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Contents of this document:

• About this Document
• Preface to the Third Edition
• Preface to the Second Edition
• Preface to the First Edition
• The Downreach of God
• The Upreach of Man
• The Social Synthesis
• Appendix A: Appendix from The Mind at Mischief
• Appendix B: Biographical Information Regarding Members of the Contact Commission
• Dr. William S. Sadler
• Dr. Lena Kellogg Sadler
• William S. Sadler, Jr.
• Emma L. Christensen
• Wilfred C. Kellogg
• Anna B. Kellogg
• Ruth Kellogg
• Appendix C: The Universe Energy Pole of Urantia
• Additional Materials Available from Morning Star Foundation

This electronic copy of Birth Of A Revelation, by Mark Kulieke, is available to you here free of charge. If you like this narrative, you are encouraged to purchase printed booklets from: Morning Star Foundation P.O. Box 9343 Green Bay, WI 54308 Telephone: 920-469-8846

The price is $7.00, postage included. Your purchase of this history and other publications of Morning Star Foundation listed at the end of this electronic copy support the activities of Morning Star Foundation which include the following:

1) Additional translations of Birth Of A Revelation. The current ones available are French, Finnish, Spanish, and Russian. We have made some attempts to obtain Norwegian, German, Dutch, Hindi, Japanese, and Polish translations. 2) Progress on a videotape history comparable to Birth Of A Revelation. 3) A library of historical materials relating to the Urantia Papers and the Urantia Movement which can be accessed principally by mail. 4) An ever expanding list of publications related to the Urantia Papers, some published by Morning Star, others distributed on behalf of other publishers.

Morning Star Foundation seeks to make relevant historical information about the Urantia Papers available to the public as well as ensuring accuracy of the information. The Foundation also strives to make other material for study or inspiration available, which have included or will include a Funeral Service, a historical piece about Christmas, posters, inspirational cards, and study aids on specific themes. The Foundation is also involved in helping other writer/artists with the various stages of production including, in some cases, conception, design, proofreading, and distribution of their materials. Morning Star distributes several items produced by others and plans to expand this activity.

Donations of personal libraries of books, letters, photographs and other materials, as well as monetary donations are sought. Morning Star is a not-for-profit foundation. Your donations are tax deductible.

We welcome any questions about the history of the Urantia Papers. Please feel free to write at the address listed above.

The Directors

Mark Kulieke Pat Hilger Lynne Kulieke

BIRTH OF A REVELATION

The Story of the Urantia Papers

1994 - Third Edition. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by Morning Star Foundation. All rights reserved.

First Edition - July 17, 1991

Second Edition, First Printing - March 21, 1992

Second Edition, Second Printing - April 27, 1992

Third Edition - March 28, 1994

ISBN 0-9633297-1-5

Birth Of A Revelation has been published in all four languages in which The Urantia Book is currently available. Several thousand copies of this history have been sold in about 20 nations. It has been read by a number of historical experts including most living members of the Forum and been generally attested to as highly accurate. Those of us responsible for its publication have formed and incorporated Morning Star Foundation which has offered and will continue to offer publications and teaching services to students of The Urantia Book and the general public. Morning Star is recognized as a tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporation by the federal government. The directors of the corporation are currently Mark Kulieke, Pat Hilger, and Lynne Kulieke. We regularly have new projects in the works.

Now we enter upon a third edition of Birth Of A Revelation. Changes are minor in this third edition. There are no corrections as such - only slight expansions or restructuring. The most notable additions are a passage by Matthew Block on the human sources of The Urantia Book and an appendix offering brief biographies of the Contact Commission members. I wish to thank Matthew Block and Leo Elliott for their contributions to this edition.

The booklet continues to be well liked and purchased on a steady basis. I have received a great many letters commenting very positively on the booklet. The following articulate well what many have said:

"I found in reading your booklet a surprising sense of heightened reality about the whole thing. Somehow learning about the specific people and events involved brought into powerful focus the magnitude of what actually transpired in those earlier decades."

"Your account has given me a much greater respect for the amount of work that was put into the making of the Book."

"It really does help us to realize how lucky we are to be in contact with the Fifth Epochal Revelation."

"I get really excited each time I read it again and am more intensively made aware what an important revelation has been made to us and what responsibility we, who found The Urantia Book and believe in it, are given. With your comments, you keep stimulating my dedication."

Comments like the above seem to confirm the value of this project for us. Thank you for your past support. Best wishes to all Soldiers of the Circles of Urantia.

The existence of a second edition testifies to the fact that the first was successful and I thank you for that. The response to this booklet was overwhelmingly positive. It also succeeded in flushing out corrections, comments, and amplifications to certain events or statements.

Actually, I am pleased to report only two corrections need be made and I will mention them here rather than have you wonder. Referring to the first edition, on page 15, paragraph 2, I misquoted the sentence about the "baptism of joys and sorrows". On page 12, I repeated a story about equivalents to The Urantia Book being given to other worlds. If the story is true, it could only have happened just recently. I learned that the revelators told the Contact Commission that they had no experience of this kind in all Nebadon. The experience with the Urantia Papers is utterly unique. Both errors are corrected herein. Any other changes in the text are simply an effort to expand or improve the story.

I have been asked if I feel morally or ethically comfortable with having written this booklet, that is, did I violate any secrecy or confidentiality in writing it. First, there is not much revealed here that hasn't appeared in print somewhere else, oftentimes in distorted form. I just brought it together in this format for the sake of clarification. The story deserves to be told accurately and well. Second, I am given to understand that the only things not to be talked about are things I don't know anyway - the identity of the human subject and the details of the transmission of the Urantia Papers. I also refrain from speculation on these two matters; indeed, too much information is lacking to make intelligent speculation about them.

I wish to thank several people in the preface to this second edition. First, I wish to thank Meredith Sprunger for the hours he spent writing to me and visiting with me to make modifications and improvements for this edition. Meredith is certainly one of the most knowledgeable individuals to be found with regard to the history of the Urantia Papers, and his perspectives and insights greatly helped this new edition.

Second, I want to thank Joe Pope for his help. Joe has also researched the early history of the Papers and he contacted me several times with helpful suggestions and comments.

Next, I want to thank Leonard Glen who is issuing a French translation of this booklet, Satu Sihvo who is working on a Finnish edition, and Carlos Zapata who is working on a Spanish edition. Also, I want to thank Lynne Kulieke for acting on my behalf in a number of different matters respecting this history.

Finally and most importantly, I want to thank Pat Hilger, for without her encouragement and support, this history would still never have been written and published.

I continue to invite comments and suggestions for improvement of this story.

