Category: Uncategorized

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 ↑

Shallow People

Shallow people are those who are spirituality thin; spiritually speaking they are without substance. They live their lives with no lasting goal, seeking nothing of eternal value because they have not received the saving message of the eternal worth of every human being. These individuals live totally in the moment, ignoring eternal life that is available to all who believe. The thrust of their lives extends not much farther than tomorrow. They have little purpose in their life and have no thought about where they will be in a thousand years.

These shallow people are the product of our secular, greedy, materialistic society. They have no comprehension of anything beyond material existence; they do not know material objects are transitory; they can disappear or decay over time. Material things can be useful in the moment, however they may quickly lose their value depending on circumstances.

Even many individuals who attend church are caught up in this spiritually shallow existence, instead of receiving uplifting spiritual guidance, they are overwhelmed by dogmatism. They may be honest in living a faith directed life, but the faith guiding them is shallow.

Purpose of Life

In order to better understand shallow people and their difficulties, we need to think about what is the purpose of life. Why are we here? Is there something we should be striving for that shallow people are missing?

Before undertaking any task, we need a plan and a goal. If we are going into town on an errand, especially in these times of COVID-19, we must know what we are going to do and plan accordingly. Perhaps we will go to the Post Office, the store, and the bank. We need a plan. This also goes for our life, what do we want to accomplish? There should be long term goals like getting a proper education, a satisfying job and planning for retirement, but even this is not enough. Considering the relentless march of time and our apparently brief mortal life span, having a really long term goal and plan would be more significant.

The Urantia Book is a revelation describing the nature of God and His creation. It presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose. (Urantia Book, 1778.3) Our life purpose should be difficult, but balanced so there is no danger of becoming enveloped in fanaticism.

We need to develop a plan for our lives that incorporates a goal for our eternal life. How can we reach eternal life? What are the steps?

Human life continues — survives — because it has a universe function, the task of finding God. The faith-activated soul of man cannot stop short of the attainment of this goal of destiny; and when it does once achieve this divine goal, it can never end because it has become like God — eternal. (Urantia Book, 1459.7) 

The purpose of life is to attain eternal life. We do this by following the spiritual guidance each one of us receives. We are not alone in the universe; each thinking mortal has within them a literal spark of God.[1] Also, given the complexity of our physical apparatus, the vital life force we feel flowing throughout our body, our self-aware consciousness, and the web of our interactions with sisters and brothers, there is no way our Heavenly Father would snuff us out after a brief mortal existence; that would certainly be a lot of wasted effort. Father does not operate that way.

Dogmatic religions do not teach this truth, rather they proclaim their followers must adhere to the dogma, obey the rules. Fixating our life efforts upon this goal of eternity gives a new motivation to our existence, a new purpose for our lives, and a sublime goal: serving our Heavenly Father throughout all future eternity.

Jesus, as reveled in The Urantia Book, places a high value on each person. Jesus placed a high value upon all human beings because each one of us has the chance to go to Paradise and meet our Heavenly Father, therefore he was willing to spend himself in the unremitting service of humankind. And it was this infinite worth of the finite that made the golden rule a vital factor in his religion. What mortal can fail to be uplifted by the extraordinary faith Jesus has in him? (Urantia Book, 2093.4)

Many religions give lip service to the Golden Rule, but in the everyday lives of their followers it frequently is not practiced. Just read the news. The reason for this is they have no motivation to actually practice the Golden Rule; they vaguely understand it and its importance. They have no articulated plan for reaching life eternal, therefore some religions produce shallow people.

Sisters and brothers: the time has come when each of us needs to reach out toward our goal of destiny, serving Heavenly Father during our eternal life.

Shallow People

Shallow people do not know about their goal of destiny, they were not given and did not seek the good news. Their family, their religious institutions, and their interactions with brothers and sisters did not give them this truth. Because of this they have no spiritual depth, no spiritual vitality. They live a moment to moment existence where there is no thought about what might come next. Shallow people may have no moral foundation.

They may certainly be moral in their actions, but this is because they were so taught, or because it seems to be the right thing to do, not because it is in harmony with a life goal seeking an eternal existence. They may be good because they so choose without any consideration of eternity. They are guided by good thoughts, not by a driving spiritual urge. They are spiritually good people, but shallow.

