Tidings – December 2021
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In This Issue
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Enrique Traver 
“Be you perfect, even as I am perfect.”
God-knowing creatures have only one supreme ambition, just one consuming desire, and that is to become, as they are in their spheres, like him as he is in his Paradise perfection of personality and in his universal sphere of righteous supremacy. From the Universal Father who inhabits eternity there has gone forth the supreme mandate, “Be you perfect, even as I am perfect.” In love and mercy the messengers of Paradise have carried this divine exhortation down through the ages and out through the universes, even to such lowly animal-origin creatures as the human races of Urantia. [Paper 1:0.3, page 21.3]
When I read this paragraph for the first time, many emotions and doubts filled my mind. There are so many truths in this text that it’s difficult to choose which to focus on.
One thing that gets our attention is the perfection of God. When we think about God, his perfection, and our desire to fulfill his command to be perfect as he is, we can become confused.
A first thought would be the mistaken idea that reaching the perfection of God is the same thing as “becoming a God." Of course, it is a mistaken idea since God is much more than a perfect being. His perfection could perhaps be summed up as his unity and balance, the unity of the physical, mental and spiritual energies divinely coordinated by personality. Yes, this is something we can achieve if we wish. Yet God IS, not only the unity of these energies, but he is the source of them. We can achieve balance and unity of our physical, mental and spiritual energies but we will never become the source of those energies. Yes, we can be perfect as he IS in our spheres of action, but we would never “be God.”
Another aspect may be our understanding of what the perfection of God is. We can formulate various hypotheses or ideas about this, including features of perfection that are far beyond our comprehension. No matter how good our idea is about our Father's perfection, it will still be infinitely short of his absolute perfection. We can even formulate misconceptions about our Father's perfection. These thoughts can bring us a lot of anxiety and they can lead us to wrong choices, or even cause great frustration and discouragement if we believe that this is an impossible goal to be achieved.
But knowing that our Father is good and that he loves us, is just and merciful, we can immediately overcome many of our doubts, such as the fact that our Father would not require from us an unreachable mission. Thus, we can be confident that we can reach this goal.
The teachings state that perfection is achieved when we reach balance of our personality, unifying our physical, mental, and spiritual energies, where physical energy is subordinated to the mental energy and coordinated by the spirit.
This task is undoubtedly a great challenge, which requires effort, dedication, persistence, and faith. This brings us to another aspect mentioned in this paragraph:
“God-knowing creatures have only one supreme ambition, just one consuming desire, and that is to become, as they are in their spheres, like him as he is in his Paradise perfection of personality and in his universal sphere of righteous supremacy.” [emphasis added]
How much ambition and desire does it require to reach this purpose of reaching God and becoming perfect as he is?
We usually set up so many priorities for ourselves and for our own children that we often simply lose sight of the most important priority of our lives. In connection with this theme, it is opportune to recall another paragraph of the teachings brought to us by our Master Jesus, the most perfect, balanced, and unified personality we have ever had on Urantia:
Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: “To a God-knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?” [100:2.7]
It seems that our creature disorientation creates problems when setting priorities and goals; this comes from the single reason which is our relative lack of God-knowing.
How do we get to know God? We just need to seek for him in our hearts and then serve our brothers and sisters. We just need to feel him acting through us.
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A Spiritual and Fraternal Feast
The Ibero-American Urantiathon held by Urantia Association International and sponsored by Urantia Foundation on November 20th and 21st, 2021, was a beautiful showcase of study and discernment, with presentations offered by sixteen Urantia Book students of all ages from many Ibero-America countries, in Spanish and Portuguese with simultaneous translations into Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
The theme of this Urantiathon was "Leadership and Spirituality," offering a wide range of interesting views on the challenges of leadership in the Urantia movement, service, spirituality, the reality of religious experience, leadership in everyday life, and more.
Below, we present the pearls of thought shared by some presenters:
The Leadership of a Study Group Facilitator
By Andrés Ramírez (Colombia)
For nearly seven decades, it has become clear that the members of a study group experience many benefits unique in the group environment:
Launching a Urantia Book study group may be easier than you think, and all that is needed is the desire to set up a time and place to meet or a device to meet online, a list of some candidates, and the courage to invite them. While group participation is all about a study group, success usually requires just one dedicated person, and that person could be you!
Attending the study group recharges our spiritual batteries, elevates our intellect, and inspires us to serve and love others. Ultimately, participating in a group that studies revelation will bring each individual a greater understanding of God our Father and his ascension plan for all of us.
Always pray for guidance and be open to spiritual assistance. We recommend that the first thing you do after deciding to host a group is to surrender your decision in prayer to the spiritual influences within and around you. Remember that we are surrounded and inhabited by spiritual aides who will help you if you are open to their guidance.
When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen. [Paper 132:7.9, page 1467.5]
The Leadership and Service of the Friends of Jesus
By Adriano Santos (Brazil)
This presentation offered the following main concepts:
The lives of the apostles who became friends with Jesus show us essential points for our spiritual development.
