Starting Over

by Leonard Ablieter

During our first working meeting last June, we got into a spirited discussion of the subject of study groups. It was pointed out that the referral of new readers to study groups was one of the tasks of our association. Some members expressed a strong urge to continue and expand the work they had been involved in in this area.

Knowing that the existing study groups needed to shift their focus if we were to refer new readers to them, we explored ways in which to contact their members. No conclusion was reached, but there remained a definite air of unfinished business.

For some time after the meeting I continued to give thought to this matter, and at one point considered submitting a written plan. But somehow things didn't want to fall into place and I put the subject aside.

Then, suddenly, it struck me that there was no need to contact these members, no need at all. Everybody on the mailing list available to us already had received the original notification regarding the formation of the IUA, along with a copy of its purposes, bylaws and an application. Just as we did. All were given the same opportunity, and each made his or her choice. A few chose to become members of the IUA and proceeded to found the Northwest URANTIA Association. Others chose not to act, or consciously to continue in their familiar environment.

When viewed against this background, a renewed, formal effort at contact not only is unlikely to yield results, but actually takes on the nature of an intrusive act. And intrusive behavior is inimical to the orderly dissemination of the teachings of The URANTIA Book.

This doesn't mean that we don't keep our hearts open to these members, friends of ours, and hope that perhaps we will see them join us some day, but as expressed so succinctly by Gabriel, the "government of the Sons for the Father desired only loyalty and devotion which was voluntary, wholehearted, and sophistry-proof." (p. 605-2)

Where does this leave us with respect to our task of fostering study groups and referring readers to them? Whom are we going to refer new readers to? It seems that we are thwarted in our sincere effort to fulfill the very first task listed in the charter and bylaws of IUA. So what do we do about this?

We start over. After all, the very existence of the IUA is the result of a new start. Nor is starting over so unusual when it comes to efforts to uplift the mortals of this planet. We all know how often our celestial friends have been faced with this task. What better company could we be in?

The most logical step with which each of us can start is to volunteer to act as a first contact for referrals of new readers from the Foundation. We all know from personal experience how uplifting it is to be among fellow students of The URANTIA Book. What better service can we provide at this point but to offer this kind of fellowship to a new reader? He needs a willing and patient ear, another human to talk to, to express his enthusiasm to and exchange ideas with. He needs someone to ask questions and the modest guidance we may be able to provide. And mindful of the fact that such communication should be a joyful event, I can't help but point out how fortunate we are to live in this day and this place. We have a choice of venue. We can meet at home, over a double tall latte at the corner coffee house, or over a micro brew at the local brew pub.

As such new readers grow in numbers, augmented perhaps by some of our old friends and slow as this process may be, new study groups will form. We may become directly involved in their formation or serve as catalysts. Either way we are serving as an invaluable resource of the Foundation, our new partner, by giving our active support to the task of spreading the teachings of The URANTIA Book.

Faith Under Scrutiny

by Betsy Engstrom

I just finished reading Martin Gardner's URANTIA, The Cult Mystery, and was pleased overall with what I found.

First of all, I think anything worth its salt should be able to hold still and endure intense scrutiny. It is nothing to shy away from. If something cannot hold up under genuine, unbiased investigation, then that should be taken under consideration.

I thought The URANTIA Book held up remarkably well.

Unfortunately, Martin Gardner didn't.

While astonishingly well-researched, this was not unbiased investigation.

First he condenses the book in the first thirty or so pages, concentrating on the cosmology and barely touching on the thought adjusters or the reality of religious experience. Throughout, he tells the readers how to think about all of it, instead of letting them make their own decisions about what they read. Then he spends the rest of the text discrediting Dr. William Sadler and attempting to point out absurdities where none exist.

As an 18-year reader of The URANTIA Book, I welcomed the opportunity to examine my faith and my beliefs under Mr. Gardner's guidance. I had to always keep in mind that it is his business to write exposes, for that is what sells books. If he wrote a book called "Urantia: The Greatest Book Around," nobody would publish it. I found small indications of his admiration throughout his text, all his protests to the contrary.

There were indeed moments when I questioned the validity of the book—the source of my spiritual awakening—and that was when I realized that The URANTIA Book was merely that: the source of my spiritual awakening. What Mr. Gardner failed to consider is that the book is merely a book. It is our faith, and the way we readers live our faith and cultivate our relationships with our God and each other that is important.

