How Boy Jesus Stopped Pursuing His Artistic Pastime: An Episode From the Childhood Days of Jesus!

As per the modern calender that we follow today, Jesus Christ was 9 years old in the year 3 AD. He used to attend the school attached to the Synagogue of the Jews as per the prevailing practice of that time.

By this time Jesus' family had shifted from Alexandria in Egypt and moved back to Galilee, a place in his Jewish homeland. School facilities were better in Alexandria. But by moving to Galilee, Jesus had got a better opportunity to mingle with a larger group of people from all walks of life.

School in his new environment went on and he was still a favored pupil. The school allowed one week's holiday each month at liberty, and he continued to divide his time about equally between trips to neighboring cities with his father. He also got opportunities to spent time on his uncle’s farm south of Nazareth, and to go for fishing excursions out from Magdala.

The most serious trouble as yet to come up at school occurred in late winter when Jesus dared to challenge the chazan ( Khazen or Hassen, the person who manages the synagogue services) regarding the teaching that all images, pictures, and drawings were idolatrous in nature. 

Jesus delighted in drawing landscapes as well as in modeling a great variety of objects in potter’s clay. Unfortunately, everything of that sort was strictly forbidden by Jewish law. But up to this time he had managed to disarm his parents’ objection to such an extent that they had permitted him to continue in these activities.

But trouble was again stirred up at school when one of the more backward pupils discovered Jesus drawing a charcoal picture of the teacher on the floor of the schoolroom. 

There it was, plain as day, and many of the elders had viewed it before the committee (of the synagogue school) went to call on Joseph (earthily  father of Jesus) to demand that something be done to suppress the lawlessness of his eldest son. 

And though this was not the first time complaints had come to Joseph and Mary (earthily mother of Jesus) about the doings of their versatile and aggressive child, this was the most serious of all the accusations which had thus far been lodged against him. 

Boy Jesus listened to the indictment of his artistic efforts for some time, being seated on a large stone just outside the back door. 

He resented their blaming his father for his alleged misdeeds; so in he marched, fearlessly confronting his accusers. 

The elders were thrown into confusion. Some were inclined to view the episode humorously, while one or two seemed to think the boy was sacrilegious (disrespectful of the religious rules)  if not blasphemous (disrespectful to God). 

Joseph was unmindful, Mary indignant (angered), but Jesus insisted on being heard. 

He had his say, courageously defended his viewpoint, and with consummate self-control announced that he would abide by the decision of his father in this as in all other matters controversial. 

And the committee of elders departed in silence.

Mary endeavored to influence Joseph to permit Jesus to model in clay at home, provided he promised not to carry on any of these questionable activities at school, but Joseph felt impelled to rule that the rabbinical interpretation of the second commandment should prevail. 

And so Jesus no more drew or modeled the likeness of anything from that day as long as he lived in his father’s house. 

But he was unconvinced of the wrong of what he had done, and to give up such a favorite pastime constituted one of the great trials of his young life.

[Quoted from Paper-124 of  the Urantia Book with minor adaptations]

'The Untold Story of Jesus': A Truthful Narration You Feel Happy Reading!

(Click the Image Above to get this Book from Amazon)

Jesus Christ, undoubtedly was the man who influenced the presently known human history to the highest level. He is also the living divine son of the Almighty God who is believed to be the sole savior of human kind by the billions of Christians now. Jesus is the central theme of the Holy Bible.

Jesus or Isa Nabi is also the most venerated prophet of Islam whose life story is well narrated in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran asserts that Jesus in reality was a non human messenger of God who was born as a human in a very miraculous manner and gives more importance to his miraculous powers than his life as a powerless human being. The Quran strongly refutes Christian story of Jesus' death on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind and also the claim that Jesus is the only begotten son of the Almighty God. Muslims also strongly refute the Christian veneration of Jesus Christ as the second member of the Holy Trinity.

There are many other narrations that tell about this holy man of Jerusalem who was born in a manger, lived a short life of 33 years and crucified by the then Roman government for blasphemy as accused by religious elders of his own Hebrew community, some 2000 years ago.

He is the divine savior and God for his followers. There are many who refute his divinity. But all of them agree to one thing that he was indeed a simple, sinless human being.

But the written narrations in the Bible, the Quran and all other books that human authors of various times had written contain only short descriptions. What Jesus did during his childhood and adulthood are pretty unknown and unwritten.

Who was Jesus in reality? Was he divine? Was he an incarnation of God's divine son on earth? Was he a sacrificial lamb for pacifying an angry God? Was he just an angel who took the human form? Was he a historical personality or were all those stories about him just myths?

If he real what did he teach in reality? What was his real mission?

For nearly two thousand years we had no answers to all these questions other than what was narrated in the religious holy books of the Christians and the Muslims. Of course we also had many books and writing by several saints, religious scholars and historians.

But none of those were enough to answer the curiosity of a probing human mind. Several like me secretly wished to know more and perhaps more authentically.

And thankfully our wish came fulfilled half a century ago when the most marvelous book containing divinely revealed truths got published. I am thankfully indebted to God for making me find that book and read it. And it is the Urantia Book, my precious book of life guidance. And there now exist a minuscule group of curious fans of this book of truth revelation who spend some time reading, studying and discussing the various aspects of the revealed truths.

