Q: I thought all things psychic are a no-no according to the instruction of Jesus?

A: The question you’re asking is a good one!

Here’s how the modern-day online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “psychic”:

Definition of PSYCHIC

1: of or relating to the psyche : psychogenic

2: lying outside the sphere of physical science or knowledge : immaterial, moral, or spiritual in origin or force

3: sensitive to nonphysical or supernatural forces and influences : marked by extraordinary or mysterious sensitivity, perception, or understanding

— psy·chi·cal·ly adverb

Origin of PSYCHIC: Greek psychikos of the soul, from psyche soul

First Known Use: 1642

Synonyms: channel, medium, channeler, spiritist, spiritualist

Related Words: clairvoyant; mentalist, mind reader, telepath; sensitive

And here is the same word defined in the 1913 Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary:

{ Psychic, Psychical, } a. [L. psychicus, Gr., fr. psychh the soul, mind; cf. to blow: cf. F. psychique.] 1. Of or pertaining to the human soul, or to the living principle in man.

This term was formerly used to express the same idea as psychological. Recent metaphysicians, however, have employed it to mark the difference between psychh the living principle in man, and pney^ma the rational or spiritual part of his nature. In this use, the word describes the human soul in its relation to sense, appetite, and the outer visible world, as distinguished from spiritual or rational faculties, which have to do with the supersensible world. Heyse.

2. Of or pertaining to the mind, or its functions and diseases; mental; – -contrasted with physical.

It is amazing to see how word usages change over time, isn’t it?

In the context of The Urantia Book, which was written starting in the early years of the 20th century, this term was more closely associated with spiritual matters, soul matters and “the living principle in man.” It did not have the connotation of mediumship or clairvoyance as it does today.

It is helpful to remember that in the times when The Urantia Book was being delivered to us, the definitions of those times would have been used.

I did a Urantia Book search on the word “psychic, ” and I found that in each instance, one can substitute one of these other terms and get the proper meaning.

Obviously, the more modern synonyms and related terms for the word “psychic” cited above are not the sort of thing that Jesus would have approved of. Your intuition about that is right on the mark.

Thanks so much for this interesting question.