~114~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

In 1960 Marian Rowley, secretary to William Sadler, prepared a document entitled A History of the Urantia Movement. It was a brief paper of eighteen pages. I have a copy of the draft showing editorial changes by Marian, and another draft showing editorial remarks with the initials WSSJ, William Samuel Sadler, Jr. The drafts differ somewhat from one another in the location of Sections and minor editorial content. About the same time Dr. William Sadler created another document with a similar title, clearly an expansion on certain Sections of the draft, apparently as a collaborative effort to produce a more formal account of events leading to The Urantia Papers. Marian left notes showing how Dr. Sadler’s account compared with hers. Later these documents were combined into a lengthier version. The documents were never formally published.

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Several members of the (this) pioneer group 3► who participated in the preliminary contacts 4► which led to the appearance of the Urantia papers had had considerable experience in the investigations of psychic phenomena 5► . This group early arrived at the conclusion that the phenomena connected with the {personality}

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It should be made clear that the antecedents of the Urantia papers were in no way associated with so-called spiritualism — with its seances and supposed communication with the spirits of departed human beings ►6 .

As the Urantia Book indicates, the papers were received as follows: Superhuman personalities, the authors of the papers, sometimes called “the revelators,” worked through the mind of a human subject_7►, sometimes called “the contact personality.” {XXX} Also involved was a small group of human associates, called the “contact commission,” who were charged with the responsibility of safeguarding the papers, putting them in typewritten form, etc. {The members of the contact commission are the only human beings who ever saw its original XXXX, all of which have been destroyed at the request of the revelators.}

{Some of the contacts were verbal, some were written. All observations and investigations utterly failed to reveal the technique of reducing the messages to writing. All the Urantia papers appeared in written form 8► . Usually the verbal contacts were concerned with instructions and with miscellaneous information about the universe and affairs on our planet.}

After some years of these preliminary contacts, during which many questions were asked and new concepts were imparted, the Urantia papers began to appear.

The commissioners were the custodians of the Urantia manuscript and they were also charged with full responsibility for {XXXX XXXX XXXX} supervising all the detail connected with the publication of the book, securing the international copyrights, etc.

They were enjoined to refrain from discussing the identity of the contact personality and, after the publication of the book, to make no statement at any time as to whether the subject was still living or was deceased.

~116~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

Page 4:10►

Just about all that is known or can be told about the origin of the Urantia papers is found in various places in the Urantia Book. A list of such references will be found on the dust jacket of the book.

Among the several reasons given for not discussing {given us at the time we were requested not to discuss} the details of personal experiences associated with the origin of the Urantia Book, the two major reasons were the following 11► :

1. The main reason for not revealing the identity of the contact personality is that the (Celestial) revelators do not want any human being — any human name — ever to be associated with the Urantia Book. They want this revelation to stand on its own declaration and teachings. They are determined that future generations shall have the book wholly free from all mortal connections — they do not want a Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Luther, Calvin, or Wesley. The book does not even bear the imprint of the printer who brought the book into being 12► .

2. (Unknown Features) There is much connected with the appearance of the Urantia papers which no human being fully understands. No one really knows just how this phenomenon was executed. There are numerous missing links in the story of how this revelation came to appear in written English. If anyone should tell all he really knows about the technique and methods employed throughout the years of getting this revelation, such a narration would satisfy no one — there are too many missing links13► .

10 - A History ~117~

home to these meetings 14► . This group came to consist of professional men and women — doctors, lawyers, dentists, ministers, teachers — together with individuals from all walks of life — farmers, housewives, secretaries, and common laborers.

During a discussion of psychic phenomena, mention was made of a contact which did not fit into any of the known categories. As a result of questions, the group began to obtain {via the contact commission} information not previously known on this planet. Although many new concepts were implanted during these early years, the revelators suggested to the contact commission that questions of a serious nature should be asked in order to elicit answers of supreme value to the human race. This suggestion was passed on to the discussion group — then called the Forum. Questions in writing concerning Deity, creation, evolution, and so on, were formulated, and as a result, the Urantia papers began to appear 15► .

