Click on photo for information about it.

Gaining a satisfactory understanding of our book is challenging. One reason is because we approach studying The Urantia Book while carrying preconceived notions about what certain words mean. Sometimes the authors of this revelation need to use words in a different way so they can introduce enlarged and partly spiritual concepts to us material minded mortals; personality and character fall into this category.

Character is used with the customary meaning: distinguishing attributes of an object or an individual, for example.

Personality is an entirely different situation; it is used over 1,000 times in the book but what does it mean? They tell us it would be presumptuous to attempt the definition of personality….[1] ( ! )

Their concept of personality involves concepts partly beyond material reality; it is complex, understanding it will take some effort. To fully understand their use of personality we must first disregard any non-Urantia Book definition.

Characteristics

We discuss characteristics of personality itself, not features of individual personalities. For a detailed investigation into levels of personality see Paper 112 section 1 “Personality and Reality” starting on 1226.5.

At the beginning of Paper 112, “Personality Survival,” some characteristics of personality are given;[2] following is part of this list; their use of personality is complex, its definition cannot be squeezed into a few simple words.

First and foremost it is a gift from the Father. God alone bestows personality and this is separate from the Thought Adjuster.

It may be given to anything having a mind or a spirit.

Personality is creative or cocreative; our moral choices today create our eternal reality.

Since we have it, we can use our mind to manipulate our environment; this goes beyond making simple tools.

It can be used to identify a particular living energy system since each personality is unique. This identity holds constant as we pass from our material mechanism (physical body) to our morontia form, beyond into the spiritual region, into Paradise, and beyond.

In the presence of change this does not change.

Personality can give a gift to God: a free will determination to do God’s will.

Each personality is unique in all creation.

It reacts to other personalities.

Depending on its choices it achieves eternal life with identity in the soul.

Fine Tuning our Understanding

Because of our personality, each of us is a spiritual being. God who is spirit gave us our personality; our unity of selfhood and self-consciousness of personality are supermaterial.[3] The reason personality is so difficult to comprehend is because it is non-physical while our consciousness is rooted in materialism.

Personality is that feature of an individual which we know, and which enables us to identify such a being at some future time…. Personality is that part of any individual which enables us to recognize and positively identify that person as the one we have previously known….[4]

When we die, we prefer to call this graduating from our material reality into a more spiritual region, our personality is disrupted because, even though it is not wholly material, our personality depends on our physical body to function.[5] Our personality is preserved for us; ready when repersonalize on a world on high, ready for our eternal adventure.

After graduation, when we become conscious on the mansion world, our personality will recognize other personalities we have known; we will remember them based on their unique personality. Into eternity.

[1] 1225.2

[2] 1225.3-1226.4

[3] 1228.4

[4] 194.4

[5] 1234.3

“We are spiritual beings having a physical experience;” says a bumper sticker in the Northern Sun catalog. While we can all become spiritual beings, some are more spiritual (such as the Dalai Lama) than others. Each of us has an eternal future of growth and service before us; the only catch is that we must select it, choose to follow the plan our Heavenly Father has prepared for us.

We have received thrilling truths from The Urantia Book; how can we share them with sisters and brothers in a way they will accept them and incorporate the teachings into their daily lives? How can we present these teachings in such a way our audience will eagerly seek spiritual guidance; so they will know each thinking mortal on Earth has within them a literal spark of God. We have Heavenly Father within seeking to guide us into a greater awareness of God.

In this posting we discuss the essential components of our message; what we are going to become and say in our efforts to help win this world for Michael, our creator father also known as Jesus.

Current Situation

Society on planet Earth is in turmoil because of failures and rebellion in our distant past; these are discussed in several places on this website. The vast majority of our problems arose from a rebellion far from Earth, the Lucifer rebellion. 500,000 years ago our planet had a ruler, a Planetary Prince named Caligastia, who joined the rebellion about 200,000 years ago. A bit less than 38,000 years ago our Adam and Eve arrived to uplift our ancestors. They did not join the rebellion but they did default on their mission. Many negative characteristics of modern society are a direct consequence of the rebellion. “Dark Forces Operating on Earth” discusses various non-physical entities operating on behalf of our fallen Planetary Prince.

By far the most popular page on this website is “Urantia: Caligastia’s Prison World” which discusses since Caligastia is confined to this world until the rebellion is over, Earth is his prison world. We can either cooperate with Michael, or work with the prisoner, Caligastia, our fallen Planetary Prince. The conflict between those following Michael and those proclaiming false liberty, first announced by Lucifer, bleeds heavily into current events.

What This World Needs

The truth that everyone has a spark of God is mentioned briefly in the Bible,[1] but this is rarely mentioned in Christianity. There is hope this may be changing; in his speech at the first Sunday of advent this year, Pope Francis said we should be “always aware of the presence of God and to welcome Him in our daily lives.”[2] This thrilling news of God within should be a vital part of our message; God is within each thinking mortal, no exceptions. This spark of God is our Thought Adjuster. Our potentially eternal soul grows as a result of the freewill decisions we make under the guidance of this spark of God. As we make righteous choices in harmony with our Adjuster’s leadership, our soul becomes stronger.

This truth has broad implications for our lives. Since everyone equally has this indwelling God fragment, everyone has value and we all are equally sister and brother. When an individual is disadvantaged in any way, because of some superficial difference, God is being put down. We are all equally sons and daughters of God.[3] Our interpersonal relationships should be based upon this truth of universal brotherhood.

