|
the fact that the spirit hopes of each of you are identical in origin, nature, and destiny. (1591)
The communities in which Jesus lived and taught were dominantly from small villages in rural communities in which visitors to the village would draw immediate attention to the fact of their presence. In the environment of a seething metropolis that is the lot for most of us in today's Western world, it would be perfectly possible to live a personal life in almost total accord with the spiritual life that Jesus lived, yet for that life to go almost totally unnoticed. Never would any other human being ever approach to ask what it is that makes such a life so beautiful.
Until we recognize that times are different from 2000 years ago, it would appear that the Urantia movement is doomed to remain as a tiny minority group having little or no effectiveness in assisting with the spiritual progress of beings on this planet.
Perhaps there is a need for committed Urantians to become more visible. However we also need to be aware of the failure of so many religious groups that, at first, appeared to have all the answers, but then fell apart when it became evident that their leaders had feet of clay.
Possibly the best model available to us of a group of dedicated people, united in worship and service, coming reasonably close to Jesus' ideal for mortal living, and also surviving the crucial test of time, is the Salvation Army. Is it time for Urantians to become visible and united in some such service organization? However, before we can do so, we had best learn to tolerate differences within the movement by recognizing that the "spirit hope of each of us is identical in origin, nature, and destiny."
|
|
