Up Close and Personal with the Urantia Book, by JJ Johnson

449 Pages·2009·5.45 MB·English

Up Close and Personal with
the Urantia Book
EXPANDED EDITION
JJ Johnson
Unless otherwise noted, all referenced passages
are taken from the text of The Urantia Book
which is in the public domain in the USA.
The “COSAR Principle - A Revelatory Proposition” as it is used and
described in Chapter One of Up Close and Personal with The
Urantia Book in this Expanded Edition is copyrighted.
Copyright © 2009 by JJ Johnson
The fact that an organization or website is referred to in this work as
a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not
mean that the Author necessarily endorses the information the
organization or website may provide or recommendations it may
make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet websites listed
in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this
work was written and when it is read.
JJ Johnson
[email protected]

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008934637
ISBN 978-0-9795926-1-4
Printed in the United States of America 2009
Dedication
Part Two of this book is respectfully dedicated to those cosmic
conscious citizens who recognize the time is at hand to “Remove
the Apron” and be about our Father's Business.
Part Three goes out to those forward-looking men and women of
spiritual insight who will dare to construct a religious philosophy of
living based upon the highest concepts of cosmic truth, universe
beauty and divine goodness as revealed in The Urantia Book.
Personally, this book is dedicated to my two sons Michael Andrew
and David Matthew who have blessed their mom and dad with
such Love and Joy that it continually overflows from our hearts.
Also, our beloved grandchildren who are a source of love and
inspiration in recent years.
Note on Page and Paper References from
The Urantia Book

Passages from The Urantia Book are referenced by Page numbers
and Paragraph number of the Urantia Foundation edition on the
left margin.

Indicated on the right margin is the Paper, Section, and Paragraph
for use with the Uversa Press edition of The Urantia Book.

See example below.

Page 1091:8 Paper 99:5.9
…It is high time that man had a religious experience so personal and so
sublime that it could be realized and expressed only by “feelings that lie too deep
for words.”

The quote above is the 8th full paragraph on page 1091 of the
Foundation edition. It is in Paper 99, Section 5, Paragraph 9 in the
Uversa Press edition.

Note on Use of Bold
Throughout this book, certain words, phrases, or sentences are in
bold in order to assist the reader in locating portions of the text
that are relevant to the theme. This use of bold is entirely my own,
and not in the original text of The Urantia Book.
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Contents
Foreword—vii
Acknowledgements—ix
PART I SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND THE TRUTH OF REALITY
Chapter One—The COSAR Principle: a Revelatory Proposition—3
PART II EVANGELISM
Prologue to Part II—23
Chapter Two—Evangelism and The Urantia Book—27
Epilogue to Part II—33
Wake Up Call—39
Potpourri—40
PART III STUDY AIDS
Chapter Three—Always Remember And Never Forget—45
Chapter Four—Memorable Passages—65
Chapter Five—Arithmetical Insights from a Revelatory Position—75
Chapter Six—Pre-Morontia Math 101: A Glimpse at the
Master Mathematicians—85
Chapter Seven—Study Companion: A Conceptual Road Map—99
Index to Chapter Seven—431
Appendix—435
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Foreword
Philosopher Mortimer Adler framed a significant academic and
cultural problem when he declared in 1940:
“One of the troubles [with universities] is that scientists, philosophers,
and theologians, or teachers of religion, have long failed to communicate
with one another. The structure of a modern university, with its
departmental separations, and its total lack of order among specialized
disciplines, represent perfectly the disunity and chaos of modern culture ...
one might even hope for communication to lead to mutual understanding,
and thence to agreement about the truths that could unify our culture. ”
Personally, I have always considered the unified relations of science,
philosophy, and religion in The Urantia Book as the most important aspect
of the work. JJ Johnson has completed his philosophical description of The
Urantia Book’s holistic character by adding the new chapter in Up Close
and Personal with The Urantia Book, relating science with religion
(COSAR). It is an impressive achievement.
I congratulate JJ on his extensive research in producing this new
chapter. He is one of the most significant students of The Urantia Book who
is defining its revelatory insights and balanced approach toward breaking
down the barriers between the disciplines of religion and science. Perhaps
such tireless efforts will one day lead to the mutual understanding that
Adler believed would unify our culture.
—Dr. Meredith Justin Sprunger

Dr. Meredith Justin Sprunger has had a remarkable career as a
college president, professor, and an ordained minister. He has served
various United Church of Christ congregations in the Midwest. He taught
psychology at Elmherst College and then at the Indiana Institute of
Technology, where he was head of the Department of Psychology,
Chairman of the Division of Liberal Arts, and as President. A student of The
Urantia Book for over fifty years, Dr. Sprunger is the author and contributor
of several Urantia Book-related works.
vii

Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Beth Wenger.
She has been of immeasurable help in bringing the draft manuscript to
fruition. As associate editor, Beth has given lavishly of her time and helped
make this labor of love much more than it would have been without her.
Beth and her husband Bruce are long-time students of The Urantia Book.
They reside in Phoenix, Arizona, and are founding members of the Grand
Canyon Society for Readers of The Urantia Book.
To Larry Mullins, whose door and heart have always been open to me
and other Urantians who do not hesitate to call upon his untiring
willingness to help see a worthy Urantia project through. Larry is perhaps
the most prolific writer of secondary works of The Urantia Book. One only
has to look at the list of fourteen other books authored by Larry noted in
his book A History of the Urantia Papers, published in 2000, to get a feel
of his dedication to the Urantia community for over three decades. Larry
and his lovely wife Joan live in Florida.
To Bob Debold, who has been a source of inspiration during my
assignment in the Washington, D.C. area. As associate editor, Bob also
left his thumbprint throughout these pages. Bob’s recent paper “Crouching
Deity—Hidden Supreme” exemplifies his deep thinking approach to such
topics and his willingness to share with all of us.

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