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DUTY in the Urantia Book 

Duty in the Urantia Book – Section 1

The word Duty appears 145 times in the Urantia Book. Paper 16 offers a very profound reflection on the nature of mind and how it perceives reality. In the paper they consider the three fundamental dimensions of reality: matter, mind, and spirit and explores how mind comprehends each of these fundamental aspects. In matter mind recognises the operation of CAUSATION, in the philosophical realms of mind we perceive DUTY, while the fundamental reality of spirit is worship – consciousness of divine realities and the source of those realities. This amazed me because, to my mind, causation is such a fundamental reality but I had never thought to put DUTY in the same fundamental category. Consequently, I have spent some decades attempting to unravel this insight, this lecture is an exploration of what I have learned.

It is interesting that these points are repeated in slightly different form several paragraphs later – which, to my mind, suggests a fundamental significance. After all, the writers had only one shot at making this revelation so they would have been desirous of packing in as much information as they could. However, that they willingly sacrificed space to repeat this point is instructive and suggests that the topic is worth exploring in greater detail.

In this context, DUTY is like a force of nature like gravity. We can choose to ignore it but there are definite consequences to such choices. Of course, the word duty carries many meanings. Its more basic meaning is of an obligation, something owed – almost like a form of debt to be paid and it has the same annoying features of debt in that paying it demands that we make a sacrifice of some kind, that we part with personal resources [time and energy] which we could use to do things that are more fun. In this instance, duty appears a joyless chore. It is interesting too, that people don’t like being under obligation or owing anything to anyone – especially God!

The teachings speak often about the duties of Joshua. At one point they say that he “unflinchingly confronted the stern requirements of duty.” 196:0:14 (2090.1) That “he never shirked the responsibility of making the necessary daily adjustments between these realms of loyalty to one’s personal convictions and duty toward one’s family” 124:4:9 (1372.6) That he “lived on, day by day, doing well the present duty and faithfully discharging the immediate responsibilities of his station in life.” 126:5:4 (1393.1) Joshua himself noted that his “immediate duty forbade his marriage” and that “his first duty was to his family”. Having taken his brothers to Jerusalem for their Bar Mitzvah “he deemed it his duty to take Joseph.” And, finally, “when duty required, he was willing to walk courageously through the “valley of the shadow of death.”” 100:7:13 (1103.1)

While Joshua “exalted family life as the highest human duty”... he “made it plain that family relationships must not interfere with religious obligations”. 140:8:14 (1581.1) He taught that “in the coming kingdom they [believers in the gospel]…shall all be concerned with one supreme duty. And this duty of man is expressed in two great privileges: sincere worship of the infinite Creator, the Paradise Father, and loving service bestowed upon one’s fellow men.” 142:4:2 (1600.3) He repeatedly admonished his followers “that man’s whole duty is summed up in this one commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your mind and soul and your neighbour as yourself.”163:4:8 (1805.5) and pointed out that as the “faith-enlightened and spirit-liberated sons of the kingdom of heaven, you face a double responsibility of duty to man and duty to God while you voluntarily assume a third and sacred obligation: service to the brotherhood of God-knowing believers.” 178:1:5 (1930.2)

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Duty in the Urantia Book – Section 2

For Jesus, duty is not merely inescapable – there is dignity and peace to be found when it is enthusiastically embraced. Indeed, unless we make peace with our duty we can have no peace. Speaking to Gadiah: “Jesus perceived that this young man’s life had been tremendously influenced by this tradition [of Jonah and the Whale], and that its contemplation had impressed upon him the folly of trying to run away from duty; Jesus therefore said nothing that would suddenly destroy the foundations of Gadiah’s present motivation for practical living. ... The flight from duty is the sacrifice of truth. 130:1:2 (1428.2)

Leftists types, or so it appears, seem to resent the idea of duty, without which none of them would even exist. It seems that they expend considerable resources endeavouring to undermine the very concept of moral duty, obligation, and personal responsibility. However, if the “flight from duty is the sacrifice of truth” then rejection of duty is to run into the embrace of delusion and to leave us wrestling with the difficult whales of selfishness. Rejection of duty is like the rejection of gravity, only disaster can crown any attempt to live as though it didn’t exist and when the majority of a nation’s citizenry are so engaged they court national tragedy. Another significant point worth noting is that here we learn there is a correlation between Duty and Truth.

