dolske@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (02/05/86)
Would anyone with information on the URANTIA book please contact me in this notes file net.books or net.religion.christian
djd@drutx.UUCP (DailyDJ) (02/14/86)
The Urantia book is a religious tract.
I don't mean to denigrate anyones religious beliefs, but as
entertainment, it is long, boring, and a bizarre blend of divinely
inspired science fiction and religious dogma.
The copy I own was published by the URANTIA foundation, 533 Diversey Parkway,
Chicago, Illinois 60614, in 1955. I have no idea if the foundation is
still there. I found my copy in a Latter Day Saints bookstore, and once
saw a copy of it in a public library.
The Urantia book is divided into four sections and purports to describe,
what it calls, the "Story of the Universe of Universes," our galaxy
(the "local" universe), our planet (Urantia), and the teachings and life
of Jesus. It is 2000 pages long, sounds dead serious, and is humorless.
Just to give you a flavor I'll quote from the foreword (in my high school
speech class we put this through a vocoder with a little echo):
Your world, Urantia, is one of many similar inhabited planets which
comprise the local universe of Nebadon. This universe, together with
similar creations, make up the superuniverse of Orvonton, from whose
capital, Uversa, our commission hails. Orvonton is one of the seven
evolutionary superuniverses of time and space which circle the never-
beginning, never-ending creation of divine perfection-the central
universe of Havona ...
I only care to summarize in a superficial way: the sections discuss
various teachers, commissions, angels, planetary histories (some geology),
races on other planets colored red, blue, violet, indigo, etc. The
only reason I mention the colors is that the Urantia book seems to
emphasize this diversity. The last section dwells in great detail on
the life of Jesus, his teachings, his siblings, a girl friend (I don't
think it worked out). It looks like some of the Gnostic gospels were
included here.
Does anyone know more about the real origin of this book?
Dan Daily
AT&T ISL
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