While we enjoy the benefits of our newly found divinely revealed truths, we also realize the hard truth that the majority of our human brothers and sisters do not yet have come to the privilege of knowing what we have known. We also realize the bitter truth that this majority in this world as on today do not have either the facility to get to know or  the broad-mindedness and intellectual capacity to understand the vast revealed knowledge that the Urantia Book contains.

Yet all of us, the fascinated and curious students and readers of the Urantia Book across the world agree to one thing- that it is the fourth part of the Urantia Book covering 'the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ' is undoubtedly the best part for any one to start exploring the book.

This new book now published as 'the Untold Story of Jesus' is as a result of that realization by a few dedicated team of the Urantia Book Readers' Fellowship. It is no doubt the fourth part of the Urantia Book. But what is new in this new book is a much simpler and appealing introduction and beautiful colored illustrations. 

I am happy to mention here that this new publication is the effort and hard work of my friends-Mo Siegel, Mary Jo Garascia and Jim from the Urantia Book Reader community who are scholars of the book. This new book is essentially part-iv of the Urantia Book with much illustration and a more appealing print presentation.

The grace of the narration as covered in this book is something one should read and experience. The reader will no doubt feel the presence of Jesus Christ and that is something to be experienced.

It is a book that should be in the home library for all those book lovers.

The book can be ordered online in India and in other countries through Amazon. Those in India who wish to to that may click the book image on the top.

In case you do not wish to purchase this book, but would like to read the same content from the Urantia Book itself may click here to read the Urantia Book Online! Please scroll down the page that opens up and go to the fourth part contents of the book and click open the hyperlinked chapter titles to read about Jesus-the untold story that is more elaborate than that is contained in the Bible.

'The Untold Story of Jesus' is a  book I would recommend to my  blog readers in case they love reading books and have good command in English language. 

In case you love to read an adapted version of the life and teachings of Jesus based on the Urantia Book, written by a learned Urantia Book enthusiast, I would suggest the following book as well:

Thank you for reading.

Please share this article among your friends. If you happen to read this book, please take some time to write your comments too.

  

നേരായ മത ധര്‍മ്മം എന്താണ്?

[This article below is in Malayalam language. It talks about some aspects of true religion on the basis of some revealed truths given in the Urantia Book-the blog author's book of life guidance.]

ഏതൊരു മതം ആയാലും അത്  നേരായ സാമൂഹിക സേവനം കൈ വരിക്കുന്നത് മത നിരപേക്ഷ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങളുമായി വളരെ കുറഞ്ഞ അളവില്‍ ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടു നില്‍ക്കുമ്പോഴാണ്. ശരിയായ മത ധര്‍മ്മം നടക്കുന്നത് സാമൂഹിക തിന്മകളെ ഇല്ലായ്മ ചെയ്തു സമൂഹത്തില്‍ നന്മയുടെ ഉദ്ധാരണത്തിനു വേണ്ടി  ആ മതത്തിലുള്ളവര്‍ ആത്മാര്‍ഥമായി പരിശ്രമിക്കുമ്പോളാണ്.

പരോക്ഷമായി സാമൂഹിക നന്മയ്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി പ്രയഗ്നിക്കാനും അങ്ങനെ സാമൂഹിക പരിഷ്ക്കാരങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് ചുക്കാന്‍ പിടിക്കാനും അങ്ങനെ ശരിയായ മതത്തിന് അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ മതങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് സാധിക്കും.

എന്നാല്‍ പഴയ സാമൂഹിക മര്യാദകള്‍ നിലനിര്‍ത്താനും പുതിയവ സൃഷ്ടിക്കാനുമുള്ള നേരിട്ടുള്ള പ്രയഗ്നങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നും മതങ്ങള്‍ ഒഴിഞ്ഞു നില്‍ക്കുന്നത് തന്നെയാണ് ശരി.

നേരായ മതങ്ങള്‍ ഹിംസയെയോ അക്രമത്തെയോ ഒരിക്കലും പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കാന്‍ പാടുള്ളതല്ല. അത് സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ വികാസത്തിന് ഏതെങ്കിലും തരത്തില്‍ പ്രയോജനം ചെയ്യും എന്ന് വരികില്‍ കൂടിയും അക്രമം ഒരിക്കലും ഒരു ശരിയായ മതത്തിന്റെ ധര്‍മ്മല്ല തന്നെ. അതോടപ്പം തന്നെ ശരിയായ മതങ്ങള്‍ സാമൂഹിക ഉന്നമനത്തിനു വേണ്ടിയുള്ള ബുദ്ധിപരമായ നല്ല പ്രയഗ്നങ്ങളെ എതിര്‍ക്കാനും പാടില്ല.

ശരിയായ മതങ്ങള്‍ സമൂഹത്തിലെ സദാചാര മൂല്യങ്ങളെ ഉയര്‍ത്തിപ്പിടിക്കാന്‍ എപ്പോഴും ഊര്‍ജസ്വലമായ സ്വാധീനം ചെലുത്തുക തന്നെ വേണം. അതോടൊപ്പം തന്നെ വ്യക്തികളുടെ ആധ്യാത്മിക ഉന്നമനത്തിനായുള്ള പ്രയഗ്നങ്ങളില്‍ വീഴ്ച വരുത്താനും പാടില്ല.