Publication inaccuracies, personalities, legalities, differences of opinion, organization competition and all the rest, pale as mere silliness when placed next to the profound experience of God in my life. I engage in daily prayer and meditation, and share my life—joy, sorrow, insecurities, fears, disappointments . . . the whole range—with the god of my understanding. This is how relationships are formed. This is how lasting, loving friendships blossom. There is no more important relationship than that between me and my heavenly father.

This is something that Martin Gardner didn’t get. His last statement in the book indicated that he doubted if his missive would put anybody off their belief in The URANTIA Book, but if it did, he would be thrilled. That in itself shows a definite lack of spiritual awareness. And how could he research, how could he expose, how could he even write about that which is completely foreign to him? Living faith is not researchable.

The URANTIA Book is not something to believe in anyway. It is merely information. It is a roadmap.

What I believe in is a personal relationship with a personal god who not only loves me, but likes me, because I am quirky and completely unique. What I believe in is eternal life in my Father's service, exploring, experiencing, adventuring. What I believe in is the potential of light and life on this world. What I believe in is that my prayers are heard, and that means that eventually Martin Gardner's heart will open and instead of trying to put people off their faith, will join someone in theirs until he finds his own.

I am writing this on Thanksgiving Day, and my gratitude list has just grown by one.

The Foundation is Solid

by Pat Murnin

Last August I took a trip to Chicago, Illinois to visit my brother and his family. While I was there, I wanted to visit the URANTIA Foundation. I was excited at the prospect of finally getting to see the place where the revelation was given to the people of this planet, in the trust of Dr. Saddler and the forum.

In my mind's eye I think I half expected the building to glow, surrounded by a host of seraphim and midwayers, keeping watch over the progress of the revelation, from its point of origin.

The more I thought about my visit to 533 Diversey Parkway, the more I wanted it to be a mystical experience that would be a once in a lifetime event, that I would never forget. I knew that none of this would be possible. Even if the building was surrounded with angels, they would be invisible to me, a mortal. But what could it hurt to fantasize about it?

Chicago was in the middle of the worst heat wave that had ever been recorded. It had been about 110 degrees, with a humidity to match. But the day I planned to go to the Foundation started out with a thunderstorm that cooled things off a bit, and made it a nice summer day.

As I traveled down Diversey Parkway watching the numbers getting closer to 533, I thought, What will this place really be like?

Suddenly, there it was. Much smaller than it had seemed in the pictures I'd seen. Of course there were no angels or midwayers, no celestial glow, as far as I could see . . .?

What I found was a modest turn of the century urban Chicago building in a very ordinary Chicago community.

Inside there were very friendly and dedicated people, who were willing to drop everything to make me feel welcome. They visited with me for a few minutes in the living room. They were very interested in the formation of the Northwest URANTIA Association.

In the basement there were two men who were very busy getting stacks of URANTIA Books ready for shipment.

The desks in the office were cluttered with the business at hand, and everyone was busy, happily performing their tasks.

When I left the building, I went across the street to take a few pictures of it. A calming effect came over me as I realized that the work of the URANTIA Foundation is in good hands, both with the people who work there, and our unseen friends watching over it all. You can't see them, but they are there.

I could feel the history and the heritage associated with this building that is both modest and majestic at the same time. My first visit to the URANTIA Foundation was an event that I will always remember.

The Value of Loyalty

by Janet Nilsen

Of all the human virtues, loyalty is the keystone. Loyalty in human decisions is a true indicator of spiritual integrity in an individual. Spiritual growth cannot take place without its presence. In the progression of personality, loyalty precedes even love. Cosmic morality is founded in the "interaction between liberty and loyalty". (P. 435) Jesus does not demand sacrifice from us, but he does require our loyalty.

Congratulations, fellow IUA members! Your presence on this roster is a testament that your loyalties are sound and discerning. Your membership signifies that you wish to cooperate. To learn "how to plan with other and wiser beings". That you wish to give credit where credit is due. Though there may not be material reward for your loyalty, in eternity, true liberty is the reward of true loyalty.

During the past decade, all sincere reader-believers of The URANTIA Book have had their faith and loyalties severely tested. We have been asked to participate in many dubious undertakings: outfitting bunkers to prepare for worldwide catastrophe, listening to "channeled" pronouncements at Urantia study group meetings, even being asked to help finance the printing of unauthorized versions of The URANTIA Book, and assist in the overthrow of the URANTIA Foundation's possession of the copyright of the revelation text and symbols.

