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My dad told me he was watching Jackie Gleason on Johnny Carson one night back in the 60's, and Jackie started to talk about the Urantia Book -but Johnny quickly changed the subject, most likely because he figured it might cause a problem with the network or with the public.

After 52 years, while there is a tremendous family of students throughout the world, in comparison with other philosophies and religions, The Urantia Book still remains obscure and somewhat hidden.

Why?

If people like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Kirstie Ally, and Nicole Kidman can use their public stage to proudly promote the unorthodox teachings of something like Scientology, then how come people like Norman Lears' wife, Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia, Jackie Gleason and others never proudly proclaim the wonderful teachings of the Urantia Book?

Indeed we have received one of the most wonderful Revelations ever given to man (probably the only world in all of Nedbadon to receive such a gift), we have the ability to spread the news far and wide, and yet. so little of this book is ever said or written about.

Even something a simple as billboards on Interstates in four or five major cities would at least bring about awareness. Perhaps simple statements like

Looking for Answers? Look in the Urantia Book

Jesus has Returned. Read about his life in the Urantia Book

The Good News has arrived. The Urantia Book is for everyone.

Not a religion. Not a cult. It's a new way of looking at the world. www.URANTIA.org


As crazy and turbulent as the world is, couldn't we as a fellowship do more to promote awareness?

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Hello Brother Jim,

Great!

I want to say that I have those same exact feelings.... BUT something inside says lead by example, BE A TADPOLE!

those other religions want to force feed ideals and give consequences for not choosing thier religion. Wouldn't that be next for us? Hey we gave them the knowledge but they didn't take it! WHY NOT? this is the answer why can't everyone else see this? I just know that if they did know what I know then they would believe like I do! Wait let me invent Hell or something to make them believe and if they still don't then F them they will burn forever... FOREVER!!! Muuuuhahahaha

lol ok that's a bit overboard but you can see how easily things can become out of control quickly.

We just have to live in every moment and lead by example by everyone else seeing the masters words in us and they will all know that we are his disciples.

if we see someone asking the questions that we all have then great! point them in the right direction. In fact if we trully live the word and if they want that kind of relationship with the master as we have then we don't have to do or say anything they will be banging down our doors to learn what we have!

I hope this helps!

brother Jim!

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Hey Bro Dave,
I agree with what you said.

My only point is its been 52 years since the book was published, and it still seems like a secret.

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92:4.9 5. The Urantia Papers. The papers, of which this is one, constitute the most recent presentation of truth to the mortals of Urantia. These papers differ from all previous revelations, for they are not the work of a single universe personality but a composite presentation by many beings. But no revelation short of the attainment of the Universal Father can ever be complete. All other celestial ministrations are no more than partial, transient, and practically adapted to local conditions in time and space. While such admissions as this may possibly detract from the immediate force and authority of all revelations, the time has arrived on Urantia when it is advisable to make such frank statements, even at the risk of weakening the future influence and authority of this, the most recent of the revelations of truth to the mortal races of Urantia.


I see your point brother Jim, but I can surley say that we are not the only people who have tried to speed up the process... In fact that was the begining of the end for Eve!

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92:4.1 4. THE GIFT OF REVELATION
p1007:1 92:4.1 Revelation is evolutionary but always progressive. Down through the ages of a world's history, the revelations of religion are ever-expanding and successively more enlightening. It is the mission of revelation to sort and censor the successive religions of evolution. But if revelation is to exalt and upstep the religions of evolution, then must such divine visitations portray teachings which are not too far removed from the thought and reactions of the age in which they are presented. Thus must and does revelation always keep in touch with evolution. Always must the religion of revelation be limited by man's capacity of receptivity.

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Wow Bro Dave, you are sooooo right on.

There are no secrets. Those who are supposed to read the book find it. The mystery is part of the process. It is all about the Mystery Monitor, is it not?

Jesus was very clear about not making the Gospel into something concrete. Let God decide what to do with the book.

A good salesman knows his product. Learning it for myself is the best marketing tool I have.

iris


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Let me respond first by saying that my question is not based on impatience, certainly not the impatience that compelled Eve to break from the Divine Way. I am thrilled that study groups, translations and international outreach programs are progressing very well.

