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Hardcover Urantia Book

The origin, history, and destiny of humanity

Answering questions about God, life in the inhabited universe, the history and future of this world, and an uplifting narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus.

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Carpathian national park, Ukraine. Green meadow and pine trees with mountains in background.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How do I maintain faith in a crisis?

The consciousness of a victorious human life on earth is born of that creature faith which dares to challenge each recurring episode of existence when confronted with the awful spectacle of human limitations, by the unfailing declaration: Even if I cannot do this, there lives in me one who can and will do it, a part of the Father-Absolute of the universe of universes. And that is “the victory which overcomes the world, even your faith.” ~ The Urantia Book, 4:4:9 (59.5)

But long before reaching Havona, these ascendant children of time have learned to feast upon uncertainty, to fatten upon disappointment, to enthuse over apparent defeat, to invigorate in the presence of difficulties, to exhibit indomitable courage in the face of immensity, and to exercise unconquerable faith when confronted with the challenge of the inexplicable. Long since, the battle cry of these pilgrims became: “In liaison with God, nothing — absolutely nothing — is impossible.” ~ The Urantia Book, 26:5.3 (291.3)

No matter how difficult it may be to reconcile the scientific doubtings regarding the efficacy of prayer with the ever-present urge to seek help and guidance from divine sources, never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. ~ The Urantia Book, 91:6:3 (999.6)

Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: “To a God-knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?” Temporal securities are vulnerable, but spiritual sureties are impregnable. When the flood tides of human adversity, selfishness, cruelty, hate, malice, and jealousy beat about the mortal soul, you may rest in the assurance that there is one inner bastion, the citadel of the spirit, which is absolutely unassailable; at least this is true of every human being who has dedicated the keeping of his soul to the indwelling spirit of the eternal God. ~ The Urantia Book, 100:2.7 (1096.4)

Wildflower meadow with purple flowers in foreground, purple mountains in background, rays of sun over the horizon
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How do I deal with disappointment?

On Paradise, disappointment is never regarded as defeat; postponement is never looked upon as disgrace; the apparent failures of time are never confused with the significant delays of eternity. ~ The Urantia Book, 26:8.3 (294.2)

God-knowing individuals are not discouraged by misfortune or downcast by disappointment. Believers are immune to the depression consequent upon purely material upheavals; spirit livers are not perturbed by the episodes of the material world. Candidates for eternal life are practitioners of an invigorating and constructive technique for meeting all of the vicissitudes and harassments of mortal living. Every day a true believer lives, he finds it easier to do the right thing. ~ The Urantia Book, 156:5.13 (1739.8)

But life will become a burden of existence unless you learn how to fail gracefully. There is an art in defeat which noble souls always acquire; you must know how to lose cheerfully; you must be fearless of disappointment. Never hesitate to admit failure. Make no attempt to hide failure under deceptive smiles and beaming optimism. It sounds well always to claim success, but the end results are appalling. Such a technique leads directly to the creation of a world of unreality and to the inevitable crash of ultimate disillusionment. ~ The Urantia Book, 160:4.13 (1779.5)

What a crushing thing is disappointment in the lives of those foolish persons who, in fastening their gaze on the shadowy and evanescent allurements of time, become blinded to the higher and more real achievements of the everlasting attainments of the eternal worlds of divine values and true spiritual realities. ~ The Urantia Book, 177:4:10 (1926.3)

Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: “To a God-knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?” ~ The Urantia Book, 100:2:7 (1096.4)

Autumn scene of a boat moored at the side of a lazy river under trees covered with orange and red autumn leaves.................
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How do I find God?

Said Jesus: "If you truly want to find God, that desire is in itself evidence that you have already found him.
~ The Urantia Book, 130:8.2 (1440.2)

The world is filled with hungry souls who famish in the very presence of the bread of life; men die searching for the very God who lives within them.
~ The Urantia Book, 159:3.8 (1766.4)

The true God is not afar off; he is a part of us; his spirit speaks from within us.
~ The Urantia Book, 3:1.4 (45.2)

If you follow the unconscious leadings of this immortal spirit, you are certain to continue on in the uplifted way of finding God. And when you do attain the Father in heaven, it will be because by seeking him you have become more and more like him.
~ The Urantia Book, 133:4.9 (1475.2)

Orange flowers under a blue sky
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What does it mean to be saved?

By God’s love and through his mercy we shall be saved. ~ The Urantia Book, 131:1:7 (1443.3)

Therefore “whosoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved,” “for he will abundantly pardon.” ~ The Urantia Book, 2:4:1 (38.1)

By faith you are justified; by faith are you saved; and by this same faith are you eternally advanced in the way of progressive and divine perfection. ~ The Urantia Book, 150:5:3 (1682.5)

Human salvation is real; it is based on two realities which may be grasped by the creature’s faith and thereby become incorporated into individual human experience: the fact of the fatherhood of God and its correlated truth, the brotherhood of man. ~ The Urantia Book, 188:4:13 (2017.8)

When you know that you are saved by faith, you have real peace with God. And all who follow in the way of this heavenly peace are destined to be sanctified to the eternal service of the ever-advancing sons of the eternal God. ~ The Urantia Book, 143:2:6 (1610.1)

The Oxbow Bend of the Snake River in Wyoming at sunrise
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What happens when you die?

