© 1997 Jeffrey Wattles, Carolyn Prentice, James Perry
© 1997 International Urantia Association (IUA)
A News Journal for Readers of The URANTIA Book
Produced by International URANTIA Association (IUA)
¶ IN THIS ISSUE:
- From the Editors
- Conference News
- Coordination Committee Appointments
- New Associations
- New Trustee
- Study Group and Reader Mailing List Update Project
- Brotherhood and Service
- Conflict and Spiritual Brotherhood, by Jeffrey Wattles
- The URANTIA Book and the Internet
- But How Can That Be True? by Carolyn Prentice
- The Nature of God: Its Revelation in Jesus, The Son of Man, adapted from a speech, by James Perry, M.D.
- Also included: A special insert listing reader service organizations and contacts.
¶ From the Editors
The IUA JOURNAL is dedicated to assisting all readers in their efforts to study The URANTIA Book, to inform readers about current and future events, to assist association between readers, and to serve as a communication avenue for readers.
We are interested in your thoughts and comments about the JOURNAL, the knowledge, wisdom and experiences you’ve had related to The URANTIA Book, study of it, and reader and IUA activities. We request and will appreciate your offering your thoughts and suggestions, as well as contributing articles, poems, study aids and other items that JOURNAL readers may find helpful or of interest. All these types of interesting and helpful and even fun or funny material are welcome for consideration for publication.
The JOURNAL seeks to collect and begin publishing helpful reader-developed study aids as a regular feature in the near future. If you have either old or new articles, study aids, or other contributions you are interested in offering to help other readers in their exploration of The URANTIA Book, please send them to us (addresses are listed at the end of the JOURNAL).
In an upcoming edition of the JOURNAL we plan to explore study of the book, study group formation, study group activities, techniques that readers have found useful, and discoveries readers might share with others. Articles and other submissions about study of the book, formation of study groups, participation and experiences in study groups, and any study aids are always welcome, but will be particularly appreciated for this upcoming issue devoted to study and study groups. Please try to forward any you may have ready for consideration, by April 30, 1997.
We hope you will enjoy this edition of the JOURNAL which we prepared with love and care for you, and that you are as excited about the upcoming study edition as we are. And we wish to thank those who continue to generously provide contributions for the JOURNAL. These gifts enrich other readers as they pursue study and fraternity.
¶ Conference News
USUA National Conference
Glen Ivy, California, USA
“An Eternal Perspective”
May 15 - 19, 1997
This US national conference is fast approaching. Attendance is limited to under 100 , and there are only a few reservations for singles and couples still available. Glen Ivy offers a modern, upscale lodge plus villas designed especially for intimate conferences. It is located in a peaceful canyon of the Cleveland National Forest, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, in Southern California.
Many participants will be driving. Others will arrive at Ontario International Airport, in Ontario, California, where shuttle service will be available. The price for the conference, , is quite reasonable, and covers conference activities and materials, sleeping accommodations, and food. A preliminary deposit of will secure your reservation until April 15, which is the deadline for payment-in-full. Payment can be made by credit card (by phone or fax), check or money order.
If you would like to attend, we recommend that you make your reservation as soon as possible, since it is expected that the maximum number of attendees allowed, will indeed attend. It will, without a doubt, be an exciting and interesting gathering for URANTIA Book readers, and most especially for IUA members. For further information, please contact:
Joe or Alice McCoy
Phone: 1/209/834-4520
Fax: 1/209 /834-2949
¶ ANZURA National Conference
Sydney, Australia
“Dare to Be Godlike —
the Ultimate Challenge —
A Practical for Ascenders”
October 3 - 6, 1997
This Australia/New Zealand national conference, sponsored by the Australia and New Zealand URANTIA Association, will be held in the Ave Maria Retreat Center, overlooking beautiful Sydney Harbour. For more information, contact:
Ysbrand Oosten
Phone: 61/2-9228-5821
E-mail: oosteny@www.nsw.gov.au
¶ IUA International Conference
Helsinki, Finland “Facts, Meanings and Values”
August 7-10,1998
The next international IUA conference will be held in Gustavelund, Helsinki, Finland, and sponsored by the Finnish URANTIA Society. International IUA conferences are currently scheduled for every second year. Stay tuned for further information.
¶ IUA & Foundation News
¶ Coordinating Committee Appointments
We are pleased to welcome Catherine Jones as Chairperson, and Jo Anne Nelson as Secretary, for the Coordinating Committee. We also thank Lee Armstrong for the services he so generously provided as the previous Chairperson. He will continue to serve as a member on the Coordinating Committee. The other members appointed to the Committee are: Neil Francey, Pat Goodson, Seppo Kanerva, Jay Peregrine, Trevor Swadling and Michael Zehr.
