Friday Morning Plenary
The New Evolutionary Philosophy, Affinity with The Urantia Book
Steve McIntosh
Steve McIntosh is a well-known author in the emerging
integral philosophy movement and a life-long student of progressive
spirituality. He is a
graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the University of
Southern California Business School, and since 1995 he has served as founder
and president of the Boulder-based consumer products company Now & Zen,
Inc. He is also an original member of the “Evolutionary Leaders” group spearheaded
by Deepak Chopra. For more on his work, visit: www.stevemcintosh.com.
The 2012
Summer Study Session is pleased to welcome Steve as our Friday morning keynote
speaker. His 2007 book, Integral Consciousness and the Future of
Evolution (Paragon House), as well as his forthcoming book, Evolution's Purpose (Select Books),
present a spiritual philosophy of evolution that has many affinities with the
teachings of The Urantia Book.
Here are
some of the ideas familiar to Urantia
Book readers that are also tenets of integral philosophy:
• That the
beautiful, the true, and the good are the "comprehensible elements of
Deity."
• That evolution
is a technique of creation.
• That
the phenomenology of the "evolutionary impulse" felt by humans
reveals evolution's larger purpose of spiritual growth.
• That
the worlds religions are best understood as "lines of spiritual
development."
• That The Urantia Book's "seven psychic
circles" resonate with the evolutionary stages of consciousness and
culture revealed by integral philosophy.
• That integral
philosophy bears many similarities to the needed "new philosophy" described
in The Urantia Book, and may well
fulfill at least part of this promise.
• That the
coming "end of the secular panic" described in The Urantia Book may be achieved through the discoveries of science
itself.
In his
keynote address, Steve will talk about some of these ideas and how they relate
to Urantia Book concepts.
PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAMS
Title of the Program: Forgiveness in the Contemplative
Experience
Names of Presenters: Gard Jameson and Friends
Brief summary: This summer’s Pre Conference Retreat will focus on
forgiveness in the contemplative experience. Jesus told the apostles that
understanding relationships associated with attitudes of love encourage
forgiveness and that forgiveness is Godlike.
How can our prayer and worship experiences enhance
our ability to forgive?
Join Gard Jameson and friends during this summer’s
retreat to share in the experience of contemplative prayer and engage in a
conversation about the application of our Father’s love.
Space
is limited, so register early on the Fellowship’s SSS’12 registration
form.
* * * * * * * * * *
Title
of the workshop: Workshop for
Conference Presenters and Speakers
Names
of Presenters: Nick
Stefero, Doreen Heyne
Brief
summary: This is a pre-conference all day workshop and is intended to
become a standard class/model of instruction. It is open to anyone who has, is, or will be facilitating a workshop or
giving a public address. The idea is to
review fundamental speaking skills. Each
participate will give several 2-3 minute presentation demonstrating these
skills. The speaker will then receive feedback
from the other participants and give the presentation again incorporating the
feedback
APPROVED WORKSHOPS
Title of the Seminar: Eugenics and Evolutionary Progressive Civilization
Names of Presenters
(Tutors): Katharina Becker and Charles Laurence Olivea
Brief summary of the
seminar: Participants are required to read and take notes on
assigned material taken from The Urantia Book on the subject prior to
attending the seminar. The assigned readings pertain to the following topics
are: the paragraph in which the single use of the word, "eugenics,"
in the book is used; racial amalgamation by Adam and Eve; the six evolutionary
races; government on a neighboring planet; the evolution of marriage; marriage
and family life; the destiny of ascendant sons.
Participants with guidance by the tutors will engage in
"intelligent conversation" about the subject at hand. This is how the
participation will be "interactive." Eugenics is a pressing problem
for modern civilization and should be widely studied by the Fellowship. The
outcome of the way society will handle its gene pool and the moral, health and
social ramifications of that effort will determine its future destiny and the
timing of the eventual arrival of light and life on Urantia.
Registration for the seminar is limited to 12. Provision
will be made for a second seminar if the number of persons interested in this
subject warrants it. Participants must sign up before the "hard"
deadline of July, 1, 2012. Those who have not signed up to participate
conversationally in the seminar, but who are interested in the subject, may sit
in the room as silent observers only.
* * * * * * * * * *
Title of the workshop: "Working on a Building” and “Trying to Make it Real Compared to What”
…Rethinking and Revitalizing a Civilization
Names of All Presenters: Dave
Holt
Brief summary of the workshop: Many are concerned today about the ability
of our own civilization to stay progressive. Let’s examine why civilizations
die out (the civilization Onamonalonton built in the Americas). At the same
time we’ll look at what is needed to revitalize an existing civilization and
build a progressive one. The UB gives some guidelines. The following is not a
complete list. I will emphasize spiritual goals over such things as
eugenics/family planning, “maintaining an adequate defense,” and other
matters. Some of what is needed are: Citizens attentive to a creative inner
life where the advances of true civilization are born (111:4.3); Spiritual
idealism, the energy which really uplifts and advances human culture
(81:6.27); True religion, the indispensable source of the higher energy
needed to establish a superior civilization based on human brotherhood (79:4.9); a God of love (102:6.3);A spiritual
goal of attainment (Ibid), etc.
