Epilogue

WE HAVE TRAVERSED NEARLY a century in our examination of the history of the Urantia Papers. The editors of this book have strived to provide the best available information about the materialization of the Papers, their conversion into a typed manuscript, the process by which they were further converted into printing plates, their publication as a book in 1955, and the fate of the original text after that. Along the way, we discovered many unexpected events and linkages and tried to candidly disclose them as we followed the truth wherever it led us. Considered individually, these ideas may not necessarily be news, but each is supported by documentation, and each is logically connected to the whole picture. The composite gives us a cohesive and reasonable story from beginning to end.

The most important fact about the Urantia Papers that I believe we established with reasonable certainty was that the 1955 printing of The Urantia Book was produced without deliberate human intrusion. The errors that exist in that text were minor and unintended human errors. The subsequent printings of the Urantia Papers, although containing intrusive human changes, are reasonably close to the original 1955 text. I write this with some reservation because I remain convinced the situation demands that a reliable "keeper of the text" should publish the original text again (with appropriate endnotes) and again make it available to all Urantia Book readers.

Second in importance were the following sequences: Documentation and testimony of Forum members clearly establish that the Revelation process took place continuously from January 18, 1925 until May 31, 1942, when the text was frozen by the Revelators. The Forum was told at that time that no additional questions would be entertained. The Revelation had been completed, and the Sunday Forum ceased to exist as a Forum and became a Sunday study group. The text was then set in type, proofs were made, corrected, and approved of by the Contact Commission, and then the text was plated. A team of Midwayers (no longer as Revelators) oversaw the entire process from a calculated and respectful distance. They saw to it that the Fifth Epochal Revelation had been delivered into the evolutionary mainstream in reasonably good condition.

Once the plates were made, the typewritten manuscript of the original text itself was destroyed by order of the Midwayer Commission. Thus, by 1945, after decades of Revelatory activity, the printing plates (and the proof pages generated by them) became the only material manifestations of the original text of the Urantia Papers. The plates contained (presumably) human errors that had accumulated somewhere along the evolutionary process, and there was no paper trail left to discover when or how these errors took place. However, it is self-evident that the Midwayers found the text (and subsequently the plates) acceptable, notwithstanding the imperfections that existed. Urantia Foundation was established in 1950 "on the basis of" the plates, (which now constituted the original text). The plates were stored in the vaults of the R.R. Donnelley & Sons Crawfordsville, Indiana plant from approximately 1945 until 1955, when the book was printed. After the printing was completed, they were then returned to the vaults.

Urantia Foundation was specifically designed to function as an autonomous entity, and the Contact Commission remained active until sometime in 1955. At the time the Declaration of Trust was finalized in 1950, it was well established by continuous reading of the proof sheets from the plates that there were typographical errors in the plates. However, beyond typographical errors, it is highly probable that the possible editorial inconsistencies that eventually were discovered in the published text were not known to the Contact Commission at the time of the establishment of Urantia Foundation. The Midwayers apparently conferred tacit approval of the Declaration of Trust with full awareness of the possible editorial problems that existed within the plates. It seems probable that the Midwayer Commission was constrained to rely upon human wisdom -- within the parameters of the Declaration of Trust document -- to eventually deal with the typographical errors and the editorial issues. After the Book was published in 1955, the Midwayer Commission signed off, and the mortals were told they were now on their own. In 1967, apparently without the knowledge of all of the Trustees, a considerable number of plates were destroyed and replaced with altered plates for the 1967 second printing. Dr. James C. Mills succeeded Christy as a Trustee in 1971. According to what Dr. Mills wrote in 1991 (See page 210, and the full text of the letter in Appendix B), some Trustees were told the entire Urantia Book had to be reset in 1967 due to technological changes in printing. This was not the case.

From a historical perspective, and confining ourselves as much as possible to the question of the Urantia Papers and their welfare, what are we to make of the disarray and turbulence that has followed after the second printing in 1967? Dr. Sprunger has often observed that the significant threats to the Urantia Movement have come -- not from the outside as most early Urantians had anticipated -- but from the inside. Why? In my judgment, two factors emerge as the underlying attitudes and forces that have caused confusion and chaos within the Urantia Movement. One is fearful proprietorship, and the other is prideful entitlement. The proprietorship issue is rather clear-cut, while the related issue of entitlement is more difficult to define.

Proprietorship - who owns the Revelation?

Two thousand years ago, according to my Catholic upbringing, Peter was supposedly given the "keys to the kingdom" by Jesus. And (again supposedly), with the words: "Upon this rock (Peter) I shall build my church," the Catholic Church was established. Christian hierarchal religious "authority" and "divine rights" of succession were established upon these presumptions, and centuries of rule by "infallible" Popes has followed. All of the "spiritual implications" regarding Jesus and the "individual believer" were thus shifted from Jesus to the church. And when Paul and his contemporaries did this, "they struck a deathblow to Jesus' concept of the divine kingdom in the heart of the individual believer." [1865, bottom]

When I was relatively new to the Urantia Movement, I was told by some individuals that the Trustees and their successors had been given the "keys to the kingdom" in the form of the "mandates." More than that, Urantia Foundation has asserted ownership of the Revelation itself, the Banner of Michael, and the word "Urantia," on the basis of these mysterious "mandates" and "special messages" that are allegedly locked in a safe somewhere at 533 Diversey Parkway. To many Urantians, this would be comparable to the Pope claiming ownership of the text of the Bible, the symbol of the cross, and the word "Christian." To a large number of Urantians, in the face of warnings by Clyde Bedell, Bill Sadler, Jr., and others, the human foible of desiring to own and control the text has created disunity and impeded the propagation of the Revelation. Time and evolutionary struggle appear to have determined that The Urantia Book will be permanently in the public domain. Yet in question are the appropriateness of human "ownership" and "authority" over the Banner of Michael, the right to freely use the name of our planet, and the right to identify oneself religiously as a Urantian.