Our society is filled with anti-brotherhood sentiment such as mass shootings, anti-Semitism, anti-LGBTQ actions, and many other forms of hatred. Politicians amplify these hateful emotions so they can gain political power. News media are filled with stories of random violence. If our society is to survive, these feelings of hatred must be replaced with true emotions of brotherhood – love for each of our sisters and brothers. We recognize love as respect for the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of all humanity. When the universal brotherhood of all citizens of planet Earth is realized, there will truly be peace on Earth.

This troubled world desperately needs a broad recognition of the value of human beings. How can we as individuals become ready to begin sharing these truths to a broader audience?

Preparing Ourselves

The keys of the kingdom of heaven are: sincerity, more sincerity, and more sincerity.[4] Everyone has these keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. If we wish to grow spiritually we need to be sincere within ourself and with others. God wants to know if we can be trusted before giving us guidance into ways of service.

The last day of rest Jesus had on Earth was spent in the hills with John Mark. This youth followed Jesus and the apostles for most of their journeys. When he first went to hear Jesus Amos, a friend, went with him. Afterwards they returned home to Jerusalem and asked permission to follow Jesus. John Mark got permission from his parents but Amos did not.[5] Amos wanted to run away, Jesus said that would mean Amos could not be trusted to follow his duty. Such betrayal of trust is difficult to overcome. Later John Mark would write the gospel according to Mark. Jesus wants to know if we can be trusted.

Before we go out into the world proclaiming these truths we need to prepare ourselves; we have to be firm in our faith. We cannot be a reed shaken with the wind….[6]

Before presenting these truths we need a strong desire to comprehend them. There must be perfection hunger in man’s heart to insure capacity for comprehending the faith paths to supreme attainment.[7] A solid longing to improve spiritually is vital; otherwise our efforts will be weak.

This desire to improve has to be strong enough to overcome our physical and materialistic inertia. Our longing for spiritual growth has to be strong. 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.[8] Only after internalizing these things, will we be fully ready to present such teachings to the world.

Going Forth With the Message

Jesus told us to go into all the world proclaiming this gospel to all nations, to every man, woman, and child.[9] The apostles concentrated their efforts in the Mediterranean Sea area; that is why today Christianity is mainly a Western religion.

Sharing of this gospel must go to all nations. All of humanity needs this message. The entire planet needs this message.

Our global society is destroying itself because of the message of fear promulgated by Caligastia and his followers. Our atmosphere of fear must be replaced by one of love and brotherhood.

The message of love, brotherhood, joy, and the presence of God within every thinking mortal must be given to all humanity.

Prepare yourself; then go forth!

[1] Bible; I Corinthians 3,16

[2] https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-11/pope-may-advent-awaken-us-to-god-s-presence-in-our-daily-lives.html

[3] 1679.2

[4] 435.7

[5] 1921.6

[6] 1626.8

[7] 1118.4

[8] 2063.2

[9] 1824.6

Click on photo for information about it.

The communion sacrament is important for many Christian religions. It is the only sacrament Jesus implemented during his life on our planet. In this posting we explore a personal communion with God. Our Father is present within each of us, therefore it is possible to have personal communion with our Heavenly Father. He is not only faraway on Paradise, also He literally dwells within every thinking mortal on Earth; He is also within those on all other inhabited planets. Communion with God is possible for every individual everywhere.

Having a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father is vital if we wish to grow spiritually. In this way we grow closer to Him; we can ask His advice in dealing with difficulties. We have a perfect guide, and through such personal communion we can experience guidance flowing into our being.

This posting, like most on this website is based on revelations in The Urantia Book, click on this link for information about this revelation.

What it is

Dictionaries recognize three meanings for the word communion; first is the Christian sacrament, second is an act of sharing, third is an intimate fellowship or rapport. The Christian sacrament, performed in a religious setting, has a profound and personal significance. An act of sharing can be communion if it is done in service, such as when Jesus washed the feet of his apostles before the Last Supper. An intimate relationship can also be spiritual, such as Jesus had many times with chance encounters. When we are spiritually motivated, avenues of rapport and communion open up before us.

 The Father desires all his creatures to be in personal communion with him.…  To each of you and to all of us, God is approachable, the Father is attainable, the way is open….[1]

The communion sacrament can be moving, a few years ago during a communion service at an Urantia Book mini-conference I had a strong spiritual experience; it nearly overpowered me. Personal communion with God is an example of the third meaning; it is an intimate fellowship with our inner God presence. A personal communion with God can be a lasting and deep experience.

There are three levels in our relationship with Heavenly Father. First we enter mind consciousness where we understand the idea of our Father; we consider what our Father might be like, who He is. Secondly, we enter soul consciousness; we seek His ideals. We want to know what He wants from each one of us and how we can serve Him. After that we enter the dawn of spirit consciousness where we know the spirit reality of our Heavenly Father because we know about His working within us; we have felt His gentle guidance in our lives. We know. Throughout all these interactions with our Father we realize He is dedicated to guiding each of us into a greater awareness of His nature. [2] He is the greatest Father we could possibly imagine.

When Jesus instituted the communion supper his goal was to not initiate a formalized ritual. He wanted to suggest meanings so each individual would have a personal communion experience instead of a shallow ritualized experience. He rather sought to set man’s reborn soul free upon the joyous wings of a new and living spiritual liberty.[3]

We have hidden ourselves

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.[4]

Our Father has done everything possible to draw His wayward children nearer to Him. He will do nothing to limit our free will choices, but beyond that fixed boundary every effort is directed at bringing each of His children closer to Him; we have to make the choice to follow His guidance. He gives every thinking mortal an actual fragment of His being, our indwelling Thought Adjuster. We also have Guardian Angels, the Spirit of Truth, adjutant mind spirits, and other spirit influences. With all this spiritual assistance, the question comes down to this: “Is it your will that God’s will be done?” If so, then we will be assisted every step along the way.

