Some Study Group Questions
Paper 1: The Universal Father
Introduction
A grasp of the ideas contained within The Urantia Book can be enhanced by understanding the underlying structure of the text. The text has a unique structure not unlike that of a symphony.
The first five papers of the book can be considered the symphonic prelude. Contained within the prelude are many small hints of themes placed in a sequence which give an initial hint of the underlying expansive grandeur of the revelation, but whose full pattern and relationship to the whole can only be grasped through complete, sequential readings of the entire text. While these themes are developed in the first three parts of the text largely as theoretical abstractions, in Part IV they become alive with rich harmonic depths as they are expressed in the life of Jesus.
To extend this concept we could observe that a knowledge of music theory and history is not essential to the experience of the beauty of music. However, if one desires to become a musician, the dedicated and disciplined acquisition of knowledge and skill becomes essential. And so it is with spiritual affairs: We have the option of being passive listeners or becoming creative musicians participating in the symphony of finite creation.
If we're willing to consider the text as a symphony, we might consider the Foreword as the program notes. While the Foreword is an interesting study by itself, it will prove useful as a reference to be used during a study of the rest of the text. With this in mind, references to the Foreword will be included in the following studies at appropriate points.
Continue to read, and when you come to concepts you do not understand, try to create initial meanings for them by considering the context in which you find them. Then consider and modify this meaning in the next context where the concept appears. Keep a notebook in which you maintain sections on topics of interest to you such as the soul, life after death, God the Supreme, etc. When you find quotes which expand your understanding of these topics, put them into your notebook along with a paragraph or two describing the insight they provided. In this way you will gradually build up a broad understanding of some of these terms and their relationships as you read through the text.
Temper your study with the comment found at 102:1.1 which reminds us that, "Human things must be known in order to be loved, but divine things must be loved in order to be known."
Before beginning Paper 1, it would be helpful to study certain sections of the Foreword. Read the start of the Foreword through section II. Then read Section IV on Universe Reality and Section V on Personality Realities.
Study Questions for Paper 1:
1. What is the goal of "the children of time?" What is the destiny of "all man's eternal spiritual progress?" How does this affect our approach to the problems of daily living? 1:0.3,4,5
2. Why is the "dedication of the human will to the doing of the Father's will" the "only possible gift of true value" which we can give to God? 1:1.2
3. What is the significance of the name we use to designate "God?" 1:1
4. What is the difference between "knowing God" and "knowing about God?" 1:2
5. Paragraph [1:2.3] introduces the concept of the Thought Adjuster. What do you think about the "three experiential phenomena" which disclose the presence of this divine Adjuster? 1:2.3
6. What is the relationship between God, as a "universal spirit" and the spiritual longings of the mortal mind? 1:3.5,6
7. What can we do to strengthen our potentials for surviving the mortal life? 1:3.7
8. What are the factors which limit our perception of the reality and presence of God? What sorts of things might we do in order to increase our capacity to experience the presence of God? 1:4.5,6,7
9. What is the meaning of the statement, "God is personality?" 1:5.7
10. Why is the idea of a personal Deity "the measure of religious maturity after religion has first formulated the concept of the unity of God?" 1:5.10
11. What is the meaning of the statement, "Human personality is the time-space image-shadow cast by the divine Creator personality?" 1:6.1
12. How can we more fully grasp the concept of the divine personality? 1:6.4,5,6
13. Apart from the ideas it contains, what does the logical construction of the following statement reveal to us? "To assume that the universe can be known, that it is intelligible, is to assume that the universe is mind made and personality managed." 1:6.7
14. What is "the spiritual value of the personality concept?" 1:7
15. What can we speculate about the nature of absonite realities based the context provided in 1:3.5?
16. In this Paper we are introduced not only to God as the Universal Father, but also to the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit. We are also introduced to the concept of the Isle of Paradise. [1:2.7] In section 3 we find the first mention of a level of reality referred to as "absonite". [1:3.5] At the end of this paper the functional integration of the Universal Father, the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit is introduced as the Paradise Trinity. The metaphysical implications of this functional integration are introduced as the "Ultimacy of Deity" in the same section. [1:7.6,7,8] This paper contains a significant series of references to concepts which will be extensively developed in later Papers. A beginning understanding of what unfamiliar terms signify can be acquired through a study of the contexts in which they are presented combined with frequent reference to their more formal meanings as outlined in the Foreword.
A Service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship
