IntroductionMerium; Andromadeus - Angels of the Churches - Nov 02, 2008 - Central NM
DATE: November 2, 2008
LOCATION: Rio Rancho, NM
T/R: Gerdean
TEACHERS: Merium and Andromadeus
TOPIC: "Angels of the Churches"
MERIUM: [Greetings, salutations and introductory remarks were not recorded]
Renault: "3. The religious guardians. These are the 'angels of the churches,' the earnest contenders for that which is and has been. They endeavor to maintain the ideals of that which has survived for the sake of the safe transit of moral values from one epoch to another. They are the checkmates of the angels of progress, all the while seeking to translate from one generation to another the imperishable values of the old and passing forms into the new and therefore less stabilized patterns of thought and conduct. These angels do contend for spiritual forms, but they are not the source of ultra-sectarianism and meaningless controversial divisions of professed religionists. The corps now functioning on Urantia is the fifth thus to serve."
ANDROMADEUS: That was rather long. I'd like to break it up, and I'd like to involve you somewhat more and so, Renault, if you would read the first sentence only of that description again. Just the first sentence, please.
Renault: Okay. "These are the 'angels of the churches,' the earnest contenders for that which is and has been."
ANDROMADEUS: Those who contend for that which has been. Let's think on that for a minute and discern its value. Today, we were watching through Gerdean an antique road show. And in this portrayal of material value, it is apparent that the quality of workmanship and the historic frame of reference for material goods contributes greatly to the monetary and aesthetic value of things. This same truth holds for beliefs. They represent value levels that are a part of your inheritance that you in fact contribute to and pass on to those who follow.
When we meet at Paula and Men-O-Pah's home, we are met with much of value in terms of time and space, represented through the appointments of their home and the many clocks ticking, keeping time with the mortal sphere, representing decades of gracious living and family values. (Pause) What's the next sentence?
Renault: "They endeavor to maintain the ideals of that which has survived for the sake of the safe transit of moral values from one epoch to another."
ANDROMADEUS: As with the antique road show and Paula and Men-O-Pah's noble home, and indeed, in and with you all here present, there are those standards and values which you have had implanted in you and bestowed upon you by those who went before you which you have opted to cling to as a part of your value package. Throughout the course of a mortal life, it is possible to review your accumulated possessions, be they material, mental, emotional or spiritual, and divest yourself of those that burden you or weigh you down.
Renault: I was thinking of an ideal that survives from one epoch to another, is that of the Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is one that has come down for thousands of years.
ANDROMADEUS: Indeed it is a value lesson that has been consistent for centuries and cuts across barriers of nations and languages and cultures. It is uniform in its ideal. Not all values have been so compatible to the whole of humankind. In fact, there have been religious wars fought over the differences and they continue to this day! Without meaning to call you barbarians, they occur even among you here when and as you disagree theologically, philosophically or politically, simply because that which you hold dear can be justified as a part of your religious experience, thus adding fervor to your commitment. Nothing adds more fervor than religious zeal. Even to battle.
There are some who never get rid of anything. They opt to keep every tenet, every principle, every belief, every facet of religious dogma or scripture or experience, every ort of history, and they become walking museums -- these, as compared to those who hang onto nothing, who subscribe to nothing but the next adventure. The angels who serve as guardians of these values, these religious values, grace your stage with their discernment as to what continues to serve and will generally allow that which no longer serves to simply be shoved off to the side, there to collect dust and eventually to become lost in the shadows of antiquity
Miriam: So … is it okay if I ask a question?
ANDROMADEUS: Yes.
Miriam: Okay. After Jesus left the planet and all the apostles were around, trying to [inaudible], were the angels nurturing and guiding them at that point? Were they working actively with them, nurturing them to savor and save and keep the best part of what would grow forward as knowledge of the kingdom within?
ANDROMADEUS: Yes, to the extent they were able to do so. Remember that the seraphic planetary government that serves your world today was new at that time, new effective the time of Michael's sojourn here -- Pentecost and after. And so for the most part the apostles were quite enthralled with the Spirit of Truth, which rather stirred them up and, I might say, added a great deal of impetus that the angels of progress found to be quite exciting.
The religious angels were not as active in the early days with the apostles, although they certainly did and would stabilize the values that had evolved to that point. But the real growth of the church ("angels of the churches") was not really activated until "the church" became a part of Urantia culture. Prior to the advent of churches, there were, yes, synagogues and other houses of worship, and those were the receptacle of those energies, but the main thrust was not on the evolving religions but on the revelatory religion in formulation.
Miriam: I'm not grasping this. So let's play like I don't know what the church was that you …was it Puritanism? were they Protestants? That flavor of church? Say for instance-- and here's what I'm hearing you saying and I'm trying to understand. Say for instance that church -- let's say they were Episcopalians. I don't know that they were, but … that burned witches at the stake. And then the mind and soul of man changed and evolved and that church stayed but it transformed into something different so they quit burning witches and they got a little softer and a little kinder perhaps and the church still follows through to this day, so is what you're saying that the angels try to nurture the progression of a church to keep what's good and grow that, and try to negate the evil minister stuff. Is that what you are saying?
ANDROMADEUS: I am saying that the angels of progress stimulate change in the church, whereas the angels of the churches, the religious guardians maintain what exists. I am not suggesting that the religious guardians maintain religious ignorance. They maintain that which has value.
Thoroah: They make sure the baby doesn't get thrown out with the bath water. Figuratively speaking.
ANDROMADEUS: The Protestants who fought against the constrictions of Catholicism may well have been stimulated by the angels of progress and certainly Byzantine art and Medieval spiritual practices are part of your history -- almost genetic are they in the effect they have on you. These are more recent, however, than when the apostles were here, as were the witch-hunts of Salem, Massachusetts; that's fairly contemporary. I am not suggesting that the religious guardians protect evil; they protect value that is cloistered in a religious way of life.
