© 1991 Trevor Swadling
© 1991 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
Although out there amongst our fellow men, there is a lot of confusion on just what is spiritual, the way to God consciousness, enlightenment, the path or technique, it seems to me that God as a personality is knowable and therefore God-seeking people should have something in common with their experiences. Throughout the years, contact with my fellow men has personally affirmed that this is true; after all if we had a dear friend that we both knew, according to the degree and length of our relationship with them, surely there would be aspects about their nature and character that we had both come to recognized and admired.
The definition of spiritual from the dictionary is: “relating to the spirit and not to physical nature or matter” also the definition given to spirituality is: “the state or quality of being dedicated to God, religion, or spiritual things or values, especially as contrasted with material or temporal ones.” The URANTIA Book tells us that “God is spirit” “the first source and centre of all things and beings”. It tells us that God is perfect, eternal, an infinite pure spirit personality. From this we could deduce that our personal concepts of what is spiritual is our understanding of our relationship with God, and through the sincere attempts that we endeavour to live these values is the true standing of the reality of that relationship. The URANTIA Book implies that this is the technique whereby man, in his personal spiritual evolution, transfers his seat of identity from the temporal to the eternal. So what is spiritual?
What does The URANTIA Book say on this subject? Well as we know large portions of the Book are dedicated to revealing the nature and character of spiritual realities, with part four solely dedicated to this end for our personal benefit. The URANTIA Book is a great tool in helping us in our endeavours seek and do the will of God. Man needs revelation whether it be personal or otherwise. Without it we could, so to speak — be paddling up the wrong (so called) spiritual creek with icy-pole sticks in a barb-wire canoe.
The URANTIA Book is one of those (from my point of view, the greatest) means to this end but by no means should we look at it as an end in itself. There is a statement in the Bible that says: “there is a way that seems right to man but in the end is death”. The URANTIA Book expounds on this from within its symphony of cosmology, philosophy and religion, stating that there is an adventurous path ordained by God whereby man ascends eventually to become Godlike and this technique for developing a personal relationship with God is finally and exquisitely portrayed in the life and teachings of Jesus. Therefore I feel, as pertaining to our growth It can be truly said: “He is the way the truth and the life”. To my fellow URANTIA Book readers and all others, I tip my hat to you all, and all the best in your attempt to seek and to share spiritual realities.