The commentary that follows may be characterized by some as political. But, what is at issue has little to do with organizational questions. What is at issue is not politics but values. Most significantly truth -- not simply the factual nature of truth, but also the meaning of what we have discovered. At this point it is appropriate to repeat what was written in the Introduction of this history:

"Histories are inescapably adversarial and painful processes. The people who undertook this task of developing a good, sound history are aware that the final product is a compelling argument that could help shape the destiny of the Urantia Papers. The stakes are high, because what is ultimately at issue are the various philosophies and agendas of those who seek to control the Urantia Revelation. It will come as no surprise then, that the interpretations of the events relating to the Urantia Papers are destined to be fiercely contested. Sometimes the facts about the Urantia Papers are at issue, but more often the meaning of the facts will be the center of historical controversy."

With these notions in mind, we will revisit some of the difficult issues and challenges that confront each Urantian, fully aware that what each of us decides is of momentous importance to the Revelation.

There are no "secret" documents

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that all the supposed "secret messages" and apocrypha said to be associated with the Urantia Papers have doubtful origin. There may be a moral issue as to whether copies of any of this material should even exist. None of the supposed messages are revelation, none can be authenticated. They may have varying degrees of academic value and -- at best -- only moderate degrees of reliability and relevancy. Whenever I have used one of these documents in this history, I have tried to carefully disclaim certainty about its authenticity. Yet, although it is appropriate to weigh apocryphal information for historical examination, it is not proper to use it to support claims of authoritative control.

One further example of the inappropriate use and questionable reliability of apocrypha should suffice. In Chapter Ten, endnote #19, we documented Tom Kendall's statements about how, in 1980, a "message" supposedly from the "Midwayers" was delivered by Trustee Emeritus Christy and Trustee Martin Myers to Tom Kendall, President of Urantia Foundation. The message warned against "long, drawn out discussions" with Jacques Weiss, who had translated The Urantia Book into French. The "message" suggested reading page 840, which relates to Caligastia's plot against Adam and Eve. We documented how Tom testifies that he brought this "message" to the attention of the other Trustees and employees at 533 for their consideration. The impression given was this procedure of receiving "messages" relating to important Foundation policy decisions and passing them around was not an unusual occurrence in the culture at 533. Another equally disturbing example of the "inner-inner" circle's use of suspect "messages" is also documented in Tom and Carolyn Kendall's 1990 paper, which they distributed within the Urantia Brotherhood General Council when I was a Councilor: RESPONSE TO URANTIA FOUNDATION'S SPECIAL REPORT TO READERS OF THE URANTIA BOOK AND COMMENTS ON OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS. On page three of the original document, Tom discloses:

"In early 1966 the Trustees began to realize that the Foundation needed to do more to protect the name, Urantia. Christy had recently brought to my attention a message which was given to the Contact Commissioners in 1942:

"`You have not done enough to protect the name. You must carefully safeguard the name Urantia. Make it very safe for one generation so that it cannot be pre-empted. In a common-law trust you hold the name. You also do it in the copyright. You must also carefully register it with the division of government which controls trade relations, trademarks. In all ways you must safeguard the name. This is one of your most important duties.'"

We could ask several questions about this "message." Evidently, it is a purported copy of a message that was said to have been communicated in 1942, because all originals of authentic Midwayer messages were to be destroyed. But, was it supposed to have originally been a written or verbal "message?" Was it given to the Contact Commission according to established protocol, or is it claimed to have been "received" by a lone individual? Why had such an important message never been noticed before? Why is it not mentioned in the Histories?

Carolyn and Tom provide additional clues to the possible origin of this "message" in an interview with Polly Friedman in the Summer, 1993 issue of The Conjoint Reader (published by the School of Meanings and Values, Santa Monica, CA). During the interview, the same alleged 1942 "message" mentioned in the Kendall's 1990 paper is brought up. In this interview, we learn that it was a verbal "message." Carolyn discloses, page 3: "There were additional verbal messages that came to Dr. Sadler and Christy. One that came through was the message: `You have not done enough to protect the name Urantia; you register it in the branch of government that I've looked into just like you do with a copyright for the book.' That was in 1942." Polly then offers this lob: "So protecting the name is important; that was an actual suggestion?" Then Carolyn and Tom (in unison) reply: "Yes, it was an order." And Polly, evidently won over, adds: "And to be taken very literally." Carolyn then decides to emphasize the 1942 "message" by reading the document to Polly verbatim, which she happened to have with her. Carolyn says to Polly, "Here it is, regarding the name Urantia." Note the significant variations from the document she and Tom prepared and distributed in 1990. (Additions to the 1990 version are indicated by unbolded, non-italic CAPS type, deletions by a strike-through:

"You have not done enough to protect SAFEGUARD the YOUR name. (MEANING THE NAME URANTIA). You must carefully safeguard the name Urantia. Make it very safe for one generation so that it cannot be pre-empted. In a common law trust you hold the name. YOU DO IT ALSO IN A CORPORATION. A CORPORATION HAS STATUS IN LAW. You also do it in the copyright. You must also carefully register it with the division of government THAT I HAVE LOOKED INTO THAT which controls trade relations, trademarks. TRADEMARK, AND THEN YOU ARE PROTECTED IN COMMON LAW CONNECTED WITH A VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION SUCH AS YOU ARE PLANNING IN URANTIA BROTHERHOOD. In all THOSE ways you must safeguard the name. THIS IS ONE OF YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTIES."

Carolyn pauses to inform Polly: "And that last sentence was in capitals." [Note: In the 1990 paper this sentence was not in caps.] Then Carolyn continues with additional new phrases:

"IN 50, 75, OR 100 YEARS, THE NAME WILL BE FAIRLY SAFE. YOU SAFEGUARD IT FOR A GENERATION AND IT WILL LARGELY TAKE CARE OF ITSELF."