The Coordinating Committee has been responsible, in large part, for establishing the many IUA organizations which currently exist, as well as providing support for and coordination between the IUA and the URANTIA Foundation. Often, the valiant efforts of these few go unnoticed and unacknowledged, yet this dedicated group works diligently to forward revelation and brotherhood.
¶ New Associations
We are also pleased to announce the formation of the first Canadian IUA group, Northern Lights. Brian King, of Mississauga, Ontario, serves as Northern Lights’ first (pro tem) president.
With Northern Lights, this brings the total number of associations up to 19. In addition, two new IUA organizations are in the process of forming: one in primarily French-speaking Quebec, Canada; and another in Kentucky, USA. We look forward to welcoming them to our growing IUA family.
¶ New Trustee
We are pleased to announce that Kwan Choi from Iowa has been elected as the new Trustee of URANTIA Foundation. Kwan is a Professor of Economics at Iowa State University, having received his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Iowa. Kwan and his wife, Kathy moved from Korea to the USA in 1972. They have three boys aged 13, 18 and 20. Both Kwan and Kathy have been devoted students of The URANTIA Book for over a decade and have been holding family readings with their children. Kwan serves as an Editor of two major Economic Journals. Kwan says: “I try to practice the teachings of The URANTIA Book in my profession. When selecting articles for publication I, with the help of referees, try to eliminate all kinds of bias and discrimination.”
Kwan brings a fresh element to the board of Trustees as his cultural background, coupled with his in-depth knowledge of The URANTIA Book, will add an expanded view to the Trustees’ outlook in these times of International expansion of the URANTIA revelation.
¶ Study Group and Reader Mailing List Update Project
The URANTIA Foundation is currently in the process of updating its information to assist readers in contacting one another, and to facilitate referring readers to other readers and study groups in their area, or forming study groups, when none exist nearby. When this project is complete, you may be surprise to find how many other readers may be near you.
If you are not sure whether the Foundation has your current information, please contact Damian Bondi at the Foundation’s Chicago office or send your updated information by fax, e-mail or regular post, to his attention there. Confidentiality of those on the list is an important consideration - if you do not desire to be contacted by other readers, please indicate this, and your privacy will be respected. You will continue to receive news and information as well as the names of readers whom you may contact, if you desire to do so.
¶ Brotherhood and Service
Students of The URANTIA Book, and especially IUA members, have good reason to be excited and pleased about current and upcoming activities.
A Russian translation has been completed and is now in publication by the URANTIA Foundation. Many other new translations are scheduled to become available in the very near future, as well as over the next few years. Along with the English version, the French, Finnish, Spanish, and now the Russian versions are currently available. The Dutch translation will be published later this year, and the Korean and Swedish translations will be ready for publication in 1998. Seven other translations are scheduled for shortly after this.
In addition, the URANTIA Foundation is actively working to update and enhance its reader services. To assist all readers the URANTIA Foundation now has offices located in Finland, France, Spain, England and Australia, in addition to the main office in Chicago, USA.
One very important project which is underway is the updating and upgrading of the reader and study group mailing list and centralized referral system. Completion of this project will enable the IUA to perform its services far more effectively.
With all these translation efforts, along with the steadily expanding sales of existing language versions of The URANTIA Book, we may all look forward, very soon, to sharing the book with many new readers from many nations and cultures around the world. Many of these new readers will look to existing readers and to the IUA for fraternity and help as they seek to grasp the messages of the book, incorporate these into their lives, and seek association with others who are like-minded.
The IUA is a task-oriented, social and service organization to foster in-depth study of The URANTIA Book and the orderly dissemination of its teachings. All people of Urantia, now and in the future, are intended to benefit from the tasks performed by IUA members. The IUA is neither associated with, nor a competitor of, any religion. IUA welcomes people of all faiths, races, and nationalities. While all readers may contribute towards forwarding these important projects, the IUA was specially formed for several important purposes.
One of the primary tasks of IUA is to put readers of The URANTIA Book in touch with one another. These are the some of the important functions IUA performs:
- Referring readers to study groups.
- Responding to reader inquiries.
- Sponsoring meetings, seminars, and conferences.
- Developing teaching and leadership skills.
- Publishing newsletters and periodicals.
As new reader needs arise, IUA may adapt to meet the challenge. You may personally help. Help is needed in these efforts, as well as to assist those who desire to set up study groups, to do so. As a reader who has already discovered and personally benefited through receiving The URANTIA Book, your knowledge, time, effort, and other contributions in the near future will be invaluable to those who are earnestly seeking the truths which you have found.
