Is being Christian important?

20 posts · 12 participants · started Mar 18, 2015, 5:56 AM

1. V

   VernParticipant
   Mar 18, 2015, 5:56 AM

   Much of the information in The Urantia Book is directly intended to appeal to believing Christians of this day and age.

   In The Urantia Book there are 121 paragraphs containing the term “Christianity,” this is one example:

   “As the original teachings of Jesus penetrated the Occident, they became Occidentalized, and as they became Occidentalized, they began to lose their potentially universal appeal to all races and kinds of men. Christianity, today, has become a religion well adapted to the social, economic, and political mores of the white races. It has long since ceased to be the religion of Jesus, although it still valiantly portrays a beautiful religion about Jesus to such individuals as sincerely seek to follow in the way of its teaching. It has glorified Jesus as the Christ, the Messianic anointed one from God, but has largely forgotten the Master’s personal gospel: the Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of all men.  [paper ^{98:7.11, page 1084:10]”}

   In other places there is direct instruction that this, and future generations of Urantia Book readers, should be active within the existing Christian community.

   “Christianity exhibits a history of having originated out of the unintended transformation of the religion of Jesus into a religion about Jesus. It further presents the history of having experienced Hellenization, paganization, secularization, institutionalization, intellectual deterioration, spiritual decadence, moral hibernation, threatened extinction, later rejuvenation, fragmentation, and more recent relative rehabilitation. Such a pedigree is indicative of inherent vitality and the possession of vast recuperative resources. And this same Christianity is now present in the civilized world of Occidental peoples and stands face to face with a struggle for existence which is even more ominous than those eventful crises which have characterized its past battles for dominance.

   Religion is now confronted by the challenge of a new age of scientific minds and materialistic tendencies. In this gigantic struggle between the secular and the spiritual, the religion of Jesus will eventually triumph. [paper ^{195:4.5, page 2075:3]”}

   How many long-time readers of The Urantia Book have read the following passage about “quivering on the very brink” and though it “very nice” but for someone else and, for some other time?

   “But paganized and socialized Christianity stands in need of new contact with the uncompromised teachings of Jesus; it languishes for lack of a new vision of the Master’s life on earth. A new and fuller revelation of the religion of Jesus is destined to conquer an empire of materialistic secularism and to overthrow a world sway of mechanistic naturalism. Urantia is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment.  [Paper  ^{195:9.2, page 2082:7]”}

   Surely contact with Christian believers will yeild spiritual fruit. Why wait? Seize the moment. The choice is ours, the consequence God’s.

    

2. M

   MaraParticipant
   Mar 19, 2015, 4:41 PM

   Vern wrote:

   . . . “quivering on the very brink” and though it “very nice” but for someone else and, for some other time?

    

   To each individual it seems to me this all depends on one’s social milieu.  I’m not a church-goer, but I know several long time readers who attend their churches and are active there with others.  Outside of one’s church, other possibilities for organized group discussion and/or worship exist.  For example, a friend (not a UB readers) and I organized a prayer circle, as we call it, in our small community.  We currently have a dysfunctional governing board of directors, and in seeking to “do something!” we formed a group of residents ostensibly to pray for our community and for our board.  It is a nondenominational gathering and we keep it that way.  This is a most amazing group of people and we mutually rave about how wonderful it is.  We meet weekly.  Recently someone brought up the discussion of the Trinity, and we had a great go-around with it.  One person in the group is a Catholic-turned-Jew.  It’s quite fascinating to learn of different perspectives, while praying together and worshiping together.

    

   Otherwise for me, I go at it on a one-to-one basis.  What are your suggestions?

3. S

   ScaldihanParticipant
   Mar 20, 2015, 7:18 PM

   I would not limit to Christians. If all Urantians held to this, I would not be a Christian today.

4. V

   VernParticipant
   Mar 21, 2015, 9:53 AM

   Hi Mara,

   You wrote:

    We meet weekly.  Recently someone brought up the discussion of the Trinity, and we had a great go-around with it.  One person in the group is a Catholic-turned-Jew.  It’s quite fascinating to learn of different perspectives, while praying together and worshiping together.

   This is a wonderful “grass roots” interpersonal initiative and I’m sure this form of spiritual seeding is going on in other places too.