Said Jesus: “My friend, we are all Jonahs with lives to live in accordance with the will of God, and at all times when we seek to escape the present duty of living by running away to far-off enticements, we thereby put ourselves in the immediate control of those influences which are not directed by the powers of truth and the forces of righteousness. The flight from duty is the sacrifice of truth. The escape from the service of light and life can only result in those distressing conflicts with the difficult whales of selfishness which lead eventually to darkness and death unless such God-forsaking Jonahs shall turn their hearts, even when in the very depths of despair, to seek after God and his goodness. And when such disheartened souls sincerely seek for God—hunger for truth and thirst for righteousness—there is nothing that can hold them in further captivity. No matter into what great depths they may have fallen, when they seek the light with a whole heart, the spirit of the Lord God of heaven will deliver them from their captivity; the evil circumstances of life will spew them out upon the dry land of fresh opportunities for renewed service and wiser living.”

Hidden in this little nugget is something very profound: adhering to and faithfully performing our duty ensures that we remain in harmony with those influences which are directed by truth and the forces of righteousness. Our present materialistic culture is filled with enticing opportunities that glitter with tantalising promise but which if pursued would lead us into far more distressing circumstances than those we currently bemoan. If you think things are bad now, just wait and see what happens if you abandon your duty. Doing one’s Duty can be hard, really, really hard. If the Cross teaches us anything it’s that performing one’s duty can come with great cost. The Cross teaches us that that not even threats of death should be allowed to prevent us from performing our Duty. Moreover, that the life that seeks to evade duty is not worth living, that death with honour is infinitely more preferable than life without it. The glorious moral illumination that is emitted by the Cross lights the way for a whole universe of beings.

When you think of the dignity displayed by Jesus during this trial. The Romans didn’t just use mean words, they actually scourged him; they didn’t just cancel him, they crucified him. Did Jesus utter threats, disgust, outrage? No! He knuckled down and suffered for the glory of God and forgave them – he was reviled but he reviled not. He was not consumed by hate and resentment at this moment of horrific injustice, instead he clung to love with everything he had. He was the only truly free being in that whole horrific and tragic episode. Such a life of unflinching courageous devotion to duty judges a world full of cowards who whine about their feelings when words they don’t like are used. The Master’s life of courage puts a mirror to the world and the world hates the cowards it reveals.

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Duty in the Urantia Book – Section 3

However, while the teachings are at pains to highlight the importance and significance of duty - it dares to push beyond duty into the realms of love. The Revelators teach “Religion is to morality as love is to duty, as sonship is to servitude, as essence is to substance.” 102:5:3 (1124.2) They point out that “The idea of duty signifies that you are servant-minded and hence are missing the mighty thrill of doing your service as a friend and for a friend. The impulse of friendship transcends all convictions of duty, and the service of a friend for a friend can never be called a sacrifice.” 180:1:6 (1945.3) Here we return to the idea of debt, in that performing duty is often viewed as a form of sacrifice – something that hurts or is distasteful – but when that service is born of love its superior moral nature infinitely transcends mere duty and transforms all life and the way of living.

The Master taught us that we should love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, and strength and our neighbour as ourselves. In placing love at the centre of his gospel he revealed that “Experiential righteousness is a pleasure, not a duty” 140:5:9 (1574.2) and, by that, revealed the spiritual realities of the kingdom to be marvellously alluring. In the life of divine sonship into which we are invited to partake - love is the key to progress: love of the Father, and His ideals of perfection and service; and the expression of this love through the pursuit of perfection of your own self and the increased bearing of the fruits of the spirit. And so, we are taught: “Henceforth, it is not a duty but rather your exalted privilege to cleanse yourselves from all evils of mind and body while you seek for perfection in the love of God.” 143:2:6 (1610.1)

We have a duty not only to God but to ourselves, to our highest self and to the spirit of God that dwells within us. We have been invited to achieve a perfection of character equal to God himself. Insofar as we succeed in this endeavour to become the best version of ourselves we bless both ourselves and the world. Unfortunately, when we fail in this duty both the world and our own self suffer. Again, this is no mere duty – it is an exalted privilege, a marvellous invitation. A more perfect you has more peace, joy, love, hope, tolerance, patience, kindness. Life becomes better across every significant metric.

