Forgive me, Myrm, but I am really intrigued and fascinated by this excerpt from your most recent journal entry:
Quote:
the Urantia Book is simply a book written by some guy over a course of about 20 years (?), almost 100 years ago. I see various teachings within its pages taken from different religions, seemingly picked and chosen and peppered with the author’s own musings. Much of what I have read so far seems fantasy, things that the author really can’t prove. I am, at this point, quite surprised (but then again perhaps not) that people read the Urantia Book and take it as “Gospel”, as some “New Light” given to us by unseen spiritual entities; a trait often seen in religious cults. It seems to me incredulous that people read this stuff and simply accept it, without the proof being made available, such as the existence of seven “Super-Universes”, or an “Eternal Isle of Paradise”, or the existence, other than God, Son and Spirit, of “Creator Sons”, Divine Counsellors, Universal Censors, and so on. If the author had said that giant ants of living crystal were resident in deep burrows on the Moon, would that have been accepted as truth by readers of this book?
I am not sure where you got the impression that UB readers take it as "some New Light given to us by unseen spiritual entities". I have not seen that belief on the part of UB readers that I have interacted with and it does not correspond with what the book teaches. Contrary to a "new light", the UB tells us that we are inherently indwelt by a real and personal fragment of God. This isn't something that was 'given to us' by 'unseen spiritual entities'. It is our personality. I've also never seen a UB reader use the word "gospel", which you put in quotes in your entry, as if you have seen it specifically used by a UB reader.
The UB itself defines "gospel" as: 194:0.4 (2059.4) The gospel of the kingdom is: the fact of the fatherhood of God, coupled with the resultant truth of the sonship-brotherhood of men.
Do you disagree with that teaching? I'm not asking you to answer, only to ponder it as you continue your studies.
Quote:
It seems to me incredulous that people read this stuff and simply accept it, without the proof being made available, such as the existence of seven “Super-Universes”, or an “Eternal Isle of Paradise”, or the existence, other than God, Son and Spirit, of “Creator Sons”, Divine Counsellors, Universal Censors, and so on. If the author had said that giant ants of living crystal were resident in deep burrows on the Moon, would that have been accepted as truth by readers of this book?
Or how about if the author(s) had written that a man built a large boat out of wood and rescued pairs of every species of animal on earth at that time and kept them fed and maintained and not killing each other (or him) for 40 days?
Or how about if the author(s) had written that a woman gave birth without ever having had sexual intercourse?
Or how about if the author(s) had written that a large group of people had escaped a pursuing army by traveling through a huge chasm that opened up in a huge sea of water and that then the chasm closed on the pursuing army?
I could go on.
Does all that seem incredulous to you as well? You don't have to answer - you are certainly welcome to your opinions and I have no doubt that your Thought Adjuster is guiding your studies, so no worries. I just couldn't help but add some context to the perspective you posted yesterday.