സാമൂഹിക പരിഷ്കരണത്തിന്റെ ഓരോരോ മാറ്റവും സമൂഹത്തില്‍ അപകടകരമായ സ്ഥിതി വിശേഷങ്ങള്‍ ഉണ്ടാക്കാന്‍ പര്യാപ്തമാണ്. അങ്ങനെയുള്ള അവസരങ്ങളില്‍ ശരിയായ മതങ്ങള്‍ മനുഷ്യരെ ആദര്‍ശ ധീരത്വം ഉള്ളവരായി ജീവിക്കാന്‍ പ്രേരണ ചെലുത്തുന്ന ദൌത്യങ്ങള്‍ ഏറ്റെടുക്കും.

നിരീശ്വര മനുഷ്യസ്നേഹം മാനുഷികമായ കാഴ്ചപ്പാടില്‍ ഒരു നല്ല ഭാവം എന്നിരിക്കില്‍ തന്നെയും അതിനു സ്ഥായിയായ പരസ്പര മാനുഷിക സ്നേഹ ബന്ധങ്ങള്‍ നിലനിര്‍ത്താന്‍ സാധിക്കുകയില്ല. ശരിയായ ഈശ്വര വിശ്വാസികളുടെ നേരായ മത വിശ്വാസത്താല്‍ മാത്രമേ അങ്ങനെയൊരു കാര്യം സാധ്യമാകൂ.

ശരിയായ മതങ്ങള്‍ സമൂഹത്തിലെ നിരീശ്വരപരമായ സാമൂഹിക, സാമ്പത്തിക പുനരുദ്ധാരണ പ്രക്രിയകളില്‍ പ്രത്യക്ഷ പങ്കു വഹിക്കാതിരിക്കുന്നതാണ് നല്ലത്.

അധികാര നിയുക്തമായ സുസ്ഥാപിത മതങ്ങള്‍ സാമൂഹിക, സാമ്പത്തിക പുനരുദ്ധാരണ പ്രക്രിയകളില്‍ മനുഷ്യര്‍ക്ക്‌ നല്ല പ്രചോദനം ഏകാന്‍ ഇന്നത്തെ കാലത്ത് പര്യാപ്തമല്ല. വ്യക്തിപരമായ ഈശ്വര വിശ്വാസവും ആത്മിക ഉള്‍ക്കാഴ്ചയും കൈ വരിച്ച മനുഷ്യരുടെ ശരിയായ മത ബോധത്തിന് മാത്രമേ സാമൂഹിക ഐക്യം കൈവരിക്കാനും അക്രമരഹിത പുരോഗതി സമൂഹത്തില്‍ ഉണ്ടാക്കാനും സാധിക്കുകയുള്ളൂ.

ഇന്ന് നില നില്‍ക്കുന്ന ഭൂമിയിലെ സുസ്ഥാപിത മതങ്ങള്‍ എല്ലാം തന്നെ തെറ്റ്-ശരികളുടെ സമ്മിശ്രങ്ങള്‍ ആണെന്ന് കരുതുന്നതില്‍ തെറ്റില്ല. അതില്‍ കുറെ ദൈവിക പരിജ്ഞാനവും അതിലേറെ മാനുഷിക അബദ്ധ ധാരണകളും വിശാസങ്ങളും ഒക്കെ കെട്ടുപിണഞ്ഞു കിടക്കുന്നു. അതിനാല്‍ തന്നെ ഇന്നുള്ള ഒരു മതങ്ങളും പൂര്‍ണമായും ശരിയുമല്ല, തെറ്റുമല്ല.

അപ്പോള്‍ പിന്നെ നേരായ മതം എന്താണ്? ശരിയായ മത ധര്‍മം എന്താണ്?

മനുഷ്യന്റെ സ്വന്തമായ ചിന്തയോ ബുദ്ധിയോ മാത്രം കൊണ്ട് ശരിയായ മത ബോധം പ്രാപിക്കുക സാധ്യമായെന്നു വരികയില്ല. എന്നാല്‍ ശരിയായ ആത്മിക ജ്ഞാനം പ്രാപിക്കാന്‍ അതിനുവേണ്ടി ആത്മാര്‍ഥമായി ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യര്‍ക്ക്‌ സാധിക്കുക തന്നെ ചെയ്യും. അതിനുള്ള കാര്യങ്ങളും മനുഷ്യരെ ശാരീരികവും മാനസികവും ഒക്കെ ആയി രൂപകല്‍പന ചെയ്ത പരമപിതാവായ ദൈവം മനുഷ്യരില്‍ ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു എന്നുള്ളതും ഒരു വാസ്തവം മാത്രം. അതിനൊക്കെ ഉപരിയായി പല പല രീതികളില്‍ ദൈവിക പ്രവര്‍ത്തക സംഘങ്ങള്‍ കാലാകാലങ്ങളായി മനുഷ്യരോട് ഇടപെട്ടു കൊണ്ടുമിരിക്കുന്നു.

നിങ്ങള്‍ ശരിയായ ആത്മിക ജ്ഞാനം പ്രാപിച്ചു ശരിയായ മത വിശ്വാസി ആകാന്‍ താത്പര്യപ്പെടുന്ന ഒരു വ്യക്തി ആണോ? സ്വയം ഒരു ആത്മ പരിശോധന നടത്തി നോക്കുക!

Some Great Revealed Truths About Partnership of Man and Woman!

Man (male) and woman (female) are, practically regarded, two distinct varieties of the same species living in close and intimate association. Their viewpoints and entire life reactions are essentially different; they are wholly incapable of full and real comprehension of each other. Complete understanding between the sexes is not attainable.

