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Philosophy & workspace 2 - Spirit functions workspace 2.3 - God and the Individual-workspace 2.4 - Workspace 2.5 - Master spirits - Universe reality third draft - Talk: The Urantia Book/sandbox

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The Urantia Book is a manuscript portraying itself as being written by celestial beings and claims to be a revelation to man from God. The manuscript originated and was published in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. sometime between 1924 and 1955. Its authorship is considered to be a mystery. The manuscript introduces the word "Urantia" as the name of the planet Earth, and hence the name "Urantia Book" has been given to the manuscript. Its topics of discussion include God, science, religion, history, and destiny. It expands on the origin and meaning of life.^1,2,3 It discusses humanity's place in the universe,^1,2,3 discusses the relationship between God and humanity, and presents a detailed biography of Jesus.

The Urantia Foundation first published The Urantia Book in 1955 in English. Translations into numerous languages are available with several new translations in process. In 2001, Urantia Foundation lost the U.S. copyright to the English version in a court decision and it went into the public domain.

Contents 1 Overview 2 The nature of reality 2.1 Implications of the Trinity 2.1.1 The structure of infinite reality 2.2 The seven universes 3 The nature of God 3.1 Spirit, personality, mind, and paradise 3.2 The Supreme Being 3.2.1 Deity and the Supreme Being 3.3 Seven Master Spirits 3.3.1 Relation to Triune Deity 3.3.2 Relation to the seven universes 4 God and the Individual 4.1 The personal spirits of God 4.2 The individual and reality 5 Evolutionary History 6 Destiny 7 Notes and references

[edit] Overview

See also: Revelation (The Urantia Book)

The Urantia Book consists of a forward and four sections which are a compilation of 200 essays. The Foreword is in outline form and is presented as a guide to the terminology used throughout the rest of the book, introducing explanations for concepts and words that are developed in greater detail with later papers. The Urantia Book is written in an expository style of language, and is informational, matter-of-fact, and instructional in tone.

The postulates of The Urantia Book are as follows: One: we have a capacity to know reality; Two: there is a reality to know; Three: we have to want to know about it to find it; Four to find it we have to look for it; Five the purpose of revelation is to help us know reality.

Part I of the Urantia Book is entitled The Central and Superuniverses. It introduces new concepts of the meaning and structure of "reality" and "infinity", and God's relationship to this universe.

Part II is entitled The Local Universe. It expands on Part I and presents narratives on the inhabitants of local universes, and the coordination with God’s plans of creation. Part III is entitled The History of Urantia (earth) and presents the origin, history, purpose and destiny of the earth and of its inhabitants.

Part IV is entitled The Life and Teachings of Jesus. It is written as a biography of Jesus' life. New information is presented that is not found in the Bible. Included are papers about his childhood, teenage years, numerous travels, several preaching tours, miracles, crises, and events that led to his crucifixion, death and resurrection, the Pentecost, and finally, "The Faith of Jesus". Part IV illustrates many of the concepts presented in the first three parts of The Urantia Book through the story of Jesus' life.

While the book includes a stance that anticipates a shared destiny of unity of purpose for everyone, for the present day it purports to integrate the spiritual and truthful common ground of all living world religions, while not being directed at any of them. The key themes of The Urantia Book are an expanded presentation of the trinity, with leads to the interpretation of multiple dimensions of reality, including the personal nature of God's relation to the individual, and a unifying view of human relations.

[edit] The nature of reality

A basic premise is made that there is a "reality" beyond our experience of the universe.^[1] The proposal is then made that this reality is composed of nondeity and deity reality. Deity is defined as the condition or state of being of a supernatural person or force that is responsible for the existence or control of life, or the world or the wide universe.

Further proposed divisions of reality that are made are:

1. Personal and impersonal reality

2. Actual and potential reality. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

3. Existential static forms and experiential evolving forms of reality.

4. Absolute and subabsolute reality. (Absolute reality is also known as "infinite reality" or "infinity").

5. Total infinite reality in its primal source state may be considered as being self-generating: reality is the source of itself. ^[5] Dynamic infinite reality would thus be composed of deity and nondeity, potential and actual.

