A friend of Mrs. Hela's knows how much I enjoy reading bizarre, esoteric religious texts. She had a copy of The Urantia Book at her work desk, so gave it to Mrs. Hela to bring to me.

I've only gotten a page or two into the forward, and it is the definition of pseudo-scientific word salad.

Anyone else here ever read it? If I can get through it, I'm sure it will make the BoM look like a work of fine literature by comparison...

Yup, one of the greatest science fiction books since Dune and Valis, in my opinion. I greatly enjoy reading it but know it is a hoax.

My wife read it and found it very entertaining.

In the same sense that a train wreck is interesting.

Tried, but had to put it down. Just as bad is the Oahspe Bible I did mostly get through.

UFO cults are interesting. But wasn't Mormonism the first religion to claim that God came from another planet?

Anyone else here know?

That's what these people say anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJcf8n3sqM0&feature=relmfu

My mom is part of the Urantia society. I have the Urantia book and a study companion for it. Mom goes to meetings once a week. She left the Mormon church after she divorced my dad and wound up with the Urantia people. I like the meetings, they discuss a lot of cool stuff but the more I read of it the more I am reminded of fraudulent works by LDS Inc.

I asked her if she ever went online and read the anti urantia posts. She said she would never do that. She loves God and studies from the Urantia book daily. She said it brings her peace and she wont give it up. She got mad at me when I mentined a book with aliens in it isn't for me. She corrected me and said they were "invisible beings" not aliens. She also believes in Guardian angels.


For 10 years now she has been giving me Urantia stuff and sending me parts of it to read via email even though I have a copy at home. She claims the mathematics in it could not have been known back then. Sounds like another wacky religion to me, though they do not shun when you walk away from it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2012 07:08PM by Rosyjenn.

Yes. True....NO

It's available free here in 15 languages.http://www.urantia.org/

I like it, it the best read ever, but probably not for those who have the truths they need.

Normally I do not respond when i read these threads because I know many of those who write them simply don't have much info, so it is easy for many people to discard the whole notion of the Urantia Book - and yes it is a very "whacky" book.

But let me at least briefly state why the book is seen as relevant by many who read it.

First, the book is very detailed in explaining everything you could possibly imagine about God, life in the universe and our own history. Such an undertaking would be complex - especially if one were to want to give full disclosure on such things.

There are about 300 statements made in the book that proved later to be true with regard to history, astronomy, geology and so forth. If someone made the book up, they woudl have been quite lucky to guess correctly the at least three hundred statements they made in 1934-35 when the book is written.

Its over 2000 pages, and while complex in some parts, the detail and consistency speaks for itself. It fills in early human history, going all the way back to when our solar system was formed, and is also the only book I know that explains, in rich detail, exactly what happens to us after we die. Show me one book in existence that dares to explain, in a logical manner, what the afterlife is. The truth is you won't be able to because there isn't one.

It explains man's evolution, and there is no church, leader or any group (other than readers who get together casually) to join.

It basically says we are all children of a living and loving God, and then explains how the universe operates.

This is very advanced - but it doesn't make it less true or worthy of study.

It also gives a day by day account of Jesus's life, because he was and is a pretty important person in the grand scheme of things.

Make fun of it if you want, but at least read it for a while and appreciate the possibility that maybe, just maybe, our angelic cousins wanted us to know what was really going on - this was a way for them to get the message to us. Last time they tried, we killed the messenger.

"There are about 300 statements made in the book that proved later to be true with regard to history, astronomy, geology and so forth. If someone made the book up, they woudl have been quite lucky to guess correctly the at least three hundred statements they made in 1934-35 when the book is written."

That sounds exactly like something a Mormon would say, but they never can back up their claims. I won't force you to give us all 300 statements, but lets try at least 20. If you can give me detailed and annotated quotes, and annotated non-Urantia sources of when these scientific things were discovered, I may pick it up and read it. If not, it's just another SciFi book.

I'm writing on a tablet, so my apologize for the typos...but let me briefly state a few examples of things the urantia book stated as fact before these facts were known or confirmed...

Dark matter - the UB describes dark matter and their properties long before science even knew what dark matter was in the universe.

Galactic red shift was unknown until hubble's satellites detected them...The UB states the speed and direction of galaxies movie away from us long before astronomy discovered them in the 80"s.

Continental drift wasn't confirmed until 1961, almost 30 years after the UB was written.

