What The Urantia Book Means to Me - Obol Sunday Jimmy

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By Obol Sunday Jimmy, Kampala, Uganda

In my quest to learn why Melchizedek was only mentioned thrice in the Bible during my confirmation class, my teacher couldn’t give me a logical answer. Rather, I was told I was too young to understand certain elements within the Bible. I was defiant and went straight to the parish pastor for answers. He told me that until one studies theology, it’s hard to comprehend some biblical verses.

I felt ridiculed by the suggestion that spiritual knowledge was the domain of those initiated into religious dogmas. I protested by walking out of the confirmation class. (To this day, I do not bow to religious doctrines.) I then sought the opinion of my childhood friend Khatukhira Bernard. He said he could not answer that question, but he took me to his parents’ home, where he handed me The Urantia Book.

I remember the date the book first spoke to my conscious mind: October 9, 1998. I’d had the book for seven days when I finally opened it. The first paragraph of the Foreword is itself a revelation that takes the reader to the highest and most abstract level of discussing God, far beyond one’s cultural background or worship practices.

Unfortunately, Abrahamic religion has created so much confusion, asserting that God can be understood only through the Abrahamic faith—otherwise one is seen as a pagan. The result is to divide man from God by requiring a perspective alien to people in so many cultures.

There are no greater or more magical words to be found in those Abrahamic religious books than The Urantia Book’s statements about God. Even Part IV regarding Jesus’ life and teachings cannot really be understood unless the reader has overcome the “conceptual poverty” that has caused them “great confusion respecting the meaning of such terms as God, divinity, and deity.” 0:0.1 (1.1)

The Urantia Book removed the veil that had covered my mind then, allowing me an understanding of God—first the God within, then the God without, and finally the God in diversity beyond religious personification. The Spirit of Truth guided me in seeking truth whose revelations came through the different celestial beings, rather than being passed down through oral tradition where meanings were altered and lost. These new revelations serve the higher purpose of truth in ensuring the realization of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God among Urantia mortals.

Here's a story that may help explain what the book means to me personally. As a child of about six years, I used to live with my stepmom. It so happened that once when my mum visited, I stole some money of hers, something I had never done before. It happened because I was jealous of the lives of my classmates. I spent some of it and returned home. She checked my pocket and found the change. After she gave me a harsh talking-to, I remained alone and heard a voice speak to me, saying “go apologize to her, and give her back the remaining money.” I heeded the voice, and felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, as my mum said, “it’s not your fault, son!”

So, what does The Urantia Book mean to me? The key is the Thought Adjuster, whose leading I believe I experienced as a young child, showing me how freewill choice comes in handy once one has tuned oneself to the voice of the Adjuster, who is the bridge between the Universal Father and the imperfect mortal mind.

In Paper 2, a Divine Counselor tells us that “divine mercy represents a fairness technique of adjustment between the universe levels of perfection and imperfection.” 2:4.5 (38.5) And we also read in that same section that “mercy is simply justice tempered by that wisdom which grows out of perfection of knowledge and the full recognition of the natural weaknesses and environmental handicaps of finite creatures.” 2:4:1 (38.1) This mercy ministry does not directly convey the realization of the perfection of divine love, but that was revealed to me later as I grew to appreciate the intervention of divine mercy.

What prospects do I see for sharing this revelation with others? In the end, the ambiguity of the God concept can only be appreciated when local cultural deity meanings are embraced in harnessing humanity diversity. To address this need, I can envision a future in which Uganda, already in the heart of Africa, may become a hub for the revelation of The Urantia Book in Africa, a place to anchor the global Urantia Book movement for the realization of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God.