The Urantia Book

[Brother Michael Sky]

It's only too true that the more you strech your mind to consume the deep and multi-leveled understandings contained within the Urantia papers, the more of it opens upto you.

I'm sure there are those on this board who figure my mind to be all stretched out of shape....

But i recognize the truth of your words and use the same concept for all I read.... it is a facet of UNDERSTANDING, not necessarily applicable strictly to spiritual texts..... leaps occur at every addition to the mind....

a true work of God ......."the alien bible, book of turths".

you're stepping all over them words i was talking about.....

[Tsukino_Rei]

Thank you for the links, Michael. It's exceedingly helpful to be pointed at somewhere to start given the bulk of information!

[Michael...]

Thank you for the links, Michael. It's exceedingly helpful to be pointed at somewhere to start given the bulk of information!

Good fortune on your journey. The Urantia book is a banquet, and in this world were we are taught there is no such thing as a "free meal", to be careful of every step foward in only logical. As I've said I knew (researched) very old documents before ever opening the Urantia book. I looked into many topics and ancient relgions so much so that I had an impressive mental "model" of what happened and was happening. The fact that the urantia papers not only matched my mental model of what was, is, and is to come, but then filled in questions I had not even asked yet, was the real way I knew that it is real. I wouldn't have trusted it otherwise. And sometimes I still have to ask myself "how can this be?", but then I have to realize our creator is a loving one that will do all that he can to suport the children of the universe from falling into confusion and darkness.

[Rev. Richard]

I was introduced to the Urantia papers many years ago. However I didn't believe that a true work of God should be "owned" even if it was only by "copywrite" laws. In 2003 that copywrite was taken away from the "Urantia Foundation" by a court of law suit by the "Michael Foundation". Since that time the book has been "freed" of ownership and given, to who it belongs, to the people of the world..

Since that time the upswing of the Urantia book has been gainning, no doubt due to its unassocitive nature with any single group. This is not without its drawbacks. A couple "crazy cults" have formed around the Urantia book. Namely "Gabriel of Urantia" and others, but this is nothing new. If we were to compair "crazy cults" the bible still comes in the easy winner. LOL!!!

It's only too true that the more you strech your mind to consume the deep and multi-leveled understandings contained within the Urantia papers, the more of it opens upto you.

Some people really enjoy reading. However I find more understanding to be gained by listening to the free Urantia Book downloads. Since the libiration of the Urantia book in 2003, more then a single group has posted the entire Urantia book on line for free download.

Below are two free download resources for the Urantia book audio mp3. It's my personally favorite way to fly.

http://urantiabook.org/audio/uversa_press_dvd/toc_p1.html

http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=659

Below are resources for free online copies of the Urantia book both in text and mp3 audio book.

http://www.theoquest.com/ubcenter/?fa=toc

http://www.urantia.org/en/urantia-book/read

I always try to drone in with the fact that the "Urantia Book" isn't a book but a set of papers, so this fact doesn't require reading from front to back. I found it best of find a place in the set of papers that you have personal ties too for the start of your personal introduction to "the alien bible, book of turths".

I'm someone who enjoys listening to it as a "book on tape." I found The Urantia Book to be informative. In listening to it, I was overwhelmed to find such complex information put in simplified form so even I could understand what is "seen and unseen" at a deeper level. While listening to them, I felt as if the heavens were saying, "you seek truth, here is truth." I'd highly recommend everyone look into the papers, with an open mind. My personal beliefs took different directions, but more of an expanded view vs. limited. I wasn't at all shocked into different directions of thought as much as it felt as if I was being comforted through the expanded directions.

[mj606]

I'm someone who enjoys listening to it as a "book on tape." I found The Urantia Book to be informative. In listening to it, I was overwhelmed to find such complex information put in simplified form so even I could understand what is "seen and unseen" at a deeper level. While listening to them, I felt as if the heavens were saying, "you seek truth, here is truth." I'd highly recommend everyone look into the papers, with an open mind. My personal beliefs took different directions, but more of an expanded view vs. limited. I wasn't at all shocked into different directions of thought as much as it felt as if I was being comforted through the expanded directions.

Nice thread, and it is refreshing to see a group of open-minded people...

Just FYI, regarding the unusual words and concepts in The Urantia Book, here's a link that will help you to better understand their derivations:

http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=631

The Truthbook.com site is all about The Urantia Book, with a decided emphasis on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in Part IV of the book. But you'll find just about anything you might want to know there, including a "listen" option, and also many fine flash movies, audio selections and topical studies.

mj

[Brother Michael Sky]

thanks mj606..... i appreciate that link !

