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Question: Is the material body another designation for the physical body?
I ask this question because a couple of references I encountered in U.book made me ponder. When a person is translated on Urantia, we are told the material body is carried up by midwayers into the earth’s atmosphere for final fusion. Why does the author use ‘material body’ in lieu of ‘physical body’? Are the two interchangeable terms or qualitatively slightly different?
I wonder if the material body is a ‘shadow’ of our physical mortality, which survives death, persists on the Morontia spheres and undergoes dematerialization. I am a bit confused.
Please take a look at the following references and share your thoughts. Is material body exactly the same as saying physical body or does it convey something in addition to being physical?
55:1.6 On presettled worlds, planets without morontia temples, these fusion flashes many times occur in the planetary atmosphere, where the material body of a translation candidate is elevated by the midway creatures and the physical controllers.
47:9.5 You will greatly enjoy your progress through the seven dematerializing worlds; they are really demortalizing spheres. You are mostly human on the first mansion world, just a mortal being minus a material body, a human mind housed in a morontia form — a material body of the morontia world but not a mortal house of flesh and blood. You really pass from the mortal state to the immortal status at the time of Adjuster fusion, and by the time you have finished the Jerusem career, you will be full-fledged morontians.
BB
I wonder if the material body is a ‘shadow’ of our physical mortality, which survives death, persists on the Morontia spheres and undergoes dematerialization. I am a bit confused.
(541.4) 48:1.1 The morontia realms are the local universe liaison spheres between the material and spiritual levels of creature existence. This morontia life has been known on Urantia since the early days of the Planetary Prince. From time to time this transition state has been taught to mortals, and the concept, in distorted form, has found a place in present-day religions.
(541.5) 48:1.2 The morontia spheres are the transition phases of mortal ascension through the progression worlds of the local universe.
(542.2) 48:1.5 The Morontia Power Supervisors are able to effect a union of material and of spiritual energies, thereby organizing a morontia form of materialization which is receptive to the superimposition of a controlling spirit. When you traverse the morontia life of Nebadon, these same patient and skillful Morontia Power Supervisors will successively provide you with 570 morontia bodies, each one a phase of your progressive transformation. From the time of leaving the material worlds until you are constituted a first-stage spirit on Salvington, you will undergo just 570 separate and ascending morontia changes. Eight of these occur in the system, seventy-one in the constellation, and 491 during the sojourn on the spheres of Salvington.
(542.3) 48:1.6 In the days of the mortal flesh the divine spirit indwells you, almost as a thing apart — in reality an invasion of man by the bestowed spirit of the Universal Father. But in the morontia life the spirit will become a real part of your personality, and as you successively pass through the 570 progressive transformations, you ascend from the material to the spiritual estate of creature life.
Hi BB! This can be confusing to be sure. There is no “physical mortality, which survives death” but only the soul itself, which has a morontia reality of being, but is only a form of mind until a morontia body is formed from morontia material(s) for the mansion world experience. That “material” or physical body goes through the transition phases noted above so that it is less material and more spiritual in its form….very gradually. All the super universes (and locals within) exist in time and space and are “material” by some definition, but not all the same material at all levels. This “range” is a very wide spectrum to allow for the experiential transition from all material and physical as on the evolutionary worlds to lesser and lesser material upon the architectural spheres, on the way to a destiny of purely spiritual form. But when we come back to the super or local universes in time and space, we have a material form again, and when we go, as finaliters, to that adventure to come, we may also have some material form. I think (HELP!) that all creatures, non-diety, who go to a time and space place have some form of some material???….and are visible to other forms?? Okay, head hurts now.
(164.3) 15:0.3 Of the vast body of knowledge concerning the superuniverses, I can hope to tell you little, but there is operative throughout these realms a technique of intelligent control for both physical and spiritual forces, and the universal gravity presences there function in majestic power and perfect harmony. It is important first to gain an adequate idea of the physical constitution and material organization of the superuniverse domains, for then you will be the better prepared to grasp the significance of the marvelous organization provided for their spiritual government and for the intellectual advancement of the will creatures who dwell on the myriads of inhabited planets scattered hither and yon throughout these seven superuniverses.
