A History of the Urantia Papers
by Larry
Mullins
A collection of reference documents corresponding to endnotes in the
print media edition.
Compiled by David Kantor.
Click here for additional information about Larry Mullin's book
Analysis
of Printings of The Urantia Book: Publisher's Changes, 1955-1999
By
Merritt Horn, January 2001
Usages in this document:
Indicates that Adobe Acrobat Reader is neccessary to display the related file.
[91:3.5](997, par 3) is a reference system for quotes from The Urantia Book. The numbers in brackets indicate [Paper:Section.Paragraph] and the numbers in parentheses indicate (Page, paragraph)
CHAPTER ONE:
1. THE MIND AT MISCHIEF, by William S. Sadler, M.D., F.A.C.S.; Funk & Wagnall's Company, New York and London, 1929, page xi
[See Appendix to "The Mind at Mischief"]
2. IBID. page 332.3. IBID, pages 382,383,384. .
1. A full biography of Dr. Sadler is beyond the scope of our book. However, a few highlights of his life were gleaned from a paper written by Meredith Sprunger after Dr. Sadler's death, and an article in PERVADED SPACE, a newsletter published by Chicago Urantian David Kulieke, Spring, 1979. Born in Spencer, Indiana, 1875, as a boy Sadler was not allowed to attend public school after the death of his sister, because his parents were afraid that he would also catch a communicable disease. So it was that he received most of his formal education from his parents and tutors, and through his own initiative. He showed early signs of skill as an orator, and because of his remarkable knowledge of the Bible he was called the "boy preacher" at fourteen. He was also a remarkable salesman, selling health foods for John Harvey Kellogg, brother of W. K. Kellogg, founder of the Kellogg cereal empire. At twenty, as director of a Chicago Medical Mission, Sadler engaged in teaching, speaking, and working with skid row people. He initiated and edited a magazine which reached a circulation of 150,000 copies.
His theological training took place at the Moody Bible Institute. He met Lena Kellogg in 1893, when she was a student nurse. They married in 1897. The Sadler's lost their first son a few years later, who died at the age of 11 months. Soon after that, both Sadlers decided to become doctors, and attended different medical schools. This was virtually William Sadler, Sr.'s first formal education. After a few years as a successful surgeon, he decided to become a psychiatrist. After passing the required examination, he went to Europe (circa 1911) and studied with Freud in Vienna for almost a year. He told Dr. Sprunger that he was a member of Freud's "fair-haired boys ' club" along with Jung and Adler, meeting weekly with Freud for informal debates. All three men were to later break with Freud, Dr. Sadler going on to become the "father of American Psychiatry" and recognized in the International Who's Who as a "pioneer in the popularization of preventative medicine." For all of his accomplishments, Dr. Sadler told Meredith that he considered his most important contribution to the world to be his leadership of a little-known group called the "Forum," which received the gift of the Urantia Papers from celestial beings and published it as The Urantia Book.
For more information on Dr. William S. Sadler, see:
Pervaded Space, "A Self-Made Renaissance Man," Vol 2, No 4, Spring 1979
Kulieke, Alvin L. and Sprunger, Meridith J., "Memorial Service for Dr. William S. Sadler," Unpublished manuscript, 1969
Sprunger, Meredith J., "Dr. William S. Sadler," Unpublished manuscript, 1989
Sprunger, Meredith J., "Some Notes on the Life of Dr. William S. Sadler," Unpublished manuscript, 1989
Vonne Meussling, G., "Dr. William S. Sadler: Chautauqua's Medic Orator," excerpt from an unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, 1970Photographs of Dr. Sadler:
2. The term "superconscious" is used in the Urantia Papers to describe the higher reaches of human consciousness, above the conscious level and distinct from the subconscious mind. The idea of a superconscious mind has been hinted at by a few scientists such as Abraham Maslow, Roberto Assagioli, and Dr. Barbara Brown. The Urantia Papers propose a fully operational mind that functions above the level of human consciousness and impinges upon the highest reaches of human thought by means of religious insights and spiritual values (or what Dr. Maslow termed Metavalues):"But there is also a domain of prayer wherein the intellectually alert and spiritually progressing individual attains more or less contact with the superconscious levels of the human mind, the domain of the indwelling Thought Adjuster." [91:2.6](996, par. 4)
"Prayer induces the human ego to look both ways for help: for material aid to the subconscious reservoir of mortal experience, for inspiration and guidance to the superconscious borders of the contact of the material with the spiritual, with the Mystery Monitor." [91:3.5](997, par 3)
"Most of the spectacular phenomena associated with so-called religious conversions are entirely psychologic in nature, but now and then there do occur experiences which are also spiritual in origin. When the mental mobilization is absolutely total on any level of the psychic upreach toward spirit attainment, when there exists perfection of the human motivation of loyalties to the divine idea, then there very often occurs a sudden down-grasp of the indwelling spirit to synchronize with the concentrated and consecrated purpose of the superconscious mind of the believing mortal. And it is such experiences of unified intellectual and spiritual phenomena that constitute the conversion which consists in factors over and above purely psychologic involvement." [100:5.4](1099, par.2)
3. THE HISTORICITY OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Meredith J. Sprunger, Paper revised December 18, 1993, page 3. [See "Meredith Sprunger's Notes on the Origin of The Urantia Book"]
4. IBID, page 3.
5. IBID, pages 3-4.
6. IBID, page 1.
7. CHICAGO, A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY by Bill Harris, Crescent Books, New York, 1989, page 15.
8. IBID, page 15.
1. THE MIND AT MISCHIEF, by William S. Sadler, M.D., F.A.C.S.; Funk & Wagnall's Company, New York and London, 1929, page 383. [See Appendix to "The Mind at Mischief"]
2. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, pp. 61 and 62. [See "Pipeline to God," page 61 of "How to Know What to Believe] Sheman substituted fictional names for the characters in his narration. Kristen Maaherra rewrote this narrative and replaced the fictional names with the real names. [See "Pipeline to God" with real names inserted.]