Edited April 22, 2010 by Brother Michael Sky

[Vortex]

Has anyone read the Urantia Book?

There's a lot of good discussion about the ancient texts that go on here, I was wondering if anyone would like to discuss thoughts they may have about this book, printed approx. 1955.

I purchased the book and completed reading all 2,097 pages of it on September 1997. It took several months; lots pf patience, and lots to absorb if you take notes as I did. The entire book is impressively written and organized. Reading it, one gets a sense that the material was transmitted from somewhere else indeed. From the beginning, I found it iteresting that no one knows who actually wrote it. No name claimed authorship to it. A good portion relates to the uiverse, history of the planet, states names, and explains certain powers and spiritual forces at work, and speaks of God and Consciousness. About 1/3 of the book (towards the end) is dedicated to the life and mission of Jesus Christ. Of particualr interest how certain external spirit forces served and assisted Jesus in generating the miracles attributed to him, such as when thousands were fed. The converstaion he had with his disciples, teaching them, and how he encouraged them to think and discuss issues among them, captures your attention. You can isualize it all happening in your mind's eye. I plan to read the entire material once again soon. Like any other spiritual work, I feel there are many sections that are difficult to comprehend and meant to open up to your consiousness with maturity in spiritual knowledge and experience.

[Brother Michael Sky]

hey Vortex, try checking out the truthbook wesite linked on the last page... you may enjoy it..

[Vortex]

Brother Michael Sky,

I know of the website you suggest above. Was there anything in particular you wanted me to check out for discussion purposes?

There is also "The Urantia Book Fellowship": http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=13

Also: "The Urantia Book online: http://urantiabook.org/newbook/papers/index.html , and various other sources.

[Brother Michael Sky]

Brother Michael Sky,

I know of the website you suggest above. Was there anything in particular you wanted me to check out for discussion purposes?

There is also "The Urantia Book Fellowship": http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=13

Also: "The Urantia Book online: http://urantiabook.org/newbook/papers/index.html , and various other sources.

um, yeah...... the origin of the Urantia Book...... no biggie.....

It's not that no one knows who wrote it, it was a series of questions asked a man who would go into a trance ( like the late Edgar Cayce ). This man swore he was a Great Messenger.

and actually it's more complicated... they could never catch him writing... the pages seemed to appear... the fellow relating the story mentions a pencil moving of it's own volition...( and i didn't really wanna have to say that.. ) ...it was compiled after years of questions chosen by a " forum " of folks who met together. and the fellow who went into the trance swore all the members to secrecy, even the man who commissioned the last of the papers... He didn't want to ruin his privacy. The group chose to publish the material because they saw value in it. It cost money to print.

you can answer pretty much whatever you'd like to know about the book there....

Edited May 22, 2010 by Brother Michael Sky

[Brother Michael Sky]

thats the official story anyway... I've always taken the book at face value and really could care less about anyone's story about it... a work like this is bound to draw a little mysticism out of the air....

[mj606]

Hi Vortex and Brother Michael...

Just FYI - Here's another interesting site, which will help you in understanding how The Urantia Book came to be: http://www.ubhistory.org/

And these links http://www.ubhistory.org/Documents/HB19971114_MichaelsK_26.pdf and

http://www.ubhistory.org/Documents/HH1939YYYY_RowleyM_86.pdf

are just a couple that give more in-depth looks at timelines and such, and have quite a bit in them about the "sleeping subject." This man was a patient of Dr Sadler. The man's wife was very concerned over his nighttime sessions of talking in his sleep and brought him to see the doctor. Dr Sadler began seeing him professionally, and wrote about him in the preface to his book "The Mind at Mischief," in which he says, in part: "A thorough study of this case has convinced me that it is not one of ordinary trance. While the sleep seems to be quite of a natural order, it is very profound, and so far we have never been able to awaken the subject when in this state; but the body is never rigid, and the heart action is never modified, tho respiration is sometimes markedly interfered with. This man is utterly unconscious, wholly oblivious to what takes place, and, unless told about it subsequently, never knows that he has been used as a sort of clearing house for the coming and going of alleged extra-planetary personalities."

Dr Sadler subsequently became the head of the "Contact Commission," who interfaced with the celestial revelators. Dr Sadler was a man whose passion was to debunk "mediums" and expose all forms of "spiritism" which was all the rage in those days. His assessment of the sleeping subject was to finally conclude that this was a case that was not easily explained or understood, and he eventually became convinced of the authenticity of the source of the man's transmissions.