Citizens in our materialistic society are so immersed in materialism they think they live in a spiritual vacuum. They view our Heavenly Father as being the kind old guy depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The creator of everything in existence could not possibly be such a familiar figure. Physical reality deals with facts, and appearance. Spiritual reality deals with value, relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Before we can progress spiritually we must get rid of our materialistic tendencies which contaminate our spiritual concept of Heavenly Father.[5] We need to realize Heavenly Father who created all things and beings, is not physical. Our Heavenly Father is a spirit being; He is the ultimate spirit being. We must become aware of the spirit nature of our Heavenly Father.

How we do it

While God is in nature, it is difficult to discern Him there; but being in a beautiful natural setting facilitates the search for communion with our Father Fragment because external stimulations are peaceful and soothing. Where we live is like a nature sanctuary; we do not have the constant rumble of city life or the deceptively ordinary existence of gossipy small towns. Even rural places have focuses of life to capture attention: cows, the occasional truck, crops and fields. Here in Poplar Cove we are surrounded by nature, her trees and her critters; it is comforting yet vibrant, not distracting our attention. In places such as this we can better commune with Father.

Wherever we may happen to be when we seek our Heavenly Father, we need to accept His guidance. Our spirit presence within will lovingly lead us, but there will be no compulsion. If we sincerely wish to attain the eternal goal we will surely be guided thereto. And when such a life of spirit guidance is freely and intelligently accepted, there gradually develops within the human mind a positive consciousness of divine contact and assurance of spirit communion….[6]

The communion Jesus instituted with the apostles at the Last Supper can be adapted to our own spiritual striving. He was speaking to those in the Upper Room, but his words were directed to everyone in his creation, including each of us today. First is the cup of remembrance;[7] the vital part of the communion experience is remembrance. We remember the life of Jesus among us; this remembering is now more satisfying because we have The Urantia Book giving a fuller description of the life and teachings of Jesus. His life was one of total service to all, even the little children.[8] Contemplating the life of Jesus, Michael of Nebadon, is the core of this personal communion with Heavenly Father. The main reason for his mortal life on Earth is to portray to his universe children the nature of our Heavenly Father.

The second portion of this personal communion is the bread of remembrance; Jesus is the bread of life. This bread is the symbol of the living word of truth incarnated in the likeness of mortal flesh[9]…. This living word of truth is with us today as the Spirit of Truth. Jesus wants each of us to have a personal experience in our communion with Father.

The meaning of this remembrance supper is a symbolic meeting with our creator father, Michael of Nebadon, Jesus. This communion is a supreme meeting: the mortal personality, the Thought Adjuster, and the spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Truth.[10]

The reason Jesus had such a remarkable religious life was this consciousness of the presence of God; and he attained it by intelligent prayer and sincere worship — unbroken communion with God….[11]

This communion with Father can be done anytime, anyplace. We review the various periods in the life of Jesus: childhood, the teenage years, raising the family of Joseph, the Mediterranean tour, teaching and guiding the apostles, resurrection, and ascension. The goal of our Earthly existence should be to gain unbroken personal communion with our Heavenly Father by meditating on the life and teachings of our creator, Jesus of Nazareth who is Michael of Nebadon. We gain eternity by seeking oneness with our Heavenly Father; communion with Father Infinite.

Destiny

What is the goal of our spiritual striving? Where are we going? What will we be doing for the rest of eternity? The gospel Jesus gave us illuminates a better way for each of us. This new gospel of the kingdom renders a great service to the art of living in that it supplies a new and richer incentive for higher living. It presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose.[12]

The joy in our eternal future will be to choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father; that is where we find eternal purpose, meaning and value. When presented with the glory of an eternal life of service, why would any of our Father’s creatures choose the narrow confines of physical materialism? Such materialism is based upon physical reality which has no lasting value.

Man’s 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.[13]

[1] 63.6

[2] 69.6

[3] 1942.3

[4] 64.1

[5] 1123.4

[6] 381.6

[7] 1941.6

[8] 1839.6

[9] 1942.2

[10] 1942.5

[11] 2088.5

[12] 1778.3

[13] 2097.2

Choosing Beauty

We use our mind every moment of our conscious existence; yet we are largely unaware of what an impact a stray thought may have on our mind and our potentially eternal future. This is where, without realizing it, we constantly make decisions that could have consequences into all future eternity. As a result of decisions we make in our mind our soul grows, becomes stronger. In a very real sense, our thoughts determine our future.

Material mind is the arena in which human personalities live, are self-conscious, make decisions, choose God or forsake him, eternalize or destroy themselves.^[1] (1216.4)

This posting is based on “The Mind Arena of Choice,” which is section 1 of paper 111 in The Urantia Book, starting at page 1216.

Mind

When we contemplate anything we must use our mind; for human beings our mind is the core of our being. This is where we observe, compare, analyze, plan, and grow or slide based upon our mental decisions. It could be said, especially for those having experienced little spiritual growth, mind is nearly all there is to our being.