Now, as never before, our beloved book and its legal protector The URANTIA Foundation, need loyal and stalwart advocates. Shortsighted and impatient individuals have cast our big blue book unprotected onto the open market despite all requests by the Foundation to refrain, at least until the legal appeals process is complete. In the rush to publish an unauthorized version, all rules of courtesy and propriety have been abandoned—certainly, in mailers I have received, there has been no acknowledgment of the essential custodial role that the URANTIA Foundation has played in the protection and publishing of the Book since 1955.

Many of us have dear friends who are involved in the "liberation" of The URANTIA Book, believing that the copyright has been inhibiting the spread of the revelation to a mass readership. But you and I are living proof to all that even a conservative dissemination policy did not stop us from discovering it, or keep it from finding us!

I personally am deeply grateful for the efforts of the Foundation to keep the text of The URANTIA Book inviolate. How unseemly for those who have gained so much benefit from those pages to ignore the very entity that brought the book to light. But this is a rude and ungrateful world, and even among readers of The URANTIA Book, loyalty is at a premium.

You and all IUA members are acting as a sea wall against the degradation of the revelation by the same tide of impatience and disloyalty that spawned the Caligastia rebellion and the Adamic default. We cannot keep others from choosing the Caligastia teaching of unbridled personal liberty, but surely we can remain steadfast and true to the great revelation with which we have been entrusted.

There are many salient quotes listed in the Concordex under "loyalty". After reading these, can there be any doubt that combined with love, loyalty is the glue of the universe?

Still Life

Wilted still life
On black table.
Ants on the plum.
Dust descends like
Miniature snow
On the bottles,
Shadows, ants.

A phantom being
Watches, waits,
On the wing.

We have eons
Yet to travel.
Shall we begin?

—MC

Book Placement

by Mike d 'Ambrosia

The URANTIA Book Placement Program is just beginning for us. To date, I have gathered materials, information, and begun making contacts in the greater Portland area.

There are two placement forms, one for libraries, and one for bookstores. Instructions for use are on the back of each form. For library placement, you fill out the form. Please include the library phone number with the address. For bookstore placement, complete the sponsor name and address, and let the bookstore complete and mail the form in.

Libraries can be found in many places. A good place to start is the phone book. Cities, counties, colleges, churches, associations, and organizations are typical places to look.

The process of placing The URANTIA Book is not complicated. Introducing the book will be a new experience for you. I encourage you to seek out those places where the book may be placed. First contact may be made in person or by phone. If in person, try to have a copy with you. If by phone, try to present the opportunity for visual inspection of the book. Use your own discretion in answering questions about the book. On the back of the placement form, under "Subjects Covered", you will find "Philosophy, Cosmology, and Spiritual Inspiration". As a brief description, you will find this indispensable. You may refer to "Introducing The URANTIA Book in Accord with It's Teachings", by Jeffrey Wattles. This pamphlet may be obtained by making a request in writing to the International URANTIA Association, 533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, IL 60614.

When a placement form is completed, or when you find that a facility has The URANTIA Book, make a note of the quantity of books, the date, and all other information required for the form. Be sure to check later with each placement facility to find out if they received their book.

When they have received their book, or if you find a book already present, please send me the names, address, and phone number so that I may keep a record of where The URANTIA Book is present.

You may reach me at (503) 331-1744, or by mail at: 4504 N. Maryland Ave., Portland, OR 97217.

Two NUA Meetings

FIRST MEETING
Sunday, August 27, 1995 at Bruce Porter’s house West Linn, Oregon

by MC

PRESENT: Bruce Porter, Dennis Gray, Mike D'Ambrosia, Mark Alexander, Anne James, MC

Bruce wanted to try in this meeting to have no agenda, just to get together and take it from there. It is partly a reaction to the over-scheduled first meeting. Mark, from Olympia, Washington, arrives on his motorcycle, wondering if he should have come. Where is everybody?

Mike D'Ambrosia, who took on the book placement project, reports that the Multnomah County Library is interested and had requested eight copies, one for each branch in the Portland metropolitan area. The last time we checked the books have not come in.

Tonia Baney of the IUA coordinating committee calls at 2 p.m. to give us an update on the Foundation's work on the translations, connections with other countries, defending the copyright, the recent IUA conference in Tennessee.Other items she brought up:

The national chapter of IUA, the United States URANTIA Association (USUA), is in the process of being formed. This was initiated at the IUA conference.

