© 2012 Mo Siegel, Line St-Pierre, Marc Belleau, Normand Laperle, Maurice Migneault, Pierre Routhier
© 2012 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ The Urantia Book The Importance of Study Group Communications (Part 2)
COMMUNICATION IS AN intrinsic and essential component of life, because it is the engine of cohesion, and this, at all levels. When people come together to form a group, it is the first thing they need.
There is no cohesion without communications, it is this that allows the members of the group to maintain unity among themselves, to exchange and to know each other better. This principle applies not only within the group, but also between all groups, because what happens on a small scale also happens on a large scale.
Throughout the universe, every unit is regarded as a part of the whole. Survival of the part is dependent on co-operation with the plan and purpose of the whole, the wholehearted desire and perfect willingness to do the Father’s divine will. (UB 3:5.15)
Each race must become familiar with the thought of all races; each nation must know the feelings of all nations. Ignorance breeds suspicion, and suspicion is incompatible with the essential attitude of sympathy and love. (UB 52:6.4)
¶ Brotherhood in Service
. . .when a human being does find God, there is experienced within the soul of that being such an indescribable restlessness of triumph in discovery that he is impelled to seek loving service-contact with his less illuminated fellows, not to disclose that he has found God, but rather to allow the overflow of the welling-up of eternal goodness within his own soul to refresh and ennoble his fellows. Real religion leads to increased social service. (UB 102:3.4)
In a document entitled “THE DISSEMINATION OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND A STATEMENT ON ADVERTISING,” published by Urantia Foundation, we find the following passage:
Group Service. The Urantia Brotherhood has never prescribed specific areas of service and ministry for its members and believers either individually or collectively. There are two reasons for this:
- What would be high service to one person might be mere drudgery to another. What might seem worthy of charity to one person would be a lost cause to another. Our groups are organized for the study of The Urantia Book and for the dissemination of the teachings. Members should not desert because of disagreements over methods of service to their fellow humans. The name “Urantia” should not be linked to specific causes.
- The motivation for service arises at different points in everyone’s life. The moment a person feels the transforming power of faith, he joins one of the many outside service agencies that are organized to deal with the many evils of this world.
So we should not feel guilty by thinking we are doing less than others. Everything comes in its own time and according to our abilities.
Those who make sincere moral decisions and unconditional spiritual choices thus become progressively identified with the inner, divine spirit and increasingly transformed into values of eternal survival — an endless progression of divine service. The Urantia Book p. 1431 — §4
¶ Advertising and Recruitment
If study groups or even individuals wish to advertise for recruiting purposes, Urantia Association International has produced numerous documents and educational materials specifically for this purpose. It is not forbidden to produce advertising materials oneself, but it would be preferable to have them approved by UAI or by authorized representatives. This is not to maintain uniformity of thought among members, but to ensure, as far as possible, a cohesiveness in the message we convey to the population.
Along these same lines, we often have the reflex to accompany the advertising of our activities with illustrations. The iconography representing the different aspects of Creation is attractive, however, not everyone has the same conception of the universe and its actors. What would you have thought when you first came across The Urantia Book if it had been accompanied by a drawing representing Adam and Eve riding a fandor? If a fictional portrait of Jesus can please readers with a Judeo-Christian culture, it can seriously offend readers with an Islamic culture.
Visual designs of Creation can be great tools to accompany the study of texts, but they are best reserved for personal use. Even within a study group there can be great cultural and religious disparities. Just because we are reading the same text does not mean we have the same beliefs.
The Urantia Book is a universal revelation that speaks to all cultures and for many generations to come.
¶ What is a good teacher?
Teacher is a word that encompasses many professions and human activities: schoolteacher, master, pedagogue, tutor, educator, professor, facilitator, etc. But how do you recognize a good teacher? It is not the one who teaches his students what he knows, but the one who has the intuition of what his students need to know so that they can learn on their own. However, in our society, this definition will not be very well received, because it favors the application of recognized teaching methods. Basically, we attach more importance to learning than to understanding, it is the race for uniformity.
In matters of spirituality, it is a bit the opposite, understanding takes more importance than learning; understanding is here, synonymous with inner transformation.
The AUQ Council
¶ Request from the President of Urantia Foundation
We need to comment on THE URANTIA BOOK on the internet.
