Feb. 12, 2026
Noah
In our personality profile series we look at Paper 78 and the story of Noah. Was the story of the flood real?
The story of Noah serves as a good example of our stories become legend, and eventually sacred. Many biblical stories started out this way, and Paper 78 explains why so much of Jewish history became sacred over time.
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The well, I'm excited because I
get to spend the next 30 minutes
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talking about the Urantia book
and some of the exciting things
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that are going on.
I want to offer up some producer
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notes before we get going.
The time I spent with Byron
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Belitsus was excellent.
I hope you will take a listen.
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That's the preceding podcast and
it was good to have him in it
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it.
It sparked a lot of response.
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We had some great response from
listeners, including one that I
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wanted to share with you because
I thought it was just so well
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written.
You know, the issue of how we
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brand and the Urantia movement.
What's next?
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What do we do?
You know, how are we to deal
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with the future?
How do we make this thing grow?
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Because we believe that the
Urantia book offers some real
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assistance to at least culture
and humanity and certainly
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spiritual progress.
And so I got a an e-mail and I
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got permission to share it.
Normally I wouldn't share it
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unless I get permission.
So you can always e-mail me and
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I'll never share it unless you
give me permission.
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But this one comes from Michael.
Michael writes after listening
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to the previous episode with my
guest, Byron.
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He says the main issue with the
Ranch book, as I see it, is that
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it's intimidating by both its
size and by the amount of
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information that it contains.
So I propose that the Oranga
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Foundation produce a series of
booklets for public
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distribution.
Examples would be what the
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Oranga book teaches about
physics.
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This would also include topics
such as the Ultimaton, which
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would interest particle
physicists and could be handed
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out at national, international
meetings of physicists.
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I think that's a really good
idea for so many different
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reasons, because in, in
Michael's right, the, the size
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of the book is very
intimidating.
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And then when you start to look
at the table of contents, that
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can can also be a bit
overwhelming.
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But what if you were able to
take the elements of the Urantia
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book and, and sort of order it
by section or topic?
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And then you could have what the
Urantia book teaches about
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physics, what the Urantia book
teaches about all kinds of
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different cosmology about Jesus.
It, it kind of reminds me of
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the, if any of you are familiar
with Khalil Gibran and he came
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out with a book, he's a Lebanese
philosopher guru from the early
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1900s.
And he wrote a book called The
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Prophet.
And I always made it a habit of
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giving that book the Prophet.
It's, it's only about maybe 120
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pages.
And anytime I was invited to a
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wedding, I think I must have
handed that book out to, you
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know, a few people that I knew
that got married.
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I said, this is a good book for
your family.
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And why did I do that?
Why not?
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Why not hand him the Urantia
book?
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Well, the The Prophet is such a
well written book.
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And it's this man's opinion on
how he feels about love, about
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death.
It's easy to read.
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It's very comforting, very deep,
and for the most part pretty
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consistent with the teachings of
most great religions, including
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the Urantia book.
So I think Michael has a good
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point.
It we have this book, it's, it's
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obviously complex.
It's, it's written with the
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intent of being around for a
while.
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I think it's, this book will be
studied for centuries perhaps.
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But wouldn't it be great to have
a sort of a condensed by topic,
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maybe a, a box set, you know,
maybe pick the 10 things that
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most people would be interested
in.
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And, and to that end, I started
working on a sort of an
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instruction chart.
If I were, if I were to teach
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the Urantia book, I would need a
syllabus.
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So I'm creating a syllabus kind
of based on what, what Michael
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is talking about.
And I think he's right.
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These little booklets would be
helpful to helping people who
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really probably have a great
curiosity about the Urantia
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book.
And, and I, I think it's a good
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idea, you know, because I think
the, the walk away message I got
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from Byron, which I really
appreciate it is he says we have
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to identify who our target
audience is.
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And believe me, when, when I do
these episodes, I also think
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about, you know, who am I
talking to?
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It's one person and it's, it's
a, it's a kind of person that
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might be interested in religion
to begin with.
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Maybe that person isn't
necessarily religious in the way
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that many of us think of people
that are religious who go to
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church, get involved in all
those kinds of things.
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But I have to be honest, I, I
don't think of myself as a, a
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proselytizer.
My, my approach to the Urantia
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book is based on the acceptance
of, of this being the narrative
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of reality.
So I accept my cosmic
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citizenship.
