FOREWORD
IN THE MINDS of the mortals of Urantia--that being the name of your world--there exists great confusion respecting the meaning of such terms as God, divinity, and deity. Human beings are still more confused and uncertain about the relationships of the divine personalities designated by these numerous appellations. Because of this conceptual poverty associated with so much ideational confusion, I have been directed to formulate this introductory statement in explanation of the meanings which should be attached to certain word symbols as they may be hereinafter used in those papers which the Orvonton corps of truth revealers have been authorized to translate into the English language of Urantia.
It is exceedingly difficult to present enlarged concepts and advanced truth, in our endeavor to expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception, when we are restricted to the use of a circumscribed language of the realm. But our mandate admonishes us to make every effort to convey our meanings by using the word symbols of the English tongue. We have been instructed to introduce new terms only when the concept to be portrayed finds no terminology in English which can be employed to convey such a new concept partially or even with more or less distortion of meaning.
In the hope of facilitating comprehension and of preventing confusion on the part of every mortal who may peruse these papers, we deem it wise to present in this initial statement an outline of the meanings to be attached to numerous English words which are to be employed in designation of Deity and certain associated concepts of the things, meanings, and values of universal reality.
But in order to formulate this Foreword of definitions and limitations of terminology, it is necessary to anticipate the usage of these terms in the subsequent presentations. This Foreword is not, therefore, a finished statement within itself; it is only a definitive guide designed to assist those who shall read the accompanying papers dealing with Deity and the universe of universes which have been formulated by an Orvonton commission sent to Urantia for this purpose.
Your world, Urantia, is one of many similar inhabited planets which comprise the local universe of Nebadon. This universe, together with similar creations, makes up the superuniverse of Orvonton, from whose capital, Uversa, our commission hails. Orvonton is one of the seven evolutionary superuniverses of time and space which circle the never-beginning, never-ending creation of divine perfection--the central universe of Havona. At the heart of this eternal and central universe is the stationary Isle of Paradise, the geographic center of infinity and the dwelling place of the eternal God.
The seven evolving superuniverses in association with the central and divine universe, we commonly refer to as the grand universe; these are the now organized and inhabited creations. They are all a part of the master universe, which also embraces the uninhabited but mobilizing universes of outer space.
I. DEITY AND DIVINITY
The universe of universes presents phenomena of deity activities on diverse levels of cosmic realities, mind meanings, and spirit (spiritual) values, but all of these ministrations--personal or otherwise--are divinely co-ordinated.
DEITY is personalizable (made personal) as God, is prepersonal, (personal) and superpersonal in ways not altogether comprehensible by man. Deity is characterized by the quality of unity— actual or potential--on all supermaterial levels of reality; and this unifying quality is best comprehended by creatures as divinity. Deity functions on personal, prepersonal, and superpersonal levels. Total Deity is functional on the following seven levels:
Deity functions on prepersonal, personal, and superpersonal levels. The totality of Deity is at work on all of the following levels.PREPERSONAL
1. Static--self-contained and self-existent Deity.
The concept of self Deity is the rudimentary basis for all current theology. It is the idea that I am separate from God and that as an autonomous creation I act and live out side of his rule.2. Potential--self-willed and self-purposive Deity.
The concept of self Deity has the perceived potential for self willed and self purpose existence. It is this perceived potential that lends credence to the mind conviction of self Deity
PERSONAL
3. Associative--self-personalized and divinely fraternal Deity.
The belief that one can eventually cease to be separated from God is the basis for associative or alignment thought. The self personalized seeker tries to align himself with that of Deity and those who have already achieved that goal.