Brooklyn_born wrote:Question: Is the material body another designation for the physical body?Well, on the face of your question and without too much deep thinking, I would say yes.0:5:7 1. Body. The material or physical organism of man. The living electrochemical mechanism of animal nature and origin.But I think there are nuances to those words. I realize you ask about the human material, physical body. But there are physical beings of the central universe that are invisible to us, because our sensory organs are less than they will be in future and our universe is a material organization.I very much like the view of the grand universe as presented in this reference:
The grand universe is not only a material creation of physical grandeur, spirit sublimity, and intellectual magnitude, it is also a magnificent and responsive living organism. There is actual life pulsating throughout the mechanism of the vast creation of the vibrant cosmos. The physical reality of the universes is symbolic of the perceivable reality of the Almighty Supreme; and this material and living organism is penetrated by intelligence circuits, even as the human body is traversed by a network of neural sensation paths. This physical universe is permeated by energy lanes which effectively activate material creation, even as the human body is nourished and energized by the circulatory distribution of the assimilable energy products of nourishment. The vast universe is not without those co-ordinating centers of magnificent overcontrol which might be compared to the delicate chemical-control system of the human mechanism. But if you only knew something about the physique of a power center, we could, by analogy, tell you so much more about the physical universe.Hi BB! This can be confusing to be sure. There is no “physical mortality, which survives death” but only the soul itself, which has a morontia reality of being, but is only a form of mind until a morontia body is formed from morontia material(s) for the mansion world experience. That “material” or physical body goes through the transition phases noted above so that it is less material and more spiritual in its form….very gradually. All the super universes (and locals within) exist in time and space and are “material” by some definition, but not all the same material at all levels. This “range” is a very wide spectrum to allow for the experiential transition from all material and physical as on the evolutionary worlds to lesser and lesser material upon the architectural spheres, on the way to a destiny of purely spiritual form. But when we come back to the super or local universes in time and space, we have a material form again, and when we go, as finaliters, to that adventure to come, we may also have some material form. I think (HELP!) that all creatures, non-diety, who go to a time and space place have some form of some material???….and are visible to other forms?? Okay, head hurts now.I agree, Bradly, there is no physical mortality which survives death. What I am asking is if there is a ‘shadow’ of our physical mortality“ which survives death; I was wondering if the material body is a SHADOW of our physical mortality. The best way I can explain what I mean is humans have a brain organ which serves as an interface for mind and the physical plane. Perhaps the material body interfaces with the physical plane, as well, through the human corpus. And perhaps it is this material body that links with the material mind and passes on those survival values that are carried onto the morontia spheres. I will make a drawing to illustrate what I mean, shortly.BB
Brooklyn_born wrote:Question: Is the material body another designation for the physical body?Well, on the face of your question and without too much deep thinking, I would say yes.0:5:71. Body. The material or physical organism of man. The living electrochemical mechanism of animal nature and origin.But I think there are nuances to those words. I realize you ask about the human material, physical body. But there are physical beings of the central universe that are invisible to us, because our sensory organs are less than they will be in future and our universe is a material organization.Mara, it is the subtle distinction between the two or nuances that has caught my attention.BB
Question: Is the material body another designation for the physical body?
55:1.6 On presettled worlds, planets without morontia temples, these fusion flashes many times occur in the planetary atmosphere, where the material body of a translation candidate is elevated by the midway creatures and the physical controllers.
47:9.5 You will greatly enjoy your progress through the seven dematerializing worlds; they are really demortalizing spheres. You are mostly human on the first mansion world, just a mortal being minus a material body, a human mind housed in a morontia form — a material body of the morontia world but not a mortal house of flesh and blood. You really pass from the mortal state to the immortal status at the time of Adjuster fusion, and by the time you have finished the Jerusem career, you will be full-fledged morontians.
B.B., Your question might best be answered by looking at a similar Doctrines and Covenants of the Mormon’s where “translation”, for the act of being “translated” is common place. If one looks at the following Wiki document it has an interesting similarity to what the Urantia Book is attempting to describe, where the Mormon book, “The Doctrine and Covenants” has reference almost the same transitions as described in the Urantia Book.
“Translation (Moronisum)” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_(Mormonism)
“In the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), translation refers to being physically changed by God from a mortal human being to an immortal human being. A person that has been translated is referred to as a translated being. According to LDS belief, Enoch, Moses, John the Apostle, the Three Nephites, and others were translated.