Mortal death is a technique of escape from the material life in the flesh; and the mansonia experience of progressive life through seven worlds of corrective training and cultural education represents the introduction of mortal survivors to the morontia career, the transition life which intervenes between the evolutionary material existence and the higher spirit attainment of the ascenders of time who are destined to achieve the portals of eternity. ~ The Urantia Book, 47:10.7 (540.3)

You begin over there right where you leave off down here. ~ The Urantia Book, 47:3.7 (533.5)

“You rejoice to know that the Son of Man has risen from the dead because you thereby know that you and your brethren shall also survive mortal death. But such survival is dependent on your having been previously born of the spirit of truth-seeking and God-finding.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 193:2.2 (2054.3)

“And when the work down here is over, you shall serve with me on high.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 192:2.10 (2049.1)

Bright sunny rays through clouds over grassy field and trees.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Will I go to heaven?

The keys of the kingdom of heaven are: sincerity, more sincerity, and more sincerity. All men have these keys. ~ The Urantia Book, 39:4:14 (435.7)

You begin over there right where you leave off down here. ~ The Urantia Book, 47:3.7 (533.5)

Jesus said: “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” ~ The Urantia Book, 30:4:17 (341.7)

As the term heaven has been used on Urantia, it has sometimes meant these seven mansion worlds, the first mansion world being denominated the first heaven, and so on to the seventh. ~ The Urantia Book, 15:7.5 (174.5)

Tropical beach at sunset
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is sin?

Evil is inherent in the natural order of this world, but sin is an attitude of conscious rebellion which was brought to this world by those who fell from spiritual light into gross darkness. ~ The Urantia Book, 148:4.6 (1660.5)

“Sin is the conscious, knowing, and deliberate transgression of the divine law, the Father's will. Sin is the measure of unwillingness to be divinely led and spiritually directed.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 148:4.4 (1660.3)

The possibility of mistaken judgment (evil) becomes sin only when the human will consciously endorses and knowingly embraces a deliberate immoral judgment. ~ The Urantia Book, 3:5.15 (52.1)

It requires a great and noble character, having started out wrong, to turn about and go right. All too often one's own mind tends to justify continuance in the path of error when once it is entered upon. ~ The Urantia Book, 184:2.12 (1981.6)

Golden and purple sunset over Masai Mara, Kenya
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Should we be afraid?

“Fear not” was his watchword, and patient endurance his ideal of strength of character. ~ The Urantia Book, 140:8:20 (1582.1)

Fear and anger weaken character and destroy happiness. ~ The Urantia Book, 140:5:6 (1573.8)

Jesus said: “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” ~ The Urantia Book, 152:4:2 (1703.2)

“But fear not; every one who sincerely desires to find eternal life by entrance into the kingdom of God shall certainly find such everlasting salvation.” ~ The Urantia Book, 166:3:5 (1829.2)

Fear not the resistance of evil, for I am with you always, even to the end of the ages. ~ The Urantia Book, 191:4:4 (2042.1)

Colorful sunset over the ocean with tropical palm trees
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is the soul?

From its earliest inception the soul is real; it has cosmic survival qualities. ~ The Urantia Book, 16:9.2 (195.8)

“The divine spirit arrives simultaneously with the first moral activity of the human mind, and that is the occasion of the birth of the soul.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 133:6.5 (1478.4)

All soul-evolving humans are literally the evolutionary sons of God the Father and God the Mother, the Supreme Being. But until such time as mortal man becomes soul-conscious of his divine heritage, this assurance of Deity kinship must be faith realized. ~ The Urantia Book, 117:6.8 (1289.1)

The survival of mortal creatures is wholly predicated on the evolvement of an immortal soul within the mortal mind. ~ The Urantia Book, 36:6.5 (404.3)

Eternal survival of personality is wholly dependent on the choosing of the mortal mind, whose decisions determine the survival potential of the immortal soul. When the mind believes God and the soul knows God, and when, with the fostering Adjuster, they all desire God, then is survival assured. ~ The Urantia Book, 5:5.13 (69.8)

Rays of sunshine seen through clouds eminate from a warm orange sunset.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Are angels real?

The angels are the spirit servants in heaven.
~ The Urantia Book, 167:7.3 (1841.2)

The teaching about guardian angels is not a myth; certain groups of human beings do actually have personal angels. It was in recognition of this that Jesus, in speaking of the children of the heavenly kingdom, said: “Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones, for I say to you, their angels do always behold the presence of the spirit of my Father.”
~ The Urantia Book, 113:1.1 (1241.3)

Angels are so near you and care so feelingly for you that they figuratively "weep because of your willful intolerance and stubbornness." The seraphim act in your behalf quite independent of your direct appeals; they are executing the mandates of their superiors, and thus they function regardless of your passing whims or changing moods. This does not imply that you may not make their tasks either easier or more difficult, but rather that angels are not directly concerned with your appeals or with your prayers.
~ The Urantia Book, 113:5.2 (1246.1)

The angels develop an abiding affection for their human associates; and you would, if you could only visualize the seraphim, develop a warm affection for them.
~ The Urantia Book, 113:2.5 (1243.2)

The guardian of destiny influences you in every possible manner consistent with the dignity of your personality; under no circumstances do these angels interfere with the free action of the human will.
~ The Urantia Book, 113:5.1 (1245.7)

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland - flowing white waterfall in foreground, setting sun in background
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Can religion and science co-exist?

