The Sublime Adventure – LXXIV. On A Personal Note (1 of 3)
Date Posted: September 24th, 2009
If I go far enough in time, I find a 12-year-old boy
standing on his balcony in Cairo. This little boy is me, and I
am looking up at the night sky.
What a glorious spectacle this was: The sky was lit by the
light of myriad of stars; a blanket of diamonds stretched across
the heavens; God’s poetry in light. And all this was long before
light and air pollution stole the night sky away.
At the time, this was more than a light-show for me. These
countless celestial bodies stirred deep emotions in me. Every
one of them could potentially be a world with people like us. (I
was unaware at the time that these were suns similar to our own
sun). I knew there was a Creator in charge of this immense
universe; I was also aware of the fact that there were rulers
called the Ancients of Days who acted on God’s behalf.
* * *
There were, at the time, people and events that were
gradually shaping my budding soul.
Those of you who had read my previous articles are aware who
cousin David is, and what influence he had on me. For the rest,
let me restate some of the previously mentioned facts.
David was my father’s cousin. He was a very learned man
having read the Talmud, the Kaballah, and the Zohar in the
original Hebrew, and if necessary in Aramaic!
Since I was very curious about all things spiritual, I
peppered David with questions. It seems that there were many
worlds out there with people like us. That the universe was a
gigantic administration, not unlike our government, but on a much
larger scale. The top rulers were three administrators called
the Ancients of Days; but there were also other administrators
having their own specific functions. Were they angels? No,
angels exist to minister to us. Was there a hell? No, this was
a place invented by malicious minds to keep humans in line! Was
there a heaven? Yes, and it’s a very beautiful place; but souls
do not sit there for all eternity doing nothing! There is a lot
of work to do, and a tremendous amount of learning to be
acquired. (Being young at the time, and hating school, this
information was not welcome news!)
Ultimately, what I obtained from David were only meager
information. However, he left me with a thirst that needed to be
quenched. And this happened many years later when I held the
Urantia Book in my hands and gradually became acquainted with the
amazing revelations it contained.
We were not particularly religious in our family, but from
time to time, my dad took me to the synagogue. Later on, I went
on my own. There, a few things bothered me. For example, we
needed to pay for our seats during the High Holidays; along the
same line, we paid for the privilege of being called to the
Torah. (I did not appreciate at my age that, like any other
institution, a house of worship cannot be maintained and run
without money!) What bothered me the most was that the God we
were praying to was often described as an angry and vindictive
Deity. Somehow, this did not square with my concept of the
Creator.
For my Bar-Mitzvah, I had a learned teacher who set the
record straight. The God in the prayer book was how people
conceived him some 3,000 years ago. When the Jewish people
received the commandments, the world was a barbaric place with
vengeful gods who had to be placated. It’s not surprising
therefore that the God of Israel was thus presented.
Another example. In one of the prayer, I am thanking God
for having created me a man! The explanation given by this
wonderful teacher made sense. Historically, women bore a heavier
burden than their male counterparts. They had more work and more
responsibilities. (Modern women will tell you that not much has
changed!) The prayer was also taken out of context from the
Talmud; the relevant text explains why because of their heavier
load, women were excused from most religious duties.
Within the constraints of time and place, my parents were
open-minded people. Thus, I was encouraged to accept other
nationalities, other religions, and in general other differences.
I would find out on one occasion how far I was allowed to
stray from my Jewishness. I was 10 years old when I read a
French book called L’evangile d’une Grande-Mere by La Comtesse De
Segur. (The Gospel According to a Grandmother). It retold the
gospel stories and was of course written at a child level. I was
captivated by this book and utterly fascinated by the man called
Jesus. I had a lot of questions, but could not go to my mother
for I had read a “Christian” book on the sly. There was,
however, one question which obsessed me, I had to have an answer
for it: How could Jesus be Jewish and Christian at the same
time? And so it was that, hat in hand, I eventually went to my
mother, admitted that I had read a “forbidden” book, and asked my
question. Her response was that he was born a Jew, lived as one,
and died Jewish. It was his disciples that later on, building
upon His Wisdom and His Ministry, founded Christianity. My
mother made it clear that I had done nothing wrong; that I can
investigate other religions, and that I should always widen my
horizons. And so I did for the rest of my life!
In many respects, Egypt is an amazing country. One of the
most remarkable thing about my native country is the extent of
its spirituality. God is everywhere. He is in the air we
breathe! He is constantly in our thoughts. He reigns supreme in
the hearts of men. Nothing happens unless He wills it. Thus,
the Egyptians will always say Inshallah (God willing) before
planning anything. I still do that to this very day.
“Inshallah, I will take my readers through the adventure of
eternity.” And with God’s help I did just that. A task that
seemed impossible when I started it.
When I look back upon my early years, I credit the deep
respect the Egyptians have for their Creator for the spiritual
person I am today. You may accuse me of exaggerating, but I’ll
say it anyway: If you’re born in Egypt, it’s impossible for you
to be an atheist; agnostic, maybe, but even that would be very
difficult. If you tell an Egyptian that there is no God, she
will look at you wondering if you’ve lost your marbles! “Who do
you think created the universe and all that’s in it?”
Finally, I believe that an advanced Thought Adjuster has
entered into a partnership with this human. This fragment of God
has guided me towards my Creator and always reassured me as to my
place in the universe. If only I could get in touch with Him;
some people on Urantia (and certainly on more advanced planets)
can. As for me, I will probably have to wait for the time when
we will meet on the first mansion world. May that be in the far
future, for I have so much more to do right here on my native
planet. (This healthy attitude is also espoused by the readers I
have met in study groups. Until the life energies have been
exhausted, we enjoy our life here, difficult as it often is. It
is so incredibly short, and life in the flesh teach us lessons
that cannot be taught later on on any future universe station).
