Post by Rev. Dr. Red on Nov 29, 2012 1:09:03 GMT -5
What is The Urantia Book? The Urantia Book is a revelation of truth for our world from higher beings in the universe. Its teachings blend science, philosophy, history, cosmology and religion seamlessly into a big picture revealing our origin, our purpose, and our divine and eternal destiny, "the agelong process from animal to angel, from angel to spirit, from spirit to God." The Urantia Book, page 558 The teachings include information on the composition, organization, administration, and personalities of the cosmos; the history of our planet; our continuing spiritual evolution; a new view of reality by explaining the concepts of personality, mind, and soul; the evolutionary experience of our progression towards God in partnership with God's spirit in our minds; and lastly, a new and enlarged account of the life and teachings of Jesus.
What does the term Urantia mean?
Urantia is simply the cosmological name for our planet Earth. Etymologically defined, Urantia means “our place in the heavens”.
Where did The Urantia Book come from?
Many people have speculated about the origins of The Urantia Book. Information about the specific roles of individuals and about the exact techniques was wisely withheld in order to prevent undue regard for individual human beings and the circumstances of the time. We do, however, know that in the early 20th century a physician practicing in Chicago became the head of a group known as the Contact Commission. This small group was the initial custodian of the Urantia Papers. Its members took an oath never to reveal the identity of the contact personality (the human being through whom the Urantia Papers were transmitted) and never to disclose the details of transmission. In doing this, they sought to prevent future generations from venerating the contact personality, the Contact Commissioners, or both.
When a Paper was received, it was read to the members of the Forum, a group that met at the doctor’s house on Sunday afternoons to discuss books on science, philosophy, and religion. The Papers emerged as answers to questions that members of the Forum asked. “No questions, no Papers,” as the doctor put it.
Thus the members of the Forum became the first readers of the Urantia Papers. They were the first persons who believed that the Urantia Papers constitute the fifth epochal revelation to our planet. They were also the first persons who were committed to the mission of sharing the teachings of The Urantia Book with the peoples of all nations, all races, and all religions.
In the final analysis, the wording stands on its own, for neither facts nor logic can prove that the text is what the authors have proclaimed it to be. The true value of The Urantia Book lies in its contents, not in its origins. Because of the revelatory nature of the text, each reader is entitled to make a personal appraisal, drawing on direct inner experience with the profoundly inspiring ideas, ideals, and insights that the authors have interwoven. (Keeler & Co & Education Committee)
Is The Urantia Book a religion?
Some long-time readers of the book have made it their religion, and some churches use the book in its ministry, but there is no formal religion that calls itself Urantia. The community of readers is actually an interfaith association, which is worldwide. The book itself maintains that true religion is one’s personal relationship with God and discourages creating another “ism.” People from many religions embrace the teachings in the book and still remain in good standing in their denomination, often supporting their traditional faiths through insights gleaned from The Urantia Book.
Is The Urantia Book science fiction?
Many skeptics are dismissive of the book on the grounds that it purports to be a religious text, but others have enjoyed it as a form of science fiction. The opposite is true for many truth-seekers. The "science fiction" aspect comes about from the book's extensive cosmology, coupled with the fact that the listed authors and sponsors of the text's individual Papers hail from planets situated in various parts of creation. They are, however, supernal rather than mortal and material beings, such as are the alien characters in most science fiction literature. While most of the authors are in fact alien to this planet, there is an invisible species (midwayers) who shares this planet with us as their birthplace. They are more properly classified in ordinary terminology as "angels" rather than "aliens". It has not been successfully shown that any of the beings revealed in The Urantia Book are in any way connected with the aliens of UFOlogy. We are told in the book of other material, mortal beings on worlds nearby to earth in the cosmic sense, but there is no indication that they have mastered inter-solar space travel.
Who wrote The Urantia Book?
There is much detailed speculation and conjecture on the origin, organization, and method of reception of the Urantia Papers, but how they actually were obtained constitutes an amazing mystery about which little is truly known or understood.
The authors are listed in the Table of Contents and at the end of each of the 196 Papers (chapters) comprising The Urantia Book. The authors identify themselves as a diverse group of heavenly beings who were commissioned to bring to our world the next in a series of revelations intended to restore to humankind an understanding of the true nature of God, of our origin, history, and destiny, and to provide us with a cosmic perspective of who we are and how we fit into the greater flow of cosmic events.