Every thinking human being has within them a spark of God; every mortal literally has God within; this divine fragment works with our mind, gently guiding us Godward. Mind is the human soil from which the spirit Monitor must evolve the morontia soul with the co-operation of the indwelt personality. (1216.2)

Our soul, which will be eternal if we so choose, grows as a result of the guidance of our God Within working on our mind where we make decisions to cooperate, or not. Our mind is so important to the growth of our soul that it certainly is our soul’s soil. The nature of our soul soil depends on how we use our mind. Where are our thoughts directed? As evolutionary human beings on a planet in rebellion against universe authority, a significant portion of our thoughts are in response to outside events impacting us. But we must have a deep purpose guiding us through our personal trying times. If our mind is filled with materialism, greed, lust, hatred, or fear it will be poor soil indeed for our soul. On the other hand, if we are concentrated on following God’s will and accept love, brotherhood, and divine guidance, our soul’s soil will be rich indeed.

Thought Adjusters are a spark of God and therefore perfect, but if the soul’s soil is spiritually poor as a result of human choices, nothing can save mortals other than more spiritually based decisions; choosing to follow God’s will.

…it is by mind that you live or die. It is within this mind and with this mind that you make those moral decisions which enable you to achieve Adjusterlikeness, and that is Godlikeness. (1216.5)

Mind is our soul’s soil. This is where we grow our soul.

Choosing

Making choices is such an everyday thing we seldom pay any attention to the process. We choose what to eat, what to wear, whom we associate with, and how we react to difficulties. However, any decision may present complications. Suppose we are going home from work or the store and have two possible routes to choose from, one might be scenic while the other is quicker. We have no idea if there is a problem with either choice; there may be an accident or any kind of delay. We don’t always know what the consequences of any decision might be.

One class of decisions is especially important: moral choices. If someone insults us will we hit back or seek a peaceful reply? Frequently we respond to such a situation in the spur of the moment without considering what might happen, but this is precisely when careful thoughts are essential. We have to consider what affect each choice will have on our soul’s soil. That is vital. Choosing what to wear will probably not damage our soul soil but a moral choice will have an impact.

When we are making moral choices we are guided by our indwelling spark of God, our Thought Adjuster, acting gently on our superconsciousness. The mortal has to make the decision to follow the guidance of the Adjuster, or not. (1216.3)

Cooperating with our Adjuster is not a master-slave relationship; it is a true partnership. They are our wise advisor. This advisor cannot run the show for us; we must choose which aspects to follow and which to reject. (1217.3) We might ask how to know exactly what your Adjuster is recommending, but that is exactly the point; if the Adjuster shouted “DO THIS!” that would be compulsion not cooperation. When you honestly listen for guidance, you KNOW how to choose.

And it is not so much what mind comprehends as what mind desires to comprehend that insures survival; it is not so much what mind is like as what mind is striving to be like that constitutes spirit identification…. What you are today is not so important as what you are becoming day by day and in eternity. (1216.6) Our soul’s soil is enriched by our spiritual desires.

What we are becoming is the direct result of our choices. Our mortal free will, more accurately called spiritual free will, makes choices that will have a profound effect on what our mind is like, and what it is becoming day by day.

Our choices determine the nature of our eternal future, or lack thereof. We enhance our mental soil by the choices we make.

The Captain

Mind is your ship, the Adjuster is your pilot, the human will is captain. (1217.4) The first thing to notice about this quotation is that our body, our physical mechanism, is not even considered; that is because our mind and our moral choices are more important than our physical mechanism which is susceptible to the ravages of time while our soul is not. Elsewhere, The Urantia Book compares our body to a building built by our mind with guidance from our Adjuster. (483.12) Our mind has some control over our body and influences what it becomes. Guided by our human will, our mind is where things happen; the captain gives an order and the ship, our mind, responds.

The captain, our human will, must have control over the ship, our mind; this is where the real action is: the captain gaining control over the ship. The human will has to have control. It is the mind that ultimately fashions and maintains the body. Our pilot is guiding our captain who gives orders so the mind goes safely through the troubled waters of life. The captain has to trust the pilot when making moral choices in difficult times.

With your consent, this faithful pilot will safely carry you across the barriers of time and the handicaps of space to the very source of the divine mind and on beyond, even to the Paradise Father of Adjusters. (1217.4)

1. All references are to The Urantia Book one column version in the format page.paragraph. ↑

I did not plan to post this blog describing how we can attain Peace on Earth on Christmas Eve; that is just how it worked out.

Life for the majority of our sisters and brothers is a mad rush into an unknown future. People in our secular society rarely consider any meaning or purpose for their lives unless they seek materialistic gains: money and power. Also, those disadvantaged by society are faced with a desperate struggle for existence and have no energy left for thoughts about any meaning for their miserable reality.

In this posting we consider our current situation, recognize each thinking mortal has a spark of God within, present the true meaning of life, and explore implications of this meaning. Our society is on a slippery slope toward destruction if we continue to ignore spiritual reality: our Heavenly Father, creator of all things and beings.

Current situation

Animals respond nobly to the urge of life, but only man can attain the art of living, albeit the majority of mankind only experience the animal urge to live. (Urantia Book 1773.2) Mankind is so wrapped up in the incessant pull of day to day living they feel they have no time left over for any contemplation of a wider reality. They fail to see value in churchifying; many faiths appear more interested in perpetuating dogma rather than giving their followers a faith based foundation which would support them in their life struggles. The majority of mankind indeed has the urge to exist but they are closer to the lower animals because they have no higher aspirations, they are not seeking anything above and beyond the here and now; they do not heed the call of eternity.