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 Duty in the Urantia Book – Section 4

The great theologian Auguste Sabatier taught that “duty is the substance of liberty, while liberty is the form of duty.” When you put this formula into the teachings outlined we learn that love is the substance of liberty while liberty is the form of love. On the Cross we find a man clinging to love and finding freedom from hatred, resentment, and the desire for vengeance and finding liberating peace in trusting the Father despite the injustice to which he was so unfairly being subjected.

The wise men of old teach that ‘a man without self-control is like a city without walls.’ This almost seems self-evident, after all - in the absence of self-control you have NO control over your life. You will be unable to accomplish any great thing. In our great spiritual ignorance, we fail to understand what true freedom looks like and often end up confusing liberty and bondage. When we are enslaved to the flesh we are in bondage to our biological inclinations, we become subject to our moods and feelings: hate, fear, anger, rage, jealous, envy, despair, lust. When we fall prey to these we are not considered free but enthralled to our desires and biological mechanisms. Only in love do we find the spiritual power to rise above our biological inclinations. Biologically speaking, one of our most powerful drives is self-preservation – the urge to preserve one’s life, no matter the cost. However, spiritually speaking this is not true – some things are worth dying for.

The Master taught that you shall know truth and it will make you free, and that that if we dare to follow the spirit he will lead us into all truth. Truth, then, is revealed in the wake of the pursuit of God, and if truth makes us free then the pursuit of God is the realisation of liberty. Knowing, loving, and understanding God more is correlated with the realisation of greater and greater liberty. In this context, the denial of God can only be seen as a form of bondage and enslavement.

It is interesting and instructive that human flourishing is correlated with human liberty. The unprecedented prosperity and peace this world has enjoyed over the present dispensation has had no equal in the world’s history. In this period, we saw humanity band together to vanquish slavery, to litter the world with hospitals, schools, books and endless opportunities to learn and increase life’s fraction. However, our deluded Satanic overlords believe that they can achieve prosperity by enslaving the human race. They seek to destroy all our notions of family, fatherland, and faith and make us utterly subservient to the technocratic super-state. They simply cannot or will not or plain refuse to see that flourishing is dependent upon liberty. We simply cannot be made richer by enslaving our fellows. Such corrupt and morally bankrupt systems contain the seeds of their own destruction. Their blind faith in technology and lies will lead them into the Pit. Christ’s vision of the Kingdom is the destiny of the earth. Consequently, these enslavers of men are – spiritually – standing on the wrong side of history. His Word will be accomplished, every knee will bend and every tongue confess that he is Lord.

If finding and knowing truth makes us free then the promulgation of lies seeks to make us slaves. Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters for we will love one and hate the other, or cling to one and flee the other. He said that we cannot serve both God and Mammon. The Master also said: he that is of truth hears my voice. If we make truth our master then, over time, we will come to love it more and more and come to resent error and lies more and more. However, if someone make Lies their master then, over time, they will come to resent correction and truth more and more. Those that believe in lies will see advocates of truth as destroyers that seek to lead people astray. Conversely, those that are advocates of truth will view the promulgators of lies as destroyers and thieves of liberty. And so the conflict between light and darkness rages on.

Duty is the first essential step. It is sobering, it is grounding, it builds moral muscle, and opens the heart to possibilities of Love. In the gospel, Duty is transformed by the holy light of Love - revealing a life of joyous service, endless opportunity, and astounding revelations. When we have lost our way, Duty is the solid ground upon which we stand. Duty is akin to truth and adhering to it ensures that we will not be led astray and that we will be preserved in righteousness. When transformed by love it becomes an experiential righteousness, so that life becomes a joy in the living and a worthy offering to the Father.