Social Media: “Deciphering Urantia” Study Group on Facebook
The platform “Deciphering Urantia” was conceived and designed with the general aim of serving as a bridge between different spiritual traditions, science, and The Urantia Book.
In order to preserve a diversity of viewpoints in its publications, several administrators and an equal number of contributors were appointed, enabling a broader, more open perspective and allowing for heterogeneous content. As a result, a wide variety of topics are addressed, including spirituality, religion, philosophy, culture, cosmology, history, and technology, as well as spaces devoted to humor and entertainment. This breadth of outlook—free from stereotypes or concepts filtered through individual beliefs—is essential to avoiding ideological and religious bias.
In essence, the platform encourages religious reflection regardless of the specific religion, philosophy, or school of critical thought involved. This is always done with respect for others and with acceptance of each contributor’s individuality. Confrontations, disrespectful behavior, and any form of posting related to politics or destructive ideologies are expressly prohibited, as are fake news and any attempts at commercial promotion. On a daily basis, posts are removed, and users are even blocked if they disrupt the positive atmosphere of the platform by spreading false information, malicious forms of fundamentalism, impersonating others (when detected or reported), or engaging in misleading advertising or content promoting sectarian ideologies or religions. The same applies to individuals or groups that request money for unjustified or suspicious causes, whether due to the petitioner’s country of origin or the name and identity used by the requester.
The platform is not monetized in order to prevent it from becoming a source of financial income. It is completely open and is not subject to companies, religious groups, or any other type of organization or activity beyond the dissemination of relative truth, while fostering beauty and goodness in all contributions and content.
The platform promotes Urantia Book reading groups, as well as videos and presentations by philosophers, physicians, scientists, and even free thinkers. It also publicizes radio and television platforms that broadcast religious and spiritual content.
Given that the platform consists of more than 23,000 members, it is very difficult to respond individually to requests or to answer all the questions and comments that arise in response to specific posts. Nevertheless, comments requesting answers to questions or seeking information about digital locations and web platforms where documents, books, reports, or videos of interest can be accessed are addressed whenever possible.
It is likely that content dissemination—and even the platform itself—could be promoted more effectively if greater personal attention were given to individual interactions. In some cases, users resort to other channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and similar platforms to receive more personalized attention, where they are assisted in a more individualized manner. Increasingly, they use audio messages and video calls via WhatsApp, which are difficult to manage due to scheduling constraints and time zone differences between countries.
Essentially, the content of particular interest related to The Urantia Book is promoted and redirected to other platforms, making room for contributors and materials that, in one way or another, foster spiritual values and social activities based on fraternity and the promotion of positive human relationships, even when they are not explicitly religious or spiritual. The group shows special dedication and interest in everything related to cosmology and current discoveries in astronomy, science, anthropology, medicine, neurology, and genetics, as well as translations of The Urantia Book. Positions are avoided on socially contentious issues related to sexuality, coexistence, political and social ideologies, as well as educational and technological matters, always without entering into direct conflict with other religious or pseudo-religious beliefs of any kind.
Although the platform is primarily made up of Spanish-speaking members, contributors who speak other languages—mainly English, Portuguese, and French—also participate.
Finally, it should be noted that the platform is monitored to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information published. The posts that are not based on respect, proper conduct, and the veracity of the content are removed, along with any material that does not align with the platform’s guidelines.
In summary, based on ten years of experience, greater dedication to resolving doubts and addressing questions raised in comments could increase participation and interest in the platform. Excessively increasing the number of articles makes it harder for followers to keep up. Posts should not be overly long; readers tend to avoid lengthy, pretentious texts. A strong image that conveys an idea or concept is often more effective than extensive writing. Many members participate very little. Over time, the number of consistently active followers is usually less than 5%. About 3% join the platform and unsubscribe shortly thereafter. Religious groups of any kind are generally reluctant to join and remain; they tend to participate only out of curiosity. Recently, a growing interest has been observed in what is categorized as spiritual rather than strictly religious.