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    "The Urantia Book

    on

    CHANNELING and the 'TEACHING MISSION'"

    a special report

    "There cannot be peace between light and darkness,

    between life and death,

    between truth and error". --Jesus of Nazareth

    PREPARED by:

    Editorial Staff of the Invisible Fellowship Magazine

    PO Box 19135

    Boulder, CO 80308

    The Urantia Book, Channeling and the Teaching Mission

    This publication is distributed by The Invisible Fellowship Magazine for educational purposes. It is not to

    be sold. Thank you to Tom Choquette who made this presentation and distribution possible.

    The editorial staff of the Invisible Fellowship Magazine consists of: Carol Hay, Joan Batson Mullins and

    Larry Mullins Please send comments to:

    The Invisible Fellowship,

    PO Box 19135,

    BOULDER, CO 80308

    A message of importance from the editorial staff of the Invisible Fellowship . . .

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    DURING THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, an activity has surfaced in Urantia Book reading circles that is known

    as "The Teaching Mission". Participants claim to receive channeled messages from unseen "spiritual

    beings".

    These channelers call themselves "Transmitter-Receivers" and they profess to represent a new, invisible

    planetary government. They insist that they are given special information and guidance. But the most

    serious assertion they put forth is that their material is an extension of the Fifth Epochal Revelation --

    The Urantia Book. Thus they justify taking over Urantia Book study groups and "updating" The Urantia

    Book with their channeled "messages" from "celestial" personalities.

    The proponents of "The Teaching Mission" and other channeling activities have been most aggressive in

    promoting themselves, and they have generally been allowed to pursue their agendas at will. In our

    opinion this is a critical situation that has too long gone unchallenged -- we believe channeling

    compromises the integrity and credibility of The Urantia Book before the world and affects the entire

    Urantia community. To avoid taking a stand against what we deem to be error is -- as Martin Luther King

    once said -- "to be an accomplice to it".

    This special report was prepared to answer a long-standing need for a balanced, organized, and replete

    argument against channeling. Our love is not diminished for our brothers and sisters who choose to

    believe and support channeling. It is, rather, in the spirit of that love that we offer this information.

    We hope that all readers carefully consider what The Urantia Book teaches about channeling activities.

    We also urge you to take a hard look at what is happening to the Fifth Epochal Revelation.

    A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON CHANNELING IN THE URANTIA MOVEMENT

    by Larry Mullins

    In my twenty-five years or so of reading The Urantia Book I have known of three powerful attempts to

    control and manipulate the movement and to exploit the Fifth Epochal Revelation.

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    Each of these has been associated with "channeling", "special messages", and/or "exclusive"

    information. Each attempt has involved "favored" individuals -- such as self-proclaimed "reserve corps"

    members -- people who were generally egoistic, strong-willed and charismatic. Very rarely did leaders

    publicly challenge these usurpers or question their authority. The agendas of these aggressive

    personalities were sometimes even championed and supported by other leaders in the movement. The

    cumulative result of this general passiveness and appeasement has been disastrous to the mission of

    disseminating The Urantia Book and its teachings.

    The first two instances were closely related attempts to control from within. In one case, after the death

    of Dr. William Sadler in 1969, a small nucleus of individuals in the Foundation and Brotherhood held

    sway over the entire movement for years. Policies of non-advertising and harsh control were justified by

    unspecified, or partially disclosed "messages" and "mandates". Following the death of one of the key

    members of the exclusive inner circle in 1982, a single individual sought control of the Revelation based

    upon his own "secret messages". The final outcome was a "World War III" scare that resulted in years of

    chaos, disrupted lives, and a fragmented movement.

    After the war-fear crisis passed, a cult-like atmosphere existed at the Foundation. The last surviving

    member of the original control-nucleus maintained a policy of closed and secretive repression,

    demanding more and more acquiescence from the General Council of the Brotherhood. The years of

    avoidance and accommodation proved fatal to reconciliation: The Brotherhood (now the Fellowship)

    and the Foundation severed relations completely -- and as a result Urantia Books have virtually

    disappeared from bookstores and are difficult to obtain.

    The Urantia movement is now faced with a third attempt to control and exploit the Revelation. In this

    instance, it is not someone in the "inner circle" who is presuming unique authority, the threat is from

    the outside Dozens of Urantia Book study groups have been taken over and supplanted by "channeling"

    sessions. Potential new readers are turned away by activities that are less than wholesome and

    appropriate. Some official representatives of the Fellowship foster channeling and are open advocates

    of the practice. A mass of material supporting channeling is being passed back and forth between

    readers. To paraphrase Shakespeare, many of us are being "won over with truthful trifles, to be

    betrayed in the deepest consequence". Since the early days of the movement, the General Council of

    the Brotherhood has been reluctant to take official stands on tough issues, fearing to be perceived as a

    "doctrinaire" body. The new Fellowship has continued this policy. Readers who look to the 36 General

    Councilors for decisive leadership are advised to "make up their own minds". But too often only one side

    of the "channeling" story is being presented. A fuller disclosure of what The Urantia Book teaches must

    be provided before informed decisions can be made. This booklet is designed to furnish this needed,

    more replete distillation of The Urantia Book's philosophy about "celestial guidance".

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    The Urantia Papers were not "channeled"

    THE URANTIA PAPERS were materialized by means that have never been fully explained. Dr. William

    Sadler was very clear, however, that the manner in which the Papers were materialized in no way

    paralleled or was related to any form of marginal human consciousness. In other words, they were not

    channeled. Whatever the "Teaching Mission" and the various other channeling activities may be, they

    are not a continuation of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. Much of the channeling material is contrary to

    the broad philosophical fabric of The Urantia Book. The primary purpose of this publication is to

    establish that proposition by using quotes from The Urantia Book -- the Book speaks best for itself.

    Appendix One is provided to allow the reader to weigh the ideas of a secular team that investigates the

    use of channeling as a control tool by would-be gurus. In Appendix Two, you can read the perspective of

    Dr. Meredith J. Sprunger, an esteemed theologian who is the only living colleague and confidant of Dr.

    William Sadler. The final appendix was extracted from material that was edited and published by

    advocates of channeling. Though brief. these excerpts demonstrate that some of their own carefully

    prepared and showcased material should be repugnant to the common sense of any reader who is

    familiar with the exquisitely consistent and symmetrical philosophy of The Urantia Book.

    The collection of Urantia Book quotes presented herewith was developed to support the premises and

    contentions on page eight of this special report. We have sought to be objective within the context of

    these premises. Many people may take exception to the conclusions we endeavor to support; but in

    doing so they are confronted with a formidable amount of Urantia Book philosophy that they mustreconcile to their views; or simply ignore.

