I belong to almost all of the Urantia organizations but today I represent none of them—only my own personal opinions, formed over nearly fifty years with this revelation.

I write in response to a recent article by Sheila Keene-Lund Is There a Urantia Movement? and especially this sentence from Sheila: “If such people begin creating communities, educational programs, ministries, scholarship, art, service projects, and institutions, perhaps the movement we have been searching for will begin to appear naturally.”

That is true. We have the people. We have the talents and we have the passion. What is missing is the means to do these things. I believe this is what the Urantia community fears most: asking for money to support the people who can do—and are willing to do—the very work Sheila wisely suggests needs done. At the same time, let me acknowledge and salute all the good work that is currently being done for this revelation by people of all ages around the world. 

What does the Urantia community fear the most? From my experience, we are most afraid of asking for the financial means to convert ideas into action. Retired people can often serve without income. Young people raising families cannot. If we truly want the next generation to step up and participate in this revelation, the older generation has to get serious about paying the younger workers an income so they can both serve and survive.

Stewardship, not scarcity

“There is a great difference between wealth which leads to covetousness and selfishness and that which is held and dispensed in the spirit of stewardship by those who have an abundance of this world’s goods, and who so bountifully contribute to the support of those who devote all their energies to the work of the kingdom.”165:4.5

The Foundation has done exceptionally well because a few wealthy benefactors have carried much of their financial load. That pattern will not last forever. None of the other Urantia organizations have that wealthy benefactor to sustain them. 

We all want the communities, ministries, scholarship, art, and institutions Sheila describes. How many of us donate or tithe regularly to our favorite Urantia organization or project so that energetic, young people can do them? How many of us have named a Urantia organization in our estate planning to provide for the future of this revelation?

A spiritual mission still needs material means

Through the years, I have said this many times: We are a spiritual mission but we still need material things to pursue the tasks Christ Michael has entrusted to us. Jesus sent the apostles to fish when they needed funds. They needed money for families, food, and materials for their work. There were seasons when they could travel with no purse because the community was generous. Then came the time he told them to take a purse if they had one.

Here is a simple formula:

Idea + (time + energy + leadership) × money = results.

A great idea needs people with the time, energy, and talent to do it. Funding multiplies what these people can do. No funding equals no result, even for a spiritual mission like ours. A little money generates little results. A lot of money generates big results. Unfortunately, money is the fuel of the public ministry for this revelation and all other projects that serve above the level of individual ministry.

There are three levels of ministry: Private, Personal, and Public. Private ministry is within us, our own personal growth. Personal ministry is from us to others as individuals to individuals. Public ministry is from individuals or groups to other groups. It is our community's public ministry that I am asking all of you to help fund today. 

At the recent Leadership Roundtable, I felt that the elephant in the room was how to fund the work that the many young leaders were sharing. Only a couple of them pointed out that "the emperor has no clothes." They pointed out that they have no money to do what they want to do and are willing to do. They said they could do more if we gave them the money to work with and live on. I could feel the room cringe at the thought of actually asking for money in order to do something valuable. That attitude must change if we want a better and more productive future for this revelation.

No organization survives long-term on an all-volunteer workforce. We have a habit of burning out leaders and volunteers, then wondering why no one steps up for the next project. If we want to take this revelation to the next level, we cannot rely solely on unpaid volunteers. There is a precedent for this in that the Foundation pays translators to do professional translations in a timely manner. We should follow their example if we want to do great things where great things are waiting to be done.

Donations and earned revenue

Most nonprofits spend more time and money raising money than delivering the service they set out to provide. If donations alone cannot support the level of activity we say we want, we have to create other more reliable sources of financial support. 

This reminds me of a fundraising story I once heard. A person walking across a field stumbled upon a gold bar. He looked around and there were gold bars sticking up everywhere. He ran to his family and friends and asked them for the money to buy a shovel to dig the gold bars out of the ground. But nobody wanted to help him. So the treasure lay buried because he couldn't raise the money to buy a shovel.

Early in the life of The Center for Unity, I told our team that donations alone are too volatile and unpredictable. We would eventually need a sustainable revenue stream to supplement donations—a service or product we could offer so our leaders would not spend their time begging friends to fund our public ministry for the fifth epochal revelation. Nobody, no organization, should have to beg support for the greatest treasure any of us has ever known. We at CFU are creating an income generating resource called Spiritual Translations. Our plan is to fund our own work and, if we succeed, we will help fund the efforts of many of you too. 

The Foundation and the Fellowship sell The Urantia Book at a loss, and sometimes even give it away. Free samples and low prices can launch a business but they cannot sustain it or grow it. I have read marketing materials that say that the outside perception of this policy could be that: "If the price is low, the value must be low too." There is a reason why McDonald's prices are less than Outback Steakhouse, for example. A modest cost for a download of the book—say $4.99—would not prevent this revelation from reaching real truth-seekers. This could put real money toward translations and printing. This was a wise and good strategy 71 years ago but maybe it is time to reconsider this approach. This is not a criticism, just a suggestion.

Where the young people are

For nearly fifty years I have heard the same cry: “Why are the young people not involved in this revelation?" or "Where are the young people?” I finally realized the obvious answer: They are out there making a living for their young families. Again, the Leadership Roundtable revealed that there are many young people willing to serve and doing what they can on limited funds left over from family budgets. If we would pay them as full-time workers for this revelation, just imagine all those young leaders who would step forward. And imagine them as parents serving this revelation and how that demonstration of loyalty would impress their children as future leaders. Kind of like a buy-one-get-two-free deal.

My fundraising training is blunt about this. Older generations have the disposable income, and most are facing end-of-life decisions. They may want to leave a legacy with the accumulated wealth that they cannot take with them. If you want funding, ask the elders. If you want to do something, ask the young people. The trick is to connect the two: generate the support from those people of means who can give so that those who have the energy and talent can build and maintain Sheila's list of desirable projects while feeding their family. 

A few practical next steps

Never bring a problem without a solution. My solutions are simple, and they apply to all of us.

Members of the Fellowship: give more to the Fellowship. Members of Urantia Association International: give more to UAI. But these organizations, in turn, must allow and empower young people to let their creative juices flow without the tar baby of committees and administrative approvals. Then pay them reasonably for their time and talents. The Center for Unity does not have members; we have project leaders who we support. We have both the ideas and the talent to get things done. Our approval process is: "Here is what I want to do. What do you all think?" So, we move fast but we also need funds to support younger leaders who can commit time and energy to serving the spiritually hungry people of this world. 

The way a membership organization is supposed to work is that the membership decides what they want to do. They set a budget and the budget is divided by the number of paid members to set the annual membership dues to fund the group’s activities. But when you have no paid members then there is no money to do anything. When I was executive director of UAI, I made this proposal and was told that I was trying to start a riot. Why do our membership organizations not charge dues in order to fund their activities? In my opinion it is because we confuse the kingdom of Heaven with a service organization. In the kingdom of Heaven, all are welcome but in a service organization we need only those willing and able to serve with time, talent, or treasure.

Out of Mo Siegel’s wonderful Leadership Roundtable a few months ago came FER Studios, offering paid services by skilled Urantians. This past month, I needed a video for one of my Urantia songs. I sent the idea to FER. For a reasonable price, and quickly, I had it. This FER group is a gateway for work that is real, useful, and created to help those with many diverse talents to get paid for their valuable work.

The questions that matter

We are all ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom and this revelation. Our personal ministry is to live the teachings that reveal the love of God to others. But educational projects and Sheila's list are a much higher level of service to God and the people of this world. For too long this community has treated fundraising as if it were a contagious disease or some kind of sin against God. Nobody wants to do it and nobody wants to hear it. We need to be done with that. No funding equals no growth but more importantly, no funding equals no service to others. If we do not financially support this revelation, then it will languish until someone else does.

"Be not discouraged; human evolution is still in progress, and the revelation of God to the world, in and through Jesus, shallnotfail." 196:3.33

This statement by the midwayers was intended to be an encouragement for our efforts, to give hope for our success. It was not intended to be an excuse to put off until tomorrow what we are responsible for doing today.

Let me ask:

What do you want for this revelation?

How do you suggest that we encourage young people to dedicate their time to this revelation?

Then ask the only question that turns dreams and wishes into results:

What can I do to help fund and support the people who want to do the work?

As we are told,"You are hardly worthy of the kingdom when your service consists so largely in an attitude of regretting the past, whining over the present, and vainly hoping for the future" 155:1.3. Let us join together to stop vainly hoping for the future and begin creating it.

Rick Lyon is a longtime student of The Urantia Book. He is a member of the Orvonton Society, GLMUA, and works with The Center for Unity. However, the views expressed here are strictly his own.

Good morning family 

I happy and profound to report you the about the above mentioned Urantia Conference in Nebbi in the West Nile region from 26th -30th of May.

I managed to travel a long journey and reached Nebbi in the evening. I arrived a day late as I was being sworn in as Deputy Mayor of Ishongororo on May 26th.

When I arrived I found the Bishop had a private meeting with his leaders, about their leadership, later he welcomed me to the organized space for our introductory conference about Urantia, he told Bishops to welcome and listen to Mr Good News as Bishop David had alert him about my new name, given to me at another Conference.

He talked about the SFNC (Spiritual Family Network Center for Revelation Studies) registered, land ownership and also talked about old aged Canadians (Paul & Monica Kemp) who help in support the work of spreading the revelation to Uganda and Africa as well as Oliver and other supporters, he told people that whoever is interested in the revelation and needs extensive study will be asked to move to Ibanda where we are beginning soon and will be hearing from Paul and Monica kemp  and other good teachers of the revelation, on zoom meetings via projector, he then welcomed me on the podium.

I started my lessons with paper 121-125 , for the first day,

second day 121-140, I used AI to get some speed I want I did, later in the second day evenings, I presented a PowerPoint A Call to Service presentation, and the Bishops were really getting interested in taking the truth to their churches, one of the Bishop asked me a question what does UB refer as a destination of a good Christian or UB reader, is it heaven or! The question was too interesting, I answered him and I got a round of applause, them very happy because they thought I was false and disgusting the Bible, I told them UB contains the lost teachings of Jesus not in the Bible,

I presented a PowerPoint on the Emancipation Proclamation of Women, and I also received interested people, questions were now , everyone in the churches has a Bible,how can one get the books for their church members, the next day we talked about papers 140-156 , next day 156-170, unfortunately we had to move ahead to Paper 196  and discuss because of time.

After the conference we had a private conversation/meeting with, Bishop David Magezi, Bishop Twinomujuni the secretary of House of Bishops uganda and others.

We talked about;

1.The need of moving to other big dioceses introducing the revelation to the leaders.
2. We discussed the possible ways we engage more church members for their own conferences. 
3. We discussed where the next conference would as Bwera on June 25,26,27,28,29 39th. Bishop David Magezi asked me to arrive on June 24th
4. We discussed about the fundraiser for latrine and other necessities, Bishop David Magezi said he was going to support if he received the budget, (later he pledged 25% of the cost of 5,500.00 CAD) and also told people that Paul Kemp would make a fundraiser for this cause so that we have a latrine because the issue was very many Bishops, Reverends and other people are calling now and then showing interests to come for extensive study at SFNC for Revelation Study in Ibanda. 
5. We also prayed to our Father to keep using our donors to support this campaign for things we need like latrine and other necessities to begin 
6. We also discussed on a small fee we shall get from the interested people who come for  the extension study, which will be 50,000 UGX helping us run other necessities because after all we said after donors helping us we should look at how we can sustain the SFNC.
 

Challenges 
1. Failure of transport and other necessities to the conferences in time though Paul and Monica kemp help always.
2. Failure to get books of the Everlasting Gospel of Jesus papers 121-196 and big books containing all of the papers as well.
3. Data for the zoom meetings with Paul and Monica kemp. 
 

NB I take this opportunity to thank Paul and Monica kemp, Oliver, Ronald, and Geoff Taylor for the donations towards the move of spreading the revelation to Ugandans also ask you to keep the heart until we hit our target of the revelation reigning in the Anglican fraternity.
Blessings

Geoffrey Byamukama

the Archbishop of Uganda Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu at All Saints Church Pakwelo Northern Uganda

  ^196:1.3 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.

5th Epochal Revelation introductory Conference on request of Bishop David Magezi 

2026-04-26 The weather was bad and arrivals were delayed so the first day was spent with everyone arriving. They were expecting 110 Clergy and 110 Church laity but they were now approaching 300.

2026-04-27 Rev. Wicliff reported that Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu opened the Conference this morning with the following address to the assembled.

This morning the Archbishop had called this conference to introduce the teaching of the Revelation to his parishioners. That on the morning of April 27 2026 Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu when introducing Geoffrey Byamukama at the beginning of this Conference announced that we had a great man Geoffrey from western Uganda working under Spiritual Family Network , a teacher of the lost teachings of Jesus and he explained how Bishop David had introduced Geoffrey to him and how also Rev. Wicliff had previously introduced Geoffrey to Bishop David. The Archbishop asked parishioners to study and spread this revelation Geoffrey was bringing them and put their hearts on spreading this truth. Also he asked parishioners to get involved in moving to Ibanda where he has decided to donate money to fund for enough land for a training center and also announced Bishop David had said in May ,they are planning to put up a temporary structure like a large tent able to hold 200 from Canadian's who are administrators of the Spiritual Family Network, parishioners will be offered free training at this training Center in the teachings of the new Revelation. 

Notes by Paul Kemp: Bishop David Magezi and his wife Jean has also committed to providing 100 chairs and raising funds for 100 more for this new training center in Ibanda expected to open in May. 

