Clarification of Viewpoint

1:4.3 When you are through down here, when your course has been run in temporary form on earth, when your trial trip in the flesh is finished, when the dust that composes the mortal tabernacle “returns to the earth whence it came”; then, it is revealed, the indwelling “Spirit shall return to God who gave it.” There sojourns within each moral being of this planet a fragment of God, a part and parcel of divinity. It is not yet yours by right of possession, but it is designedly intended to be one with you if you survive the mortal existence.

1:6.5 Some degree of moral affinity and spiritual harmony is essential to friendship between two persons; a loving personality can hardly reveal himself to a loveless person. Even to approach the knowing of a divine personality, all of man’s personality endowments must be wholly consecrated to the effort; half-hearted, partial devotion will be unavailing.

2:6.1 In the physical universe we may see the divine beauty, in the intellectual world we may discern eternal truth, but the goodness of God is found only in the spiritual world of personal religious experience. In its true essence, religion is a faith-trust in the goodness of God. God could be great and absolute, somehow even intelligent and personal, in philosophy, but in religion God must also be moral; he must be good. Man might fear a great God, but he trusts and loves only a good God. This goodness of God is a part of the personality of God, and its full revelation appears only in the personal religious experience of the believing sons of God.

How many times when we were growing up, have we heard somebody say, “Don’t take it personally.”

Usually it was a response intended to assuage hurt feelings. It was a response to something somebody said that was taken as a personal criticism. One of the noticeable conditions of our society, at least here in my part of the United States, and I have lived all over the western parts from southern, central and northern California to Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Montana as well as where I now live in North Dakota, is an overwhelming tendency to hide ourselves from others, personally.

Let me elaborate. People in my life have consistently asked me to keep my personal life, my personal activity to myself, as I am again suggested to do here. They have told me that my desire to dig deeply into their personal business is offensive. I agree, it is. So, I ask God what he would have me do instead. Follow Jesus’ example is the answer. So, I look to Jesus and I find that he got personal with everybody. In fact, the number of times he only offered his opinion about the facts of his Kingdom and his understanding of it are nearly non-existent. Jesus teaches that the key to truly spreading the Gospel is to share our personal spiritual growth (fruit of the spirit) with everyone. Then I read in the Urantia Book that we are to become the presence of Jesus to our age and I wonder how we can do that if we are only sharing our purely factual knowledge in our intent to spread the teachings of the book and not be personal about it.

Yet we find the Urantia Book Forum adamant that this is supposed to be a study of Urantia Book facts. Repeatedly I am chastised for misrepresenting the facts. Knowing the facts is great. I know the facts as well. I have studied the book for 50 years, read it through multiple times, discussed the more difficult passages exhaustively and in depth with some of the most brilliant minds on the planet and yet the one thing that rises to the top of the heap of study is the spirit within me revealing to me the reality of me. All the learning, all the study, all the correlation of facts, all the meanings I have derived, all the understandings I have achieved are but drops in a bucket compared to a single contact with the divine Thought Adjuster within me. So, you see, that is what I strive for. The real import of the teachings is revealed by how deeply we each let the facts we are conscious of interact with the spirit within us. How willingly do we allow God to enlighten our insight and re-envision our outlook as we become the living truth of the facts. Each of us is personally responsible for this. I have never said anything that would counter this. Jesus never said anything that would counter this. Life is personal with God or it does not continue. Each of us is personally responsible for our participation in this process of “taking it personally.”

Each of us has a choice. We can each choose to believe, personally. Believing is the reality of how simple it is to follow God. Believing is all it takes. Believing is an act of applying our faith to the facts, ideas and the relationship discovered when we personally experience the reality established between the facts and our personal ideas. But even that is not the end of the story. The end of the story is that there is no end to the story. That is, if this process of identifying facts, discovering the meanings (all of them, the ones we like and the ones we don’t) and assigning our best comprehensive analysis of the value we are able to appreciate when we relate the facts we know to the idea we self-consciously entertain and then personally relate these both to our concept of our personality. This enables us to realize what God sees in us as we do it. Until we learn this process of self-awareness development, we remain static in our faith. Growth in faith is first an expansion of our will and then a systematic progression of our awareness of our person as we learn to realize God. This process is how we become real with God and how we discover His reality in us.