There are examples in your life, I am certain. Any honor that you give to the cross, acknowledgement of spiritual holidays, these are reflections of the religious guardians. Adoration of the angels, the practice of teaching prayers to your children -- these are gifts of the angels of churches. These are traditions and values that are handed down and you are encouraged to hand them down and embrace them because they keep the fact of religion alive. Religion does not mean in and of itself that you must be stifled by these traditions and values, no. The purpose of religion is to exalt faith. Houses of worship are honorable places. They epitomize the relationship between the Father and his children -- children who go to the Father for all their needs and all their happiness. Yes.
Renault: I presume they work as well in "churches" of Hinduism, Buddhism, wherever you can find that yearning for a Higher Power.
ANDROMADEUS: Yes. Absolutely. They are not limited to Christianity. They are not limited to organized religion. The religious guardians could also be seen to work in and with the Native American tribes in their spiritual practices. The ….
Renault: Certainly with the Dalai Lama.
ANDROMADEUS: Yes, and many others. Even in recovery groups, with their Higher Power, there are traditions that are maintained and fostered because they work. It is honorable. These are honorable efforts on behalf of honorable and valuable principles and beliefs. (Pause) Is there another sentence?
Renault: Several. "They are the checkmates of the angels of progress, all the while seeking to translate from one generation to another the imperishable values of the old and passing forms into the new and therefore less stabilized patterns of thought and conduct."
ANDROMADEUS: You have seen in your lives and have experienced as well some of this, as you have observed the influence of the Urantia Papers coming into your consciousness and stirring up your mind from its Christian moorings. The angels who serve as religious guardians have stood by you and with you in your efforts to glean what you would adopt and assimilate from the revelation, gently buffering and maneuvering that which you still hold dear from your original path, your religious roots, in such a way as to allow them to share the same stage, so as not to abruptly cast off that which sustained you for years, in times in darkness and in sorrow. Oftentimes these sentiments will gradually become just that … sentiments. And now we have religious icons to deal with and other religious memorabilia that hold a special place in people's hearts and minds as humans are wont to do. And so you will your own graven images of what matters; they become totems of your passage through life as you carry forward the torch of your faith, even through the winds of change.
Renault: There's one place where the angels of progress had a talent is in the liberation of theology. The Latin American liberation and Black liberation of theology, because it's sort of like changed or brought the goals, let's say, of the churches -- in other words, it forced them to look at just where are you putting your values: on the poor or on the rich. [Indistinguishable].
ANDROMADEUS: I see what you are saying, however I think your point falls more under perhaps another group of angels - political angels, angels of nations - although it cannot be denied that these kinds of issues are a huge part of organized religion.
Renault: Many times its not so much what those leaders do or don't stand for or don't say that is harmful to the people. Not that they directly harm or order them by withholding or not protecting.
ANDROMADEUS: The sin of omission. (Yes.) What's the next sentence?
Renault: "These angels do contend for spiritual forms, but they are not the source of ultra-sectarianism and meaningless controversial divisions of professed religionists."
ANDROMADEUS: Yes. We mentioned that.
Renault: "The corps now functioning on Urantia is the fifth thus to serve." And I was thinking back on our history, wondering if the first corps with Caligastia and the group that was trying to bring some kind of organization to the humanoids on the planet and has the fifth corps served since Jesus' time? Or has there been--
ANDROMADEUS: All of these have served only since Jesus' time.
Renault: Oh! Okay.
ANDROMADEUS: This administration is relatively new. And so all of these changeovers have happened within the past two thousand years, and the progress that you speak of has to be considered within that period of time.
Renault: Before Jesus came, I can see how people would be really lost out there. Very little directing them. Difficult.
ANDROMADEUS: Primitive world, yes. It is a part of the evolving worlds of time and space. Yet there are simple joys and real compensations for those who make the journey. Although you are correct, prior to the spirit of truth, there were limited sources. It fell upon the individuals to derive spirit value through their own ambition, and as you can well imagine, many mortals' ambitions are less than spiritual in nature.
And yet there are those who have had this temperament, who have been privy to sufficient counsel and guidance as were given to Urantia in the first epochal revelation, who did indeed receive Adamic stock through the second epochal revelation, who have in fact benefited from the priesthood to which Melchizedek belonged and the religion that he sired through Abraham, the Hebrews, who provided us with a home for our Creator Son, who has provided for this more recent influence, most notably that of the pouring out upon all flesh the spirit of truth which has considerably up-stepped progress. But humanity was not without, prior to Jesus.
Renault: Would there be a sort of spirit of truth that kind of helped people along there until they could get more on the road?
ANDROMADEUS: The Divine Minister has always been with you.
Renault: Okay. Good.
ANDROMADEUS: The Holy Spirit is at home here and has been since life implantation, and there are other ministers to the evolving races. Heavenly helpers such as the seraphim whose job it is to guide humanity and protect them in their ascent.
Renault: Could I ask a question? (Yes) We were studying about the angels, the seraphim, and how there are a seraphim for a thousand people and seraphim for a hundred people and seraphim for ten people and seraphim for individuals. We were wondering, do they use these same seraphim for special projects? So when like Miriam is going to have 2,000 people in Salt Lake at a conference, or where we have Urantia conferences, or Teaching Mission conferences, are there special angels of progress and religion and churches or something that attend to each of us, aside from the other, regular teachers. Are those part of their duties there?
ANDROMADEUS: Attending such events, such gatherings --
Renault: Yeah, where ten of us come together, or a couple of hundred of us come together for specific spiritual purposes.
ANDROMADEUS: There they will be in that midst. And they will attend according to the sundry needs of those in attendance.
Renault: So are there personal seraphim that go along?
ANDROMADEUS: Once you attain personal seraphic guardians, you have somewhat more influence on you, but this is the way it is with advancement. The more you acquire, the more is expected of you. And so, those who are attending certain events, such as the one Miriam is planning with others -- this will be attended by virtually all the angels for different reasons. For some it will be diversion and recreation; for some it will be on behalf of enlightenment; most certainly there will be those who are interested in progress; and some that will be interested in keeping alive that which has existing value.
