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These have, within themselves, a physical pole that can "prehend" or grasp others and be influenced by them, and also a mental pole through which they can grasp ideals and values.
The dipolarity of God differs in that one pole, representing the primordial or independent nature of God, is transcendent while the other, God's consequent or dependent nature, is immersed fully in the finite world. Through this consequent nature, God participates in the experiential world but his actions are always persuasive and never coercive.
The concept of God as presented in the Urantia Papers has similarities to Whitehead's God but is vastly more detailed and explanatory.
The infinite I AM, the First Source and Center as described in the Urantia Papers, has aspects and phases that can be considered as belonging directly to this "I Am," but other components that appear to be separate and individual. For example the Qualified, Unqualified, and Universal Absolutes are referred to as phases of the "I Am," while the Universal Father is that aspect of the "I Am" that is comprehensible to finite mortals such as ourselves. However the Supreme Being, who is virtually completely immersed in finite reality as the experiential God of the Master Universe, approximates to Whitehead's consequent and dependent nature of his dipolar God.
Similarly with the particulars of transmutation of existential possibilities, potentials, and actuals to becoming "real" components of the finite universes, process philosophy offers no detail other than that "occasions of experience" or "actual entities" originate from God's vision of all the possibilities there are for the world. Whitehead's concept is interpreted as meaning that in his primordial nature, God envisages all these possibilities and potentials, then from this store of "eternal objects" he offers aims to each actual entity at the beginning of their period of growth.
In contrast, the Urantia Papers present a detailed account of the pathway by which existential but static potentials resident with the Unqualified Absolute are causally activated so as to be transformed and become potential realities in the finite worlds. However, though a detailed account of the pathway is provided, information about the physical transformation from existential to experiential is not provided. (see pp. 8 & 9).
With respect to the apparent creativity of the minds of mortal beings, the reality appears to be that it is, in fact, in the way we select among the possibilities and potentials already resident in the Supreme. This is the decision-making deemed to be so important for our spiritual progress. (435)
Of interest is that among those who research the subject of consciousness and self- consciousness, there are, at one extreme, those who deny the existence of either and, at the other extreme, those who are trying to marry the bizarre findings of quantum physics with their work in neurophysiology.
From these "quantum neurophysologists" has come the suggestion that the "I" that is the central reality of each individual actually operates as a "control variable." It does so by selecting among the myriad of superposed potential possibilities that are presented to the "I" as a result of the combined sensory inputs and recalled experiences that originate from the perceived world. This was discussed briefly in an article on consciousness in Innerface Vol. 7, No.1.
Put in plain language, the suggestion is that in response to a series of events for which we need to make a decision, from its library of prior experiences that are approximate matches to the present situation, our brains offer us the possible courses of action among which we can make our selection.
This concept of what "I" does has similarities to what the Urantia Papers tell us, the difference being that for the Papers, our "brain" is really a mechanical relay station that is connected to the Supreme via the Adjutant Mind Spirits and the Universe Mother Spirit. The Supreme is the holder of the "library" of combinations of potentials among which we must make our decisions in accordance with the leading of our Thought Adjusters and Spirit of Truth (if we are listening) and the desires of our own will.
Now that the field of process theology has become "popular" with an academically-minded group of people, it may happen that opportunities will present themselves to Urantia Book readers to draw their attention to parallels in the Papers. Our task is to sow seeds so that others may reap.
Former trustee and long-time Urantia Book stalwart, Dr. Jim Mills (now dec'd), held a strong opinion that process philosophy would be the avenue by which the Urantia Papers would find their way into the academic world and thence back to the churches. To the present time, Jim's hope has not born tangible fruit. Perhaps it was premature, but perhaps new windows of opportunity are now opening.
Further information may be found at the Center for Process Studies. Their Internet address is: www.ctr4process.org/
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