Dear UBRONites,

Claudia and Lee here in Oklahoma City: yesterday, we managed to write a quick note to our fellow General Councilors at the UB Fellowship and enjoy a prayerful community dinner with some wonderful Oklahomans here at Harry & Stacey's last night. Today, feeling even more reflective, we feel we should finish up our reporting of the trial and share some concluding thoughts.

First: We appreciate that the Foundation was attempting to do what they thought was right or necessary based on their interpretation of their D.O.C. They were gracious in their loss. They maintained their dignity, and we certainly wish them well with all the work they are doing to promote interest in the spiritual development of our planet and in the growth of the Supreme. We applaud and deeply appreciate their service efforts. They have done, and will continue to do great works in publishing The Urantia Book in a wide variety of formats and in many languages.

Now others can freely join them in doing the Father’s work, for there is great ground to cover. The level of creativity and diversity of expression is gloriously opened up. Just as video stores only increased the public’s appetite for theater attendance in the entertainment industry (much to the industry’s surprise); more outreach in cyberspace and specialized markets will only increase sales of the Foundation’s own products. We have absolutely no doubt that yesterday’s ruling is actually going to be of service to the laborers associated with the Foundation as well as to anyone else with insights and outreach efforts who are not in line with the current efforts of the Foundation.

As for Michael Foundation’s JANR, we have been contemplating just how valuable it can be for the specialized market of those people who already know or have interest in Jesus. (This, clearly, is no small market.) The revelators tell us on the last page of the papers: “Be not discouraged; human evolution is still in progress, and the revelation of God to the world, in and through Jesus, shall not fail.” The revelators did not say, “in and through the Urantia Papers,” they said “in and through Jesus.” We do not think the Urantia Book should be split up, it is a unified work. Despite what some others may think, neither does Harry. Which is why he made it abundantly clear that Paper 121 was the heading on the first “chapter” in JANR, and all subsequent chapters carried their respective paper numbers. One can only read one page of the revelation at a time, so publishing a part of the unified whole in clearly identified pieces of that whole should not in any way confuse that issue. The first page of JANR gives the reader a powerful and succinct clarification of that unified whole. As JANR is disseminated, all sales of The Urantia Book will undoubtedly increase as a result.

Only fairly intelligent and truth discerning people will be attracted to the truths of our Revelation, they will not be confused for long by those who will seek to undermine the Revelation by dishonestly representing it in the world. We must realize and have faith that the Spirit of Truth, Michael’s Spirit, works with us. While we now live in a world where there is freedom to produce dishonest representations of revelation (in fact, there always has been) we have confidence that false interpretations will meet with little or no acceptance in the marketplace.

Melchizedek tells us of Jesus: “And today, as in Galilee, he continues to unify mortal experience and to co-ordinate human endeavors. He unifies life, ennobles character, and simplifies experience. He enters the human mind to elevate, transform, and transfigure it. It is literally true: ‘If any man has Christ Jesus within him, he is a new creature; old things are passing away; behold, all things are becoming new.’" 100:7.18

The trial jurors themselves took an interest in the message of the revelation. Two of them lingered to ask questions and offered their insights on the process of coming to a verdict. For the first time in the history of the Urantia movement’s copyright disputes, a jury of common people decided that the 1983 copyright renewal was invalid. They did so after sifting through the evidence, carefully deliberating, and collaboratively attempting to discern truth. Based on what these two jurors told us, we were most impressed with their focus, interest, sincerity, and determination to do the right thing.

“The common people heard Jesus gladly, and they will again respond to the presentation of his sincere human life of consecrated religious motivation if such truths shall again be proclaimed to the world. The people heard him gladly because he was one of them, an unpretentious layman; the world's greatest religious teacher was indeed a layman.” 196:1.4

Harry is humbled; as are we. Our faith has been tested, and today it is strengthened. We have been grateful to be here with Harry and his wonderful family to share in the process of the trial, and yesterday everyone here fought back tears of joy and gratitude. We feel a new sense of freedom and opportunity to proclaim the gospel. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Kristen Maaherra for her enormous effort in this process, and to all other truth seekers who have contributed with their emotional, intellectual and financial support towards bringing the revelation into the public domain.

“The great hope of Urantia lies in the possibility of a new revelation of Jesus with a new and enlarged presentation of his saving message which would spiritually unite in loving service the numerous families of his present-day professed followers.” 195:10.16