And I thought I had seen it all. Not very long ago I wrote a post on the newly discovered Gigantoraptor, and I fully expected to see creationists try to use the dinosaur as proof that evolution didn’t occur. What I did not expect, however, was to see this comment posted on my initial thoughts about the dinosaur earlier today;
CHECK OUT “THE URANTIA BOOK” AND SEE THEIR WEB SITE FOR THE MOST FASCINATING INFO ABOUT EVOLUTION ON THE PLANET. GO TO “SEARCH THE URANTIA BOOK” AND ENTER “PASSENGER BIRDS” I’M SURE YOU’LL FIND THIS INTERESTING.
I had a bad feeling about this one (anyone who writes in all caps (=shouting) immediately makes me dubious), and my feelings were justified as, according to The Urantia Book, Adam and Eve rode giant “Fandors” (“passenger birds”) while in Eden;
74:0.1 ADAM AND EVE arrived on Urantia, from the year A.D. 1934, 37,848 years ago. It was in midseason when the Garden was in the height of bloom that they arrived. At high noon and unannounced, the two seraphic transports, accompanied by the Jerusem personnel intrusted with the transportation of the biologic uplifters to Urantia, settled slowly to the surface of the revolving planet in the vicinity of the temple of the Universal Father. All the work of rematerializing the bodies of Adam and Eve was carried on within the precincts of this newly created shrine. And from the time of their arrival ten days passed before they were re-created in dual human form for presentation as the world’s new rulers. They regained consciousness simultaneously. The Material Sons and Daughters always serve together. It is the essence of their service at all times and in all places never to be separated. They are designed to work in pairs; seldom do they function alone.
…
74:3.4 The third day was devoted to an inspection of the Garden. From the large passenger birds — the fandors — Adam and Eve looked down upon the vast stretches of the Garden while being carried through the air over this, the most beautiful spot on earth. This day of inspection ended with an enormous banquet in honor of all who had labored to create this garden of Edenic beauty and grandeur. And again, late into the night of their third day, the Son and his mate walked in the Garden and talked about the immensity of their problems.
Yikes. Just what the heck is this all about? From what I can tell, The Urantia Book is an obscure, modern religious text that attempts to meld Abrahamic religion with science and New Age mystic B.S., claiming that is supports evolution, but supporting it in a way that it is non-accidental and also allows Adam and Eve to ride around on Gigantoraptor in the Garden of Eden. I honestly had never heard of them before, nor any of their beliefs, and I am certainly not going to put the effort into reading through over 2,000 pages of unsubstantiated, ever-changing woo (although the book is entirely online for anyone who wants to hurt their brain).
This new information will perhaps be useful as a footnote in considering various creationist doctrines while I work on my book, but I’m not going to put much time or effort into such a poor amalgamation of spiritual nonsense. At least now I can promptly run away if I should ever hear a friend or acquaintance say “Have you ever read The Urantia Book? It’s really good!”
How New Age. How sensitive. How communication-oriented. How… heart-rendingly boring.
Unless an imminent attack by a pack of raving Smilodon was among their problems… “Why, look, Adam! A saber-toothed cat approaches, red in tooth and claw.” “Indeed it does, Eve; and I espy its fellow-cats gathering yonder, bent on joining the fray.” “How ought we to proceed, my beloved co-biologic uplifter?” “Let us mount our trusty Fandors and take to the skies, where we can survey this vista of Edenic grandeur from a lofty point of safety.” “A fine plan, Material Daughter. To the Fandorrr…. auuuughhhh…” (rending and slavering sounds)
Hahaha! I love it! In the space of one comment you’ve managed to best both the writers of Urantia and Jeff Rovin.
[...] traveled to India, where his body rests in a tomb. Others believe that Gigantoraptor was really a magical bird called a “Fandor” that carried Adam and Eve around the Garden of Eden. Some of the most surprising and strange [...]
http://www.ubhistory.org/Documents/AI19800916_TimesPicayune_01.pdf
I think we (humanity) have hurt our brains with all the misrepresent “history” and knowledge society had teach us. We have been manipulated , and also our brains, that is why is to difficult to us accept other beliefs . As humanity in times of Galileo did not believe in a complete solar system rotating around a sun, and finally is prove , now is almost impossible people remove the blind mask in front of their eyes and see things other way society have show. Everything is possible in this material world, and we DO NOT KNOW IT ALL!!!!
The writer of the start of this seems to think he/she does know it all, and the ugly, unfounded, and misinformed japing at the Urantia Book is typical of the ignorance that has plagued humanity for so long. Mention of Galileo is most ironic – the same kind of thinking found today in those who mock the UB was operative in condeming Galileo because he knew stuff that was not in the official body of so-called Knowledge. One can only wonder if the writer has ever looked into the Urantia Book, let alone actually read it. Such mindless and mocking egotism is typical of the modern “intellectual” mind set, which condemns what it does not understand without any serious investigation, just to show how “smart”the writers are.
Those who have actually read and reread and studied the Urantia Book may be few now, but in the future they will be many. Let the willfully ignorant wallow in their own egotistical dreams – in the end the Truth will bury them.
Red Molly;
You are sad;
Stupidity in Academia in alive and, well!
“the earth is flat, I just “know” it!”
I’ve read the Urantia Book and I have to admit the fandor thing was one of my biggest problems with it, and it can be a very disturbing book, but also very beautiful and inspiring. To me it’s the kind of thing you should put aside your skepticism and just explore because there’s much worth finding in it. If you have half a critical mind you won’t be brainwashed by a book, and the looney parts about fandors and other silly things are trifles in comparison to the truly mind blowing concepts nearly everywhere else in the UB. Still, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to swallow the fandor part.