The star of Bethlehem explained as a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on three specific dates in 7bc...the dates couldn't be confirmed until software was available until the 90"s, and even still, this conjunction was of no significance any in current astronimic records...

The culture of the neanderthal race was richly described long before evidence surfaced in 2002 that verified the UB was correct about the tools they used for hunt, the mating practices and even their dietary habits.

The dates and days of the events Jesus life are exact. You might take it for granted when someone says April 5th landed on Wednesday in 28 AD, but the UB correctly correlates over a hundred exact dates and days when events occurred, long before we could verify such dates withe the aid of software and there is not one error in its recital

Voids in between galaxies and the number of galaxies - the UB states these voids and the number of galaxies as around 375 million...again, astronomers could verify these voids and the number of galaxies until the last decade.

The healing properties of cell proliferation...only recently have biologists began to understand why cells regenerate when injured, yet the urantia book explains this process-' and the causes of many diseases as well.

The evolution of birds from reptiles. Stated as fact in 1934, but not confirmed until about five years ago.

Ancient civilizations in turkey between 15,000 and 12,000 years ago this was only recently discovered.

The neutrinos have mass. Stated as fact in 1934, not confirmed until 1998

The origin of our solar system, only recently have astronomers began to suspect what caused our sun to spin of material ( a passing black hole that exerted massive pull on our young sun), the UB describes it in rich detail in 1934.

Early life forms started in sheltered bays and not the ocean, just discovered this year, but richly described in 1934

And this is a summary of a few statements that are contained in the urantia book.

Two great phd's have published more on these items. Dr. Philip Calibrese and Dr. Kenneth Glaszou. Goggle their work and you can read what they discovered.

According to you, the Urantia book was written in the 1930s and none of these things were known then.
But...

Vesto Slipher discovered galactic redshifts in 1912. Edwin Hubbell explained them in 1929.

The idea of continental drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1915.

The existance of dark matter was first proposed by Jan Oort in 1932.

This argument sounds much like TBMs claims about Joe being a prophet based on his Civil War prophecy.

"the UB states these voids and the number of galaxies as around 375 million".

Current estimates are that there are at least 100 BILLION galaxies in the universe. The UB is only off by about 3 orders of magnitude.

"The dates and days of the events Jesus life are exact."

On what exactly do you base this argument?

UrantiaJim wrote: "Galactic red shift was unknown until hubble's satellites detected them..." What "hubble's satellites" are we talking about? Hubble died in 1953.

Then nonamekid misspells Hubble's name and moves on to Jim's list and says:

>Vesto Slipher discovered galactic redshifts in 1912. Edwin Hubbell explained them in 1929.

So what? How about if you address what The Urantia Book says (if you can) rather than what UrantiaJim says?

>The idea of continental drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1915.

So what again? Proposed? It was not "accepted" until the 1950s. Before that it was rejected by "modern science." The Urantia Book didn't "propose" it, The Urantia Book boldly delcared it as fact long before it was accepted.

>The existance of dark matter was first proposed by Jan Oort in 1932.

More "proposed" stuff. The Urantia Book doesn't propose dark matter, it declares it as fact. And by the way, look up "dark matter" and "dark energy." They are today, completely unknown and completely hypothetical. The fact that science has a name, "dark matter" and "dark energy" doesn't mean science knows anything about them.

>This argument sounds much like TBMs claims about Joe being a prophet based on his Civil War prophecy.

I have no idea what the above means. Is it Mormon talk? `

"the UB states these voids and the number of galaxies as around 375 million".

>Current estimates are that there are at least 100 BILLION galaxies in the universe. The UB is only off by about 3 orders of magnitude.

What does "current estimates" have to do with a statement from The Urantia Book from the 30s or 40s? And the current "estimates" are well, estimates, right? Estimates are guesses, right? And again, you should address The Urantia Book and not UrantiaJim's statements. The Urantia Book doesn't say there are only 375 million galaxies. Here's what it says: 12:2.3 In the not-distant future, new telescopes will reveal to the wondering gaze of Urantian astronomers no less than 375 million new galaxies in the remote stretches of outer space. Do you see? "no less than." What's your issue with that?

UrantiaJim wrote: "The dates and days of the events Jesus life are exact."

>On what exactly do you base this argument?

Here is an example: 158:0.1 It was near sundown on Friday afternoon, August 12, A.D. 29, when Jesus and his associates reached the foot of Mount Hermon...

