Deposition of Patricia S. Mundelius
November 16, 1994
Exhibit 11 of Defendant-Appellee's Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Emergency Motion for Stay and Injunction Pending Appeal November 15, 1995
Exhibit 11: DEFENDANT'S STATEMENT OF FACTS IN SUPPORT OF ITS MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFF'S MOTIONS FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON "FIRST AMENDMENT" AND "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION" DEFENSES
OHR, HACKETT, PEDERSON
BLAKLEY, RANDOLPH & HAGA, P.C.
John M. Randolph
Thomas M. Quigley
2800 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1043
(602) 240-3000
CLEARY & KOMEN
Joseph D. Lewis
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
(202) 675-4700Attorneys for Defendant UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF ARIZONA URANTIA FOUNDATION, NO. CIV 91-0325 PHX WKU Plaintiff, DEFENDANT'S STATEMENT OF FACTS IN SUPPORT OF ITS MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFF'S KRISTEN MAAHERRA, MOTIONS FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON "FIRST AMENDMENT" Defendant. AND "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION" DEFENSES
1. Urantia movement is a movement that includes everybody who reads The Urantia Book and believes in it. (T. Kendall Dep., 45:1; Caston Dep., p. 132).
2. Many people have a sincere belief in The Urantia Book as the basis of their religion. (Forsythe Dep. at p. 127; Mullins Aff., 3; P. Johnson Aff., 2; Newbern Aff 1; Kagan Aff., 3; Maaherra Dec., 12).
The Urantia Book
3. The Urantia Book is a meaningful whole constituting the Fifth Epochal Revelation of Truth to Urantia, our planet. (Mundelius Dep., Exs. 12, 14). The Urantia Book is the fifth in a series of major religious revelations to this planet. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission No. 19; C. Weatherford Aff., 1).
4. In the history of the world there have been only five events of religious revelation that are of Epochal significance, they are:
a. The Dalamatian Teachings
b. The Edenic Teachings
c. Melchizedek of Salem
d. Jesus of Nazareth
e. The Urantia Papers. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission No. 20).5. To many Urantians, the Urantia Papers are to their religion, what Jesus Christ himself is to Christianity. That is, the Papers are not merely a book about religion, they are a revelation in textual form, just as Jesus Christ was a revelation in the form of human flesh. (Schaveland Aff., 2).
6. Two thousand years ago, the "Word" was made of flesh (Jesus Christ). Today, the "Word" is made book (The Urantia Book). (Caston Dep., Ex. 45).
7. The Urantia Book is a religious revelation which is considered by many to be a divine revelation. (W. Hales Dep., 16:20, 16:23; Caston Dep., Ex. 48; Forsythe Dep. Ex 16).
8. The Urantia Book teaches that "Truth is Always a revelation: ... epochal revelation when it is presented by the function of some other celestial agency, group, or personality." (The Urantia Book at 1109).
9. The Urantia Book is the "latest gift from God." (Mundelius Dep., Ex. 8).
10. The Urantia Book is an attempt by extra-human personalities to update our whole planet with regard to spiritual affairs and to try to influence events and give the people of this planet spiritual hope. (T. Kendall Dep., 17-18).
11. There are many parallels in Christianity to concepts portrayed in The Urantia Book. The Urantia Book is not an offshoot of Christianity. Rather it is an accurate portrayal of the teachings and religion of Jesus not religion about Jesus. (Caston Dep., Ex. 10; W. Hales Dep., 33-34).
12. The Urantia Book teaches "the religion of Jesus rather than the religion about Jesus." The religion about Jesus which is in the Bible is written by other humans. The Urantia Book is more indicative of what Jesus taught and what he really believed. (W. Hales Dep., 33-34).
13. The Urantia Book's "central theme is that we are the sons and daughters of a heavenly Father who loves us each personally with an infinite love and through faith we can daily experience this ennobling truth, and further it is our supreme responsibility and the source of our highest and continuing joy to seek the Father's will and to strive to do His will in our lives." (Caston Dep., Ex. 47; Forsythe Dep. Ex. 13).
The Spiritual Origin of The Urantia Book
14. The essential facts which explain the origin of The Urantia Book are found in the book itself. (W. Hales Dep., 22:14). This is the most accurate information. (Forsythe Dep., Ex. 15, "The Urantia Book: THE QUESTION OF ORIGIN" at 1. See The Urantia Book, Dietz Dep., Ex. 4.
