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Spiritual Focusing – A Beginning

Manners?

This is Sneakers who had a harrowing adventure in Middle Tennessee a couple of months ago. She sleeps pretty much wherever she wishes; this time a local restaurant menu was nearby.

In the last posting I discussed “Born Again” which did not generate much interest; possibly because this topic has been hijacked by Bible thumping evangelicals. Even though the phrase is used in The Urantia Book, as well as the Bible, I do not recall it being discussed in the Urantia community. Jesus discussed it and he certainly was not a fiery preacher; Peter was a more effective preacher, while Jesus was a teacher speaking to our souls.[1] Jesus said: I declare to you, except a man be born of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. (The Urantia Book, 1602.4) The previous posting was actually a sort of introduction to what will probably be a series of postings about something I am currently developing. This posting gives more background for the process.

I call the process Spiritual Focusing. Originally I wanted to call them Spiritual Exercises but that term was taken by St. Ignatius of Loyola nearly 600 years ago. The process I will describe is certainly not any type of exercise; rather it is a practice leading to a more spiritual focus in our lives. It is difficult to describe it in a few words, but Spiritual Focusing can be done “in the spirit” while we are doing other things in the flesh. There may even an improvement in our health as we grow spiritually using this technique.

Physical Birth and Spiritual Birth

After physical birth we have been born of the flesh, but it takes some years before we become self-aware and are able to begin contemplation of things and beings beyond ourselves. Our focus at this time is essentially materialistic. Even when we become mature and think about more spiritual matters it is usually from a material perspective. Spiritual reality is something totally beyond our physical comprehension. I propose a practice that can assist us in becoming more spiritual.

Being born of the spirit gives us a more spiritual way of looking at things. We are becoming more aware of eternity, true values, and the purpose of our existence. We KNOW there is more to our existence than what might come into our physical awareness.

Our motivation for undergoing this process comes when we realize our greatest adventure in the flesh consists in the well-balanced and sane effort to advance the borders of self-consciousness out through the dim realms of embryonic soul-consciousness in a wholehearted effort to reach the borderland of spirit-consciousness — contact with the divine presence. (Urantia Book, 2097.2) The process I will describe in subsequent postings begins our journey into “embryonic soul-consciousness” and possibly beyond.

There are certainly no guarantees for what happens when Spiritual Focusing is practiced, but there is a distinct possibility we will experience spiritual progress. Spiritual growth yields lasting joy, peace which passes all understanding.[2]

Who Can Benefit from Spiritual Focusing

One does not need even a partial comprehension of teachings in The Urantia Book to attempt this process; Spiritual Focusing is not mentioned in its pages, but it is compatible with the message of the revelation. It is vital to have a strong desire to experience spiritual growth; we must sincerely want to grow closer to our Heavenly Father who is present within each one of us.

There are individuals who would not gain anything from this process: those who are unspiritual, dogmatic, self-centered, and unwilling to grow spiritually. Those who are firmly grounded in materialism will have difficulty finding spiritual focus. In this and any other endeavor we cannot make progress unless we sincerely desire it.

Those who will benefit most from this process already have some spiritual background; they may have attended Church or followed some other spiritual teaching. They have moved past pure materialism toward an increasing awareness of the value of each one of our sisters and brothers. These individuals are seeking a greater awareness of value and purpose. They want to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.

Our Faith Struggle

Being born again implies some sort of struggle; our physical birth usually comes with pain both for the mother and the emerging baby. Being born again, our faith struggle, is necessitated by the vast gulf separating physical reality from spiritual reality. The spirit struggles of time and space have to do with the evolution of spirit dominance over matter by the mediation of (personal) mind….[3] Our physical body, our physical apparatus, is somewhat controlled by our mind. If we can somehow attain spirit guidance by spiritual focusing, we can then use spirit to influence our mind and therefore gain some influence over our physical body.

God who is spirit created all things and all beings, thus demonstrating the power of spirit. Spirit reality is primary overall. Those who are fixated in materialism, physical reality, are missing out on where the real action is: God. Our sincere faith struggle can guide each one of us toward a deeper comprehension of the creation around us.

The religion of the spirit means effort, struggle, conflict, faith, determination, love, loyalty, and progress. The religion of the mind — the theology of authority — requires little or none of these exertions from its formal believers…. Materialists shun those faith voyages of daring adventure out upon the high seas of unexplored truth in search for the farther shores of spiritual realities as they may be discovered by the progressive human mind and experienced by the evolving human soul.[4]

Suggested Readings

Following is a list of relevant Talking Points pages.

Death Becomes Graduation

God Within

Heavenly Family

Jesus – Bestowal

Jesus – Teachings

Jesus – the Man

Moral Foundation

Personal Religious Experience

Spirit of Truth

Spiritual and Physical Reality

Spiritual Free Will

Spiritual Guidance

True Religion

Truth Seekers

Tags: Spiritual Focusing, spiritual growth, truth seekers

  1. Urantia Book, 1594.4; this is in the format page:paragraph. All references are to The Urantia Book. ↑
  2. 1097:7 ↑
  3. 1274.5 ↑
  4. 1729.6 ↑

Born Again

When one is in service, there is no telling what might happen. There has been a long time since the last posting, but the urge to service has always been present. During this time no issues appealed to me as a subject of a posting, so I was in service. Among the happenings during this period was a lost kitty saga requiring three road trips totaling more than 1,500 miles of driving; it had a happy conclusion. There was preparation for a Juneteenth celebration and a Fourth of July parade. I have an ongoing battle with Dodder Weed and while writing this posting our dryer vent clogged; it needed to be immediately replaced so the clothes could be dried. That’s the way it is.

