© 1981 Henry Begemann, David Renn
© 1981 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
Personality has its origin in the First Source and Center, and is the direct, not evolutionary, gift of the Universal Father. This majestic origin enables it to function, while unchanged, even on the absolute level. This fact can hardly be known by natural religion, it is characteristically a revealed truth. Only the last epochal revelation states this truth clearly and explicitly.
Personality here and now may have a vague notion of its high origin, and consequently of its high destiny; nevertheless we may say that it virtually does not know itself. Even accepting in faith the revealed truth about itself does not imply that personality knows itself. This revealed truth functions as a signpost pointing to a far destiny, enshrouded in mystery,
But it is more than just a signpost, it also is an urge to follow this path of self-discovery that leads to its origin, the Universal Father. We know the Universal Father, our Father, who stands at the end of this road, if ever there is an end; and it is his love for us, and our love for him, that urges us to discover our true selves, sons of this Father.
— Henry Begemann
Wassenaar. Netherlands
Editors note; The following was given as a speech at the URANTIA Societies Conclave held in Chicago in March.
In attempting to gain insight into the future of URANTIA Societies I think it’s a good idea to go back to the origins of religious groups and examine some of their early functions.
We do not live in an isolated time in which our evolutionary path flies straight as an arrow to perfection. No, we are a product of the past and, in many ways, doing the things that people have done for age upon age. Sometimes our motives are more enlightened and sometimes they aren’t.
Let us then examine some of the information we have at our disposal and while doing so try to consider how some of these ways of thinking and reacting correlate with some of our actions and feelings within the realm of Urantia Societies.
David Renn
Evanston, Illinois
In future issues we would like to examine two subjects of interest, and would like your contributions if you have any thoughts on either topic:
“When man loses sight of the love of a personal God, the kingdom of God becomes merely the kingdom of good. Notwithstanding the infinite unity of the divine nature, love is the dominant characteristic of all God’s personal dealings with his creatures.” (UB 2:5.12)