Eugenics, Race, and The Urantia Book

Is being of service what motivates us? Do we prioritize group interests above our personal interests? What do we feel our responsibility is to future generations? How do we prefer to strike a balance between the interests of this generation and future generations? How do we prefer to strike a balance between individual and group interests? How do our spiritual beliefs impact our attitudes and perspective on these issues? Reasonable minds exhibit a significant spectrum of variation in response to these types of questions because many aspects of these issues are about personal preferences and not about what is moral, ethical, or “right.”

Concern that spiritual beliefs will be used to justify the callous, unfair, immoral and/or unethical treatment of certain groups or individuals is validated both by historical precedents and contemporary agendas. On the other hand, some religions traditions are not known for such things and indicate that the problem is not with religion per se, but rather with what some people do in the name of their religion. Religious beliefs ought to yield especially insightful perspectives and suggestions that are loving, wise, appropriate, kind, ethical and moral AS WELL AS being sufficiently adaptable to the particular challenges of an ever changing environment. The sad irony is that just the opposite is so often the case. Let’s not make the problem worse by conflating what is essentially a human issue that gets projected onto religion (and politics) from those things that are in their essence a religious issue.

If religious faith is going to assert an eternal perspective and values, then this comes with the responsibility of integrating these eternal values and principles with timely insights and practical suggestions. On the other hand, while it may be spiritually invigorating and worthwhile on a personal level for the religionist to experience their faith as an enhancement to their role as an earthly citizen, the standards of citizenship are not higher for people of faith. It is no more appropriate for the religionist to lower the bar for themselves (using their religious beliefs as an excuse) than it is for the non religionist to hold the religionist to a higher standard (even if on a personal level some religionists do hold themselves to a higher standard). Our freedom as individuals to hold ourselves to whatever standard we want and for whatever reasons we want does not grant a license to others for the application of double standards in interpersonal or social relationships.

Religionists must function in society, in industry, and in politics as individuals, not as groups, parties, or institutions. A religious group which presumes to function as such, apart from religious activities, immediately becomes a political party, an economic organization, or a social institution. Religious collectivism must confine its efforts to the furtherance of religious causes.

Religionists are of no more value in the tasks of social reconstruction than nonreligionists except in so far as their religion has conferred upon them enhanced cosmic foresight and endowed them with that superior social wisdom which is born of the sincere desire to love God supremely and to love every man as a brother in the heavenly kingdom. An ideal social order is that in which every man loves his neighbor as he loves himself.(1)

Once we have rejected using religious beliefs as an excuse for treating people in ways that would otherwise be inconsistent with values and principles, we are left with standards that are reasonable and workable and go right to the heart of the issue. Are we truly dominated by an attitude of loving service to humanity?

The standard is simply to wisely and with love develop perspectives and make choices in a manner that is consistent with doing the greatest good, for the greatest number, for the greatest length of time, while simultaneously respecting the balance between the prioritization of group and individual interests of one’s contemporaries. With respect to what we do, this standard is nothing more or less than adopting the appropriate attitude of a civil servant entrusted with governmental responsibilities—from the individual voter to the president. With respect to who we are, this standard is nothing more or less than the attitude that a good parent takes toward the security and welfare of their family.

Of course, reasonable minds will differ significantly on how to apply such standards. Prioritizing group interests over individual interests or all future generations over the current generation does not equate to a justification for “striking a balance” at the most extreme end of the long term, group interests spectrum, giving virtually no consideration to individual interests or the current generation. But where reasonable minds ought to be able to come together is in recognizing that prioritizing self-interest and/or limiting the time frame to the interests of the current generation is unworkable; it is a violation of the responsibilities that come with being procreative, interdependent beings. The demands of enlightened citizenship, as with parenthood, require an altruistic attitude that on a fundamental level generally prioritizes being of service to the collective in a manner that strikes a reasonable balance between the interests of the current generation and future generations.

Having addressed the general issue of applicable standards and having rejected the notion that no religious cosmology ought to be used as an excuse for the abandonment of values and principles, due consideration of the particulars of The Urantia Book’s cosmological perspective is still required. This paper is, after all, specifically about its statements about eugenics and race. And while the cosmological context of The Urantia Book may not be a justification for anything, it nonetheless reflects the sensitivity that this particular paradigm has to the issues at hand and merits consideration on this level.

(The determination was reluctantly reached to exclude from this paper those parts of The Urantia Book that address classic theological questions like “Why do bad things happen to good people?” and “How are the circumstances of this world consistent with the existence of an all loving and powerful God?” The insights provided in the text on this subject are most excellent. But such a discussion would take this report a bit afield of our focus. As well, some of the statements in The Urantia Book about eugenics and race directly address aspects of these issues.)

