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Proposed Edit for The Urantia Book article--Contents Section--Footnotes and links need to be formatted appropriately.

Contents

Overview

The Urantia Book is 2,097 pages long and consists of an introductory Foreword followed by 196 "papers" divided into four parts: The Central and Superuniverses (31 papers), The Local Universe (25 papers), The History of Urantia (63 papers), and The Life and Teachings of Jesus (77 papers). The authors’ stated purpose in writing these papers is to "expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception." The authors of the papers are listed in "The Titles of The Papers" and at the end of each paper by their apparent celestial order-of-being designation (e.g., Divine Counselor), only rarely using individual names (e.g., Solonia). The structural design for the book’s exposition steps down in concept stages from the complex and infinite realm of reality to the human and finite level in order to correlate three aspects of reality as articulated by the authors: "The true perspective of any reality problem—human or divine, terrestrial or cosmic—can be had only by the full and unprejudiced study and correlation of three phases of universe reality: origin, history, and destiny."

In the Acknowledgment at the end of the Foreword, the author states that inasmuch as "successive revelations of divine truth invariably embrace the highest existing concepts of spiritual values…we have selected as the basis of these papers more than one thousand human concepts representing the highest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings…Wherein these human concepts…are inadequate to portray the truth as we are directed to reveal it, we will unhesitatingly supplement them…drawing upon our own superior knowledge of the reality and divinity of the Paradise Deities and their transcendent residential universe."

Summary

The introductory Foreword provides the authors’ summary explanation of the specific meanings they attach to such words as God, divinity, and deity which these authors use in the following 196 papers of The Urantia Book. The Foreword is divided into 12 sections and includes conceptual material on such subjects as: Deity and Divinity, God, Universe Reality, Paradise, Personality Realities, Energy and Pattern, The Supreme Being, The Three Absolutes, and the Trinities. The author asserts that the Foreword is not a "finished statement within itself. It is only a definitive guide to assist those who shall read the accompanying papers."

Part I: The Central and Superuniverse section addresses what are presented as the highest and most expansive levels of reality, beginning with the eternal and infinite "Universal Father," his Trinity associates, and the "Isle of Paradise." The narrative goes on to present conceptual material on subjects including the Universe of Universes, the Grand and Master Universes, the Seven Superuniverses, Supreme Trinity Personalities, the Angelic Hosts of the Central and Superuniverses, the Paradise Sons of God, the Personalities of the Grand Universe, and the Corps of Finality. As Malcolm Locke noted in his book, The URANTIA REVELATION: The structure and Meaning of the Universe Explained, "The Urantia Book reveals a very different world, an immense cosmopolis filled with trillions of stars and billions of trillions of planets populating with irrepressible life, all moving toward a greater but unknown goal in the reaches of outer space."

Part II: The Local Universe narrates the origin, administration and personalities of the local universe of "Nebadon" which is identified as a sub-section of the seventh Superuniverse, "Orvonton," and said to be the location of Urantia, or planet Earth. This section offers a description of the inhabitants of Nebadon, their lives and work as both are coordinated with a scheme for the evolution, spiritual ascension, and progression of different orders of beings, including humans, angels, and others. The conceptual material presented includes Local Universe Evolution, Administration, Personalities, the Creator Son and Creative Mother Spirit, Seraphic Ministry, the Seven Mansion Worlds, the Inhabited Worlds, Planetary Mortal Epochs, the Lucifer Rebellion, and Spheres of Light and Life as well as a range of other subjects claimed pertinent to the Local Universe level of reality. As stated by Sheila Keene-Lund in her book, HEAVEN IS NOT THE LAST STOP, "According to epochal revelation, Creator Sons represent in the local universes the Universal Father and the Eternal Son, and for all practical intents and purposes may be considered God by the creatures of the realm."

Part III: The History of Urantia is the next conceptual step down. In this section, the authors narrate a broad history of the Earth, and present their explanation of the planned origin, purpose, evolution and destiny of our world and its inhabitants. The authors of The Urantia Book address a range of subjects in the papers in this section including: Life Establishment on the planet, the First Human Family, the Planetary Rebellion, the Evolution of Human Government and the Development of the State, Adam and Eve, Marriage and Family Life, Religion in Human Experience, the concept of the Thought Adjuster, the bestowal of unique Personality and its Survival, the birth and growth of the Soul, The Supreme Being, and the Bestowals of Christ Michael. As Locke states, "All worlds inhabited by mortals are evolutionary in origin and design." He goes on to say, "Common views about the accidental origin of mortal humans are inaccurate. A universal law governs the unfolding of a planetary life plan, which is always orderly and controlled."

Part IV: The Life and Teachings of Jesus is a narrative about Jesus' childhood, teenage years, family life, travel, the selection of his Apostles, public ministry, and the events that led to his crucifixion, death, and resurrection. It includes papers discussing his discourses on such concepts as mind, soul, reality, personality, will, science, prayer, the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man, and true religion as well as Papers about appearances after he rose, Pentecost, the Spirit of Truth Bestowal, and finally, "The Faith of Jesus." As the final conceptual step down in the authors’ presentation of their view of universe reality, this part illustrates many of the concepts presented in the first three parts of the book through the extended story of Jesus's life. Keene-Lund writes: "Jesus, as the incarnated Paradise Creator Son (Michael of Nebadon), was the personification of the Universal Father and the Eternal Son." She goes on to state, "The chronicle of Jesus’ life provides us with valuable insights into the process of spiritual development, which embraces the mastery of human nature and its integration with the developing divine nature."

References

• Keene-Lund, Sheila (2010), HEAVEN IS NOT THE LAST STOP, Document It! Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9815038-0-6{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Locke, Malcolm (2010), The URANTIA REVELATION: The Structure and Meaning of the Universe Explained, Bascom Hill Books, ISBN 978-1-935456-22-3{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Urantia Foundation (1955), The Urantia Book, Urantia Foundation, ISBN 0-911560-02-5