15. Neither the Foundation, nor any other human "knows many of the details and specifics regarding the origin of the URANTIA papers." Id.
16. To determine the origin of The Urantia Book, one must assemble and analyze various individual portions of The Urantia Book. (E.g., Caston Dep., Ex. 22).
17. Indeed, it may take several readings of The Urantia Book to construct the whole picture of its origin. (Caston Dep., Ex. 28).
18. The Foundation has no knowledge or materials respecting the entities listed as "authors" in The Urantia Book other than the materials which can be found in The Urantia Book. (Plaintiff's Amended Answers to Defendant's Second Set of Interrogatories, No. 18).
19. The Urantia Book authenticates itself through the recognition and religious faith by readers of the teachings contained in the book. (Forsythe Dep., p. 129 & Exs. 16, 18, 23, 25; Mundelius Dep., Ex. 20).
20. The originators of the text of The Urantia Book are all above the human level of existence. (Plaintiff's Responses to Requests for Admission, No. 32).
21. The actual composition of the Urantia papers was assigned to three special commissions of universe personalities. Part I was formulated by a high commission of twenty-four Orvonton (superuniverse) administrators headed by a Divine counselor and was presented in 1934. Parts II and III were authorized by a Nebadon (local universe) commission of twelve, acting under the direction of Mantutia Melchizedek and were indited in 1934 and 1935. Part IV was sponsored by a commission of twelve URANTIA midwayers acting under the supervision of a Melchizedek revelatory director. Id. at 2.
22. The personalities who provided the text of the Urantia papers are those personalities who are identified as the sources in The Urantia Book itself. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission 31, p. 71). None of these entities are human. (T. Kendall Dep., 21:4).
23. For example, the first thirty-one papers depicting the nature of Deity, the reality of Paradise, the organization and working of the central and superuniverses, the personalities of the grand universe, and the high destiny of evolutionary mortals, were sponsored, formulated, and put into English by a high commission consisting of twenty-four Orvonton administrators acting in accordance with a mandate issued by the Ancients of Days of Uversa directing that we should do this on Urantia, 606 of Satania, in Norlatiadek of Nebadon, in the year A.D. 1934. (The Urantia Book, at 354, Dietz Dep., Ex. 4).
24. "No human being determined the content of The Urantia Book." (Forsythe Dep., Ex. 15 at 3).
25. Mr. Mills, the Foundation trustee and vice president, wrote in thanking for a contribution to the Urantia Foundation:
"Through your assistance I will be able to move forward with the tremendous undertaking of bringing the supernal teachings of The URANTIA Book to all mankind, unchanged by any human ideas or doctrines." (Caston Dep., Ex. 60) (emphasis added).
26. Again, writing on behalf of the Foundation, Mr. Mills wrote:
"The authors are those whose names are appended to each paper comprising Section I, II and III of the book. An acknowledgement appears at the beginning of Part IV stipulating who the authors of that particular Section are. The authors are recognized to be superhuman beings, and since the advent of the book, there is no known method of communicating with them." (Caston Dep., Ex. 20).
27. The Urantia papers "have not been edited by human authors and all the Papers that were authored by the Revelatory Commission are included in the Book" (Forsythe Dep., Ex. 12).
28. The Urantia Foundation is not able to contact the spiritual authors of The Urantia Book. As they indicated in a letter to a Urantian, "the authors of The Urantia Book, as they are spiritual and morontial beings are not available for communication with mortals like ourselves." (Forsythe Dep., Ex. 19). In another letter the Foundation indicated "The authors are supermortal spiritual personalities. They are not on call. No being has the power to command their presence." (Forsythe Dep., Ex. 20).
29. Mr. Kendall, president of the Foundation also indicated the Foundation's view on these teachings as follows:
"The URANTIA teachings were to be the latest revelation of truth to our planet and are self validating. The various Papers are authored by the members of an extra-human revelatory commission. Each author is listed in the index at the end of each Paper." (Mundelius Dep., Ex. 16).
30. The Urantia Book was published just as it was received in English. There was no editing. The only function of the Foundation had to with typing, proofreading, and publication. (W. Hales Dep., 19-20).