This historical summary is far from perfect. It represents my best attempt to piece together fragmentary facts, truth, conjecture, and occasionally what almost amounts to rumor into a meaningful whole. Some items are well substantiated; others only partially so. Just as is often the case in piecing together the archaeological remains of an ancient tablet, some pieces are missing altogether.

I certainly invite corrections, amplifications, and comments to improve this summary for future editions. I do not regard this history as finished. Indeed, I question whether it could ever be regarded as finished. The past is ever subject to reinterpretation with each passing moment. Because of the unique nature of this subject, it is more than ordinarily true of this history. In any event, this summary is succinct and will gradually be expanded in the years to come. Much more information could be presented, but it is beyond the scope of this current narrative.

This historical narrative is as accurate as I can possibly make it under the circumstances. I write this history as a believer in the teachings of The Urantia Book, and as one who grew up a child of Forum members. I come from a large clan of Forum members. I was born early enough to have at least seen, heard, and in many cases talked personally with the members of the Contact Commission and a great many of the active members of the Forum, in addition to my own family.

Many histories will eventually be written about the Urantia Papers and collectively they will ultimately provide readers more balanced treatment and perspective on the subject. Any history incorporates the subjective bias or interpretation of the author. While the information comes from many sources, the synthesis and perspective of this story reflect my viewpoint. I have openly incorporated my opinion and belief on various matters into the text of this history. The concluding pages are particularly interpretive. I have tried to make it clear where I inject my opinion and belief. But inevitably, it underlies the entire fabric of this narrative. It is therefore also important to state the purposes of a history. Any individual writes a history with particular purposes in mind.

One of my concerns is to provide a sense of the process by which the Urantia Papers took origin. Second I want to capture a feeling for the people and the flavor of the times during this birth phase. In doing so, I hope to provide additional perspective today to those who must now serve this revelation well if it is to succeed. It is my purpose that those who read this history and are encountering much of the material for the first time will be able, as a result, to approach the future with additional confidence and wisdom. More on that subject will be encountered in the concluding paragraphs of the history itself.

I have been absorbing perceptions and information relating to this subject at least since the age of six. I am indebted to a great many people for the substance of this narrative. I can mention only a few here.

First and foremost, I am indebted to Barbara Kulieke for a great deal of the information contained in this history. She has been involved in a number of projects relating to Urantia history, one of the most notable being that she worked with E.L. Christensen (Christy) for two weeks to write a history which Christy never completed or published. Barbara had access to information which few have ever seen.

The many early leaders and other current students of the Urantia Papers to whom I am most indebted are as follows, in alphabetical order: Clyde Bedell, Arthur Burch, Ruth Burton, Tom Choquette, E.L. Christensen, Edith Cook, Scott Forsythe, Vern Grimsley, Geraldine Kulieke Hahn, Carolyn Kendall, David Kulieke, Lynne Kulieke, Marilynn Kulieke, Warren Kulieke, Dr. William S. Sadler, Meredith Sprunger, and Grace Stephens. In actuality, I am indebted to a great many others for a word or an anecdote here and there. I would be unable to list them all.

Green Bay, Wisconsin Mark Kulieke

* Asterisks used throughout this document refer to The Urantia Book, copyright © 1955 by Urantia Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

**Celestial overseers is a term used generically throughout this paper and is not intended to refer to that specific group of superhuman beings.

***It is unknown whether Ruth was an actual member of the Contact Commission. In the belief that all family members were involved, I have chosen to include her.

Said Jesus: "[T]his is the final will of Him who sent me, that of all those he has given me I should not lose one."(*p. 1711) "If a kindhearted man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not immediately leave the ninety and nine and go out in search of the one that has gone astray? And if he is a good shepherd, will he not keep up his quest for the lost sheep until he finds it?"(*p. 1762) "[I]t is not the will of my Father in heaven that one of these little ones should go astray, much less that they should perish."(*p. 1762) And so, our humble world Urantia, isolated, and "truly among the least of all creation," became a world of "great universe interest".(*p. 466) "Sometimes the last is first, while truly the least becomes greatest."(*p. 466)

The Universal Father and his son Michael are engaged in an unimaginably massive downreach effort to retrieve Urantia from the chaos of rebellion and restore it to the progressive ascent to glory in the universe of Nebadon. Jesus said: "[T]he Father knows what you need even before you ask him."(*p.1577) Thus it was in the first decade of the 20th century, even before the most grim harvest days of a materialistic and secularistic age, that the gift of revelation began to stream once again to our confused planet. The first visible stirrings of what would become The Urantia Book, the Fifth Epochal Revelation of Truth to our world, began around the turn of the century and almost certainly no later than 1906. As with any significant event in history, it must be understood that many factors converge in that initial event. In reality, the roots of the Fifth Epochal Revelation reach down into all parts of our planetary history: the Andonite experiment; the Caligastia Rebellion; the Adamic Default; the evolutionary defeats and failures as well as the successes of this million-year drama; the Melchizedek emergency bestowal; and the bestowal of Christ Michael 2000 years ago. All these events formed the evolutionary bath from which The Urantia Book sprang.

During the Middle Ages (circa 1200 A.D.), the United Midwayers of Urantia petitioned for a new revelation along the lines of The Urantia Book. Apparently their request was ultimately honored, but perhaps the book was a feature of our destiny in any case. Who can say how many human factors were watched, how many other attempts were made to begin the revelatory process before the celestial overseers ** met with success? We know that even in the 20th century, they were watching several human groups with an eye toward engaging them in this revelatory adventure. For example, we know that the location of one of these other candidate groups was Omaha, Nebraska. The superhuman administrators are not without backup plans in any important endeavor. It is a lesson worth noting that destiny can be and often is modified. If a steward is unfaithful to the talent of truth in his care, even that which he has shall be taken away and given to another. (See p.1876) Our celestial overseers conspired to bring about the conditions for revelation in Chicago, Illinois in the very heartland of the North American continent. It was a city of which in 1890, Rudyard Kipling said: "Having seen it, I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages." Carl Sandburg would refer to it as the "hog butcher of the world" and it would become world-famed as a city of gangsters and political corruption. But camouflaged in all that was unsavory, it was to become blessed as the city of celestial visitation. Perhaps once again it is a case of the last becoming first. ("Can any such good thing come out of Nazareth?"(*p. 1527)) Probably Chicago was selected for a large variety of reasons much as Palestine was selected for the scene of Jesus' life and teachings.

