Episode:The Betrayal Begets Default (Part 3)
With Adam and Eve degraded to mortal status, their first garden home abandoned due to Nodite hostilities, and three fourths of their family deported to Edentia, the dejected band of Edenites sought a new place to settle. Their life in the second garden in Mesopotamia proved challenging in many ways. And while the "fall of man" is a false doctrine, there was indeed a miscarriage of the divine plans.
Keywords: Urantia, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Archangels, Fall of Man
Note: Brad filled in for James, who was unavailable this week.
Summary by Kermit
7. Degradation of Adam and Eve
En route to the second garden, the Edenic caravan was halted while the fate of the Adamites was decided. At this time, Gabriel appeared and pronounced judgment on A&E. They were adjudged in default, but they had not been held guilty of rebellion.
Discussion: The difference between “self-righteous impatience”—default or evil, and “self-righteous deceit”—rebellion or sin was clarified. Adam and Eve’s over reliance on their spiritual (unity) consciousness, ungrounded by material (individuality) consciousness, led them to disregard temporal considerations, further leading to impatience. These are the take home lessons for us in our life in the flesh.
A&E now faced the consequences of their default—degradation from immortal status, to that of the mortals of the realm. We spent considerable time discussing some of the details of their immortality status and subsequent “demotion”. Their immortality status was maintained through intellectual association with the mind-gravity circuit of the Spirit. This was broken by their mental disjunction. While on Urantia, in the similitude of the mortal flesh, they were dependent upon the maintenance of a dual circulatory system. One is derived from their physical natures, and the other from the energy stored in the fruit of the tree of life.
Our discussion included such questions as, why were A&E denied access to the tree of life if their degraded status rendered them mortal? What is the meaning of the presence of an archangel custodian of the tree of life? Check out the archives of the show for details.
8. The So-Called Fall of Man
The degradation of A&E is not equivalent to the fall of man. The history of the human race is one of progressive evolution. The world is not in decline.
When our immature spiritual consciousness detects the imperfections of the present, allow the revelation to further inform our spiritual consciousness of the larger view and enhanced perspective that includes a God of evolution leading to a destiny of perfection. Further, when contemplating right action in this world, it is preferable to start from the reference point of God, seeking to understand his will and purpose, and then attempt to strike step with them. Starting from the reference point of the self, all attempts to improve on the Father’s way lead to self-righteous action as opposed to a humble obedience to God’s leading. We are reminded as we view the world, that the black patches of evil are shown against a white background of ultimate good. Further, that this white background of ultimate good is dynamic. Here is where we are challenged to cultivate all of our cosmic faculties to fully engage the eight step pathway to progress beginning with effort, struggle, and conflict, you can finish the rest or go to Paper 155:5.11.
We must recognize the condition of the world when A&E arrived. Had they exercised more patience and followed the counsel of the Melchizedeks they would have been successful.
Eve’s mistake was described as “experimenting with the life plasm of the material order of sonship by allowing it to be prematurely commingled with the Nodite race. The use of the word “prematurely” is suggestive of the possibility we have mentioned before, that the Melchizedek plans for racial blending may have provided for such eventual, direct “commingling” of said life plasm.
In concluding this paper, Solonia reminds us that perfection is our goal not our origin. She goes on to explain how the existence of disagreement and misunderstanding in our evolving universe are evidence of the fact and act of personality. Further, that an existence dominated by personality leads to the assurance of the possibilities of personality survival, advancement, and adventure.
Paper 76. The Second Garden
The Adamic caravan did not reach the site of the second garden before the birth of Cain and Sansa. We learn of Laotta’s death during Sansa’s birth and Eve’s very difficult delivery.
Discussion: Sansa represents the origin of the so-called Cro-Magnon stock. Also, we speculated about the reproductive difficulties experienced by Laotta and Eve. The nature of the incompatibility of the Adamic-Nodite mating would seem to be something other than either the poor living conditions or any physical mismatch between the two races, inasmuch as Eve being of the superior race also suffered significantly.
1. The Edenites Enter Mesopotamia
It took almost a full year for the caravan to reach the site of the second garden. This site was one of the three original selections for the location of the first garden. The inhabitants of this area fled in haste when they learned of the approach of the Edenites. The living conditions were arduous as the site was unprepared for them, as was the first garden. Here the second garden had to be created by the labor of their own hands and in the “sweat of their faces”.
Again, Solonia’s use of the biblical account in Genesis illustrates how the thread of truth of these times and events has managed to come down over the thousands of years of human history, albeit fragmentary and garbled.