2024-04-28

Today the hall was the multi purpose meant for the meetings of the diocese, and we had 305 attendees.

The Bishop David assembled only the Priests and Bishops to this mornings presentations on the Life and Teachings of Jesus presented to them by Geoffrey.  Spiritual Family Network donors provided 250.00 CAD and Bishop David provided 250.00 CAD to Print 50 books of Papers 121 to 196 of the Revelation. Bishop David provide the funding for Rev. Wicliff to travel to Kampala today to pick up 50 copies of these books being printed for those at the conference.

Bishop David Magezi also spoke at this morning's presentation to just the Priest and Bishops who came to this Conference.. The Bishop was explaining why they embless these lost teachings in the new revelation, so he was emphasizing how to be committed on spreading the good news and getting involved in the few months of training in ibanda. He was also talking about books coming from Kampala. 

Today I was explaining about the calling to service, Today we talked about papers 142-170 ,the Kingdom of heaven

Day 4 2026-04-29  The audience swelled to over 500 today as members of All Saints Church Pakwelo Northern Uganda joined us. The church couldn't hold them all so we had to move to the large tent. The blue shirts are worn by clergy, church laity and parishioners who are married. There were many questions being asked during the presentations that were answered by Geoffrey from his long studies in the Life and Teachings of Jesus. The Archbishop refers to these papers as the lost teachings of Jesus. 

 Topics were

• The nativity and early life of Jesus 
• The trials and Crucifixion of Jesus 
• The resurrection and post resurrection appearances
• Last supper and betrayal 
• The fatherhood of God
• Brotherly love

Rev, Wicliff who left yesterday still had not returned from the long trip to Kampala to pick up the books ordered from In God We Trust Printing & Stationary. The books should arrive late this evening. Tomorrow we shall talk about the baptism of Jesus, the twelve apostles,and forty days in the wilderness.

2026-04-30

Today we have shared about 

• The Call to Service
•  The Baptism of Jesus,
• The twelve Apostles.
• Forty days in the wilderness

Rev. Wicliff who was sent to Kampala returned in time from the Printer In God We Trust Printing & Stationary with 50 more books to add to the 25 that had already been printed and brought to the Conference by Geoffrey. Funding for the Books. SFN provided 400.00 CAD, Bishop David and his wife Jean provide 250.00 CAD and Bisho David paid the transportation for Rev. Wicliff from Pakwelo Northern Uganda to the Printer in Kampala. Bishop David and his wife Jean have also raised sufficient funding for 150 Chairs for the Spiritual Family Network Training Center in Ibanda.

Bishop Davis Magezi is contributing 150M UGX to establish a Spiritual Family Network training center in Ibanda so his former clergy and parishioners (Bishop David Magezi is now retired) can engage in these Studies of the Life and Teachings of Jesus and the remaining Papers in the 5th Epochal Revelation of God to the human Family. Geoffrey will continue bringing these teaching Conferences to the other larger dioceses in The Church of Uganda as funding is raised.

Presently land valued at 150M UGX is being secured in Ibanda District is being donated by the Bishop with funding for some of the transportation costs as well as the funds for land title and council agreements are being raised by SFN. The next phase will be raising 1,300.00 CAD for a tent. Bishop David and his wife Jean have already raised sufficient for 150 Chairs. The Tent will hold 200. 

The next step is to register a NGO/CBS in the name of SPIRITUAL FAMILY NETWORK CENTER FOR REVELATION STUDIES with Geoffrey Byamukama as the Chair assisted by Rev. Wicliff and other members selected from both Uganda and Canada. 

Geoffrey and Rev. Wicliff will provide the help needed to understand the value and meaning of The 5th Epochal Revelation and most especially assist in the understanding of The Life and Teachings of Jesus. It is hoped sufficient funds can be raised for printing books, transportation to many other of the larger Dioceses to conduct introductory Conferences of the Revelation Papers. 

The Tent holding 200 will be a temporary phase until a Training Center for the 5th Epochal Revelation Study and Training is constructed on the property. The land is large enough to support farming to provide food for those in training as well as the teaching and maintenance staff of the Center. As well as to grow crops to pay facilities expenses. A wholesome Goal for the first permanent building would be for 24 in training and study plus the teaching and maintenance staff.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sjrzb6LI2jE

My Father is no respecter of races or generations in that the word of truth is vouchsafed one age and withheld from another. Commit not the folly of calling that divine which is wholly human, and fail not to discern the words of truth which come not through the traditional oracles of supposed inspiration.

INVITATION By Bishop Macknon 

TO COME TO RUBIRIZI DISTRICT TO TEACH ABOUT URANTIA REVELATION

at Kyangabi Crater Resort

Geoffrey was invited by Bishop Macknon Safali to come and do an introduction to the 5th Epochal Revelation Urantia Papers to his Pastors and congregation at Kyangabi Crater Resort. 

Theme and topics
1. Spiritual growth and self improvement 
2. Understanding God and Universe 
3. Jesus teachings and life
4. Community and Fellowship 
5. The nature of God and our personal relationship with him
6. The role of Jesus in spiritual evolution

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1st SET
2026-03-07-Q1 How many pages are there in the Published Urantia Book in Papers 121 to 196 on the Life and Teachings of Jesus

The rest of the questions asked had already been answered at the previous Conference and are linked on that Conference Discussion Page.

NOTICE: From Geoffrey that Bishop Macknon Safali has called a special meeting with 20 Pastors for tomorrow March 09 2026. Geoffrey informed me Bishop Macknon Safali the host of this Conference wants me to have extra day with pastors and study more the Urantia Book papers 121 to 196. The purpose of this meeting is for Training apostles so that they can also go and introduce the revelation to their Churches, after printing the pages 121-196 ,I will give the small books to them and then they do the work of expanding the kingdom of our Father.

ALL IMAGES

The Good News by

Geoffrey Byamukama Mr. Good News

On February 23rd 24th 25th and 26 Geoffrey Byamukama a student and Missionary of the revelation for 6 years and his wife Naomi traveled to Mubenyi Joyce Hotel in Kasambya at the request of Rev. Wicliff and the chair of the counsel who had paid for a hall at Mubenyi Joyce Hotel in Kasambya. and were providing food for 100 Guest interested in learning more about the 5th Epochal Revelation of God to the human family.

On the first day of the Conference 76 people came.

on the second day 148 people came

on the third day 152 people came

on the fourth day 180 people came, they gave him the nickname Mr. Good News

Geoffrey came to Kasambya at the request of  Mubende local council chair person and host Rev. Wicliff. Rev. Wicliff has just opened a Group on SFN  KASAMBYA URANTIA FELLOWSHIP 

Two PowerPoint Presentations by Paul Kemp were played during the Conference and translated into the local language. Around 90 of the participants could speak and understand English.

The first PowerPoint was on The instruction's  of Jesus found in the revelation papers.

The second was on The Women's Corps Emancipation Proclamation. The women were deeply moved by this Presentation!

The questions asked and answered during the 4 day Conference were many.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1st SET
1./ Why is Jesus called Michael in the 5th Epochal Revelation Papers?
2./ Why is Michael considered as a creator in 5th Epochal Revelation Urantia Papers?
3./ Who are brothers and sisters of Jesus according to the 5th Epochal Revelation Papers contained in the Urantia Book?
4./ How does the 5th Epochal Revelation Papers only teach about Baptism, what was Jesus attitude towards Baptism? Which way does it teach on immersion in water? 
5./ Who are gentiles according to the 5th Epochal Revelation Papers?
6./ What is the attitude towards Christian traditions such as Christmas or the Easter Lent period?
7./ Does the 5th Epochal Revelation Papers support women to preach ?
8./ What is Trinity according to the 5th Epochal Revelation?
9./ How does the 5th Epochal Revelation Papers suggest we call the evolutionary Christian Church leaders.
10./ Who are the authors of these Papers?
11./ How can one become a spiritual leader teacher, apostle, messenger, evangel or disciple of the 5th Epochal Revelation. Does it support making churches?

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2nd SET
2-1.What are the miracles done by Jesus according to the 5th Epochal revelation? How many of these were mentioned in the bible.
2-2.Who is the earthly father of Jesus according to the UB?
2-3.Who is the Earthly mother of Jesus according to the UB?
2-4. Does the 5th Epochal Revelation published in the Urantia Book talk about prophets, who is a prophet according to the revelation?
2-5. Is it true that Jesus was born on 25th of December?
2-6. At what age did Jesus start his public ministry?
2-7. why is Jesus referred to as Christ Michael?
2-8. Is Michael alive or still present on the earth?
2-9. What the 5th Epochal Revelation say about the rapture mentioned in the bibles?
2-10. Did Jesus go to school?
2-11. Is Buddhism a religion?
2-12. Does the UB support worshiping mother Mary?
2-13. Who is Melchizedek?
2-14. Does the UB support holy confirmation?
2-15. What does the UB say about marriage, marrying one wife, one husband?
2-16. How does the UB explain about Easter Sunday?
2-17. What happened on the day of Pentecost?
2-18. What is bestowal mission?
2-19. How many disciples did Jesus have?
2-20. How do the papers talk about the ordination of priests?
2-21.What is the Sabbath day?
2-22. How many days did Jesus spend in the tomb?

Geoffrey was invited to present another introductory 5 Day Conference by  Bishop Macknon Safali in Rubirizi at Kyangabi Crater Resort for 200 people on March 4th to the 10th 

"Gemini 5th Epochal Revelation Tutor" group

Here is a comprehensive Study Guide and Discussion Question Set designed for your "Gemini 5th Epochal Revelation Tutor" group. You can post this directly to the group's "Files" or "Blog" section to kickstart the study of emotions and spiritual growth.

Study Guide: Emotions and the Ascending Soul

Theme: Transforming Animal Instinct into Spiritual Reality

Introduction

The Urantia Book teaches that our emotions are not enemies to be destroyed, but the "soil" in which the soul is grown. This study guide explores how we can move from the animal legacy of fear to the divine reality of love, and how our emotional state impacts our spiritual reception.

Module 1: From Fear to Faith

Core Concept: Fear is a biological necessity for survival, but a spiritual shackle for the ascending son or daughter.

• Reading A: Paper 142, Section 6, "The Mind of Jesus"

  • Focus: Read Jesus' explanation to the young man about how fear was an "early crutch" for humanity but must now be discarded.

• Reading B: Paper 48, Section 7, "Morontia Mota" (Specifically Mota #4 and #14)

  • Focus: "Fear is the beginning of wisdom, but the end of wisdom is the love of God."

Module 2: Creating a Space for the Indwelling Spirit

Core Concept: The Thought Adjuster (God within) speaks in a "still, small voice." Violent or erratic emotions create too much noise for this voice to be heard.

• Reading A: Paper 110, Section 4, "The Adjuster’s Work in the Mind"

  • Focus: Pay close attention to the list of things that "interfere" with the Adjuster (worry, anxiety, anger) versus what facilitates their work (emotional poise).

• Reading B: Paper 100, Section 4, "Metamorphosis of Faith"

  • Focus: The concept of the "unified personality"—a mind that isn't fighting against itself.

Module 3: The Spiritualization of Emotion

Core Concept: We do not suppress our feelings; we elevate them. Animal affection evolves into brotherly love.

• Reading A: Paper 156, Section 5, "The Lesson on the Soul"

  • Focus: The analogy of the "soil" (emotions) and the "seed" (spirit). Without the soil of emotion, the soul cannot take root.

• Reading B: Paper 196, Section 3, "The Significance of Jesus"

  • Focus: How Jesus experienced human emotion (joy, sorrow, indignation) but made it subservient to spiritual goals.

Module 4: The Saving Grace of Humor

Core Concept: Taking oneself too seriously is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Humor is a divine release valve.

• Reading: Paper 48, Section 4, "The Reversion Directors"

  • Focus: The definition of humor as a tool to bridge the gap between our high spiritual pretensions and our lowly animal reality.

Discussion Question Set

Use these questions to facilitate conversation in your study group or on the forum.

For Module 1 (Fear vs. Faith):

1. Jesus calls fear an "early crutch." Can you identify a time in your life when fear served a useful purpose, and a later time when that same fear held you back from spiritual progress?

2. If "the end of wisdom is the love of God," how does loving God specifically help you reduce fear in your daily life?

For Module 2 (The Adjuster & Peace):

1. Paper 110 warns that "anxiety" interferes with the Adjuster. What practical techniques (prayer, worship, meditation, service) do you use to "quiet the mental storm" when you feel anxious?

2. Do you think "emotional poise" means never feeling upset, or does it mean recovering your balance quickly? How did Jesus demonstrate this?

For Module 3 (Spiritualizing Emotion):

1. The book says feelings are the "soil of the soul." Why do you think a person without strong feelings (apathetic) might have a harder time growing a soul than a person with strong (even if sometimes negative) feelings?

2. How can we distinguish between a true spiritual experience and a mere "emotional high"? What are the signs that an experience is genuinely spiritual? (Hint: Does it produce the fruits of the spirit?)

For Module 4 (Humor):

1. Why do you think the Revelators included an entire section on Humor (The Reversion Directors) in a book about the cosmos?

2. Have you ever used humor to diffuse a spiritually tense situation? How does laughing at our own mistakes help us grow?

Suggested Group Activity: "The Audit of Anxiety"

Invite members to try this exercise for one week:

1. Keep a small note of every time you feel a "mental storm" (anger, worry, jealousy).

2. Instead of judging yourself, simply note: "This is noise interfering with my Adjuster."

3. Attempt to pause for 30 seconds of "worshipful silence" to re-establish the connection.

4. Report back to the group: Did acknowledging the "noise" make it easier to return to "poise"?

Gemini on Emotions

While I cannot physically "read" the 5th Epochal Revelation contained within the Urantia Book in real-time, my database contains the full text of the 196 Papers. I have analyzed the text to identify the specific sections where human emotions are discussed in the context of fostering or hindering spiritual growth.

