© 1991 Ken Glasziou
© 1991 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
| What Does The Urantia Book Say About The Will Of God? | Vol 12 No 4 July 1991 — Index | Fools Rush In — And Angels Have To Follow |
by Ken Glasziou, Maleny, Queensland
An analysis ‘at a distance’ has both advantages and disadvantages. It may be more objective but contain less fact than when made as an ‘inside job’. The case appears to have its roots in far distant days of the Urantia movements, well before the date of the Book’s publication in 1955.
The core of the problem is a divergence of opinion on how the Book should be disseminated. On the one side are those who would use modern communication and sales techniques to spread the Book relatively quickly. On the other, are those who believe the Book was given to us well before its time in order to be studied intensively for perhaps one hundred years. This would be a period of preparation for a more intensive campaign at a much later date.
Both these groups have become secretive and elitist. The total numbers for both sides who are ‘inner circle’ members may be less than twenty. Many have close links with relatives and friends from the days of the ‘Seventy’ and the ‘Forum’. Effective power in both the ex-Brotherhood and the Foundation has always resided with these two groups. Outsiders are occasionally admitted, and made to feel that they are a part of a privileged class. The operations of the group pay scant attention to the needs or opinions of ‘outsiders’ — the bulk of the devotees. This is the norm for human organizations of all types.
The operations of the group pay scant attention to the needs or opinions of ‘outsiders’ — the bulk of the devotees.
Members of these groups have held office in both the Brotherhood and the Foundation. Recently, there has been a clear schism, with the ‘liberals’ holding power in the Brotherhood (now FEF) and the ‘conservatives’ in the Foundation.
Where does Kristen Maaherra fit into all of this? She is the meat in the sandwich. The strategy being employed by both sides in the power struggle is to bleed the other to death, current policy to bring this about through depletion of funds. The law courts have become the battle ground, and the beneficiaries are the lawyers. Kristen and J.J. are simply ‘fall guys’ — their involvement is largely accidental, accepted by both parties because it serves the purposes of each.
The strategy has backfired. Neither group anticipated the stand of Kristen on the basis of the first amendment guaranteeing freedom of religion. This stand now threatens the copyright and the trademarks. Loss of these does not suit either side, at least not the inner circles, as both want control of the printing of the Book with the copyright intact.
Let us now examine facts, effects, and consequences. Firstly, a fact that is important to all Urantians — the requirement to keep the text of the Book inviolate. Until recently, outsider Urantians have been fed with the story that there has only ever been one minor change to the text and that this was quickly rectified in the next printing. Advances in computer technology now make it possible to scan the text of all printings and compare them for differences. The result, thanks to Kristen, has amazed us. Yes, most of the changes are in spelling and punctuation, but there are also changes in textual meanings that cannot be accounted for except as attempts to hide what were thought to be errors. Possibly these were made with the best of intentions. So was the folly of Eve. The changes are a betrayal of a trust that must be rectified. Sooner or later, outsider Urantians will demand that the original text be adhered to, inclusive of all errors. We simply cannot trust changes of any kind to human beings. An appendix to this eventual printing will be necessary to list changes to the earlier printings.
The core of the problem is a divergence of opinion on how the Book should be disseminated. On the one side are those who would use modern communication and sales techniques to spread the Book relatively quickly. On the other, are those who believe the Book was given to us well before its time in order to be studied intensively for perhaps one hundred years.
The Trustees of the Foundation bear ultimate responsibility for the fact that such changes were permitted. However it is highly likely that knowledge of the extent of changes was shared by privileged individuals from both groups.
One effect of the long running dispute has been the dissipation of funds and effort. This is reflected in the excessive but highly selective attention paid to the protection of the copyright and the trademarks at the expense of duties enumerated in the Declaration of Trust, and others said to have been imposed by the Revelatory Commission. These include the development of a corps of skilled teachers, meaningful secondary works, and translations of the book. Other duties that have suffered are the requirement to promote the true teachings of Jesus to the peoples of the world, the gospel of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. It is possible that this long-standing feud was a pointless undertaking. An article by Richard Bain entitled ‘Time Bombs’ appeared in the newsletter ‘Cosmic Reflections 2 (2)’, and was republished in a booklet entitled ‘The Science Content of The Urantia Book’. The author drew attention to some of the strange errors in the Book that are difficult to account for in terms of the mandate, and concluded that these may have been included to prevent the Book becoming an object of worship. A second article ‘Time Bomb 2’ highlights some of the material in the Book that would be virtually indefensible in a public debate against skilled and hostile interviewers. This strange Book of ours is both self-authenticating for the faithful and self-destroying for those intent upon subjecting it to ridicule or rejection. It is extremely unlikely that the Book could survive for long as the focal point for any publicity campaign, at least for the foreseeable future. The wisdom of the Revelators is quite amazing.
To be considered are the potential consequences of the loss of the copyright, either because of the suggested illegalities associated with the proceedings to secure it, or because of the successful application of the first amendment. One of these is that a publisher would reprint the Book eliminating all the ‘funny’ parts, with or without the embellishments of modern advertising and salesmanship. Another possibility would be a comic strip presentation of sections of the Book, particularly that dealing with the life of Jesus. It is difficult to predict the outcome of such eventualities. It may not necessarily be bad.
This analysis may not be true in reality, though true in appearances. It gives rise to a speculation. There are approximately one quarter of a million books out there somewhere. The vast majority are gracing book shelves in an unread condition. They constitute a bottomless supply source for many years to come. Experience in Australia has demonstrated that we have no desperate need for organizations at all. Our annual general meetings arise from spontaneous offers by temporary state committees that disband after the meeting. Official organizations secularise a movement. Precedence for this discovery belongs to Alcoholics Anonymous whose lack of organization provides a useful example. Our Universe Ruler gave us this message:
“Do not strive with men — always be patient. It is not your kingdom; you are only ambassadors. Simply go forth proclaiming: This is the kingdom of heaven — God is your Father and you are his sons, and this good news, if you whole-heartedly believe it, is your eternal salvation.” (UB 141:6.4)
We really can simply ‘serve as we pass by’ and leave the overall directing of planetary affairs to our celestial supervisors. The Father needs us as individuals. Human organizations inevitably hinder his work.
| What Does The Urantia Book Say About The Will Of God? | Vol 12 No 4 July 1991 — Index | Fools Rush In — And Angels Have To Follow |