So now find an online calendar website and verify that August 12, 29 AD was in fact a Friday. http://www.calendarhome.com I just "printed" the calendar for the month of August, 29 AD, and guess what? August 12 was on Friday. And The Urantia Book is loaded with days and dates like that and they're all correct. How hard would that have been to do before 1955, before computers, when The Urantia Book was published?

nonamekid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to you, the Urantia book was written in
> the 1930s and none of these things were known
> then.
> But...
>
> Vesto Slipher discovered galactic redshifts in
> 1912. Edwin Hubbell explained them in 1929.
>
> The idea of continental drift was proposed by
> Alfred Wegener in 1915.
>
> The existance of dark matter was first proposed by
> Jan Oort in 1932.
>
> This argument sounds much like TBMs claims about
> Joe being a prophet based on his Civil War
> prophecy.
>
> "the UB states these voids and the number of
> galaxies as around 375 million".
>
> Current estimates are that there are at least 100
> BILLION galaxies in the universe. The UB is only
> off by about 3 orders of magnitude.
>
> "The dates and days of the events Jesus life are
> exact."
>
> On what exactly do you base this argument?

that has been proven utterly false since its initial publication. Sorry urantiajim, you fail.

I ran across this a long time ago. It planted a seed in my young brain that Joseph Smith could have made up the book of mormon. This book seemed a lot longer and more complicated than the bom so why couldn't the bom have been made up?

Too bad people believe in this stuff.

The Urantia Book is God's new revelation to our world, which it calls "Urantia." Thus The Urantia Book means "The Earth Book." Skip the Foreword. It's tough, that's all. Go to Part IV, The Life and Teachings of Jesus, or as former Mormons read Paper 93: Machiventa Melchizedek. Someone said, "that has been proven utterly false since its initial publication." Sorry, but that's utterly false. Only someone who hasn't read it would say that. Am I right? Someone said, "Too bad people believe in this stuff." Wow. That's what they said about Jesus: "He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?" (John 10:20) Someone said, "I'm sure it will make the BoM look like a work of fine literature by comparison..." LOL. Not likely. The Urantia Book was written by God's angels. It's a very good read, actually. But as I noted, the Foreword (not "forward") is tough. Just skip it and go to the Jesus Papers, or start at Paper 1, The Universal Father. Someone said, "...but know it is a hoax." Know it how? How is it a hoax and how do YOU know that? Even if you're not still a Mormon, doesn't the commandment against bearing false witness still apply to you? Someone said, "In the same sense that a train wreck is interesting." Gee whiz, that's just cynical. Someone needs a time out and some self examination. Someone said, "Just as bad is the Oahspe Bible..." LOL! Now THERE is a waste of time, and The Urantia Book is nothing like Oahspe. Really, it's not. It's light years ahead of Oahspe. Oahspe is another fraud like the BOM. Someone said, "UFO cults are interesting." First of all, The Urantia Book is not a UFO cult. It's not a cult at all, it's just a book, and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH UFOs. Who told you that? Someone said, "My wife read it and found it very entertaining." Thank you. Thank your wife. She read it. That's all anyone can ask. We have a saying: "You have to read it to believe it." That's reasonable, isn't it? And no one will force feed it to you or tell you what it means or put any pressure on you of any sort. It's just between you and the book. No one even needs to know you have a book if you get one. There won't be any ministers or elders there to spoon feed it to you and tell you what you must believe, and so on. Someone mentioned "aliens" in The Urantia Book. They're called "Angels" in every other religion, why call them aliens when it comes to The Urantia Book? It it just to disparage it? One "Christian" reviewer referred to angels in The Urantia Book as "alleged disembodied beings in "higher" universes." They're "angels" in his religion but they're "alleged disembodied beings in "higher" universes," if they're in The Urantia Book. BE HONEST PEOPLE! (One note, however, hehe: Adam and Eve were "aliens." They came here 38,000 years ago from a world called Edentia. They are however, material agents of God's government, they are not "aliens" like Vulcans or Klingons or Mimbari, etc. 74:0.1 ADAM AND EVE arrived on Urantia, from the year A.D. 1934, 37,848 years ago. It was in midseason when the Garden was in the height of bloom that they arrived. At high noon and unannounced, the two seraphic transports, accompanied by the Jerusem personnel intrusted with the transportation of the biologic uplifters to Urantia, settled slowly to the surface of the revolving planet in the vicinity of the temple of the Universal Father. All the work of rematerializing the bodies of Adam and Eve was carried on within the precincts of this newly created shrine. And from the time of their arrival ten days passed before they were re-created in dual human form for presentation as the world’s new rulers. They regained consciousness simultaneously. The Material Sons and Daughters always serve together.