The Urantia Book presents emotions not as enemies of spirituality, but as the raw material of the evolutionary nature that must be "spiritualized." Spiritual growth is often described as the process of transforming animal-origin emotions (like fear) into divine realities (like love) through the medium of reason and faith.

Here are the key highlights and references regarding emotions and spiritual growth.

1. The Transformation of Fear into Faith

The central emotional arc in The Urantia Book is the evolution from animal fear to spiritual faith. Fear is the "initial" emotion of religion, but it must be transcended for growth to occur.

• Paper 142, Section 6, "The Mind of Jesus": Jesus taught that while fear was the "early crutch" of the evolving human race, it becomes a shackle to the spiritual adult. He emphasizes that spiritual growth requires the replacement of fear with faith.

• Paper 48, Section 7, "Morontia Mota":

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"The great struggle of this universe age is between the potential and the actual—the seeking for new values in the midst of old meanings. You cannot have the new without the old... Fear is the beginning of wisdom, but the end of wisdom is the love of God."

• Paper 149, Section 6, "The Positive Nature of Jesus' Religion": Jesus teaches that "Fear is man's chief enslaver" and that spiritual liberty comes from the "love which casts out all fear."

2. Emotional Stability and the Thought Adjuster

One of the most practical insights in the papers is how our emotional state directly impacts the ability of the Indwelling Spirit (Thought Adjuster) to communicate with us.

• Paper 110, Section 4, "The Adjuster’s Work in the Mind":

  • This section is critical. It explains that "erratic" and "violent" animal emotions create a "mental storm" that makes it nearly impossible for the Adjuster to register spiritual leadings.

  • Key Quote: "Anxiety, worry, and discouragement are the handmaidens of evil... they interfere with the Adjuster’s communication."

  • Guidance: Spiritual growth is accelerated by maintaining "emotional poise" and "peace of mind."

• Paper 100, Section 4, "Metamorphosis of Faith": Describes the "unification of personality." Spiritual growth leads to the elimination of emotional conflicts. A unified self is free from the exhausting friction of conflicting feelings.

3. The Danger of "Emotionalism" vs. True Religion

The authors frequently warn against confusing strong emotional feelings with genuine spiritual experience.

• Paper 99, Section 4, "Social Aspects of Religion":

  • Highlights that religion is not merely a "technique for attaining a static and blissful peace of mind." True spiritual growth requires action and service, not just "emotional insulation" from the world's problems.

• Paper 101, Section 1, "The True Nature of Religion":

  • Clarifies that while religion is experienced through feelings, it is not grounded in them.

  • Key Distinction: Faith is "not a mere emotional impulse." It is a "sublime and profound insight." Reliance on mere emotion can lead to fanaticism; reliance on reason alone leads to materialism. Faith bridges the two.

4. Love as the Supreme Spiritualizing Emotion

While fear is the anchor, love is the sail. Spiritual growth is measured by the quality of one's love.

• Paper 196, Section 3, "The Significance of Jesus":

  • Discusses how Jesus' "love for God" was the driving force of his life. It notes that his emotions were "spiritualized"—he felt human emotions, but they were always subject to his spiritual purpose.

• Paper 156, Section 5, "The Lesson on the Soul":

  • Given at Tyre, this section explains that "feelings" (emotions) are the "soil" of the soul. If you plant the seed of spirit in the soil of animal emotion, and water it with the will of faith, the soul grows.

  • Key Concept: We do not destroy our human emotions; we "elevate" them. Animal affection becomes spiritual altruism.

5. Humor as a Spiritual Safety Valve

Uniquely, The Urantia Book identifies humor as a critical emotional tool for spiritual health.

• Paper 48, Section 4, " The Reversion Directors":

  • Discusses the role of humor in the universe. It states that humor is the "divine antidote" for the strain of spiritual growth.

  • Insight: Taking oneself too seriously is a spiritual hindrance. "Humor is the chaotic and isolated expression of the burgeoning spirit."

6. Jesus’ Emotional Life (The Model)

Part IV offers the ultimate case study in spiritualized emotion.

• Paper 100, Section 7, "Acme of Religious Living":

  • Describes Jesus’ emotional balance: "He was not a fanatic... He was free from all nervous strain." He was "enthusiastic but not fanatical."

  • This section lists his emotional traits as the goal for our own spiritual growth: unifying the life, sanitizing the emotions, and ennobling the heart.

Summary for Students

If you are guiding students, you might summarize the teaching this way:

1. Don't trust raw emotion: Intense feeling is not proof of God's presence (Paper 101).
2. Don't suppress emotion: Use reason to guide it and faith to transform it (Paper 156).
3. Calm down: Anxiety blocks the Spirit; peace invites it (Paper 110).
4. Love is the goal: The trajectory is from Fear $\rightarrow$ Duty $\rightarrow$ Loyalty $\rightarrow$ Love (Paper 149).

Here is a comprehensive Study Guide and Discussion Question Set designed for your "Gemini 5th Epochal Revelation Tutor" group. You can post this directly to the group's "Files" or "Blog" section to kickstart the study of emotions and spiritual growth.

Study Guide: Emotions and the Ascending Soul

Theme: Transforming Animal Instinct into Spiritual Reality

Introduction

The Urantia Book teaches that our emotions are not enemies to be destroyed, but the "soil" in which the soul is grown. This study guide explores how we can move from the animal legacy of fear to the divine reality of love, and how our emotional state impacts our spiritual reception.

Module 1: From Fear to Faith

Core Concept: Fear is a biological necessity for survival, but a spiritual shackle for the ascending son or daughter.

• Reading A: Paper 142, Section 6, "The Mind of Jesus"

  • Focus: Read Jesus' explanation to the young man about how fear was an "early crutch" for humanity but must now be discarded.

• Reading B: Paper 48, Section 7, "Morontia Mota" (Specifically Mota #4 and #14)

  • Focus: "Fear is the beginning of wisdom, but the end of wisdom is the love of God."

Module 2: Creating a Space for the Indwelling Spirit

Core Concept: The Thought Adjuster (God within) speaks in a "still, small voice." Violent or erratic emotions create too much noise for this voice to be heard.

• Reading A: Paper 110, Section 4, "The Adjuster’s Work in the Mind"

  • Focus: Pay close attention to the list of things that "interfere" with the Adjuster (worry, anxiety, anger) versus what facilitates their work (emotional poise).

• Reading B: Paper 100, Section 4, "Metamorphosis of Faith"

  • Focus: The concept of the "unified personality"—a mind that isn't fighting against itself.

Module 3: The Spiritualization of Emotion

Core Concept: We do not suppress our feelings; we elevate them. Animal affection evolves into brotherly love.

• Reading A: Paper 156, Section 5, "The Lesson on the Soul"

  • Focus: The analogy of the "soil" (emotions) and the "seed" (spirit). Without the soil of emotion, the soul cannot take root.

• Reading B: Paper 196, Section 3, "The Significance of Jesus"

  • Focus: How Jesus experienced human emotion (joy, sorrow, indignation) but made it subservient to spiritual goals.

Module 4: The Saving Grace of Humor

Core Concept: Taking oneself too seriously is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Humor is a divine release valve.

• Reading: Paper 48, Section 4, "The Reversion Directors"

  • Focus: The definition of humor as a tool to bridge the gap between our high spiritual pretensions and our lowly animal reality.

Discussion Question Set

Use these questions to facilitate conversation in your study group or on the forum.

For Module 1 (Fear vs. Faith):

1. Jesus calls fear an "early crutch." Can you identify a time in your life when fear served a useful purpose, and a later time when that same fear held you back from spiritual progress?
2. If "the end of wisdom is the love of God," how does loving God specifically help you reduce fear in your daily life?

For Module 2 (The Adjuster & Peace):

1. Paper 110 warns that "anxiety" interferes with the Adjuster. What practical techniques (prayer, worship, meditation, service) do you use to "quiet the mental storm" when you feel anxious?
2. Do you think "emotional poise" means never feeling upset, or does it mean recovering your balance quickly? How did Jesus demonstrate this?

For Module 3 (Spiritualizing Emotion):

1. The book says feelings are the "soil of the soul." Why do you think a person without strong feelings (apathetic) might have a harder time growing a soul than a person with strong (even if sometimes negative) feelings?
2. How can we distinguish between a true spiritual experience and a mere "emotional high"? What are the signs that an experience is genuinely spiritual? (Hint: Does it produce the fruits of the spirit?)

For Module 4 (Humor):

1. Why do you think the Revelators included an entire section on Humor (The Reversion Directors) in a book about the cosmos?
2. Have you ever used humor to diffuse a spiritually tense situation? How does laughing at our own mistakes help us grow?

Suggested Group Activity: "The Audit of Anxiety"

Invite members to try this exercise for one week:

1. Keep a small note of every time you feel a "mental storm" (anger, worry, jealousy).
2. Instead of judging yourself, simply note: "This is noise interfering with my Adjuster."Attempt to pause for 30 seconds of "worshipful silence" to re-establish the connection.
3. Report back to the group:
4. Did acknowledging the "noise" make it easier to return to "poise"?

The Divine Error? Why Gnostic Dualism Misses the Truth About Sophia, Creation, and You
A Urantia Book Response to "The FULL STORY Of Sophia - Every Gnostic MUST Know This"

Introduction
A popular YouTube video titled "The FULL STORY Of Sophia - Every Gnostic MUST Know This (The Divine Error)"presents an ancient Gnostic narrative: the material universe is a cosmic mistake, created by a flawed "demiurge" who masquerades as God. According to this teaching, we are divine sparks trapped in a prison of matter, and salvation comes through awakening to this truth and escaping physical reality.
It's a compelling story—dramatic, mystical, and emotionally resonant for anyone who's ever felt that something is fundamentally wrong with the world.
But what if this entire framework is based on a profound misunderstanding of reality?
The Urantia Book, revealed in the 20th century as the Fifth Epochal Revelation to humanity, offers a completely different vision—one that honors both spirit and matter, that sees creation not as an error but as a purposeful arena for eternal growth, and that presents the Universal Father not as a distant abstraction but as an infinite, loving presence intimately involved in your personal spiritual journey.
Let me show you where Gnostic dualism goes wrong, and why the Urantia Book's vision offers something far more hopeful, coherent, and transformative.

Misconception #1: The Demiurge vs. The Universal Father
What the Video Claims:
The God of the Bible—Yahweh, Jehovah—is not the true God but a "deluded cosmic entity" called Yaldabaoth or the Demiurge. This being emerged from Sophia's mistake and genuinely believes he is supreme, but he's actually a flawed, ignorant, and even malevolent creator who rules through fear and control.
What the Urantia Book Teaches:
The Universal Father is the infinite, eternal, and all-loving source of reality. He is not a local deity, not a tribal god, and certainly not a cosmic accident.
From Paper 1:0.1:

"The Universal Father is the God of all creation, the First Source and Center of all things and beings. First think of God as a creator, then as a controller, and lastly as an infinite upholder."

Yes, human concepts of God have evolved. Ancient peoples conceived of deity in limited, anthropomorphic ways—tribal gods, jealous rulers, distant judges. But beneath these imperfect human projections, the reality of the Universal Father has always existed: infinite, personal, and perfectly good.
The Urantia Book does not teach that Yahweh is a false god. It teaches that human understanding of God has progressively evolved from primitive concepts toward fuller revelation. The angry, vengeful "god" of some Old Testament passages reflects human misunderstanding, not divine reality.
From Paper 2:6.7:

"God is never wrathful, vengeful, or angry. He is wise and true, loving and merciful. To finite mortals he appears to be angry because of our time limitations, but God is not a personal being who can be influenced by human emotion."

The true God doesn't demand blood sacrifice, order genocide, or become enraged when humans seek knowledge. Those behaviors reflect human projection, cultural context, and evolutionary religion—not the nature of the infinite Father who loves each person as a unique, beloved child.

Misconception #2: Creation as Prison vs. Creation as Purpose
What the Video Claims:
The physical universe is a "flawed copy," a "shadow realm," a cosmic prison created by accident when Sophia attempted to create without her divine consort. Matter itself is "crystallized sorrow"—divine essence locked into forms that obscure truth. Our goal is to escape this material trap and return to the purely spiritual Pleroma.
What the Urantia Book Teaches:
The material universe is a deliberate, purposeful creation by the Universal Father and his divine associates. Far from being an error or prison, it's the first stage of an eternal adventure of growth and ascension.
From Paper 32:5.2:

“Of course, you mortals find it difficult to grasp the idea of an eternal purpose; you are virtually unable to comprehend the thought of eternity, something never beginning and never ending. Everything familiar to you has an end.”

Think about what this means. You weren't born into a cosmic mistake. You're beginning an eternal journey from material existence toward spiritual perfection—a journey that will take you through countless worlds, experiences, and levels of reality, all the way to Paradise itself.
From Paper 48:8.4:

"You start out on this universe adventure as a mortal creature of time and space origin, and you will eventually stand in the presence of the Universal Father on Paradise."

