The appointment of two former members of the Fellowship's Executive Committee has occasioned a number of questions from members of the International Urantia Association. We thought that you might be interested in the most frequently asked questions and our answers.
Question: Is Urantia Foundation going to license any other organization to publish The Urantia Book?
Answer: No. Publishing the book is a business function and therefore a Foundation matter.
There are two broad functions associated with The Urantia Book: business, and social-fraternal. Both of these were assigned to the Foundation by the Declaration of Trust creating Urantia Foundation. The Trustees chose to delegate the social-fraternal function to the former Brotherhood and more recently to the International Urantia Association. The Urantia Foundation handles the “business” matters such as publication, translation, distribution, and protection of The Urantia Book.
Question: Is the Urantia Foundation going to print a book with two columns and with angels or Jesus or both on the cover?
Answer: No. Urantia Foundation has no plans to print The Urantia Book with two columns or to change its cover design. It will continue to print The Urantia Book, formatted and paginated as it was in 1955 and having the same physical appearances as it did in 1955. In addition, all translations in content, format, pagination, and physical appearance will continue, as much as possible, to be “true to the original” English text. Our goal is to have Urantia Books appear on bookshelves that have the same basic classical image that we have enjoyed in the past. However, any suggestions to improve the quality of the Foundation's products are always welcome.
Question: Has the Foundation increased its emphasis on fund-raising?
Answer: There has always been, and we believe there will always be, sufficient funds to enable Urantia Foundation to execute its Trust. At the same time, we know that running a rapidly growing multinational organization requires professional management, wise stewardship, and adequate funding.
Sales and expenses are about triple what they were five years ago. Today, 5 translations have been published and about a dozen are in progress. Five years ago, only 2 translations were being published, and only 2 were in progress. Five years ago, the Foundation had no Executive Director and employed only 4 staff members. Today, the Foundation employs 7 persons full-time and has 2 full-time volunteers. Five years ago, there were no computer, CD-ROM, and audio versions. Five years ago, there were only 3 associations oflUA. Today, there are 26 associations with over 700 members.
As the Foundation seeks to undertake more projects to increase the availability of The Urantia Book and to provide services to readers, the work load increases. Therefore we must pay attention to the fact that additional funding is needed to support the work that needs to be done.
Notwithstanding that the Trustees desire that the Foundation be professionally managed and financially secure, their top priority continues to be the execution of the Declaration of Trust with emphasis on the “Principal Object,” and the “Concordant Objects.”
PRINCIPAL OBJECT: The object for which this Foundation is created is the promotion, improvement, and expansion among the peoples of the world of the comprehension and understanding of Cosmology and the relation of the planet on which we live to the Universe, of the genesis and destiny of Man and his relation to God, and of the true teachings of Jesus Christ; and for the inculcation and encouragement of the realization and appreciation of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man—in order to increase and enhance the comfort, happiness, and well being of Man, as an individual and as a member of society, through the fostering of a religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology which are commensurate with Man's intellectual and cultural development.
CONCORDANT OBJECTS: The concordant objects for which the Foundation is created are to perpetually preserve inviolate the text of The Urantia Book and to disseminate the principles, teachings, and doctrines of The Urantia Book [emphasis added].
Question: Can a member of the Fellowship also be a member of IUA?
Answer: Yes. Anyone is eligible to join an association of IUA if they have read the entire Urantia Book, accept its teachings, and support the Foundation, the Declaration of Trust, and the Foundation's ownership of the copyright and marks. An individual desiring membership in IUA applies to their nearest regional association and that association's membership committee decides for or against acceptance.
Question: What is the difference between membership in the International Urantia Association and membership in some other organization of readers of The Urantia Book?
Answer: The members of IUA are formally interdependent with Urantia Foundation. They sign a document stating that they accept the teachings of The Urantia Book, and that they support the Urantia Foundation, the Declaration of Trust, and the Foundation's ownership of the copyright and marks.
The International Urantia Association was organized by a collaborative effort between the Trustees and friends and supporters of the Foundation worldwide.
IUA is a democratic organization whose purposes are the in-depth study of the book and the orderly dissemination of its teachings. IUA is a ''task-driven” fraternal organization with particular emphasis on servicing the needs of readers and potential readers worldwide.