    The most significant questions every devoted reader must confront is: Are channeling activities truly a

    continuation of the Fifth Epochal Revelation, or are they not? If they are not, should these activities --

    even in the interest of being "brotherly" and avoiding confrontations -- continue to interfere with, and

    possibly confuse, those who desire to study the original teachings of The Urantia Book?

    In the rich mythology surrounding the Urantia Papers, it has been written and stated that when the

    book was at last published in 1955, a final message was communicated to the original Forum -- and then

    the contact was severed and fell silent. This last message was said to be: "You are now on your own".

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    CLYDE BEDELL joined the original Forum in 1924, at the age of 26. In 1981, he wrote about the supposed

    "secret" information that the Foundation was then using for manipulative control of the readership.

    "After being in the Sadler Forum and its successive or subsequent organizations since September of

    1924 . . . I do not believe The Urantia Book will ever be superseded until some distant date from now,

    and then only by another Epochal Revelation, not by some anonymous spirits secretly passing little do's

    and don'ts to fallible human trustees. If the Revelators ever in the future cancel the 'you are now on

    your own' [message], it will not be to discredit the book and Jesus' instructions. Of that you may be

    certain".

    I hasten to suggest a qualification to the alleged final message: "You are now on your own". As Meredith

    Sprunger points out in his commentaries in appendix two of this work, we have a direct line to the

    highest authority in the universe -- we have our Father Fragment within -- not to mention the Spirit of

    Truth, and the Holy Spirit. But we must make decisions with our human minds, and complete those

    decisions with appropriate actions.

    This is a time for courageous human decisions-and a fresh measure of passionate commitment to the

    formidable mission at hand. This mission was valiantly set into motion nearly 2000 years ago, in an

    obscure province of the Roman Empire. Its completion has been touchingly entrusted to us, the ordinary

    mortals of the realm. This mission is eloquently redefined for the world in the pages of The Urantia

    Book. In my judgment, and in the judgment of the staff of The Invisible Fellowship Magazine, the time

    has come for believers in The Urantia Book to wholeheartedly be about the completion of that supreme

    and noble mission-the mission of Jesus of Nazareth, Christ Michael of Nebadon

    The PREMISES and CONTENTIONS of this DOCUMENT

    God has provided for our spiritual development through our moral decisions and no being in the

    universe is permitted to interfere or impinge upon that process.

    "Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is the religious life of Jesus and how he lived

    it."

    Jesus, as a human on this planet, did not employ celestial personalities for "advice", he used only his

    Thought Adjuster, just as do other mortals of the realm. This was true up to his baptism, which is

    equivalent to the point at which a mortal would fuse.

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    The supreme, authentic "teaching mission" was set into motion by Jesus. The Creator Son was required

    to use "natural, ordinary and trying methods" to win the hearts of mortals, "as his earth children must

    subsequently follow".

    The human being cannot discern "celestial messages" from the products of his or her own mental

    processes.

    Contrary to the alleged channeling ", notably "Machiventa", who has been showcased by channelers as

    one of their higher quality "teachers", our great task in mortal life is to seek better attunement with our

    Thought Adjusters. ("Machiventa" claims the "teacher" will be even closer to the mortal than the Spirit

    (Father) Fragment!)

    Channeling is likely a new form of "alter egoism", similar to that of primitive spiritist religions.

    Midwayers, although never involved in spiritualism or mediumship, are always employed as guardians

    when authentic spiritual contacts are made with mortals. Channelers do not employ midwayers as part

    of their "communications" process.

    The efforts of the "teaching mission" to bring about a premature world order under the control of

    "favored" mortals is not consistent with the gospel of the kingdom of heaven as taught by Jesus.

    The Sovereignty and Responsibility of Human Will

    [71] Having thus provided for the growth of the immortal soul and having liberated man's inner self

    from the fetters of absolute dependence on antecedent causation, the Father stands aside. Now, man

    having thus been liberated from the fetters of causation response, at least as pertains to eternal destiny,

    and provision having been made for the growth of the immortal self, the soul, it remains for man himself

    to will the creation or to inhibit the creation of this surviving and eternal self which is his for the

    choosing. No other being, force, creator, or agency in all the wide universe of universes can interfere to

    any degree with the absolute sovereignty of the mortal free will, as it operates within the realms of

    choice, regarding the eternal destiny of the personality of the choosing mortal. As pertains to eternal

    survival, God has decreed the sovereignty of the material and mortal will, and that decree is absolute.

    Jesus used only his Thought Adjuster

    [2090] Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and

    how he lived it.

    [1398] This year Jesus made great progress in the organization of his mind. Gradually he had brought his

    divine and human natures together, and he accomplished all this organization of intellect by the force of

    his own decisions and with only the aid of his indwelling Monitor, just such a Monitor as all normal

    mortals on all postbestowal-Son worlds have within their minds. So far, nothing supernatural had

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    happened in this young man's career except the visit of a messenger, dispatched by his elder brother

    Immanuel who once appeared to him during the night at Jerusalem.

    [2088] Jesus brought to God, as a man of the realm, the greatest of all offerings: the consecration and

    dedication of his own will to the majestic service of doing the divine will. . . The secret of his

    unparalleled religious life was this consciousness of the presence of God; and he attained it by intelligent

    prayer and sincere worship -- unbroken communion with God -- and not by leadings, voices, visions, or

    extraordinary religious practices.

    [1407] He obtained knowledge, gained experience, and combined these into wisdom, just as do other

    mortals of the realm. Until after his baptism he availed himself of no supernatural power. He employed

    no agency not a part of his human endowment as a son of Joseph and Mary.

    [1521] Jesus chose to establish the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of mankind by natural, ordinary,

    difficult, and trying methods, just such procedures as his earth children must subsequently follow in

    their work of enlarging and extending that heavenly kingdom. For well did the Son of Man know that it

    would be "through much tribulation that many of the children of all ages would enter into the kingdom".

    [1808] Between these two celestial visitations, one in his thirteenth year and the other at his baptism,

    there occurred nothing supernatural or superhuman in the life of this incarnated Creator Son.

    Notwithstanding this, the babe of Bethlehem, the lad, youth, and man of Nazareth, was in reality the

    incarnated Creator of a universe; but he never once used aught of this power, nor did he utilize the

    guidance of celestial personalities, aside from that of his guardian seraphim, in the living of his human

    life up to the day of his baptism by John. And we who thus testify know whereof we speak.

    [229] When a bestowal Son has mastered the experience of living the mortal life, when he has achieved

    perfection of attunement with his indwelling Adjuster, thereupon he begins that part of his planetary

    mission designed to illuminate the minds and to inspire the souls of his brethren in the flesh.

    [1493] Jesus spent the last three weeks of August and the first three weeks of September on Mount

    Hermon. During these weeks he finished the mortal task of achieving the circles of mind-understanding

    and personality-control. Throughout this period of communion with his heavenly Father the indwelling

    Adjuster also completed the assigned services. The mortal goal of this earth creature was there attained.

