Origin of the Urantia Papers
(from Kristen Maaherra)How were the Urantia Papers Materialized?
The following is (at least part of) the story of the materialization of the Urantia Papers compiled from various sources -- mostly from Doc and Bill Sadler, Meredith Sprunger, forumites, and Bill Hales.
Overview:
1. Two different phases of contact or activity: The Urantia Papers were actually materialized by a somewhat different process than the early activities of the contact personality.
a. In the "early years" the superhuman revelators were choosing the human contact commission, testing the human subject (the contact personality, the "sleeping subject") to make sure he remained "fortuitously unconcerned," and getting the "comprehension barometer" (the forum) into place.
b. Once these folks were involved and following instructions from the superhuman revelators, in 1934 and 1935, the Urantia Papers were materialized, by a technique unknown to anyone - including the contact commission.2. Who directed whom? The superhuman revelators directed the human contact commission. ("We were instructed," (Page 000299 History, paragraph 1), "we were told that the Revelatory Commission would be pleased..." (Page 000309, History, first paragraph); "It was the design of our unseen friends . . ." (Page 000311, History, first paragraph); "We were enjoined to refrain from . . ." (Page 000311, History, last paragraph). "Since we have been operating under orders from our unseen friends . . .") (Emma Christensen).
3. Concerning "Apocryphal" Messages, Mandates, Instructions, or Advice: There was to be nothing left from the superhuman authors except the Urantia Papers themselves. There were to be no "apocryphal" messages; no instructions that are not found in the Papers themselves. ("During these early years the contact commissioners received many communications and directives in writing. Almost all of these messages had a notation at the bottom of the last page which read: `To be destroyed by fire not later than the appearance of the Urantia Papers in print.'") (History, Page 000311).
4. No Human Name: the superhuman revelators did not want any human name to be associated with the revelation. ("They [the superhuman revelators] are determined that future generations shall have the book wholly free from all mortal connections...") (History, Page 000306).
5. Most Reliable Information on Origin: the best information concerning the origin of the Urantia Papers can be found in the Papers themselves. ("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.") (History, Page 000301).
6. There is not, nor has there ever been, a human "authority" on the Urantia Papers.
7. There is not, nor has there ever been an "official" interpretation of the Urantia Papers.
8. No mortal being knows, or ever knew, the complete story of how the Urantia Papers came to be.
9. Apocryphal stories exist that the midwayers had been planning for a revelation on the order of the Urantia Papers since the middle ages -- the time of the development of the printing press and the Protestant Reformation -- and had petitioned the Melchizedeks as early as the fifteenth century for help.
10. The midwayers tried a number of different methods with several different groups before developing a working liaison with the Sadler/forum group early in the twentieth century.
11. February 11, 1924, the contact commission was formalized. Original members were:
a. Dr. William S. Sadler ("Doc"); born June 24, 1875, in Spencer, Indiana; died April 26, 1969. Doc and Lena met in 1893 and were married December 3, 1897. (Doc's father was Samuel Cavins Sadler, a graduate of Chicago Conservatory of Music, a teacher, performer and "great Bible salesman" of his day.)
b. Dr. Lena Celestia Sadler ("Dr. Lena" is in Who's Who); born June 9, 1875, in Abscota, Michigan; died August 8, 1939. (Dr. Lena's maiden name was Kellogg).
c. William S. Sadler, Jr., ("Bill") born 1908, (or 1906?), died November 22, 1963, the very day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
d. Anna Kellogg (sister of Lena).
e. Wilfred Kellogg, who was the "anonymous donor" who gave the printing plates to the Foundation.
f. Emma Christensen, ("Christy") born January 29, 1890, in Gem Township, South Dakota; died May 2, 1982. ("Christy" had a sister, Olga Du Val, who was also nicknamed, "Christy.")12. Dr. William S. Sadler ("Doc") (June 24, 1875-April 26,1969), physician, surgeon, psychiatrist, professor, and author of forty-two books, was a popular lecturer on Chautauqua platforms and promoted modern medicine and mental health issues through talks, magazine articles, and 42 books. For many years he taught at the Post-graduate School of Medicine at Chicago University and for almost thirty years he was a lecturer in Pastoral Counseling at McCormick Theological Seminary.
13. Dr. Lena Kellogg Sadler ("Dr. Lena") (June 9, 1875-August 8, 1939) was associate professor of Physiologic Therapeutics in "The Post Graduate Medical School of Chicago"; associate director of the "Chicago Institute of Physiologic Thereapeutics," and a specialist in diseases of women and children. Dr. Lena was a member of the Chicago Women's Club, the Illinois State Medical Society, and also a fellow of the American Medical Association. Before studying medicine, she was a public school teacher and afterwards a trained nurse. She was a co-laborer with her husband in all his sociological work, giving special attention to rescue work and the establishment of homes for the unfortunate. Dr. Lena appears in Who Was Who in America, 1897-1942.
14. In 1894, William S. Sadler graduated from Battle Creek College, an Adventist institution; in 1899, he became a licensed Seventh Day Adventist minister.
15. In 1901-1903, the Sadlers lived in San Francisco and both attended Cooper Medical College (now a part of Stanford University).
16. In 1905, William S. Sadler writes long letter to Ellen G. White, author, leader and prophet of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, challenging her "testimonials" and "visions."
17. In 1906, the Sadlers are awarded medical degrees and set up practice together in Battle Creek; they are increasingly disenchanted with Adventism. In 1907, they leave Battle Creek to found the Chicago Institute of Physiologic Therapeutics, 100 State Street, Chicago, "to render diagnostic and surgical services, plus physical and psychological therapeutic assistance" on referrals.
18. In 1906, the Sadlers begin working the Chautauqua circuit, lecturing on health related issues; this continues at least until 1915.
19. The Chautauquas were lecture programs in which the lecturers traveled from city to city. By 1920, the Chautauquas were operating in more than 8,500 communities nationwide. The spread of radio in the 1920's along with changing morals and tastes gradually eroded the popularity of the Chautauquas which finally closed down in 1932.
20. In 1908, William S. Sadler, Jr. ("Bill") born -- this date is disputed and could have been as early as 1906. (Bill might have altered records in order to get into the Marine Corps prior to attaining the requisite age.) Bill had an older brother, Willis Kellogg Sadler who died when young.
21. In 1910, the Sadlers go abroad to study psychiatry at clinics in Leeds, England and in Vienna. Dr. Sadler studies under Freud.
22. Chautauqua records show Sadlers active on the circuit in 1910.
23. Between 1905 and 1926 Dr. Sadler wrote four popular health articles for "Ladies Home Journal," as well as two articles published in medical journals and one published in the "Journal of Criminal Law."
The Early Contacts
24. The date of actual first "contact" is disputed and ranges from 1905 to 1911.
25. Originally it was the wife of the patient (later known as the "sleeping subject" or the "contact personality") who sought Dr. Lena Sadler. The wife was a patient of Dr. Lena's.
26. Dr. Lena Sadler did not employ the patient. The patient employed the doctor.
27. The Urantia Papers were not created at the insistence of the Doctors Sadler, nor was the thought of their creation conceived by the Doctors or by the contact commission.
28. Dr. Lena had a patient who consulted her about the bizarre behavior of her husband. This man was the "sleeping subject" or contact personality.
29. Dr. Lena brought the case to her husband, Doc, (Dr. William S. Sadler), due to the "bizarre behavior of the gentleman."
30. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "His wife awoke one night to find her husband talking in his sleep, and she couldn't get him awake, and he was saying some rather strange things." "In this way Doc was invited in to examine the situation. He found physiologically the individual was normal, and he also couldn't get him awake when he was in this sort of deep sleep." "And this is how he was introduced to the phenomena that resulted in the Urantia Papers."
31. There is no evidence (in years of investigation by objective outsiders and non-believers) that either the doctor or the contact commission had any power to induce, direct, supervise, oversee, or control the actual production of a single Urantia Paper.
32. The human contact personality is an anonymous individual whose Thought Adjuster was involved with the process by which the Urantia Papers were materialized.
33. The contact personality himself did not contribute any expression to the Papers and, therefore, is not an author of any part of the Urantia Papers.
34. Dr. Sadler describes his first encounter with the "sleeping subject" in the Appendix from "The Mind at Mischief:" "I was brought in contact with it, in the summer of 1911, and I have had it under my observation more or less ever since, having been present at probably 250 of the night sessions, many of which have been attended by a stenographer who made voluminous notes."
35. Emma Christensen is widely believed to be the stenographer referred to in "The Mind at Mischief" for these early communications.
36. There is no testimony that any part of the text of the Urantia Papers that was materialized in 1934 and 1935 was ever spoken and recorded by a stenographer.
37. Bill Sadler (in his tape on origin) says of these earliest contacts: "This man would go to sleep and he'd talk and what came out was intriguing and different."
38. Doc told Dr. Sprunger: "One case I can't figure out yet... A clearing house of celestial beings... A genuine phenomena."
39. "During these early years, our unseen friends were engaged in a thoroughgoing testing of the contact personality, rehearsing the technique of communication, selecting the contact commissioners -- in fact, in a general way -- setting the stage for the subsequent initiation of the presentation of the Urantia Papers." [History of the Urantia Movement].