Starting with the idea of "primordial undifferentiated infinite reality", the "original substance" of reality, the first qualification of undifferentiated reality that could be made is the "source"— the original I AM declaration of existence within primordial reality. ^[6]

The "I Am" differentiation of undifferentiated reality leads to a differentiation of deity and nondeity reality, duality of deity, and "primary" and "secondary" deity. Therefore the qualification "I AM" is the basis for the "father-son" form of deity relationship, the existence of individual reality, and the "relationship" of two individuals.

The primal declaration of the I AM existence thus allows the co-existence of deity personality and nonspiritual reality, paradise. This also allows the coexistence of the central universe, the reflection of paradise reality.

Total infinite reality (infinity) would combine past, present, and future, and consist of actual reality and potential reality. The actual reality sources consist of the first, second, and third deities, which can function as three individuals, or as a unit (known as a trinity). ^[7]

Paradise, is said to be the source of nonpersonal reality: the distinction of paradise out of undifferentiated reality allows universe energy to be distinct from spirit reality. Reality is said to consist of a number of dimensions, with each dimension of reality having a source in one of these four elements: personality, spirit, mind, and energy. Deity that is personal is called "god".

[edit] Implications of the Trinity

A threesome allows for seven options:

1) a

2) b

3) c

4) a+b

5) a+c

6) b+c

7) a+b+c (three as individuals)

Additionally, three can function as a unit [a+b+c] which equals a trinity.

An individual is one plus one equals one; a relationship is one plus one equals two; a group is one plus one plus one equals three.

[edit] The structure of infinite reality

There are seven combinations of actual absolute reality with potential absolute reality that are based in the participation of the first deity. These are called triunities. They provide the basis for more dimensions of infinity. Potential reality consists of potential deity, potential nondeity, and a universal unifier with an equalizer funcion or buffer that interposes between these two opposites. This dynamic relationship sets up the circle of eternity.^[8]

column 1	column 2	dimen 1	dimen 2	dimen 3	dimen 4	dimen 5	dimen 6	dimen 7
actual reality	deity one	X	X 1+2	X	X 1+3	X	X	X
	deity two	X	X 1+2	X 2+3
	deity three	X	X	X 2+3	X 1+3			X
	paradise		X		X
potential reality	deity potential			X			X
	nondeity potential				X	X
	universe potential					X	X	X

1) The first, second, and third deities: personal, growth activating, association relation oriented dimension of infinite reality.

2) The combined first and second deities, with paradise, and the third deity: infinite pattern for power related reality.

3) The first deity, the combined second and third deities, and potential deity reality: infinite evolution of spirit reality.

4) The combined first and third deities, paradise, and potential nondeity reality: the reality of infinite energy.

5) The first deity, the potential of the universal unifier, and the potential of nondeified reality: reactive deity which activates nondeity reality

6) The first deity, potential deity reality, and the potential universe unifier.

7) The first deity, the third deity, and the universal unifier: the reality of infinite unity.

X 1+2 = a dual relationship between the first and second deity acting as one elementary unit.

X 2+3 = a dual relationship between the second and third deity acting as one elementary unit.

X 1+3 = a dual relationship between the first and third deity acting as one elementary unit.

From the diagram above the structure of human conscious experiential reaity can be derived. Dimension 5 would allow for deity activation of nondeity potential by reactive deity within the universe potential. This dimension would place human consciousness in the pre-reality pre-deity zone. Spirit contact with the human mind and soul within dimension 6 would allow for the evolution of transhuman pre-reality pre-deity. Combining dimensions 5 and 6 would allow for the occurance of the Supreme Being within dimension 3; an actual spirit deity reality that gradually comes into being.