3. It is difficult to establish a birthdate for Bill Sadler, Jr. The Urantia Book Fellowship Website contains an excellent timeline of events related to the Urantia Movement. The date there is given as 1908, but indicates some dispute exists about this. It is believed Bill Sadler's Marine Corps records erroneously show 1906 as his birthdate because he lied about his age in order to enlist.
4. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, pp. 58-96.
[See "Pipeline to God," page 58 of "How to Know What to Believe]
5. THE CONJOINT READER, Interview by Polly Friedman, Summer, 1993, page 3. In addition to Carolyn's verification, the basic facts in the "first contact" narrative were developed from Sherman's information, cross-checked against and modified by Meredith's information and my recollections of discussions I had over the years with Clyde Bedell and Berkeley Elliott. Clyde joined the Forum with his wife Florence in September, 1924, at the age of 26. Clyde Bedell was closely involved with the Urantia Movement until his death in January, 1985. Berkeley Elliott was a close friend of mine who had many candid conversations with Bill Sadler, Jr. in the late fifties and early sixties. I developed the dialogue between the various individuals in the seminal contact with some artistic license. It was based upon a composite of the sources above and is a plausible dramatization that fits the known facts.
[The Hales' Interview]6. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, page 62. However, we may never know exactly how Dr. Sadler and Dr. Lena first encountered the sleeping subject and his wife. David Kantor has heard a different version, and wrote this note to me: "My understanding is that the wife of the sleeping subject was a medical patient of Lena Sadler's and that when she described to Lena the curious sleeping problems her husband seemed to be having, Lena suggested that they get Dr. William involved due to his interest in and knowledge of psychic phenomena." This story has plausible features to it. We know that Dr. Sadler sought to protect the identity of the sleeping subject, and therefore the beginning of the story which set the scene in the version he told Sherman and Carolyn may have been fabricated for this reason. If so, the 1908 dating of the meeting, based upon the residences of the Sadlers, may be suspect.
[See "Pipeline to God," page 62 of "How to Know What to Believe]
7. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, page 63.
[See "Pipeline to God," page 63 of "How to Know What to Believe]
8. IBID., page 64.
9. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner.] Undated, page 7.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
10. I became associated with Clyde Bedell in 1968, when he lived in Santa Barbara. At the time, Clyde had become known as one of the great retail advertising experts of all time. He wrote a book on retail advertising in the 1930's that was used as a college text book. Our common interest was advertising. As stated earlier, Clyde gave me my first Urantia Book, an original 1955 printing.
11. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, "by a Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960", pp. 5-6. The Forum seated about fifty people, and this would indicate a turnover factor of ten over the approximately twenty years of functioning. In other words, although a few stalwarts such as Clyde Bedell stayed the distance, the average Forum-member lasted only two years. [See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
NOTE ON HISTORIES: [See the exhibits on following four pages]. I am using two different "histories" of the Urantia Movement for some specific information. For clarity, I identify them as History One and History Two. History One is a short historical narrative of 14 pages. The cover of this document states that it was written by a "Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960." A copy of this document, with the word "Sadler" written across the cover, was given to me by Dr. Sprunger. It contains editing and remarks that were probably written by Dr. Sadler. History Two was authored by one or more anonymous individuals and was submitted to a court in 1994 in behalf of Urantia Foundation during a copyright litigation against Kristen Maaherra.
Although Urantia Foundation and others continue to refer to this document as "written by Dr. Sadler," it almost certainly was not. After careful examination, the 30 page document appears to be the long lost, unfinished "history" of Emma Louise Christensen. This history was known to exist, but could not be found after her death in 1982. "Christy," as she was known, apparently used History One as a template, inserted a few pages authored by Dr. Sadler but never published, and added her own observations. The History Two document, as submitted to the Court, had no cover page, but began with what was "page 2" of History One. The pages were obviously renumbered, in some cases having two conflicting page numbers. History Two is a hybrid that is obviously the product of an inexperienced writer and editor. Dr. Sadler was an accomplished author. There are awkward shifts from second to third person, and long passages refer to Dr. Sadler in the third person. In one place (page 7) the writer inserted a comment: "The doctor continues his narrative:" Dr. Sadler never wrote about himself in this manner. The information in History Two is helpful, but must be regarded with some caution and weighed against other information. A copy of the original court submission was supplied to me by Kristen Maaherra.12. AN INTERVIEW WITH CLYDE BEDELL, conducted by Barbara Kulieke, The Study Group Herald, December, 1992, page 12.
[See Barbara Kulieke's Interview with Clyde Bedell]
13. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, page 65. Both Meredith and I separately recall hearing, along the way, the story of Dr. Sadler's memorized questions. [See "Pipeline to God," page 65 of "How to Know What to Believe]
14. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 5. Dr. Sprunger records the comment somewhat differently: "If you people realized what a high spiritual source you are now associating with you would stop making these puerile investigations to detect fraud and would ask some significant questions about the nature and reality of the universe." [See Affidavit, page 318].
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
15. URANTIA BROTHERHOOD BULLETIN, Special Memorial Edition, Spring, 1982, page 1.
16. Bill Sadler, Jr. describes the encounter with the "electrifying personality" in a tape made in Oklahoma City, dated 2/18/62. However, he states in the same tape that incidents between 1924 and 1928 that he will relate on the tape are "hearsay."