There are also shallow people who have given up on experiencing anything after their life in the flesh; they feel they can do whatever they may choose without lasting consequences. Whether or not they are caught will not be consequential in the march of eternity because God is our ultimate judge, but their misdeeds certainly poison the lives of those affected by their misdeeds.

Being shallow in spiritual matters is unrelated to intelligence. It is certainly possible that those with more intelligence could be very thin in spiritual awareness, while our less endowed sisters and brothers may totally “get it.” The outward physical appearance has no relationship to inward spiritual progress.

Spiritually shallow people permeate society and are without guidance because they ignore the leading of their spark of God within and other spiritual guides, such as the Spirit of Truth.[2] Our Heavenly Father is reaching out to each thinking mortal, gently guiding each one closer to Him. Spiritually shallow people do not know about the beckoning of eternity and therefore they ignore the spiritual guidance they receive.

Message to Brothers and Sisters

The Father is not in spiritual hiding, but so many of his creatures have hidden themselves away in the mists of their own willful decisions and for the time being have separated themselves from the communion of his spirit and the spirit of his Son by the choosing of their own perverse ways and by the indulgence of the self-assertiveness of their intolerant minds and unspiritual natures. (Urantia Book, 64.1)

The message to all of our brothers and sisters is that our Heavenly Father is guiding each one of us; we are absolutely not alone. The goal of our existence has to be: follow this spiritual guidance, seek the goal of eternity, seek to become more like our Heavenly Father, and enlist in His service throughout all future eternity.

WOW.

  1. Bible, I Corinthians 3:16 ↑

  2. Bible, John 16,13 ↑

Religious Authoritarianism

A True Leader

A dangerous element in our society, which has been operating for many years, has the potential to destroy our democracy and plunge our society into a dark, oppressive state. The danger is similar to that in Iran when the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah in 1979. In our country there is a well-organized conservative movement that could possibly seek a similar outcome; Religious Authoritarianism. We will discuss a conservative religious leader who bravely took a contrary stand and was swiftly denounced. We also discuss the movement, present day consequences, and briefly mention a scary possibility.

Joel Hunter

Joel Hunter is a pro-life pastor who formerly led an Orlando megachurch; before the recent election he announced his support for Joe Biden.[1] He remains conservative and pro-life but is concerned that concentrating on only one issue is too narrow. The group he founded, Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden, states “Poverty, lack of accessible health care services, smoking, racism and climate change are all pro-life issues.”[2] Whenever anybody views any issue with a confined mindset, there is no way a balanced understanding could be reached; that is like living our life with one eye closed, gaining a proper perspective would be impossible. Such an approach lacks biblical balance, “a biblically shaped commitment to the sanctity of human life compels us to a consistent ethic of life that affirms the sanctity of human life from beginning to end.”[3]

Promoting the sanctity of human life is a noble goal, but when considering only the abortion issue, all other aspects of human life are ignored. Poverty certainly affects human life; those trapped in the downward spiral of poverty have no hope for a meaningful existence until they are liberated from such a demeaning place. Many of our citizens cannot afford necessary medical procedures and medication, which leads to either more poverty or serious health problems. Smoking is certainly a health issue and a quality of life issue. Racism devalues our sisters and brothers who are disenfranchised and degraded because of some arbitrary superficial characteristic. Climate change has a profound impact on every mortal on our planet; for example this year was a record breaker for hurricanes.[4] Each one of these issues has a profound impact on our quality and quantity of life; how can they be ignored?

This list ignores lives impacted by and lost to Covid-19; the severity of which has been ignored by our government. We discuss this below.

Religious Authoritarianism

Those who follow religious authoritarianism identify “with Christian nationalism: the idea that the United States is and ought to be a Christian nation governed under a reactionary understanding of Christian values.”[5] This is quite similar to Muslims who overthrew the Shah of Iran; they followed an equally narrow and conservative type of Islam.