[edit] The seven universes

See also: Science

See also: Portal:Astronomy

Universe structure

The universe is composed of seven outer superuniverses that revolve around Paradise, which is found at the center. In between Paradise and the superuniverses is another system of planets that also circle Paradise, known as the inner central universe. There are many complex relationships that are describecd in the Urantia Book about these universe systems. ^[9]

The visualization of the cosmos presented from the center outward is:

• Paradise — "the most gigantic organized body of cosmic reality in all the master universe."
• The spheres of paradise — 21 enormous worlds, 3 circuits of 7 worlds each. These circle paradise within the margin of space between the central universe and paradise.
• The central universe — one billion (1,000,000,000) perfect worlds across seven circuits, with "upwards of thirty-five million worlds" in the first or inner circuit, "over two hundred and forty-five million worlds" in the seventh or "outermost" circuit, and "proportional numbers" of worlds in the intervening circuits.
• The seven superuniverses exist beyond the central universe, swing around the central universe and have an approximate diameter of 400,000 - 500,000 light-years. These contain the evolutionary worlds of time and space. The seven superuniverses are then immediately surrounded by another midspace zone "which varies in width but averages 400,000 light-years". One of the stated purposes of the cosmos is to provide worlds where intelligent life may be created or evolved from primitive life. Each of the seven superuniverses, when fully developed, would have approximately one trillion inhabited worlds. Each divisional level has "architectural worlds", including a headquarters sphere, which are worlds made to order and are independently lighted and heated for the celestial and other life of those spheres. They are created to be administrative and educational worlds and are said to be at the approximate, and sometimes exact, gravity center of their regions of inhabited worlds and physical systems.

[edit] The nature of God

See also: God

See also: Jesus

Inherent in the idea of "god" is a personal being who is the source of a universe with life, pure love, virtue, justice, freedom, and absolute power and authority.

The Urantia Book portrays god as a personal deity who is spirit and personality, and the source of spirit and personality. ^[10] Because of the absolute and perfect nature of these personal qualities, God is difficult for finite humans to discern, and therefore appears to be a "mystery". God is said to be a deity with a kind, compassionate, merciful and loving personal nature. Due to these inherent qualities, The Urantia Book states that it is unnecessary to try to induce the favor of deity towards humans.

The Urantia Book portrays deity as actively involved in creating and upholding reality. The central deities exist we are told, in the form of a trinity of three spirit persons who are co-equal and united, and are considered to be "existential" in nature, meaning that those persons have an absolute existence from the eternal past into the eternal future.

A dimension of deity is described as "experiential" — a phase of deity that is evolving, incomplete and in the process of actualizing. This evolving phase of deity is called the "the Supreme Being" in The Urantia Book. It is given some attention and is said to be important to the destiny of the human race. It has a purpose of unifying the "finite evolutionary universes of space and time and infinite reality".

Many types of celestial beings are described in The Urantia Book. The "Creator Sons" are a species of created spirit personalities of the paradise trinity who have an origin, but no end of lifespan. The Urantia Book identifies Jesus of Nazareth as a "Creator Son" who incarnated on earth and whose life and teachings are portrayed as the fullest revelation of the personality and attitude of god ever given to humanity. The purpose of Jesus' earth mission was to complete the last of a series of incarnations that led to establishing his sovereignty in our local universe.

[edit] Spirit, personality, mind, and paradise

Paradise is differentiated from primal undifferentiated reality as a nonpersonal nonspiritual nonmaterial reality. It is the place of origin, the center for function, and the destiny of all forms of spiritual, mind, personality and energy existences. It is the residence of deity. It is the source of energy-matter in the universe. It is neither a force or a presence in space or time. ^[11]

• paradise deity presence^[12] consists of spheres of spirit light from which occurs the flow of life

-

• the first deity source is a sphere of light enveloped by the second deity source, both of which are enveloped by the third deity source

• all three appear in the central portion of paradise as a sphere of shining light ^[13][14]

-

• there is no time, space, or motion in paradise

• spirit communication consists of "speech" that is created by thought, sounds like music, is accompanied by light patterns, is composed like melodies, and has mental pictures like movies. These forms of communication are related to universe history, personal history, and spiritual government and administration. ^[15]

[edit] The Supreme Being

This is a level of personal finite experiential evolutionary deity reality that has origin in the material universes of time and space. The Supreme Being is a combined identity of the subabsolute Creator and the finite human creature. Through the evolution process the Supreme Being experiences the acheivement of deity unity. This hypothesized potential reality would allow deity to occur as a dual presence: existential and experiential, and further involve the transfer of deity from the existential dimension to the experiential evolutionary dimension.