   It all adds to the momentum of positive “fruits of the spirit” which is a cumulative and powerful force to arrive at that point of critical mass where small individual candles of spirit potency combine to unite in a conflagration of spirit power, a tipping point for a whole nation or a group of nations even. Spirit force is like atmosphere it knows no borders or boundaries, it permeates the soul and wells up to flow out upon all humanity.

   My original question stands however. Why do you think the Revelators placed so much emphasis on Christianity, the religion that sprang from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus? The religion that has endured and transformed western society to be what it is today.

   Do you really think the wisest course for hungry souls who discover The Urantia Book is to align themselves with a book-centric group like “Urantia Association International?”

   After all, said Jesus “the kingdom is within you.” A statement of true liberation from any intermediaries between the person and the Father who dwells within the mind.

   The significance of this message should be presented anew to Christianity. I would love to see those thousands of young people rushing forward.

   If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master’s program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure. [Paper  ^{195:10.10, page 2085:2]}

5. V

   VernParticipant
   Mar 21, 2015, 10:29 AM

   Hi Scaldihan,

   Yes, the essential message of God as your loving Father is still contained within Christianity but Christianity has allowed itself to be identified with the material world of commerce which is a betrayal of its spiritual purpose.

   But there is no excuse for the involvement of the church in commerce and politics; such unholy alliances are a flagrant betrayal of the Master. And the genuine lovers of truth will be slow to forget that this powerful institutionalized church has often dared to smother newborn faith and persecute truth bearers who chanced to appear in unorthodox raiment. [Paper  ^{195:10.13, page 2085.5]}

   The power of an organised religion has brought us to the point where the people now freed of the yolk of superstition, are turning away and saying they have no need of institutionalised religion. Materialistic secular society has made the once poweful Christianity, powerless. Christianity has made so many compromises people don’t believe any more. The real power is spiritual, it always was and ever will be.

   It is all too true that such a church would not have survived unless there had been men in the world who preferred such a style of worship. Many spiritually indolent souls crave an ancient and authoritative religion of ritual and sacred traditions. Human evolution and spiritual progress are hardly sufficient to enable all men to dispense with religious authority. And the invisible brotherhood of the kingdom may well include these family groups of various social and temperamental classes if they are only willing to become truly spirit-led sons of God. But in this brotherhood of Jesus there is no place for sectarian rivalry, group bitterness, nor assertions of moral superiority and spiritual infallibility. [Paper  ^{195:10.14, page 2085.6]}

   The other error that Christianity has perpetuated is that it is only a religion for Western Culture with its “anthropomorphic” Risen Christ sitting enthroned in a position of superiority over all other religions.

   These various groupings of Christians may serve to accommodate numerous different types of would-be believers among the various peoples of Western civilization, but such division of Christendom presents a grave weakness when it attempts to carry the gospel of Jesus to Oriental peoples. These races do not yet understand that there is a religion of Jesus separate, and somewhat apart, from Christianity, which has more and more become a religion about Jesus. [Paper  ^{195:10.15, page 2086:1]}

   Christianity must change sufficiently to embrace all mankind.

   The great hope of Urantia lies in the possibility of a new revelation of Jesus with a new and enlarged presentation of his saving message which would spiritually unite in loving service the numerous families of his present-day professed followers. [Paper ^{195:10.16, page 2086.2]} 

   There you have it, stated as plain as can be, our planet’s great hope is spiritually united Christianity.

    

6. C

   chucksmith1982Participant
   Mar 21, 2015, 6:15 PM

   As a Christian reader of the UB, I have to weigh in on this. Christianity still has potential to be a spiritual force, but, what do we do about the conservative branches? I ask this question because all of the churches around me are of that same ilk. I have joined an Assemblies of God church in my area because it is one of the best churches that I have found here, but attempts to interest anyone  in the UB are fruitless. Likewise, my attempts to interest anyone at my workplace has borne the same result. As a result, I am the only UB reader that I know of in a 50 mile radius.

7. V

   VernParticipant
   Mar 22, 2015, 4:06 AM

   Hi chucksmith1982.

   Great to receive your comment, thanks.

   You wrote:

   As a Christian reader of the UB, I have to weigh in on this. Christianity still has potential to be a spiritual force, but, what do we do about the conservative branches?