 “We acknowledge our pledge of secrecy, renewing our promise not to discuss the Urantia revelations or their subject matter with anyone save active Forum members, and to take no notes of such matter as is read or discussed at public sessions, or to make copies of notes of what is personally read 16► .”

The first group of papers numbered 57 17► . The revelators then suggested that since the Forum could now ask more intelligent questions, they would undertake to enlarge the revelation and to expand the papers in accordance with new questions 18► .

From this date in 1942 19►  the Forum continued as a study group to the time of the organization of the First Urantia Society in 1956_20► .

In 1939, it appeared that the time had come to form a class to engage in the more serious and systematic study of The Urantia Papers. This project was presented to the Forum and when those who wished to join such a group were

~118~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

The Seventy started a systematic study of The Urantia Papers on April 5, 1939. The group was reorganized in a more formal way in September, 1943, but it continued to be known as the Seventy and the study of the papers continued to the summer of 1956. This was the forerunner of the later Urantia Brotherhood School. During these years the Seventy enrolled 107 students.

When permission to publish The Urantia Papers was granted, the revelator commission stated that they regarded the Urantia Book as a feature of the progressive evolution of human society; that it was not germane to the spectacular episodes of epochal revolution, even though it may apparently be timed to appear in the wake of one such revolution in human society. {A revolution does not necessarily mean violence and catastrophe. Remember the industrial rev.}21► The book belongs to the era immediately to follow the conclusion of the present ideological struggle. That will be the day when men will be willing to seek truth and righteousness. When the chaos of the present confusion has passed, it will be more readily possible to formulate the cosmos {cosmology} of a new and improved era of human relationships. And it was for this better order of affairs on earth that the book was being made ready 22► .

The plates of the Urantia Book which had been previously made constituted the basis for the creation of the Urantia Foundation by a Declaration of Trust under the laws of the State of Illinois, dated January 11, 1950. This is a non-profit organization. 

10 - A History ~119~

One of the objects for which the Foundation was created was to perpetually preserve inviolate the text of the Urantia Book and to disseminate the principles, teachings, and doctrines {denotes theological tradition. The U.B. seems to me to avoid using this word_24► } of the Urantia Book.

~120~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

Membership in any church or fraternal organization does not interfere with becoming a member of a Urantia Society. Several local societies have been formed throughout the United States and the Brotherhood is fostering many study groups which will eventually develop into local societies 25► .

Since the Urantia Brotherhood is not a corporation — a legal entity — the Urantia Brotherhood Corporation was formed on October 21, 1955 26► , under the laws of the State of Illinois, designed to provide for corporations not for profit, to serve as the legal arm of the fraternal and voluntary association of the Urantia Brotherhood.

This corporation is the fiscal agent of the Brotherhood and in a general way takes care of the varied financial and legal interests of the Brotherhood.

In December 1959, the Internal Revenue Bureau of the United States government ruled that the Urantia Foundation, the Urantia Brotherhood, and the Urantia Brotherhood Corporation were exempt from paying income taxes, and that any and all contributions made to these organizations are deductible from the income tax of such donors.

10 - A History ~121~

1. Study the methods employed by Jesus in introducing his work on earth. Note how quietly he worked at first — very often after a miracle he would admonish the recipient of his ministry, saying: “Tell no man what has happened to you.”

2. It was suggested that we avoid all efforts to achieve early and spectacular recognition. During the first five years these suggestions have been followed and the distribution increases yearly. The vast majority of the Brotherhood have concurred in this sort of quiet and gradual presentation of the book. However, one thing should be made clear: While it is the policy of the Brotherhood to work slowly in the distribution of the book, nothing is done to interfere with the energetic and enthusiastic efforts of any individual to introduce the Urantia Book to his friends and associates 27► .

(Editorial Note: Following are Sections from Sadler’s document. Where the text is the same as in the draft version I do not repeat it here.) Contact Activities Preceding the Urantia Papers

10 - A History ~123~

• 10. We heard about Thought Adjusters, but our concept of the meaning of the term was vague and indefinite.