Rick, thank you for your very important email. As you have experienced firsthand, online book reviews are truly important. And since we all love the Revelation and have witnessed how the teachings of The Urantia Book have transformed our lives, writing a book review is a simple way to give back to our fellows and to thank the universe government. Imagine our lives without the knowledge of our Father’s love for all people, mansion worlds, Thought Adjusters, and so much more. By writing a brief book review, you can make a difference because people read book reviews. Here is some information on what you need to do to write a book review.
Goal: Display 500 compelling reviews of The Urantia Book on bookseller websites.
Around the world, the best book sellers on the Internet provide a place on their websites where you can write your opinion about a book. Many books have over 1,000 customer reviews. For example, on Amazon.com in North America, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has 3,284 reviews, Eat, Pray and Love has 2,807, A New Earth has 1,662, The Shack has 4,907, The Secret has 2,812, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People has 1,075, and The Urantia Book has 253.
On Google Books, we have 57 reviews, Barnes and Noble 44, Alibis seven, Booksamillion 18, Audible.com has 18 reviews, and Chapters Indigo, the book’s seller in Canada, has 6 reviews. Personal testimonials have a significant impact on people who are considering buying a book. Your individual stories and book reviews have an amazing persuasive power to convince others to read a book because your personal story feels real and authentic.
The goal is to have 500 book reviews on the Internet by the end of 2013. Will you help? The more good book reviews there are, the more credibility and interest there is. Please share your opinion with others by visiting book sites and submitting your reviews. Let them know how reading The Urantia Book has changed your life, how it has elevated your thinking, what you like about it, how it has made you a better person, what you have learned from it, and why you recommend it.
Greetings
Mo Siegel
President of Urantia Foundation
¶ Meeting of the Women’s Committee
SEVEN WOMEN FROM VARIOUS REGIONS of Quebec mobilized on Saturday, April 14 to meet at the Maisonia de Louise Renaud and Gilles Bertrand in Quebec for a meeting of the Women’s Committee.
Having noticed during her travels that women were not very present in Urantia meetings, Line St-Pierre explained the reason why this committee was formed in January 2011 at the AUQ. That it is important to promote the participation of women within the Urantia Association of Quebec and to recognize the value they have as educators in the service of human fraternity. Since The Urantia Book teaches that women are the torchbearers of morality and spirituality, they therefore play a major role.
The afternoon was a work in progress where each one introduced herself to the others and gave her vision and saw the relevance as a responsible woman to have the same bases with which to work. It is a long-term work. The goals are numerous. As a student of the UB, first to continue our spiritual journey with other women; to change the vision of reality through spiritualization; to realize the feminine expression in spirituality; to teach young girls, the importance of spirituality in education as a future mother. There is so much to say and so much to do.
At the end of the meeting, a small challenge was proposed to us until the moment when we meet again in July to continue our reflection; that of trying the experience of enhancing truth, beauty and goodness in our contacts, without making reference to The Urantia Book. To speak of concepts and ideas found there without revealing our sources. It is in practice that we will discover the art of speaking of God to others without frightening them.
It is in this fraternal service to others where the woman brings hope and encouragement that God gives himself.
Line St-Pierre
¶ An Invitation to the Theme of May 27: The Divine Language
ON MAY 27, I WILL HAVE THE PLEASED TO GIVE MY FIRST CONFERENCE AT A THEME ORGANIZED BY THE URANIA ASSOCIATION OF QUEBEC: “Divine Language”. I have chosen the theme, “Communion with the Inner Adjuster”.
This is a subject that I consider to be of the utmost importance and that I am extremely passionate about; I am very eager to share with you the fruits of my research and reflections on the subject. Indeed, many questions have been racing through my mind over the past ten years: How can I become an effective partner with my Thought Adjuster? How can I learn to cooperate with him as he tries to lead me through the trials of my earthly life? How can I listen to him, how can I come to understand what he wants from me? How can I establish healthy communication with my spirit guide?
God has given us all the tools necessary to communicate with Him and this is what I will try to explore with you on May 27 in Drummondville. More specifically, this conference will aim to understand the mechanisms that allow us to listen to the Adjuster. I think that to avoid taking unnecessary detours on the path to perfection, it is important to understand the directives of this divine being.
I suggest a few questions to guide your thinking in preparation for the afternoon roundtable discussions. How do you tune in to the promptings of the Thought Adjuster? How do you pray, how do you worship, do you have a technique? What are your motives for communing with God? By what means do you get into the mood for communion; do you have a particular ritual? Do you find it difficult to commune with the Adjuster?
