© 2011 Urantia Foundation
By Samantha Nior, Hilversum, the Netherlands
I am a second generation reader of The Urantia Book. My parents, who are French, started reading the book when I was three or four years old. They studied for years, often with me in tow, with Henry and Bauk Begemann. Of course I did not understand it then, but later on, when I was older and had my own book, I read it some but found it difficult to understand. Nevertheless, I always kept it next to my bed because I felt safe and secure with it there.
At the time of puberty I had a lot of questions, and my mother answered many of them. So I did know the major teachings of the book, and I believed them.
As a young adult, I experienced some difficult and trying times and took little interest in spirituality. At the age of 29, I decided to read The Urantia Book in earnest, inasmuch as my other decisions until then only made me feel lost and disconnected. I felt like Pinocchio and as though my puppet strings were being cut one by one.
I decided to join a study group which I attended for two years. This was eight years ago, and since then, I have come to understand so much about life, love, purpose and God. Currently I host two study groups and am the president of the Dutch Urantia Association. I know that more beautiful opportunities and guidance are in store for me. This I would not have, had I not made the decision to read The Urantia Book and to do the will of God.
The Urantia Book has been an inspiration, a calming influence in times of worry, a guide in times of confusion, a security in insecure moments, a source of hope in times of anxiety, a big picture perspective in times of narrow thinking, and the source of overall knowledge of the love of God and the brilliant and loving guidance of the universe.
Life is sometimes difficult, but when it is, it is because I am not living my life as I should. Straying off the “path” brings uneasiness and unhappiness. Staying on the path brings happiness, love and peace.
I am still learning every day. I am blessed by friendships with other readers, people who continue to teach and inspire me. Connections with other readers around the world continue to arise, and opportunities for service to The Urantia Book project always present themselves.
Truly I have been blessed to have received the gift of The Urantia Book.
By Joel Wood, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
“As you journey toward your Paradise goal, constantly acquiring added knowledge and enhanced skill, you are continuously afforded the opportunity to give out to others the wisdom and experience you have already accumulated…you are not reckoned as having possessed yourself of knowledge and truth until you have demonstrated your ability and your willingness to impart this knowledge and truth to others.”UB 25:4.12
I treasure The Urantia Book. I enjoy reading and rereading it, but I especially enjoy studying it with others.
My favorite parts of the Book are Jesus’ wise, loving answers to questions - even foolish questions. Jesus was the master of knowing what to say and how to say it with the appropriate non-verbal communication.
Regarding non-verbal communication, do you remember what the book says after Jesus spoke privately with the man who was mistreating his wife at the ships landing at Tarentum? It says: “It was not so much what Jesus said that touched this man’s heart as the kindly look and the sympathetic smile which Jesus bestowed upon him at the conclusion of his remarks.” UB 133:2.1 “Never did Jesus say, ‘Whoso has heard me has heard God.’ But he did say, ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father.’” UB 169:4.12
The Urantia Book is an incredible text - spiritually enlightening and intellectually challenging, which is why I love study groups. Questions are asked and answered. Study groups give us the opportunity to be both teachers and students. New readers gain understanding and insight from experienced readers, who glean fresh perspectives from novice readers.
We wouldn’t have study groups if we could have the same experience from reading the book alone. The fact is that we need one another. Our minds need to be poked and prodded in order to learn. “There is no growth without psychic conflict and spiritual agitation.” UB 100:4.2 We need to hear each others’ opinions. We need to struggle and grasp for words to express concepts and feelings. We need one another. We need study groups.
Cherish your study group if you have one. If you don’t have one, consider joining or starting one. You won’t regret it.
“A social group of human beings in co-ordinated working harmony stands for a force far greater than the simple sum of its parts.” UB 133:5.7