ButtonPusher Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 I came across a book today about the spiritual system explained in the Urantia books. I tend to think that I have a fairly open mind when it comes to spiritual beliefs so I dont want to poke fun at the ideas in the book without knowing more about it. Flicking through the book I noticed passages about tribes of people being around 500 000 years ago.....my expertise is not on ancient civilisations but I thought the earliest modern humans were around 50 000 years ago. Perhaps its symbolic. So anyone know anything about Urantia? There's no mention of who wrote this stuff or how long its been around, only that it was first published around 50 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites
bluechocolate Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 You're on a computer - google it. Link to post Share on other sites
Author ButtonPusher Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 You're on a computer - google it. I did smartass, and found it to be barely more comprehensible than the book I picked up. Thats why I asked here. Link to post Share on other sites
bluechocolate Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I did smartass, and found it to be barely more comprehensible than the book I picked up. Thats why I asked here. Then I suspect you're giving people here far more credit than they deserve. Maybe the bull$h!t level has a direct relationship to the level of incomprehensibility? btw - I've never heard of it, just googled the word & saw plenty of hits. Link to post Share on other sites
lindya Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I couldn't resist googling it. The general initial impression I get (from the little I've read) is that it claims to be the result of an unconscious individual channelling the teachings of various spirits. This was supposed to have occurred at some point in the 1930s (I can't be bothered going back to the bits I googled to provide more specific details ). The fruits of this "channelling" appear to have been put onto paper by some physician and various friends. From my very brief perusal of Google's sources, it seems to be based on the bible - but is presented in a form that is probably more palatable to modern Western thinking. It doesn't advocate a clergy to preach its values (or control its followers), but focuses more on the spiritual development of followers throughout their lifetimes. Avoiding sin is less about avoiding hell, more about developing wisdom, maturity and spirituality - and from what I can glean, followers have some level of autonomy in how they develop their spirituality. The notion of original sin is rejected, and replaced by the view that sin involves conscious rebellion against a kind, loving and merciful God. Atonement for sin comes from recognising this rebellion, and renewing one's sense of loyalty to the deity...thereby promoting spiritual development. Sorry, but I'm finding it impossible to try to describe this without sounding garbled. Those who sin repeatedly are thought to destroy their own identities. True identity emerges from spiritualism and intellectualism combining to create the wise and enlightened persona a follower aspires to being. Kind of a cross between Christianity (in that it talks of a God, and also of Jesus...who the book refers to as "Michael") and Buddhism as far as I can see. It sounds pretty okay as far as I can see. Better than some of the more dogmatic and controlling religions - and the emphasis on intellectual development makes a nice change from the usual "follow the word and avoid thinking for yourself" messages. Maybe someone with more knowledge can contradict/elaborate. Any takers? Link to post Share on other sites
burning 4 revenge Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Flicking through the book I noticed passages about tribes of people being around 500 000 years ago.....my expertise is not on ancient civilisations but I thought the earliest modern humans were around 50 000 years ago. Perhaps its symbolic Recorded history started about 5,000 years ago. The oldest civilizations I'm aware of are the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. Link to post Share on other sites
clawedme Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 If you use Wilkipedia, and search Urantia, it gives a fairly good overview of the book. Nothing can replace reading it. However, its quite a large tome. Some advise starting in Part IV, then III, II, I and then the forward. I sort of jumped around the first few months. I was partiularly interested in the History of Urantia (Urantia being the name of our planet in the cosmos). The fella that showed me his book (the first I'd ever seen), was very knowledgeable. I was so skeptical about such things, that I asked him why he wasn't selling the book in airports. (tee hee) Silly me. Then I read it. And then again. And then I went to a study group and found lots of open minded people that find the book rings true to them too. Its not a religion. Its just a book with worldwide readership. Have a good journey. Claudia. [email protected] Link to post Share on other sites
kitesurfer Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 i haven't read the urantia books, but i know folks who have and are 'knowledgeable". go to www.divine-love.org and inquire there. you WILL get all you questions answered. Link to post Share on other sites
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