4. Creative--self-distributive and divinely revealed Deity.
The ability to reason thus brings about invention. The self deity within his sphere of self directed existence now must find a way to incorporate his autonomy with his own conceptual picture of the divine fraternal organization which he is endeavoring to align himself with. True Divine revelation comes in the form of life exercises designed to bring about paradoxes in both the physical and moral perceptions of the mortal mind. The mortal’s inability to set comprehensive standards of Devine absolutes in both moral and physical matters is divinely designed to steer the mortal toward recognition and revelation of the true absolute. SUPERPERSONAL
5. Evolutional--self-expansive and creature-identified Deity.
Once the mortal has realized the futility of self deification and begun to embrace the absolute, his concept of self reality evolves past the mere mortal and observable physical plane. And he begins identify himself with the absolute of Deity. This initial self identification manifest it self as acceptance of both self deity and an over controlling supreme Deity, or Deities. This is the first level of unification. 6. Supreme--self-experiential and creature-Creator-unifying Deity. Deity functioning on the first creature-identificational level as time-space over controllers of the grand universe, sometimes designated the Supremacy of Deity.
7. Ultimate--self-projected and time-space-transcending Deity. Deity omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Deity functioning on the second level of unifying divinity expression as effective overcontrollers and absonite upholders of the master universe. As compared with the ministry of the Deities to the grand universe, this absonite function in the master universe is tantamount to universal overcontrol and supersustenance, sometimes called the Ultimacy of Deity.
Further evolution of thought results in the total renunciation of self Deity, and the realization and complete identification with Ultimate Deity. The self projection beyond the perception of time and space, the mortal and the finite ultimately culminates in identification with the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent ultimate Devine function. Precursor to this complete identification the mortal mind reaches a secondary level of divinity unification. This is expressed as acknowledgement of over controls and the upholding of absolute finality.
The finite level of reality is characterized by creature life and time-space limitations. Finite realities may not have endings, but they always have beginnings--they are created. The Deity level of Supremacy may be conceived as a function in relation to finite existences.
Within the finite levels of mere mortal reality and life, finite conceptual ideas seem to rule, and their far reaching effects seem to unending in scope as they are created within the finite mind it’s self, however Deity level supremacy may also be observed within the finite through it’s relationship to the finite and is usually re-conceived as ambiguous natural function. The absonite level of reality is characterized by things and beings without beginnings or endings and by the transcendence of time and space. Absoniters are not created; they are eventuated--they simply are. The Deity level of Ultimacy connotes a function in relation to absonite realities. No matter in what part of the master universe, whenever time and space are transcended, such an absonite phenomenon is an act of the Ultimacy of Deity.
Absonite (absolute existing within the finite) level thought and reality is not shackled by the fetters of the finite and mortal. Those who exist within this level understand that they were not created as separate beings from Deity, but rather, through eventual revelation and discovery of the ultimatacy of deity, they have acknowledged their eternal existence within the uncreated. In every part of the physical and finite universe time, space, and the finite are being transcended by these ascended mortals through the actions of the ultimacy of Deity. The absolute level is beginningless, endless, timeless, and spaceless. For example: On Paradise, time and space are nonexistent; the time-space status of Paradise is absolute. This level is Trinity attained, existentially, by the Paradise Deities, but this third level of unifying Deity expression is not fully unified experientially. Whenever, wherever, and however the absolute level of Deity functions, Paradise-absolute values and meanings are manifest. Complete personalization and identification with Deity (the Absolute and perceptually unrestricted) within this reality paradise exists and the Father the Son and the superpersonalized spirit are one through the action of Deity and not experientially. Deity may be existential, as in the Eternal Son; experiential, as in the Supreme Being; associative, as in God the Sevenfold; undivided, as in the Paradise Trinity
Deity may be observed within mortal finite existence as the Eternal Son, or experienced cooperatively as one with the Supreme Being, associatively within God the seven fold and indivisibly united as in the paradise trinity. [color=red]Deity is the source of all that which is divine. Deity is characteristically and invariably divine, but all that which is divine is not necessarily Deity, though it will be co-ordinated with Deity and will tend towards some phase of unity with Deity--spiritual, mindal, or personal. [/color]Deity is the source of all that which proceeds directly from God. Deity is the true character and unvarying action of God. But all that is from God is not necessarily perceived as Deity, Though it is co-ordinated through Deity and will lead to some phase of unity with Deity, whether spiritual, mindal, or personal. DIVINITY is the characteristic, unifying, and co-ordinating quality of Deity. Divinity (the name given the direct action of God) is the characteristic quality of the unifying and co-ordinating of Deity. Divinity is creature comprehensible as truth, beauty, and goodness; correlated in personality as love, mercy, and ministry; disclosed on impersonal levels as justice, power, and sovereignty.