The differences of nature, reaction, viewpoint, and thinking between men and women, far from occasioning concern, should be regarded as highly beneficial to mankind, both individually and collectively. Many orders of universe creatures are created in dual phases of personality manifestation. Among mortals (and a few other immediate higher level existences) this difference is described as male and female; among (a few other still superior existences) it has been denominated positive or aggressive and negative or retiring. Such dual associations greatly multiply versatility and overcome inherent limitations, even as do certain triune associations in some highest levels of universe existence.

Men and women need each other in their future post-mortal careers just as in their existing mortal careers, except their existing biologic reproductive function.

The differences in viewpoint between male and female persist even beyond the first life and throughout the local and super-universe ascensions. 

And even (after the the post-mortal ascension careers of existence in higher non-material existence) the post mortal personalities who were once men and women will still be aiding each other in their onward ascension in the farthest and supreme levels of the universe. 

Even when some of them translate to become the Corps of the Finality, the creature metamorphose so far will not delete the personality trends that humans call male and female and these two basic variations of humankind will always continue to intrigue, stimulate, encourage, and assist each other and they will always be mutually dependent on co-operation in the solution of perplexing universe problems and in the overcoming of manifold cosmic difficulties.

While the sexes never can hope fully to understand each other, they are effectively complementary, and though co-operation is often more or less personally antagonistic, it is capable of maintaining and reproducing society. Marriage is an institution designed to compose sex differences, meanwhile effecting the continuation of civilization and insuring the reproduction of the race.

Marriage is the mother of all human institutions, for it leads directly to home founding and home maintenance, which is the structural basis of society. The family is vitally linked to the mechanism of self-maintenance; it is the sole hope of race perpetuation under the mores of civilization, while at the same time it most effectively provides certain highly satisfactory forms of self-gratification. The family is man’s greatest purely human achievement, combining as it does the evolution of the biologic relations of male and female with the social relations of husband and wife.

Civilization never can obliterate the behavior gulf between the sexes. From age to age the values and customs change, but instinct never. Innate maternal affection will never permit emancipated woman to become man’s serious rival in industry. 

Forever each sex will remain supreme in its own domain, domains determined by biologic differentiation and by mental dissimilarity.

Woman is man’s equal partner in race reproduction, hence just as important in the unfolding of racial evolution; therefore has evolution increasingly worked toward the realization of women’s rights. But women’s rights are by no means men’s rights. Woman cannot thrive on man’s rights any more than man can prosper on woman’s rights.

Sex mating is instinctive, children are the natural result, and the family thus automatically comes into existence. As are the families of the race or nation, so is its society. If the families are good, the society is likewise good. The great cultural stability of the Jewish and of the Chinese peoples lies in the strength of their family groups.

Family life is the progenitor of true morality, the ancestor of the consciousness of loyalty to duty. The enforced associations of family life stabilize personality and stimulate its growth through the compulsion of necessitous adjustment to other and diverse personalities. But even more, a true family — a good family — reveals to the parental pro-creators the attitude of the Creator to his children, while at the same time such true parents portray to their children the first of a long series of ascending disclosures of the love of the Paradise parent of all universe children.

The hunger of the soul cannot be satisfied with physical pleasures; the love of home and children is not augmented by the unwise pursuit of pleasure. Though you exhaust the resources of art, color, sound, rhythm, music, and adornment of person, you cannot hope thereby to elevate the soul or to nourish the spirit. Vanity and fashion cannot minister to home building and child culture; pride and rivalry are powerless to enhance the survival qualities of succeeding generations.

[Selectively quoted from the Urantia Book Paper-84]

Teaching of Jesus on the Rule of Living

(Interpretation- Do to Others as Others Should Do to You')

Here Jesus is giving additional inputs to his disciples regarding his earlier teaching on account of some doubts raised by one of his disciples, Nathaniel.

Now read on:

Nathaniel asked Jesus this question: 

“Master, although you have taught us the positive version of the old rule of life, instructing us that we should do to others as we wish them to do to us, I do not fully discern how we can always abide by such an injunction. Let me illustrate my contention by citing the example of a lustful man who thus wickedly looks upon his intended consort in sin. How can we teach that this evil-intending man should do to others as he would they should do to him?”

When Jesus heard Nathaniel’s question, he immediately stood upon his feet and, pointing his finger at the apostle, said:

“Nathaniel, Nathaniel! What manner of thinking is going on in your heart? Do you not receive my teachings as one who has been born of the spirit? Do you not hear the truth as men of wisdom and spiritual understanding? When I admonished you to do to others as you would have them do to you, I spoke to men of high ideals, not to those who would be tempted to distort my teaching into a license for the encouragement of evil-doing.”

When the Master had spoken, Nathaniel stood up and said: 

“But, Master, you should not think that I approve of such an interpretation of your teaching. I asked the question because I conjectured that many such men might thus misjudge your admonition, and I hoped you would give us further instruction regarding these matters.” 

And then when Nathaniel had sat down, Jesus continued speaking: 

“I well know, Nathaniel, that no such idea of evil is approved in your mind, but I am disappointed in that you all so often fail to put a genuinely spiritual interpretation upon my commonplace teachings, instruction which must be given you in human language and as men must speak. Let me now teach you concerning the differing levels of meaning attached to the interpretation of this rule of living, this admonition to ‘do to others that which you desire others to do to you’:

 “1. The level of the flesh. Such a purely selfish and lustful interpretation would be well exemplified by the supposition of your question.