[See transcript of this tape recording]17. CONSIDERATION OF SOME CRITICISMS OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Dr. William S. Sadler, a paper produced in 1958, page 19. There is plausible but unverified testimony that Lena used her connections with the American Red Cross to get Bill Sadler, Jr. released from the Marine Corps early. It is believed she wanted him to become involved in the Revelation. The date of his leave from the Marines and his reading of the Papers (that were available at the time) was not given in Dr. William Sadler's reference. 18. Dr. Lena Sadler did not make it to the publication of the book. She died August 1, 1939, at the age of 64. [See "Consideration of some Criticisms of The Urantia Book"]
19. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 5. Also on the Oklahoma City tape dated 2/18/62 Bill Sadler, Jr. attributes the remark: "Now they have asked for it. Let's give them questions that no human being can answer!" to his father. [A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
1. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 7.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
2. IBID., page 7.
3. IBID., page 7.
4. IBID., page 8.
5. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 1. Ms. Kendall is the daughter of Forum member Clarence N. Bowman, and was employed as a receptionist at the age of 19 by Dr. Sadler, and worked from 1952 to 1954 and in 1957. She has held many offices in the Urantia Brotherhood. Her husband, Thomas A. Kendall was a trustee of Urantia Foundation 1963-1983, and its President 1973-1983. [The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
6. Meredith J. Sprunger, personal disclosure. He told me that Dr. Sadler disclosed this information to him.
7. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE, by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, pp. 66-67.
[See "Pipeline to God," page 66 of "How to Know What to Believe]
8. IBID., page 67. Sherman gives the number of pages of the manuscript as 472.
9. IBID.
10. IBID.
11. THE HISTORICITY OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Meredith J. Sprunger, page 5. Also, Dr. Sprunger disclosed this in video interviews with the author, taped by Eric Cosh the CEO of Paradigm Productions, Phoenix, AZ.
[See "Meredith Sprunger's Notes on the Origin of The Urantia Book" by Meredith J. Sprunger.]
12. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 1.
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
13. Sworn deposition of Helen Carlson, Chicago, June 29, 1994.
14. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 9. The reference in the History: "after being interviewed by the officers" is not clear. The reference may be to the Contact Commission, since there is not any record of actual "officers." Clyde Bedell told me he was interviewed by Dr. Sadler.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
15. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 9.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
16. THE HISTORICITY OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Meredith J. Sprunger, page 5.
[See "Meredith Sprunger's Notes on the Origin of The Urantia Book" by Meredith J. Sprunger.]
17. Meredith Sprunger, telephone conversation with the author October 16, 1999.
18. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 1.
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
19. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, "by a Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960", page 6. [See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
20. THE HISTORICITY OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Meredith J. Sprunger, page 5. -also- BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, second edition, 1992, page 14. Also see Chapter Six of this book.
[See "Meredith Sprunger's Notes on the Origin of The Urantia Book" by Meredith J. Sprunger.]
21.HISTORY of the URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 24. Also see sworn affidavit of Meredith J. Sprunger, October 24, 1998, (pp 315 -320). Also, in a nearly decade-long litigation, Kristen Maaherra marshalled and documented compelling previous sworn testimony by Contact Commission members and Urantia Foundation officers to support this issue. This testimony established legally uncontested facts. See Chapter 7, Note 21 for additional information on this testimony.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
22. Meredith Sprunger has disclosed in taped interviews that, by some means, the Contact Commission was once allowed to "listen in" on a celebration of the Midwayers when they received permission to materialize Part IV, The Life and Teachings of Jesus. (See Chapter Six, page 115). Obviously the technique to do this transcended using the vocal mechanism of the sleeping subject. Bill Sadler, Jr. maintained that once the Papers started coming through there "was not much interaction with the 'sleeping subject'." Fellowship website: (archive/history/h_timlin_2.htm, May 19,1999). However they may have been received, Christy evidently took notes of all administrative verbal contacts with the revelators after she joined the Contact Commission, and is probably the "stenographer" referred to in The Mind at Mischief.
23. The Urantia Book Fellowship Website discloses in its timeline that: "Guidelines established by the revelatory commission" required that at least two contact commissioners were to be present when any verbal communications were taking place. David Kantor discloses he received this information from Christy and Carolyn Kendall. Meredith Sprunger told me that all contacts he knew about had at least two Commissioners present. The website also discloses that Contact Commissioners were required to "leave the room" if any physical objects were required to be moved or manipulated by the unseen Midwayers. It was divulged to the Commission that witnessing such effects would be too "psychologically disturbing" for the mortal observers. It should be noted that the establishment of these "guidelines" signalled the formal engagement of the unseen "Revelatory Commission." Up to this point all contacts had been with Midwayers and "student visitors." The actual transmission of revelatory material ended in May, 1942. The celestial Revelatory Commission was replaced in 1954 by a "Midwayer Commission." See Chapter Seven.
24. HISTORY of the URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 21. [A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
25. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE, by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, page 69.
[See "Pipeline to God," page 69 of "How to Know What to Believe]
26. BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, Second Edition, 1992, page 14.
1. Dr. Sadler is known to have begun, but never completed, a history of his own. These pages may be from that document. It is possible Dr. Sadler delegated the history project to Christy.
2. HISTORY TWO, [prepared by a Contact Commissioner], undated, pages 2-4. Note that a "twenty year pre-education process" would set the date for the first contact all the way back to 1904-5. This of course would support the belief that the process began much earlier than Dr. Sadler stated in The Mind at Mischief. [A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]3. HISTORY TWO, [prepared by a Contact Commissioner], undated, page 2. [A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
4. URANTIA BROTHERHOOD BULLETIN, Special Memorial Issue, Spring 1982, page 1.
5. URANTIA, THE GREAT CULT MYSTERY by Martin Gardner was the source for the exact dates of death of the various Commissioners. Gardner is a good researcher of factual material such as dates. However, Gardner's book is, in the author's opinion, non-objective, inconsistent, relies upon mixed premises, and is bluntly prejudiced against the Revelation. Any religious belief could be attacked and ridiculed by means of the unfortunate techniques Mr. Gardner used to attack the Urantia Papers. Also see Chapter Seven, endnote 4.