40. Circa 1911, the Doctors Sadler, prominent Chicago physicians, began treating a case of psychic activities (this "sleeping subject") that psychiatrists and debunkers of psychic phenomena were unable to explain.
41. Their involvement with these activities culminated in the publication of the Urantia Book in 1955.
42. The identity of the patient remains a secret because the Doctors took a vow not to reveal the identity of this individual.
43. From Bill Sadler's tape on origin: "Who was this guy? I took an oath not to divulge who he was. That was required of all who know his identity and it was required by the commissioner who sponsored the last of the papers. We think we know why it was required. He would have asked us to maintain secrecy. One of the reasons this chap was picked is that he has a passion for anonymity -- a very stable man -- the exact opposite of what you think someone associated with this would be like. His head was solidly on his shoulders and his feet solidly on the ground -- someone who would be ashamed to be mixed up with something spooky. He doesn't want to be known."
44. Dr. Lena Sadler is a key figure in making possible the reception of the revelation. She believed right from the start that something significant was occurring.
45. Dr. Lena's husband, "Doc" Sadler remained skeptical until 1936. He wanted to abandon the process at several points but continued at Dr. Lena's insistence.
46. In 1911, Doc Sadler's public lectures were expanded to include addresses on the "phenomena and philosophy of spiritualism."
47. William S. Sadler, Jr., February 18, 1962, tape on origin: "Many years ago my parents, who were physicians, had brought to their attention this individual who had some rather strange things happening to him. In one of the books my father wrote, "The Mind at Mischief," he made mention of this case in the last part of the book -- in the Appendix which was published in the 1920's. My father had spook-hunting as a hobby. He was an exposer of mediums. He had two running mates -- the head of the psychology department at Northwestern University and Howard Thurston, a professional magician. Take a physician, a psychologist and a magician, and God help the medium. There is a book now out of print which my father wrote called "The Truth About Spiritualism" in which he puts so-called spiritualists as falling into one of two categories. There are practicing frauds -- deliberately working for gain or for glory -- and there are people who are self-deceived. I think in that book he says "with one possible exception."
48. William S. Sadler, Jr., February 18, 1962, tape on origin: "These two physicians [Dr. and Mrs. Sadler] became interested in this case. This man would go to sleep and he'd talk and what came out was intriguing and different. He was never interested in the lost watch or the stock market or in talking with your Uncle George who had passed on -- never anything practical. This was different; distinctly offbeat. About this time a Sunday evening meeting came to be organized at our house. It came about when Pop was giving a commencement address at Ames. I was in High School at the time and he wrote me a letter saying that we were not church people but that Sunday should be productive as well as a day of rest. He asked what I would say if they invited in some friends and they had a discussion group -- kind of a forum -- and talked about health and history and politics, etc. That group came into existence in, I think, 1922. This group became interested in spiritualism because Pop was writing on that subject at the time."
49. In the early years, the "unseen friends" (the revelators, the superhuman personalities): "were engaged in" making the contacts with mortals; the revelators selected the contact commissioners, and the revelators initiated the presentation of the Urantia Papers. (History, Page 000293, first paragraph).
50. History Two states: "Those of us who early attended the nocturnal vigils never suspected that we were in contact with anything supernatural."
51. These early activities seemed, at first glance, typical of "channeling" activities: the patient spoke while in an unconscious state. Yet Doc wrote: "A thorough study of this case has convinced me that it is not one of ordinary trance."
52. The patient also produced what were apparently "automatic" writings. Yet, there is no record whatsoever of any individual (including his wife) having seen him write. History Two states that: "During those early years, all of our observations and investigations utterly failed to reveal the technique of reducing the messages to writing."
53. Autorevelation involves the individual and his or her Thought Adjuster. Through the ages, many inspired people have claimed to have special information. In a minority of these cases, individuals have produced some inspiring material. The quality of such material varies widely. The Urantia Papers defines such activity as autorevelation, and make a distinction between this and Epochal Revelation.
54. Epochal Revelation involves superhuman agencies, groups or personalities. Epochal Revelations are very rare - only five have taken place in the long history of our planet. The Fifth Epochal Revelation is the Urantia Papers themselves.
55. Perhaps the most baffling thing about the early messages that were produced by the contact personality was their astounding content. The doctors involved could not explain the unique material, nor how the patient seemed to be able to produce it.
56. Dr. William Sadler, in the appendix of his 1929 book, describes the material as "...essentially Christian, and is, on the whole, entirely harmonious with the known scientific facts and truths of this age." He also stated that: "Eighteen years of study and careful investigation have failed to reveal the psychic origin of these messages... Its philosophic content is quite new, and we have been unable to find where very much of it has ever found human expression."
57. Dr. Lena realized early on what they were dealing with. Doc retained "scientific objectivity," and was especially skeptical in the early years of the process.
58. Eventually, Doc provisionally accepted the validity of the material that was being recorded. His unqualified conviction developed over many years, and was based upon the quality of the content of the Urantia Papers, the precise philosophic consistency of the complex and voluminous material, and not upon the puzzling and unexplained technique by which the Papers were materialized.
59. The superhuman revelators directed the humans: "We were instructed," (Page 000299, paragraph 1), "we were told that the Revelatory Commission would be pleased..." (Page 000309, first paragraph); "It was the design of our unseen friends . . ." (Page 000311, first paragraph); "We were enjoined to refrain from . . ." (Page 000311, last paragraph). "Since we have been operating under orders from our unseen friends ..." Emma Christensen, document # 1346.
60. There were other communications, including special directives, informal dialogue and such, that took place between the various orders of Celestial Beings who interfaced with the mortals of the human contact commission. Thus, written materials, not part of the text of the Papers, were produced. All of this additional material, written -- or spoken and recorded by a stenographer -- was also destroyed. "During these early years the contact commissioners received many communications and directives in writing. Almost all of these messages had a notation at the bottom of the last page which read: `To be destroyed by fire not later than the appearance of the Urantia Papers in print.'" (History, Page 000311).
61. All that was intended to remain in writing from the revelators is the Urantia Papers themselves.
62. In 1912, Dr. Sadler published "The Physiology of Faith and Fear," a compendium of his most popular Chautauqua lectures. This was one of 42 books which he authored and published.
63. In 1921, the Sadlers move their medical practice to 533 Diversey Parkway.
64. In 1922, Emma Christensen moved to Chicago and took job as office manager of the National Bank Examiner's Office.
65. Meredith Sprunger reports that in 1923, the Sadlers (Doc and his wife, Dr. Lena) were frequently asked by friends and acquaintances to host an informal group where medical and social issues could be discussed. Accordingly, the Sadlers started a Sunday afternoon tea in the mid 1920's, which became known as "the forum," where such topics were examined and sometimes debated. In time the forum came to be composed of professional people: doctors, lawyers, dentists, ministers, and teachers, along with individuals from all walks of life -- homemakers, secretaries, farmers, laborers.
66. January 25, 1923: First meeting of the group which became known as "the forum."
67. Doc described the forum to Dr. Sprunger as: "guinea pigs, a human audience to try out these Papers on." "They [the superhuman revelators] wanted to see how human beings reacted."
68. Sprunger writes: "One Sunday a forum member asked Dr. Sadler what he thought about a psychic medium who was drawing large crowds in one of the local theaters. Dr. Sadler replied that he had investigated many such psychics and found they were either dishonest frauds or sincere but self-deceived people whose subconscious mind activity led them to believe they were getting knowledge from the spirit world."Then," he added,"there is one that I haven't figured out yet." They, of course, wanted to know about this person, later called"the contact personality," and Dr. Sadler shared some of the information gathered since 1911."
69. William S. Sadler, Jr., tape on origin: "My dad was mischievous -- there was a mind-reading show -- vaudeville at McVickers. Pop attended twice. He took a pair of wire cutters and clipped the wires that hooked the guy in the audience with the gal on the stage. At which point she fainted and they asked if there was a doctor in the audience, and Pop had the gall to go back and take care of her. At about this time I was in Nicaragua so some of what I tell you is hearsay. 1924 to 1928 will be hearsay, but subsequent to 1928 I'll give you direct information. The question came up whether all such phenomena is fraudulent. My dad was an honest guy so he said there was one such case that was a puzzle. So they asked him to tell them about it. So the forum became intrigued with the shorthand notes that had been taken of things this man talked about."
70. February 11, 1924: Following an inspection by Tabamantia, Machiventa Melchizedek announces the fact that an epochal revelation is to be developed utilizing the process of communication which had been refined in conjunction with the midwayers since 1911. Up to this point, contacts had been with midwayers and student visitors: (35:3.15) "...the Melchizedek colleges are thronged with student visitors and observers from other realms."
71. For a number of years the Sadlers and a small group of associates, called"the contact commission," had the opportunity of testing and verifying the content of unusual forms of distant communication. They were trained and familiarized with the technique of communication and information imparted by the alleged extra-planetary personalities, later known as"the revelators." Through such a sharing of information, the agenda of the Forum was virtually taken over by the revelators. (Sprunger).