Ultimately, because healthy community standards for assessing perspectives on eugenics and race do not allow for positions to be justified based on an individual’s theological beliefs, what The Urantia Book has to say on the how “all things work together for good with God” does not directly address the enormous challenges we face regarding eugenics and race issues. While such perspectives may be comforting to us as individuals if we accept them, they do not necessarily make us better citizens.

If, on the other hand, The Urantia Book’s position on eugenics and race is not appealing, independent of its theological perspective, this, of course, would be a valid criticism.

Still, details about the afterlife provided in The Urantia Book do reflect a cosmology that exhibits a notable and admirable sensitivity to the value and importance of experiencing family life. Its cosmology asserts that the organization of afterlife experiences prioritizes providing the requisite conditions for growth and development sufficient to equalize our divergent mortal experiences. The service model involves those who are more advanced working to uplift those who are less advanced. Naturally, this process works to “equal things out” on basic levels of development. In referring to the last stage of this process The Urantia Book states, “Here you will be purged of all the remnants of unfortunate heredity, unwholesome environment, and unspiritual planetary tendencies. The last remnants of the "mark of the beast" are here eradicated.”(2)

It also states:

[Immediately upon resurrecting] . . . ascending mortals are afforded ample opportunities for compensating any and all experiential deprivations suffered on their worlds of origin, whether due to inheritance, environment, or unfortunate premature termination of the career in the flesh. This is in every sense true except in the mortal sex life and its attendant adjustments. Thousands of mortals . . . [begin their post-mortal experience] without having benefited particularly from the disciplines derived from fairly average sex relations on their native spheres. The mansion world experience [the first stage of the resurrection experience] can provide little opportunity for compensating these very personal deprivations. Sex experience in a physical sense is past for these ascenders, but in close association with . . . [an order of celestial beings (referred to as “Adamic”) whose families provide the necessary environment], both individually and as members of their families, these sex-deficient mortals are enabled to compensate the social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their deficiency. Thus are all those humans whom circumstances or bad judgment deprived of the benefits of advantageous sex association on the evolutionary worlds, . . . afforded full opportunity to acquire these essential mortal experiences in close and loving association with the supernal Adamic sex creatures . . .

[The relationship of this order of beings to our world is the subject of three of the most impressive reports published by UBtheNEWS: the Adam and Eve Report, the Garden of Eden Report, and the Gobekli Tepe Report.]

No surviving mortal . . . may ascend to Paradise . . . without having passed through that sublime experience of achieving parental relationship to an evolving child of the worlds or some other experience analogous and equivalent thereto. The relationship of child and parent is fundamental to the essential concept of the Universal Father and his universe children. Therefore does such an experience become indispensable to the experiential training of all ascenders [mortals].

. . . Thus do such . . . ascenders obtain the experience of parenthood by assisting the . . . Adams and Eves in rearing and training their progeny [on a world we visit after being resurrected].

All mortal survivors who have not experienced parenthood on the evolutionary worlds must . . . obtain this necessary training while sojourning in the homes of . . . Material Sons [ and Daughters] and as parental associates of these superb fathers and mothers.(3)

Thus, in the final analysis, it would be hardly proper to use the words "greater" or "lesser" in contrasting the destinies of the ascending orders of sonship. Every such son of God shares the fatherhood of God, and God loves each of his creature sons alike; he is no more a respecter of ascendant destinies than is he of the creatures who may attain such destinies. . . . Sonship is the supreme relationship of the creature to the Creator.(4)

The loving attitude of the Creator to the creature is the archetype of both parenthood and citizenship. The basic values and principles are the same.

The religionist is not unsympathetic with social suffering, not unmindful of civil injustice, not insulated from economic thinking, neither insensible to political tyranny. Religion influences social reconstruction directly because it spiritualizes and idealizes the individual citizen. Indirectly, cultural civilization is influenced by the attitude of these individual religionists as they become active and influential members of various social, moral, economic, and political groups.

The attainment of a high cultural civilization demands, first, the ideal type of citizen and, then, ideal and adequate social mechanisms wherewith such a citizenry may control the economic and political institutions of such an advanced human society.

The church, because of overmuch false sentiment, has long ministered to the underprivileged and the unfortunate, and this has all been well, but this same sentiment has led to the unwise perpetuation of racially degenerate stocks which have tremendously retarded the progress of civilization.

Many individual social reconstructionists, while vehemently repudiating institutionalized religion, are, after all, zealously religious in the propagation of their social reforms. And so it is that religious motivation, personal and more or less unrecognized, is playing a great part in the present-day program of social reconstruction.