This is the process of growing spiritually. At least, this is the process God is leading me to follow. Please anybody feel free to share how God is leading you to grow spiritually. I am most interested in relating to others who seek to do God’s will and know they are. But keep it personal, because if it isn’t personal it isn’t real. We fool ourselves as believers when we avoid being personal. Being truly personal is the hard part. Believing the facts is easy, adopting our ideas, meanings, and values is more challenging, but the heavy lifting is when we are asked to stand up in front of the class and tell our personal story to God our Father.

We all die. I personally believe most of us will have the opportunity to awaken on Mansonia Number 1 even if we have never heard of the Urantia Book. But, as Jesus said when talking with his followers regarding the parable of the talents, “In the next world you will be asked to give an account of the endowments and stewardships of this world. Whether inherent talents are few or many, a just and merciful reckoning must be faced. If endowments are used only in selfish pursuits and no thought is bestowed upon the higher duty of obtaining increased yield of the fruits of the spirit, as they are manifested in the ever-expanding service of men and the worship of God, such selfish stewards must accept the consequences of their deliberate choosing.” 176:3.8

Spiritual fruit is not merely what we do, it is who we are. It is easy to do more (relatively), at least until we are doing all we can (as Olympic athletes will attest), the hard part is to be more. That is simply because ‘being more’ only happens as a result of true spiritual growth. It is interesting to consider that being all we can be is today’s work (“sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”), but tomorrow is a whole new evil. The evil Jesus is referring to in me is the part of my person I have not yet yielded to God, the part that will enable true spiritual growth. The “higher duty of obtaining increased yield” is personal. It is not merely a product of our life’s effort to share our beliefs with others, it is the product of our sincere and personal effort to share our life with God, to do his will. This is the true meaning of having faith to yourself. It clearly does not mean that we are to keep our thoughts to ourselves as I am repeatedly offered that chance to do. It means ‘don’t talk the talk if you aren’t going to walk the walk.’ In the case of the Urantia Book, it means knowing what the book says is only step one, doing what the book teaches is step two and sharing the fruit of the personal spiritual growth experience is step three. That is what I am attempting to do.

99:5.7 Just as certainly as men share their religious beliefs, they create a religious group of some sort which eventually creates common goals. Someday religionists will get together and actually effect co-operation on the basis of unity of ideals and purposes rather than attempting to do so on the basis of psychological opinions and theological beliefs. Goals rather than creeds should unify religionists. Since true religion is a matter of personal spiritual experience, it is inevitable that each individual religionist must have his own and personal interpretation of the realization of that spiritual experience. Let the term “faith” stand for the individual’s relation to God rather than for the creedal formulation of what some group of mortals have been able to agree upon as a common religious attitude. “Have you faith? Then have it to yourself.”

It is an error of concept to underestimate the challenge to others by avoidance within ourselves. When we share the Urantia Book as teaching that we have a group pass to go to heaven but fail to tell people that while we may choose to live forever, there is one condition. To do that we must become righteous and righteousness requires us to decide to do God’s will, instead of ours. Failing to tell the whole story creates fewer true followers as they discover the reality of the 'second mile' of spiritual growth. That is why the crowd joined in yelling, “Crucify Him!” They wanted to give up because he was showing them just how much is enough. He was showing them we must give all of us to the task. Doing the will of God must become our full time job, even more, our obsession. Spiritual growth is deliberately intentional. We do not eventuate our way to righteousness. We deliberate our way. Each step is personal and intentional and deliberate.

196:3.3 “The progressive comprehension of reality is the equivalent of approaching God. The finding of God, the consciousness of identity with reality, is the equivalent of the experiencing of self-completion — self-entirety, self-totality. The experiencing of total reality is the full realization of God, the finality of the God-knowing experience.”

What a statement! “Experiencing self-completion – self-entirety, self-totality. This does not happen by accident. We can experience “total reality” but we do it deliberately. The time it takes us to do this is irrelevant but the effort is not.