God is to science a cause, to philosophy an idea, to religion a person, even the loving heavenly Father. God is to the scientist a primal force, to the philosopher a hypothesis of unity, to the religionist a living spiritual experience. ~ The Urantia Book, 1:6.2 (30.1)

Truth is the basis of science and philosophy, presenting the intellectual foundation of religion. Beauty sponsors art, music, and the meaningful rhythms of all human experience. Goodness embraces the sense of ethics, morality, and religion—experiential perfection-hunger. ~ The Urantia Book, 56:10.10 (647.1)

Science should do for man materially what religion does for him spiritually: extend the horizon of life and enlarge his personality. True science can have no lasting quarrel with true religion. The “scientific method” is merely an intellectual yardstick wherewith to measure material adventures and physical achievements. But being material and wholly intellectual, it is utterly useless in the evaluation of spiritual realities and religious experiences. ~ The Urantia Book, 195:7:2 (2078.5)

Science deals with facts; religion is concerned only with values. Through enlightened philosophy the mind endeavors to unite the meanings of both facts and values, thereby arriving at a concept of complete reality. Remember that science is the domain of knowledge, philosophy the realm of wisdom, and religion the sphere of the faith experience. ~ The Urantia Book, 101:5:2 (1110.5)

Beautiful cloudscape over the sea, sunrise shot
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Who created our universe?

The Universal Father is not the personal creator of the local universe of Nebadon; the universe in which you live is the creation of his Son Michael. ~ The Urantia Book, 1:2.9 (24.7)

To the children of a local universe a Michael Son is, to all practical intents and purposes, God. He is the local universe personification of the Universal Father and the Eternal Son. ~ The Urantia Book, 5:3.6 (66.2)

Our Creator Son is the personification of the 611,121st original concept of infinite identity of simultaneous origin in the Universal Father and the Eternal Son. The Michael of Nebadon is the “only-begotten Son” personalizing this 611,121st universal concept of divinity and infinity. ~ The Urantia Book, 33:1.1 (366.2)

Joshua ben Joseph, the Jewish baby, was conceived and was born into the world just as all other babies before and since except that this particular baby was the incarnation of Michael of Nebadon, a divine Son of Paradise and the creator of all this local universe of things and beings. And this mystery of the incarnation of Deity within the human form of Jesus, otherwise of natural origin on the world, will forever remain unsolved. ~ The Urantia Book, 119:7.5 (1317.1)

Jesus came presenting the idea of active and spontaneous kindness, a love of one’s fellow men so genuine that it expanded the neighborhood to include the whole world, thereby making all men one’s neighbors. ... Michael of Nebadon is a mercy-dominated Son; compassion is his very nature. ~ The Urantia Book, 140:8.11 (1580.6)

Fall in the Tatoosh Wilderness, Mount Rainier National Park by Don Paulson
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How did life start on Earth?

600,000,000 years ago the commission of Life Carriers sent out from Jerusem arrived on Urantia and began the study of physical conditions preparatory to launching life on world number 606 of the Satania system. ~ The Urantia Book, 58:1.1 (664.2)

That we are called Life Carriers should not confuse you. We can and do carry life to the planets, but we brought no life to Urantia. Urantia life is unique, original with the planet. This sphere is a life-modification world; all life appearing hereon was formulated by us right here on the planet; and there is no other world in all Satania, even in all Nebadon, that has a life existence just like that of Urantia. ~ The Urantia Book, 58:4.1 (667.5)

The Satania Life Carriers had projected a sodium chloride pattern of life; therefore no steps could be taken toward planting it until the ocean waters had become sufficiently briny. The Urantia type of protoplasm can function only in a suitable salt solution. All ancestral life—vegetable and animal—evolved in a salt-solution habitat. And even the more highly organized land animals could not continue to live did not this same essential salt solution circulate throughout their bodies in the blood stream which freely bathes, literally submerses, every tiny living cell in this "briny deep." ~ The Urantia Book, 58:1.3 (664.4)

When the Life Carriers have designed the patterns of life, after they have organized the energy systems, there must occur an additional phenomenon; the "breath of life" must be imparted to these lifeless forms. The Sons of God can construct the forms of life, but it is the Spirit of God who really contributes the vital spark. ~ The Urantia Book, 36:6.4 (404.2)

550,000,000 years ago the Life Carrier corps returned to Urantia. In co-operation with spiritual powers and superphysical forces we organized and initiated the original life patterns of this world and planted them in the hospitable waters of the realm. All planetary life (aside from extraplanetary personalities) down to the days of Caligastia, the Planetary Prince, had its origin in our three original, identical, and simultaneous marine-life implantations. These three life implantations have been designated as: the central or Eurasian-African, the eastern or Australasian, and the western, embracing Greenland and the Americas. ~ The Urantia Book, 58:4.2 (667.6)

450,000,000 years ago the transition from vegetable to animal life occurred. This metamorphosis took place in the shallow waters of the sheltered tropic bays and lagoons of the extensive shore lines of the separating continents. And this development, all of which was inherent in the original life patterns, came about gradually. There were many transitional stages between the early primitive vegetable forms of life and the later well-defined animal organisms. Even today the transition slime molds persist, and they can hardly be classified either as plants or as animals. ~ The Urantia Book, 58:6.1 (669.2)

Earth partially in shadow, as seen from the moon. From Apollo 8 space mission.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Is our planet special?