In the central universe the Supreme Being is a reflection of the paradiese deity through an associative relationship. (This phase of the Supreme Being is called "God the Supreme)". In the universes of space and time the actualizing phase of the Supreme Being is called the "Almighty Supreme". The combination of these two phases is known as the Supreme Being.

The Supreme Being is not a creator, but is a co-ordinator of all Creator-creature universe activities. The Supreme Being will be the eternal fusion of finite and infinite universe reality.^[16] This involves "an ascending mobilization and perfecting unification" of all phases and values of finite reality, in association with varied phases of paradise reality. The purpose is anticipated to embark on an attempt to reach reality levels of deity that transcend space and time.

The compensation mechanism for the finite humans to reach trans-supreme reality levels is through the path of "God the Sevenfold". ^[17]

[edit] Deity and the Supreme Being

Deity exists existentially as the deity of paradise. To escape the limitations of absolute perfection and reality is the purpose of finite, experiential and evolutionary deity, which is called the Supreme Being.^[18] The finite level of universe reality is the level of the universes of time, space, matter and energy. The Supreme level of universe reality permits the finite understanding of Trinity unification. ^[19]

The I AM is a postulate for the finite mind to understand infinite deity. ^[20] There never was an origin before the other two deities or other absolute realities. Time and space creatures must have origins, relativities, and destinies in order to grasp universe relationships and to understand the meaning values of divinity.^[21]

• Relationship forms of "I AM":

I. Unity relationships II. Duality relationships III. Triunity relationships

The origin of the Supreme Being is the paradise trinity, which gives the spirit personality to the Supreme Being, in the central universe. The Supreme Being has two phases: God the Supreme, which reflects the paradise trinity (this accounts for the spirit reflectivity system for coordination throughout the grand finite universe) and the Almighty Supreme, which is the actualizing deity of the finite universe level. The growth of the Supreme Being is related to the triodities. The joint operation of the two phases of the Supreme Being is managed through the 3rd deity source. The power actualizing function of the Almight Supreme is related to God the Sevenfold. ^[22] The trinity acts as a continual creator process. However, as the Almighty Supreme develops, the central universe center and the trinity process diminishes, as the grand universe becomes the center for the completing Supreme Being. ^[23] The central universe acts as the pattern for the grand universe wide age of light.

The Supreme Beings seems to have new capacities for ministry that aren't evident in existential deity. As the Supreme Being develops, it becomes less dependent on the 2nd and third paradise deities in combination with paradise (actual absolute reality), and increasingly dependent on developments within the three absolute potentials of infinity. ^[24]

While the Supreme Being escapes the limitations of absolute existential reality, he is committed to the limitations of time, partial and incomplete existences, growth through expreience, and relative reality.

The Supreme Being cannot be fully appreciated without taking into consideration source, function, and destiny: relationship to the originating trinity, the universe of activity, and the Trinity Ultimate of immediate destiny (which accounts for transcendant reality in the central universe). p. 1267

God the Supreme derives his spirit and personality attributes from the paradise trinity, buthe is power actualizing in the doings of the Creator Sons, the Ancients of Days, and the Master Spirits, whose collective acts are the source of his growing power as almighty sovereign to and in the seven superuniverses. Experiential deity is a new universe reality. p. 1270

[edit] Seven Master Spirits

[edit] Relation to Triune Deity

The seven master spirits are the expression of sevenfold deity on subabsolute levels.^[25] The seven master spirits are personality endowed.^[26] The seven master spirits singly and collectively represent any and all the possible seven functions of the infinite pardise deities individually, but not collective as a trinity. The seventh master spirit is personally nonfunctinal with regard to the paradise trinity, and that is why he can function personally for the supreme being.^[27]