    Only the final phase of mind and Adjuster attunement remained to be consummated.

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    [2084] Christianity has indeed done a great service for this world, but what is now most needed is Jesus.

    The world needs to see Jesus living again on earth in the experience of spirit-born mortals who

    effectively reveal the Master to all men . . . And when Jesus becomes thus lifted up, he will draw all men

    to himself. Jesus' disciples should be more than conquerors, even overflowing sources of inspiration andenhanced living to all men. Religion is only an exalted humanism until it is made divine by the discovery

    of the reality of the presence of God in personal experience.Additional Thought Adjuster quotes [also

    see pg. 32] [Compare to "Macheventa"9/23/92: "You will have someone much closer to you than your

    spirit fragment" and: "attunement to your teacher".] See Appendix Three.

    [1207] The Thought Adjuster is engaged in a constant effort so to spiritualize your mind as to evolve

    your morontia soul; but you yourself are mostly unconscious of this inner ministry. You are quite

    incapable of distinguishing the product of your own material intellect from that of the conjoint activities

    of your soul and the Adjuster.

    [1206] I cannot but observe that so many of you spend so much time and thought on mere trifles of

    living, while you almost wholly overlook the more essential realities of everlasting import, those very

    accomplishments which are concerned with the development of a more harmonious working agreement

    between you and your Adjusters. The great goal of human existence is to attune to the divinity of the

    indwelling Adjuster; the great achievement of mortal life is the attainment of a true and understanding

    consecration to the eternal aims of the divine spirit who waits and works within your mind. [Solitary

    Messenger]

    [1207] Trust all matters of mind beyond the dead level of consciousness to the custody of the Adjusters.

    You are so devoid of courageous decisions and consecrated co-operation that your indwelling Adjusters

    find it next to impossible to communicate directly with the human mind. Even when they do find it

    possible to flash a gleam of new truth to the evolving mortal soul, this spiritual revelation often so blinds

    the creature as to precipitate a convulsion of fanaticism or to initiate some other intellectual upheaval

    which results disastrously. Many a new religion and strange "ism" has arisen from the aborted,

    imperfect, misunderstood, and garbled communications of the Thought Adjusters.

    [1208] These are problems which will have to be solved through individual discrimination and personal

    decision. But a human being would do better to err in rejecting an Adjuster's expression through

    believing it to be a purely human experience than to blunder into exalting a reaction of the mortal mind

    to the sphere of divine dignity.

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    [24] The existence of God is utterly beyond all possibility of demonstration except for the contact

    between the God-consciousness of the human mind and the God-presence of the Thought Adjuster that

    indwells the mortal intellect and is bestowed upon man as the free gift of the Universal Father.

    [1111] Throughout all religious experience, from its earliest inception on the material level up to the

    time of the attainment of full spirit status, the Adjuster is the secret of the personal realization of the

    reality of the existence of the Supreme; and this same Adjuster also holds the secrets of your faith in the

    transcendental attainment of the Ultimate. The experiential personality of evolving man, united to the

    Adjuster essence of the existential God, constitutes the potential completion of supreme existence and

    is inherently the basis for the superfinite eventuation of transcendental personality.

    [1119] The indwelling Thought Adjuster unfailingly arouses in man's soul a true and searching hunger for

    perfection together with a far-reaching curiosity which can be adequately satisfied only by communion

    with God, the divine source of that Adjuster. The hungry soul of man refuses to be satisfied with

    anything less than the personal realization of the living God.

    [2095] The exquisite and transcendent experience of loving and being loved is not just a psychic illusion

    because it is so purely subjective. The one truly divine and objective reality that is associated with

    mortal beings, the Thought Adjuster, functions to human observation apparently as an exclusively

    subjective phenomenon. Man's contact with the highest objective reality, God, is only through thepurely subjective experience of knowing him, of worshiping him, of realizing sonship with him.

    [1217] Mind is the cosmic instrument on which the human will can play the discords of destruction, or

    upon which this same human will can bring forth the exquisite melodies of God identification and

    consequent eternal survival. The Adjuster bestowed upon man is, in the last analysis, impervious to evil

    and incapable of sin, but mortal mind can actually be twisted, distorted, and rendered evil and ugly by

    the sinful machinations of a perverse and self-seeking human will. Likewise can this mind be made

    noble, beautiful, true, and good -- actually great -- in accordance with the spirit-illuminated will of a

    God-knowing human being.

    [1207] Certain abrupt presentations of thoughts, conclusions, and other pictures of mind are sometimes

    the direct or indirect work of the Adjuster; but far more often they are the sudden emergence into

    consciousness of ideas which have been grouping themselves together in the submerged mental level,

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    natural and everyday occurrences of normal and ordinary psychic function inherent in the circuits of the

    evolving animal mind. (In contrast with these subconscious emanations, the revelations of the Adjuster

    appear through the realms of the superconscious.)

    [1096] Actual spiritual status is the measure of Deity attainment, Adjuster attunement. The achievement

    of finality of spirituality is equivalent to the attainment of the maximum of reality, the maximum of

    Godlikeness. Eternal life is the endless quest for infinite values.

    [1099] In contrast with conversion-seeking, the better approach to the morontia zones of possible

    contact with the Thought Adjuster would be through living faith and sincere worship, wholehearted and

    unselfish prayer. Altogether too much of the uprush of the memories of the unconscious levels of the

    human mind has been mistaken for divine revelations and spirit leadings.

    Jesus and personal responsibility

    [1570] One by one they embraced Jesus, but no man said aught. A great silence pervaded the place

    while a host of celestial beings looked down upon this solemn and sacred scene -- the Creator of a

    universe placing the affairs of the divine brotherhood of man under the direction of human minds.

    [1731] "I have called you out of the darkness of authority and the lethargy of tradition into the

    transcendent light of the realization of the possibility of making for yourselves the greatest discovery

    possible for the human soul to make -- the supernal experience of finding God for yourself, in yourself,

    and of yourself, and of doing all this as a fact in your own personal experience". [Jesus]

    [1635] "How is it, then, that you would have me turn aside from my work for the gratification of the

    curious and for the satisfaction of those who seek for signs and wonders? . . . When men are attracted

    to us because of extraordinary manifestations, many of them come seeking not for truth and salvation

    but rather in quest of healing for their physical ailments and to secure deliverance from their material

    difficulties". [Jesus]

    [1729] And for a long time there will live on earth those timid, fearful, and hesitant individuals who will

    prefer thus to secure their religious consolations, even though, in so casting their lot with the religions

    of authority, they compromise the sovereignty of personality, debase the dignity of self-respect, and

    utterly surrender the right to participate in that most thrilling and inspiring of all possible human

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    experiences: the personal quest for truth, the exhilaration of facing the perils of intellectual discovery,

    the determination to explore the realities of personal religious experience, the supreme satisfaction of

    experiencing the personal triumph of the actual realization of the victory of spiritual faith over

    intellectual doubt as it is honestly won in the supreme adventure of all human existence -- man seeking

    God, for himself and as himself, and finding him.