   I’m not sure presenting The Urantia Book in a “here replace the Bible with this” move, is the solution to the problem you are experiencing within your congregation. Rather, could I suggest you find those references which directly go to the issues where Christianity has deviate from the teachings of Jesus and present these for consideration. The flawed idea of eternal damnation is a worthy contender, the concept of a loving Father is inconsistent with barbaric notions of a vengeful deity who would take delight in inflicting eternal suffereing on his own children.

   There is listed in The Urantia Book the fundamental errors made by Christianity as it deviated from the Teachings of Jesus. The compromises to win populist appeal but at great cost to the spiritual integrity of Jesus’ intended purpose. If you seek these out and present them one at a time as a talking point, much can be achieved.

   Long time readers of The Urantia Book can assist you in finding these references.

   I encourage you in your efforts to restate the message of Jesus to your fellow believers, the liberating truth of sonship with God and consequent brotherhood of man. Membership within the vast family of created personalities and beings of the grand universe. Membership which requires no other act than faith, a willingness to accept as true, by the example you live for others to see.

8. C

   chucksmith1982Participant
   Mar 22, 2015, 5:55 AM

   Thanks for the comments. For the moment, I guess I’ll read alone as there are no other readers near by.

9. V

   VernParticipant
   Mar 22, 2015, 7:27 AM

   Hello chucksmith1982

   Thanks for this response. As you reflect on truth in the comfort of your own home, I’ll leave this valuable quote with you, one that shows the method Jesus used to win hearts and minds, he built on the truth he saw was already there.

   Jesus learned much about men while in Rome, but the most valuable of all the manifold experiences of his six months’ sojourn in that city was his contact with, and influence upon, the religious leaders of the empire’s capital. Before the end of the first week in Rome Jesus had sought out, and had made the acquaintance of, the worth-while leaders of the Cynics, the Stoics, and the mystery cults, in particular the Mithraic group. Whether or not it was apparent to Jesus that the Jews were going to reject his mission, he most certainly foresaw that his messengers were presently coming to Rome to proclaim the kingdom of heaven; and he therefore set about, in the most amazing manner, to prepare the way for the better and more certain reception of their message. He selected five of the leading Stoics, eleven of the Cynics, and sixteen of the mystery-cult leaders and spent much of his spare time for almost six months in intimate association with these religious teachers. And this was his method of instruction: Never once did he attack their errors or even mention the flaws in their teachings. In each case he would select the truth in what they taught and then proceed so to embellish and illuminate this truth in their minds that in a very short time this enhancement of the truth effectively crowded out the associated error; and thus were these Jesus-taught men and women prepared for the subsequent recognition of additional and similar truths in the teachings of the early Christian missionaries. It was this early acceptance of the teachings of the gospel preachers which gave that powerful impetus to the rapid spread of Christianity in Rome and from there throughout the empire. [Paper  ^{132:0.4, page 1455.4]}

   Never underestimate the transformative power of the enhancement of already accepted truth. It’s like a blast of oxygen to glowing embers, they come alight!!

    
10. E

    eliseParticipant
    Apr 28, 2015, 5:32 PM

    Vern,

    Here is a link where people are trying to bridge the Bible and Christianity.  They seems to be very successful.

    http://www.thechristexperiment.org/#!experiment-6—a-new-revelation/cv56

11. V

    VernParticipant
    May 3, 2015, 2:01 AM

    Hi,

    Yes, I know of this website, my friend Julian McGarry sublitted it in article form for inclusion in ANZURA’s newsletter Arena last issue.

    “THE CHRIST EXPERIMENT”

    By Julian McGarry, Hobart, Tasmania

    Exciting things are happening with regard to the seeding of the Fifth Epochal Revelation in places and situations that may surprise us. We are used to hearing news about Urantia Association and our brothers and sisters in other organizations within what is sometimes referred to as “the Urantia movement”. We’ve been told however that Urantia is being supervised by twelve corps of master seraphim and that these angelic sisters have been assigned various duties pertaining to the progress and overcontrol of our planetary affairs [Paper 114:6.1-4, page 1255:1-3].

    In particular, it would seem that the “progress angels” and the “religious guardians” are busy fostering the religion of Jesus, “the most powerful unifying influence the world has ever known”. The following story would appear to confirm this.

    A few months back, I was contacted by a man who found my phone number on the ANZURA website. He wanted to know if there was a study group in Hobart.

