© 1994 Urantia Foundation
¶ Australian and New Zealand Urantia Association
The Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation are pleased to announce that ANZURA, the Australian and New Zealand URANTIA Association, the first trans-national Association of the International URANTIA Association has been chartered and licensed.
The Arena, the newsletter of ANZURA reports:
"Some of the main objectives of the Association have been to support the steady spread of the revelation through undramatic, everyday means: by placing The URANTIA Book in libraries, by encouraging local autonomous and informal URANTIA Book study groups, and by maintaining a readership network designed to facilitate contact between readers if they wish. ANZURA also sponsors and supports annual conferences for students of The URANTIA Book, which are hosted by different study groups and held at different locations from year to year.
"It has been the intention of ANZURA to assist the dissemination of The URANTIA Book into Australia and New Zealand without encumbering it with church, temple, or other spiritual institutions. ANZURA is made up of individuals who have come to recognize the significance of The URANTIA Book and the integrated beauty of its teachings, who have a natural desire to help in the dissemination of The URANTIA Book. The URANTIA Book encourages us to develop our own philosophy through study, experience, decisions, and actions. We hold the view and recognize that collectively there are certain things we can support and achieve together.
"ANZURA supports URANTIA Foundation, the publisher of The URANTIA Book, and recognizes and respects its function as the custodian of the text. The Charter and Bylaws for IUA are very much in harmony with the constitution of ANZURA and [are] truly international. The membership has recognized the value of becoming officially affiliated with IUA, so that we may assist in the worldd-wide dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book. IUA has a simple organizational structure which is adaptable to different cultures and is a task-oriented, noninvasive organization that provides services to readers and study groups if they wish. To quote a section from IUA’s Charter and Bylaws:
"Referring Readers to Study Groups. The local study group, the place where teamwork is forged and spiritual growth is fostered, is the primary social and educational organization for disseminating the teachings of The URANTIA Book. IUA will foster study groups which focus exclusively on the study of The URANTIA Book.
“**Responding to Reader Inquiries…**The first social interaction of a reader with other readers is an important event. Members of IUA can volunteer to act as first contacts for referrals from the Foundation. By doing everything possible to make such first contacts uplifting and enlightening, they will encourage the spread of the teachings and will foster the growth of study groups. Just as the Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation function as the custodians of the text and registered marks, and take care of related business aspects of The URANTIA Book, IUA members may volunteer for social trusts, such as meeting with, and answering the questions of, readers referred to them.”
The members of the Australian and New Zealand URANTIA Association of IUA send this greeting to fellow readers: “We wish all those who actively and sincerely participate in the dissemination of the teaching_s of The URANTIA Book_, well in their endeavors in assisting with the spiritual regeneration of human kind.”
Undoubtedly many readers from around the world will want to celebrate with our Australian and New Zealand friends. This new step in conscious cooperation to further the dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book bodes well for the future. Readers who would like to subscribe to The Arena may write to: ANZURA, Box 609, Narrabeen, NSW 2101, Australia.
¶ International Urantia Association’s 1994 Study Conference July 8-12
CHARACTER—THE FOUNDATION OF THE SOUL
“. . . Let every man make sure that the intellectual and moral foundations of character are such as will adequately support the superstructure of the enlarging and ennobling spiritual nature, . . .”” (The URANTIA Book, UB 156:5.2)
Friday, July 8 (3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. check in) to Tuesday, July 12 (noon), INTERNATIONAL URANTIA ASSOCIATION will present the 1994 STUDY CONFERENCE: “Character—The Foundation Of The Soul.” While speakers will address this theme, other study sessions will examine various aspects of The URANTIA Book teachings. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. will be the setting for our get-together. On it’s beautiful campus, there should be plenty of opportunities for in-depth study of The URANTIA Book, meeting URANTIA Book readers from around the world, and communing with our Heavenly Father.
While we hope that all participants can stay for the entire conference, those who can only stay for part of it are welcome and will only be charged for the days they are present.
