God Refined, Parts 1-4; Part 1: At Issue

God Refined: A Proposal for Peace
Part 1: At Issue
Bob Kezer © 1 August 2006
Revised 7 February 2007
ISBN: 978-0-6151-3810-7
$12.95 + p&h at
http://stores.lulu.com/bobkezer

Part 1
At Issue

How do we create a better world – a place without warfare, genocide, and environmental destruction? Some of us charge this responsibility to our leaders while others expect their god to save those of their faith. Many more people feel they have no voice because they are only one among so many. These attitudes have held us back: today’s problems are the result.

True change can only happen if we focus on elevating the fundamental basis from which we make our decisions. To not address our world’s problems at the individual level means we continue to place the responsibility elsewhere: we are the face in the mirror, and recognizing this is our first step.

The premise in this book – and this has been offered by others – is that every decision we make is either based in love or results from fear. These two fundamental ways of relating to our world are the polar opposites that condition every action we take. On the surface they often seem similar, but at a deeper level they are much different.

One person embraces peace out of profound love for their neighbors: they have no desire for personal gain. Another acts in almost the same way but does so out of fear of retribution – either from some god, karmic debt, or belief in universal justice. While neither person hurts others, their motivation for not doing so is different. So are their levels of commitment to these principles guiding their conduct: fear does not serve us in our darkest hours. Only love can draw forth the passion needed to sustain our commitment to peace.

Fear based personalities stem from ancient concepts of God: this continues to direct much in our societies. Most people have been taught to fear their creator – to believe in hell, damnation, and God’s wrath. For them it is logical to believe that if there is a god, then this god will judge, condemn, and punish us upon death for our infractions during life: there is good and evil and whether we understand this or not, we are held responsible. They then copy this pattern into their lives, our society, and the global institutions dictating our existence.

Today we have a world economic system that continues to allow 800 million souls a year remain chronically malnourished – not because we do not have the food to feed them, but because they do not have the money to buy it. Placing the quest for power above all else has resulted in profit becoming more important than people: we have allowed, and continue to see happen, the wholesale eradication of most of the indigenous cultures that once thrived in our world.

Tradition has been overwhelmed by progress leaving a legacy of genocide in its wake. With little thought given to our collective responsibility as stewards of the planet, many people have selfishly taken all they could and left almost nothing for future generations – their inheritance is a destroyed environment they cannot repair, only adapt to. Rather than accepting our individual responsibility for this, we often claim impotence and blame others.

We are disconnected from the institutions framing our world: what is correct personal conduct gives way to power based policy. The whole does not represent the parts: truth, fairness, and responsibility – necessary attributes for a healthy family – are not the guiding principles of our world community. Perpetuating the economic model, not recognizing our interdependence, dominates our reasoning. We have the obligation to expect better.

At the family level we promote the improved welfare of our offspring, while in the global sphere we allow our leaders to legislate in ways that destroy their future. People of high moral character are promoted as models to exemplify, yet these traits are not appropriate foreign policy. We are expected to obey the rule of law for the greater benefit of all, while our leaders maintain a global system of anarchy where the biggest stick rules.

Some people argue that without fear humanity would never have advanced – that it was necessary for strong leaders to command loyalty. This may be true, or not: all we know for sure is that we have never tried another way. Fear has always reigned in our collective consciousness. This grants that at some level anger and impatience, criticism and judgment, and violence and revenge – the common fare of today’s global stage – become acceptable.

Concepts of scarcity, superiority, and religious intolerance dominate our cultures. Competition overrides cooperation in almost every area. It seems that no matter how much we have desired a better world, we have always allowed that for one group to have, another must not. Do we really wish to continue like this?

Our other option is to release the fear that holds us back, generate the necessary momentum for change, and then create an environment conditioned by love. To make this happen enough people need to believe the very essence of God is love. When we know God as perfection of love we realize that anger –the worst of human emotions – can never be attributed to this deity.

God has never gotten mad or impatient or lashed out at creation: these beliefs come from the days when sacrifice was routine. We know better now. To believe that after death we are greeted by an empathetic, compassionate, and merciful divine parent – one that loves us, understands our natural failings, and who forgives us for them – releases us. We begin to live our lives with joy, abandon, and excitement absent the criticism, judgment, and inevitable violence of the past.