A translated being is akin to a resurrected person with the exception that a translated being has never died and a translated being has a body with less power than a resurrected being. Ordinary human beings are said to have a telestial body. People who are translated are said to have a terrestrial body. People who are resurrected are said to have a celestial body.”
“State of a terrestrial body”
“See also: Degrees of glory”
“Those who are translated beings are said to be “changed so that they do not experience pain or death until their resurrection to immortality.” Both translated and resurrected beings are eternally young and fit, not subject to illness or injury and spend their existences as ministering angels doing things that require physical bodies to perform; for example, where a disembodied spirit can record events as a witness and offer comfort or advice, a physical body is required to perform ordinances such as laying on of hands.
According to Parley P. Pratt, a translated being has a terrestrial body. This terrestrial body would be different from the terrestrial glory of heaven, just as the world in which we live is considered “telestial”, yet it is not the telestial glory of heaven. Translated beings with terrestrial bodies can appear or disappear the way the resurrected Jesus did in the 24th chapter of Luke. However, those who have resurrected “celestial” bodies have more power than those with terrestrial bodies. A person who has been translated still has to be resurrected after the Second Coming of Christ so he/she can attain a celestial body.”
In The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76, is somewhat devoted to the describing of the these various states of being and the following is a portion of Section 76’s preface:
1–4, The Lord is God; 5–10, The mysteries of the kingdom will be revealed to all the faithful; 11–17, All will come forth in the resurrection of the just or the unjust; 18–24, The inhabitants of many worlds are begotten sons and daughters unto God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ; 25–29, An angel of God fell and became the devil; 30–49, Sons of perdition suffer eternal damnation; all others gain some degree of salvation; 50–70, The glory and reward of exalted beings in the celestial kingdom is described; 71–80, Those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom are described; 81–113, The status of those in the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial glories is explained; 114–19, The faithful may see and understand the mysteries of God’s kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit.
81 – And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.
82 – These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.
83 – These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit.
84 – These are they who are thrust down to hell.
85 – These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work.
86 – These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial;
87 – And the terrestrial through the ministration of the celestial.
88 – And also the telestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them; for they shall be heirs of salvation.
89 – And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding;
90 – And no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it.
91 – And thus we saw the glory of the terrestrial which excels in all things the glory of the telestial, even in glory, and in power, and in might, and in dominion.
92 – And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
93 – Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
94 – They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;
95 – And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
96 – And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one.
97 – And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one.
98 – And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
99 – For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.
100 – These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;
101 – But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant.
102 – Last of all, these all are they who will not be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud.
103 – These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
104 – These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth.
105 – These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
106 – These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work;
107 – When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
108 – Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to reign forever and ever.
109 – But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore;
110 – And heard the voice of the Lord saying: These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever;
111 – For they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared;
112 – And they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end.
113 – This is the end of the vision which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet in the Spirit.
In the Wiki article “Degress of Glory“, there is a representation of “The Plan of Salvation” which also may be assimilated to some degree as is described in the Urantia Book, sample attachments below.
Those are awesome illustrations, Midi. They somewhat coincide with the ascension scheme as it is related in TUB.
BB
Midi, could we equate the ‘spiritual realm’ of Mormonism with the ‘portals of death’ mortals enter as a sleeping survivor? TUB does not go in detail as to these portals but, from my understanding, the morontia soul is held here in the custody of Guardians of destiny.
BB
. . . could we equate the ‘spiritual realm’ of Mormonism with the ‘portals of death’ mortals enter as a sleeping survivor? TUB does not go in detail as to these portals but, from my understanding, the morontia soul is held here in the custody of Guardians of destiny.
According to the Doctrine, in the “Plan of Salvation” many of your questions might be answered based on the definition of “God’s plan” verses “Lucifer’s plan” however, there are some similarities which could be assimilated from the Urantia Book, yet one must also keep in mind that these writings are based on visions and interpretation, which can change throught the readers mind.
“. . .
During this pre-mortal existence, Heavenly Father presented the following plan to His children:
Human beings would be born on Earth. There they would receive a physical body necessary to exaltation and a fullness of joy. On earth, they would be tested through trials of their faith, and be subject to mortality. A “veil” would be set in place to obscure humankind’s memory of its divine origins, thus allowing for “walking by faith” and for greater freedom of choice by enabling individuals to make their own decisions. Latter-day Saints believe that only those who live good lives, prove themselves obedient to Heavenly Father’s commandments, receive the ordinances of salvation, and repent of their sins will be able to return to Heavenly Father’s presence (The Celestial Kingdom). However, because each person’s experience in mortality is unique, every individual will be judged in accordance with the opportunities, knowledge, and blessings they had while living on Earth.
