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Every human in
our world experiences moments of self-reflection, doubt and skepticism.
We search for answers that help us define God's role in our lives and
our relevance to the universe and beyond. These are not new questions.
The Urantia Book can be a valuable source of enlightenment and comfort
when a soul is faced with Life's Toughest Questions. Click on a question
you've struggled with and discover The Urantia Book's perspective on
some of life's most difficult and frequently-asked questions.
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Following are several questions submitted in one request. Two of our
Truthbook team (L) and (M) have given their answers in reply.
Q: Do
you follow the teachings of the Urantia Book only?
L: Basically, students of The Urantia Book are individuals coming from
all manner of background; they do their own thing. Some feel they're
escaping organized religion and seek refuge in the teachings of TUB.
Others are grateful for their religious heritage and continue on in it.
Some have no tradition of religious belief before finding TUB. There
are Urantia Book readers who are pastors, ministers, priests, nuns,
rabbis, preachers of every Christian denomination, Jews, Muslims,
Hindus... The teachings of TUB are not "a" religion; they clarify,
augment, emphasize and uplift what is best "in" religion. There are no
rules for readers/students/believers -- it's a book; it's a superlative
education; we read it and are edified and uplifted by it.
M: The Urantia Book is unique in that it contains many, many truths
gleaned from many different established religions, and at the same
time, encourages us to develop what Jesus called the religion
of personal spiritual experience; it is this revealed teaching that
inspires me to find the best in any religion, and to nurture and grow
that personal experiential relationship with God in whatever I do. So,
in that sense, I do follow the teachings of The Urantia Book, but the
experience leaves me free to follow the truth wherever
I find it.
Q: What
is your viewpoint on the King James Bible?
L: Students of The Urantia Book have no orthodox viewpoint. Some
readers are Bible scholars. Some readers hardly know the Bible at all.
Personally, I like the King James better than any of the more modern
versions, but I think you're asking do Urantia Book readers view the
Bible as the infallible word of God and the answer to that would be a
pretty unanimous no although most Urantia Book readers appreciate and
take comfort in the Bible.
M: I personally prefer the New Jerusalem Bible, which is in common,
everyday language. To me, other Bibles are difficult to read because
the language is so stilted. I never had much interest in the Bible
before I found The Urantia Book, but now I use it pretty regularly as a
reference work. Jesus quoted scripture quite often in his life, and I
have read many of those parts of the Bible. I do not believe it is
inerrant, but like Jesus, I do find much in it that is quite valuable
and worthwhile.
Q: Who
is Jesus to you?
L: Again, a personal reply -- I didn't understand Jesus before I became
a student of The Urantia Book and, in fact, it was my desire to know
Jesus better that led me to become a reader of the book 35 years ago.
To me, Jesus is Lord. He's the maker and administrator of this world.
He's my guide as a human being and he's my nearest goal when I become a
spirit being. He's who I turn to when I need help or comfort or wisdom
or advice. His spirit is here to help me discern and sift truth from
error. I trust Jesus.
M: I knew Jesus from my early childhood as a Catholic, and he always
seemed to me to be quite real; however, I also found that the Church
was full of inconsistencies regarding Jesus and his words, and I had a
hard time separating Jesus from the hypocrisy I experienced. I left the
church in my 20s, but I never abandoned Jesus completely. Once I freed
myself from the authority of the church, I started to see Jesus
differently; however, I did not seriouly think about Jesus for awhile
after that. When I discovered The Urantia Book many years later, I was
thrilled and deeply moved to rediscover the Jesus that I always loved
as a child, and SO much more. Today, Jesus is once again my friend, my
companion, my brother, and my Divine pathway to the Father. I believe
in him and trust him, and I love him.
Q: Do
you believe him to be the son of God who died for mankind's sins?
L: I believe Jesus to be a Son of God of a special order -- The Urantia
Book guides us away from the tendency to believe that our race or
religion, or in this case, world, is the most important one and that
its aspects are superior to any others. Jesus came for all the peoples
of this world, not just Christians, of which there were none until some
time after he died. He also came for all the worlds of his dominion --
we're not the only one but we are nearly the most barbaric and that's
partly the reason he chose to come to this place. So yes, "a" Son of
God, a divine being, a creator not a creature like us. Did he come to
die for mankinds sins? Again, among students of The Urantia Book, the
answer to that would be a pretty unanimous no. We hold God the Father
in too high regard to relegate him to human purposes and emotions. God
is not vindictive, retributive, jealous, or any of the other human-like
attibutes he's so often described as having. God is love and does not
condemn his children, neither the divine ones nor the mortal ones, to
pain and suffering and sacrifice. Jesus understood this and tried to
teach it to a world that didn't understand him or his heavenly Father.
M: I do believe Jesus to be a divine Son of God. As pointed out above,
The Urantia Book teaches us that Jesus is one of many Sons, just as
there are many inhabited worlds, and many universe systems throughout
God's vast creation. Jesus did indeed come to our earth - he chose us
especially - and he did die here, but I do not believe that he died as
a punishment from God, or as a sacrificial lamb to atone for mankind's
sins. His mission was to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts of
mankind, to proclaim the good news of the Fatherhood of God and the
resultant brotherhood of mankind, and to live and die as a true man
among men (and women). He was to portray to mortal eyes the love of the
infinite and invisible God who is his, and our, Father. The fact that
he died in such a cruel way was not the will of God, but as the
consequence of the fears and prejudices of the times in which he lived.
His new religion of the spirit was terribly threatening to the
religions of authority of his day and time. He was killed by men - not
by God. But he did die a "natural" death, and as a result, he did
complete that part of his mission, to resurrect victoriously on the 3rd
day. He showed all mortals of all worlds in his universe
how to live as a "son of God."
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