Embracing our unity – realizing we are all siblings of the same divine creator – removes the idea that some people are more worthy than others because of wealth, religion, or ethnicity. We are all children of the same family: we have an obligation to help each other.

We have experienced the truth that for any of us to suffer hurts us all. Just as we would ensure that all of the members of our personal family are cared for, we need to have consideration for those living in hardship around the world. Our disparities in wealth, resources, and education need to be reduced. If not, what can we expect to happen when those without similar opportunity demand their accounting?

When the people who have more begin to care for those who have less, we will heal. This accelerates when people gifted with greater abilities use more of their energy for humanity’s welfare, rather than their own gain.

It is time to drop our grudges: we all bear a degree of responsibility. It may not be right to forget everything that has happened, but it is essential for us to forgive. Seldom a rapid process, this is not one we often wish to begin: many times we expect the other person to apologize first. We allow ourselves to be controlled by our emotions, which come from our human side, and not our feelings, which stem from the Divine.

We act out of fear when we try to insure our place in life by accumulating material things: we hoard, become static, and hope to buy our way out of any problem. Holding on to our stuff becomes more important than anything else. We learn to only associate with those of similar status: people’s bank accounts start to mean more than their characters. This process separates us from each other and our common heritage: we turn into fortified islands built to hold off the rest of humanity.

Love though, is a reciprocal process of giving and receiving that increases in quantity and quality with each cycle. We cannot receive love and keep it, only bask in its healing effect as it flows through us and on to others.

Love allows us to release our hold on the material. We live with greater spontaneity trusting more in the relationships we foster. Our true rewards do not come from riches, but from the return of loving consideration we first spread ourselves. This provides us our best security in an uncertain world, and forever conditions our memories of this first life. As we have been told, it is in the giving that we receive.

Can we ever achieve a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources without fairness becoming a guiding principle? Should violence – whether physical, passive, or social – be tolerated any longer, or can we replace it with dialog, consensus, and understanding?

For the first time in history we have a framework of belief that allows us – with intent – to reach for a higher level of conduct. As some people break the generational cycles that have destroyed their families, we can change the historical trends that define us. In doing so we achieve a greater revelation of God and remake ourselves in that divine image.

With the god of this presentation, every meaningful action is scaled by the degree of eternal truth, divine beauty, and infinite goodness it contains. Little in our world is black or white. Evil is not a force in and of itself, but rather the degree to which these traits are missing. Knowing this helps us learn how to live, act toward others, and shape our future global government.

Only by gaining a more refined image of God can we both follow our hearts and trust our actions are grounded in love. Using these criteria to judge whether thoughts we consider from God are valid helps us to separate divine guidance from human garbage. Would a loving parent ever tell one of their children to harm the others in their family? To think God would, is absurd. This misunderstanding has brought much horror, and no longer is this teaching appropriate.

The power of choice is ours. As people increase the number of love-based decisions they make, they change. Those who have done this know the process cannot be rushed: each of us must have the time to fail, reassess, and experience the eventual outcome of our efforts. Wisdom is knowledge combined with experience, which is not gained just from greater time on planet, but through the active process of making difficult choices.

As with the parts, so goes the whole: as more people change, so does our world. Like with the balance beam scale held by the lady of justice, every decision counts. Each positive choice has weight and works to affect the momentum directing our planet. At first we are unable to see the progress: the other side has great weight and movement will not happen until we almost reach equilibrium. Then everything accelerates, good over takes bad, and peace comes to the Earth.

Bringing forth a new system is a process: we allow the old to fade as the new takes form. Our hope resides with better choices being made by a new generation, not converting those in charge now. People seldom change when they want to, much less when they do not. With time, room is made for those with a different vision.

Our children need a world in which the results of their choices are clear. Fear has left its legacy: we must now build ours. Anything we use to create our future will remain a part of it. This means not placing our focus on fighting what is wrong, but rather on promoting what is right – people putting their time, money, and energy into love-based action. To do otherwise is to remain anchored in the past using anger, animosity, and personal indignation against ourselves.

