© 1993 Ken Glasziou, Trevor Swadling, Ann Bendall, David Glass
© 1993 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
2 Salisbury Crt, Glen Waverley, Victoria, AUSTRALIA, 3150.
¶ In This Issue…
SIX-0-SIX
PO BOX 616, Sunnybank, Queensland, AUSTRALLA 4109
Six-O-Six is a bi-monthly publication dedicated to the promotion of International goodwill and understanding among readers of The URANTIA Book.
- So They Say
- Letters to the Editor
- News Around the World
- Articles
- On Group Conformity
- The Book — Study and Discussion
- Faith and the Channelling Pathway
- Forum
- The Crossroads of Epochal Revelation
- Divine Antidotes
- Quotable Quotes
- Crosswords
- On Reflection
- Feet Washing
- Destined for the Skies
- When All is Said and Done
¶ Editor’s Notebook
One of more outstanding features of The URANTIA Book is its unfailing recognition of the individual. Not socially conferred rights, bestowed identity and purpose, for they must be earned.
Our problem is: Do others recognize and appreciate what we try to make of ourselves? Outside of God and close associates we are virtually unknown in life’s passing parade.
Educational systems (as distinct from some special schools), however, are showing signs of recognizing personal values.
Teachers are becoming part of a collaborative parenthood aiming at the whole of life. No longer is problem solving and teamwork seen in the narrow focus of commercial productivity and success.
It is almost reminiscent of the tribe of Canadian Indians whose ‘competencies’ included compassion, courage, humility, anger at injustice, guilelessness, even a capacity to be alone.
We are also seeing a desire for change in basic corporate cultures. Corporate health, once evaluated in terms of ability to create wealth, now recognizes its dependence on human capital.
As yet, businesses are not able to bring this asset to account. New definitions, beyond intellectual property, are required.
The worth of employees, customers, and competitors are best measured in the value of relationships. That is “when two or more are gathered in my name”.
Managers and teachers will need to encourage their charges to become individuals with a strong sense of belonging to a caring community. To do so, the leaders need to embody spiritual values where dreams are partners with reality.
An example of impending change is the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), a non-government organization holding consultative status with UNESCO, and based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Founded in 1970 , it offers a two year pre-university course in 450 schools in 65 countries.
Students, in addition to the usual disciplines of language, science and mathematics, conduct personal research and participate in creative, aesthetic, athletic, and community service type activities.
The Theory of Knowledge element provides a philosophical approach to knowledge and its acquisition.
IBO believe they educate the whole person. But in all its attention to personal development, it totally ignores the spiritual nature of the individual.
“The spiritual renaissance must await the coming of these new teachers…” (UB 195:9.4)
‘Success’ then is coming to have a whole new meaning. That which contributes to eternal survival, both within oneself and within relationships, is perhaps a measure. When seen in this enlightened context, even apparent failures may in fact prove to be our greatest triumphs. The life of Jesus Christ attests to that.
Purpose, as envisioned and given by the revelators, needs to be offered to our colleagues and students.
In the journey to God, free-will creatures will engage in an almost limitless number of relationships. But in each of them it will be the individual’s relationship with God that is paramount.
Only there are our true natures and achievements recorded, and perhaps somewhat admonishingly, reported back to us.
¶ So They Say
David Tracey (Lecturer In Humanities)
New Age writings do not lend themselves to critical assessment. The reader is turned into a believer and if you don’t believe you are out. Sheer assertiveness wipes out the middle ground, where the intelligent reader can reflect and make independent judgments.
From ‘Infinite In All Directions’ by Freeman Dyson
I believe that we are here to some purpose, that the purpose has something to do with the future, and that it transcends altogether the limits of our present knowledge and understanding…If you like, you can call the transcendent purpose…God…inherent in the universe and growing in power and knowledge as the universe unfolds. Our minds are not only expressions of its purpose but are also contributions to its growth.
Newsweek Magazine
Many (U.S.) Companies have sub-contracted lowwage manufacturing work in China. They risk being unwitting parties to human rights abuses. Amnesty International cites plenty of examples of Chinese who have been persecuted in the work place. The U.S. hopes to advance human rights by legislating a code of conduct for American businesses overseas that would require companies to protect workers against political persecution.