I confess that I am baffled. How could such an "important" "order" from "Midwayers" be formally presented twice by the same people and have such wide variances? The second version has doubled in length and has several word changes. Why do both versions feature such poor grammar? Who edited the material? How could a verbal message be delivered with a passage in "capital letters?" And if it was so important to emphasize, why didn't the 1990 report of the message use capital letters for the passage? Urantia Brotherhood was not given Midwayer approval until 1952 and was not officially named and chartered until 1955, thirteen years after the purported message. Why did the second version of the message say: "Trademark, and then you are protected in common law connected with a volunteer association such as you are planning in the Urantia Brotherhood"? A generation is usually defined as twenty-five or thirty years. Why was a celestial personage so ambiguous? First this anonymous messenger says "one generation," and later "50, 75, or 100 years" and still later "a generation" is used again.

Yet, for nearly two generations, on the basis of this purported verbal "message," Urantia Foundation has sought to justify its claim of proprietary ownership of the word "Urantia" and "Urantian." In 1990, Thomas Kendall wrote that in 1966 he had been surprised by the purported "message" because he had "been a Trustee for three years" and "this was the first I had heard of these instructions." He said the "instructions" were contrary to the prevailing opinions of legal counsel, who had advised that "usage, adoption, and use" were the means to gain "rights" over the word Urantia. Nonetheless, according to Tom, in 1966, Trustee Christy had brought him this written version of a "message" (which, if authentic, should have been destroyed when the Book was published). And Tom obediently sallied forth to do the bidding of this anonymous "voice" that was said to have been recorded somehow, by someone, over two decades in the past -- and that had languished unnoticed in a file drawer since then.

Dr. Sadler did not "channel" anything

Another disturbing and relatively new tendency of those who believe in anonymous "verbal communications" from "spiritual beings" to "special" individuals is that they include Dr. Sadler as being a deliverer of such material. Some Urantians believe Dr. Sadler's name is used in a crude effort to impart additional credibility to the process that supposedly produced "secret messages." In the interview with Polly, note that Carolyn implies Dr. Sadler's participation in such "messages" by saying: "There were additional verbal messages that came to Dr. Sadler and Christy." While Carolyn had previously written that Christy told her that Christy was in continued contact with the Midwayers, to my knowledge Carolyn never had written or stated that Dr. Sadler had ever told her anything of the sort.

There is not a fragment of documentation or credible testimony to support the idea that Dr. Sadler claimed he communicated with Midwayers outside of the Contact Commission, and a great deal of testimony and documentation refutes this possibility. In the unanimous opinion of the Editors of this book, Christy was the only Contact Commissioner who ever claimed she was individually in contact with "Midwayers" -- and Christy alone made statements that she had "received" the alleged "approval" for changes in the original text from anonymous "voices." There is no known testimony that Christy's "voices" were ever heard by any other person, and no evidence whatsoever that Dr. Sadler had approved of this practice. It is also reasonably certain that rumors of Christy's "channeling" activities did not begin to surface in the general power-structures of the Foundation and Brotherhood until after Dr. Sadler's death in April of 1969. This is the opinion of Dr. Sprunger, who was there and who knew the individuals and who worked with the power structure at 533. Prior to Dr. Sadler's death, only a very small inner circle was privy to Christy's so-called "messages."

Dr. Sadler did not authorize changes in the text

Urantia Foundation has also published statements to the effect that both Christy and Dr. Sadler were individually involved with "Revelators" in 1967 and both were responsible for changing the original text. In the Foundation's web presentation titled: Setting the Record Straight, (http://www.urantia.org/newsinfo/strs.htm) Urantia Foundation interjects this rhetorical inquiry in part 7:

"We must pose the question to those who knew of the integrity of these individuals: would Dr. Sadler and Christy have made such changes without good reason?"

This attempt to justify the 1967 changes to the original text by linking them to Dr. Sadler is not supported by documentation or reliable testimony. When Urantia Foundation was established in January of 1950, the Trustees accepted all authority and responsibility for the original text (the plates). Dr. Sadler chose not to be a Trustee. We know that in 1967 there occurred a destruction of part of the Substantive Estate (the plates/or the original text) as defined in the Declaration of Trust. Because of the total lack of documentation, we cannot know what "good reason" may have existed in anyone's mind for destroying part of the Substantive Estate without a unanimous vote of the Trustees -- which is the provision in the Declaration of Trust by which such an action could be legally taken. (See Appendix F, Urantia Foundation's Declaration of Trust, Article V, Section 5.2). Neither Dr. Sadler (who was never a Trustee) nor Christy had authority to authorize the destruction of any part of the Substantive Estate of the Declaration of Trust of Urantia Foundation, regardless of any supposed "good reason" to do so.

Yet, if we are to believe Carolyn Kendall, Christy authorized and brought about changes to the original text because she believed the "Revelators" gave her the authority to do so. And, Tom Kendall told Carolyn that the Trustees had "nothing to do" with the 1967 changes. Can we believe these assertions by Carolyn? I cannot be certain, but it is clear that Urantia Foundation relies upon Carolyn's information. Carolyn contributes to the Foundation web material and she was selected to write the fifty-year anniversary history for Urantia Foundation.

"The Golden Years"

In early 2000, Urantia Foundation produced a history to commemorate its fifty year anniversary, titled: The Golden Years, authored by Carolyn Kendall and Barbara Newsome. It states that it is based upon "first hand information," but is not documented in any plausible way to support this claim. Within our own history, I have used Urantia Foundation sources, or sources close to the Foundation, in depicting the events in which the Foundation was a key player. With this constraint, I will limit comment to a few of the many instances in which The Golden Years is inconsistent with previously published Foundation material.