Our society has been drifting toward secularism for hundreds of years. Previously the church gained too much control over humanity resulting in the dark Middle Ages in Western lands. The breath of fresh air emanating from the reformation (Martin Luther) and scientific advancements of the Renaissance was necessary at the time, but today these trends have gone too far. Society has ignored God for too long; we absolutely need to recognize the vital necessity of having a moral foundation, we need to base our lives on spiritual reality: our Heavenly Father.

This lack of purpose, this mad rush for materialistic greed and the aimless thrust of society will end in total collapse of our society because there is no moral force upholding it. We certainly cannot build a house on unstable ground, we cannot build a skyscraper on a loose foundation; similarly we cannot build our lives, or our society, on anything other than the certainty of the guidance Heavenly Father gives us. Architects who design our buildings are well aware of the vital importance of a strong foundation, why is this vital truth ignored in our daily lives and by our society?

God within

The cornerstone of the living message of Jesus is the truth that God is literally present within every thinking mortal on this planet; “this kingdom of which you preach is God within you.” (Urantia Book, 1569.2) This spark of God within is mentioned briefly in the Bible (Bible, I Corinthians 3:16) but Christianity does not emphasize this truth. The value, the eternal value, of this precious gift cannot be overstated. We are constantly being gently guided by this internal spark of God; all we need do is follow this voice of wisdom. Not only is this spark of God internal, it is also eternal; when we totally follow His advice we eventually fuse with this divine fragment and will exist into all future eternity.

The recognition of the truth that God is within each of us must be the foundation of our life. When we really believe this we recognize each one of our brothers and sisters has this spark of God; each one of us stands equal before God who respects everyone equally (Bible, Acts 10: 34). Our Heavenly Father deeply loves each one of us, His presence within is proof of this.

Our sisters and brothers mainly live in spiritual darkness because they are not aware of this spark of God within; they have no concept of their eternal value. Eternity is ours for the asking, all we need do is follow His guidance. We may not be aware of this spirit guidance because it is so subtle, but if our faith in Heavenly Father’s guidance is firm we will KNOW the way. The love of God is so strong we cannot fail if we choose to do His will at each decision point.

Meaning of life

For brothers and sisters in our largely secular society there is no thought about a goal or purpose in life; there is just a maddening sequence of everyday events. I was that way before The Urantia Book found me; as my understanding of this revelation increased, my viewpoint widened and my desire to do the will of my Heavenly Father gradually grew. I became aware of the call of eternity. My life took on new meaning.

How can individuals not familiar with our revelation find meaning in their life? Since we know each of us has within a spark of God, the meaning of life is simply to cooperate with this God fragment within, drawing closer to Him. Materialistic goals might bring a momentary thrill but they will be meaningless after our short life in the flesh. It is imperative that we seek meaningful long-term goals; what good would a shiny new car be even a hundred years from now? The purpose of our life is to seek out this internal God presence, choose to do His will, and draw closer to Him.

Once we fully accept the truth that God is present within each of us, the purpose of our life becomes doing the will of our Father in Heaven. (Urantia Book, 1602.6) There could not be a higher life goal; nothing else could give our life a higher meaning. One might ask if finding a meaning for our life has any practical value here and now. Seek the greater thing, and the lesser will be found therein; ask for the heavenly, and the earthly shall be included. The shadow is certain to follow the substance. (Urantia Book, 1823.3) May the substance of our life be seeking our Heavenly Father.

The revelation sums it up this way: If we know God, our real business on earth is so to live as to permit the Father to reveal himself in our lives. (Urantia Book, 1466.2) When we know, firmly believe, and base our existence upon the vital truth of God within, we cannot fail.

Implications

Jesus was well aware of the difficulties his followers faced. He stated did not come to bring peace but rather a “soul struggle.” After this soul struggle we find a profound peace within as long as we consecrate our lives to following our Father’s guidance. (Urantia Book, 1782.1)

On a personal level there will certainly be difficulties as we attempt to minimize selfish, materialistic habits and replace them with more spiritual ones. This inner struggle will be with us in some form until we attain the perfection of Paradise. Jesus also said the gospel of the Kingdom {Jesus – the Man} will not bring us peace until we are willing to believe my teaching wholeheartedly and to establish the practice of doing the Father’s will as the chief purpose in living the mortal life. (Urantia Book, 1951.2) Being certain of Father’s presence in our lives brings peace and security because we know we have value, are guided, have a purpose in this life, and a glorious eternal future as long as we remain fixed on seeking this meaning of our life.

At the societal level, as more individuals actively follow this meaning in life, there will be increased harmony, brotherhood, and concern for those currently on the harsher side of society. If we attain a society where the majority of our sisters and brothers actively recognize the Father’s presence in those around them, we will be much closer to achieving peace on Earth.

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 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 ↑

One glaring example is Communism; its founders desired a “worker’s paradise” where labor would receive proper compensation for their work. This is certainly a noble idealistic goal, but when its precepts were implemented, a dark repressive society emerged. Something went wrong between ideological conception and actions supposedly leading to the goal. Communism became a government with no recognition of the worth of laborers to whom it was supposed to bring equality. It resulted in a government whose primary goal became staying in power, while their “worker’s paradise” was put off into a far distant future.

Ideology

In this context, ideology means a set of ideals strongly motivating a group of citizens. Secondary considerations fall by the wayside because the idealistic goals are deemed to be urgently needed; they become the focus of existence for followers of the ideology. This goal is of such supreme worth, any action not contributing to it is shunned. This ideology becomes the primary motivation for the group.