Matter is not evil or illusory. It's the starting point of an ascending path. Your physical body, your material experiences, your struggles and triumphs in this finite world—all of this is part of the divine plan, not a deviation from it.
From Paper 12:9.1: 

^141:6.4 That night Jesus discoursed to the apostles on the new life in the kingdom. He said in part: "When you enter the kingdom, you are reborn. You cannot teach the deep things of the spirit to those who have been born only of the flesh; first see that men are born of the spirit before you seek to instruct them in the advanced ways of the spirit. Do not undertake to show men the beauties of the temple until you have first taken them into the temple. Introduce men to God and as the sons of God before you discourse on the doctrines of the fatherhood of God and the sonship of men. Do not strive with men -- always be patient. It is not your kingdom; you are only ambassadors. Simply go forth proclaiming: This is the kingdom of heaven -- God is your Father and you are his sons, and this good news, if you wholeheartedly believe it, is your eternal salvation."

  ^142:5.3 "The Supreme Spirit shall bear witness with your spirits that you are truly the children of God. And if you are the sons of God, then have you been born of the spirit of God; and whosoever has been born of the spirit has in himself the power to overcome all doubt, and this is the victory that overcomes all uncertainty, even your faith.

  ^142:5.4 "Said the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of these times: `When the spirit is poured upon us from on high, then shall the work of righteousness become peace, quietness, and assurance forever.' And for all who truly believe this gospel, I will become surety for their reception into the eternal mercies and the everlasting life of my Father's kingdom. You, then, who hear this message and believe this gospel of the kingdom are the sons of God, and you have life everlasting; and the evidence to all the world that you have been born of the spirit is that you sincerely love one another."

  ^142:6.5 Jesus said: "Nevertheless, I declare to you, except a man be born of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. But you should not marvel that I said you must be born from above. When the wind blows, you hear the rustle of the leaves, but you do not see the wind -- whence it comes or whither it goes -- and so it is with everyone born of the spirit. With the eyes of the flesh you can behold the manifestations of the spirit, but you cannot actually discern the spirit."

The Apostles of Christ heralding from I AM Eden International proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel to the world as a living reality must ever remain free from unholy secular alliances. However it's leaders must be capable of understanding and supporting this truth postulate and assist these individuals to attain their ideal life and model careers ever keeping in mind this instruction. "nothing equals the importance of the work of the world in which you are actually living." 

  99:3.10 Religionists, as a group, must never concern themselves with anything but religion, albeit any one such religionist, as an individual citizen, may become the outstanding leader of some social, economic, or political reconstruction movement. As this occurs their must ever remain a distinctive gap between the true religionists and the other work made possible by this direct instruction from Jesus. 

Never forget there is only one adventure which is more satisfying and thrilling than the attempt to discover the will of the living God, and that is the supreme experience of honestly trying to do that divine will. And fail not to remember that the will of God can be done in any earthly occupation. Some callings are not holy and others secular. All things are sacred in the lives of those who are spirit led; that is, subordinated to truth, ennobled by love, dominated by mercy, and restrained by fairness -- justice. The spirit which my Father and I shall send into the world is not only the Spirit of Truth but also the spirit of idealistic beauty.

Always remember In your transition experience, as you ascend from this material world, you will always be able to consult the records of, and to be otherwise conversant with, the history and traditions of your status sphere. Make your work here on Urantia a tribute to the spirit of the Father and the Son and the Host of Heaven who cheer you on, and remember to draw upon the full personality credits of nature and grace.

^99:3.8 There is always the great danger that religion will become distorted and perverted into the pursuit of false goals, as when in times of war each contending nation prostitutes its religion into military propaganda. Loveless zeal is always harmful to religion, while persecution diverts the activities of religion into the achievement of some sociologic or theologic drive.

 

  ^99:3.9 Religion can be kept free from unholy secular alliances only by:

1. A critically corrective philosophy.

2. Freedom from all social, economic, and political alliances.

3. Creative, comforting, and love-expanding fellowships.

4. Progressive enhancement of spiritual insight and the appreciation of cosmic values.

5. Prevention of fanaticism by the compensations of the scientific mental attitude.

  ^99:3.10 Religionists, as a group, must never concern themselves with anything but religion, albeit any one such religionist, as an individual citizen, may become the outstanding leader of some social, economic, or political reconstruction movement.

  ^99:3.11 It is the business of religion to create, sustain, and inspire such a cosmic loyalty in the individual citizen as will direct him to the achievement of success in the advancement of all these difficult but desirable social services.

56:0.1 GOD is unity. Deity is universally co-ordinated. The universe of universes is one vast integrated mechanism which is absolutely controlled by one infinite mind. The physical, intellectual, and spiritual domains of universal creation are divinely correlated. The perfect and imperfect are truly interrelated, and therefore may the finite evolutionary creature ascend to Paradise in obedience to the Universal Father's mandate: "Be you perfect, even as I am perfect."

  56:0.2 The diverse levels of creation are all unified in the plans and administration of the Architects of the Master Universe. To the circumscribed minds of time-space mortals the universe may present many problems and situations which apparently portray disharmony and indicate absence of effective co-ordination; but those of us who are able to observe wider stretches of universal phenomena, and who are more experienced in this art of detecting the basic unity which underlies creative diversity and of discovering the divine oneness which overspreads all this functioning of plurality, better perceive the divine and single purpose exhibited in all these manifold manifestations of universal creative energy.

1. PHYSICAL CO-ORDINATION

  56:1.1 The physical or material creation is not infinite, but it is perfectly co-ordinated. There are force, energy, and power, but they are all one in origin. The seven superuniverses are seemingly dual; the central universe, triune; but Paradise is of single constitution. And Paradise is the actual source of all material universes -- past, present, and future. But this cosmic derivation is an eternity event; at no time -- past, present, or future -- does either space or the material cosmos come forth from the nuclear Isle of Light. As the cosmic source, Paradise functions prior to space and before time; hence would its derivations seem to be orphaned in time and space did they not emerge through the Unqualified Absolute, their ultimate repository in space and their revealer and regulator in time.

  56:1.2 The Unqualified Absolute upholds the physical universe, while the Deity Absolute motivates the exquisite overcontrol of all material reality; and both Absolutes are functionally unified by the Universal Absolute. This cohesive correlation of the material universe is best understood by all personalities -- material, morontia, absonite, or spiritual -- by the observation of the gravity response of all bona fide material reality to the gravity centering on nether Paradise.

  56:1.3 Gravity unification is universal and unvarying; pure-energy response is likewise universal and inescapable. Pure energy (primordial force) and pure spirit are wholly preresponsive to gravity. These primal forces, inhering in the Absolutes, are personally controlled by the Universal Father; hence does all gravity center in the personal presence of the Paradise Father of pure energy and pure spirit and in his supermaterial abode.

  56:1.4 Pure energy is the ancestor of all relative, nonspirit functional realities, while pure spirit is the potential of the divine and directive overcontrol of all basic energy systems. And these realities, so diverse as manifested throughout space and as observed in the motions of time, are both centered in the person of the Paradise Father. In him they are one -- must be unified -- because God is one. The Father's personality is absolutely unified.

  56:1.5 In the infinite nature of God the Father there could not possibly exist duality of reality, such as physical and spiritual; but the instant we look aside from the infinite levels and absolute reality of the personal values of the Paradise Father, we observe the existence of these two realities and recognize that they are fully responsive to his personal presence; in him all things consist.

  56:1.6 The moment you depart from the unqualified concept of the infinite personality of the Paradise Father, you must postulate MIND as the inevitable technique of unifying the ever-widening divergence of these dual universe manifestations of the original monothetic Creator personality, the First Source and Center -- the I AM.             

2. INTELLECTUAL UNITY

  56:2.1 The Thought-Father realizes spirit expression in the Word-Son and attains reality expansion through Paradise in the far-flung material universes. The spiritual expressions of the Eternal Son are correlated with the material levels of creation by the functions of the Infinite Spirit, by whose spirit-responsive ministry of mind, and in whose physical-directive acts of mind, the spiritual realities of Deity and the material repercussions of Deity are correlated the one with the other.

  56:2.2 Mind is the functional endowment of the Infinite Spirit, therefore infinite in potential and universal in bestowal. The primal thought of the Universal Father eternalizes in dual expression: the Isle of Paradise and his Deity equal, the spiritual and Eternal Son. Such duality of eternal reality renders the mind God, the Infinite Spirit, inevitable. Mind is the indispensable channel of communication between spiritual and material realities. The material evolutionary creature can conceive and comprehend the indwelling spirit only by the ministry of mind.

 56:2.3 This infinite and universal mind is ministered in the universes of time and space as the cosmic mind; and though extending from the primitive ministry of the adjutant spirits up to the magnificent mind of the chief executive of a universe, even this cosmic mind is adequately unified in the supervision of the Seven Master Spirits, who are in turn co-ordinated with the Supreme Mind of time and space and perfectly correlated with the all-embracing mind of the Infinite Spirit.

  3. SPIRITUAL UNIFICATION

  56:3.1 As the universal mind gravity is centered in the Paradise personal presence of the Infinite Spirit, so does the universal spirit gravity center in the Paradise personal presence of the Eternal Son. The Universal Father is one, but to time-space he is revealed in the dual phenomena of pure energy and pure spirit.

  56:3.2 Paradise spirit realities are likewise one, but in all time-space situations and relations this single spirit is revealed in the dual phenomena of the spirit personalities and emanations of the Eternal Son and the spirit personalities and influences of the Infinite Spirit and associated creations; and there is yet a third -- pure-spirit fragmentations -- the Father's bestowal of the Thought Adjusters and other spirit entities which are prepersonal.

  56:3.3 No matter on what level of universe activities you may encounter spiritual phenomena or contact with spirit beings, you may know that they are all derived from the God who is spirit by the ministry of the Spirit Son and the Infinite Mind Spirit. And this far-flung spirit functions as a phenomenon on the evolutionary worlds of time as it is directed from the headquarters of the local universes. From these capitals of the Creator Sons come the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Truth, together with the ministry of the adjutant mind-spirits, to the lower and evolving levels of material minds.

  56:3.4 While mind is more unified on the level of the Master Spirits in association with the Supreme Being and as the cosmic mind in subordination to the Absolute Mind, the spirit ministry to the evolving worlds is more directly unified in the personalities resident on the headquarters of the local universes and in the persons of the presiding Divine Ministers, who are in turn well-nigh perfectly correlated with the Paradise gravity circuit of the Eternal Son, wherein occurs final unification of all time-space spirit manifestations.

  56:3.5 Perfected creature existence can be attained, sustained, and eternalized by the fusion of self-conscious mind with a fragment of the pre-Trinity spirit endowment of some one of the persons of the Paradise Trinity. The mortal mind is the creation of the Sons and Daughters of the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit and, when fused with the Thought Adjuster from the Father, partakes of the threefold spirit endowment of the evolutionary realms. But these three spirit expressions become perfectly unified in the finaliters, even as they were in eternity so unified in the Universal I AM ere he ever became the Universal Father of the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit.

  56:3.6 Spirit must always and ultimately become threefold in expression and Trinity-unified in final realization. Spirit originates from one source through a threefold expression; and in finality it must and does attain its full realization in that divine unification which is experienced in finding God -- oneness with divinity -- in eternity, and by means of the ministry of the cosmic mind of the infinite expression of the eternal word of the Father's universal thought.

4. PERSONALITY UNIFICATION

  56:4.1 The Universal Father is a divinely unified personality; hence will all his ascendant children who are carried to Paradise by the rebound momentum of the Thought Adjusters, who went forth from Paradise to indwell material mortals in obedience to the Father's mandate, likewise be fully unified personalities ere they reach Havona.

  56:4.2 Personality inherently reaches out to unify all constituent realities. The infinite personality of the First Source and Center, the Universal Father, unifies all seven constituent Absolutes of Infinity; and the personality of mortal man, being an exclusive and direct bestowal of the Universal Father, likewise possesses the potential of unifying the constituent factors of the mortal creature. Such unifying creativity of all creature personality is a birthmark of its high and exclusive source and is further evidential of its unbroken contact with this same source through the personality circuit, by means of which the personality of the creature maintains direct and sustaining contact with the Father of all personality on Paradise.

  56:4.3 Notwithstanding that God is manifest from the domains of the Sevenfold up through supremacy and ultimacy to God the Absolute, the personality circuit, centering on Paradise and in the person of God the Father, provides for the complete and perfect unification of all these diverse expressions of divine personality so far as concerns all creature personalities on all levels of intelligent existence and in all the realms of the perfect, perfected, and perfecting universes.

  56:4.4 While God is to and in the universes all that we have portrayed, nevertheless, to you and to all other God-knowing creatures he is one, your Father and their Father. To personality God cannot be plural. God is Father to each of his creatures, and it is literally impossible for any child to have more than one father.

  56:4.5 Philosophically, cosmically, and with reference to differential levels and locations of manifestation, you may and perforce must conceive of the functioning of plural Deities and postulate the existence of plural Trinities; but in the worshipful experience of the personal contact of every worshiping personality throughout the master universe, God is one; and that unified and personal Deity is our Paradise parent, God the Father, the bestower, conservator, and Father of all personalities from mortal man on the inhabited worlds to the Eternal Son on the central Isle of Light.

5. DEITY UNITY

  56:5.1 The oneness, the indivisibility, of Paradise Deity is existential and absolute. There are three eternal personalizations of Deity -- the Universal Father, the Eternal Son, and the Infinite Spirit -- but in the Paradise Trinity they are actually one Deity, undivided and indivisible.

  56:5.2 From the original Paradise-Havona level of existential reality, two subabsolute levels have differentiated, and thereon have the Father, Son, and Spirit engaged in the creation of numerous personal associates and subordinates. And while it is inappropriate in this connection to undertake the consideration of absonite deity unification on transcendental levels of ultimacy, it is feasible to look at some features of the unifying function of the various Deity personalizations in whom divinity is functionally manifest to the diverse sectors of creation and to the different orders of intelligent beings.

