The Age of Light and Life – and how to get there

By Jeffrey Wattles, Ohio, USA on

The term “light and life” refers to the final stages of  planetary evolution when the kingdom of God becomes actual in an advanced world civilization.

This talk describes our glorious planetary destiny and two paths to it, as set forth in several quotes on light and life. The first one defines light and life as the integration of previous phases of normal planetary evolution; the second and third teachings centre us in Jesus’ gospel. Fourth, as things become complex, we do well to recall that light and life is marked by “refreshing simplicity.” And the fifth teaching portrays the quest for a better understanding and fuller realization of the comprehensible elements of Deity—truth, beauty, and goodness. [1]

Read More

The Challenge of Survival

By Bevan-Rhys James, Melbourne, VIC on

Now and the Future  According to The Urantia Book

Recent world events indicate we are living in challenging   times, hence the theme of ANZURA’s annual conference at Hepburn Springs in Victoria from 29 Sept to 2 Oct 2017 titled : The Challenge of Survival – Now and the Future according to The Urantia Book.

Paper 99 has insights to help guide us.

Mankind is on the march toward a new and unrevealed planetary destiny. [Paper  99:1.1, page 1086:1].

We can’t …hope to settle down as in past ages. The social ship has steamed out of the sheltered bays of established tradition and has begun its cruise upon the high seas of evolutionary destiny; and the soul of man, as never before in the world’s history, needs carefully to scrutinize its charts of morality and painstakingly to observe the compass of religious guidance.  [Paper 99:1.3, page 1086:6]

With the advance of modern communications and travel the challenges of today are echoing around the globe and at the conference we looked at some of the most immediate matters of concern: – End Times prophesies – including the Second Coming of Christ, Nuclear War, Global Warming – Pollution, Overpopulation – Extinction, Terrorism – War, Globalisation – New  World Order – Mass Surveillance.  (Note: none of the matters examined were based on any expertise–each in themselves could fill a conference.  The information was gleaned from the internet and other sources both written and audio then sprinkled with some common sense).  In confronting these issues, what can we contribute as Religionists / Spiritual people?  What guidance can we get from the Urantia Book ?

A new and fuller revelation of the religion of Jesus is destined to conquer an empire of materialistic secularism and to overthrow a world sway of mechanistic naturalism. Urantia is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment. [Paper 195:9.2, page 2082:7]

Read More

ANZURA Conference Victoria 2017

29th September to 2nd October, 2017

The Australian & New Zealand Urantia Association invite students of The Urantia Book to attend our annual conference to be held at the “Continental House” retreat centre in the beautiful in Hepburn Springs, the heart of Victoria’s spa country. The venue is situated in a one-acre garden with plenty of private courtyards and peaceful outdoor areas.

The theme will be The Challenge of Survival with the subtitle “Now and the future, according to The Urantia Book.” We will be addressing questions such as: “What does The Urantia Book say about where we are now as a planet?” and, “How did we get here and where are we going?” There are enough implications in the book to let us know that it is up to enlightened citizens of the planet to come to terms with present day reality and ensure the values taught in the book survive and have a future.

Mankind is on the march toward a new and unrevealed planetary destiny. [Paper 99:1.1, page 1086.4]

…society can never hope to settle down as in past ages. The social ship has steamed out of the sheltered bays of established tradition and has begun its cruise upon the high seas of evolutionary destiny; and the soul of man, as never before in the world’s history, needs carefully to scrutinize its charts of morality and painstakingly to observe the compass of religious guidance. The paramount mission of religion as a social influence is to stabilize the ideals of mankind during these dangerous times of transition from one phase of civilization to another, from one level of culture to another. [Paper 99:1.3, page 1086.6]

We humans are the most intelligent beings on the planet and are capable of resolving not only physical survival, but also the social and cultural destiny of the planet.