There is little doubt that several human personalities were brought together by unconscious celestial guidance to form the nucleus of the receiving group of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. This group would eventually become known as the Contact Commission. (They were not commissioned until 1924.) This process probably began in Battle Creek, Michigan and all converged in the Chicago area, first in the suburb of La Grange, and shortly thereafter at 533 Diversey Parkway which in those days was part of the northern extremity of Chicago. 533 Diversey remained the center and birthplace of the Urantia Papers through the more than 50-year development process culminating in the publication of The Urantia Book in 1955.

I favor the belief that midwayers, student visitors, or superhumans of some sort made attempts at contacts for hundreds of years, perhaps partly for practice and adjustment, possibly with the hope in mind of finding an ideal human subject, perhaps to found forward-looking groups from which epochal revelation could eventually spring, but all in all, under the coordination of some transcending reality such as the Universe Mother Spirit, the Seventh Master Spirit, or other influence. Perhaps such attempts have always gone on in the sense of autorevelation. In any event, I believe a more concerted effort characterized the last few centuries maybe starting with Swedenborg or even before. While the superhumans (midwayers) apparently hoped for something on the scale of The Urantia Book, we have no evidence that the earlier petition had been acknowledged or granted until 1924.

The experience with the contact group may well have started without even superhuman knowledge or determination of the eventual result. I have some fragmentary evidence to suggest this. An inspection visit to Urantia by Tabamantia is mentioned in The Urantia Book as having occurred "not long since." (*p.1189) I am aware of one human account which suggests that Tabamantia visited circa World War I, and having witnessed the contact experience then in progress, had some "admonitions and indictments"(*p. 1189) to deliver to the superhumans then involved. It seems altogether reasonable that as a result of his visit, the matter was put on a different footing.

We know that on February 11, 1924, Machiventa Melchizedek announced to the contact group the plan to write the Urantia Papers with the participation of what was known as the Forum which had then been in existence for about four months. It may well be that lower orders of beings were likewise unaware of the scope of the project until approximately that time. Thus, the contact experience started 17-25 years before the formal announcement of the bestowal of the Fifth Epochal Revelation to Urantia. A beginning date of 1911 is given in The Mind at Mischief by Dr. Sadler, but is known to be several years late.

Much information and many hundreds of pages of written material existed before the official start of the revelatory process in 1924. While the information was somewhat more general, it formed a basis for the Urantia Papers to a certain extent. Some of the same facts and truths that are in the book were in this earlier material. The contact group had had many years to work together, to learn, experience, rehearse, and grow under superhuman guidance before the focal drama began. I would guess this earliest period to have been somewhat intellectually and psychologically chaotic for the participants. We also know that the midwayers themselves learned a great deal in terms of universe fact and truth in the unfolding of this revelatory process.

Dr. Sadler said of this early period,"Our superhuman friends thus spent upward of two decades in extending our cosmic horizons, enlarging our theologic concepts, and expanding our over-all philosophy. We never realized how much our religious thinking had been expanded until the Papers began to arrive. As the Revelation progressed, we came more fully to appreciate how we had been prepared for the vast alteration of our religious beliefs by these preliminary contacts extending over a period of twenty years of pre-education."

To provide a few specific examples of what they experienced, Dr. Sadler mentions, among other things, the following:

"We heard about Thought Adjusters, but our concept of the meaning of the term was vague and indefinite."

"We had acquired a fuzzy concept of the morontia level of existence--but we never heard the word morontia used until the Papers started."

"We heard some things about the Lucifer rebellion, but got little information about Adam and Eve."

The contact group, known subsequently as the Contact Commission, embraced at least seven people and possibly several more. Those known are Drs. William S. and Lena Sadler, their son William S. Sadler Jr. (Bill), Wilfred and Anna Kellogg (sister to Lena), their daughter ***Ruth, and Emma L. Christensen (Christy). One other doctor is thought by one Forum member to have participated prior to 1920, probably Meyer Solomon. Also, if the human subject was not one of these eight people, we must presume a ninth unknown member of the group. In the earliest years, there might have been others now unknown when Dr. Sadler was scientifically examining this phenomena quite rigorously.

Dr. Sadler acknowledged consulting with several others in the early years, namely Howard Thurston, a renowned sleight of hand artist who devoted considerable time to exposing fraudulent mediums and psychics, and Sir Hubert Wilkins, a noted scientist and explorer who was interested in investigating psychic phenomena. I have even heard it said that he consulted Houdini on this matter. However, the contact group was not formally commissioned until 1924, so these others would not have been an integral part of the Contact Commission.

Most regular students of The Urantia Book know that the identity of the human subject was never revealed. He is revealed as male in The Urantia Book. There are those who think they know the subject's identity and some opinions have been expressed with overmuch certainty of feeling. The fact is that the human and superhuman participants seem to have covered their tracks adequately. There can be no certainty of the subject's identity - only conjecture. The roots reach too deeply into the past for anyone to know. Even the earliest Forumites arrived on the scene 20 years after this whole matter had begun - plenty of time for the Contact Commission to get their act together on the matter and keep anyone off the scent. We know this was their intent as they were told by the revelators: "We don't want a St. Peter, St. Paul, Luther, Calvin, or Wesley associated with The Urantia Book a thousand years hence."

We can pretty safely figure that the Contact Commission consisted of members of the reserve corps of destiny. It became common knowledge in the cases of both Dr. Sadler and Christy (E.L. Christensen). It seems self evident that all members of the group would have to be reservists given the magnitude of the project they were privy to.

Dr. William S. Sadler was the leader of the Contact Commission - essentially co-led with his wife Lena (along the model revealed in The Urantia Book) until her death in 1939. Dr. Sadler was trained as a surgeon and psychiatrist and was thus of a scientific bent of mind and appears to have been generally skeptical of psychic phenomena. In the case of the revelatory contact and the Urantia Papers, he tested and probed and studied for many years. He was so bothersome in his investigations that the midwayers became a trifle testy with him. He was thus perfectly suited to manage a case of genuine revelation. He tried everything he knew to trip up either the human subject or the superhumans. He exhausted the possibilities. He alluded to and admitted in the appendix to The Mind at Mischief, first published in 1929, that this was one of only two cases which he regarded as genuine revelation. Please see the appendix at the end of this booklet for the full text of Dr. Sadler's appendix from The Mind at Mischief. (It has been theorized that Ellen White was the other case to which he referred.) He spent many years debunking various psychics and mystics of the day at a time when interest in such phenomena was considerable.

While Dr. Sadler provisionally accepted the validity of the Urantia contact from a relatively early date, it was something like 30 years before he felt certitude on the matter. Specifically the paper on the twelve apostles gave him final conviction. He said, "I'm a psychiatrist and I think I know my business but this paper was a real blow to my pride. If I had a half dozen psychiatrists to help me and years to prepare it, I was convinced that I couldn't fabricate a paper with this ring of genuineness and insight. So I said to myself, `I don't really know what it is, but I do know that it's the highest quality of philosophical-religious material that I have ever read.'"