Integral to this Plan was freedom of choice, which Heavenly Father considered an inviolable right of all his children; every individual would have opportunities to make certain choices that would determine the course of their life on Earth and in the hereafter. No human would ever have their freedom taken away in an attempt to force righteous behavior. People would be free to do evil and good, both to themselves and to those around them. Because such freedom would make it possible for Heavenly Father’s children to break commandments and sin, a Savior would be needed to offer them freedom from the just consequences of their sins and allow them to repent: this figure would have to overcome both sin and death, making it possible for obedient and repentant individuals to return to Heavenly Father’s presence through a plan of mercy. The pre-mortal Jesus Christ, then known as Jehovah, volunteered to be this Savior, agreeing to take upon himself infinite suffering for every sin, mistake, and all pain and suffering ever to be experienced throughout all time by all of God’s children. He also agreed to die and be resurrected, thus making it possible for all individuals (obedient or not) to be resurrected. The Holy Spirit would be sent to encourage righteous behavior and guide human beings towards Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, but would never interfere with freedom.
Also part of the plan was a foreordination of prophets and teachers who would have gifts and callings among men to teach and re-teach correct principles so that freedom could be used wisely. Heavenly Father stressed the important role parents would have to teach their children the path of righteousness and happiness, and the blessing of the holy scriptures that would give a foundation of gospel knowledge, including the knowledge of the saving role of Jesus Christ and the importance of ordinances and covenants in the gospel.
As the plan was explained, God’s spirit children also understood that full gospel truth could be lost on the earth as men and women could choose against living by the truth at any point, and could devise other beliefs and ways to live that would be appealing to the natural mind. Yet they also understood that there would be opportunities before the final judgment for every child of God to hear of Jesus Christ and to either accept Him or reject Him.(see Spirit world for more details.)
Latter-day Saints believe that this plan ordained by Heavenly Father was not contrived arbitrarily, but was designed based on eternal truths to allow for the greatest possible progress toward a fullness of joy, happiness and love for the greatest number of His spirit children. He loves each of them unconditionally and desires that they progress, knowing that this leads to greater happiness and a potential fullness of joy.”
In contrast to God’s plan, Lucifer’s plan, as described below, seems to follow the Urantia Book’s depiction of Rebellion.
“After Heavenly Father presented this plan, Lucifer volunteered to save mankind by taking away man’s agency. Nobody would be able to fail the test and so, Lucifer claimed, everyone would be able to return to the presence of Heavenly Father. As recompense for the implementation of his plan, Lucifer demanded that the power and the glory which Heavenly Father possessed be transferred to him, effectively making him “God.” However, as Lucifer alone would have complete freedom of choice under his plan, no other spirit could achieve exaltation. Heavenly Father countered that this would make the test worthless, and knew Lucifer sought only power and glory for himself – as a result he rejected Lucifer’s plan.
Enraged, Lucifer chose to rebel against Heavenly Father and rallied to him “a third part” of Heavenly Father’s children who also preferred Lucifer’s plan. The two factions warred, and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of Heaven; Lucifer became Satan, and those who followed him became fallen (also referred to as sons of perdition), and his servants. They were denied the right to have their own physical bodies (and, consequently, the ability to procreate) but were not affected by the “veil”. Latter-Day Saints believe that Satan and his servants have since sought to undo or counteract Heavenly Father’s plan by tempting mortal individuals to evil actions, gaining power over them and their bodies, and by attempting to restrict their freedom of choice by whatever means possible.”
. . . could we equate the ‘spiritual realm’ of Mormonism with the ‘portals of death’ mortals enter as a sleeping survivor? TUB does not go in detail as to these portals but, from my understanding, the morontia soul is held here in the custody of Guardians of destiny.
According to the Doctrine, in the “Plan of Salvation” many of your questions might be answered based on the definition of “God’s plan” verses “Lucifer’s plan” however, there are some similarities which could be assimilated from the Urantia Book, yet one must also keep in mind that these writings are based on visions and interpretation, which can change throught the readers mind. “Pre-mortal existence.” “. . .
