Anyone who has read the Urantia Book, and in particular, Part 3 on our history, knows that when societies aren’t spiritually hungry, they perish. When man stops looking for the truth, eternal truth, then that man’s days are really numbered.
In paper 195 we are instructed “a society without God is like a solar system without gravity,” meaning there is nothing to hold it together. God is the central force and figure, the stabilizer, the purpose and the origin of life itself. To ignore God is to really ignore true reality, which means a society that ignores God is really a society that is living in its own reality and that reality cannot sustain itself.
When Jesus asked about the end times, and his return, or when the world is about to go through tribulation he said to “look for the signs,” just as you would observe the changing leafs of a tree when new seasons come.
I see the signs and they are not good. Religious affiliation is down, socialism is on the rise, authoritative totalitarian regimes are gaining strength, drug abuse and the drug trade are exploding, suicides and insanity are increasing (promoted by an over-zealous medical industry that believes everyone one is suffering from something, and therefore must be treated).
The most powerful, influential and wealthy country on the planet is sick, very sick. But at the root of this sickness is that, for the most part, society has given up on God. He is not talked about, he is not referred to (except in relation to social rights or social justice), and outside of church or some religious programming, mainstream media ignores God and anything to do with Jesus.
I am not an evangelical. I am not a Christian as you might define the word, but I do believe in the truths that Jesus taught and I do believe in Him, who came to represent the Father and to show us the way. So I say this with great sadness and even some contempt: How dare we turn our backs on eternal principles when we are the recipients of so much wealth and luxury – at the hands of the millions of people who suffered and toiled so we could have what we have today? How is it that our political leaders have become so corrupted, and our media and all that it represents has also become so vacuous, pornographic and vulgar? And why do the non-religious hate Christ so much that they are willing to tear down statues for fear of offending someone? From whence comes this great offense that a spiritual figure would cause such pain?
Can we not see the seeds of our own destruction? Can we not hear the cries of the lonely and the despondent for salvation and redemption in a world so cruel that we even now pass laws that allow doctors to kill babies after they are born just to protect a “woman’s right to choose?” (I understand the necessity in a promiscuous society to provide life planning options to young people who may not be prepared for child-rearing, but the line of decency keeps getting pushed back where we don’t even see our own cruelty because it has become categorized as a “right”).
Urantia (Earth) is a troubled-planet. From the very first human, we have been slightly askew, different from the rest of our cosmic brethren. We know that Michael chose our world for his seventh bestowal because we were backward and lost, and while I am grateful there are still millions upon millions of people who have found God through Jesus, it’s not the flock who frighten me. It’s the other 60 percent of humanity who are quite frightening, and off course.
Books like the Urantia Book should have appeal to people looking for a smart and consistent religious faith, but admittingly, it’s not for everyone. I know this truth, but I also know the number of people who read the Urantia Book is growing, and this gives me comfort. It’s why I do this blog and Urantia Radio broadcasts, to keep the beacon of hope bright for those who are passing ships looking for safe harbor.
To the future we look and see mystery, but if the past is any indication, then we are in for a very rocky ride. Strap yourself in.
In God we must trust, indeed.
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James R. Watkins is the creator of UrantiaRadio.com and the editor of this blog. James is also th eauthor of The Urantia Book: Exploring a New Revelation,” and host of Candidly Speaking on UrantiaRadio.wordpress.com
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