Traditions

The stability of growth in Edenic culture acts upon civilization with the compelling force of tradition, bridging the gulf between God and man. 51:6.5

Custom establishes institutions of survival, including industry, property, war for gain, and societal regulation through taboo, convention, and religious sanction, rooted in fear, ignorance, and superstition. 69:1.3

You are not obligated to accept outworn religious traditions, for true spiritual freedom and liberty come from following the truth wherever the spirit may lead you. 155:6.5-7

Traditions can be oppressive and enslaving, as seen in the burdens placed on the people by leaders who say one thing but do another. 175:1.8

Do not allow reverence for traditions to blind you from understanding the true spiritual realities of the kingdom. 157:2.2

Philosophy struggles for emancipation from dogma, tradition, and the bondage of superstition, while science fights for deliverance from the slavery of mathematics and the relative blindness of materialism. 12:9.5

It is pitiful to behold giant intellects in cultural bondage, stagnating at the level of logical intellectuality, held securely within the cruel grasp of tradition and authority. 101:7.4

Traditions provide stability and co-operation, but they also hinder initiative and creative freedom, reminiscent of the world's ongoing struggle with the dominance of outdated customs. 66:6.2

Religious traditions are the imperfectly preserved and unreliable records of the experiences of God-knowing men, altered by primitive man's tendency towards mythmaking. 4:5.1

Ritual sanctifies customs, creates myths, and is the product of myths, evolving from social to economic to religious ceremonial practices that can be personal, group, or both. 90:5.2

Tradition is a safe refuge for fearful, halfhearted souls who shun the struggles of the spirit and uncertainties of the mind, seeking an easy path devoid of faith voyages and daring adventures. 155:5.11 191:5.3

Traditions sentimentally link the past with the present, but can also stifle initiative and creative powers. 66:6.2

In the Urantia Book

Jesus

• Jesus boldly rejected superstitious traditions of his time, promoting spiritual freedom and denying divine judgment in natural disasters. 149:2.10
• Jesus taught his apostles to not mold believers according to traditions or set patterns, but to allow each soul to develop in its own way before God. 140:8.26 141:5.4

Bible parallels

Passages that the paragraphs cited above parallel, quote or reinterpret, from Duane Faw’s Paramony cross-references. Hover a reference to read it.

• Most Highs rule kingdoms of men 175:1.8 — Dn 4:17,25,32; Dn 5:21.
• Obey even crooked leaders 175:1.8 — Mt 23:3-4.
• Weighty burdens 175:1.8 — Lk 11:46.
• Beware the leaven of Pharisees 157:2.2 — Mt 16:6; Mk 8:15; Lk 12:1.
• Eyes see not, ears hear not 157:2.2 — Jer 5:21; Ezk 12:2; Mk 8:18.
• Peace be upon you 191:5.3 — Jn 20:21a.
• Great commission 191:5.3 — Mt 24:14; Mt 28:19-20a; Mk 13:10; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47; Jn 17:18; Acts 1:8b.
• So send I you 191:5.3 — Jn 17:18; Jn 20:21b.
• When Spirit comes 191:5.3 — Acts 2:1-4.
• Baptized with Spirit of Truth 191:5.3 — Acts 1:5.
• Tarry here 191:5.3 — Lk 24:49.
• Disasters not judgments 149:2.10 — Lk 13:1-5.
• Error of slavish worship 149:2.10 — Mt 23:1-39.
• Sons of living God 149:2.10 — 1 Ch 22:10; Ps 2:7; Is 56:5; Mt 5:9,16,45; Lk 20:36; Jn 1:12-13; Jn 11:52; Jn 20:17b; Acts 17:28-29; Ro 8:14-17,19,21; Ro 9:26; 2 Co 6:18; Ga 3:26; Ga 4:5-7; Eph 1:5; Phil 2:15; Heb 12:5-8; 1 Jn 3:1-2,10; 1 Jn 5:2; Rev 21:7; 2 Sam 7:14.
• True goodness is unconscious 140:8.26 — Mt 6:1-3.

See also

• ceremonies
• cults
• Judaism:oral law
• mores

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