    He informed me that he was part of a small group of five individuals that had come out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses church (I myself once used to be a Jehovah’s Witness) and had started several websites aimed at helping Jehovah’s Witnesses escape the errors of their religion. Two of these individuals live in southern California. At some point in the past they discovered The Urantia Book and the Life and Teachings of Jesus and felt a strong conviction to share this new-found knowledge with their brethren in the Jehovah’s Witnesses church as well as Christians throughout the world.

    I invite you to pay a visit to one of these websites, “The Christ Experiment” http://www.thechristexperiment.org and take a look at “About Us,” noticing the wording of their mission statement:

    The mission of The Christ Experiment is to uplift the

    spiritual conversation worldwide by stripping away the

    centuries of manmade doctrines, rituals and superstitions,

    and re-introducing the authentic, original, plain and open

    teaching of Jesus Christ. We believe the world needs to see

    Jesus living again on earth in this 21st century in the lives

    of spirit-born men and women who are seeking more than

    just belonging to a religion—men and women who are seeking

    spiritual freedom as the children of God.

     

12. C

    cwellenParticipant
    Jun 28, 2015, 6:41 PM

    As a long time reader of the Urantia Book, I’d also like to chime in here.  For me, the errors in the Christian doctrines I experienced growing up — from Southern Baptists, the idea that we must say, “I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins,” or go to hell — from Methodists — that Jesus’s was a virgin birth — all the politically conservative beliefs of racism and intolerance for anyone who had a different perspective, drove me completely away from Christianity.  Yet, I still had a strong desire to know the Truth as I could find it anywhere.  By thirteen, I was reading Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha (about Buddha’s life) and his Demian (about developing our free will), and Autobiography of a Yogi and a Course in Miracles, and many other books from Edgar Cayce’s library in Virginia Beach.  I had a strong spiritual inner push and I took many religion classes in college, reading every religious book I could get my hands on.  And even though I admired the Christ I had read about growing up, I looked at the Christian churches themselves, even the Catholic churches, with complete disdain because of their doctrine of hell, especially because of their professed belief that just about anyone different from them was going to hell.  I just couldn’t accept that everyone in India, because they grew up Hindu (a remarkably loving and tolerant religion), were going to hell and people in the Mid-East, who loved Allah, were all going to hell.  There was no way I could believe that anymore.  I felt sorry that there was not an organized religion in the US that was all-inclusive and loving, as Christ himself wanted his religion to be.

    Then, I found the UB and fell in love with my original beliefs about Christ all over again.  I found that I could love Christ himself, without needing to accept the errors of organized religions.  It made sense to me.  I was so relieved to be able to love Christ again.  However, I still cannot call myself a Christian because of those errors.  I suppose you could call me a Jesusonian, or a God-lover.  I love God and Christ with all my heart and feel no need to participate in an organized religion.  Instead, I ask Christ every morning to help me represent him in my daily work, so that people who come into contact with me will see him through me and come to believe in him.

     

    Love,

    Charlotte Wellen

13. MK

    Mark KurtzParticipant
    Jun 29, 2015, 3:55 PM

    Hello Charlotte,

    Thank you for your story.  I am pleased for you.  The UB teachings of the human Jesus are marvelous to behold.  There is a good feeling joining the world-wide informal truth seeking group, apparently persons who are not fully trusting organized religions doctrine.  There is good in all religions and it would benefit us by recognizing them and adding what we feel from the UB to be right and good.  We should give Jesus our “transcendent service”, as the Midwayer Commission suggests to us in Part IV.  Could you do a UB search of these words and notice them in their larger suggestions?  We could all serve him with transcendent dedication in love for him and the Father.

    Peace.

14. T

    toshivyasParticipant
    Dec 9, 2016, 8:54 AM

    nice story….

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15. G

    growthingraceParticipant
    Dec 10, 2016, 6:31 AM

    I have had a different take on the various quotes you posted when I have come across them over the years.  I too do not feel I can call myself a Christian, for many of the same reasons cwellen gave.  My take on why the book brings up Christianity so frequently is to show both where there were errors made in the forming of these religions as well as the benefits that came from it.  But mostly I think the purpose was to distinguish the true religion of Christ from the church.  I think that much like Christ brought a new revelation of God to Urantia, so too is the book.