This man's name has never been revealed, although many have tried over the years to identify him. I think that all of the people involved with him have long since died. These transmissions began in the early 20th century and continued into the 30s. The secrecy surrounding his identity was deliberate, as the revelators knew that having his name known would act as a diversion from the content of the revelation. They do tell us that the technique by which the Papers were delivered was a process that had never been used before and will never be used again. It does not fall into any of the categories that we know, such as channeling, automatic writing, etc...the subject himself was never aware of what he was saying, and expressed little interest in the content of the transmissions. Incidentally, Part IV of The Urantia Book - The Life and Teachings of Jesus - was the only part of the book that arrived complete and entire - it was not delivered in the same way as the first three parts.

You can search the UB History site for even more info, if you have a mind to do so...a search for "mind at mischief" will give you a complete quote of Dr Sadler's observation of the sleeping subject.

While it is a fascinating story, in the end, as Brother Michael observes, one would be better served to take the book at face value and judge it on its content rather than its origins.

Best Wishes...

[Vortex]

Hello Brother Michael Sky & mj606

I agree that taking the Urantia Book at face value has merit. The contents of the book speak for itself. Aside of its merits, the issue of authorship makes for good conversation. Brother Michael, you mention Edgar Cayce, whose work I am very well acquainted with. I was a member of the A.R.E. ten years, between 1970's & 1980s. In the 1960's, E.C.s work was my first intensive study on alternative medicaine. I also took the course study on "Dream Interpretation" based on E.C.s method under Dr. Herbert Puryear of the A/R.E., for which I received certification after having completed a 1,000 dream interpretions over a period of several years. The problem faced when comparing Cayce's trance with that of an "unknown" author for the Urantia Book, is that we know who Cayce was, and nothing about the man who authored Urantia. For all we know, the author of Urantia may even have been someone genetically cloned by alien visitors among us.

Now here's something to think about. Why secrecy by the Urantia author when Edage Cayce and the apparent author of the Urantia book were living during the same period? Edgar C. was out in the open, why not the author of Urantia?

Now regarding Dr, Sadler..."Dr Sadler subsequently became the head of the "Contact Commission," who interfaced with the celestial revelators." I find some contraictions with this statement for the following reasons: Sadler was a post-graduate of Medical School in Chicago, became a psychiatrist at Columbia Hospital, was for over twenty-five years professor and chairman of the department of pastoral psychology at McCormick Theological Seminary; and wrote more than "42 books" and numerous magazine articles, he authored such works as: Theory and Practice of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Nursing, The Mind at Mischief, Growing Out of Babyhood, Piloting Modern Youth, and The Quest for Happiness. Can you imagine the volume of work and research that goes into writing 42 books related to his work. Together with his full time clinical work, membership in the AMA, etc., I would imagine him to be a person who sees psychic phenomena as clinical aberrations and abnormalities of the brain.

Quote: "Sadler was a well-known skeptic of psychic phenomena and devoted a substantial amount of his time to exposing the proponents of the paranormal as frauds and charlatans and writing numerous books on the topic. He worked with magician Howard Thurston in exposing frauds and mediums. He was considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject and held the life-long opinion that all psychic phenomena was explainable within the confines of the laws of nature." End Quate: (Source) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Urantia_Book#Authorship

In my mind, whoever authored the Urantia Book may have been someone with a slightly different brain genetics than our own. And perhaps this is what had to be kept from the public, otherwise, he could have been introduced to the public as Edgar Cayce was, since they were both active during the same period of time in their lives. It would not have been so strange to the general public at all, since even Cayce was writing unknown periods of time in Jesus' life, and also about Atlantis, as well as confusing Christians (beginning with himself) of the idea that re-incarnation was a real fact.

[mj606]

Hello Vortex,

The speculation about Edgar Cayce being the "sleeping subject" is not new. His name has been connected to this phenomenon more than once. But, as you point out, EC was a relatively prominent figure - the Contact Commission deliberately kept the name of the subject in strict secrecy. To me, it is highly unlikely that the two are in any way related, except for the accidental fact that they both lived during the same time - and also the fact that EC was so involved with the "paranormal."

The identity of the SS was an important secret...one can only imagine how the SS would have been regarded in subsequent years, had his name been known. We mortals have a tendency to elevate (or vilify) messengers of truth out of all proportion. With this revelatory material, it was the CONTENT that was of greatest importance. It stands on its own for each individual to evaluate, relatively free of material connections. Even when Jesus was on earth, he took great pains to leave nothing of a material nature behind - just his message of the "good news." Of course, we have the records of his having been here, but any material remnant of his existence would have acted as a diversion from his message. Knowing who the SS was would have been just such a diversion, in my opinion.

