The Urantia Book – What is it?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament shows that people often tried to pass off lies as truth. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord warned His people against false prophets: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord’” (Jeremiah 23:16).
• Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel warned God’s people of false prophets: “They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the Lord,’ when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word’” (Ezekiel 13:6). God’s people today should be wary of The Urantia Book or any other content that claims to supplant Scripture.

from the new testament

• Believers are to be on guard against deception. Beliefs and practices must be rooted in Christ and not in human traditions or deceptive philosophies (Colossians 2:8).
• Paul warned believers in Galatia, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).

implications for today

Claims aren’t always truthful. A toothpaste probably won’t immediately create that sparkling, movie-star smile no matter how many surveyed dentists claimed it would. And wrinkle creams won’t really transform a weathered face into a smooth one. Sometimes fake claims are more serious, as is the case with the Urantia Book. The book claims to be the ultimate source of truth, but the only book that can say that in truth is the Bible.

The book claims revelation from celestial beings, but critics and researchers suggest that William S. Sadler, a respected psychiatrist and former debunker of spiritualism, may have been the primary author, possibly with assistance from others in the "Contact Commission." The scientific disclosures in the book reflect scientific knowledge of the 1920s and 1930s.

The book's teachings are not compatible with orthodox Christian doctrine. The Urantia Book rejects the inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the Fall of Man, original sin, substitutionary atonement, and the resurrection of the flesh, among other core beliefs. It portrays Jesus Christ as the seventh incarnation of Michael of Nebadon, a Creator Son, rather than the divine Son of God. However, Colossians 2:9 tells us that Jesus is not merely an example of God but rather the One in whom the Godhead fully dwells. Anyone seeking truth should avoid the Urantia Book.