• 11. We had acquired a fuzzy concept of the morontia level of existence — but we never heard the word morontia used until the Papers started 28► .

• 12. The midwayers were very real to us — we frequently talked with them during our varied “contacts.” We quite fully understood that the secondary midwayers supervised the contacts 29► .

• 13. We heard some things about the Lucifer rebellion, but got little information about Adam and Eve.

• 14. We gained the impression that there were special reasons for Jesus’ bestowal on Urantia, but we had little or no idea as to the nature of these unrevealed reasons.

• 15. We listened to occasional references to Jesus’ life and teachings — but they were very cautious about the introduction of any new concepts regarding Michael’s Urantia bestowal. Of all the Urantia Revelation the Jesus Papers were the biggest surprise 30► .

• 16. While we did not hear the term “Corps of The Finality,” we did pick up a hazy idea that Paradise might be the destination of surviving mortals.

Our superhuman friends thus spent upward of two decades in extending our cosmic horizons, enlarging our theologic concepts, and expanding our over-all philosophy 31► .

We never realized how much our religious thinking had been expanded until the Papers began to arrive. As the Revelation progressed we came more fully to appreciate how we had been prepared for the vast alteration of our religious beliefs by these preliminary contacts extending over a period of twenty years of pre-education 32► .

Our apprenticeship training for subsequent service in association with the presentation of The Urantia Papers was facilitated by the fact that, except for contacts with the midwayers, no two contacts were alike. Seldom did we meet the visiting personalities more than once. Every contact was entirely different from any and all that had gone before. And all of this experience was an extensive and liberal preparatory educational training in the expansion of our cosmology, theology, and philosophy — not to mention our introduction to new ideas and concepts concerning a vast array of more mundane subjects_33► .

The limited discussions of Jesus’ life and teachings during these pre-revelatory contacts might be explained by the fact that the midwayers were a bit dubious as to how much authority they had in such matters — as shown later on when a whole year was consumed in the clarification of their right to retell the story of Michael’s bestowal_34► .

Those of us who early attended upon these nocturnal vigils never suspected that we were in contact with anything supernatural. During these early years, all of our observations and investigations utterly failed to reveal the (psychic) technique of reducing messages to writing 35► .

~124~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

This was something of a shock, as well as a mild rebuke, and caused all of us to look upon this unique experience in a new and different way. Later on that night, one of our number said, “Now they have asked for it — let us give them questions that no human being can answer 36► .”

Dr. William S. Sadler, a member of this early group of observers and investigators, tells the following story regarding the origin of that group of interested individuals which later became known as the “Forum.” He says, “On my way to the University of Kansas to deliver some lectures on Gestalt psychology, I wrote a letter to my son 37► saying that I thought doctors should try to maintain some contact with their old patients. I suggested that he talk with his mother about the feasibility of inviting some of our old friends to meet with us on Sunday afternoons for an hour or two of informal discussion and social exchange.

“Presently, I was asked to give a series of talks on ‘Mental Hygiene’ or ‘Psychic Phenomena.’ At the beginning of my first talk, I said, ‘With one or two exceptions, all of the psychic phenomena which I have investigated have turned out to be either conscious or unconscious frauds. Some were deliberate frauds — others were those peculiar cases in which the performer was a victim of the deceptions of his own subconscious mind 38► .

~126~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

During the period of the reception of The Urantia Papers upward of 300 different persons participated in asking these genetic questions. With but few exceptions, all of The Urantia Papers were given in response to such questions 47► .

This was the plan: We would read a Paper on Sunday afternoon and the following Sunday the new questions would be presented. Again, these would be sorted, classified, etc. This program covered several years and ultimately resulted in the presentation of the 196 Papers as now found in the Urantia Book48► .

10 - A History ~127~

And this is the explanation of why the Jesus Papers appeared one year after the other Papers had been completed 49► .

Just about all that is known or could be told about the origin of The Urantia Papers is to be found, here and there, in the Urantia Book. A list of such references is to be found on the back of the dust jacket of the Book.

