© 2019 Line St-Pierre, Louis Prud'homme, Khatabe Ndiaye
© 2019 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Word from the President
Line St-Pierre
president@urantiaqc.org
The statement of the mission of The Urantia Book by the revelators thus informs us,
“In our effort to expand cosmic consciousness and heighten spiritual perception,” they add, “it is exceedingly difficult to present expanded concepts and advanced truth while we are limited by the use of the restricted language of the realm.” UB 0:0.2 Quite a mandate they have for us humble humans to grasp its depth, for every day we are challenged by all manner of human impulses that appeal to our senses, though fortunately they can be replaced by an ideal of life with the aid of the divine part that indwells every human being on this planet.
The Urantia Book is a revelation for all religions, an enhancement of truths for each individual, for a realization of life of well-being and meanings to a supreme purpose.
Certain mechanisms must be put in place to facilitate this philosophy that we strive to live. For me I have found sure means that contribute to spiritual growth; my involvement in religious habits on a regular basis, participation in a weekly study group for almost twenty years, is another that stimulates my mind by adding new factors of thought unexplored before. In this way with all the sharing of the group, new lights arise and that I can apply and transmit in the service to others in a concrete way.
Participating in courses offered by the Urantia Foundation is another, because what could be better than inspiring each other by bringing a varied dimension according to the different levels of knowledge, understanding and spiritual evolution that we have acquired, because as the African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, walk alone, if you want to go far, let’s walk together.”
So in January a new challenge presented itself to me and I accepted the invitation that was offered to me by registering for an online course on “Rodan’s Philosophy”. What a beautiful subject to study! Ten men and three women, via the Foundation’s Internet School website, from various continents respond and share on a very well presented method, in this case by two facilitators, with questions such as:
How can we transform great human stimuli into ideals to be discovered and accomplished? What problems does human society and each of us who live in it face? What do you think are the wise solutions dictated by a philosophy enlightened by revelation, by revealed truth? What is the best method for solving problems according to the philosopher Rodan? What do prejudices create in our lives? How can we free ourselves from them?
The invitation to reflect and answer the questions that the facilitators throw at us, asks us to stop, meditate and listen within ourselves to what the spark of the Thought Adjuster wants us to perceive and which may contribute to the increase of one or more participants in the group. It would certainly be more profitable to have a greater contribution of feminine thought, because our vision differs from that of men and they need our association just as much as we need theirs to better understand ourselves and to progress.
This platform brings me new tools and what 'gets from it is of astonishing depth to help me better love the brotherhood and better serve it.
““Discern the truth clearly; live the righteous life fearlessly; and so shall you be my apostles and my Father’s ambassadors. You have heard it said: ‘If the blind lead the blind, they both shall fall into the pit.’ If you would guide others into the kingdom, you must yourselves walk in the clear light of living truth.” (UB 140:3.18)
“The animal must adapt itself to the environment, but the religious man transcends his environment” (UB 196:3.32)
¶ Taxibarman Chronicle
Louis Prud’homme
Laval
I continue my reflection: how can I speak of the teachings of the Book without naming it, how can I share my love of God without falling into clichés?
According to the “moderns”, God does not exist, simply because there is no scientific evidence of his presence. It is like a criminal trial where the accused would not benefit from the “presumption of existence”!
Following the death of the great scientist Stephen Hawking, we have been treated to a well-deserved outpouring of praise and explanations of his theories. I had the opportunity to discuss this with a client while we were stuck in traffic. We are not supposed to discuss religion or politics with our clients, but since my client brought it up I felt entitled to offer my opinion.
Basically, to answer the big question: what caused the big bang? Hawking proposes the intervention of a “singularity” capable of expelling from nothingness the energy necessary for the physical creation of the universe. It is this same “singularity” that is at work to explain the existence of black holes.
The “singularity” would therefore be the detonator of the Big Bang: the extreme concentration of an indefinable energy at the origin of the physical world AND also the “vacuum cleaner” of this same energy, at work through black holes, around a star collapsing on itself. Perhaps to recover everything that the “singularity” can recycle. “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.”
By most scientists’ own admission, no one really knows what this famous “singularity” might be.
So basically, the “singularity” pushes out on one side, sucks in on the other. It’s starting to look like a pump, right? A pump like a heart? So the heart of the universe would be this famous “singularity”?
But what energy could animate something prior to the Big Bang? Prior to energy itself. We only know of one other form of energy that is not material and measurable, but even finer than quanta: thought.
