© 1999 Cathy Jones, Peep Sõber, Jeffrey Wattles, Chris Moseley, Mark Philip Bloomfield, George Michelson-Dupont, Neal Waldrop
© 1999 Urantia Association International (IUA)
¶ In This Issue
- A Visit to Russia — Cathy Jones, IUA Administrator
- Reflections on IC99 at Vancouver
- Part IV Illegally Printed
- The Future of Our Planet as a “Known” and “Unknown” Reality — Parts II and III, Peep Sober, Estonia
- Contradictions or Creative Tensions in The Urantia Book — Jeffrey Wattles, Staff Writer
- The Mind Arena of Choice — Chris Moseley, Great Britain
- China—Reasons to be Cheerful — Mark Philip Bloomfield, Great Britain
- The Urantia Book in the Muslim World — Georges Michelson Dupont, France
- Seeing Scientists as Partners — Neal Waldrop, Switzerland
- Mission Statement of The IUA Journal
¶ The UrantiaBook Internet School
The UBIS is off to an excellent beginning. The first five courses on the schedule are fully enrolled and are in progress. The courses have attracted English readers in several countries, and the teacher/ facilitators report enthusiasm and interested participation in the courses.
The courses are eight weeks in duration, and the format follows the Socratic technique: assigned study, questions, and guided discussion of responses.
The UBIS is now looking ahead and planning for the second semester, the Winter/Spring scheduling of courses. We are looking for long-time readers who would like to serve as teacher/facilitators. If you have teaching experience (either formal or informal), internet skills, available time, and perhaps a favorite topic, please consider teaching a class this spring.
This is a new and exciting service project, and we hope that many of you will bring your talents and time, and join us in this effort.
Please contact Dorothy Elder, the UBIS chairperson, at delder03@sprynet.com for more information. We need to hear from those who are interested soon, as the planning for the next semester will begin October 1.
¶ Millenium Initiative Committee Statement
The Gulley, Vermont, USA
June 13, 1999
The Millennium Initiative Committee, in unanimity, believes that true unity of purpose, as manifest in a unified, worldwide reader community, is in the best interests of the fifth epochal revelation as we enter the next millennium.
To that end, and with utmost respect for the self-acting integrity of the existing organizations in the community, we unanimously recommend a formal working alliance between the International Urantia Association and The Urantia Book Fellowship.
While the common experience and deepened friendships which were a significant part of our work together will forever bind the participants, we agreed to dissolve the Millennium Initiative Committee and encourage the existing organizations to continue this process.
In friendship,
| Travis Binion | Carolyn Kendall | Janet Farrington | Gustavo Proano | Fred Harris |
| Chris Ragetly | Sioux Harvey | Nancy Shaffer | David Kantor | Paul Snider |
| Seppo Kanerva | Kathleen Swadling | Hoite Caston | Eddie King | Steve Dreier |
| Lyn Lear | Dave Elders | Dan Massey | Marta Elders | Jane Ploetz |
¶ A visit to Russia
Cathy Jones, IUA Administrator
My invitation to visit St. Petersburg came from Vitaly Kondratjev, a retired physician, who is in process of becoming the Urantia Foundation Representative in Russia. Working through much bureaucratic red tape, he has become a book distributor, making it possible to distribute The Urantia Book in Russia. In 1997 Georges Dupont and Tom Burns presented the Russian translation to the people of Russia, but were able to bring only a limited number of copies. Through Vitaly’s relentless efforts, on July 29, 1999, 900 copies of the Russian translation of The Urantia Book were received at Vitaly’s office!
I was met at the airport on August 25 by Vitaly, accompanied by Andrey Resnikov, who had agreed to be my translator while in St. Petersburg. Andrey, a Russian native, is a university professor of English and a brother of Michael, who now lives in Finland. These two brothers, who have both read the book in English over five times, were the primary translators of the book that is now in the hands of their fellow countrymen.
