Author: Doug Cable

Ideological Swamp

Society has many conflicting currents; division and acrimony seem to be everywhere. How can we make sense of the ideological swamp surrounding us? The driving force of many individuals and institutions is materialism and greed. For a large number of our sisters and brothers the primary goal is basically selfishness, seeking to enhance personal wellbeing at the expense of others. There are certainly bright places in this swamp, but they are too few. The goal of this posting is to develop a dialog involving those with whom we may not agree and who are mired in an unhealthy ideology; this dialog is aimed at increasing an overall awareness of brotherhood, sisterhood, and inclusion. Let us proceed.

Current Events

The term ideological swamp refers to the several conflicting ideologies interacting in our daily lives; among these are liberalism, conservatism, materialism, greed, white supremacy, loving service, lust for power, the true teachings of Jesus, conservative people of faith, deliberate evil, selfishness, and a desire to do the will of our Heavenly Father. There are undoubtedly many more contradicting value systems we could include.

This ideological swamp persists because most of us have no firm moral foundation upon which to build our lives and our potentially eternal future. We feel we are alone in the cosmos but this is not the case; God is within each of us. Knowing about His presence and having a strong desire to do His will we cannot fail to enter eternity and actually stand in the presence of our Heavenly Father at the center of all creation on Paradise. We cannot fail.

This ideological swamp persists because most of us are adrift in this swamp without any way to measure the value of anything. Rather than measure value based on the presence of God within each individual mortal, we measure value against our temporary perceptions, we measure it against our preconceived notions, against shifting sands. The only way to counteract this system, the only way to drain this ideological swamp is to fundamentally recognize our Heavenly Father as primal, as being the fundamental reality of all creation. God is the fundamental reality for each individual creature in all creation.

Christian Nationalism is one of the elements in this swamp; I have previously written about this portion of Christianity. Believers in Christian Nationalism are afraid of change; they want to keep anybody who is different in any way out of our country and out of our government. Like many other threads in our ideological swamp, Christian Nationalists are so fixated in their ideology they cannot accept any information that does not coincide with their belief system. Each component of our ideological swamp is convinced they have the ultimate answer to all our problems.

One of the most profound elements of our ideological swamp is the deep divide between opposing political beliefs. Each party in this political contest has their own set of core beliefs and goals; each has a unique vision for the future. The problem is not these differing political views, rather it is the acrimony of interacting discourse. Each side has an absolute viewpoint that will not allow anything else to enter in; therefore we have an ideological swamp and we are mired in a conflicting discourse.

It becomes particularly difficult when someone we love becomes trapped in one of these extreme ideologies. One person in such a situation position wrote: “With no overlap between our filters of reality, I was at a loss for any facts that would actually stick.”[1] Individuals in such ideologies view reality through a particular filter, what they see as “reality” may be radically different from our viewpoint.

If we cannot agree on what is reality, perhaps we can use probing questions to appraise ways of reaching some common ground; ways of finding a way to move toward a harmonious resolution. The objective is to find a common value system that can be agreed upon, then find ways to work toward these values. Properly formulated questions can make us think about what our goals are, what values we embrace in our efforts to work toward a better life for everyone. If the viewpoints of ideologues are not helpful to humanity, proper questions might disclose the problems and guide the discussion in a productive direction.

Golden Rule

We propose a series of questions as a way to communicate with an ideologue; this gives us a way to exchange ideas while minimizing conflicts based on varying opinions of reality. In these days of instantaneous social media misinformation, “truth” wears many different costumes. What is truth for one person might be insane to another; these firmly held beliefs cannot be easily reconciled without much rancor.

Instead of a heated debate on what the facts are, we propose probing questions. In this question based dialog we try to move away from objective discussions and toward a value based discourse. Our first question should be: Do you believe in the Golden Rule?

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”[2] This is the Biblical statement of the Golden Rule; it is a starting place where we determine what their value system might be. If their basic value system is violence against individuals holding a different world view, there may be no way to connect with them; perhaps it would be best to wish them peace, love and joy; then leave it at that.

This Golden Rule does not condone violence, aggression, or hatred; if an individual claims extreme hate filled views they cannot also claim to believe in this rule of brotherhood and sisterhood.

This rule of decency is recognized by many religions. A chart has been developed depicting statements similar to the Golden Rule in 13 different religions from Baha’i Faith through Zoroastrianism.[3] One example is the statement from Jainism: “One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.”[4]

“Today we are living in a global village. Accordingly, we are all global citizens in addition to belonging to particular groups, races, cultures, religions, and nations. Being a global citizen brings both privileges and responsibilities. The Golden Rule may be the best guide we have for bringing all people to live together in peace.”[5]

Believing in and practicing the Golden Rule would be a good way to increase harmony on our native sphere while lessening hatred against individuals deemed to be different.

Further Questions

Once the Golden Rule has been accepted and affirmed, other questions might be useful, such as:

Do you know each of us has the spirit of God within?[6] Our Heavenly Father is literally within each mortal, because of this we all have value and we each have a chance of attaining a close relationship with Him.

Do you know God respects everyone, that He is no respecter of persons?[7] We all stand equal before our Heavenly Father; no exceptions. When any person has been discriminated against or disenfranchised, a child of God has been mistreated; a member of the Heavenly Family has been excluded.

