© 1988 Kathleen Swadling, David Elders, Ken T. Glasziou
© 1988 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
| Vol 9 No 6 Nov 1988 — Index | Report On The South Pacific Regional Meeting Of Readers Of The Urantia Book |
2 Salisbury Crt, Glen Waverley, Victoria, AUSTRALIA, 3150.
¶ A note from 6-0-6
This issue of our newsletter, the last one for 1988, we have mainly dedicated to reporting on the South Pacific Regional Meeting of Readers of The URANTIA Book, held at Ranelagh House, Robertson, N.S.W. 10th — 14th October 1988. There is no doubt in the minds of the people who attended that it was a great success but one that has left us lost for words to describe the real experience. It is a real credit to the organizers Kathleen and Trevor Swadling, William Wentworth and Neil Francey.
We bring you Kathleen’s report and a few of the presentations given at this meeting. Due to lack of space we will hold the rest of the presentations over to the next issue of Six-0-Six.
The 6-0-6 wishes all of you a safe and joyous Christmas and New Year. We like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for their continued support during 1988 and are looking forward to strenghtening the bonds of friendship in 1989, our 10th year of publication.
¶ “Thought For The Month”
“Though you cannot find God by searching, if you will submit to the leading of the indwelling spirit, you will be unerringly guided, step by step, life by life, through universe upon universe, and age by age, until you finally stand in the presence of the Paradise personality of the Universal Father”. The URANTIA Book UB 2:5.5
¶ A Psalm Of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers
Life is but an empty dream,
For the soul is dead that slumbers
And things are not what they seen.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal.
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow
Is our destined end or way;
But to act that each tomorrow
Finds us farther than today.
Art is long, and time is fleeting
And our hearts though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled dreams, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle
Be a hero in the strife.
Trust no future, however pleasant!
Let the dead past bury its dead!
Act — act is the living present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another
Sailing over life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing
Learn to labour and to wait.
Longfellow
Presented by Peter Webb at the South Pacific Regional Meeting of URANTIA Book Readers, October 1988.
¶ Fiji Presents
by Isireli U. Racule
Greetings of “Bula Vinaka” from the Islands of Fiji to you our brothers and sisters in Australia and neighbour nations of Planet 606, Urantia, assembled here, in this mansion home Ranelagh, Robertson, this day and week. We welcome you, into our hearts and love!
Marica (Martha) my dear wife (in absentia, in Bonnyrigg, N.S.W.) and I, Isireli(Isi), bring to you in person the hopes and best wishes of the URANTIA Book readers of Fiji, that the Pacific Regional Meeting, 1988 of Australia be a success and a major step forward in the development and advancement of the Gospel of Jesus in the form of The URANTIA Book for the planet, this day and age, — the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.
Fiji, a little more than 150 years ago, became a Christian country of two major sects of Christianity, — Methodist, a liberty moderated Church in 1835, and Roman Catholic, a tradition and ritual laden one, in 1844, whose world leader we know, has always been the Pope in Rome. And, we know, too, that Christianity, a world religion, established by Paul, nineteen and a half centuries ago, is today so sect-laden with so much unnecessary differences of opinions and conceptual beliefs, that the peoples experience no unity and harmony in the churches of Christendom.
The standard of church music in the Fiji Christian churches is very high, and being the language of the universes and the Paradise Havona worlds is full of lingering harmony with no discord. But, in the Christian churches themselves, let alone other religions, there is a lot of discord and harmony throughout life for almost 2000 years. We truly hope, that such a state of disharmony and disunity will someday lift and be lifted, and we know too well that Urantia at the moment is still under ‘quarantine’ as the result of the Lucifer Rebellion, and when this shall be lifted no one knows.
We as Urantians, members of the Brotherhood or not, have been admonished by the midwayer commission (in the 77 Jesus Papers 120 — 196) that we should remember well to keep whole and never be divided into sects, keeping in mind the Christian slogan: “A house divided against itself cannot stand!!” (For “united” we stand, and “divided” we fall!) Urantians, all, be united always and forever, in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man!!
May God be with us all in this great Conference!!!
Vinaka!
¶ Report On The South Pacific Regional Meeting Of Readers Of The Urantia Book
October 10th-14th 1988
THEME: CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND SPIRITUAL UNITY
by Kathleen Swadling
I would like to give a brief outline of the events at our recent South Pacific Meeting, even though it may be hard for the words I use to convey the meaning and value of the whole experience. I’m sure everyone who participated will agree that it was an “event of a lifetime”. As Neil Francey said in his closing comments: “We’ll all find ourselves simply saying to people ‘you should have been there’” and this is so true. There’s no substitute for experience. Nevertheless I shall endeavour to summarise the week and share with you a glimpse of its value.
Day 1 — Monday was mainly filled with arrivals, reunions, registrations and generally settling in. It began with a bit of anxiety at the Sydney airport as the plane carrying the bulk of our American friends, travelling from Cairns, was delayed due to mechanical problems. However, they arrived only one hour late and the bus, which we hired, transported a merry crew down to Robertson. Meanwhile, independent arrivals were happening throughout the morning at Ranelagh House. This venue chosen proved to be a tremendous success. It is an old manor house which was built in the 1920 era and which can accommodate up to a hundred guests. Everyone was impressed by the quality of the house, the rooms, the service and the food, all at a reasonable low price. Our thanks to Ian Esmore for suggesting it. It was perfect for the occasion; all our physical needs were taken good care of , which left us free to explore more important matters. We had a brief introduction session where the basic theme of cultural diversity and spiritual unity was introduced. A brief explanation of the programme and general goals were explained. We were hoping that by using this opportunity of getting to know readers from around the world and sharing our different cultures with one another, we would gain more of an understanding of each others’ ways which would bring us a step closer to the international union of URANTIA Book readers and the breaking down of national barriers, which is so desperately needed for a true Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God.