Who does not feel these fear-based emotions when they lash out in protest? How can pitting hate against hate ever work? Our energy stems from a different source: we do not want to try and use theirs against them. When we do, we seldom see progress.

A different outcome requires new tactics: not knowing this defines us as insane. Fear is the disease and the greater issues in our world are its symptoms: by channeling our energy in positive ways we cure it rather than manage it.

This book is about a new way to know our Creator: its purpose is not to convert. People are urged to use this information to augment their current forms of worship. We are speaking of an enhanced personal relationship with God, not the competition that wages between the churches.

Religious diversity is not our problem: antagonism, spiritual stagnation, and thoughts of superiority are. People of all religions can use this information to achieve a better understanding of God, their relationship with their Creator, and our responsibility to be good stewards of the planet – and the better we know this, the closer we all become.

Dogma anchors our religious institutions in the past: they have not evolved as we have. Modern minds are being forced into ancient constructs: doctrine has not kept pace with science. This disparity between our spiritual level and our technological ability has limits: we must reduce the tension before it destroys us.

Truth is not static: it changes as we grow in awareness. Our duty is to redefine it as we gain maturity, experience, and knowledge. Only in this way do we progress. As it becomes more refined we learn to apply it with greater dexterity.

Should we not expect the same from our world’s faiths? Do they not have an obligation to incorporate the wisdom garnered over the ages into the teachings they promote? Somehow, we must both honor our founding documents, and still allow for change as we mature.

There is a way to believe in God that inspires hope, is inclusive of everyone, and allows for our daily increases in scientific knowledge. Yes, eternal life is freely offered to all and should be accepted as such. No, we do not go from being gross, material, and imperfect mortals one moment, to sitting with God the next. Ours is a long journey to the center, our deaths are nothing more than portals, and we are always expected to strive for increased awareness: never do we gain outside of our own efforts.

This is written with the hope of causing as little antagonism as possible to others of different beliefs – the source material stands on its own and does not require contrast with other religions for validity. Some statements are in direct contradiction with what other people profess: this cannot be helped. The god within is one of love, divine mercy, and absolute perfection: a loving parent, not stern judge. This is not an extension of the ancient god of wrath.

The degree of our own faith is shown by how much we allow others to practice theirs. Intolerance shows ignorance of the unified nature of our existence. God never requires us to harm others. People who embrace this creator do not justify violence under the guise of religion.

This presentation speaks of Jesus Christ and accepts his divine nature, but it is not based on the New Testament. It does not support primary Christian doctrine such as hell, original sin, or Christ dying for us.

The founders of Christianity were not perfect. Being Jews first, their faith bound them to the belief that a messiah was coming to sit on the throne of David, vanquish their enemies, and create an earthly kingdom where they ruled over the gentiles. The apostles were not able to understand Christ’s message that the kingdom of God was spiritual, that it was within the heart of the believer, and that this salvation was offered to all people regardless of religion, ethnicity, or social status.

Because of these misunderstandings, compromises were made. The church founders worked to develop a religion about Christ – one based on the fact that he rose from the dead – rather than a religion of what he taught. These errors conditioned their subsequent writings, and hence, many people’s understanding of God. Their books were later translated across time and into modern languages making them at best approximations of the original content. The result has been contradiction, animosity between sects, and doctrine unacceptable to many people: it has not brought our world peace.

This book relates to a different accounting of events – not all of it, just the essential parts necessary to help us better understand our Creator. It is based on a document known as the Urantia Revelation that is published as the book and by the foundation bearing that name. Compiled during the first half of the 20th Century, it was understood that the material would not gain acceptance immediately: it would take a later generation to understand its message.

The people involved with the origination of the material are shrouded in secrecy. The official claim is this stops any human from being revered by future generations. Other sources state the information is the response to questions asked by a group formed to investigate a person who, when asleep, would speak as other personalities.

The text generated claims celestial authorship from a wide array of spiritual entities commissioned to transmit the revelation. It says that our world has had unique problems, that we have gone off track, and that this special group is to help us correct the situation. Humanity is considered responsible, free choice of will is emphasized, and growth requires our active participation: we cannot know our divine nature by being told about it, we must experience the process.

