The Urantia Book is a 2,097-page text that presents comprehensive answers to age-old questions about the nature and personality of God. It provides a detailed description of the life and teachings of the being we call Jesus from before his physical birth on this planet to now. The book integrates science and philosophy with religion. It brings forth ideas about the purpose of life and how to grow spiritually. The book depicts the history of our universe, our planet, and our civilization. It describes a nearly infinite universe containing millions of inhabited worlds similar to Urania (the universe name of our planet earth), each lovingly fostered by a vast host of celestial personalities.
The Urania Book reveals God as our loving parent, one who cherishes each of us with an affection that surpasses human understanding. God’s spirit indwells each of us, inspiring us with intelligent advice that we can perceive more clearly as we spiritually grow. This indwelling spirit helps us to build our souls as we face the manifold problems of earthly existence. After this life, we continue our spiritual ascent through continued growth until, in the far-distant future, our perfected souls find God in person in Paradise after which, we continue to grow and serve.
Most readers of The Urania Book have read it many times and studied the book with others in groups. Many of us agree that each time we read sections of the book, we find paragraphs that seem new, as though we haven’t read them before. It seems that our minds are being tuned to be more spiritually receptive so we become more ready to see deeper into the meaning of the concepts being presented. A few of us have called The Urania Book a hype dimensional tool that makes you think things you didn’t know you needed to think and that you can’t unthank — or a quick reference guide to the spiritual universe. (The complete reference manual to the spiritual universe might be billions of pages.)
What does Urania mean?
(you ran’ cha): The name by which our world (planet) is known in the universe.
Who wrote The Urania Book?
There are many authors. At the end of each of the 196 individual papers, authors identify themselves as one of the various orders of beings, ranging from the same level as us, as human beings, to those of divine origin.
The papers were received in the early part of the twentieth century. The person who took charge of receiving and organizing the material being received, Dr. William Sadler, assembled a group of individuals from all walks of life who discussed and provided feedback about the information that was being received; this process helped to shape the material into what we now have as The Urania Book, first published in 1955. You can read more about the origin here.
The book is so large. How do I start reading?
In the book, the suggestion is to read from beginning to end. The authors state: “The human mind would ordinarily crave to approach the cosmic philosophy portrayed in these revelations by proceeding from the simple and the finite to the complex and the infinite, from human origins to divine destinies. But that path does not lead to spiritual wisdom. Such a procedure is the easiest path to a certain form of genetic knowledge, but at best it can only reveal man’s origin; it reveals little or nothing about his [or her] divine destiny.”
That said, many people just peruse the table of contents and decide what section to read based on their interests. Here is an issue of The Urania Book Fellowship’s magazine, the Mighty Messenger, created for people who are unfamiliar with The Urania Book.
Many people have also found it helpful to join a study group as they deepen their understanding through interaction with others. There is an introductory course offered via Zoom that is sometimes available. You can find out more about that class here. Also, there is a Facebook group that has a large following where questions can be followed. There are many videos that you can watch that present topical themes of The Urantia Book here.
Is there a church or organization behind The Urantia Book?
Readers of The Urantia Book come from all religious backgrounds and are united in their belief that The Urantia Book is what it claims to be — the latest revelation of God to man.
Some readers do come together in groups to read and study the book with others. Some larger organizations such as The Urantia Book Fellowship and Urantia Foundation have formed to organize activities among readers such as translations and to help make the book more widely available. The Urantia Book Fellowship is also involved in bringing together groups of people to learn and get to know each other.
What does The Urantia Book say about the existence of so many religions?
The book says that religions emerged out of the need for individuals to socialize and share their personal spiritual experiences with others. The Urantia Book emphasizes that individuals interpret religion based on their unique personality and inner experience of God. The Urantia Book asserts that most religions contain important truths that can significantly contribute to other religions. The book goes on to say that only when religions transfer their spiritual sovereignty to God will peace prevail among all religions.
Will I have to change my religion to embrace the teachings of The Urantia Book?
Nowhere in The Urantia Book does it require individuals to abandon their chosen faiths. If anything the information in the book will cause a greater understanding and appreciation of true religion. Many readers continue to participate in their respective faiths during their study of The Urantia Book.
What does The Urania Book say about life after death?
The authors of the book give a detailed and thrilling account of our progressive journey as we travel through higher levels of existence, a journey that causes us to grow spiritually and intellectually as we pursue our inner perfection. There is a passage in the Bible in which Jesus says, “My Father has many mansions,” something depicted in The Urantia Book as referring to the “mansion worlds,” spheres of learning that individuals traverse afterlife in the flesh has been completed here on Earth. The book does talk about reunions with our loved ones in the life to come and tells us that we will meet many diverse beings who, just like us, are ascending towards perfection. What’s more, we will meet many fascinating divine beings who will assist us in our progressive journey.
All evolutionary beings of time and space who are in accord with God’s plan for their continuing development are being prepared to grow in spirit and mind and to mature in personality through the experience of each realm of creation. The created universe, the book tells us, was set up as a vast training ground for ascending will creatures to perfect themselves as they travel ever inward toward God, eventually culminating in service opportunities throughout the Grand Universe. Our Creator does not limit his creatures to just one experience in space and time; just as loving parents want their children to develop to their full potential, so we are given every opportunity to develop ourselves into cosmic citizens, attain perfection within our realm and embark on the sublime adventure open to all who place faith in God our Father.
What is unique about the book’s teachings?
Several sections could be considered unique, either as entirely new concepts or as innovative approaches to existing knowledge. Probably the most unique or new concept is on an aspect of a deity called “God the Supreme.” This is an aspect of God that is evolving as all experiential beings, such as ourselves, are evolving toward perfection. Every action thought, and decision that has spiritual value contributes to the evolution of God the Supreme. What is significant about this is that it will take the entire family of humankind, in this world and others, to bring the full completion of God the Supreme to fruition. With this realization, we can find great meaning in our actions in this life and we are encouraged to do our part in serving others and empowering them spiritually.
Another new concept described in The Urantia Book is that of the thought adjuster, a spirit fragment of God that indwells the mind. Although most religions speak of the inner presence of God, The Urantia Book goes into great detail about this part of God that is bestowed on human beings. The thought adjuster is what allows God to maintain close contact and provide spiritual guidance to human beings.
Also included are advanced teachings on the nature of deities, the Trinity, and a previously unrevealed view of the physical structure of the universe in which we live.
The Urantia Book also talks about reality on the cosmic level of progression. There is information in The Urantia Book that has not been previously revealed, such as God’s attributes and personality and our Creator’s potential ascension plan for human beings. We are helped to understand the purpose of our existence and why our understanding can be so limited, a perspective that often contributes to our notion that life seems unfair. This can free up one’s thinking and elevate the individual to a superconscious level where there may begin the recognition of the light of truth, beauty, and goodness. A challenging and rewarding reading experience is available for adventure-seekers who can discover an enlarged way of living and loving.
Does The Urantia Book comment on the conditions of the world we live in?
Absolutely! There is timely information on the problems of our, largely, materialistic society and ways that solutions can be approached. The book’s authors examine the reasons for the fragmentation that exists in our religious institutions and delineate the steps necessary to achieve world unity.
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