A New Spiritual Vision
Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the meaning of life?” When crisis hits do you wonder, “Is there a purpose for my suffering?” Or do you feel confused when religious ideas directly conflict with scientific facts?
There is a book that offers a fresh perspective on these age-old questions. It also provides reassurance about the future and a path to personal peace of mind. It's called The Urantia Book, and it is a treasury of spiritual truth and intellectual insights. Within its pages you'll discover an integrated picture of life unified by science, religion, and philosophy. Rooted in history, clarified by facts, and illuminated by spiritual wisdom, its teachings will impart a new sense of purpose in your life's journey.
The Urantia Book offers useful answers to life's most perplexing questions:
- Why do evil and suffering exist?
- How can we achieve lasting world peace?
- Is there intelligent life on other planets?
- What is God's purpose for my life?
- How can I become a happier and more fulfilled person?
- Who is Jesus? What did he teach?
- Where is he now? Will he come again?
- Is there life after death?
- What is heaven like?
“There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal purpose of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life....The goal of eternity is ahead! ... Certain victory will crown the efforts of every human being who will run the race of faith and trust.” 32:5.7-8
Part I: The Central and Superuniverses
“The myriad of planetary systems were all made to be eventually inhabited by many different types of intelligent creatures, beings who could know God, receive the divine affection, and love him in return. The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures.” 1:0.2
Part I is cosmic and mind expanding. Its unique teachings will resonate deep within your inner being like the oldest truths on earth, reassuring you that you are not alone. The cosmos teems with countless inhabited planets, heavenly worlds, and spirit personalities. God shines forth as a loving and caring personality who relates to every human being as a trustworthy heavenly parent. You live in a friendly, highly organized, and well-administered universe. Your life on earth initiates you into an eternal adventure. You are not here by accident!
By the end of Part I you will learn:
- Who God is and where God resides
- How God can transform your life
- The nature and role of the Trinity
- Where the universe originates, how it is evolving, and how you fit into it
- How the central and superuniverses are organized and administered
- Fascinating details about divine and celestial personalities
Part II: The Local Universe
Just as our world is comprised of nations, a superuniverse is made up of many local universes. Part II describes in fascinating detail our local universe and its building blocks of constellations, systems, and many inhabited planets. It even maps out our location in the cosmos and where we go after we die. You will gain an appreciation for the administrative hierarchy and how Jesus fits into it. A better understanding of these personalities, their roles, and the historical events in our region of space will shed light on the current state of our world today.
In Part II you will discover:
- Who Jesus was before he lived on Earth and where he is now
- How love, mercy, and justice function throughout the universe
- How the local universe is astronomically and administratively organized
- The nature and role of celestial personalities, including your guardian angels
- Where you go after you die and what happens next
- How you will be reunited with family and friends
- What human life is like on advanced worlds
- Why there is so much confusion, hardship, and suffering on Earth
The human species is only one order of God's creation. The universe abounds with angels and many other spirit personalities. There exists a vast spiritual hierarchy living in and administering to the universe. The number and diversity of these intelligent spirit personalities stretch beyond our imagination.
Part III: The History of Urantia
Part III depicts the history of life on Earth since its origin more than four and one-half billion years ago. It traces the lineage of humanity from the first two human beings nearly 993,500 years ago, through the triumphs and tragedies of Adam and Eve, and continues with stories of Abraham, Moses, and other heroes of planetary history.
Beyond plotting our physical evolution, this section also describes the development of civilization, industry, government, religion, and family life. The records of human tribulation and progress indicate that we are indeed moving toward a better world.
Part III presents:
- A scientific explanation of the origin of our solar system and our world
- The stages of a divinely guided evolutionary process
- How and why human life evolved on Earth
- The rise and fall of ancient civilizations
- The bleak years of the Lucifer rebellion
- The evolution of government and the path to world peace
- How an indwelling Spirit of God works to ensure your eternal survival
- How to pray and worship more effectively
“The second Eden was the cradle of civilization for almost thirty thousand years. Here in Mesopotamia the Adamic peoples held forth, sending out their progeny to the ends of the earth From this region went those men and women who initiated the doings of historic times, and who have so enormously accelerated cultural progress on Urantia.” 78:0.1
Part IV: The Life and Teachings of Jesus
Part IV is an inspiring biography of the life of Jesus. His birth, childhood, and young adulthood are described year by year, including his family life, travels, and occupations before beginning his career of ministry. This presentation of Jesus stands unique, packed with new information and fresh insights. You will gain a great admiration and understanding of his life and teachings.
Jesus was a strong and courageous man. His sincerity, warmth, good cheer, love of people, and devotion to truth are an inspiration for all ages.
“Jesus was the perfectly unified human personality. And today, as in Galilee, he continues to unify mortal experience and to co-ordinate human endeavors. He unifies life, ennobles character, and simplifies experience. He enters the human mind to elevate, transform, and transfigure it. It is literally true: 'If any man has Christ Jesus within him, he is a new creature; old things are passing away; behold all things are becoming new.”' 100:7.18
Highlights of Part IV include:
- The missing years of Jesus' life
- The premature death of Jesus' father
- Jesus helping to raise his seven brothers and sisters
- Rebecca's proposal of marriage
- Jesus' work as a carpenter, boat builder, scribe, teacher, and caravan conductor
- His journeys to Egypt, Rome, and the Caspian Sea
- His life with the apostles
- Events leading up to the crucifixion
- Jesus' resurrection and appearances
- The power of the Spirit of Truth
The Search for Truth
Every religion contains truth in its teachings and can facilitate the individual's quest for God. Yet no religion, book, or age has all the truth or a monopoly on any part of it.
