Eloquent Prose, Poetic Imagery; Angelic Revelation? Hmm...,
This review is from: The Urantia Book (Paperback)
I found the Urantia Book in the very early 1980's at the Victor Valley College Library. I was in my early 20's, and had been reading a large variety of interesting new age-y literature for several years, curious but discerning.
The Urantia book had a fascinating written style, and in the more philosophical sections, an immense vocabulary used in mostly paragraph length sentences phrased somewhat like Paul in his non-legalistic biblical writing.
It sounded brilliant at times, worth the effort to think through what was being said. I made note of things that I liked that seemed quote-worthy or significant to me then. I liked the repeated use of corresponding concepts linked together , such as Father, Son, Spirit with Beauty, Truth, and Goodness. It was visual, moral, philosophical, and had a touch of something like Zen 7th Day Adventist Mormonish science fiction channeling spiritualism. Yeah, weird but had some gems.
I don't believe the book's history, external evidence, research, or any preponderance of clues within the book itself are at all convincing to me that it was revealed by angel's to the anonymous author. Similarly to the books of Mormon, Jehovah's Witness materials, science of mind, scientology, and a couple dozen other metaphysical pseudo-churchly revelations of channelers, ghost hunters, big foot believers, psychic astrologers, and the like.
Does it have to be devine to be interesting, thought-provoking, morally challenging, or edifying? For me, no. I came to believe in Jesus as God because of The Urantia Books non-perfection and fallibility. It's a great story.
The Jesus parts are anything but traditional, but at the time they gave me a human face I could understand. I highly recommend it for reading and taking what you can out if it. I don't recommend anything that you need to have as some infallible authoritative truth revealed by God with an unchallengable religion built up around it.
The Urantia claims no such singular validity, instead saying this was just a way to let us know things right now, and will be replaced with other truths later. It has no church or group who insists on the one right way to interpret it. The best thing this book gave me beside more ways to think morally, ethically, and spiritually, was to think for myself, and to accept God as I understood Him then, and now.
I found the Urantia Book in the very early 1980's at the Victor Valley College Library. I was in my early 20's, and had been reading a large variety of interesting new age-y literature for several years, curious but discerning.
The Urantia book had a fascinating written style, and in the more philosophical sections, an immense vocabulary used in mostly paragraph length sentences phrased somewhat like Paul in his non-legalistic biblical writing.
It sounded brilliant at times, worth the effort to think through what was being said. I made note of things that I liked that seemed quote-worthy or significant to me then. I liked the repeated use of corresponding concepts linked together , such as Father, Son, Spirit with Beauty, Truth, and Goodness. It was visual, moral, philosophical, and had a touch of something like Zen 7th Day Adventist Mormonish science fiction channeling spiritualism. Yeah, weird but had some gems.
I don't believe the book's history, external evidence, research, or any preponderance of clues within the book itself are at all convincing to me that it was revealed by angel's to the anonymous author. Similarly to the books of Mormon, Jehovah's Witness materials, science of mind, scientology, and a couple dozen other metaphysical pseudo-churchly revelations of channelers, ghost hunters, big foot believers, psychic astrologers, and the like.
Does it have to be devine to be interesting, thought-provoking, morally challenging, or edifying? For me, no. I came to believe in Jesus as God because of The Urantia Books non-perfection and fallibility. It's a great story.
The Jesus parts are anything but traditional, but at the time they gave me a human face I could understand. I highly recommend it for reading and taking what you can out if it. I don't recommend anything that you need to have as some infallible authoritative truth revealed by God with an unchallengable religion built up around it.
The Urantia claims no such singular validity, instead saying this was just a way to let us know things right now, and will be replaced with other truths later. It has no church or group who insists on the one right way to interpret it. The best thing this book gave me beside more ways to think morally, ethically, and spiritually, was to think for myself, and to accept God as I understood Him then, and now.
posted by Drew | 9:03 PM
2 Comments:
You in trouble, boy, we know where you been!
~ God?
"WO-OH I'm out on the border,
WO-OH I'm walkin' the line.
WO-OH Don't you tell me 'bout your law and order,
I'm tryin' to change this water to wine."
Be LIKE Jesus, don't even presume to think it's The Father's will to pull of his miracles, unless you're OK with dying like him.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home