How did Jesus treat outsiders? He had a long conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob.[8] In those days Jews had no dealings with Samaritans.[9] This would be the same as having a long conversation with a member of any minority group today. Jesus was all about inclusion.

A careful consideration of these questions brings out an increased awareness of the value of each mortal. The teachings of Jesus are an excellent model to follow in our lives, they do not allow ill feelings toward anyone, the teachings of Jesus proclaim love, brotherhood, and joy; they do not embrace fear.

Who would Jesus hate?

A large segment of our society does not attend church but many still ascribe to these values. If our lives have no values, no moral foundation, there is no meaning to our existence. Our lives gain value when we recognize a worthy goal, such as affirming our Heavenly Father, seeking to become more like Him, and trying to do His will at all times.

Current religion is sometimes nothing more than a meeting on Sunday morning having little relationship with daily events. Religion has become compartmentalized, isolated from daily activities and awareness; it should be the key motivator of our existence. Our faith must be our primary driving force, our reason for being, and the foundation of each decision we make in our daily lives.

Our Goal

The goal of these questions is to emphasize spiritual values so much so that falsehoods are crowded out; with some ideologues this might be difficult. As we permit spiritual values to grow within us, there is less awareness of unspiritual components. As we increasingly permit spiritual teachings to fill our awareness we let unspiritual emotions slip away.

Above all, it will help us in our interactions with difficult people to consider how Jesus would handle the situation.

  1. Albert Samaha, “My Mom Believes In QAnon. I’ve Been Trying To Get Her Out.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/albertsamaha/qanon-parents-millennial-children  Retrieved 3/14/21 ↑

  2. Bible: Matthew 7:12 ↑

  3. “The Golden Rule,” © 2000, by Paul McKenna, available from Canadian Multifaith Federation, 3570 Victoria Park Ave., Suite 207, North York, On, M2H 3S2, Canada, www.cmfsrc.ca ↑

  4. Ibid ↑

  5. Ibid ↑

  6. Bible, I Corinthians 3:16 ↑

  7. Bible: Acts 10:34 ↑

  8. Bible, John Chapter 4 ↑

  9. Bible, John 4:9 ↑

God: an Earthling’s Primer

I am working on a new Talking Points page, titled “God: an Earthling’s Primer; Nature of Our Heavenly Father.” This discussion is based on the first five papers of The Urantia Book, a revelation published in 1955 that presents a comprehensive description of the nature of our Father in Heaven and His magnificent creation. This posting covers the first two papers while the next posting will cover the other three.

How can we begin to understand our Heavenly Father, God? He is so much above and beyond us that our mortal minds have difficulty with the very idea; our efforts to understand Him are certain to fall far short of our goal, nevertheless they are a necessary first baby step toward God.

Our Universal Father[1]

The Universal Father is the God of all creation, the First Source and Center of all things and beings. First think of God as a creator, then as a controller, and lastly as an infinite upholder.[2] The starry systems are made to be inhabited by many types of free will creatures who can seek to worship their Heavenly Father, receive the divine love, and love Him in return. From His abode on Paradise our Father has sent out His supreme decree: “Be you perfect, even as I am perfect.”[3] The very fact we have been given this command is confirmation that this amazing prospect is possible; our Heavenly Father would not ask us to do the non-doable. It may take a few million years, but after our resurrection on the mansion worlds, if we so chose, we will have ongoing life into future eternity; it is certainly possible for each of us to become perfect!

Our Heavenly Father has not revealed His name; He is known by many names indicating the creature’s understanding of our Father. Among these names are: First Source and Universe Center, First Creative Source and Divine Center, Father of Universes, Infinite Upholder, Divine Controller, and Father of Lights. On planets like Urantia, our native sphere, which are inhabited by sex creatures He is known by names indicating His fatherly relationship with us, such as Heavenly Father, or just Father. We also know Him as God.

Physical beings such as us have difficulty even to begin to understand Father because He is spirit not physical. The painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depicting God giving Adam the spark of life is a magnificent work of art, but it gives a mistaken impression: God is spirit not physical. While our Father might seem to be impossibly distant from us, this is not the case because Father actually dwells within each of us. His presence within is indicated by our capacity for knowing God, our urge to find God, and our desire to do His will.[4]

It is up to each of us who have been granted this revelation, The Urantia Book, to share these truths with our sisters and brothers; to exemplify these uplifting teachings in our daily lives.

Our Heavenly Father is not invisible because He wants to hide from us; rather it is because He is spirit.[5] We are firmly grounded in physical reality; therefore we have difficulty comprehending any part of spirit reality. Spirit reality is a totally different energy continuum from physical reality. While He is invisible to material mind, the spiritualized mind can discern Him by faith. Our Heavenly Father is certainly real and our faith declares this.

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. (Urantia Book, 26.5) This is a profound mystery, how our Heavenly Father can be at the center of creation on Paradise and simultaneously exist within the mind of every mortal on every inhabited planet throughout all creation. In our spiritual experience Father is not a mystery, but when we attempt to explain such experience to material minded sisters and brothers, mystery appears. It is not possible to make material minds fully aware of spiritual truths.