72. February 11, 1924: "Contact commission" formalized. Original members were:
i. Dr. William S. Sadler
ii. Dr. Lena Sadler
iii. William S. Sadler, Jr.
iv. Anna Kellogg (sister of Lena)
v. Wilfred Kellogg
vi. Emma ChristensenForum as "comprehension barometer"
73. February, 1925: Revelators asked that questions be submitted to the superhuman personalities. Bill Sadler (in his tape on origin) says: "One evening when they were talking to this chap, a kind of an argument came up. They were talking with someone who claimed to be a Mighty Messenger. They asked if he could prove he was a Mighty Messenger. `No,' he said, `but you can't prove I'm not either. If you knew what I know, you wouldn't ask these half-baked questions. You would prepare some of the most deep, searching and far-reaching questions you could possibly imagine.'"
74. At this challenge from the Mighty Messenger (former human) the contact commission and the forum composed questions: "My father was half English and half Irish and he got kind of mad -- they were checking out this phenomena and here they were being challenged. Pop looked at the others in the group and said, `Let's take him up on it.' So the next Sunday when the forum met the whole group came in on the deal. I was told that approximately five thousand questions were given. Some were silly -- how old is God, who created him, and so forth. What happened was this -- one day the questions were gone and where the questions were kept was the first of the Urantia Papers and was entitled, `The Universal Father.'"
75. The History says, "The first Papers numbered 57."
76. Sprunger's description: "Around this time, a personality who claimed to be a student visitor to the planet challenged the contact commission saying,"If you people realized what a high spiritual source you were associated with, you would stop making these puerile investigations to detect fraud and ask some significant questions about the nature of reality and the universe." Dr. Sadler took this message to the Forum and suggested that they take up the challenge by writing questions which could be taken to the revelators. They agreed to do so, and the many questions submitted were organized by Dr. Sadler. The first question presented was,"Is there a God; and, if so, what is he like?" In response they received five papers which the revelators requested be read to the Forum and kept in Dr. Sadler's office safe."
77. After the forum was brought into the process, they submitted questions to the celestial beings (the superhuman revelatory commission) through the human contact commission.
78. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "Doc Sadler edited and arranged the questions."
79. The answers to these questions were written out and formed a kind of first working draft for the Urantia Papers. The written materials were subsequently typed, the typed papers verified, and finally, the original written material destroyed. Eventually the typed copies were also destroyed, per instructions by the superhuman revelators.
80. From Bill's tape on origin: "These papers were read to the forum. At the end of each paper was a note suggesting the next title on which questions should be asked. This is how they led us through the first time. They were read to the forum and they generated more questions and over a period of years this book accumulated. And eventually when we had money we published."
"First Series:"
81. Between 1925 to about 1929 the "first series" of papers was delivered.
82. "The first group of Papers numbered 57." (History, Page 000308).
83. ". . . the superhuman agencies and personalities responsible for transmitting the 57 Papers would engage to enlarge the revelation and to expand the Papers . . ." (History, Page 000308).
84. Among the "first series" of papers were: Installation of the Godhead; The Son of God; The Sons of God; The Third Source and Center; Higher Personalities of the Third Source and Center; Spiritual Artisans; Ministering Spirits; The Planetary Prince; Evolution of Law, Order and Civilization; Adam and Eve; The Default; the "Religion Papers" (ultimately published as papers 99 through 103); The Jewish Idea of God from Melchizedek to Christ; Bestowals of Christ Michael; Thought Adjusters and Seraphic Guardians. (Clarence Bowman's diaries).
85. It is clear that all of the text of the Urantia Papers was materialized in written form. The puzzling aspects of how this was done completely baffled the doctor and several other experts in psychic phenomena who were called in. In addition, at some point handwriting experts were asked to examine the written material. They verified that the handwritten material was not the patient's handwriting.
86. A tape recording by Bill, a member of the contact commission, states that the early communications were in the handwriting of the patient, the sleeping subject: "We tried everything we could think of to see how this was being done, but were baffled. The text was entirely written in pencil -- all in the handwriting of this individual who remarked that if they ever wanted to draw on his bank account he'd be a dead duck because the bank would pay on their signature."
87. Bill goes on to say that the patient, the "sleeping subject," did not actually write even that material that was in his handwriting. Two points in support of this conclusion:
a. In fact the patient, the "sleeping subject," was exactly that -- sleeping -- when writings were produced. The subject did not actually write the Papers, and the mind of the subject was not used. Therefore the conclusion that the material was not in the patient, the "sleeping subject's" handwriting.
b. The doctor involved, a noted expert on psychic phenomena, remained baffled as to how the Papers were materialized. Had the Papers been in the contact personality's handwriting, this would have been compelling factual evidence that the material was simply automatic writing. If the text had been spoken, it would be self-evidently, automatic talking. However, the doctor categorically declared that no form of automatic writing, speaking, channeling or any known psychic methods were ever employed to produce any part of the text of the Urantia Papers.88. The handwriting of the human contact commissioners was tested, and none had the characteristics of the writing being received. On occasion, great amounts of material would materialize overnight -- yet the patient's wife swore he had not left the bed. After an especially amazing amount of material had been produced one night, the doctor tested the patient's forearm, and found no evidence of fatigue. During this early period Dr. Sadler remained cautious, yet he conceded that he could not discover the technique of the materialization method of the text produced.
89. Even in the very early days of the process, extensive investigation "utterly failed" to determine the method of "reducing the messages to writing."
"Second Series:"
90. The "second series" was an expansion of all of the first papers. Some of the titles were changed, some papers were deleted, others consolidated and new ones added. But the order was close to that of the "first series."
91. "And last, but not least, the technique of receiving the Urantia Papers in answer to questions was an entirely new and unique method of imparting information on the part of superhuman intelligences. The very book itself is original in origin and unique in impartation." (Page 25, Consideration of Some Criticisms of the Urantia Book, by Dr. Sadler).
92. The forum formally established with 30 members, September, 1925.
93. Sprunger writes: "Soon after the first Urantia Papers were presented, the revelators requested that they form a closed group. Each member of the Forum was asked to sign a pledge. Membership tickets were issued and the charter membership numbered thirty. From time to time new members were received into the Forum after being interviewed by its officers and signing the pledge of secrecy. During the Forum's existence its membership rose to a total of 486. Members of the Forum were permitted to come to 533 Diversey Parkway and read the papers, but they were never taken from the building."
94. 1927: "Forum Pledge" formalized. The forumites all signed a pledge stating, "We acknowledge our pledge of secrecy, renewing our promise not to discuss the Urantia Revelations or their subject matter with any one save active forum members, and to take no notes of such matter as is read or discussed at the public sessions, or make copies or notes of what we personally read."
95. The forum acted like a "comprehension barometer" for the revelators: Bill says: "These papers were read to the forum. At the end of each paper was a note suggesting the next title on which questions should be asked. This is how they [the revelators] led us through the first time. They were read to the forum and they generated more questions and over a period of years this book accumulated." (From Bill's tape on origin).
96. The forum never worked directly with or knew the identity of the contact personality.
97. Meredith Sprunger relates that "the papers always appeared in a predetermined place and they were hand written. Handwriting experts agreed that it was not the writing of the human individual involved. They were requested to have these original papers typewritten and kept in a safe in Dr. Sadler's office. Whenever the original papers were copied, the originals always disappeared. Ten dollar bills were placed between the sheets and they found the original papers would disappear but the bills would remain in the locked safe. After the papers began coming, the contact commissioners were requested to read them to the forum. They discovered that after some papers were read and placed in the safe, they disappeared. When they inquired about this disappearance, very little explanation was given beyond the fact that it was their decision to withdraw the paper. Other papers were altered after being read to the forum. The assumption is that they were required to read these papers to the forum so that these spirit beings could observe human reaction to the material presented."
98. "The original papers were handwritten. Handwriting experts agreed that it was not the writing of the human individual whose superconscious mind was used in some way in the materialization of the papers. They were requested to have these original papers typed and carefully checked by the members of the contact commission. Whenever the original papers were typed and checked, the originals in the locked safe disappeared." (Sprunger).
99. Dr. Sadler maintains he is still highly skeptical of the process.
100. Meredith Sprunger relates, "He [Doc] told me that as they read the early Urantia Papers he observed that many of the group including his wife were beginning to be highly impressed by their content. So one Sunday he made a speech about the importance of objectivity and a critical approach to this material. The response he got when he finished was sort of a testimony meeting. The essence of the Forum's reaction was, "We don't care who wrote it -- it makes more sense than anything we've ever read." But Dr. Sadler observed that his professional reputation was at stake. He had declared there were no genuine mediumistic phenomena and he wasn't going to allow one baffling case to change his mind."
101. 1928: Bill Sadler recalled from Marines.
102. 1929: Emma Christensen joins the Sadler household at 533 Diversey Parkway. The Sadlers had purchased the building shortly before the stock market crash on Black Thursday. The Sadlers formally adopted Christy.
103. 1929: "Mind at Mischief" published. This book also contains a definition of friendship which Dr. Sadler purportedly got from the Midwayers.
104. "Mind at Mischief" was the best selling of all Doc's 42 books. After publication he apparently had second thoughts about it and asked friends to help collect as many as they could. Some 800 were thus collected but when Dr. Sadler reneged on his promise to buy them back, most of them found their way back into circulation.
The Urantia Papers were Not Channeled
105. Sometime around 1930 Dr. Sadler consulted with Harry Houdini and with Howard Thurston, a renowned sleight of hand artist who devoted considerable time to exposing fraudulent mediums and psychics. He also consulted with Sir Hubert Wilkins, a noted scientist and explorer who investigated psychic phenomena in an attempt to understand the unique process of which he was a part.