    [1705] In less than one month's time the enthusiastic and open followers of Jesus, who numbered more

    than fifty thousand in Galilee alone, shrank to less than five hundred. Jesus desired to give his apostles

    such an experience with the fickleness of popular acclaim that they would not be tempted to rely on

    such manifestations of transient religious hysteria after he should leave them alone in the work of the

    kingdom, but he was only partially successful in this effort.

    Jesus and the "Way"

    [1815] Said Jesus: "I have told you about myself and my Father many times, but you will not believe me .

    . . many of you believe not because you belong not to my fold. The teacher of truth attracts only those

    who hunger for the truth and who thirst for righteousness. My sheep hear my voice and I know them

    and they follow me".

    [2089] Jesus most touchingly challenged his followers, not only to believe what he believed, but also to

    believe as he believed. This is the full significance of his one supreme requirement, "Follow me".

    [1818] "The true shepherd gathers his flock into the fold for the night in times of danger. And when the

    morning has come, he enters into the fold by the door, and when he calls, the sheep know his voice.

    Every shepherd who gains entrance to the sheepfold by any other means than by the door is a thief and

    a robber. The true shepherd enters the fold after the porter has opened the door for him, and his sheep,

    knowing his voice, come out at his word; and when they that are his are thus brought forth, the true

    shepherd goes before them; he leads the way and the sheep follow him. His sheep follow him because

    they know his voice; they will not follow a stranger. They will flee from the stranger because they know

    not his voice. This multitude which is gathered about us here are like sheep without a shepherd, but

    when we speak to them, they know the shepherd's voice, and they follow after us; at least, those who

    hunger for truth and thirst for righteousness do. Some of you are not of my fold; you know not my voice,

    and you do not follow me. And because you are false shepherds, the sheep know not your voice and will

    not follow you". [Jesus]

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    [1819] "And now, lest some of you too easily comprehend this parable, I will declare that I am both the

    door to the Father's sheepfold and at the same time the true shepherd of my Father's flocks. Every

    shepherd who seeks to enter the fold without me shall fail, and the sheep will not hear his voice. I, with

    those who minister with me, am the door". [Jesus]

    [1829] "I am the door, I am the new and living way, and whosoever wills may enter to embark upon the

    endless truth-search for eternal life". [Jesus]

    [1808] "I have shown you the way; go forth to do your duty and be not weary in well doing. To you and

    to all who shall follow in your steps down through the ages, let me say: I always stand near, and my

    invitation-call is, and ever shall be, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give

    you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am true and loyal, and you shall find spiritual rest

    for your souls". [Jesus]

    And they found the Master's words to be true when they put his promises to the test. And since that day

    countless thousands also have tested and proved the surety of these same promises.

    The alter-ego

    [996] Children, when first learning to make use of language, are prone to think out loud, to express their

    thoughts in words, even if no one is present to hear them. With the dawn of creative imagination they

    evince a tendency to converse with imaginary companions. In this way a budding ego seeks to hold

    communion with a fictitious alter ego. By this technique the child early learns to convert his monologue

    conversations into pseudo dialogues in which this alter ego makes replies to his verbal thinking and wish

    expression. Very much of an adult's thinking is mentally carried on in conversational form.

    [996] The early and primitive form of prayer was much like the semimagical recitations of the present-

    day Toda tribe, prayers that were not addressed to anyone in particular. But such techniques of praying

    tend to evolve into the dialogue type of communication by the emergence of the idea of an alter ego. In

    time the alter-ego concept is exalted to a superior status of divine dignity, and prayer as an agency of

    religion has appeared. Through many phases and during long ages this primitive type of praying is

    destined to evolve before attaining the level of intelligent and truly ethical prayer.

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    [997] As it is conceived by successive generations of praying mortals, the alter ego evolves up through

    ghosts, fetishes, and spirits to polytheistic gods, and eventually to the One God, a divine being

    embodying the highest ideals and the loftiest aspirations of the praying ego.

    [961] The early monospiritism ghost fear was gradually evolving into a dual spiritism, a new concept of

    the invisible control of earthy affairs.

    [962] And now the simple ghost cult is followed by the practices of the more advanced and relatively

    complex spirit-ghost cult, the service and worship of the higher spirits as they evolved in man's primitive

    imagination. Religious ceremonial must keep pace with spirit evolution and progress. The expanded cult

    was but the art of self-maintenance practiced in relation to belief in supernatural beings, self-

    adjustment to spirit environment.

    Midwayer activities

    [Note: The "Teaching Mission transmissions" by-pass these guardians of the spirit realm; "transmissions"

    are not done in liaison with midwayers. Yet the job of midwayers is to patrol the spiritual realm of the

    planet, and they are always used as liaison in spirit-contacts with mortal beings.]

    [864] Midwayers are the guardians, the sentinels, of the worlds of space. They perform the important

    duties of observers for all the numerous phenomena and types of communication which are of import

    to the supernatural beings of the realm. They patrol the invisible spirit realm of the planet.

    [865] Contact personalities. In the contacts made with the mortal beings of the material worlds, such as

    with the subject through whom these communications were transmitted, the midway creatures are

    always employed. They are an essential factor in such liaisons of the spiritual and the material levels.

    [865] Their chief work today is that of unperceived personal-liaison associates of those men and womenwho constitute the planetary reserve corps of destiny. It was the work of this secondary group, ably

    seconded by certain of the primary corps, that brought about the co-ordination of personalities and

    circumstances on Urantia which finally induced the planetary celestial supervisors to initiate those

    petitions that resulted in the granting of the mandates making possible the series of revelations of which

    this presentation is a part. But it should be made clear that the midway creatures are not involved in the

    sordid performances taking place under the general designation of "spiritualism". The midwayers at

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    present on Urantia, all of whom are of honorable standing, are not connected with the phenomena of

    so-called "mediumship"; and they do not, ordinarily, permit humans to witness their sometimes

    necessary physical activities or other contacts with the material world, as they are perceived by human

    senses.

    The trance-like state

    [1099] Under no circumstances should the trancelike state of visionary consciousness be cultivated as a

    religious experience.

    [1099-1100] The great danger in all these psychic speculations is that visions and other so-called mystic

    experiences, along with extraordinary dreams, may be regarded as divine communications to the human

    mind. In times past, divine beings have revealed themselves to certain God-knowing persons, not

    because of their mystic trances or morbid visions, but in spite of all these phenomena.

