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Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > Tearing down walls > (No Subject)
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Matthew Timothy Short
Huh?
Date Joined Apr 2002
Total Posts : 635
| Posted 12/31/2004 8:23 PM (GMT -6) |   | Meredith J. Sprunger
February 22, 1995
From http://urantiabook.org/archive/readers/doc598.html
Reflections
This greatly simplified presentation of the major Urantia Book deviations from traditional Christian theology is neither adequate nor convincing of its quality; but it may help those unfamiliar with the book to focus their reading and thinking on areas most critical to the adoption of a new paradigm of spiritual reality.
Since The Urantia Book purports to be the Fifth Epochal Revelation authored by supermortal personalities, it is important to have a clear understanding of the philosophic criteria of truth necessary in evaluating such a claim. First of all, claim of authority is not a valid philosophical criterion of truth. Secondly, knowing the origin and/or authorship of the book may give some helpful insights, but is also not a reliable philosophical criterion. Whether supermortals or human beings wrote the book, it must be evaluated by its content, not by who may have written it.
The central objective in evaluating The Urantia Book is to assess the quality of its spiritual insight. This must be done by individuals using all their resources for evaluation developed and tested through experience. Is the spiritual quality and insights of the book inferior to, equal with, or superior to our traditional sources of spiritual truth? During this period of testing, a consensus will gradually evolve regarding its quality. If that opinion is negative, the book will fade into obscurity. If the consensus is positive, continued evaluation will eventually determine the level of its spiritual value. Is it just another useful resource, or does it have the quality of genuine revelation? My hypothesis is that if it has the spiritual quality of revelation, its influence will continue to grow.
My personal view, after thirty-five years of study and evaluation, is that the book is of superior quality in at least four categories:
1. Its comprehensive view of Deity and Reality, including the Paradise Trinity.
2. Its presentation of an enlarged spiritual cosmology which is commensurate with our gigantic material astronomical cosmology.
3. Its overview of a vast array of spiritual personalities that function in a hierarchical system of ability and power, which must exist if we are to make any sense of the spiritual cosmos.
4. And finally, its greatly expanded presentation of the life and teachings of Jesus, which is solidly rooted in the New Testament realities. Even if one does not think the expanded spiritual cosmology of The Urantia Book is reasonable, you will find the 700 page section on the Life and Teachings of Jesus, if only read as a historical novel, to be the most inspiring and spiritually uplifting account of Jesus' life and teachings in print.
http://urantiabook.org/index.html
http://www.urantia.org/
Pudding 
Imagination projects unreal images out of the mind and seeks to attach reality to them. Faith creates nothing; it simply reckons upon that which is already there. | | Back to Top | | |
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Matthew Timothy Short
Huh?
Date Joined Apr 2002
Total Posts : 635
| Posted 12/31/2004 9:14 PM (GMT -6) | | The underlying message
Their goal and message is to unify all religions and have them abandon their particular teachings for another spiritual unity. “We believe in every church and in all forms of worship,” (URANTIA Brotherhood Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 4). With this attitude in mind, and in their own peculiar way, they hope to unite “...all world religions and all world religionists,” (Bulletin, Supplement, p. 1). All world religions “are of value in that they are valid approaches to the religion of Jesus.”(p. 67) This of course relegates the Bibles revelation to no more or less than any other book which they claim is corrupted. They claim to welcome Christians into their membership but it is only to unite with others, “The teachers of the religion of Jesus should approach other religions with the recognition of the truths which are held in common (many of which come directly or indirectly, from Jesus' message) while they refrain from placing so much emphasis on the differences.” (p.1670-71) In fact the spirituality that is promoted has the same goals as Bahai, unity of all religions. “The Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of all men” (p. 1085)
They challenge of the Bibles claim we are sinners “Ancient man only attained consciousness of favor with God through sacrifice. Modern man must develop new techniques of achieving the self-consciousness of salvation. The consciousness of sin persists in the mortal mind, but the thought patterns of salvation therefrom have become outworn and antiquated.” “The sense or feeling of guilt is the consciousness of the violation of the mores; it is not necessarily sin. There is no real sin in the absence of conscious disloyalty to Deity.” The bible says that we sin when we transgress the standard of God, his commands knowingly or not. That it is inherent in our nature. The Urantia Book challenges this. “But confession -- sincere recognition of the nature of sin -- is essential to religious growth and spiritual progress.”
“The forgiveness of sin by Deity is the renewal of loyalty relations following a period of the human consciousness of the lapse of such relations as the consequence of conscious rebellion. The forgiveness does not have to be sought, only received as the consciousness of re-establishment of loyalty relations between the creature and the Creator.” (p.985:1) 89:10.6 Could anyone who is not in further education understand this? In this way much of what is said seems heavy
“Many races have conceived of their leaders as being born of virgins… their return is always expected by their respective groups. In central Asia the tribesmen still look for the return of Genghis Khan; in Tibet, China, and India it is Buddha; in Islam it is Mohammed; among the Amerinds it was Hesunanin Onamonalonton; with the Hebrews it was, in general, Adam's return as a material ruler. …Following the appearance of Adam on earth, so-called sons of God were common among the world races.” (p.1008:5,92:5.3 )
There is no such tradition I have ever heard of where Adam would reappear.
The book lures people into believing that it is revealing secret knowledge for the initiative of this gnosis “The secrets of Sonarington include the secret of the incarnation of the divine Sons. When a Son of God becomes a Son of Man, is literally born of woman, as occurred on your world nineteen hundred years ago, it is a universal mystery. It is occurring right along throughout the universes, and it is a Sonarington secret of divine sonship. The Adjusters are a mystery of God the Father. The incarnation of the divine Sons is a mystery of God the Son; it is a secret locked up in the seventh sector of Sonarington, a realm penetrated by none save those who have personally passed through this unique experience.”(p.145) They teach this act of virgin birth is repeated in the universe in many different times. Again it attacks the unique Son of God.
The Bibles message of Jesus as the unique Son of God is challenged, as are the authors.
http://www.letusreason.org/Cults17.htm
http://www.theurantiaboard.com/
Imagination projects unreal images out of the mind and seeks to attach reality to them. Faith creates nothing; it simply reckons upon that which is already there. | | Back to Top | | |
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