Information new to us – revelation – was only given when nothing else already in our knowledge bank could be used. Because of this, the work contains over one thousand of humanity’s highest concepts of religious and philosophical thought. Meeting the commission’s mandate meant the material would not be perfect, but only offer that level of truth needed for us to regain our spiritual path. Also, human beings were involved in transcribing the work: as has always happened before, errors occurred in the process.

Controversy surrounds all books that support the various religions: the Urantia Revelation is no exception. Skeptics question many things, including how the revelation came to be, its claim of celestial authorship, and its lack of moral dictates. Upon review, though, of the stories offered by others, like virgin births, the infallibility of human writings, and the inevitable floods sent by angry gods, this one seems to be at least as reasonable.

Unsettling to some is the way the Urantia Revelation strips power from those who today claim religious authority. It supports a secular world government, rejects notions of chosen people, and calls for women – at every level – to become full partners in the world’s decision-making process. It states that only when one religion claims to be superior to another that religious wars – or those promoted by religious people – can break out. History teaches that all institutions have survival instincts that make them fight to maintain their authority at almost any cost. No matter how this material is presented, there will be those who feel threatened by it.

No priest, church, or institution can ever come between a person and God. It states that religion is personal and defines our individual relationship with our Creator. Concepts of excommunication, ecclesiastical authority, or another person’s spiritual inferiority are invalid. Women have absolute equality with men.

People are urged to pray to God, but they are also advised to do so when alone, in their own words, and for spiritual growth not material gain. Developing a child/parent relationship with God is important. Churches are said to be social groups for people who wish to be with others of similar beliefs. This fellowship is encouraged, but belonging to a specific church confers no increased worth upon the person.

The Urantia Revelation fills a massive volume containing 2097 pages of 8 ½ by 11- inch biblical paper with over one million words. It is unreasonable to expect people who just want to know its essential message to read the entire book. Yet, never before has the world needed its help as it does now.

Have we ever been more at risk – whether from nuclear weapons, unrestrained consumption, or the harm we have done to our world’s environment – than we are now? Has there ever been a time when it was more important to understand our relationships with others, and is that knowledge not linked to how we view our Creator? The world may not have been ready to accept direct spiritual intervention on our behalf fifty years ago, but it seems to be yearning for it today.

This revelation offers a path to abolishing warfare. Nothing is more important if we want to solve the global problems threatening our existence. If correct – and that is best shown through the words, lives, and actions of those believing it – then it needs to be broken down for greater access by more people.

Everyone has their own method of learning that works best for them, whether by reading, listening to recordings, or gathering to hear someone speak. It is the duty of those spreading this message to accommodate that diversity. If a person has further interest, they can then tackle the original document.

Never should we allow the lesser to take precedence over the greater: more important than someone reading a complex cosmology is the simple knowledge that God is within us, we are within God, creation is bound by divine love, and mercy is offered to all who want it. This is the message that moves us into the era of peace.

Freedom of religious thought – the choice of how to believe or even the decision not to believe – always stays with the person. If there is a creator, and that being does not force us to believe in it, then no earthly power has the right to either. There have always been many diverse religions: throughout history people have found love, peace, and the path to eternal life in most of them, as have atheists and those who claim no religious preference at all. Not respecting this right of choice is the way of the spiritual imposters – those who promote their will, not God’s, through hate, anger, and violence.

To create a space for our children where religious diversity is embraced and all faiths are equal under a sovereign Creator, we need to draft the documents stating this. Our planet is ready for a religious treaty: an agreement that is signed, adhered to, and promoted by new groups in each faith. Doctrine and practice we know to be harmful need to be modified: letting the past control our future ensures our destruction. Each religion will remain unique, but no longer can we embrace wording or ceremony that teaches hate, places one group over another, or condones violence as a means to an end.

This is a requisite step: peace will not come from a miracle but rather our own efforts. We must make the leap of faith: like a free climber on a shear cliff with no choice but up, we need to have the courage to jump for our next handhold. To not act means we fall and suffer the consequences. Breaking free from the institutions of the past may seem like an extreme measure, but they no longer meet our needs. If we continue in the same way, how can we ever expect different results?