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Not If, But When
Dick Bain, Hickory, NC, USA
Is the Urantia community a religion? How do we see ourselves? How do others see us? Will there ever be a Urantia church? Should there be a Urantia church?
The terms "church" and "religion" are often used to mean the same thing, so I will define what I mean when I use the terms. I take my cues from Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. By church, I mean socialized and organized religion with buildings and clergy. By religion, I mean a community in which the individuals share a common set of spiritual beliefs and attitudes relating to God. Early Christianity was a religion but only later became a church.
If some in our community find the idea of a Urantia religion objectionable, then they would no doubt view the idea of a Urantia church as a scandal! The distaste of many in our community for a church or even for a religion is understandable. Some rather despicable things have been done in the name of religion or the church. The church has often been a roadblock in the way of social, scientific and even spiritual progress. Wars have been fought and people have been persecuted because of disagreements over theology. On the other hand, socialized religion as embodied in the church, synagogue or mosque has at times been a conservator of values and even of valuable knowledge. It has also provided a community of loving support for many in times of trouble. And because of its conservative nature, the church has at times been a governor on the engines of change to prevent too rapid or too radical changes. Weaknesses can sometimes be strengths.
Another objection that people have to socialized religion, especially as seen in the church, is that it isolates groups from one another; it promotes the "us vs. them" syndrome. If people begin to see the Urantia community as just another religion or church with its own holy book, will this inhibit them from looking at The Urantia Book? Will we thereby limit our growth? Do the advantages of a Urantia church outweigh the potential problems?
Some people will see the development of a Urantia church as a great sell-out, the beginning of bureaucracy and the death of real religion. I would ask this question of such folks: How many practicing Gnostics do you know? The Gnostics were against a professional clergy and they were against overmuch organization; without organization they had no power. Gnosticism wilted away beside the power of the organized Christian church. Humans are institution builders because institutions are the machines that carry out the great tasks of civilization. The Urantia community will have difficulty accomplishing large, long term programs without the power of a well-organized church.
On page 1076, the authors of The Urantia Book offer an additional reason for the development of a socialized religious institution such as a church: "The Jewish religion persisted also because of its institutions. It is difficult for religion to survive as the private practice of isolated individuals." (1076) And again on page 1083: "While it is true that the institutionalization of religion has usually detracted from its spiritual quality, it is also a fact that no religion has thus far succeeded in surviving without the aid of institutional organization of some degree, greater or lesser" If a Urantia religion exists or is developing, then it seems it will eventually need to organize to survive.
But even if a Urantia church develops, not everyone in the Urantia community will rush to join it. Such a church will only be a piece of the community, not the whole, and will not speak for the whole. I see three different sorts of Urantians in relationship to a future Urantia church. The first is the totally independent person. Many in the Urantia community are anti-institution and would have nothing to do with a Urantia church. These independent people will be valuable to the community because they will be free to introduce the book to people who are unaffiliated like themselves. The second type of Urantian is one who embraces the teachings of the book, but remains a loyal member of his or her religious organization. This person is an asset to the Urantia community because they are positioned to introduce the book to people of their church or other religious organization with which they are affiliated. They are missionaries of a sort. The third type of Urantian is one who longs for a church that provides the sort of support and organizational functions that the Christian church provides, but a church composed of students of the book and a church that embodies the teachings of The Urantia Book.
What of those who embrace the emerging Urantia religion but choose to remain a part of the traditional Christian church? Can anyone be intensely involved in this Urantia religion and be a Christian (Moslem, Jew, etc.) as well? Maybe. It depends on the brand of religion with which we are involved. The fundamentalist sects of the various religions have very little tolerance for ideas outside their theology. The few people I have spoken to who are both students of the book and members of Christian fundamentalist churches choose to conceal their involvement with the book to avoid problems with their church. On the other hand, based on personal experience, a liberal Christian has little difficulty in this religious coexistence because the theology of the book is compatible with that of the liberal Christian church. But this coexistence isn't without its consequences to the Urantia community.
When a Urantian is a part of an established religious organization such as the Christian church, I suspect that in most cases the organization or church gets more of the person's
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