No human being is listed as author of The Urantia Book. The Urantia Book refers to the authorship as a collaborative effort by many superhuman, celestial beings, all of whom brought to this endeavor individual areas of knowledge and expertise. However, they tell us from the beginning that they were mandated to give priority to any human expressions of truth that represented "the highest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings" as would convey the truth "as they were directed to reveal it" before resorting to their own superior expressions of truth-knowledge. (Foreword:12.11) The various and diverse writings of many human beings were masterfully co-ordinated, enhanced, and improved by the authors responsible for the creation of The Urantia Book. More detailed information can be found on the History page of this website.
It is believed that one human being was utilized as a sort of "sleeping subject" to produce the Urantia teachings, but this person did not want to be known for the phenomenon. Records of the events concerning the origin of the book state that there were six people who knew the identity of this person, but none of them ever revealed the identity. Those who remember some of these events have reported that the authors of The Urantia Book indicated it was best that this person remain anonymous, because the truth and wisdom of the teachings would endure on their own merits without a human personality to authenticate them.
Why should I read The Urantia Book?
The Urantia Book provides a comprehensive overview of the context in which we live our daily lives -- historical, social, personal, intellectual, spiritual, and material. It provides important background information that will deepen, enrich, and strengthen your relationship with God, empower you to prevail in your struggles with the difficulties of daily life, and enable you to participate creatively in the much-needed spiritual transformation of our world.
By integrating science, philosophy, and religion into a coherent world view, The Urantia Book enhances the meanings we derive from our life experience, equipping us to live our lives relative to positive, creative spiritual values in the midst of difficulty, chaos, and uncertainty.
Where can I get The Urantia Book?
The Urantia Book is widely available for purchase or download on the internet and in bookstores worldwide. The Urantia Book has been translated into French, Finnish, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Korean, Lithuanian, Portuguese, German, and Italian, and is distributed in countries where those languages are spoken. The sites listed below link to online versions of The Urantia Book, where you can read instantly or download for later use, as well as audio (MP3 format) versions, which you can listen to immediately or download for later use.
What is the difference between The Urantia Book and the Urantia Papers?
Prior to the 1990s, before the internet's worldwide impact on culture and commerce, "The Urantia Book" referred to a published compilation of the Urantia Papers, the fifth epochal revelation to our planet (Urantia). As a printed book (first published in 1955 with a hard cover), The Urantia Book contains a Table of Contents, the Foreword, all 196 Papers, and an Index. In summary, The Urantia Book refers to the human compilation of the material received as our planet's fifth epochal revelation: the Urantia Papers.
What does the term Urantia mean?
Urantia is simply the cosmological name for our planet Earth. Etymologically defined, Urantia means “our place in the heavens”.
Where did The Urantia Book come from?
Many people have speculated about the origins of The Urantia Book. Information about the specific roles of individuals and about the exact techniques was wisely withheld in order to prevent undue regard for individual human beings and the circumstances of the time. We do, however, know that in the early 20th century a physician practicing in Chicago became the head of a group known as the Contact Commission. This small group was the initial custodian of the Urantia Papers. Its members took an oath never to reveal the identity of the contact personality (the human being through whom the Urantia Papers were transmitted) and never to disclose the details of transmission. In doing this, they sought to prevent future generations from venerating the contact personality, the Contact Commissioners, or both.
When a Paper was received, it was read to the members of the Forum, a group that met at the doctor’s house on Sunday afternoons to discuss books on science, philosophy, and religion. The Papers emerged as answers to questions that members of the Forum asked. “No questions, no Papers,” as the doctor put it.
Thus the members of the Forum became the first readers of the Urantia Papers. They were the first persons who believed that the Urantia Papers constitute the fifth epochal revelation to our planet. They were also the first persons who were committed to the mission of sharing the teachings of The Urantia Book with the peoples of all nations, all races, and all religions.
In the final analysis, the wording stands on its own, for neither facts nor logic can prove that the text is what the authors have proclaimed it to be. The true value of The Urantia Book lies in its contents, not in its origins. Because of the revelatory nature of the text, each reader is entitled to make a personal appraisal, drawing on direct inner experience with the profoundly inspiring ideas, ideals, and insights that the authors have interwoven. (Keeler & Co & Education Committee)
Is The Urantia Book a religion?
