Editorial

From , By Suzanne Kelly, USA on

Greetings fellow Urantia Book readers,

In this November edition of Journal we have several essays that focus on the personal understandings gleaned from studying The Urantia Book. Our first essay, The Purpose of the Fifth Epochal Revelation, was written by members of the Sunshine Coast Study Group, Queensland Australia in 1990. A prominent member of that group back then was Ken Glasziou who is well-known in the Urantia community for his many scientific papers. The essay starts with a very important question, “Why has this new revelation come to us specifically at this time, and not one thousand years hence or whence?” Their answer helps to edify the reason, paraphrasing from Paper 99, “In the past, religion did not have to adjust its attitude to extensive changes in economic and political systems; today the rapidity of changes in living conditions is such that institutional modifications must be greatly accelerated, and religion must quicken its adaptation to an ever-changing social order. We are told that these periods of gross instability will endure for a thousand years; that the human race must become reconciled to a procession of changes, adjustments and readjustments and that mankind is on the march toward a new and unrevealed destiny.”

Another question presented was about how we accomplish the spreading of these truths. Should we be a disciple or an apostle? As a disciple we become a follower or student of a teacher: “One difference between discipleship and apostleship as announced by Jesus is that, in undertaking apostleship, we elect to represent him in the world in the same way that, in his human life on Urantia, he represented the Father. This is certainly a rigorous undertaking, for it is not by the words we speak but by the lives we live that we will represent Jesus to the world.” Our authors succinctly address this directive “to farsighted men and women of spiritual insight and with the necessary skills and abilities, using The Urantia Book as source material, to conduct those secondary works that will permit the teachings of the book to penetrate to all segments of all societies and thus…

…attract all that is good in the mind of man and challenge that which is best in the human soul. [Paper 2:7.10, page 43.3]

Are you a disciple or an apostle?

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The Purpose of the Fifth Epochal Revelation

From , By Sunshine Coast Study Group, Queensland, Australia, 1990 on

Is it the Recruitment of Genuine Apostles?

What is the specific purpose of the fifth epochal revelation on this planet? While this may seem obvious to very many readers of The Urantia Book, to others who are familiar with the finest concepts and teachings of Christianity as well as the best in several other of the world’s religions and philosophies, the answer is not so obvious. Excepting for detailed information on the hierarchical structure among the heavenly hosts that we have no means of verifying, much of the book’s content has been stated elsewhere. Neither do the scientific aspects of the book bring much new knowledge independently within a short time after the book’s publication.

Perhaps the simplest conclusion is that it has been given to us in order that we should recognize our sonship with the Father and the brotherhood of all men. But that message is not new, so is there some other purpose for this revelation? Undoubtedly part of its purpose is to rectify error that has partially negated the effectiveness of the fourth epochal revelation. Another purpose would be to amplify upon our knowledge of our place in the totality of God’s creation. But why has this new revelation come to us specifically at this time, and not one thousand years hence or whence?

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The Personal Experience of Revealed Truth

From , By David Elders, USA on

Our Urantia Book Internet School Pedagogy 

This essay is offered as a context exploration of our Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS) pedagogy and methodology in response to a provocative question: can our encounter with newly-revealed, epochal truth be facilitated successfully by employing evolutionary techniques of education or can revealed truth be comprehended using the interpretive teachings of the evolutionary religions of authority?

I would observe that it is the combined nature of revelation and the revelatory process which together determine how revealed truth is encountered, accessed, experienced, perceived, and learned to facilitate its integration into the soul of each truth seeker.  I do not believe that this is possible using intellect alone, but only by accessing truth in our progressing morontial (soul) consciousness. Some two thousand years ago, Jesus sought acceptance and certification of his revelation by the existing, established, evolutionary religious authorities—the Scribes and Pharisees. But as revealed truth designed to uplift and supplant existing evolutionary beliefs, it was rejected at the time by these leaders. Nonetheless, it was eventually spiritually integrated into human consciousness via the living power of Jesus’ life, the Spirit of Truth, the consequential, universal bestowal of Adjusters, and at the present time by the gift of the fifth epochal revelation to our world. Indeed, Jesus’ crucifixion represented the conscious evolutionary response by religious authority to destroy the newly-revealed truths which were seen as a challenge to existing beliefs and theologies. Is that response a warning for us today?