Personally, I think we may be in agreement, more or less, on our perception of the opportunity, but I believe there may be significantly fewer folks who ultimately choose to pursue the path to Paradise than others here in the room do. I believe that choosing to forsake the eternal adventure is a function of finding out the reality of the fact that we do not get to do this our way. Jesus’ comment about the severe test is relevant. 140:1.4 “But for you, my children, and for all others who would follow you into this kingdom, there is set a severe test. Faith alone will pass you through its portals, but you must bring forth the fruits of my Father’s spirit if you would continue to ascend in the progressive life of the divine fellowship. Verily, verily, I say to you, not every one who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but rather he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Doing the will of God tests the length, breadth, depth, and stamina of our willpower. This book is 2096 pages of showing us that. On that day when we are called “to give an account of the endowments and stewardships of this world”, as Jesus said, the correct answer from us isn’t, “I know the Urantia Book” or, “I believe the Bible” or, “I know the Koran” or, “I am a Catholic” or even, “I believe ‘anything’. The answer isn’t even to tell of all the wonderful things we did to help the poor and infirmed, or the things we did to spread the beliefs we had or to fix the ailments of the world, though all those are good things. The answer we must have in the deepest part of our soul is “Hello Father, here am I, your son.”

I appreciate the invitation to consider such interesting issues and beliefs and opinions regarding so many topics which so clearly are presented in the Papers and which offers all of us here further angles to discover, study, learn from thereby. Your opinions here offer opportunity I think for comparison and contrast, in some ways, to my own understanding of the teachings and that of others too, but most importantly to the UB itself.

I think your attempted "clarification" surely reconfirms your longstanding beliefs and opinions shared here over the years. And this post also offers much opportunity to consider and explore those in greater detail and illumination.

Your claim to know the facts of the contents of the UB and to also know the meanings is very curious and so ironic and illuminating. However, that claim certainly does not appear to be accurate considering your comments posted below where still, and now once again you have directly misrepresented the facts and the truths of the UB...obviously so. The brilliance of minds you may have been in the presence of is evidently of little help to your own grasp of plainly written facts.

You say: "Yet we find the Urantia Book Forum adamant that this is supposed to be a study of Urantia Book facts. Repeatedly I am chastised for misrepresenting the facts. Knowing the facts is great. I know the facts as well. I have studied the book for 50 years, read it through multiple times, discussed the more difficult passages exhaustively and in depth with some of the most brilliant minds on the planet and yet the one thing that rises to the top of the heap of study is the spirit within me revealing to me the reality of me.

All the learning, all the study, all the correlation of facts, all the meanings I have derived, all the understandings I have achieved are but drops in a bucket compared to a single contact with the divine Thought Adjuster within me."

Me here: Who is the "we"" in the "...we find the UB Forum adamant..."? Who are you speaking about and for? I wonder if you recognize this personal tendancy of yours to presume to speak for others? You have recently and falsely claimed to know and articulate what the UB organizations (yes, all of them and all the leadership for 60+ years) have believed, that whole tirade being a ludicrous display of ego. Now, you appear to not know of or to criticize the TrutBook Forum Guidelines regarding the purpose and study group format here for the past 2 decades.

The UB is so clear and redundant with many direct warnings to us tadpoles to have no great confidence in our ability to clearly hear or understand "contact with the Divine Thought Adjusters". Your own confidence here about your own contact with your TA lacks humility and credibility in my opinion...but does demonstrate the real risk of spiritual pride we are so warned about.

Let me offer that IMO and as shared among many other and also very brilliant students (hahaha) who find the meaning clear - the saying about "sufficient" for the day is the trouble thereof, which you, again misquoted and misrepresented was factually misstated and is clearly misunderstood, or intentionally misrepresented (?) by you. As is easily discerned in the actual quote below, Jesus is teaching us to simply trust God for our daily bread and to not be ANXIOUS about anything at all.

Did your friends with "brilliant minds" (holy moly) also somehow misread and misconstrue this most direct, simple, and important quote, its context, and obvious meaning? Wow.

I don't know why you would misquote or so clearly contradict the true and obvious meaning (and actual quote itself). You say: "It is interesting to consider that being all we can be is today’s work (“sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”), but tomorrow is a whole new evil. The evil Jesus is referring to in me is the part of my person I have not yet yielded to God, the part that will enable true spiritual growth. "

Me here: Jesus is referring to no such thing Jim. Poppycock. I cannot find the phrase "the evil thereof" anywhere in the UB. And neither today or tomorrow is evil Jim. What an odd thing to say. Text please. Each day is an adventure and nothing to be anxious about...for any reason.

Anxiety and worry is a spirit poison and must be abandoned according to the Papers. Your personal anxieties are clearly displayed here yet again. Remember the lilies? And sparrows?