 “2. The level of the feelings. This plane is one level higher than that of the flesh and implies that sympathy and pity would enhance one’s interpretation of this rule of living.

' 3. The level of mind. Now come into action the reason of mind and the intelligence of experience. Good judgment dictates that such a rule of living should be interpreted in consonance with the highest idealism embodied in the nobility of profound self-respect.

 “4. The level of brotherly love. Still higher is discovered the level of unselfish devotion to the welfare of one’s fellows. On this higher plane of wholehearted social service growing out of the consciousness of the fatherhood of God and the consequent recognition of the brotherhood of man, there is discovered a new and far more beautiful interpretation of this basic rule of life.

 “5. The moral level. And then when you attain true philosophic levels of interpretation, when you have real insight into the rightness and wrongness of things, when you perceive the eternal fitness of human relationships, you will begin to view such a problem of interpretation as you would imagine a high-minded, idealistic, wise, and impartial third person would so view and interpret such an injunction as applied to your personal problems of adjustment to your life situations.

 “6. The spiritual level. And then last, but greatest of all, we attain the level of spirit insight and spiritual interpretation which impels us to recognize in this rule of life the divine command to treat all men as we conceive God would treat them. That is the universe ideal of human relationships. And this is your attitude toward all such problems when your supreme desire is ever to do the Father’s will. I would, therefore, that you should do to all men that which you know I would do to them in like circumstances.”

Nothing Jesus had said to the apostles up to this time had ever more astonished them. They continued to discuss the Master’s words long after he had retired. While Nathaniel was slow to recover from his supposition that Jesus had misunderstood the spirit of his question, the others were more than thankful that their philosophic fellow apostle had had the courage to ask such a thought-provoking question.

[The above narration giving the teaching of Jesus Christ on the Rule of Living is taken from the Urantia Book Paper 147 Para 4.1 -4.10 with a little editing / adaptation]

My Answers to Some of the Pertinent Questions that You Have in Your Mind: Question-3 About Heaven and Hell!

Your Question: Several prominent religions teach about the existence of heaven and hell. What is your view on the basis of your learning of your favorite book of life guidance, the Urantia Book? What happens to humans after death?

My Answer: Before reading what I have to say about your question, I would suggest that you have a look on the answer that I had given some time ago sharing my thoughts on doubts that people may have about the existence of God.

Now coming back to your question. You wanted to know my thoughts about the existence of heaven and hell. You also wanted to know what happens to humans after death. I am glad that you wanted to know about these on the basis of my learning of the Urantia Book. Since you had shown some inclination to know about this book, I would also suggest that you take your own time to read my blog articles based on the Urantia Book.

Belief in some kind of existence after death is one of the common characteristics of all religions. Many believe in the existence of heaven and hell, though they may not be so sure about those. Adding to the confusion is the modern day science which reject all such spiritualistic postulates! Yet it gives some consolation to simple humans to believe in the existence of heaven-the post mortal abode of good people and hell-the post mortal torture place for all bad people and sinners!

The idea is more or less the same in all religions, though they may differ widely in finer details. Heaven is the seat of God while hell is the seat of Satan or Devil or the Yama.

While the concept is much simple in religions like Christianity or Islam, the concept becomes a bit complex in religions like Hinduism. Certain other religions like Judaism or Buddhism do not support the concept of heaven and hell as some futuristic abode for human souls after death, though they recognize their existence as the abodes of the immortal non-humans.

Hinduism teaches about countless rebirths for all bad people before their souls get finally purified for ultimate dissolution with the Supreme Soul who is the source of all life. 

While Christians and Muslims believe in life after death with the human personality survival for a better everlasting life in the heavens for all the good people and for an everlasting punishment for all the bad people, the Hindus do not believe in personality survival. For Christians, merely being good does not necessarily ensure an everlasting life in heaven; they also need to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and redeemer for ensuring their passage to the heaven.

The Muslim teachings are apparently the best in this context. All those who are real Muslims (slaves of God) who follow all the religious commandments strictly reach heaven after death for an everlasting life full of merry and happiness with the angels doing all kinds of assistance for that life full of pleasures and joys! On the contrary, those who lived the other way on earth will be judged for everlasting punishment in the hell of fire and torment.

All these teachings may appear as okay for the simple kind of peoples who do not have the mind strength to question any kind of authority. They are content with what they are taught. It would be very difficult for them to think differently from what had been imprinted in their minds from childhood by authoritarian parents and religious elders.

But for the intellectually keen people who cannot digest apparent falsehoods or thoughts that do not align with their logical minds, there could be some problem. Either they get confused or they simply run away from the religions and the spiritualists. They prefer to channelize their mental energies in other kinds of pursuits! At the fag ends of their human life, they fall in line with the religious thoughts and practices of their ancestors as it is the simplest and safest thing that they can do then! Yet some others though active in their minds with their own convictions and findings, prefer to be silent on these matters as they do not wish to antagonize their lesser evolved fellows around them!

I know, I have not yet answered your question directly. I would try to do it as simple as possible now. Let me confess one thing. All our religions have some truths in them. But they have enough untruths as well. Certain kinds of clever untruths are difficult to be separated and discarded by human logic alone! And that applies to what I say too. In other words, when I say some teachings in some religion as untrue, the other side can easily retaliate with the same argument!