1. Page 1, par. 2. This passage refers to the difficulty of presenting expanded spiritual concepts when restricted to circumscribed human language, such as English.

2. Page 1, par. 4. An Orvonton Commission participated in the revelation and prepared this Forward.

3. Page 17, par. 1. In presenting this revelation of augmented spiritual values and universe meanings, more than one thousand human concepts were drawn from the minds of human beings of the present and the past.

4. Page 16, par. 8. P. 1343, par. 1. In all revelation of truth, preference is given to the highest existing human concepts of ideality and reality. Only in the absence of the human concept is superhuman knowledge revealed.

5. Page 1109, par. 4. Revelators are seldom at liberty to anticipate scientific discoveries. Truth is timeless, but the teachings respecting the physical sciences and certain phases of cosmology will become partially obsolescent as the result of the new discoveries of advancing scientific investigations. The cosmology of the Urantia Revelation is not inspired. Human wisdom must evolve 51► .

6. Page 215, par. 2-9. Human pedagogy proceeds from the simple to the complex. The Urantia Revelation begins with the more complex and goes on to the consideration of the more simple. Instead of beginning with man reaching up to God, The Urantia Papers begin with God — reaching down and finding man.

7. Page 865, par. 6,7. The narrative of the midwayers function in initiating and carrying forward the completion of the Urantia Revelation.

8. Page 865, par. 2, P. 1208, par. 7. Midway creatures are always employed in the phenomena of communication with material beings through the technique of “Contact Personalities.”52► The “subject” through whom The Urantia Papers were bestowed had a highly experienced Thought Adjuster. The “subject’s” relative indifference and unconcern regarding the work of his indwelling Adjuster was in every way favorable to the execution and completion of this revelatory project 53► .

9. Page 1258, par. 1. The contact personality was a member of the Urantia Reserve Corps of Destiny. This was just one of several conditions favoring the impartation of the Urantia Revelation 54► .

10. Page 1008, par. 3. The Urantia Revelation is unique in that it is presented by multiple authors. The Urantia Revelation, like its predecessors, is not inspired 55► .

~128~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

Recently, a group of ministers from northern Indiana, who were engaged in studying the Urantia Book, spent the day with us and, during the evening, Dr. Sadler led a discussion on “How We Did Not Get the Urantia Book 56► . The following is the gist of that presentation.

The Seventy started systematic study of The Urantia Papers from April 3, 1939 to the summer of 1956, and was the forerunner of the later “School of the Urantia Brotherhood.” The Seventy carried on its work of study, thesis writing, and practice of teaching for 17 years. During this period eight written communications were given to the Seventy by the Seraphim of Progress attached to the Superhuman Planetary Government of Urantia. 57►

10 - A History ~129~

It was learned that one of the wealthy members of the Forum desired to contribute fifty thousand dollars for the publication of the Book. By instruction, this was circumvented, because, they told us, it was best to give all parties concerned an opportunity to contribute to the publication fund 58► .

Accordingly, an appeal was made for $50,000.00 to defray the expense of printing ten thousand copies. The response was immediate. The sum contributed was in excess of forty-nine thousand dollars. The first money to reach the Foundation office was one thousand dollars from the late Sir Hubert Wilkins, the Arctic Explorer 59► .

End Notes►

1► This page is missing from the expanded version.

2► Urantia activities never truly developed into a dynamic “movement.” The fracturing of the organizations prevented cohesive direction. Secular definitions of purpose prevented dedication to God.

3► The attribution of authorship would limit the text to members of the Contact Commission.

4► The remark “preliminary contacts” would place the activity before the creation of the Forum. Available evidence suggests that this pioneer group was composed of more than fifteen members at various times, with the Sadler family maintaining membership throughout. These would include Sadler, his wife Lena, Anna and Wilfred Kellogg, and after 1923, Emma Christensen and William Sadler, Jr. Sadler’s consultation with professional experts would place them within this descriptive category, but the statement also suggests repeated association. The identity of those other persons is unknown, although some are hinted in Sadler’s books. Sadler respected their professional positions. We can deduce from his remarks that the consultants included the magicians Howard Thurston and Harry Houdini. Sadler left no stone unturned in his efforts to explain the phenomenon.