The Australian Magazine
The man most likely to succeed the ailing John Paul II could overturn his teaching on birth control, begin recruiting women priests, and end the nine hundred year tradition on priestly celibacy.
Whatever path he chooses, Carlo Maria Martini, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, risks sparking a crisis that could prove terminal for a divided Catholic Church.
Phillip Adams, Columnist
I can’t think of an organization that I respect half as much as Amnesty International. I’m lost in admiration for the courage of those who gather the information, frequently at risk of their lives. You can’t help but admire the even-handed way it has approached governments and regimes, indifferent to their ideological, religious or cultural differences.
Amnesty takes the view that there is a universal standard of human rights that must be applied, and that anything less than that is intolerable. “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” That’s the Amnesty line, and it won’t allow equivocation or compromise.
¶ Letters To The Editor
¶ Six-O-Six Too Slow!!
Allan Lane, Perth. W.A.
Thank you for the references from The URANTIA . By the way, I have a serious complaint to make about Six-O-Six: I read it all the day it arrives and then have to wait another two months before the next one arrives!! Ken Glasziou’s article ‘Responsibility’ was most sobering and worthwhile contemplating.
¶ U.S. Distribution Of Six-O-Six
David Glass, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
I like to find new and long-term subscribers receiving the newsletter because, as an international forum, it affords an extra-American look at the URANTIA Community (as I prefer to say, instead of ‘URANTIA Movement’ — I don’t think we are quite moving yet). Best wishes for your continuing efforts for sharing truth through the publication and in various ways besides.
¶ Where I Put My Trust
Robert Martin, Sydney
Concerning the matter of Sedona, I have been sent an unsolicited copy of The Salvington Circuit, Vol.1, No.1. Upon consideration, I have decided to remain aloof from what they are doing. Quite frankly, I feel that I should not aid or abet them in any way whatsoever. I put my trust in the URANTIA Foundation, the United Nations, UNESCO, the World Health Organization and other similar bodies, and not in UFO’s or channellers.
Six-0-Six is published six times o year and editorial contributions are welcomed. Subscription rates: Australia $10 per year. Other countries — $A 15 per year. Please remit in Australian dollars. The material contained in this publication is of general comment only, and not advice on any particular matter. The publisher, authors and editors expressly disclaim all liability in respect of this information and of the consequences of only actions resulting therefrom. Interpretations and opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of Six- O Six or Urantia Foundation. The editor reserves the right to edit all material to conform to style guidelines and available space. All quotations, un less otherwise indicated are from The URANTIA Book © 1955 and used by permission. This publication is copyright.
¶ News Around The World
¶ What Is Happiness?
Aristotle said happiness was the reward of an active life lived with sweet reason. Freud said it was mostly a matter of work and love. Charles Schulz, the cartoonist philosopher, claimed it was really a warm puppy. being’.
Psychologists sometimes refer to it as 'subjective well-
So what is happiness?
Studies show it primarily depends — not on youth, success, wealth — but on close relationships, followed by happy marriages. Next comes religious faith.
¶ Pragmatism!
After decades of dominating Australian universities, the arts are rapidly losing out to more pragmatic programs.
Between 1988 and 1992, students taking legal studies rocketed by 62%, enrolments in business and commerce increased by 45%, and science intakes went up by 44%.
The arts, humanities, and social sciences managed to attract slightly less than 25%.
In the past, the humanities faculties have nurtured most of Australia’s intelligentsia — the writers, the poets, philosophers and public servants. With the current political emphasis on economic outcomes, there is the concern that the cultural role of higher education has been devalued.
And the future? The Government has recommended that priority areas of computer science, Asian studies, and business courses get 60% of new student places created between 1989 and 1993 . Only 11% would go to the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
¶ Nascent Planets?
Ben Sandilands in ‘The Bulletin’
At Narrabri, in Western New South Wales, the Australian telescope has radio-imaged what appear to be whole solar systems of planets being born around new stars.
At the Mount Stromlo Observatory, Canberra, an optical telescope is finding initial signs that mysterious objects are causing the background stars of a neighbouring galaxy to blink.
Both discoveries are potential breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe.
