We’re pleased to announce the formation of a new scholarship program, The Urmia Project, for Urantia Book students between the ages of 18 and 35.  The purpose of this program is to support the involvement of young adult Urantia Book students in interfaith activities throughout the world.

Interfaith activity provides an opportunity for students of The Urantia Book to share its teachings with a broad array of representatives from the world’s many religious and spiritual paths.  This is a particularly ideal time for young people to work toward overcoming the obstacles presented in the past by religious exclusivism, and to pave the way toward the revelation of personal religious experience and spiritual interconnectedness.

Interfaith work allows its participants to share their own spiritual perspectives openly, while requiring them to listen respectfully to the views of others.  In addition, it provides an opportunity to learn and practice skills that are useful in all walks of life.

Grants will cover expenses related to registration, travel and lodging for these events.  An application form is posted on the Urmia Project website, along with announcements of upcoming interfaith events.  Applicants are also encouraged to identify other interfaith events in which they would like to participate.

Scholarship recipients will be expected to accomplish the following objectives:

• Attendance and active participation at the event
• Creation of a written or video report documenting the event and your participation in it

To access further information about The Urmia Project, click on www.urmiaproject.info.

The Urmia Lectures

134:3.1 On the way to the Caspian Sea, Jesus had stopped several days for rest and recuperation at the old Persian city of Urmia on the western shores of Lake Urmia. On the largest of a group of islands situated a short distance offshore near Urmia was located a large building — a lecture amphitheater — dedicated to the “spirit of religion.” This structure was really a temple of the philosophy of religions.

134:3.2 This temple of religion had been built by a wealthy merchant citizen of Urmia and his three sons. This man was Cymboyton, and he numbered among his ancestors many diverse peoples. (1485.5) 134:3.3 The lectures and discussions in this school of religion began at ten o’clock every morning in the week. The afternoon sessions started at three o’clock, and the evening debates opened at eight o’clock. Cymboyton or one of his three sons always presided at these sessions of teaching, discussion, and debate. The founder of this unique school of religions lived and died without ever revealing his personal religious beliefs.*

134:3.4 On several occasions Jesus participated in these discussions, and before he left Urmia, Cymboyton arranged with Jesus to sojourn with them for two weeks on his return trip and give twenty-four lectures on “The Brotherhood of Men,” and to conduct twelve evening sessions of questions, discussions, and debates on his lectures in particular and on the brotherhood of men in general.

134:3.5 In accordance with this arrangement, Jesus stopped off on the return trip and delivered these lectures. This was the most systematic and formal of all the Master’s teaching on Urantia. Never before or after did he say so much on one subject as was contained in these lectures and discussions on the brotherhood of men. In reality these lectures were on the “Kingdom of God” and the “Kingdoms of Men.”

134:3.6 More than thirty religions and religious cults were represented on the faculty of this temple of religious philosophy. These teachers were chosen, supported, and fully accredited by their respective religious groups. At this time there were about seventy-five teachers on the faculty, and they lived in cottages each accommodating about a dozen persons. Every new moon these groups were changed by the casting of lots. Intolerance, a contentious spirit, or any other disposition to interfere with the smooth running of the community would bring about the prompt and summary dismissal of the offending teacher. He would be unceremoniously dismissed, and his alternate in waiting would be immediately installed in his place.

134:3.7 These teachers of the various religions made a great effort to show how similar their religions were in regard to the fundamental things of this life and the next. There was but one doctrine which had to be accepted in order to gain a seat on this faculty — every teacher must represent a religion which recognized God — some sort of supreme Deity. There were five independent teachers on the faculty who did not represent any organized religion, and it was as such an independent teacher that Jesus appeared before them.

134:3.8 [When we, the midwayers, first prepared the summary of Jesus’ teachings at Urmia, there arose a disagreement between the seraphim of the churches and the seraphim of progress as to the wisdom of including these teachings in the Urantia Revelation. Conditions of the twentieth century, prevailing in both religion and human governments, are so different from those prevailing in Jesus’ day that it was indeed difficult to adapt the Master’s teachings at Urmia to the problems of the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of men as these world functions are existent in the twentieth century. We were never able to formulate a statement of the Master’s teachings which was acceptable to both groups of these seraphim of planetary government. Finally, the Melchizedek chairman of the revelatory commission appointed a commission of three of our number to prepare our view of the Master’s Urmia teachings as adapted to twentieth-century religious and political conditions on Urantia. Accordingly, we three secondary midwayers completed such an adaptation of Jesus’ teachings, restating his pronouncements as we would apply them to present-day world conditions, and we now present these statements as they stand after having been edited by the Melchizedek chairman of the revelatory commission.]

[learn_more caption=”The Urmia Lectures”] 134:3.1 On the way to the Caspian Sea, Jesus had stopped several days for rest and recuperation at the old Persian city of Urmia on the western shores of Lake Urmia. On the largest of a group of islands situated a short distance offshore near Urmia was located a large building — a lecture amphitheater — dedicated to the “spirit of religion.” This structure was really a temple of the philosophy of religions.[/learn_more]

[learn_more caption=”The Urmia Lectures” state=”open”]134:3.1 On the way to the Caspian Sea, Jesus had stopped several days for rest and recuperation at the old Persian city of Urmia on the western shores of Lake Urmia. On the largest of a group of islands situated a short distance offshore near Urmia was located a large building — a lecture amphitheater — dedicated to the “spirit of religion.” This structure was really a temple of the philosophy of religions.[/learn_more]