~130~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

5►      This reference would have been to William Sadler.

6► Note that the statement fails to distinguish communications that may come from malicious spirit personalities not classifiable under “spiritualism.” Sadler never reached the point of distinguishing between “spiritualism” and “spiritism.”

7►    As I discuss elsewhere, this was a false application. The mind of the Sleeping Subject was never used. Furthermore, this remark was edited out of the expanded version. The remark was based on a nebulous theory of the mechanism of transmission. Sadler just did not have a firm grip on the process. The statement which influenced the thinking of Sadler and others is on page 1258: “On many worlds the better adapted secondary midway creatures are able to attain varying degrees of contact with the Thought Adjusters of certain favorably constituted mortals through the skillful penetration of the minds of the latter’s indwelling. (And it was by just such a fortuitous combination of cosmic adjustments that these revelations were materialized in the English language on Urantia.)”

8►    This remark confirms my conclusions that the Urantia Papers did not come through the speaking of SS. They were always in written form.

9 ►   From this point on the Sections of the two draft versions differ in sequence. This immediate section was an expansion on an earlier draft.

10►    This section is relocated in the expanded version to the section entitled How We Got The Urantia Papers.

11►    This paragraph is missing from the expanded version. The reason is fairly clear. Sadler and the other Contact Commissioners could have revealed many details of the strange transactions but felt under sacred obligation not to do so.

12►    The two numbered paragraphs have editorial arrows on the shorter version which show an intent to reverse their positions. This relocation is followed in the expanded version.

13►    This remark does not capture the gamut of possible reasons for not revealing the name of the Sleeping Subject. Veneration is one. Perhaps his human associations might have detracted from the authenticity of the divine nature of the Revelation. Perhaps there was concern that members of his personal family might have become involved, contrary to his wishes. Other reasons may exist. Here Sadler and his family are disingenuous. This was their method for avoiding further inquiries. They could have offered many details had they felt it wise.

14►    The meetings took place in the home of William and Lena Sadler at 533 Diversey Parkway in Chicago.

15►    The chronology described in this document is confusing. In context, the statement about submitting more elevated questions came about 1928, twenty years after first contact, and five years after the first formation of the Forum. However, the first set of serious questions may have come before 1928. The task of formal questions then led to the first appearance of formal Papers, although these were not the final versions. The system of Papers appearing in response to questions brought the Forum members into intimate relationship with the Revelators, and developed emotional and religious bonds to the Revelation. The final drafts of the Papers, which composed the actual Revelation, did not appear until 1934 and 1935. This process of interaction was designed by the Revelators to ensure the safety of the Revelation when it was released to the world. This need was at two levels: a) To motivate the Forum members to

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16►    The chronologies show that the Forum became a closed group about the time of the first question-and-answer arrangement. Probably this was prior to 1928. The event marks a definite demarcation from earlier arrangements.

17►    This number would cover the first two parts of The Urantia Papers, including The Central and Superuniverses, and The Local Universe.

18►    Again, this shows that the first draft of the Papers was not the final version.

19►    A marginal notation states “Out” with the initials WSSJ.

20►    Later claims to membership in the Forum were amiss. Thus Harold Sherman may have been the last person who technically could be called a member. Sherman’s actions may have triggered Sadler’s decision to terminate the Forum as a genetic assembly. One the other hand, Sadler stated that he was instructed to terminate the Forum.

21►    This interpolated comment was an attempt to deflect the more dire implications of “epochal revolutions.”

22►   This statement is part of the final instructions Sadler received for publication of the Papers. Thus it can be dated to the early 1950’s. This “instruction” was instrumental in conditioning policies for formation of study groups and related Brotherhood activities, and the future of the entire Urantia community.

23►    In the margin next to this editorial change occur the initials WSSJ.