The first point refers to the change in our life habits when we discover Jesus and his teachings; this demonstrates the sincere will of those who believe without hypocrisy.
The second point refers to the loving and selfless service of proclaiming and teaching the truth to our siblings who do not know the truth yet or do not understand its way, for naivety about error and sin can be a path leading to a godless attitude and spiritual death.
The third point is unrestricted fidelity to God's plan, to the government of our Father and Master Michael, and the project of human development.
Only in this way can good news come to life and gain strength to promote the salvation announced by the revelators.
Realities of Leadership and Spirituality
By Jaime Díaz Page (Mexico)
Every instructor of revealed truth must be guided and taught by their spiritual Adjuster, knowing the truth by their own experience and walking in the living truth of the Eternal, to lead our siblings into the kingdom of the Divine Father with efficacy and security, always inspired by the Spirit of Truth of Michael-Jesus and by the Holy Spirit of our Divine Mother, the Creative Spirit of the Local Universe of Nebadon.
Jesus, our beloved Master and Father, tells us that religion is the personal quest for truth, exploring the divine realities through personal religious experience, and obtaining the supreme satisfaction of experiencing the victory of spiritual faith over intellectual doubts during our lives. True religion is the act of a soul in its self-conscious relations with the Creator. True religion is the experiencing of divinity in the soul and mind of man. The divine core of God lives in the human mind. Religion is the inner discernment of divine reality. To "speak of God" is one thing, and quite another is to "feel or experience the living God." The living religion in the children of God fosters, develops, invigorates, and exalts their spirituality.
Spirituality is the fruit of religion, the product of the real approach of our soul to God, not on the intellectual level but on a spiritual level, in direct contact with our inner divinity. Spirituality is a value gained in the experience of knowing God himself, and knowing and talking about him as a real person. Spirituality grows; it is infinitely progressive. If a man willingly rejects God, identifying himself with sin, the spirituality he has gained is lost.
Strong Leadership Leads to Success
By Isabel Reinoso (Colombia)
Leadership defines an influence exerted on people that encourages them to work enthusiastically for a common goal.
Those who exercise leadership are known as leaders. There exist formal leaders that are trained as such. Authentic informal leaders, on the other hand, emerge naturally or spontaneously within a group.
Spiritual leadership expresses itself by its remarkable qualities:
Leadership plays a crucial role in promoting organizational and occupational well-being and health, individually and collectively (Peiró and Rodríguez, 2008).
Let's see what The Urantia Book teaches us in this regard:
Most great religious epochs have been inaugurated by the life and teachings of some outstanding personality; leadership has originated a majority of the worth-while moral movements of history. [Paper 92:5.5, page 1008.7]
Woman, however, has always been the moral standard-bearer and the spiritual leader of mankind. The hand that rocks the cradle still fraternizes with destiny. [Paper 84:6.4, page 938.8]
In order to leave the greatest and best inheritance in spiritual values for new generations, we must foster a true spiritual awakening and the development of a personal religion within the temple of our minds. May the Spirit of God who dwells within us guide us, and the divine essence of our Eternal Father be actualized by personalizing itself with our soul so that this spiritual core may spiritualize us throughout eternity.
Faith, Leadership, and Progress
By Marcelino Ramirez (Venezuela)
All humanity that begins on a planet must progress spiritually, mentally, and materially towards the levels of Light and Life. But such progress is impossible without the search, study, understanding, and practice of spirituality and the exercise of spiritual faith, combined with intelligent leadership, which is identified with altruistic service to one's fellows. A good leader always strives to put his ideals into practice in his daily life and tries to transmit a message to rescue the authentic values of society.
The humanity of Urantia is considerably retarded by the Caligastia rebellion, the default of Adam and Eve, and the absence of effective leadership. For these reasons, we must be inspired not only by Jesus of Nazareth but also by some modern leaders to improve leadership with greater effectiveness.
Intelligent and ideal leadership must be identified with faith in God, service to others, and an essential fraternal tolerance to cooperate with spiritual unity, which is so necessary for the coordination and advancement of the efforts to progress, ones contributed by men and women who exercise their leadership in different areas of planetary work.
Is the Spiritual Leader Necessary?
By Javier Martínez (Spain)
In the framework of different religious confessions, the concept of a spiritual leader is easily understood and accepted since it is associated with the idea of a religious leader. We do not have religious leaders like that in the brotherhood of Urantia Book readers due to the fact that each individual has his or her own unique and direct relationship with the Father.
A spiritual leader is a unique personality who dedicates his life to spreading the teachings of the fifth revelation, based solely on his living faith and personal life experiences, placing all his trust solely in the designs of our Heavenly Father. The spiritual leader is not necessarily a religious leader, nor political, social, or military. He is one dedicated exclusively to doing God's will, given over to his ministry, with his only ‘weapons’ being his living faith and spiritual fruits.
We designate "facilitators, counselors, or trainers" to the persons engaged in managing study groups and promoting and disseminating the contents of The Urantia Book on different technological platforms and forums of ideological debate. Outside this context are the "collaborators," who co-participate distributing books and documents relating to The Urantia Book.