There is plenty of room for them all. They don't take up the same kind of space humans do, and there is room for energies to work together in ways that you would recognize as a cable, perhaps, an electric cable. One copper wire as compared to ten copper wires or 100 copper wires bound together to create that one powerful cable. That is why some of these events seem to be so highly charged. They are! Not only is your energy invested in it, but so is seraphic planetary government energy on behalf of the spiritual hierarchy that oversees the development of the participants. And as you well know, each one is at their own particular and unique point in comprehension and spiritual development.
Furthermore, one individual may benefit from the services of all twelve sectors at one time or another within a fairly short period of time. And we will see more of this when we discuss epochal angels next month.
I wanted to spend just one sentimental moment more on these angels of the churches, in terms of the beauty of their music. The spheres are indeed alive with the songs sung on behalf of spirit … not simply the church choir that you are here familiar with, and the precious hymns of your forefathers … but the inspiration and thrill that goes beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary. And this exaltation of the spirit that is in large part a gift of the angels of the churches touches all of us. We all bow down and worship when we hear these psalms of praise. Indeed, such melodies reach all the way to Paradise.
Are there any questions?
Paula: Yeah, do you think there's anybody who really believes there are angels that go fluttering around like the one in the picture up there, with a couple of wings there, and everybody is flying around bumping into everybody else. I don't think that's what the good Lord meant. We just-- Maybe there's something else that happens to us when we die, but we certainly aren't going to be angels flying around with our little wings bumping into each other.
ANDROMADEUS: You will not be angels for angels are a separate order of being. You are ascending sons and daughters with your own destiny path but as for what others believe, yes, we are aware of the assortment of mental constructs that humanity brings to their spiritual table. And while much of it is laughable, perhaps, and much of it is sad, it is also a fact of the relativity of your development.
You will not need wings; neither do angels have wings. They have energy fields, as you now have energy fields, and so it goes, on into infinity, a life ahead of eternal adventure and so let us be on our way.
Renault: Thank you so much.
MERIUM: This is Merium, back again with you, and I would like to spend some time with you personally on your own issues, on your own adventures -- in particular, your perception of religious life, your spiritual life. It always gives us something to consider when you share with us where you come from. We cannot read you with a crystal ball. We only know you as you share yourself. And so we have these periods of discourse between us not to simply kill time, but to learn more about each other and share the inner life -- the inner life, as it stems from your true Source. Not that your expressions need to be perfect or well formulated or even refined but just that they be presented.
Miriam: I was just thinking. I like the term spiritual growth better than religious growth. One thing that I have done is change what I believed as a child. The structure that I was raised in is certainly not the same that I have today. And when I began my spiritual path rigorously, or when I really started being intentional … when I started it was just life, and you know, one thing led to another and I got to cultivate a relationship with a loving Father, and I got to realize Michael as my brother and father in a very helpful way. That healed issues I had since childhood, so … and I continue to grow and to change. In fact, that's why I love the Urantia Book. I get the awareness that we will always be growing and always becoming part of all that is, and so [inaudible]
I am told that I can let judgementalism go. It's hard for me to understand why people can't fix that other people's beliefs just because it's their belief. Because it isn't the same flavor as mine doesn't mean it's wrong. If there's some light and love in it, and Father or Mother or Michael or whatever you want to call it is in it somewhere [inaudible] people on this planet will start to see that and know that. I think Buddhists call that "Meta" or "love your brother as yourself."
I don't know if that's what you wanted to hear but that's what popped out.
MERIUM: Indeed, it came pouring forth. There's more than one topic in there, actually. I am reminded of the fact that I left my native world when I was your equivalent of about age 18, and so I never really experienced much adult life. I was basically a child for my mortal experience. And I didn't need a lot of stimuli to keep my spiritual wonder alive. I had a good life. I was well loved; I was comfortable; and I had the company of many neighborhood children that I took care of. And so I had all my needs fulfilled and no real problems. And then, abruptly, I was whisked off to my next level of existence. I daresay, the experience for me was that I had a spiritual life, more so than a religious life. I don't recall any dogma or any religious teaching from my original experience, but I know it was filled with joy, laughter, awe and abundance. Those are indeed fruits of the spirit.
I sometimes observe mortals such as yourselves who have experienced hardship, genuine hardship, and even though you had no real proof of God, have been able to grasp hold of some semblance of spirit reality such that you have been sustained. Many of you have grabbed hold of the church of your forefathers, or married into religious beliefs. Some of you have sought and found a philosophy that you feel improves upon that which you previously knew, and there remain many mortals who still have no use for religious philosophy but life as if they were children -- one day at a time seeking joy and abundance, even in a simple life.
But those who have relied upon belief structures to help them over the hurdle, or through the lonely night, or past the dark night of the soul, or out of the abyss, tend to clutch this as religious, as something to believe in, and they are quite reluctant to let it go. I can understand this, even as I feel sorry for it. But I do know that in the end it will all work out all right, and so those who have to hold on so tight today, will have wisdom to show for their choices, just as will those who were willing to fly on wings of faith, sometimes even prematurely.
Yes, it is always wonderful to see the many different kinds of people living in harmony together, and this is entirely possible if and as one is not attempting to press their own perspectives onto others. This is difficult to do because when you believe something and it gives you such joy you want to share it and it hurts when your gift is rejected.
Thoroah: [Indistinguishable} we have a perception that someone is going to change for us, and we love in a way we can and if it isn't accepted, we feel rejected.