We can imagine our Heavenly Father has to be a personality totally beyond anything we could possibly comprehend; in addition we equally well know that the Universal Father cannot possibly be anything less than an eternal, infinite, true, good, and beautiful personality.[6] Being absolutely perfect in all aspects might be a disadvantage except for the fact that He literally exists within the mind of every struggling mortal on every inhabited world. Our afflictions afflict Him and our triumphs lift Him up. Our total existence takes place within our Heavenly Father.

What is God Like?[7]

While it is indeed difficult for us to comprehend our Heavenly Father, we have an excellent example of His divine nature. His son Michael, whom we know as Jesus, chose our planet to live the life of a mortal of the flesh. In his life, Jesus portrayed the nature of our Heavenly father. The description of the life of Jesus takes up more than 700 pages in The Urantia Book; for many this is the easiest part of the revelation to understand. Learning about the life of Jesus helps us to better understand our Heavenly Father. The presence of a spark of our Heavenly Father within each of us means we have His assistance in our efforts to better understand Him. We also have the Spirit of Truth and other spirit guidance to help us reach out to Father. With all this assistance, as well as revelations in The Urantia Book, we can certainly gain a more satisfying concept of our Heavenly Father.

For mortal beings such as us, the infinity of our Father in Heaven is beyond our comprehension. The Universal Father is absolutely and without qualification infinite in all his attributes; and this fact, in and of itself, automatically shuts him off from all direct personal communication with finite material beings and other lowly created intelligences.  (Urantia Book, 34.5) Because of this gulf between us there are many ways in which our Father in Heaven reaches down to each of us, bridging the gulf; we are certainly not alone in the cosmos. We have the Spirit of Truth, other spirit influence as well as our Guardian Angels. In these ways and in many others, in ways unknown to you and utterly beyond finite comprehension, does the Paradise Father lovingly and willingly downstep and otherwise modify, dilute, and attenuate his infinity in order that he may be able to draw nearer the finite minds of his creature children.[8] (Urantia Book, 35.1) Because our Father is both infinite and eternal, it is totally impossible for mortal beings to comprehend the plans and purposes of our Heavenly Father; such understanding as we gain comes from our personal experiences and our faith.

Even your olden prophets understood the eternal, never-beginning, never-ending, circular nature of the Universal Father. God is literally and eternally present in his universe of universes. He inhabits the present moment with all his absolute majesty and eternal greatness.[9] In the evolving worlds of time and space perfection is necessarily a relative term, an unattainable goal while we remain in this physical form. As we move closer to the eternal perfection of Paradise, we become closer to our Heavenly Father, and we move closer to the goal of the ages: Perfection. God’s primal perfection consists not in an assumed righteousness but rather in the inherent perfection of the goodness of his divine nature. He is final, complete, and perfect.[10]

A prominent characteristic of our Father is mercy, which is simply justice tempered by that wisdom which grows out of perfection of knowledge and the full recognition of the natural weaknesses and environmental handicaps of finite creatures.[11] Our Father in Heaven naturally knows all about each one of us, wants to lift up each individual to His presence, and in mercy He shows us the way. Mercy naturally results from our Father’s innate goodness and love. Mercy is justice interpreted through the lens of a profound understanding of the nature of incomplete beings, either lower spiritual beings or mortals such as us.

Our Heavenly Father naturally loves the creatures He has created. His love is not conditioned on what we might do; it is founded on His innate nature. In these discussions about our Father, we must realize our Heavenly Father is truly perfect in every respect. Most earthly fathers honestly strive to fulfill their fatherly duties; those who act otherwise stain the name father. When man loses sight of the love of a personal God, the kingdom of God becomes merely the kingdom of good. Notwithstanding the infinite unity of the divine nature, love is the dominant characteristic of all God’s personal dealings with his creatures.[12]

For evolutionary creatures such as us, the goodness of our Father in Heaven is perhaps the most important characteristic; other characteristics such as mercy, justice and love are based on the innate goodness of our Father. When dealing with our sisters and brothers we may expect goodness, but that does not always happen. 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.[13]

  1. This briefly summarizes Paper 1, starting at 21.1; this refers to the one column version of The Urantia Book in the format page.paragraph. All references are to The Urantia Book. ↑

  2. ibid ↑

  3. 21.3 ↑

  4. 24.1-4 ↑

  5. 25.3 ↑

  6. 27.4 ↑

  7. This briefly summarizes Paper 2, starting at 33.1 ↑

  8. 35.1 ↑

  9. 35.5 ↑

  10. 36.3 ↑

  11. 38.1 ↑

  12. 40.4 ↑

  13. 40.5 ↑

Urantia: Caligastia’s Prison World

Sun Through the Fog

Click on photo for information about it.

Our native planet, Urantia, is teeming with materialism, greed, and sin. One of the reasons for this is the Lucifer Rebellion against universe authority which our Planetary Prince, Caligastia, joined about 200,000 years ago. Caligastia remains free on our planet to create mischief even though he has been defeated by our Creator Son Michael, whom we know as Jesus. The reason Caligastia remains here is basically a lesson in mercy and a test of our faith.

