| Title: | Publication Mandate |
| Document: | The Timing of The Urantia Book |
| Author: | Certain members of the General Council [compiled by William S. Sadler, Jr. (note 1)] |
| Date: | Undated [memo date is April 4, 1955] |
| Revelators: | Revelatory Commission (note 1) (note 2) |
| Revelator Messages: |
Official instructions to proceed with publication. (note 1) (note 2) (note 3) (note 4) “Book belongs to era immediately to follow conclusion of present ideological struggle.” “Early publication in hand for training of teachers” “Thousands of study groups must be brought into existence.” “Book must be translated in to many tongues.” (note 5) |
| Provided By: | Carolyn Kendall on 12/22/2007 |
| Copy Status: | A Conformed Copy of the original memorandum, which is too faint to scan legibly, was reproduced by Carolyn Kendall. This is attached as a PDF file.. |
| Provenance: | This memorandum was produced for the files of the Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood. A carbon copy of this paper was inserted into the secretary’s notebook of each standing committee of the Brotherhood. Officers and Committee chairmen received copies, as well as Trustees of Urantia Foundation. Copy obtained from surviving committee records. |
| Authentication: | Personal Note 1: “This paper was read to the Forum on April 4, 1955 by William S. Sadler, Jr.” Carolyn Kendall,12/22/2007 Note 2: : “The phrasing ‘certain wise comments and advices’ was understood by everyone to mean that all of the material being presented consisted of advices and admonitions from the Revelatory Commission.” Carolyn Kendall 12/28/2007 Note 3: “The contact commissioners quoted communications word for word. Clyde Bedell confirmed that for me in 1983.” Barbara Newsom, 12/31/2007 Note 4: “’: See “Julia K. Fenderson, March 31, 1982” letter for additional confirmation of the reading of revelator communications to the Forum. Textual Note 5: The first two complete paragraphs of the Publication Mandate are contained in the “History of the Urantia Movement.” Additional Note 1: The December 1985 joint statement from Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood on “The Dissemination of The Urantia Book and Statement on Publicity,” contained three paragraphs on Timing of The Urantia Book, which were from the Mandate (unattributed) on its first page. The joint statement in abridged form was mailed to all members. Additional Note 2: Four paragraphs of this communication were included in, then newly appointed Foundation Trustee, Martin Myers’ 1973 speech “Unity, Not Uniformity,” given at the First Western Urantia Conference in Los Angeles. It was introduced with the statement, “Early members of the Urantia movement were, and you are now, told …” This was the first reading of this message to the wider readership. |