Only the Contact Commission knew the identity of the human subject and certain of the details relating to transmission. Even so, they asserted that there were many missing links in even their knowledge of the contact process and that total understanding on anyone`s part would be impossible. However the contact experience may have begun, it eventually embraced many forms of contact and several personalities and must, from the evidence, have included at least the following:

1) The contact described in The Urantia Book and The Mind at Mischief with the subject personality wholly unconscious during contact and speaking audibly to those present.

2) The same as number one except that the human subject while unconscious or semiconscious wrote down the material being directed through him by superhumans rather than speaking. However, this should not be confused with automatic writing. Dr. Sadler denied that anything like automatic writing or any automatic phenomena occurred.

3) Conscious guided writing. Someone other than the human subject who was also a member of the contact group received inner impulses of words and meanings of which he was conscious and which he then wrote down, but which would not be heard or noticed by others. This seems to be how some instructions came. It would not surprise me if all members of the Contact Commission had this capability. 4) Direct audio contact between the members of the Contact Commission and the superhuman revelators.

5) Materialization, dematerialization, and editing of physical papers by superhumans.

6) Rendering the invisible visible. The Contact Commission was enabled to see seraphic transports. They witnessed a seraphic train pass by over Lake Michigan. Urantia was simply a junction point for this seraphic train which had emptied a doomed planet of salvable personalities and was heading for a new world to deposit their human cargo.

7) Visions. Dr. Sadler was enabled to see the mansion world life prior to his death. It would appear that reflectivity was also employed to enable him to see certain events on Earth in distant locations. Numbers 1 and 2 seem to be heavily intertwined and were the predominant form used for the actual text of the Urantia Papers. It should also be explained in conjunction with number 2 that there is some mystery as to how this writing occurred. Although Dr. Sadler refers to the written messages of the contact individual in The Mind at Mischief, handwriting experts determined that the written material was not the handwriting of the human subject or those around him. The contact group speculated on the possibility that the writing was that of a secondary midwayer. What is clear is that no subconscious automatic phenomena formed a part of this process. Dr. Sadler, responding to a clergy group asking about the origin of the Urantia Papers in 1958, declared: "The technique of the reception of The Urantia Book in English in no way parallels or impinges upon any of the phenomena of the marginal consciousness."

It is apparent from the above list that the experience with superhumans was pervasive, complex, multidimensional, and evolutionary. The members of the Forum, which began in October 1923, became knowledgeable of much of the contact process, but not as much as the Contact Commission.

The contact experience was a very rich one which slowly broadened and blossomed over a period of years as the Contact Commission itself became oriented, learned, and evolved in wisdom and spirituality. There were, of course, many instructions given and much dialogue held with the revelators in addition to the actual presentation of the text of The Urantia Book. We will never know about most of this supplementary material as it was destroyed from time to time when it was deemed no longer needed or for other reasons. Some was destroyed by the revelators prior to publication or they would order it to be destroyed by the Contact Commission. Additional material was shredded upon the death of Dr. Sadler. Christy authorized the destruction of the last portions during her final illness. Only fragments of these many exchanges linger in other written material or among some individuals' private letters or notes.

It would help to understand that the contact experience was on the one hand most profound and riveting and on the other was frequently quite personal, informal, and liberally blended with humor. As a parallel, think of the morontia Jesus participating in breakfast, joking and visiting with his apostles on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The midwayers and seraphim frequently resorted to humor, usually dry, and also to human slang. Many of their statements were strictly limited to the circumstances in which they functioned, as they made commentary on nations, leaders, political parties, organizations, personality types, and so forth. For example, they obviously disapproved of the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919. They mentioned that Urantia was recognized as a civilized planet in 1927. They obviously took sides in World War II. They talked of things they liked, of things they wanted to see, and they discussed their problems with humor. The Urantia Book is a formal statement intended to be seen and studied by millions. The superhumans in everyday dialogue were hardly so formal and some communications would obviously reflect a more casual style of writing or speaking. However, the higher the personality type, the more formal and serious they could appear to us.

If all Urantia Book readers knew the complete recital of the contact experience, probably a percentage of them would be disturbed by some of the activity of the superhumans. I think this may be because the superhumans were relating personally to the Contact Commissioners and they are willing to reach down and relate to us wherever we are at and take us forward by the hand. Since each person is unique, superhumans would relate to each person uniquely. We all carry many unconscious judgments and opinions of proper superhuman conduct and behavior. Consequently, many or most of us might be critical or confused, bothered and bewildered by the realities of superhuman contact. Furthermore, this might get in the way of really experiencing such a contact ourselves.

Probably one factor or perspective that is often overlooked is the fact that not only Dr. Sadler but all of the Contact Commission were not given to mystical or extra-sensory experiences. While they lived and witnessed some highly unusual occurrences spanning half a century, they did not actively solicit these experiences. They could never initiate the contact experiences or do aught to enhance the likelihood of a contact. Indeed, they spent much of their time being dubious of the whole procedure. All the impetus and control was in the hands of the superhumans. The Contact Commission were unable to cultivate anything unusual - but were essentially passive recipients of this highly unusual project. They had their active roles, but their activities were human and ordinary, not mystical. And they remained skeptical of all things occult or unusual. They experienced a unique transaction of epochal revelation but did not interest themselves in the many episodes of personal revelation (many of them also genuine or partly genuine) which continuously abound all around us.

While the Contact Commission interfaced with the superhumans and were the actual custodians of the Urantia Papers, the revelators utilized a larger human group in their methodology. This group was the Forum and the Forum was vital to the birth of the revelation. This was an evolutionary process grounded in human understanding and experience. All revelation must downreach to the human evolutionary position in order to be effective. The superhumans needed the human beings of the Forum as much as these humans needed celestial guidance. The Forum was formed by Dr. Sadler "inviting a few friends" to his home on Sunday afternoons to discuss interesting topics of the day in the realm of religion, philosophy, psychology, and science. The Forum functioned probably for around a year with little revelatory input. Thus the members had some momentum gathered before they were apprised of the real purpose (from the superhuman standpoint) of their coming together. When the commission by Melchizedek was revealed to them in December 1924, they learned their part in the process.