Because space is limited, we need to let the Vanderbilt Conference Center know the exact number of attendees as soon as possible. If you are interested in attending the conference, please send in the enclosed registration application before May 30.
¶ International Urantia Association (IUA) update
Since IUA’s inception last August, URANTIA Book readers have formed seven Associations: The Finnish URANTIA Society, the Australia and New Zealand URANTIA Association (ANZURA), the URANTIA Association of Florida, the Hawaii URANTIA Local Association (HULA), the URANTIA Association of Greater New York, the Southwest URANTIA Readers Family (SURF), and the Greater Lake Michigan URANTIA Association. Five more Associations will be chartered in the next few months.
Because so many applications to IUA have been received from around the world, the Trustees have appointed five more persons to the Coordinating Committee (CC). Seppo Kanerva in Finland will facilitate the formation of Associations in Europe. Three Australian readers, Neil Francey, and Trevor and Kathleen Swadling, will serve in Australia and New Zealand. And one additional American, Lee Armstrong, will serve in the United States. In addition, Lee is the Conference Chairperson of the IUA 1994 Study Conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
The work of IUA has begun in earnest. A growing network of URANTIA Book students is already receiving referrals of readers who seek fellowship and and in-depth study with other readers.
As the Coordinating Committee continues to bring together readers who want to form associations, we anticipate a new quality of advancing understanding of the teachings of The URANTIA Book and a new maturity of cooperation among readers and with the URANTIA Foundation. We also anticipate a new consensus of wisdom in accomplishing the orderly dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book.
If you are interested in joining IUA, write or call our Chicago office for a copy of the Charter and Bylaws and an application form.
¶ Announcements
- AUDIO VERSION — The long awaited Audio Version of The URANTIA Book will be available this summer. Watch our upcoming newsletter for details.
- LE LIVRE D’URANTIA — The next printing of the French translation of The URANTIA Book, improved and reformatted to conform with the other translations, will be available this summer.
- PRONUNCIATION GUIDE — The Foundation has prepared a revised version of Guide to Pronunciation of Names and Words in The URANTIA Book. ($2 + s/h)
- AN ARTIST’S CONCEPTION OF THE MASTER UNIVERSE — This study aid has been reformatted and is once again available from the Foundation. It contains four artistic representations with accompanying text ($7.50 + s/h)
- CONCORDANCE — The URANTIA Book Concordance, an exhaustive index to The URANTIA Book, is available for purchase and for library placement. ($65 + s/h)
¶ Library Placement
URANTIA Foundation’s Library Placement Program continues to show results on an international scale. The Arena, the newsletter of the Australian and New Zealand URANTIA Association, reports:
“ANZURA is currently assisting URANTIA Foundation in the placement of one hundred books in libraries throughout New Zealand. It is interesting to note that at an Australian conference held in 1992, out of the 36 persons who attended, just over half of these people had found the book in their local library.”
In the United States, books are going out to public, prison, and university libraries. Books are also being placed via our offices in England and Finland, and by individuals in many countries around the world. This includes translations of The URANTIA Book and copies of The URANTIA Book Concordance. In Spanish speaking countries alone, 127 copies of El libro de URANTIA have been placed, including a dozen in Cuba.
Through this project and many others like it, the fifth epochal revelation is gradually making its way through human institutions of education and on to individuals.
If you are interested in placing books in libraries in your area, please contact your local Association of IUA or the Foundation office.
¶ Removed Trustee seeks Reinstatement - Martin W. Myers
Seeking reinstatement as a Trustee, Martin W. Myers has filed suit against the Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation. His suit claims that, when he was removed by the unanimous vote of his fellow Trustees, the Trustees should have followed some procedure other than, or in addition to, the procedure set forth in the Declaration of Trust and the ByLaws of URANTIA Foundation. Mr. Myers’s suit admits that all of the other Trustees voted unanimously to remove him (as specified in the Declaration of Trust), and that they did so in three separate votes at successive quarterly meetings (as specified in the ByLaws) in October 1992, January 1993, and April, 1993. The Trustees have filed motions asking the Court to dismiss Mr. Myers’s claims. Those motions show, among other things, that the Declaration of Trust and the ByLaws authorize the Trustees to remove Mr. Myers as a Trustee. The decision of the Court will be reported in a future issue.
