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Editorial
Martin Gardner's recently published book Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery is not only an attempt to debunk The Urantia Book but is also a public exposé about various activities, people, and leadership of the Urantia movement. Gardner's book is so biased in its presentation of some aspects associated with the Urantia Papers that it appears it could safely be ignored. However Gardner has also delved deeply into the history of the beginnings of the Urantia movement, right through to the present time. In doing so, he has publicized much material that does not reflect well upon the movement and its members, material that most of us would prefer to see buried and forgotten. But now it has been made public and it behooves us to get our act in order--for has not the Master instructed us:
Then Jesus spoke, saying: "Now that you are ambassadors of my Father's kingdom, you have thereby become a class of men separate and distinct from all other men on earth. You are not now as men among men but as the enlightened citizens of another and heavenly country among the ignorant creatures of this dark world. It is not enough that you live as you were before this hour, but henceforth must you live as those who have tasted the glories of a better life and have been sent back to earth as ambassadors of the Sovereign of that new and better world."
Few people reading Gardner's book will ever get the impression that members of the Urantia movement are now, or ever have been, other than very ordinary Urantia mortals--despite long term exposure to the teachings of the book. And surely that is a shocking indictment of us all. Who thought, "Who, me?" However, the book teaches us that, in the long run, all things work together for good to those who love God. Hence we can turn Gardner's indictment to our advantage. All that is required is sincerity and individual consultation with our indwelling spirit guides.
An old proverb states that what we don't know about we need not worry about. But if we do not know about "it" neither can we change "it." For the sake of knowing about some of the issues touched upon by Gardner, for this one issue of Innerface we are deviating from normal editorial policy by permitting mention of topics bordering on being "political." The opinions expressed by authors of its various articles are their own, not necessarily those of our editorial panel. In case that sounds like a cop-out, let me state that I personally believe that they come close to being truth.
Ken Glasziou, Maleny
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