Questionable Statements in the Fall 2003 Mighty Messenger

In the Fall 2003 edition of the Mighty Messenger which I received today, January 20, 2004, in the article entitled: "Copyright Litigation and The Urantia Book," there are several questionable statements, statements which simply CANNOT BE KNOWN BY THE WRITER and which might be subversive to the Fellowship. Among the statements are these:

"All parties to these legal contests sincerely believe in their cause."

There is NO WAY the writer can know any such thing for certain. This is simply a pie-in-the-sky OPINION.

"All love the book and see what they believe is best for it."

More opinion, plain and simple, completely unsupportable and completely unprovable.

"None acted from malice or evil intended motivation."

More of the same, absolute nonsense, essentially just bull plop, spin and agenda. Only GOD KNOWS SUCH THINGS. Is the writer God? If not then the writer should sit down and stifle it and stop talking as if he or she is God. And the Fellowship should have some competent ADULT review the issues before they go out with such agenda laden slanted statements.

"Nevertheless, in spite of sincere motives..."

ONLY GOD KNOWS OUR MOTIVES. No one should ever believe that the writer of the Mighty Messenger article knows anyone's motives but his or her own, at best. These statements are outrageous and immature and someone at the Fellowship, some seasoned editor, should cull them out before they get into print and into circulation. The Mighty Messenger should not become a soapbox for Urantia Foundation sympathizers and fifth columnists within the Fellowship, those who would muddy the water and make it appear that everyone is to blame when that's not the case. Urantia Foundation is to blame. It's that simple. There is a right side and a wrong side here just as there was a right side and a wrong side during the Lucifer Rebellion. Anyone who doubts this needs to have their head examined.

Other statements that cry out for comment are these:

"...for almost five decades devoted believers in The Urantia Book have periodically engaged in copyright and trademark litigation against one another."

This is complete nonsense, bordering on deliberate falsehood. For all practical purposes, ONLY URANTIA FOUNDATION has "periodically engaged in copyright and trademark litigation against" others. That's the long and the short of it and any statements such as the one above that try to make it appear otherwise are simply revisionist lying, distorting the truth, and an attempt to make things appear as if everyone is at fault when it's actually only Urantia ("and by the way, it's not a religious book") Foundation and the trustees who are at fault and whose actions are the root cause of all the dissension and division in the Urantia "movement" for the last 30 years or more.

And here's another:

"On October 6, 2003, the latest in this series of legal battles was concluded when the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear an appeal from Urantia Foundation seeking to overturn the decision of lower courts that Urantia Foundation's 1983 claim of copyright renewal in The Urantia Book (English edition) [was] invalid and therefore void."

While the above statement is probably true and should be true, Urantia Foundation apparently does not believe it to be true. About the decision, on their website they make this very qualified and nuanced incredible statement:

"On October 6, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Urantia Foundation’s request to review the decision of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Michael Foundation, Inc. v. Urantia Foundation. The Supreme Court’s action allows that decision to stand with respect to the lawsuit brought in Oklahoma by Harry McMullan III concerning the unauthorized publication of the majority of Part IV of The Urantia Book as a separate work. In that case a jury had held The Urantia Book did not meet the criteria for renewal copyright protection as a composite work or a commissioned work.

"It is uncertain what the implications of the 10th Circuit decision may be with respect to others not a party to the Oklahoma lawsuit. In a separate case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that The Urantia Book is a composite work as a matter of law, and that Urantia Foundation is therefore entitled to renewal copyright protection for the book. It is clear that the Oklahoma decision does not apply to any international copyright in The Urantia Book nor to any of the translations, which are covered by separate copyrights.

"As soon as further information becomes available to clarify the implications of this decision we will provide the reader community with additional information."

URANTIA FOUNDATION does not accept the reality of the U. S. Supreme Court decision and is still looking for ways to regain its lost power and tyranny over the believers, while clinging to the "power" they still have over foreign translations, the sacred symbols, and the words "Urantia" and "Urantian."

Urantia Foundation further shows its continuing arrogant and imperious colors by campaigning to smear and discredit printings of the Urantia Revelation not printed by them, the so-called (by them) "authorized publisher."