The phrase “Born Again” is used seven times in The Urantia Book; it also appears in the Bible. This expression has been used by evangelicals to call the faithful into the flock. In this posting, using teachings in The Urantia Book, we study what it means to be born again, how we can achieve it, and what are the consequences. You do not enter the kingdom of heaven unless you have been “born again” — born of the Spirit. (Urantia Book, 1130.6)

What Does it Mean to be ‘Born Again’?

The vast majority of our sisters and brothers assume physical reality is all there is. The physical universe is assumed to be the entirety of creation. Since our physical eyes and other senses detect only physical things, we are mostly unaware of spiritual reality.

Our Heavenly Father who created all things is spirit; therefore spiritual reality has precedence over the physical realm. When we see the trees moving we know there is wind; we cannot see the wind but we observe the effect wind has on physical things, even on our face; we observe wind by the consequences of its passing. Likewise we cannot directly observe spiritual phenomena but our senses somehow recognize their presence. When we enter a place of worship there is an unexplainable feeling of peace, joy and love. Conversely we may enter a dark foreboding area and experience threatening emotions. Spiritual reality is present even though we are generally oblivious of it.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.[1] Before we can experience spiritual reality we must be born into it. We must be Born Again. {Personal Religious Experience}

Jesus gave counsel to a young man in the wilderness of Crete telling him this day, my son, you are to be reborn, re-established as a man of faith, courage, and devoted service to man, for God’s sake…. you have been born again — born of the spirit — and henceforth will your whole life become one of victorious accomplishment.[2]

You are indwelt by a spark of God, your Thought Adjuster, and if you sincerely follow its guidance you will begin to see with the eyes of the spirit, and then by the wholehearted choice of spirit guidance would you be born of the spirit since your only purpose in living would be to do the will of your Father who is in heaven.[3]

How Can We Be Born Again?

The short answer to this question is: You must desire it with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul.

This leap of faith is particularly difficult for us citizens of planet Earth because we have been betrayed and let down by those entrusted with guiding us in the past. Our Planetary Prince, Caligastia, went into rebellion against universe authority and our Adam and Eve defaulted on their mission to genetically and spiritually uplift our ancestors.

The mortals of a normal world do not experience constant warfare between their physical and spiritual natures. They are confronted with the necessity of climbing up from the animal levels of existence to the higher planes of spiritual living, but this ascent is more like undergoing an educational training when compared with the intense conflicts of Urantia mortals in this realm of the divergent material and spiritual natures.[4]

Just as many physical births are accompanied by discomfort and pain, so are spiritual births sometimes difficult; no religious development occurs without conscious effort and positive and individual determinations. Religion is never a passive experience, a negative attitude.[5] True religion is not involved when we sit in the pews on Sunday morning and merely listen to the preacher. True religion acts.

We would experience less of this conflict between flesh and spirit if we fully enter into the spirit kingdom where we will be delivered from this conflict.[6]

We must ask ourselves if we are willing to pay the price of this entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Are we willing to be born again? to be remade? Are we willing to be subject to this terrible and testing process of self-destruction and soul reconstruction? Has not the Master said: “Whoso would save his life must lose it. Think not that I have come to bring peace but rather a soul struggle”?[7]

The process of fully following the teachings is certainly difficult; there is no easy path to becoming born again. The process may take a long time or it may be sudden as was the case with Saul of Tarsus who had such an experience on the road to Damascus and became the apostle Paul.

Even the apostles were unable fully to comprehend his teaching as to the necessity for using spiritual force for the purpose of breaking through all material resistance and for surmounting every earthly obstacle which might chance to stand in the way of grasping the all-important spiritual values of the new life in the spirit as the liberated sons of God.[8]

We must use spiritual force to break through the walls of materialism we have surrounded ourselves with and be Born Again.

What Happens When We Are Born Again?

One characteristic of those who have been born again is that they show the fruits of the spirit in their lives; these include love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance.[9] They have found peace within that passes all understanding.

Those who have been born again are all but independent of material environment as regards the joys of living and the satisfactions of earthly existence. They are spiritually illuminated and refreshed, morally strengthened and endowed.[10]

Religion is no longer a theory, something we might read about or have preached to us. Religion becomes an actual experience with our Father fragment within; we know God is with us and is assisting us every step along the way. Religion is no longer something from the past; it has become a vital driving force leading us into a wider future. A future of eternal service.

  1. Bible, John 3:6. Also, The Urantia Book, 1602.4; this refers to the one column version in the format page.paragraph. All references are to The Urantia Book unless otherwise noted. ↑
  2. 1438.1 ↑
  3. 1602.6 ↑
  4. 382.3 ↑
  5. 1130.6 ↑
  6. 382.6 ↑
  7. 1782.1 ↑
  8. 1829.5 ↑
  9. 381.7 ↑
  10. 381.2 ↑

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 ↑