Spring is Busting Out

This Easter season we give thanks for sisters and brothers following these postings; we briefly list and summarize the most popular blog postings and Talking Points pages on UBLightofTruth.com. We include a recent study of so-called near death experiences. There have been hits on the website from 22 different nations just this year. The most popular blog posting is from February 2021 and it still receives a lot of hits. This spring day we recognize there are indeed rays of hope signaling a better future for planet Earth; we give thanks.

Blog Postings

Interestingly, the two most popular blog postings are from February 2021. In first place is “Urantia: Caligastia’s Prison World” which has over five times as many hits as the second place entry; it continues to receive hits every month.

It examines why our fallen Planetary Prince Caligastia is allowed to remain on Earth even after being defeated by Jesus. The following three paragraphs are quoted from that blog.

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.

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 between good and evil.

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 to the rest of creation open and our Vicegerent Planetary Prince, Machiventa Melchizedek, take over the government of our native sphere.

“Christian Nationalism;” is the second most popular posting and close behind it is “Living the Teachings” from September 2021.

Talking points

In “Talking Points” the most popular is “Death Becomes Graduation” which has over 50% more hits than the second most popular page. This topic is especially pertinent in these times of COVID and societal unease. Following is a summary of this page.

Death is not the end; it can be the gateway into our eternal future. Life eternal is freely given to everybody who asks for it. All we need do is to follow God’s guidance, of Truth} choose to do His will.

After physical death the memory of our earthly life resides with our internal spark of God (known as our Thought Adjuster or adjuster) while the soul is placed in the custody of our guardian angel. After the adjuster and the soul are reunited in the resurrection halls we will awaken ready to continue our journey toward Paradise and God.^[2] At this point we will no longer be physical, but we are not yet true spirit beings.

There are three kinds of death. One is intellectual death, which happens when the brain is damaged so much that the mind cannot function. In this case the Thought Adjuster departs while the life energies of the body continue. Depending on the choice of the individual, the adjuster will later return for the resurrection of that individual after physical death. In any case the physical body may continue to function.^[3] Our society calls this brain dead.

The second is physical death, where our physical apparatus, the body, ceases to function, and we depart this earthly sphere.

The final type of death is soul death, which is final. When the individual has made a final decision to deny God, reject eternal life and universe reality, then the adjuster departs never to return. This is the final death from which there can be no resurrection and it comes as a consequence of the individual totally rejecting our Heavenly Father, rejecting spiritual reality.^[4] Soul death may come either before or after physical death. In either case there can be no resurrection.

Realizing this, death now becomes our valediction time when we graduate from this preschool we call Earth into a wider reality, even cosmic reality. To paraphrase the poet Robert Burns: “we will be from a world of woe relieved and arise renewed in heaven.”

A recent article gives the results of a study analyzing so-called near death experiences;^[5] we will soon post a revised version of “Death Becomes Graduation” incorporating these findings. You will be notified when this is posted.

Recalled experiences surrounding death happen more frequently today because of improved medical technology. These experiences have a uniform theme which can be summarized as follows. (a) Separation from the body with an expanded sense of consciousness and an awareness of death. (b) There is travel to a destination. (c) A meaningful review of life. (d) Feeling of being “home.” (e) There is a return to life. These findings are in full agreement with teachings in The Urantia Book.

In the Talking Points pages “Consequences of Rebellion” is in second place, and “Epochal Revelations” is in third place.

National Distribution

While we cannot track individuals, we are able to identify the country of origin for visitors to this website. The number of countries represented in site visits shows The Urantia Book is truly a global phenomenon. So far this year (early April) the site has had hits from 22 countries. These nations are grouped as: North America 3, South America 1, Caribbean 2, Europe 7, Island Nations 2, Asia 3, and Africa 4. That is a nice representation of planet Earth.

SPRING!

In honor of the new season we recognize the growth of a new spring; trilliums and other flowers are in blossom, Goldfinches mostly have their summer colors, life is being renewed. We certainly know there are very bad things going on all over our planet, but the changes associated with spring declare there is hope for a better future for our sisters, brothers and native planet.

The Talking Points page “Rays of Hope’ lists some of the global reasons for hope; this page has been getting more hits recently.

We thank you for following this website and we look forward to hearing from each of you with comments or suggestions; keep in touch.

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

2. 1230.3 ↑

3. 1230.1 ↑

4. 1229.9 ↑

5. https://neurosciencenews.com/perception-near-death-20335/ Retrieved 4/9/22 ↑

This is somewhat different from previous postings. It discusses a new theory of the nature of light based on revelations in The Urantia Book. Since we became thinking beings thousands of years ago and until this very day we have attempted to understand light. There are equations and some understanding about how light acts, however the current scientific explanation of light has flaws, as we shall see.

This new theory of light is based on references in this revelation, The Urantia Book; the resulting theory will be stated simply and then the appropriate references will be introduced for an expanded version. Finally there will be a proposed experiment to prove this theory.

New Theory of Light – Condensed Version

Every moment of our waking life we see objects because of light. It defines our world and allows us to interact with objects near us and to observe objects farther away. We think we know light and science knows light, but do we?

Revelations in The Urantia Book present a different explanation of light than is embraced by our scientific community. Since this revelation has accurately predicted other scientific advances accepted only after its publication in 1955, such as continental drift, there is strong reason to feel it is correct on this matter. With this in mind, a new theory of light based on revelations in The Urantia Book will be presented.

Imagine a small lake with no wind when a speedboat goes past and waves spread out behind it. These observed waves are not the boat; instead they are a consequence of the boat moving through water; they are actually water that has been disturbed by the passing boat.

To expand on this analogy in a way to illustrate this new theory, imagine we cannot see the actual boat or the water, but they are still present. When the boat passes by we know it is there, perhaps we hear it, so when visible waves appear we incorrectly conclude the boat has become a wave.

Invisible boats do not exist (yet), however this description gives a hint of a new understanding of the nature of light. The expanded version below gives Urantia Book references^[1] to all aspects of this theory, but first a condensed statement of this new theory.

The first aspect of the new theory is the existence of a background energy composed of many components permeating all space; the second aspect is that a photon proceeds in straight lines as a particle; the photon is a particle and only a particle. As the invisible photon passes, the background energy enters an excited state which we observe because it has become visible wavelengths of radiation: light. What we see is not the photon; rather we observe this excited state of the background energy, which also is hotter than the ground state because of its being excited, thus producing heat as well as light; the photon is unchanged by this process.