    Jesus told his followers not to try to fit his teachings into the old to make them more acceptable, but to place the new amongst the old and let them grow.  He also advised them not to try to destroy the old beliefs.  This is a tricky dance, and I think we would be wise to keep it in mind in our work.  I suspect that a reformation of the Christian church will be too limiting for the expansion of the religion of Jesus.  My understanding is that one of the biggest roles of science is to eliminate the superstitions of religious life to make room for higher teachings.  I think we are seeing this happen today with the large number of people leaving religions.  With this process comes the opportunity for new seeds of truth to be planted.  There is lots of good soil in the world for the planting of these seeds, I do not believe it is limited to Christians.

16. C

    chucksmith1982Participant
    Dec 10, 2016, 8:13 PM

    I to am no longer a Christian. I simply have found to many things I disagree with. I do, however, consider myself a follower of Jesus. If I had to put a name to my faith, I suppose I’d call it Urantian. I use the UB as my main religious source document, and bring in others as needed for clarification or a different point of view. I have also changed churches. I now go to a United Methodist church. While they are not open to the UB, I have been able to “slip in” some concepts from it and they have been well received. I could not have done the same with the church that I was attending last time I posted on this topic.

    I was thinking about conservative vs liberal. I thought about the two movements throughout the history of this country and came to one conclusion. Todays’ liberal is tomorows conservative. Look at pre vs post civil war. It was acceptable to own slaves before. After, even though the former slave owners were alive, it was illegal. The kids grew up in a society where you had racism, but no more slavery. They would be considered liberal to their parents who still believed in slavery. Generation by generation, society’s values changed, slowly, slowly, until we have what we have today. Todays’ most conservative would not be recignised as such if you put them in pre civil war America. They would be considered liberal. My point? Time changes everything. It is a truth that we often overlook. Society changed from one that excepted the ownership of one based on the color of ones’ skin to one in wich, for certain generations at least, it is now acceptable to marry and have friends among, what would have then been considered a inferior race, fit only for slavery. What lesson can we learn from this? Time changes all. We need to have patience. We may not see all of the changes that we want to happen, but we can spend our lives working to make the changes that we want to happen, happen. Am I saying that in some instances legal actions are not required? No, I am not. I am, however, saying that for the Urantia movement, patience is a virtue. All we as UB believers can do is try and influence those around us to open their minds and hearts to new truth or a different view. Even though they may not be willing to change their posission, at least they would be willing to look at the issue from a different point of view. Eventually, as more and more people look at issues from the ub point of view, the book itself will become more acceptable in society. That is my hope anyway.

17. G

    gild96Participant
    Feb 8, 2018, 10:39 AM

    what is being christian ? .. like jesus say ‘ the kingdom is within’.. means , christianity is within . that is my opinion..

    i mean , the first step is to the direction of inside . than you can go to church etc.. or doing christian things.. but jesus is already in you,

    no distance . so my being christian is being inside where jesus and all the bible and other religions is . unit all of them into one infinite whole .

    so.. judes..etc.. not matter . man should be inside where the love of the infinite is contains by itself all reality and religions and everything that exsist . thats the true religion ; inside a man ,,

18. K

    KerynMember
    Feb 8, 2018, 2:07 PM

    Gild96,

    Welcome and thank you for posting your beautiful perspective on what it means to be Christian.  I completely agree.

19. A

    AndréParticipant
    Jul 11, 2018, 3:05 PM

    Todays’ most conservative would not be recignised as such if you put them in pre civil war America. They would be considered liberal.  chucksmith1982

    Hi everyone,

    Chucksmith, how logical and make sense.

    André

20. A

    AndréParticipant
    Oct 19, 2018, 5:51 AM

    Hi Vern,

    “here replace the Bible with this”

    …. Jesus never “replace” lights issue from evolutive trend but instead enhance them with truth as you pinpoint Vern in post # 14259.

    I red in UB that peoples need a socialization process along with believes.

    In all normal planets and even in Paradise individuals, they gathering at a temple for adoration of God

    As Mara well said; denominational or nondenominational, Christians, Judaism, Islamic they all proceed to evolutive religious paths.

    .Vern, well before setting a sociabilising institutions as “THE ONE”. Each individual must set themself one with God inside.

    André

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