One Sunday, a Forum member asked Dr.Sadler what he thought about a psychic medium who was appearing at one of the local theatres. Dr. Sadler replied that he had investigated many such psychics and found they were either dishonest frauds or sincere but self-deceived people whose subconscious mind activity led them to believe they were getting knowledge from the spirit world. Then he added, "There is one that I haven't figured out yet." They, of course, wanted to know about this person who was the contact personality for the Urantia Papers. Dr. Sadler shared some of the information obtained over the years, or as Lena Sadler put it, he "spilled the beans."

Around this same time, a personality who claimed to be a student visitor to the planet challenged the Contact Commission by saying that "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." This suggestion was given to the Forum and they began to submit questions. These questions were organized by Dr. Sadler. The first question presented was, "Is there a God; and, if so, what is he like?" The papers began to come. The procedure which evolved was as follows: They were to read a paper each Sunday afternoon. It was ordinarily read to them by one of the Contact Commission, usually Dr. Sadler. They were to write down any questions that came to mind and hand them in each week. Mr. Kellogg was generally responsible for collecting them. These questions would be sorted, classified, and duplicates eliminated. Answers to their questions were then considered by the superhuman revelators. The answers were incorporated into a subsequent paper or an editing of the original paper. In this way, one paper about God eventually mushroomed into five papers about God - the first five in the book. Other parts likewise expanded as the superhumans monitored the human reaction to their material.

Soon after the Urantia Papers started coming, the revelators requested that the Forum become a closed group. Each member was asked to sign a pledge which read: "We acknowledge our pledge of secrecy, renewing our promise not to discuss the Urantia revelations or their subject matter with anyone save active Forum members, and to take no notes of such matter as it is read or discussed at the Forum meetings, or make copies or notes of what we have personally read." Membership tickets were issued and the charter membership numbered 30. The Forum "came to consist of professional men and women--doctors, lawyers, dentists, ministers, teachers--together with individuals from all walks of life--farmers, housewives, secretaries, and common laborers." Apparently the superhumans had some oversight for approval of new Forum members for several years before this responsibility was delegated to Dr. Sadler.

The original papers were handwritten. The Contact Commission was instructed to have these papers typed and carefully checked. Each time this was done,the handwritten originals locked in a safe would disappear. As one of many tests, ten dollar bills were placed between the sheets and they found the original papers would disappear but the bills would remain in the safe. The superhumans indicated they didn't have much use for money.

Interaction and dialogue with humans was the real acid test for the superhuman revelators. As well as they may know us, they cannot fully anticipate our thoughts, actions, and reactions without this interaction. In this way, the Urantia Papers were grounded in human understanding. How many times have you read a paragraph and formed a question only to have it answered in the next paragraph or two? Therein lies the trail of the book's origin in the joint creative process of human questioning and superhuman answering.

Of course, as The Urantia Book mentions on pages 16-17 and 1343, a great many previously expressed human concepts were incorporated into and interwoven with the revelatory material. The revelators make reference to several thousand human ideas or expressions being thus used. Matthew Block, a Chicago-based student of The Urantia Book, has conducted substantial searches and located many sources used in the Urantia Papers, outside the obvious ones such as the Bible. He has probably done the foremost research on comparative study of this sort, a very significant form of exploration of the Papers. In "Some Human Sources of The Urantia Book" published in the Spring 1993 issue of The Spiritual Fellowship Journal, Matthew explains something about the nature and impact of the incorporation of human sources in the Urantia Papers as follows:

*"So far I have traced parallels in about fifty of the Urantia Papers. One book alone, Origin and Evolution of Religion by Yale professor E. Washburn Hopkins, figures in twelve. I estimate that writings published before 1936 are used in about one-third of Parts I and II and in at least two-thirds of Parts III and IV. Most of these works will probably be found within the next few years. Eventually we will be able to map out the whole Urantia Book according to which parts are pure revelation and which are not. And, again, this will not be too difficult since the revelators, while studiously avoiding word-for-word borrowings, made no attempt to disguise their sources by departing widely from the original human expressions. "Clearly, these findings are of great importance to serious Urantia Book readers. In addition to providing further substantiation of the revelators' acknowledgements, they spark new insights into what this revelation really is, and how human and superhuman voices and viewpoints interfaced in its production. As we gain a better grasp of how original it is (in its function as pure revelation), and how derivative it is (in its function of presenting superhuman reinterpretations of human concepts and expressions), we will be better able to see how the revelation positions itself with regard to evolutionary human knowledge, wisdom, and faith. "My own experience has taught me that, as a result of my former ignorance and underestimation of early 20th century thought, my sense of this positioning had been skewed. If unfamiliar with a concept or a piece of information presented in the papers--especially if it struck me as uncommonly beautiful, brilliant, or incisive--I would usually assume it was original with The Urantia Book, little realizing that it might have been known or expressed in some form or other, by some people of earlier generations. But in becoming more familiar with thought trends of that period and others, and with the discovery of more human sources, I've come to a better appreciation of the higher reaches of human thought reflected in the book, and can now begin to give the book's human side its proper due. "Along with this heightened recognition of the book's human component has come an awareness of how brilliantly the revelators re-worked these sources to serve their own purposes. In comparing the source materials with the corresponding passages in The Urantia Book, I am continually struck by the presenters' ingenious ability to seamlessly integrate human observations with revelatory supplementation or correction. Time and again they prove themselves deft and creative editors, performing the difficult task of remaining true to the original expression while at the same time slightly altering it to make the re-worded sentence(s) more congruent with revealed teachings."

As of this writing, Matthew has collected about 35 source books which, collectively, parallel portions of about 50 Papers. He plans to publish a series of essays on the findings in mainstream Urantia periodicals and eventually publish a book on the subject. It appears that the research which has only just begun on many of these human sources will yield many further insights in the years to come.

The process which incorporated question, answer, and study initially took approximately five years and then consisted of 57 papers. But the process does not stop there. The book was advanced another generation in human understanding between 1929 and 1935. After years of reading papers, the first draft of Parts I-III, the Forum was told approximately: "With your increased understanding derived from reading and study of the material, you can now ask more intelligent questions. We are going to go through the book again." And so the book was edited and expanded week by week and year by year and the Forum members learned and grew.

It has been reported by several Forumites that some revelatory material was recalled - either because it was just too incomprehensible to the human mind or because it was deemed best not to reveal the information to the future readership. Very little explanation was given beyond the fact that it was their decision to withdraw the paper. Other papers were edited after being read to the Forum. For instance, one of the papers stated that the apostle Nathaniel had a good sense of humor for a Jew. At this comment the members of the Forum chuckled. The next time they got this paper from the safe, they discovered the phrase "for a Jew" was deleted. Human reaction to the material was obviously monitored closely. At least one Forumite believed that several of the most difficult papers would not have been included in The Urantia Book without the questions formulated by William S. Sadler Jr. The Urantia Book bears the birthmark of the collective mind of the people who composed the Forum during the birth phase(as well as the forward-thinking people who had expressed their ideas in writing in the recent past).