A major proof of the so-called wave-particle duality of light is an experiment where a beam of light is aimed at a spot between two tiny slits in a screen. On the other side of the screen a pattern of alternating bright and dim lines of light are observed that look similar to waves in the lake; these are called a diffraction pattern which arise from the interaction of two waves, one coming through each slit. The new theory explains this by stating the photon has been stopped by the screen and the waves produced by the photon interacting with background energy continue on through the slits forming the pattern on the other side. We would see the same phenomena in the water version; if the above boat were suddenly plucked out of the water, the waves would continue on until they gradually dissipate.

Photons, or other small particles, are only particles not sometimes waves and sometimes particles. The theory that they can be either has arisen because of their interaction with various forms of unknown energy permeating our region of space. They disturb this energy background, elevating it into an excited state resulting in an apparent visible wavelike behavior.

Expanded Version

The most important aspect of this new theory is the background energy permeating all space, for example:

The action of certain secondary and other undiscovered energies present in the space regions of your local universe is such that solar-light emanations appear to execute certain wavy phenomena…. You can hardly hope to arrive at a better understanding of the behavior of light until such a time as you acquire a clearer concept of the interaction and interrelationship of the various space-forces and solar energies operating in our vicinity.^[2]

It is the action of photons on various unknown energies in ways we do not understand which makes light appear as a wave; space is not empty.^[3] Space contains various forms of energy that photons interact with to produce light.

When photons travel through space they appear as waves because of the resistance of the undifferentiated force blanket of all space.^[4] Space has substance, it is real.

The excitation of the content of space produces a wavelike reaction to the passage of rapidly moving particles of matter, just as the passage of a ship through water initiates waves of varying amplitude and interval.^[5]

Another analogy is fluorescence. When ultraviolet light, which is invisible to our eyes, is shined on a suitable material a glowing visible light is observed. This happens because the incoming invisible light is excited by certain chemicals, raised to a higher energy level so that it becomes visible. Similarly, in the above quote when rapidly moving particles pass through the content of space, a wavelike reaction, which we know as light, is produced.

The content of space is modified when a rapidly moving particle passes through; the particle is unchanged, rather it is the space content that is altered. Light is literally the wake of the photon passing through the fabric of space.

Space is real; it contains energy forms not known to our science which can interact with light in ways of which we have no concept. When our photon moves through space there is produced an effect on this underlying substrate, which gives the impression that photon particles can at the same time be both a particle and a wave.

Solar energy may seem to be propelled in waves, but that is due to the action of coexistent and diverse influences. A given form of organized energy does not proceed in waves but in direct lines. The presence of a second or a third form of force-energy may cause the stream under observation to appear to travel in wavy formation, just as, in a blinding rainstorm accompanied by a heavy wind, the water sometimes appears to fall in sheets or to descend in waves.^[6]

Photons and similar particles of matter travel in straight lines as particles. Particles are particles; waves are waves; nothing can be both at the same time.

Proof

The dual slit experiment has been wrongly interpreted. A photon is one discrete unit of energy, when it strikes the barrier it cannot ooze along until it finds an opening as a wave; it is rather reflected. The visible light (a wave) is a result of the photon (a particle) interacting with forms of background energy totally unknown until The Urantia Book appeared.

The photon travels in straight lines as it goes through space. As it passes, there is a disturbance in the background energy of space such that visible light is produced. This visible wavelike manifestation appears to travel along with the light because the background energy is essentially uniform and the excitation of this underlying energy appears to travel along with the photon and therefore seems to be a part of the photon just as the wake is associated with the moving boat.

How can we prove photons are only particles, never waves? The apparent wavelike behavior is a result of the photon particles exciting the background energy; it is this interaction that produces visible light. How can this be proved?

Occam’s Razor

The currently accepted theory of light proposes that a given particle, say a photon, can simultaneously be both a particle and a wave. How can this photon be two different things at the same time or how can it decide which it is going to be at any given moment? That is overly complex and stretches credulity even though it is the currently accepted theory.

This new theory of light states that the photon is a particle and only a particle; it does not need to choose which to be at any given moment. The visible light is a consequence of this particle moving through the unknown background energy of space. Light is real and has weight; the comet’s tail pointing away from the Sun proves this.^[7]

Occam’s Razor states that when there is uncertainty which of two or more possibilities is correct, the simplest is the most probable.

The new theory of light is simpler and therefore more likely.

What might this background energy consist of? There are a few possibilities; the first is that all space is filled with ultimatons, the smallest unit of matter. One electron contains one hundred ultimatons. Another consideration is that space is filled with force-energy.^[8]

The confusion of the scientist grows out of failure to recognize the reality of space. Space is not merely an intellectual concept of the variation in relatedness of universe objects. Space is not empty, and the only thing man knows which can even partially transcend space is mind.^[9]

Science is becoming aware of the reality of space; Einstein said the propagation of light would not be possible without the fabric of spacetime.^[10] This states some property of space is necessary for the appearance of light.

Suggested Experiment

This new interpretation can be proved by repeating the classical dual slit experiment with a slight alteration. Instead of the incoming beam striking the screen containing slits square on, the barrier should be rotated slightly. With this change, the beam of photons will be observed to be reflected at an angle relative to the barrier while there will still be a pattern of light on the screen behind the slits in the barrier. This pattern may not be the simple pattern observed with the traditional experiment because of the changed angle; some of the light resulting from the interaction of the photon with background energy will go through the slits while the photons continue on their altered path. Having the screen at an angle would allow the reflected beam to be measured. The total reflected energy with and without slits could be measured and compared. First the energy lost through the slits proposed by wave-particle duality must be estimated. The width of the slits may be adjusted so that a measureable value would be expected. Since photons are actually discrete particles there should be little difference between the reflected energy measurements regardless of the slit presence or absence. It would be expected that even a narrow barrier between the slits would reflect the vast majority of the energy.

This new interpretation of the double slit experiment does not change the scientific understanding or the equations relating to the study of light, rather it gives us a more fundamental comprehension of the phenomenon of light.

1. All references are to The Urantia Book unless noted otherwise; they give the page and paragraph number for the one column edition. ↑

2. 461.4 ↑

3. 473.4, 1439.4 ↑

4. 475.10 ↑

5. 476.1 ↑

6. 461.3 ↑

7. 173.3 ↑

8. 476.2 ↑

9. 1439.4 ↑

10. Quoted by Tom Andersen, https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/223041/what-does-the-fabric-of-space-and-time-actually-mean retrieved 10/3/19. ↑

In this posting, we briefly discuss two quotations from The Urantia Book, both of which apply to these times. The first says our society is moving out of the sheltered bays of tradition into seas of destiny. The other looks at a troubling forecast by Jesus which may indicate workings of the Most Highs as they guide political evolution;^[1] that the Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of mortals is also mentioned in the Bible.