24►    The authorship of this note is unknown. It probably was William Sadler, Jr., since Sadler uses the word “doctrine” other places. The Urantia Papers use the word “doctrine” only when referring to human theories and beliefs, never as description of the teachings within the Papers.

25►   The transient nature of study groups prevented the building of a solid body of cooperative believers. Differences in personal philosophies prohibited a unified group of believers.

26►    This phrase is not contained in the expanded version.

27►  The plans expressed in these latter sections, while detailing early efforts to establish a “Urantia Movement,” eventually failed. The schools, the credentials issued for ‘teachers,’ the theological documents, the awards, and so on, did not mature. All were soon abandoned.

28►    The word “morontia” is used more than 600 times in the text of The Urantia Papers, from the beginning to the end, including the Jesus Papers. This was an essential concept. Lack of use of the word in the preliminary contacts suggests a severe limit on the depth of information imparted until the precursor Papers began to arrive.

29►    One of the more mysterious secrets held by the Contact Commission was the form of midwayer communication. Use of the phrase “they were very real to us” suggests that they never saw visible images of the midwayers. “Frequently talking with them” again does not distinguish between written conversations back and forth through the Sleeping Subject, or actual audible voices, emanating from thin air. There is no reason to assume the latter. Later, when the actual revelation began to appear, messages and instructions also could have been given in written form without audible communication.

~132~ The Birth of a Divine Revelation

30►    This statement suggests that they did not receive any material resembling the Jesus Papers during the preliminary contacts, or in the communications with the Forum. Anecdotal descriptions from various individuals suggest the Jesus Papers were revealed after the first three parts of the Urantia Papers were complete.

31►    This remark would date the actual revelation later than 1928. The long list of important details lacking in the preliminary contacts shows that the process was one of preparation, not complete revelation.

32►    This is an important remark regarding the psychological and religious preparation required to accustom Sadler and the other members of the Contact Commission, as well as the Forum, to these new concepts. Without this preparation the Revelation might have been rejected.

33►    This extended preparatory training, covering twenty years, shows a marked difference from the communications offered by Caligastia. He does not take time to prepare his students philosophically and theologically after penetration of their minds. When once he has them captured he jumps quickly to “revelation.” It is important to his methods that his students not have the luxury of thought. His purpose is to overpower them with the seeming miraculous, and to keep the conceptual framework confused. He cannot afford analytical evaluation. Were he to do so his students would eventually come to recognize his logical inconsistencies, and thence to suspicions of origins. Only superficial minds, incapable of theological depth, are subject to his machinations. (Note that many of his candidates are highly trained professionals, but only in the mechanics of their trades. They never learned deeper thinking.)

34►    This paragraph is speculative; it is an attempt to bring understanding to the long delay in transmitting the Jesus’ Papers, and the strange maneuvering of the celestial personalities. Two human elements should be considered in this delay: a) how the story of Jesus’ life and teachings might (or might not) be received by human mortals with heavy cultural conditioning and, b) how it might have stimulated premature exposure of the revelatory material. The Jesus Papers were and are an attractive place to introduce others to the Revelation. They are the most compatible with Christian ideas. These two elements were opposite horns of acceptance which, as explained in the above text, required time to prepare.

35►    The last two remarks show the puzzle which Sadler faced in explaining the strange activities of the Sleeping Subject. At that early period he believed the phenomenon was strictly psychological, deriving out of the sub-conscious mind of SS. On the other hand he could find no memory of the events or details of the material within the mind of SS. Hypnosis, intensive comparison, and other techniques failed to discover how the written materials could have materialized, since the mind of SS seemed to be totally divorced from the materials. Little did Sadler appreciate that the written and oral materials were produced directly by the midwayers, through mechanical manipulation of the voice and muscles of SS. Even to the end of his life Sadler had difficulty understanding this process, and conceived a torturous method involving the midwayers making contact with the Thought Adjuster of SS. Refer to earlier remarks.

36►    Twenty years would place this remark in 1928, five years after the start of the Forum.

37►    William Sadler, Jr. would have been sixteen years of age at that time.

38►    Refer to previous discussions on Sadler’s attitude about psychic phenomena.