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2-11. According to the 5th Epochal Revelation is Buddhism a religion?

SEE ALSO WORLD RELIGIONS

Yes, according to The Urantia Book (the 5th Epochal Revelation), Buddhism is explicitly regarded as a religion—one of the major world religions and evolutionary faiths on Urantia (Earth).The revelation discusses Buddhism in several papers, treating it as a legitimate, influential religion that arose from human spiritual evolution, influenced by earlier Melchizedek teachings, and capable of carrying significant moral and ethical truths. It is listed alongside other established religions like Hinduism, the Hebrew faith, Christianity, and Islam.

Key References and Descriptions

• Paper 92: The Later Evolution of Religion
  Buddhism is included in the list of the "great international, interracial faiths": "The great international, interracial faiths are

1. Hinduism -- the most ancient.

2. The Hebrew religion.

3. Buddhism.

4. The Confucian teachings.

5. The Taoist beliefs.

6. Zoroastrianism.

7. Shinto.

8. Jainism.

9. Christianity.

10. Islam.

11. Sikhism -- the most recent.

These can all be explored on this Spiritual Family Network Page World Religions.

• It notes that Gautama (Buddha) arose in the sixth century B.C. during a major period of religious awakening, and his teachings became widespread in Asia (92:5.12).
• Paper 94: The Melchizedek Teachings in the Orient
  This paper devotes sections to Gautama Siddhartha (Buddha) and the Buddhist faith. It describes how Buddhism prospered as a religion offering salvation through belief in the Buddha as the "enlightened one," spreading widely under figures like Emperor Asoka, who sent missionaries across the known world (94:9.1).
  It praises it as "more representative of the Melchizedek truths than any other religious system to be found throughout eastern Asia" and "a religion vastly superior to those which it supplanted or upstepped" (94:9.1).
  Modern Buddhism is distinguished from Gautama's original teachings, similar to how Christianity diverged from Jesus' teachings (94:7.8).
• Paper 131: The World's Religions
  A dedicated section on Buddhism (131:3) states: "Ganid was shocked to discover how near Buddhism came to being a great and beautiful religion without God, without a personal and universal Deity" (131:3.1).
  It collects positive excerpts from Buddhist literature reflecting faith, peace, and moral values, showing appreciation for its spiritual content despite lacking a clear personal God concept.
• Paper 103: The Reality of Religious Experience
  It calls original Buddhism "one of the best religions without a God which has arisen throughout all the evolutionary history of Urantia," though it notes that as it developed, "it did not remain godless" (103:9.3). Religion without God is described as a philosophic inconsistency, but Buddhism is still affirmed as a high form of evolutionary religion.

Additional Context

• Jesus' perspective (in Paper 132, during travels with Ganid and Gonod): Jesus praises Buddha as "a great man, even a prophet," but critiques how Buddhism grounded short of fully embracing God as a personal Father and spiritual source, leading to a philosophy lacking divine moral energy (132:7.4–7.5). He contrasts it positively with Judaism's God-concept but notes its limitations.
• Overall, The Urantia Book views Buddhism as an evolutionary religion (arising from human longing for truth and God-understanding), containing real spiritual value and moral strengths, though it falls short in its impersonal or non-theistic emphasis compared to revelatory religions like the teachings of Jesus (which center on the personal Universal Father).

Buddhism is never dismissed as "just a philosophy" or lifestyle in the text—instead, it is consistently categorized and discussed as a religion, one of the world's great ones, with historical spread, doctrines, faith professions, and missionary activity.

For the primary sources, refer to Papers 92, 94, 103, and 131 on urantia.org or spiritualfamily.net and urantiabook.org.