Urantia society can never hope to settle down as in past ages. The social ship has steamed out of the sheltered bays of established tradition and has begun its cruise upon the high seas of evolutionary destiny; and the soul of man, as never before in the world’s history, needs carefully to scrutinize its charts of morality and painstakingly to observe the compass of religious guidance. (Urantia Book, 1086.6)

These seas of destiny will not be smooth like the sheltered bays of tradition we have resided in these many years. While the bays were enjoyable, such tranquility rarely causes human mortals to struggle and improve themselves. The vast majority of humanity would rather sit underneath a palm tree with a jolly beverage than move out and transform society. The urge to instigate societal transformation necessarily requires some sort of motivation, a “slap in the face” to get things moving.

Human beings need a firm moral foundation for these uncertain times; we must follow our compass of religious guidance. Only when we base our lives on living truths taught by Jesus will we be able to sail safely upon these seas of destiny.

Whatever the source of this pandemic, it is our slap in the face, a wakeup call saying we must make our native planet safe for everyone; we are all in this together. There is no safe space where we can hide to avoid this virus, to escape this mandate to move out and make this world of ours safe for every living creature. Many governments all over the world are failing in their efforts to deal with this health and economic calamity. In addition, there is no sovereign Earth government to regulate dealings between nations.

On these seas of evolutionary destiny we will encounter methods to utilize in guiding society toward recognizing spiritual reality, and basing society upon it; if this does not happen society will collapse because any society not based upon spiritual reality cannot endure.^[2] Study any previous society in our history; all of them failed because they were not based on spiritual reality; God.

On the morning of his last free day on Earth, Jesus taught a group of believers, disciples, and the apostles near their camp in Gethsemane. This presentation, which lasted almost two hours, was about the relationship between the Kingdom of Heaven and kingdoms on Earth. He emphasized believers should follow laws of earthly kingdoms as well as adhere to spiritual directives such as the Golden Rule. The only exception was when earthly rulers should require homage given to them; years later, Peter was crucified in Rome because he refused to worship Caesar. This discourse by Jesus is summarized in The Urantia Book, Paper 178, “Last Day at the Camp,” section one, “Discourse on Sonship and Citizenship.”

One paragraph in this address^[3] is especially relevant to our current situation. Each sentence will be considered separately. When Jesus speaks about “you” he is speaking to each individual as well as the collective body of Kingdom believers.

Under the soon-coming persecutions by those who hate this gospel of joy and liberty, you will thrive and the kingdom will prosper.

After Jesus ascended, his followers were indeed persecuted by those resisting these new teachings; those having religious and political authority were afraid of losing positions of influence, power, and their very livelihood. They were more interested in material considerations of self-preservation than understanding and accepting these new spiritual teachings of joy and liberty. In spite of this resistance, the Kingdom of Heaven did indeed thrive, prosper, and grow.

But you will stand in grave danger in subsequent times when most men will speak well of kingdom believers and many in high places nominally accept the gospel of the heavenly kingdom.

As the centuries passed, modified teachings of Jesus spread even farther, eventually covering most of the Earth; many nations and their leaders appeared to accept these teachings. Nominal Christianity was, and still is, one of the most prominent religions on our planet. However, this apparent acceptance shielded an underlying insincerity; this reception of the teachings was superficial and incomplete. The transformed message of Jesus did not generally bring about a fundamental spiritual renewal in individual believers; they did not truly manifest fruits of the spirit in their lives. Because of this artificiality, grave danger was lurking unseen.

Learn to be faithful to the kingdom even in times of peace and prosperity.

Being faithful to the kingdom means not only incorporating these truths into our daily lives, but also sharing them with sisters and brothers, contributing to growth of the kingdom. Believers need to be focused at all times on spiritual reality, upon values of the kingdom; this is especially true when things appear to be easy, when everything seems to be going well. During these idyllic times we are vulnerable to unforeseen events suddenly overwhelming us, catching us unprepared, obliterating our complacency, and bringing calamity upon us.

Tempt not the angels of your supervision to lead you in troublous ways as a loving discipline designed to save your ease-drifting souls.

This is the kicker to the entire paragraph. When spiritual reality has been ignored for a considerable length of time, there comes a moment when the tipping point is reached, when the system can tolerate no more abuse, and misfortune follows. We do not need to know how or upon whose orders these “angels of our supervision” operate. If we ignore our spiritual potential and become complacent, the angels watching over us may lead us into “troublous ways” in an effort to guide us into more spiritually productive efforts. These angels may be our individual guardian angels, and for society they would be the angels of progress or the angels of the churches. Their directions would come from the Most Highs.

What does this mean for our current situation? Our society has become mired in secularism for so long our Heavenly Father seems to be of minor importance. God has been marginalized and forgotten, to our peril. Therefore, our guiding angels may be directed to lead us into difficult times in an effort to help us become somewhat aware of spiritual reality and our obligation to humanity.

The way to make the best use of these opportunities is to examine our faith, becoming certain it is sincere. Next we need to accept the new covenant, a sincere commitment to follow God’s guidance knowing we will be assisted. We must choose to do His will at all times; if we are honest we will know how to proceed. Finally we must recognize our own light of truth and go forth sharing these teachings of love, joy, and service.

These times try our souls and force us to seek new ways of living. These times can transform society so every living soul becomes treasured, loved, nurtured, and assisted so they can become productive members of global society with global government.

These seas of destiny will become extremely rough and last far longer than we can imagine, but they are necessary to bring about an equitable society for each individual citizen, a citizen of the cosmos.

1. All references are to The Urantia Book one column edition and refer to page.paragraph, 1488.2 ↑

2. 2075.12 ↑

3. 1931.1 ↑

Beauty is From God

Click on photo for information about it.

The “Talking Points” page “God Within” has been updated. This posting is a slight condensation of the new page. Additions include a discussion of the plan our Thought Adjuster has for our life, and ways we can cooperate with our indwelling spark of God. This page is important because the truth our Heavenly Father is literally a part of every thinking mortal on Earth is a vital part of the revelations in The Urantia Book; it should be the moral foundation of our life.

Every mortal with a normal mind living on this planet has as a part of their being an actual fragment of God, our Thought Adjuster, or Adjuster. God is therefore infinite, can be everywhere, and at the same instant actually dwells within each of us; He is both within us and outside, guiding us toward His presence. We need not go any farther than our inner experience to find God and commune with Him.^[1]

Since Pentecost, when the Spirit of Truth was universally bestowed, everyone on Earth has received a Thought Adjuster.^[2] Again, everyone has this fragment of God within as a part of their being; therefore everyone has value, everyone must be included in society, every child of God has something unique to offer.