Divinity to mortal creatures is comprehended as truth, beauty, and goodness; correlating with that personalities concept of love, mercy, and interpersonal ministration; and conceived of on impersonal levels as judicious, unyielding, and set aside from mortal existence.
Divinity may be perfect--complete--as on existential and creator levels of Paradise perfection; it may be imperfect, as on experiential and creature levels of time-space evolution; or it may be relative, neither perfect nor imperfect, as on certain Havona levels of existential-experiential relationships.
Divinity may be perfectly complete as experienced within existence on creator levels of paradise perfection; it may seem imperfect as experienced at creature levels of time and space evolution; it may be relative, both or neither perfect and imperfect as perceived at certain lower Havona levels of existent experiential relationship to that Being’s reality. When we attempt to conceive of perfection in all phases and forms of relativity, we encounter seven conceivable types:
When we attempt to understand what constitutes perfection in all the different phases and forms of relativity to any given reality, we encounter seven conceptual types.
1. Absolute perfection in all aspects.
The absolute perfection of divinity (the workings of God) in all that is conceivable.
2. Absolute perfection in some phases and relative perfection in all other aspects.
3. Absolute, relative, and imperfect aspects in varied association.
4. Absolute perfection in some respects, imperfection in all others.
5. Absolute perfection in no direction, relative perfection in all manifestations.
6. Absolute perfection in no phase, relative in some, imperfect in others.
7. Absolute perfection in no attribute, imperfection in all.
II. GOD
Evolving mortal creatures experience an irresistible urge to symbolize their finite concepts of God. Man's consciousness of moral duty and his spiritual idealism represent a value level--an experiential reality--which is difficult of symbolization.
Evolving mortal creatures experience an irresistible urge to idealize and symbolize their finite concepts of God. Man’s presumption of moral duty and his idea of the spiritual represent a value based experiential reality, which is difficult to idealize or symbolize. This is the reason that most mortals of this world use opaque and general terms for Deity. Cosmic consciousness implies the recognition of a First Cause, the one and only uncaused reality. God, the Universal Father, functions on three Deity-personality levels of subinfinite value and relative divinity expression:
True cosmic consciousness expresses the recognition of the First Cause, the single and only (mortally uncaused) reality. God, the Universal Father, functions on three Deity-personality levels of the less than infinite, relative to value driven, divinity expression. 1. Prepersonal--as in the ministry of the Father fragments, such as the Thought Adjusters.
As equated to the ministry of Father fragments, such as the thought adjusters.
2. Personal--as in the evolutionary experience of created and procreated beings. As within the spiritual evolutionary experience of created and procreated beings.
2. Superpersonal--as in the eventuated existences of certain absonite and associated beings.
Through the act of eventuating the existence of both the absolute within the finite and the self associate adherent beings. GOD is a word symbol designating all personalizations of Deity. The term requires a different definition on each personal level of Deity function and must be still further redefined within each of these levels, as this term may be used to designate the diverse co-ordinate and subordinate personalizations of Deity; for example: the Paradise Creator Sons--the local universe fathers.
The word God is an overall description encompassing all finite idealizations of Deity. The term God, requires a different definition at each level of personalization with Deity, and Deity function. It must also be repeatedly redefined within each of these levels, as this term is used to designate the diverse co-ordinate and eventual subordinate personalizations with Deity; for example: from Paradise creator Sons to The local universe fathers.
Last edited by traveler on Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:04 pm +0000, edited 2 times in total.
|