¶ Reflections on IC 99 at Vancouver
Excerpts from reports by Sioux Harvey, Cathy Jones, and James Woodward
The IC 99 conference was an amazing experience. This international conference (IC) happens once every three years and has a festive atmosphere. In between the ICs, the Fellowship has a summer study session that is focused around study of a particular topic of the book. These study sessions are usually less well attended. Our IUA conferences are much more study or task focused. The three styles fit nicely with one another because each has a different focus.
¶ Fellowship Conclave
On August 7, the day before the conference, some 20 members of International Urantia Associations participated in the Fellowship Conclave which was initiated by the First Society of Chicago. This was a significant event, as no such meeting had occurred since the 1980 s, and the invitation to attend was warmly received by the IUA.
The event was co-facilitated by Barbara Newsom of the Fellowship and Cathy Jones of the IUA. The focus of the meeting was to find ways of working together in our individual communities. To that end, it was a resounding success. Many reports were given, demonstrating joint events and projects.
We went to the meeting in a spirit of love and brotherhood, and the meeting ended in just that manner. There was no attempt to solve any organizational differences. The IUA made it very clear that they are completely sure what their principles and objectives are and that they will continue to pursue worthy projects, centered on disseminating the teachings of The Urantia Book, as delegated under Article 3.4 of the Declaration of Trust.
The conclave really started a process, rather than being an end in itself. The most frequently heard comment was that attendees were “encouraged” by the meeting. Many spoke of further healing and of being re-motivated. There was a feeling of openness and goodwill that pervaded the meeting as well as the entire five days of the conference.
¶ The Five Days of Conference
To be with several hundred readers in any environment is special. The Vancouver conference gathered over 905 readers, including 79 children, 40 teenagers, and 786 adults.
Our quest of sharing in our Father’s love and reaching to be spirit-led was the center of the conference. Every morning we sat and worshiped together in the magnificent Chan Center.
The program was diverse, as one would expect — including the Teaching Mission, UFOs, and historical studies on the book, as well as sessions on parables and meditation, prayer circles, and enough worship and spiritual growth-centered offerings to keep a seeker happy. Truly a tremendous variety of educational and enriching workshops was available — it was difficult to sort through the choices and decide which to attend.
The plenary speakers included Gard Jameson, Paul Snider, David Kantor, Janet Graham, and Paula Thompson. Entertainment included the Urantia choir, the Vancouver choir, Pato Banton, Buffy St. Marie, the Striders, Francyl Gawryn, and the Urantia kids (4 to 17 years old) who sang “One World Is Enough” the last morning with Pato Banton. There was also plenty of exposure for homemade music and impromptu jams, including a duet of “You Are My Miracle,” featuring Richard Keeler and Kathleen Swadling. Bob Salone played an inspirational piece on the piano at one of the morning worhip services. We were all delighted, uplifted, and thankful that we have such a depth of talent among our ranks.
It was really nice to have so many children and young adults running around the place, enjoying their vacation, participating in activities, but largely ignoring the grown-ups. The programs and activities geared to the kids were great, and it seemed as if they were having their own mini-conference. Hats off to Sara Blackstock and all her helpers.
The Trustees’ talk on Monday was very well received, with many from the audience commenting that they liked what they heard. Richard Keeler’s talk was especially moving, leaving a great feeling of hope among the listeners.
At the General Council meeting on Friday, the Fellowship passed a resolution to support the Millennium Initiative alliance with the IUA.
One of our greatest challenges is to continue to build the interpersonal relationships between our two member organizations. Nothing gives us the potential to solve our differences like getting to know each other as people, which is where love can grow. We have had upheavals and conflicts that have led to mutual distrust. We are healing, and we now seem to want to do better as a unit.
It’s a wonderful family of believers that we all are. The strength of both organizations lies in the depth of the dedicated, talented, and evolving personalities that belong to each group. Membership is a small part of who we are — though, granted it has contributed to no small amount of grief in the last decade. But minds and hearts are changing across the board even though controversy grabs the headlines. It’s much like that analogy-people are mostly just trying to work through their lives as best they can. And so are all their neighbors, but when the newspaper shouts that an unsavory crime has been committed, people question their sense of community and civility.