    [1100] The characteristics of the mystical state are diffusion of consciousness with vivid islands of focal

    attention operating on a comparatively passive intellect. All of this gravitates consciousness toward the

    subconscious rather than in the direction of the zone of spiritual contact, the superconscious. Many

    mystics have carried their mental dissociation to the level of abnormal mental manifestations.

    [1100] However favorable may have been the conditions for mystic phenomena, it should be clearly

    understood that Jesus of Nazareth never resorted to such methods for communion with the Paradise

    Father. Jesus had no subconscious delusions or superconscious illusions.Reincarnation

    [Reincarnation is taught by the Sedona group of channelers, and creeps into the "transmissions" of the

    "Teaching Mission" channelers, notably Solona [1/13/93]. Also see page 24 of this document, excerpts

    from The Guru Papers. Reincarnation is repudiated in the teachings of The Urantia Book.]

    [528] When, with the passing of time, the physical bodies of these unique creatures deteriorate from

    usage and age, their creators, in collaboration with Life Carriers, fabricate new bodies in which the old

    spornagia establish their residences. Spornagia are the only creatures in all the universe of Nebadon

    who experience this or any other sort of reincarnation. [Note: Spornagia are an advanced kind of animal

    without surviving souls. We encounter spornagia later in our universe careers.]

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    [1029] And of all the contaminating beliefs which could have been fastened upon what may have been

    an emerging monotheism, none was so stultifying as this belief in transmigration -- the doctrine of

    reincarnation of souls . . . This philosophically debilitating teaching was soon followed by the invention

    of the eternal escape from self by the submergence in the universal rest and peace of absolute union

    with Brahman . . . Mortal desire and human ambition were effectively ravished and virtually destroyed.

    [l646] Jesus further explained to his apostles that the spirits of departed human beings do not come

    back to the world of their origin to communicate with their living fellows. Only after the passing of a

    dispensational age would it be possible for the advancing spirit of mortal man to return to earth and

    then only in exceptional cases as part of the spiritual administration of the planet.

    The gospel of the kingdom

    (NOTE: This formal discourse on the kingdom of heaven was presented by the Master near the end of

    his life in the flesh).

    [1863] The Master on this occasion placed emphasis on the following five points as representing the

    cardinal features of the gospel of the kingdom:

    The pre-eminence of the individual.

    The will as the determining factor in man's experience.

    Spiritual Fellowship with God the Father.

    The supreme satisfactions of the loving service of man.

    The transcendency of the spiritual over the material in human personality.

    This world has never seriously or sincerely or honestly tried out these dynamic ideas and divine ideals of

    Jesus' doctrine of the kingdom of heaven. But you should not become discouraged by the apparently

    slow progress of the kingdom idea on Urantia . . . Neither should you make the fatal mistake, in looking

    for the age of manifestation of the kingdom, of failing to effect its establishment within your own souls.

    APPENDIX ONE

    SOME COMMENTS BY CONTROL-PSYCHOLOGYEXPERTS (Control psychologists study the phenomena of

    cults and fanatic group behavior)

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    The excerpt on the following several pages is taken from The GURU PAPERS: Masks of Authoritarian

    Power, by Dr. Diana Alstad and Joel Kramer, pp 121-125, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA, 1993.

    NOTE: Dr. Alstad received her doctorate from Yale University in 1971. She taught in the humanities and

    initiated and taught the first Women's Studies course at Yale and Duke. Joel Kramer did post-graduate

    work in psychology and philosophy and was a resident teacher at Esalen Institute (1968-70). The author

    of The Passionate Mind, he is also an internationally acknowledged adept of physical and mental yoga.

    Dr. Alstad and Kramer have written and led seminars together since 1974.

    EXCERPTS FROM: THE GURU PAPERS: Marks of Authoritarian Power, pp 121-125

    On Channeling Disembodied Authorities

    Channels, channeled writings, and the spirit entities that supposedly speak through them are part of a

    trend that includes giving credence to different kinds of otherworldly, non-material, or other-

    dimensional, super-human intelligences. These presumed entities all function in a similar way in that

    they make themselves manifest by talking to or through someone they choose, who then becomes their

    channel. Why the entity chooses a particular person remains mysterious, as is the process of channeling

    itself. Becoming a channel is also a new frontier of esoteric activity. Anyone who hears a voice inside

    that is not consciously willed can assume something external is doing the talking and thereby take on

    the identity of channel.

    Turning to disembodied experts is not a surprising progression. In recent years, the godlike stature of

    many gurus evaporated in a mire of corruption, deceit, and abuse of power. In contrast, incorporeal

    entities seem free of corruption, as corruption makes little sense without a body to profit from its

    results. Also, these spirit authorities do not take their followers over in the total way that gurus do by

    demanding their prime emotional allegiance. This makes involvement with the teachings safer.

    The assumption that the spirit and channel are separate entities means incongruities between the

    channel's behavior and the channeled words are not seen as significant or relevant. A channeled

    message can never be questioned or challenged because of the impurity of the messenger. "Spirits" are

    assumed to be pure, or at least the purveyors of pure truth, whereas their vessels for this truth are "only

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    human" and do not need to claim or manifest infallibility or purity. Thus being a channel for

    otherworldly wisdom is less dangerous and confining than being its source, as with gurus. The channel

    can get drunk even if the "spirit" disapproves, while a guru would at least have to hide or justify the

    discrepancy between words and actions. The channel is not necessarily even supposed to be the entity's

    best student or exemplar, unlike those in the guru's inner circle.

    Of course, many are exploring these hermetic realms out of an understandable curiosity. Some

    approach channeling as potentially useful information that emanates from the channel's unconscious,

    involving possibly some form of extra-sensory perception, or a particular kind of sensitivity or gift of

    insight. They are more concerned with how astute the information is than with the nature of its source,

    utilizing only what makes sense to them. In contrast, regarding a channel as merely a passive vehicle

    enabling a superior, otherworldly intelligence to expound makes it difficult not to be swayed by the

    channel's input.

    Assumptions about Channeling

    There is no way ultimately to prove to everyone's satisfaction where a given voice comes from. So, the

    most revealing and also resolvable questions on channeling involve what the voice is actually saying; the

    implications of what is said; and whether the voice is assumed to have a direct line to the truth, making

    it unchallengeable and therefore authoritarian. What mainly interests us are why people consult

    channels, and the assumptions made about the presumed entities and their channeled messages. Some

    who call themselves channels may be merely milking the gullible; but we assume that many who

    channel believe in what they are doing. It is only the latter who interest us. Those who believe an

    external intelligence is the source of the voice or writings make at least some of the following

    assumptions:

    Being disembodied makes the entity a pure (or purer) voice of cosmic wisdom and spirituality.

    The entity not only knows more, but can access information otherwise inaccessible, or at least

    exceedingly difficult to get on one's own.

    The entity tells the truth.

    People's well-being is the entity's basic interest.

    The entity knows what's best for a given human or humans in general.