While our Adjuster is a part of each one of us, its goal is very long term; it is preparing us for the long journey to Paradise and being in the presence of God.^[3] Our God within is not concerned with our momentary fancies, rather our Adjuster is gradually preparing us for the challenges of eternity.

Before our Adjuster arrives to dwell within us it received an estimation of our intellectual endowment and our capacity for spiritual progress; based upon this information it volunteers to work with a specific mortal.^[4] This is comforting; your Adjuster knows your potential and volunteers to assist you in your ascent toward Paradise. This spark of God in our lives knows our capability exactly and desires to be within us, guiding us toward realizing our full potential.

When our Adjuster arrives to dwell within our minds they have a carefully thought out plan for us that was approved by their supervisors.^[5] God indeed has a plan for our life, each and every one of us. He wants to guide us step by gradual step through many existences on many levels until we literally stand in the presence of the creator of all things on Paradise. The only catch, the only fly in the ointment, is we must, of our own free will, accept this plan. Our loving Heavenly Father absolutely will not force us into anything against our will. We need to accept the plan God has for our life. Since we have this capability of rejecting the plan of God at any time, it is not predestination; we certainly can reject it anytime and choose, whatever. As if we could improve upon the plan of God!

Our Thought Adjuster arrives when we make our first moral decision, our first free will decision; currently this is just before the child’s sixth birthday.^[6] At this point the divine fragment begins to guide the child toward making spiritual decisions, initiating a desire to know more about God. While this spark of God is working in our minds it refuses to compel us to do anything against our will;^[7] our spiritual free will is inviolate.

They want to change our feelings of fear to those of love;^[8] they cannot do this arbitrarily, we must make the decision. Our decision to accept love into our life is the fulcrum on which our Adjuster can apply a spiritual lever to advance our emotional life. Our everyday decisions supply the fulcrum our Adjuster can use to uplift our emotional base and reach toward spiritual advancement. When our emotions are negative the Adjuster has nothing to base the desired uplifting spiritual lever upon; they are thwarted by our baser thoughts.^[9]

Our Thought Adjuster is a literal spark of God and is therefore perfect. Our Adjuster will not fail; apparent failures are caused by our unwillingness to follow the internal guidance we receive. If we are honest we will definitely know what our Heavenly Father wishes for our lives, the choice is ours. We have perfect guides; therefore is the goal of perfection certainly attainable.^[10]

There is no conscious way we can assist our Adjuster as it seeks to spiritualize us, this interaction cannot be guided by specific thoughts and actions, rather our faith and supreme desires are utilized in this upward struggle.^[11] There are however, ways we can cooperate with our spark of God within.

First, we must choose to respond to the guidance we receive. For those without knowledge of revelations in The Urantia Book this may be a challenge as they are not aware of this internal guidance. Regardless of our spiritual awareness, our highest desires are acted upon. If we desire truth, beauty, and goodness we will be guided in that direction. Our highest, most spiritual aspirations are respected.

Second, we must love God and want to become more like Him. There is a spontaneous desire to worship our heavenly Father, and love Him.

Third, we need to love our sisters and brothers, sincerely recognize universal brotherhood. We must serve them and see to their needs. An intelligent, inherent, and wise love for those around us is an important aspect of spiritual growth.

Finally, we have to recognize cosmic citizenship, our responsibility to God that we fulfill obligations to grow, serve, and minister to sisters and brothers. Cosmic morality entails recognizing our duty to universal reality, realizing each one of us has something special only we can contribute to the growth of universal deity. Everyone has value, meaning, and purpose in our Father’s creation.

Every decision we make has an effect on work of our Adjuster.^[12] It is important to always be conscious of the potential spiritual value of each decision. In our heart we usually know which way our Heavenly Father might want us to go, which decision He might approve. Certainly some decisions will be of more importance than others, but each one can become vitally important.

The Adjusters have long term plans for our lives; they gradually and persistently work to carry out these plans, lovingly guiding us every small step along the way. What is important for each step is our decision to follow the guidance of our spark of God within. No human being will ever be spiritualized by a divine Monitor against his will; survival is a gift of the Gods which must be desired by the creatures of time.^[13] We need to give consent for this glorious transformation, from a lowly creature on this evolutionary planet into an eternal being with growing spiritual awareness and progress.

Frequently we are so tied up in the trifles of life, everyday conflicts, we totally overlook spiritual values, spiritual reality.^[14] We are generally unaware of the need to cooperate with the divine guidance each and every one of us receives throughout our lives. Each human being is constantly guided by a divine inner spark of God; we are oblivious. We can live a life of joy, love and brotherhood while totally living a God consecrated life, just as Jesus did. He certainly knew pain and loss, but his overriding emotion was joy and love. The life of Jesus was one of loving service. By our moment to moment choices we can also choose such a life.

The dominant emotion of these God fragments is love, the most truly divine love in all creation.^[15] The love of our Creator Son, Jesus, is truly sublime, but our Adjuster is part of our being, within our mind always poring forth love and an urge to grow spiritually. The loving guidance of our Thought Adjuster will be with us forever, always showing the way toward spiritual growth and loving service.

We are not alone in the cosmos because our Heavenly Father is always with us; it is we who have chosen to ignore Him. Our choices define us and the most eternally significant choice we can make is to follow the guidance of our personal spark of God. His love is part of us; we must embrace and choose to follow His leadership. The consequence of so choosing is an eternal life of service and adventure.

1. All references are to The Urantia Book. They are to the one column edition in the format page:paragraph, 62.1 ↑

2. 1187.2 ↑

3. 1192.1 ↑

4. 1185.4 ↑

5. 1204.5 ↑

6. 1186.8 ↑

7. 753.2 ↑

8. 1192.3 ↑

9. 1193.1 ↑

10. 1192.5 ↑

11. The following discussion is based on 1206.4-8 ↑

12. 1209.6 ↑

13. 1204.6 ↑

14. 1206.2 ↑

15. 1203.2 ↑

The presence of severe difficulties in global society begs the question: how did we get this way? And another: what we can do about it? There are sources pointing the way, showing what we can do to improve life on Earth; we must use these sources in efforts toward promoting brotherhood and love. Our planet has been living in spiritual darkness for decades; it is time to move forward into light of truth.

