UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE URANTIA BOOK

A guide to the spiritual work, the Urantia Book, that illuminates its important concepts and urges readers to consider the overlap of science and religion.

Johnson’s expanded edition of his study manual explores the anonymously written spiritual work, giving brief rationales for some of the ideas and a short introduction to the COSAR (The Coordination of Science and Religion) Principle. The author pays particular attention to the relationship between spiritual and scientific principles and points out passages within the Urantia Book that cover scientific studies. Those passages emphasize that science and spiritual beliefs do not conflict. Johnson shows that some parts of the Urantia Book even predict important scientific discoveries that came well after the book was written. Johnson breaks his book into three parts: the union between scientific and spiritual principles; the spiritual ideas of the book; and, the third and largest section, the study guide. It seems to be a comprehensive breakdown of the major principles; however, Johnson’s book is not for the beginner. The reader already versed in Urantian principles, who has read the original work completely at least once, would gain more from this guide. While Johnson explicates some Urantian concepts, he falls short of adequately defining the original work. This could have been done with a strong introduction to contextualize the writer’s devotion to the spiritual views. The writer needs to create more unity within his own book and lay a foundation for all to understand the spiritual work he is obviously so enthusiastic about. More explanation and analysis seem to be needed here.

A passionate devotees’ outline of important concepts in the Urantia Book but not for neophytes.