It is really tough. But for those who are guided by the invisible divine guidance, it may not be always difficult.

The Urantia Book teachings are very elaborate. Let me try to put it as simple as possible.

The will of the Supreme God is behind the creation of all in this universe including human beings of earth. But human creation is not by any direct act of God. The human creation is by an indirect act which may be considered as a process of divinely administered and controlled evolution. The human creation on earth (or for that matter in any other planets in the universe) is not an accident, but it is with some divine plan and purpose.

The material body mechanisms of humans got developed by the controlled evolutionary process. Micro-organisms, plants animals got in to existence prior to humans. A single-celled bacteria could be termed as the original ancestor of all humans! This explanation is in line with modern scientific conclusions. The only difference here is that our scientists are not-so-willing to agree to the process of the divine control in evolution, though many of them privately agree to that concept now.

While the human creation is through the divinely controlled evolution, it is important to understand that this is not the only process by which life is created by the agencies of God in accordance with the divine mandates!

Humans are advanced kinds of animals and the principal difference is that they have an advanced brain that is capable of embedding certain divine thought mechanism within it. The human brain mechanism also has the capability to respond to certain universal communication channels  in a vague manner. The most important difference of the human mind residing in the human brain, as compared to its animal cousins, is its ability to recognize the existence of its creator! Yes, human mind has an inbuilt mechanism that draws all humans of sound mental health, towards God.

At the same time, human mind is not created with any slavish submission to its creator. Human mind is divinely mandated as free-willed. Humans are capable of rejecting or accepting divine guidance!

Human body is not immortal. Inherently, humans and all material living beings are mortals. In other words, they are with material bodies that has an end. Its life span is limited. Every human has a unique personality and this personality is both inherent and acquired. Personality has several characteristics. Both personality and life are unique gifts from God-the supreme source of everything.

Human personality can potentially survive material death under certain conditions. Thus all human personalities do not survive after their death. Plants and animals have certain limited functions on earth. Those humans who do not survive death are also similar in nature.

Human mind becomes immortal soul with a unique personality when the human mind fully fuses with the god-fragment that resides within the human mind as a separate entity. This god-fragment is that enables the human personality to survive death and live again in another phase of existence. But the fusion of human mind and the god-fragment within can happen only when the human mind is decisively oriented towards God's will. 

Whether a human being is potentially a survival candidate is not determined by the individual concerned. It is a function of certain universal agencies of God. A human mind with potential fusion capability with its god-fragment need not get aligned for fusion very easily. This process might take much time and might undergo several mind polishing processes. Such minds may be allowed to take re-births in different bodies till the mind polishing is complete.

Thus re-births are a fact. But all humans do not undergo re-births. Again, re-births for a man or woman on earth would not be on earth again. It would be in another planet or planets far away in the cosmos. Such a planet is a kind of heaven because these kinds of dwelling places are not evolutionary planets like earth. They are specially made planets for polishing and upgrading humans of survival potential after their initial material life and death on earth.

Even while having their new lives in those heavenly planets of marvelous creative beauty, some human minds may refuse to align with God's will which prevent their personality fusion with the god-fragment. In this case they may not face with death again, but face another situation. They fail to progress to higher levels of perfection and universal adventure. They remain where  they are. Eventually, it might be like prisons for them. Such places of detention in the universe are the so-called 'hells'. 

Aligning with God's will and surviving physical death for advancement in the universe career of everlasting life and adventure is not much difficult provided humans are sincerely willing reject evil  ways of living and adopt life that is essentially in accordance with divine mandates.

Divine way of living essentially means a sincere desire to be god-like by enhancing godly qualities of love, compassion, honesty, creativity, patience, humility and above all with a desire to love the invisible Supreme God of all creations as a parent. A perpetual and willful rejection amounts to an evil way of living!

Fusion with the Universal Soul (Param Atman) and going beyond consciousness for achieving what is known as ' Moksha' or salvation is an erroneous concept. If that could have been the desire of God, there was no point for Him to create intelligent humans! Essentially, by creating humans through the process of controlled evolution, God has been attempting a unique creative method to develop extremely useful beings for universe administration. That is the creation of time-tested experiential beings who are required for certain kinds of universe administration.

Humans on earth and similar earth like planets elsewhere in the universe are essentially immortal beings under the process of creation! When their creative development go wrong, they cease to exist or their further development is curtailed. Otherwise they develop fully to become time tested immortal beings of remarkable utility for God.

I hope you now understand what happens after death to some extent. I also hope you could better appreciate the teachings of our existing religions as well.

[This blog is the 500th blog article of this blog site!]

Jesus' Teachings About Earthly Accidents of Time: A True Superhuman Narration From the Urantia Book!

The following passage is directly quoted from Paper-166  of the Urantia Book under Part-IV, which deals with life and teachings of Jesus Christ on earth. The authors of this part of the book are stated as the Midwayer Commission, comprising of a divinely authorized group of invisible immortal beings whom the various other invisible authors of the book introduce to us as the midwayers of earth. Midwayers are a group of beings who exist in a realm of existence above human beings but below various other orders of higher order immortal beings.Midwayers are capable of doing things that humans do in the material realm and much more. As they have been in existence on earth for thousands of years, they are said to have direct knowledge about most of the history of earth and its civilizational progress. They understand the languages and the knowledge that humans gained so far and are direct watchers of human progress on earth. They assist superior divine beings in accordance with the universal administrative plans of God. For more details about them read this blog. They got the divine approval to re-state the life and teachings of Jesus which got included as part-4 of the Urantia Book as the divine administration of the universe felt the gross errors that crept in the various writings that the human authors of the past had created, including the four gospels included in the New Testament Bible of the Christians. Incidentally, Part-4 of the Urantia Book is the most appealing and exhaustive literary work that is so meticulous and matter of fact in its details in describing the life and teachings of Jesus on earth. For any unbiased reader, Part-4 provides logical answers to many unanswered questions that they likely had in their minds.

