| Title: | History of the Urantia Movement |
| Document: | History of the Urantia Movement |
| Author: | Dr. William Sadler “...the Contact Commissioners received many communications and directives in writing.” from the History |
| Date: | ca. 1960 (note 1) |
| Revelators: | Student-visitor, sometime in 1924 Revelatory Commission, sometime in the early 1930s and in 1935 United Midwayers of Urantia, 1935 Seraphim of Progress, sometime between 1939-1956 Regent of the acting Planetary Prince, November 22, 1951 & August 21, 1952 |
| Revelator Messages: |
Student-visitor: "If you only knew what you are in contact with you would not ask such trivial questions. You would rather ask such questions as might elicit answers of supreme value to the human race." (note 2) Revelatory Commission: “would be pleased to have us go over the Papers once more and ask questions” “parts [of the book] were completed and certified to us” Seraphim of Progress: “eight written communications” to the Seventy Revelatory Commission: the Publication Mandate (note 3) |
| Provided By: | Carolyn Kendall on 12/15/2007 |
| Copy Status: | A conformed copy of the original unpublished manuscript. The original manuscript received is in the form of photocopies of carbon copies of the original, which are too faint to scan. This conformed copy is attached as a PDF file. |
| Provenance: | Carolyn Kendall was given a photocopy of a carbon copy of the original manuscript in 1991 by a certain individual from 533 Diversey who had found it “in the files,” and recognized it as being potentially useful in the preparation of a History project assigned by Special Projects Committee. It has been widely distributed, published by both the Jesusonian Foundation and the Mighty Messenger Newsletter, and commented upon in two books on the origin of the revelation. |
| Authentication: | Evidentiary Carolyn Kendall presented the History during depositions in two Federal District court cases in 1994 and 2001, testifying to its authenticity and upon the character of Dr. Sadler. Personal “I recognized it as the ‘script’ he [Dr. Sadler] had used when he interviewed prospective Forum members up until 1955.” Carolyn Kendall, 12/15/2007 “I attended four such interviews and overheard three more while I worked for him, '53 - '56. Doctor personally gave his History to two potential leaders during his lifetime, between 1960 and his death in1969.” Carolyn Kendall, 9/8/2007 Textual Note 1: This date is based upon an evaluation of the events described within this document. Note 2: This is comparable in both content and context to the Mighty Messenger’s statement in “How the Urantia Book Came Into Existence” by Bill Sadler Jr. [February 18, 1962] “If you knew what I know, you wouldn't ask these silly questions. You would prepare some of the most deep, searching and far-reaching questions you could possibly imagine." Note 3: The first two complete paragraphs of the full Publication Mandate [April 4, 1955 memo] are contained in the History. Additional Note 1: There is wording and phraseology in Dr. Meredith Sprunger’s “Historicity of The Urantia Papers” (published 1986, 1992, and 1993) which is similar to that appearing in Dr Sadler’s 1960 History. |