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The Eyedropper, Spoon, and Shovel

From , By David Linthicum, USA on

This article is adapted from a plenary speech delivered at the 2018 Netherlands conference.

The conference theme of the 10th Urantia Association International conference in The Netherlands was “Jesus as a Teacher.” When I was asked to be one of the plenary speakers I thought it would be a great opportunity, even though I had never given a conference speech.

At the 2016 conference in San Antonio, TX, I presented my very first workshop, so I decided to expand on that workshop theme for my plenary speech in Holland, the workshop was titled, “The Eyedropper, Spoon, and Shovel.”

I came up with the idea primarily based on my experience with trying to get my family and friends to read The Urantia Book.

I found The Urantia Book and finished a cover-to-cover reading in 1996. Like many of us, I was eager to share this marvelous book with those closest to me, my family and friends. I couldn’t wait to tell my best friend the good news!  I had discovered a true treasure, something beyond my wildest imagination.

One day I bought him a book and handed it to him saying, “Man, you have GOT to read this!” I was fired up! I was hoping my best friend would be just as excited as I was. I wanted him to read it, so we could share our thoughts as we had when we read the Carlos Castaneda and J.R.R. Tolkien books in years past.

Let’s just say, things didn’t work out as I had hoped; my friend never read the book. My effort was a dismal failure. I found out sometime later that he showed it to his wife who thumbed through it and declared it to be the work of the devil. I was heartbroken and disappointed.

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Family Crises

From , By Rick Lyon, USA on

(Adapted from a presentation given at Midwest Conference 2018)

All of us have faced a family crisis at some point—actually multiple points—in our lives. Some we create; some we fall victim to; and some that just happen.

This article is going to look at family crisis. The goal here is to help you look at how crisis effects our families, the barriers to overcoming family crisis, how we have addressed previous crises, find better ways to solve crises in the future, and perhaps prevent crises in the first place.

Let us look at my own personal family crisis as an example. The major crisis in my family was the physical and mental problems of my second son. His name is Brad. He was born in November of 1978; the same year I discovered The Urantia Book. He passed away in September of 2010.

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2nd National Meeting – Urantia Association of Ecuador

October 6-8, 2018

The Urantia Association of Ecuador (AUEC) will be presenting its second national conference for readers of The Urantia Book in Casa Ballenita San Fernando.

The theme will be “A Spiritual Experience on Urantia.”

We will be addressing a variety of topics such as getting to know other readers of The Urantia Book, exchanging experiences with one another, exploring answers to some of the most commonly asked questions, achieving new spiritual experiences, and practicing to live in the here-and-now.

A tour on the beautiful peninsula will be included in the programming.

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President’s Message – September 2018

From , By Chris Wood, USA on

One of the many reasons I love The Urantia Book and I am continuously re-reading it is because it utilizes words which I think I understand, but then in some random paragraph in some random paper, it will define a common word in an uncommon way and suddenly I need to go back and re-read everything with this new definition in mind.

One recent example of this is “personality,” which in a book that has personality survival as one of its main plot points, I feel like I should know what personality is. And walking around in my limited vocabularic bliss I would think that “personality” would be defined as… what? … as a person’s distinctive character, perhaps? A Solitary Messenger tells us that:

…it would be presumptuous to attempt the definition of personality… [Paper 112:0.2, page 1225.2]

but then randomly in the Sojourn at Rome, a midwayer decides that it’s apparently not presumptuous, it’s just, umm… sumptuous? …  for us to be told that:

The presence of goodness and evil in the world is in itself positive proof of the existence and reality of man’s moral will, the personality… [Paper 132:2.8, page 1458.5]

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Farewell to Sue Tennant

From , By Gaetan Charland, Quebec on

Sue Tennant, long-time supporter of the Urantia revelation and a dear friend of mine and to many reading this, left this world for the mansion world adventure in March this year.