While wrongdoing is always deleterious to a family, wisdom and love admonish the upright children to bear with an erring brother during the time granted by the affectionate father in which the sinner may see the error of his way and embrace salvation. (Urantia Book, 617.5)

We find no one specific reference detailing why Caligastia remains free to roam over Urantia; however, there are clear indications why this is the case. Caligastia deliberately introduced sin to our planet;[1] when this happens there are consequences both to the being who introduced the sin and those who received the sin, all mortal inhabitants of Urantia. These consequences need to be investigated and understood.

Caligastia could have been detained

There are several times when our rebellious Planetary Prince, Caligastia, could have been detained on one of the prison worlds. The reason he is free to roam over our planet is discussed below.

Most of those involved in the Lucifer Rebellion have been imprisoned on the satellites of the Father’s world at Jerusem, the capital of our local system, Satania.[2] When these beings were detained, our Planetary Prince Caligastia could also have been detained there.

Jesus went alone to Mount Hermon and while there he defeated Lucifer and Caligastia; Lucifer was represented by his assistant Satan. And when Jesus came down from his sojourn on Mount Hermon, the Lucifer rebellion in Satania and the Caligastia secession on Urantia were virtually settled.[3] Caligastia was limited to our world and defeated, but he was not placed in confinement. At this time Michael was proclaimed our Planetary Prince, but he has not yet acted in this role.

Later Machiventa Melchizedek was proclaimed Vicegerent Planetary Prince;[4] he also has not taken any actions in this role.

When the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer started on Uversa, Satan who prior to that time had been permitted to periodically visit planets in rebellion, was permanently detained on the prison world along with Lucifer and other rebels. Again, Caligastia and his assistants were allowed to roam free all over our planet.

In effect Urantia is Caligastia’s prison world and we are trustees who can either cooperate with authority (the Most Highs who rule in the affairs of humanity) or side with the prisoners (Caligastia and his followers). Each of us must choose between good and evil; either way there are consequences.

Similar cases

When our Planetary Prince declared his rebellion, those loyal to Michael were led by Van, a member of the prince’s corporeal staff; these were beings appearing similar to mortals of that era but were ascendant mortals from our system capital and had ongoing life. When the rebellion was declared communication from outside the planet was cut off. The planet was isolated. For seven years discussions took place led by Van until every personality concerned, all super mortal beings, made their decision which side they were on: Michael and the universal government, or the rebel Caligastia. When everyone had so decided the Melchizedeks arrived and arranged the super-mortal government.[5]

In this case, outside assistance only came after all those involved had made a decision between good and evil. Mortals of the realm 200,000 years ago had no awareness of any government beyond the tribe so they were not then involved. When sin is introduced into any system, all those affected in any way must choose between good and evil.

When the Lucifer Rebellion took place, 607 planets had Planetary Princes; of these thirty-eight went into rebellion. On one planet, Panoptia, the inhabitants led by Ellanora (who was guided by the Melchizedeks), defeated their Planetary Prince and refused to go into rebellion. Ever since this time ascendant mortals from this planet are awarded by being given special tasks by Michael.[6]

Inhabitants of this planet are given important and interesting jobs because they defeated their rebellious Planetary Prince. They as a planet made their choice between good and evil, as a result they are all rewarded.

Based on these examples, when rebellion is introduced into any system all those affected must choose between universe government and rebellion. Unlike mortals of 200,000 years ago, today we have widespread communication; practically speaking most of us get the news and are aware of good things or bad things happening all around. Even those who are isolated from society or in a remote wilderness must make decisions based on what is best for the world they know. Each of us has to make that moral choice, declare where we stand.

Wisdom of Delay

In the event of rebellion on a system headquarters, a new sovereign is usually installed within a comparatively short time, but not so on the individual planets. They are the component units of the material creation, and creature free will is a factor in the final adjudication of all such problems. Successor Planetary Princes… do not assume active rulership of such worlds until the results of insurrection are partially overcome and removed by the remedial measures adopted by the Melchizedeks and other ministering personalities.[7]

It is “creature free will” that determines when the replacement Planetary Prince will arrive on Urantia. We the inhabitants of Earth must decide where we stand, with Michael or with Lucifer and Caligastia. Only when this has taken place will the communication lines open and our Vicegerent Planetary Prince, Machiventa Melchizedek, take over the government of our native sphere.

One section of our revelation, The Urantia Book, covers reasons for this delay; this is titled “The Wisdom of Delay.”[8] Twelve reasons for delaying response to rebellion are listed; we are told that on Uversa forty-eight reasons are taught.

Mercy requires that every wrongdoer have sufficient time in which to formulate a deliberate and fully chosen attitude regarding his evil thoughts and sinful acts. (Urantia Book, 617.2) We are not inherently evil, but because we live on a planet in rebellion we must live with the consequences of that rebellion. It would be the same if we were part of a family when a brother or sister did something very bad; the family life would be disrupted until the situation was fully resolved. Our Father’s creation is based on love, mercy, and forgiveness; this requires time to unfold.

Michael, our local universe Creator Son, was counseled to remain aloof from the rebels and allow rebellion to pursue a natural course of self-obliteration. (Urantia Book, 617.8) Since the rebellion had no support from outside the system of Satania it could not succeed regardless of how much time would be required for it to fail.