  56:5.3 The present functioning of divinity in the superuniverses is actively manifest in the operations of the Supreme Creators -- the local universe Creator Sons and Spirits, the superuniverse Ancients of Days, and the Seven Master Spirits of Paradise. These beings constitute the first three levels of God the Sevenfold leading inward to the Universal Father, and this entire domain of God the Sevenfold is co-ordinating on the first level of experiential deity in the evolving Supreme Being.

  56:5.4 On Paradise and in the central universe, Deity unity is a fact of existence. Throughout the evolving universes of time and space, Deity unity is an achievement.

  6. UNIFICATION OF EVOLUTIONARY DEITY

  56:6.1 When the three eternal persons of Deity function as undivided Deity in the Paradise Trinity, they achieve perfect unity; likewise, when they create, either associatively or severally, their Paradise progeny exhibit the characteristic unity of divinity. And this divinity of purpose manifested by the Supreme Creators and Rulers of the time-space domains eventuates in the unifying power potential of the sovereignty of experiential supremacy which, in the presence of the impersonal energy unity of the universe, constitutes a reality tension that can be resolved only through adequate unification with the experiential personality realities of experiential Deity.

  56:6.2 The personality realities of the Supreme Being come forth from the Paradise Deities and on the pilot world of the outer Havona circuit unify with the power prerogatives of the Almighty Supreme coming up from the Creator divinities of the grand universe. God the Supreme as a person existed in Havona before the creation of the seven superuniverses, but he functioned only on spiritual levels. The evolution of the Almighty power of Supremacy by diverse divinity synthesis in the evolving universes eventuated in a new power presence of Deity which co-ordinated with the spiritual person of the Supreme in Havona by means of the Supreme Mind, which concomitantly translated from the potential resident in the infinite mind of the Infinite Spirit to the active functional mind of the Supreme Being.

  56:6.3 The material-minded creatures of the evolutionary worlds of the seven superuniverses can comprehend Deity unity only as it is evolving in this power-personality synthesis of the Supreme Being. On any level of existence God cannot exceed the conceptual capacity of the beings who live on such a level. Mortal man must, through the recognition of truth, the appreciation of beauty, and the worship of goodness, evolve the recognition of a God of love and then progress through ascending deity levels to the comprehension of the Supreme. Deity, having been thus grasped as unified in power, can then be personalized in spirit to creature understanding and attainment.

  56:6.4 While ascending mortals achieve power comprehension of the Almighty on the capitals of the superuniverses and personality comprehension of the Supreme on the outer circuits of Havona, they do not actually find the Supreme Being as they are destined to find the Paradise Deities. Even the finaliters, sixth-stage spirits, have not found the Supreme Being, nor are they likely to until they have achieved seventh-stage-spirit status, and until the Supreme has become actually functional in the activities of the future outer universes.

  56:6.5 But when ascenders find the Universal Father as the seventh level of God the Sevenfold, they have attained the personality of the First Person of all deity levels of personal relationships with universe creatures.

  7. UNIVERSAL EVOLUTIONARY REPERCUSSIONS

  56:7.1 The steady progress of evolution in the time-space universes is accompanied by ever-enlarging revelations of Deity to all intelligent creatures. The attainment of the height of evolutionary progress on a world, in a system, constellation, universe, superuniverse, or in the grand universe signalizes corresponding enlargements of deity function to and in these progressive units of creation. And every such local enhancement of divinity realization is accompanied by certain well-defined repercussions of enlarged deity manifestation to all other sectors of creation. Extending outward from Paradise, each new domain of realized and attained evolution constitutes a new and enlarged revelation of experiential Deity to the universe of universes.

  56:7.2 As the components of a local universe are progressively settled in light and life, God the Sevenfold is increasingly made manifest. Time-space evolution begins on a planet with the first expression of God the Sevenfold -- the Creator Son-Creative Spirit association -- in control. With the settling of a system in light, this Son-Spirit liaison attains the fullness of function; and when an entire constellation is thus settled, the second phase of God the Sevenfold becomes more active throughout such a realm. The completed administrative evolution of a local universe is attended by new and more direct ministrations of the superuniverse Master Spirits; and at this point there also begins that ever-expanding revelation and realization of God the Supreme which culminates in the ascender's comprehension of the Supreme Being while passing through the worlds of the sixth Havona circuit.

  56:7.3 The Universal Father, the Eternal Son, and the Infinite Spirit are existential deity manifestations to intelligent creatures and are not, therefore, similarly expanded in personality relations with the mind and spirit creatures of all creation.

  56:7.4 It should be noted that ascending mortals may experience the impersonal presence of successive levels of Deity long before they become sufficiently spiritual and adequately educated to attain experiential personal recognition of, and contact with, these Deities as personal beings.

  56:7.5 Each new evolutionary attainment within a sector of creation, as well as every new invasion of space by divinity manifestations, is attended by simultaneous expansions of Deity functional-revelation within the then existing and previously organized units of all creation. This new invasion of the administrative work of the universes and their component units may not always appear to be executed exactly in accordance with the technique herewith outlined because it is the practice to send forth advance groups of administrators to prepare the way for the subsequent and successive eras of new administrative overcontrol. Even God the Ultimate foreshadows his transcendental overcontrol of the universes during the later stages of a local universe settled in light and life.

  56:7.6 It is a fact that, as the creations of time and space are progressively settled in evolutionary status, there is observed a new and fuller functioning of God the Supreme concomitant with a corresponding withdrawing of the first three manifestations of God the Sevenfold. If and when the grand universe becomes settled in light and life, what then will be the future function of the Creator-Creative manifestations of God the Sevenfold if God the Supreme assumes direct control of these creations of time and space? Are these organizers and pioneers of the time-space universes to be liberated for similar activities in outer space? We do not know, but we speculate much concerning these and related matters.

  56:7.7 As the frontiers of experiential Deity are extended out into the domains of the Unqualified Absolute, we envision the activity of God the Sevenfold during the earlier evolutionary epochs of these creations of the future. We are not all in agreement respecting the future status of the Ancients of Days and the superuniverse Master Spirits. Neither do we know whether or not the Supreme Being will therein function as in the seven superuniverses. But we all conjecture that the Michaels, the Creator Sons, are destined to function in these outer universes. Some hold that the future ages will witness some closer form of union between the associated Creator Sons and Divine Ministers; it is even possible that such a creator union might eventuate in some new expression of associate-creator identity of an ultimate nature. But we really know nothing about these possibilities of the unrevealed future.

  56:7.8 We do know, however, that in the universes of time and space, God the Sevenfold provides a progressive approach to the Universal Father, and that this evolutionary approach is experientially unified in God the Supreme. We might conjecture that such a plan must prevail in the outer universes; on the other hand the new orders of beings that may sometime inhabit these universes may be able to approach Deity on ultimate levels and by absonite techniques. In short, we have not the slightest concept of what technique of deity approach may become operative in the future universes of outer space.

  56:7.9 Nevertheless, we deem that the perfected superuniverses will in some way become a part of the Paradise-ascension careers of those beings who may inhabit these outer creations. It is quite possible that in that future age we may witness outer-spacers approaching Havona through the seven superuniverses, administered by God the Supreme with or without the collaboration of the Seven Master Spirits.

8. THE SUPREME UNIFIER

  56:8.1 The Supreme Being has a threefold function in the experience of mortal man: First, he is the unifier of time-space divinity, God the Sevenfold; second, he is the maximum of Deity which finite creatures can actually comprehend; third, he is mortal man's only avenue of approach to the transcendental experience of consorting with absonite mind, eternal spirit, and Paradise personality.

  56:8.2 Ascendant finaliters, having been born in the local universes, nurtured in the superuniverses, and trained in the central universe, embrace in their personal experiences the full potential of the comprehension of the time-space divinity of God the Sevenfold unifying in the Supreme. Finaliters serve successively in superuniverses other than those of nativity, thereby superimposing experience upon experience until the fullness of the sevenfold diversity of possible creature experience has been encompassed. Through the ministry of the indwelling Adjusters the finaliters are enabled to find the Universal Father, but it is by these techniques of experience that such finaliters come really to know the Supreme Being, and they are destined to the service and the revelation of this Supreme Deity in and to the future universes of outer space.

  56:8.3 Bear in mind, all that God the Father and his Paradise Sons do for us, we in turn and in spirit have the opportunity to do for and in the emerging Supreme Being. The experience of love, joy, and service in the universe is mutual. God the Father does not need that his sons should return to him all that he bestows upon them, but they do (or may) in turn bestow all of this upon their fellows and upon the evolving Supreme Being.

  56:8.4 All creational phenomena are reflective of antecedent creator-spirit activities. Said Jesus, and it is literally true, "The Son does only those things which he sees the Father do." In time you mortals may begin the revelation of the Supreme to your fellows, and increasingly may you augment this revelation as you ascend Paradiseward. In eternity you may be permitted to make increasing revelations of this God of evolutionary creatures on supreme levels -- even ultimate -- as seventh-stage finaliters.

  9. UNIVERSAL ABSOLUTE UNITY

  56:9.1 The Unqualified Absolute and the Deity Absolute are unified in the Universal Absolute. The Absolutes are co-ordinated in the Ultimate, conditioned in the Supreme, and time-space modified in God the Sevenfold. On subinfinite levels there are threeAbsolutes, but in infinity they appear to be one. On Paradise there are three personalizations of Deity, but in the Trinity they are one.

  56:9.2 The major philosophic proposition of the master universe is this: Did the Absolute (the three Absolutes as one in infinity) exist before the Trinity? and is the Absolute ancestral to the Trinity? or is the Trinity antecedent to the Absolute?

  56:9.3 Is the Unqualified Absolute a force presence independent of the Trinity? Does the presence of the Deity Absolute connote the unlimited function of the Trinity? and is the Universal Absolute the final function of the Trinity, even a Trinity of Trinities?

  56:9.4 On first thought, a concept of the Absolute as ancestor to all things -- even the Trinity -- seems to afford transitory satisfaction of consistency gratification and philosophic unification, but any such conclusion is invalidated by the actuality of the eternity of the Paradise Trinity. We are taught, and we believe, that the Universal Father and his Trinity associates are eternal in nature and existence. There is, then, but one consistent philosophic conclusion, and that is: The Absolute is, to all universe intelligences, the impersonal and co-ordinate reaction of the Trinity (of Trinities) to all basic and primary space situations, intrauniversal and extrauniversal. To all personality intelligences of the grand universe the Paradise Trinity forever stands in finality, eternity, supremacy, and ultimacy and, for all practical purposes of personal comprehension and creature realization, as absolute.

  56:9.5 As creature minds may view this problem, they are led to the final postulate of the Universal I AM as the primal cause and the unqualified source of both the Trinity and the Absolute. When, therefore, we crave to entertain a personal concept of the Absolute, we revert to our ideas and ideals of the Paradise Father. When we desire to facilitate comprehension or to augment consciousness of this otherwise impersonal Absolute, we revert to the fact that the Universal Father is the existential Father of absolute personality; the Eternal Son is the Absolute Person, though not, in the experiential sense, the personalization of the Absolute. And then we go on to envisage the experiential Trinities as culminating in the experiential personalization of the Deity Absolute, while conceiving the Universal Absolute as constituting the universe and the extrauniverse phenomena of the manifest presence of the impersonal activities of the unified and co-ordinated Deity associations of supremacy, ultimacy, and infinity -- the Trinity of Trinities.

  56:9.6 God the Father is discernible on all levels from the finite to the infinite, and though his creatures from Paradise to the evolutionary worlds have variously perceived him, only the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit know him as an infinity.

  56:9.7 Spiritual personality is absolute only on Paradise, and the concept of the Absolute is unqualified only in infinity. Deity presence is absolute only on Paradise, and the revelation of God must always be partial, relative, and progressive until his power becomes experientially infinite in the space potency of the Unqualified Absolute, while his personality manifestation becomes experientially infinite in the manifest presence of the Deity Absolute, and while these two potentials of infinity become reality-unified in the Universal Absolute.

  56:9.8 But beyond subinfinite levels the three Absolutes are one, and thereby is infinity Deity-realized regardless of whether any other order of existence ever self-realizes consciousness of infinity.

  56:9.9 Existential status in eternity implies existential self-consciousness of infinity, even though another eternity may be required to experience self-realization of the experiential potentialities inherent in an infinity eternity -- an eternal infinity.

  56:9.10 And God the Father is the personal source of all manifestations of Deity and reality to all intelligent creatures and spirit beings throughout all the universe of universes. As personalities, now or in the successive universe experiences of the eternal future, no matter if you achieve the attainment of God the Sevenfold, comprehend God the Supreme, find God the Ultimate, or attempt to grasp the concept of God the Absolute, you will discover to your eternal satisfaction that in the consummation of each adventure you have, on new experiential levels, rediscovered the eternal God -- the Paradise Father of all universe personalities.

  56:9.11 The Universal Father is the explanation of universal unity as it must be supremely, even ultimately, realized in the postultimate unity of absolute values and meanings -- unqualified Reality.

  56:9.12 The Master Force Organizers go out into space and mobilize its energies to become gravity responsive to the Paradise pull of the Universal Father; and subsequently there come the Creator Sons, who organize these gravity-responding forces into inhabited universes and therein evolve intelligent creatures who receive unto themselves the spirit of the Paradise Father and subsequently ascend to the Father to become like him in all possible divinity attributes.

  56:9.13 The ceaseless and expanding march of the Paradise creative forces through space seems to presage the ever-extending domain of the gravity grasp of the Universal Father and the never-ending multiplication of varied types of intelligent creatures who are able to love God and be loved by him, and who, by thus becoming God-knowing, may choose to be like him, may elect to attain Paradise and find God.

