Methods of Teaching The Urantia Book
Marian Rowley
March 7, 1945

After choosing the subject for this thesis, my first job seemed to be definition of terms. Just what are "methods of teaching"? Webster gives several definitions of "teaching," among them the following: "To show; guide; d8irect; to make to know how; show how; to direct as an instructor; to guide the studies of, or to conduct through a course of studies; to impart the knowledge of." These are definitions of teaching which we all know and accept.

But the definition of "methods" is a little more difficult. Webster defines "method" as: "An orderly procedure or process; regular way or manner of doing anything." In an educational sense., method is "a systematic plan adopted in presenting instructional material; as, the lecture method; a meghod of teaching." "Method is commonly a special or definite system of procedure."

The next step was to discover what the conventional methods of teaching are, and how they could be used in teaching the Urantia Book. The soutside sources consulted seemed to pile confusion on confusion. Each author had his own interpretation of the word "methods." One author recognized just two methods -- subject teaching, that is, arithmetic, geography, history, as separate subjects (the way most of us studied), and progressive teaching, in which the project holds the important place, and the subjects -- arithmetic, geography, history, etc. -- are acquired as a by-product in the working out of the project. Another author listed methods as inductive, deductive, expository, demonstration, etc. Still another author defined methods as tools, techniques, devices used in teaching, such as maps, models, blackboards, and so on.

With such a range of meaning, from a general "system of procedure" down to the concrete tool, such as a globe, I have felt free to make my own interpretation of "methods." While my primary interest has been in the actual techniques or tools for putting a point across, I felt that a consideration of the more general aspects of teaching should form the foundation for the discussion of the specialized procedures. The definition which most nearly fits my purpose here was found in a book titled, "Beginning Teaching" by Joseph Emory Avent. "Method is the procedure by which a goal is reached, a purpose accomplished, or a result achieved. It is how you get the thing done...Devices may be thought of simply as little methods, or as parts of a larger method. A device usually involves the use of concrete materials, or concrete procedures, which may be objects or ideas...A device, then, is any little method to which a teacher resorts as a temporary means of more effective focusing of attention of pupils upon the task to be done."

Kinds of Teaching

There seems to me to be two general ways of teaching -- unconscious teaching and conscioius teaching. By unconscious teaching, I mean showing someone else how, not by direct imparting of information, but by doing something or living in such a way that the other person observes and lerns from your example. Parents are unconscious teachers to their children. Many thihngs which a child learns are obtained with no conscious instruction on the part of his elders. The child himself is often unconscious that he is learning somehting.

On a higher level, there is an analogy in the papers which concerns the unconscious acquiring of information. In Paper 19 we are told that Trinity Teacher Sons are devoted to conscioius enlightenment. But the Inspired Trinity Spirits are believed to be teachers who operate by super-conscioius techniques. "There is a vast body of essential spiritual knowledge, truth indispensable to high spiritual attainment, which cannot be consciously received; self-consciousness would effectively jeopardize the certainty of reception." (p 19) To a certain degree, it seems that here in our material existence the method of unconscious learning and teaching is valuable, particularly in getting across the truths of The Urantia Book.

Our method of unconsciously teaching the truths of The Urantia Book will be to live them in our daily lives -- to show the fruits of the spirit in such a way that people will observe, wonder, and inquire into what we have that they don't have. Already there have been instances of this very thing happening and there will be many more as we absorb more of the truths of the book and actually try to live them.

During the ordination of the twelve Jesus said, "And it will not be so much by the words you speak as by the livs you live that men will know you have been with me and learned of the realities of the kingdom."

This method of living our beliefs is well illustrated by Jesus' life. We are told in the papers to look not so much for what he taught as for what he did. (p 196) "It is his life, and not his lessons to the twelve or his sermons to the multitudes that will assist most in revealing the Father's divine character and loving personality." (p 140)

Jesus' entire life on this planet was intended to be an inspiration to us so that we can learn from what he did. Before his bestowal on this planet, Immanuel, the Union of Days on Salvington, charged Jesus to do certain things and refrain from doing other things. In this charge, Immanuel said among other things, "Your earth life in the likeness of mortal flesh shall not be so lived as to constitute an example for the mortals of Urantia in the days of your earthly sojourn nor for any subsequent generation of human beings on Urantia or on any other world. Rather shall your life in the flesh on Urantia be the inspiration for all lives upon all Nebadon worlds throughout all generations in the ages to come." (p 120)

The second general manner of teaching is conscious teaching, and that is the kind with which we are primarily concerned here. Every person in the world is a teacher, even though he does not realize it. Remember the definition of teaching: "...to show, guide, direct; to show how." There is not a person who has not shown someone else how to do something -- tie a knot, set a table, hammer a nail, play a game. Even children of four or five show children of two or three how to pull a cart, build a house with blocks, put a doll to bed. Our particular job is teaching The Urantia Book and, although at the present time there are only three of us who are teaching more or less formally, each one of you is a teacher in an informal sense. Many of you have said that you can't teach, and yet I have heard those same older members inthe group answer questions and explain some point to a newer member -- and what is that but teaching?

