© 1982 Urantia Foundation
As our 32nd year draws to a close, we perceive it to be an especially notable one. For various reasons, it was a year in which several issues which had been pending for a period of time were finally resolved, several new projects were initiated, and some unexpected events occurred. The URANTIA Book places a great emphasis upon the value of personal relationships and clearly as we review 1982 the event that stands out the most is the passing of Emma Christensen (Christy) to the Mansion Worlds in early May. Her spirit of dedication and commitment will remain as an inspiration for all of us.
The following is a summary of the major events of the year which we hope will help to give you a better idea of our work and its progress.
A new book distribution policy will become effective January 1, 1983. As further incentives to the bookstores (through which about 90% of all URANTIA Books have been sold), we are initiating a full retums policy, open accounts, and a 40% discount on any quantity of books. Also, we will try to use wholesale book distributors more extensively. URANTIA Societies may buy a limited number of books per year at a 40% discount. The discount for individuals for purchases of 5 or more books sent to one address has been increased from 20% to 25%.
Many thanks to the committees of URANTIA Brotherhood and the individuals who contributed the research to help bring about these changes.
As reported in our June, 1982 newsletter, the reprint of the French translation, titled Le Livre d’URANTIA, is available. Since the announcement of the reprint in late April, we have sold about 3,000 copies. URANTIA Brotherhood Corporation has agreed to be the sales agent for the French translation as it is for the English, so orders maybe placed through them. The cost is $38.00 (U.S.) and $1.55 for U.S. postage or $2.41 for international.
The group in Finland who have worked for many years to produce a Finnish translation have given us a completed draft. We are currently having a preliminary review conducted on a professional basis.
In cooperation with URANTIA Brotherhood, a committee has been established to search out and interview prospective professional translators to begin a Spanish translation in thc United States. Once completed, the translation will then be reviewed by bilingual readers to assess the accuracy of the translation. It is the first time we have tried this procedure and we are anxious to see how well it will work. We are excited about the progress being made in all of our translation efforts.
In June we released a new copyright permission policy. lt is designed to give those who wish to use material from The URANTIA Book and any translations of it a set of guidelines that is consistent with an individual`s rights under the “Fair Use” provisions of the Copyright Statute, allow greater flexibility and freedom for newsletters, conferences, and other URANTlA movement events, and yet still serve to help URANTIA Foundation fulfill its responsibility to protect the integrity of the text. The initial response by those who have seen and used the new guidelines has been very favorable. We will be happy to send you a copy of the guidelines upon request lf you anticipate using material from The URANTIA Book.
This year we have successfully prevented any unauthorized uses of the registered trademarks, service marks, and membership marks, i.e., the words URANTIA and URANTIAN and the Concentric Circles Symbol, without the need to file a legal suit. We are very pleased to report that a previous infringement (reported in our July 1980 Newsletter), which had been pending in the courts has been decided in our complete favor. The situation concerned a corporatlon in Houston, Texas that claimed to be the authorized URANTIA Society of Houston. URANTIA Brotherhood, through its own internal due process, determined the corporation was not the authorized Society. URANTIA Foundation, as the holder of the registered marks, pursued the matter in court in support of the Brotherhood to prevent the unauthorized group from using the marks. The Texas corporation which used the name without authorization has been dissolved. This ls a very significant decision for the future because the court recognized URANTIA Brotherhood’s right to determine which groups are authorized URANTIA Societies. Such protections are important to safeguard us from those who wlll try to exploit The URANTIA Book, and the URANTIA organizations by passing themselves off as an official part of our movement.
Perhaps the best way to describe our financial condition is to say that we are healthy, but lean. Booksales are at about the same level as last year so our revenues from booksales are moderate. As interest rates have dropped, the amounts we can earn from investment income is less. Our contribution level has remained about the same as last year (excluding the 7th Printing Fund Drive). Next year, in addition to usual expenses such as building, personnel, office supplies, legal and travel, we are looking at some additional expenses for building repair and upkeep and computer equipment. In addition, the expense of doing translations is considerable. We very much need your financial support.
In summary, it has been a very busy and productive year. We wish to heartily thank everyone for helping us to achieve our goals. With your continued support and cooperation, we will all forge ahead and continue our task of creating a solid base upon which the 5th Epochal Revelation may confidently rest and continue to grow untll the time it is recognized for what it truly is. May God’s blessing be with you in the coming year.
“During this past summer while I was working…I had a brief opportunity to look through The URANTIA Book. As I am lacking in any formal religious belief or education, what I read in the introduction and the first three papers captured my interest completely and provided me with the start of a plausible explanation of who, what, and why I am. I no longer have access to The URANTIA Book and I am very hopeful and anxious that you might supply me with information as to how I might get hold of a copy for myself.”
“This is important to me and I look forward to hearing from you.”
“I am very interested in finding out more about the URANTIA Foundation and the URANTIA Brotherhood. Until I was led to The URANTIA Book, I put modern religion off as a crutch for the weak and a lot of human theory and fanaticism. But now…wow! l’m excited about life and understand this complex world more and more each and every minute. I could fill many pages explaining my wonderful experiences but I‘m sure you share my enthusiasm.”
We would like to share what we think is one of the more humorous incidents that occurred this last year and reflects how each of us sometimes understands things too literally. A lady, after reading our sign URANTIA “Foundation”, walked in off the street and asked us what undergarments we had for sale.
“Few mortals ever dare to draw anything like the sum of personality credits established by the combined ministries of nature and grace. The majority of impoverished souls are truly rich, but they refuse to believe it.” UB 48:7.6
“To enjoy privilege without abuse, to have liberty without license, to possess power and steadfastly refuse to use it for self-aggrandizement—these are the marks of high civilization.” UB 48:7.8