The chronology presented in The Golden Years is generally accurate, although many important events are omitted. This history also leaves the names of the Contact Commission out, "in respect for the spirit in which they served." However, it lists all of the Foundation Trustees since the establishment of Urantia Foundation. In some cases The Golden Years draws heavily on "History Two" which it claims was authored by Dr. Sadler, a belief we have disputed in detail in Chapter Three. In other cases The Golden Years is clearly at odds with History Two. On page 6, The Golden Years states that the Contact Commission consisted of five people (the same number as the Foundation), leaving Bill Sadler, Jr. out:

"Aside from the patient, the Contact Commission consisted of five related people, the two physicians, her [sic] sister and brother-in-law, and the adopted daughter of the physicians. When the doctor's wife died in 1939, their [sic] son took her place. Thus the Contact Commission functioned as five until the organizations were established and The Urantia Book was published. As individuals, they functioned as Contact Commissioners the rest of their earthly lives." [Page 6]

This loaded paragraph supports the Foundation's proprietary claims and legal assertions that Urantia Foundation is a continuation of the Contact Commission. This paragraph also seeks to establish that special celestial "guidance" continued after the Midwayers signed off in 1955. This paragraph is at odds with the Testimony of Dr. Sprunger, Clyde Bedell and others who have stated there were six Contact Commissioners, including Bill Sadler, Jr., who became a Contact Commissioner no later than 1930, after his discharge from the Marines. The statements in this paragraph also conflict with Urantia Foundation's own "History Two," which states on page 21 of the original document:

"The fact that no provision was ever made for replacing members of the Contact Commission who might be lost through disability or death, also led us to the belief that the Book would be published during the lifetime of some of us."

Why is this important? Because there was never an organizational connection between the Contact Commission and Urantia Foundation. There was no "passing of the torch." In the 1990's Urantia Foundation began making legal declarations that it is the successor organization to the Contact Commission. This is not supported by the facts. The Contact Commission had six permanent members by 1930, with no provisions for replacement of lost members. Urantia Foundation was established in 1950, has five Trustees, and lost members are replaced through the election of another member by the remaining Trustees. The Contact Commission operated under celestial direction, and ceased to function after the publication of the original text in 1955. Urantia Foundation is humanly directed, and was founded as a completely autonomous entity as is clearly stated in the preamble to the Declaration of Trust (See Appendix F). The Contact Commission continued to function for five more years after the establishment of Urantia Foundation. Carolyn Kendall has reported that in November of 1951, the Seventy and the Sunday study group were read an important communication from the "Acting Planetary Prince of Urantia." (See Page 174 for the partial text of this alleged communication). In this message, Urantia Foundation and the Contact Commission are clearly viewed and discussed as two separate entities. Therefore it is misleading when the paragraph in The Golden Years asserts: "Thus the Contact Commission functioned as five until the organizations were established and The Urantia Book was published." The claim that Urantia Foundation is a successor to an organization that was directed by celestial beings is completely unfounded. This distinction must be made if we are to avoid creating a faux "divine right" of succession of "authority" over the Revelation (See Chapter Eight, and Appendix F).

The paragraph further asserts that: "As individuals, they functioned as Contact Commissioners the rest of their earthly lives." This strongly implies that the Contact Commissioners, as individuals, remained in contact with Revelators after the final message: "You are now on your own." The question of continued special celestial guidance is arguable, and one that we have discussed at length. However, I am constrained to point out that there is no documentation to support the statement that those individuals whom Bill Sadler, Jr. referred to as the "defunct contact commissioners"¹ had retained their personal status as "Contact Commissioners" after 1955. The statement in The Golden Years, authorized by Urantia Foundation, implies the Contact Commissioners as individuals personally remained in contact with Midwayers. The only testimony to that effect is what Carolyn Kendall has told us came from Christy, and Christy's comments about alleged individual "contacts" (as reported) referred to herself, not the other members of the Contact Commission. This sentence also apparently attempts to support the principle of psychic "messages" and "channeling" by "special" individuals -- activities which have proved so divisive and damaging to the Urantia community.

On page 9 of The Golden Years the statement is made:

"The Jesus Papers, undated in The Urantia Book, were delivered in 1935 with the input of questions from the Forum."

This statement seems crafted to support the legal position of Urantia Foundation against the publication of the Jesus Papers by Mr. McMullan. The clause: "with the input of questions from the Forum" is incorrect. History One and Two relate that there were no questions that prompted the delivery of the Jesus Papers, which were materialized in a single written manuscript. The Jesus Papers were read to the Forum over a period of years, and according to Clyde Bedell, did elicit questions from 1935 until all of the Papers were read to the Forum. However, History Two (published on Urantia Foundation's website) is clear about their initial arrival: "Of all the Urantia Revelation, the Jesus Papers were the biggest surprise." [Page 3]

On page sixteen of "The Golden Years," under "Planetary Government Rulings - 1951 to 1952" important information is omitted. Once more, the information that has been removed runs counter to the idea that special celestial guidance was being given the Trustees after 1955. The same omission was made in another presentation by Carolyn, and this was discussed in Chapter Eight, page 174, and endnote #6 in the same Chapter. It would be redundant to repeat the discussion here. However, it is repugnant to many Urantians that supposed celestial messages are apparently edited when it is convenient to support a specific position.

In the past few pages we have disputed several contentions made by those who believe Urantia Foundation has proprietary ownership of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. Using Urantia Foundation's own material, the issue we have sought to join is one of proprietorship. Carolyn and Tom Kendall report that Bill Sadler, Jr. warned against this attitude in an intra-office memo in 1958:

"Unless Urantia Foundation conducts itself with wisdom it may breed dissension between itself and the Brotherhood. There is no room for naivety or any exhibition of proprietary feeling toward the Urantia Papers."²

The end of proprietorship

Many of us who have the conviction that the Urantia Papers belong to the people also believe that, unknown to all of the Trustees at the time, the noble task of Urantia Foundation to preserve inviolate the original text of the Urantia Papers fell into default in 1967. Those responsible for this error were probably driven by the desire to have a "perfect book," as Carolyn Kendall explained. To achieve this human aspiration, these individuals elected to by-pass the Declaration of Trust and "correct" the original text by applying a "quick fix." There was no documentation, no paper trail, no unanimous vote by the Trustees. This impatient act of short-cutting of the appropriate processes eventually resulted in the 1967 default, and has been followed by increasing doubt and confusion among readers.