31. The Urantian teachings were given by super humans. The Urantia Papers are considered to be on a higher plane than the Bible because they were given by such super humans. (M. Hales Dep., 34, 36).
32. An important difference between the Bible (New Testament) and Book is that the Bible was written by individual humans. (W. Hales Dep., 17).
33. Plaintiff now contends that the authors of the Urantia papers, within the meaning of the Copyright Act, are the spiritual authors described in The Urantia Book and five members of the contact commission and hundreds of members of the forum. (Plf's Second Supplemental Answers to Dft's Third Set of Interrogatories, No. 27).
34. The Foundation claims that
"The beings (whom the current Trustees of the Foundation believe, as a matter of personal faith, to be non-human) who... transferred to the Contact Commission, as copyright proprietor, the common law copyright in each individual "Urantia Paper" upon creation of that Paper in manuscript form." (Plf's Third Supplemental Answers to Dft's Third Set of Interrogatories, No. 28(c) (i).
The Defendant's Religious Beliefs are Based on the Religion of The Urantia Book
35. Kristen Maaherra first read the Urantia papers in 1969. Since that time, she has considered herself to be a Urantian. (Maaherra Dec., 2).
36. Ms. Maaherra has hosted study groups for The Urantia Book in her home and has consistently read and studied The Urantia Book. (Maaherra Dec., 3).
37. Ms. Maaherra attended several study sessions at the headquarters of the Urantia Foundation in Chicago as well as the school in Boulder, Colorado called the Boulder School for Students of The Urantia Book. (Maaherra Dec., 4).
38. Ms. Maaherra has four children, all of whom have been given names derived from the Urantia papers. (Maaherra Dec., 5).
39. The Urantia Book teaches that "there is but one law to obey -- that is the command to go forth proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom." (The Urantia Book at 2049).
40. The Urantia Book teaches "Remember that you are commissioned to preach this gospel of the kingdom . . . and you must not allow anything to divert your devotion to this one duty." (The Urantia Book at 1931).
41. Over the years, Maaherra has given away many study aids for The Urantia Book. These have included charts of Jesus' life, bookmarks, a children's book on The Urantia Book, maps of Jesus' preaching tours, and a computer program called Authpres. She has also prepared and distributed a study aid entitled, "Changes Between Printings of the Urantia Papers." (Maaherra Dec., 7).
42. Two versions of an index to The Urantia Book were given away by her at the International Urantia Conference in 1990 at Snowmass, Colorado. These received a very favorable response from Urantians. (Maaherra Dec., 9).
43. Ms. Maaherra subsequently prepared the study aid which is the subject of this lawsuit. ln preparing this study aid, she utilized the text of The Urantia Book, but made no use of the table of contents or any other introductory material. She used only the Urantia papers that were written by divine and spiritual beings and not the writings of any human. (Maaherra Dec., 10).
44. Ms. Maaherra distributed the study aid without charge, and received no complaints about her efforts until the Foundation brought this lawsuit. (Maaherra Dec., 11).
45. The Supplemental Declaration of Kristen Maaherra is incorporated herein by reference.
46. Other Urantians feel compelled, based on their religious beliefs to make available to others The Urantia Book by evangelism or gift. (Kagan Dec., 3).
47. In order to evangelize the teachings of the Urantia Papers and to express the Urantia religion, it is necessary to provide the text of The Urantia Book to persons who might benefit from the gospel. Unique qualities of The Urantia Book cannot be equaled or paralleled by the personal expression of any individual adherent. (Mullins Aff., 4).
48. No mortal human being can properly express the teachings and philosophy of the Urantia papers without using the actual text itself. (Mullins Aff., 4).
The Words and Symbol of The Urantia Book
49. "The URANTIA revelation embodies its own unique symbolism. The word URANTIA, and the Concentric-Circles Symbol stem directly from these teachings." The word Urantia and the symbol identify the revelation known as The Urantia Book. (Mundelius Dep., Ex. 4).
50. The Urantia Book teaches that "the restatement of the religion of Jesus must develop a new and appropriate symbolism." (The Urantia Book at 966).
51. The symbol of the Urantia religion comprises the concentric circles. (Kagan Aff., 4; McCarty Aff., 5; H. Weatherford Aff., 3).
