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June 2, 1990

To: Trustees of Urantia Foundation

Hoite C. Caston
K. Richard Keeler
Patricia Sadler Mundelius
Martin W. Myers
Neal A. Waldrop III

From: Urantia Society of Glenview

1. For thirty-three years the Urantia Society of Glenview has demonstrated a stable pattern of unquestionable loyalty to the purposes of Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood.

2. As the second oldest Society within the Urantia Movement, chartered by Urantia Brotherhood in 1957, its officers and members have consistently and unswervingly supported all efforts of the Foundation to protect the integrity of The Urantia Book.

3. In 1978 the Foundation asked the Society to sign a licensing agreement that contained a number of statements and implications that we all knew to be falsehoods -- for example, that the Foundation "commenced" the use of the word Urantia and the concentric circles symbol, that the Foundation therefore owned the word and the symbol, and that the Society itself originated the desire for Foundation authorization to make certain limited use of the word and symbol.

4.. Students of The Urantia Book know that the word "Urantia" is the name of the planet we inhabit as well as the name of the Fifth Epochal Revelation of truth to the planet. Students of The Urantia Book also know the true meaning of the concentric circles symbol. Among other references, the Urantia Papers state on page 606 (first paragraph) that ". . . the banner of Michael (is) the material emblem of the Trinity government of all creation, the three azure blue concentric circles on a white background." The concentric circles symbol is thus not merely a sacred symbol, it is the holiest symbol in the universe.

5. In 1978 the Foundation told the Society that the licensing agreement was necessary to give the Foundation the legal power to protect the word and symbol from abuse. The Foundation further stated that the licensing agreement was for the benefit of both parties.

6. At the time the licensing agreement was presented to us, the officers and members of the Society, with perhaps one known exception, understood the words "protect" and "benefit" primarily to mean that the Foundation would endeavor to protect the integrity of the concentric circles symbol as a sacred symbol. It is doubtful that anyone, then or now, understood what protection of the word "Urantia" meant, since the word is both the name of the planet and the name of the Revelation.

7. Because of this understanding, and because of our unbroken pattern of loyalty to the purposes of the Foundation, and because we trusted the Trustees of the Foundation, the Society not only authorized its officers to sign the agreement (and it was signed on April 14, 1978), but we did much more. We actively communicated with other Societies and individual Urantians to attempt to persuade the reluctant that the Foundation could be trusted, that the Trustees were our spiritual brothers and sisters, that we were all dedicated to the same mission, that the Foundation needed their added support to strengthen its legal position. Our ultimate aim was to protect the integrity of The Urantia Book.

8. Over the last year or so we have observed the unfolding of events associated with the dissolution of the Foundation- Brotherhood relationship, and it has become increasingly clear to us that our trust in the Foundation was gravely misplaced.

9. We have witnessed the Foundation's exercise of the legal power we willingly gave it. We have read the Foundation's statements that attempt to portray what is the real meaning of the licensing agreement. We have become aware that the licensing agreement was never fully explained to us either in 1978 or at any other time. We have become aware with a new and stunning clarity that the Foundation regards the licensing agreement to be entirely a commercial agreement having no spiritual significance.

10. Had we known in 1978, as a Society and as individuals, that our signature on the licensing agreement would have the effect of secularizing the concentric-circles symbol, and turning the word "Urantia" into a mere commercial trademark, the Society would not for a single moment have considered signing the agreement. At the very most, not more than one or two of our members would have supported such a decision.

11. If you have any doubt that any of the preceding statements are true, we invite you to a test. Conduct an objective survey, by a neutral third party, of all surviving members of the Society.

12. After careful consideration of all that we have observed, and of the basic issues involved, the Society has formulated the following statement of our views:

The Society rejects in their entirety the statements and implications made in communications from the Foundation that the licensing agreement is a mere commercial agreement having no spiritual significance. We signed the agreement for what we believed to be a spiritual purpose, not a commercial purpose.

The Society believes that the Foundation's severance of relationship with Urantia Brotherhood, its use of legal force to compel the Brotherhood to change its name and to vacate its long-time headquarters at 533 Diversey Parkway, all within thirty days, its immediate establishment (with a confusingly similar name) of an organization to be called Urantia Brotherhood Association, and other events associated with these actions, will create long term confusion that will have the effect of hindering the natural unfolding of the Revelation into human affairs.

The Society has-formed the opinion that the Foundation is now extending the original falsehoods into deeper and more misleading and confusing statements, particularly in its April 1990 document entitled, "Special Report to the Readers of The Urantia Book."

The Society believes that these and other actions of the Foundation have already brought, and will continue to bring, grave discredit upon the Foundation itself and, by association, upon other groups and organizations now active in the dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia Book.

Article 8 of the licensing agreement provides that either the Foundation or the Society may cancel and terminate the agreement if the other party fails to perform any of the obligations imposed upon it by the agreement. We believe that the actions and activities of the Foundation within the last year or so represent a major statement of failure to live up to such obligations.

The Urantia Society of Glenview therefore cancels and terminates the licensing agreement with Urantia Foundation, effective July 4, 1990.

Paul Snider, President

June 2, 1990

cc: Fifth Epochal Fellowship

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