In your superuniverse not one cool planet in forty is habitable by beings of your order. ~ The Urantia Book, 15:6.15 (173.5)

Your sun pours forth a veritable flood of death-dealing rays, and your pleasant life on Urantia is due to the “fortuitous” influence of more than two-score apparently accidental protective operations similar to the action of this unique ozone layer. ~ The Urantia Book, 58:2.4 (666.1)

Evolution—on Urantia or elsewhere—is always purposeful and never accidental. ~ The Urantia Book, 65:0.7 (730.7)

Your small and insignificant planet is of local universe concern simply because it is the mortal home world of Jesus of Nazareth. ~ The Urantia Book, 20:5.5 (228.2)

Prehistoric man exploring a cave by torchlight
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Did humans evolve or were they created?

Evolution is the rule of human development, but the process itself varies greatly on different worlds. ~ The Urantia Book, 49:1.4 (560.3)

The development of higher organisms from lower groupings of life is not accidental. ~ The Urantia Book, 49:1.7 (560.6)

The fact of evolution is not a modern discovery; the ancients understood the slow and evolutionary character of human progress. ~ The Urantia Book, 74:8.5 (837.4)

Physics and chemistry alone cannot explain how a human being evolved out of the primeval protoplasm of the early seas. ~ The Urantia Book, 65:6.8 (738.1)

And now, after almost nine hundred generations of development, covering about twenty-one thousand years from the origin of the dawn mammals, the Primates suddenly gave birth to two remarkable creatures, the first true human beings. ~ The Urantia Book, 62:4.6 (707.5)

Ancient handprint on cave wall.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Who were the first humans?

From the year A.D. 1934 back to the birth of the first two human beings is just 993,419 years. ~ The Urantia Book, 62:5.1 (707.7)

URANTIA was registered as an inhabited world when the first two human beings—the twins—were eleven years old, and before they had become the parents of the first-born of the second generation of actual human beings. ~ The Urantia Book, 63:0.1 (711.1)

These two remarkable creatures were true human beings. They possessed perfect human thumbs, as had many of their ancestors, while they had just as perfect feet as the present-day human races. ~ The Urantia Book, 62:5.2 (707.8)

Many new emotions early appeared in these human twins. They experienced admiration for both objects and other beings and exhibited considerable vanity. But the most remarkable advance in emotional development was the sudden appearance of a new group of really human feelings, the worshipful group, embracing awe, reverence, humility, and even a primitive form of gratitude. Fear, joined with ignorance of natural phenomena, is about to give birth to primitive religion. ~ The Urantia Book, 62:5.4 (708.2)

Andon and Fonta had nineteen children in all, and they lived to enjoy the association of almost half a hundred grandchildren and half a dozen great-grandchildren. ~ The Urantia Book, 63:3.2 (713.2)

Andromeda Galaxy (with h-alpha)
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

The myriads of planetary systems were all made to be eventually inhabited by many different types of intelligent creatures, beings who could know God, receive the divine affection, and love him in return. The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures. “God created the heavens and formed the earth; he established the universe and created this world not in vain; he formed it to be inhabited.” ~ The Urantia Book, 1:0.2 (21.2)

An almost endless variety of creature life and other living manifestations characterizes the countless worlds of space. There are, however, certain points of similarity in a group of worlds associated in a given system, while there also is a universe pattern of intelligent life. ~ The Urantia Book, 15:6.16 (173.6)

I can give only the approximate number of inhabited or inhabitable planets, for some local universes have more worlds suitable for intelligent life than others. ~ Universal Censor, The Urantia Book, 15:2.1 (165.6)

During the earlier and the later stages of many planets, beings of your present order could not exist; and when the respiratory factors of a planet are very high or very low, but when all other prerequisites to intelligent life are adequate, the Life Carriers often establish on such worlds a modified form of mortal existence, beings who are competent to effect their life-process exchanges directly by means of light-energy and the firsthand power transmutations of the Master Physical Controllers. ~ The Urantia Book, 49:2.24 (563.1)

Summer sunset on famous Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall and Kirkjufell mountain. Colorful evening panorama.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the spiritual lens in human likeness which makes visible to the material creature Him who is invisible. He is your elder brother who, in the flesh, makes known to you a Being of infinite attributes whom not even the celestial hosts can presume fully to understand. ~ The Urantia Book, 169:4.13 (1857.4)

Jesus is truly a savior in the sense that his life and death do win men over to goodness and righteous survival. Jesus loves men so much that his love awakens the response of love in the human heart. ~ The Urantia Book, 188:5.2 (2018.1)

Jesus is the new and living way from man to God, from the partial to the perfect, from the earthly to the heavenly, from time to eternity. ~ The Urantia Book, 129:4.7 (1425.6)

“I am the bread of life.
I am the living water.
I am the light of the world.
I am the desire of all ages.
I am the open door to eternal salvation.
I am the reality of endless life.
I am the good shepherd.
I am the pathway of infinite perfection.
I am the resurrection and the life.
I am the secret of eternal survival.
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
I am the infinite Father of my finite children.
I am the true vine; you are the branches.
I am the hope of all who know the living truth.
I am the living bridge from one world to another.
I am the living link between time and eternity.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 182:1.10 (1965.4)

A wooded path alongside a pond in autumn.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Did Jesus really resurrect?