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    These entities would not be motivated by power or wrongly manipulate those who come to them. In

    short, they have no self-interest.

    One is better off getting the information than not.

    The fact that most channels put forth a similar message and share a similar worldview is sufficient proof

    that what they say must be for the most part true.

    The thread running through these assumptions is that disembodied entities are reliable, trustworthy,

    benevolent authorities with a deeper understanding of the nature of things. Here channeling, like gurus,

    creates a context of privileged knowledge that essentially cannot be challenged.

    Though therapists are also assumed to know more, good therapists are knowledgeable and careful

    around transference issues, meaning they are alert to the dangers of becoming an unconscious parental

    authority for their clients. They also know that even if they see something about a client they're fairly

    sure of, clients are far better off finding it out for themselves than being told. Channeled "spirits" (or the

    channels themselves) are also subject to transference, as are gurus. Imputing a different and higher

    order of existence to be the source of information makes such projections inevitable. (See "Gurus,

    Psychotherapy, and the Unconscious" for more on transference.)

    Should one give disembodied entities any credence at all, the drama and excitement of a supposed spirit

    entering a mortal to reveal deep, hidden truths evokes a seductive, magical aura of seemingly ultimate

    cosmic portent. Wanting to believe that spirits have a direct line to the truth ties into a deep yearning

    for something truly pure one can trust. When values of purity have been implanted, it becomes difficultto trust oneself as one is never pure enough. So looking for someone or something more pure fits neatly

    into people's deepest "pure-itanical" conditioning, which instills self-mistrust. (See "Who Is in Control?

    The Authoritarian Roots of Addiction" on the nature of this conditioning.)

    Hearing an inner voice or voices that seem to be coming from outside oneself is neither new nor

    historically unusual. When the voice urged doing something considered bad or hurtful, it was attributed

    to possession by evil spirits or the devil; when it voiced values of purity and selflessness, the spirit was

    assumed to be a messenger of the sacred. Attributing purity to another realm and to the information

    that supposedly comes from it is part of the age-old split between the sacred and secular created by

    renunciate religions. (See "The Power of Abstraction: The Sacred Word and the Evolution of Morality"

    on the origin and nature of this split.)

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    Channeling is an ancient phenomenon necessary for any revealed religion whose unchallengeable

    dictates have to come from God. God's wishes can only be known in three ways: either God has to speak

    through a person or assume a human form, or a person has to become godlike (the East's enlightenment

    paradigm). Thus many writings that are the foundation of traditional renunciate religions, such as the

    Koran and much of the Old Testament, were considered to be channeled from God by prophets and holy

    men. They contain the rules for staying in God's good graces. Most sacred texts from all religions are

    considered to be channeled (divinely revealed).

    Eastern religious worldviews are more generous than Western ones in bestowing infallibility through

    mastery. It is then not surprising that most modern channels espouse a worldview containing elements

    of Eastern mysticism, usually including the Oneness perspective, with karma/rebirth presented as a

    given. Not insignificantly, the alignment with Eastern tradition is used as validation. There are other

    enticing messages: "If you only knew enough, you would see you are perfect". All limits are in the mind

    and can be transcended". These temporarily empowering beliefs are very seductive. What is channeled

    largely accentuates the positive: beauty, transcending fear, loving yourself, and intimations of

    immortality within an unlimited universe of plenty. Many channels, either directly or indirectly, put forth

    the appealing notion that "You create your own reality". What this means, or is taken to mean, is that if

    you do it right you can create anything; conversely, everything negative that occurs you have really

    chosen in order to learn a needed lesson. To make this belief work, a theory of karma/rebirth is

    necessary, for without past lives and karma, it would be hard to explain why one "chose" the particular

    painful lessons one needed to learn, and why one needed to learn them. ("Do You Create Your Own

    Reality?" describes this New Age adaptation of karma.)

    APPENDIX TWO

    SOME COMMENTS BY DR. MEREDITH J. SPRUNGER

    Dr. Meredith J. Sprunger is a minister in the Church of Christ and a college professor, now retired from

    pastoral and teaching responsibilities. For many years Dr. Sprunger was active as a counselor and

    psychological consultant, holding a Private Practice Certificate in Psychology in the state of Indiana. Hehas served congregations in the Midwest, and taught at Elmhurst College and the Indiana Institute of

    Technology, functioning as head of the Department of Psychology, Chairman of the Division of Liberal

    Arts, and as President.

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    In the Urantia movement Dr. Sprunger has served as a Field Representative, Chairman of the Education

    and Fraternal Relations Committee, and as President of the Urantia Brotherhood.

    He is founder and Director of the Christian Fellowship for Readers of The Urantia Book, a trustee in the

    Jesusonian Foundation, and the editor of The Spiritual Fellowship Journal.

    CHANNELING and the URANTIA MOVEMENT Meredith J. Sprunger (Published 3/28/92)

    Psychic or paranormal psychological phenomena variously referred to as extrasensory perception,

    channeling, spiritualism, mediumship, and activities of marginal consciousness have been rather

    common throughout human history. Many years ago I made a study of these paranormal

    communications and found they varied in quality as widely as the capabilities of the human mind. Some

    of the psychic communications studied present verifiable factual knowledge for which scientists find no

    reasonable empirical explanation. The great bulk of this material, however, is demonstrably inaccurate

    and unreliable.

    Since the publication of The Urantia Book, there have been many claims by book readers of" special"

    channeling information or guidance. Some even claim The Urantia Book came through a channeling

    process, although the authors of the book deny the spiritual authenticity of channeling-mediumship

    psychic phenomena (pp. 685, 1640). Dr. William S. Sadler, leader of the group receiving the Urantia

    Papers, after listing every conceivable form of psychic phenomena (marginal consciousness),

    unequivocally declared: "The technique of the reception of The Urantia Book in English in no way

    parallels or impinges upon any of the phenomena of the marginal consciousness".

    Basic Error in Evaluation

    The basic error in evaluating knowledge -- especially psychic communication and revelation -- is to look

    for verification in its source, author, claim or "authority". There is a natural human desire for superior,

    unearned knowledge; we yearn for surety, a "hot line" to higher guidance. This is the source of

    fundamentalism, literalist, dogmatic thinking. Claim or authority, however, is never a criterion of truth.

    The only road to truth is through earned, evolutionary experience. We should always evaluate

    information by its content, not its claim or supposed source. In our earned experience we have the

    highest resources to guide and verify our judgment: the Spirit of God (Thought Adjuster), the Spirit of

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    Truth, and the Holy Spirit. Our judgments must also always be tested by personal experience, the

    experience of others, and time.

    When measured by these earned, experiential standards over time, the value of channeled

    communication does not rate very high. We should not, however, allow fear or prejudice to prevent us

    from honestly examining the content of information received through channeling. We should be open to

    carefully evaluating all types of knowledge.