Dr. Sadler said in one paper that about 150 people participated in this creative process. In another, he mentions 300 people while citing the total Forum membership as 486. The original charter membership numbered 30. Then as now, there was a mix of people including the very committed, the indifferent, and even a few with negative reactions to the whole business. They came from diverse backgrounds. In the march of human events over the years, some dropped out, some moved out of town, some moved on to the mansion worlds.

By 1934 and 1935, the process was essentially complete for the first three parts of the book. A third and final creative round was undertaken between 1935 and 1942 to clarify concepts and remove ambiguities. This apparently resulted in only minor editing by the superhuman revelators. About 1935, the Forum received the Jesus papers from the midwayers who had waited for approval from Uversa before undertaking the story. The final round of clarification and editing between 1935 and 1942 seems to have included Part IV. Part IV is undated. No one has said why. I believe it is because Parts I to III contain cosmology that will become dated and eventually need revision. Part IV on the other hand contains "historic facts and religious truths" which should "stand on the records of the ages to come."(*p.1109) Its date need not be fixed.

One of the most dramatic episodes concerns the story of the United Midwayers preparation to present the life and teachings of Jesus. The midwayers had long worked on this narrative. However, the United Midwayers being lowly individuals in the universe and having experienced serious loss of their number in the Caligastia Rebellion, were not sure this venture was in harmony with universe authority. So to make sure they were not in contempt of universe regulations, a group of them entered a suit accusing the group responsible for the composition of the fourth section of the book of being in contempt of universe policy. Dr. Sadler said the system courts, the constellation courts, and finally the local universe courts would not touch the matter. It was referred to the superuniverse court and this process involved some lapse of time. At last a ruling came back: the group of midwayers planning the life and teachings of Jesus in the Urantia Papers were not only exonerated, but were given a special grant of high priority for their project. The Contact Commission was allowed to listen in on the United Midwayer celebration. Dr. Sadler said it was a great celebration of a very happy group of individuals.

The prepublication years can be divided into three roughly equal phases:

1) The initial contact phase, 190(6)-1924, the shakedown period when the Contact Commission becomes trained and ready for action.

2) The birth phase, 1924-1942, the actual writing process and indirect dialogue between superhuman revelators and human Forum members.

3) The organizational development phase, 1942-1955, the typesetting period, dress rehearsal for publication, raising funds for the actual launching of the revelation. This period actually begins as early as 1937 in some respects and overlaps with the second period.

In 1939, apparently at the behest of the revelators, a group which became known as the Seventy began - simply because 70 people originally committed to it. I am struck by the parallel development of the training of 70 evangelists during Jesus' public life - also apparently due to the fact that 70 initially committed to it. The Seventy undertook more intensive study of the book and formalized Wednesday night classes in addition to the Sunday meetings. The Seventy was trained by a series of papers and directives from the superhuman revelators. Many of the surviving messages of instruction date from this time. The group was reorganized in a more formal way in September, 1943. This group was viewed as the forerunner of the Urantia Brotherhood School.

The manuscript of The Urantia Book could only be read at 533 Diversey Parkway from the 1920's until 1955. There were several copies and people could sign out a paper at a time to read on the premises. They could read before the meeting on Sunday or come in during business hours and evenings on weekdays. The papers were kept in a safe and administered by the Contact Commission. Attendance requirements were set for the Seventy of at least 75% of the meetings. This had also applied to the entire Forum during the writing phase. Before 1955, something on the order of 450-500 different people attended Forum meetings. A paper by Dr. Sadler placed the number at 486. Some may have come only a few times and dropped out. Others came to the first meeting in 1923 and were still coming every Sunday in 1956 when the Forum became First Urantia Society also headquartered in Chicago at 533 Diversey Parkway. And these same individuals went right on into the 70's and 80's still coming to the Sunday meetings at 533.

People learned of the Forum and what it was doing only in the most discreet fashion. Forumites took a pledge of secrecy. They were not even to tell family members the nature of what they were doing. If someone thought they had a potential new member developing, they could only describe the meetings in broad terms and arrange for an interview with Dr. Sadler. Dr. Sadler talked at length with each new member or prospective member. If they indicated genuine interest in the group upon discussion with Dr. Sadler, they were administered the pledge of secrecy and ushered into the group without further ceremony. They had to read papers on their own to come up to speed with the group.

I think it is well to point out that the Forum members exuded cameraderie and a collective sense of excitement and anticipation at what they were participating in. Even as a child in the `50's, I picked up a sense of closeness, friendship, and common purpose which I have never found equalled in the Urantia movement since. Perhaps the cohesiveness of the Forum could be likened to that of a single close-knit well-functioning study group. It was a special time for a special group and they were conscious of their function in the history of our world.

As the text of the Urantia Papers neared completion, the group naturally began to focus its thinking on how to release the revelation to the world and consider what form the sponsoring organization or organizations should take. The first major conflict dates from this time and involved a psychic and writer named Harold Sherman. I will briefly summarize the incident. There is considerable difference of opinion on what transpired in this whole episode that cannot be readily resolved. This narrative constitutes a biased understanding synthesized from many sources but chiefly follows Dr. Sadler's viewpoint and to some extent that of my father, Warren Kulieke. Harold and his wife Martha joined the Forum circa 1942. Harold was apparently somewhat charismatic or otherwise personally persuasive. While seemingly benignly attempting to bring the revelation under democratic control of the Forum, it would appear that he had a secret agenda. It should be remembered that the Contact Commission was an extension of the superhuman revelatory commission itself; they took their orders from the superhumans. In trying to wrest the Urantia Papers from the control of the Contact Commission, and in particular from Dr. Sadler's leadership, Sherman was actually challenging the authority of the superhuman revelators. According to Dr. Sadler, Sherman was playing into the hands of Caligastia who was trying to divide the group. The Contact Commission was told that Caligastia hated the Urantia Papers and would seek to destroy them. They were further told that Caligastia operated by driving wedges between people and groups and fostering disunity. Maintaining unity was much emphasized by the revelators.

Sherman passed a letter or petition around the Forum membership to be signed which criticized Dr. Sadler's control of the Urantia Papers. Many Forumites, not realizing the real intent behind his actions, joined his cause by signing Sherman's petition. The so-called Sherman Rebellion was viewed as a threat to the integrity of the revelation. The midwayers declared the situation a crisis and frequently maintained hour by hour contact with Dr. Sadler from the outbreak of the rebellion until its conclusion. Dr. Sadler called each signatory in one by one and talked with them at length. In the end, they all asked to have their names removed from the petition, with the apparent exception of the Shermans. The crisis was controlled and while some conflict ensued with Sherman, the danger was passed.