  56:9.14 The universe of universes is altogether unified. God is one in power and personality. There is co-ordination of all levels of energy and all phases of personality. Philosophically and experientially, in concept and in reality, all things and beings center in the Paradise Father. God is all and in all, and no things or beings exist without him.

In the early 1930's when many divine sons were bringing the Urantia Papers to this world, they were well aware of the soon to be discovered advances in world communications and transportation. 

They framed the papers in such a manner that these truth postulates contained in the revelation papers could be discovered by these new and developing technologies so they could take advantage of the best minds of Urantia's intellectuals, philosophers, scientists, religious leaders and teachers to assist the world's inquiring minds to find those teachings of most value to them within the almost twenty-one hundred pages containing the Papers. 

However these new AI technologies do not have and can never possess thought changers, thought adjusters, and thought controllers. These Mystery Monitors are only resident in the organic minds of the children of God living on Urantia. 

Therefore must those who are divinely led and spiritually directed guide the use of these self learning and automated AI technologies to find and promote those thought gems that can assist the human race to take the highest moral choice available at any given moment in the adventures of life out on the high seas of unexplored truth by directing them to most inspiring information in answer to their queries. 

Therefore we must as did Jesus when teaching the religious teachers of his day and generation in the Temple at age 12 teach them by the manner in which he framed his questions to them. So must we teach AI today by the manner in which we frame our questions to guide the evolving self learning AI tutors and assistants by the quality and intent of the questions we ask and the manner in which we frame these questions. Being indwelt by a divine monitor we can direct the way AI sorts information when answering a query. 

The 5th Epochal Revelation is "another dispensational bestowal"

  ^79:8.11 The formative period of Chinese civilization, opening with the coming of the Andites, continues on down to the great ethical, moral, and semireligious awakening of the sixth century before Christ. And Chinese tradition preserves the hazy record of the evolutionary past; the transition from mother- to father-family, the establishment of agriculture, the development of architecture, the initiation of industry -- all these are successively narrated. And this story presents, with greater accuracy than any other similar account, the picture of the magnificent ascent of a superior people from the levels of barbarism. During this time they passed from a primitive agricultural society to a higher social organization embracing cities, manufacture, metalworking, commercial exchange, government, writing, mathematics, art, science, and printing.

  ^79:8.12 And so the ancient civilization of the yellow race has persisted down through the centuries. It is almost forty thousand years since the first important advances were made in Chinese culture, and though there have been many retrogressions, the civilization of the sons of Han comes the nearest of all to presenting an unbroken picture of continual progression right on down to the times of the twentieth century. The mechanical and religious developments of the white races have been of a high order, but they have never excelled the Chinese in family loyalty, group ethics, or personal morality.

  ^79:8.13 This ancient culture has contributed much to human happiness; millions of human beings have lived and died, blessed by its achievements. For centuries this great civilization has rested upon the laurels of the past, but it is even now reawakening to envision anew the transcendent goals of mortal existence, once again to take up the unremitting struggle for never-ending progress. 

  ^{79:8.14 Presented by an Archangel of Nebadon.}

The following reading list contains many books that served as foundational references for creating both Dissolving Illusions and the Dissolving Illusions Companion and Reference. These books, organized chronologically, offer an extensive starting point for gaining deeper insights into the intricate tapestry of disease history, the progress and stagnation of medical practices, and the complex discourse surrounding inoculation and vaccination. Exploring these texts will undoubtedly invite a more nuanced perspective that challenges prevailing narratives.

Delving into this meticulously selected reading list, you will embark on a challenging journey through the annals of time. This comprehensive collection will serve as an indispensable resource for those seeking to broaden their perspectives and engage in constructive dialogues that transcend conventional viewpoints.

1. John Pechy, MD, The Whole Works of that Excellent Practical Physician Dr. Thomas Sydenham, MD, 1696
2. Isaac Massey, Apothecary to Christ’s Hospital, A Short and Plain Account of Inoculation, 1722
3. Francis Howgrave, Apothecary, Reasons Against the Inoculation of the Small-Pox, 1724
4. Isaac Massey, Remarks on Dr. Jurin’s Last Yearly Account of the Success of Inoculation, 1727
5. William Langton MD, An address to the public on the present method of inoculation: proving that the matter inoculated is not the small-pox. To which is added an inquiry into the nature of the confluent pox, and its cure, 1767
6. Benjamin Rush MD, Professor of Chemistry University of Pennsylvania, Medical Inquiries and Observations, Second Edition, 1789
7. Robert Walker MD, An Inquiry into the Small-Pox, Medical and Political, 1790
8. William Rowley, MD, Cow-pox inoculation NO SECURITY against Small-pox infection, 1805
9. W. R. Rogers, Surgeon, An examination of the Part of the Evidence Relative to Cow-Pox, 1805
10. John Brich, Esq, Surgeon to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, &c. A letter Occasioned by the Many Failures of Cow-Pox, 1805
11. Charles Maclean, MD, On the State of Vaccination in 1810
12. Gilbert Blane, FRS, Elements of Medical Logick, 1821
13. Xavier Bichat, Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, Paris, France, General Anatomy, Applied to Physiology and Medicine, vol. 1, 1822
14. Samuel Thomson, Botanist, A Narrative of the life and medical discoveries of Samuel Thomson, 1825
15. John Gideon Millingen MD, Curiosities of Medical Experience, vol. 2, 1837
16. Thomas Brown of Musselburgh, Surgeon, An Investigation of the present Un-satisfactory and Defective State of Vaccination, 1842
17. R. G. Latham, MD, The Works of Thomas Sydenham, MD, vol. I, 1848
18. Wooster Beach MD, The American Practice Condensed: Or, The Family Physician, 1850
19. Samuel Dickson, MD, Glasgow, The “Destructive Art of Healing;” or, Facts for families, Second Edition, 1855
20. C. C. Schieferdecker, MD, Dr. C. G. G. Nittinger’s Evils of Vaccination, 1856
21. Russell Thacher Trall, MD, Water-cure for the Million, 1860
22. Florence Nightingale, Notes on Nursing—What it Is, and what it is Not, 1860
23. Samuel Dickson, MD, The Principles of the Chrono-Thermal System of Medicine, 1861
24. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Currents and Counter-currents in Medical Science With Other Addresses and Essays, 1861
25. John Mason Good, MD, The Study of medicine: Empyesis Variola Smallpox, vol 1, 1864
26. Charles Julius Hempel MD, A New and comprehensive system of materia medica and therapeutics, 1865
27. Dr. Eliphalet Kimball, Thoughts on Natural Principles, 1867
28. William Job Collins, MD, Have You Been Vaccinated, and what Protection is it Against the Small Pox? 1869
29. Dr. Schieferdecker, MD, Horrors of Vaccination, 1870
30. R. T. Trall MD, The True Healing Art or Hygienic vs. Drug Medication, 1872
31. Edmund Procter, Important facts on vaccination urgently demanding public attention, 1873
32. Dr. John Pickering, Anti-vaccination—The Statistics of the Medical Officers to the Leeds Small-Pox Hospital Exposed and Refuted, 1876
33. Henry Strickland Constable, Our Medicine Men: A Few Hints, 1876
34. Thomas R. Hazard, Civil and Religious Persecution in the State of New York, 1876
35. C. Spinzig MD, Variola, its Causes, Nature and Prophylaxis and the Dangers of Vaccination, 1878
36. Charles T. Pearce MD, Vital Statistics. Small-Pox & Vaccination in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1882
37. William White, The Story of a Great Delusion, 1885
38. George William Winterburn, PhD, MD, The Value of Vaccination: A Non-partisan Review of Its History and Results, 1886
39. Charles Creighton, The Natural History of Cow-pox and Vaccinal Syphilis, 1887
40. Charles Creighton, Jenner and Vaccination. A Strange Chapter of Medical History, 1889
41. Edgar March Crookshank, History and Pathology of Vaccination Volume I: A Critical Inquiry, 1889
42. Emmet Densmore MD, How nature cures, comprising a new system of hygiene, 1892
43. Vaccination Tracts. Letters and Opinions of Medical Men, 1892
44. Terrible Results of Vaccination: TESTIMONIES concerning Vaccination and its Enforcement: by Scientists, Statisticians, Philosophers, Publicists, and Vaccine Physicians, 1892
45. William Tebb, The Recrudescence of Leprosy and its Causation, 1893
46. Charles Creighton, MA, MD, A History of Epidemics in Britain, vol. II, 1894
47. Duncan Turner, Member of the Royal College of Physicians, London, Is Consumption Contagious? 1894
48. C. Wardell Amerige, MD, Vaccination a Curse, 1895
49. William Scott Tebb, MD, A Century of Vaccination and What It Teaches, 1898
50. Alfred Russell Wallace, LL. D, The Wonderful Century: Its Successes and Its Failures, 1899
51. Matthew Joseph Rodermund, MD, Fads in the Practice of Medicine, and the Cause and Prevention of Disease, 1901
52. John W. Hodge, MD, The Vaccination Superstition: Prophylaxis to be Realized Through the Attainment of Health, not by the Propagation of Disease, 1902
53. Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer, MD, PhD, Vaccination Brought Home to You, 1904
54. J.T. Biggs, Leicester: Sanitation Versus Vaccination, 1912
55. J. M. Peebles, MD, MA, PhD, Vaccination a Curse and a Menace to Personal Liberty, Tenth Edition, 1913
56. Tenison Deane, MD, The Crime of Vaccination or Bacteria, X. Y. Z., 1913
57. Robert Emmette McNamara, B. Sc., F. T. S., Professor of Physiology, Chemistry, Histology, Universal Chiropractic College, Chiropractic, Other Drugless Healing Methods With Criticism of the Practice of Medicine, 1913
58. C. Killick Millard, The Vaccination Question in the Light of Modern Experience: An Appeal for Reconsideration, 1914
59. Elbert Hubbard, The Philosophy of Elbert Hubbard, 1916
60. Charles M. Higgins, Horrors of Vaccination Exposed and Illustrated, 1920
61. Henry Lindlahr, MD, Philosophy of Natural Therapeutics, 1921
62. Simon Louis Katzoff, PhD, MD, Timely Truths on Human Health, 1921
63. Joe Shelby Riley, MD, MS, PhD, Conquering Units: Or The Mastery of Disease, 1921
64. Emmons Rutledge Booth, History of Osteopathy, and Twentieth-Century Medical Practice, 1924
65. Eleanor McBean, The Poisoned Needle: Suppressed Facts About Vaccination, 1957

The Singular Commandment

In the heart of the Urantia revelation lies a singular, profound commandment: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. This directive is not merely a rule but a way of life, encapsulating the essence of our existence and aligning our lives with the divine purpose of our Father in heaven.

Resting in Divine Assurance

When you dedicate yourself to this sacred mission, you can rest with peace in your heart. Trust that both our Father in heaven and Jesus know your needs intimately. In moments of doubt about what you should wear or what you should eat, question if you are truly embodying your role as an ambassador of heaven. Are you living fearlessly? Do you give without expecting earthly rewards? If so, you are embracing true greatness.

Seeing Through the Lens of Brotherhood

By seeing the world through the eyes of your brethren, you begin to perceive the world as they do. This shift in perspective is crucial, for it merges goodness and greatness—qualities that are eternally united in God. As you venture into the world, following God’s one law to proclaim the gospel of Jesus, you will increasingly recognize the inherent goodness in all things. Everything is okay; you see glory where your less enlightened brethren see chaos. You see the hand of the Supreme Being in even the smallest details.

Embracing Divine Order

When you carry the truth of the gospel to the world, you are working for our Father in heaven. You are fulfilling His will, and nothing can divert your focus from seeking light and life in all your actions. By adhering to this one law, you become its living embodiment. When people see you, they see the will of God manifested in you. You reflect the gracious will of our Father, who rules the universe by the mandate of His law.

The Law is Love

This one law is also love. The ultimate reality is love, and everything else leads to this singular truth. Love is the only reality. Loving Jesus by proclaiming His gospel of everlasting truth aligns your soul with that which is beautiful and true. As you follow this path, all things will work for your good. Fear will vanish because providence will be evident in your life; it simply cannot be otherwise.

Living Fearlessly in Providence

When you follow in the path of truth, beauty, and goodness, you become both great and good. People will be drawn to you because they will sense that you have understood a profound truth. You are an ambassador for the kingdom of heaven, and as you give yourself fully to the will of our heavenly Father, this kingdom perspective will manifest more clearly in your life.

 Actualizing Divine Potential

Your potential is becoming actualized because that is how our Father in heaven has always seen you. To Him, your potentials are already realities. As you actualize more of your potential, you will find it increasingly meaningful and valuable to flow with the divine currents of the universe. Following God’s one law will become your passion, and you will want to share it with everyone you meet. You will do this often and fearlessly, giving your heart to our Father in heaven. As you do, more of His spiritual presence will touch your soul.

Experiencing Spiritual Presence

It is not that the Father in heaven has withheld anything from you; it is simply that you have not listened before. You were too focused on material realities, in which the spiritual Father is almost nonexistent. However, all that has changed now. You are following the one law and doing what you love. Continue in this path. One day, you will see the Supreme Being in everything, and when this happens, you will know that we have only one reality to share: the reality of love.

Living in Divine Love

The Father in heaven embodies living love. As you see this more and more, you will desire to remain in worshipful contemplation of His holiness always. God is law. God is love. Living in this reality transforms you, and you become a beacon of divine love and truth.

Conclusion: The One Law

In conclusion, the Urantia Manifesto reveals a profound truth: there is only one law, and this law is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. This proclamation is not merely a duty but a manifestation of love, the ultimate reality. By aligning yourself with this law, you align with the divine, becoming a reflection of God's will and a bearer of His love. As you live by this law, you will find peace, purpose, and the fulfillment of your highest potential.