Ah! But thought comes from men! And if thought was present at the foundation of the universe? Before matter. How to prove it? There is a device capable of measuring neuronal activity.
Through observations made with this machine, researchers were able to determine that the stomach, heart and brain jointly participate in brain activity. Neuronal activity was even observed outside the cranium. Not only activity coming from the emitting body, but also traces of waves coming from outside, interacting with the subject.
A kind of field of neuronal activity would surround our head. The “hardness of the mind” perhaps!
This machine records, if not thoughts, then at least markers of brain activity. So I wonder if a machine like this could record whether there is neural activity inside a black hole.
If we could detect the presence of neural activity at the core of a black hole, we could perhaps infer that this is a characteristic of the “sucking singularity.” We could then assume that the “emitting singularity” would also benefit from this characteristic.
So a neuronal, cerebral activity, prior to the Big Bang.
Perhaps not a sign of unquestionable intelligence, but at the very least a hint of a mental field from which the initial heat that created the universe might have come. It may be science fiction, but yesterday’s science fiction has often become today’s reality.
We are beginning to get closer to an idea of what the primary central source of consciousness could be. It would be based on science and not on the age-old fables of the various archaic dogmas of the great religious institutions.
Hawking did not prove that God does not exist. He demonstrated that the conceptions of God advocated by the various churches did not hold up to scientific evidence.
Anyway, my point is this: it is false to claim that science has proven that God does not exist. Science says that there is no scientific proof of the existence of God as defined by the three major monotheistic religions. That is all, and it is not quite the same thing!
There are many things that exist without scientific proof. You can’t even scientifically prove gravity! You just see that it works.
Nor is there any scientific proof to qualify a work of art. The scientific proof of a book consists in defining its various physical parameters: the dimensions, the weight, the number of pages, the quality of the paper, the type of ink or the typographic character used for the edition, but not the character of the text. One cannot scientifically prove the value of a story. The spirit cannot be measured scientifically. Yet it exists.
It has happened to me before, at dusk, that a hare suddenly appeared in front of my car and literally passed between the wheels of my car. I was able to confirm this by seeing the hare continue on its way in my rearview mirror. There is obviously no scientific proof to support my story. No one is obliged to believe it, but I don’t believe it: I know it!
I don’t need scientific proof to know that I love my girlfriend and my son.
Not everything can be explained by scientific proof and even in science more and more researchers are beginning to doubt the non-existence of consciousness at the origin of the universe.
It is too easy to say that there is nothing. We may be against churches that have corrupted the prophets’ message of love for political or commercial purposes, but that is no reason to ignore all the circumstantial evidence surrounding this fundamental question: Does life have meaning?
The hypothesis of a “divine conspiracy” at the origin of the universe should not be dismissed out of hand! ;o)
“Worship is the technique of looking to the One for the inspiration of service to the many.” (UB 143:7.6)
¶ The Transforming Power of the Adjuster
Khatabe Ndiaye
Senegal
How can we come to transform great human stimuli into ideals to be discovered and accomplished? How do you achieve this in your life?
Human beings have natural limitations that embrace the material realm with its own values. It may happen that we come to perceive higher values, an ideal of service to men. This always represents a breakthrough of God in our mind and our personality, even if we are not aware of it. Men live above all at the level of the intellect, provider of ideas and concepts.
Every ideal comes from God and has a transforming power over the human personality. Thus sensitivity to divine influences (which are many and varied) develops in us (even if we consider ourselves secular) a very high moral attitude. It is God who is the real transformer of our mundane life into an idealistic life. If all the Adjusters were removed from the minds of men, the world would slowly return to former ages, The Urantia Book tells us.
How the Thought Adjuster manages to transform (actually evolve) our basic human values into ideals I do not know, but from my own experience I realize that it requires on my part a minimum of sensitivity and attraction to divine things, which develops in me supreme objectives, aims, and motives. I recognize, however, that the truths of the present Urantia revelation, added to many spiritual factors, including the Spirit of Truth, work together to bring us closer to God, but only if HE interests us.
I love God, I trust him unreservedly, and, knowing the high destiny he has for me, I pray daily to him to help me to grow morally and spiritually, to have greater experiential wisdom to love and serve men. The rest, the growth of ideals, of Truth, and of wisdom in me, is taken care of by the Adjuster and the Spirit of Truth.