“The 2020 election is proof that religious authoritarianism is here to stay, and the early signs now indicate that the movement seems determined to reinterpret defeat at the top of the ticket as evidence of persecution and of its own righteousness. With or without Mr. Trump, they will remain committed to the illiberal politics that the president has so ably embodied.”[6]

Those involved in this movement are well organized and fiercely committed to their cause. The focus of their existence is reaching their goals; gaining full control of government. Their command structure “is profoundly hostile to democracy and pluralism, and a certain political style that seeks to provoke moral panic, rewards the paranoid and views every partisan conflict as a conflagration, the end of the world. Partisan politics is the lifeblood of their movement.”[7]

Three underlying realities in our society contribute to their power. The first is economic inequality, which the movement seeks to enhance rather than diminish. Those who financially support them are mainly ultra-rich conservatives seeking tax breaks and minimal regulation. The second is that those in this movement get their information from an isolated segment of news. “The fact that Mr. Trump was able to hold on to a high percentage of the vote in the face of such overwhelming evidence of malfeasance is proof enough that the religious-nationalist end of the right-wing information bubble has gotten more, not less, resistant over time.”[8] The third and final aspect is that our political system gives more power to a well-organized and active minority.

Covid-19

Most people reading this blog are well aware of the dangers resulting from this virus; exceptions will be noted presently. I was particularly struck by a headline in the Mississippi Free Press: “After Big Thanksgiving Dinners, Plan Small Christmas Funerals, Health Experts Warn.”[9] That not so subtle title is scary.

This paragraph is based on a blog posting by Dave Pell on NEXTDRAFT.[10] Jodi Doering is an ER nurse in South Dakota.[11] She had a night off and was spending it on the couch with her dog Cliff and Oreo ice cream. She could not get out of her mind experiences at the hospital. She is dedicated to her work and loves South Dakota; however her memories are filled with patients who are sick with the virus while denying it is real. “They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that ‘stuff’ because they don’t have COViD because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens. And I can’t stop thinking about it. These people really think this isn’t going to happen to them.”[12] Dave Pell’s comment is (we call him Cool Guy): “It’s really impossible to overstate how dangerous this level of misinformation is, especially during a pandemic; when the actions of a deluded few can lead to the deaths of an enlightened many.”[13]

Denying facts inconsistent with one’s core beliefs is a certain path toward destruction. Only when we consider facts with relation to our beliefs and adjust accordingly can we achieve true progress. This brings us to the connection between the experience of health workers like Jodi Doering and religious authoritarianism. Those following conservative ideology, especially our current president, ignore science, rationality, and anything not conforming to their expectations; to them anything outside their fundamental ideological beliefs cannot exist. The consequence is countless sick individuals who have bought into a science-denying mind set and are therefore left alone in sterile hospital rooms.

Actually they are also denying God because He has created the facts of science, the beauty of natural surroundings, and the wisdom of profound thought. God, the creator of all things and beings, cannot be confined in a single issue, cannot be restricted to any one viewpoint, and cannot be distracted by difficulty.

Anti-Christ?

The success of our current president should be a wakeup call to everyone. Imagine if someone with charisma, intelligence, political savvy, administrative skills, and speech making ability took control of one of our political movements while holding Religious Authoritarianism views. The result would be like having the Ayatollah Khomeini as our President.

  1. Mark I. Pinsky “Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden signers face a Fiery Blowback,” https://religionnews.com/2020/10/23/pro-life-evangelicals-for-biden-face-a-fiery-blowback/ Retrieved 11/1/2020 ↑

  2. Ibid ↑

  3. Ibid ↑

  4. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2020-atlantic-hurricane-season/ Retrieved 11/18/20. ↑

  5. Katherine Stewart, “Trump or No Trump, Religious Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/opinion/trump-religion-authoritarianism.html?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=website, Retrieved 11/16/2020 ↑

  6. Ibid ↑

  7. Ibid ↑

  8. Ibid ↑

  9. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/7014/after-big-thanksgiving-dinners-plan-small-christmas-funerals-health-experts-warn/ ↑

  10. https://nextdraft.com/current/ ↑

  11. https://nextdraft.com/archives/n20201116/ ↑

  12. Ibid ↑

  13. Ibid ↑