After the November election several Christian publications asked this question; was the election of George Bush God’s will? I thought this was a strange question on several levels. First, there was a presumption in the articles that President Bush was more religious than Senator Kerry. Bush does mention God more frequently than Kerry in speeches but Kerry attends church regularly and Bush doesn’t. I couldn’t understand how an outside observer using such limited bits of evidence could tell who was the more religious. Second, the President launched a war. Many Christians believe in the concept of a just war ordained by God. Others reject the idea of killing a child of God for any reason. Both positions can be argued within current theological interpretations. Again, this is an argument that has no definitive resolution. But a more fundamental question came to my mind. What is God’s will and how does a modern person define it? How can we know if an event or a person is linked to the will of God if we lack a proper definition? To answer this question we’ll have to look at what the Urantia Book has to say on the subject.
Many people understand God’s will to be related to a sequence of events. Like the election or a natural disaster. Others see God’s will as answers to life’s perplexing questions. Should I do this or should I do that? I see in The Urantia Book discussions surrounding the concept of the Father’s will a more subtle argument. Choosing to do God’s will creates a partnership between a creature and the Heavenly Father (1299.2). This partnership takes faith and decision making and joins them together into spiritualized action (1211.2). There is no discussion of events falling into place or marching orders being handed out. Instead there is a stress upon the creative action of the free will creature energized and inspired by the heavenly guide. Jesus’ view of the will of the heavenly Father is described in this way; “all these attributes of divinity he focused in his mind as the will of the Father in heaven” (2087.2). The attributes mentioned were; holy, just, great, true, beautiful, and good. These are goals for living, standards to strive for. Very different from God telling me to do this or believe that. I believe that the discussion of God’s will in The Urantia Book is a balance between the striving for perfection (1583.6) and the cosmic value of a unique and unfettered personality. We are important for who we are. And when we set our sights upon God, we become more than we are (1285.3).
That being said, I am mindful that cosmic beings do from time to time involve themselves in human history. However, we must remember that all the beings present on our world are independent free will personalities. Thus no one can be certain that decisions by celestial administrators are in perfect harmony with the will of the Father in heaven. Those decisions would include the creation of this wonderful book that I have written so much about. And so I would say the answer to the above question concerning the election of our distinguished President is - no. The election was the decision of beings whose concept of the will of God is based more upon a lifestyle choice than upon direction from on high. We are not robots - neither are we cast adrift. God tries to draw us to God-self, but the choice is ours to make.
God Bless You,
William Whitehead
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