“It is a fallacy for any group of religionists to conceive of their creed as The Truth; such attitudes bespeak more of theological arrogance than of certainty of faith. There is not a Urantia religion that could not profitably study and assimilate the best of the truths contained in every other faith, for all contain truth.” 92:7.3
Seven Truths from The Urantia Book
We are not alone
“Your planet is a member of an enormous cosmos; you belong to a well-nigh infinite family of worlds, but your sphere is just as precisely administered and just as lovingly fostered as if it were the only inhabited world in all existence.” 15:14.9
God is a personal being
“God is a transcendent reality.... He is a saving person and a loving Father to all who enjoy spiritual peace on earth, and who crave to experience personality survival in death.” 1:2.2
The afterlife is real
“Death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery.” 14:5.10
Faith is the only requirement for eternal life.
Said Jesus, “My Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith.” 155:6.17
A fragment of God lives within each of us
“There lives within every human mind a divine spirit, the gift of the Father in heaven. This good spirit ever strives to lead us to God, to help us to find God and to know God.” 133:3.7
Jesus reveals God
“Jesus is the spiritual lens in human likeness which makes visible to the material creature Him who is invisible.” 169:4.13
Love is real and powerful
Jesus said, “Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world. Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” 192:2.1
What readers say about The Urantia Book
“I became a hospice volunteer as a result of the book's emphasis on unselfish service. I cannot imagine doing this kind of work if I did not have the knowledge in this book as a guide. It is so reassuring to my patients when I tell them that there is life after death and what a beautiful experience it will be.” - Texas, United States
“I was always interested in anything that offered 'answers' to the eternal questions and I got through a lot of books, only to reject what I was reading because it did not ring true. But that 'quest' eventually led me to The Urantia Book. I sometimes think at the end of every spiritual quest, The Urantia Book is waiting there for anyone who perseveres that far.” - Belfast, Northern Ireland
“After a lifetime of searching, my soul leapt with joy at the discovery of the truth and knowledge presented within these pages, and I will forever walk with God with the help of his loving servants and The Urantia Book.” - Calgary, Canada
“After reading The Urantia Book my life gained a grand new meaning. There was now nothing to fear and everything to look forward to. If there is only one book you ever read, let it be this fifth epochal revelation.” - Aylesbury, England
“When I found The Urantia Book, my life was at a crossroads; religion, science, philosophy, and all the new age literature could not fill the emptiness that was growing inside of me. My prayers were answered.” - Quebec, Canada
“For more than 25 years I have searched through Eastern and Western religions and philosophies until I found The Urantia Book, which synthesizes them all.” - Marbella, Spain
“The Urantia Book allows for a critical, in-depth exploration into the wonder and qualities of God, revealing aspects and dimensions of meaning I had not even imagined. It is by far the best, most informative book I have ever read concerning who we are and why we are.” - Saskatoon, Canada
“Thank you, God! My questions have disappeared. I have been completely satisfied by the logic of its contents. Yes, it was difficult to read the first time, but it was so thrilling! This book is for seekers, and is quite simply a gift from Heaven.” - Toronto, Canada
Origin and Source
The Urantia Book was written in 1934-1935 and published in 1955. The book claims to be authored by numerous supermortal (angel-like) beings as a Revelation to our world. It is the first Epochal Revelation since Jesus and the fifth since the beginning of human life on Earth. No humans are associated with authoring The Urantia Book, and the technique whereby the papers were transcribed is unknown.
Like all other religious books, the contents should be evaluated by the fruits of the spirit which the teachings produce, not by any claim of authorship. You may want to treat this book as fascinating literature until the spiritual quality authenticates its message in your soul. The final judge of its validity must be the “indwelling spirit of God” within you.
How to Start Reading The Urantia Book
Because The Urantia Book is lengthy and covers a broad range of subjects, you might begin by studying its table of contents and then turning to subjects that catch your interest.
If you have a Christian background, you might start by reading The Life and Teachings of Jesus. Or start where the New Testament story begins with John the Baptist.
If you have a Jewish background, you might find the following papers/subjects interesting: Machiventa Melchizedek, Yahweh?God of the Hebrews, Evolution of the God Concept Among the Hebrews; and the papers about God (Papers 1-5) should be particularly interesting.
The broad subject of religion is discussed over the span of five papers, beginning with Paper 99.
Other examples of specialized subjects and their locations within the book include:
- the formation of the earth;
- the first human family;
- the evolution of prayer;
- true worship; and the
- inner spiritual life, spanning five papers.
Here’s what Jesus taught about prayer; and the answer to prayer.
Marriage and family life is a special subject that also spans several papers, beginning with the evolution of marriage.
Some people read The Urantia Book from start to finish. Cover-to-cover reading gives you a thorough understanding of its teachings. When you examine the various sections of the book, you will discover that each successive part becomes easier to read. The further you read, the more comfortable you will become with the logical flow of its contents.
The Foreword, Part I, and Part II can be difficult to read. Don’t be discouraged. These sections deal with the immense issues of the organization of the universe, the spiritual hierarchy, and life after death. Although the concepts may seem beyond your comprehension, perseverance in your reading will be worth the effort. The Urantia Book’s language is clear and the descriptions are beautiful.