The Constellation Fathers, the Most Highs, were advised to allow the rebels free course to the end that all sympathy for these evildoers should be the sooner uprooted in the hearts of every present and future citizen of Norlatiadek — every mortal, morontia, or spirit creature.[9] Every mortal in the entire constellation must choose between Michael and Lucifer, between God’s way and evil, between true liberty and false liberty. Only when that happens will all the evil resulting from this rebellion be eradicated.

Michael’s chief executive, Gabriel, was counseled to promote full opportunity for every living creature to mature a deliberate choice in those matters involved in the Lucifer Declaration of Liberty.[10] Again, every living creature must make a deliberate choice between righteousness and rebellion.

The angels were directed to work for full disclosure and unlimited opportunity for sin-expression as the quickest technique of achieving the perfect and final cure of the plague of evil and sin.[11] The quickest way to root out such evil is to allow an “unlimited opportunity for sin-expression.” This is not what we expect angels to be doing! The idea is not to artificially repress such evil, because it would only make matters worse; rather they were to allow the expression of sin to take place so it would eventually run out of steam.

It is because of these requirements for mercy that every mortal on Urantia must make a decision in the matter of Michael vs. Lucifer; every mortal must choose to follow God’s will or the lies of Lucifer. By choosing God’s will we defeat the lies of Caligastia and we defeat Caligastia. Only after this has taken place with every mortal on Earth can our planet become fully a part of the communication network of the system and the universe.

We cannot expect angels to appear in the sky and deliver us from this evil place; it is up to each one of us to make the decision. We must remember that in all things, we are not alone in the struggle.

Discern the signs of the times

When must this decision be made? Once we become aware of the necessity of making such a decision, the best option would certainly be to choose instantly. Most of our sisters and brothers are not aware of the necessity of such a decision, what about them? Twice Jesus instructed the Apostles they should be aware of the signs of the times.[12] We must use faith to discern the signs of our time and they are certainly troubling. Today materialism, greed, excessive telling of lies, acts of violence, hatred against sisters and brothers because of some superficial characteristic, as well as a deeply polarized society declare we are heading into troublous times.

Because of this, the time is rapidly approaching when it will be imperative to inform sisters and brothers of the necessity of making that eternal choice, declaring where each one of us stands: righteousness or sin, God or Lucifer, eternal existence or soul death.

  1. 1660.5, all references are to the one column edition of The Urantia Book in the format page.paragraph ↑

  2. 510.8-9 ↑

  3. 1494.2 ↑

  4. 514.6 ↑

  5. 756.1 ↑

  6. 607.2 ↑

  7. 394.1 ↑

  8. 617.1-618.3 ↑

  9. 617.9 ↑

  10. 617.10 ↑

  11. 617.11 ↑

  12. 1744.4, 1915.3 ↑

Christian Nationalism

The riot at the United States Capital Building on January 6, 2021 is a violent stain on our republic. Our capital was desecrated, windows shattered and blood spilt. These rioters were threatening even worse atrocities, shooting or hanging those they disagreed with. How can we understand these actions? How can we begin to heal the deep divide plaguing our nation? Why did Bible believing Christians participate in these events? We have a lot of ground to cover.

Christians Amongst the Rioters

We have all seen the riots on TV; there is no need to elaborate. We have also seen videos showing those holding high political office encouraging citizens to march angrily to the capital. These were triggers for the violence but the tension had been building for several months, even years. There are photographs of a man carrying a Bible and others carrying religious banners in the riot. “The name of God was everywhere during” the insurrection.[1] There was a significant Christian participation. “The responsibility of yesterday’s violence must be in part laid at the feet of those evangelical leaders who ushered in and applauded Trump’s presidency. It can also sadly be laid at the feet of the white American church more broadly.”[2] Some of the rioters believed they were marching under the banner of Jesus to keep the defeated president in office.[3]

A prominent Southern Baptist leader said he saw a “Jesus Saves” banner near a gallows built by rioters. “I was enraged to a degree that I haven’t been enraged in memory. This is not only dangerous and unpatriotic but also blasphemous; presenting a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ that isn’t the gospel and is instead its exact reverse.”[4]

Robert Jones, CEO of the independent nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute and author of two books on Christianity, said “The fact that we saw QAnon, white supremacy and white Christianity all carried together in a violent attack on the Capitol means that particularly white Christians have got some real soul-searching to do.”[5]

Christian Nationalism

Christian Nationalism, as observed in the Capital riots and other right-wing events, is not based on the teachings of Jesus; it is certainly not based on the Golden Rule which he taught. Christianity is a set of beliefs based on teachings in the Bible, especially the New Testament. “Christian nationalism is a political ideology about American identity. It is a set of policy prescriptions for what the nationalists believe the American government should do. It’s not drawn from the Bible.”[6]

Christian Nationalism blends nominal Christianity with nationalism. They use this blending to proclaim what must be done to maintain and build our identity as a Christian nation into the future.[7] Anyone other than white American Christians have to be excluded, marginalized or violently repressed.