We call on all religionists, believers, and spiritual people who apply their living faith and experiential knowledge in all sectors of society, politics, industry, economy, education, health, as well as other fields of activity, to collaborate actively for the improvement of society and the quality of human life.
Many people confuse spiritual leaders with religious leaders, facilitators, collaborators, or social and religious activists. The definition of the concept of a spiritual leader must be consistently under review, analysis, and judgment.
Leadership and Spirituality
By Martín Guzmán (Mexico)
The Urantia Book foresees the emergence of a new era of religion in this world, a personal spiritual religion based on the relationship of every human being with God who lives within us, which makes us living examples of altruistic, selfless, and loving service. The only true leader and the only authority in this religion are the Divine Father and Jesus—Christ Michael.
The revelation says that entrance into the Father's kingdom is wholly free, but progress and growth in grace are essential for us to continue. God's grace is demonstrated in the divine gifts of the spiritual fruits, spiritual discernment, soul growth, and the acquisition of divine values. In this way, we can love our brothers despite the differences.
Jesus' methods for personal development are living faith, spiritual rebirth, inner growth, the acquisition of wisdom, nourishing the soul through prayer and worship, producing the fruits of the Spirit, acquiring divine values, manifesting divine love in our lives. These are the methods of personal progress synthesized in Paper 196—The Faith of Jesus.
The Challenges of Leaders of the Fifth Revelation. The Harvest Is Plentiful, and the Workers Few.
By Olga López (Spain)
Unlike the previous revelations, the leaders of the fifth epochal revelation are not a handful of chosen people. All sincere believers in the book's teachings are called to be leaders in their respective environments and places of origin.
Since there is nothing like an "official" interpretation of the book, it follows naturally that there are no teachers, scholars, or experts who have any authority above any other student and, therefore, there are no old-fashioned authoritative leaders. We are pioneers in many aspects, which leads us to face a series of challenges:
Very few really have a lasting commitment to spreading the book's teachings and building a robust Urantia community. Moreover, as Jesus said, "the harvest is abundant, and the workers few." But we must remember that "with God, all things are possible." Let's not forget that ultimately, it's about making God known to all those who are confused, depressed, or scared. And who is not able to help the one who needs it?
Moses, the Leader. Teachings About Humanism and Spiritual Union.
By Gerardo Leche (Guatemala)
The geographical location is Egypt in the eleventh century BC, on an Earth and in an epoch of moral and ethical principles, but unfortunately without spiritual identity. In the past, the teachers Amenemope, Okhban, and Ikhnaton emerged, both striving to present the light of Deity and monotheism. Then came Moses, son of a royal family of Egypt and the best of the Semites, who stood out as a military leader, religious teacher, and social organizer. Moses identified himself with the principles and teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek through the education he received from his parents. This prepared him to draft a diplomatic and actionable plan.
Knowing Moses is to highlight the factors, strengths, and potentials of one man, a plan, and a mission that had successful results in transforming several groups of uncivilized Bedouin Semites into one nation, preserving the collateral descendants of Abraham, Nahor, and Lot.
We then fast forward to the fifteenth century AD to recall the characteristics of humanism and secularism and how such philosophies evolved in the 21st Century as transhumanism with two aspects: One, related to artificial intelligence and the other, with genetic manipulation as used to modify the lifestyle of the human being, prolong its material existence, evolve into a cyborg or the unity of machine with the human body, and deny the existence of the soul, all in a search for supposed perfection.
Finally, we analyze the characteristics and action scenarios of our guest, Moses, to motivate those interested in the search for a contemporary Moses who can continue the noble mission of presenting the contents of The Urantia Book and rescue the institutions of conservation, someone who will emphasize that our paramount leader is Jesus of Nazareth and that his life of values, courage, and heroism is the inspiration needed to develop the fruits of the Spirit and to continue our mission as ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven.
Paper 195: After Pentecost.
Irene Islas (Mexico)
I learned about the fifth revelation of The Urantia Book three years ago when I was in college. It caught my attention when I first read it. I then participated in a study group and felt encouraged to continue my reading. Later I joined Urantia Association and the youth group of the Mexico Association.
In my opinion, Paper 195 is one of the most easily understood and up-to-date papers of the book. During the young readers' study group on Saturdays and Mondays, I have learned that secularism has brought many wars and much suffering. Still, also, thanks to the secular rebellion, we have good things. We can connect with each other through wonderful devices, the computer and the cell phone, helping us to gather from every corner of the world. These material aspects have helped us a lot, but if we do not put God in his rightful place, these objects will not lead us to a more significant evolution. We need to include God in our daily activities.
Thanks to Jesus and the revelators, we know that the Divine Plan is perfect. Although we cannot understand it. If we strive to be like our Heavenly Father, we can acquire in our lives the supreme values of truth, beauty, and goodness despite the difficulties we may have experienced and, therefore, to fuse with the Universal Father spark at some point in eternity.
