© 2002 Urantia Foundation
A monthly News Bulletin from Urantia Foundation to IUA Officers, Foundation Office Managers, Coordinating Committee members, Foundation Representatives, Translators, and other readers for the purpose of disseminating this information to readers in local areas.
Efforts to form a team to translate The Urantia Book into the Chinese language were begun as early as 1997. After much research, Urantia Foundation established contact with a group of university professors in China in 2000. A tentative understanding was reached about the terms under which the group would undertake to translate the book into Chinese.
The Board of Trustees approved the project and decided to engage the team to produce a Chinese translation. In October 2001, Seppo Kanerva and Trustee Georges Michelson-Dupont traveled to China to meet with the team and finalize the agreement. The necessary agreements were signed in a memorable ceremony.
One of the professors had already been working on a special dictionary of 120 pages, the purpose of which is to ensure that the special terminology and concepts of The Urantia Book are uniformly and accurately translated by all team members. The team has been meeting and working since they made the sample translations. Already more than twenty papers have been translated.
The team will produce two versions of the Chinese rendering: one using modernized and the other using classical Chinese characters.
The Lithuanian Translation team has completed work on a Lithuanian translation of The Urantia Book, and Urantia Foundation has received the CD with the entire work. The Lithuanian project took eight years to accomplish. Every translation is a colossal undertaking by the translators involved, and we congratulate the team and celebrate with them on the accomplishment of this amazing feat. The translation must now go through a final evaluation and then it will be ready for Lithuanian people to discover.
Lithuania is a predominantly Catholic country of nearly four million people in the Baltic region north of Europe. Approximately 98% of the population is literate. Lithuania regained its independence from the Soviet Union about ten years ago.
Other Translations Approaching a Finale
The Estonian, German, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, and Swedish translations are also nearing completion.
Urantia Foundation provides a variety of services focused on the needs of readers throughout the world. These services are provided through each of Urantia Foundation’s worldwide offices and with the assistance of twenty international volunteers who serve as Urantia Foundation Representatives in their areas. Reader Services provides a personal link between the publisher and those who read The Urantia Book in all its translations. The Trustees believe it is crucial to maintain this connection with the readership via staff members and volunteers who are knowledgeable regarding The Urantia Book.
Education is at the heart of all Reader Service activities. Those who discover the enlarged vision of spirit realities presented in The Urantia Book often contact Urantia Foundation for information and answers to their questions.
As The Urantia Book becomes more familiar to our world, more and more such requests are received. Many ask to be added to our mailing list and to receive free literature concerning the book and our organization. In 2001, Urantia Foundation responded to well over 5,000 requests for information, either electronically or by mail. Requests for referrals to other readers and study groups accounted for about twenty percent of this activity.
Urantia Foundation encourages readers of The Urantia Book to attend or organize study groups in their communities. Studying and discussing The Urantia Book with others enhances understanding by presenting a variety of perspectives. Each study group is independent and develops its own style of studying the book—one that best suits the needs of its members. Reader Services assists by providing referrals to nearby study groups or individual readers.
Urantia Foundation applies only two criteria in recognizing study groups for referral. Study group hosts who wish to receive referrals are asked to submit a simple form which states that the group focuses solely on The Urantia Book and maintains an apolitical atmosphere during their study session. This prevents diverse or organizational agendas from alienating serious students or otherwise becoming a distraction to precious moments of study and fraternity.
Those who provide Reader Services are held to a high standard of professionalism, have a good understanding of The Urantia Book and are devoted to its teachings, and have a sincere desire to serve fellow readers in a fair and courteous fashion. Urantia Foundation is committed to a global policy in which all of its services are fully available and understandable for people of various languages and cultures.
On December 21, 2001, Urantia Foundation’s initial brief and request for oral argument was filed with the United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver in the case of Michael Foundation, Inc. v. Urantia Foundation. This case arises out of the publication by Harry McMullan III of a work that copied all but one of the Papers from Part IV of The Urantia Book. Copies of the brief are available by contacting Urantia Foundation.
McMullan’s brief was due to be filed on January 23, but Urantia Foundation agreed to his request for an extension through February 12. Urantia Foundation is permitted fourteen days from the date of service of McMullan’s brief within which to file a final reply brief. No other briefs are permitted.