I should point out that the letter passed around by Sherman was drafted by Clyde Bedell and I am informed that it was not perceived by him or the other signatories as critical of Dr.Sadler. They sincerely opposed Dr. Sadler on certain points of organization whereas Sherman perhaps sought to unseat Sadler as the leader of the Urantia group. Apparently Sherman simply had his own personal agenda.

There seems to have been intellectual disagreement within the Contact Commission itself on how to organize and this should not be particularly surprising in view of the fact that even the Seraphim of Progress and the Seraphim of the Churches were in conflict regarding the management of the Urantia Papers in these days. They remained so until a new head of the superhuman government was installed who dealt with this matter in the early '50's.

Research and consideration of the forms of organization by the Contact Commission and the Forum started in the late `30s and continued through the `40's. There was considerable dialogue and input from seraphim and midwayers on the subject. The Contact Commission was warned of the danger of misguided idealists. They were told that what was needed was a blending of ideist(meaning a person with ideas) and idealist. Paul was an ideist and he succeeded, but compromised his ideology. Abner was an idealist who was inflexible and largely failed. A balance between the two is needed. The Contact Commission was also told that The Urantia Book should not be under the direct control of a democratic organization which is ever subject to the whims and fickleness of its members. At the same time, the membership was not to be subject to an autocratic body. It had to be representative.

The organizational design of having two main organizations, Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood, was wrought over a period of many years and was ultimately approved by the celestial overseers. While they observed that the constitution of Urantia Brotherhood was not perfect, it was pronounced as fair a document as any yet devised and provided for its own amendation.

While evidence suggests their concern for too much power residing with the Brotherhood, I don't think it would be correct to think they didn't have concerns about the Foundation as well. The key was to have two dissimilarly designed bodies in harmony and balance. This was not to be a hierarchical system anymore than a single pair of seraphim is a hierarchy. Seraphim work jointly. One is energy positive and the other is energy negative, but they are described as complemental. This, I believe, was the plan for Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood - to be complemental. Bill Sadler likened them to members of a football team, the Foundation as tackle and the Brotherhood as quarterback. Urantia Foundation did not form Urantia Brotherhood, but it did choose to formally recognize the Brotherhood and bestow certain duties upon it such as handling sales of The Urantia Book.

Urantia Foundation became the direct heir to the Contact Commission in 1950. In August 1942, instructions were given for the Foundation-to-be to copyright The Urantia Book and to register Urantia as a trademark. The Commission was told:

"You have not done enough to safeguard your name. Make it very safe for one generation so the name Urantia 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 carefully register it with the division of government that I have looked into, that controls trade relations, Trademark, and then you are protected in common law connected with a volunteer association such as you are planning in the Urantia Brotherhood. In all those ways you must safeguard the name. This is one of your most important duties."

"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."

After the Foundation trustees became the custodians of The Urantia Book, they set about doing these things.

Once when the Contact Commission asked the revelators what to expect when the Urantia Papers began to be publicly shared with the world, they were told that the revelators themselves did not know - there was no experience to draw from as this form of epochal revelation was without precedent in our universe (meaning Nebadon). I would guess it is not all that common anywhere in Orvonton. I have heard it said that one Forum member understood that the equivalent of The Urantia Book has been given to numerous worlds. If that has any truth to it, it must have occurred subsequent to the beginning of the Urantia experience and be a very new phenomenon. Perhaps the other fallen worlds in Satania are recently in receipt of written revelation.

As alluded to above, some changes in the superhuman planetary government of Urantia were instituted on August 21, 1950. This transition government replaced the system described in The Urantia Book in Paper 114, which is now partly out-of-date. "[T]he opening of the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer has signalized the inauguration of temporary planetary regimes on all the isolated worlds."(*p. 611) Our temporary regime dates from this time. Gabriel of Salvington personally visited Urantia and installed a Melchizedek Son named Norson as the Personal Regent to the Vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia (Machiventa). Gabriel was present on Urantia for 18 hours and authorized sharing the events of the day with the Contact Commission.

There were ensuing changes for several years afterward ultimately affecting the direction and welfare of the Urantia Papers. Certain of the human outworkings were to be in the hands of the trustees of Urantia Foundation subject to the veto power of the United Midwayers of Urantia. What form that veto power takes appears to be completely open to speculation. The Personal Regent to the Vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia announced that overall direction of the revelation for the next 500 years (from February 11, 1954) was placed in the hands of the Seraphim of Progress (progress angels) with the more immediate control for the next one hundred years to be entrusted to the Seraphim of the Churches (religious guardians). He announced that he reserved the right to intervene at any time. Again what form such intervention would take may be unknown to all. I, myself, would presume that such intervention ordinarily appears to occur naturally through human agents who are part of the reserve corps of destiny.

The Regent was empowered to make these decisions after a newly formed Supreme Court of Urantia, created in November 1951, handed him the authority over the revelation. After his first year in office, in 1951, he announced to the Contact Commission that his first year had not been an altogether happy one - he had spent the better part of it "trying to prevent or postpone global war." On another occasion he expressed shock at the lack of enthusiasm of some Forum members for the Urantia Papers. Did they not realize what they had? He opined that it must just be that few mortals "can stand the test of time." He said on the whole that the Seventy were reasonably committed, but relatively few others. On February 11, 1952, (28 years to the day after Machiventa's message) he told the Contact Commission that he and he alone would decide the time to publish. However, if they did not hear from him for a period of three years, the Urantia Foundation was free to go ahead with publication. He also told them to prepare an index to be published in a separate volume. The Contact Commission did not hear from the Regent again for three years and on February 11, 1955, the trustees of Urantia Foundation signed their "Declaration of Intent to Publish The Urantia Book."

Work began immediately thereafter on printing. The typesetting had been completed earlier as well as some other preliminary preparations. The Urantia Book was published on October 12, 1955, a Wednesday night, when the Seventy regularly held classes at 533 Diversey Parkway. I still remember the excitement of my father when he came home that night with four Urantia Books. Many of these people had waited decades for this momentous event and at last it was at hand. The amount and nature of contacts seems to have greatly altered subsequent to 1952. The organizations were largely on their own.