I invite young people to study these teachings and give God the time we need to give him by having a daily communion with our Father.
Leadership and Teaching
By Jeannie Vázquez (Uruguay)
Why are leaders and instructors of the Urantia Book teachings needed?
Because leaders and instructors are vital to the effective development of revelation; they are needed to help sincere students of The Urantia Book to know, understand, and live the teachings so that the abundant fruits of the spirit can be produced in their lives. It is necessary to foster the growth of the spiritual brotherhood of the kingdom of heaven—the whole of the spirit-born individuals who have chosen to do the will of the Father wholeheartedly and, through an enlightened conscience and illuminated spirituality, to contribute to a social, moral, economic, and political reorganization of the world.
The order, plan, and methods of progress recommended in the Publication Mandate include:
1. The personal preparation of everyone who wants to serve the revelation by following in the footsteps of Jesus in his spiritual development, growth, and progress, a study of the truth, worshipful communion with God, the acquisition of living faith through his experience with his inner Adjuster, and his human growth. The life of Jesus is the wonderful example that sincere believers should follow in their own lives.
2. Dedicate ourselves to serve, individually and in groups, with true altruism and growing wisdom, using the organizational methods and procedures of Jesus, financing the activities through donations from people sympathetic to the movement, giving free access to the places where the teachings are shared, teaching the truth with spiritual power and wisdom as our teacher of old declared: "Not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit" [34:6.6].
After Pentecost, we can say, "Not in word only but also in power and in the Spirit of Truth," because Jesus said, "... this Spirit of Truth will become your power-multiplying fulcrum" [178:1:6]. This is the spiritual power to do spiritual work, do good, serve with love, live doing the will of the Father, honor and glorify him, and love our brethren. We must also pay attention to Jesus' didactic methods and his living knowledge of divine truth.
Said Jesus that night as they went to their rest: "Freely have you received; therefore freely should you give of the truth of heaven, and in the giving will this truth multiply and show forth the increasing light of saving grace, even as you minister it. [Paper 176:3.10, page 1918.3]
As we give the Father's truth in this way, there is a multiplication of his growing light of saving grace as we minister it.
To contribute to the expansion of the revelation in the most effective way, the divine and living truth must be shared as Jesus did it, with love, wisdom, spiritual power, freely and generously.
Spiritual Leadership in Everyday Life
By Alejandro Aran Sanchez (Mexico)
The teachings of Jesus embodied in The Urantia Book become fruitless if they are not transformed into a living experience within each of us, its readers. The revelators certainly invite us to disseminate the teachings, however, in the present epoch, the distance between generations is increasing, and although information is abundant and easily accessible, that abundance makes it difficult to discern the value and meaning of the information. The modus operandi throughout history on the part of institutional religions and their leaders make people increasingly indifferent to the words and ideas about God, religion, and spirituality.
For this reason, it is essential that we, the readers, genuinely commit ourselves to live a life that practices the intellectual concepts presented in The Urantia Book, keeping ourselves in a continuous intelligent and reflective self-review accompanied by silent receptivity and also contrasting our discernment with that of our peers.
May our lives serve as inspiration to many individuals who are saturated with information containing vague and confusing concepts and ideas. May our lives be genuinely lived by following in everyday life the teachings of The Urantia Book and Jesus, evidencing that love and communion with our Father, expressed in a life of altruistic service, makes a life worth living with dignity, where the soul of the evolutionary individual attains the values of survival that transcend the material experience, to embark on the amazing upward race of eternal service to our Father, the First Source and Cause of his vast creation.
The Reality of Religious Experience
By Nemias Mol (Brazil)
Karl Marx wrote that "Religion is the opium of the people " because he believed religion is just an illusion that affects the human senses, providing them with a false sense of happiness. How distant is this idea from the concept of religion presented by The Urantia Book! True religion is the relationship between the individual and divine reality. Religion is not necessarily attending a church, practicing certain rituals, or even belonging to some institutional religion or group.
Religion is the true meaning of life, in every moment, at all times, because we have to seek this relationship full-time. Religion is not a particular moment in life, and this is just why the God of worship claims all allegiance or none because we must live this relationship with God in every moment.
To be religious is to walk a path of life full of meanings, courageously facing adversity with faith and trust in God.
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Michael Zehr, USA
The Nature and Nurture of the Soul
28 to 31 March 2024
Maritime Conference Center, Baltimore, Maryland USA
Faith is to religion what sails are to a ship; it is an addition of power, not an added burden of life. (159:3.8)
The Urantia Association of the United States would like to invite you to attend the 12th Urantia Association International 2024 Conference, to be held from the afternoon of March 28th, until noon on March 31 in Baltimore, MD, USA. Full details can be found at: 2024 International Conference. Don't delay - early discount ends soon!
The program includes eight topics—four related to the nature of the soul and four related to nurturing our soul. Topics will be introduced by plenary speakers; group discussion and study will be facilitated by breakout leaders. In addition, there will be evening music, entertainment, and worship.
