© 2010 Jacob Dix
© 2010 Urantia Foundation
| Reflections on 2009 and a Look into the Future | Volume 4, Issue 1, March 2010 — Index | Parliament of The World's Religions |
By Jacob D, Stockholm, Sweden
Ask anyone who lives in Sweden, and they will agree with the statistic that Sweden is the most atheistic country on the planet. It is the secular capital of the world, and by “secular” I mean “life without the presence of God.” God has been pushed out of everyday living. A number of Sweden’s public figures even boast that religion is a dying aspect of humankind’s superstitious age, that religion is nearly removed from this ideal humanistic society, and the daily drone of religionbashing goes on in newspaper articles. In fact, the Swedish people have gone so long without religion as a topic of honest discourse that the language has atrophied, and any discussion of faith cannot take place without using archaic words. Religion in Sweden is old-fashioned.
It is not, however, a hopeless picture, and the solution is simple: “Thinking men and women want religion redefined.” The Urantia Book, UB 92:7.13. This is where The Urantia Book and its readers come in. There are about thirty to forty known readers in Sweden. On occasion, long-time readers will make contact with us for the first time. The majority of us live in or near Stockholm, and a handful of us are regular study group attendees. Our study groups here have always been rather diverse, with Swedish, English, Finnish and Spanish speakers attending. Traditionally, we begin with a moment of silent prayer. Then we enjoy conversation with coffee. Then we read consecutively through the Jesus Papers.
Aside from socializing at study group, we have had several small get-togethers, such as Easter dinner and a weekend retreat in a cozy cabin in the woods that one of the readers owns.
The majority of study group attendees are fairly new to The Urantia Book. Many of them were introduced to the book at the New Age and Healing Expos that take place twice a year in Stockholm. Each time the Expo is held, we have a booth at which we tell people about the book and where they can buy it. We hand out flyers about the book and information about our study group. It’s a thrilling experience, and over the years we’ve managed to build up a good reputation.
During the 10 years that we have had a booth at these Expos, people have asked us, “When can we buy a Swedish translation?” These days, we meet quite a few people who say that they read the Swedish translation found on the Finnish website.
Recently, Urantia Association of Sweden launched its website, www.urantia.se, and through it, we have made contact with individuals interested in knowing more about the Swedish translation and study groups. Two individuals, who learned of us through the website, have joined our study group.
Even as this short article was being written, the news broadcasted that Sweden was in fact the most secular country in the world. Notwithstanding this recent finding, coupled with the fact that there are few readers of The Urantia Book here, we believe that the teachings of the Fifth Epochal Revelation can turn the spiritual desert in Sweden into a Garden of Eden. We are a small group of wonderful people, and we are slowly and steadily growing in wisdom and number. The Swedish translation could not be coming at a better time to augment our efforts.
¶ References
| Reflections on 2009 and a Look into the Future | Volume 4, Issue 1, March 2010 — Index | Parliament of The World's Religions |