    A Specific Case

    Recently I examined recordings of "The Teachings of Ham" channeled to the Salt Lake Study Group. I

    found the quality generally good. They are of the quality I would expect from a creative, intelligent

    student of The Urantia Book. While, in my judgment, they are not in the same league with The Urantia

    Book, they are basically constructive and insightful.

    There are a number of limitations to the above generalizations. I find no empirical-experiential evidence

    for the claim that the Lucifer Rebellion has been adjudicated and that the system circuits are being

    opened. I question the truth of the claim of giving people their "spiritual" names. The authors of The

    Urantia Book tell us that we are given a new name only after fusion with our Thought Adjuster (p. 538). I

    further question the wisdom of this practice. Why is Rebecca more spiritual than Jan, Joshua more

    spiritual than Thern, or Martha more spiritual than Kathy? This is the kind of technique used for

    controlling people through "special" or "secret" knowledge. Many cults use such practices.

    Ham discourages a member of the study group from taking an eight week summer course because he

    will miss these channeling sessions. Even the higher ranking authors of The Urantia Book do not use this

    style of manipulative control. Why would the Vicegerent Planetary Prince single out the Salt Lake Study

    Group for special attention as they were told? And through this special attention Ham tells them "You

    are . . . under . . . my . . . direction". Group leadership and direction are common practices, but I see in

    this kind of atmosphere the danger of acquiescing to uncritical manipulation.

    Ham tells the group the spiritual center of the planet is Manitoba, Canada. This differs from the Chicago

    contact information designating it as at the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in

    Yosemite National Park. When Ham is asked about Norsen, he identifies him as a teacher, which is

    markedly different that the Chicago contact information telling that Norsen is the new "take charge"

    planetary supervisor.

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    One wonders why people feel a need for channeling guidance, which, historically, does not have a good

    track record, when they have direct personal contact with much higher sources of truth: their Thought

    Adjuster, the Spirit of Truth, and the Holy Spirit? It seems to me that the study of The Urantia Book

    would be superior to preoccupation with this quality of channeling information. I further see a danger inthe possibility of giving the channeler undue respect as an authority figure which might by-pass higher

    spiritual guidance. When this happens, cults are formed with susceptibility to manipulative control.

    The Bottom Line

    The content of Ham's teachings is basically constructive and is no doubt helpful to some people. There

    are also those who have not summoned the courage and confidence to initiate outreach work who will

    do so when encouraged by channeling messages. At best, such channeling activity can be a supplement

    to Urantia Book study, guidance, and individual initiative; at worst it could be a substitute for it. We

    should always critically evaluate the quality of any kind of guidance.

    FURTHER COMMENTS on CHANNELING (PUBLISHED 9/6/93)

    During the last several months I have received a number of papers promoting or explaining channeling

    and the "teaching mission". Some of them are "off the wall" and ludicrous, containing veiled threats to

    join in with them or face rejection of salvation, while others are well written and on the surface appear

    to say all of the right things. All of them attempt to ride the coat tails of The Urantia Book

    It might be helpful to some who are still perplexed about this phenomena to add a few summary

    statements to my paper "Channeling and the Urantia Movement" (3/28/92) for consideration.

    Psychic, esoteric, or paranormal psychological phenomena is rather common throughout human history.In the field of religion, such things as "speaking in tongues" (glossolalia), seeing visions, getting "special"

    or "higher" instructions through spiritualistic or psychic channels tends to occur in periods where people

    are stimulated spiritually without having concrete social-organizational channels to express these

    motivations in service or outreach activities. Historically, these psychic activities have not had a very

    good track record.

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    Currently there is an attempt to explain and justify this phenomena by claiming that the Lucifer

    Rebellion has been adjudicated and the system circuits are opened. To give the "teaching mission"

    further prestige, they claim these instructions are a continuation of the Fifth Epochal Revelation.

    Both of these claims, in my judgment, are without foundation. My guess is that the adjudication of the

    Lucifer Rebellion will be communicated to our planet in a more significant way than channelingmessages! Claiming that these channeling messages -- or even our own autorevelation -- is a

    continuation of the Fifth Epochal Revelation is to toy with "delusions of grandeur". This is different than

    God's historic way of bringing epochal revelation to our world. Epochal revelation has always come in

    specific, concrete, objective form -- in persons or a book -- not in subjective messages of various quality

    from numerous "teachers". The content of these messages, in my judgment, is not in the same league

    with The Urantia Book but what I might expect from an intelligent student of the book. Some of these

    messages are not even up to this quality.

    The best apologetics for the "teaching mission" do say things that, in the main, are harmonious with the

    wisdom of The Urantia Book but neglect a key spiritual insight. Preoccupation with "intermediaries" or

    dependence on their direction tends to sidetrack the basic purpose of spiritual growth: God-

    consciousness, learning to grapple with tough problems through our own decisions and experience, and

    outgoing service. We have the greatest teachers available to human beings -- Thought Adjusters, the

    Spirit of Truth, and the Holy Spirit. We have ample opportunity to learn through personal decisions and

    experience, and we have service potentials to fully occupy our lives.

    Although it is unintended, I can think of no more subtle way to disrupt unity in the Urantia movement

    and divert attention away from a dynamic outreach program to bring the Fifth Epochal Revelation to our

    world than the preoccupation with channeling and other psychic activities.

    I know that many people have been helped by these channeling "teachers". Some of them are close

    friends. All of us probably have conscious or latent desire for a 'higher' spiritual mentor. As material

    beings we appreciate "tangible" personal relationships. So I understand the attraction of" special

    teachers" and share these observations, not to denigrate those who may disagree with them, but to

    clarify differences in perception, and with the hope that in spite of differences, we may unite in bringing

    the Filth Epochal Revelation to our world.

    From a letter to Larry Mullins in answer to inquiries about channeling and drug use, 11/11/93:

    "Historically, there is a connection between psychoactive drugs and assumed 'divine messages'. Down

    through the ages various groups and individuals have used consciousness altering drugs as a means to

    initiate what participants regarded as 'spiritual' experiences. Often these substances were viewed as

    'sacraments'.

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    "It is surprising and disturbing to see how intelligent contemporary people in the face of all this historic

    evidence of deception can be deluded by the same psychoactive drug experiences. The authors of The

    Urantia Book point out the danger of such artificially induced, mind-distorting experiences. We are led

    Godward by our highest thoughts, not by our emotions, psychoactive drugs, or mystic states. But onecan be sure there will always be those who will repeat the mistakes of our ancestors!"

    APPENDIX THREE

    Excerpts from "Channeled" Material

    These were taken from showcased material that was prepared for publication. Those who prepared and

    edited these "teachings" either personally lacked the knowledge that they contradicted The Urantia

    Book, did not care, or claimed The Urantia Book has been altered.