After Dr. Sadler's death, during the 1970's, the Foundation's original mission of preserving inviolate the original text of the Urantia Papers was supplanted by efforts to establish ownership of the text, ownership of the Banner of Michael, and ownership of the words "Urantia" and "Urantian." Secular enforcement of these claims was supported by alleged "secret mandates" that were never fully disclosed. Rumors surfaced that the last remaining "Contact Commissioner" reported that she was receiving "special messages" from Midwayers. Shortly after her death, Christy's heir-apparent, Vern Grimsley, also claimed to be in contact with celestial beings. More chaos and strife followed, and continues to divide the Urantia believers. And, in my judgment, nearly all of this cascading confusion has been the harvest of a single stupendous error: the taking of an expedient shortcut in an attempt to "correct" and make "perfect" The Urantia Book.

Most of us who believe the Urantia Papers belong to the people contend that there are no "secret messages" or special endowments to justify dishonoring the Declaration of Trust. We believe that the destruction of a substantial number of the plates in 1967 without the unanimous vote of the Trustees was a human error, and was not authorized by "Revelators" or "Midwayers." We do not believe the 92-year old Dr. Sadler had any part in or knowledge of the destruction of part of the Substantive Estate in 1967. We believe attempting to deny or cover-up the error has compounded it. In our judgment, the misguided actions of a few people have caused untold harm to the spiritual unity of the Urantia Movement. And we believe the fragmenting of the Urantia Movement stems, in large measure, from the false idea of ownership and the application of the unfounded proprietary and commercial "rights" of an entrenched few over a Revelation that in reality belongs to all of the people.

Entitled and special people

The fearful attitude of proprietorship leads to a second, and equally dangerous quality: entitlement. Entitlement, like proprietorship, is not wholly a political issue, but is also an issue of values. Entitlement attitudes affect all sides of the political struggles that are taking place to control the Urantia Papers themselves. The issue of presumed "entitlement" within the Urantia Movement reaches back into the mid-Sixties, perhaps even farther back than that. It may be that it began to energetically emerge as soon as the celestial personages signed off with the message: "You are now on your own." Surely that statement, which was freely circulated among the Sunday study group and the Seventy, was a clear appeal to all Urantians to take personal responsibility for the Revelation.

Yet, human nature does not readily embrace freedom and responsibility. The failure of previous epochal revelations have left marks upon our planet, and timid men and women generally wait for someone in "authority" to give them permission to perform:

"And men have always tended to venerate the leader, even at the expense of his teachings; to revere his personality, even though losing sight of the truths which he proclaimed. And this is not without reason; there is an instinctive longing in the heart of evolutionary man for help from above and beyond. This craving is designed to anticipate the appearance on earth of the Planetary Prince and the later Material Sons. On Urantia man has been deprived of these superhuman leaders and rulers, and therefore does he constantly seek to make good this loss by enshrouding his human leaders with legends pertaining to supernatural origins and miraculous careers." [1008, par.7]

The questions Urantians should answer are these: "Are there really entitled people who have a special relationship to the Urantia Papers? Are there really infallible human authorities on the Papers themselves? Is unique celestial guidance now being provided to an inner-circle of special people? Are celestial personages really talking through certain entitled people?" These questions are not directed solely to Urantia Foundation, nor to the "leaders," but rather to the broad movement itself. Each individual Urantian must confront these issues because the most wise and mature people have too often been shunted aside while the most aggressive and ruthless have assumed positions of leadership. Also, with modern technology, virtually anyone who can put up a web site can posture in the role of an "authority" on the Urantia Papers. A rule of thumb used by Clyde Bedell, Berkeley Elliott and other seasoned Urantians was: There has never been, nor will there ever be a human "authority" on the Urantia Papers.

Distortion of a Divine Revelation

While the editing team and I were still researching and working on completing this history, yet another new history was published. Birth of a Divine Revelation by Ernest Moyer seeks to put forward several notions within its 600 pages that are so bizarre they need no comment. However, the book also postulates that the Urantia Papers were corrupted by Dr. Sadler, a charge that strikes at the heart of the integrity of the Urantia Revelation, and which cannot remain unanswered.

Each individual has a right to his or her own ideas. However, there is a discipline that is traditionally required of a historian who claims to be presenting reasonable notions to the reader. Like some other efforts by Urantians to write histories, in Birth of a Divine Revelation Moyer mixes pure speculation, undocumented claims, and established facts carelessly and without informing the reader which is which. It is these flaws that make Moyer's Birth of a Divine Revelation more of a collection of curious artifacts and theories than a serious historical work. Mr. Moyer attempts to degrade the personal experience and contributions of Dr. Meredith Sprunger -- and he seeks to cast doubt upon the personal integrity and professional competence of Dr. Sadler. To support his attacks, he uses sources such as Martin Gardner, Harold Sherman and Harry Loose.³

Generally, experienced readers will not have difficulty sifting through the maze of poorly documented fact and speculative fiction in Birth of a Divine Revelation. But some new readers may be confused, especially since the author claims to deeply "love" the Revelation. A few of the more obvious distortions in "Birth of a Divine Revelation" require comment.

To support the strange idea that Dr. Sadler, unknown to himself, was the "Contact Personality," the author quotes the Urantia Papers on page 208 of Birth of a Divine Revelation. The manner in which he distorts the quote is instructive:

"This passage naturally leads many to believe that it refers to the human subject of Sadler's study. This is suggested by the statement: ` . . . varying degrees of contact with . . . certain favorably constituted mortals through the skillful penetration of the minds of the latters' indwelling.' This would be the mechanism of trance control of the subject."