The sensationalism of the past doesn’t seem to resonate well with most of our readers these days, and we pray that the leadership is closing in on forgiveness and dedication to future work in a collective spirit. There really is no other choice.
¶ Part IV Illegally Printed
July 22, 1999
We are sad to acknowledge that one of our brothers and fellow readers, Harry McMullan III, has chosen to print 15,000 copies of Part IV of The Urantia Book as a separate book.
We see Mr. McMullan’s publishing Part IV separate from Parts I, II, and III as counterproductive for the following reasons:
- It is illegal.
- It does not preserve the text — the entire text — inviolate.
- The authors of the book have given us a carefully painted picture of the cosmos, its origin, history, and destiny in relation to the life and teachings of Jesus, our Creator Son, as he is carefully portrayed in Parts I, II, III, and IV of the book.
- It encourages other people to break up the book, to break the law, and to violate the copyright.
- It presents the Urantia teachings as a Christian cult — especially with the crucified Christ on the cover — rather than as the fifth epochal revelation to the entire world. The Foundation has worked diligently to avoid presenting The Urantia Book as another “white man’s religion” — witness the Korean and Arabic translations and the Trustees’ recent trip to Muslim Senegal.
- It is an affront to the unity initiatives.
Urantia Foundation is considering its legal position and response at this time. It asks you to discourage people from buying this illegal, unauthorized, and partial presentation of the fifth epochal revelation.
For further information, please contact: Urantia Foundation, 533 Diversey, Chicago, IL 60614 USA Ph: (773) 525-3319, Fx: (773) 525-7739.
¶ The Future of Our Planet As a “Known” and “Unknown” Reality — Part II & III
Peep Sõber, Talilinn, Estonia
The Urantia Book Readers’ Conference in Estonia, at Karepa, 12 August 1998
Part II. The future of our planet: scientific and prophetic predictions
Modern man tends to put his confidence in science; let us, therefore, have a look at some scientific assertions.
A recent United Nations study shows that the population of the world will be 7.4 billion in the year 2050 and 10.8 billion in 2150 . This is actually a very optimistic view, based on the assumption that every woman would give birth to only two children. The vision becomes quite something else if the average birth rate will continue to be what it was in the period of 1990 - 1995. In that latter scenario, this planet will be populated by 269 billion inhabitants in 2150 about 20 times more than in the U.N. study! Can you visualise the U.S.A. with a population of 12 billion or our small Estonia with 75 million? Another aspect: in 2150, the developed countries will accommodate only 10 percent, instead of the current 19 percent, of the world’s population. It doesn’t require much to predict that the world will be witnessing an earth-shaking crisis sometime between 2030 and 2050; our planet simply cannot sustain a population as massive as that. Our energy and other natural resources will become depleted. The ecological crisis of today will appear more like a child’s game compared with these more serious problems.
¶ Contradictions or Creative Tensions in The URANTIA Book?
JefFrey Wattles, StafF Writer
Was Jesus ever in a hurry? Page UB 100:7.14 says “never”; page UB 136:0.1 says “only a few times.” Can we discern truth, beauty, and goodness in the phenometia of the material world? Yes (UB 195:7.4) and no (UB 103:6.13). Have you ever noticed what seemed to be a contradiction in The Urantia Book? How did you react? Do the authors themselves offer any guidance to help make sense of such an experience? Sometimes we need only draw a simple distinction to resolve the problem; sometimes the question surpasses the capacity of the human mind; sometimes there is a challenge calling for emotional maturity and soul growth.
Some tensions seem comparatively trivial. Is our first duty to strive for perfection (UB 1:0.4) or to worship God (UB 27:7.1)? I don’t believe there is any reason to resolve that difference. Even the issue of whether the Book of Job presents an excellent (UB 96:7.5) or poor (UB 148:6.11) concept of God seems to be a matter of what features the commentator chose to emphasize. Other tensions are hard. Trying to synthesize perspectives and hints in the papers regarding the management of epochal revelation is as difficult a task of interpretation as I know.