6. HISTORY TWO, [prepared by a Contact Commissioner], undated, page 4. [A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
7. IBID., page 4.
8. IBID., page 4.
1. The "Forword" had not yet been materialized, it came later as we shall see.
2. In Chapter Three it was documented that Bill Sadler, Jr. began to seriously examine the Urantia Papers when on leave from the Marines. At that time (as previously documented) he was cautious about them, and asked his father whether anyone was "making money" from the phenomenon. In an audio tape made in Oklahoma dated 2/18/62, Bill Sadler presents a theory about how the Urantia Papers were materialized (See Chapter Five). He also states that the information he relates about the period 1924 - 1928 "is hearsay." He gives this date twice, and also refers to being "in Nicaragua fighting a revolution" in the twenties. This period seems to define the dates of his Marine Corps enlistment. The World Book Encyclopedia confirms that American Marines were in Nicaragua during this period, calming a revolution and supervising elections.
3. Deposition of Helen Carlson, Chicago, June 29, 1994.
4. Meredith Sprunger video interviews, also BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, Second Edition, 1992, page 16.
5. Meredith Sprunger video interviews, also BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, Second Edition, 1992, page 16.
6. JJ Johnson points out that, for whatever reason, the citation for Part III is presented in brackets [ ], while the citations for Parts I and II are not.
7. Audio tape made in Oklahoma, dated 2/18/62.
[See transcript of this tape recording]8. Personal letter from JJ Johnson September 29, 1999. JJ supplied other key elements of information for this history.
9. HISTORY of the URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated ] pp. 18-19.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
10. AN INTERVIEW WITH CLYDE BEDELL, Conducted by Barbara Kulieke in 1983, The Study Group Herald, December, 1992, page 1.
[See Barbara Kulieke's Interview with Clyde Bedell]
11. A MONOGRAPH ON A VITAL ISSUE CONCERNING THE URANTIA BOOK AND MOVEMENT by Clyde Bedell, 1/81, page 25.
[See Clyde Bedell's Monograph]12. JOHN 21:25.
13. A COMMENTARY ON THE ORIGIN OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Meredith J. Sprunger, 6/13/91, page 5.
[See "A Commentary on the Origin of The Urantia Book"]
14. IBID., page 5.
15. HISTORY of the URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 22.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
16. HISTORY of the URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 21.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
17. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 8.
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
18. HISTORY of the URANTIA MOVEMENT TWO - [Compiled by a Contact Commissioner, Undated] page 24.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
1. LETTER FROM CLYDE BEDELL TO WILFRED KELLOGG, OCTOBER, 1933. This letter can be examined on the Fellowship website: http://urantiabook.org/archive/history/kellogg_letter1033.htm
2. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, by a Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960, page 6. [See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
3. David Kantor reports that it was his understanding that once the contract was signed for the production of the plates, the Contact Commission was told that there would be no more questions tendered and the work of the Forum in this regard was finished. It continued on only as a Sunday study group, although many members continued to refer to the group as the "Forum" and themselves as "members." Until The Urantia Book was published, new members of the Sunday study group also preferred to identify themselves as "Forum" members, even though the Forum as such ceased to exist on May 31, 1942.
4. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE, by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, pp. 66-67. On pages 70-72 Sherman gives an account of Thought Adjusters that is totally inaccurate. He also questions why the Jesus Papers were added, when the book "made no mention of Jesus as such?" (Recall that at the time he met Dr. Sadler, about July of 1941, the text was virtually completed. Within ten months it would be frozen and deemed ready to typeset). Sherman's hasty reading failed to detect that, as previously stated, Jesus is mentioned in The Urantia Book as early as page 30, and 20 additional times before we reach page 100. Michael is mentioned on page 8 as "Christ Michael--Son of Man and Son of God, and 16 additional times before page 100!) [See "Pipeline to God," page 66 of "How to Know What to Believe]
Harold Sherman's book was a principle source of information used by Martin Gardner in his own book "Urantia - The Great Cult Mystery," which was an unfortunate blanket rejection of any possibility the Urantia Papers have revelatory content. Gardner's chapter on his two key sources, Sherman and Harry Loose, (pages 135-160), has to be read to appreciate how far afield these men's "psychic" ideas were. Gardner also used information he gathered from Sherman's widow, Martha Sherman. Gardner, who rejected and ridiculed information from esteemed Urantians like Dr. Sprunger, reports without comment Harold Sherman's "out-of-body" trips to Jupiter with a scientologist, and Harry Loose's ability to make a handkerchief fly from a dresser into his hand several feet away. (This was reported to Gardner by Martha Sherman, page 139.)
Gardner reports on pages 149-150 of accusations by Kellogg's daughter that Sherman had asked her to steal the plates of The Urantia Book so he could copyright it as the author and make a movie of it. (The plates were stored in an R. R. Donnelley & Sons vault in Crawfordsville, Indiana). He tells of a letter from Loose to Sherman in which Loose praises a new book of Sherman's: "The Dead are Alive" as a "masterpiece." Gardner discloses that Sherman described his first meeting with Loose as the "most inspiring" hours of his life. Finally, Gardner closes his chapter by publishing a final letter written by Sherman to Dr. Sadler. The letter was filled with bizarre accusations and rhetorical questions. Gardner solemnly reports that "there is no evidence" that Dr. Sadler replied to the letter. On page 407 of his book Gardner tells us that a letter from ex-policeman Loose to Sherman speculated that the death of Dr. Lena Sadler had caused "something to happen" to Dr. Sadler's personality. (Loose may have been a psychiatric patient of Dr. Sadler, as Gardner reports on page 136). Finally, Gardner tells us on page 407 that his own "dear wife" thought his book, "Urantia, the Great Cult Mystery," was a "total waste" of his energies.
5. The text of this letter (according to Sherman) is recorded on pages 73 -75 in HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE, by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976.
