© 1997 Ken Glasziou
© 1997 The Brotherhood of Man Library
After a test period spanning more than twenty years, the revelators of the Urantia Papers finally produced their completed version in the years 1934/5. What was their intention as to publication date? Was it immediate—or five, ten, or twenty years hence?
This is an interesting question as it may throw some light on the past, present, and future of the Papers.
Divine righteousness is not dominated by strict retributive justice; God as a father transcends God as a judge. (UB 2:6.6)
It is mainly because of the work of Matthew Block that we now have a reasonably detailed knowledge of the extent of the revelators’ use of human source materials in the preparation of the Papers (acknowledged by them on UB 0:12.12 and UB 121:8.12 of The Urantia Book).
One of the effects of the delay in first printing the Papers until 1955 was that during this long incubation period (plus a further extended period in which the readership grew), a fundamentalist attitude to the content of the Papers took root.
Most readers have probably experienced a period in which they granted to The Urantia Book, the status of a virtually infallible divine revelation. Looking back in time, it may seem quite incredible that we so easily glossed over, rationalized, or simply ignored the disclaimers originating from the revelators themselves.
Personally, it took me several years before I could admit to myself that the Papers were not totally of divine, infallible status. But when I wrote in the Six-0-Six newsletter about fifteen years ago, that there were errors in the science sections of the book, a mini storm erupted.
Even today fundamentalism is still strong but much less so since readers have learned to take the problem seriously and have made a more scholarly study of what the book itself tells us.
Would fundamentalism have become so strongly entrenched if the Papers had been published immediately on receipt? “Was it strongly entrenched?” some may ask. Well strongly enough for those high in earthly authority to not only correct typographical and similar minor errors in later printings but also to make changes to the text in an attempt to conceal perceived errors (the good motives of those who did this are not in question).
Matthew Block’s work in revealing human sources has permitted us to review what might have happened if the Urantia Papers had been published in, say 1936.
Among the source works were books such as William Swann’s The Architecture of the Universe, printed in 1934, along with other current texts on academic topics, including theology.
It is highly unlikely that an extensive readership of The Urantia Book would have arisen without these sources being quickly unveiled. Undoubtedly this would have generated publicity and criticism—and that would have been even more quickly followed by devoted readers drawing attention to the mandate for revelation on UB 101:4.2.
The mandate contains such passages as: “within a few short years many of our statements regarding the physical sciences will stand in need of revision; we are not at liberty to anticipate the scientific discoveries of a thousand years; we are greatly hampered by the proscription of the impartation of unearned knowledge; let it be made clear that revelation is not necessarily inspired; the cosmology of these revelations is not inspired; etc., etc.”
Attention would also most likely have been drawn to the comments on UB 0:12.12 and UB 121:8.12 about the revelators use of around three thousand human sources in preparing their Papers.
It boggles the imagination to think of what might have happened. The Urantia Book as a revelation from fallible, supposedly-celestial beings rather than one purported to carry divine authority, may have made an significant impact in theological colleges and other tertiary institutions.
The quality of a major proportion of the Urantia Papers is such that no discerning student undertaking their intensive study could fail to discover, not only the genius of their authors, but that the Papers said things worthy of much thought and consideration.
Imagine the liberalizing effect there might have been if a large proportion of graduates from theological institutions had studied The Urantia Book during their training and were now ordained ministers of the Christian religion.
Clambering our way back to reality, we have to accept that it didn’t happen that way—but one day soon, it will.
[Could any of our readers who might have of what happened to prevent immediate publication of the Urantia Papes please write us. Addresses are on the front page.]