MERIUM: Indeed, it is the key to all relationships. Expectations have much to do with that. And yet, agreements and compromise are a part of how people find harmony together, be it a marriage, a partnership, or a civilization. Establishing ground rules, discussing emotional responses, putting trigger points out on the table to identify, drawing forth the best in each other, and when the worst in each other appears instead, diverting your expectations from that which you wanted to what is necessary to deal with becomes opportunity for mutual development, bonding, and further growth. Not only for the immediate relationship but also for the entire community.
The more you evolve and advance the more you will see how tremendously connected you all are, and there is nothing hidden from On High. We can see your methods, your games, and your maneuvers. It's very evident in the energy patterns that you control. And you may be assured that there will be an eager seraphic helper at large to pounce upon such an opportunity to bring the light of truth to the situation. You might call them cosmic tattletales. "Oh, look! There's someone being selfish! Can I go do something?" (Group laughter)
Miriam: In planets of light and life … like Urantia is a whole bunch of flavors or religion. If all of us could accept each other for where we are, for whatever flavor it is, regardless. Let's play like that's possible. And then when we're all harmonic and love each other and said you can be you and they said I can be me and everyone agreed that everyone was fine and we all had truth and beauty and goodness and all of it -- wouldn't that be light and life? So are worlds in light and life, do they get to keep their flavors, only they just ascended to a higher place? Or planets that live in light and life are all with first, second and third center awareness of belief? You know what I mean? Does that make sense?
MERIUM: The state of light and life is when all the citizens look to the divine source as their Creator and mentor.
Miriam: No matter what we call it.
MERIUM: Right. The fact that the evolved religions have sprung up in different parts of the world under different circumstances, using different scriptures and having Gods of a different name, does not mean that the proponents of these religions differ at all in their ability to pray and worship. It's very much like cultural differences. You can go to a party and have a piñata, dance the hora, enjoy cake and ice cream with candles, in an igloo, while burning sage, and so forth. If you treat one another with the fruits of the spirit, all these differences don't matter. They are social color. They are really more cultural differences than anything.
Would you try to inveigle someone into celebrating Seder with you? If you were Jewish and you knew they were Southern Baptist?
Renault: Sure, if wanted to join.
MERIUM: The question was, would you try to make them?
Renault: Oh. Extend an invitation.
MERIUM: If the invitation is extended and then whosoever will let him come. That is not the problem. The problem is when people try to force their way of life and their beliefs on others because they feel for some reason it is the superior way.
Paula: I think we all ought to just jog along the way we are, with our particular type of religion and not worry about it, and one day we're all going to be dead and buried then we'll go up to heaven, I believe, because I don't believe that angels have a bunch of wings flapping around back there, but I think we're up there and we have to account for ourselves.
Now, my dad was an actor. He was on the stage for about 15 years, traveling all over. Had a ball for himself. And in our church-- It was the Depression days and everybody was walking around with a long face because things were so rough, and once a week we had a meal and every lady brought a covered dish and boy everybody ate really well. Some of them for the first time all week. And Daddy was killed in an accident, but I figure one of these days -- I'm getting so darned old I'll be up there myself, and I'll be tickled to death to see him again because he and I got along just perfect. He always wished they had another baby but they didn't. And so he lavished all his stuff on me and we had fun. And we were in a 90 million plays at church and made people laugh who were having a rough time. You know, because the plays were funny. He said, "Never mind all that religious stuff. You get that in church every Sunday" and so we did funny plays and stuff like that. People's morale was down and they needed a good laugh. And I'll bet he's having a ball up in heaven! And probably he and my mother are together and -- of course, Mom used to say, "Oh, Charlie!" You know. She had enough. Because he would tease her, and after a while she kind of rebelled against it, but I can still remember hearing her saying that, "Oh, Charlie!"
MERIUM: It sounds to me as though Charlie may have been working for the angels of diversion.
Paula: I think so. It was a ball and all my girlfriends were crazy about him because he would tell each one of them how beautiful they looked and how "you gotta do your hair in this way and you gotta put your make-up on this other way, the way I've been teaching my daughter to do it," so I grew up that way, having a ball. And going to church all the time and so forth so my spiritual part wasn't neglected, but we had a lot of fun with it, too. Because I can't see these people that are so religious that they walk around, you know, looking like angels before they're dead.
MERIUM: And then there are a lot of people who walk around looking like ghosts while they are still alive, or zombies.
Paula: Yeah! Some people don't know how to have fun. And my Dad -- it's like -- of course, I liked him anyhow. You can tell the way I-- But I grew up in Depression days and we had to watch every penny and so it was good that instead of going over to church and Daddy being the religious guru somehow, instead he was making everybody laugh and forget how bad it was. And after awhile it got better. Because he told everybody. He said, "One of these days it's going to turn around and everything will be quiet." And it was. Well, I'll bet he's having fun up in heaven. I'll bet he's got all the other angels laughing their heads off. And it's a good thing because some of them are too gol-darned pious when they were here. I don't like people that are so religious that you don't dare say 'Damn!'
MERIUM: Well said. I can see by the energy configuration that it is time for us to leave you to your own amusement.
Esmeralda: Before you go, thank you for telling us a little about you today.
MERIUM: Well, like most folks, I like to talk about myself. It's just that I didn't have much of a life to talk about, so that is also, of course, why I felt so comfortable as your babysitter. That was my task.
Miriam: You say you were whisked away at 18? Was it an accident?
MERIUM: [Silence]
Gerdean: I'm not getting a response here.
Renault: Are you the Merium that was there when Moses troops went a cross the Red Sea?
MERIUM: No, I did not live on this planet. None of us have. I lived on another world, quite well established in light and life. It was very peculiar that I was taken so soon. But …
Renault: Have you had other physical incarnations?
MERIUM: No. I have had no need to. My adventures have allowed me to venture forward, not backward. Perhaps when I am a Finaliter I will have that experience, but I don't anticipate it nor do I need it. I have more than enough to do in the morontia estate.
Esmeralda: We're glad you take time out to stop and visit us.
MERIUM: I am helping to compensate for my lack of adult association. And so you have provided for me a great service. I'll see you next month. Bye-bye!
