© 2008 Olga López
© 2008 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
Dear friends and readers of the Link,
It is a pleasure for me to be able to introduce myself in this magazine that I have been reading for several years. I have been a reader of the Urantia Book since 1996. I became aware of this book through the novels written by J.J. Benitez and mainly in the series “Trojan Horse” which described a fascinating Jesus, comparable to the real Jesus much closer in my eyes. Since I was little I believed in God without ever having significant surges of faith, but it is true that I quickly disengaged from the Catholic Church to seek other sources and other doctrines. This search was the one that allowed me to find the Urantia Book and until now I can say that no other way of thinking has answered my questions with as much satisfaction. So since I began to read this wonderful blue book, I have a double conviction: the first, that the teachings of the book must be applied daily and not remain simply at the stage of intellectual assimilation; and, secondly, that this is not a book to be read for oneself but to be shared with other readers in order to create a movement that will slowly and effectively transform society.
It was this second conviction that set me on the road, in my country, to find other readers of the book. The Internet connection was decisive and allowed me to get in touch not only with readers in Spain, but also with readers elsewhere in the world, mainly on the American continent. In 1998 I attended the first national meeting of readers and the experience was so wonderful and rewarding that since then I have attended all the meetings that have taken place in Spain. At the beginning of 2003 I decided to create my own group of readers (study group) that continues to meet at my home on the last Sunday of each month. I can never stress enough the importance of meeting periodically with other readers; I know very well that spiritual solitude is very hard and that the experience of the study group not only allows a better understanding of the teaching of the book, but also gives the possibility of exchanging impressions for a few hours with people who have similar spiritual concerns and with whom one ends up creating solid bonds of friendship.
In 2004 I was elected president of the Urantia Association of Spain, a national association that belongs to the UAI, and since then I have done everything possible so that the Urantia movement develops harmoniously in my country. This year I was re-elected for a period of four years. I hope to be able to give the best of myself so that the association continues to grow not only in number of members, but also in quality.
We continue to organize an annual meeting of readers and we have also collected several secondary works on our website www.urantia.es. On this page we have also made available to readers our quarterly bulletin called “Luz y Vida” (Light and Life) where we publish texts written by Spanish-speaking readers as well as translations of works written in other languages. We hope that our web page will not only be a showcase to present our association to the world, but that it will contain help in the study of The Urantia Book.
Lately, we have two projects that occupy our association completely: one of them is the next publication of the European edition of the Urantia Book, in a translation much more acceptable for Spanish readers and the second is the organization of the next UAI international conference, which will take place from April 17 to 21, 2009 in Benalmádena Costa (Málaga) in the south of Spain. Our candidacy was proposed for a double purpose; to make ourselves known as Urantia readers in the world and for others to know us. The motto of the conference is: “Building bridges between disharmony and universal unity” and the idea came to us thinking about the character of our country, a country that for centuries has been at the confluence of several distinct cultures and religions and that has created bridges not only between Europe and America, but also between Africa and Europe. We believe that we, the readers of Urantia, have the responsibility to build bridges not only between our brothers of different races and beliefs, but also between ourselves and the celestial beings who are trying to help us. From here I would like to convince you to register for this conference / all the information is in English and Spanish at the link www.urantia.es/UAI2009. I am convinced that getting to know other readers will be an unforgettable experience. Anyone who has ever attended a meeting knows that the atmosphere there is special, something that transcends the language barrier (the conference will be held in English and Spanish with translation between the two languages).
Currently I am an Associate Trustee of Urantia Foundation, a position I will hold this year and next. It has been and is an honor and privilege to be invited to participate in the affairs of the Foundation and has given me an insight into the workings of the organization charged with ensuring the integrity of the Fifth Revelation and ensuring that the text of the book is translated into as many languages as possible.
Since reading The Urantia Book, it has been very clear to me that I will do everything possible to make the revelation known, regardless of where I am or what position I hold. I am convinced that the steps we are taking now as readers of the book are crucial to ensuring that, in the near future, the teachings will penetrate society on a massive scale.
Info: There are six study groups in Spain: two in Seville, two in Palma de Mallorca, one in Madrid and another in Barcelona. The members of the Spanish association are a little over 50 full members and almost 17 associate members (in slow, stable and qualitative growth).