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What was the explanation for this extraordinary phenomenon. Huston Smith4 ascribes it to three main factors--the relief Christian concepts brought to its neophytes from the fear of death, the fear of punishment for sin, and the debilitating burden of self-condemnation. These remain today as powerful influences that drive many self-condemned "wretched sinners" to seek their salvation through the church.
Dominant among these is the salvation from sin through the sacrificial death of Christ. Even today the belief is widespread that forgiveness for sin can only be attained by some deed as drastic as the sacrificial spilling of blood.
In attempting to take the advanced teachings of the Urantia Papers to a wider audience, we must be aware that less than 35% of even high school seniors have attained the degree of literacy required to attain competence over "challenging subject-matter knowledge...and its application to real world situations.5"
If we extrapolate that conclusion to the general population, we may see that only a small section of the populations of even "advanced" countries are ever likely to be exposed to the vital revelatory information given us in the Urantia Papers. Means other than handing out The Urantia Book need to be found.
By many light-years, the most enlightening teaching from both Christianity and the Urantia revelation concerns the direct relationship of the individual to the indwelling Spirit of God. But it must be backed up with knowledge of the true nature of God and the demonstration of its effectiveness in the lives of individuals. Eventual failure becomes a certainty unless believers seriously attempt to live their lives in accord with Jesus' teaching--"De Imitatione Christi."
· "Christianity has indeed done a great service for this world, but what is now most needed is Jesus. The world needs to see Jesus living again on earth in the experience of spirit-born mortals who effectively reveal the Master to all men." (2084)
· "Your mission to the world is founded on the fact that I lived a God-revealing life among you; on the truth you and all other men are the sons of God; and it shall consist in the life that you live among men--the actual and living experience of loving men and serving them, even as I have loved and served you." (2043)
· "The living Jesus is the only hope of a possible unification of Christianity. The true church--the Jesus brotherhood--is invisible, spiritual…" (2085)
But why should it be the task of Urantians to be concerned about Christians and the Christian church? Well, the revelators say so:
· "What a transcendent service if, through this revelation, the Son of Man should be recovered from the tomb of traditional theology and be presented as the living Jesus to the church that bears his name…" (2091)
Finally we need to know what we are trying to do:
· "To "follow Jesus" means to personally share his religious faith and to enter into the spirit of the Master's life of unselfish service for man. One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it." (2090)
A Road to the Future
What might constitute a minimal core of knowledge that could guide all committed followers of Jesus' revelation of God to dedicate their rest of their lives to that fundamental task set us by Jesus, "Be you therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect," (Matthew 5:48)?
Two things stand out--a realistic appreciation of the true nature of God and of the reality and purpose of the Father-Spirit that indwells the minds of all normal humans. Jesus' parables, in particular, inform us of the gracious and compassionate nature of God--parables such as the good Samaritan who demonstrated love and compassion to his traditional enemy, a Jew; the prodigal son who received the forgiveness of his father even before he asked; and the earthly father whose love prevented him from giving harmful gifts to his child who had asked for bread.
The latter parable is exceedingly powerful. It encourages us to ask the question, "Would a truly good earthly father do such a thing? If not, how can I believe the heavenly Father would do so?" It is by addressing such questions to the God-Spirit-Within that we can gain personal insight into the true meaning of those divine qualities that are the goal of our perfection-seeking.
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