END
DATE: November 2, 2008
LOCATION: Rio Rancho, NM
T/R: Gerdean
TEACHERS: Merium and Andromadeus
TOPIC: "Angels of the Churches"
MERIUM: [Greetings, salutations and introductory remarks were not recorded]
Renault: "3. The religious guardians. These are the 'angels of the churches,' the earnest contenders for that which is and has been. They endeavor to maintain the ideals of that which has survived for the sake of the safe transit of moral values from one epoch to another. They are the checkmates of the angels of progress, all the while seeking to translate from one generation to another the imperishable values of the old and passing forms into the new and therefore less stabilized patterns of thought and conduct. These angels do contend for spiritual forms, but they are not the source of ultra-sectarianism and meaningless controversial divisions of professed religionists. The corps now functioning on Urantia is the fifth thus to serve."
ANDROMADEUS: That was rather long. I'd like to break it up, and I'd like to involve you somewhat more and so, Renault, if you would read the first sentence only of that description again. Just the first sentence, please.
Renault: Okay. "These are the 'angels of the churches,' the earnest contenders for that which is and has been."
ANDROMADEUS: Those who contend for that which has been. Let's think on that for a minute and discern its value. Today, we were watching through Gerdean an antique road show. And in this portrayal of material value, it is apparent that the quality of workmanship and the historic frame of reference for material goods contributes greatly to the monetary and aesthetic value of things. This same truth holds for beliefs. They represent value levels that are a part of your inheritance that you in fact contribute to and pass on to those who follow.
When we meet at Paula and Men-O-Pah's home, we are met with much of value in terms of time and space, represented through the appointments of their home and the many clocks ticking, keeping time with the mortal sphere, representing decades of gracious living and family values. (Pause) What's the next sentence?
Renault: "They endeavor to maintain the ideals of that which has survived for the sake of the safe transit of moral values from one epoch to another."
ANDROMADEUS: As with the antique road show and Paula and Men-O-Pah's noble home, and indeed, in and with you all here present, there are those standards and values which you have had implanted in you and bestowed upon you by those who went before you which you have opted to cling to as a part of your value package. Throughout the course of a mortal life, it is possible to review your accumulated possessions, be they material, mental, emotional or spiritual, and divest yourself of those that burden you or weigh you down.
Renault: I was thinking of an ideal that survives from one epoch to another, is that of the Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is one that has come down for thousands of years.
ANDROMADEUS: Indeed it is a value lesson that has been consistent for centuries and cuts across barriers of nations and languages and cultures. It is uniform in its ideal. Not all values have been so compatible to the whole of humankind. In fact, there have been religious wars fought over the differences and they continue to this day! Without meaning to call you barbarians, they occur even among you here when and as you disagree theologically, philosophically or politically, simply because that which you hold dear can be justified as a part of your religious experience, thus adding fervor to your commitment. Nothing adds more fervor than religious zeal. Even to battle.
There are some who never get rid of anything. They opt to keep every tenet, every principle, every belief, every facet of religious dogma or scripture or experience, every ort of history, and they become walking museums -- these, as compared to those who hang onto nothing, who subscribe to nothing but the next adventure. The angels who serve as guardians of these values, these religious values, grace your stage with their discernment as to what continues to serve and will generally allow that which no longer serves to simply be shoved off to the side, there to collect dust and eventually to become lost in the shadows of antiquity
Miriam: So … is it okay if I ask a question?
ANDROMADEUS: Yes.
Miriam: Okay. After Jesus left the planet and all the apostles were around, trying to [inaudible], were the angels nurturing and guiding them at that point? Were they working actively with them, nurturing them to savor and save and keep the best part of what would grow forward as knowledge of the kingdom within?
ANDROMADEUS: Yes, to the extent they were able to do so. Remember that the seraphic planetary government that serves your world today was new at that time, new effective the time of Michael's sojourn here -- Pentecost and after. And so for the most part the apostles were quite enthralled with the Spirit of Truth, which rather stirred them up and, I might say, added a great deal of impetus that the angels of progress found to be quite exciting.
The religious angels were not as active in the early days with the apostles, although they certainly did and would stabilize the values that had evolved to that point. But the real growth of the church ("angels of the churches") was not really activated until "the church" became a part of Urantia culture. Prior to the advent of churches, there were, yes, synagogues and other houses of worship, and those were the receptacle of those energies, but the main thrust was not on the evolving religions but on the revelatory religion in formulation.
Miriam: I'm not grasping this. So let's play like I don't know what the church was that you …was it Puritanism? were they Protestants? That flavor of church? Say for instance-- and here's what I'm hearing you saying and I'm trying to understand. Say for instance that church -- let's say they were Episcopalians. I don't know that they were, but … that burned witches at the stake. And then the mind and soul of man changed and evolved and that church stayed but it transformed into something different so they quit burning witches and they got a little softer and a little kinder perhaps and the church still follows through to this day, so is what you're saying that the angels try to nurture the progression of a church to keep what's good and grow that, and try to negate the evil minister stuff. Is that what you are saying?
ANDROMADEUS: I am saying that the angels of progress stimulate change in the church, whereas the angels of the churches, the religious guardians maintain what exists. I am not suggesting that the religious guardians maintain religious ignorance. They maintain that which has value.
Thoroah: They make sure the baby doesn't get thrown out with the bath water. Figuratively speaking.
ANDROMADEUS: The Protestants who fought against the constrictions of Catholicism may well have been stimulated by the angels of progress and certainly Byzantine art and Medieval spiritual practices are part of your history -- almost genetic are they in the effect they have on you. These are more recent, however, than when the apostles were here, as were the witch-hunts of Salem, Massachusetts; that's fairly contemporary. I am not suggesting that the religious guardians protect evil; they protect value that is cloistered in a religious way of life.