    "MACHIVENTA" Material "channeled". 9/23/92 This material was widely disseminated to demonstrate

    the high "quality" of this "transmitter receiver's" teachings.. The document is titled "WELMEK".

    "MACHIVENTA": . . ".Haven't you all experienced times when you're searching for words and cannot find

    them? You will have someone who is much closer to you than your spirit fragment who will be able to

    serve and help you in this way". (pg. 7)

    NOTE: SEE PAGE 1190 of The Urantia Book: "Apart from possible co-ordination with other Deity

    fragments [Thought Adjusters] the Adjusters are quite alone in their sphere of activity in the mortal

    mind . . . the Father has certainly reserved for himself the right to be present In the minds and souls of

    his evolving creatures to the end that he may draw all creature creation to himself ..." and [1177] "The

    Adjuster is man's infallible cosmic compass, always and unerringly pointing the soul Godward."

    "MACHIVENTA": "Stand up for yourself when the time is right as our Master did in the temple when he

    destroyed the money-changers and the animal sellers. This is fine". (pg. 13)

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    NOTE: SEE PAGE 1891 of The Urantia Book. Of course, the Master did not "destroy". anyone. Allowing

    for rhetorical excess, the purpose of the cleansing of the temple was not to stand up. for himself. Aside

    from this specific incident, The Urantia Book passage goes on to establish a broad principle. The

    principle of the temple cleansing applies to groups, not to individual relationships. (The statement by

    "Machiventa". was in reply to someone who was asking about a personal relationship problem.) In the

    spirit of the book, those who, in the name of being fair and open-minded, allow their study groups to be

    dominated by a few individuals with personal agendas should read the text on page 1891 with care:

    [1891] The cleansing of the temple discloses the Master's attitude toward commercializing the practices

    of religion as well as his detestation of all forms of unfairness and profiteering at the expense of the

    poor and unlearned. This episode also demonstrates that Jesus did not look with approval upon the

    refusal to employ force to protect the majority of any given human group against the unfair and

    enslaving practices of unjust minorities who may be able to entrench themselves behind political,

    financial or ecclesiastical power. Shrewd, wicked, and designing men are not to be permitted to organize

    themselves for the exploitation and oppression of those who, because of their idealism, are not

    disposed to resort to force for self-protection or for the furtherance of their laudable life projects.

    SLAGLE: "Welcome to Change"

    From a large publication promoting various "channeled" material, this segment dated 2/25/92

    SLAGLE: I asked how to better discern my Adjuster's guidance'.

    "CELESTIAL TEACHER:" "That is the quest of the human: how to discern the human mind from the divine

    mind. This is your great challenge as it is of every other mortal on this planet". (pg. 2)

    NOTE. SEE PAGE 1207 of The Urantia Book: "You are quite incapable of distinguishing the product of

    your own material intellect from that of the conjoint activities of your soul and adjuster . . . trust all

    matters of the mind beyond the dead level of consciousness to the custody of the Thought Adjusters".

    [1208] ~ A human being would be better to err in rejecting the Adjuster's expression through believing it

    to be purely a human experience than to blunder into exalting a reaction of the mortal mind to the

    sphere of divine dignity".

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    "PALADIN" "Channeled" 1/30/91

    This is extracted from a large booklet produced in Sedona: The Salvington Circuit, Volume 1, No 1, May,

    1993. This group declares The Urantia Book to be the first one tenth of the Fifth Epochal Revelation and

    their own material to be forming the remainder!

    "The spiritual deficiencies of twentieth century Urantia are such that these rebellious starseed have

    remained on the seventh, sixth, fifth and fourth psychic circles for countless centuries without advancing

    to a higher circle". (Pg. 10)

    NOTE: Putting aside the question of mortal reincarnation, which The Urantia Book refutes, one must

    wonder how Urantia's twentieth century deficiencies have caused problems for countless centuries.

    Paladin, one of the centerpiece "celestial personalities" of the Sedona collection of "teachers", manages

    the difficult task of contradicting himself within the same sentence.

    The Salvington Circuit denigrates the integrity of The Urantia Book by insisting that Dr. Sadler altered the

    text to exclude reincarnation and astrology. [Page 20]: "William Sadler Sr. was vehemently against the

    idea of reincarnation . . . He was also vehemently against astrology . .".. Paladin states that when

    information in the papers declared these beliefs to be true: "He then began a systematic degradation of

    these papers.".. One of the articles in The Salvington Circuit is titled: Ascension Astrology, and was a

    "channeled" work of Paladin.

    Others who have had pet beliefs, such as the dead returning to earth to communicate with humans,

    have also insisted that Sadler must have altered the original Urantia Papers, since the Papers refute their

    own ideas. Clyde Bedell, who was in the Forum from 1924 until it was disbanded with the publication of

    The Urantia Book, told me that Dr. Sadler held his responsibility as to the integrity of the Papers as a

    sacred trust. Alteration would have required the collusion of at least five Individuals, each of whom was

    sworn to protect the text inviolate.

    Channelers pick and choose material from The Urantia Book at will; they use the Revelation when it suits

    them and claim it was "altered". or is "out of date" if it does not. Other beliefs are possible, of course.

    But should they not stand upon their own integrity and quality, and not upon the shoulders of the Fifth

    Epochal Revelation?

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    Selected quotes from the Thought Adjuster Papers

    [1176]: Although the Universal Father is personally resident on Paradise, at the very center of the

    universes, he is also present on the worlds of space in the minds of his countless children of time, for he

    indwells them as Mystery Monitors...

    [1177]: The Adjuster is man's infallible cosmic compass, always and unerringly pointing the soul

    Godward.

    [1187]: There are no intermediaries or other intervening authorities or powers functioning between the

    divine Adjusters and their human subjects; God and man are directly related.

    [1190]: Apart from possible co-ordination with other Deity fragments the Adjusters are quite alone in

    their sphere of activity in the mortal mind . . . the Father has certainly reserved to himself the

    unchallengeable right to be present in the minds and souls of his evolving creatures to the end that he

    may so act as to draw all creature creation to himself, coordinately with the spiritual gravity of the

    Paradise Sons. Said your Paradise Bestowal Son when yet on Urantia: "I, if I am lifted up, will draw all

    men."

    [1206] The great goal of human existence is to attune to the divinity of the indwelling Adjuster; the great

    achievement of mortal life is the attainment of a true understanding consecration to the eternal aims of

    the divine spirit who waits and works within your mind.

    [1209]: It is to the mind of perfect poise, housed in a body of clean habits, stabilized neural energies,

    and balanced chemical function-when the physical, mental, and spiritual powers are in triune harmony

    of development-that a maximum of light and truth can be imparted with a minimum of temporal danger

    or risk to the welfare of such a [mortal] being. By such a balanced growth does man ascend the circles of

    planetary progression one by one, from the seventh to the first.