We are told in the papers that our entire future career will be devoted to teaching others. "As you journey toward your Paradise goal, constantly acquiring added knowlede and enhanced skill, you are continuously afforded the opportunity to give out to others the wisdom and experience you have already accumulated; all the way in to Havona you enact the role of a pupil-teacher. You will work your way through the ascending levels of this vast experiential university by imparting to those just below you the newfound knowledge of your advancing career. In the universal regime you are not reconed as having possessed yourself of knowledge and truth until you have demonstrated your ability and your willingness to impart this knowledge and truth to others." (p 25:4:12)

Since we know that we are going to be teachers for untold ages, and since we know that this group has been designated as the "teacher-leaders" for the dissemination of The Urantia Book, it seems logical that we start right now preparing for that career. There is a very comforting statement in the papers that we will have help in this teaching career. There is one group of the Supreme Seraphim who are called Teaching Counselors. They act as "secretaries to all orders of teachers, from the Melchizedeks and the Tirnity Teacher Sons down to the morontia mortals who are assigned as helpers of those of their kind who are just behind them in the scale of ascendant life...These ministrations extend on down to the individual worlds. Even the true and ocnsecrated teachers of time are assisted, and often attended, by these counselors of the supreme seraphim." (39:1:13)

One of the most important points to remember in teaching The Urantia Book is to confine our teaching to those who are truly interested in learning, those who are confused and seeking for help, those who are hungry for truth. Jesus brought this point out very clearly in a conversation with Ganid during their trip to the northern Italian lakes. They had met a thoughtless pagan and Ganid was surprised that Jesus had made no effort to discuss spiritual questions with him. Jesus explained his attitude as follows: "Ganid, the man was not hungry for truth. He was not dissatisfied with himself. He was not ready to ask for help, and the eyes of his mind were not open to receive light for the soul. That man was not ripe for the harvest of salvation; he must be allowed more time for the trials and difficulties of life to prepare him for the reception of wisdom and higher learning.

"Or, if we could have him live with us we might by our lives show him the Father in heaven, and thus would he become so attracted by our lives as sons of God that he would be constrained to inquire about our Father. You cannot reveal God to those who do not seek for him; you cannot lead unwilling souls into the joys of salvation. Man must become hungry for truth as a result of the experiences of living, or he must desire to know God as the result of contact with the lives of those who are acquainted with the divine Father before another human being can act as the means of leading such a fellow mortal to the Father in heaven. If we know God, our real business on earth is so to live as to permit the Father to reveal himself in our lives, and thus will all God-seeking persons see the Father and ask for our help in finding out more about the God who in this manner finds expression in our lives." (P. 132)

In addition to confining ourselves to teaching those who are truly seeking for help, a second very important point to remember is to adapt our teaching to the pupil. His personality type should play a major part in determining the kind of teaching methods to be used. His intellectual capacity also is an important factor. Do not try to put a quart of knowledge into a pint-sized mind. We should consider the backgrounds and potentials of our pupils and present the concepts of the book accordingly. Jesus used this method in teaching his apostles. He "taught these men all they could assimilate. He did not make hte mistake of overteaching them. He did not precipitate confusion by the presentation of truth too far beyond their capacity to understand." (P. 137)

The Urantia Book itself is presented to us following this same principle in my opinion. While it seems to us that some parts of it are far beyond our ability to understand, still we can almost grasp most of it with a little work, and our successors in future years will understand the concepts better. I am convinced that many questions have remained unanswered and many things left unrevealed because they really would be beyond our capacity and would tend only to confuse us.

A third point to remember in imparting new truth is not to destroy old beliefs which a person sincerely holds unless you can substitute the new truth without detriment to him. Never tear down a building unless you are sure you can build a better, more solid structure. A good illustration of this is Jesus' handling of the whale story in talking with Gadiah. "Jesus perceived that this young man's life had been tremendously influenced by this tradition and that its contemplation had impressed upon this youth the folly of trying to run away from duty; he therefore said nothing that would suddenly destroy the foundations of his present motivation for practical living." (P. 130)

Jesus also emphasized this point in dealing with the Persian "fire-worshiper" who resisted Simon's method of teaching, but succumbed to Jesus' method. Upon Simon's inqauiry as to why he had failed, Jesus said; "Simon, Simon, how many times have I instructed you to refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those who seek salvation? How often have I told you to labor only to put something into those hungry souls? Lead men into the kingdom and the great and living truths of the kingdom will presently drive out all serious error." (P. 141)

Just before the crucifixion Jesus admonished his apostles, "Do not forget that you are only commissioned to go forth preaching the good news. You are not to attack the old ways; you are skillfully to put the leaven of new truth in the midst of the old beliefs." (P. 178)