When the seven master universe spirits vacate their individual seats of personal power and authority and assemble about the third infinite paradise deity spirit, at that time they collectively represent the functional power, wisdom, and authority of undivided deity (called a trinity) to the seven master universes. While they are associaated with the three individual infinite paradise deity spirits, there [seems to be] no connection to the absolutes.^[28]

"The seven master universe spirits are collectively endowed with the supreme and ultimate attributes of the third infinite paradise deity spirit. While each master universe spirit partakes of this endowment, only collectively do they disclose the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. No one of them can so function universally; as individuals and in the exercise of these powers of supremacy and ultimacy each is personally limited to the master universe of their assigned supervision".^[29]

These master spirits are the offspring of the third infinite paradise deity spirit. Master spirit one manifests the qualities of the power, love, and wisdom of the first infinite paradise deity. Master spirit two manifests the personality nature and charm of the second infinite paradise deity. Master spirit three resembles the third infinite paradise deity, and directs the work and movement of many universe spirits. Master spirit four portrays the combined qualities of the first and second infinite paradise deity spirits. Master spirit five portrays the qualities of the first and third infinite paradise deity spirits. Master spirit six portrays the qualities of the second and third infinite paradise deity spirits. Master spirit seven portrays the qualities of all three paradise deities combined as individuals. ^[30]

[edit] Relation to the seven universes

The seventh master spirit is the source of the personal and spiritual nature of the supreme being. When the seven master spirits unite together, they represent the paradise trinity in a functional sense, but not in a personal sense.^[31] The seventh master spirit portrays the personal natures of the first, second, and third paradise deities; the personal attitude of the supreme being; the deity attitude of the paradise trinity; and the attitudes of the ultimate and supreem-ultimate dimensions of deity in the master universes.

The inability of human beings who are ascending to paradise to find the supreme being is compensated by the seventh master spirit. He functions in the place of the supreme being in the matter of personal relationships.

The goal of personality existence is spiritual. Much of the reality of the universes that humans will live in consists of a semi-material-semi-spiritual trans-human state of reality, which is nonexistent on a "human origin planet" such as earth. It is in the transitional phases of the universe where the seven master spirits make their main contribution to the human ascension enterprise.^[32] Further, the seven master spirits help post-human beings to understand the "ultimate" level of reality (transcending space and time which occures in the central universe level of experience but not attaining absolute paradise levels of realtiy). It is necessary for the ulitmate level of understanding of the trinity to be acheived before a trans-human can approach the individual deities on the paradise level of reality.

[edit] God and the Individual

Main article: Religion

Human experiential reality^[33] differentiates into:

   a) spirit
   b) energy-matter and body (gravity comes from paradise)
   c) personality
   d) mind
   e) the potential soul apparatus and the potential of a transhuman environment 
      (semi-material-semi-spiritual) 

3) personal deity = "god"

The desire to find God, know God, and become like Him is the central quest of life for each person.

• The spirit of God is sent out to live in the human mind and develop the soul.

These spirit fragments are self-aware self contained units, each with capacities for thinking and planning, working and acting, communicating, and loving, and each having an individualized plan of the ideal life for the particular human they indwell. Through the act of an individual's will, in cooperation with the action of the spirit fragment within the individual mind, a unique new universe reality called the soul is created. The soul is the potential future life form and expanded form of consciousness that survives death. The major goal of human existence is to attune to the presence of the indwelling spirit fragment of God, which is attempting to stimulate the growth of the soul.

• The admonition to become perfect as God is perfect brings about a relationship between good and evil.

Humans must have exposure to potential evil (imperfection) to be able to perceive good and evil, and compare the difference between good and evil in their life experience, inorder to stimulate the urge for perfection (good). To the extent that a person consents with their free will to want to find God, the spirit fragment constantly leads the person toward more mature, spiritualized thinking. Also, these fragments will duplicate the spirit counterparts of human thought, that become the basis for the structural formation of the soul, to carry on in the next life. Faith is necessary: because of the nature of God: infinite, absolute, spirit. God is here but we can't perceive him in the mortal state. The position of The Urantia Book towards religion is reliance on faith alone over scientific or philosophical reasoning, neither of which will ever be able to prove or disprove the existence of God.