The Urantia Book provides us with in-depth explanations of our world’s origin and journey to the present time and gives us a greater understanding of our present situation. It describes an array of unseen and uplifting support that surrounds and indwells us, and describes at length the incredible future that lies before us with a destiny of transcendent and eternal adventures. There is a purpose; there are reasons for our current reality, and there are incredible answers to the big questions. No matter what happens we are assured of the supernal care, support and security of infinite and eternal love that enfolds us, both within and around us to guide us in the here now, and into a superlative life beyond.

These are the kinds of issues we will be exploring at this year’s conference so please come and join us in discovering how we can make a difference by playing our unique part today as it relates to the whole.

Venue

Continental House, 9 Lone Pine Avenue, Hepburn Springs, Victoria, Australia

We will have exclusive use of “Continental House” which is situated in the heart of Victoria’s Spa Country. It is a 1927 retreat centre that has recently been fully renovated and offers a special location for retreats and group functions. It has much that contributes to health and well-being with a one-acre garden with plenty of private courtyards and peaceful outdoor areas. It also has a Yoga room and a Spa room and the famous Hepburn Springs are just a hop, skip and a jump away. Accommodation is all on-site and consists of 12 bedrooms with a combination of Twin and Queen rooms. All rooms are heated and have ceiling fans. There are log fires in the lounge and dining rooms. Bed linen and towels are supplied. (http://www.continentalhouse.net.au)

Catering

The Centre provides a self-serve breakfast as well as lunch and dinner every day. In addition, tea, coffee and other refreshments will be available throughout the day.

Cost

Full conference fee is $360. These costs cover 3 night’s accommodation plus all meals from Friday dinner to Monday breakfast. Alcoholic beverages will be available for an extra cost.

Daily Rate: $80 – includes both lunch and dinner plus tea and coffee throughout the day

Daily Rate: $40 – includes only lunch plus tea and coffee throughout the day

Registration

To register click on the downloadable brochure which has the registration form and details on how to pay.

Registration & Brochure

 

Read Presentations 

Read More

2017 Study Day Reflections

Groups met around the world over the weekend of 27th May 2017 to study Papers 98 and 99: The Melchizedek Teachings in the Occident and The Social Problems of Religion.  Following are some reflections from some who met: 

Canberra Study Group

by William Wentworth

Four members of the Canberra study group, William Wentworth (host), Jocelyn Goson, Verner Verass and Dylan Roberts, met on Sunday afternoon and read both papers. One of our members (Nigel Nunn) toils on Sundays and could not attend.

We had excellent discussions at various points in the papers. We enjoyed being reminded that Christianity has such diverse roots, with so many of them arising from the work of Machiventa Melchizedek so many centuries earlier. One thing which stirred some discussion was the revelator’s assertion that Greek philosophy, even at its best, ignored self- preservation—salvation—for self-realisation and self- understanding. Some of us thought that the “virtues” of self-realisation and self-understanding are an integral part of salvation. Shakespeare puts the idea into the advice Polonius gives his son in Hamlet— “This above all,—to thine own self be true”—and we realised that the revelator was distinguishing between those concepts and salvation.

Read More

Dynamic Grand Universe Model

By George Park, USA on

The Urantia Book contains a unique and beautiful cosmology. The galaxies of the universe are organized in concentrically arranged elliptical space levels which revolve about the Isle of Paradise, the dwelling place of God. Our Milky Way galaxy is part of Orvonton, one of seven Superuniverses found in the Superuniverse space level.

Read More

President’s Reports – Arena 2016

By William Wentworth on

From the President – Autumn 2016

William Wentworth

With last year’s annual conference now well behind us, the next regular event will be the Annual Study Day scheduled for 28th May. Since this event was internationalised it has become quite popular, and further information about the paper to be studied by allparticipating groups is included in this issue.

Plans are well underway for this year’s 2016 annual conference in Tasmania which is being hosted by the Hobart study group. The theme will be Equipped to be Teachers of the Religion of Jesus – Are you Willing? Are you Ready? Further details and a registration form are included in this issue.I hope many of you can make it along.

You will find more of the presentations from last year’s Sydney conference included in this issue.