106. Mary Lou Hales reports that Howard Thurston attended some forum sessions.
107. Doc Sadler was a student and debunker of fake spiritualism. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: Doc "didn't even believe in ESP." Doc emphasized the following over and over: "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." (History, with the list of ways the Papers did not materialize).
108. Sprunger writes: "During Dr. Sadler's investigation of this phenomenon he consulted with men like Howard Thurston, the renowned sleight of hand artist who devoted considerable time to exposing fraudulent mediums and psychics, and Sir Hubert Wilkens, the noted scientist and explorer who was interested in investigating psychic phenomena. All of them agreed that the phenomena connected with this individual could not be classified with other types of psychic phenomena such as automatic writing, telepathy, clairvoyance, trances, spirit mediumship, or split personality."
109. Sprunger writes: "On May 7, 1958 our group of ministers had an appointment with Dr. Sadler to discuss phenomena associated with the origin of The Urantia Book. When we arrived he had prepared a paper for us listing every imaginable form of subconscious mind or psychic activity at the bottom of the outline he had a note saying, "The technique of the reception of The Urantia Book in English in no way parallels or impinges upon any of the above phenomena of the marginal consciousness." He went onto tell us that so nearly as he could determine, the appearance of the Urantia Papers was associated with some form of superconscious mind activity."
110. These words follow the list of ways the Urantia Papers were not received: "Note: The technique of the reception of the Urantia Book in English in no way parallels or impinges upon any of the above phenomena of the marginal consciousness." (History, Page 000305).
111. It is clear that: ". . .the phenomena connected with the personality, who was later associated with the Urantia Papers, was in no way similar to any other well-known type of psychic performance -- such as hypnotism, automatic writing, clairvoyance, trances, spirit mediumship, telepathy, or double personality. It should be made clear that the antecedents of the Urantia Papers were in no way associated with so-called spiritualism . . ." (History, Page 000292).
112. "I am sorry I cannot supply you with more detailed information about how the papers in the Urantia Book were received. I can say this -- no mediums, psychics, or sensitives were in any way connected with this revelation. The only information we have is that contained in the book itself. If all of the information in the book is put together by you in a continuous story, you will know as much as I do." (Emma Christensen, Letter # 934, 7/02/74.)
113. "I can testify that the Urantia Papers were not the product of automatic writing or any other technique of psychic ledgerdemain known to me." (Page 13, Consideration of Some Criticisms of the Urantia Book, by Dr. Sadler).
114. "The technique of the reception of the Urantia Book in English in no way parallels or impinges upon any of the above phenomena of the marginal consciousness." (Page 14, Consideration of Some Criticisms of the Urantia Book, by Dr. Sadler).
115. "The book did not come through a medium, or by automatic writing, or any of the well-known psychic phenomena. It was written by superhuman personalities, all of whom are described in the book." (Emma Christensen, Letter # 568, 4/11/68.)
116. "During these early years, all of our observations and investigations utterly failed to reveal the technique of reducing messages to writing." (History, Page 000295, last sentence.)
117. "Remember: when we are asked, `Just how did you get the Urantia Book?' if each of us told everything we know about the origin of the Urantia Papers, such a narrative would not fully satisfy the inquirer, for there is too much concerning the transmittal of the Urantia Papers that none of us fully understands. If you knew all we know, you would still be ignorant of much concerning the phenomena of factualizing these documents. No living person fully understands just how the Urantia Papers got translated into the English manuscript which was authorized for publication." (Page 9, Consideration of Some Criticisms of the Urantia Book, by Dr. Sadler).
118. Upon his death, Sir Hubert Wilkins left a substantial parcel of land in upstate New York to be used by the Urantia Brotherhood for the construction of a seminary campus. The terms of this trust have yet to be consummated.
119. The forum kept going over these papers and asking questions so the revelators could clarify their expressions to be more understandable to the mortal mind. The forum went through all the papers at least three times. To estimate the time involved consider 118 papers completely gone through three times, one paper a week, 42 weeks a year (allowing for no meetings during the peak summer heat).
120. Sprunger writes: "Occasionally, after papers were read and placed in the office safe, they disappeared. When the contact commission inquired about this disappearance, very little explanation was given beyond the fact that it was their decision to withdraw the paper. Other papers were altered after being read to the Forum. For instance, one of the papers stated that the apostle Nathaniel had"a good sense of humor for a Jew." The members of the Forum chuckled at this comment. The next time they obtained this paper from the safe, they discovered the phrase"for a Jew" was deleted. The assumption was that they were required to read these papers to the forum so that these higher beings could observe human reaction to the material presented."
1934: Parts I and II
121. Urantia Papers 1 through 56 were materialized in their published form in 1934.
122. The Thought Adjuster was used in this materialization. The "sleeping subject" was just that -- sleeping. Urantia Papers, page 1208: "The Adjuster ... through whom this communication is being made...")
123. No one witnessed the complete materialization method of the Urantia Papers. Many unexplained things occurred, but not a single member of the human contact commission or the forum ever claimed to have seen the patient writing or typing anything.
124. A great deal of information about the materialization technique can be found in the Papers themselves. Though the subject was certainly involved, apparently his role was completely passive. According to the Urantia Papers, his mind was not used, but his Thought Adjuster (the fragment of God that indwells normal minds) was evidently quite active in the process.
125. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "The original Papers were handwritten. They were instructed to have them typed and checked by the members of the contact commission. That they were accurate. And after the original Papers were typewritten and checked, and placed in the safe, they always disappeared."
126. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "The thing that he was admonished not to do was -- spiritual beings do not arbitrarily push things on people. They were required to ask questions. And those questions were always placed someplace. And they would always disappear. Well, Dr. Sadler was, in his -- as a young man, he'd worked a little bit with what later became the FBI, and he knew a lot of those techniques -- so he decided he was going to put these questions in his down town lock box in the bank. And they would always disappear. But finally at a contact session they said, we can always get these but it does cause us a little difficulty and we'd appreciate it if you didn't do this."
127. Since, "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." (History, Page 000301), we check Bill's theories with the Papers themselves.
128. "Necessary preparations for presenting the Urantia Papers to us were carried out by primary and secondary midwayers (beings quite close to us who can operate in both the spiritual and material worlds). It should be made clear, however, that the midway creatures are not involved in phenomena related to 'spiritualism' or 'mediumship' and they do not, ordinarily, permit humans to witness their contact with the material world." (Urantia Papers, page 865)
129. Speaking of midwayers: "It was the work of this secondary group, ably seconded by certain of the primary corps, that brought about the co-ordination of personalities and circumstances on Urantia which finally induced the planetary celestial supervisors to initiate those petitions that resulted in the granting of the mandates making possible the series of revelations of which this presentation is a part." (Urantia Papers, page 865).
130. "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 latters' indwelling. (And it was by just such a fortuitous combination of cosmic adjustments that these revelations were materialized in the English language on Urantia.)" (Urantia Papers, page 1258).
131. "Page 865, par. 6, 7. The narrative of the midwayers function in initiating and carrying forward to completion the Urantia Revelation." (History, Page 000302, # 7).
132. The Urantia Papers say: "These thirty-one papers depicting the nature of Deity, the reality of Paradise, the organization and working of the central and superuniverses, the personalities of the grand universe, and the high destiny of evolutionary mortals, were sponsored, formulated, and put into English by a high commission consisting of twenty-four Orvonton administrators acting in accordance with a mandate issued by the Ancients of Days of Uversa directing that we should do this on Urantia, 606 of Satania, in Norlatiadek of Nebadon, in the year A.D. 1934."
133. The Urantia Papers say: "This paper on Universal Unity is the twenty-fifth of a series of presentations by various authors, having been sponsored as a group by a commission of Nebadon personalities numbering twelve and acting under the direction of Mantutia Melchizedek. We indited these narratives and put them in the English language, by a technique authorized by our superiors, in the year 1934 of Urantia time."
1935: Part III
134. The Urantia Papers say: "This paper, depicting the seven bestowals of Christ Michael, is the sixty-third of a series of presentations, sponsored by numerous personalities, narrating the history of Urantia down to the time of Michael's appearance on earth in the likeness of mortal flesh. These papers were authorized by a Nebadon commission of twelve acting under the direction of Mantutia Melchizedek. We indited these narratives and put them in the English language, by a technique authorized by our superiors, in the year A.D. 1935 of Urantia time."
Part IV: The Jesus Papers
135. The Jesus Papers, apparently, were given in a bundle, typed, with perfectly justified margins: "Part IV, The Jesus Papers, had a little different origin. They were produced by a midwayer commission and were completed one year later than the other Papers. The first three parts were completed and certified to us in AD 1934. The Jesus Papers were not so delivered to us until 1935." (History, Page 000309).
136. The Urantia Papers say: "This group of papers was sponsored by a commission of twelve Urantia Midwayers acting under the supervision of a Melchizedek revelatory director. The basis of this narrative was supplied by a secondary midwayer who was onetime assigned to the superhuman watchcare of the Apostle Andrew."
137. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "As you recall, at the Lucifer rebellion, there was a great loss of midwayers, and the United Midwayers were somewhat gun-shy of this attempt to bring what is the fifth epochal revelation to humankind. And so they decided they would guard against this by having a group of the United Midwayers challenge the authenticity of the instructions to do this. Maybe there was another Lucifer directing this, you know. And so this committee put through a suit to the local system. The courts there wouldn't touch it. It went on up the constellation. They wouldn't touch it. It went up to the local universe government. The courts there wouldn't touch it. It went up to the superuniverse courts. And eventually the courts there, the Ancients of Days, not only approved it, but Sadler told me they gave it -- and he pronounced the word that they gave - it was a word --that they had priority, and no one was to interfere with their work. And you should have heard the celebration among these midwayers when this approval came through."
138. All of Part IV was discovered in a vacant office, typewritten, next to the Underwood typewriter on which they had been produced. According to Bill Sadler Part IV was not in the original Revelatory mandate, but the Urantia midwayers enjoined the revelatory commission and appealed all the way up the chain of command to include this narrative of Michael's final bestowal. It took one year (of our time) and the Ancients of Days ruled that it was not inconsistent with the Urantia Revelation to include the triumphant bestowal of Michael of Nebadon. A Melchizedek editor was appointed to work with the midwayer commission. It is possible that the "Life & Teachings" were already composed by the Urantia midwayers and submitted as part of their brief. See last sentence of 77:9.9.
139. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "It was Mrs. Sadler who said at a session to the midwayers that they were working on preparing a better Life and Teachings of Jesus since the 12th Century or something like that -- and Mrs. Sadler was a physician, butted in and said, "Why did it take you so long?!" And there was a long pause, and a sort of chuckle, and a midwayer said, "We understand what you mean." To them, you know, they've been around a very long time and this was a very short time."
Doc Believes
140. 1936: Sometime during this period, Dr. Sadler came to believe that the Urantia Papers were what they claimed to be. Dr. Sadler was in the habit of reading a paper each week to the gathered members of the forum. It is reported that upon reading Paper 139, "The Twelve Apostles," to the forum, he stopped, and with a tear in his eye stated, "I now must accept these Papers as what they say the are. Human behavior is my profession. No one could have written this without being present." It is reported that Dr. Lena was ecstatic and ran up to embrace Doc.
141. Dr. Meredith Sprunger, in his tape on origin, reports Doc told him, "The thing that really finally caused me to throw in my intellectual towel was this Paper on the character of the 12 apostles." "You almost have to know the character of the interior of the human mind to write a Paper like that." "I'd done everything I could to check it out, to invalidate its origin and message, and nothing held up."142. Dr. Sadler later told Dr. Meredith Sprunger, "I'm a psychiatrist and I think I know my business. But this paper was a real blow to my pride. If I had a half-dozen psychiatrists to help me and years to prepare it, I was convinced that I couldn't fabricate a paper with this ring of genuineness and insight. So I said to myself, 'I don't really know what it is but I do know that it's the highest quality of philosophic-religious material that I have ever read.'" From that time on, Meredith comments, Dr. Sadler became not only the professional director but the dedicated leader of the group.
Foreword:
143. 1937: Sometime during this period, Doc Sadler and Bill Sadler attempted to write a Foreword to the book. In response, a typewritten Foreword was provided by the revelators along with the comment that, "A city can not be lit by a candle." (or) "A star cannot be lit with a candle."
144. 1937: Sometime during this period the members of the forum began holding "Remembrance Suppers" based upon commentary contained in the Urantia Papers.
145. In 1937 was the beginning of the drafting of a plan for a formal organization to manage affairs related to the Urantia Papers upon publication. Originally there were plans for a single organization but it soon became apparent that any organization designed for the management of the social repercussions of the revelation would need to be organized according to republican ideals.
146. In 1937, Dr. Lena Sadler begins collecting funds for typesetting.
The Seventy - 1939
147. In 1939, the unseen personalities suggested that the training of teachers and leaders be undertaken. By April 3, 1939, Bill Sadler Jr. organized "the seventy" which met every Wednesday evening at 533 Diversey Parkway for intensive study classes. Attendance was mandatory. They each had a three-ring notebook which they left at 533 in which notes and study aids were recorded. "The seventy" was named because -- coincidentally -- just 70 people volunteered.
148. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "All the communications from that time forward were directed to the seventy, not the forum."
149. Dr. Sprunger reports that the Seventy were trained up to the time of the publication of the Urantia Papers.
150. The seventy graduated with certificates proclaiming them to be "Ordained" members of the Urantia community.
151. The seventy, along with many other members of the forum, were the first members of Urantia Brotherhood and comprised the first General Council.
152. These individuals were also instrumental in establishing the Brotherhood school and creating many of the first study aids.
153. August 8, 1939: Death of Dr. Lena Sadler. Lena was apparently the first person to recognize the significance of the revelatory materials coming through the "sleeping subject" and kept the project going when Dr. William S. Sadler was ready to quit. Her life was marked by tragedy in the early loss of a child, Bill's older brother. She is said to have been inconsolable and bore the pain for years until she achieved some degree of consolation in the adoption of Emma Christensen. Later in her life she suffered from what was apparently breast cancer and as a result of a botched mastectomy had to have an arm amputated. Nevertheless, she maintained her enthusiasm and dedication to the project right up to the time when cancer ended her mortal career.
154. 1939: By the time Lena departed for the mansion worlds she had collected over $20,000 for the publication project. If anyone in this group [the contact commissioners] was a destiny reservist, it was Dr. Lena Sadler. Lena is in Who's Who in America. (Dr. Sadler is not in Who's Who.)
155. 1939: First drafts of a Declaration of Trust and a Brotherhood Constitution prepared. The original plans submitted by the contact commissioners to their celestial associates for approval were returned with the comment, "Can't you do any better than that?" (or) "Is that the best you can do?"
156. June 28, 1941: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company submits contract for "Composition and Plates for Book -- Approximately Two Thousand pages" to Mr. W. C. Kellogg.
157. September 11, 1941: Wilfred Kellogg signs contract with R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company for typesetting the Urantia Book.
158. 1942: Harold Sherman meets Dr. Sadler early in 1942. He and his wife signed the secrecy pledge and were accepted as forum members.
159. 1942: Members of the forum, led by Harold Sherman, question management of the process. Sherman becomes disgruntled with Dr. Sadler who refused to add material relating to psychic phenomena to the Urantia Book.
160. 1942: Forum members begin reviewing galley proofs of the Urantia Book. This process continued for nearly a decade.
161. 1942: Mary Flannigan, employee of the Lakeside Press division of R. R. Donnelley, assigned full-time to work at 533 Diversey Parkway assisting in reading of galley proofs.
162. May 31, 1942: last formal meeting of the forum.
163. 1943: Clyde Bedell drafts petition circulated by Harold Sherman that attempts to make the forum more democratic. Doc Sadler interviewed forum members who signed the petition, falsely telling them that "the midwayers told him" they signed. Dr. Sadler convinces the group to continue as they have in the past.
164. 1943: Clyde is reported to have eventually changed his position to one of opposition to Sherman's efforts.
165. 1944: Dr. Sadler publishes "Prescription for Permanent Peace," a document containing ideas for a "mankind government." Some of the comments contained in this document were reportedly provided by the revelators.
166. 1945: First meeting of the group in Los Angeles, California, which eventually became First Urantia Society of Los Angeles. This was a group of individuals who had participated in the forum and knew about the upcoming publication of the book. Because no copies of the Urantia Papers were available outside 533 Diversey Parkway, this group studied comparative religions and other topics.
167. 1947: Harold Sherman leaves the Forum.
168. From Bill's tape on origin: "In 1950 we completed the preparation of our plates. As money came in we forecast inflation, so we took the money we had and spent it in getting Donnelley to prepare the plates. If you went to Chicago, you'd see that the Urantia Foundation was established in 1950 by the anonymous donation of the plates of The Urantia Book. We got nickel coated plates. If you write to Donnelley, they'll tell you they negotiated with Kellogg...The book was published in October of 1955 and has been spreading ever since."
169. January 11, 1950: Wilfred Kellogg signs over his rights in the plates for the Urantia Book to the new trustees of Urantia Foundation.
170. Wilfred Kellogg was the individual who did the books for Sadler's medical practice. He therefore was assigned the task of negotiating with the typesetter for the composing and manufacture of the plates back in 1941. The fact that he signed the contract made him the legal owner of the finished product (the plates). He held this in trust until Urantia Foundation was established by means of recording their Declaration of Trust with Cook County in Illinois and then assigned the plates to the newly formed Urantia Foundation. He did this as an individual because the contact commission had no status under law.
171. According to the Foundation's first president, Bill Hales, and the Foundation's application for tax exempt status, the Foundation had "no predecessor organization." The Foundation was, in fact, composed of a somewhat different group of people than the contact commission.
Formation of Foundation
172. January 11, 1950: Formation of Urantia Foundation at 333 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, the offices of Bill Sadler -- signing of Declaration of Trust.
173. In 1950 the contact commission consisted of:
(1) Dr. William S. Sadler
(2) William S. Sadler, Jr.
