Dear Friends,

Below is an open letter, with multiple signatures, to readers and to Harry

McMullan regarding the publication of Part IV of The Urantia Book. This

letter will be placed on the Foundation's Web site (www.urantia.org). If

you would like to put your name to this letter also, please let us know and

we will arrange for it to be done. If you represent a reader group of any

kind, please let us know the name of the group and we will include it with

your name. You can email us on urantia@urantia.org. Feel free to re-post.

Regards,

Tonia Baney

Executive Director, Urantia Foundation

An Open Letter to Harry McMullan III and to Readers of The Urantia Book:

It is with sadness that we write this letter. 

    We, the undersigned, are united in our grave concern over the recent

actions of Harry McMullan III, who published Part IV of The Urantia Book

(except for the first paper, Paper 120) under the title "Jesus-A New

Revelation."

    Many of Harry's friends and associates from Urantia Foundation, the

Fellowship, the International Urantia Association, and the general

readership have tried privately, patiently, and lovingly to dissuade Harry

from his plan, both before and after he published Part IV, but to no avail.

    In compliance with Jesus' grievance procedure, many have spoken with Harry

one-on-one and in small groups.  By this letter, we take the third step of

the Jesus grievance procedure and go "to the congregation." (1763:0)

    We, as leaders, former leaders, and members of the community of readers,

seek to bring peace and good will to our movement regarding this

controversial issue.  We did not initiate this disagreement and seek no

unnecessary confrontation.  Both our time and energy, and Harry's time and

energy, would be far better spent on dissemination, not litigation. 

    On page 1570 Jesus says, "Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be

called the sons of God."  We desire to make peace-but not peace at any

price-not at the price of standing by, while the copyright is broken and

the book fragmented.  Recall that the Master admonished his apostles and

disciples to "proclaim the whole truth of the good news, not just a part of

the saving gospel." (2052:4)

    Harry's publication violates copyright law. It violates the processes of

duly constituted group wisdom.  It violates the unity of The Urantia Book.

It violates the spirit of the unity movement afoot within our community.

And it violates the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its

parts, and that readers need the whole book to understand the parts.  In

short, it violates the wisdom with which this fifth epochal revelation was

delivered to the peoples of this planet.

    Although the Trustees of Urantia Foundation have the fiduciary duty to

preserve the integrity of the text of The Urantia Book for future

generations of readers and for accurate translations into other languages,

they do so, not simply because their trust requires it of them.  They also

discharge these responsibilities out of the deep, personal conviction that

we are all human stewards of this revelation, entrusted with the

responsibility to preserve the integrity of the text as expressive of our

certainty that its transforming power resides in its inviolate wholeness. 

    As one of the few tools at the Trustees' disposal to do this, the

copyright must be maintained to ensure that translations are as true as

possible to the original text. This is not a simple matter of choosing

between competing groups of equally qualified translators, who may have

different styles of translating.  If the copyright in the English text is

lost, enforceable copyrights could be obtained on translations of poor

quality and on translations which amend, abridge, embellish, or

purposefully distort the text.  Once obtained, such a copyright could be

enforced against all other translations, even against a translation of the

original text.  Only by maintaining and enforcing the copyright can we

ensure that the inviolate text will reach as many of the world's peoples as

possible.

    We urge Harry to retract this illegal printing of copyrighted material and

to agree in writing not to print or distribute any more volumes of "Jesus-A

New Revelation" or any other materials infringing Urantia Foundation's

copyrights and registered marks, with unsold copies to be turned over to

Urantia Foundation.

    If Harry fails to comply with this request, the Trustees of Urantia

Foundation will have no choice but to exercise their fiduciary

responsibility and their legal obligations under the Declaration of Trust.

    While we prefer to have this matter resolved privately, if Harry fails to

comply with this request, the Trustees of Urantia Foundation will-in order

to defend, protect, and preserve the Foundation's copyright in The Urantia

Book-exercise their legal option and request that the courts resolve this

matter. The legal process, while unpleasant, is used throughout the

imperfect and evolving universes to resolve conflicts between beings. Such

proceedings can and should be conducted in a dignified and gracious manner

that reflects positively on how the revelation transforms human behavior.

    Therefore, in the larger interest of the revelation, we respectfully ask

that Harry cease the distribution of  "Jesus-a New Revelation" and cancel

any plans for its translation or future printing.

Sincerely,

Tom Burns

Past Member of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Hoite Caston

Past Member of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Kwan Choi

Secretary and Member of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

David Elders

Past President of the former Urantia Brotherhood and the Fellowship

John Hales

Past President of the former Urantia Brotherhood,

Executive Director of the Fellowship

Mary Lou Hales

Forum Member, wife of former Trustee of Urantia Foundation

and the oldest known living Urantia Book reader

Gard Jameson

Treasurer and Member of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Richard Keeler

President of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Carolyn Kendall

Forum Member, President of the First Society for Readers of The Urantia Book

(the Fellowship)

Tom Kendall

Past President of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Georges Michelson-Dupont

Vice-President of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Patricia Mundelius

Past President of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Mo Siegel

Member of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation

Paul Snider

Past President of the former Urantia Brotherhood

Neal Waldrop

Past Member of the Board of Trustees, Urantia Foundation