Attendees can stay afterwards at the conference center to enjoy the culture and attractions of Baltimore or visit nearby Washington DC during the Cherry Blossom festival.
Come set sail with us on March 28, 2024!
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Urantia Association International’s Journal has been in publication for over two decades and is published in four languages (English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese) twice yearly (May and November.) It contains in-depth essays, articles, and study aids by readers and for readers of The Urantia Book.
Over the years, many students of the book have expressed their appreciation of this publication and value the many thoughtful insights contributed by their fellow students. We publish articles about personal spiritual experiences as well as fresh insights and new perspectives of the Urantia Book teachings. Also of interest are thematic studies and articles that compare, evaluate, or integrate other research (scientific, social, religious, or otherwise) with the teachings of The Urantia Book.
Recent times have impacted our social interactions, even halted our in-person study groups so it’s a great time to catch up with your reading and subscribe to your very own hard copy of the Journal. Although it is available electronically free of charge, we have recently upgraded and redesigned the hard copy version for those who prefer to read this kind of in-depth publication offline. (See below for subscription details.)
Calling for Submissions
We encourage you to consider publishing your Urantia Book inspired thoughts and theories—a way to interact with in-depth students around the world. So why not dust off that document you’ve been drafting (or thinking about) and share it via our widely read Journal?
We are now accepting submissions for publication in the May 2022 Journal. Please send your article to the Chief Editor. (See below for details.)
Click here for our submission policy. (Please note that all submissions should arrive at least six weeks before the deadline and are subject to the approval and edits of the Publication Committee.)
Subscriptions
You may subscribe to the upgraded, redesigned hard copy Journal at the new annual rate of $15.00 USD via any of the following methods:
If you would like to view current and past issues of the Journal online, please click here.
Mark Blackham
Chief Editor, Journal
Urantia Association International
Email: markblackham@urantia-association.org
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Kathleen Swadling, Sydney 
This year’s 2021 ANZURA conference, hosted by our Sydney team was held as a virtual Zoom conference on 2nd October. Once again, for all the “new normal” reasons we had to cancel our in-person event. We had high hopes all year that we could meet face-to-face as we saw our case numbers rapidly diminish to almost zero and then… as we all know, Delta hit and cases soared, so it was back to square one. Nevertheless, since we are told that disappointment is actually good for us, we joyfully knuckled down to figure out how we could adjust our plans accordingly.
As this was our second year of lockdowns, many of us were becoming old hands at holding conferences, meetings, and study groups via Zoom. Even though the virtual format is not as good as our face-to-face conferences, it was still wonderful to be with everyone virtually for a good six hours of in-depth Urantia Book presentations and discussions. This method has proven to be a surprisingly effective alternative in keeping us all connected and has even had the very positive outcome of allowing many who could not previously attend study groups or gatherings because of distance, to participate from the comfort of their living rooms.
Merindi Belarski was our MC, and our team of presenters were Julian Martin, Nigel Nunn, Phillip Marriott, Andrew Swadling, Merindi Belarski, Daniel Swadling, Robert Coenraads, Vern Verass and Rita Schaad.
We had a couple of musical interludes thanks to a live performance from Jim Neal and a pre-recorded video clip of a song by Trevor Swadling. We closed with a video clip of what is becoming a conference all-time favorite; Pray Tell Me How (written by Rebecca Oswald and Michael Hanian). Here is a list of the presentation topics:
Living in the Flesh – Julian Martin
We Are Because I AM – Nigel Nunn
Courageous Loyalty – Phillip Marriott
How is Truth Coherent? – Daniel Swadling
How is Beauty Attractive? – Merindi Belarski
How is Goodness Stabilizing? – Andrew Swadling
The Benefits of Factual Mediation – Robert Coenraads
Fountainhead of Creative Thinking – Vern Verass
Closing Worship – Rita Schaad
The conference was recorded, and the presentations will eventually be uploaded to YouTube. (Be patient for that. We will announce when they are available.) You will also find a couple of the presentations as articles in this issue of the Arena.
Thank you to all the silent worker-bees who made this event happen. We hope we will see everyone in October of 2022 in Tasmania for what we hope will be an in-person conference.
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Joanne Strobel, UBIS Executive Director, Georgia, USA 
The mission of Urantia Foundation is to seed The Urantia Book and its teachings globally. The mission of Urantia Association International is to foster the in-depth study of the book and the dissemination of its teachings—teachings which have the potential to rejuvenate spirituality in this world and enhance the comfort, happiness and well-being of every person. I have the privilege of serving in both organizations, and it is no coincidence that we overlap, especially in the area of educational outreach.
Urantia Foundation’s online school began in the late nineties, when the internet was still in its nascency. The vision of trustee Georges Michelson-Dupont became a reality thanks to a team of enthusiastic and dedicated readers who in turn recruited students to join as staff members and fellow facilitators. And it still works that way. UBIS has always fostered peer-to-peer facilitation, rather than the credentialing of teachers. We offer training in the art of group dynamics and in the development of insightful questions that help students explore layers of facts, meanings, and values. Every individual has a unique experience of the revelation, and the soulful sharing of these insights and new-found truths animate our course discussion periods.