I act as if I am part of an
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eternal universe and that this
is my job.
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This is, this is my position
right now at this juncture of my
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life getting started.
And to me it, it's, it's like I
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am a, I'm a Roman citizen.
And, and now that I know that
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there is this grand and I'm use
that as a metaphor that, that,
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that I've been informed that
this is a grand universe of lots
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of things going on, then I, I
want to be a part of that
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because what I do here actually
contributes to that overall
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mission, doesn't it?
I think it does could have a
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section where we talk about what
these the Urantia book teach
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about Jesus or what does it
teach about the afterlife.
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And there's all these different
things that we could not so much
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take the place of the Urantia
book, but is one of my favorite
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expressions to provide A to
remove the barriers of entry,
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you know, to provide safe
harbor, to let people feel
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comfortable, you know, put it on
and what does it look like?
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How does it feel?
And then if it, if it rings
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true, if you read, for example,
the section on marriage and what
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it teaches about family life and
the importance and the
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contribution, you might find
yourself saying, you know what,
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I agree with that too.
Maybe you want to know what does
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it talk about when it talks
about angels?
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You know, I think I kind of
believe in angels.
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I think a lot of people, in
fact, I think more people
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believe in angels than probably
believe in Christ himself
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because there's something
appealing about it, right?
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So I, I guess the point is, is
that our audience is really
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twofold people who want an
updated, maybe gospel, an
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updated presentation of what the
gospel really is.
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What was Jesus really trying to
teach and, and not just the
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religion about him that we find
in the in the Bible, but the but
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the story of his life and how he
lived his life and, and what he
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was attempting to do with his
Incarnate bestowal.
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You know, people think that
Jesus was when he was a little
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kid knew that he was the Son of
God.
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And that's not true.
He lived a life just like every
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other human being.
But that self-awareness came in
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part because his was a spiritual
mission, and as he grew in
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spiritual wisdom and life
experience, it was like 2, two
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things coming together and then
one course, the day of baptism,
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when the voice came speaking
from the sky, that is when we're
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told that Jesus had final
confirmation on his relationship
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with the Father and who he was
and his mission.
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Now, you may not get that that
story from the Bible.
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I've read the Gospels, I've read
Matthew, Mark, John, I've read
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Luke.
I've read many of the books of
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Paul.
And I can tell you that the only
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time I've ever felt like I truly
understand what the mission of
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Jesus was, was when I read the
Urantia book.
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Now there are other topics that
are more complicated, like
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physics and things like that.
So I'm just putting it out there
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that, you know, each of us could
benefit if, if we're interested
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in sharing the book with people
that maybe the approach is to #1
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figure out who it is you think
you're, you're appealing to, not
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the world like Byron said.
And then the other element of
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that is some people just want to
know about the book.
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Some people want about the,
about the gospel.
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Some people want to know about
what's what's in the book and
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what the book tells us about and
and I learn more toward that as
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well.
I find many of these podcasts
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are about explaining some of the
more exciting concepts of the
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book.
For example, we have started our
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new sort of miniseries on
personalities of the Urantia
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book.
And so far I think we talked
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about in the last episode was
Grand Fonda.
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That was my choice.
I had another listener say they
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wanted to hear more about
Melchizedek, so I think I will
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do that.
I did spend an episode or two on
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Macha Venta, but it's worth
revisiting again because he's
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such an important part of our
history.
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And it's really a shame that the
Bible doesn't give him more
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shell space because Macha Venta,
the Sage of Salem was really the
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third revelation of epical
proportions.
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So he's, he was not the the
Jesus revelation, but before him
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setting, setting the way for the
4th epical revelation.
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So he's worth another visit.
I got a great request from
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someone who wanted to talk about
Noah.
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So I want to get into Noah for
two reasons.
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One, because Noah's a
fascinating individual on the
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pages of history, and two, it
also helps me talk about why the
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Urantia book is is important as
a text because it fills in a lot
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of missing pieces of our
history.
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But more than that, it also
sobers us up to the difference
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between what is known as sacred
history and profane history.
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Many of our problems of society
today, particularly with the the
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constant battle going on in the
Middle East, is a result of that
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sacred history.
So let's talk about Noah.
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But before we we do that, let's
jump into page 78 and it talks
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about the state of the Jewish
people and it talks about the
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early books of the of Scripture,
the Old Testament, the Torah
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and, you know, parts of the
Hebrew Scripture.
