Introducing the Urantia Book Historical Society

Introducing the Urantia Book Historical Society:

Date: Tue, 06/29/2010

Author: Jacob D

By Jacob D, President, Urantia Book Historical Society, Stockholm, Sweden

Editors Note: Many Urantia Book readers have donated their time and talents to a project that they strongly believe in. One such group of readers formed the Urantia Book Historical Society. This article highlights the importance of preserving historical records.

The mission of the Urantia Book Historical Society (UBHS) is to collect, document, and preserve the legacy of The Urantia Book and its history.



In July 2006, 51 years after the publication of The Urantia Book, UBHS was officially established. Over the years the number of records in possession of readers had grown to such a size that UBHS turned to the University of California at Santa Barbara for help. They agreed to house all that the Society had collected as part of their "American Religions Collection." That same year, www.ubhistory.org was launched and made available to the public.

UBHS, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, currently has twelve members serving on its Board of Directors, all of whom in some way are educated and experienced in history or archiving. UBHS is an independent organization and is dedicated to preserving, recording, documenting and cataloging, collecting, and storing, both digitally and physically, the history of The Urantia Book and the Urantia movement.



Many of the physical records in the online archive are the possessions of individuals who have temporarily donated their historical materials for digitization. The physical repository of documents is housed at the University of California at Santa Barbara, while the digital library of records is online at www.ubhistory.org. The UBHS website contains over 5000 records and is constantly growing.

This summer UBHS will be launching a new software program that has state of the art internet services giving groups from around the world the opportunity to record their history. Each group that decides to participate will be granted access to its own document or collection room in the online library. A volunteer archivist from that group will be able to save the group's records directly from the internet and choose which records the group makes available to UBHS archivists for incorporation in the public archive.

UBHS invites and urges local groups and readers of The Urantia Book to participate in this important endeavor. This can be accomplished in several ways:

1. Start talking about history and begin recording your personal history. Invite your study group to jot down its history. Record video interviews of your group members and preserve them for posterity.

2. Search your files for documents, meeting minutes, pamphlets, records, films, recordings, videos, and correspondence that you want to be safeguarded.

3. Donate your historical collection to UBHS. For information on how, visit http://www.ubhistory.org/UBHS/Support.html.

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Why Study Groups Matter to the Future of the World

Why Study Groups Matter to the Future of the World:

Date:Wed, 06/29/2011

Author: Mo Siegel

By Mo Siegel, President, Urantia Foundation, Boulder, Colorado, USA

In a mere 56 years, the Urantia Revelation has spread from a handful of believers in Chicago to readers throughout the world. Fifth Epochal Revelatory light now glimmers in virtually every continent on this planet. We have come a long way from selling three books in 1958 to having more than 750,000 books in circulation today. What happens from here is difficult to predict. Will the Urantia Revelation evolve in a slow and more institutionalized manner like Dalamatia, or will it capture the imagination of the world’s people as the teachings of Jesus did during the reign of Constantine 1,700 years ago?



If you review what has happened in the past 56 years and project forward, a few courses of action seem wise. Readers need to love one another; the book needs translating and distributing; the organizations need funding; and educational activities must bring understanding to a book that contains sections written at a PhD educational equivalency level. The Urantia Book project needs teachers and leaders to help others understand this wonderful book, which at times can be difficult to comprehend. Thus, there is a need for study groups, of which there are 350-450 worldwide.

The majority of people in the world have rejected weekly attendance at religious institutions. In the United States, for example, 94% of people say they believe in God, although less than 40% regularly attend church. Yet there remains a need for the socialization of religionists.

“Religion is first an inner or personal adjustment, and then it becomes a matter of social service or group adjustment. The fact of man’s gregariousness perforce determines that religious groups will come into existence. What happens in these religious groups depends very much on intelligent leadership.” (1090.10) 99:5.1 “There is a real purpose in the socialization of religion. It is the purpose of group religious activities to dramatize the loyalties of religion; to magnify the lures of truth, beauty, and goodness; to foster the attractions of supreme values; to enhance the service of unselfish fellowship; to glorify the potentials of family life; to promote religious education; to provide wise council and spiritual guidance; and to encourage group worship.” (1092.2) 99:6.2

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