There is much about the resurrection of Jesus which we do not understand. But we know that it occurred as we have stated and at about the time indicated. ~ The Urantia Book, 189:1.4 (2021.3)

At ten minutes before three, intense vibrations of commingled material and morontia activities began to issue from Joseph’s new tomb, and at two minutes past three o’clock, this Sunday morning, April 9, A.D. 30, the resurrected morontia form and personality of Jesus of Nazareth came forth from the tomb. ~ The Urantia Book, 189:1.1 (2020.4)

His material or physical body was not a part of the resurrected personality. When Jesus came forth from the tomb, his body of flesh remained undisturbed in the sepulchre. He emerged from the burial tomb without moving the stones before the entrance and without disturbing the seals of Pilate. ~ The Urantia Book, 189:1.7 (2021.6)

He did come forth from this tomb of Joseph in the very likeness of the morontia personalities of those who, as resurrected morontia ascendant beings, emerge from the resurrection halls of the first mansion world of this local system of Satania. ~ The Urantia Book, 189:1.9 (2021.8)

The first act of Jesus on arising from the tomb was to greet Gabriel and instruct him to continue in executive charge of universe affairs under Immanuel, and then he directed the chief of the Melchizedeks to convey his brotherly greetings to Immanuel. Jesus spoke the first words of the postmortal career. “Having finished my life in the flesh, I would tarry here for a short time in transition form that I may more fully know the life of my ascendant creatures and further reveal the will of my Father in Paradise.” ~ The Urantia Book, 189:1.10 (2022.1)

Pink flowers in a meadow with a lake and mountain peak in the background in Yoho National Park, British Columbia. Image by Don Paulson.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What did Jesus say about love?

“As you rejoice in your loyalty to the gospel, pray the Father of truth to shed abroad in your hearts a new and greater love for your brethren. You are to love all men as I have loved you; you are to serve all men as I have served you.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 191:4.3 (2041.6)

“The acceptance of the doctrine of the fatherhood of God implies that you also freely accept the associated truth of the brotherhood of man. And if man is your brother, he is even more than your neighbor, whom the Father requires you to love as yourself.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 193:1.2 (2053.4)

“Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world. It is the love of God that impels men to seek salvation. Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 192:2.1 (2047.5)

“Let your hearts be so dominated by love that your spirit guide will have little trouble in delivering you from the tendency to give vent to those outbursts of animal anger which are inconsistent with the status of divine sonship.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 149:4.2 (1673.2)

“Love God supremely and your neighbor as yourself. And it is this supreme law of love for God and for man that I also declare to you as constituting the whole duty of man.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 142:3.22 (1599.14)

A painting of an adult helping a child with gardening, "The Family Garden" by Michael Malm
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Did Jesus have brothers and sisters?

By the break of day the pangs of childbirth were well in evidence, and at noon, August 21, 7 B.C., with the help and kind ministrations of women fellow travelers, Mary was delivered of a male child. Jesus of Nazareth was born into the world, was wrapped in the clothes which Mary had brought along for such a possible contingency, and laid in a near-by manger. ~ The Urantia Book, 122:8.1 (1351.5)

The next important event in the life of this Nazareth family was the birth of the second child, James, in the early morning hours of April 2, 3 B.C. ~ The Urantia Book, 123:1.5 (1357.2)

In this year, 2 B.C., a little more than one month before his fifth birthday anniversary, Jesus was made very happy by the coming of his sister Miriam, who was born on the night of July 11. ~ The Urantia Book, 123:2.3 (1357.7)

The fourth member of the Nazareth family, Joseph, was born Wednesday morning, March 16, A.D. 1. ~ The Urantia Book, 123:4.9 (1362.1)

His third brother, Simon, was born on Friday evening, April 14, of this year, A.D. 2. ~ The Urantia Book, 123:6.7 (1365.2)

Jesus’ second sister, Martha, was born Thursday night, September 13. ~ The Urantia Book, 124:1.7 (1367.3)

On Wednesday evening, June 24, A.D. 5, Jude was born. ~ The Urantia Book, 124:3.4 (1370.2)

On Sunday night, January 9, A.D. 7, his baby brother, Amos, was born. ~ The Urantia Book, 124:5.2 (1373.2)

On Wednesday evening, April 17, A.D. 9, Ruth, the baby of the family, was born. ~ The Urantia Book, 126:3.2 (1389.5)

Waterfall surrounded by red and yellow autumn trees.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What did Jesus say about the Golden Rule?

From the Sermon on the Mount to the discourse of the Last Supper, Jesus taught his followers to manifest fatherly love rather than brotherly love. Brotherly love would love your neighbor as you love yourself, and that would be adequate fulfillment of the "golden rule." But fatherly affection would require that you should love your fellow mortals as Jesus loves you. ~ The Urantia Book, 140:5.1 (1573.3)

The golden rule as restated by Jesus demands active social contact; the older negative rule could be obeyed in isolation. Jesus stripped morality of all rules and ceremonies and elevated it to majestic levels of spiritual thinking and truly righteous living. ~ The Urantia Book, 140:10.5 (1585.3)

And when such spirit-led mortals realize the true meaning of this golden rule, they are filled to overflowing with the assurance of citizenship in a friendly universe, and their ideals of spirit reality are satisfied only when they love their fellows as Jesus loved us all, and that is the reality of the realization of the love of God. ~ The Urantia Book, 180:5.8 (1950.3)

This is the essence of true religion: that you love your neighbor as yourself. ~ The Urantia Book, 180:5.7 (1950.2)

Yellow and red flowers up close, as seen from below the blossoms
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is the value of family life?

