Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:29 am +0000 Posts: 4679
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William S. wrote: katroofjebus wrote: no sophist wrote: The book does get into our climate but I don’t recall reading anything that implies that any political leaders have the power to control our climate. There is information in the Revelation about the folly of attempting to legislate morality, and there is also plenty written concerning the relationship between science and morality (philosophy & wisdom). Not to mention the numerous times it is written that we are not to worship nature because nature is not God. Well, that certainly dampens my enthusiasm for the book. Not going to debate anything. Just stating that I'm less of a believer in the book now.
What a curious post William. It has been said here that environmentalism and resource stewardship and natural beauty and enhanced beauty and abundance are all ideals of all planetary leadership and management. Are you anti-environment then? Perhaps more time in study would lead to less disappointment in the answers to your questions by your fellow students....although I found the responses both accurate and encouraging regarding the question asked.
We are advised to enjoy our thunder and lightening and wind and wave and surf and snow and ice and freeze and thaw and many other elements that are inherent on material, evolutionary worlds but lacking on the architectural spheres. All worlds have unique plants and animals so we should enjoy what we have while we are yet here to enjoy it all!
43:1.1 (485.5) Edentia abounds in fascinating highlands, extensive elevations of physical matter crowned with morontia life and overspread with spiritual glory, but there are no rugged mountain ranges such as appear on Urantia. There are tens of thousands of sparkling lakes and thousands upon thousands of interconnecting streams, but there are no great oceans nor torrential rivers. Only the highlands are devoid of these surface streams.
43:1.2 (486.1) The water of Edentia and similar architectural spheres is no different from the water of the evolutionary planets. The water systems of such spheres are both surface and subterranean, and the moisture is in constant circulation. Edentia can be circumnavigated via these various water routes, though the chief channel of transportation is the atmosphere. Spirit beings would naturally travel above the surface of the sphere, while the morontia and material beings make use of material and semimaterial means to negotiate atmospheric passage.
43:1.3 (486.2) Edentia and its associated worlds have a true atmosphere, the usual three-gas mixture which is characteristic of such architectural creations, and which embodies the two elements of Urantian atmosphere plus that morontia gas suitable for the respiration of morontia creatures. But while this atmosphere is both material and morontial, there are no storms or hurricanes; neither is there summer nor winter. This absence of atmospheric disturbances and of seasonal variation makes it possible to embellish all outdoors on these especially created worlds.
43:1.4 (486.3) The Edentia highlands are magnificent physical features, and their beauty is enhanced by the endless profusion of life which abounds throughout their length and breadth. Excepting a few rather isolated structures, these highlands contain no work of creature hands. Material and morontial ornamentations are limited to the dwelling areas. The lesser elevations are the sites of special residences and are beautifully embellished with both biologic and morontia art.
43:1.5 (486.4) Situated on the summit of the seventh highland range are the resurrection halls of Edentia, wherein awaken the ascending mortals of the secondary modified order of ascension. These chambers of creature reassembly are under the supervision of the Melchizedeks. The first of the receiving spheres of Edentia (like the planet Melchizedek near Salvington) also has special resurrection halls, wherein the mortals of the modified orders of ascension are reassembled.
6. The Gardens of God
43:6.1 (492.1) The system capitals are particularly beautified with material and mineral constructions, while the universe headquarters is more reflective of spiritual glory, but the capitals of the constellations are the acme of morontia activities and living embellishments. On the constellation headquarters worlds living embellishment is more generally utilized, and it is this preponderance of life—botanic artistry—that causes these worlds to be called “the gardens of God.”
43:6.2 (492.2) About one half of Edentia is devoted to the exquisite gardens of the Most Highs, and these gardens are among the most entrancing morontia creations of the local universe. This explains why the extraordinarily beautiful places on the inhabited worlds of Norlatiadek are so often called “the garden of Eden.”
43:6.3 (492.3) Centrally located in this magnificent garden is the worship shrine of the Most Highs. The Psalmist must have known something about these things, for he wrote: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Most Highs? Who shall stand in this holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity nor sworn deceitfully.” At this shrine the Most Highs, on every tenth day of relaxation, lead all Edentia in the worshipful contemplation of God the Supreme.
43:6.4 (492.4) The architectural worlds enjoy ten forms of life of the material order. On Urantia there is plant and animal life, but on such a world as Edentia there are ten divisions of the material orders of life. Were you to view these ten divisions of Edentia life, you would quickly classify the first three as vegetable and the last three as animal, but you would be utterly unable to comprehend the nature of the intervening four groups of prolific and fascinating forms of life.
43:6.5 (492.5) Even the distinctively animal life is very different from that of the evolutionary worlds, so different that it is quite impossible to portray to mortal minds the unique character and affectionate nature of these nonspeaking creatures. There are thousands upon thousands of living creatures which your imagination could not possibly picture. The whole animal creation is of an entirely different order from the gross animal species of the evolutionary planets. But all this animal life is most intelligent and exquisitely serviceable, and all the various species are surprisingly gentle and touchingly companionable. There are no carnivorous creatures on such architectural worlds; there is nothing in all Edentia to make any living being afraid.
43:6.6 (492.6) The vegetable life is also very different from that of Urantia, consisting of both material and morontia varieties. The material growths have a characteristic green coloration, but the morontia equivalents of vegetative life have a violet or orchid tinge of varying hue and reflection. Such morontia vegetation is purely an energy growth; when eaten there is no residual portion.
43:6.7 (492.7) Being endowed with ten divisions of physical life, not to mention the morontia variations, these architectural worlds provide tremendous possibilities for the biologic beautification of the landscape and of the material and the morontia structures. The celestial artisans direct the native spornagia in this extensive work of botanic decoration and biologic embellishment. Whereas your artists must resort to inert paint and lifeless marble to portray their concepts, the celestial artisans and the univitatia more frequently utilize living materials to represent their ideas and to capture their ideals.
43:6.8 (493.1) If you enjoy the flowers, shrubs, and trees of Urantia, then will you feast your eyes upon the botanical beauty and the floral grandeur of the supernal gardens of Edentia. But it is beyond my powers of description to undertake to convey to the mortal mind an adequate concept of these beauties of the heavenly worlds. Truly, eye has not seen such glories as await your arrival on these worlds of the mortal-ascension adventure.
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