Reflections on the Publication Mandate
The students of the Urantia Book are often astounded at the apparently slow progress of the revelation but the Publication Mandate reminds us that: “The book is being given to those who are ready for it long before the day of its world-wide mission. Thousands of study groups must be brought into existence and the book must be translated into many tongues. Thus will the book be in readiness when the battle for man’s liberty is finally won and the world is once more made safe for the religion of Jesus and the freedom of mankind. ” [Emphasis mine] This paragraph is pregnant with many insights which, if carefully unpacked, I believe could help us understand our situation and so manage our expectations. Firstly, the book is ‘given’ – it is a gift from divine beings to us as a planet, and to us as specific individuals , “ long before the day of its world-wide mission.” If you have ever tried giving this book to anyone you quickly learn the astonishing ambivalence expressed b