I want to try and clear up an error that I think you may have regarding authorship of The Urantia Book. The sleeping subject was not the author of the papers. He was the conduit through which the papers were delivered. The actual authorship consists of a number of celestial beings - among them are angels and Melchizedeks. A list of the papers along with their authors can be found here:

http://www.urantia.org/en/urantia-book-standardized/titles-papers

The authors used the sleeping subject - or rather they employed him, and his indwelling fragment of God (which is called the Thought Adjuster)to bring the papers to earth. About this person, the book says:

"The Adjuster of the human being through whom this communication is being made enjoys such a wide scope of activity chiefly because of this human's almost complete indifference to any outward manifestations of the Adjuster's inner presence; it is indeed fortunate that he remains consciously quite unconcerned about the entire procedure. He holds one of the highly experienced Adjusters of his day and generation, and yet his passive reaction to, and inactive concern toward, the phenomena associated with the presence in his mind of this versatile Adjuster is pronounced by the guardian of destiny to be a rare and fortuitous reaction. And all this constitutes a favorable co-ordination of influences, favorable both to the Adjuster in the higher sphere of action and to the human partner from the standpoints of health, efficiency, and tranquillity." (1208.6) 110:5.7

This is taken from a study called "How Did The Urantia Papers Come To Be?" which can be found here:

http://www.urantia.org/en/urantia-book/faqs/where-did-urantia-book-come-from

He was employed in this way because he consented (even if passively) to be employed. This was not forced upon him, as that would have run counter to all we are taught in the book about the sanctity of human free will.

This study consists of quotes from the book regarding the revelation, its purpose and its delivery. There's also quite a bit about revelation and what it is. If you visit this link, all the quotes are linked to the text and can be seen in context that way.

About Dr Sadler: He was a highly respected physician and he did, probably because of his knowledge of psychology and mental health, try to discredit those who were preying on the public's gullibility regarding seances, spirit mediums and so forth. I think it is just because he was such a leader in this field that he was chosen for the work that he did with The Urantia Book coming into being. Once he finally understood what it was that was happening, and after being unable to categorize or otherwise explain it, he became convinced that what was coming through really was what the authors claimed it to be - a revelation of epochal significance. His involvement has lent weight over the years to its authenticity because he was a scientist who applied the rigorous tests of proof to untried theories.

I think that, beginning in the early 20th century, and maybe even before, that the celestials were trying in many ways to find the right avenues for delivering the book to the world. Again, human will was a factor, and they had to find people who would be willing to head up the effort, a person who could act as the conduit, a group (the Forum) who would act as the first humans to view and critique the material, and of course, those who would eventually finance the whole operation. I find it interesting that during that time the spiritualism craze was rampant, Edgar Cayce was receiving his own kinds of revelations, and the new and revolutionary "spiritual experience" of Alcoholics Anonymous flowered. I believe that the celestials were very busy trying to reveal divine truth to the planet in many ways. This was a gigantic enterprise and it took some experimentation to finally find the right people to make it happen as it did. All speculation on my part, but just saying...

Anyway, the end result was that, after nearly 30 years of transmissions, question, answers, discussion, writing, and rewriting, The Urantia Book was finally completed in 1934. It remained a single book until 1955, when it was finally published by Urantia Foundation in Chicago. The Contact Commission worked closely with celestials during all of this time - unseen beings - friends of humanity - whose mission it was to deliver to Earth (Urantia) this revelation of epochal significance for the 20th century and far beyond.

Just FYI - to read about all five revelations of epochal significance to our planet, you can see this link:

http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=183

Best to All this Sunday morning...

mj606

[Vortex]

Hello mj606,

I believe you misunderstood my point.

In no way did I indicate that EC and Sadler were related. My point was that if one man, EC, had no problem allowing himself to be known, then why couldn't the person who is belieed to be the conhuit for Urantia do likewise? When I refered to EC's work as being authored by him, what I meant was that what EC received was attributed to his special gift and not actual authorship; I should have been more clear. With EC, it all began when he was a child, when he fell asleep on a book and woke up knowing the entire contents--page for page. But becoming a conduit began when he lost his voice, for which the cause was remedied after another entity introduced himself through EC who had been placed under hypnosis.

