© 2023 Marc Belleau
© 2023 Urantia Association of Quebec
Marc Belleau
Montreal
Did you follow the COP27 conference? I am talking about the United Nations conference on climate change held in Egypt in November 2022. Among other things, we discussed the importance of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and therefore our dependence on oil in order to achieve the 1.5°C reduction target by 2030. It emerged that the Royal Bank of Canada is among the companies that support and invest in highly polluting fossil fuels (see the hyperlink at the end of the text). The AUQ uses the services of this institution for its financial transactions. In light of this new data, the members of the Board of Directors, in an effort to align the actions of the AUQ with its spiritual mission, decided to close its account at the Royal Bank of Canada to open one with a Desjardins caisse.
Why do we do this? Because our lifestyles, our slowness to change our behaviors and our passivity in the face of environmental problems are already having negative consequences for future generations; we are talking about intergenerational equity here. Is it fair to bequeath to our children and our children’s children a dirty and disordered planet? Can we remain passive in the face of the signs that nature is sending us more and more frequently and with ever greater intensity? Our mission is spiritual and it seems inconsistent to us to support a financial institution that values the increase in capital by any means, at any price, and this to the detriment of the well-being of present and future generations. It is perfectly correct to increase our profits, but this must be done in a fair manner and with respect for human rights.
Why did you choose Caisses Desjardins? Because the Cooperative Movement promotes values similar to those proposed by The Urantia Book, namely teamwork, the pooling of resources for the well-being of the whole. Cooperation is at the center of the values of the 5th revelation whether it is cooperation with the Thought Adjuster, within a team or within the Supreme. For these reasons, choosing the Cooperative Movement seemed obvious to us.
We have a responsibility to be good stewards of the resources God has placed in our hands. We are not effective stewards when we allow corporations to unbalance our earth for the sole purpose of financial gain. I sincerely believe that we are disrespectful to God when we allow ourselves to disfigure the sphere on which we live. The universe is a great school in which we will learn many things. Management is one of these important areas of our universe education since we are destined, as finaliters, to become the managers of even larger universes which are now being mobilized in outer space; even if it seems very far away to us, this learning begins here and now, on Urantia.
This planet is on loan to us, it is our spaceship, and it is the only one we possess at this time. Urantia will undoubtedly become a world of light and life, a perfect sphere; this is its destiny. Although this idea is difficult to imagine at present, it will become a fact because God always succeeds in what he undertakes, but he must imperatively do it through us and in us, since this is the way he has ordained all things. It is therefore up to us personally to decide whether to cooperate with God or to leave this noble task to others.
La Presse article on RBC investments: https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/ca90d824-6680-4338-afaddfc2e7f13235__7C___0.html?utm_content=ulink&utm_source=lpp&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=internal+share
CBC article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadabanks-fossil-fuels-report-1.5960845
List of 50 eco-responsible companies in 2022 (English): https://www.corporateknights.com/rankings/best-50-rankings/2022-best-50-rankings/canadas-best-50-corporate-citizens-of-2022-continue-to-conquer-the-markets/