[See "Pipeline to God," page 73 of "How to Know What to Believe]
6. CLYDE BEDELL'S 1942 PETITION, page two. The letter or petition in its entirety can be examined on the fellowship website:7. A RESPONSE TO A THINLY DISGUISED ATTACK ON THE URANTIA BOOK by Clyde Bedell, a paper dated September 5, 1976 pp. 2-9. We do not know the specifics about the proposed structure of the organizations mentioned in Clyde's account. In this paper he expresses his own disagreement with an oligarchical lifetime tenure of Foundation Trustees (page 15). He continued to oppose this structure until his death. Regarding commercial motives, Clyde points out that "no one, neither Dr. Sadler nor his family, nor any Urantians to my knowledge, have ever made profit from the Urantia Book" (page 9). Clyde follows this comment with this statement: "Even today, the frugal Foundation is largely supported by Urantian contributors, so the Book can continue to be sold at a price that makes it one of the greatest book bargains on Earth." (Clyde's emphasis).
In subsequent years, general contributions dwindled, and the financial base of Urantia Foundation shifted to a few wealthy contributors and to the Book itself. The price of The Urantia Book soared. Clyde strongly opposed these price increases, and began referring to the Book as a "rich man's Bible." The price remained high until 1995, when Pathways published an exact replica of the 1955 printing and sold it for less than half of the price of a Foundation printing. The Foundation responded with a competitive price reduction. Today Urantia Foundation is believed to be almost totally supported by revenues from Book sales and the personal donations of the Trustees themselves.
[See Clyde's "A Response to a Thinly Disguised Attack on The Urantia Book"]8. HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE, by Harold Sherman, Fawcett, New York, 1976, page 85
[See "Pipeline to God," page 85 of "How to Know What to Believe]
9. A RESPONSE TO A THINLY DISGUISED ATTACK ON THE URANTIA BOOK by Clyde Bedell, a paper dated September 5, 1976 page 13.
[See Clyde's "A Response to a Thinly Disguised Attack on The Urantia Book"]10. COMMENTARY ON THE ORIGIN OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Meredith Sprunger, 6/13/91, page 5.
[See "A Commentary on the Origin of The Urantia Book"]
Also HISTORY TWO, prepared by a Contact Commissioner, undated, page 24.
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]11. I drew supplementary information for the printing processes of the time from a 1958 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia. I also interviewed two retired gentlemen from the original Donnelley Company plant in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Both men, a Mr. Krohn and a Bart Paddock, live in Crawfordsville. Krohn was a press supervisor and Paddock a plate department manager at the time of the second printing. Both men agreed the M-1000 press would have been used to print The Urantia Book. It was a huge old German press. I also interviewed Dr. Sprunger's son-in-law, Greg Young (now a minister), who worked on the M-1000 Press in 1969, a year or so after the second printing. Greg, a reader of the Book, said he understood the press had been used to print The Urantia Book before his arrival. Greg said it was also used to print Reader's Digest Condensed Books (as well as the magazine). Both Krohn and Paddock had made the same observation. Greg also commented that the M-1000 was also used to print The World Book Encyclopedia. It so happened that I had acquired a 1958 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia over ten years ago in Oklahoma for a couple of dollars, purely as a curiosity. That set of books stayed with me, and has proven very valuable in explaining the press methods of the circa 1955 period. By remarkable coincidence, The World Book Encyclopedia mentions, in its article on printing, that one of the printing methods presented was the same as had been used in printing the encyclopedia itself. After talking to Greg, I looked again at the pages in the encyclopedia, which featured several photographs of printing methods, a pressman, platemaking and so on. In small print below the photos was the credit: "R. R. Donnelley & Sons, Co."! Also see Chapter Nine.
12. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 4.
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
13. POSTING by URANTIA FOUNDATION on their website (http://www.urantia.org/newsinfo/strs.htm) in 1999, under the title Setting the Record Straight: "The last typescript, which probably had a number of errors, was destroyed after the text was plated, cross-checked and believed to be free of mistakes." The syntax of this statement is somewhat strange, in that the procedure should logically have been "cross-checked, believed free of mistakes, and plated." There is no reason given for the assumption that the original text probably had a "number of errors." It had been read and checked over by the Forum for several years. In addition, the text had been destroyed after the plates were made; there was no way to establish whether or not the manuscript used by the typesetter was the source of what was later believed to be errors.
14. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 5.
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]15. Meredith Sprunger, personal letter to me, September, 1999.
16. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, pp. 4 - 5. "Proofed by Oppy" may be a typographical error in Carolyn's paper. It may have referred to "Poppy," which was Christy's favorite name for Dr. Sadler. [The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
17. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 5. Carolyn discloses that this information was obtained verbally from Christy. Carolyn's comments are very similar to the comments by a "second generation Urantian" posted by Urantia Foundation on their website in mid 1999 under: "Setting the Record Straight" point #7.
[ The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
18. Letter from Trustee Emeritus James Mills to Ken and Betty Glasziou, March 5, 1991. Mills' comment that: "Apparently, the most potent source of error would lie at the point of the linotype operator" was imprecise and misleading, but apparently was what he was told. The ultimate responsibility for errors and typos lies with the client. A "press proof" is always provided the client so one final check can be made of the copy before it is etched and cast as a plate.
[See reproduction of this letter in its entirety]
19. THE CREATORS by Daniel J. Boorstin, Random House, New York, 1992, pp. 63-64.
20. (REFERENCE CHAPTER FOUR). HISTORY TWO, prepared by a Contact Commissioner, undated, page 24. Dr. Meredith Sprunger has repeatedly stated that Dr. Sadler was emphatic that there was no human editing of the 1955 printing. (See Affidavit, pp 316-320). Clyde Bedell told me he would stake his life on it, and his wife Florence was equally convinced of the integrity of the first printing. Kristen Maaherra and Eric Schaveland also collected several dozen supporting comments from various sources and submitted them as exhibits for the defense in nearly ten years of litigation instituted against them by Urantia Foundation. Here are a few excerpts: Emma Christensen: "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 8, 10 and 16.) Thomas Kendall, Trustee: "The Urantia Book is arranged and assembled exactly as revealed." (Exhibits K-1 and 750.) James C. Mills, Trustee: "As to the semantics employed, we had no control over them. We reproduced the text exactly as received. We are pledged to preserve it inviolate, and will do so." [Exhibit 510] William M. (Bill) Hales, First President of Urantia Foundation: "The Urantia Book was published just as it was received in English." There was no editing. Our only jurisdiction had to do with typing, proofreading, and publication." (Deposition of W. Hales, page 19, line 24, continued on page 20, lines 1-3.)
