© 2009 La Fellowship de El Libro de Urantia
© 2009 Antonio Moya, traducción
© 2009 Urantia Association of Spain
Text obtained from the page website of “The Urantia Book Fellowship”
There are apocryphal stories that the Midwayers were planning a Urantia Book-type revelation since the Middle Ages—the time of the development of the printing press and the Protestant Reformation—and that they had asked the Melchizedeks for help as early as the 15th century. Dr. Sadler is said to have indicated to a group of people that the Midwayers had tried a number of different methods with several different groups before developing a working relationship with Sadler’s group and the Forum in the early 20th century.
Date of first introduction to the “contact personality.” The year 1906 is alluded to in a comment on page 8 of the Meussling report on the doctorate: “In 1906, Dr. William Lowe Bryan, president of Indiana University in Bloomington, offered Sadler a position as head of the university’s medical department. Although he had signed the contract and rented a house, the night before he was to move to the university, he decided that he could do more for humanity if he were free to lecture and write books on adjustment to life and the maintenance of mental and physical health.”
The Appendix to the book The Mind at Mischief describes Dr. Sadler’s first encounter with the “sleeping subject.” The first introduction to the “contact personality” occurred in 1906; Christy, his adopted daughter, indicates that this was the correct year. Dr. Sadler is said to have recognized that this date of 1911 was an error. Wilfred and Anna moved next door to the Sadlers in December 1913. No one who personally knew Wilfred Kellogg ever considered that he was the sleeping subject, particularly his family. Most people who knew him, when this idea was mentioned to them, would burst out laughing. Some sources indicate that Dr. Lena Sadler was a key figure in making the revelation possible. She is said to have believed from the beginning that something significant was happening, while Dr. Sadler remained skeptical until 1936. He tried to abandon the process on several occasions, but it continued at her insistence. The process was initiated by the husband of a patient of Dr. Lena K. Sadler, who consulted with her husband, Dr. William S. Sadler, because of the “strange behavior of the gentleman.” The “sleeping subject” is said to have never crossed the threshold of 533 and to have “never paid the doctor a cent for medical treatment.” Bill Sadler said in private conversations that if anyone involved was a reservist of destiny, it was his mother—he indicated that her participation was the critical element in the success of the enterprise.
It should be noted that, up to this date, there had not yet been contact with “true” revelators, but only with intermediaries and student visitors.
Christy took shorthand notes of all administrative contacts with the revelators. The text of The Urantia Book was always delivered in written form. Bill Sadler said that once the documents began to arrive, there was little interaction with the “sleeping subject.” It appears that the “sleeping subject” was only used for administrative contacts, and that the documents always appeared in written form. Bill also indicated that the “sleeping subject” never crossed the 533 threshold and knew virtually nothing about Forum-related activities.
February 11—Some days before this date, Tabamantia inspected the organization that had been established for communication (established and fostered by the midwayers) and submitted a report to the Ancients of Days recommending that they continue their efforts to provide an epochal revelation as requested in an earlier petition submitted by the United Midwayers of Urantia. The Ancients of Days approved and designated a group of personalities to undertake the mission. Machiventa Melchizedek then announced the fact that an epochal revelation would be developed utilizing the communication process that had been perfected in conjunction with the Midwayers since 1911. Up to this time, all contacts had been with midwayers and student visitors. Note the closing sentences on page 388:9 (Paper 35:3). The guidelines established by the Disclosure Commission included the stipulation that at least two members of the contact commission had to be present when any communication took place. The contact commission members were also required to leave the room when any physical object had to be moved or manipulated by the unseen revealers, as witnessing such effects was deemed too “psychologically disturbing” for the mortal participants. It is also said that no contacts ever took place during daylight hours. Another requirement of the Disclosure Mandate prohibited the publication of the text while the “sleeping subject” was alive. The services of at least one cherub were essential to the process, as numerous translations had to be done so that the variety of personalities involved could communicate with their human colleagues.
February 11 — The “Contact Commission” was formalized. The original members were:
Dr. William S. Sadler
Dr. Lena Sadler
William S. Sadler, Jr.
Anna Kellogg (Lena’s sister)
Wilfred Kellogg
February—the first questions were posed to the superhuman personalities. The “first series” of documents was delivered between 1925 and around 1929. Forum members read and responded to these documents. They drafted questions in response to what they had read. The “second series” was an expansion of all the earlier documents. Some titles were changed, some documents were deleted, others were consolidated, and new documents were added. But the order was similar to that of the “first series.” Among the “first series” of papers were: Installation of Divinity, The Son of God, The Sons of God, The Third Source and Center, The Higher Personalities of the Third Source and Center, The Spirit Craftsmen, The Ministering Spirits, The Planetary Prince, The Evolution of Law, Order and Civilization, Adam and Eve, The Default, the “Papers on Religion” (eventually published as papers 99 through 103), The Jewish Idea of God from Melchizedek to Christ, The Bestowals of Christ Michael, The Thought Adjusters, and the Seraphic Guardians. When the first papers arrived, only three members of the contact commission were present—Wilfred and his wife, Anna, were in California.