Paul Miller is a professor at Georgetown University and a research fellow with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. He has stated: “I think that any kind of nationalism in its purest form is religion. It is idolatry. That’s true of Christian nationalism. It takes Christian symbols, rhetoric, and concepts and weaves it into a political ideology that in its ideal form is idolatrous.”[8] The ideology of Christian Nationalism is based on politics, not on the teachings of Jesus, and not on the truth that God is literally present in every thinking mortal on Earth; no exceptions.

Christian Nationalism is an excellent example of an ideologically driven process. This refers to the doctrines, opinions, and ways of thinking upon which a plan of action is based. For individuals in such a process driven by ideology, their main focus is upon furthering this ideology. Instead of having as a firm moral foundation the truth that God is within each one of us, they base their foundation on a particular political concept. This is exactly what Marxism, Communism, and Fascism do. This is also why each of them has failed and will continue to fail. This is why governments and civilizations fail. For any personal or group venture to succeed, there has to be a firm moral foundation: the truth of God Within.

Misinformation and lies

Those who are part of an ideologically driven process feel their goal is so vital to the welfare of humanity that literally anything is justified in their pursuit of this goal. This goal, based on their firm foundation on some ideology other than God, is their foremost motivation and driving force; it consumes them. Anything is acceptable as long as it helps to attain their goal.

They become fixated on that goal, so they tend to retreat into a group of like-minds for acceptance and confirmation. They feel threatened by people other than white American Christians. This distorts their belief system therefore interfering with their goal; they drift into an (almost) all-white, unbridled society with no apparent rules or values. They certainly have little necessity to honor life – any life, this results in their violence against fellow humans. That is NOT of God.

Interactions with individuals who are not part of their group become irritating and inflammatory. Their presentations are filled with angry passion which may intimidate those who might otherwise speak out against them. “Too many evangelicals have accepted or turned a blind eye to a movement fueled by misinformation and lies.”[9]

David French, senior editor of a conservative website, has written “Only the Church Can Truly Defeat a Christian Insurrection: It’s time to combat the right’s enabling lies.” and “When you’re in your partisan bubble, the enabling lie is seductive. I’ve fallen for it. In years past, I even spread it.”[10]

These enabling lies become reality for them; they base their thoughts and actions upon them. Once started down this path of lies and innuendo it becomes increasingly difficult to exit. Misinformation and lies become their way of life.

Why do Evangelicals Accept Christian Nationalism?

One reason evangelicals accept and embrace Christian Nationalism is fear; this fear is almost primal; they are overwhelmed to the extent they embrace activities that run contrary to the teachings of Jesus. This fear is based on unwanted change; it is a fear of things that are different. This fear has been building up over several decades, particularly in rural areas in the south and mid-west. They lash out at those who appear different because of their own insecurity.[11]

There is also a distinctly racial element to Christian Nationalism, partly because the fervent evangelicals who comprise the pool from which these individuals are drawn are mainly white. “Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation.”[12]

“In the last 40 years, Christian nationalists tend to believe that Christians are under attack and are being persecuted.”[13] This arises because of immigrants bringing fresh blood into our country, bringing in new ideas, religions, and ways of life. These Christian Nationalists feel threatened by all the change they experience.

They felt powerless, unable to make any impact on the situation they were in. Then along came Donald Trump who claimed he would “champion Christian power. That’s why he struck such a deep chord among many white evangelicals. That was their political program for decades, Christian power. It turns out to matter more than Christian principles.”[14] Once they felt they had real access to political power, they totally fell for the message and were trapped within it.

The Way Forward

In any situation we must absolutely be constantly aware of our moral foundation. No action can succeed in the long run unless it has a firm foundation. This might be constructing a building, a government, a career, or personal leisure activities. A strong awareness of the presence of God, as a distinct part of our being, must be a part of each decision we make. We can still have fun, do exciting things, and love, but these activities must not bring harm or difficulty to any of our sisters and brothers.

Once we have such a foundation we can still pursue idealistic goals, but now we have a way to evaluate any proposed action. At each decision point we must ask ourself: “Will this action bring me closer to God or take me farther away from Him?” Once we have made this determination and acted upon it, we will have a clear path ahead of us. This may not be an easy decision but it will be the righteous one. We do not make these decisions alone; if we have made a sincere personal covenant with God to do His will, we will be assisted every step along the way. At this point any ideological process we adhere to will be Divinely directed by our God within.

Having such a moral foundation is not only important for our personal decisions, but it is vital in making an evaluation about those we interact with in our daily lives. Will my children be safe? Is our car mechanic going to make wild claims only to drive up the bill? Is the candidate we voted for going to make a good effort to fulfill promises made during the campaign for office? We are constantly faced with situations where some evaluation must be made, where we must make some judgment about the moral quality of those we interact with.

This is especially true with political candidates; when we vote for a particular person we are asking that individual to represent is by carrying out their duties of office according to our wishes. In the first place that means we need to be diligent in learning what the candidate stands for, what they want to accomplish, and what are their qualifications for office. Only then can we cast an intelligent vote. Secondly we expect the elected official to accurately manifest our wishes while carrying out the duties of their office. We expect them to have a moral foundation.

How many times have we learned what some elected official has done and then shout “I did not vote for that!”

