COUNCIL OF NATIONAL PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
Biennial Meeting at Dourdan, France
7 August 2002
Chairman's Opening Remarks
The Meaning of UAI
SEPPO KANERVA, HELSINKI, FINLAND
Distinguished Members of the Council:
We shall soon be reviewing the minutes covering the period since the New York meeting of the CNP to the current meeting at Dourdan. The minutes can be viewed also as an activity report. The minutes tell a reader what the CNP has accomplished and how the UAI has performed at the international level. Even so, the minutes are not the whole picture. Just to quote one example, the minutes do not reflect the fact that the UAI is issuing a quarterly newsletter, the UAI Journal, in many languages. Neither are the local and national activities listed in the CNP minutes.
Someone may think that the CNP has not performed too well; the council has rather been inactive most of the time. There is so much more that could be accomplished, like more conferences, much more contacts across the national borders, many more publications, secondary works and study aids, forceful dissemination of the teachings and concerted efforts to place books in libraries and bookshops, etc. Such views are justified. It is true that much more can be done. Yet, we need not be apologetic about the situation. We know that more can be done, but we have to be realistic. We must determine the extent of our activities in conformity with the available resources. When the time is ripe and the resources, both human and financial, are available, much more will be done.
It has been my conscious choice not to involve the CNP in everything, and not to start inventing something for the CNP to do. Over the years, I have observed that many a body whose members have felt that they have not too much to do start busying themselves with unnecessary activities or consuming much of their time and resources in administrative affairs. In my view, we better prevent all such pseudo activity from afflicting the CNP.
UAI is an organisation whose activities for the most part take place at the local and national level. That is where UAI is at its best. In the words of the Rules of the CNP, the purpose of the CNP "is to serve, integrate and coordinate the functions of UAI constituencies worldwide." CNP, thus, is not to be involved in the local or national activities of the UAI.
UAI is an important organisation having a clear-cut mission and raison d'être. Urantia Foundation's Declaration of Trust puts the trustees under an obligation to ensure that, apart from the Foundation itself, there is a reader organisation for the dissemination of the revealed teachings. Why is it that this obligation is there?
One of the core objectives of the revelation is that, as part of the
world's evolution, it is to accomplish the spiritual regeneration of mankind.
The purpose of the revelation is that of imparting the necessary knowledge,
inspiration, and courage for this regeneration to happen. This spiritual
regeneration will be the only true and lasting way to achieve a social,
moral, economic and political transformation of the world (2082:9) and
the only way to lasting world peace. Even if its objective is spiritual,
the revelation is not meant to establish a new institutionalised religion,
nor is the spiritual regeneration of mankind to be effected through yet
another church. The spiritual regeneration of the world is unfolding through
a personal religion, through a personal and trusting relationship with
God, through the realisation that God is our Father, and that we are sons
and daughters of this same Father, that we are brothers and sisters. The
spiritual, and thereupon the social, moral, economic and political transformation
of the world will happen and is happening through people, through the
activities of people, people who are serving within the existing and future
human institutions, people who are spirit-born, who have a personal religion
and a living and trusting relationship with God. A living personal religion
generates the desire to serve one's fellow men. To transform the world
is to serve.
UAI cannot and will not become the organisation that would rule the world
and be the instrument of its transformation. So where does the UAI fit
in this picture?
The revealed teachings are a treasure chest which has been made available
for anyone to take freely from. If a world transformer is to be informed
about the superhuman plans and have an understanding of the purpose of
our existence, he needs to study the revelation, the more the better.
UAI has been, and will increasingly be, the organisation that encourages
all forms of study of The Urantia Book, fosters formation of study groups,
maintains various electronic fora and issues printed materials, which
are intended to help readers and believers to gain a deeper comprehension
and understanding of the revelation and to be inspired by the sharing
of knowledge, understanding and experiences with other readers. In the
same purpose, UAI organises local, regional, national and international
conferences, seminars, discussions etc. All these activities not only
increase a better understanding of the revelation but also constitute
fora where teachers and leaders are developed. These activities are great
opportunities for serving one's fellow readers and for practising teamwork.
UAI encourages spirit-born readers to become actively involved in all
types of social, economic and political institutions and organisations,
and there with their spiritual fragrance and with their knowledge derived
from this revelation to apply and put into action their knowledge. Yet
they need to remember that this revelation is part of the general evolution
of mankind, and that evolution is slow, even if extremely effective. UAI
also encourages those who are and become involved in social activities
to share their experiences, ideas and their ways of applying the revelation
in the reorganisation of the world with others for their inspiration,
and encouragement and for their giving feedback. UAI likewise encourages
religionists who have embraced the revelation to work together with those
other religionists whose religious beliefs are different from ours. UAI
encourages readers to seek and explore ever new ways of giving expression
to their spiritual sentiments and translating their spirituality into
acts, activities, and services to mankind.
In short, UAI is to be viewed as a teamwork undertaking which constitutes a forum for those religionists who study and are inspired by the revelatory teachings and who wish to cooperate with all other religionists so to achieve the spiritual regeneration as well as the social, moral, economic and political reorganisation of the world.
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