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So from paper 78, we pick up
with with this entrance into the
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story.
And then we'll get into Noah a
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little bit.
The book writes that almost 5000
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years later, as the Hebrew
priests in Babylonian captivity
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sought to trace the Jewish
people back to Adam, they found
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great difficulty in piercing the
story together.
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And it occurred to one of them
to abandon the effort to let the
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whole world drown in its
wickedness at the time of Noah's
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flood, and thus to be in a
better position to trace Abraham
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right back to one of the three
surviving sons of Noah.
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Continuing on, the traditions of
a time when water covered the
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whole of the Earth's surface are
universal.
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Many races harbor the story of a
worldwide flood sometime during
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past ages.
The biblical story of Noah, the
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Ark, and the flood is an
invention of the Hebrew
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priesthood during the Babylonian
captivity.
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There has never been a universal
flood since life was established
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on Urantia.
The only time the surface of the
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earth was completely covered by
water was during the Rkozoic
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ages, before the land had begun
to appear.
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That's a very important
statement that the Urantia book
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is stating, which is that the
entire story of Noah, the flood,
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the 40 days and 40 nights.
And there are elements of the
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story that are true, but as far
as it being because God wanted
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to destroy the wicked of earth,
this is actually contesting that
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story.
It's saying that's not true.
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And the person who told me about
Noah came up with the idea of
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doing a little bit on Noah said
to me, you know, that changed my
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life.
Learning that truth changed my
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life because I always thought,
why would a loving God destroy
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humanity?
And think of how much that idea
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is rooted particularly in
evangelical circles.
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It is under that that same
feeling, that same thought
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process of of having national or
ethnic guilt, believing that
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your race or your tribe is
suffering because God is angry
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at you.
In many ways and in many
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respects, the Arantia book
informs us that we have to move
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away from that thinking.
It's it's not any different from
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if you had an earth father who
was abusive, if you thought that
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your earth father was going to
whip you because you were evil.
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That's what you're likening God
to be like, that he is punishing
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us because we're evil and
because Eve created the first
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sin and we had that sinful
nature.
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And the Hebrew condition arose
because for hundreds and
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hundreds, 800 years, they were
under the captivity of the
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Babylonians.
I mean, they, they essentially,
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they went from being, you know,
Bedouins to Egyptian slaves.
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00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,920
And then they started to sort of
form their own little nation,
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promoting monotheism in the
teachings of Abraham.
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00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:19,920
And they suffered for it.
But that sort of explains why in
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the Bible and in the Old
Testament, we have the story of
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00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,640
the universal flood of of being
punished.
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00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,640
And because it's rooted in this,
this sense of racial guilt.
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Now Paper 78 goes on and says,
but Noah really lived.
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00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:43,240
He was a wine maker of Arum, a
river settlement near Eric or
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00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:45,920
Iraq.
He kept a written record of the
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days of the river's rise from
year to year.
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00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,840
He brought much ridicule upon
himself by going up and down the
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00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:57,360
River Valley, advocating that
all houses be built of wood boat
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00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,240
fashion, and that the family
animals might be put up on board
239
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,240
each night as the flood season
approached.
240
00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,800
He would go to the neighboring
river settlements every year and
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00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,480
warn them that in so many days
the floods would come.
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00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:15,640
Finally, a year came in which
the annual floods were greatly
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00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,599
augmented by unusually heavy
rainfall.
244
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,760
So that was the sudden rise of
the waters that wiped out the
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00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,400
entire village.
Only Noah and his immediate
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00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,960
family were saved in their
houseboat.
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00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,960
So there's the story.
It's a short story, really.
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00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:41,560
It's interesting that the
revelators knew about him and
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00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:45,560
knew about the fact that the
story in the Bible comes from
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00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,520
this man.
And I'm, I'm putting the age at
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00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:54,840
around maybe 6-7 thousand years
ago, probably about 5000 BC.
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00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:57,920
I'm guessing that's probably,
you know, geologists could
253
00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,240
probably make that determination
if and also that area, which is
254
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:08,240
basically Syria moving eastward
towards Iraq or what was
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00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:13,160
Babylonia, That whole area is,
is always subjected to those
256
00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,000
kinds of flooding.
It's, it's very flat.
257
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,480
And if you, if you looked at any
geography, you can see that
258
00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:24,240
there's been plenty of water
flow from floods.