North of Perth there are plans to build a gravitational observatory as part of a global network of four detectors to pick up ripples in the fabric of space. These ripples have been predicted but not yet observed.
Another major project is scheduled for the Antarctic ice cap. An infrared telescope there will offer more detailed viewing conditions at lower cost than a space or moon based observatory.
¶ Urantia Book Display
URANTIA Foundation displayed The URANTIA Book at the Australian Book Fair in June 1993 at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre in Sydney.
¶ Study Group Directory
ANZURA, the Australian and New Zealand United Readers Association, has compiled a study group directory.
A copy of this directory is enclosed with this issue of Six-O-Six. The ANZURA Bulletin makes the comment: “Hopefully we will see the pages of our directory expand over the years”.
¶ Translations, Concordance, And Eleventh Printing Of The Urantia Book Now available.
In early June, the Spanish and Finnish translations, a Finnish index, an English Concordance, and the eleventh printing of The URANTIA Book in English were delivered to the URANTIA Foundation. This constitutes the largest printing ever of The URANTIA Book.
3,000 copies of the first printing of the Finnish translation, 5,000 copies of the first printing of the Spanish translation, 25,000 copies of the eleventh printing of the English version of The URANTIA Book, 3,000 copies of the first printing of a Finnish index, and 3,000 copies of an exhaustive English concordance. The arithmetic tells the story — we are about to begin the dissemination of 39,000 books.
The Spanish translation, El Libro de URANTIA, will be available for a suggested retail price of US $55. El Libro de URANTIA, like the English version, will be sold through bookstores.
¶ Articles
¶ On Group Conformity
Sunshine Coast Study Group
Many events in this century have sounded ominous warning of the inherent dangers confronting individuals when subjected to pressures arising within social groups. Examples are: the excesses that derived from the Nietzschian master race paradigm thrust upon the German people by their Nazi leaders; the kamikaze behaviour of Japanese troops and airmen; the irrational succumbing by youth to peer group pressures in respect of potentially harmful habits (smoking, drug taking), or the idea that virginity status is shameful which may lead to a consequent exposure of immature minds and bodies to the hazards of pregnancy, AIDS, and venereal diseases. More spectacularly, there have been the bizarre outcomes attached to religious ministries such as that of the Reverend Jones whose flock committed mass suicide by taking cyanide, or the recent holocaust resulting from the Waco affair.
Inherent Nature Of Groups
Of course, not all group behaviour has such dramatic effects and obviously there are benefits to be gained from belonging to a group. In fact, for we humans, our very survival is dependent on our participation in various groups, be it family, tribe, race, nation, etc. But what we need to be aware of is that our participation in any group may bring about behaviour patterns in individuals that they would certainly reject in the absence of group pressures.
¶ The Book Study & Discussion
¶ Faith And The Channelling Pathway
Ken Glasziou, Queensland
Firstly let me state that I am writing about my pathway — nobody else’s. Jesus said: “When did I teach you that you must all see alike… what I require of you is spiritual unity”. (UB 141:5.1) So I am not about to claim that the ‘teaching mission’, channelling, or any other phenomenon is false. What I really want to say is that even if any such pathway could be shown to be valid, I would still not want to take it. A good reason was given in an earlier Six-O-Six article by Meredith Sprunger who questioned why people would feel a need for channelling guidance when they already have direct personal contact with much higher sources of truth: their Thought Adjuster, the Spirit of Truth, and the Holy Spirit.
When considering this matter, it seemed to me that I would have to go right back to basics and first ask myself why God created us mortals at all! Why are we subjected to this strange, initial introduction to our universe careers in an often hostile environment on a material planet? After all, The URANTIA Book tells us that our final goal is to stand as a perfected spirit-being in the presence of the Universal Father. The book also tells us that: “the mistakes which you fail to forget in time will be forgotten in eternity”. (UB 156:5.8) So why do we have to go through this material experience? Why doesn’t our universe career commence in some much more advanced environment even Havona maybe?
