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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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I don't understand why, if this is our introductory life, why some people are born hereditarily disposed to mental illness...
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Q: I don’t understand why, if this is our introductory life, why
some
people are born hereditarily disposed to neurosis, psychosis,
schizophrenia, bi-polarism, retardation, etc...... How does a
personality work through that ? What a horrible start. How unfair. How
can an individual "do the will of God" in this
context ? Surviving in
this rat race is hard enough. Certainly the individual didn’t
deserve
this since this is only the very first experience of what life is.
Sometimes life can get so unbearable for these people, suicide is the
only relieving option. What’s the wisdom in seeing yourself
crumble in
dignity because one cannot participate "adequately"
in society. Yet, we
are expected to "Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven
is
perfect."
Then
there are those born with a golden spoon and those with charm, beauty
and ultra-charisma; the highly gifted intellectual; the musically
gifted genius; the leaders; the heroes etc.....What a cake walk for
them. Yes, life is wonderful for them. What a great introduction to
life. Surely their decision to want to survive and continue on this
adventure of life is easily made. It is fueled by such positive
experiences and so much to look forward to.
As
for the former,
I think they’d think twice whether to participate again in a
universe
where you have no choice of what card is dealt to you and at the risk
of "annihilation"
A: You
raise age-old questions - and the bottom line is - life is not fair. It
has always been this way, and probably always will be this way. Why?
Because we are trapped in a time-space situation where there is always
the chance of sorrow, where our fortunes can change in the blink of an
eye, where uncertainty is the only constant. Everything changes in this
life except the presence of God. This does indeed seem unfair, especially if
you feel you have gotten that "short stick..."
Just
because a person is born into this life with hereditary tendencies to
mental illness does not automatically mean they are less able to do
God's will in their life - or that they are destined to fulfill those tendencies. These kinds of problems can seem
overwhelming, and they occur through no fault of the person - likewise
those with physical disabilities may seem terribly disadvantaged when
you view them through the eyes of the material. But Jesus
said:
"In the
matter of sickness and health, you should know that these
bodily states are the result of material causes; health is not the
smile of heaven, neither is affliction the frown of God.
"The Father's human
children have
equal capacity for the reception of material blessings; therefore does
he bestow things physical upon the children of men without
discrimination. When it comes to the bestowal of spiritual gifts, the
Father is limited by man's capacity for receiving these divine
endowments. Although the Father is no respecter of persons, in the
bestowal of spiritual gifts he is limited by man's faith and by his
willingness always to abide by the Father's will." (166:4.10)
So,
even if one has not received a goodly inheritance in a material sense,
still each person receives "spiritual gifts," and it is how those are
used that determines spiritual growth and progress. When God
advises us to "be ye perfect," I think this only means that we do the
best we can with what we have, and become the best person we can be
within the confines of the life that we have.
No one - not even the
most well-endowed person on Earth, can ever come close to actually
being perfect as God is in this one, short life, but we CAN be the most
perfect person possible given the limitations that have been placed
upon us - whether physically or mentally - by using our spiritual gifts
(the Thought Adjuster, the Spirit of Truth, etc) to become like God.
This becoming like God is not a material striving, but a spiritual one.
Paraphrasing something that Jesus said once - if wealth is the smile of
Heaven, why are not more wealthy people drawn to the Gospel? Why is it
so often the meek, the afflicted, the humble, the downtrodden, who turn
to
God? Sometimes,
the most beautiful, the richest, and the most gifted people are those
who feel no need of God. They are satisfied - and why shouldn't they
be? Life seems easy.
But be careful when making these kinds of assumptions merely on surface appearances; no matter how things look, everyone is fighting some kind of battle in this life, be it physical, mental or spiritual. And it is those who struggle, those who have to
tread the paths of rugged faith, who may be the luckiest in the long
run. Remember this passage?
Mortals only
learn wisdom by experiencing
tribulation. (48:7.14)
Having
to work through difficulties means lots of decisions, lots of
opportunities to choose hope over despair - faith over fear. And by
always choosing the good, one can improve one's life immeasurably, even
if outward circumstances may not change.
Look at
famous people
who have overcome great adversity - people like Steven Hawking, or
Temple Grandin (who suffers from severe autism, and who has become a
noted national voice in the humane treatment of animals). I have a
sister who suffers from schizophrenia - although her life has been
hard, she is very much a shining star in many respects because of her
reliance on Jesus - she is still afflicted, but she helps herself
through her difficulties with God's help. I shudder to think how bad
things could be for her if not for those choices she has made in the
spiritual
sense.
In fact, this page
of the inevitabilities
is a good one to
read again - especially when we are feeling that our lives are harder
than they need to be.
As
for those who might opt out of life because of having to deal
with unfortunate experiences here on Earth: no matter what we have to
experience here, it is the EXPERIENCE of living that is important; we
can get that no other way than by living this life through. Having an
attitude of bitterness about life indicates a need for
more faith and trust in the goodness of God. Bitter resignation may be
an easy way out, but is it the best way? This is an illustration of our
inability to make
eternal decisions here. I don't believe anyone who is beset with
material problems can rightly make a decision not to go on to eternal
life simply because they can't see a better future. Sometimes, the best
we can do is just hang on
and keep our little light of faith burning ...and that is enough to get
us through. And there are rewards for just hanging on - maybe not
material rewards, but rewards that are just as real and even more
valuable in the long run.
This
is such a short life - compared to the eternity of adventure and
progress that awaits us...
The
Urantia Book illuminates so much of this for us - I wish everyone could
learn of God's goodness through its teachings.
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