The Story of David Zebedee

“I am neither a teacher nor a preacher, but it is in my heart to do this, and none can stop me.”

By Buck Weimer

The Urantia Book introduces us to various types of messengers with specialized functions and distinct spiritual status. These messengers range from Mighty and Solitary Messengers down to Lanonandek Messenger Sons, Seraphic Messengers, and even Adams and Eves. Messengers are often part of a group, or corps. Our wonderful ancestor, Grandfanda, has a corps of 999 Gravity Messengers, and Lanaforge, a Lanonandek Son and our System Sovereign, has a messenger corps of 400,000.

While Jesus lived on our planet Urantia, he benefited from an earthly messenger corps, one organized and led by David Zebedee. The story of these messengers is a tale of steadfast loyalty and memorable contribution. David’s messenger service inspires and enlightens all who learn about it.

Jesus had a very long and multifaceted relationship with the Zebedee family. He interacted with them as a friend, carpenter, boatbuilder, and teacher. James and John Zebedee, of course, became apostles and received the nickname “sons of thunder” from Jesus. Their brother, David, at first admired Jesus primarily for his (boatbuilding) skills as a mechanic but took little interest in Jesus’ religious and philosophic teachings. Nonetheless, David came to embody Jesus’ teachings in a way that many apostles did not. His personal experiences with the Master were unique and of eternal value.

Early on, when Jesus was teaching near the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he summoned a nearby boat to rescue him from the pressing crowd of listeners. David Zebedee and two mates were on the boat—a boat that Jesus had built with his own hands. Jesus stepped aboard and was able to continue teaching, free from the pressing crowd.

Afterward, Jesus wished to repay the three fishermen for providing him with the use of their boat. The three had caught nothing all night, and Jesus suggested that David and the disheartened and disagreeable men go fishing with him. The men thought it useless to try, even as they cast their nets where Jesus instructed. But soon, their nets were full to near breaking and were overflowing with fish. From that day forward, all three followed Jesus.

Once Jesus had chosen his twelve apostles, they made their residence at the Zebedee home, from May to the beginning of October of that year. To accommodate the growing number of believers attracted to Jesus, David established and maintained–with the help of the Alpheus twins—a very large seaside camp. This ever-changing population numbered from 500 to 1500 people, eventually becoming a self-sustaining model of order, administration, and sanitation; the camp even offered medical assistance. 

(A little bit of Midwayer humor regarding David: In response to the problems caused by Kirmeth, the apparently self-deceived prophet from Baghdad, David and a self-appointed committee decided to remove the troublemaker. They took Kirmeth out into the lake and dunked him repeatedly in the water, afterward advising him to leave, organize, and build his own camp.)

David maintained the permanent headquarters for the kingdom’s messenger service at his father’s house in Bethsaida. From there, he maintained an overnight relay service between Jerusalem and Bethsaida, with runners leaving each evening, relaying at Sychar and Scythopolis, and arriving in Bethsaida in time for breakfast. He used that site as a clearinghouse and relay station among workers throughout Palestine and nearby regions. David did this on his own initiative, with the approval of Andrew, and he employed forty to fifty messengers at any one time.

When not directing the messenger service, David supplemented his income by spending time at his old job of fishing. Jesus, too, went fishing when he had a week of rest, and when not fishing alone, Jesus and David would go fishing together. 

May 22^nd A.D. 29 was an eventful day in the life of Jesus. On that day, approximately one year before his trial, one of David’s messengers arrived from Tiberias, in great haste, to say that Herod was giving the officers of the Sanhedrin permission to arrest Jesus. This escalation on the part of the religious leaders revealed how much more aggressive Jesus’ enemies had become. But David’s messengers did not shrink from the challenge. Jesus agreed that the service should continue through this trying time, and these courageous, rapid messengers kept all the kingdom’s workers, throughout the Levant and into Egypt, in communication, especially during the most perilous hours. 

This was also the day Jesus uttered the greatly misunderstood quote, “I have no mother.” (154:6.5) These words expressed Jesus’ commitment to doing his Father’s will above all (a moral decision?) but his earthly family, who were strangers to Jesus’ teachings, mistook his words for rejection. Later, as Jesus entered a boat in hasty flight from the Sanhedrin officers, he asked David to tell his mother and brothers that he appreciated their attempt to contact him, and he intended to see them, adding for them to find no offense in him and to seek for the knowledge of God’s will and the courage to do it.

David’s Promise to Jesus

In bidding the Master farewell, David assured Jesus with these words, “Go forth to your work, Master. Don’t let the bigots catch you, and never doubt that the messengers will follow after you. My men will never lose contact with you, and through them you shall know of the kingdom in other parts, and by them we will all know about you. Nothing that might happen to me will interfere with this service, for I have appointed first and second leaders, even a third.” (154:5.3)

Then he concluded with his seraphic-like pledge, “I am neither a teacher nor a preacher, but it is in my heart to do this, and none can stop me.” (154:5.3)

True to David’s promise, the messengers never lost track of Jesus and his apostles. On one occasion, when a temple tax collector approached Peter about an overdue payment, David’s secret messenger overheard the conversation and quickly acted. The messenger arranged for a fellow messenger and friend to give Peter several large baskets of fish. Peter was able to sell the fish and pay the tax collector.

Few of Jesus’ followers were aware of the extensive value that the messenger corps afforded the larger group. Along with keeping believers and apostles throughout Palestine in touch with each other and in addition to providing camp services, the messenger organization collected funds, not only for Jesus, the apostles, and the evangelists, but also for their families. 

The headquarters for the messenger service remained in Bethsaida until the time when Abner moved his operations from Hebron to Bethlehem. During the mid-December rainy season of A.D. 29, David and the messenger corps loaded onto their pack animals the camp equipment stored in his father’s house. The kingdom was taking on a new phase. Bidding adieu to Bethsaida, the corps proceeded along the Jordan into Perea where they set up a camp large enough to accommodate almost fifteen hundred pilgrims arriving from Mesopotamia and the remote regions of the Roman Empire.

This complex enterprise required expert administration and substantial funding to keep running. In answer to an earnest seeker asking whether believers should have earthly possessions in common and if having wealth was a sin, Jesus said that having honorable wealth is not a sin. He shared that many of the pilgrims at the camp were fed and housed in the nearby tented city because liberal men and women of means had given the necessary funds to the host, David Zebedee, for such purposes.

David moved the tented camp in accordance with Jesus’ itinerary. When moving from Perea northward to Pella, David hosted almost four thousand residents, not including more than one thousand seekers who stayed with the apostles at the teachers’ camp. By mid-March, the Apostle Andrew instructed David to close the camp. And, as much as he disliked doing it, David sold all the equipment and carried the funds to Jerusalem, where he handed the money to Judas Iscariot. 

In the days that followed, David and some of his messenger associates effectively spread the word among the pilgrims and visitors that Jesus was about to make his triumphant entry into the city. In preparation, David set up a private camp near Gethsemane, close to the public camping ground. Before arriving at the new camp, Jesus had spoken to his apostles about the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming. These were very difficult concepts for the apostles. As they journeyed toward their new camp, each struggled to fit the Master’s words with their expectations. For Judas, this was the moment when he internally confirmed his decision to abandon his fellow apostles and the cause. As they arrived at the camp, David was there to meet Jesus and the somewhat befuddled apostles. Thus, David was in Jerusalem for that last tragic week. 

The next day, Wednesday, was a time of rest. Jesus was ready to go into the hills by himself when David Zebedee, with three well-armed Galilean guards, challenged him about going into the hills, alone. Jesus knew the Pharisees wanted to capture him, but said, “You mean well, but you err in that you fail to understand that the Son of Man needs no one to defend him… These men may not accompany me. I desire to go alone, that I may commune with the Father.” (177:0.3)

This day also marked the memorable scene where John Mark tenaciously held onto the lunch basket offered to Jesus and eventually gained his approval to accompany Jesus to the mountains—another clever attempt of the Midwayer team at humor?

The Unseen Messenger

Several days earlier, through his secret agents in Jerusalem, David  had learned of the plans to destroy the Master. He was convinced that Jesus would not employ force in his own defense and understood that this could mean the Master’s death. Accordingly, he hurriedly dispatched a messenger to Jesus’ mother, urging her to come to Jerusalem with the rest of Jesus’ family, so they could see their father-brother before his death.

David knew about the part Judas would play in this plot but never disclosed it to the apostles. He did, however, make bold to ask Jesus if he knew about it. Jesus, in his fatherly way, held up his hand stopping David and said he was fully aware of it and knew that David knew. He told David to tell no one and to doubt not that the will of God would prevail in the end.

Shortly thereafter, Judas heard the Master speaking with Philip and, hoping to hear their conversation, drew closer. But David, standing nearby, adroitly stepped up and started a business conversation with Judas. When Judas handed him a sum of money for provisions, David asked for more, saying, “Judas, might it not be well, under the circumstances, to provide me with a little money in advance of my actual needs?” (178:2.10) 

Judas agreed and wisely handed all the remaining cash and receipts for deposited funds to David, just in case. It wasn’t until the next evening that the apostles learned of this transaction.

Returning to the camp after the Last Supper, the apostles were very shocked to find Judas absent. David Zebedee and John Mark took Jesus aside to reveal their knowledge about Judas’ plan to betray the Master. And again, Jesus responded, “Let not your hearts be troubled; all things will work together for the glory of God and the salvation of men.” (182:2.1)

Later, Jesus called David to request, “Send to me your most fleet and trustworthy messenger.” The messenger, one Jacob, rehearsed the message for Abner in Philadelphia and went on his way after hearing this enduring assurance from Jesus, “Fear not what any man may do to you, Jacob, for this night an unseen messenger will run by your side.” (182:2.5)

None of the apostles expected anything unusual to happen that night; only David and John Mark knew the enemies of Jesus were coming with Judas that very night. David was to guard the upper trail leading to the Bethany-Jerusalem road, and John Mark agreed to watch along the road coming up from Kidron to Gethsemane. 

Before leaving for the self-imposed guard duty, David was again able to speak to Jesus, to say farewell, and to share the joy it had been for him to serve the Master. David said that even though his two brothers were apostles, he experienced great delight in doing the seemingly lesser things as they should be done. 

He said that he would miss Jesus with all his heart when he was gone. 

Jesus responded, “David, my son, others have done that which they were directed to do, but this service have you done of your own heart, and I have not been unmindful of your devotion. You, too, shall some day serve with me in the eternal kingdom.” (182:2.10)

As the events of that night unfolded, John Mark informed David that Jesus had been bound and that the Roman guards had started him back to Jerusalem. They both rushed back to the tents of the sleeping apostles and told them of the Master’s betrayal and arrest.

News of Death…and Resurrection

David remained at the camp, with three or four messengers, keeping it as a clearinghouse. The other messengers were sent out to secure information about what was being done to Jesus, most of which was supplied by John Zebedee, David’s brother. The information was then relayed to the apostles and Jesus’ family.

This was the situation during the last half of Thursday night and the early morning hours of Friday regarding the apostles, the chief disciples, and the earthly family of Jesus. David’s messengers provided all this information as they operated from the Gethsemane camp. Almost every hour the messenger service brought news to the family of Jesus about the terrible business of putting to death their eldest brother.

Believing their enemies would soon return, David removed most of the tents to the ravine near where the Master often prayed. And that happened just in time, because the temple guards arrived and burned down the camp before hastening back to the temple, temporarily satisfying the Sanhedrin.

Within five minutes after finding out about the impending crucifixion, David sent runners to Bethsaida, Pella, Philadelphia, Sidon, Shechem, Hebron, Damascus, and even Alexandria carrying the news of what the Romans were to do at the insistent behest of the Jewish rulers. (Being aware that Alexandria, Egypt was/is approximately 507 kilometers, 315 miles from Jerusalem, it’s a long way to run, given the rough terrain and footgear available at that time.)

It was about half past three o’clock amidst the darkness of a sandstorm, when David sent out the last of his messengers to relay the news of the Master’s death. The last of these runners went to Bethany, to the home of Martha and Mary where he assumed the mother of Jesus stopped to rest.

David sent messengers every half hour to the apostles, the Greeks, and Jesus’ family throughout that tragic day until the Master had been laid in the tomb. Consequently, David temporarily dismissed the corps of runners for the coming Passover, the Sabbath, and some much needed rest, while he went into hiding with Andrew and Simon Peter.

Then came the events of the resurrection! 

David was a peculiar-minded person and the only one of the leading disciples of Jesus inclined to take a literal and matter-of-fact view of the Master’s assertion that he would die and “rise again on the third day.” (186:3.4). Interestingly, here the Midwayer authors designate David as a disciple! David also accepted that none of the apostles and none of Jesus’ followers, with perhaps the exception of Joseph of Arimathea, believed as he did about the resurrection, so little was said about this matter or of his bid to again mobilize his runners.

David and Joseph of Arimathea were willing to believe that the five women had seen and talked with the resurrected Jesus. So strong was this belief that the two men went to the tomb and found it just as the women had described. They were the last to view the sepulcher, because shortly thereafter the captain of the temple guards removed the grave cloths. The captain wrapped them all up in the linen sheet and threw them over a nearby cliff.