(3) Emma Christensen
(4) Wilfred Kellogg
(5) Anna Kellogg174. The original trustees of Urantia Foundation were:
(1) William Hales, President
(2) William S. Sadler, Jr., Vice President
(3) Emma Christensen, Secretary
(4) Edith Cook
(5) Wilfred Kellogg175. From Bill's tape on origin: "There are five trustees. In about 1954 these five trustees selected thirty-six people who organized the Urantia Brotherhood."
176. 1950: Bill Sadler moves out of 533 in dispute with his father, Dr. William S. Sadler, over the payment of the mortgage on the 533 property. According to a personal friend of Bill's, the Sadlers were not in the best of financial shape at this time and Dr. Sadler gave his interest in the property to Urantia Foundation, which was then to continue paying the mortgage while allowing the Sadlers to continue living in the building. Bill strongly objected to what he viewed as his father's use of the Foundation for personal gain.
177. Bill also believed that the Foundation headquarters should be moved out of 533, (there should be no "mecca" place associated with the Papers) and actually donated an office on Michigan Avenue for the purpose.
178. October 25, 1950: First appeal for funds for printing the Urantia Book.
179. Long-time forum member and first President of Urantia Foundation, William Hales, had earlier offered to underwrite the entire cost of typesetting, proofing and publication. He was turned down by the midwayers who expressed a preference that it be done as a group effort.
180. August 21, 1952: Plan for the organization of Urantia Brotherhood approved in communique to contact commissioners.
181. 1954: Last message received from revelators, the go-ahead for publication. Along with this message was the indication that all celestial personalities had taken a vow of silence regarding any further communications related to the revelation.
182. 1954: "At long last, permission to publish the Urantia Papers was granted." (Page 000313, first sentence); "Upon receipt of these instructions [from the superhuman revelators], the Contact Commissioners entered upon the task of publishing the Urantia Book and preparation of plans for its distribution." (History, Page 000313).
183. Certainly there is no credible evidence that the Celestial Beings continued any direct involvement with mortals after the book was published. The final message in 1955 was purported to be: "Now you are on your own."
184. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, reports that Dr. Sadler said that after publication, "From now on, it's an entirely evolutionary phenomena. And there are no mandates, no rules. We have to use our own wits."
185. Dr. Sprunger, in his tape on origin, says: "Sadler told me that after the book was published, the contact was dead. They didn't even bother to say goodbye."
Time to Publish . . . 1955 (1,695 books distributed)
186. January 1, 1955: Authority for the functions of the Foundation assumed by the first Trustees.
187. January 2, 1955: Urantia Brotherhood General Council formed by 36 members of the forum -- constitution signed (written by Bill Sadler with forum consultation) -- Bill Sadler elected first President.
188. "We did not receive authority from the revelators to print the book until 1955." (Emma Christensen, document # 802, 12/27/71.)
189. "Allow me to call to your attention some admonitions given us in connection with the mandate for the publication of the Urantia Book. Among other things we were advised: `You are called to a great work and yours is to be a transcendent privilege to present this revelation to the peoples of this strife-torn world.'" (Page 1, Consideration of Some Criticisms of the Urantia Book, by Dr. Sadler).
190. February 11, 1955: Formal arrangements for publication of the Urantia Book started by Urantia Foundation.
191. "The human response to the revelators' initiative such as the mechanics of getting the Book printed and the organization of Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood are interesting activities but have no revelatory spiritual significance." (Emma Christensen, 455, 6/16/78.)
192. July 5, 1955: First "Quarterly News Letter" issued (later known as "Urantia Brotherhood Bulletin").
193. October 12, 1955, Wednesday, first publishing of the Urantia Book, 10,000 copies printed. Foundation trustees place three copies in safe per provisions of Declaration of Trust. First book goes on sale at Krochs & Bretnatanos book store in Chicago.
194. Bill said: "The Foundation has the obligation of preserving the prime estate of the foundation which is three copies of the Urantia Book and they are so preserved in a lock-box. Just why we were to do that I don't know, but evidently this satisfies some legal requirement. One of those copies is a book that I purchased in Brentanos the day after publication and pasted the sales slip in and so stated on the flyleaf and had my signature witnessed by one of my partners, Floyd Bordsen who happened to be with me that day. Ahh, I was tempted to keep it as a souvenir, but I thought the Foundation ought to have it." (August 19, 1958, Julia Fenderson tape).
195. Total cost of the first printing was approximately $75,000.00.
196. When the Urantia Book was first published in 1955 a unique situation obtained in the world regarding copyright: two great international copyright conventions were in effect. One was the Universal Copyright Convention (U.C.C.), ratified by the United States September 16, 1955. This extended to more world countries the basic principles of the Buenos Aires Convention of 1910, of which the U.S. was a signatory, and whose protection generally was Pan-American (the Americas) in nature. By the early 1970's the U.C.C. had grown to include 60 countries, including 40 which were also members of the Berne Convention. This was the other multi-national copyright union. The United States never signed the Berne Convention because the U.S. system required extensive and complicated formalities to obtain copyright while the Berne Convention specifically forbade such formalities. By the early 1970's the Berne Union had grown to consist of 59 countries. But Canada was a member of the Berne Union. Thus it was, and still is, the practice for many U.S. publishers to proclaim that a new work was being simultaneously published in the U.S. and Canada. In this way, a U.S. author obtained the benefits of the Berne Union, even though the U.S. was not a member.
197. Bill said: "And you have to copyright in Canada as well as the Untied States of America because America does not belong to both copyright unions and an American copyright does not give you complete protection. But where an American copyright doesn't protect you, a Canadian copyright will. And so you have the job of getting your book published and copyrighted in both the United States and Canada. We had to get books to Canada simultaneously with the displays in the United States. A part of the business of publication means that your book is shown in some public place, namely a bookstore. Affidavits have to be filed. It takes, I think, oh it took six books in the United States and eleven books in Canada. I remember driving out to the Midway airport to get them on a Trans Canada plane to get them up to Toronto. Well, I'll never forget talking to John Dimmer. He's our copyright attorney. It seems that the Canadian boys wanted to know, 'Who is the author of this book?' And the question arises because if you sue for viol...(pause) let's see, the copyright is good for the author's lifetime and so many years thereafter. And also if you don't handle it with an authorship and you sue for infringement, you can't collect damages. You can stop the infringement. Well, the book is published under the Canadian provision covering anthologies, you know."
198. In America, copyright law doesn't cover works by superhuman authors. In England, however, works by superhumans can be legally copyrighted by the nearest human.
After the Urantia Papers were published . . .
199. After the Papers were published, free books were sent to a selected mailing list of interesting people. In answer to the question, "One copy went to Mrs, Roosevelt in that batch, didn't it?" Bill said: "Gee, I think they sent it to everybody: Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, the roster of the famous."
200. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, Bill gave a number of talks on the Urantia Papers to the West Coast Urantia Society in Pasadena, California, and to the Urantia Society in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- many of these talks are preserved on tape. At Julia Fenderson's home, Bud Kagan ran the Wollensak tape recorder.
201. Bill often placed a large ad in the newspaper to invite the general public to his introductory talks on the Urantia Papers.
202. Bill said (in his tape on origin): "I was there most of the time. I'm a management man, not the kind of man you would expect to see mixed up in something like this -- and I was very suspicious of all this. I asked myself, "Who is making what out of this? Where's the gold Cadillac in all this?" I checked it out and found that it was going to cost money. I realized there was no commercial end. And, as the book cleared up some personal quarrels I had with religion, I felt it was pretty good merchandise. So I elected to spend my spare time selling this. I don't get paid, but I get a lot of satisfaction. This is a first hand story except for the years from 1924 to 1928. And this is the first time this has ever been recorded."
Answering Questions on Origin
203. Once the Papers were published, the contact commission and early trustees of the Foundation answered questions on origin. Over and over again, they claimed that the Paper are exactly what they claim to be, the fifth epochal revelation to the planet, authored by superhuman revelators sent to Urantia for the purpose of materializing a revelation.
204. Over and over, the contact commission testified that there was no human authorship, no human editing, no human compiling or assembling, etc: "The Papers were published just as we received them." (History, Page 000314, first paragraph).
205. "The Contact Commissioners had no editorial authority." (History, Page 000314, first paragraph).
206. "Our job was limited to `spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.'" (History, Page 000314, first paragraph).
207. "About the spelling of `chazan.' Our mandate forbade us in any way to alter the text of the manuscript, but gave us jurisdiction over capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. We were told to select our authority and stick to it. Evidently, the authority we chose spelled `chazan' with one z." (3/17/59, 1959 Letter from William S.Sadler, Sr. to Rev. Adams).
208. The Chicago Manual of Style and the Oxford English Dictionary were reportedly used as authorities.
209. "Since your letter centers around the question, "How did the Urantia Book get here?" the essential facts which answer this question are found in the Book itself. Using information given on pages 1258, 1243, 1343 and many other similar references you could systematically compile the authors' answer to your question. I can categorically assure you that no humans decided the content of the Urantia Book. The Book is as the revelators gave it to us." (Emma Christensen, 455, 6/16/78.)
210. The contact commission took the Urantia Papers exactly as they were given by the revelators, added a Table of Contents put together by Bill Sadler, Jr., and copyrighted the Urantia Book. The Foundation, since 1955, has marketed the Urantia Papers to believers as divine revelation, authored exclusively by superhuman beings, and published exactly as it was received from the superhuman revelators.