¶ Our quest
[Life is not always a quiet river. It was while listening to Smetana’s “Moldau” that I had the idea to illustrate this theme in poetry.]
The current of life carried us along
Far from the questions we asked ourselves when we were young.
All the worries of the world were upon us,
And in the midst of the waves held us,
Far from this shore that one could barely perceive,
And protect the image that we project to others.
The course of the great river carried us away
Downstream in the gulf where everything was slowing down.
We were able to swim to shore,
Where a big bonfire warmed us;
Think about how to take
To continue the abandoned quest,
the quest abandoned, put aside.
Life assisted us by putting us
By putting us in touch with The Urantia Book.
A first reading confirmed
That we had found there,
Answers to the meaning of life:
Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?
Recognition and rebirth,
Alleluia and Eureka (I found it!!!)
Jean-Claude Lafreniere
Saint-André-Avellin
¶ HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR FUNDSCRIP CARDS? THIS MONTH?
Every time you buy Fundscrip cards, a percentage of your purchase is donated by the company to the Urantia Association of Quebec. A smart way to support the AUQ for the price of a stamp.
If you would like more information, go to the website of the Urantia Association of Quebec and click on the “Contribution” link, or you can read the excellent article written by Marc Belleau in the Réflectivité of April 2017.
You can also register immediately on the FundScrip website, by clicking on the following image.
¶ Urantia-Association-of-Quebec — 2019 Calendar of Activities
| Sunday, January 13 | Board of Directors | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
| Sunday March 10 | Board of Directors | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, April 27 | Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Drummondville | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
| Sunday May 5 | Board of Directors | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, May 26 | Theme Day | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, June 16 | Board of Directors | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. |
| August 9, 10 and 11 | AUQ Regional Congress | |
| Sunday, August 25 | Picnic for the Feast of Jesus — Mount Royal Park | 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, September 8 | Board of Directors | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
| **Sunday, September 29 | Presentation of The Urantia Book | |
| Thursday, November 14 | Board of Directors — (online with Zoom) | 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, December 8th | Holiday Brunch | 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. |
¶ Upcoming AUQ activities
AUQ Annual General Meeting
Mark your calendar for AUQ General Assembly, Saturday, April 27, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the “Le dauphin” hotel, 600 boul. St-Joseph, Drummondville, J2C 2C1.
Even if you are not a member, you can attend this meeting.
In the morning, you will hear, among other things, a report on the activities and projects that took place in 2018 and those to come in 2019.
In the afternoon, we will give you a presentation related to our activities, followed by a group discussion where you can share your ideas and impressions on the proposed directions.
¶ Study groups
This activity allows several 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 of 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.
Outaouais Group
Region: Gatineau
Wednesday, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Maurice Migneault (613) 789-6833
Group : “Le Pont”
Region: South Shore of Montreal — Brossard
Thursdays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Guy Vachon (450) 465-7049
Group: “Uni-Terre”
Region: Joliette
Sundays at 10:00 am
Contact: Eric Martel (450) 756-9387
Group: “Découverte”
Region: Laurentides — St-Jérôme
Mondays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: (450) 565-3323
Sherbrooke Group
Region: Sherbrooke
Every 2 weeks: Tuesday or Wednesday, (to be confirmed) from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Hélène Boisvenue and Denis Gravelle Tel.: (819) 569-6416
Group: “The United Family of Urantia”
Region: Montreal — Downtown
Wednesdays, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Mrs. Diane Labrecque (514) 277-2308
Group: “At Maisonia”
Region: Quebec
Every 2 weeks: Sundays, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud (418) 871-4564
Virtual Study Group, French
Every Monday from 2pm to 4pm Eastern Time
Via Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/9084766734
Responsible: Guy Perron (438) 495-7747
Potential Study Groups Seeking Participants
Group : “Le portail du bercail”
Region: Sorel
Mrs. Eva & Ernest Asselin
(450) 517-0136
Group: “Saguenay”
Region: Saguenay
Contact: Jean-Guillaume Tremblay (418) 693-2049
To see the official list of study groups, click directly on the following link: http://urantia-quebec.ca/activites_liste_des_groupes.php
¶ Réflectivité
Responsible: (418) 835-1809 (Normand Laperle)
Assistant: (418) 871-4564 (Gilles Bertrand)
Publication (monthly)
Last week of the previous month.
To submit your articles:
Send them to: reflectivite.auq@gmail.com
Add: Your name and city of residence.