In September 1925 the Forum was formally established with 30 members.
The first document was read before the Forum (according to a 1973 letter that Robert Burton wrote to Paul Snider, then President of the Urantia Fellowship)
The “Forum Promise” was formalized. All Forum members signed a pledge that read: “We acknowledge our promise of secrecy, which renews our promise not to discuss the Urantia Revelations or their subjects with anyone except active Forum members, and not to take notes of these matters when they are read or discussed in public sessions, or to make copies or take notes of what we read personally.” The Forum was organized as a “human understanding device”—a means of determining the level of understanding of a representative group of mortals.
Meredith Sprunger recounts that the documents always appeared in a predetermined location and were handwritten. They were asked to type these original documents and store them in a safe in Dr. Sadler’s office. Each time the original documents were copied, they always disappeared. The contact committee members tried various tricks to determine how they did it. On one occasion, they placed ten-dollar bills between the sheets. The original documents disappeared, but the bills remained in the locked safe. After the documents began arriving, the contact committee members were asked to read them at the Forum. They discovered that after some documents were read and placed in the safe, they disappeared. When they inquired about this disappearance, they were given little explanation beyond the fact that it was the decision of the revealers to remove the document. Other documents were altered after being read at the Forum. They were presumably asked to read these documents at the Forum so that the revealers could observe human reactions to the material presented. The original handwritten documents were typed by Emma Christensen, who made two copies—one original and one carbon copy. The originals were kept in a fireproof safe at Northern Trust, and the carbon copies were placed in file folders from which Forum members could retrieve them for reading (but not take them out of the office). When a Forum member returned a document, Christy, Wilfred, or Edith Cook would count the pages to make sure they were all there. The documents always had a note with the document number, as there were no page numbers until after the typesetting was done.
Dr. Sadler remains completely skeptical of the process.
Meredith Sprunger relates: “He told me that when they read the early Urantia Papers, he noticed that many people in the group, including his wife, were becoming very impressed by their contents. So one Sunday he gave a few remarks on the importance of objectivity and a critical approach to this material. When he finished, the response he got was a kind of testimonial. Essentially, the Forum’s reaction was, ‘We don’t care who wrote it—it just makes more sense than anything else we’ve read on these subjects. ’ But Dr. Sadler saw that his professional reputation was at stake. He had declared that genuine mediumistic phenomena did not exist, and he wasn’t going to let one baffling case change his mind.”
It is said that sometime in 1930 Dr. Sadler consulted with Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston, a famous sleight-of-hand artist who devoted much of his time to exposing fraudulent mediums and psychics.
Mary Lou Hales indicates that Howard Thurston even attended some sessions of the Forum.
The receipt of the first three parts of The Urantia Book—118 Papers—completes. Nevertheless, the Forum continued to review these papers and ask questions so that the revelators could clarify their expressions so that they would be more understandable to the human mind. The Forum reviewed all the papers at least three times. To estimate the time involved, think of 118 papers reviewed in full three times, at one paper per week, 42 weeks a year (with no meetings permitted during the hottest period of the summer). Paper 119 materialized in 1935, just before the entire Part IV was submitted complete, typed, justified, punctuated, and capitalized.
Part IV—the “Jesus Papers”—is released on February 11. It is the anniversary of the arrival of Jesus’ Thought Adjuster.
According to Bud Kagan’s recollections of conversations with Bill Sadler, the entire Part IV was discovered in an empty office, typed up, near the typewriter on which it had been written. Apparently, there was some problem with including the Part IV we have today. According to Bill Sadler, the Urantia Midwayers overruled the Disclosure Commission and appealed through the entire continuum of higher command to include this account of Michael’s final bestowal. A year (of our time) passed, and the Ancients of Days decided that including Michael’s triumphant bestowal of Nebadon was not inconsistent with the Urantia Revelation. A Melchizedek editor was appointed to work with the midwayer commission. It is possible that “The Life and Teachings” had already been composed by the Urantia midwayers and submitted as part of their dossier. See the last paragraph on page 866 (Paper 77:9). Bud says that, according to Bill, the midwayers got an honor for their efforts by having the paragraph UB 77:9.9 added to the book after the plates were already bound in the printing press ready to be printed.
At some point during this period, Dr. Sadler came to believe that The Urantia Book was what it claimed to be. Each week, Dr. Sadler made it his custom to read a paper to the assembled members of the Forum. It is said that as he read Paper 139, “The Twelve Apostles,” to the Forum, he stopped and, with tears in his eyes, declared: “I must now accept these papers for what they claim to be. My profession is human conduct. No one could have written this without me being present.” It is said that Dr. Lena had a fit of emotion and ran up to embrace the doctor, and everyone present was filled with joy and excitement.