¶ The Mind Arena of Choice
Chris Moseley, Oxfordshire, Great Britain
The concept of Mind in itself, in the abstract, unlimited sense of the word, does not imply free will, but the individual mind, mortal mind, has freewill as an inseparable, defining component. In the passage on p. 1216 entitled “The Mind Arena of Choice,” there is a striking sentence that almost expresses the kernel of the whole human condition: Human consciousness rests gently upon the electrochemical mechanism below and delicately touches the spirit-morontia energy system above UB 111:1.5. Viewed in these terms, what a finelytuned creature a human being seems; what a mysterious fragility everyday existence has; and what grave responsibilities are implied for all the choices we make!
Whether undifferentiated, in the sense of infinite or absolute mind, or finite, acting through the ministry of the adjutant mind spirits, all mind can be superimposed energy (UB 9:4.2)—in other words, mind can directionize energies through its own choices. Mind adds meaning to energy.
¶ China—Reasons to be Cheerful
Mark Philip Bloomfield, United Kingdom
Come on everyone, let’s get this Chinese translation finished so that we can offer the Master’s teachings to our brethren, the yellow race. Let’s contribute whatever we can spare to Urantia Foundation’s translation fund to finance this crucially important translation for the benefit of much of China’s 1-2 billion people.
These are the days we are given. Great days for us to “be about the Father’s business,” great days to attempt to extend the Kingdom of Heaven. And it seems we are the fortunate few blessed with this unique opportunity of rendering this supernal service to our fellows in the East.
¶ The Urantia Book in the Muslim World
EXCERPTS FROM A REPORT BY
Georges Michelson-Dupont, France
Many of us have wondered if and how The Urantia Book and its teachings could be accepted by the vast and growing Muslim world. This story is at least a partial answer to those questions.
How the Story Began
Moussa N’Diaye is a 68 -year old professor of Social Psychology at Dakar University. He is also a truth-seeker and all his life has been devoted to find the truth about God. Having grown up as a Muslim, he exceeded his beliefs and entered into a spiritual journey that led him to find Le Livre d’URANTIA in 1973. After a careful reading he started to study its teachings. Soon he was convinced of its revelatory nature and decided to share the new truth with his fellow countrymen.
His teaching technique
Knowing the nature of the religious thinking and the cultural background of the Senegalese (basically Muslim), he thought it was not appropriate to introduce the book itself without a careful intellectual and spiritual preparation. Therefore, he studied how Jesus taught his apostles and his group of believers. The presentation of new truth needs a soft, non-invasive, and loving approach that will not hurt the individual beliefs. He also selected in the Koran some basic principles and concepts that were close to The Urantia Book teachings and on which he could start the introduction of expanded ideas.
¶ Seeing Scientists As Partners
Neal Waldrop, Geneva, Switzerland
The Midwayers assure us, the worst of the materialistic age is over, then state, The higher minds of the scientific world are no longer wholly materialistic in their philosophy. Nevertheless, they concede that the rank and file of the people still lean in that direction as a result of former teachings UB 195:6.4.
Evangelizing the rank and file of the people is not the challenge we face, even though their underlying psychology appears to have changed little over the last half century. It would be quixotic and counterproductive to hawk the Midwayer Commission’s eloquent refutation of materialistic fallacies (UB 195:5.10-UB 195:7.16), or the equally persuasive comments by a Melchizedek of Nebadon (UB 103:5.11-UB 103:9.10). I am strongly convinced that readers of the fifth epochal revelation must operate by attractionnot by attempting to proselytize or promote “conversions.”
¶ Mission Statement of the IUA Journal
AS APPROVED BY
the Council of National Presidents and Vice-Presidents
JULY 7, 1999
The IUA Journal is a quarterly publication of the International Urantia Association. The publication was created to fulfill these purposes:
- To encourage serious study of The Urantia Book.
- To promote international understanding and cultural cross-fertilization as it pertains to readers working and studying together
- To provide a forum for the scholarly exchange of ideas and interpretations of The Urantia Book.