We can begin our efforts to address issues presented in this posting by becoming comfortable within ourselves, trusting God in our daily activities. Once this has been done we need to be comfortable with change, things will always be changing, accept it. When this has been done we can reach out and seek to understand those who are different from us. The more we accept change and the diversity of humanity the more joy and satisfaction we experience. We embrace change and diversity.

When you totally recognize we are all sisters and brothers, when you honestly follow the Golden Rule as taught by Jesus by desiring to do onto others as you would have them do onto you, then the commonplace dictates of justice, honesty, and fairness will guide you in the just and impartial settlement of every recurring problem of economic rewards and social justice. (The Urantia Book, 1464.4)

We conclude with a word for those standing in the way of progress. Can you not advance in your concept of God’s dealing with man to that level where you recognize that the watchword of the universe is progress? (The Urantia Book, 54.5) We realize progress must be balanced so it can be properly assimilated, but the overall trend is toward progress.

  1. “A Christian Insurrection,” Emma Green, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/evangelicals-catholics-jericho-march-capitol/617591/, retrieved 1/28/21 ↑

  2. “Christian Nationalism Is Worse Than You Think,” Morgan Lee, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/january-web-only/christian-nationalism-capitol-riots-trump-podcast.html, retrieved 1/13/21 ↑

  3. Green ↑

  4. “Christianity on display at U.S. Capitol riot sparks concerning questions,” Elana Schor, https://globalnews.ca/news/7607091/us-capitol-riot-christianity-questions/, retrieved 2/1/21 ↑

  5. Schor ↑

  6. Lee ↑

  7. Lee ↑

  8. Lee ↑

  9. “Evangelicals must denounce the Christian nationalism in Capital riots,” Jamie Aten and Kent Annan, https://religionnews.com/2021/01/07/evangelicals-must-denounce-the-christian-nationalism-in-capitol-riots/, retrieved 1/7/21 ↑

  10. “Christian Nationalism is not Biblical Christianity,” Cassy Benefield, https://spokanefavs.com/christian-nationalism-is-not-biblical-christianity/, retrieved 1/27/20 ↑

  11. Aten and Annan ↑

  12. Benefield ↑

  13. Lee ↑

  14. Lee ↑

What is Religion?

Religious Peace

Click on photo for information about this church.

All our lives we have had some experience with religion and probably attended religious worship services. But what exactly is religion? We have a vague feeling about what religion means to us; is this all there is to know about religion? Spiritual growth requires a fuller understanding of religion. The Urantia Book reveals a radically different understanding of religion; its description is more comprehensive than others and is satisfying on many levels. This is a brief introduction to religion.

Comparison with traditional religions

This revelation, The Urantia Book, declares our philosophers have formulated more than five hundred definitions of religion.[1] A couple of these are: “a belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be obeyed and worshiped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe;” and “any specific system of belief and worship, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy.”[2]

This “system of belief and worship” is what we traditionally think of as religion. For many individuals this is satisfying and they should be encouraged in their faith. If they are living a spirit guided life we should rejoice with them. There are also countless individuals who claim to follow a particular religion, but this faith is not supreme in their soul, their actions are not guided by religion. For example, most religions proclaim a variation on the Golden Rule: do onto others as you would have them do onto you. Judging by current events this is a minority viewpoint on planet Earth.

These traditional religions, called evolutionary religions, are largely passive. One goes to the church, sings hymns, listens to the preacher, interacts with parishioners, and returns home mostly unchanged. There are prayers and affirmations but little personal spiritual participation.

The Urantia Book describes religion as being more than this, something intensely personal; religion is not definable[3] because it is a personal experience. It would be equally difficult to give a precise definition of love; religion is living love.[4]

In the teachings of The Urantia Book, religion becomes something deeper, richer, more meaningful, and proactive in contrast to traditional religions exemplified above. True religion is a personal experience that becomes service oriented; our lives have been transformed by our religion, it has energized our lives. Religion becomes alive[5] and as a result we must act,[6] not for theological reasons, but rather because we have been uplifted; our actions are a result of this inner transformation. If religion has not brought about this inner change, something vital is missing.

Relationship with God

The key element of true religion is the truth that a spark of God is literally present within every thinking mortal on Earth.[7] result of His presence within, we recognize Him as our Heavenly Father.[8] Knowing God as Father brings us comfort and security because we know we are being guided by a fragment of our Father. God has a plan for our life; all we need do is cooperate with His plan by consistently choosing to do His will.

Once we realize Him as our Father, we recognize everyone is equally indwelt by this spark of God.[9] Everyone is equally a child of God; this means we are all sisters and brothers.[10] Universal brotherhood is a vital component of our living faith. This truth must be such an integral part of our being that all our thoughts and actions affirm this: we are all sisters and brothers.

This affirmation of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of all mortals is a vital component of our existence. This brotherly relationship colors all interactions with fellow beings.

Individual Transformation

How do we bring about a greater realization of spiritual reality? The answer is simple: “ask and you shall receive.”[11] This asking must be an affirmation of desire, a sincere wanting, and it has to be deep enough that it comes from the soul. Just saying you would sort of want to do something is not nearly strong enough. The spiritual forward urge is the most powerful driving force present in this world; the truth-learning believer is the one progressive and aggressive soul on earth.[12] The spiritual forward urge is a fundamental drive toward increased spiritual awareness.

