© 1983 Urantia Foundation
Since the first of the year when our new policies for the sale of The URANTIA Book became effective, book sales are up slightly over last year. However, it is really too soon to attempt any significant evaluation of the new policies. Toward the end of the year, a formal study will be made.
Some initial observations are interesting and worth noting, but, again, are inconclusive at this point in time. As mentioned, over-all sales to bookstores are up slightly. This includes some new business with bookstores and one major book distributor. Sales to individuals for five or more books at the new 25% discount are up over last year’s sales at the 20% discount. Only a few URANTIA Societies have taken advantage of the 40% discount for 10 or more books up to 245 books per year. This discount to societies was intended to give them the opportunity to have some books at a greater discount for service projects. Examples are putting books in bookstores on consignment, selling to readers who wanted extra loan and gilt copies, helping the financially handicapped, or whatever other projects they might create and for which having some books at the greater discount would be helpful.
Sales of the French translation, Le Livre d’URANTlA, have leveled off as it appears the strong backlog of demand has now been satisfied. Sales of the French translation were just over 3,200 for 1982. Combined with the over 7,000 English books sold, the total of URANTIA Books sold for 1982 was over 10,000 copies.
A final comment indirectly related to book sales concerns the program by which URANTIA Books are placed in libraries. The program is being conducted by the Domestic Extension Committee of URANTIA Brotherhood. We believe placing books in libraries is very important for the future spread of these teachings and we strongly encourage you to participate in this project if you are looking for a way to be of service. We receive an increasing number of inquiries from people who were browsing in the library and noticed the book. Also, it is helpful to be able to refer an interested person to your local library to look at a copy of the book. While the committee is doing a great job, we know that they still cannot find enough people to help and would welcome your participation.
Numerous regional conferences have occurred in the first half of this year. Locations have been Phoenix AZ; Kansas City MO; Grants Pass OR; Chicago lL: Toronto, Canada; Atlanta, GA. The spring Northeast Regional Conference was held simultaneously in three locations: Bronx, NY; Sherborn, MA; and Farmington, CT. San Francisco was again the site of an annual weekend conference which is shared with the Spiritual Renaissance Conference. A one-day gathering of readers and study groups was held for the first time this year in Australia.
The second half of this year promises to be equally active. Weekend conferences or one-day study group gatherings that we have already been informed about are planned to he held ln the areas of Lake Eufaula, OK; Nashville, TN; Santa Barbara, CA; Montreal, Canada; Twin Falls, ID; Washington, D.C.
Occasionally there is some confusion on the part of conference planners conceming the use of copyright or the registered marks, i.e., URANTIA, URANTIAN, and the Concentric Circles Symbol. We have prepared a set of brief guidelines for conferences which we will be happy to send to anyone planning a conference. Or, you can telephone us and we’ll be happy to answer any questions. Please keep this in mind as it is always easier to clarify any misunderstandings In the early stages of planning.
We have been able to send a representative from the Foundation to many of these conferences and we hope to be able to continue to do so. We appreciate the warm receptions we receive and look forward to the opportunity to greet old friends and make new ones.
Recently there has been discussion among some readers of The URANTIA Book concerning the use of more public and mass means of spreading the teachings. Some of the suggested methods for doing this include magazine and newspaper advertising, radio and T.V. commercials, and pamphleteering. lt has long been the policy of URANTIA Brotherhood and URANTIA Foundation to avoid such public means. The reason is the advice of the early leaders that The URANTIA Book has been given to our world long before the time of its worldwide mission so that those who are ready for it may build a solid foundation of thousands of study groups, prepare teachers and leaders, and prepare translations for non-English speaking people. Secondly, this belief has been supported by experience because nearly every new reader of the book who tries to share it with friends and relatives tells us of their frustration of not finding many people who are genuinely interested.
However, the question of how to spread these teachings and whether our movement is proceeding too fast or too slow is one that will always be pondered and debated. We should be willing to examine and re-examine our policy to be as sure as we can be that we are acting according to the highest wisdom we can obtain. After much discussion, the Executive Committee of URANTIA Brotherhood, by an overwhelming majority, passed a resolution to reaffirm the current policy of avoiding public means of spreading the teachings. This resolution was also supported by an overwhelming majority of the General Council of URANTIA Brotherhood which met the first weekend in July.
The Trustees of URANTIA Foundation wish to publicly state their unanimous support and agreement with URANTIA Brotherhood in re-affirming this policy. However, this policy statement does not mean there is nothing for anyone to do. On the contrary, it means that the work of spreading these teachings at this early stage is more difficult. lt is more difficult in the sense that each of us must use our personal resources primarily through the person-to-person approach. This means we must have courage because of the rejection we may frequently encounter; we must have love of our fellows to make the effort to get personally involved with people by being active in the various organizations and institutions of society; and we must have a strong faith in the truth of these teachings because we will not often see the spiritual seeds we are planting bear fruit.
Just as the challenge is difficult, the reward is great. The joy of personally introducing these teachings to someone who will appreciate their value for the rest of his life will produce a warrn glow that wlll always be cherished. We encourage you to share these supernal teachings with those people whom you personally encounter who are searching for truth. While you strengthen your personal efforts, we ask that you avoid the more public means of spreading the teachings. Because there can be no absolute certainty in these matters, we believe it is in the best interests of the URANTIA movement to work in harmony and to follow the course that was arrived at by our collective wisdom.
"I am a devoted reader of The URANTIA Book. It has killed forever the fears that my thinking was unconventional; since my way of thinking was the same that _The URANTIA Book_expounds.
The URANTIA Book has taken an awesome load from my shoulders and given me the courage to realize my true destiny ln life. I am free at last! And not alone."
“It would be impossible for me to express my reactions to The URANTIA Book. My delight in its scope and beauty of revealed truths is beyond description. I have read every book of revealed truths that the gracious Spirit of Truth has led me to discover thus far. I read and re-read them over and over. I was strongly impressed to buy this book as I happened across it in the book store.”
“Such conceptual expansion would hardly be desirable as it would deprive the thinking mortals of the next thousand years of that stimulus to creative speculation which these partially revealed concepts supply.” UB 30:0.2
“You cannot truly love your fellows by a mere act of the will. Love is only born of thoroughgoing understanding of your neighbor’s motives and sentiments. It is not so important to love all men today as it is that each day you learn to love one more human being.” UB 100:4.6
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