Lastly, we’ll look at these high goals on
a practical day-to-day level. A peaceful, progressive civilization begins at
home and in the individual. Let’s make sure our own gardens are well-watered,
cultivated, and fertile, before we try to restore the drought stricken plain
of a collapsing civilization. We’ll discuss developing spiritual habits,
service techniques, control of anger & negative emotions, prayer.
* * * * * * * * * *
Title of the workshop: "Fostering
the progressive growth of human society & civilization: The unceasing
campaign of the master seraphim"
Names of All Presenters: Bob Debold and Barbara Newsom
Brief summary of the workshop:
The workshop will
use a study guide developed by the Committee for the Global Endeavor that will serve
as the framework for both large and small group discussion. The study guide
contains more than 15 open-ended questions to stimulate personal study and reflection
by committed readers of The Urantia Book. In section 6 of Paper 114, the Chief of
Seraphim describes how the master seraphim promote the progressive growth and
development of human society. As the
work of the master seraphim is intrinsically experimental, pluralistic, and
diverse, workshop participants will approach the study of the master seraphim
with this aspect in mind in order to stimulate inspiration and insights. Since each of the twelve corps of master
seraphim focuses on specific aspects of human civilization, workshop
participants will divide into small groups of between 6-10 participants subsequent
to 1) reading PAPER 114: Section 6 The
Master Seraphim Of Planetary Supervision and 2) being assigned by the presenters/facilitators
one or more questions within the ten categories in which the study guide
questions are divided. The members of each small group will collaborate on responses
to the questions assigned for reporting to the larger group of participants. The
workshop will focus on the systematic efforts of the industrial-strength master
seraphim who triumphed over many perplexing challenges during their
exhilarating ascent to Seraphington, and who were subsequently assigned to one
of the superuniverses so they could apply their accumulated wisdom to the
situation of an inhabited world (in this case ours). Their task is to promote
the progressive growth and development of human society on Urantia, and it is
reasonable to infer that a substantial part of their current work is closely associated
with helping human beings overcome the disastrous consequences of the Lucifer
rebellion and the Adamic default. Participants in the small groups will grapple
with these overall challenges using the questions in the study guide as
stimulators of thought, reflection, and dialogue.
* * * * * * * * * *
Title of the workshop: "Government on another planet"
Names of All Presenters: Nick Stefero, Linda Buselli
Brief Summary of the workshop: We will explore the possible reasons that this information was included in The Urantia Book. We will do this by creating side by side lists of what each planet is doing as well as the ideas, ideals, and standards that The Urantia Book puts forward. Each planet will be measured against these standards. The workshop will encourage full participation of everyone. The goal is to get a better insight into the evolutionary process of creating and maintaining planetary governments, what stage we are at, and what might be next. Everyone should bring their book.
* * * * * * * * * *
EVENING PRESENTATIONS
Title of the Presentation: "The Foreword"
Presenters: Clemens Trauzettel
Brief
Summary: As the Foreword offers a summarized cross-section of the expanded
spiritual content of The Urantia Book, still leaving open the most exquisite
type of "feelable knowledge" that our planet has ever known, it naturally
touches our borders of receptivity. In this presentation I hope to be able to
share with everyone joining me on this travel, to do some exploration of our own
horizons to make the concepts as displayed in the foreword, step by step, a
little more experienceable.
* * * * * * * * * *
Title: "God and Neighbor: using the double track annual reading plan"
Presenters: Vicki Arkens
Brief Summary: First, we'll look at some interesting connections that emerge when the 196 papers of The Urantia Book are placed into 52 sets of
readings. Second, we'll discuss some possible uses for this plan, which fits rather nicely into the familiar rhythms of the traditional church year. Third, I'll present my forthcoming website titled "God and Neighbor". Plus, we'll evaluate all this in light of the work of the Progress Angels and the Religious Guardians. (114:6–7)
* * * * * * * * * *
Title: "Spending time with God" (spiritual habits : keys to progress in the kingdom of heaven)
Presenters: Sheryl Cira
Brief summary: Simple, doable habits that when practiced
regularly will result in increased bearing of the fruits of the spirit. The foundation of this is taking a regular
period of time to spend with God (preferably an hour). Activities within that time may include
prayer, journaling addressed to God, reading the UB, a daily gratitude list, etc. This will be a small group experience.
| 