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00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,920
They sort of dredge out into the
Gulf if you're looking at it
260
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,280
from like a bird's eye view.
But I, I just want to ask you
261
00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,720
before we conclude, how does
this idea sit with you?
262
00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,560
Does it make you feel less close
to God?
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00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:41,240
Or does it challenge the
authority of the Bible to, to
264
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,880
think of the fact that the whole
story of the universal flood,
265
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:48,800
which is so much a fabric of, of
our religion.
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00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,560
If you're born Christian or
raised in a Christian
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00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:57,040
environment, I think I felt like
relieved, like Janie, I felt
268
00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,440
like, you know what that story
And really I think I like the
269
00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,400
story better.
It's it's more grounded in
270
00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:09,200
reality really here, let me
continue reading.
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00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:14,000
It says 500 years of
overlordship of alien rulers was
272
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,720
too much for even the patient
and long-suffering Jews.
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00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:21,080
This is you be talking about the
difference between sacred
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00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:25,480
history and profane history.
The prophets and priests began
275
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:29,680
to cry.
How long, O Lord, how long as?
276
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,600
As the honest Jews searched the
Scriptures, his confusion became
277
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,000
worse confounded.
An old and seer promised that
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00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,680
God would protect and deliver
His chosen people.
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00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,280
All modern religions have
seriously blundered in the
280
00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:48,560
attempt to put a miraculous
interpretation on certain epochs
281
00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:52,600
or epochs of human history.
While it is true that God has
282
00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,240
many times thrust a Father's
hand of providential
283
00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:00,400
intervention into the streams of
human affairs, it is a mistake
284
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:05,080
to regard theologic dogmas and
religious superstition as a
285
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,440
supernatural sedimentation
appearing by miraculous action
286
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:14,520
in this stream of human history.
The fact that the Most Highs
287
00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:19,920
rule in the kingdoms of men does
not convert secular history into
288
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:25,720
so-called sacred history.
So much of our belief and faith
289
00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:30,760
and honor really honor.
Is aimed more at the prophets in
290
00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,560
the fact that they carried the
truth of monotheism forward.
291
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,360
You know they deserve great
respect and honor to be sure.
292
00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:44,720
But in that emotion came the the
sacred element of of turning
293
00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:48,400
these stories, many of them,
into supernatural events.
294
00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,800
Noah is a good example of
history being made sacred.
295
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,960
There was the event Noah did
exist, he warned his followers
296
00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,720
about rising waters and they
ignored him.
297
00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,440
But the story then gets expanded
to include the destruction of
298
00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,440
humanity, God's earth destroyed
because of wickedness.
299
00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,960
The essence of this seems to
portray that stories of the
300
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,800
miraculous should not be the
pretext for believing in God,
301
00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:18,640
especially the kind of creator
who may harm his kids in Mass
302
00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,600
because they have become spoiled
little brats and nothing more
303
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,320
than petulant and spoiled
children and whom refused to
304
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:30,320
clean up their mess.
As I conclude, and I think we
305
00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:31,840
all know who we're talking
about.
306
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,080
So your personality profile
suggestion?
307
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,080
e-mail me at
urantiabookradio@gmail.com.
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00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:43,720
Also, let me know if you like
some of the edition of some of
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00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:45,480
the jazz music I've been
throwing in.
310
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:50,040
I'm a big, I'm a fond, the lover
of jazz music, and I think it
311
00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:51,960
adds a little spark.
Let me know what you think.
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00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,680
We'll be back soon.
Another edition of the Your
313
00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:58,400
Rancho Radio podcast, soon to
come.
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00:21:59,040 --> 00:23:09,320
Be well and be a good cheer.
Music.
00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,119
The well, I'm excited because I
get to spend the next 30 minutes
2
00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:35,440
talking about the Urantia book
and some of the exciting things
3
00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,640
that are going on.
I want to offer up some producer
4
00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,800
notes before we get going.
The time I spent with Byron
5
00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,800
Belitsus was excellent.
I hope you will take a listen.
6
00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:51,280
That's the preceding podcast and
it was good to have him in it
7
00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:53,360
it.
It sparked a lot of response.
8
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,160
We had some great response from
listeners, including one that I
9
00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,600
wanted to share with you because
I thought it was just so well
10
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,360
written.
You know, the issue of how we
11
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,560
brand and the Urantia movement.
