Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 16:24:05 -0500
To: urantial@ubook.org, UBtalk@Utalk.org, FreeUrantia@cuenet.com
From: Kristen Maaherra <urantian@concentric.net>
Subject: FreeUrantia: Asking Urantia Foundation Wrong Questions! Update from Kristen Maaherra
 

We have been asking the Foundation trustees the wrong questions!

We have been asking them if they believe in the superhuman authorship of the Urantia Papers. And they always answer, "yes."

We need to ask them if they believe there is NO HUMAN AUTHORSHIP in the Urantia Papers.

For, you see, the problem has always been that - in Court - the Foundation ends up EXPANDING on its idea of the "superhuman authorship" to include the forum, the contact commission, and the Foundation itself in its description of the authorship of the Urantia Papers.

The trustees call it "legalese," but some of us think it is denial of the superhuman authorship, and therefore default of the trust of the fifth epochal revelation.

Since there is so much confusion in the Urantia community about "What exactly does the Foundation believe?" I suggest that the trustees pass a RESOLUTION and record it in the Copyright Office.

Filing a clarification with the Copyright Office is a good way for the trustees to put this whole issue to rest. To stand up for the superhuman authorship of the Urantia Papers.

If the trustees file something with the Court - how would anyone ever find it? What judicial district was it filed in? Does the statement apply in other districts? You see the problem. Filing a statement with some Court somewhere is of less importance than recording a Resolution with the Copyright Office itself.

February 11, 1980, another time when there was great confusion among Urantians, the Foundation trustees had their lawyer, Mr. Root, file an Affidavit with the Copyright Office. (When I brought up the Root Affidavit in Court, the Foundation said, "We don't know what Root meant. Root's dead." So it wasn't very effective.)

No, the way to settle this issue is for the trustees themselves - and not their lawyers - to file their Resolution with the Copyright Office.

Anyone who is interested - without even knowing the address or phone number of the Foundation - can ask the Copyright Office about the authorship of the Urantia Papers - and there would be the publisher's statement of belief for all the world to see: "We believe there is NO HUMAN AUTHORSHIP of the Urantia Papers."

I, for one, would like to see them really state the facts as they are given in the Urantia Papers and by the contact commission in this Resolution. Something along the lines of:

"We, the undersigned trustees of Urantia Foundation, believe the Urantia Papers are authored by, arranged by, assembled by, assigned by, authorized by, chosen by, collected by, commissioned by, compiled by, composed by, coordinated by, created by, delivered by, depicted by, dictated by formulated by, indited by, made meaningful by, mandated by, narrated by, organized by, portrayed by, presented by, requested by, revealed by, selected by, sponsored by, transcribed by, translated by, transmitted by, unified by, and written by the following superhuman personalities: Archangels, Brilliant Evening Stars, Chief of Archangels, Chief of Evening Stars, Chief of Midwayers, Chief of Seraphim, Divine Counselors, Life Carriers, Machiventa Melchizedek, Malavatia Melchizedek, Manovandet Melchizedek, Mantutia Melchizedek, Melchizedeks, Midwayer Commission, Mighty Messengers, One High in Authority, One Without Name and Number, Perfectors of Wisdom, Secondary Lanonandeks, Solitary Messengers, Solonia, Universal Censors, and Vorondadek Sons.

"We believe there is no human authorship associated with the creation of the Urantia Papers. The Urantia Papers were published just as they were received. The Celestial Revelators do not want any human being, any human name, ever to be associated with the Urantia Papers."

Quotations from the contact commission - such as the ones on the next post ("Who Created the Urantia Papers?") concerning selection, arrangement, and authorship - could be included in the trustees' Resolution.

Such a Resolution, filed with the Copyright Office - and how about mailing it to every believer while they're at it? - would help show the world the Foundation is truly "different" now.

Much love, and God bless you, Kristen

P.S. On settlement: On April 1, Urbom gave both sides another 30 days to discuss settlement. Then we'll have another Status Conference. A "practical settlement" is one where some issues are left unresolved. For instance, I am not going to sign something that says I agree to limit myself to 1000 words of the Divine Counselor's text. And yet, that seems to be the one "unnegotiable" point the trustees want from me. If the trustees remain inflexible in their desire to control the revelation and believers, I'm going to have to go to Court in Phoenix.