Back soon to consider God's will and how that is demonstrated by our motive, intent, priorities, sincerity as expressed by our choices...not our wisdom. God knows our hearts and hopes and ideals...those are sufficiently expressive of God's will in the lives of his children...or so I understand the teachings of the Revelation.

:wink:

100:2.7 (1096.4) Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: “To a God-knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?” Temporal securities are vulnerable, but spiritual sureties are impregnable. When the flood tides of human adversity, selfishness, cruelty, hate, malice, and jealousy beat about the mortal soul, you may rest in the assurance that there is one inner bastion, the citadel of the spirit, which is absolutely unassailable; at least this is true of every human being who has dedicated the keeping of his soul to the indwelling spirit of the eternal God.

100:2.8 (1096.5) After such spiritual attainment, whether secured by gradual growth or specific crisis, there occurs a new orientation of personality as well as the development of a new standard of values. Such spirit-born individuals are so remotivated in life that they can calmly stand by while their fondest ambitions perish and their keenest hopes crash; they positively know that such catastrophes are but the redirecting cataclysms which wreck one’s temporal creations preliminary to the rearing of the more noble and enduring realities of a new and more sublime level of universe attainment.

140:6.13 (1577.7) And then Thomas asked Jesus if they should “continue having everything in common.” Said the Master: “Yes, my brethren, I would that we should live together as one understanding family. You are intrusted with a great work, and I crave your undivided service. You know that it has been well said: ‘No man can serve two masters.’ You cannot sincerely worship God and at the same time wholeheartedly serve mammon. Having now enlisted unreservedly in the work of the kingdom, be not anxious for your lives; much less be concerned with what you shall eat or what you shall drink; nor yet for your bodies, what clothing you shall wear. Already have you learned that willing hands and earnest hearts shall not go hungry. And now, when you prepare to devote all of your energies to the work of the kingdom, be assured that the Father will not be unmindful of your needs. Seek first the kingdom of God, and when you have found entrance thereto, all things needful shall be added to you. Be not, therefore, unduly anxious for the morrow. Sufficient for the day is the trouble thereof.”

165:5.1 (1823.1) That evening after supper, when Jesus and the twelve gathered together for their daily conference, Andrew asked: “Master, while we were baptizing the believers, you spoke many words to the lingering multitude which we did not hear. Would you be willing to repeat these words for our benefit?” And in response to Andrew’s request, Jesus said:

165:5.2 (1823.2) “Yes, Andrew, I will speak to you about these matters of wealth and self-support, but my words to you, the apostles, must be somewhat different from those spoken to the disciples and the multitude since you have forsaken everything, not only to follow me, but to be ordained as ambassadors of the kingdom. Already have you had several years’ experience, and you know that the Father whose kingdom you proclaim will not forsake you. You have dedicated your lives to the ministry of the kingdom; therefore be not anxious or worried about the things of the temporal life, what you shall eat, nor yet for your body, what you shall wear. The welfare of the soul is more than food and drink; the progress in the spirit is far above the need of raiment. When you are tempted to doubt the sureness of your bread, consider the ravens; they sow not neither reap, they have no storehouses or barns, and yet the Father provides food for every one of them that seeks it. And of how much more value are you than many birds! Besides, all of your anxiety or fretting doubts can do nothing to supply your material needs. Which of you by anxiety can add a handbreadth to your stature or a day to your life? Since such matters are not in your hands, why do you give anxious thought to any of these problems?

165:5.3 (1823.3) “Consider the lilies, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is cut down and cast into the fire, how much more shall he clothe you, the ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom. O you of little faith! When you wholeheartedly devote yourselves to the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom, you should not be of doubtful minds concerning the support of yourselves or the families you have forsaken. If you give your lives truly to the gospel, you shall live by the gospel. If you are only believing disciples, you must earn your own bread and contribute to the sustenance of all who teach and preach and heal. If you are anxious about your bread and water, wherein are you different from the nations of the world who so diligently seek such necessities? Devote yourselves to your work, believing that both the Father and I know that you have need of all these things. Let me assure you, once and for all, that, if you dedicate your lives to the work of the kingdom, all your real needs shall be supplied. Seek the greater thing, and the lesser will be found therein; ask for the heavenly, and the earthly shall be included. The shadow is certain to follow the substance.

Thanks again Jim for the further illumination of your opinions, beliefs, and understanding of the purpose of this gathering, the facts of the UB contents, and the meanings of the UB.

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