There are examples in your life, I am certain. Any honor that you give to the cross, acknowledgement of spiritual holidays, these are reflections of the religious guardians. Adoration of the angels, the practice of teaching prayers to your children -- these are gifts of the angels of churches. These are traditions and values that are handed down and you are encouraged to hand them down and embrace them because they keep the fact of religion alive. Religion does not mean in and of itself that you must be stifled by these traditions and values, no. The purpose of religion is to exalt faith. Houses of worship are honorable places. They epitomize the relationship between the Father and his children -- children who go to the Father for all their needs and all their happiness. Yes.
Renault: I presume they work as well in "churches" of Hinduism, Buddhism, wherever you can find that yearning for a Higher Power.
ANDROMADEUS: Yes. Absolutely. They are not limited to Christianity. They are not limited to organized religion. The religious guardians could also be seen to work in and with the Native American tribes in their spiritual practices. The ….
Renault: Certainly with the Dalai Lama.
ANDROMADEUS: Yes, and many others. Even in recovery groups, with their Higher Power, there are traditions that are maintained and fostered because they work. It is honorable. These are honorable efforts on behalf of honorable and valuable principles and beliefs. (Pause) Is there another sentence?
Renault: Several. "They are the checkmates of the angels of progress, all the while seeking to translate from one generation to another the imperishable values of the old and passing forms into the new and therefore less stabilized patterns of thought and conduct."
ANDROMADEUS: You have seen in your lives and have experienced as well some of this, as you have observed the influence of the Urantia Papers coming into your consciousness and stirring up your mind from its Christian moorings. The angels who serve as religious guardians have stood by you and with you in your efforts to glean what you would adopt and assimilate from the revelation, gently buffering and maneuvering that which you still hold dear from your original path, your religious roots, in such a way as to allow them to share the same stage, so as not to abruptly cast off that which sustained you for years, in times in darkness and in sorrow. Oftentimes these sentiments will gradually become just that … sentiments. And now we have religious icons to deal with and other religious memorabilia that hold a special place in people's hearts and minds as humans are wont to do. And so you will your own graven images of what matters; they become totems of your passage through life as you carry forward the torch of your faith, even through the winds of change.
Renault: There's one place where the angels of progress had a talent is in the liberation of theology. The Latin American liberation and Black liberation of theology, because it's sort of like changed or brought the goals, let's say, of the churches -- in other words, it forced them to look at just where are you putting your values: on the poor or on the rich. [Indistinguishable].
ANDROMADEUS: I see what you are saying, however I think your point falls more under perhaps another group of angels - political angels, angels of nations - although it cannot be denied that these kinds of issues are a huge part of organized religion.
Renault: Many times its not so much what those leaders do or don't stand for or don't say that is harmful to the people. Not that they directly harm or order them by withholding or not protecting.
ANDROMADEUS: The sin of omission. (Yes.) What's the next sentence?
Renault: "These angels do contend for spiritual forms, but they are not the source of ultra-sectarianism and meaningless controversial divisions of professed religionists."
ANDROMADEUS: Yes. We mentioned that.
Renault: "The corps now functioning on Urantia is the fifth thus to serve." And I was thinking back on our history, wondering if the first corps with Caligastia and the group that was trying to bring some kind of organization to the humanoids on the planet and has the fifth corps served since Jesus' time? Or has there been--
ANDROMADEUS: All of these have served only since Jesus' time.
Renault: Oh! Okay.
ANDROMADEUS: This administration is relatively new. And so all of these changeovers have happened within the past two thousand years, and the progress that you speak of has to be considered within that period of time.
Renault: Before Jesus came, I can see how people would be really lost out there. Very little directing them. Difficult.
ANDROMADEUS: Primitive world, yes. It is a part of the evolving worlds of time and space. Yet there are simple joys and real compensations for those who make the journey. Although you are correct, prior to the spirit of truth, there were limited sources. It fell upon the individuals to derive spirit value through their own ambition, and as you can well imagine, many mortals' ambitions are less than spiritual in nature.
And yet there are those who have had this temperament, who have been privy to sufficient counsel and guidance as were given to Urantia in the first epochal revelation, who did indeed receive Adamic stock through the second epochal revelation, who have in fact benefited from the priesthood to which Melchizedek belonged and the religion that he sired through Abraham, the Hebrews, who provided us with a home for our Creator Son, who has provided for this more recent influence, most notably that of the pouring out upon all flesh the spirit of truth which has considerably up-stepped progress. But humanity was not without, prior to Jesus.
Renault: Would there be a sort of spirit of truth that kind of helped people along there until they could get more on the road?
ANDROMADEUS: The Divine Minister has always been with you.
Renault: Okay. Good.
ANDROMADEUS: The Holy Spirit is at home here and has been since life implantation, and there are other ministers to the evolving races. Heavenly helpers such as the seraphim whose job it is to guide humanity and protect them in their ascent.
Renault: Could I ask a question? (Yes) We were studying about the angels, the seraphim, and how there are a seraphim for a thousand people and seraphim for a hundred people and seraphim for ten people and seraphim for individuals. We were wondering, do they use these same seraphim for special projects? So when like Miriam is going to have 2,000 people in Salt Lake at a conference, or where we have Urantia conferences, or Teaching Mission conferences, are there special angels of progress and religion and churches or something that attend to each of us, aside from the other, regular teachers. Are those part of their duties there?
ANDROMADEUS: Attending such events, such gatherings --
Renault: Yeah, where ten of us come together, or a couple of hundred of us come together for specific spiritual purposes.
ANDROMADEUS: There they will be in that midst. And they will attend according to the sundry needs of those in attendance.
Renault: So are there personal seraphim that go along?
ANDROMADEUS: Once you attain personal seraphic guardians, you have somewhat more influence on you, but this is the way it is with advancement. The more you acquire, the more is expected of you. And so, those who are attending certain events, such as the one Miriam is planning with others -- this will be attended by virtually all the angels for different reasons. For some it will be diversion and recreation; for some it will be on behalf of enlightenment; most certainly there will be those who are interested in progress; and some that will be interested in keeping alive that which has existing value.