There are countless such motivating threads in our society; in no particular order there are: Conservative Christianity, seeking to promote a narrow interpretation of Biblical teachings; White Nationalism, promoting a white only society; Conservative Politics, promoting the desires of big business at the expense of working people and removing their health care during a pandemic; wild conspiracy movements; anti-abortion groups; radical and violent members of all political ideologies; agents secretly promoting interests of other nations in our social media and society. No doubt there are many more.

There are segments of society where goals do not rise to such a level of fanaticism; some individuals recognize the importance of morality in realizing their goals. These elements are beginning to realize the value of every citizen, they realize the worth of every human, and they are beginning to become conscious of the presence of God in the life of each thinking mortal. For them the end can never justify the means because therein lies a Godless anarchy.

Proponents of a particular ideology may follow leaders with whom they do not fully agree; they do this so they can have access to power and advance their own goals. The leader obtains a larger following while the ideologues gain recognition and access. Leaders with dictatorial aspirations eagerly accept such fiercely dedicated ideologues because they tend to ignore issues not related to their goal.

Ideologues firmly committed to their beliefs will claim their goal is so important it must be pursued with utmost vigor; it rises above conventional morality. They rationalize their actions with “absolutes” as a basis for their actions; they might claim “The Bible says…” therefore they are justified taking any action. Any time we seek to avoid moral responsibility by employing such ideological processes we are going against the will of God who is within every thinking mortal, not just the ideologues.

Moral Foundation

One way to understand the problem with ideological processes is to examine the importance of having a moral foundation. Any undertaking needs to have a firm foundation if it is to succeed. It is a Biblical truism that a house cannot be built on shifting sands, but neither can an individual life, or even a civilization. All civilizations of the past have eventually failed because they had no moral foundation. Many an individual has failed because they lost their moral footing. Moral foundations are vital.

How does one construct an enduring foundation? The only truly lasting moral foundation consists in realizing every thinking mortal on Earth has within them an actual spark of God; our Heavenly Father is within every person and we all stand equal before Him. Knowing by faith and experience that God is within becomes our moral foundation.

How does this foundation work? We can still have noble idealistic goals, but now before we act we must consider any proposed action relative to our moral foundation; determine if it is consistent with our moral base. If the proposed action includes immoral shortcuts, if it means marginalizing anybody at the expense of others, causing physical harm to others, or if it takes unfair advantage of the poor, then the proposed action is inconsistent with our moral foundation and has to be rejected. If it passes these tests, it may be acceptable. Every proposed action must be carefully evaluated relative to our moral foundation. This naturally means it might take longer to reach our idealistic goal but it would also make reaching it more realistic. The Communist Revolution took place about a hundred years ago and today there is no indication its initial goals can ever be reached. Every action requires a firm moral foundation.

Interactions

These various ideological threads have polarized society so much there is an excessive amount of anger, fear, and hatred. Each group is so fixated on their own goals there can be very little dialog between these ideological groups. Many of these groups follow leaders who are, or want to become, demagogues; they follow with the hope their own goals will be advanced. In their rush to realize their goals they ignore moral deficiencies in the leader they have chosen. Exchanges between competing groups become heated and compromise is nearly impossible; there appears to be no effort to understand holding different beliefs. Misinformation fills social media and influences many who are ill informed; those in political power frequently contribute to this flood of lies.

These ideological interactions sweep across society on many levels, having a logical dialog becomes more difficult every moment. Until more individuals become aware of the powerful truth that our Heavenly Father literally dwells within each human being, these interactions will continue to be difficult. Frequently these exchanges are heated because the ideologues are so firmly convinced of the rightness of their beliefs; they have left conventional morality behind.

Consequences

The result of these conflicting ideologies is our society has become highly polarized; compromise, even governing, has become nearly impossible. When a collection of these ideological processes takes control in a nation such as ours, there is no obvious way to carry out important governmental activities, such as implementing a timely and effective response to our Coronavirus disaster.

It goes even deeper than that. Many people have become indifferent to the needs of other human beings. They are being pulled in so many directions at once there appears to be no way of reconciling these various processes. There certainly are people who deeply care, but the overall tenor of society is divisiveness.

At the core of these activities are individuals who, for whatever reason, are purposefully deceptive. Perhaps they feel their goals are too important to totally depend on conventional morality; they are above such mundane pursuits. The consequence of this flood of ideas is that whenever we receive information we must evaluate it with respect to its truthfulness. Some news sources may generally be trusted, but never social media where there is little fact checking.

We realize our society has a problem; it is time to move forward and seek solutions.

Solutions

When having a discussion with an ideologically driven individual no solution can be found if the dialog is heated, if the participants cannot have a calm, reasonable discussion. A shouting match only makes everyone even angrier. The number one priority is to cool down the rhetoric. Often there appears to be no way to accomplish this, but a way to begin is to find why they are angry. If this cannot be done there can be no dialog. If they respond saying “I am angry because…” the reason can be discussed and perhaps progress can be made toward having a reasonable discussion.

Next we need find a way through the ideology so exchange of ideas is possible. Frequently ideologues use code words that encompass a wide range of ideas, sometimes it is difficult to determine exactly what the code words are and what is meant by them. We need to understand what they want, only then can we progress to the next step.

Finally we must seek common ground. Finding this common ground is the only way society can continue; it is vital to our survival.