Communications between the Adjuster and the human being arise from the functions of the Adjuster in our minds. I suggest that you read the papers that deal with the nature and functions of Thought Adjusters. I invite you to share this adventure with me on May 27.
Looking forward to meeting you there!
Marc Belleau
¶ Religious transcendence
IS THERE a perfect institutional religion on our planet at this time? No existing religion can answer yes to this question. There are chairs of theological research in each of these religions to try to perfect their belief system.
Are any of these religions “essential” to eternal life, or at least material survival? Humans have been on our planet for about 1 million years. Muhammad lived here about 1400 years ago. Jesus, about 2000 years ago. Abraham, about 4000 years ago and Adam and Eve, about 37000 years ago. Question: Does this mean that everyone who lived before any of these people (depending on our religious beliefs) is doomed and did not survive physical death? That’s a lot of bugs!
Can a Christian claim that all who have not adhered to Christianity are condemned? Can a Muslim claim that a non-Muslim is automatically condemned? The same goes for Jews, Hindus, Mormons and all other faiths, including readers of the “Urantia Book”. Obviously, religions (their rituals and rules of conduct) are only a facade for something deeper, more essential.
Could it be that a Muslim who adheres to Christianity still succeeds in divinizing himself? On the other hand, could a Christian who becomes a Muslim still succeed in divinizing himself at least as much as if he had remained a Christian?
Conversely to all this reasoning: Can we say that one of the paths proposed by religions is condemnable? Is it possible that there is more than one path that allows the achievement of the same goal? By the way, what is the goal?
Obviously, the essential conditions for the divinization of a person are found deeper inside the human being, somewhere in the inner mechanics of his thought. What is found in these inner depths? It is exclusively there that “contact” between the person and the divine is made. It is there that we find the “direct” relationship with the divine within, the divinity, God, Allah, or whatever name you give it.
This intimate contact is unique to each of us. It is entirely personalized. It depends on the time, the place, the external and internal environment. What happens in this place depends essentially on the particular path already taken.
The messages sent by the Planetary Prince, Adam and Eve, Melchizedek, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed and all the great prophets were all different because they all came from different personalities. They were adapted to their time and their particular environment. The divine fragment that inhabits us adjusts itself precisely to our personal experiences of the moment, to our particular environment to our experience. In doing so, our relationship with the fragment of the Father becomes more and more personalized according to our will. Nothing else is needed to respond to our desire for divinization.
The simplicity of this message is disconcerting. It is also the same message that Jesus transmitted to us by constantly sending us to the Father. (The Spiritual Father of Jesus/Michael is the same as ours.) This is also what explains that the first two humans to exist on our planet, Andon and Fonta, about a million years ago, succeeded in divinizing themselves and attaining the conditions necessary for survival and eternal life despite the fact that there was no one ahead of them in this experience; despite the fact that they had no religion; despite the fact that at that time there was no Spirit of truth to help them.
Let’s get back to the main topic which is “Religious Transcendence”. I have as much pleasure in talking about spirituality with a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist or even an atheist seeking the truth about the meaning of his life. I have as much pleasure in seeing the little step further that makes a difference in his life, in his “long” ascent towards his perfection.
What is remarkable about the ascension is the ascension itself. The ascension is punctuated by the divine and this divine is at the basis of everything.
Worship…
Normand Laperle
nlap@videotron.ca
¶ Esotericism Fair
LAST APRIL 13, 14 AND 15, an Esotericism Fair was held at Place Bonaventure in Montreal. Thanks to the brilliant initiative of Luciano Camellini, the AUQ managed to obtain a kiosk to ensure visibility of The Urantia Book.
This was our first experience in this new environment and the result was more than positive. Even though this Salon was of very modest size (less than fifty exhibitors), we still sold eight books and distributed a good amount of documentation.
We will surely repeat the experience and continue to explore other social events of this kind, likely to allow us to meet seekers of truth.
Maurice Migneault
¶ THE ROUTE
WHEN WE PLAN TO take a long trip, we prepare, we consult travel agencies, we find out about the services provided for our well-being, the accommodations along the way, the tourist attractions not to be missed during this long trip.
We also find out what to bring so as not to lack anything, and to stay in good health so that we can fully enjoy every moment of our great journey.