The great weakness of all this unrecognized and unconscious type of religious activity is that it is unable to profit from open religious criticism and thereby attain to profitable levels of self-correction. It is a fact that religion does not grow unless it is disciplined by constructive criticism, amplified by philosophy, purified by science, and nourished by loyal fellowship. (emphasis added)

There is always the great danger that religion will become distorted and perverted into the pursuit of false goals, as when in times of war each contending nation prostitutes its religion into military propaganda. Loveless zeal is always harmful to religion, while persecution diverts the activities of religion into the achievement of some sociologic or theologic drive.

Religion can be kept free from unholy secular alliances only by:

1.   A critically corrective philosophy.

2.   Freedom from all social, economic, and political alliances

3.   Creative, comforting, and love-expanding fellowships.

4.   Progressive enhancement of spiritual insight and the appreciation of cosmic values.

5.   Prevention of fanaticism by the compensations of the scientific mental attitude.

Religionists, as a group, must never concern themselves with anything but religion, albeit any one such religionist, as an individual citizen, may become the outstanding leader of some social, economic, or political reconstruction movement.

It is the business of religion to create, sustain, and inspire such a cosmic loyalty in the individual citizen as will direct him to the achievement of success in the advancement of all these difficult but desirable social services.(5)

Sonship in the kingdom, from the standpoint of advancing civilization, should assist you in becoming the ideal citizens of the kingdoms of this world since brotherhood and service are the cornerstones of the gospel of the kingdom. The love call of the spiritual kingdom should prove to be the effective destroyer of the hate urge of the unbelieving and war-minded citizens of the earthly kingdoms. But these material-minded sons in darkness will never know of your spiritual light of truth unless you draw very near them with that unselfish social service which is the natural outgrowth of the bearing of the fruits of the spirit in the life experience of each individual believer.(6)

The Urantia Book explains that Jesus first tried to teach people in terms of “the family of God,” but that this was too advanced for the people of that day. He, therefore, also contextualized his teachings about God in terms of “the heavenly kingdom.”

Jesus always had trouble trying to explain to the apostles that, while they proclaimed the establishment of the kingdom of God, the Father in heaven was not a king. At the time Jesus lived on earth and taught in the flesh, the people of Urantia knew mostly of kings and emperors in the governments of the nations, and the Jews had long contemplated the coming of the kingdom of God. For these and other reasons, the Master thought best to designate the spiritual brotherhood of man as the kingdom of heaven and the spirit head of this brotherhood as the Father in heaven. Never did Jesus refer to his Father as a king. In his intimate talks with the apostles he always referred to himself as the Son of Man and as their elder brother. He depicted all his followers as servants of mankind and messengers of the gospel of the kingdom.(7)

The following quotes reflect this period-specific modality of teaching about God.

As mortal and material men, you are indeed citizens of the earthly kingdoms, and you should be good citizens, all the better for having become reborn spirit sons of the heavenly kingdom. As faith-enlightened and spirit-liberated sons of the kingdom of heaven, you face a double responsibility of duty to man and duty to God while you voluntarily assume a third and sacred obligation: service to the brotherhood of God-knowing believers.

You may not worship your temporal rulers, and you should not employ temporal power in the furtherance of the spiritual kingdom; but you should manifest the righteous ministry of loving service to believers and unbelievers alike. . . .

Display wisdom and exhibit sagacity in your dealings with unbelieving civil rulers. By discretion show yourselves to be expert in ironing out minor disagreements and in adjusting trifling misunderstandings. In every possible way—in everything short of your spiritual allegiance to the rulers of the universe—seek to live peaceably with all men. Be you always as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves.

You should be made all the better citizens of the secular government as a result of becoming enlightened sons of the kingdom; so should the rulers of earthly governments become all the better rulers in civil affairs as a result of believing this gospel of the heavenly kingdom. The attitude of unselfish service of man and intelligent worship of God should make all kingdom believers better world citizens, while the attitude of honest citizenship and sincere devotion to one's temporal duty should help to make such a citizen the more easily reached by the spirit call to sonship in the heavenly kingdom.

. . .

When a kingdom believer is called upon to serve the civil government, let him render such service as a temporal citizen of such a government, albeit such a believer should display in his civil service all of the ordinary traits of citizenship as these have been enhanced by the spiritual enlightenment of the ennobling association of the mind of mortal man with the indwelling spirit of the eternal God. If the unbeliever can qualify as a superior civil servant, you should seriously question whether the roots of truth in your heart have not died from the lack of the living waters of combined spiritual communion and social service. The consciousness of sonship with God should quicken the entire life service of every man, woman, and child who has become the possessor of such a mighty stimulus to all the inherent powers of a human personality.(8)

Footnotes:

1) Urantia Book 99:2.3,4

2) Urantia Book 47:9.1

3) Urantia Book 45:6.3-6

4) Urantia Book 40:10.13

5) Urantia Book 99:3.3-11

6) Urantia Book 178:1.4

7) Urantia Book 169:4.1

8) Urantia Book 178:1.5-8,13