Just as the Association welcomes people regardless of beliefs or background, race or nationality, faith or religion, UBIS welcomes these same readers, whether new to the book or a reader of 40 years. What began as a program for English speakers has evolved over the past two decades into a truly international school. Courses are offered in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, and more languages are coming soon!
Georges, also the Foundation’s Manager of Translations, maintains a close and personal relationship with his translators and revisers. He has been encouraging several of them to take courses in English, which they all speak and write fluently, and then become trained in the art of facilitating our unique “UBIS Experience.” As a result, Polish, Hungarian, German, Indonesian, and Chinese-speaking students of The Urantia Book are preparing to launch courses in their native languages.
It is an exciting and expansive time for UBIS. The challenges of training, collaborating, and mentoring across languages and cultures (not to mention time zones) are monumental. Anyone who has been active in the Association's leadership knows this well. But thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers, and the bedrock of support from Urantia Foundation, the vision of world-wide education is becoming a reality.
Is your local association looking for ways to foster and promote education? If so, please consider joining hands with the UBIS team. We have many exciting options to offer you, including a future course intended for emerging leaders within the Urantia community and organizations like Urantia Association.
If you have never taken a class with UBIS, we invite you to do so! For more information, or to open a student account, go to: https://new.ubis.urantia.org/moodle/ Registration for the upcoming trimester opens on January 3rd.
Here is a small sample of our slate of 17 courses!
Life After Life—What’s Next? with Marta Elders
The Violet Race and Modern Civilization with Gábor Cseh and Hara Davis
The Everlasting Ministry of Angels with Susan Lyon
The Family and Home—Our Greatest Human Achievement with Ralph Zehr
Les paraboles de Jésus II with Michelle Heulot, Claude Barbaux
L'âge postérieur à l'effusion sur Urantia with Guy Perron, Jean Sauvé et Agnès Lazar
MORE COURSES
La Déité (première partie) with Claude Flibotte
El regocijo de hacer la voluntad del Padre with Luis Alfonso Rojas
El camino a casa: el hecho de la muerte with Jaime Marco
El pecado: origen, naturaleza y consecuencias with Eduardo Valle
Luz e Vida: O Destino do Nosso Planeta with Jorge Lauri Mörschbächer
Maquiventa Melquisedeque: O Sábio de Salém with Geraldo N. de Queiroz
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Mark Blackham, Canada  | | Image by Kerut |
As most of us know, Christmas began as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, and to many it still is. On Christian websites, the meaning of Christmas is said to be a celebration of God’s love for the world, or the celebration of the God-man who came to earth for the salvation of all people. And on other sites, it is a time to glorify God and Jesus.
For those who are not so religious, Christmas has come to mean something a little different. The meaning of Christmas in more secular circles also includes a celebration of love (but not God’s love), and other meanings center around friends, family traditions, helping others, and peace on earth. These are meaningful interpretations of Christmas but they do not represent the whole truth.
Fortunately, those of us blessed with the revelation have a more profound understanding of why Jesus bestowed himself on our world. Christmas, even though it does not coincide with the actual birth date of Jesus, is still a great time to celebrate, especially for the people of Urantia.
The reasons for Michael’s bestowal are many, and are best summarized in Paper 120, The Bestowal of Michael on Urantia, narrated by the Melchizedek director of the revelatory commission wherein he recounts the instructions Immanuel gave to Michael just prior to his bestowal. These instructions embody the objectives, meanings, and values of Jesus' incarnation on Urantia and, among other things, include:
And after all this, we are reminded to, "Never lose sight of the fact that the supreme spiritual purpose of the Michael bestowal was to enhance the revelation of God" [120:4.4 emphasis added].
These are the many wonderful and extraordinary reasons to celebrate the bestowal of Michael on Urantia, not just at Christmas, but every day of our lives. Indeed, we are very fortunate to have been born on this "dark and confused planet." For all eternity, Urantia will remain "the sentimental shrine of all Nebadon, the chief of ten million inhabited worlds, the mortal home of Christ Michael" [119:8.8].
Christmas is a time to give thanks to Michael of Nebadon and to celebrate the marvel of a Creator Son being born on Urantia to deliver to all humanity, even to an entire universe, an enlightened portrayal of the true nature of a loving God.
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The Urantia Book presents a cosmology that stirs the soul: a central and perfect universe, fringed by spacetime shallows in which finaliters are born—finaliters, destined to launch from this cosmic continental shelf into oceanic depths, seeding the light and life of personality throughout nested levels of outer space.
Soul stirring indeed! A cosmology pervaded by meaning and value, eclipsing in its scope our finest Sci-fi. What a relief from the consensus-materialist models that native science has managed to evolve.
However, right after having thus stirred our souls, the authors pour cold water over our expectations.