Society has no overall guiding principle, no well-defined goals, no story to motivate it, everything is piecemeal. “When we have no stories that describe the present and guide the future, hope evaporates. Political failure is, in essence, a failure of imagination.”^[1] We seek a story to give us goals and hope; give lives purpose; it will become the motivator of our existence.

This inspiring story is a captivating narrative giving our lives meaning and direction. Stories in the media, such as Star Wars or Harry Potter, are entertaining but they do not motivate lives. The story we seek is a unifying ethic empowering our struggle for a better life. One such story brought about the westward expansion of America. Based on exaggerated glowing reports of opportunities in the west, shopkeepers and ordinary people in the east fled westward with family and few belongings to carve out a better life in the west; that story gave their hardships and their lives meaning; it gave them hope for the future.

Today we have no such encouraging story and as a result of this loss of direction there is an “epidemic of loneliness sweeping the world.”^[2] People are not connected with their community, their surroundings; they are isolated as never before. This impacts their actions in society, their effectiveness. This isolation brings negative, even self-destructive emotions into their lives.

What is the story to motivate this change? This story to ignite our desire for a better society needs to be concise yet captivating, the goal needs to be enticing, and it should have a broad appeal to society. The story must be powerful enough people will be willing to undergo hardships to bring the story to life. Just as the story of a better life in western United States gave citizens in the east strength to endure the many dangers of the journey west, our story must give everyone strength to persevere through the struggle to bring about a better life for us all.

We propose a story based on teachings in The Urantia Book. ^[3] This revelation has power, depth, and complexity; it has the potential to transform society on our Planet. We use this revelation to build a story capable of bringing about a better life for everyone.

There are only three components to this story. First is the truth every thinking human being has a spark of God within. “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?”^[4] This spirit of God is the Thought Adjuster. The second component of the story is the truth everyone can have eternal life if they so choose.^[5] The third part of the story is the truth everyone is equally indwelt by our Heavenly Father; we are all sisters and brothers, when society realizes this there will be universal brotherhood.^[6]

Here is the story.

Every thinking human being on Earth has the spirit of God within them; truly everyone, no exceptions. God is within every person. How strongly can it be stated? This truth is the cornerstone of our story. Our Father did not just send His son here a couple thousand years ago and then forget about us. Our Heavenly Father is literally present within each thinking mortal on this planet. God is no respecter of persons,^[7] He respects everyone equally.

Life eternal is freely given to everyone who asks for it. All we need do is follow His guidance, choose to do His will in all things. Again, it is truly that simple. Physical death is simply like walking out of one room and into another; like walking out of this physical space and into a more spiritual realm. Eternal life is ours for the asking; we should live with the certainty of this truth.

As we recognize the presence of our Father equally within everyone we realize every person is sister or brother; we are all equally children of God. This feeling of universal brotherhood colors interactions with neighbors and everyone we may chance to meet or learn about. The watchword for every day becomes brotherhood.

One way to enlarge this story is to study the full life and teachings of Jesus as revealed in The Urantia Book. As we incorporate these teachings into our lives we are seeking to become more like our Heavenly Father, living our faith, allowing this faith to transform our existence, changing the world for the better, one interaction at a time.

Even though this fact of universal brotherhood is the final component of our story, this is where each one of us can have the greatest impact. The other two components, presence of God within and eternal life, primarily are personal and internal manifestations; something we experience within ourself. This issue of universal brotherhood is external; we express this in our daily life. This influences our reaction to situations as we encounter and interact with those around us. This feeling of brotherhood must be genuine; a natural consequence of internalizing the other components of the story.

This issue of brotherhood is where we declare how we stand; exclusion or inclusion, hate or love, rejection or acceptance, a narrow existence or an eternal life of service doing God’s will.

Simply stated our story is every mortal of sound mind has within a fragment of our Heavenly Father, this God within is the promise of eternal life and when we fully realize this we will know we are all sisters and brothers. This story with the potential to transform life on Earth is simple and profound, giving it power to energize society.

This story has the power to ignite a resurgence in spiritual awareness and willingness to bring about a better life for everyone on Earth; no exceptions.

1. “Out of the Wreckage: a New Politics for an Age of Crisis” by George Monbiot, Verso, New York, 2017, p6 ↑

2. Monbiot p 17 ↑

3. The Urantia Book, Urantia Foundation, Chicago IL, 2015 printing. See appendix 1 and 2 for a discussion of this revelation ↑

4. Bible, 1 Corinthians 3:16 ↑

5. The Urantia Book, 71.7, this refers to the page.paragraph of the one column edition. All references are to The Urantia Book unless otherwise noted. ↑

6. 2053.4 ↑

7. Bible Acts 10,34 and Romans 2, 11; ↑

The Urantia Book is a challenging read, how do we begin to understand it? The authors of this revelation would want us to start reading (studying) from the beginning. The human mind would ordinarily crave to approach the cosmic philosophy portrayed in these revelations by proceeding from the simple and the finite to the complex and the infinite, from human origins to divine destinies. But that path does not lead to spiritual wisdom. Such a procedure is the easiest path to a certain form of genetic knowledge, but at best it can only reveal man’s origin; it reveals little or nothing about his divine destiny. (Urantia Book 215.2)

The next paragraph expands on this thought. Even in the study of man’s biologic evolution on Urantia, there are grave objections to the exclusive historic approach to his present-day status and his current problems. The true perspective of any reality problem — human or divine, terrestrial or cosmic — can be had only by the full and unprejudiced study and correlation of three phases of universe reality: origin, history, and destiny. The proper understanding of these three experiential realities affords the basis for a wise estimate of the current status. (Urantia Book 215.3)

Not only do these quotes give reasons to start from the beginning, they also give an idea of the concentrated concepts in this Epochal Revelation. This is dense material, not intended for light bedtime reading. Every sentence is thought provoking.

There is another way for us to approach the study of this revelation, more relevant for us who are not used to thinking in these deep and precise ways. We should ask what interests us, what do we want to know. After we know the goal, we can proceed accordingly. There are several possibilities.

The most obvious is to learn about Jesus; there is much about him in the Bible, but much is also missing. What was he like as a child? For this read Paper 120, The Bestowal of Michael on Urantia, through Paper 126, The Two Crucial Years (page 1323 – 1394). What was he doing during the so-called missing years? This is discussed in Paper 127, The Adolescent Years, through Paper 134, The Transition Years (page 1395 – 1495). What exactly did he teach the apostles? We learn these things by reading Paper 136, Baptism and the Forty Days, through Paper 196, The Faith of Jesus (page 1509 – 2097).

