Is The Urantia Book a new religion? Is it a cult?
[print] [email] The Urantia Book contains religion, history, science, and philosophy, and includes the life and teachings of Jesus. It defines religion as the sublime and personal relationship between the individual and the Creator. The Urantia Book simply states, “In its true essence, religion is a faith-trust in the goodness of God.” (2:6.1) The book asserts that one of the highest religious concepts that a person can grasp is the simple “fact of the fatherhood of God, coupled with the resultant truth of the sonship-brotherhood of men.” (194:0.4) No organized religion based on the teachings of The Urantia Book exists at this time, and many who believe in the book feel it is neither necessary nor desirable to create one. Each of the world’s major religions once began as cult. A “cult” is characterized by a group of people who adhere to a standardized and ecclesiastically sanctioned belief system, leaving no room for personal beliefs or for interpretation.
The Urantia Book contains religion, history, science, and philosophy, and includes the life and teachings of Jesus. It defines religion as the sublime and personal relationship between the individual and the Creator. The Urantia Book simply states, “In its true essence, religion is a faith-trust in the goodness of God.” (2:6.1) The book asserts that one of the highest religious concepts that a person can grasp is the simple “fact of the fatherhood of God, coupled with the resultant truth of the sonship-brotherhood of men.” (194:0.4) No organized religion based on the teachings of The Urantia Book exists at this time, and many who believe in the book feel it is neither necessary nor desirable to create one. Each of the world’s major religions once began as cult. A “cult” is characterized by a group of people who adhere to a standardized and ecclesiastically sanctioned belief system, leaving no room for personal beliefs or for interpretation.