Now is the time to consider what you might do to help. If you would like to set up a new study group in your area, or if you have suggestions, want to find out more about what you can do, or are already prepared to offer your services or other contributions now, or soon, please contact any of the following:
- Your local or national IUA, or any IUA member;
- Catherine Jones, Chairperson for the Coordinating Committee for the IUA, or any Coordinating Committee member;
- Any URANTIA Foundation office;
- Send your inquiries and comments to us at the JOURNAL
A separate insert with information regarding how to contact individuals or groups is enclosed in this issue.
We hope you will consider what you may be able to offer others at this critical juncture in the spread of revealed truth. It is personal participation and service by each of us that will make the difference. The time has come: “You see for yourselves that the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Let us all, therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest that he send forth still more laborers into his fields…” UB 150:4.1 We thank those who have worked so hard already, the many who continue to do so, and we hope you will join us in these worthy endeavors to benefit your brothers and sisters, both nearby and around the world.
“You who know these truths must yield the increase of the fruits of the spirit and manifest a growing devotion to the unselfish service of your fellow servants. And remember that, inasmuch as you minister to one of the least of my brethren, you have done this service to me.” UB 176:3.5
¶ Conflict and Spiritual Brotherhood
Jeffrey Wattles, Ohio USA
It brings a smile to think of all the ways there are to go wrong when conflict arises. One can underestimate the issue or overestimate it; one can err in deciding whether or not to get involved; and if one decides to get involved, one may pick the wrong side; even if one picks the right side, one may go about it in the wrong way. Clearly, we have much to learn about conflict.
In A Different Drummer, F. Scott Peck distinguishes four stages of community: in the first stage, superficial harmony prevails, and people think that they are enjoying community. In the second stage, conflict rages, and the illusion of community is destroyed. In the third stage, people finally let go of whatever they are holding on to that blocks community. The fourth stage — which Peck reports having experienced in many a weekend workshop with a company here or an organization there — is like the descent of the Spirit of Truth at Pentecost. I take it that the surrender in question does not imply that one must necessarily change one’s beliefs or abandon one’s commitments, but relax the hold on them so that something new can dawn.
Conflict between believers who are supposed to enjoy community is especially troublesome. A divided house undermines the credibility of our testimony to the wider world. How can a follower of Jesus be true to the requirements of spiritual brotherhood while carrying out one’s responsibilities in the face of serious conflict? The URANTIA Book has much to offer on the topic. After an introductory attempt to indicate a cosmic perspective, this essay will focus on how Jesus handled conflict.
¶ The URANTIA Book and the Internet
With the continuing advances of computer technology, and decreasing prices for computers and many related services, the numbers of both individuals, and businesses who utilize Internet services are increasing rapidly. It is no longer a novelty to communicate personally, at a fairly reasonable cost, with people on the other side of the planet.
Electronic mail (e-mail) is, for many, replacing the more time-consuming methods of writing and mailing communications, and even for telephoning, for both personal, and business communications. Individuals and businesses publish just about any type of information one could imagine, for access by others to read, and hear, on the World Wide Web (WWW, or “web”). Very detailed information can be presented with complex graphics, and links to related subjects and “sites.”
There are now many URANTIA Book readers on the Internet. And many people are coming to first hear about The URANTIA Book by accessing websites, communicating with others by email, or participating in newsgroups, or list services, which mention it.
The URANTIA Foundation currently provides websites in English, French, and Spanish, and a Finnish site is under construction. You will find the following available:
- information about the URANTIA Foundation.
- access to the complete text of The URANTIA Book in English and French.
- information on how to subscribe to e-mail services (listservers) to communicate with other readers about the book
- information about the IUA, membership, and an application form to join.
- a Pronunciation Guide (audio).
- a listing of The URANTIA Foundation offices worldwide.
- access to get on The URANTIA Foundation’s mailing list.
- information about Friends of URANTIA, and a membership form.
- information on current events for URANTIA Book readers.
- newsletters and archives.
- information about ordering The URANTIA Book, and other publications of the URANTIA Foundation on-line, or otherwise.
If you have a personal computer and are hooked up to the Internet, you may access the Foundation’s website, the address on the Internet is:
Feel free to share this address with your friends who are on the Internet, even if you aren’t yet.
There are also now separate listservices for English-, French-, Spanish-, and Finnish-speaking readers to communicate with other readers. In addition, there is a listservice set up exclusively for IUA members. Information on how to subscribe to these lists can be obtained either by accessing the website above, or by contacting your local URANTIA Foundation office. —
At the present time, IUA may be wellserved by setting up a website to enhance its ability to serve readers. Any who may wish to support this activity, either by contribution of funds, by contributing their technical skills, or through support of ongoing upkeep of such a site, or contributions of material for it, are urged to contact the IUA, the Coordinating Committee, or the URANTIA Foundation.
¶ But How Can That Be True?