Perhaps we might want to learn how our planet evolved, then read Paper 57, The Origin of Urantia (page 651 – 663); how life arose and changed Paper 58, Life Establishment on Urantia, through Paper 62, The Dawn Races of Early Man (page 664 – 710). We learn whether life was brought here or did it originate on this planet. To meet the first true human beings read Paper 63, The First Human Family (page 711 – 717)

To find out why our planet is in such a sad state today read Paper 53, The Lucifer Rebellion, and Paper 54, Problems of the Lucifer Rebellion (page 601 – 620). In addition also read Paper 66, The Planetary Prince of Urantia, and Paper 67, The Planetary Rebellion (page 741 – 762).

Another question is what is God like? For this read Paper 1, The Universal Father, through Paper 5, God’s Relation to the Individual (page 21 – 72). To learn what the Eternal Son is like read Paper 6, The Eternal Son, and Paper 7, Relation of the Eternal Son to the Universe (page 73 – 89). What is the Infinite Spirit like? Then read Paper 8, The Infinite Spirit, and Paper 9, Relation of the Infinite Spirit to the Universe (page 90 – 107). To learn about the Trinity read Paper 10, The Paradise Trinity (page 108 – 117). Where do they reside? This is revealed in Paper 11, The Eternal Isle of Paradise (page 118 – 127). For a description of the structure of the cosmos study Paper 12, The Universe of Universes (page 128 – 142).

To learn more about Adam and Eve see Paper 73, The Garden of Eden, through Paper 76, The Second Garden (page 821 – 854).

To learn about how civilization grew read Paper 81, Development of Modern Civilization (page 900 – 912).

If we want to learn about the evolution of marriage study Paper 82, The Evolution of Marriage, through Paper 84, Marriage and Family Life (Page 913 – 943)

To learn about religion, study Paper 99, The Social Problems of Religion, through Paper 103, The Reality of Religious Experience (page 1086 – 1142).

Those with a scientific background might tackle Paper 42, Energy—Mind and Matter (page 467 – 484).

If we are interested in government start at Paper 69, Primitive Human Institutions, through Paper 72, Government on a Neighboring Planet (page 772 – 820). Another excellent discussion of government is in Paper 134, The Transition Years; especially sections 3 – 6 (page 1485 – 1491) which are based on a series of lectures Jesus gave on the subject of government.

A link to each paper in the revelation is found on the Urantia Book page on this web site.

When one topic has been completed, move on to another and expand understanding of this revelation.

However, one final group of prospective students deserves more consideration. These individuals are driven to learn more about this revelation but do not know where to start, nothing seems to satisfy them. Something within drives them to learn more, to understand more. They feel something vital is missing from their lives. These are the truth seekers and they must make the extra effort to start from the beginning, with the Foreword.

In the Forward various concepts are presented along with the specific meaning attached to each. Among these are Deity and Divinity, God, the Seven Absolutes, Universe Reality, Energy and Pattern, the Supreme Being, God the Sevenfold and many more. The Forward is a challenging read but it lays the foundation for the rest of the book by presenting the meaning of words that are subsequently used. It should be referred to when the meaning of a specific term is uncertain; this is the definitive “dictionary” for the rest of the book.

When studying The Urantia Book we must keep in mind this precise word usage. We should make a sincere effort to comprehend its teachings but not get overly tangled up in details. We also should not become discouraged if there are things we do not understand at first because human beings are not used to thinking in these deep terms. It is a challenging read but the reward is immense: a greater and ever expanding understanding of creation!

There is one vital truth to keep in mind while studying this revelation; our Heavenly Father literally dwells within each thinking mortal on Earth. God is with us seeking to guide us into a greater realization of spiritual reality; this inner presence is assisting us to understand these concepts. Let Him!

After someone studies a few of these areas and is sincere about wanting to know more, the time comes when they will be a truth seeker and then they should study the revelation from the beginning, at the Foreword in order to gain the proper perspective.

Once The Urantia Book finds an individual, no longer will that person be bored, having nothing to do, because always there is much more to learn. The search for spiritual growth is truly endless, even eternal.

We will explore these thoughts based on one paragraph in The Urantia Book. Each sentence will be considered separately. The reference is The Urantia Book.

Why do you not aid the Adjuster in the task of showing you the spiritual counterpart of all these strenuous material efforts?

The presence of God within every thinking human being is called the Thought Adjuster, or simply Adjuster; it is also known by other names such as Mystery Monitor. Our Monitor wants to show us the way, why then do we not aid this fragment of God? He wants to assist us but cannot go against our free will choices; we must want to follow Him, we must want to accept His assistance. As we struggle in the material realm, He wants to show us the spiritual counterpart so we will be aware of goals and purposes for our life, our existence. Our material efforts also have a spiritual purpose but we are not aware of it unless we let our Monitor show us these values.

Why do you not allow the Adjuster to strengthen you with the spiritual truths of cosmic power while you wrestle with the temporal difficulties of creature existence?

There is power in cosmic realities which can strengthen us as we struggle with our material difficulties. The spiritual is primal over the physical; these spiritual truths can certainly help us here and now. This spiritual power is available to us in our earthly struggles if we only permit our Adjuster to guide us.

Why do you not encourage the heavenly helper to cheer you with the clear vision of the eternal outlook of universal life as you gaze in perplexity at the problems of the passing hour?

We can encourage our Monitor to grant us a certainty of our eternal life and allow this certainty to give us wisdom in dealing with our perplexing problems. We will then KNOW we are eternal beings and this would give us strength and comfort as confront our difficulties. Even while we are working out our material issues we can have that certain assurance of our eternal future; we need only to sincerely ask for it.

Why do you refuse to be enlightened and inspired by the universe viewpoint while you toil amidst the handicaps of time and flounder in the maze of uncertainties which beset your mortal life journey?

We are all cosmic citizens, having a more universal viewpoint will enlarge our horizons and enable us to have the broader picture in our mind as we struggle in our daily lives. Having this broader viewpoint will inspire us to incorporate this wider view into our daily existence.

Why not allow the Adjuster to spiritualize your thinking, even though your feet must tread the material paths of earthly endeavor?

In this material life there are many conflicting things we must be aware of and deal with; through it all, our feet must tread material paths. While we are dealing with physical necessities, our thinking is a certain guide in our lives. If this thinking is spiritualized, if we are seeking spiritual values, then we can better deal with whatever we might encounter in our daily lives. Again, we need to allow our Adjuster to guide us, to spiritualize our thinking.

We appear to be working out our lives solely in this earthly sphere, but in reality we are also working in a spiritual arena and it is in this spiritual workplace that we build our potentially eternal soul, our spirit being. Our indwelling spark of God, our Adjuster wants to assist us in this spiritual space and if we accept its workings there will also be an effect in our material lives.

