-
Messages
-
Dear fellow students of The Urantia Book,
I woke up this morning to learn about this discovery of human footprints being found on the island of Crete that are claimed to be 5.7 million years old. This has thrown a cat amongst the pigeons in the scientific community. But it also challenges the time frame for the emergence of hominoid life on Urantia according to the Papers:
(703.5) 62:2.1 A little more than one million years ago the Mesopotamian dawn mammals, the direct descendants of the North American lemur type of placental mammal, suddenly appeared.
(707.6) 62:4.7 Thus it was that the dawn mammals, springing from the North American lemur type, gave origin to the mid-mammals, and these mid-mammals in turn produced the superior Primates, who became the immediate ancestors of the primitive human race. The Primates tribes were the last vital link in the evolution of man, but in less than five thousand years not a single individual of these extraordinary tribes was left.
It is true that the book warns us about the limitations of the laws of revelation. However, when it comes to the presentation of « historic facts and religious truths », the author of Paper 101 declares that these « will stand on the records of the ages to come ».
(1109.3) 101:4.2 Mankind should understand that we who participate in the revelation of truth are very rigorously limited by the instructions of our superiors. We are not at liberty to anticipate the scientific discoveries of a thousand years. Revelators must act in accordance with the instructions which form a part of the revelation mandate. We see no way of overcoming this difficulty, either now or at any future time. We full well know that, while the historic facts and religious truths of this series of revelatory presentations will stand on the records of the ages to come, within a few short years many of our statements regarding the physical sciences will stand in need of revision in consequence of additional scientific developments and new discoveries.
Of course it remains to be seen whether this new discovery will withstand further scrutiny by the scientific community. Perhaps the dating methodology isn’t very robust or reliable. I have included a link to the article below. I would be interested in the comments of our readers who have experience in any related fields of science.
Many thanks for this opportunity to contribute!
Julian
It is true that the book warns us about the limitations of the laws of revelation. However, when it comes to the presentation of “historic facts and religious truths”, the author of Paper 101 declares that these “will stand on the records of the ages to come”.
I wonder if the emergence of homo sapiens on our planet is regarded as an « historic fact » by the revelators? Or does it fall under the category of prehistory? The determination of the age of fossilised human footprints is a key aspect of paleontology, which in turn could be considered as one of the physical sciences. We’ve been told that statements within the Papers regarding the physical sciences « will stand in need of revision in consequence of additional scientific developments and new discoveries. » (101:4.2)
Is there anything I have missed?
Julian – perhaps you have missed the rate of change in the technology of and controversies regarding dating estimates the past few decades where so many points of disagreement rage and how the scientific method’s best result, so far, is perhaps the constant revisionism required of prior theories and dates of anything from antiquity and prehistory which challenges all confidence and credibility of any scientific claims of certainty! Even sequence of events seems uncertain, but specific dating and timing? Even more so. The scientific method makes only uncertainty and revision certain today.
But it will lead to and has already led to more and more empirical evidence which verifies the claims of the Papers related to planetary history – from the geologic to the archeological. Dating technology depends on multiple steady-rate calculations which have been proven false due to multiple variable which makes most back dating a true guessing game subject to manipulative practices seeking to prove a specific theory rather than objectively determine anything factual. No doubt such technologies improve and will gain reliability and credibility over time.
I think the authors are clearly telling us their story of history will be found to be reliable and provable and will thusly lead to empirical and objective evidence of the Paper’s authenticity and credibility over the future generations. The science under needed revision here is modern science’s skills and development of observation and measurement. That will come. And unfold in a most interesting way delivering an intersection point to come of the UB’s popularity and credibility at an important time. Or so I believe.
I wonder if the emergence of homo sapiens on our planet is regarded as an “historic fact” by the revelators? Or does it fall under the category of prehistory? The determination of the age of fossilised human footprints is a key aspect of paleontology, which in turn could be considered as one of the physical sciences. We’ve been told that statements within the Papers regarding the physical sciences “will stand in need of revision in consequence of additional scientific developments and new discoveries.” (101:4.2) Is there anything I have missed?
I think there is much more to know and find. I wonder what people in the 26th Century will be saying about the book relative to new knowledge and findings? The book points to many places paleontologists could look for old stuff. But vital links to the first humans are forever lost to paleontologists.
62:4.7 Thus it was that the dawn mammals, springing from the North American lemur type, gave origin to the mid-mammals, and these mid-mammals in turn produced the superior Primates, who became the immediate ancestors of the primitive human race. The Primates tribes were the last vital link in the evolution of man, but in less than five thousand years not a single individual of these extraordinary tribes was left.
Those dawn mammals suddenly appeared. . . (62:2.0) and then disappeared. Interesting question Julian.
The
I woke up this morning to learn about this discovery of human footprints being found on the island of Crete that are claimed to be 5.7 million years old.
In Paper 65 I found these interesting references about the work of the LIfe Carriers on Urantia. They mention how puzzling some of our findings from the planetary past might be. Could those footprints be “seemingly strange by-products” of their efforts to produce will creatures?
65:4.11 It was our intention to produce an early manifestation of will in the evolutionary life of Urantia, and we succeeded. Ordinarily, will does not emerge until the colored races have long been in existence, usually first appearing among the superior types of the red man. Your world is the only planet in Satania where the human type of will has appeared in a precolored race.
65:4.12 But in our effort to provide for that combination and association of inheritance factors which finally gave rise to the mammalian ancestors of the human race, we were confronted with the necessity of permitting hundreds and thousands of other and comparatively useless combinations and associations of inheritance factors to take place. Many of these seemingly strange by-products of our efforts are certain to meet your gaze as you dig back into the planetary past, and I can well understand how puzzling some of these things must be to the limited human viewpoint.
Login to reply to this topic.
Not registered? Sign up here.