…within a few short years many of our statements regarding the physical sciences will stand in need of revision… [Paper 101:4.2, page 1109.3]
“Will stand in need of revision.” When compared with current consensus cosmology of a young universe beginning with a hot Big Bang, the cosmology of The Urantia Book is so unorthodox, and so apparently wrong, that some students of these papers now see this cosmology as little more than decoration for the book’s more important themes: its spiritual and philosophical revelations. But take another look at the “Limitations of Revelation” discussed in Paper 101. Immediately after stating that they were limited in what scientific facts they could reveal, they go on to list a number of things they were permitted to do. The first of these is especially interesting.
1. The reduction of confusion by the authoritative elimination of error. [Paper 101:4.6, page 1109.7]
“[T]he authoritative elimination of error.” As far as I can tell, there is only one place where the authors point explicitly to one of our scientific assumptions, and tell us bluntly that it’s wrong. This is in Paper 12, regarding the use of redshift to determine the distance to galaxies in outer space.
But this apparent speed of recession is not real… [Paper 12:4.14, page 134.3]
Recall that the “apparent speed of recession” of distant galaxies forms the foundation of our current consensus cosmology, that the universe began with a big bang a mere 14 billion years ago. So, if this “apparent speed of recession” is in fact “not real," then this single assumption (about “Hubble’s Law”) is indeed responsible for an awful lot of confusion! And so the authors would be well within their rights to attempt some “reduction of confusion by the authoritative elimination of error."
Which opens the door to an opportunity for students of The Urantia Book to present a model of the cosmos that can explain all the data and anomalies that (increasingly) confuse and contradict current mainstream assumptions. One attempt at sketching such a model can be found at this link:
Playlist - Urantia Book Cosmology
Regarding the final video in that series (Part 4D), the James Webb Space Telescope is to be launched this week (Christmas 2021). Given what this infrared-optimized space telescope might reveal, video Part 4D was tuned to predict a few simple but game-changing facts about our home spiral of stars, the ancient Milky Way. Stay tuned!
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We'd like to share with you two projects we've been working on for some time now: The Jesus Museum and the Jesus Metaverse
The world needs a new vision of the Master’s life on earth.
Urantia Book students are now building the Jesus Metaverse—an online portal that will offer an immersive presentation of Jesus’ entire life as portrayed in The Urantia Book. Jesus’ story and teachings will also be featured in the planned Jesus Museum, near the Sea of Galilee.
Have you ever dreamed of visiting a museum entirely devoted to Jesus? Have you ever dreamed of building a temple to the unseen Father? Such a venue, situated at a most befitting location, will focus on our heavenly Father (as revealed by The Urantia Book and Jesus) and promote the religion of Jesus.
We expect to receive up to half a million visitors a year given the number of tourists that come to this popular region to walk in the steps of Jesus.
Have you dreamed of sharing the real Jesus with the world? Surely, the hearts of millions will be ignited just by knowing the Master.
The Jesus Metaverse will present Jesus' entire story—from the babe of Bethlehem to the ascended Lord. We will produce cinematic presentations and curate other media-rich content that is immersive, engaging, and entirely based on The Urantia Book.
Imagine how wonderful it will be for anyone and everyone around the world to explore Jesus' life and teachings in any way they want!
We will initially target young Christians in the West. Many yearn for a personal relationship with God but do not find that in their institutionalized religions. In time, we will expand the reach to a wider audience.
The Center for Unity is a new, non-profit organization established by Urantia Book students to develop these projects. The name is inspired by the religion of Jesus, which “is the most powerful unifying influence the world has ever known” (194:3.17).
For more information watch our introduction videos (overview and an in-depth presentation of the Jesus Metaverse), download our information package, or write to us at contact@thecenterforunity.org.
Gabriel | The Center for Unity
Email: contact@thecenterforunity.org
Tel: +972-54-4592514
Skype: gabriel.rymberg
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Irmeli Ivalo Sjölje passed away on November 28th in Helsinki, Finland at the age of 92. She will be greatly missed around the world by the Urantia Book reader community and many others from all walks of life. In 2007, Irmeli was appointed an Associate Trustee of Urantia Foundation and also served as a Urantia Book ambassador for the Foundation. She traveled widely, attending conferences and study groups, and assisting with many bookfairs.
Over the decades, Irmeli worked faithfully to disseminate The Urantia Book in her home country of Finland as well as in Brazil, Hungary, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. She lived in Brazil for 20 years and played a significant role in facilitating the printing of the Portuguese translation. After teaming up with Werner Sutter (a German/Canadian Urantia Book reader) in 1999, they devoted their lives to assisting with book distribution in Europe. Irmeli was also instrumental in the creation of a book placement project in Dallas, Texas.
Irmeli was a diplomat's daughter and traveled the world with her parents. She was an accomplished linguist at a young age, completing her college studies in six languages. She studied homeopathy in Norway, earned a degree in chemistry at São Paulo’s State University in Brazil, and was an active member of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy, becoming known as the "godmother of logotherapy" according to the Frankl Institute. (Logotherapy is based on the premise that the primary motivational force of an individual is to find meaning in life.)