- To collect and disseminate to a wider audience papers presented at IUA conferences
- To highlight exemplary service projects of readers
- To update IUA members on news within the organization
¶ Editorial Policy:
The Journal accepts articles submitted for publication within the following guidelines:
Primary focus
- Topics related to The Urantia Book, including but not limited to:
- Topical study
- Historical research or recent discoveries
- Scientific research or recent discoveries
- Service projects related to The Urantia Book
- Application of concepts of The Urantia Book to contemporary living
- Comparative study of religions
- News of interest to the worldwide readership
- Papers presented at IUA conferences, including local, national, and international: Conference coordinators will be asked to submit at least two papers from each conference.
Secondary focus
- Poetry inspired by The Urantia Book concepts
- Short meditative or inspirational works inspired by The Urantia Book concepts
Articles not accepted for publication:
- Discussion of political issues within the movement
- Private revelation
- Material criticizing Urantia Foundation or any other organization or individual
¶ Submission Procedure:
The Journal accepts submissions for consideration for current or future issues. All submissions become the property of The Journal, and none are returned. Any not used are kept on file for potential future use or may be directed to other IUA publications for consideration. The Journal does not compensate any author through payment or in any other manner for such voluntary submissions. While the staff makes efforts to contact authors during the editing process, The Journau reserves the right to edit material as it deems necessary for publication. While The Journal is grateful for and relies upon author submissions, it is unable to personally acknowledge each submission made; however, authors may feel free to contact The Journal to ensure their submissions were received.
When submitting articles, follow these guidelines:
- Articles must be typed. You may submit on paper or in an electronic format either through email or on disk.
- Articles should be from 300 to 5000 words in length.
- References and quotes from The Urantia Book must be identified using the method employed in The Urantia Book Concordance (1993).
- Other references and quotations should use the parenthetical style of documentation. Instead of footnote numbers in the text, include in parentheses the author’s last name, year, and page numbers referenced: (Sandmel, 1979, pp. 204-206). Then include a list of sources referenced at the end of the article. Use this format:
- Author. (year). Title. City: Publisher.
- Sandmel, S. (1979). Philo of Alexandria. Woodstock, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Articles will be reviewed by the Board of Editors.
- Articles may be submitted in any language in which The Urantia Book is published. You may submit your article to any Urantia Foundation Office worldwide.
¶ Conventions of Style:
Spelling. The Journal will use mixed English spelling, reflecting the conventions of the individual author.
Punctuation: The Journal will use standard American punctuation.
Quotations: Quotations from The Urantia Book will be italicized and will not be enclosed in quotation marks. Words or phrases that are italicized in The Urantia Book will be set in boldface type for emphasis. All quotations must be referenced by page and paragraph numbers. Entire papers may be referenced by the number of the paper without page and paragraph citations. Numbered subdivisions of papers must be referenced by page and paragraph.
Other uses of italics: Italics will not be used in the text of The Journal except as required in the titles of books and other publications. Words or phrases emphasized by the individual author will be set in boldface type. Words or phrases used as examples will be set in double quotation marks.
¶ IUA 2000 International Conference
In the year 2000 the IUA International Conference will be held at Wagner College in New York City on August 4-7 . The conference site overlooks the beautiful New York Harbor and is only a 20-minute car ride from Newark International Airport or 45 minutes from JFK Airport.
August 3, Thursday, will be a pre-conference day that will focus on issues related to the Urantia movement, the IUA, translations, and the Foundation. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the conference will focus on its spiritual theme, “Living the Father’s Will,” featuring speakers and workshops. Children will be able to participate in a special program that will mirror the adult program. Monday will provide a summation of the conference and will provide time for a planned tour of Manhattan. Participants may stay an extra night at the campus for an additional fee.
The program planners are looking for volunteers for speakers and workshop moderators, as well as volunteers for the children’s program.
For more information or to volunteer, you may contact Nick Scalzo at tel/fax 1-860-669-4900 or email NICHOLASWS@aol.com.
© 1999 Association Urantia Internationale