Promoting the Urantia Book through more agressive marketing, or even just talking about it in public isn't wrong. As a long time student, I want more people to hear about it. I am proud of what it has done for me and I am convinced if more people knew about it, it would have a tremendously positive influence in the world.

Do you think Jesus wasn't agressively marketing his message for all the world to hear? Maybe he should have just stayed in Nazareth and let God lead the people to him? Just as you would say, God will lead people to the Urantia Book, I would say that there was probably reason The Urantia Book was delivered in the United States. We are a people who agressively spread our influence.

My friend Dave and Iris, I'm not suggesting we run ads in the Superbowl. My question is two fold:

Should we do more to promote the book and its teachings?
Why hasn't more been done to promote the Urantia Book?

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My friend, if God is calling you to be the next Gideon, then do it. But I suggest that you should be certain that it is a true calling.

Having read TUB and the Bible hundreds of times, I can't recall it ever being said to spread the book. In my opinion, spread the WORD does not mean spread the book.

iris


Last edited by Bonita on Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:18 am +0000, edited 1 time in total.

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Hi Iris,
It's not my calling. I'm not even remotely qualified to promote the Urantia Book.

I'm just a reader who wonders why there isn't more public promotion.

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Regarding promoting the UB -- I think we've been looking in too many of the wrong places for the people to inspire with the message of TUB. While any kind of outreach program is better than no outreach at all it would seem to me that the prime focus should be (and should have been for decades past) young inquisitive adults -- just the kind of people found at colleges and universities.

There's a successful university program established at the University of Colorado Boulder due to the long and patient effort of Don Green. A website has been established at www.urantiabookclub.org/ Please read what Don has written on the History link there.

The UB booth is low key -- nice graphics and handouts and several copies of the book displayed. It's just there; those who "man the booth" sit in the background, eat lunch, converse with one another. Students walk by, some look, some stop and look, some pick up handouts, some stop to talk. The whole point of the display is to get the book out in front of inquisitive, adjuster-endowed, angel-guided, free-will, thinking people. They may have no desire to read the book at this point in their young lives but 10 years down the road, when they've got more life experience under their belts they may find themselves in a bookstore or browsing Amazon and remember that they're familiar with having seen The Urantia Book prominently displayed in a non- intimidating manner at their college campus and may be interested in taking a more detailed look at it at that time. We're sowing seeds, not selling books although work is underway to have TUB available in the campus bookstore.

With patience anyone can do this. Don is willing to help whoever's interested in this kind of outreach get it underway.

Larry


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Thanks for the response Larry.

It's inspiring to know people like you, Don Green and Mo Siegal do things to promote the book.

Is there a place or way to find out what kind of outreach efforts are going on throughout the world?

I wish I new more about these kinds of efforts, hoping they will inspire me to get off my rear end and do something.

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Jim – I’ve been thinking about your question,

Quote:
Is there a place or way to find out what kind of outreach efforts are going on throughout the world?


And, I don’t know if this is an option for you, and I don’t know how much time you have to invest, however, you might try the following when you have some quiet time.

Take a walk…in a park… or in the country…late at night…perhaps when the stars are out…and ask the following of Jesus.

“Jesus, how are things going on Urantia in your opinion and how might I be of Service? And, as an afterthought Jesus – so human of me, sorry, - however, as I was saying, could this service you have in mind for me – could it be cool for me too and those I love?” – Our Father’s Will Be Done.”

Then,

Walk…Listen…Enjoy the beauty about you…Sense the goodwill that surrounds you…Embrace the clarity that makes you smile…Be of good cheer…Know the truth that all is well…Ask and it will be done.

Can you folks think of any UB references that might support the above advice?

All the best, Ray
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Hi Ray,
That was excellent advice. Thank you. I did do that this morning and I did feel a sense of peace wash over me.

Sometimes I think being a Urantia student, not being connected so much with what's going on with other fellow readers, one feels sort of disconnected and out of the loop.

Of ourse your advice allowed me to recconnect for a moment with Jesus and for that moment, I didn't feel so alone.

Thank you again.

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Of ourse your advice allowed me to recconnect for a moment with Jesus and for that moment, I didn't feel so alone.

Oh happy day!