Furchizedek...that is right on!
It's all to easy to knock what one doesn't know or understand.
This book in my openion is the most important book in the world today. But it is far beyond the scope of many. Are you one of the few seekers of Truth Beauty and Goodness that will have the courage to give this a try?
It took me 35 years to come to the place where I could slow down enough to fully read it's 2000+ pages...but it was worth it...why didn't I read it earlier? Because I wasn't ready...are you...don't waste another important moment in your walk into eternity.

My ex-bil has a copy & loves it. Studies it and quotes from it.

It's too long to hold my interest. Oh, and it's bunk, too.

Or else I'm just "not ready." :)

Holy crap, do you Urantia people monitor something so anytime your book gets mentioned online you can jump on it with your apologetics?

It's been awhile since I read such woo woo. If you guys are realy RFM posters, let me know so that I can go spend my time somewhere else. With a few exceptions, I don't think RFMers are this whacko.

But it's like you say, it's a free country and you can be as nuts as you want.

The Motrix Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Holy crap, do you Urantia people monitor something
> so anytime your book gets mentioned online you can
> jump on it with your apologetics?

Yes, in my case that's exactly right. I have a Google Alert set up for the term "Urantia." When it pops up sometimes I investigate.

Apologetics? Nah. I'm just here to correct errors and misstatements.

> It's been awhile since I read such woo woo.

What does that mean, such "woo woo"? Is that some sort of baby talk or are you from a foreign country? Do you mean you read it or not? If not, what other such "woo woo" did you read and what does that have to do with The Urantia Book? Do you know?

> If you
> guys are realy RFM posters,

What does this mean? Obviously if we're ("you guys" who?) posting here on RFM we're real RFM posters. Can you follow that logic? As far as being "RFM," no, I am not an exmormon. I am a Urantia Book believer. The subject of this thread is "Anyone on RfM ever read The Urantia Book?" I am ON RFM and the answer is YES, I have.

> let me know so that I
> can go spend my time somewhere else. With a few
> exceptions, I don't think RFMers are this whacko.

What do you mean, "this whacko"? You are a former Mormon, and you're talking about other religious beliefs being "whacko"? The irony of it all.

What whacko are you into now? What do you think is whacko about The Urantia Book? HAVE YOU READ IT? Good grief.

> But it's like you say, it's a free country and you
> can be as nuts as you want.

Apparently.

An interesting talk by Mark Greer...ex Mormon...now reader of Urantia book.

Is The Urantia Book that "Greater Record to Come" as Prophesied in the Book of Mormon? (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE_F1xJl9RM

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Umm, no; and, from what I've scanned thru on this thread, not planning to read it either. But, thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JotSiYl2dzs

and: no, i haven't read the book and have no plans to read it. in my mind, it's a complete waste of time ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjbwCS_KKnw

german lurker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
I think the key here is, "in my mind..."

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JotSiYl2dzs
>
> and: no, i haven't read the book and have no plans
> to read it. in my mind, it's a complete waste of
> time ;-)
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjbwCS_KKnw

He clearly deconstructs it into a contrived blend of seventh day adventism and science fiction. The inventiveness of its creators was impressive, but many works of fiction are.

http://www.amazon.com/Urantia-The-Great-Cult-Mystery/dp/1591026229/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342969447&sr=8-1&keywords=urantia+gardner

RAG Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------
> He clearly deconstructs it into a contrived blend
> of seventh day adventism and science fiction.

He does not. LOL. Have you actually read Martin Gardner's book? Martin Gardner's book is a mess, and he admitted that he never read The Urantia Book either. Do you know enough about The Urantia Book (from reading it, perhaps) or about the circumstances surrounding The Urantia Book to be able to see Martin Gardner's mistakes? Have you read EITHER book? Please, I hope your answer is, "Yes, I have read both books and I know what I am talking about." Will my hope for that answer be unfulfilled?

Here is a review of Martin Gardner's book that I wrote up in 1995: http://www.freeurantia.org/mgreview.htm

And here is a history of The Urantia Book:
http://www.freeurantia.org/AHistory.htm


> The
> inventiveness of its creators was impressive, but
> many works of fiction are.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Urantia-The-Great-Cult-Myste
> ry/dp/1591026229/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342969447
> &sr=8-1&keywords=urantia+gardner