I meet Sue in 1999 at her home in Silver Springs for a meeting with other readers for the chartering and inauguration of the Urantia Association of Canada. From that first meeting, I knew that Sue Tennant was one of those people dedicated to the welfare of humanity; she was generous, humble and hardworking, and was a woman driven by her love for her fellow brothers and sisters and by her faith in God and his plan.

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Finnish Summer Conference Report, 2018

From , Presented by Laura Suominen-Raatikainen, Finland on

Theme: We Have Been Summoned to Eternal Life

Once again, the Finnish Urantia Book readers held their annual summer conference, hosted by the Urantia Association of Finland 9–10 June 2018 at the Lautsiala Resort, Hauho. Over 30 of us gathered, the weather was lovely and the resort was a beautiful place to hold the meeting. The weekend began with touching live music and singing.

There were several presentations. Ben, aged over 90, reflected on the last 100 years in Finland tying its history to The Urantia Book. He ended his presentation saying, “Whenever we want we can move to a time of life and light.”

There were presentations on “Eternal Life in the Universe” and “Belief and to Believe” concentrating on the personal relationship with the Father.

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Donating via AmazonSmile

From ,

Urantia Association International is a registered charity with AmazonSmile… therefore shop with AmazonSmile and send a portion of your shopping dollars to the Association. 

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Urantia Association International every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at AmazonSmile you’ll find the exact same prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the Association.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?

Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, wish list, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

How do I select the Association to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?

On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select “Urantia Association International” to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. AmazonSmile will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make thereafter will result in a donation.

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Why Do We Study The Urantia Book?

From , By Mark Kurtz, USA on

The key word is WHY?  May we address its profundity? Here are some thoughts:

Because we seek clarity of our life purposes in harmony with divine plans.

Because we seek a better understanding of origins and destinies as we prepare to lift ourselves and others to new clarity.

Because we seek truth to undergird our desires to know God and His children better.

Because we seek inspiration from the upgrading and clarifying teachings from celestial beings who shared their superior knowledge. They know us better than we know ourselves. We seek their sharing to reduce our confusion.

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2nd Latin American Conference — São Paulo, Brazil

From , Presented by Regras Enrique Traver, Brazil on

Only 60 days to go for the 2nd Latin American Conference being held 1 – 4 November 2018 in Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil.

We are happy to report that so far 115 participants from 15 countries have registered for the event. This is a positive response from The Urantia Book reader community and we believe our target of 150 participants will be easily surpassed. Even more promising, 21 young Urantia Book students aged between 14 and 30 have registered and are excited about participating and engaging with others about the fifth epochal revelation.

Everything you need to know about the conference can be found at the conference website at https://www.urantiaconference.com. You can also register there.

The theme will be “Living the Teachings,” so this conference will provide a unique opportunity for students to come together in friendship and expand their understanding of the Urantia teachings as they explore ways to integrate them into day-to-day living.

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Italian-French-Spanish Conference 2018

From , Presented by Danielle La Scala, Italy on

Students of The Urantia Book in Italy are holding their fourth Italian-French-Spanish Urantia Book readers’ conference in northern Italy at the Confine Hotel in the city of Lazise (province of Verona) 5 – 7 October 2018.

The theme for this conference is: “Teachings of Jesus” and the focus will be on the doing of Fathers’ will.

This conference is open to all people interested in The Urantia Book. (It will help if you can speak Italian, French or Spanish.) We look forward to welcoming last year’s participants, as well as meeting new friends.

Click here for more information.

ANZURA Conference Queensland 2018

From , By Graeme Chapman, Brisbane on

On the Cosmic Background: “God Does Not Play Dice”

If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still space available at ANZURA’s upcoming annual conference that’s being held on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia 5 – 8 October 2018.

Theme Update:

The theme for this conference is inspired by that ever-topical question by Albert Einstein, “Does God play dice with the universe?” which was raised in response to scientific developments that were playing out even as The Urantia Book was coming together. Remarkably, the prevalent materialism of contemporary science was dissipating just as The Urantia Book was urging that it should. What follows is a preview of where such lines of thought might take us during the conference.

