Partial transcript of a presentation by Urantia Foundation
to a group of readers in Latin America.
Question from audience: We have heard that the Foundation is going to sue J.J. Benitez.
Dupont, emphatically: Never! Never!
Comment from audience: We think this is good because his work has made the world know about the existence of The Urantia Book -- it is an important contribution in some ways.
Question from audience: Are you considering ways in which you can foster a closer relationship with the Fellowship?
Keeler: Yes. We've had a conference with the leaders of the Fellowship. But if we don't do our duty, we are personally, financially, and organizationally liable.
Dupont: It is true that Benitez made a plaigarism. And, personally, if I were Benitez I would not be proud of what I had done. But, we see how the angels work; they can use the bad things to transform it 10 times or 1000 times into the best.
Question from audience: What is the Fellowship?
Dupont, after a pause: I think that you know more about the Fellowship than us.
Comment from audience: No; we want your statement, your explanation. We may have some idea but its only things we've heard.
Solone: Um, in 1989 -- ah, let me start in 1955, um, there was formed The Urantia Brotherhood. And, um, it's too lengthy to tell the whole story of what happened between 1955 and 1989. But in 1989 the Urantia Brotherhood wanted to become independent. It was after some, ah, um, [aside, apparently to the trustees] how would you briefly describe the events which led up to the separation?
Dupont: As far as I know, I was not involved in all that stuff. In France, we were looking at this horrified.
Solone: A letter was sent from the Brotherhood to the Foundation with a list of ultimatums -- um, maybe ten ultimatums -- that they wanted to become, ah, they wanted to have separate control over the mailing list, they wanted to have separate control over the finances . . .
Keeler, interrupting: I got 'em, I got 'em . . . They unilaterally decided that they were no longer going to share office space with the Foundation, they were no longer going to share office staff with the Foundation, they were no longer going to share the mailing list, they were no longer going to joint fund raise with the Foundation, they were no longer going to subject their projects to Foundation review, and they were not going to promote good will for the Foundation -- there were six. And they called for the resignation of all of the trustees.Solone: And they received their independence after that letter. Their license was taken away to use the name "Urantia" and the three concentric circles, they left 533 Diversey, they set up another office of their own about a block away, and they, ah, gave themselves the name, The Fifth Epochal Fellowship.
Keeler: And they took with them, a half a million dollars -- one half million dollars.
Dupont, apparently correcting Keeler: One and a half million dollars.
Keeler, apparently correcting Dupont: One half -- five hundred thousand.
Solone: At that point they were completely separated and not affiliated with The Urantia Foundation, and at the same time that happened, the Urantia Foundation formed the successor organization, the IUA. And that was seven years ago and now there is just two Urantia reader organizations, the IUA and the Fellowship.
Keeler: And the Fellowship has raised money for and participated in the attempt to divest the Foundation of its ownership of the copyright.
Question from audience; [unclear]
Keeler: It was said by the early leaders of the Urantia Foundation, the following: "Not in 1900 years has there been anything about which there could be such competition for control as The Urantia Book."
Comment from audience: Was that some kind of prediction or forecast?
Solone: As of right now, we've heard that the Fellowship societies are continuing to work on unauthorized translations of The Urantia Book . . .
Keeler: Specifically the Korean and the Russian and we already have those translations.
Solone: They're doing their own different translations. [unclear question about the name of the book in its translations] They can use the name in the title of the book but they can't use it in their organization.
[other misc conversation]
Question from audience: Do you have any plans to create a Spanish audio version?
Keeler: [tells them it would be too expensive; he says it cost the Foundation $125,000 to create the English Folios version, the Chileans say they could do it for $12,000 in Chile. The topic is dropped]
[other misc conversation]
Participant asks if it is possible to get a copy of the Russian translation. Dupont says he will send her one free. Applause from audience. [The book was apparently never received.]
Solone tells them that they've brought a translation video showing the introduction of the Russian translation and the first study group in Russia.
Host thanks the trustees and the meeting breaks into a social.
Note: A much fuller picture of events surrounding the separation of Urantia Brotherhood and Urantia Foundation may be had by reviewing the entries for 1989 on the history timeline .