Carolyn Prentice, Minnesota, USA
Almost all readers of The URANTIA Book will tell you that when they first picked up the book, they were drawn to it because it confirmed something which they had always believed. For some people, it was the Lucifer rebellion; for others, that God didn’t want blood sacrifice. Still others found that the scientific account of creation/evolution struck a chord. Readers are eager to share their stories about such “aha!” experiences.
But most of us have also had the opposite experience at times. We read something in this wonderful book that we don’t want to know, that we would prefer not to be true. Sometimes, we slam the book shut in protest and don’t open it again for months, even years. We don’t share as many stories about our struggle to come to terms with something we don’t want to believe, but it can be helpful to understand what others have had difficulty with. We read recently in the JOURNAL how one woman of Jewish heritage didn’t want to accept the Jesus part of The URANTIA Book. Some of us are dismayed to find out that enslavement, in its time and place, actually helped many races. My husband had trouble with the hierarchy — just another bureaucracy with its concomitant red tape. I myself — I blush to admit — thought The URANTIA Book was a sexist book.
¶ The Nature of God: Its Revelation in Jesus, The Son of Man
Adapted from a speech given in August, 1995, at an IUA Conference in Nashville, Tenn., USA
James Perry, M.D. Nth Carolina, USA
To attempt to explain the nature of God is something the whole world is grappling with. As I thought about the task of translating my emotional joy into a presentation that I could share with you, I wondered if perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew. I thought that it would be helpful to relate something of my own religious experiences and my evolutionary concepts of the divine nature of God before I had a close encounter with The URANTIA Book of the third kind, and afterward, for we are told that it is man’s experiences with the evolutionary religions that make it possible for revealed religion to be made. I think religious sharing helps us to better study and understand revealed religion, and to convert it into living expression. I invite you to join with me as I make a brief excursion into my religious past.
Some of my earliest memories of religious experiences occurred sometime before I started first grade. I remember my mother taking me along with her to prayer meetings. These meetings were held at a neighbor’s house. I don’t remember much of the content of these religious experiences except that it was a meeting that had something to do with God. The lights were turned off and candles were lit. The next memories of my religious experiences occurred sometime after I had learned to read, around the age of eight or nine. As my parents were originally from a rural part of North Carolina where they farmed to make a living, each summer my mother would send me along with my twin brother to spend our summer vacation on our grandfather’s farm.
¶ International URANTIA Association
International URANTIA Association Journal, A Quarterly News journal for readers of THe URANTIA Bokk, produced by IUA, 533 Diversey Parkway Chicago IL 60614, U.S.A.
Board of Editors: Editor-in-Chief, Bonnie Kopperl — Editors: Kathleen Swadling, Seppo Niskanen, Carole Jett, Suzanne Kelly-Ward
Subscription Rates: Annual: 4 issues: $15 (US), $15 (Australian), or 50 Finnish marks Single copies: $ 4 (US), $ 4 (Australian), or 15 Finnish marks
To Subscribe: Mail your check or money order (according to the subscription rate), payable to
International URANTIA Association
IUA Journal, 533 Diversey Parkway
Chicago, IL 60614 USA
or telephone to place credit card orders:
+1 (773) 525-3319
or +1 (888) URANTIA (toll-free in USA)
USA or International Submissions:
B. Kopperl, IUA Journal, c/o 533 Diversey Pkwy., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
Telephone: +1 (773) 525-3319
Fax: +1 (773) 525-7739
E-mail: bonando@tiac.net
K. Swadling, 533 Diversey Pkwy., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
Telephone: +1 (773) 525-3319
Fax: +1 (773) 525-7739
E-mail: swadling@www.urantia.org
C. Jett, 1366 N. Alta Vista Blvd., L.A., CA 90046 , USA
Telephone: +1 (213) 876-0765
Fax: +1 (213) 876-1082
E-mail: carolejett@aol.com
S. Kelly-Ward, 855 E. Ash Ln., No. 1129, Euless, TX 76039, USA
Telephone: +1(214) 751-5908
Fax: +1 (214) 751-0964
E-mail: skelly@gte.net
European or International Submissions:
S. Niskanen, Runeberginkatu 54a A 5, 00260, Helsinki, Finland
Telephone: +358 0-496561
Fax: +3580-496225
E-mail: seppo.niskanen@pp.kolumbus.fi
Any interpretations, opinions, conclusions, or artistic representations, whether stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the International URANTIA Association, the national or local URANTIA Associations, the Coordinating Committee, the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation, or the Board of Editors of the International URANTIA Association Journal.
Quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from The URANTIA Book © 1955 URANTIA Foundation. The method of identifying quotations is the method used in The URANTIA Book Concordance, © 1993 URANTIA Foundation
© 1997 International URANTIA Association