• Jesus discussed the topic of good and evil with the leader of the Cynics in Rome and made the following points: good and evil are just words that symbolize human comprehension of the observable universe. The indifferent can use the current social standards in philosophy and religion. The soul which is alive must make a living choice between good and evil as they are determined by the true values of the spiritual standards established by the personal spirit of God. Goodness, like truth, is relative and in contrast with evil. It is the perception of these qualities of goodness and truth that enables the human souls to make these personal decisions of choice which are essential to eternal life.

The spiritually blind individual who follows scientific, philosophic, and religious dogma are in danger of loosing moral and spiritual freedom. This destins a soul to become an intellectual parrot of dogma.

Goodness is always growing toward new levels of the increasing liberty of moral self-realization and and spiritual personality attainment—the discovery of and identification with the personal spirit of God.

An experience is good when it heightens the appreciation of beauty, strenghtens the moral will, enhances the discerment of truth, enlarges the capacity to love and serve other humans in the domains of goodness, beauty, and truth, exhalts spiritual ideals, and unifies the supreme human motives of time with the eternal plans of the personal spirit of God. All of these lead to an increased desire to do the will of God as it manifests in the personal spirit of God. All this fosters the passion to find God and be more like him. ^[34]

• Evil is a concept of relativity

It arises out of the observation of the imperfections which appear in the shadow cast by a finite universe of things and beings in time—such a world obscures the living light of the universal expression of the eternal realities of the Infinite One.

Potential evil is inherent in the necessary incompleteness of the revelation of God as a time space limited expression of infinity and eternity. The fact of the partial in the presence of the complete constitues reativity of reality, creates necessity for intellectual choosing and extablishes value levels of spirit recognition and response. The incomplete concept in human minds is potential evil. The additional error of unjustified deficiency in reasonable spiritual adjustment of these distortions and discordant perceptions and conceptions of the mind is equivalent to the reallization of actual evil. ^[35]

Faith is necessary to become conscious of God's presence in human experience, as it occurs through individual interaction with the spirit fragment of God. There is a paradox to the reality of God's existing both as a spirit fragment that lives in the human mind which can be personally experienced, and God as a transcendant being that is beyond human understanding. Through the practice of learning how to follow the inner leadings of the living spirit fragment of God — an individual "chooses God's will" — and the individual progresses to greater God consciousness and spiritual growth. God-consciousness consists of three levels of "reality realization" (i.e., making reality real): 1) mind consciousness — the idea of God; 2) soul consciousness — the ideal of God; 3) spirit conscisousness — the realization of the spirit reality of God.^[36]

Human conscious experience may be understood as being composed of spirit, mind, and personality. These three elements are intuitively understood to be real. ^[37] The unification of these three realities is further intuitively understood to be valid, and to be part of God-consciousness. The unification of these elements can even further be related to the development of the human soul.^[38]

The soul becomes a son of the universe father and the child of the Supreme Being, our universe mother. The father-mother qualities of the soul develop in a dynamic way as the soul acheives progressive levels of universe reality. ^[39]

The act of a human's choosing to do the will of God is a cosmic value and has a universe meaning which is immediately reacted to by some unrevealed force of co-ordination, probably the functioning of the ever enlarging action of the Supreme Being. ^[40] When a human decides and acts, we experience, and the meanings and values of the experience are forever a part of our eternal character on all levels, from the finite to the final. From an infinity point of view, everything in the "future" already exists, it just hasn't been revealed in time and space. Existentially the I AM is unattainable. Experientially the I AM is attainable. This is the paradox of the reality of the infinte I AM and the finte I AM.^[41]

The Supreme Creators of paradise seem to act to register the meanings, facts, and values of evolutionary experience in the Supreme Being. The 7 mind spirits, Spirit of Truth, and Holy Spirit register human experience with the Supreme Being. The experience of man and the Spirit fragment register with the Supreme Being. The consequences of human experience remain part of the living Supreme Being. Thus, our experience creates a living echo in the Supreme Being. What humans take with them as a personality possession are the character consequences of the experience of having used the mind and spirit circuits of the grand universe in the paradise ascent.