52. The three blue concentric circles which appear on the cover of The Urantia Book symbolize the "Paradise Trinity" of all creation and the emblem of Michael, Jesus of Nazareth. (Mullins Dec. 3; Plaintiff's Responses to Requests for Admission Nos. 40 - 41, citing p. 1016 of The Urantia Book; T. Kendall Dep. at 19-20).
53. The human known in the Christian faith as Jesus Christ, is known to Urantians by the name of Michael. As The Urantia Book instructs "sometimes we refer to the sovereign of your universe of Nebadon as Christ Michael." (The Urantia Book at 234).
54. The symbol also represents the "order of the Melchizedek." (W. Hales Dep. at 24.) The symbol was selected by the Urantia Foundation to appear on the cover of the book because it represented this religious order. (Id. at 24-25).
55. The concentric circle symbol is a religious symbol which is as powerfully compelling for many Urantians, as is the cross for the Christians or the Star of David is for Jews. (Horn Aff., 6; H. Weatherford Aff., 3; C. Weatherford Aff., 4).
56. The three concentric circles is a religious symbol that has been used by Urantians in connection with various Urantia religious gatherings. (Schaveland Aff., 5; Kagan Aff., 4).
57. The concentric circles symbol has been used by Urantians at various conferences, weddings, study groups, Jesus birthday celebrations and worship services to represent the Paradise Trinity and the Banner of Michael (Jesus). (Schaveland Aff., 5; Mullins Aff., 5).
58. The word "Urantia" is the revealed name of the planet Earth. The source of this word is the superhuman revelators of The Urantia Book. (Horn Aff., 3; Kagan Aff., 4).
59. In speaking to humans, The Urantia Book says, "Urantia -- that being the name of your world ...." (The Urantia Book at p. 1).
60. "Urantia" refers to a religion founded upon the teachings of The Urantia Book. (C. Weatherford Aff., 2; H. Weatherford Aff., 3, 4).
61. The words "Urantia" and "Urantian" are used to connote a revelatory religion of The Urantia Book, to describe religious gatherings relating to The Urantia Book, and distinguish them from other occasions. (Newbern Aff., 1; Schaveland Aff., 5).
62. The word ~Urantian" has been frequently used to describe those who believe in The Urantia Book. Indeed, "the term `Urantian' is the only widely used and actuate description of those who follow the religious precepts of the Urantia revelation. (Horn Aff., 4; McCarty Aff., 4; Newbern Aff., 2; R. Johnson Aff., 4; C. Weatherford Aff., 3; H. Weatherford Aff., 2).
63. For many Urantians, the word describes their religion "as does `Christian' for those who call themselves Christians, `Muslim' for the followers of Islam, `Buddhist' for the adherents to the teachings of Buddha." (Horn Aff., 5).
64. Writing for the Foundation, its vice president stated that: "We have not given consideration as to where we might be classified under world religions. We believe we could be considered essentially Christian, yet Buddhists, Hindus, and many other religions or philosophical systems of thought would find considerable harmony with the teachings of The Urantia Book. If one must classify, I guess we should be just called 'Urantians.'" (Mundelius Dep., Ex. 28).
The "Contact Personality"
65. The Urantia papers came through a human subject, although they were not written by the subject. (M. Hales Dep., 12:5). This human individual is referred to in The Urantia Book as the contact personality.
66. The exact identity of the individual described in The Urantia Book as the "contact personality" is unknown to the Foundation. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission No. 10, p. 36).
67. The identity of the subject was kept a secret by those persons who knew the identity. (Id.; M. Hales Dep. at 12, Forsythe Dep., Ex. 15 at 2). The superhuman revelators did not want any human associated with The Urantia Book. (Mundelius Dep., Ex. 20; Caston Dep., Ex. 23).
The Foundation Holds a Copyright in Human-Authored works of a "Religious Nature" Which are Not Challenged in this Case.
68. The copyright claimant for the work Worship and Wisdom, Gems From The Urantia Book was William S. Sadler, who was also identified as the author. The same format was used in registering the work The Teachings of Jesus. The copyright is now owned by the Foundation. (Lewis Dec., Exs. 1, 2).
