Good question!

Many people, when they first hear the word “Urantia,” are intrigued and maybe a little confused. It is an odd word to the ears of someone who’s unfamiliar with it.

Once they begin to read the book, they may miss the part where the word “Urantia” is clearly explained, and after reading for awhile, may get the mistaken impression that since Urantia is such a spritually-oriented book, that it must designate the NAME of a religion. It’s an easy assumption to come to, but it is not correct.

Here is an explanatory passage about the word “Urantia.” This is the very first sentence in The Urantia Book:

0:0.1 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.

Further:

0:0.5 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.

Even though Urantia is not the name of a religion, The Urantia Book remains a very spiritually-oriented book. It is not, of itself, a religion; it is, however a book whose content is very largely about religion. Even these introductory passages from the Foreword contain the word “God,” and give us a glimpse into the content of the book. Religion, after all, is something intimately connected to one’s ideas of God, no matter by what name he is called. And The Urantia Book does not disappoint. If you are interested in religion – its origins, its meaning, its evolution, its possibilities – The Urantia Book will feed your soul.

So while religion is explained in detail and religion is fostered and taught, a true religion DOES emerge in the life of the individual when the information contained in The Urantia Book is LIVED – is acted out in the daily life. “Urantia” is not the name of this true religion. Urantia is simply the name of our earth…the planet on which we live. The name of this true religion in the heart of the individual is called the religion of personal spiritual experience.

This religion of personal spiritual experience is the same religion that was practiced by Jesus when he walked our earth proclaiming the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom of God is where those practitioners of this new religion dwell, even while living in the material, day-to-day life.

This is a theme that is most fully explored in Part IV of The Urantia Book – The Life and Teachings of Jesus.

The first and second parts of The Urantia Book are a detailed study of God, his creation, the heavens we see and what is “out there,” and the personalities who inhabit God’s creation, including the angels.

Part III is the detailed study of our world, Urantia. All the gaps in humanity’s understanding of the origins and history of our world are bridged by information-much of it revelatory information-that can help all of us to form a new view of ourselves, and the direction in which we need to go in order to improve the conditions on this troubled world.

In the end, while the word “Urantia” is forever linked to religious and spiritual realities, the word itself is simply a proper noun, designating the name of our earth.

We have a nice topical study about Urantia HERE where you can read a good selection of quotes from the book. And, as for the religous content, it may be helpful to you to read through our topical study on religion HERE

Thanks for this most interesting question!