There is plenty of room for them all. They don't take up the same kind of space humans do, and there is room for energies to work together in ways that you would recognize as a cable, perhaps, an electric cable. One copper wire as compared to ten copper wires or 100 copper wires bound together to create that one powerful cable. That is why some of these events seem to be so highly charged. They are! Not only is your energy invested in it, but so is seraphic planetary government energy on behalf of the spiritual hierarchy that oversees the development of the participants. And as you well know, each one is at their own particular and unique point in comprehension and spiritual development.
Furthermore, one individual may benefit from the services of all twelve sectors at one time or another within a fairly short period of time. And we will see more of this when we discuss epochal angels next month.
I wanted to spend just one sentimental moment more on these angels of the churches, in terms of the beauty of their music. The spheres are indeed alive with the songs sung on behalf of spirit … not simply the church choir that you are here familiar with, and the precious hymns of your forefathers … but the inspiration and thrill that goes beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary. And this exaltation of the spirit that is in large part a gift of the angels of the churches touches all of us. We all bow down and worship when we hear these psalms of praise. Indeed, such melodies reach all the way to Paradise.
Are there any questions?
Paula: Yeah, do you think there's anybody who really believes there are angels that go fluttering around like the one in the picture up there, with a couple of wings there, and everybody is flying around bumping into everybody else. I don't think that's what the good Lord meant. We just-- Maybe there's something else that happens to us when we die, but we certainly aren't going to be angels flying around with our little wings bumping into each other.
ANDROMADEUS: You will not be angels for angels are a separate order of being. You are ascending sons and daughters with your own destiny path but as for what others believe, yes, we are aware of the assortment of mental constructs that humanity brings to their spiritual table. And while much of it is laughable, perhaps, and much of it is sad, it is also a fact of the relativity of your development.
You will not need wings; neither do angels have wings. They have energy fields, as you now have energy fields, and so it goes, on into infinity, a life ahead of eternal adventure and so let us be on our way.
Renault: Thank you so much.
MERIUM: This is Merium, back again with you, and I would like to spend some time with you personally on your own issues, on your own adventures -- in particular, your perception of religious life, your spiritual life. It always gives us something to consider when you share with us where you come from. We cannot read you with a crystal ball. We only know you as you share yourself. And so we have these periods of discourse between us not to simply kill time, but to learn more about each other and share the inner life -- the inner life, as it stems from your true Source. Not that your expressions need to be perfect or well formulated or even refined but just that they be presented.
Miriam: I was just thinking. I like the term spiritual growth better than religious growth. One thing that I have done is change what I believed as a child. The structure that I was raised in is certainly not the same that I have today. And when I began my spiritual path rigorously, or when I really started being intentional … when I started it was just life, and you know, one thing led to another and I got to cultivate a relationship with a loving Father, and I got to realize Michael as my brother and father in a very helpful way. That healed issues I had since childhood, so … and I continue to grow and to change. In fact, that's why I love the Urantia Book. I get the awareness that we will always be growing and always becoming part of all that is, and so [inaudible]
I am told that I can let judgementalism go. It's hard for me to understand why people can't fix that other people's beliefs just because it's their belief. Because it isn't the same flavor as mine doesn't mean it's wrong. If there's some light and love in it, and Father or Mother or Michael or whatever you want to call it is in it somewhere [inaudible] people on this planet will start to see that and know that. I think Buddhists call that "Meta" or "love your brother as yourself."
I don't know if that's what you wanted to hear but that's what popped out.
MERIUM: Indeed, it came pouring forth. There's more than one topic in there, actually. I am reminded of the fact that I left my native world when I was your equivalent of about age 18, and so I never really experienced much adult life. I was basically a child for my mortal experience. And I didn't need a lot of stimuli to keep my spiritual wonder alive. I had a good life. I was well loved; I was comfortable; and I had the company of many neighborhood children that I took care of. And so I had all my needs fulfilled and no real problems. And then, abruptly, I was whisked off to my next level of existence. I daresay, the experience for me was that I had a spiritual life, more so than a religious life. I don't recall any dogma or any religious teaching from my original experience, but I know it was filled with joy, laughter, awe and abundance. Those are indeed fruits of the spirit.
I sometimes observe mortals such as yourselves who have experienced hardship, genuine hardship, and even though you had no real proof of God, have been able to grasp hold of some semblance of spirit reality such that you have been sustained. Many of you have grabbed hold of the church of your forefathers, or married into religious beliefs. Some of you have sought and found a philosophy that you feel improves upon that which you previously knew, and there remain many mortals who still have no use for religious philosophy but life as if they were children -- one day at a time seeking joy and abundance, even in a simple life.
But those who have relied upon belief structures to help them over the hurdle, or through the lonely night, or past the dark night of the soul, or out of the abyss, tend to clutch this as religious, as something to believe in, and they are quite reluctant to let it go. I can understand this, even as I feel sorry for it. But I do know that in the end it will all work out all right, and so those who have to hold on so tight today, will have wisdom to show for their choices, just as will those who were willing to fly on wings of faith, sometimes even prematurely.
Yes, it is always wonderful to see the many different kinds of people living in harmony together, and this is entirely possible if and as one is not attempting to press their own perspectives onto others. This is difficult to do because when you believe something and it gives you such joy you want to share it and it hurts when your gift is rejected.
Thoroah: [Indistinguishable} we have a perception that someone is going to change for us, and we love in a way we can and if it isn't accepted, we feel rejected.
MERIUM: Indeed, it is the key to all relationships. Expectations have much to do with that. And yet, agreements and compromise are a part of how people find harmony together, be it a marriage, a partnership, or a civilization. Establishing ground rules, discussing emotional responses, putting trigger points out on the table to identify, drawing forth the best in each other, and when the worst in each other appears instead, diverting your expectations from that which you wanted to what is necessary to deal with becomes opportunity for mutual development, bonding, and further growth. Not only for the immediate relationship but also for the entire community.