When each one of us realizes every human being has within them an actual spark of God, realizes we are all sisters and brothers, we can begin to work toward building a more inclusive society, one where the worth of each mortal is recognized.

Sisters and brothers of planet Earth: unite for the Triumph of Righteousness!

Troublous times such as we live in can be a clarifying experience because they reveal previously unknown deficiencies. Have we not, every one of us, bitten into an apparently healthy fruit and found it totally rotten on the inside? Biting into the apple revealed the unseen rot within. By the same token, COVID-19 produced stresses which exposed profound defects in our secular society. The root cause of our current multiple predicaments is not some microscopic virus; the underlying issue is our refusal to consider spiritual reality.

Secular society has created the perfect victim

Billions of them

Sunny Dooley, nearly the last traditional Diné (we call them Navajo) storyteller, has said: “We have every social ill you can think of, and COVID has made these vulnerabilities more apparent. I look at it as a monster that is feasting on us—because we have built the perfect human for it to invade.”^[1]

Her people had a profound spiritual practice but white people destroyed it. Their spirituality was based on connection with the land; they were forcibly removed from their land, thus destroying their spiritual roots. Later it was based on a relationship with their only property, their sheep, which were then purposely slaughtered. Their spiritual foundation was repeatedly destroyed. Children were violently taken from their families and forced to speak only English. Their culture, their spirituality and their language were stripped away. Because of these deliberate actions they had no spiritual foundation.

She also said there is anxiety and panic because a lot of her people do not know how to be alone, they have no spiritual practice to anchor them. Because of this they have nothing giving their lives meaning, purpose, and value. Those in power have destroyed the spiritual foundation of the Diné people. Those performing these atrocities thought white culture was superior, but their actions declare otherwise; whatever the relative value levels may be, any cultural transformation must be accomplished gradually. The same can be said about the so-called Emancipation Proclamation, while it was the moral thing to do, it suddenly ripped slaves out of an immoral bondage and replaced it with—nothing at all; more than 150 years later we are still experiencing consequences of that spiritual disassociation.

Sunny Dooley is talking about her people, the Navajo, but the same process also applies to our American society and a large portion of global society. Everywhere we look we see obesity, ill health, and individuals cut off from society, disenfranchised. Indeed COVID seems to have effected American society more than others. “But the COVID‑19 debacle has also touched—and implicated—nearly every other facet of American society: its shortsighted leadership, its disregard for expertise, its racial inequities, its social-media culture, and its fealty to a dangerous strain of individualism.”^[2] Our culture has created the perfect victims for this monster.

Moral foundation

Everywhere we look we perceive human beings without a spiritual foundation; their lives are built upon the shifting sands of materialism, selfishness, and greed. Every human, every nation, every enterprise of any kind absolutely needs to be built upon spiritual reality. Material things may come and go but spiritual reality, God, is unchanging.

This notion of having a moral foundation may seem like something ephemeral or of no consequence; something for the weak-minded to chuckle over. They would no longer be jolly if they discovered their house was built upon quicksand. If it is vital for their material abode to have a firm foundation, why is it their lives, their very existence, are without a firm moral foundation?

Our society has been largely secular for so long, hundreds of years, there appears to be no alternative. But consider: every physical object needs something substantial to rest upon. We have difficulty walking on the soft sands of the beach; if we park our car in muddy terrain we will not be able to get out without assistance. Why then do we not seek some sort of foundation for our existence? Why do we presume to dance through our mortal days in the flesh without anything of substance guiding us, motivating us, and upholding us? Why do we feel we do not need something substantial to lift us up? Why do we think we can ignore God?

Our Heavenly Father who created all things and beings, who upholds all creation, is the ultimate bedrock. God is the most unyielding foundation possible. When our total existence is based upon this crucial truth we cannot fail. There may be apparent setbacks, there will certainly be difficulties, but in the final analysis failure is not possible when we steadfastly stand on our moral foundation, our Heavenly Father.

Pandemic

How does this apply to our current situation, COVID? First we have to be secure about our own moral foundation. We can do nothing if we are floundering spiritually. We need to fully recognize God as our pilot and the basis of our existence; that He is certainly present within our being, a vital part of each one of us.

We then expand this to recognize each person we can become aware of also has this God presence and therefore has value. Mind numbing figures might overwhelm us when we recognize every one of these thousands of human beings who depart Earth every day around the world had God within; their mortal existence was terminated prematurely by this monster we name COVID.

Only after that should we look at the broader picture. When we have a firm moral foundation we will examine facts instead of hearsay and social media gossip. Having God as our foundation means we look at science to guide our actions, not some anonymous tweeter. Once we have done these things we can then formulate our individual response.

Since each one of us is a unique individual, our reactions to COVID must also be singular. But these reactions absolutely need to be based upon our moral foundation, science, and recognizing every mortal has value. Once we have done all this we take every reasonable precaution: wearing masks and gloves when out, social distancing, avoiding indoor restaurants, and avoiding indoor gatherings of any kind. With online meetings such as Zoom we can conduct some business and meet with friends. We reserve hugs for our family members.

COVID is only an illuminating warning flare. It has exposed the dangers of our secular materialistic society. We ignore it at our peril, individually, societally, and globally.

1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/coronavirus-is-attacking-the-navajo-because-we-have-built-the-perfect-human-for-it-to-invade/ Retrieved 7/21/2020. Sunny Dooley as told to Scientific American. ↑

2. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/coronavirus-american-failure/614191/?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=website, retrieved 8/4/2020. How the pandemic defeated America, by Ed Yong ↑

Spring Hope

Click on photo for information about it.