The quote actually refers to secondary Midwayers and their ability to make contact with Thought Adjusters. In full, filling in the dots the author conveniently used to replace the actual text, the statement on page 1258 of The Urantia Book has an entirely different meaning: "varying degrees of contact with the Thought Adjusters of certain favorably constituted mortals through skillful penetration of the minds of the latters' indwelling." My emphasis is to show the important words left out by the author, completely distorting the meaning of the text. Certainly the reference has nothing to do with "trance control." The author claims the Midwayers "moved the arms" of the sleeping subject and Dr. Sadler put pencils in his hand to get him to begin trance writing. This is totally undocumented, unfounded, and not a shred of credible testimony supports it. On the contrary, there is ample testimony that the subject was never seen writing anything, and that no Contact Commissioner was ever allowed to observe any material manifestations of the Midwayers' presence.

Moyer claims the Revelators deserted the mortals in 1934-5, after the delivery of the Jesus Papers, and left things in human hands. To support this claim the author again uses a distortion of primary sources to make a point. He claims that Dr. Sadler stated the Urantia Papers were "certified complete" in 1934. He uses History Two as a source. No informed scholar of the Urantia Papers takes this notion seriously. Although some of Dr. Sadler's writings are inserted in History Two, no one knows for certain who actually assembled it. It is, in fact, highly unlikely Dr. Sadler did. Moreover, the statement is pulled out of context. The Papers themselves are not annotated with a statement that they were either "completed" or "certified" in 1934-5. These words are not used in any annotations. Also, we have previously recorded Clyde Bedell's 1983 comment: "The Papers were revised until Paper 196 had been presented and questions asked, and then answers brought into the text which would amplify and so forth." (See endnote 11 of Chapter Three of this book for an analysis of the two Histories and testimony of Clyde Bedell and others that the Papers were not completed until 1942.)

Perhaps the most peculiar notion that Moyer puts forth is his attempt to explain the twenty or so innocuous inconsistencies in the text. He claims that, after Dr. Lena Sadler's death in 1939, Christy took over the Contact Commission and began unwittingly "channeling" changes to the text that came from the "Devil." Such speculations, aside from being unfounded and ludicrous, also introduce repugnant philosophical ideas to explain things that have a much simpler cause. In addition, reason dictates that neither Dr. Sadler nor Bill Sadler would have permitted or condoned such activities. Further, we can be reasonably certain the Midwayer Commission was keeping a watchful eye on the Revelation until the 1955 message: "You are now on your own." This fits the documented facts and testimony of those who were there.

Mr. Moyer informs us that he has the spiritual insight to sort out the material that is the legitimate Revelation from the "Devil's" evil handiwork. I will spare the reader and not belabor any additional issues. I will let this man speak for himself and allow the reader to judge his maturity, stability, and character. Many Urantians have protested the assertions of Birth of a Divine Revelation. Here are some of the comments the author elected to post broadly on the web in early April, 2000, in an attempt to defend Birth of a Divine Revelation:

"I not only show that I can distinguish the difference between good and bad spirits, but that I can define their operations." [It is self-evident that Mr. Moyer believes he has charismatic spiritual powers not granted to normal people.]

"Sadler treated the Revelation as if it were subject to his arbitrary changes." [Absolutely outrageous and defamatory. This flies in the face of the testimony of all who knew Dr. Sadler, and most especially Clyde Bedell and Dr. Sprunger, as we have documented several times in our history. Fortunately for Mr. Moyer, Clyde is no longer around to answer these maligning commentaries about Dr. Sadler. Mr. Moyer, who claims he "loves" the Revelation, has produced a book that, in the opinion of some Urantians, rivals the efforts of Harold Sherman and Martin Gardner to denigrate Dr. Sadler's reputation and accomplishments and depreciate the integrity of the Urantia Papers.]

"Such profound exposure had to be considered openly and honestly. There is no way an honest person could duck around it. But more, we had to find a reasonable explanation of Sadler's rationale." [This "honest" person makes groundless statements defaming Dr. Sadler and then proposes to "explain" actions of which the doctor was never guilty.]

"We now have a specific illustration of the iniquitous practices of Caligastia. [AKA the "Devil"] I have now defined how he operates, with express details." [Again, it is self-evident that Mr. Moyer believes he has unique spiritual powers.]

"If [Sadler] believed the changes came from celestial authority, as he states so strongly, we are then left with only one other alternative, that he became subject to the machinations of Caligastia. He did so because he did not understand the mechanisms of spirit operations, although he wrote several books about it." [These comments border upon blatant distortion. Moyer does not document where Dr. Sadler ever stated that he authorized any changes, either before or after the original plates were cast, or that he had any contact with celestial authority outside of the Contact Commission. Perhaps Moyer cannot document that Dr. Sadler stated any of these things "so strongly," because there is no documentation to support that he stated them at all. Moreover, editor Andre Radatus pointed out to me that Dr. Sadler did not author any books about the "mechanics of spirit operations." Moyer's implication that he, himself, is the first known mortal to understand the unseen "mechanisms of spirit operations" appears to be baseless self-aggrandizement.]

"We are now left with a concern for corruptions throughout the entire Revelation. We must keep an eagle eye out that we don't fall into a trap of careless acceptance of Revelation statements. This puts an onerous burden upon us, for now we cannot simply take the Revelation and use it until we have assured ourselves that such use is valid, and adheres to truth." [By "we" Moyer apparently means himself, since I know of no other mortal who claims to have his awesome powers. This statement is saying, in effect, that he must filter the Revelation for us and then spoon feed it to us.]

It should be clear to any reader of our documented history that there was no simple way for Dr. Sadler to make "changes" in the text once it was plated. No one had authority to make changes in the original text. Even if an individual had a notion to make changes, the text was frozen in the plates, proofs had been made and read, and (with the exception for their removal to print the 1955 books) the plates were in the vaults of R.R.Donnelly & Sons plant in Crawfordsville, Indiana. We have discussed at length Dr. Sadler's non-involvement in the changes that were made in the second printing.