¶ The Forum
¶ The Crossroads Of Epochal Revelation
by Trevor Swadling, Sydney
After Jesus physically left this planet he left in trust to his ambassadors the continuing work he had trained them for. From our reading we come to love and understand these ambassadors. We also realise their differences and the well-intentioned but sometimes undesirable outcomes that their opinions had on the outworking of the gospel. But these noble men did act. The rest is history. The fourth epochal revelation was partially successful but could have been more so had greater wisdom been exercised. However, one of the world’s mightiest religions evolved from these humble beginnings. We look back, shake our heads and think the apostles acted foolishly and think that we have been taught lessons so that when our turn comes we won’t make those same mistakes.
We of today have been blessed, through The URANTIA Book, with a wealth of information as to why events unfold as they do. As we look into the future from now to the unfolding of the Fifth Epochal Revelation, we should gather and draw wisely on its contents. We have been blessed with a larger revelation and therefore, no doubt, we may be more accountable.
¶ Divine Antidotes
Q: What Is It That Only U$ Can Start And Only A Book Can Finish?
A: The URANTIA Book
Then there was the dyslexic devil worshipper who sold his soul to Santa.
The dry-cleaner opened his shop next door to the Church — because cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Q: What side of The URANTIA Book is the most fascinating?
A: The inside.
Q: What do you do with a blue book?
A: Try and cheer it up.
Verily, verily, they who walk on their heels shall save their soles.
Q: What do you call a courier van without licence plates?
A: A mystery messenger.
Teacher (thinking of Truth and Trust):
What are the two words starting with ‘ T ’ that lead to Eternity?
UB student: Today and Tomorrow.
Entrant to Mansion Worlds: Will God punish me for something I haven’t done?
St. Peter: Of course not.
Entrant: I haven’t done his will.
Q: When did only RANTIA exist?
A: Before U and I were born.
¶ Crosswords
by Audrey Morris, Tewantin, Queensland
Across
3. One of David’s wives 8. Record 9. State of Australia (abbr.) 11. Early Trinity concept of God 12. Jesus healed her daughter 15. Hill tribe of India 18. Approve 19. Transcendental energy on Uversa 20 . Assigned sentinels of Infinite Spirit (init.) 24. False 27. One of the first ten women evangelists 28. Inspect 30 . Country known for its silk 31. Religious sect
Down
1. Last northern mission of Jesus 2. Not weak 3 . Mind is dependent on 4. Went astray 5 . Indifferent 6 . Ancestor of Mary 7. Poetess at Jerusalem Temple 10. Soon 13. Adamson’s wife 14. Bride at Cana wedding feast 16. Man with withered hand 17. Head of church south and east 18. A sibling 21. Division 22. Zebedee’s wife 23. Ancestor of Mary 24. Entreat 25. Binds 26. On 29. Affirm
Solution To Previous Crossword
Across: 1. Panorama 4. Able 8. Cultism 10. Olive 11. Spa 12. Dark Giant 13. Van 15. Viola 16. Era 17. Nub 17A. Demit 18. Use 19. Oil 20. Re-edify 22. Deem 23. Cyclones
Down: 2. Nalda 3. Memory of mercy 5. Brigade 6. Eventuate 7. Long mantle 9. Individual 11. Sevenfold 14. Nebulae 18. Union 21. Yes
¶ On Reflection
¶ Feet Washing
Ann Bendall, Nambour, Queensland
Their nerves were on edge, their minds confused and, daring not to examine the words of the man all but one dearly loved, those tactless brothers of mine sought to attend the last supper still indulging in the game of their spiritual childhood — vying for position.
Their behaviour gave rise to the beautiful psychodrama of the washing of the feet of Jesus. He gave them the one commandment of the whole of their religion: “That you love one another even as I have loved you”. And he also gave the outcome attendant on their following his commandment: “And by this will all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another”. He could not spell it out any clearer. He symbolized it to them by proceeding to do the chore of a servant — washing their feet.
¶ Destined For The Skies
David Glass
Our life’s a gift with God’s own guarantee
That all its many blessings shall not cease.
The life that throbs in human forms we see
Shall go with us; our forms here rest in peace.
One’s soul is like a lightweight ping-pong sphere
One far immersed beneath the ocean’s deep.
But once released, it swims up to be near
The sunlit brilliance of the sky, to sleep
¶ When All Is Said And Done
“Of all human knowledge, that which is of the greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it.” (UB 196:1.3)