211. The arrangement of the Urantia Papers are "established by the source of that Paper:" "The Urantia Foundation further admits and states that the text of those Papers as contained in the text of the Urantia Book is in the most recent form that was transmitted by the sources of those Papers, and that those sources are the entities who are identified as the sources in the Urantia Book at the end of each portion. The Urantia Foundation admits and states that the arrangement of each individual Paper is that established by the source of that Paper, who is identified in the Urantia Book at the end of the Paper." (Admissions by plaintiff Foundation, Docket No.152, Admission No. 13).
212. The Foundation has never claimed to own a copyright on the basis of having edited, compiled, selected or arranged the revelation. In fact, Foundation lawyer, Lloyd C. Root, filed a sworn Affidavit with the Copyright Office: "The Urantia Book is not a collective work, since the material therein was not in existence before the arrangement of it was placed in tangible form, and it was in existence prior to publication thereof only in manuscript form." (February 11, 1980).
Dr. Sadler, Contact Commissioner, on Origin:
213. "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." (History, Page 000301).
214. "During these early years, all of our observations and investigations utterly failed to reveal the technique of reducing messages to writing." (History, Page 000295, last sentence.)
215. ". . .the phenomena connected with the personality, who was later associated with the Urantia Papers, was in no way similar to any other well-known type of psychic performance such as hypnotism, automatic writing, clairvoyance, trances, spirit mediumship, telepathy, or double personality. It should be made clear that the antecedents of the Urantia Papers were in no way associated with so-called spiritualism . . ." (History, Page 000292).
216. "The Papers were published just as we received them." (History, Page 000314, first paragraph).
217. "The Contact Commissioners had no editorial authority." (History, Page 000314, first paragraph).
218. "Our job was limited to `spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.'" (History, Page 000314, first paragraph).
219. "Page 865, par. 6, 7. The narrative of the midwayers function in initiating and carrying forward to completion the Urantia Revelation." (History, Page 000302, # 7).
220. "The midway creatures are super-material beings and are just beyond our range of vision. They are the permanent citizens of the inhabited worlds. They exist on a level between angels and mortals, hence the name midwayers. For more information on these marvelous beings, I suggest you read Paper 77." (Definition of midwayers by Thomas Kendall, 10/09/73, letter No. 1431).
Emma Christensen, Contact Commissioner, on Origin:
221. "The authors are all listed in the book itself, and you will find papers describing them in detail, as this is the only information we have regarding the origin, nature, and organization of the Urantia Book." (Exhibit C-1.)
222. "I can categorically assure you that no humans decided the content of the Urantia Book. The Book is as the revelators gave it to us." (Exhibit C-2.)
223. "Through your assistance we shall be able to move forward with the tremendous undertaking of bringing the supernal teachings of the Urantia Book to all mankind, unchanged by any human ideas or doctrines." (Exhibit C-5.)
224. "The Urantia Book was not written by the Urantia Foundation. It is a revelation given to this world by superhuman personalities." (Exhibit C-6.)
225. "I can categorically assure you that no humans decided the content of the Urantia Book. The Book is as the revelators gave it to us." (Exhibits C-8 and C-10 and C-16.)
226. "Two thousand years ago, the 'Word' was made flesh. today the 'Word' is made book." (Exhibit C-12.)
227. "The papers are based on no human authority." (Exhibit C-13.)
228. "No part of the Urantia Book was ever edited. It has been printed as it was given to our world." (Exhibit C-15.)
229. "The Urantia Book has not gone through any alterations. It was received in all essential respects just as you now find it, and was written in the English language." (Exhibit C-18.)
230. "The Urantia Book was published just as we received it in English. There was no editing. Our only jurisdiction had to do with typing, proof-reading and publication." (Exhibit C-20.)
231. "The Urantia Book was published precisely as it was given to the people of this planet. Not a word has been added or deleted." (Exhibit 2730.)
232. "No human scholars edited the book. You will note on page 1 of the Foreword the statement that an Orvonton Commission was sent here for the purpose of revealing these truths on Urantia." (794, 9/19/72.)
233. "No human being's name is in any way connected with the book." (Exhibit 2016.)
234. "It was not discovered -- it was well planned by a Revelatory Commission from Paradise." (Exhibit 409.)
235. "Any validation from human beings would be quite superfluous and entirely inconsistent with the quality of the revelation itself." (Exhibit 519.)
Thomas Kendall, Foundation Trustee, on Origin:
236. "The Urantia Book is arranged and assembled exactly as revealed." (Exhibits K-1 and 750.)
237. "It would seem presumptuous for mere mortals to affect any changes." (Exhibit K-5.)
238. "The Revelatory Commission, no doubt, had many good reasons for giving us this message in the form and sequence as found in the Urantia Book." (Exhibit K-10.)
239. "No human ever edited this material." (Exhibit K-13.)
240. "Making certain that it continues to be available in the form in which it was revealed." (Exhibit 421.)
241. "The Urantia Papers are self validating and possess a wholeness that one recognizes as you proceed through the book." (Exhibit 669.)
242. "It is closer to perfection than any individual mortal or human agency could make it." (Exhibit 887.)
243. "The teachings ... are best appreciated when studied in their complete form." (Exhibit 724.)
244. "We believe that the Urantia Book is a meaningful whole." (Exhibit 1335.)
245. "The revelators speak so eloquently and, no doubt, took many years and obviously great care to present to us the inspiring story of Jesus' life and its meaning for mortals of our world that it seems unlikely that we humans could really improve upon it." (Exhibit 1336.)
246. "If you have a copy of the Urantia Book with a dust-jacket, I suggest you look up and read the reference on the back of the jacket, 'Concerning ... the Nature, Origin, and Organization of the Urantia Book.' All the information available on this topic is included in the book itself." (Exhibit 1447.) The book says that the Urantia Papers were "sponsored, formulated, and put into the English language by a revelatory commission acting under a mandate" from on high. (Page 354).
247. "None of the entities listed as 'authors' in the Urantia Book are human." (T. Kendall dep., 21:4).
248. "The Urantia Book was prepared under the direction of a superhuman revelatory commission." (T. Kendall dep., 18:18).
James C. Mills, Foundation Trustee, on Origin:
249. "No human mentality was engaged in its original compilation which has been reproduced exactly as it was transmitted." (Exhibit M-1.)
250. "The authors have placed the sequence of studies in their present arrangement for their own good reasons." (Exhibit M-2.)
251. "Unchanged by any human ideas or doctrines." (Exhibit M-3.)
252. "The authors of the book are exactly as they describe themselves, and their identity and function is described within the pages of the book itself." (Exhibit M-7.)
253. "The final origin of the Urantia Papers lies in the authors themselves." (Exhibit M-8.)
254. "The Urantia Book is based entirely upon the statements of the authors of the individual papers, all of whom are self-identified or identified by other authors. No human being had any part in authorship itself." (Exhibit M-10.)
255. "Any validation from human beings would be quite superfluous and entirely inconsistent with the quality of the revelation itself." (Exhibit M-14.)
256. "Its true origin lies in the authors themselves." (Exhibit M-15.)
257. "The revelation was presented as an entity in itself, to stand upon its own feet." (Exhibit M- 17.)
258. "The Urantia Book is the work of many personalities, none of which are human. Each paper is signed by its author, often identified only as a member of a group, sometimes individually. This is true of all papers in Parts I, II, and III. Part IV is the work of a commission, all members of which are superhuman." (Exhibit 917.)
259. "The source of these various papers lies totally with the authors themselves." (Exhibit 440.)
260. "The truths and concepts portrayed are entirely their work. We of the Foundation and the Brotherhood are merely the earthly trustees and preservers of this tremendous work." (Exhibit 728.)
261. "As to the semantics employed, we had no control over them. We have reproduced the text exactly as received. We are pledged to preserve it inviolate, and will do so." (Exhibit 510.)
262. "The Urantia Book is not the statement of the ... Foundation. Its authorship is clearly stated in the book itself." (Exhibit 2606.)
263. "Through your assistance we shall be able to move forward with the tremendous undertaking of bringing the supernal teachings of the Urantia Book to all mankind, unchanged by any human ideas or doctrines." (Exhibit 477.)
Bill Hales, first President of the Foundation, on Origin:
264. William M. (Bill) Hales was the first President of Urantia Foundation and long-time forum member. He testified in a deposition taken on October 21, 1994:
265. "I can categorically assure you that no humans decided the content of the Urantia Book." (W. Hales dep., page 22, line 20).
266. "The book is unchanged from the way the revelators provided it." (W. Hales dep., page 23, line 7).
267. "The essential facts which explain the origin of the Urantia Book are found in the book itself." (W. Hales dep., page 22, line 14).
268. "The Urantia Book was published just as it was received in English. There was no editing. Our only jurisdiction had to with typing, proofreading, and publication." (W. Hales dep., page 19, line 24 continued on page 20, lines 1-3).
269. "The book is as the revelators gave it to us." (W. Hales dep., page 22, line 21).
270. "Apart from asking questions, the forum had no effect on the Urantia Papers." (M. Hales dep., 29:14).
271. "None of the questions generated by members of the forum appear in recognizable form in the Urantia Book." (W. Hales dep., 12:21).