What's next?
12
00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,160
What do we do?
You know, how are we to deal
13
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,360
with the future?
How do we make this thing grow?
14
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,200
Because we believe that the
Urantia book offers some real
15
00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:22,000
assistance to at least culture
and humanity and certainly
16
00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,480
spiritual progress.
And so I got a an e-mail and I
17
00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,640
got permission to share it.
Normally I wouldn't share it
18
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,000
unless I get permission.
So you can always e-mail me and
19
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,160
I'll never share it unless you
give me permission.
20
00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:41,880
But this one comes from Michael.
Michael writes after listening
21
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,040
to the previous episode with my
guest, Byron.
22
00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,560
He says the main issue with the
Ranch book, as I see it, is that
23
00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,240
it's intimidating by both its
size and by the amount of
24
00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,960
information that it contains.
So I propose that the Oranga
25
00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,560
Foundation produce a series of
booklets for public
26
00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,440
distribution.
Examples would be what the
27
00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:04,320
Oranga book teaches about
physics.
28
00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:10,120
This would also include topics
such as the Ultimaton, which
29
00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,440
would interest particle
physicists and could be handed
30
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,680
out at national, international
meetings of physicists.
31
00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,360
I think that's a really good
idea for so many different
32
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,400
reasons, because in, in
Michael's right, the, the size
33
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,000
of the book is very
intimidating.
34
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:31,200
And then when you start to look
at the table of contents, that
35
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,360
can can also be a bit
overwhelming.
36
00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:36,880
But what if you were able to
take the elements of the Urantia
37
00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:42,400
book and, and sort of order it
by section or topic?
38
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,640
And then you could have what the
Urantia book teaches about
39
00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:50,360
physics, what the Urantia book
teaches about all kinds of
40
00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:55,360
different cosmology about Jesus.
It, it kind of reminds me of
41
00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,880
the, if any of you are familiar
with Khalil Gibran and he came
42
00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:05,880
out with a book, he's a Lebanese
philosopher guru from the early
43
00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:07,560
1900s.
And he wrote a book called The
44
00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,160
Prophet.
And I always made it a habit of
45
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,520
giving that book the Prophet.
It's, it's only about maybe 120
46
00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,920
pages.
And anytime I was invited to a
47
00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:21,280
wedding, I think I must have
handed that book out to, you
48
00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,560
know, a few people that I knew
that got married.
49
00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:25,240
I said, this is a good book for
your family.
50
00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:27,680
And why did I do that?
Why not?
51
00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,240
Why not hand him the Urantia
book?
52
00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,840
Well, the The Prophet is such a
well written book.
53
00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:37,400
And it's this man's opinion on
how he feels about love, about
54
00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,440
death.
It's easy to read.
55
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,880
It's very comforting, very deep,
and for the most part pretty
56
00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,400
consistent with the teachings of
most great religions, including
57
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,520
the Urantia book.
So I think Michael has a good
58
00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,640
point.
It we have this book, it's, it's
59
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,840
obviously complex.
It's, it's written with the
60
00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,360
intent of being around for a
while.
61
00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,600
I think it's, this book will be
studied for centuries perhaps.
62
00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,520
But wouldn't it be great to have
a sort of a condensed by topic,
63
00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:14,600
maybe a, a box set, you know,
maybe pick the 10 things that
64
00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,079
most people would be interested
in.
65
00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,160
And, and to that end, I started
working on a sort of an
66
00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,480
instruction chart.
If I were, if I were to teach
67
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,760
the Urantia book, I would need a
syllabus.
68
00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:33,880
So I'm creating a syllabus kind
of based on what, what Michael
69
00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,920
is talking about.
And I think he's right.
70
00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,840
These little booklets would be
helpful to helping people who
71
00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:45,320
really probably have a great
curiosity about the Urantia
72
00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,480
book.
And, and I, I think it's a good
73
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,080
idea, you know, because I think
the, the walk away message I got
74
00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:57,120
from Byron, which I really
appreciate it is he says we have
75
00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,440
to identify who our target
audience is.
76
00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:06,600
And believe me, when, when I do
these episodes, I also think
77
00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,120
about, you know, who am I
talking to?
78
00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,440
It's one person and it's, it's
a, it's a kind of person that
79
00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,520
might be interested in religion
to begin with.