[A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
1. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 4. There are a number of similar commentaries on the world political situation of the time that have surfaced in written form. Most of these are very questionable. However, this particular story regarding an intention to defeat Communism was given to Dr. Sprunger by Dr. Sadler, and I also heard it from Clyde Bedell and Berkeley Elliott. However, David Kantor is very doubtful about the veracity of this story. He believes such a casual comment about human affairs would have been a violation of the revelatory mandate. [The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
2. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 2. Also statements by Dr. Sprunger in video interviews. [The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
3. Very probably the original tapes and negative films were also in storage. In the old monotype process described in Chapter 7, the typesetter did not cast the type directly, there was a two stage process. His keyboard punched holes in a paper tape, which was then fed into a caster. Reference for this information was the 1958 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia.
4. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, by a Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960, page 9. The actual wording of the Declaration of Trust, page 8, is also "to perpetually preserve inviolate the text of THE URANTIA BOOK . . ." David Kantor has pointed out that the term "inviolate text" does not appear in the Declaration of Trust or the Histories. The Trust uses the term "original text" when referring to the plates and the 1955 printing. Urantia Foundation uses the term "inviolate text" generically to refer to any version of the text of the Papers they may publish. This will be discussed in Chapter Nine. [The last sentence of the original History One document read: "One of the objects for which the Foundation was created was to preserve perpetually inviolate the text of the Urantia Book and to disseminate the principles, teachings, and doctrines of the Urantia Book."] Dr. Sadler apparently changed "perpetually preserve" to read "preserve perpetually" and circled "doctrines," recommending its deletion stating: "the U. B. seems to me to avoid using these words." [See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
5. BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, second edition, 1992, page 24.
6. See David Kantor's timeline on the Fellowship website, for 1951 and 1952, http://www.urantiabook.org/archive/history/message112251.htm where this message is reproduced. In "THE PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION," by Carolyn B. Kendall, on page 3, Carolyn produces the same "message" with an instructive omission. The missing statement is: "When, as, and if, the Midway Commission fails to communicate with the Trustees of the Foundation for a period of three years, then shall such Trustees deem that the affairs of the Urantia Book are wholly and exclusively in their hands and under their jurisdiction." This omitted sentence clearly supports those who believe special celestial guidance for the Trustees ended in 1955, with the message: "You are now on your own." See Chapter Nine for a full discussion of the issue of continuing special celestial guidance. Also see the Epilogue for additional discussion of the questionable use of apocryphal "messages," and how they have too often had the appearance of being edited to support a political, philosophical, or legal position.
In this case, "THE PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION" (dated January 18, 1995) was submitted to the members of the Fellowship General Council in an effort to persuade them to reconsider their vote to publish The Urantia Book, which was then in the public domain. With her paper, Carolyn also wrote a cover letter to the Councilors. Some of her comments are interesting. She writes: "Regardless of how one might wish the old messages would go away, the fact is that they did exist, they did exert a powerful influence and they are still relevant" . . . "As a former Forum member, I was constrained by promises not to discuss the origin of the book or anything that happened before publication."
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
Whether the old "messages" are relevant or not may be arguable. What is difficult to understand is Carolyn statement that she was a "former Forum member." According to History One (page 6) and History Two (page 10), the last meeting of the Forum took place on May 31, 1942, when Carolyn was about ten years old. In 1951, what she joined was the Sunday study group. Carolyn was 23 when The Urantia Book was published. Also see the Epilogue, where Carolyn's History: "The Golden Years," is discussed. The same critical passage is omitted in that document.
7. IBID, page 3.
8. April, 1992 paper titled AD HOC COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH: PRINCIPLES, PATTERNS, AND STRUCTURES IN THE URANTIA BOOK AND RELATED SOURCES by Carolyn Kendall, page 9.
[Ad Hoc Committee Report by Carolyn Kendall]
9. CONSIDERATION OF SOME CRITICISMS OF THE URANTIA BOOK by Dr. William S. Sadler, a paper produced in 1958, page 1.
10. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, by "a Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960," page 14. [See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
11. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 4.
[The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
12. AFFIDAVIT of Dr. Meredith Sprunger, dated October 24, 1998. (See pp: 316 -320).
[See Meredith Sprunger's affidavit]
13. BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, second edition, 1992, page 24.
14. WITNESSES TO A REVELATION by Polly Friedman, Summer, 1993, page 4.
15. A MONOGRAPH ON A VITAL ISSUE CONCERNING THE URANTIA BOOK AND MOVEMENT by Clyde Bedell, January, 1981, page 19. Also Clyde Bedell personally related the story of this message to me. Dr. Sadler reported the message to Dr. Sprunger, and added the comment about the sudden severance of the connection: "They didn't even say goodbye." [See "Monograph on a Vital Issue" by Clyde Bedell]
1. BIRTH OF A REVELATION by Mark Kulieke, second edition, 1992, page 24. However, the "Forum" had passed into history long before, on May 31, 1942, when they were informed no further questions would be entertained. (See History One page 6 and History Two page 10). The Forum was then replaced by a Sunday study group.
2. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, "by a Group of Urantia Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960," page 13. In her "Report to the Ad Hoc Committee" Carolyn Kendall provides the information that there were 71 students. She believes there were 17 diploma students in 1960, History One states there were 14.