Urantia Foundation says:

"Please be aware that some stores have replaced the original Urantia Book with substitutes published by other publishers. ...Some popularized version may supplant the original, inviolate text. [1]

"By purchasing only the original, identified with the Concentric-Circles Symbol, you can help ensure that it will not be left to market forces to determine the content of the Urantia Book available to the world in the years to come. [2] Insist on editions published by Urantia Foundation, the original and authorized publisher [3] committed to safeguarding the inviolate text for future generations." [4]

Notes: [1] UF does not print the inviolate text itself and has not since 1967 and refuses to footnote or end-note the changes it has made or to publish any notice in their books that any changes have been made, in spite of their Declaration of Trust requiring them to keep the text "inviolate."

[2] The Concentric-Circles Symbol is no guarantee of anything with regard to the inviolateness of the text of the Urantia Revelation. Neither the circles nor the copyright nor the Declaration of Trust has kept UF from altering the text. And the circles are the Banner of Michael and the emblem of the Paradise Trinity which UF has appropriated for its own private use as a corporate commercial product trademark like "Coca-Cola," which UF has put on coffee mugs, baseball caps, T-shirts, high-ball glasses, hooded sweatshirts, pens and polo shirts, complete with the "R" registered trademark symbol, all of which is designed to make you think of Urantia Foundation when you see it rather than of the celestial government of Michael and the Paradise Trinity.

[3] "Authorized publisher?" By whom? By God? UF is not the only "authorized" publisher, contrary to what they claim. The recent Supreme Court actions with regard to the lawsuit over UF's invalid copyright of the text of the Revelation authorizes anyone who wishes to publish the text to do so.

[4] UF has not safeguarded the inviolate text for future generations, in fact, it has altered the text and refuses to footnote or end-note in the book itself the changes it has made, or to include any notice whatsoever in their books that any changes have been made. Every time UF says their books contain the "inviolate text," UF lies once again. Do you love UF? Are you a UF supporter? If so, contact the trustees and ask them to print the inviolate text or footnote the changes they've made, in the books they sell.

Later in the same Mighty Messenger article it says: "We hope all readers will work to foster sincere attitudes of understanding, mutual respect, forgiveness, and true brotherly love." Well isn't that just grand? "We hope..." We hope..." We hope..." Marvelous. Let's all "hope." But what about the trustees? What about actions that will give some substance to our "hopes?" Will they stop suing their brothers and sisters? (At this point they've lost almost everything so it hardly matters what they say. It would have mattered before, but it matters less now.) Will they restore the text to its inviolate state, or footnote their changes in their books? Will they allow everyone who wishes, to identify and use the circles and the words Urantia and Urantian? Will they restore the Urantia Brotherhood to its rightful place as an equal to Urantia Foundation, not subservient in any way, and disband their cynical Urantia Brotherhood replacement, the prostitute IUA? Will they go back to court and try to undo the public lies they made about the nature and authorship of the Urantia Papers? Will they contact the Copyright Office and tell them that, no, they really weren't the author after all even though they claimed to be? Will they contact the Trademark Office and tell them that the word "Urantia" really does have a meaning, and that the word "Urantian" was NOT coined by them? Will they publicly apologize for persecuting Kristen for 7 years for having given away the text of the Urantia Revelation for free? Will they publicly apologize for having refused to sell books to some people for political reasons? Will they publicly apologize for having claimed in court that Bill Sadler wrote parts of the Urantia Book? No excuses or digressions, just apologize, and get the court record corrected before the enemies of the Revelation seize on the statement that Bill Sadler wrote parts of the Papers, or that the Papers are "not a religious book," another statement by Urantia Foundation in court. How could the "caretakers" damage the Revelation any more than by publicly stating in court that it's "not a religious book?"

On the last page of the Mighty Messenger, regarding sending Spanish books to Central and South America, Michelle Klimesh writes: "Because the foreign language books used for the pipeline are purchased from Urantia Foundation, it's a win/win for everyone involved."

I don't see how she figures that, and I have NO INTEREST in seeing Urantia Foundation win or prosper in any way whatsoever as they currently are. Sorry. I'm cured, and I won't get fooled again. When is the Fellowship going to have its own Spanish books so that it doesn't have to deal with Urantia Foundation at all? The very best thing that could happen to the world and to the Urantia movement would be for Urantia Foundation to simply disappear from the face of the earth. Urantia Foundation can either reform or die. They SHOW NO SIGN OF CHANGING, and no one can show otherwise at this point in time. They're even now still warring among themselves, the gang of four against trustee Kwan Choi. Contrary to what you might think, that case is still ongoing.