While the current Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation will do everything possible to avoid litigation, they shall also do everything necessary to be faithful to their Trust.
¶ The Fostering of a Religion
The Declaration of Trust Creating URANTIA Foundation states that “the [principal] object for which this Foundation is created is…” and what follows is a statement of goals, some of which are to be accomplished “…through the fostering of a religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology which are commensurate with Man’s intellectual and cultural development.” All Trustees, current and past, since the inception of the Foundation in 1950, have interpreted this statement to mean the fostering of a personal religion. Some readers think that “the fostering of a religion” means that the Foundation should foster a new, institutional religion. Some of these readers support their position by quoting William S. Sadler, Jr., one of the first Trustees, who said:
“I think there is a possibility of developing from this blue book a religion the like of which this world has never yet seen.”
Was Mr. Sadler referring to a new, institutional religion? You be the judge. What follows is his statement in context.
“I think there is a possibility of developing from this blue book a religion the like of which this world has never yet seen; a religion that’s full of good humor; a religion which is full of the joy of existence; a religion which is totally devoid of fear…a religion which has nothing to do with any one day of a week; a religion which pervades the whole of a human life twenty-four hours a day…a religion which is part of a human being…This is a religion which you’re good-natured about…you breathe it like you breathe air. You drink it like you drink water. It’s a normal part of living. It’s real. It’s not something that’s dissociated, compartmentalized, or set off…it’s something which you just are.”
Making the point unquestionably clear, Mr. Sadler said:
"This book is not religion. This book is a cosmology, a philosophy, a metaphysics, a theology. Anything which is in written language is not religion. It’s intellectual. That should be very, very clear…
"This book is a tool. Use it when you need it, but if you don’t need it…don’t bring it into the picture. It’s sort of like the guy that’s using a pitch fork, and he finds it such a handy tool that he takes it with him wherever he goes, including to a tea party.
“I many times discuss God with men, and I seldom mention The URANTIA Book unless I sense that this tool is needed to complete this job, and then I get it going with everything I have.”
The Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation do not see The URANTIA Book (nor its social organization, IUA) as a competitor to the current religions of the world but as a powerful, instructional aid which should further the good purposes of institutional religions.
¶ Reader Comments about The Urantia Book
“It is the most enlightening and truthful book I have ever read, bar none.” ~ West End, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
“I’d have to say that there has been nothing else in my whole life, that has had the positive and motivating effect, that this book has had in the past year that I’ve been studying it.” ~ Wallkill, New York, U.S.A.
“I have become very interested in it, as it answers many mysteries and questions I had.” ~ Galway, IRELAND
“What I’ve read so far is like a breath of fresh air and a major breakthrough about understanding life itself.” ~ Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.
“The more I read it the more I am convinced that this book is unique. There is a certain ring of truth contained in the words written…” ~ Baleares, SPAIN
“The writings are intense, thought provoking, mind boggling! Extremely interesting to read.” ~ Old Lyme, Connecticut, U.S.A.
“I had occasion to go to the Tuahara Centre in Yaupo where I came across The URANTIA Book. I had occasion to look in their library and there was the largest book on the shelves asking to be read. I was fortunate that I was allowed to take it home for 3 months to read and now a month later I am on page 944. This must [be] the most amazing book I have read and I have read many.” ~ Wanganui, NEW ZEALAND
“We have recently been loaned The URANTIA Book by a friend here in Hendersonville and then found a copy of it in the local library. This is the most illuminating book on the universe(s) and the life of Jesus that we have yet discovered.” ~ Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S.A.