The Supreme Being will eventually compensate finte creatures for their inability ever to achieve more than limited experience contact with the universe of universes. All creature experience registers in and is a part of the Supreme Being; when the Supreme Being is complete, then we will have contact with total experience. ^[42]

The Supreme Being is experiential; therefore he is entirely experiencible. The existential realityies of the seven absolutes of infinity are not perceivable by the technique of experience; only by the personality realities of the Father, Son, and Infinite Spirit can be grasped by the personality of the finite creature in the prayer-worship attitude.^[43]

Within the completed power-personality synthesis of the Supreme Being there will be associated all of the absoluteness of the several triodities which could be so associated (7 out of 15), and this majestic personality of evolution will be experientially attainable by all finite personalities. When post humans attain the postulated seventh stage of spirit existence, they will therein experience the realization of a new meaning-value of the absoluteness and infinity of the triodities as such is revealed on subabsolute levels in the Supreme Being, who is experiencable. But the attainment of these stages of maximum development will probably have to await the co-ordination settling of the entire grand universe in light and life.^[44]

A declaration is made in the manuscript that there is a "reality sensing and responding dimension" inherent in personality. The religious dimension is said to be a unique dimension of human being, beyond the dimension of the scientific and philosophic/psychological dimensions of being.

Religion is said to be the individual experience and contact with infinite reality in the consciousness of a normal human being. It is the spirit in contact with the ideas, ideals, insights into reality, and spirit strivings: striving to improve the partial perfect and imperfect individual qualities. Religious experience bestows reality to the human created ideals. The spirit confirming to the individual soul that one is a spirtual child of God. ^[45] This is the means of breaking the bonds of material status in this material level, the limitations of partial temporary existence[into an expanded enduring existence]. ^[46]

[edit] The personal spirits of God

Are concerned with our daily lives, our health, happiness, and true prosperity, just to the extent that these are influential in the determination of our significant choices and vital spiritual decisions, our soul survival, and our evolutionary spiritual progress.

The have model careers for us, worked out on Divinington. These are presented to us, but it is up to us to accept or reject them. We authorize their proposed mind adjustments and spiritual compositions.

They are thought recorders and spirit reproducers for the transhuman mind, activity directing, mind framework directing, and image producers, and impulse producers. They imrove, modify, adjust, and co-ordinate our thinking processes. They build up spiritual counterparts of our careers, transhuman transcripts and life scripts, of our real selves, for the future transhuman life. Hence, they are called by the name "spiritual thought adjusters".^[47] They are always in contact with the spirit beings directing the universes, and constantly striving to communicate with us, through our minds. ^[48]

[edit] The individual and reality

If the assumption can be made that there is a reality to know, the assumption can also be made that an individual has a capacity, whether used or not, to discern and know reality. There would then be a dimension of "nonreality and reality". The manuscript presents that this is the case. Nonreality would have the form of being divorced from the true relationship of the not present past and future. Reality would have the form of a coordinated relationship of the past, present, and future, in a progressive expansion. Infinity reality would be a unified past, present, and future.

Finite freedom of the will exists as a universe reality. There is a range of options. Errors, awareness of errors and action that maintains error, the intentional defiance of the rectification of error, and the rebellion against dharma, cosmic morality: trying to force the persistence of individual liberty without proper cosmic morality.^[49]

[edit] Evolutionary History

See also: Universe

The origin of our planet is said to have begun 875 billion years ago when specialized space beings initiated a nebulae within the sector of the universe which we now inhabit. The nebulae underwent development, creating numerous suns: our sun was formed 6 billion years ago. Our solar system was formed out of the sun 4.5 billion years ago. A passing star system exerted gravitaional force on the sun, pulling a column of gases out into space. This is said to have become the solar system of which our earth is a part.

