You asked: I am currently reading the Foreword of the UB. Other than the the words contained in the UB, does tangible evidence exist to prove the UB philosophy, and Michael of Nebadon? Or, is belief solely faith- based? Thank you!

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Thanks for your note to us here at TruthBook.

The most tangible evidence about The Urantia Book is probably the history of its development and delivery to the world. All of this history is of record and can be seen HERE and on other sites on the web. It might be a good place to start when evaluating the validity of the material.

As for its philosophy: Much of the philosophy of The Urantia Book is from human sources that were tapped during the book’s writing – most of it from 19th and 20th century writers/philosophers/religionists. You may have already read this in the Foreword:

0:12.12 Successive planetary revelations of divine truth invariably embrace the highest existing concepts of spiritual values as a part of the new and enhanced co-ordination of planetary knowledge. Accordingly, in making these presentations about God and his universe associates, we have selected as the basis of these papers more than one thousand human concepts representing the highest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings. Wherein these human concepts, assembled from the God-knowing mortals of the past and the present, are inadequate to portray the truth as we are directed to reveal it, we will unhesitatingly supplement them, for this purpose drawing upon our own superior knowledge of the reality and divinity of the Paradise Deities and their transcendent residential universe.

But then, as now, the truth of religion, spirituality, and philosophy was subjective. Faith has always been, and probably always will be, necessary for the acceptance of any spiritual or philosophical truth. And the truths and teachings of The Urantia Book are no different. Absent a visible God, or other spirit beings, human beings have always had to have faith that they exist. If that were not true, we would have a very different world. If a beneficent Deity such as the Heavenly Father as portrayed in The Urantia Book was easily seen we might have a world that eagerly honored him and wanted to do his will. But, proof of his existence has always been elusive to those who are skeptical; and even to those who are sincere seekers sometimes.

In The Urantia Book, we are given encouragement that we CAN prove God’s existence to ourselves. And sincere truth seekers who read, study, and love the teachings of this book do hold in their experiences evidences and personal proof of that truth:

1:2.8 Those who know God have experienced the fact of his presence; such God-knowing mortals hold in their personal experience the only positive proof of the existence of the living God which one human being can offer to another. The existence of God is utterly beyond all possibility of demonstration except for the contact between the God-consciousness of the human mind and the God-presence of the Thought Adjuster that indwells the mortal intellect and is bestowed upon man as the free gift of the Universal Father.

Information in The Urantia Book about Michael of Nebadon is a divine revelation regarding the true identity of the personality we know as Jesus of Nazareth. Part IV of the book is a “restatement” of the already well-known story of Jesus that has been known and loved for centuries through the Bible.

Although there are some who would deny that Jesus existed at all, belief in the truth of Jesus as a real person has prevailed for centuries. This is due to the fact that his life made a huge impact on the world – an impact that still prevails today. Even given the scant nature of the story of Jesus in the Bible, that story and those teachings remain a driving force for those who recognize in them truth, goodness, and beauty. And in The Urantia Book, we are given the most complete story of Jesus’ matchless life ever presented. For many, they resonate with the “ring of truth,” as do many other of the book’s teachings.

The Urantia Book presents itself as an epochal revelation. When one reads about revelation and its important role in the spiritual evolution of our world, it makes sense – at least to me – that the time is ripe for this newest revelation of God to our world. So while material proof for all of its contents may be elusive, the spiritual teachings are personally powerful in that they can be “acted out” and proven in one’s own experience:

2:7.6 Intellectual self-consciousness can discover the beauty of truth, its spiritual quality, not only by the philosophic consistency of its concepts, but more certainly and surely by the unerring response of the ever-present Spirit of Truth. Happiness ensues from the recognition of truth because it can be acted out; it can be lived. Disappointment and sorrow attend upon error because, not being a reality, it cannot be realized in experience. Divine truth is best known by its spiritual flavor.

Again, there are countless souls who read, study, and believe the teachings of The Urantia Book even without “tangible” evidence from outside sources. The real evidences are inner, personal, and heart-felt….and yes, faith-based, at least in the beginning. Once faith has been tested, and evidence accrues as to the validity and value of that faith, faith becomes belief. And I think this is true of all religious belief – anything that deals with the unseen world of spirit. This is a process that has been going on for time out of mind, and that will continue as individuals strive to connect with the unseen. The Urantia Book is a new way of facilitating that process, and an effective one for those who are seekers. It supplies us with information that we have never had before and a view of the cosmos that is inclusive, thrilling, and spiritually satisfying.

Thanks again for your note – a very important question, really. I hope that this reply has been helpful to you and that you’ll continue your exploration of The Urantia Book.