Many have assured me that no informed Urantians take the Birth of a Divine Revelation seriously. An apparent characteristic of Moyer's work, however, can be broadly applied to the charismatic segment of the Urantia Movement. I have met several Urantians who assert claims of "knowing" things that are not available to the rest of us. Moyer informs us on the back cover of his book that "Through a series of unusual events the author came to recognize that our planet is experiencing celestial visitations today . . ." This kind of beguiling and unfathomable statement is characteristic of charismatics.

In Sedona, Arizona, another "entitled" individual also professes that he has unique status and knowledge denied to ordinary mortals. He is writing a "continuation" of the Urantia Papers. Like the author of Birth of a Divine Revelation he claims that he "loves" the Urantia Papers, yet he also claims they were corrupted by Dr. Sadler. This unfounded attack on Dr. Sadler's integrity is identical to the position of Harold Sherman and Martin Gardner. Naturally, like the author of "Birth of a Divine Revelation," this individual in Sedona also presumes to have the power to "correct" the "errors" that Dr. Sadler supposedly made when he "changed" the Papers.

Note that many of those who seek to control the Urantia Papers, or to use them to validate their own activities, attempt to position themselves between the reader and the Revelation.

The cultcentric mind and "channeling"

Yet, are these entitlement characteristics harm less to the Revelation? Is supposed communication with spiritual forces simply benign and amusing diversion? Let us see what a Trustee has to say. Thomas C. Burns, Ph.D., was elected a Foundation Trustee in August 1992, and served until December, 1997. On November 10, 1983, (just prior to Vern Grimsley's Red Alert) Dr. Burns had sent a letter to John Hales, President of Urantia Brotherhood. Dr. Burns' comments about "channeling" are instructive and interesting. Here are some excerpts from the 1983 letter:

"If Vern's claims are untrue, the credibility given them by persons looked to as spokespersons for the movement to disseminate the Urantia Book teachings, would, in my opinion, set the movement back by at least a quarter of a hundred years."

Dr. Burns goes on to quote Dr. Sadler at length on the subject of self-deluded psychics. Then he clearly spells out the dangers of charismatic practices such as "channeling." Dr. Burns' perspective is equally as valid and relevant today as it was in 1983:

"There is . . . sufficient cause to avoid such active and passive endorsement as has already been granted by officials of the Urantia organizations. The possible operation of the psychosocial dynamics described above, or more accurately, the failure to eliminate their possibility, is only one of the reasons for caution. Another is the fact that the method of appearance of alleged revelation is at such extreme variance with that of the Urantia Book's. Its methods seem completely antithetical to the teachings of the Urantia Papers.

"Clearly, the directors of the Urantia revelation strove mightily to avoid identification of contact humans lest they be elevated, or tempted to elevate themselves, to a priest, guru, authority, ruler status. Others were quickly involved to provide the leavening balance of a forum. Vows of silence were taken, and for the most part, observed.

"We are cautioned clearly and repeatedly in the Urantia Papers against the dangers of priesthood, or looking to someone else to serve as our link to personal truth. The authors were unmistakable in showing the dangers inherent in having one person receive a revelation which he then gives to others, thereby establishing the most profound dependency imaginable. The papers caution unequivocally against attributing psychological events to spiritual contact.

" . . . Although probably informal, the Family of God has undoubtedly evolved a subtle and effective screening procedure for the selection of like-minded members, as well as a (perhaps unconscious) hierarchy. When one adds to this the fact that its charismatic leader of selected and loyal followers is now receiving messages from higher beings, and this following is dependent upon the leader for these truths, all the active elements of a cult are present. Such social systems focus on positive feedback on the leader and shield him/her from corrective negative feedback, allowing the system to drift . . . forming a resonating, escalating, self-reinforcing system. Compelling, illusionary experiential phenomenon are highly likely in such a situation.

". . . The Revelation of the Urantia Papers, as I understand it . . . ended. Contact was broken. It was the end of the revelation to be called The Urantia Book, and an organization was formed to support its spread. If there is now a new revelation being provided, should it not be handled by its own organization? Why is there any involvement at all by the Caretakers of the Urantia Revelation?"⁴

This powerful analysis should also be applied to understand what happened to Christy when Dr. Sadler began to fail, and she became the de facto leader of the Revelation. It should also be applied to Urantian Foundation's policies, and should be weighed by all Urantia organizations. During the height of the Grimsley crisis, Dr. Jim Mills wrote to Martin Myers:

" . . . the [leaders] I am referring to are the ones who are . . . telling so-called key people . . . they should do all sorts of ridiculous things such as buying guns, laying in supplies, transferring records to safe places and in general acting as though affected with a severe hysteria . . . in a word they need diagnosis rather than responsibility . . . I strongly recommend that they be impeached for conduct unbecoming their offices . . . At the moment I can see no place for these people in the Urantia Movement. I think they should resign immediately. They certainly have shown gross incompetence and the inability to perform in responsible positions."⁵

Epochal Revelation, autorevelation, or delusion?

"Channeled" material allegedly involves celestial personages and so must be classified as either epochal revelation [1109] or delusion. Some Urantians are moved to repeat the questions Dr. Burns asked in 1983 about channeling activities in the Urantia Movement: Are the so-called "channeled messages" supposed to be part of the Fifth Epochal Revelation? or are we to believe they are a new Epochal Revelation?

Some Urantians believe the "inner circle within the inner circle" of Urantia Foundation was born under the same kind of cultcentric phantasm that drives the channeling syndrome: special status, and privileged access to celestial information. First the alleged "messages" of Christy nurtured an inner group who believed she had a special connection to Midwayers. Then Grimsley attempted to take over the Revelation by claiming to have inherited the same charismatic powers. And following this, Urantia Foundation justifies the modifications to the original text with the subtle claim of special knowledge of an undisclosed nature: "We have reason to believe that none of the changes were made without the approval of the Revelators."

