What The Urantia Book Means to Me—the Dimensions of God

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By Saulo Q. Fraga, Pernambuco, Brazil

One of the wonderful things The Urantia Book has done for my perception of God has been to broaden my inner, or spiritual, view of the size of God. From my religious background as a child and adolescent, I was able to understand that God is great, but I had trouble with the teaching that His spirit can dwell in me. How could that be possible? Being so big, how could He dwell in me? How could such a great and pure and holy Being dwell in such a small and flawed and sinful being?

From my father's side of the family, I had an introduction to Catholic doctrine, and my mother's side was evangelical. I learned good moral and ethical values, I had a glimpse of spiritual values, but there were some points that were not well explained, which made me go on a more detailed search.

When I asked for my name to be removed as an official member of the church, I tried to make my family understand that I was leaving the human institution, but I was not leaving God. The good concepts that I have today about God, I owe to the teachings of my parents, for which I am very grateful. But it is The Urantia Book that has helped me better understand both the idea and the ideal of God. For any mortal it is a huge undertaking to try to understand with our finite mind a Being of infinite mind, but we are all free to want to know more about God.

About eight years ago I came across The Urantia Book (O Livro de Urântia in Portuguese) which, despite its mysterious origin, fascinated me. The first time I studied the table of contents, I was able to see in this outline a harmony, a cohesion, and a higher order in the presentation of an eternal Being and His magnificent plans for the good of His creation.

As with all writings of supposedly divine origin, no matter what the religious denomination, whether it be a revelation through inspiration or an expanded revelation of cosmic truth, we must work as gold panners, always striving to find the gold. We must learn to separate the personal ritual (to which we are all entitled) from the sincere and direct search for the Great Source and Center of all things and beings, which takes place through our personal and intimate religious experience with God. We do not need to accept with closed eyes everything that these writings present to us; we have the right to question God, our Father, and that is what I still do. I have continued to analyze The Urantia Book, and I always learn something new.

What I would like to highlight here is the greatness of God, and how I visualize Him. I found this was easier to do when I understood the difference between quality and quantity. What we learn about “who is God?” and “where is God?” is that there are many answers to those questions, showing us that there are many dimensions of God in the universe, and these dimensions help explain how we may contact Him.

At any time and place I can address my resident Adjuster, or Michael of Salvington, or the Supreme God, or any of the three Paradise deities—the Infinite Spirit, the Eternal Son, or the Universal Father. All are one in different phases or manifestations. Qualitatively, if not quantitatively, all are equal. I may simply address "God," and from there His inerrant circuits of spirit energy do the rest of the work, directing my petition or worship to the correct department, so to speak.

As the book clearly explains, our petitions and adoration come before the throne of the Father through the man-God, God-man, known to us as Joshua Ben Joseph and Michael of Salvington, who categorically stated that He alone is the Mediator between God and human beings:

After hearing Thomas, Jesus replied: “Thomas, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man goes to the Father except through me. All those who find the Father, first find me. If you know me, you know the way to the Father. And you do know me, for you lived with me and you now see me.” 180:3.7 (1947.6) [Bold added in quotes for emphasis.]

The Urantia Book speaks clearly about this flexibility in our direction to God, in discussing the origin of Thought Adjusters, the divine fragments:

Though there are diverse opinions regarding the mode of the bestowal of Thought Adjusters, there exist no such differences concerning their origin; all are agreed that they proceed directly from the Universal Father, the First Source and Center. They are not created beings; they are fragmentized entities constituting the factual presence of the infinite God. Together with their many unrevealed associates, Adjusters are undiluted and unmixed divinity, unqualified and unattenuated parts of Deity; they are from God, and as far as we are able to discern, they are God. 107:1.2 (1177.3)

In a section discussing worship, the book explains the role of the Michaels in worship and prayer:

The Creator or Sovereign Sons who preside over the destinies of the local universes stand in the place of both the Universal Father and the Eternal Son of Paradise. These Universe Sons receive, in the name of the Father, the adoration of worship and give ear to the pleas of their petitioning subjects throughout their respective creations. To the children of a local universe, a Michael Son is, to all practical intents and purposes, God. He is the local universe personification of the Universal Father and the Eternal Son. 5:3.6 (66.2)

In the paper on God the Supreme, we are told that He is the way the eternal God can be present in time:

The Supreme is God-in-Time; his is the secret of creature growth in time; his also is the conquest of the incomplete present and the consummation of the perfecting future. And the final fruits of all finite growth are: power controlled through mind and spirit by virtue of the unifying and creative presence of personality. The culminating consequence of all this growth is the Supreme Being. 117:2.1 (1280.1)

Another dimension of the way in which other Persons represent God is discussed in the paper on the Infinite Spirit:

Ever remember that the Infinite Spirit is the Conjoint Actor; both the Father and the Son are functioning in and through him; he is present not only as himself but also as the Father and as the Son and as the Father-Son. In recognition of this and for many additional reasons, the spiritual presence of the Infinite Spirit is often referred to as "the spirit of God." 8:5.5 (96.1)

In the paper on the Eternal Son, we read that in a certain sense the Son is God, and—confirming what we read previously—that this extends to the Creator Sons:

The Eternal Son is the eternal Word of God. He is wholly like the Father; in fact, the Eternal Son is God the Father personally manifest to the universe of universes. And thus it was and is and forever will true of the Eternal Son and all the co-ordinate Creator Sons: “He who has the Son has seen the Father.” 6:2.2 (74.7)

And finally, in the paper on Deity and Reality, we are told that God as controller and God as Father are equally true, and that this truth is fundamental to universe reality:

The Universal Controller. I AM cause of eternal Paradise. This is the primal impersonal relationship of actualities, the original nonspiritual association. The Universal Father is God-as-love; the Universal Controller is God-as-pattern. This relationship establishes the potential of form—configuration—and determines the master pattern of impersonal and nonspiritual relationship—the master pattern from which all copies are made. 105:2.6 (1154.5)

Putting it more simply, I have come to learn that the focus I should apply is not really on the quantitative aspect, the size, but on the qualities of God. It does not matter which phase or manifestation of Deity I am addressing. How comforting and exciting it is to be able to talk to our Father and know, not merely believe, that He hears us! From eternity, God the Father sees us as perfect beings, even though, in time, we are being perfected. In the heart of God we are already perfect. I don't need to convince Him to lead and guide me to the status of a perfect spirit. He is already doing it, with love, patience, and mercy. Knowing this, I’m inspired to remain "tuned" to Him with love, and therefore to love His sons and daughters as He loves us.