The more you evolve and advance the more you will see how tremendously connected you all are, and there is nothing hidden from On High. We can see your methods, your games, and your maneuvers. It's very evident in the energy patterns that you control. And you may be assured that there will be an eager seraphic helper at large to pounce upon such an opportunity to bring the light of truth to the situation. You might call them cosmic tattletales. "Oh, look! There's someone being selfish! Can I go do something?" (Group laughter)
Miriam: In planets of light and life … like Urantia is a whole bunch of flavors or religion. If all of us could accept each other for where we are, for whatever flavor it is, regardless. Let's play like that's possible. And then when we're all harmonic and love each other and said you can be you and they said I can be me and everyone agreed that everyone was fine and we all had truth and beauty and goodness and all of it -- wouldn't that be light and life? So are worlds in light and life, do they get to keep their flavors, only they just ascended to a higher place? Or planets that live in light and life are all with first, second and third center awareness of belief? You know what I mean? Does that make sense?
MERIUM: The state of light and life is when all the citizens look to the divine source as their Creator and mentor.
Miriam: No matter what we call it.
MERIUM: Right. The fact that the evolved religions have sprung up in different parts of the world under different circumstances, using different scriptures and having Gods of a different name, does not mean that the proponents of these religions differ at all in their ability to pray and worship. It's very much like cultural differences. You can go to a party and have a piñata, dance the hora, enjoy cake and ice cream with candles, in an igloo, while burning sage, and so forth. If you treat one another with the fruits of the spirit, all these differences don't matter. They are social color. They are really more cultural differences than anything.
Would you try to inveigle someone into celebrating Seder with you? If you were Jewish and you knew they were Southern Baptist?
Renault: Sure, if wanted to join.
MERIUM: The question was, would you try to make them?
Renault: Oh. Extend an invitation.
MERIUM: If the invitation is extended and then whosoever will let him come. That is not the problem. The problem is when people try to force their way of life and their beliefs on others because they feel for some reason it is the superior way.
Paula: I think we all ought to just jog along the way we are, with our particular type of religion and not worry about it, and one day we're all going to be dead and buried then we'll go up to heaven, I believe, because I don't believe that angels have a bunch of wings flapping around back there, but I think we're up there and we have to account for ourselves.
Now, my dad was an actor. He was on the stage for about 15 years, traveling all over. Had a ball for himself. And in our church-- It was the Depression days and everybody was walking around with a long face because things were so rough, and once a week we had a meal and every lady brought a covered dish and boy everybody ate really well. Some of them for the first time all week. And Daddy was killed in an accident, but I figure one of these days -- I'm getting so darned old I'll be up there myself, and I'll be tickled to death to see him again because he and I got along just perfect. He always wished they had another baby but they didn't. And so he lavished all his stuff on me and we had fun. And we were in a 90 million plays at church and made people laugh who were having a rough time. You know, because the plays were funny. He said, "Never mind all that religious stuff. You get that in church every Sunday" and so we did funny plays and stuff like that. People's morale was down and they needed a good laugh. And I'll bet he's having a ball up in heaven! And probably he and my mother are together and -- of course, Mom used to say, "Oh, Charlie!" You know. She had enough. Because he would tease her, and after a while she kind of rebelled against it, but I can still remember hearing her saying that, "Oh, Charlie!"
MERIUM: It sounds to me as though Charlie may have been working for the angels of diversion.
Paula: I think so. It was a ball and all my girlfriends were crazy about him because he would tell each one of them how beautiful they looked and how "you gotta do your hair in this way and you gotta put your make-up on this other way, the way I've been teaching my daughter to do it," so I grew up that way, having a ball. And going to church all the time and so forth so my spiritual part wasn't neglected, but we had a lot of fun with it, too. Because I can't see these people that are so religious that they walk around, you know, looking like angels before they're dead.
MERIUM: And then there are a lot of people who walk around looking like ghosts while they are still alive, or zombies.
Paula: Yeah! Some people don't know how to have fun. And my Dad -- it's like -- of course, I liked him anyhow. You can tell the way I-- But I grew up in Depression days and we had to watch every penny and so it was good that instead of going over to church and Daddy being the religious guru somehow, instead he was making everybody laugh and forget how bad it was. And after awhile it got better. Because he told everybody. He said, "One of these days it's going to turn around and everything will be quiet." And it was. Well, I'll bet he's having fun up in heaven. I'll bet he's got all the other angels laughing their heads off. And it's a good thing because some of them are too gol-darned pious when they were here. I don't like people that are so religious that you don't dare say 'Damn!'
MERIUM: Well said. I can see by the energy configuration that it is time for us to leave you to your own amusement.
Esmeralda: Before you go, thank you for telling us a little about you today.
MERIUM: Well, like most folks, I like to talk about myself. It's just that I didn't have much of a life to talk about, so that is also, of course, why I felt so comfortable as your babysitter. That was my task.
Miriam: You say you were whisked away at 18? Was it an accident?
MERIUM: [Silence]
Gerdean: I'm not getting a response here.
Renault: Are you the Merium that was there when Moses troops went a cross the Red Sea?
MERIUM: No, I did not live on this planet. None of us have. I lived on another world, quite well established in light and life. It was very peculiar that I was taken so soon. But …
Renault: Have you had other physical incarnations?
MERIUM: No. I have had no need to. My adventures have allowed me to venture forward, not backward. Perhaps when I am a Finaliter I will have that experience, but I don't anticipate it nor do I need it. I have more than enough to do in the morontia estate.
Esmeralda: We're glad you take time out to stop and visit us.
MERIUM: I am helping to compensate for my lack of adult association. And so you have provided for me a great service. I'll see you next month. Bye-bye!
END