Things have changed around our house, as it has for many of us. A month ago we were a household of two with one cat. Then two family members were rescued from Palm Beach County, not a place to be during these times. Now there are four of us and two cats; I spend a significant amount of time being gate keeper for cats.

A discussion of the place of faith in our life is important in difficult times such as now. Faith can be a great comfort; it also can become a dangerous crutch. When faith ignores science, the consequence can be unfortunate.

In these times of anxiety over global pandemic, faith can be a comforting presence, but what does this mean? How should faith motivate us in these troubling times? Faith must be a driving force in our life at any time, even more so when we are in distress as today. Faith should be the bedrock of our existence, but must be based on spiritual reality. We must not presume Heavenly Father will allow us to flaunt faith, expecting Him to protect us from whatever misdeeds we might perpetrate.

Most of the country is under some sort of stay-at-home directive; the goal of which is to minimize spread of this deadly disease. There is scientific evidence isolation does in fact help curb the spread of this virus. Stay-at-home orders are a sensible method to lessen the severity of this deadly pandemic; such orders are based upon sound science from many places around the globe.

In Lodi, California, where there was a mandatory stay-at-home order, one pastor held religious services anyway, and was arrested after the services. We saw a report interviewing the faithful as they left the service. Many of them said they were “protected by the blood of Jesus.” They were confident and unanimous in their faith that Jesus would protect them from harm. Let us pray they are correct. The issue is about not only protecting ourself, but also those around us. One unsuspecting infected individual in that service could infect dozens of others who would spread it even farther. That is exactly what happened in South Korea. At least one infected person, identified as “patient 31,” attended a gathering at Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and infected others, this quickly grew to thousands. South Korea, a democracy, issued and enforced mandatory stay-at-home orders, the spread was minimized.

Jesus said we are to render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s;^[1] he was talking about taxes, but this directive would also apply to laws, which we must obey. This especially applies when such laws are based on science and aimed at protecting public health. To do otherwise would be placing one’s own wishes above health and safety of sisters and brothers.

When religious people base their faith on a set of dogma, they are in danger of limiting themselves to only what that dogma proclaims. Sometimes this even neglects reasonable scientific considerations, as we saw above. Since everyone is indwelt by a spark of Heavenly Father,^[2] faith can be a personal relationship with Him. The bedrock of faith should be the conviction Father is with us. Father will protect us as long we follow spiritual reality. If we presume to be somehow above others, we have not true faith.

Truth is living; the Spirit of Truth is ever leading the children of light into new realms of spiritual reality and divine service. You are not given truth to crystallize into settled, safe, and honored forms. (Urantia Book 1917.3) When truth becomes crystallized dogma, it has lost its vitality.

Everyone is equally indwelt by an actual spark of Heavenly Father. This means He is always with us, guiding us, and showing the way. He is “no respecter of persons.”^[3] Father respects everybody equally; we all stand equal before Him.

Belief becomes faith only after it motivates our lives and changes our way of life. This faith is a living and personal religious experience.^[4] When we have this personal experience, when we dedicate ourselves to following God’s will in thoughts, actions, and deeds, we know God and His love for each of us. In his life among us, Jesus attained the highest realization of this as a human being living on our planet. Jesus was born a mortal struggling to understand his surroundings just as everyone born on this orb or on any other in this local universe. He was on his own, and by the strength of his will and faith, he found God; and so can we if we make his faith our faith.

Jesus personified personal religious experience, and this shone forth in his life. The religion of Jesus is all about each believer having an individual relationship with God. It is truly that simple, and that difficult.

When an individual has faith there may not be any obvious indication; if they truly do have faith they cannot consciously prove it.^[5] The only way faith can be demonstrated is first, fruits of the spirit are shown in their life,^[6] and second their entire life shows they have risked everything they are and everything they have in pursuit of finding God in their own life.^[7] Fruits of spirit include sincere and loving service working to uplift people in darkness.^[8] In times such as this, we manifest fruits of the spirit in joyful service to family, friends, and neighbors.

Society must become more aware of spiritual reality; however this may take a major event. We need something to make us aware of the need for all citizens to seek a more spiritual existence; this spark may be anything: a major war, riots in the streets, a pandemic, an economic collapse, or perhaps a spiritual awakening. People need to become aware of their eternal spiritual possibilities, what will be in store for them if they reach out to grasp eternal goals and seek spiritual reality.

Kingdom builders… are not to be disturbed by temporal upheavals or perturbed by terrestrial cataclysms. What does it matter to you who believe this gospel of the kingdom if nations overturn, the age ends, or all things visible crash, since you know that your life is the gift of the Son, and that it is eternally secure in the Father?^[9] (Urantia Book 1916.2)

We pray for peace, love, harmony, and guidance. We pray health care workers, government officials, and others on the front lines of this pandemic will find courage, strength, and moral fortitude to do the right thing. We pray those who have lost loved ones will have time to grieve, remember, and move on.

Be safe.

1. All references are to The Urantia Book unless otherwise noted, 1899.2, this refers to page:paragraph of the one column edition; and Bible, Matthew 22:21, also appears in Mark and Luke. ↑

2. Bible, I Corinthians 3:16 ↑

3. Bible, Acts 10:34 ↑

4. 1114.5 ↑

5. 1733.2 ↑

6. 1733.3 ↑

7. 1733.4 ↑

8. 1930.3 ↑

9. 1916.2 ↑