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Vancouver 2020 – North America Urantia Conference

From , Presented by Vancouver 2020 Conference Committee on

Lifting Together — United in Purpose, Serving God the Supreme

The Urantia Association of Canada and the Urantia Book Fellowship  will be hosting a combined North American conference in Vancouver 15 – 19 July 2020.

Everyone is invited to come together to serve the global community, to work and lift together in spiritual consciousness, to love our neighbors as God loves us, and to expand and promote the comprehension and appreciation of cosmic citizenship.

We envision an atmosphere of gratitude in which we will actively explore constructive ways to contribute to the spiritual growth of all peoples of the world and thereby participate in the evolution of God the Supreme.

Click here for more information  

2021 – International Conference in Peru

From , Presented by Conference Committee on

The next International Conference for Urantia Association International will be held 22 – 25 April, 2021 in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Urubamba, Cusco, Peru.

The Urantia Association of Peru will be hosting the conference and members are promising to make this event unique and special for all. The theme will be “Towards Cosmic Citizenship” and workshops will be held at the nearby archaeological sites, which are the most beautiful and famous sites of the Incas.

The Sacred Valley is a region in Peru’s Andean highlands. Along with the nearby town of Cusco and the nearby ancient city of Machu Picchu (one of the new Seven Wonders of the World), it once formed the heart of the Inca Empire.

If you always wanted to go to Peru, then 2021 is the year to do it! This is a conference that should not be missed.

Click here for a video tour.

Testimonials from Book Fair Attendees

From , By Dissemination Committee on

The number of people who are exposed to the word “Urantia,” as well as the book and its teachings year after year at book fairs is staggering. The impact on lives—priceless.

Global seeding of The Urantia Book and its teachings at book fairs is changing lives. Lives are changed when students learn how to work together as a team, and how to share their spiritual inspiration with others. Truth-seeking individuals are exposed to the soul-satisfying truths of the fifth epochal revelation. And our unseen friends gain expanded opportunities to lead mortals to the understanding of humanity’s status as beloved children of our Heavenly Father… all of us brothers and sisters.

Following are two stories of people whose lives were changed after finding The Urantia Book at a book fair:

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Italian-French-Spanish Conference 2018

By Danielle La Scala, Italy on

5th to 7th October, 2018

We invite you to our Italian-French-Spanish conference for Urantia Book readers in Italy. This  will be the fourth Urantia Book readers’ conference in our country and will be held in northern Italy at the Confine Hotel in the city of Lazise (province of Verona.)

The theme for this conference is: Teachings of Jesus. We will study how to do the fathers’ will and answer a set of questions posed by Nirvana Bussadori. In addition Ivan Stol will report on the International Conference that was held earlier this year in The Netherlands in April and Cesare Nicoletti will present us with two papers he has prepared which will be followed by a discussion after we have read them. 

Our conference is open to all people interested in The Urantia Book and who preferably speak the Italian, French or Spanish. We look forward to welcoming last year’s participants, as well as meeting new friends.

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Help Support Global Seeding

By Fundraising Committee on

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$10,000$1,843Raised $1,843 towards the $10,000 target.18%

The Global Seeding Fund was created to help sustain dissemination efforts like book fairs. Please help us reach our goal of $10,000 by donating to this fund today.

So far we have raised $1,843! Thank you for your support.

Donate Now

Book Fairs in Latin American

By Andrés Ramirez, Bogotá on

Between 2016 to 2018, donations to the Association’s Global Seeding Fund supported book fairs in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and a Spanish book fair in Miami, Florida USA. Latin American students have been present at book fairs for many years now and the amount of people who have come into contact with The Urantia Book because of these events is remarkable.

In 2018 alone at the book fair in Bogotá, Colombia, over 500,000 people attended, 43 students of The Urantia Book volunteered in the booth, over 50,000 handouts were distributed, 70 books were sold, and around 70 people from the public attended educational workshops about the book. And this seeding of the revelation in Latin American will continue year after year with your support.

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