272. "The forum did not write the Urantia Papers." (W. Hales dep., 11:4).
273. "The forum did not edit any of the Urantia Papers." (W. Hales dep., 11:7).
274. "No humans decided the content of the Urantia Book." (W. Hales dep., 22:20).
Scott Forsythe, Administrative Assistant, on Origin:
275. "I can categorically assure you that no human decided the content of the Urantia Book. The Book is as the revelators gave it to us." (Exhibits F-1 and F-7.)
276. "The Urantia Book was presented to the world as it was received and no alterations of the text have been made or will be made." (Exhibits F-5 and 2843.)
277. "The book was given as a complete work and intended for students of truth in that form (see page 215, paragraph 4, for a philosophical consideration of this point)." (Exhibit 1090.)
Mike Painter, Administrative Assistant, on Origin:
278. Michael Painter, Administrative Assistant for plaintiff Foundation, wrote on Foundation letterhead in response to a question about the origin of the Urantia Papers: "The papers have not been edited by human authors and all the Papers that were authored by the Revelatory Commission are included in the Book." (Exhibit P-1.)
The Foundation on Origin:
279. "The Urantia Foundation did not write the text of the Urantia Papers." (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission No. 1).
280. "The personalities who provided the text of the Urantia Papers are those personalities who are identified as the sources in the Urantia Book itself." (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission 31, p. 71).
281. "These listed authors determined what would be included in the text of the Urantia Papers." (Plf's Resp. to Requests for Admission 3, p. 13).
282. "The Foundation has no knowledge or materials respecting the entities listed as 'authors' in the Urantia Book other than the materials which can be found in the Urantia Book." (Plaintiff's Amended Answers to Defendant's Second Set of Interrogatories, No. 18).
283. "Questions were provided by members of the contact commission and forum, and the subject matter of portions of the Urantia Papers was suggested in part by these questions. The questions were part of the process by which the Urantia Papers were delivered." (Plf's Response to Def's Requests for Admission Nos. 3, 13).
284. "The final origin of the Urantia Papers lies in the authors themselves. All of the papers in the first three parts are signed by their author while credit for their presentation of Part IV is given to a commission. These are all superhuman beings." (Caston dep, Ex. 11).
285. "The Urantia Book has been described by the Foundation as the "latest gift from God." (Mundelius dep., Ex. 8).
286. In the same letter, Mr. Kendall, Foundation president wrote "if the Urantia teachings are of superhuman authorship and part of the divine plan or upstepping our planetary religious thought, then it would seem presumptuous for mere mortals to affect any changes." (Mundelius dep., Ex. 8).
287. "The Urantia Book is a meaningful whole constituting the Fifth Epochal Revelation of Truth to Urantia, our planet. The authors, all superhuman beings, composed the Urantia Book with the intention of giving men a balanced view of his past, present and future, especially his eternal destiny that is his for the choosing. . . ." (Mundelius dep., Exs. 12, 14).
288. "The Papers were published just as we received them. The Contact Commissioners had no editorial authority. Our job was limited to 'spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.'" (p. 25, 10/24/94: Ptf's 2nd supp answers to def's 3rd set of interrogs).
289. Dr. William S. Sadler's, "A History of the Urantia Movement," at page 25: "The Papers were published just as we received them. The Contact Commissioners had no editorial authority. Our job was limited to `spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.'" (Foundation's 2nd Answers to 3rd Interrogatories, pages 23 and 34).
Authors of the Urantia Papers:
290. The Urantia Papers say they were arranged by, assembled by, assigned by, authored by, authorized by, chosen by, collected by, commissioned by, compiled by, composed by, coordinated by, created by, delivered by, depicted by, dictated by formulated by, indited by, made meaningful by, mandated by, narrated by, organized by, portrayed by, requested by, revealed by, selected by, sponsored by, transcribed by, translated by, transmitted by, unified by, written by, presented by authority of the Ancients of Days, and materialized by superhumans.
291. The authors of the Urantia Revelation as stated in the Papers include: Archangel, Brilliant Evening Star, Chief of Archangels, Chief of Evening Stars, Chief of Midwayers, Chief of Seraphim, Divine Counselor, Life Carrier, Machiventa Melchizedek, Malavatia Melchizedek, Manovandet Melchizedek, Mantutia Melchizedek, Melchizedek, Midwayer Commission, Mighty Messenger, One High in Authority, One Without Name and Number, Perfector of Wisdom, Secondary Lanonandek, Solitary Messenger, Solonia, Universal Censor, Vorondadek Son.
292. Sprunger says: The author's account of origin is "the account you will find in the book itself. We are told the Urantia Papers were authorized by high deity authorities and written by numerous supermortal personalities. These papers are designated as the fifth epochal revelation to our planet, Urantia. The authors acknowledge the difficulty of attempting to portray the realities of eternity in the language of time. We are told there are severe limitations placed on the knowledge they are allowed to share with man. They even admit that all time-space revelation is partial and incomplete needing to be upstepped in the process of planetary development. In general terms the authors discuss the problems associated with bridging communication between the spiritual levels of the universe and material mortals on our planet. They speak of necessary preparations such as making contact with the Thought Adjuster (indwelling spirit of God) of a human being on our world but hasten to assure us they are not involved in phenomena related to "spiritualism"or "mediumship." Specific details are not discussed. The book simply states the Urantia Papers were materialized in the English language in 1934 and 1935." (Sprunger's words).
No Human Name...
293. Sprunger writes: "Dr. Sadler candidly discussed any questions we asked him but he would not talk about two things -- the name of the individual who was used in some way in the materialization of the Urantia Papers and details associated with this materialization. He said they were asked to take vows of secrecy regarding two things. When I asked him why these restrictions were imposed on them, he gave me the following reasons:
a. "The main reason for not revealing the identity of the contact personality is that the 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 declarations and teachings. They are determined that future generations shall have the book wholly free from all mortal connections -- they do not want a St. Peter, St. Paul, Luther, Calvin, or Wesley. The book does not even bear the imprint of the printer who brought the book into being."
b. "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 this technique and methods employed throughout the years of getting this revelation, such a narration would satisfy no one there are too many missing links." (Sprunger's report).294. The revelators did not want any human name to be associated with the revelation: ". . . the Celestial Revelators do not want any human being -- any human name -- ever to be associated with the Urantia Book. . ." (History, Page 000306).
295. "They [the superhuman revelators] are determined that future generations shall have the book wholly free from all mortal connections . . ." (History, Page 000306).
296. "They [the revelators] did not want any human beings to be mystically associated with the Fifth Epochal Revelation of Truth to our planet." (Emma Christensen, Letter # 619, 4/20/78.)
297. "The Urantia Book claims to be a revelation and we believe it to be." " No human being's name is in any way connected with the book." Emma Christensen, Letter # 2016, 2/19/63.
298. There is no evidence of any special spiritual status enjoyed, or any unique powers possessed by the human protagonists who took part in the long and arduous processes. The Urantia Papers themselves urge readers to avoid psychic activities, as well as dependence upon spiritual "authority figures."
Everything known about origin is found in the book itself...
299. Sprunger writes: "On numerous occasions Dr. Sadler told me that he really did not know how the materialization was accomplished and that just about everything known about the origin of the Urantia Book is found in various places in the book."
300. "The only information we have is that contained in the book itself. If all of the information in the book is put together by you in a continuous story, you will know as much as I do." (Emma Christensen, Letter # 934, 7/02/74.)
301. "Since your letter centers around the question, "How did the Urantia Book get here?" the essential facts which answer this question are found in the Book itself. Using information given on pages 1258, 1243, 1343 and many other similar references you could systematically compile the authors' answer to your question. I can categorically assure you that no humans decided the content of the Urantia Book. The Book is as the revelators gave it to us." (Emma Christensen, 455, 6/16/78.)
302. "The authors are all listed in the book itself, and you will find papers describing them in detail, as this is the only information we have regarding the origin, nature, and organization of the Urantia Book." (Emma Christensen, 708, 10/25/73.)
303. "All information concerning the origin of the Urantia Book is provided in the Book itself." (Emma Christensen, 316, 11/05/75.)
304. "The essential facts which explain the origin of the Urantia Book are found in the book itself." (W. Hales dep., 22:14).
Quotes from the Urantia Papers referring to origin and technique:
1. Authority to materialize Papers: 354, bottom par.
2. Example of Paper presented in person [Solonia, Voice of the Garden]: 846, bottom par.
3. Example of personally dictated Paper: [Brilliant Evening Star]: 417, par. 1.
4. Necessity for translation: 503, par 3-4.
5. Midwayers as translators: 627, par 3.
6. Actual session of translation & recording: 498, par.4
7. Reference to 'city of this visitation:' 1243, par. 4
8. Midwayers' activies: Page 865, par. 5, 6
9. The human subject: 865, par. 1; 1208, last par.7 continuing through top of 1209
10. References to technique used to materialize Papers: Page 1258, par. 1(Also see the dust jacket of the Foundation's printing of the Urantia Papers.)
305. "In the contacts made with the mortal beings of the material worlds, such as with the subject through whom these communications were transmitted, the midway creatures are always employed. They are an essential factor in such liaisons of the spiritual and the material levels." (p. 865)
306. "On many worlds the better adapted secondary midway creatures are able to attain varyi