¶ New Release From The Jesusonian Foundation
Introduction To The Urantia Book
A dedicated team of writers and scholars has developed a new introduction to The URANTIA Book. This 12 page colour brochure provides new readers with a clear overview of the subject matter contained in the book. This introductory brochure helps you:
Explain The URANTIA Book to non-readers
Initiate contact with potential readers
Project a positive image
Explain who wrote the book
Establish credibility
Communicate with confidence
Deal with hostile inquiries
Motivate others to read The URANIIA Book
The price for this 12 page colour brochure is low, providing people an inexpensive professional introduction to leave with new readers.
Six-0-Six has ordered 100 copies and these should be available next year to our readers.
We have also ordered 100 copies of the magazine 'There is Life After Death". We will send these out to the people who have ordered them as soon as they arrive. Further orders will still be taken.
¶ A Service Perspective Of Individual And Organizational Relationships
A talk given by David Elders at the Pacific Regional Meeting of readers of The URANTIA Book
Ranelagh House, Robertson, Australia 13 October 1988
“Concerning insight, the recognition of moral values and the discernment of spiritual meanings, all that the human mind can do is to discover, recognize, interpret, and choose.” (UB 196:3.10)
“To a man with a harmer, the whole world looks like a nail!” Anonymous.
What we each believe something to be and what it really is are often two very different things. For example, when one person calls another person an “American” or a “Frenchman” or an “Australian”, it is often meant to suggest a stereotypical view of who that person is. But, in reality, all that is really being said is where the person was born (not of his/her choice, incidentally) or their current place of residence. However, once said, the national label is a prejudice or bias which to some degree acts to control the relationship that person has with others. Since no one person ever fits the stereotype anyway, it is only through interaction on a personal level with the labeled person that the bias can drop away to be replaced by a relationship now less encumbered by preconception. But what has really changed? I would suggest that the only change is in the attitude of the person tempted to label another (using a label may just be an easy way to avoid having to think about a person very much).
Next Issue: How Many Mortals Survive From Our Mailbag, by Trevor Swadling
¶ From Our Mailbag
Greetings,
Hi. to those of you whom I have met and those whom I have not! Wish I were able to come in October to your South Pacific Conference to meet you all!! But, alas, not this time…
Six-0-Six is, by far, one of the most thoroughly enlightening vehicles of information and forum for stimulating thought & discussion, that I’ve encountered! The articles and topics certainly are mind-stretchers and thought-ideastimulants! A desire to encourage you to continue this newsletter is the motive behind this letter!
I don’t have the particular paper in front of me, but want to thank the person who shared the “dream of Thought Adjuster arrival” a few months ago. At the time I received this paper, I was attending Unity School, near Kansas City, Missouri, USA. I photocopied the article and shared it with more than 25 people!
Your newsletter is circulated around our Incenders (local study group) and sometimes I lose one. I always regret that, because I often refer back to previous articles. I have searched my back issues for the one with the “case against reincarnation” and the one comparing the figurine of the old Chinese man with VAN of The URANTIA Book, unsuccessfully.
It would be appreciated more than I can say if you could photocopy the back issues with the information about reincarnation in it, and send it to me. Summer or Fall 1987 issue, I think. Thanks.
I especially appreciate the inclusion in your paper of some of the most outstanding articles from other URANTIA Book newsletters from around the world.
Enclosed is a little something to help defray postage costs. I get so much out of your newsletter I certainly want to insure that it continues to come to me!
Patije Mills, Sarasota, FL. USA
Editors note: I particularly want to share this pat on the back with all our wonderful contributors and hope it is an encouragement for many of our readers to keep on writing!
¶ Follow-Up To Stockhausen’s Opera
The English magazine ‘Gramophone’ reported in its August 1988 issue that Deutsche Grammophon released ‘Donnerstag’ from the opera ‘Licht’ on CD. The work is 211 minutes and is on four discs.
¶ Science And The Urantia Book
Summary Of Scientific And Historic Material That Appears To Have Required Access To Certain Knowledge
Presented at the South Pacific Regional Meeting of Readers of The URANTIA Book, by Dr. Ken T. Glasziou
The URANTIA Papers were received in 1934 and published in book form in 1955. There are many items of a scientific or historic nature about which definite statements are made in The URANTIA Book, and about which mankind had no certain knowledge during the pre-publication period. Many of these items have since been found to be either correct or to now coincide with current scientific opinion. This paper summarizes some of these items.
Days And Dates
In the section covering the life of Jesus, various dates can be associated with a particular day of the week. Our calendar has changed considerably since those times such that it would be a Herculean task to attempt to correctly assign the day of the week to a particular date without the aid of a computer. Even with a computer, this is still an onerous task. Dr. Matt Neibaur has done this for eight different dates and found that in each case The URANTIA Book has named the correct day of the week for those dates. The chances of succeeding through guesswork alone are one chance in more than 5 million.
¶ Look To The Light
No deep darkness in the world
Can overcome the light;
A single candle flame will burn
Against the darkest night.
Let all the world of darkness come
Resentments, envies, fears,
Then light the single flame of love
The darkness disappears!
| Vol 9 No 6 Nov 1988 — Index | Report On The South Pacific Regional Meeting Of Readers Of The Urantia Book |