From Aquarian Concepts Community:
As Co-Founder of Aquarian
Concepts Community I want to openly address some of Larry Mullins'
comments in his "open" letter to Saskia and clarify a
few misunderstandings about us in Aquarian Concepts Community and
Gabriel of Sedona. I do not read the Internet "chat"
between readers of The URANTIA Book, but statements made about
Aquarian Concepts Community or any member are usually brought to
my attention. Generally, none of us respond to the comments.
In a letter dated May 30, 2002
to Mr. Mullins I stated that several members of Aquarian Concepts
Community and I enjoyed reading his book, A History of the Urantia
Papers which is available in our community's library, along with a
collection of many other books and materials related to The
URANTIA Book, including some of Dr. William Sadler's and Bill
Sadler, Jr.'s publications; Martin Gardner's book, Urantia, the
Great Cult Mystery; and Ernest P. Moyer's The Birth of a Divine
Revelation. For several years many of us in this community have
enjoyed the Spiritual Fellowship Journal that was founded by
Meredith Sprunger and of which Mr. Mullins is now editor. I also
said in my letter to Mr. Mullins, "Many in Aquarian Concepts
Community join me in recognition and appreciation of you and your
associates' dedication to disseminating the teachings of the fifth
epochal revelation. May you continue to be blessed in your
personal ascension and in your ministry."
Note that I referred to The
URANTIA Book as "the fifth epochal revelation," for that
is what Gabriel of Sedona, I, and those of Aquarian Concepts
Community believe. I realize that many readers of The URANTIA Book
cannot comprehend that we of Aquarian Concepts Community are
indeed united with you in our genuine love for and belief in the
authenticity of The URANTIA Book as an epochal revelation, since
we also study the Continuing Fifth Epochal Revelation (CFER),
which we believe to be an expansion of URANTIA Book teachings. We
do not see CFER contradicting some of the teachings in the fifth
epochal revelation; rather, we see CFER adding to, complementing,
and building on the truths in The URANTIA Book.
While reading Martin Gardner's
book, I realized that he was the deceiver, not Dr. Sadler. I
experienced a similar realization when I read Brad Gooch's chapter
on The URANTIA Book in his recently published book, Godtalk:
Travels in Spiritual America. Mr. Gooch supposedly came to the
conclusion (after visiting the Urantia Foundation, attending
various study groups around the country, and talking extensively
with Martin Gardner and Matthew Block) that Dr. Sadler had written
The URANTIA Book himself. I find that conclusion simply
ridiculous, but in my opinion Mr. Gooch's frame of reference is
very limited. (I met and talked with Mr. Gooch several years ago
and realized then that he had a particular bias that he was very
attached to.) I was not at all surprised at Mr. Gooch's
description of the people he observed while attending study groups
in Chicago at the Urantia Foundation headquarters and in New York
City. I believe that some of those people probably have had some
powerful personal spiritual experiences as a result of The
URANTIA Book, and I find it offensive that Mr. Gooch, very
cleverly in his writing, diminished them and their experiences of
the fifth epochal revelation, as well as the revelation itself.
I've looked at a little of
Matthew Block's work and find it quite interesting and not at all
troubling. I don't know if Mr. Block thinks Dr. Sadler wrote The
URANTIA Book, or if the contact commission plagiarized some human
material, or if using human sources compromises the book. I
personally don't see plagiarism or any compromising of the epochal
revelation. I just see Mr. Block's work validating what the
revelators tell us that they used human sources as much as they
could.
I haven't yet read Ernest
Moyer's book, The Birth of a Divine Revelation: The Origin of the
Urantia Papers. I have read some of Mr. Moyer's writings, and
though I don't always agree with his ideas, I haven't observed him
claiming that The Urantia Book is not a revelation.
Is it possible, Mr. Mullins,
that many people, whose interpretations you disagree with
concerning The URANTIA Book and the process of it becoming
available for the public, are simply trying to understand these
wonderful teachings and their significance for them personally and
for the world?
In addition, Mr. Mullins, I
have to correct your inclusion of Gabriel of Sedona in a list of
people who you accuse as having at the root of their work
"relentless Sadler-bashing." The root of the work of
Aquarian Concepts Community is the epochal revelation found in The
URANTIA Book and CFER, not "relentless Sadler-bashing"
as you so adamantly state. Gabriel of Sedona has never accused Dr.
Sadler of being a "charlatan," a "fraud," a
"con-artist," or a "dishonorable pretender."
What we of Aquarian Concepts Community do think is that the
revelatory commission discovered that Dr. Sadler had some very
fixed ideas that he did not want to change. He and some of his
colleagues simply were not willing for certain information to be
included in the finalized papers, so, this being a cooperative
effort between celestials and humans, the revelatory commission
allowed the information to be left out. (After all, no revelation
is complete.) That information is now in CFER. (Some of that
information covers repersonalization that has to do with
interuniversal realities, not Nebadon soul ascension.
Repersonalization is not reincarnation.)
This does not make Dr. Sadler a
deceiver. We of Aquarian Concepts Community think that Dr. Sadler
did what he was mandated to do and was diligent in his dedication
and loyalty to the revelatory commission and the revelation. We do
believe he could have possibly done a little more if he had been
more open and receptive to some ideas that challenged his personal
beliefs. Nonetheless, the people of this planet are blessed with
the great gift of The URANTIA Book, the fifth epochal revelation,
as a result of Dr. Sadler's wonderful work.
Concerning your comments, Mr.
Mullins, on the meaning of fundamentalism, as with all reality,
there are many ways to look at meanings and values and
experiences. I use the word fundamentalism in a much broader
manner. There are fundamentalists within every area of religion,
every area of science, every area of art, every area of
agriculture, every area of politics, etc. Fundamentalists are
those people who are so narrow in their interpretation of reality
that they cannot budge from their crystallized beliefs in order to
expand in their understanding of something or even drop some ideas
that may not be realistic at all. For example, fundamentalistic
Bible readers won't even consider the possibility of human life
evolving over hundreds of thousands of years. Fundamentalists,
whether secular or religious, won't accept The URANTIA Book which
challenges their established beliefs. Fundamentalists didn't
accept the fourth epochal revelation and so on.
As some of us know, those
persons of less-advanced understanding will not be able to
correctly assess others of a more expanded/higher perspective.
I wish all of you success in
your endeavors to be in God's will.
Niánn Emerson Chase