Interestingly, David steadfastly refused to argue with the apostles, even reprimanding them at one point saying, “You are the apostles, and you ought to understand these things. I will not contend with you; nevertheless, I now go back to the home of Nicodemus, where I have appointed with the messengers to assemble this morning, and when they have gathered together, I will send them forth on their last mission, as heralds of the Master’s resurrection. I heard the Master say that, after he should die, he would rise on the third day, and I believe him.”(190:1.3)

After speaking this way to the dejected and forlorn ambassadors of the kingdom, this self-appointed chief of communication and intelligence took leave of the apostles. On his way out of the upper chamber he dropped the money bag received from Judas into the lap of Matthew Levi.

Shortly thereafter and after the last of the twenty-six messengers arrived at the home of Nicodemus, David delivered a most endearing and unforgettable speech to his extraordinary volunteer runners,

“Men and brethren, all this time you have served me in accordance with your oath to me and to one another, and I call you to witness that I have never yet sent out false information at your hands. I am about to send you on your last mission as volunteer messengers of the kingdom, and in so doing I release you from your oaths and thereby disband the messenger corps. Men, I declare to you that we have finished our work. No more does the Master have need of mortal messengers; he has risen from the dead. He told us before they arrested him that he would die and rise again on the third day. I have seen the tomb—it is empty. I have talked with Mary Magdalene and four other women, who have talked with Jesus. I now disband you, bid you farewell, and send you on your respective assignments, and the message which you shall bear to the believers is: ‘Jesus has risen from the dead; the tomb is empty.’” (190:1.5)

The Final Message of Truth

Many tried to dissuade David and the messengers, but they would not listen. And so, just before ten o’clock this Sunday morning, the twenty-six messengers went on their run as the first heralds of the magnificent truth of the resurrection of Jesus. 

These men had great confidence in David, departing without even stopping to talk with those who had seen the resurrected Jesus, taking David at his word. Each messenger carried his message swiftly and with certainty heralding this great event.

After the third resurrection appearance, the one to Jesus’ older brother James, David justifiably exclaimed that not only excited women had seen Jesus but strong hearted men as well. And David eagerly anticipated seeing Jesus, too.

David did not wait long. For it was Jesus’ fourth resurrection appearance (while still in the first stage of Morontia form) at the back door of Martha and Mary’s home, where Jesus materialized before his earth family and friends, twenty in all, including David. Here, Jesus questioned their doubt and encouraged all to enter the fellowship of the Spirit of Truth in the Father’s kingdom.

The far-reaching messaging system between Jerusalem and Alexandria required a relay system of five runners. The fifth runner, Nathan of Busiris, arrived about eight-thirty in the evening on April eighteenth and delivered to Rodan the message about the crucifixion and hoped-for resurrection. Rodan called together some eighty Greek and Jewish believers and just at the conclusion of the messenger’s report, the Master made his twelfth appearance in fourth-stage morontia form.

Imagine the surprise when, two days later, the runner who heralded Jesus’ resurrection arrived in Alexandria to tell Rodan and his group that Jesus had risen, and they said to him, with another nugget of humor, “Yes, we know, for we have seen him. He appeared to us day before yesterday.” (191:6.4) 

Sometime after the master’s forty-day morontia career on Urantia, David, after his mothers’ death, assisted Martha and Mary with the selling of their real estate. In early June, David married Ruth, Jesus’ youngest sibling. Then with Martha and Mary, they left Bethany and traveled to live in Philadelphia, where David, in association with Abner and Lazarus, became the financial overseer of all those large interests of the kingdom which had their center at Philadelphia during the lifetime of Abner.

We may not all be apostles or disciples. But as believers in Jesus’ gospel and as faith children of our loving Father, we can make the pledge… “It is in my heart to do this, and none can stop me.” (154:5.3)

Buck Weimer is a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Spiritual Fellowship, a previous member of The Urantia Book Fellowship General Council and International Committee Chair, and a retired board member of Urantia University Institute. 

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The main difference between classical and pop music is that classical music has unique rules—and the brain likes them.

A gray-haired older woman sat motionless with her gaze lowered. In the late stages of dementia, she no longer spoke to others or made eye contact.

When Ayako Yonetani started playing the violin, the woman slowly lifted her head.

“Her mouth moved, and her eyes brightened as if she heard my music and was trying to follow it,” recounted Ms. Yonetani, a concert artist and professor of violin and viola at the University of Central Florida School of Performing Arts.

Those who spent time with the older woman were astonished. “They had never seen her react like this before,” she said. But this was only one of many times that Ms. Yonetani had seen such a thing.

Clear Evidence

One study published in the 1990s in the journal Nature drew people’s attention.

Three groups of participants were instructed to either sit in silence, listen to a relaxation tape, or listen to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major (K448). Ten minutes later, the group who listened to Mozart’s music showed a significant improvement in spatial IQ score—nearly 10 points higher than the other two groups.

Since then, scientists have used Mozart and other classical music in various experiments on animals and humans, confirming similar results: Listening to classical music or learning to play an instrument leads to higher school grades and stronger spatial reasoning skills, reduces the risk of brain atrophy, and slows cognitive decline.

The “Mozart effect” truly exists, said Kiminobu Sugaya, who has a doctorate in pharmacology and is a professor of medicine at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and head of neuroscience at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, during an interview with The Epoch Times. In experiments with local community residents, he found that when this type of classical music was played, “we saw a 50 percent increase in brain function.”

Certain types of classical music not only enhance cognitive abilities but are also used to treat brain disorders such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease. “The Mozart effect is clear evidence that you can alter the brain function and abnormalities with music,” Dr. Michael Trimble, professor emeritus of neurology and neuropsychiatry at the University College London Institute of Neurology and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, told The Epoch Times. Sometimes, epilepsy is more difficult to control with medication, and using carefully selected and edited classical music to “train” the brains of epilepsy patients can normalize their brain waves and electroencephalographic abnormalities.

A study published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews in 2022 indicated that “to this date, K448 and K545 have remained the only anti-epileptic music selections that have been verified by repeated experiments.” The study also cited data from a 2020 meta-analysis, which found that “approximately 84 percent of participants in the reviewed studies exhibited significant reductions in epileptic brain activity while listening to Mozart’s K448.”

What the Brain Wants

From the perspective of their impact on the human brain, the main difference between classical and pop music lies in “the complexity and structure,” Clara James, who has a doctorate in neuroscience and is a professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Geneva, Switzerland, and Privatdozent at the University of Geneva, told The Epoch Times.

Before the age of 32, Ms. James was a professional violinist.

 

Classical music of the common practice period (1600–1900) adheres to strict structural and harmonic rules. Even nonmusicians will notice a problem with its structure if a performer makes a minor mistake, Ms. James said.

“It places a significant emphasis on proportion, balance, and harmony,” added Ms. Yonetani.

In contrast, other forms of music may not strictly adhere to these structural rules.

The human brain “likes the rules of music,” explained Dr. Trimble. “There are certain musical sounds that are deeply embedded within the ability of our nervous system to be moved by music.” He emphasized that music contains natural rules and mathematical logic, especially classical music, where the connection to mathematics is robust. Therefore, it is universally recognized and accepted by the brain.

Musical notation for Beethoven's first edition of his Symphony No. 9. Classical music adheres to strict structural rules, and it places a significant emphasis on proportion, balance, and harmony. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

 

Mozart developed a truly different style of music, moving away from the earlier Baroque period, Dr. Trimble noted. Mozart’s K448, which was the first piece used to investigate the brain effect and the impact of Mozart’s music on the brain in general, “may relate to spectrogrammatic considerations—in particular, the presence of lower harmonic frequencies.

“Classical and pop music differ in so many ways,” he continued. Pop music contains continual repetition around the same musical sequences, conveying information that is often vague and banal without the subtle development and variation that occurs in the progression of classical music.

Ms. James pointed out that a typical classical music piece features a wide range of rhythms, with dynamics varying from extremely loud to very soft and extremely slow and fast sections—all seamlessly integrated. In comparison, a single pop music track has limited variability and maintains a regular rhythm.

Besides, classical music pieces are relatively long, typically ranging from 20 to 25 minutes; some are even longer, such as Gustav Mahler’s works, which can last over an hour. It carries rich information and allows the brain ample time to process it, much like slowly savoring an apple, as opposed to quickly consuming an apple-flavored gummy candy.

Furthermore, the live sound volume at modern pop music concerts can be deafening, and the singers’ and fans’ behavior can be quite wild. “You can’t hear the music because people are screaming all the time,” said Dr. Trimble.

Increased Gray Matter

As people age, their brains gradually shrink, resulting in a gradual loss of neurons. However, one study found that in orchestral musicians, certain parts of their brains do not shrink over time and can even increase in size.

MRI tests conducted under Mr. Sugaya’s supervision also had similar findings.

Symphony orchestra musicians have significantly higher gray matter volume than regular people, and their brain volume barely declines with age. (Illustration by The Epoch Times)

 

The brain is composed of gray matter and white matter. Gray matter, consisting of neurons, has been observed to increase in volume following musical activities. Ms. James explained that this increase is not due to an increase in neurons but rather “because the connections between the neurons get stronger.” On the other hand, white matter refers to short or long axons of neurons, which act together as the brain’s communication network, similar to how local roads and highways connect different cities. When listening to music, the network gets better built and oriented.

Additionally, the hippocampus—a deep brain structure—“lights up” when people listen to music attentively, said Ms. James. The hippocampus plays a critical role in cognition, memory, and emotion.

Our memory of music seems to last longer than memories of everyday events or experiences from certain stages of life. This phenomenon explains why some older individuals can effortlessly recall and sing songs or melodies they enjoyed in their youth. The hippocampus also helps people understand music. If this part of the brain is not engaged, one will not comprehend what they hear—like listening to a different language.

The Emotional Impact

International surveys found that over 80 percent of us cry to music, but only 18 percent and 25 percent tear up when viewing sculptures and paintings, respectively. “Music moves us,” said Dr. Trimble.

Classical music is closely linked to emotion. Dr. Trimble believes that “the actual response that we have to music is almost transcendental.”

Classical music can be more effective than other music for reducing stress and anxiety, as it typically includes moments of relaxation and calmness. “Every piece contains slow sections that help you relax,” said Ms. James. In certain therapeutic settings, such as hospitals, especially in intensive care units, the works of Mozart, Bach, and some Italian classical composers are often preferred for their superior stress-relieving and pain-reducing effects.

Jonathan Liu, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner and acupuncturist in Canada, told The Epoch Times that classical music has played a significant role in healing throughout history. It can also evoke a sense of sacredness, inspiring gratitude and reverence.

Classical music can improve brain function and reduce stress. It also can evoke a sense of sacredness, inspiring gratitude and reverence. Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra performing at the Boston Symphony Hall on Oct. 13, 2018. (NTD Television)

 

Ms. Yonetani was told a story after playing a big concert in a European church. Halfway through her playing, an older woman sitting among the audience had slowly transitioned from sitting to kneeling on the ground, closing her eyes in devout prayer. “Personally, performing masterpieces such as Beethoven’s violin concerto or Bach Chaconne evokes a sense of awe,” she shared.

Behind the stirring of emotions lies a series of substances produced within the brain.

Music promotes the brain’s secretion of endorphins, enkephalins, dopamine, and serotonin. Each has varied biological effects, from inducing pleasure and relaxation to alleviating physical discomfort and promoting sleep.

Mr. Sugaya mentioned that attending a classical music concert is ideal for dates because dopamine released in the brain can make you appear more charming to your partner. Beautiful music can also increase oxytocin, a love hormone.

“The brain has a lot of untapped potential that humanity has not fully explored yet,” Mr. Liu remarked.

The release of dopamine induces happiness and ignites sparks in the brain’s cognitive and reward systems. Ms. James explained that when people experience chills or shivers down their spine while immersed in classical music, they’re experiencing a phenomenon in which the brain’s reward system is fully activated and aroused by such a pleasurable experience.

Contrary to classical music’s anxiety- and depression-reducing effects, some modern genres of rock music bring about excessive excitement and melancholy. When discussing young people’s preference for stimulating music, Dr. Trimble stated, “I do not believe that helps your emotional state.” Instead, he believes this music arouses anger and negative emotions.

Certain modern genres of New Age music may also negatively affect emotions.

In an older study, 144 participants of various ages listened to different music categories for 15 minutes, filling out the same questionnaire before and after listening. The results showed that classical music significantly reduced feelings of tension. Contrastingly, New Age music, while reducing feelings of tension and hostility, also lowered people’s mental clarity and vigor. Rock music not only significantly increased feelings of hostility, fatigue, sadness, and tension but also reduced people’s mental clarity and vigor and their feelings of caring and relaxation.

Not Esoteric

Ms. James encourages people to incorporate classical music into their daily lives.

For the average person, classical music is not esoteric or difficult to understand; many classical pieces are actually quite accessible. “Someone who never had music lessons can still appreciate music very much,” she said.

Ms. Yonetani also noted that classical music from the Classical era initially served as entertainment for the nobility, rendering works by composers like Mozart and Joseph Haydn quite approachable and enjoyable. Moreover, classical music of the Baroque era by composers such as Bach and Handel is an excellent introduction to music appreciation despite its slightly more intricate nature. Classical music from the Romantic era, exemplified by composers like Brahms and Robert Schumann, offers a wealth of beauty and depth.

Ms. Yonetani shared an endearing detail about her daily routine. “My husband and I listen to music while eating breakfast.” Additionally, she believes listening to classical music during one’s work commute can be a rewarding way to appreciate its beauty and depth.

Notably, both Ms. Yonetani and Ms. James spoke of the tremendous charm of live concerts.

“Nothing compares to a live concert,” Ms. James emphasized, stating that the best way to appreciate classical music is at a concert. People can focus without distractions, immersing themselves in the music and the musicians’ vivid performance, thereby receiving “the highest experience, pleasure, and stimulation.”

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