Urantia Book Forum : Discussion Board : Study Group

Hi,

I'm caught up in a major religious catastophe right now. I don't know what to believe and I feel terrible!

Please pray for me.....I don't know what to believe, every ten seconds somone else wants me to read the Book of Mormon, someone wants me to go to Kingdom Halls, others want me to be Bhuddist...!

I have no idea what to believe. I'm not even sure of the Bibles authenticity nowadays...!

Thanks foR all the effort!

It does feel catastrophic to be pulled into several different directions by well-meaning folks, each wanting to save your soul or your spiritual support, but you do not owe any of these well-meaning folks any religious loyalty. You owe it to yourself to find out what is right for YOU, based on your own investigations and your own Spirit of Truth. This kind of conflict is especially distressing for us who are, at heart, people pleasers: we want to be agreeable; we want people to like us, to approve of us, to accept us; and yet, if we go against what they want for us, we risk being alienated and ostracized.

This is the price we pay for the gift of free will, and personal discernment, but the rewards for exercising our free will and finding out what our Father's will for us, as contrasted with other people's, is what will enable you to look yourself in the eye and to set out on your faith path in confidence that you are a child of God, able to take what you like from any and all religious walks of life and similarly to reject what does not work for you.

It is not easy to stand alone with your faith, often without peer support, but it is what Jesus did, and he is our finest teacher. The best knowledge we can derive is the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. It will not be found in any one denomination, or any one textual reference. True Reality is bigger than that. The personal discovery that God loves you is well worth the effort.

Best wishes, happy trails, and enjoy the journey.

Wow

thanks very much!

Dear Azacar,

You are embarking on an amazing adventure. You are being awakened to discern the Father as he really is. We have been taught that God is out there. We have been taught that God is unattainable for sin stained humans. We have been taught that we must adhere to some organized religion that possesses the light of truth. What these religious organizations are failing to tell you is that any truth that they possess is relative. There is only one that possesses absolute truth. That is the First Source and Center, our beloved Heavenly Father that dwells on Paradise.

Where can we access such an astonishing bed of knowledge, wisdom and love if it does not come from the organized religions? We access that knowledge, love and wisdom from within. For, eons ago when our Father purposed to create evolutionary creatures of time and space, a most amazing gift lay in store for humble creatures created from the dust of their realms. Resident in the minds of all sentient mortals would reside a fragment of the very Father that we had been seeking all along. Out of all the gifts that we have ever received upon this earth, that gift is the most profound, the most precious, the most touching gift in all the universe. That a piece of the Infinite Father dwells within our minds ever jostling us to see the light of the universe.

My friend, the deepest truth that the Father wants us to possess is that we are all one. We are children of our Sovereign master Son Micheal. Who himself is a child of the Father and Eternal Son. After eons of training he was sent out into a certain part of the universe that we happen to call home. He had before him the perfect pattern of Paradise, where our Father dwells. Michael is working hard to make this part of the physical universe a reflection of the perfection of the Paradise home of our Father.

But what makes this gift even more poignant is the fact that our Father has also given us free will. Never will he force anyone to do things His way. This point can be illustrated by individuals that are overbearing and attempt to force us to respect them. They demand respect. But such respect is never given. Our Father's way is so gentle that it touches ones heart. As we grow in knowledge of Him, our love for Him grows. The more we learn about the Father's unconditional love for us the more we want to do His will.

Gently, the Father takes us by the hand. We look up into the face of our Father and we see the soft glow of love emanating from Him. Along the way, countless beings show us the way to the Father. You see, these persons are also gifts from the Father. He has provided these beings to assist us in returning home to the very One that has given us these gifts in the first place.

If we can look at another human being and say: "They have a Father fragment dwelling in their minds too," we will begin to see things as the Father sees things. He loves them too. If we can rise, like an eagle, above the fray, we will finally see that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same God. If we are children of the same God, we are all loved by that One. If we are loved by that One and he loves us all, then we should love all. For the light that comes out of the darkness shines a light upon our hearts helping us to see that we should love everyone. When you begin to see that, you have awakened and have seen a glimpse of the eternal Father.

Love,
Paul

Thanks very much for that insightful eye-opener!

Thanks so much!