The cornerstone of any religion is faith. Merely believing something will not transform your life; that requires the next step: faith. Religion is faith, trust, and assurance.[13] Faith becomes vital to our existence, it is not something we turn off when we leave church on Sunday; it has become a driving presence within our being. Indeed, religion always depends on faith.[14] In its true essence, religion is a faith-trust in the goodness of God.[15]

Religion is a total conviction in the soul that guides us into a larger awareness of spiritual reality. It tells us it would be wrong to believe otherwise.[16] Religion involves yielding loyalty to the highest spiritual values. Religion embodies all that is good and real. It brings us closer to God.

A Way of Life

Evolutionary religions and revelatory religions may differ markedly in method, but in motive there is great similarity. Religion is not a specific function of life; rather is it a mode of living.[17] Religion is not a ritual, not something to observe from the outside; it must be lived. The religion of Jesus demands living and spiritual experience.[18]

Religion is actually a way of responding to situations we encounter during our life in the flesh.[19] The quality of our religion is displayed by the way we respond to life situations. Do we react with negative emotions or with loving service? Religion is always and forever a mode of reacting to the situations of life.[20] How we react to unexpected situations says a lot about us, when our lives are driven by the true religion of service we have confidence that our Father is with us, helping us and showing us the way.

As a result of rapid technological advances, people today must make frequent adjustments to their way of life; for example my father delivered mail in the countryside with a horse and buggy; he lived to watch men walk on the moon. These rapid changes influence the attitude of society toward religion. Not only is religion a way of thinking, it is also a way of living.[21] Each one of our actions should be colored by our religion; our life choices are directed by our religion.

Religion is a way of living dynamically in the face of events.[22] Since each individual faces different situations, their reactions to events will also be different; standardized religions cannot cope with changing events. For religion to be meaningful it has to become a motivating force in our lives.

Personal Religious Experience

With faith we begin to know God; this is not some sort of a vague feeling, rather it becomes confidence, an assurance that we actually know God within. True religion is an experience of believing and knowing as well as a satisfaction of feeling.[23] True religion is a matter of feeling and acting and doing, not some pondering of dogma.

God is literally present within each thinking mortal on planet Earth. This God within, our Thought Adjuster, is always within us carefully guiding us toward a closer relationship with Him. Throughout this process our free will choices are always totally respected; if we choose to slide into evil ways, they will not compel us otherwise. Religion then becomes the product of our choosing to follow the guidance of our Heavenly Father; true religion is always an experience within, it becomes the product of our choices and is the driving force behind our service activities.

Religion is based on our experience and religious thought.[24] These thoughts and experiences are a product of our actively seeking to do His will, follow His guidance. We will not reach this level of religion if we sit idly by and wait for it to happen.

Religion is ever and always rooted and grounded in personal experience. And your highest religion, the life of Jesus, was just such a personal experience: man, mortal man, seeking God and finding him to the fullness during one short life in the flesh, while in the same human experience there appeared God seeking man and finding him to the full satisfaction of the perfect soul of infinite supremacy. And that is religion, even the highest yet revealed in the universe of Nebadon — the earth life of Jesus of Nazareth.[25]

Personal Consequences

Religion is not a technique for attaining a static and blissful peace of mind; it is an impulse for organizing the soul for dynamic service.[26] Our soul grows as a result of our spiritual choices, as a result of the interaction between our indwelling Spark of God and our free will decisions; it is our potentially eternal self. Religion mobilizes our soul, gets it ready for active service.

Religion gives us peace of mind and joy resulting from our superconscious connection with spiritual reality. This religion, the religion of Jesus, bestows that peace which transcends all understanding as well as an inner joy.[27] Religion is our reach toward spiritual reality, our desire to find our Heavenly Father and to become more like Him.[28]

Religion is the consequence of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. When this relationship is strong and expanding, our religion is dynamic and we are growing in our service efforts toward our sisters and brothers, especially those who reside in spiritually dark places.

  1. The Urantia Book, 1129.8, this refers to the one column version in the format page:paragraph; all references are to The Urantia Book unless otherwise noted. ↑

  2. Third College Edition Webster’s New World Dictionary of American English, Victoria Neufeldt and David B. Guralnik eds., Webster’s New World, Cleveland and New York, 1988, p 1134. ↑

  3. 1124.3 ↑

  4. 1100.7 ↑

  5. 1120.4 ↑

  6. 1121.1 ↑

  7. 24.6 ↑

  8. 1091.1 ↑

  9. Bible, I Corinthians 3:16 ↑

  10. 1101.3 ↑

  11. 1838.3 and Bible, John 16:24 ↑

  12. 2063.2 ↑

  13. 1104.3 ↑

  14. 1137.1 ↑

  15. 40.5 ↑

  16. 1115.4 ↑

  17. 1100.3 ↑

  18. 1782.3 ↑

  19. 68.5 ↑

  20. 1780.4 ↑

  21. 1013.9 ↑

  22. 1089.11 ↑

  23. 1142.2 ↑

  24. 1130.4 ↑

  25. 1128.3 ↑

  26. 1096.6 ↑

  27. 2063.1 ↑

  28. 2096.6 ↑