Human beings are perplexed by natural calamities, accidents, war, acts of terrorism, political mismanagement, diseases, etc which often affect thousands of innorcents severely and fatally while several others find miraculous escapes. Some of the intellectuals keep thinking to find the logic behind it. The debate then proceeds further to the irrationality of believing in God or even the rationality of it. A friend of mine sends me this link where this question is inconclusively dealt by Daniel Burke, CNN Religion editor, after he escaped quite miraculously from the Amtrak train 188 crash in the USA.

Unfortunately, this is difficult for us to understand when we visualize the universe organization purely from our materialistic view point. But divine plans transcend materialistic realms, not just as a concept, but as a reality. That is what the Urantia Book reveals with its seamless effort of unifying all those religious beliefs sans their erroneous teachings deviating from facts that are not easy for humans to prove with their limited comprehension.

The following Urantia Book narration reproduces the efforts made by Jesus Christ to remove certain misunderstandings that the common folks of his time, like his immediate followers, nurtured in their minds. Notice carefully the answer that Jesus provided  with regard to the common accidents and natural disasters that keep happening on earth ( this is partly given in the Bible too):

While most Palestinians ate only two meals a day, it was the custom of Jesus and the apostles, when on a journey, to pause at midday for rest and refreshment. 

And it was at such a noontide stop on the way to Philadelphia that Thomas (one disciple of Jesus) asked Jesus: 

“Master, from hearing your remarks as we journeyed this morning, I would like to inquire whether spiritual beings are concerned in the production of strange and extraordinary events in the material world and, further, to ask whether the angels and other spirit beings are able to prevent accidents.”

In answer to Thomas’s inquiry, Jesus said:

“Have I been so long with you, and yet you continue to ask me such questions? Have you failed to observe how the Son of Man (the phrase Jesus often used to address himself) lives as one with you and consistently refuses to employ the forces of heaven for his personal sustenance? Do we not all live by the same means whereby all men exist? Do you see the power of the spiritual world manifested in the material life of this world, save for the revelation of the Father and the sometime healing of his afflicted children?

“All too long have your fathers believed that prosperity was the token of divine approval; that adversity was the proof of God’s displeasure. I declare that such beliefs are superstitions. Do you not observe that far greater numbers of the poor joyfully receive the gospel and immediately enter the kingdom? If riches evidence divine favor, why do the rich so many times refuse to believe this good news from heaven?

 “The Father (God) causes his rain to fall on the just and the unjust; the sun likewise shines on the righteous and the unrighteous. You know about those Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with the sacrifices, but I tell you these Galileans were not in any manner sinners above all their fellows just because this happened to them. You also know about the eighteen men upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, killing them. Think not that these men who were thus destroyed were offenders above all their brethren in Jerusalem. These folks were simply innocent victims of one of the accidents of time.

 “There are three groups of events which may occur in your lives:

“1. You may share in those normal happenings which are a part of the life you and your fellows live on the face of the earth.

“2. You may chance to fall victim to one of the accidents of nature, one of the mischances of men, knowing full well that such occurrences are in no way prearranged or otherwise produced by the spiritual forces of the realm.

“3. You may reap the harvest of your direct efforts to comply with the natural laws governing the world.

 “There was a certain man who planted a fig tree in his yard, and when he had many times sought fruit thereon and found none, he called the vinedressers before him and said: `Here have I come these three seasons looking for fruit on this fig tree and have found none. Cut down this barren tree; why should it encumber the ground?’ But the head gardener answered his master: `Let it alone for one more year so that I may dig around it and put on fertilizer, and then, next year, if it bears no fruit, it shall be cut down.’ And when they had thus complied with the laws of fruitfulness, since the tree was living and good, they were rewarded with an abundant yield.

 “In the matter of sickness and health, you should know that these bodily states are the result of material causes; health is not the smile of heaven, neither is affliction the frown of God.

“The Father’s human children have equal capacity for the reception of material blessings; therefore does he bestow things physical upon the children of men without discrimination. When it comes to the bestowal of spiritual gifts, the Father is limited by man’s capacity for receiving these divine endowments. Although the Father is no respecter of persons, in the bestowal of spiritual gifts he is limited by man’s faith and by his willingness always to abide by the Father’s will.”

As they journeyed on toward Philadelphia, Jesus continued to teach them and to answer their questions having to do with accidents, sickness, and miracles, but they were not able fully to comprehend this instruction. 

One hour of teaching will not wholly change the beliefs of a lifetime, and so Jesus found it necessary to reiterate his message, to tell again and again that which he wished them to understand; and even then they failed to grasp the meaning of his earth mission until after his death and resurrection.

The above passage may not satisfy most human beings. Even the disciples of Jesus could not understand what Jesus explained. The situation has not changed much with regard to humans. It is important to understand the universal plan of progress of intelligent life comprising of both material and spiritual realms. 