[See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
3.April, 1992 paper titled AD HOC COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH: PRINCIPLES, PATTERNS, AND STRUCTURES IN THE URANTIA BOOK AND RELATED SOURCES by Carolyn Kendall page 29.
[Ad Hoc Committee Report by Carolyn Kendall]
4. URANTIA, The Great Cult Mystery, by Martin Gardner, Prometheus Books, New York, 1995, pages 98 and 100.
5. IBID., pp. 40-43. Also, Meredith Sprunger provided some background information. Clyde Bedell's quote was taken from THE PLANETARY PRINTS, Spring 1985, page 35.
[See Planetary Prints, Spring 1985, Page 35]
[See entire Spring 1985 issue of Planetary Prints]
6. HISTORY TWO, prepared by a Contact Commissioner, undated, page 21. [A History of The Urantia Movement (Two)]
7. The intra-office memo by Bill Sadler, Jr. was quoted by Carolyn and Tom Kendall in their RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S REPORT TO READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK, June 21, 1990, page 2. As previously noted, Christy told David Kantor that one of the rules of the revelation process was that at least two Contact Commissioners had to be present for any communications to takeplace.
8. The PLAN FOR THE URANTIA BOOK REVELATION, by Carolyn B. Kendall, Paper distributed January 18, 1996, page 5. She gives the source for these comments as her husband, Thomas Kendall, who was a trustee of Urantia Foundation from 1963-1983, and its president from 1973-1983. [The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation]
9. IBID., page 5. Carolyn says this statement is her personal opinion.
10. IBID., page 5. Carolyn gives as her source Richard Keeler, Trustee and President of Urantia Foundation. Merritt Horn reports this action was not taken. (See Appendix D).
11. According to the Declaration of Trust: "A Trustee Emeritus shall have no rights, duties or powers hereunder, but that name shall be given such a person only as an expression of his past services as a Trustee." However, Christy's duties and dominance were apparently not curtailed by this stipulation. (See Appendix F).
12. It was some time before Urantia Foundation seemed to be awakened to the fact that such changes were made. It was stated in Urantian News, November, 1991: "From time to time the Trustees have authorized changes which corrected spelling, grammatical, or printing errors. The current Trustees are also aware of a few changes to the text undertaken in the second printing. These were changes made necessary because of incomplete proofing of the first printing." However, in reality the "Trustees" do not seem to function as a cohesive group in making observations and decisions about the text. I had personal conversations with three current Trustees in 1998, and none of them seemed aware of exactly what changes had been made in the text. They seemed confused about how they are to police the content of the Book when they are, for all practical purposes, insulated from the printing process. Moreover, they expressed little interest in the problem.The Trustee's duties, their oath, and the Declaration of Trust not withstanding, the culture at 533 that established a resident inner circle within the inner circle in the late sixties still seems to prevail. The Trustees, in general, are titular personages and have never had a hands-on relationship with the preservation of the original text after 1955. The Trustees generally remain passive about the content of the various versions of The Urantia Book that are being printed. At this writing, no less than three different supposedly "inviolate" versions of the original text are being published by Urantia Foundation, none of which actually agrees with the original 1955 text that the Foundation is supposedly "preserving."
13. This information was obtained from phone conversations I had with Mr. Krohn and Mr. Paddock, on October 26, 1999. Both of these gentlemen are now retired, and live in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
14. A RESPONSE TO A THINLY DISGUISED ATTACK ON THE URANTIA BOOK by Clyde Bedell, a paper dated September 5, 1976, page 13.
15. In a letter to JJ Johnson dated May 11, 1976, Clyde expressed knowledge of specific typographical problems between the 1955 printing and later printings. In a later note (October, 1977) to JJ he suggested ways to obtain a 1955 printing, copies of which were already becoming difficult to find.
16. Meredith Sprunger personally disclosed this observation to me.
17. A MONOGRAPH ON A VITAL ISSUE CONCERNING THE URANTIA BOOK AND MOVEMENT by Clyde Bedell, March, 1981, pp. 18-19. [Emphasis in original] [See "Monograph on a Vital Issue" by Clyde Bedell]
18. HAVES AND HAVE NOTS by Mortimer J. Adler, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1991, pp. 116-117.
1. These "famous people" included Sholem Asche, Ralph Bunche, Norman Cousins, Aldous Huxley, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Edward Teller. THE FELLOWSHIP BULLETIN, Winter, 1992, page 1.
2. Harold Sherman claims that he and his wife had interested Sir Hubert Wilkins in the Forum, but this seems to be one of his flights of fancy. Dr. Sadler wrote in a March 17, 1959 letter to Reverend Adams (Appendix B): "From a standpoint of general science, I think the studies of the late Sir Hubert Wilkins were the most extended and exhaustive. For a period of twenty years he periodically spent time in Chicago going over the Papers. He would work weeks at a time, ten hours a day. . ." This must have been prepublication since Wilkins would hardly have gone to Chicago to study the Papers if he had a book, and the activity could not have begun until 1935 at the earliest, seven years before Sherman got involved. Also, Dr. Sprunger has stated that Dr. Sadler told him he consulted Wilkins in the early days.
3. AFFIDAVIT OF MARTIN MYERS, May 24, 1993.
4. SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK, April 1990, page 22
[Special Report to Readers of The Urantia Book ]
5. CLYDE BEDELL gave me this letter along with some other correspondence in 1984, a few months before his death.
[See reproduction of Clyde's letter]
6. VERN GRIMSLEY MESSAGE EVALUATION by Hoite C. Caston, June 17, 1984, page 10. (Mr. Caston has declined our request for permission to make a copy of his copyrighted report available to the readership.)
7. June 21, 1990 Report by Thomas A. and Carolyn B. Kendall, titled: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS, page 7.