80
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,760
Maybe that person isn't
necessarily religious in the way
81
00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,120
that many of us think of people
that are religious who go to
82
00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,520
church, get involved in all
those kinds of things.
83
00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:33,320
But I have to be honest, I, I
don't think of myself as a, a
84
00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,560
proselytizer.
My, my approach to the Urantia
85
00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:42,960
book is based on the acceptance
of, of this being the narrative
86
00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,600
of reality.
So I accept my cosmic
87
00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,960
citizenship.
I act as if I am part of an
88
00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,720
eternal universe and that this
is my job.
89
00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,160
This is, this is my position
right now at this juncture of my
90
00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,520
life getting started.
And to me it, it's, it's like I
91
00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:08,920
am a, I'm a Roman citizen.
And, and now that I know that
92
00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,720
there is this grand and I'm use
that as a metaphor that, that,
93
00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,040
that I've been informed that
this is a grand universe of lots
94
00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,000
of things going on, then I, I
want to be a part of that
95
00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:25,560
because what I do here actually
contributes to that overall
96
00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:30,000
mission, doesn't it?
I think it does could have a
97
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,520
section where we talk about what
these the Urantia book teach
98
00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,480
about Jesus or what does it
teach about the afterlife.
99
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,720
And there's all these different
things that we could not so much
100
00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,520
take the place of the Urantia
book, but is one of my favorite
101
00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:49,560
expressions to provide A to
remove the barriers of entry,
102
00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,720
you know, to provide safe
harbor, to let people feel
103
00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:59,080
comfortable, you know, put it on
and what does it look like?
104
00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,960
How does it feel?
And then if it, if it rings
105
00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:09,760
true, if you read, for example,
the section on marriage and what
106
00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,360
it teaches about family life and
the importance and the
107
00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,800
contribution, you might find
yourself saying, you know what,
108
00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:21,440
I agree with that too.
Maybe you want to know what does
109
00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,560
it talk about when it talks
about angels?
110
00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,000
You know, I think I kind of
believe in angels.
111
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,040
I think a lot of people, in
fact, I think more people
112
00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:33,640
believe in angels than probably
believe in Christ himself
113
00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,880
because there's something
appealing about it, right?
114
00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:41,280
So I, I guess the point is, is
that our audience is really
115
00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:48,080
twofold people who want an
updated, maybe gospel, an
116
00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,360
updated presentation of what the
gospel really is.
117
00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:56,320
What was Jesus really trying to
teach and, and not just the
118
00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:01,960
religion about him that we find
in the in the Bible, but the but
119
00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,720
the story of his life and how he
lived his life and, and what he
120
00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,680
was attempting to do with his
Incarnate bestowal.
121
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,040
You know, people think that
Jesus was when he was a little
122
00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,960
kid knew that he was the Son of
God.
123
00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,880
And that's not true.
He lived a life just like every
124
00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:28,200
other human being.
But that self-awareness came in
125
00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:33,679
part because his was a spiritual
mission, and as he grew in
126
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:38,840
spiritual wisdom and life
experience, it was like 2, two
127
00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:44,080
things coming together and then
one course, the day of baptism,
128
00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:49,440
when the voice came speaking
from the sky, that is when we're
129
00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,440
told that Jesus had final
confirmation on his relationship
130
00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,360
with the Father and who he was
and his mission.
131
00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,680
Now, you may not get that that
story from the Bible.
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I've read the Gospels, I've read
Matthew, Mark, John, I've read
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Luke.
I've read many of the books of
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Paul.
And I can tell you that the only
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time I've ever felt like I truly
understand what the mission of
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Jesus was, was when I read the
Urantia book.
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Now there are other topics that
are more complicated, like
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physics and things like that.
So I'm just putting it out there
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that, you know, each of us could
benefit if, if we're interested
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in sharing the book with people
that maybe the approach is to #1
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figure out who it is you think
you're, you're appealing to, not
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the world like Byron said.
And then the other element of
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that is some people just want to
know about the book.
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Some people want about the,
about the gospel.
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Some people want to know about
what's what's in the book and
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what the book tells us about and
and I learn more toward that as
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well.
I find many of these podcasts
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are about explaining some of the
more exciting concepts of the
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book.
For example, we have started our
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new sort of miniseries on
personalities of the Urantia
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book.
And so far I think we talked
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about in the last episode was
Grand Fonda.
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That was my choice.