The work of EC and SS was of a spirtual nature and unique. I simply feel if EC had no problem in being public, the condit for Urantia should also have had no problem doing the same. Secrecy "always" implies hiding something one doesn't wish the public to know about. True that Jesus left no written document in his own handwriting. However, even Jesus had absolutely no problem being out in the open, regardless of any opposition, scruteny, and the threat of death. In addition, he had disciples that at one point numbered many more than twelve; there were thousands of additional witnesses who heard him speak openly, including his opposition. And there was a public execution that also witnessed. But with Urantia, where are the witnesses? Where are the people who knew the conduit persoanlly? Was there anyone who saw him receive any portion of Urantia who could attest to the authenticity of how the material came into being? I don't believe any of these question can be answered with absolute credibility. For all we know, because of the secrecy surrounding Urantia, it is possible that it was the work of someone's imagination. Just imagine the work that went into Tolkin's "Lord of the Rings" The author even created an entirely new language; a work far more involved than Urantia, and all of it from imagination. Why can't the same be true of Urantia? This is the reality of it to me, especially since the so called conduit is not known. One cannot, in commonsense reason, instantly assume that the entirety of Urantia is based on truth with no facts anywhere to support it.

A reader can easily specualte many things here with Urantia. He can say that the "adjuster", for example, was a reinterpretation for the Bible's term--"Holy Spirit." Many other ideas related to the cosmos could have been picked up from the work of Einstein, Neils Borg, other past scietists and astronomers. Have you read the "Aquarian Gospel of Jesus?." It too was claimed to have been transmitted to a conduit, but we know who the man was; he wasn't hidden even though was expected to deemed controvertial.

As much as I like the Urantia Book, I do believe it is important to know who the conduit was. Otherwise, it's like trying to solve a crime and not have the main pieces that tie all elements together to formulate a concrete case to present to a jury (the reading public).

You mention that contacts "worked closely with celectials." This too should be taken with a grain of salt, since there is no evidence of it. Yes, Dr. Sadler was a respected and recognized psychiatrist and author. But are we to simply accept his view because of his credentials? I, for example, am a holistic naturopathc doctor, not a medical phycician. If I had accepted what medical physicians told me was impossible due their credentials being superior, I may not be alive today, nor would my sister who had cancer. I questioned everything and set about to acquire my own education and find the loopholes, and cured myself and my sister. It's the same thing with Urantia. In the end, the reader has to determine for himself/herself, where the information is taking them and if it is serving a functional goal one can hang their hat on. I studied the entire Urantia Book, the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the Upanishads, the writings of Buddhiharma, the Bagavagita, UFO Pleiades of Billy Mieres, and many other literatures as well as works of science.n addition, I had two personal encounters with UFO's, which I detailed in writing and sent to Mufon. But in the end, it all seems to boil down to a simple question, "What should each living soul achieve for itself before departing from this world?" Neither Urantia or any book can answer this question; we have to open our own inner book of the soul to find that answer.

[Brother Michael Sky]

Here's one to add to the reading list. Adventures Beyond the Body I believe, personally, that the " how " of all this might just possibly interrelate...

[Fawzo]

Ok I tried to start reading more in the book of Urantia after I was first put off on my original attempt by the mentioning of Adam and Eve.

This time I thought I would read some quotes by topic and chose evolution and the first quote I read about no evolutionary process being by chance turned me off immediately once again. That pretty well buries any interest I most likley will have in this topic.

I gave it one more chance than I did the Koran which I threw in the trash on my original opening which found me reading that women were half as good as men.

I guess I expect my books based on truth to hold self evident truths and no bull.

[Brother Michael Sky]

try the last one i posted.... give it the ol' thirty day try.....

[Fawzo]

try the last one i posted.... give it the ol' thirty day try.....

Ok I saved the link and will give it a try, but any people wearing fig leaves or Tower of Babel type stories and I guess I'll have to throw my PC in the trash lol

[Vortex]

Here's one to add to the reading list. Adventures Beyond the Body I believe, personally, that the " how " of all this might just possibly interrelate...

Hello Brother Michael Sky,

Many years ago, before the ULC website was revised and all posts were lost, I had a topic thread on OBE that became quite long. Have you per chance ever experienced OBE yourself by any chance?

I'm supposing you've already read the book you recommend above; I haven't, because the best books on the topic have already been written in the past but are not on the market anymore, except for that of Robert Monroe's "Journeys Out of the Body" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Monroe ).

What do you think about the possibility of OBE? And in what way do you believe "all this might just possibly interrelate?"

Expand on this for conversation purposes so that some of us can share our thoughts and perhaps our personal experiences with such activities as OBE.