After reading the recent information about the Montreal gathering, here’s another view from the inside/outside. I don’t expect agreement or argument about this view, but it is a view that several people have who won’t speak up or are outside of the SocAdmin circle. This is the only one of the goals to come out of this event I agree with.
(1)To form an inter-organizational database of all readers, SGs, and readers with special abilities or talents.
Many people do not support top-down organizational models. They usually don’t work and thus far they have not been very successful in the so-called Urantia Movement with its many tentacles. We don't need any more organizations or recognition of them. In fact we need less organization; some people say we need none! And we don't need "inter-organizational" organizations either. If anything we need non-aligned persons/readers who are not interested in creating and perpetuating a religious/social group of Urantia Book religionists.
Many people want to either feel like part of a religion or think of themselves in "official" spots to deliver the revelation, with all their angelic helpers and inter-religious fervor. Special priests and priestesses. Prayer leaders. Worship ministers. Church officials. Special interpreters. But what does all of this have to do with the FER? These are things that church members do.
The real majority of readers could care less about any of those things and have never identifies with US! The majority of readers are not involved in these so-called official organizations. They don’t want "officially" self-appointed leaders...some of whom are truly of the least intellectual or discerning among us.
And now we are offered these low-quality, highly self-serving ideological lists of group "beliefs," group goals written during festivals and conferences that are getting praise and publicity on this discussion list. It could be argued that none of us should follow one word expounded by a "group." So-called Urantians are running at a severe reality-deficit disorder called: Not thinking for themselves and following the leaders without any say in their decisions. The Fellowship is not now and never has been democratic. Activists run the show for the most part, especially those with a lot of money and time on their hands.
Yes, it is the time to break down barriers between organizations, not better define them, and this... "Let’s pretend to show ourselves publicly getting along even though we don't agree"...what the hell is that?? Since the schism of 1989 and all of the other organizational isolation that resulted, we have a wounded limping group run by a few.
I’ve never encouraged people to get involved with UB organizations, even the one I’m a member of, which goes against our membership charter I know. As of now, all of the organizations are sucking the wind out of the sails of the FER, confusing people, retarding the work that should be refocused upon teaching and living, and distracting people by making them think that belonging to some organization with special goals somehow relieves them from the hard work and responsibility of going out among the non-UB people and living and doing and working and taking care of the real work of this world. It is all backwards. It is all inside out.
Here in the outside world I've noticed that people are very interested in the UB until they see the so-called "movement" of overly serious, self-righteous religionists (closet Christians with a new Bible to believe in?), new age crystal worshippers, Jesusonian moralizers and blind UB science TEXT fundamentalist freaks, trying desperately to "verify" things about the book to give it more respectability (which it doesn't need)...That all just cheapens it and hurts the FER's reputation. So many Urantians are just freaks or it attracts so many freaks. We are all just as whacked out as any other cult. Yes cult. Being on the inside, one can't tell. But it is woefully pathetic to see from the eyes of the people looking in at it all. I’ve spoken to many of them on UBRON over the years. As a non-aligned group, we see all types some and go, but mostly the troll stay, so even UBRON is not the answer for the non-aligned readers.
The UB community is, frankly, embarrassing to me now. Sorry to say. They have made their decision to dance around the golden calf (in this case a physical, blue, book), while Mt. Horeb rumbles in the distance. They have been given the NEW message of the FER and turned it into the OLD bait and switch religion that we're all so sick and tired of. More Jesus worship. And when the Master (or another Son) comes looking for growth on the FER investment, (if it is soon) no one will be more embarrassed than the UB community. We had it all and squandered it. I know, this is a young epochal revelation. But I’m just sayin’
The UB "movement" has failed so far and will continue to fail unless more prominent people adopt a profoundly less-organizational tone. But, ultimately the FER will triumph, because the UB is only the beginning of the FER. Personally, I believe that ALL UB related organizations should call it quits, with every member turning strictly toward individual teaching/living of the concepts in their personal, professional and public lives. With closed books in public. Organizationally, I think we are stagnant, puritanical, very evangelically Protestant, and are filled with religious pretenders and pseudo religionists.
When asked for specifics on the UB, we should give only enough info to get a prospective new reader to open a UB and read it--by, for instance, giving them a book. And then let it go. Leave them alone. None of this, "Oh you really need to visit the Urantia Foundation website, or join the Urantia Book Fellowship, blah, blah, blah...or this or that discussion list or prayer circle."
No, the new reader should NOT invest one second of time in participation with these organizations. Even Facebook is infested with it. As far as I'm concerned, the organizations are simply repositories of information--good for the text or cutting and pasting historical info. Just resources for information.
They have no OFFICIAL role, and FOR SURE, no "heavenly mandate."
And if a Study Group arises evolutionarily, it should be wholly absent of prayer (group or otherwise). And for god sakes, the UB should not be passed around or read from anymore. Reading should be personal, like prayer. Cite a passage and then discuss it with your knowledge of the UB or life or people. I really dislike the phrases “The Book says” or.. “It says in the Urantia Book.” Yikes!
Only use the UB in Study Groups to CITE and for reference, not to read aloud, like the Bible. So many study groups are just bible meetings with a different book. In college you do your reading as HOMEWORK. In class or seminar (Study Groups), you hear lectures, have back and forth discussions, hold debates...Reading whole sections aloud is stupid and accomplishes zero. Especially when members are poor readers, stumble over words, or have no idea what they are reading. People have GOT to stop churchifying everything. It is a total turn-off to so many new readers. And it is antithetical to the mission of the UB. Heck, it is a turn-off to ME as a 30+ year reader! I will not waste my time in an environment of group prayer and UB reading sessions ever again. Gawd! What hell could ever be more torturous?
The only way the readership will ever be unified (and I don't mean the Study Groups or any other organization--they need not apply) will be when the ideological and religious dogmas are abolished. THEN, individuals will come together over the simple fact that they read the UB and for no other organized reason.
The whole organizations is filled with Foundation supporters, Urantia Church founders , Fellowship/Brotherhood old timers, scientific types, UFO believers, sheeple types, people who believe UB should be taken from house to house, the channeler hunters, the channleres, the people who say we need to be nice and tolerant to the channelers, New-Age crystal types, and folks trying to keep things informationally straight. We’ve had self servers, egomaniacs, Jesus imposters, lost and loosely losers, and a lot of people who just want to meet other readers.
The whole movement is a train-wreck on a dark and stormy night, a fire in a madhouse sometimes. Yet we muddle through somehow. We all know self-appointed UB evangelists who mean well, and our god people with sincere motives. It could be argued that the UB "community" is going to be caught with its veritable pants down and thoroughly embarrassed about the way it has handled the FER when real non-aligned readers take over the movement.
[Partially edited by a close UB friend from an email response I sent him. It is therefore, our COMMON view.]
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