spirit is of the essence of Deity. The Father’s nature is also the nature of this spirit; the very energy that constitutes the factual presence of the Thought Adjuster is directly responsive to the Paradise Father. The Thought Adjuster is the presence of God within you. And it is more: it is your spirit, too.
“Your Adjuster is the potential of your new and next order of existence, the advance bestowal of your eternal sonship with God. By and with the consent of your will, the Adjuster has the power to subject the creature trends of the material mind to the transforming actions of the motivations and purposes of the emerging morontial soul.” (UB 108:5.4)
The arrival of the Thought Adjuster is the occasion of the birth of your soul. This spirit is the father of your soul, and your material mind is the mother of your soul. For the remainder of your life on Urantia, your Adjuster will be engaged in attempting to lead your mortal free will into those spiritual decisions that will further the growth of your soul, to the end that your soul will be able to survive your death in the flesh. Your Thought Adjuster arrives with a model career already formulated for your life on Urantia, drawn up from a knowledge of your mindal and ancestral factors. You are always at liberty to accept or reject all or any part of this plan. Never does God abrogate that precious free will that he has bestowed of himself upon his children.
— Troy Bishop
Silver Springs, Maryland
Infinite eternities had passed on Paradise before the Universal Father decided that he had waited long enough. It was a sort of divine restlessness, what you might call a seven trillion year itch that caused the Father to pick up his tools and act as the Creator once again. He knew that he had to resolve that nagging question of sovereignty once and for all.
An ad ran in the heavenly chronicles calling for creators, messengers, surveyors, and the like. The Master Architects, unemployed since the unfolding of Havona, all applied. The Michael Sons and Creative Spirits were joyously anticipating the move to the suburbs and lined up at the portals of Paradise ready to move in and start raising a family,
There was quite a party on hand with music that hadn’t been heard in eons and the Father himself addressed the gathering. “Friends, I’ve got an idea I’d like to share with you,” he began. “I’ve worked out a plan for a tremendous time-space adventure that involves a creation totally different from Paradise, an imperfect universe, worlds of time and space, an evolutionary experience where beings are to be led to choose perfection.”
— Jim McNelly
Louisville, Colorado
“With these facts before them, it is our belief that the Monitors freely volunteer for assignment. Probably more than one Adjuster volunteers; perhaps the supervising personalized orders select from this group of volunteering Adjusters the one best suited to the task of spiritualizing and eternalizing the personality of the mortal candidate.” (UB 108:1.7)
First, will I introduce myself. I hail from Divinington and I am a Thought Adjuster, Mystery Monitor, Divine Gift or whatever word designation may be applied to me by the children of the Universal Father. Experience is mine, I have looked through the eyes of evolutionary creatures before, and seen landscapes very different from those of Urantia. Twin suns have marched overhead, and the skies in other parts of the superuniverses are patterned with other constellations, other systems, But the love and purpose of the Father pulsed, always, through the whole.
I have a complete number — so complete that it is useless for mundane use. I think of myself as Thought Controller for that is the status I have been accorded in the mind that I indwell.
—Marilyn Hauck
Aurora, Colorado
“The doing of the will of god is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God-with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible.” (UB 111:5.1)