69. With regard to the work, How The Urantia Book Helps Understand the Contemporary World: War and Peace -- State of the World, Urantia Foundation was listed as the original statutory copyright claimant. However, the author was indicated to be James C. Mills, a one-time trustee of the Urantia Foundation.
70. When the Urantia Foundation registered a copyright in the study aid entitled, Study Aids for Part IV of The Urantia Book The Life and Teachings of Jesus, the Foundation was again listed as the copyright claimant. However, the author of the work, Ruth E. Renn, was specifically identified. The same format was used by the Foundation in registering the work, Guide to the Pronunciation of Names and Words in The Urantia Book. Marian T. Rowley was indicated to be the author on the copyright application, even though the Urantia Foundation was the initial copyright claimant. (Lewis Dec., Exs. 4, 5).
The Contact Commission and Forum
71. Two groups of humans were the first known groups of people to study the Urantia papers; these groups are referred to herein as the contact commission and the forum.
72. The contact commission is not mentioned in The Urantia Book. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission at 12).
73. Members of the contact commission met with the person known as the contact personality. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission at 12).
74. The forum was a group of individuals who read and studied the early drafts of the text of the Urantia papers, discussed their content, and submitted questions about the subject matter. (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission at 13).
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph D. Lewis
Exhibit 12
Supplemental Declaration of Kristen Maaherra
Exhibit 12
Supplemental Declaration
of Kristen Maaherra
December 27, 1994All my beliefs expressed in this declaration are my sincere beliefs based on my deep religious convictions.
12. Basically, I am what is known in Urantia circles as a "Urantia Book fundamentalist." What that means is, I'm not really interested in anything that cannot be directly connected with the Urantia Papers. My whole belief system is based on believing that the Urantia Papers are exactly what they claim to be, a revelation authored by superhuman beings who came to Urantia (this planet) for the purpose of bringing us this revelation. The Urantia Papers form the basis of my religious belief.
13. 25 years ago, after a search of many years, I met God and found the Urantia Papers. This was not a calm, quiet, orderly birth. This was an uprooting and a transplant, a loving pruning of everything that doesn't respond to the question, "Does it bring man closer to God or God closer to man?" (Page 1388. All page numbers in this Affidavit reference to the first printing edition of the Urantia Papers).
14. I am daily aware that I can't get dressed without God's help, that I can't take a breath without God allowing it. Although I am not always positive of what God's will is, I live to do God's will. It is my will and my prayer that God's will be done on Urantia. (Pages 1303 and 1221).
15. The words that went through my mind when I first saw the Urantia Papers on a friend's bookshelf was, "This is what I've been looking for my whole life." Before I even opened the book, I knew this was "it." Finally.
16. Why do I need the revelation? The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man are concepts which are in every religion in the world. Why do I think it's important to read the way these concepts are expressed in the Urantia Papers? The answer to that question is inextricably bound to the fact that the Urantia revelation has superhuman authorship. The authors "Know Whereof' they speak. (Pages 32, 80, 1199, 2020, for examples).
17. If I am going to base my whole life on God's promises, I need to have an authoritative source which won't fall through when I lean my whole weight on it. I have found the Urantia Papers to be a stable and internally consistent gift from a loving heavenly father.
18. The concept of the Thought Adjuster is unique to the Urantia Papers. A Thought Adjuster is another gift from God, "the presence of God." (Page 1193). "It is the indwelling Adjuster who individualizes the love of God to each human soul." (Page 40). "What a mistake to dream of God far off in the skies when the spirit of the Universal Father lives within your own mind." (Page 64).
19. My indwelling spirit of God (my Thought Adjuster) can work with the revelator's words in the Urantia Papers, like a potter creating a pot on the potter's wheel, one hand putting pressure from the inside and one hand putting pressure from the outside. Both hands are necessary. Both hands must be from the same divine source to form the vessel. (And it's true, all spiritual influences work together, page 95). The potter's image is one I've held on to for years as I try to get out of the way and let God turn me into the child he wants me to be.
20. In order to lean on God's promises, I must know what those promises are. Again, I need to know from an authoritative source. I was one of those people who couldn't ever accept the Bible or the Upanishads, the Koran or the Rig-Veda -- or any of the other beautiful spiritual writings the world has to offer -- as being anything more than evolutionary (i.e., man-made). I can lean on the Urantia Papers with all that I am; they hold me. I can count on God's promises as described in the Urantia Papers. Jesus said, "If it were not so, I would have told you." (Page 1102).