Once we have fully accepted the guidance of our Adjuster we should consider accepting the covenant our Heavenly Father offers us.

And as you are the human parent, so is the Adjuster the divine parent of the real you, your higher and advancing self, your … future spiritual self. (Urantia Book 1193.5)

Developing this website is a fascinating challenge, so many new things to learn. With each new thing there is a plugin that must be chosen, installed, learned, applied to the website, errors located and fixed. This is all about developing a platform to get the message out; this message must be shared with our sisters and brothers.

An important aspect of this website is the extensive crosslinking throughout the postings and pages. While reading a page, if there is a link to something you want to explore, right-click on the link and open it in another tab for later study. For example, if there is a reference to our Planetary Prince clicking on the link will present further information about him.

To find a reference to The Urantia Book, there is a link at the bottom of the Home page. This link goes to the new Urantia Foundation online search engine that finds the reference in question. There is even an audio option for the quotation that can be found at the beginning of the Paper. For example entering 1496.1 and clicking on the reference starts the paper about John the Baptist. Very soon I will have a separate page on the website linking to the online search engine and the text of The Urantia Book, so stay tuned, this is an ongoing process.

A recent addition to the website is a short commentary about each photo accessed from a link under the photo; there is also a page, “Photos,” that has each photo, a description and a link to its page.

Another new addition to the website is a link on the main page enabling users to sign up for the email list; once added they will be notified of new postings and other news. How could such a simple thing be so complicated? For this I needed two plugins and it was a struggle to get them working together. They are now up and running, but enough of that; what about service?

We know there is a spark of God within each thinking mortal, everyone has this gift from God and because of this everyone has equal spiritual value. Our Heavenly Father is actually present in our lives; we do not need to seek for Him elsewhere. This means He can literally guide us if we sincerely listen and follow this divine guidance. The more we listen and follow this internal advice, the easier it becomes the next time. God has a plan for our lives; it is up to us to follow that plan. The consequence of this is times when we must give attention to opportunities of service, even though it means we have to delay something else we want to do.

For example before Jesus was thirteen years old, a celestial messenger appeared before him telling him it was time to be about your Father’s business. (Urantia Book 1376.1) Just over a year later, when Jesus was barely fourteen, Joseph was killed in an accident at work; for Jesus this meant his young human nature must also shoulder the responsibility of caring for his widowed mother and seven brothers and sisters — and another yet to be born. (Urantia Book 1388.1)

Jesus had been instructed to be about his Father’s business, yet he had pressing obligations to his family that could not be denied. The story of how he lovingly cared for his family is a thrilling tale of devotion to duty; for example he spent two days in prison with his young brother Jude who had said unkind words about Roman soldiers.^[1]

Jesus spent many years helping his family and learning how people lived their lives. He also toured the Mediterranean Sea for more than a year. Eighteen years after the celestial visitation Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River at Pella and began his public work.

Jesus was focused on following God’s guidance even though this meant delaying something else important, being about his Father’s business.

If you sincerely seek to do God’s will, there are going to be serious choices to make; if you are not so tested, your faith is not yet strong enough to be tested. If you are living a life of ease you have not faith because having true faith means being willing to go where we will be uncomfortable. God’s ways are not our ways, He knows the true way and only when we cooperate with His loving guidance can we make real spiritual progress.

Talking about service, Betty and I both have family obligations requiring us to delay other needful things, like developing this website for my book “Light of Truth: Anticipating the triumph of Righteousness” and other important obligations.

My brother needs surgery on both knees because he is in constant pain and his wife has trouble getting around. It is a long sad story of bureaucratic nonsense but he has been trying since February to have the operations; just recently he has finally been given a date in early September for the first knee. Betty and I need to be there to assist them during his recovery. Twice this year we have driven from western North Carolina to near Tampa, Florida thinking the operation was imminent only to find out otherwise.

Betty’s son on the southeast coast of Florida is downsizing and needs considerable maintenance, yard work and other necessary work. He has sold one house and another needs to be made presentable for prospective buyers.

We do these periods of service knowing our Heavenly Father has a plan for our lives; it is up to us to accept and cooperate with His plan. At each step along the way we must choose whether we accept and follow the will of God or reject His guidance.

If we have a strong moral foundation based on doing the will of our Heavenly Father there should be no hesitation when presented with service opportunities. This moral foundation guides us and gives us assurance that we have a firm underpinning upon which to build our lives and guide our decisions.

Periods of service are only partly about helping somebody else; they are also about growing a soul of eternal advancement possibilities. Each of us should sincerely and joyfully choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father because then our soul grows stronger, we help ourselves as much as we help others.

Tags: God Within, service, spiritual free will, Urantia Book, Truth Seekers

1. The Urantia Book; the number refers to the single column version in the format page.paragraph, 1415.5-7 ↑

This posting is an entry on the Talking Points page which lists topics from my book “Light of Truth – Anticipating the Triumph of Righteousness.” Each one of us can become an individual Light of Truth if we follow the guidance of the fragment of God dwelling within. The problem is not the rampant evil on our native planet; rather it is our inability and unwillingness to listen for God’s guidance in our lives. He truly wants to help us but we must listen and follow that guidance.

Our study of The Urantia Book reveals we have all the pieces necessary to build a character able to go forth and contest the forces promoting deceit and iniquity. We now put them together in a way to guide us toward living these teachings, striving to make this world a better place in which to live; indeed, a better place for everyone on the face of Earth.

There are seven stages in the soul construction process; each one of these successive realizations brings us closer to becoming equipped to move out into the greater world promoting righteousness, peace, love, and brotherhood.

The first and most important of these steps toward recognizing our Light of Truth is to realize each one of us has a literal spark of God dwelling within. We may be looking at the most unhappy, confused person imaginable; even there our Heavenly Father is within that human being striving to bring light and truth to that individual. God is no respecter of persons; we all stand equal before Him. This truth of God within is the bedrock of our reality, our soul and our eternal future.

Knowing this, we have faith that God will guide us in our daily lives. This will not be an obvious leading, no text message or email, rather it will be gentle guidance showing the way. Our Father does not coerce, does not force but if we choose to follow His guidance, we will know the way. We will know the way. This is a distinct awareness of how we should proceed; we will know it in our soul and the more willingly we follow this guidance the more readily we will recognize it next time. Having faith, knowing God is guiding us, is fundamental to making spiritual progress.