I had another listener say they
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wanted to hear more about
Melchizedek, so I think I will
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do that.
I did spend an episode or two on
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Macha Venta, but it's worth
revisiting again because he's
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such an important part of our
history.
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And it's really a shame that the
Bible doesn't give him more
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shell space because Macha Venta,
the Sage of Salem was really the
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third revelation of epical
proportions.
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So he's, he was not the the
Jesus revelation, but before him
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setting, setting the way for the
4th epical revelation.
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So he's worth another visit.
I got a great request from
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someone who wanted to talk about
Noah.
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So I want to get into Noah for
two reasons.
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One, because Noah's a
fascinating individual on the
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pages of history, and two, it
also helps me talk about why the
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Urantia book is is important as
a text because it fills in a lot
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of missing pieces of our
history.
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But more than that, it also
sobers us up to the difference
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between what is known as sacred
history and profane history.
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Many of our problems of society
today, particularly with the the
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constant battle going on in the
Middle East, is a result of that
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sacred history.
So let's talk about Noah.
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But before we we do that, let's
jump into page 78 and it talks
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about the state of the Jewish
people and it talks about the
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early books of the of Scripture,
the Old Testament, the Torah
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and, you know, parts of the
Hebrew Scripture.
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So from paper 78, we pick up
with with this entrance into the
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story.
And then we'll get into Noah a
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little bit.
The book writes that almost 5000
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years later, as the Hebrew
priests in Babylonian captivity
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sought to trace the Jewish
people back to Adam, they found
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great difficulty in piercing the
story together.
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And it occurred to one of them
to abandon the effort to let the
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whole world drown in its
wickedness at the time of Noah's
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flood, and thus to be in a
better position to trace Abraham
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right back to one of the three
surviving sons of Noah.
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Continuing on, the traditions of
a time when water covered the
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whole of the Earth's surface are
universal.
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Many races harbor the story of a
worldwide flood sometime during
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past ages.
The biblical story of Noah, the
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Ark, and the flood is an
invention of the Hebrew
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priesthood during the Babylonian
captivity.
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There has never been a universal
flood since life was established
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on Urantia.
The only time the surface of the
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earth was completely covered by
water was during the Rkozoic
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ages, before the land had begun
to appear.
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That's a very important
statement that the Urantia book
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is stating, which is that the
entire story of Noah, the flood,
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the 40 days and 40 nights.
And there are elements of the
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story that are true, but as far
as it being because God wanted
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to destroy the wicked of earth,
this is actually contesting that
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story.
It's saying that's not true.
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And the person who told me about
Noah came up with the idea of
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doing a little bit on Noah said
to me, you know, that changed my
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life.
Learning that truth changed my
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life because I always thought,
why would a loving God destroy
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humanity?
And think of how much that idea
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is rooted particularly in
evangelical circles.
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It is under that that same
feeling, that same thought
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process of of having national or
ethnic guilt, believing that
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00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:09,400
your race or your tribe is
suffering because God is angry
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at you.
In many ways and in many
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00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,120
respects, the Arantia book
informs us that we have to move
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away from that thinking.
It's it's not any different from
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00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,840
if you had an earth father who
was abusive, if you thought that
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00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:32,320
your earth father was going to
whip you because you were evil.
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That's what you're likening God
to be like, that he is punishing
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us because we're evil and
because Eve created the first
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sin and we had that sinful
nature.
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And the Hebrew condition arose
because for hundreds and
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00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:55,640
hundreds, 800 years, they were
under the captivity of the
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Babylonians.
I mean, they, they essentially,
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they went from being, you know,
Bedouins to Egyptian slaves.
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And then they started to sort of
form their own little nation,
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promoting monotheism in the
teachings of Abraham.
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And they suffered for it.
But that sort of explains why in
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the Bible and in the Old
Testament, we have the story of
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the universal flood of of being
punished.
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00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,640
And because it's rooted in this,
this sense of racial guilt.
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Now Paper 78 goes on and says,
but Noah really lived.
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He was a wine maker of Arum, a
river settlement near Eric or
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Iraq.
He kept a written record of the
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days of the river's rise from
year to year.
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00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,840
He brought much ridicule upon
himself by going up and down the
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River Valley, advocating that
all houses be built of wood boat
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00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,240
fashion, and that the family
animals might be put up on board
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00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,240
each night as the flood season
approached.