Soon after the breakup of the Foundation and the Brotherhood, a core group got together to figure out what happened and what should happen next. (The origin of IUA? More on this subject from the IUA coordinating committee maybe in the next issue).

The USUA intends to bring the various IUA chapters together in a communication network. We should be getting an IUA list soon.

Our contacts with the IUA Coordinating Committee are: John Ploetz (Vista, CA) (619) 727-5268, and Tonia Baney (Maui, HI) (808) 879-4197. It was John who made the initial calls to interested readers regarding the formation of an IUA chapter here in the Northwest. Give John or Tonia a call sometime.

Mark decides the long trek to this meeting was worth it and proceeds to drink his quick energy booster. It has queen bee royal jelly and ginseng honey.

SECOND MEETING
Sunday, October 29, 1995 at Pat Murnin’s house Portland, Oregon

PRESENT: Pat Murnin, Dennis Gray, Janet Nilsen, Leonard Ablieter, Mike D'Ambrosia, John Zingg, Betsy Engstrom, Lisa Thorpe, MC

It is hard to tell where the informal discussions ended and the meeting began. There was talk about channeling. Leonard drove all the way from California. Betsy and Lisa were given the wrong directions by Pat.

Bruce is out of town due to a family emergency. He had arranged for URANTIA Foundation president, Pat Mundelius, to talk with us via speker phone. She calls at 3 p.m., answers some questions.

• The trustees take their trust seriously, thinking twice how a decision might impact the whole organization for the long haul. They feel strongly about translations and reaching out past the US borders.

• The demand for the inexpensive travel size had caught the Foundation by surprise. They expect the second printing to be sold out by December. They are now airmailed rather than shipped by sea from France where they are printed.

• The major function of USUA—the national chapter of IUA—is to deal with other international associations and to help local associations.

• SURF, the California-Arizona IUA chapter, is becoming too large and is getting ready to split up.

Pat Murnin is compiling a list of study groups in the Northwest. If you know of one in your area please contact Pat at 503-777-3236. We decide to have four meetings a year, on the last Sunday of January, April, July and October. Please come.

Route 99

by MC

Everybody on the planet is probably doing God’s will—to some degree. About three percent degree and maybe one percent of the time. The other percentages, well, we are just cruising.

We all have our preoccupations. The job takes most of our time and energy. Our families, relationships, take time. The dog has to be fed, the dishes washed, and so on. We do what we can each day. Nothing new there.

I’m filling up the empty gaps in the newsletter. I took on this project to learn how to write and how to put together a newsletter. One learns by doing.

There is a need for a Northwest URANTIA Association newsletter. It serves as a forum. It is a place to address the issues we are faced with. It would help us understand each other better—it’s easier to work with someone we know. No, not necessarily, but we know what to expect. It could help unite us.

Thanks to everyone who submitted articles. I hope I did not hassle you too much, but, without your contributions, we don’t have a newsletter. Keep them coming. There is plenty of space. This can expand from 4 to 8 or 12 pages. If you have a long article or story, feel free to send it.

Yes, we all lead such busy lives. We don’t have the time. It is better to curb one’s tongue or pen, better to work behind the scenes unrecognized. Self-control and more self-control. (Or, was it sincerity?)

The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God—with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible. Sharing is Godlike—divine. (p.1221)

There you go. Sharing one’s inner life with fellow beings and Adjusters is not such a bad idea. We have these fragments of God who are stuck with us, who work in spite of us and our animalistic tendencies. What a tough job. They are God—to them, nothing is impossible. Still, . . .Whew.

They sit at the very center of our being. The long range goal is to be more like our Adjusters. No sweat. A couple of eternities, give or take. Maybe longer. No problem. We go at it one ultimatonic percentage at a time. We have tons of time. Excuse me, tons of eternity.

1996 is here. The Urantia movement, as a whole, may still be in its infancy. There are elements in it wanting to speed things up—perhaps because we realize our time on the planet is so brief. We want to see something happen in our lifetime.

Every once in a while we may be doing God’s will, in spite of ourselves, our impatience. We’re mere babies. We crawl, stumble. We get lost, as we search for what is real and fun. We cruise on Route 99.

The job on earth is what? To occupy a bit of space and time, to be of some service, and then, Hasta la vista, baby. Is that it?