The first mission of this spirit is, of course, to foster and personalize truth. Next, it is the purpose of this spirit to destroy the believer's feeling of orphanhood. Jesus having been among men, all believers would experience a sense of loneliness had not the Spirit of Truth come to dwell in men's hearts. In a certain sense, this Spirit of Truth is the spirit of both the Universal Father and the Creator Son. 2061:00-01

Man can never wisely decide temporal issues or transcend the selfishness of personal interests unless he meditates in the presence of the sovereignty of God and reckons with the realities of divine meanings and spiritual values. 1093:01-02

The atmosphere of the communion provides a refreshing and comforting period of truce in the conflict of the self-seeking ego with the altruistic urge of the indwelling spirit Monitor. And this is the prelude to true worship--the practice of the presence of God which eventuates in the emergence of the brotherhood of man.1133:01

The divine presence cannot, however, be discovered anywhere in nature or even in the lives of God-knowing mortals so fully and so certainly as in your attempted communion with the indwelling Mystery Monitor, the Paradise Thought Adjuster. What a mistake to dream of God far off in the skies when the spirit of the Universal Father lives within your own mind!64:05-06

But I'm sure you know all this beautiful stuff. I just wanted to frame it.
iris


Last edited by Bonita on Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:22 am +0000, edited 1 time in total.

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thank you Iris. I always love re-reading thos passages. Wow!

Jim

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Great thread Jim! I like Dave's comments and excerpts they were cool. And until we personally do something else that would be a good place to start. One on one, grass roots contact. I’ve found living and sharing the truths of TUB MUCH easier than sharing TUB itself.

The idea of promoving TUB more has come up several times in the last two years that I've been here. And A lot of Good ideas. I was talking to Larry Geis last year and I mentioned I had thought about going to the Junior College in town and taking a book to a table on the QUAD during the day with a sign that says "The Answers to All Life's Questions" Then with TUB and a few others books see how I could do answering the students who approached. I thought about how neat it might be to have a class on TUB. Anyway my daughter's starting college and I'm probably statring the table for sure next August.

Maybe Don Green would have a course outline for an 8 week session or a 1 semester session. Actually It would be nice to have and Official course Book. Maybe from the Fellowship With a step by step Outline. A Workbook and a Teachers guide. If some were available they would be good to look at. “An Introduction to TUB” It might be cool to have another one maybe from Square Circles. That copied the OLD Volkswagen repair manual style. Remember in the Late sixties or early seventies. A very cool manual “The Volkswagen repair manual for any Idiot.” It had hundreds of cartoon type illustrations and it did make it very simple to repair a Volkswagen. Great for the college student with limited funds. So maybe “A guide to the Universe for any idiot.” Or “The Universe made simple” by God and a bunch of Cool celestial beings. Something like that. :smile:

I remember around February Arie brought up a thread on this. And Like you Jim she mentioned getting TUB into the hands of famous people. I agreed with her and I was going to get one to Angelina Jolie and I think she was going to do Mel Gibson. She mailed hers off but while I was trying to find a better address for Angelina my PC crashed with a virus. I still haven’t got around to recovering it. And I gave the book I got for Angelina to a young gay Catholic women from one of the work groups I helped with in El Salvador.

Anyway I’ve been getting ready to get another one (TUB BOOK) and look up her fan based mailing address again. And thinking about my approach in what I’ll write.

There’s a guy named Norman I met at Larry G’s house who goes around the world giving away books. He’s from Hawaii I think Tootsie and Paradise Pilgrim may know him. He has a young guy named Chuck going around with him now and helping him (Norman) The last I heard they were both touring with Pato Banton and where going to sell or give away books from tables setup where ever Pato plays. They should be about done with that project by now.

It seems like a lot of people just followed the impulse or intuitive impetus to share the Book or it’s teachings and in small ways share the book. I met a group of TM’ers. Probably about 40 of them The Golden Gate Group or something like that and they were all doing something to share the book.. One lady had a group she lead at the Old church I used to go to as a kid 45 years ago in San Francisco. Another guy was opening a theater in Marin and wanted to do a theatrical presentation of TUB precepts and/or scenes in the show.

You did a show a few months ago right Jim? Maybe you’ll do something else.

Any way Thanks for bringing it up Jim. It always makes people think about what they can do. It makes me remember about Kennedy.

Ask not what TUB can do for you. Rather ask what you can do for TUB.
:smile:

God Bless all of you my friends! :smile:

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