The test of a true teacher

How can we know whether those who would be religious teachers -- and those who would be our leaders -- are worthy of our trust? Emmett Fox seemed inspired when, in 1933, he suggested the following "test" to determine if an individual is a "true teacher" or not. The emphasized words are in the original:

"If he points to his own personality; if he makes special claims for himself; if he says he has received special privileges not accessible to the whole human race everywhere, if he attempts in his own name or that of an organization to establish under any pretence a monopoly over the truth about God; then, however imposing his credentials, however pleasing his personality might be; he is a false teacher, and you would be better off having nothing to do with him.

"If, on the contrary, he tells you to look away from himself, to seek God in the presence in your own heart, and to use books, lectures, and churches only as a means to that one end, then, no matter how humble his efforts may seem, however lacking his own demonstration may appear, he is nevertheless a true teacher, and he is giving you the Bread of Life."

The dawning age of personal responsibility

Like many Urantians, I experienced hierarchical authoritarian attitudes in my traditional religious upbringing, and I was driven away from religion because of them. I was subsequently drawn to the Urantia Papers because their philosophy emancipated me from dependence on human authority figures for spiritual insight. As a Urantian, I came to believe that a key component of the message of Jesus is that we are free from human authority on spiritual matters, truly free, and we are responsible only to the Fragment of God that indwells us. Likewise, for the first time in history, the ownership of an Epochal Revelation has been afforded -- not to an inner circle of "special" people -- not to the "mere priests" -- but to the people themselves. They need but listen to their inner guidance and step up and claim their Revelation.

The task before us seems formidable. However, Urantians with a passion to evangelize can take heart when they consider the eventual success of the Melchizedek missionaries. Four thousand years ago they went forth to prepare the world for the bestowal of Jesus. We are told "The last stand of the dwindling band of Salem believers was made by an earnest group of preachers, the Cynics, who exhorted the Romans to abandon their wild and senseless religious rituals . . . But the people at large rejected the Cynics; they preferred to plunge into the rituals of the mysteries, which not only offered hopes of personal salvation but also gratified the desire for diversion, excitement, and entertainment." [1081, par. 3] However, Urantians should note that the work of the Salem faithful was not in vain. ". . . though unproductive of any immediately appearing religions, nevertheless [it] formed the foundations on which later teachers of truth were to build the religions of Urantia." [1009, par. 4]

A personal note

In my judgment, the age of superstition, gurus, and special spiritual authorities is drawing to a close. The age of the Thought Adjuster and of personal responsibility is dawning. In this regard, I believe we ordinary Urantians, who have been given so much, have all been anointed to carry the good news of emancipation and empowerment to the spiritually impoverished of the world. All Urantians can agree that the bright and shining soul of our Revelation is, and always will be, the Urantia Papers. This history, to the best of the ability of Joan, myself, and several other dedicated Urantians to present it, is the story of those Papers. Hopefully, this effort to develop a trustworthy history will stimulate further disciplined and scholarly inquiry. As the Master told us, "There cannot be peace between light and darkness, between life and death, between truth and error." [1905] Additional investigation and honest debate will result in the perception of new levels of the meaning and mission of the Urantia Papers.

This history will also, hopefully, help the young better understand what happened to my generation of aging -- and perhaps tiring -- Urantians. We began our journey, all of us, with high hopes for the spiritual unity of our movement. We, too, had great plans for derivative works, evangelistic initiatives and beautiful study aids. But we became afraid -- afraid of disapproval -- afraid of being sued. A great Revelation cannot be led by people who are afraid. Clyde Bedell repeatedly urged Urantians to shed their fear and to act. After being targeted by a pointless and costly Urantia Foundation lawsuit that was eventually withdrawn, James "JJ" Johnson wrote:

"There is no human being, or group of human beings, organization, institution, foundation or any other temporal entity of any kind that has authority over the truths revealed in the Urantia Papers. The Urantia Book derives its authority from the fruits of its acceptance in the hearts of those individuals who choose to accept these truths based upon the leading of the divine Fragment that indwells each of us and guided by the Spirit of Truth."

However, James Johnson is an exception. My generation has generally not been one of action. We have been occupied in dialogues about the meaning and mission of the Urantia Papers. Young Urantians watch us curiously as we "play revelation" -- and debate bitterly and endlessly about what we should or should not do. The time grows near for us older Urantians to move aside for a new generation, an invisible fellowship of believers committed to the meaning and mission of the Urantia Papers. A common mission, not an organization, will spiritually unite these Urantians.

As Jesus put it:

". . . and so will all the children of light be made one and be drawn toward one another. And in this very manner will my Father and I be able to live in the souls of each one of you and also in the hearts of all other men who love us and make that love real in their experiences by loving one another, even as I am now loving you." [1949 top]

To the comfort of Urantian believers, we are told within the final pages of the Urantia Papers, that the gospel of Jesus will one day prevail. We are assured that humankind is quivering on the very brink of one of its "most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment." We are cheered with the prediction that, someday, new leaders will appear who will energize Urantians and astound the world with their startling devotion to the Revelation and to one another. Indeed, to borrow the inspiring words of Susan B. Anthony, "Failure is impossible."

Just before departing from his mission on this planet, Jesus cautioned his associates to "solemnly shun all forms of spiritual pride." Then he said, for all ages yet to come, and for all those with ears to hear:

"You have entered upon this great work of teaching mortal man that he is a son of God. I have shown you the way; go forth to do your duty and be not weary in well doing. To you and to all who shall follow in your steps down through the ages, let me say: I always stand near, and my invitation-call is, and ever shall be, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am true and loyal, and you shall find spiritual rest for your souls."

 

"And they found the Master's words to be true when they put his promises to the test. And since that day countless thousands also have tested and proved the surety of these same promises." [1808 par. 1&2]

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Footnotes

^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. IBID., 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.

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