© 1976 Bernard Burton
© 1976 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
For growth and development, personalities need contact with other personalities, much like sharp-edged rock fragments ground smooth by rubbing against one another. Such a parallel suggests the divine intent that our progress towards spiritual levels is closely allied with sociability and co-operative endeavor. Our increased awareness of mutual dependence, personal worth, and altruistic service goals needs a behavior vehicle for expression with others similarly inspired … thus, the logical motivation for the formation of study groups. This assembling together of believers could well be referred to as the “inevitable eventuality” of widespread dissemination of The URANTIA Book.
All of us to whom group study has become a regular part of life may occasionally search to explain how it all came about. Yet, even allowing for differences of specific origin, study groups form because it is pleasurable to meet with others and share together these unique papers. The viewpoint of another contributes to our own insight and understanding. Some passages which we have difficulty with may become clarified by hearing another’s explanation.
The papers state that we all become more and more like the Divine Beings whom we worship. Likewise, it might follow that some traits of those with whom we come in contact may become a part of our own complex make-up. Thus, with many personality types drawn together by mutual interest in The URANTIA Book papers, each gains in some way from the very heterogeneous nature of the assembled personalities. We are indeed influenced and changed by our associates. It is just another way in which what we are today is a product of our yesterdays. Likewise, by use of this beneficial influence, we can use today to enrich our tomorrows.
Appreciation of the true goodness in study group activity can prove an adhesive force when problems and disagreements surface to challenge and test the membership to rise above self interest for the benefit and welfare of the group as a whole.
Like pebbles on the beach, washed back and forth by the breaking waves, we can be worn more agreeably smooth and pliably co-operative by reoccurring personal contact.
—Bernard Burton