Read More

New Zealand Corner – 2016

By Ian Campbell, Auckland on

 

New Zealand Corner – Autumn 2016

 

Since the last issue of NZ Corner the Urantia-NZ Facebook page has been kept ticking along nicely by Matthew Hall and others, and the Auckland study group has had two monthly meetings after our traditional December break. In January the group adopted the following format for our 2016 meetings.

Planning

  1. At any time anyone can suggest a paper to be read or topic that they would like to be developed by adding a card to the suggestions list in Trello. (Trello, pictured below, is a web-based collaboration product discussed in the last NZ Corner).
  2. At any time anyone can volunteer to develop a topic on the suggestions list by dragging the topic’s card to the “Topics being developed” list and placing his/her icon on the card. Others can add their icon to the card if they wish to assist.
  3. Once a topic has been developed it is dragged back to the suggestions list.
  4. When a facilitator wishes to include a paper or topic in the next meeting it is dragged from the suggestions list to the “Next meeting” list.
  5. After the meeting topics are dragged to the “Completed” list or back to the suggestions list for further
  6. study.

Read More

Tasmanian Conference Reflections

By Kathleen Swadling, Sydney on

Equipped to be Teachers of the Religion of Jesus –
Are You Willing? Are You Ready?

 

The 2016 annual conference for the Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association (ANZURA) was held at the delightful Maryknoll Retreat Conference Centre overlooking Blackmans Bay just south of Hobart. Many thanks go to our gracious hosts Julian McGarry and the Hobart study group team for providing such a well-planned event. Not only did the venue provide a stunningly beautiful natural environment, but the program itself provided for much heartfelt discussion and qualitative food for thought.

Urantia Book readers came from all around Australia and two from New Zealand. A good number of participants who haven’t been to a Urantia conference before came from Tasmania itself!

In the words of Robin Evans, one of the Tasmanian locals:

The conference was like climbing into a safe place and refueling; I had been quite separated for some years from my spiritual journey. It was good to meet some locals as well as all the regional folk from Australia and New Zealand and strike up some friendships that I have kept up with.​

…and others…
I felt immediately included though I knew no one; it was a bit like what waking up on Mansion world number one might be, everyone knew me or was willing to.

Read More

Effectively Teaching the Religion of Jesus

By Robert Coenraads, Anzura Conference, Tasmania 2016 on

How can we effectively teach the religion of Jesus today? 

  1. How does today’s world differ from the world in Jesus’ day? In what way is today’s world similar to the world in Jesus’ day? The following are some possibilities:
  • There are more people today
  • People lead busier more complex lives
  • People are more guarded, careful, more difficult to engage
  • People are less interested in spiritual dialogue
  1. How should the answers to the above two questions affect the way we teach the religion of Jesus today? Should we just try to imitate what the apostles of Jesus did back there in the 1st century?

So, do we imitate the apostles physically wandering the countryside as ‘mendicant’ preachers (i.e. relying on charity to survive), bringing out the best in people that way? Practitioners of this teaching method object to the use of the work ‘begging’ as a synonym, stating that they are following strict guidelines ensuring that they are non-obtrusive as opposed to the practices of a street beggar.

Read More

Jesus’ Teaching Methods

By Kathleen Swadling, Anzura Conference, Tasmania on

…and How He Organised His Apostles and Disciples to Teach

Jesus was not only a master teacher; he was THE Master Teacher. He was the fountain head of knowledge and inspiration for the Fourth Epochal Revelation to our world. How did he do it? How did he manage to touch people’s hearts so beautifully and succeed in winning them over to his gospel message? And how did he go about teaching and organising those dedicated followers who were to carry that message to the world after he was gone? And what can we learn from the way he managed his mission as we attempt to spread his teachings as reinstated in the Urantia revelation in today’s world? These are all very loaded questions and ones I’ll be attempting to address over the next 30 minutes!

Extract from this famous guiding quote:

One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, …. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. [Paper 196:1.3, page 2090.4]

Read More