During this pre-mortal existence, Heavenly Father presented the following plan to His children: Human beings would be born on Earth. There they would receive a physical body necessary to exaltation and a fullness of joy. On earth, they would be tested through trials of their faith, and be subject to mortality. A “veil” would be set in place to obscure humankind’s memory of its divine origins, thus allowing for “walking by faith” and for greater freedom of choice by enabling individuals to make their own decisions. Latter-day Saints believe that only those who live good lives, prove themselves obedient to Heavenly Father’s commandments, receive the ordinances of salvation, and repent of their sins will be able to return to Heavenly Father’s presence (The Celestial Kingdom). However, because each person’s experience in mortality is unique, every individual will be judged in accordance with the opportunities, knowledge, and blessings they had while living on Earth. Integral to this Plan was freedom of choice, which Heavenly Father considered an inviolable right of all his children; every individual would have opportunities to make certain choices that would determine the course of their life on Earth and in the hereafter. No human would ever have their freedom taken away in an attempt to force righteous behavior. People would be free to do evil and good, both to themselves and to those around them. Because such freedom would make it possible for Heavenly Father’s children to break commandments and sin, a Savior would be needed to offer them freedom from the just consequences of their sins and allow them to repent: this figure would have to overcome both sin and death, making it possible for obedient and repentant individuals to return to Heavenly Father’s presence through a plan of mercy. The pre-mortal Jesus Christ, then known as Jehovah, volunteered to be this Savior, agreeing to take upon himself infinite suffering for every sin, mistake, and all pain and suffering ever to be experienced throughout all time by all of God’s children. He also agreed to die and be resurrected, thus making it possible for all individuals (obedient or not) to be resurrected. The Holy Spirit would be sent to encourage righteous behavior and guide human beings towards Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, but would never interfere with freedom. Also part of the plan was a foreordination of prophets and teachers who would have gifts and callings among men to teach and re-teach correct principles so that freedom could be used wisely. Heavenly Father stressed the important role parents would have to teach their children the path of righteousness and happiness, and the blessing of the holy scriptures that would give a foundation of gospel knowledge, including the knowledge of the saving role of Jesus Christ and the importance of ordinances and covenants in the gospel. As the plan was explained, God’s spirit children also understood that full gospel truth could be lost on the earth as men and women could choose against living by the truth at any point, and could devise other beliefs and ways to live that would be appealing to the natural mind. Yet they also understood that there would be opportunities before the final judgment for every child of God to hear of Jesus Christ and to either accept Him or reject Him.(see Spirit world for more details.) Latter-day Saints believe that this plan ordained by Heavenly Father was not contrived arbitrarily, but was designed based on eternal truths to allow for the greatest possible progress toward a fullness of joy, happiness and love for the greatest number of His spirit children. He loves each of them unconditionally and desires that they progress, knowing that this leads to greater happiness and a potential fullness of joy.”
In contrast to God’s plan, Lucifer’s plan, as described below, seems to follow the Urantia Book’s depiction of Rebellion. “The War in Heaven.”
“After Heavenly Father presented this plan, Lucifer volunteered to save mankind by taking away man’s agency. Nobody would be able to fail the test and so, Lucifer claimed, everyone would be able to return to the presence of Heavenly Father. As recompense for the implementation of his plan, Lucifer demanded that the power and the glory which Heavenly Father possessed be transferred to him, effectively making him “God.” However, as Lucifer alone would have complete freedom of choice under his plan, no other spirit could achieve exaltation. Heavenly Father countered that this would make the test worthless, and knew Lucifer sought only power and glory for himself – as a result he rejected Lucifer’s plan. Enraged, Lucifer chose to rebel against Heavenly Father and rallied to him “a third part” of Heavenly Father’s children who also preferred Lucifer’s plan. The two factions warred, and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of Heaven; Lucifer became Satan, and those who followed him became fallen (also referred to as sons of perdition), and his servants. They were denied the right to have their own physical bodies (and, consequently, the ability to procreate) but were not affected by the “veil”. Latter-Day Saints believe that Satan and his servants have since sought to undo or counteract Heavenly Father’s plan by tempting mortal individuals to evil actions, gaining power over them and their bodies, and by attempting to restrict their freedom of choice by whatever means possible.”
I need time to digest this before giving you some feedback. Thanks for posting this information, Midi.
BB
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