2 billion years ago, a primitive atmosphere was forming due to the heated interior, and the cooling crust of our earth. There was an age of volcanic activity. As the surface continued to cool, a period of constant rain developed, that combined with the heated surface of the earth, formed a planet of steam.

800 million years ago a landmass appeared, which eventually broke up into the continents we currently have. Further cooling and moisture eventually led to the formation of a planet-wide ocean.^[50]

Meanwhile, the spiritual administrators on the [inhabited system capital] received a favorable report of our primitive planet from a scouting party, and gave approval for our planet to become one of the "life experiment planets". This gave permission to the celestial beings designated for the role of life implementation to try new forms of biochemical life to implant on our planet when it was suitable.

550 million years ago primitive marine life forms were implanted at three locations: one in the Asia-Africa region, one in the Australia region, and one in the American region. From early marine organisms emerged multicellular plants and animals. There is a complex evolutionary process described in the Urantia Book, that takes place up until the appearance of the immediate ancestors of mankind, about one million years ago.^[51]

[edit] Destiny

The Urantia Book teaches that an ideal plan exists for the social evolution of a planet. While slow progression is the normal pace, there can be periods of rapid improvement and the also the possibility of regression. There are seven stages of development, each introduced and nurtured by a celestial being. At the end is supposed to be a worldwide age of spiritual enlightenment.

Stage one First is the age of primitive man. Here mankind chiefly engages in survival pursuits such as hunting and gathering, is pugnacious and brutal, and has only rudimentary fear-based superstitions as a religious reaction to life.

Stage two With the arrival of the first celestial mission, higher religious understanding is attained. This is when government appears on a planet, and tribes begin to advance in increased organization into a "high state of civilization". The average length of time for this period is 500,000 years. A major part of the mission is the teaching of religious revelation to the humans living on the planet, which contributes to the development of higher social achievements. Agricultural activity and the domestication of animals is fostered.

Stage three The chief mission of the third celestial mission is the biological improvement of the races of mankind through reproductive means. Racial blending is fostered, and socially, internationalism becomes widespread, nationalism receeds, and there develops the "brotherhood of mankind". "Great ethical advancement characterizes this era. World-wide peace-the cessation of race conflict and national animosity

Stage four When the population of an inhabited world has progressed to the point that the different races have blended and are biologically fit, the "brotherhood of man" is flourishing, and the nations of the earth are learning to live together in peace and tranquility, the fourth celestial mission is approaching readiness. This era extends the horizon of revealed religion and truth, to portray the functioning of the societies of the inhabited local system and its tributaries.

With the visit of the fourth stage celestial visitors, economic liberation of the planet often will occur: the daily work that is required to sustain each individual's independence is said to require just 2 1/2 hours of work a day. People of this age use much of their time in self- improvement and in advancement of the planet. Political government and social administration have advanced to a high level of efficiency. During the closing phases of the fourth stage, society begins to return to more simplified, natural ways of living. There is a flowering of art, music, and higher learning.

Stage five Towards the end of this fourth stage, a religious awakening is said to occur, that brings in an age of world-wide spiritual enlightenment. The next higher order of celestial being then arrives. This is the beginning of the 5th stage of social evolution. This era needs to have acheived a certain level of educational culture for this age to occur. The "passion" of human living in this evolutionary stage is said to be "the penetration of cosmic reality and communion with spiritual reality".

Stage six The 6th stage of social evolution receives celestial visitors that have origin with the trinity of paradise. This mission is the trinity's addition to the preceeding efforts of all the divine personalities who have contributed to the development of an inhabited world. The revelation of truth in now extended to the central universe and to paradise. An entirely new order of society has arrived, which is very spiritual.

In the sixth stage it becomes possible to put the golden rule into practicle operation. The teachiings of Jesus are really applicable to a mortal world which has had the preliminary training of the prebestowal Sons with their dispensatons of character enoblement and culture augmentation.

(It is noted that the physical administration of a world during this age requires about 1 hour a day on the part of every adult individual). Natural death becomes less frequent, as there is more bypassing of death through spirit fusion. The end of this stage leads into the "age of Light and Life".

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