Some long-time readers of the book have made it their religion, and some churches use the book in its ministry, but there is no formal religion that calls itself Urantia. The community of readers is actually an interfaith association, which is worldwide. The book itself maintains that true religion is one’s personal relationship with God and discourages creating another “ism.” People from many religions embrace the teachings in the book and still remain in good standing in their denomination, often supporting their traditional faiths through insights gleaned from The Urantia Book.
Is The Urantia Book science fiction?
Many skeptics are dismissive of the book on the grounds that it purports to be a religious text, but others have enjoyed it as a form of science fiction. The opposite is true for many truth-seekers. The "science fiction" aspect comes about from the book's extensive cosmology, coupled with the fact that the listed authors and sponsors of the text's individual Papers hail from planets situated in various parts of creation. They are, however, supernal rather than mortal and material beings, such as are the alien characters in most science fiction literature. While most of the authors are in fact alien to this planet, there is an invisible species (midwayers) who shares this planet with us as their birthplace. They are more properly classified in ordinary terminology as "angels" rather than "aliens". It has not been successfully shown that any of the beings revealed in The Urantia Book are in any way connected with the aliens of UFOlogy. We are told in the book of other material, mortal beings on worlds nearby to earth in the cosmic sense, but there is no indication that they have mastered inter-solar space travel.
Who wrote The Urantia Book?
There is much detailed speculation and conjecture on the origin, organization, and method of reception of the Urantia Papers, but how they actually were obtained constitutes an amazing mystery about which little is truly known or understood.
The authors are listed in the Table of Contents and at the end of each of the 196 Papers (chapters) comprising The Urantia Book. The authors identify themselves as a diverse group of heavenly beings who were commissioned to bring to our world the next in a series of revelations intended to restore to humankind an understanding of the true nature of God, of our origin, history, and destiny, and to provide us with a cosmic perspective of who we are and how we fit into the greater flow of cosmic events.
No human being is listed as author of The Urantia Book. The Urantia Book refers to the authorship as a collaborative effort by many superhuman, celestial beings, all of whom brought to this endeavor individual areas of knowledge and expertise. However, they tell us from the beginning that they were mandated to give priority to any human expressions of truth that represented "the highest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings" as would convey the truth "as they were directed to reveal it" before resorting to their own superior expressions of truth-knowledge. (Foreword:12.11) The various and diverse writings of many human beings were masterfully co-ordinated, enhanced, and improved by the authors responsible for the creation of The Urantia Book. More detailed information can be found on the History page of this website.
It is believed that one human being was utilized as a sort of "sleeping subject" to produce the Urantia teachings, but this person did not want to be known for the phenomenon. Records of the events concerning the origin of the book state that there were six people who knew the identity of this person, but none of them ever revealed the identity. Those who remember some of these events have reported that the authors of The Urantia Book indicated it was best that this person remain anonymous, because the truth and wisdom of the teachings would endure on their own merits without a human personality to authenticate them.
Why should I read The Urantia Book?
The Urantia Book provides a comprehensive overview of the context in which we live our daily lives -- historical, social, personal, intellectual, spiritual, and material. It provides important background information that will deepen, enrich, and strengthen your relationship with God, empower you to prevail in your struggles with the difficulties of daily life, and enable you to participate creatively in the much-needed spiritual transformation of our world.
By integrating science, philosophy, and religion into a coherent world view, The Urantia Book enhances the meanings we derive from our life experience, equipping us to live our lives relative to positive, creative spiritual values in the midst of difficulty, chaos, and uncertainty.
Where can I get The Urantia Book?
The Urantia Book is widely available for purchase or download on the internet and in bookstores worldwide. The Urantia Book has been translated into French, Finnish, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Korean, Lithuanian, Portuguese, German, and Italian, and is distributed in countries where those languages are spoken. The sites listed below link to online versions of The Urantia Book, where you can read instantly or download for later use, as well as audio (MP3 format) versions, which you can listen to immediately or download for later use.
What is the difference between The Urantia Book and the Urantia Papers?
Prior to the 1990s, before the internet's worldwide impact on culture and commerce, "The Urantia Book" referred to a published compilation of the Urantia Papers, the fifth epochal revelation to our planet (Urantia). As a printed book (first published in 1955 with a hard cover), The Urantia Book contains a Table of Contents, the Foreword, all 196 Papers, and an Index. In summary, The Urantia Book refers to the human compilation of the material received as our planet's fifth epochal revelation: the Urantia Papers.