Almost everything of lasting value in civilization has its roots in the family. The family was the first successful peace group, the man and woman learning how to adjust their antagonisms while at the same time teaching the pursuits of peace to their children. ~ The Urantia Book, 68:2.8 (765.5)

While religious, social, and educational institutions are all essential to the survival of cultural civilization, the family is the master civilizer. A child learns most of the essentials of life from his family and the neighbors. ~ The Urantia Book, 82:0.2 (913.2)

The family is the channel through which the river of culture and knowledge flows from one generation to another. ~ The Urantia Book, 84:0.2 (931.2)

The family is the fundamental unit of fraternity in which parents and children learn those lessons of patience, altruism, tolerance, and forbearance which are so essential to the realization of brotherhood among all men. ~ The Urantia Book, 84:7.28 (941.9)

Field of pink Cosmos flowers under a pink, orange and purple-streaked sky
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is the Brotherhood of Man?

The brotherhood of men is founded on the fatherhood of God. ~ The Urantia Book, 134:4.1 (1486.4)

The brotherhood of man is, after all, predicated on the recognition of the fatherhood of God. The quickest way to realize the brotherhood of man on Urantia is to effect the spiritual transformation of present-day humanity. ~ The Urantia Book, 52:6.7 (598.2)

Fatherhood is the relationship out of which we reason ourselves into the recognition of brotherhood. ~ The Urantia Book, 16:9.14 (196.10)

The ultimate goal of human progress is the reverent recognition of the fatherhood of God and the loving materialization of the brotherhood of man. ~ The Urantia Book, 143:1.4 (1608.1)

If each mortal could only become a focus of dynamic affection, this benign virus of love would soon pervade the sentimental emotion-stream of humanity to such an extent that all civilization would be encompassed by love, and that would be the realization of the brotherhood of man. ~ The Urantia Book, 100:4.6 (1098.3)

Autumn landscape with yellow larch in Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites at sunset.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

The kingdom of heaven is neither a social nor economic order; it is an exclusively spiritual brotherhood of God-knowing individuals. True, such a brotherhood is in itself a new and amazing social phenomenon attended by astounding political and economic repercussions. ~ The Urantia Book, 99:3.2 (1088.3)

The kingdom of heaven is neither material nor merely intellectual; it is a spiritual relationship between God and man. ~ The Urantia Book, 134:4.2 (1486.5)

God is spirit, and God gives a fragment of his spirit self to dwell in the heart of man. Spiritually, all men are equal. The kingdom of heaven is free from castes, classes, social levels, and economic groups. You are all brethren. ~ The Urantia Book, 134:4.7 (1487.4)

The keys of the kingdom of heaven are: sincerity, more sincerity, and more sincerity. The highest moral choice is the choice of the highest possible value, and always—in any sphere, in all of them—this is to choose to do the will of God. ~ The Urantia Book, 39:4.14 (435.7)

“John came preaching repentance to prepare you for the kingdom; now have I come proclaiming faith, the gift of God, as the price of entrance into the kingdom of heaven. If you would but believe that my Father loves you with an infinite love, then you are in the kingdom of God.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 137:8.17 (1537.4)

Empty row boat on a golden lake at sunset
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How do I live like Jesus?

He lived the truth, even as he taught it. He was the truth. He was constrained to proclaim saving truth to his generation, even though such sincerity sometimes caused pain. He was unquestioningly loyal to all truth. ~ The Urantia Book, 100:7.2 (1101.6)

He was courageous but never reckless; prudent but never cowardly. He was sympathetic but not sentimental; unique but not eccentric. He was pious but not sanctimonious. And he was so well-poised because he was so perfectly unified. ~ The Urantia Book, 100:7.4 (1102.1)

Of Jesus it was truly said, “He trusted God.” As a man among men he most sublimely trusted the Father in heaven. He trusted his Father as a little child trusts his earthly parent. His faith was perfect but never presumptuous. ~ The Urantia Book, 100:7.7 (1102.4)

“He went about doing good.” ~ The Urantia Book, 100:7.8 (1102.5)

Still, glassy lake with reflection of mountains and trees. Golden sun shining through the trees. Image from Hintersee lake in the Bavarian national park Berchtesgadener Land in the German Alps.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Does true love exist?

All true love is from God, and man receives the divine affection as he himself bestows this love upon his fellows. ~ The Urantia Book, 117:6.10 (1289.3)

True love does not compromise nor condone hate; it destroys it. ~ The Urantia Book, 188:5.2 (2018.1)

Autumn scene of foot bridge over a river in a forest with fallen leaves covering the ground
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How does forgiveness work?

Since God knows all about his children, it is easy for him to forgive. The better man understands his neighbor, the easier it will be to forgive him, even to love him. ~ The Urantia Book, 2:4.2 (38.2)

If a man recognizes the evil of his ways and repents of sin from the heart, then may he seek forgiveness; he may escape the penalty; he may change calamity into blessing. ~ The Urantia Book, 131:8.5 (1452.3)

The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him, but such forgiveness is not available in your personal religious experience until such a time as you forgive your fellow men. ~ The Urantia Book, 146:2.4 (1638.4)

When you forgive your brother in the flesh, you thereby create the capacity in your own soul for the reception of the reality of God’s forgiveness of your own misdeeds. ~ The Urantia Book, 170:2.23 (1861.5)

Panorama of the Yosemite Valley (El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks, Bridalveil Falls) at the Merced River.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is the will of God?