Irmeli was the head of the control laboratory at Astra do Brasil, the head of the department for clinical trials at Radium Hospital in Oslo, Norway, a teacher of homeopathy at the institute of natural medicine in Helsinki, Finland, and a board member of Victor Frankl Institute of Logotheraphy in Texas, USA.
“She was the epitome of European elegance, education, style and individuality which is becoming increasingly rare these days. And wit!” - Dr. Alexander Batthyany
Farewell Irmeli. You’ve had wonderful innings in your selfless and generous service to humanity and to the Urantia revelation. We wish you well in your ongoing adventure.
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The Tidings newsletter is a quarterly on-line publication that serves as Urantia Association International’s primary communication tool for reaching out to the Association’s membership, supporters, donors, volunteers, and general readership friends. It provides news and information on the many activities and events of the National or Affiliate Urantia Associations around the globe as well as information and announcements from Central Office, the International Service Board (ISB), and the Representative Council (RC). It serves to keep members in touch with one another and gives readers a sense of belonging—of being an integral part of a truly international movement that is designed to promote the Urantia revelation to all corners of the world.
Note: Tidings also occasionally provides news of other Urantia-related activities and events that may be of interest to our supporters and friends. Please note that any interpretations, opinions, conclusions, or artistic representations, whether stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Urantia Association International, the National or Affiliate Urantia Associations, or the editorial team of the Association’s Tidings.
Grass Roots Level
The number of National or Affiliate Urantia Associations scattered throughout the world is steadily growing and collectively they undertake service activities that have the ability to inspire and motivate others; activities such as study conferences, regional gatherings, study groups, dissemination programs, educational programs, outreach projects, and the development of study aids and newsletters. These Associations are the lifeblood of Urantia Association International—they function at the grass roots level where effective service and dissemination of the revelation takes place.
Share Your Stories
There are thousands of readers with unique personal stories about how they found The Urantia Book and how it has changed their lives. There are hundreds of study groups all over the world that can share stories and encourage readers to either create a study group of their own or participate in one. These stories need to be told and Tidings provides an effective platform for the sharing of such activities.
If you would like to share your stories please submit your material to the Chief Editor. Topics may include:
- How you found The Urantia Book
- Special projects such as Book Fairs, Library Placement, Outreach
- New or established study groups—how you got started—what keeps you going?
- Your annual meetings, picnics, or other social gatherings
- Send pictures
Tidings Team
- Chief Editor: Myra Hight
- Co-editors: Mark Blackham, James Woodward, Richard Jernigan
- Online and hard-copy English newsletters: Mark Blackham
- Spanish translator an online Spanish newsletter: Olga Lopez
- French translator: Alain Cyr and collaborators
- French online newsletter: Alain Cyr
Submissions:
Submit articles to the Chief Editor and please understand that they may be subject to revision. Please limit them to approximately 1 to 1½ pages (700 to 1400 words) plus one or two photos.
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The world is changing fast and Urantia Association International is in a unique position to foster the Urantia revelation in so many ways. With localized teams in the form of associations springing up across the globe, we are ready to help anyone, anywhere, to study and spread the teachings that we all hold so dear.
The Association has only one paid staff member to manage and coordinate our worldwide activities. All other services are rendered by devoted students who donate their time (and often their treasure) to the projects that help bring us closer to our heavenly Father. Thank you to our faithful volunteers and donors!
Here is a selection of ways to donate to Urantia Association:
Online by Credit Card
Visit our website to access our secure online donation form at: https://urantia-association.org/donate
Unrestricted Giving: Choose General Fund on the online donation form for unrestricted donations that can be used for any purpose, including all administrative costs.
Restricted Giving: Choose one of the Program Funds on the online donation form for restricted donations. Your contribution will be used only for the purpose of that fund. (More details on the Program funds can be found at: https://urantia-association.org/program-funds.)
Check or Money Order
Send your contribution through the mail service to:
Urantia Association International
4000 W. Montrose Ave. #606
Chicago, IL 60641 USA
By Telephone or Email:
Phone: +1-773-572-1180
Email: centraloffice@urantia-association.org
Planned Giving
Many different forms of donations and gifts are possible. Urantia Association’s IRS 501(c) (3) tax exempt status allows us to accept gifts that can also serve the financial interests of generous supporters. All direct contributions in all forms may be claimed as tax-deductible charitable contributions on United States Tax Returns. Certain gift forms, such as highly appreciated properties, stocks, or taxable IRAs can also help the donor reduce tax liability while also providing an income tax deduction.
Click here to read more about Planned Giving and to view our Gift Maker’s Guide. The gift forms and strategies described in this guide are well documented and have been used for many years by millions of donors to support thousands of charities, institutions, and non-profit organizations.
In November of 2019 Bradly Tharp, Urantia Association’s Chief Financial Officer (who is also a Certified Financial Planning Practitioner and Chartered Financial Accountant) presented an online seminar on Planned Giving Strategies. Click this link to view the seminar: Planned Giving Strategies Seminar
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