McMullan had filed a notice of appeal of two of the trial judge’s rulings: (1) that Urantia Foundation is the proprietor of copyright in The Urantia Book that was entitled to file the initial copyright registration; and (2) the denial of McMullan’s Motion for Attorney’s Fees. However, McMullan has now indicated he will dismiss his appeal of these points. This will permit him to focus his entire brief on attempting to rebut the copyright validity issues raised in Urantia Foundation’s brief.
After all of the briefs have been filed, assuming Urantia Foundation’s request for oral argument is granted (highly probable), a date will be set for oral argument. We expect oral argument to occur in September or November of 2002.
There will be a panel of three judges assigned to hear the case. Briefs are made available to the judges soon after the cases are assigned to hearing panels, usually several weeks before scheduled argument. The panel judges read the briefs before oral argument. The hearing is limited to thirty minutes during which the parties present their arguments and respond to questions from the panel.
Following the oral argument, one of the judges will write the majority opinion. Depending upon when oral argument occurs, we hope to have a decision from the 10th Circuit before the end of 2002 or, if oral argument is not heard until November, in early 2003.
The party who loses the appeal can request a rehearing en bane by all of the judges of the 10th Circuit. This is up to the discretion of the court. The party who loses may then request the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, but that too is discretionary and only a small percentage of such requests are granted by the Supreme Court.
If Urantia Foundation prevails on appeal, there is a good chance the appellate court will enter judgment in favor of Urantia Foundation as to copyright validity and infringement and order a limited trial to assess the amount of damages to be awarded. It is also within the appellate court’s power to order a complete retrial.
The Asociación Urantia del Cono Sur (Urantia Association of the Southern Cone) held a conference in a charming, peaceful retreat complex in Malloco, Santiago, Chile in November. The theme was “Truth, Beauty, and Goodness” and it is reported that it was a wonderful conference filled with inspiration and in-depth study of El Libro de Urantia.
The attendees hailed from Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. Some of the participants had attended previous gatherings of the Urantia Association of the Southern Cone, but new friendships were made with new faces.
Three presentations were given: one by Carolina Arana, another by Carlos Rubinsky, and the other by Anibal Pacheco. In addition there was a series of study group workshops where the participants recorded an analysis of their study and then presented their findings to the entire group.
One participant wrote: “I feel I have been privileged to be able to attend this conference. Our growth in the concepts of truth, beauty, and goodness will have a powerful influence in our lives. We have fed our brotherhood relationships and friendships, and this social group will continue to be together and keep on growing…along with the Supreme…”
A two-day seminar entitled “Attunement with the Divine Spark” will be held in Athens, Greece March 9-10, 2002 and will take place at the Golden Age Hotel. Readers are invited to join together in exploring the relationship we have with our Thought Adjusters and the Spirit of Truth based upon the teachings of The Urantia Book.
Urantia Foundation’s Representative in Greece and an IUA member from the United States will be leading the discussions and workshops that are scheduled to take place during this event.
The seminar fee for the two days is 100 Euro (approximately $92 US dollars). In addition a guided tour is being planned for the week following the Greece seminar. The theme will be: “Following Some of the Steps of Christ in Greece.” For the overseas visitors and those who wish to participate, a five-day excursion after the weekend is being organized. The excursion will include visits to Corinth, Olympia, Kefallonia, Nikopolis, and Delphoi.
For further details or to make reservations contact either Costas Diamantopoulos at urantiabookukm@yahoo.co.uk or Steve Shinall at shinall46@aol.com. They will be glad to assist you.
Newsflash! is a less formal communication device than URANTIAN News the official newsletter that Urantia Foundation provides free of charge to its full mailing list. Newsflash! is intended to provide select, key people with breaking news and in-depth information regarding Urantia Foundation’s programs and activities. This keeps you abreast of events as they occur so you will be well informed and able to pass information along to others. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter.
Newsflash! is produced and mailed (or emailed) entirely in-house at Urantia Foundation. Articles are submitted by various staff and volunteer workers and are compiled and edited by Kathleen Swadling, Mindy Williams, and Liz Cratty. Of course, this takes staff time and some considerable expense to produce.
Save Costs by Receiving Newsflash! by Email
Many of you are already helping to defray costs for Newsflash! by having your copy delivered by email. This saves the copying and postage expenses that we normally incur. In addition, it provides the added benefit of receiving the electronic files that can be copied or forwarded as appropriate.
If you would like to help save costs by receiving your Newsflash! via email or if you have other comments or suggestions regarding Newsflash!, please contact the Office Manager, Mindy Williams, at mwilliams@urantia.org. Every bit of savings helps us to funnel precious resources into other projects such as translations and printings of The Urantia Book.