21. When I first started reading the Urantia Papers, I would often come to a phrase or idea that startled me with a small visceral jump. An idea I'd never heard, or did not "agree" with right away. Only my faith in this revelation, my faith in the superhuman authorship of the Urantia Papers, gave me enough leverage to be able to mull over the concepts that shocked me until I was able to change my own preconceived notions and ideas. Instead of ever rejecting the Urantia Papers, I was fortunate enough to be able to hang on to my faith in the superhuman authorship of the Urantia Papers and ask that God reconstruct my mind brick by brick with the revelator's words.
22. Being what Urantians call a "Urantia Book fundamentalist," I recognize no authority but the Urantia Papers themselves. If it's not in the Papers, I don't use it in my thinking.
23. For example, concerning the origin of the revelation, the superhuman revelators in the Urantia Papers don't mention a "Forum" or a "Contact Commission." The superhuman revelators in Urantia Papers don't mention other messages, memos, mandates, admonitions, warnings, or any "apocryphal" writings they left with the Sadler family or with any human. (Only an unnamed human "contact personality" is mentioned in the Urantia Papers). The superhuman revelators in the Urantia Papers don't mention the Urantia Foundation, or the Urantia Foundation's Declaration of Trust. (I mention this because the Urantia Foundation seems to reference and depend on and elevate to the level of "revelation" many other sources besides the Urantia Papers themselves.)
24. The Urantia Papers are a gift from God to all his children on this planet. This includes myself and everyone else. This "Gift of Revelation" (page 1007) is not limited to the Urantia Foundation, the contact personality, the contact commission, the forum, the Sadlers, or any other individual group. The Urantia Papers are a gift to all who would receive them and belong to everybody who believes in them. ("This gospel of the kingdom belongs to all who believe it; it shah not be committed to the custody of mere priests." Page 2044). The Urantia Papers were not shared with the contact commission or the forum or the Sadlers or any humans to "own," but were shared with humans in order that the humans print and disseminate the revelation. That was the extent of the human end of the job.
25. I believe a multitude of spiritual, divine, non-human beings authored, wrote, translated, indited, presented, formulated and brought to this planet the Urantia Papers.
26. Based on what the Urantia Papers themselves claim, I believe that there are no human authors of the Urantia Papers. It is also my sincere belief and understanding of the Urantia Papers and their origin that I also do not believe that any human co-authored any of the Urantia Papers.
27. I believe that the Urantia Papers were materialized by the revelators in the English language in the United States of America because the revelators wanted the Papers in the Public Domain. The revelators would know that works by superhuman authors are not copyrightable in the United States, and the revelators would know that Religious Freedoms are important in the United States.
28. I believe I have a responsibility to spread the Urantia Papers to all the world, and I believe that duty comes straight out of the Urantia Papers themselves. (A few examples of this command can be found on pages 1051, 1584, 1605, 1842, 2042, 2043).
29. I believe that those of us who have been given so much, who have been fortunate enough to find and recognize the Urantia Papers to be the fifth epochal revelation to the planet have a responsibility to share our good fortune with our brothers and sisters by getting the Urantia Papers into every language and into the hands of every person on the planet.
30. I believe that the gospel of the Urantia Papers is inseparable from the text of the Urantia Papers, that the superhuman's expression of the supernal concepts found in the Papers is part of what changes our human thinking.
31. I believe that the spiritual beings worked with the Thought Adjuster of the unknown contact personality, and that the "fortuitously unconcerned" attitude of the contact personality was exactly as described in the Papers.
32. I believe that the Urantia Papers describe an eyewitness account by the superhuman revelators of the events described in the Urantia Papers. This firsthand information cannot be obtained by talking to some human about the Urantia Papers.
33. I believe I need to put the Papers themselves into the hands of each struggling mortal on the planet. It is not my responsibility to make a decision for that mortal, only to give that mortal an opportunity to decide for him or herself about the Papers.
34. The Urantia Papers are the only source for the unique language of the Urantia Papers (words like "morontia," for example). These are words from the superhuman revelators that the indwelling Adjuster can work with.