Do You Have the Mind Capacity to Explore the Fifth Epochal Revelation to Mankind?

Those of my readers who are familiar with this blog site would perhaps know that the contents of this site are essentially written taking inspiration from the massive information that is contained in my favorite book of life guidance.

It is impossible for a blind person to comprehend knowledge presented through visual inputs.

It is impossible for an illiterate person to understand knowledge presented through literature.

It is impossible for a person who has not learnt science and mathematics to comprehend the advances of science or to understand scientific research papers authored by scientists.

It is impossible for a person who has not learnt the Chinese language to read and comprehend a passage written in that language.

We, human beings, however advanced we might be, have limitations in various degrees. Only a fool would say that he or she knows everything! 

The reality is that we all know something to some extent but not everything to the full. Our information, knowledge and mind capacities vary from person to person. None of us are perfect or infinitely knowledgeable. 

Those who are among us who have acquired a relatively higher level of knowledge as compared to the rest of others at some stage of their knowledge acquisition would come to a point when they begin to realize the extreme limitation of their capacities and knowledge. 

At that stage they tend to become humble and their egos begin to vaporize.

Perhaps that would be the stage when they intelligently and logically begin to realize the presence of the Infinite Intelligence that pervades our planet and the space.

It becomes amply clear to them that everything around us including we humans are created with extreme intelligence and planning. They would start realizing that we are not any random accidents of space and time.

At that point, perhaps, the intelligent man would  not disagree with his inferior cousins in accepting God Almighty as the Infinite Intelligence behind all creations of nature. 

Having agreed so, the intelligent mind of man keep wondering why the Almighty God has not come to the vision of human kind.

Is God hiding from the vision of man? 

Why does He not reveal Himself? Why does He not remove the confusion of man? Intelligent men and women perhaps might ask.

Many human authors, thinkers and writers have been exploring the mysteries about God for centuries. 

They postulated their theories, philosophies and theologies.

Modern science thought of doing it alone without God coming into picture at all. 

So, sometime in modern era, science got separated from God consciousness or spirituality. Science was something for searching and discovering the realities of the world and the universe and not for searching imaginary existences. Some of the scientists argued and the majority agreed.

The outcome was a permanent public divorce of science from the quest for God while many scientists kept their God consciousness intact in private.

That enhanced the great confusion of modern man in understanding the universe, their own origins and their relationship with their Invisible Creator.

In that great confusion, the human kind got divided over their Creator. The creatures begin to argue, fight and kill each other in the name of their Creator who remained as a mystery for them. 

It was like the quarrelsome children of the combined family when the head of the family went outstation!

They knew the existence of the father who built up the family and provided for their existence. But still they quarreled because they knew the father would not come to punish them!

But has God left His human children for ever? Is He hiding from them? Doesn't He love his creatures? Doesn't He want His children feel about His ever presence?

God is not hiding. God has only become incomprehensible for His finite children of time and space. Finite humans are incapable of comprehending their infinite creator!

Yet, God as a loving father, has been compassionate and loving all the time. He has been providing several ways to make His finite creations understand Him and reciprocate His love. 

God has provided a direct link to the minds of all humans to understand him. He had provided external links as well.

He has been making arrangements to make his finite children understand his plans about them.

God has been revealing Himself and His plans to human kind by several means.

Divine revelations are part and parcel of human history.

For the thoughtful intelligent humans of the present era too, God has arranged to reveal Himself and His plans in greater details.

And that is the content of the book which is introduced by its authors as the Fifth Epochal Revelation to human kind. 

Unfortunately, human mind is not so mature in general to distinguish between truths and truths mixed with clever untruths.

Human mind gets confused when exposed to truths and untruths and get shaky to pick the truths from the myriads of untruths.

The minds of all humans have not reached to the basic minimum capacity level to distinguish between truths and untruths.

So the Fifth Epochal Revelation would appear as untruths to a good majority of humans.

When they are forewarned of mysterious deceptions that might force them out of their existing spiritual concepts and beliefs, these innocent humans get all the more confused and scary.

They get too scary that they would not even dare to open the book which, in their innocent but biased opinion, might contain information that destroy their souls for ever! 

Yet they do not find it much of a problem to read and immerse themselves in a devilish fiction book containing texts depicting vulgarity and cruelty!

What a pity!

Did God create them to be foolish idiots not capable of using their pretty intelligent brains properly?

Of course, not! Yet it is a reality of human existence.

The reasons are several and it would continue this way for some more ages till all humans develop to equitable mind capacities!

But for those who have reached to better comprehension levels, the fifth epochal revelation is something for a serious exploratory study.

It is a great facilitating revelation to read and contemplate to come out of human confusions. I feel honored and privileged that I got the opportunity to do that.

Did you read this much?

Did you get any clue to what this fifth epochal revelation be? 

If not and if curious, explore this site to find out more about the great book containing immense knowledge direct from divine sources now available to the intelligent and broad minded humans of modern times.

Read and contemplate to check whether it is really of value or not!

Put your mind to test to establish its truthfulness and probable origin.

When you do it, you would perhaps become a transcendent human being!

But it is purely up to you. You alone! I honor your free-will.

[Also Read : The Urantia Book-the Fifth Epochal Revelation - article by Behzad on the Iranian website www.FarsiNet.com - an interesting site worth exploring by those who seek goodness!]