The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God—with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible. ~ The Urantia Book, 111:5.1 (1221.2)

Every mortal who is consciously or unconsciously following the leading of his indwelling Adjuster is living in accordance with the will of God. Consciousness of Adjuster presence is consciousness of God's presence. ~ The Urantia Book, 107:0:4 (1176.4)

While you cannot observe the divine spirit at work in your minds, there is a practical method of discovering the degree to which you have yielded the control of your soul powers to the teaching and guidance of this indwelling spirit of the heavenly Father, and that is the degree of your love for your fellow men. ~ The Urantia Book, 146:3.6 (1642.2)

Small white wildflowers on the banks of Moore Lake, Yoho National Park, British Columbia by Don Paulson
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is prayer?

Prayer is a part of the divine plan for making over that which is into that which ought to be. ~ The Urantia Book, 144:4.9 (1621.8)

“The ideal prayer is a form of spiritual communion which leads to intelligent worship. True praying is the sincere attitude of reaching heavenward for the attainment of your ideals.” ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 144:2.2 (1618.6)

Prayer is designed to make man less thinking but more realizing; it is not designed to increase knowledge but rather to expand insight. ~ The Urantia Book, 143:7.4 (1616.6)

Prayer is not a technique of escape from conflict but rather a stimulus to growth in the very face of conflict. Pray only for values, not things; for growth, not for gratification. ~ The Urantia Book, 91:8.13 (1002.5)

All ethical prayer is a stimulus to action and a guide to the progressive striving for idealistic goals of superself-attainment. ~ The Urantia Book, 91:4.2 (997.7)

Verdant green valley with mountain peak in background and a purple and pink hued sunrise
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Does God punish us?

No affectionate father is ever precipitate in visiting punishment upon an erring member of his family. ~ The Urantia Book, 54:5.4 (617.4)

"No more should you fear that God will punish a nation for the sin of an individual; neither will the Father in heaven punish one of his believing children for the sins of a nation..." ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 145:2.8 (1630.4)

When once you grasp the idea of God as a true and loving Father, the only concept which Jesus ever taught, you must forthwith, in all consistency, utterly abandon all those primitive notions about God as an offended monarch, a stern and all-powerful ruler whose chief delight is to detect his subjects in wrongdoing and to see that they are adequately punished, unless some being almost equal to himself should volunteer to suffer for them, to die as a substitute and in their stead. The whole idea of ransom and atonement is incompatible with the concept of God as it was taught and exemplified by Jesus of Nazareth. The infinite love of God is not secondary to anything in the divine nature. ~ The Urantia Book, 188:4.8 (2017.3)

But of one thing you may be sure: The Father does not send affliction as an arbitrary punishment for wrongdoing. ~ The Urantia Book, 148:5.3 (1661.5)

Golden sunset over the Adriatic Riviera  in Makarska, Croatia
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Does Hell exist?

Early man entertained no ideas of hell or future punishment. The savage looked upon the future life as just like this one, minus all ill luck. Later on, a separate destiny for good ghosts and bad ghosts--heaven and hell--was conceived ~ The Urantia Book, 86:4.7 (953.6)

God is the Father; man is his son. Love, the love of a father for his son, becomes the central truth in the universe relations of Creator and creature--not the justice of a king which seeks satisfaction in the sufferings and punishment of the evil-doing subject. ~ The Urantia Book, 188:5.1 (2017.9)

Always keep in mind: True religion is to know God as your Father and man as your brother. Religion is not a slavish belief in threats of punishment or magical promises of future mystical rewards. ~ The Urantia Book, 99:5.2 (1091.1)

The greatest punishment (in reality an inevitable consequence) for wrongdoing and deliberate rebellion against the government of God is loss of existence as an individual subject of that government. ~ The Urantia Book, 2:3.2 (36.7)

...though mercy is thus precious and dearly bestowed, your individual drawing credits are always far in excess of your ability to exhaust the reserve if you are sincere of purpose and honest of heart. ~ The Urantia Book, 28:6.7 (314.6)

Empty white sand beach with blue skies and clear water, Philippines
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Is it wrong to want to acquire material wealth?

There is no sin in having honest possessions on earth provided your treasure is in heaven, for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. ~ The Urantia Book, 165:4.5 (1821.5)

Riches have nothing directly to do with entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but the love of wealth does. The spiritual loyalties of the kingdom are incompatible with servility to materialistic mammon. ~ The Urantia Book, 163:2.10 (1803.1)

Jesus frequently warned his listeners against covetousness, declaring that “a man’s happiness consists not in the abundance of his material possessions.” ~ The Urantia Book, 140:8.17 (1581.4)

Those who are sure of salvation are forever free from lust, envy, hatred, and the delusions of wealth. ~ The Urantia Book, 131:3.4 (1447.1)

No noble man will strive to accumulate riches and amass wealth-power by the enslavement or unfair exploitation of his brothers in the flesh. ~ The Urantia Book, 132:5.18 (1464.2)

Spring wildflowers above Heber Valley at sunrise, Utah, USA
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

How does God love?