A long time ago, I was planning to take a big trip, and I was looking for an agency that could inform me well. I visited several and collected their promotional materials… but I still couldn’t find what I was looking for.
One day, without even consulting an agency, I came across a voluminous promotional document of the highest quality, a whole book, containing a breathtaking itinerary, extraordinarily amazing! I started reading it almost without stopping and the more I immersed myself in it, the more I marveled… oh my! What an adventure, what a beautiful great journey!
So I decided to undertake the adventure… but there was no travel agency… there was only the publisher of that famous promotional document! There was no one to advise me… only a text that as I read it revealed to me everything I needed to know to undertake, here and now, the greatest adventure of my life. This document was called “THE URANTIA BOOK”.
Pierre Routhier
(514) 761-2378
¶ AUQ 2012 ACTIVITY CALENDAR
Thematic
Sunday May 27
You are expected from 9:30 a.m. at the Hôtel Le Dauphin in Drummondville for this day whose theme will be The divine language.
Presentations will begin at 10 a.m. and the day will continue until 4 p.m. In the afternoon there will be roundtable discussions.
Cost $10
Picnic, Michael’s Party
Sunday August 19
Angrignon Park in Ville La Salle
Holiday Brunch
Sunday December 2nd
Best Western Hotel St-Jérôme
¶ STUDY GROUPS
THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWS MULTIPLE READERS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING to share and study together the teachings of The Urantia Book. It promotes spiritual progress by allowing its participants to find practical applications to the teachings of The Urantia Book in their daily lives. This important practice helps to maintain a broad perspective on concepts of truth.
You wish to participate or form a study group; we will be happy to assist you. If you wish to have your study group appear in this list, contact the person in charge, via email association.urantia.quebec@gmail.com or at 450-565-3323.
Group: Découverte
Every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Laurentians Region Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: 450-565-3323
Group: Étoile du Soir
Every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Laurentides region
Carmen Charland
Tel.: 450-553-3601
Group: Le Pont
Every Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
South Shore of Montreal
Guy Vachon
Tel.: 450-465-7049
Group: Mauricie Readers
Every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Three Rivers Region
Madeleine Boisvert and
Tel: 819-376-8850
Roger Perigny
819-379-5768
Group: Veritas
Every Tuesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Montreal area, near the Church metro station
Lise and Pierre Routhier
Tel.: 514-761-2378
Sherbrooke Group
Every two weeks, Tuesday or Wednesday (to be confirmed)
From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Helene Boisvenue or Denis Gravelle
Tel.: 819 569-6416
Group: The Ascendants
Every two weeks on Sunday from 13 h 00 to 3:30 p.m.
South Shore of Quebec
Guy LeBlanc
Tel: 418-835-1809
Group: The Agondontarians
Every two weeks on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. North Shore of Quebec
Guy & Rolande L. Martin
Tel: 418-651-3851
Group: Les Débonnaires
Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Montreal region
Julien Audet
Tel: 514-315-9871
Group: Urantia Fraternity
Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Lanaudière region
Richard Landry & Gisèle Boisjoly
Tel: 450-589-6922
Group: Vers les Sommets
Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Regions Ormstown & Valleyfield
Louise Sauve
Tel: 450-829-3631
Group: The United Urantia Family
Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Montreal region
Mrs. Diane Labrecque
Tel: 514-277-2308
The Partners of the Supreme
Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Quebec region
Richard Lachance
Tel: (418) 614-2520 or (418) 933-0244 (cell)
At Maisonia
Every two weeks on Monday from 7:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Quebec region
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud
Tel: 418-871-4564
Group: Uni-Terre
Every Sunday from 9:00 a.m.
Lanaudière region
Eric Martel
Tel: 450-756-9387
Group: Laurantia
Every Sunday from 9:00 a.m.
Petite Nation region in Outaouais
Denise Charron & Jean-Claude Lafreniere
Tel: 819-983-2113
Group: The Precursors of Divine Reality
Every two weeks on Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Laurentides region
Mrs. Johanne Séguin
Tel: 819-327-3237
Group: Sans Frontiére
Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Hawkesbury region
Yvon and Irene Belle-Isle
Tel: 613-632-5706
Group: from Outaouais
Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Ottawa Region
Maurice Migneault
Tel: 613-789-6833
Disclaimer: Any interpretations, opinions, conclusions or artistic representations, stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Urantia Association International or local and national level associations.