Later, Dr. Sadler told Meredith Sprunger, “I’m a psychiatrist, and I think I know my profession. But that document was a real blow to my pride. If I had half a dozen psychiatrists helping me for years to prepare it, I’m convinced I could not produce a document with that touch of insight and authenticity. So I said to myself, ‘I don’t really know what this is, but I do know that it is the highest quality philosophical-religious material I’ve ever read.’” Meredith comments that from that moment on, Dr. Sadler became not only the professional director but the dedicated leader of the group.
At some point during this period, Dr. Sadler and Bill Sadler attempted to write a Foreword for the book. In response, the developers provided a typed Foreword along with the comment: “A city cannot be lit by a candle.”
At some point during this time, Forum members began holding “Remembrance Dinners” based on commentaries contained in the Urantia Papers.
Beginning of drafts of a plan to create an official organization to direct affairs related to The Urantia Book after its publication. Initially, there were plans for a single organization, but it soon became apparent that any organization intended to address the social implications of the revelation would need to be organized according to republican ideals.
Dr. Lena Sadler begins raising funds for printing.
April 3 — “The Seventy” organize intensive study classes (70 people volunteered); meetings begin on Wednesday afternoons at 533 Diversey Parkway. Unseen personalities suggested that training for instructors and leaders be undertaken. Therefore
Bill Sadler Jr. organized “The Seventy,” who met every Wednesday afternoon—attendance was mandatory. Each kept a three-ring notebook, which they left in 533, where they wrote notes and provided study aids. Meredith Sprunger indicates that the Seventy were instructed with documents and directives from the revelators and their own leaders until the publication of The Urantia Book.
The Seventy, along with many other Forum members, were the earliest members of the Urantia Fellowship and were included on the first General Council. These individuals also helped establish the Fellowship’s school and create many of the early study aids for readers.
August 8 — Death of Dr. Lena Sadler.
Editor’s Note: It is a shame that more information is not available about the life of Dr. Lena Sadler. She was apparently the first person to recognize the importance of the revealed material coming through the “sleeping subject,” and she kept the project going when Dr. William S. Sadler was ready to abandon it. Her life was marked by the tragedy of the untimely loss of a daughter. She is said to have become inconsolable and to have carried the grief for years until she found some solace in the adoption of Emma Christensen. In later life, she suffered from what was apparently breast cancer, and as a result of a botched mastectomy, one of her arms had to be amputated. However, she maintained her enthusiasm and dedication to the project until the cancer ended her human career. By the time she departed for the mansion worlds, she had raised over $20,000 for the publication project. One person commented to me, “If anyone in this group (the contact committee members) was a reservist of destiny, it was Dr. Lena Sadler.”
The first drafts of the Declaration of Trust and the Fraternity Constitution were prepared. The original plans that the contact committee members submitted to their celestial associates for approval were returned with the comment: “Can’t you do better than this?”
Harold Sherman meets with Dr. Sadler in early 1942. He and his wife sign a promise of secrecy and are accepted as members of the Forum.
May 31 — last official meeting of the Forum.
The Forum officially dissolved once the contract for the printing plates was signed. Some former Forum members began reviewing the proofs of The Urantia Book—a process that continued for nearly a decade. These individuals also continued to meet to study the documents.
Mary Flannigan, an employee of R.R. Donnelley’s Lakeside Press, was assigned to work full-time at 533 Diversey Parkway, assisting with proofreading.
Some anecdotal sources claim that the book was ready for publication before the outbreak of World War II. After the end of the war, publication was tentatively scheduled for 1949. It is said that the Melchizedeks declared war on communism in 1946, and that in 1949 the Most High Observer took control of the Planetary Government to dedicate all available celestial resources on the planet to this task. Publication was halted until the planetary government was satisfied with the direction the fight against communism was taking. By the time of the Korean War, the Melchizedeks felt that things had turned around and were heading toward a quick resolution (having initially commented that it would take at least 100 years to stem the momentum of communism). They authorized its publication in 1955, but with a caveat: “The book belongs to the time which will come immediately after the close of the present ideological struggle. That will be the time when men will be ready to search for truth and righteousness. When the chaos of the present confusion has passed, it will be more easily possible to express the cosmos of a new and better age of human relations. You are associated with a revelation of truth which is part of the natural evolution of religion on this world… Super-rapid growth would be suicidal… The book is given to those who are ready for it long before the time of their world mission… An early publication of the book has been provided so that it may be available to instruct leaders and educators.” Thousands of study groups must emerge, and the book must be translated into many languages. Thus, the book will be ready when the battle for human freedom is finally won, and the world is once again safe for the religion of Jesus and the freedom of humanity.”
Bill Sadler is said to have commented that they hired a copyright attorney named John Denier (the name can be verified) when they discovered the problems with authorship in obtaining the registration. They decided to see if using “Urantia Foundation” as the author would work, and it did. The copyright office does not check the validity of applications and does not monitor registered works. Apparently, members of the Contact Commission received administrative messages until the “final” instructions in 1954, when contact was broken and all revelators returned to their native or assigned abodes. The message was: “You are now on your own.”
(English translator: Antonio Moya)