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00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,800
He would go to the neighboring
river settlements every year and
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00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,480
warn them that in so many days
the floods would come.
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00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:15,640
Finally, a year came in which
the annual floods were greatly
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augmented by unusually heavy
rainfall.
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So that was the sudden rise of
the waters that wiped out the
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entire village.
Only Noah and his immediate
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00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,960
family were saved in their
houseboat.
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So there's the story.
It's a short story, really.
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It's interesting that the
revelators knew about him and
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knew about the fact that the
story in the Bible comes from
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this man.
And I'm, I'm putting the age at
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around maybe 6-7 thousand years
ago, probably about 5000 BC.
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I'm guessing that's probably,
you know, geologists could
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00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,240
probably make that determination
if and also that area, which is
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00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:08,240
basically Syria moving eastward
towards Iraq or what was
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00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:13,160
Babylonia, That whole area is,
is always subjected to those
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00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,000
kinds of flooding.
It's, it's very flat.
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00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,480
And if you, if you looked at any
geography, you can see that
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there's been plenty of water
flow from floods.
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00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,920
They sort of dredge out into the
Gulf if you're looking at it
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from like a bird's eye view.
But I, I just want to ask you
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before we conclude, how does
this idea sit with you?
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Does it make you feel less close
to God?
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Or does it challenge the
authority of the Bible to, to
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think of the fact that the whole
story of the universal flood,
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which is so much a fabric of, of
our religion.
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If you're born Christian or
raised in a Christian
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00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:57,040
environment, I think I felt like
relieved, like Janie, I felt
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like, you know what that story
And really I think I like the
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00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,400
story better.
It's it's more grounded in
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reality really here, let me
continue reading.
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00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:14,000
It says 500 years of
overlordship of alien rulers was
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too much for even the patient
and long-suffering Jews.
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This is you be talking about the
difference between sacred
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00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:25,480
history and profane history.
The prophets and priests began
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00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:29,680
to cry.
How long, O Lord, how long as?
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00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,600
As the honest Jews searched the
Scriptures, his confusion became
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00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,000
worse confounded.
An old and seer promised that
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00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,680
God would protect and deliver
His chosen people.
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00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,280
All modern religions have
seriously blundered in the
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00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:48,560
attempt to put a miraculous
interpretation on certain epochs
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00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:52,600
or epochs of human history.
While it is true that God has
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00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,240
many times thrust a Father's
hand of providential
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00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:00,400
intervention into the streams of
human affairs, it is a mistake
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00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:05,080
to regard theologic dogmas and
religious superstition as a
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00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,440
supernatural sedimentation
appearing by miraculous action
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00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:14,520
in this stream of human history.
The fact that the Most Highs
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00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:19,920
rule in the kingdoms of men does
not convert secular history into
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00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:25,720
so-called sacred history.
So much of our belief and faith
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00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:30,760
and honor really honor.
Is aimed more at the prophets in
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00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,560
the fact that they carried the
truth of monotheism forward.
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00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,360
You know they deserve great
respect and honor to be sure.
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00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:44,720
But in that emotion came the the
sacred element of of turning
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00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:48,400
these stories, many of them,
into supernatural events.
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00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,800
Noah is a good example of
history being made sacred.
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00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,960
There was the event Noah did
exist, he warned his followers
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00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,720
about rising waters and they
ignored him.
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00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,440
But the story then gets expanded
to include the destruction of
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00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,440
humanity, God's earth destroyed
because of wickedness.
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The essence of this seems to
portray that stories of the
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00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,800
miraculous should not be the
pretext for believing in God,
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00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:18,640
especially the kind of creator
who may harm his kids in Mass
302
00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,600
because they have become spoiled
little brats and nothing more
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00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,320
than petulant and spoiled
children and whom refused to
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00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:30,320
clean up their mess.
As I conclude, and I think we
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00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:31,840
all know who we're talking
about.
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So your personality profile
suggestion?
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00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,080
e-mail me at
urantiabookradio@gmail.com.
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Also, let me know if you like
some of the edition of some of
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00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:45,480
the jazz music I've been
throwing in.
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I'm a big, I'm a fond, the lover
of jazz music, and I think it
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00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:51,960
adds a little spark.
Let me know what you think.
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00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,680
We'll be back soon.
Another edition of the Your
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00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:58,400
Rancho Radio podcast, soon to
come.
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Be well and be a good cheer.
Music.