Once we recognize and accept God’s guidance, the next step is choosing to follow His lead. We might fear difficulties will be involved or we would rather do something else. There may be any number of excuses we want to present. Following our Heavenly Father only when it is easy does not count as doing God’s will. One thought that helped me when dealing with these matters was becoming confident that God would not ask me to do something either beyond my ability or immoral; he would not ask me to do the non-doable. Choosing to follow the will of our Heavenly Father will not be the easy way, but doing so means we have God fully on our side. Bring it on!

A covenant is a formal agreement between an individual and our Father. This covenant means we accept that God’s favor is entirely based on faith alone. If we have faith in God and share this faith in our daily lives, He will protect us. We do not have any idea exactly how this protection works, but it will surround us. God cannot protect us against our recklessness or going against God’s will, but those of full faith can be protected. Before proceeding, each individual must personally, individually, and solemnly accept and uphold our covenant – this holy pact with our Heavenly Father.

As a result of this we will enjoy a more personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. In our interactions with people we see the individual, we exchange words and emotions, but with God there arises a certainty within, often difficult to describe. This certainty is at the center of our being – in our soul. Our personal relationship with God becomes the core of our being, the center around which the rest of our soul – our existence – revolves. This relationship with God promotes the best we can become; we interact with our Father through living experience rather than with dogma and preachers.

At this point we will be able to bring the Motivating Story to life in our relationship with our sisters and brothers. This story energizes our efforts to reach out and share these teachings, to fully live them. Living the story means we become focused and eager to participate in the spread of these teachings of peace, love and joy. Living the story means we now have a framework on which to build a new world, we have a meaningful and vitalizing world view.

After this process we are becoming, each one of us, a Light of Truth. We know God is with us, guiding us and helping us to become more aware of spiritual reality. We will certainly not know what lies in the future, we will not know what the consequences of our actions will be but we do know we have the best possible guide in all creation: Our Heavenly Father who created all things, all beings, and who is love.

One valid question at this point is: What does it mean to become a Light of Truth? It means we become tuned into God’s will; the Spirit of Truth will guide us into truth, and our actions declare truth. This does not mean we become perfect or infallible, it does not mean we are an unthinking robot spouting spiritual platitudes. We become thoughtful, although still flawed, spirit guided human beings dedicated to following the guidance each one of us receives; we become people consecrated to following God’s will in making this native planet of ours a better place for each one of God’s creatures, large, small or apparently insignificant. Every one of them is a creature of God.

These stages on the road toward becoming a Light of Truth are:  recognizing each one of us has a spark of God within; having faith our Heavenly Father will guide us; accepting this guidance, choosing to do God’s will; accepting the covenant that faith is the sole requirement to receive God’s protection; we will enjoy an intimate personal relationship with God; we then bring the motivating story to life. Each one of us can become a Light of Truth to our sisters and brothers – all of them.

When this happens we can move forward into the world according to our Father’s will. We may not have any idea what will transpire but we can be confident God does have a plan to make this native world of ours a better place. Our Father knows how to make everything more equitable for each creature. God has a plan for each one of us; we now have the tools to help us cooperate with His divine plan for our life.

As WE Pass By

Being fully human Jesus had emotions just as we have them. For example when addressing believers in Zebedee’s house (father of the apostles James and John) he was unusually cheerful. When it became time to part with the apostles the “sorrow of love” placed a great strain on his human heart. He certainly felt love and compassion toward Mary his mother. At the tomb of Lazarus he wept. Indeed he experienced the full range of human emotions from joy to good humor and on to sorrow and grief, but he was a child of joy; his frequent exhortation was “be of good cheer” just as today we might say “be happy.”

Jesus was indeed a mortal until the day of his baptism in the Jordan River when the divine portion of his career began. After this event he was in full communication with his Thought Adjuster (also called adjuster, the spark of God within everyone) who had been personalized after the baptism by John and was now a separate personality. This dual nature of Jesus gives his life story such power and makes it spiritually compelling.

The personality of Jesus was such that all manner of people were drawn to him. Many of the apostles were manly fishermen and such individuals would not be drawn to the mystical type of person generally depicted in our artwork. His personality was perfected by his decisions and by faithfully following the advice of his adjuster.

The personality of Jesus was such that it appealed to all manner of people, from educated intellectuals to sturdy Roman soldiers to Galilean fishermen. He was totally sincere and interested in each individual he met; he fully loved each individual, this showed in his interactions with every person; he loved people so much because he placed a high value upon them.

His personality was such that people were comfortable when they were with him. Though they called him Rabbi, they were learning not to be afraid of him. Jesus possessed that matchless grace of personality which enabled him so to live among them that they were not dismayed by his divinity. They found it really easy to be “friends with God,” God incarnate in the likeness of mortal flesh (Urantia Book1534.1). They immediately respected him and called him Rabbi even though he had no formal training. It was and still is easy to be friends with him.

This is a vital point; it is easy to be friends with God. He is our closest, most intimate friend; He truly knows us and loves us. He knows our value, our unique personality and the contributions we can make as we grow in spiritual awareness and service. It is easy to be friends with God.

The greatest proof of the mortal nature of Jesus is his humiliation and crucifixion. He was tried unfairly, beaten and dealt an ignominious death at the hands of religious zealots but he maintained his dignity and composure throughout.

The most compelling indication of his distinctive character was when Pontius Pilot gestured toward him and proclaimed: “Behold the man!”

Jesus the human being with his unshakable faith in God is a compelling image for mortals struggling with a hostile environment of materialism and greed, but Christianity forsook the human Jesus in its glorification of him as the divine Christ. After the emotions connected with Pentecost, Jesus became a religion and his human aspects were largely ignored. While the glorified Christ is truly a noble story it neglects the human Jesus. We must not lose sight of this human Jesus because he is our brother as well as our creator.

We must now figuratively resurrect the human Jesus from the tomb where his mortal struggles were buried underneath the theological traditions and religious dogmas of more than two thousand years. These traditions do portray a splendid concept of the Christ, but they do not speak to our human efforts and needs. The religious authorities who put Jesus to death were mired in tradition and dogma just as many current religious leaders are. The revelation of The Urantia Book was given to us at this time so we who seek righteousness can bring a breath of fresh air into the religious community today; we should seek God’s guidance in bringing this truth forward.How unfortunate that religion itself should be so misinterpreted as to take the human Jesus away from struggling mortals! Let not the discussions of the humanity or the divinity of the Christ obscure the saving truth that Jesus of Nazareth was a religious man who, by faith, achieved the knowing and the doing of the will of God; he was the most truly religious man who has ever lived on Urantia. (Urantia Book 2090.2) (The universe name of our planet is Urantia.)