35. Every revelation forms a new cult. On page 966, the Papers tell us,
"Again, the new symbolism must not only be significant for the group but also meaningful to the individual. The forms of any serviceable symbolism must be those which the individual can carry out on his own initiative, and which he can also enjoy with his fellows."
The three concentric blue circles is just such a symbol.
36. I use the circles symbol on my wedding ring to identify with Jesus, for the circles are the banner of Michael (Jesus). The Urantia Papers describe the circles. I use the circles to identify with the Trinity government of all creation, as a symbol of the eternity, infinity, and universality of God. I do not use and have never used the circles to show any affiliation or identification with the Urantia Foundation. I use the circles to associate with other Urantians, and to show my affiliation with the teachings and practices of the religion of Jesus in the Urantia Papers.
37. The following are examples of the circles being significant to Urantians as a group: I have attended many Urantian conferences where the 3 blue concentric circles on a white background were displayed in banner or flag form. I've attended birthday parties for Urantians and birthday parties given by Urantians for Jesus where the circles were on the cake. I've attended Urantian study groups where the circles were displayed in many different ways: on stained glass windows, on bevelled glass resting in a polished wood base, even bargelloed on couch pillows. At the school for the Urantia Papers which I attended, the circles were always displayed in the form of a large stained glass piece which could be hung in the window or from a wood frame. The group of Urantians who made a pilgrimage to the land of Jesus' birth August, 1994, flew a 3 concentric blue circles flag over Jerusalem on Jesus' birthday.
38. As for the circles being also meaningful to the individual, I also am personally acquainted with many examples, including: Many Urantians have personal jewelry with the 3 blue concentric circles symbol; I've seen everything from rings, pins, pendants, bracelets, earrings. Urantians wear T-shirts with the circles. Urantians use the circles on birth announcements, memorial services, and weddings. They have bumper stickers with the circles and the word "Urantian."
39. The words Urantia and Urantian are also straight out of the Urantia Papers, invented and given to the planet by the superhuman authors. Just as the circles are a unique identifier to those who believe in the superhuman authorship of the Urantia Papers, so are the words Urantia and Urantian unique identifiers of ourselves to each other. In fact, no other term adequately describes us, which is why we use the words Urantia and Urantian.
40. The Urantia Papers say, "Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. (Page 2090). The Bible has some of Jesus' words, but for Jesus' words that aren't in the Bible, the Urantia Papers contain the only firsthand authoritative account.
41. The Urantia Papers tell us to "go into all the world" with the gospel. (See pages 1051, 1584, 1605, 1842, 2042, 2043, 2053, 2055 for examples). That doesn't mean go into all the world with the teachings of Kristen, or the interpretations of the Foundation, or the gospel of Paul. The real gospel is the words of the superhuman revelators, the "good news" of sonship straight from invisible sons, in the Urantia Papers.
42. If we don't use Jesus' words, exact quotes and firsthand accounts of his life, we have only a religion about Jesus, told and interpreted by some human, instead of the religion of Jesus, which (on this planet) can only be found in the Urantia Papers. Because the exact language used by the revelators is so important to understand the revelation, I made a study aid to direct Urantians to the exact language in the actual passages they are thinking of.
43. Any one of the Urantia Papers could change the world. The Urantia Papers come from the very place Jesus himself came from. They are an epochal revelation to this planet, just as Jesus was an epochal revelation to this planet.
44. Humans need the language of the revelators for enlightenment. The mind is the gateway to the soul. (Pages 1705, 1733). There is no other source of contact with superhuman thinking on this planet. To restrict or humanly circumscribe my use of the Urantia Papers is to interfere with my contact and relationship with the superhuman realm, with the spirit world itself.
45. It has been an ambition of mine since I found the Urantia Papers to memorize every word. Then the symphonic symmetry could play inside my head -- a phrase from one section could suddenly connect, reverberate, harmonize with a phrase from a section Papers away. To more fully appreciate the beautiful internal consistency. I know I can not memorize all the text, and that makes the index study aid all the more invaluable for finding the exact passages I seek.
46. There are a quarter million Urantia Books so far in print. But one third million people die each day. This population is dying without a chance to see God's gift to them. For this reason I sincerely hope the Urantia Papers will be recognized to be in the public domain, where they have always been and where I believe Jesus means them to be.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Kristen Maaherra