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]
8. Letter from Dr. Paul D. Knott to undisclosed readers, November 20, 1983.
9. June 21, 1990 Report by Thomas A. and Carolyn B. Kendall, titled: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS, page 8.
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]
11. URANTIA BROTHERHOOD BULLETIN, Spring, 1982, page 5.
12. June 21, 1990 Report by Thomas A. and Carolyn B. Kendall, titled: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS, page 8.
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]
13. TO BE (upset) OR NOT TO BE by Clyde Bedell, "Read to a Boulder meeting, the evening of 10/27/83, after the people had been given a half-hour or so scare talk urging the storage of food, water, etc., the preparation for each family member of a big kit to take to fall-out shelters, upon alarm, etc.," pages 3 and 5.
14. VERN GRIMSLEY MESSAGE EVALUATION by Hoite C. Caston, June 17, 1984, page 206. (Mr. Caston has declined our request for permission to make a copy of his copyrighted report available to the readership.)
15. IBID., page 28.
16. IBID., Appendixes.
17. June 21, 1990 Report by Thomas A. and Carolyn B. Kendall, titled: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS, page 8.
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]
18. IBID., page 8.
19. IBID. Tom is referring to an episode he recorded on page 6 (The date of the astounding incident was approximately November, 1980): "TAK: [Thomas A. Kendall] After the Board of Trustees meeting the next Saturday, Christy and Martin had read a message to me which had allegedly come to her earlier in the week. It said: 'Do not become involved in long, drawn out discussions with Mr. Weiss. Read page 840.' [NOTE: Jacques Weiss was a Frenchman who translated The Urantia Book into French and then published it in 1962 after obtaining permission of Urantia Foundation.] 'I interpreted the message, as did administrative assistants, Scott Forsythe and Michael Painter, to mean that we were not to get bogged down in lengthy negotiations. It may be concluded that the other Trustees interpreted this message to mean we should not get involved in any negotiations. Page 840 had to do with Caligastia's plot. The meaning of this reference is also open to question." From this passage written by Foundation supporters Carolyn and Thomas Kendall we may reasonably arrive at two remarkable conclusions. First, Martin Myers bought into, and apparently encouraged, Christy's channeled "messages." Second, that these "messages" had not only evidently dictated the alteration of the original text of The Urantia Book since 1967 (as previously documented), the purported contents of these "messages" were routinely weighed when Urantia Foundation established its policies!
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]
21. THE FUTURE OF THE FIFTH EPOCHAL REVELATION by Meredith J. Sprunger, a paper dated 2/10/93, page 1.
[The Future of the Fifth Epochal Revelation]
22. The 1955 printing of The Urantia Book has a statement at the end of the Contents of the Book, just before the Foreword: "(An exhaustive index of The Urantia Book is published in a separate volume.)" The Revelators had approved of the project years before. When Maaherra was sued 35 years later, the comprehensive index was still unpublished.
23. HISTORY OF THE URANTIA MOVEMENT ONE, by a Group of Urantian Pioneers, assisted by Members of the Contact Commission, 1960, page 10. [See "History of the Urantia Movement" (one)]
24. THE FUTURE OF THE FIFTH EPOCHAL REVELATION by Meredith J. Sprunger, a paper dated 2/10/93, page 1.
[The Future of the Fifth Epochal Revelation]
25. IBID., page 1.
26. IBID., page 1.
27. THE CONJOINT READER, Publication of the School of Meanings and Values, Santa Monica, CA, Summer, 1993, page 10. [The Hales' Interview]
28. IBID., p age 3.
29. The essential material for this section was taken from, and based upon THE FUTURE OF THE FIFTH EPOCHAL REVELATION by Meredith J. Sprunger, a paper dated 2/10/93.
[The Future of the Fifth Epochal Revelation]
30. PLANETARY PRINTS, Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver, Spring,
1. June 21, 1990 Report by Thomas A. and Carolyn B. Kendall, titled: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS, page 2.
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]A 1958 memo by Bill Sadler, Jr. refers to the "defunct contact commissioners."
[See Bill Sadler's memo]
2. June 21, 1990 Report by Thomas A. and Carolyn B. Kendall, titled: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO THE READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS, page 2.
[See Tom and Carolyn's report]
3. Harry Loose is a key source of information for the author of Birth of a Divine Revelation. He appears three times in Index of Birth of a Divine Revelation (which, like the book, is poorly organized and confusing): as Harry J. Loose (4 references), Harry Loose (20 references), and as simply Loose (33 references). Sherman and Loose were a good team. Loose claimed he could fly around in his astral body and appear thousands of miles away at will, and Sherman (according to Gardner's book) claimed he could take out-of-body trips to Jupiter. The two carried on a correspondence denigrating Dr. Sadler, which was the source of much of the negative information in Birth of a Divine Revelation. Mr. Gardner wrote that Harold Sherman " . . . wrote more that 25 books about ESP, pk, prerecognition, poltergeists, animal ESP, dowsing, ouija boards, UFOs and so on. One of his books tells how to tape-record voices from the dead." The author of Birth of a Divine Revelation seems to continually favor the testimony of self-proclaimed psychics Harold Sherman and Harry J. Loose to that of esteemed Urantians Dr. Meredith Sprunger, Dr. William S. Sadler, and Clyde Bedell.
4. VERN GRIMSLEY MESSAGE EVALUATION by Hoite C. Caston, June 17, 1994, Appendixes.
5. IBID., Appendixes.
Other documents intimately related to this study:
Letter from Harold Sherman to Dr. William S. Sadler, August 8, 1942
Unity -- Not Uniformity, by Martin Myers; June 1973. The key document which has guided subsequent Urantia Foundation policy making including the formulation of the IUA charter.
One Hundred Years of Revelation: A [sic] Historic Perspective by Barbara Newsom and Carolyn Kendall for Urantia Foundation. Originally published as "The Golden Years," March 25, 2000 by Urantia Foundation on the occassion of the celebration of their 50th anniversary.