Love is the dominant characteristic of all God's personal dealings with his creatures.
~ The Urantia Book, 2:5.12 (40.4)

God is inherently kind, naturally compassionate, and everlastingly merciful. And never is it necessary that any influence be brought to bear upon the Father to call forth his loving-kindness.
~ The Urantia Book, 2:4.2 (38.2)

God loves each individual as an individual child in the heavenly family.
~ The Urantia Book, 12:7.8 (138.3)

Divine love does not merely forgive wrongs; it absorbs and actually destroys them.
~ The Urantia Book, 188:5.2 (2018.1)

Bernese range above Bachalpsee lake
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Is God inside me?

The creature not only exists in God, but God also lives in the creature. “We know we dwell in him because he lives in us; he has given us his spirit. This gift from the Paradise Father is man’s inseparable companion.” “He is the ever-present and all-pervading God.” “The spirit of the everlasting Father is concealed in the mind of every mortal child.” “Man goes forth searching for a friend while that very friend lives within his own heart.” “The true God is not afar off; he is a part of us; his spirit speaks from within us.” “The Father lives in the child. God is always with us. He is the guiding spirit of eternal destiny.” ~ The Urantia Book, 3:1.4 (45.2)

"The world is filled with hungry souls who famish in the very presence of the bread of life; men die searching for the very God who lives within them." ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 159:3.8 (1766.4)

There dwells within you a fragment of the Universal Father, and you are thus directly related to the divine Father of all the Sons of God. ~ The Urantia Book, 40:6.8 (448.7)

"No more shall suffering mortals be denied the comfort of knowing the love of God and understanding the mercy of the Father in heaven. Do you not comprehend that God dwells within you, that he has become what you are that he may make you what he is!" ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 148:6.10 (1664.2)

As they stood there in the moonlight, Jesus went on to say: "There lives within every human mind a divine spirit, the gift of the Father in heaven. This good spirit ever strives to lead us to God, to help us to find God and to know God." ~ The Urantia Book, 133:3.7 (1472.6)

Green fields blue sky with clouds
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

Are we immortal?

God first loves man and confers upon him the potential of immortality—eternal reality. And as man loves God, so does man become eternal in actuality. ~ The Urantia Book, 117:4.14 (1285.3)

The Creator Sons in the Deity association of God the Sevenfold provide the mechanism whereby the mortal becomes immortal and the finite attains the embrace of the infinite. ~ The Urantia Book, 0:8.11 (12.2)

The sending of Adjusters, their indwelling, is indeed one of the unfathomable mysteries of God the Father. These fragments of the divine nature of the Universal Father carry with them the potential of creature immortality. Adjusters are immortal spirits, and union with them confers eternal life upon the soul of the fused mortal. ~ The Urantia Book, 40:7.1 (448.8)

The actuality of the existence of God is demonstrated in human experience by the indwelling of the divine presence, the spirit Monitor sent from Paradise to live in the mortal mind of man and there to assist in evolving the immortal soul of eternal survival. ~ The Urantia Book, 1:2.3 (24.1)

"I will give eternal life to all who will become faith sons of God. And this is eternal life, that my creatures should know you as the only true God and Father of all, and that they should believe in him whom you sent into the world." ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 182:1.3 (1963.5)

"Continue to believe in me and in that which I have revealed to you, and you shall receive the gift of eternal life." ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 181:2.11 (1957.1)

"Cease to fear men; be unafraid to preach the good news of eternal life to your fellows who languish in darkness and hunger for the light of truth." ~ Jesus, The Urantia Book, 192:2.11 (2049.2)

Lake Sils, Switzerland surrounded by golden pine trees and snow covered mountains.
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is our final destiny?

This possibility of the attainment of divine perfection is the final and certain destiny of all man’s eternal spiritual progress. ~ The Urantia Book, 1:0.4 (22.1)

God is not only the determiner of destiny; he is man’s eternal destination. ~ The Urantia Book, 5:4.3 (67.1)

Paradise is unique in that it is the realm of primal origin and the final goal of destiny for all spirit personalities. ~ The Urantia Book, 11:9.1 (126.6)

Spirit identification constitutes the secret of personal survival and determines the destiny of spiritual ascension. ~ The Urantia Book, 40:5.4 (445.5)

And this one God is our Maker and the last destiny of the soul. ~ The Urantia Book, 131:4.2 (1448.1)

Autumn Peak at Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park
INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What is the meaning of life?

The transcendent goal of the children of time is to find the eternal God, to comprehend the divine nature, to recognize the Universal Father. God-knowing creatures have only one supreme ambition, just one consuming desire, and that is to become, as they are in their spheres, like him as he is in his Paradise perfection of personality and in his universal sphere of righteous supremacy. From the Universal Father who inhabits eternity there has gone forth the supreme mandate, “Be you perfect, even as I am perfect.” ~ The Urantia Book, 1:0.3 (21.3)

This magnificent and universal injunction to strive for the attainment of the perfection of divinity is the first duty, and should be the highest ambition, of all the struggling creature creation of the God of perfection. This possibility of the attainment of divine perfection is the final and certain destiny of all man’s eternal spiritual progress. ~ The Urantia Book, 1:0.4 (22.1)

And then the Master, turning to all of them, said: “Be not dismayed that you fail to grasp the full meaning of the gospel. You are but finite, mortal men, and that which I have taught you is infinite, divine, and eternal. Be patient and of good courage since you have the eternal ages before you in which to continue your progressive attainment of the experience of becoming perfect, even as your Father in Paradise is perfect.” ~ The Urantia Book, 181:2.25 (1961.4)

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“The more closely man approaches God through love, the greater the reality—actuality—of that man.”