Adapted from the Urantia Book original paper here
1. At the library in Alexandria, Jesus and Ganid researched all of the world’s religions that proclaimed one God. Ganid hired sixty translators to help. The following were the ten headings and thoughts at that time.
2. Cynicism held there is only one God. Worship God and shun evil. God won’t force you to believe. God is Truth, Infinite and Immortal. God is everywhere. God is in creation, and creation is in God. Seek to join your mortal soul with the spirit of God inside.
3. Judaism claimed its own God above all others. Our God is merciful and true to those who fear him. Those who reject God will perish. Fearing God and keeping his ten commandments is our whole duty. Peace comes to those who love God’s law.
4. Buddhism didn’t have a personal or universal God. It spoke of a soul and the Infinite. A pure heart brings trust, bliss, and peace. Faith is man’s gift of virtue, our true wealth. Be righteous and meditate on mercy and justice. Evil is wrong thinking and false beliefs.
5. Hinduism taught God was the great parent of the Earth and heavens. He is pure, kind, and changeless in all seven universes. If we know God we become immortal. God prepares us to awake in a new form and live with him in heaven. Our greatest goal is to be one with God.
6. Zoroastrianism had God as the source of all things and protector of justice in the universe. We are to aspire to be perfect like God. Our greatest duty is to know him and to become one with him. Follow God to know eternal salvation. Those who do evil will be punished.
7. For the Jains, God of heaven was supreme. Know truth to have life hereafter. To reach heaven walk the path of righteousness. Are greatest foes are anger, pride, deceit, and greed. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Our greatest victory is conquest of ourselves.
8. In Shinto, the Prince of Heaven shows himself through beauty, nature, and virtue. He is the maker of the Earth and heavens. All obeys his will. Anxiety and fear move us away from God. Release your pride to find God. To gain immortality men must forsake the world for God.
9. The one supreme God is the honored ancestor of all things. He is changeless and lives inside all true men. To know God is to be enlightened. Ignorance brings evil, misery, disaster, and passion for sin. To be wise accept all men as brothers. Humble yourself. Know your sonship with God.
10. The one God is our father and mother. God gives morality to even inferior people. To know God is to fear nothing. Our purpose conditions our soul. Know your sins and repent them. Seek for truth, hold no grudges, and treat others as you would be treated. Noble spirits rise to God.
11. Ganid wrote down Jesus teachings. He called this collection, “our religion.” There is one God. We love God with all of our heart and mind. Love others as we love ourselves. The mind of man is mortal, but his spirit is immortal. We live in God and God lives in us. Those who desire God find him.
12. Ganid committed himself to worship God. Instead of treating others as he wanted to be treated, he committed to treating others as God would have them treated, the highest level of the golden rule. Ganid had a religion in which he could now believe. One with a God of eternal salvation.
Okay, folks, that’s it for Son of Man: Urantia, Chapter 10, “The World’s Religions.” Next week’s full Son of Man: Urantia, Chapter 11, is titled, “While in Rome.”
Have a fantastic week out there.
Bob