Dr. Sadler and Christy both indicated that the Urantia Papers were published exactly as received except for errors of copying, most of which were subsequently identified and corrected. The Contact Commission was limited to making changes in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. The University of Chicago's Manual of Style was followed and Harper's Bible Dictionary was referred to for Biblical spellings. Urantia Brotherhood was formed on January 2, 1955 by 36 Forum members acting as the original General Council. These 36 Forum members were also all part of the Seventy. It was not until June 17, 1956 that the First Urantia Society was formed and the Forum, after 33 years, passed into history as most of its members became the 156 initial members of the new society. A new phase had begun. The intrepid Forum members now prepared to share The Urantia Book with the world.

The Forum had been told many things by the celestial overseers of the public dissemination of The Urantia Book among which are the following statements.

"The future is not open to your mortal comprehension, but you will do well to diligently study the order, plan, and methods of progression as they were enacted in the earth life of Michael when the Word was made flesh. You are becoming actors in an ensuing episode when the Word is made book. Great is the difference in these dispensations of religion, but many are the lessons which can be learned from a study of the former age."

"We regard The Urantia Book as a feature of the progressive evolution of human society. It is not germane to the spectacular episodes of epochal revolution, even though it may apparently be timed to appear in the wake of one such revolution in human society. The book belongs to the era immediately to follow the conclusion of the present ideological struggle. That will be the day when men will be willing to seek truth and righteousness. When the chaos of the present confusion has passed, it will be more readily possible to formulate the cosmos of a new and improved era of human relationships. And it is for this better order of affairs on earth that the book has been made ready."

"But the publication of the book has not been postponed to that (possibly) somewhat remote date. An early publication of the book has been provided so that it may be in hand for the training of leaders and teachers. Its presence is also required to engage the attention of persons of means who may be thus led to provide funds for translations into other languages."

"You must learn to possess your souls in patience. You are in association with a revelation of truth which is a part of the natural evolution of religion on this world. Over-rapid growth would be suicidal. The book is being given to those who are ready for it long before the day of its world-wide mission. Thousands of study groups must be brought into existence and the book must be translated into many tongues. Thus will the book be in readiness to comfort and enlighten the peoples of many languages when the battle for man's liberty is finally won and the world is once more made safe for the religion of Jesus and the freedom of mankind."

"And may you all become valiant soldiers of the circles--wholeheartedly enlisted in the solid ranks of those mortals who shall go forth in this coming battle for truth against error under the unfaltering leadership of the mighty seraphim of progress."

"Not since the Gospel of Jesus has there appeared on earth such a dynamic nucleus about which could be built so many organizations and which would attract so many differently motivated men - good, bad, and indifferent."

"There has not in 1900 years been anything about which there could be so much confusion and competition for control as your organization, and you cannot spike organization guns except by organization in this present age."

They were told they would encounter "many strange isms and queer groups which will seek to attach themselves to The Urantia Book and its far-flung influence. Your most trying experiences will be with such groups who so loudly acclaim their belief in the teachings of the book and who will so persistently seek to attach themselves to the movement. Great wisdom will be required to guard against the distracting and distorting influence of these multifarious groups and from equally distracting and disturbing individuals, some well-intentioned and some sinister, who will strive to become part of the authentic constituency of the Urantia movement."

"You are called to a great work and yours is to be a transcendent privilege to present this revelation to the peoples of this strife-torn world."

"Supercilious scientists will ridicule you and some may even charge you with collusion and fraud. Well-meaning religionists will condemn you as enemies of the Christian religion and accuse you of defaming Christ himself."

"Thousands of spiritually hungry souls will bless you for the message you bring, and thousands of others will condemn you for disturbing their theologic complacence."

"Are you ready for your baptism of joys and sorrows which will certainly attend upon the early distribution of the Urantia Revelation?"

As of the time of this writing we have long since begun and continue in our "baptism of joys and sorrows." I, myself, regard the completion of the process resulting in publication of The Urantia Book in such a pure and accurate form as a major miracle in itself. It required 50 years of human handling: human thoughts, feelings, and actions. These people experienced doubt, perplexity, confusion, turmoil, uncertainty, as well as personal and social conflict. Yet out of this process, they fraternized, they grew, and they succeeded in launching the Fifth Epochal Revelation of Truth to Urantia. All the difficulties have continued and multiplied as this ship has sailed out of the harbor. The revelators said it would take 50-75 years (dating from 1955) of proper handling to ensure the success of this latest revelation. Will it succeed and set the stage for entry upon the threshold of light and life? Will our world become a marvel of redemption and restoration throughout Orvonton? Or will this epochal transaction end up compromised and distorted as so many of our previous revelations on this planet? Will we become one of the truly greatest cosmic disappointments? It is up to those of you who currently labor in this vineyard and those shortly to follow. There are a number of indications which lead me to believe that billions of beings throughout Orvonton and beyond are watching the Urantia experiment and awaiting the outcome.

Since the superhumans anticipated many difficulties in the public dissemination of the revelation, we must trust that through this turmoil and trouble, this storm and stress, we can still emerge triumphant in carrying the Fifth Epochal Revelation safely through this transition era. In divining what to do at every decision point in this forward struggle, we do well to examine how this whole process started and progressed right on down to the present moment. Thus may we act with increased wisdom as we help steer this latest revelation from the safe harbor out upon the high seas of evolutionary destiny.

One of the points of this history will have been missed if you conceptualize these historical events as remote to current events and clothe the ever more distant Contact Commissioners and Forum members in golden auras of greatness, for example like the founding fathers of America. This is not to minimize the achievements of these people. However, they were essentially ordinary people made great only by their commitments. The events are not remote; rather they have given shape to and are still shaping current day reality.

The same power to make momentous decisions and dedicate the human will to serving this revelation lies within each of us. We may not all be reservists, we may not all be leaders in the enterprise, but each one of us can make the same level of commitment that a reservist makes. And God will take note and use us to maximum advantage whether it be as a lowly foot soldier or a great commander. "Life is but a day's work - do it well. The act is ours; the consequences God's."(*p. 556)

The revelation is still in the very early stages of unfolding to the world. It still needs committed men and women in order to succeed just as much or more than in the early days. There is no shortage of critical roles. Essentially you need be limited only by your imaginations. Great and historic times are upon us now just as they were upon those of the early 20th century. It's just that points of present day reality rarely feel as monumental as times of the past. Nevertheless, they are. Supreme dedication from millions of religionists is needed at this very moment. For those who make such dedication, great times are always at hand. God will ever speak to those willing to hear: "Take my hand. Walk with me. Do my bidding. I enlist your aid."

APPENDIX A

The following appendix appears in The Mind at Mischief by Dr. William S. Sadler, first published in 1929. It is believed that it refers to Ellen White in the first case and the Urantia Papers in the second case.

APPENDIX

"In discussions of fraudulent mediums or self-deceived psychics, the reader of this book has several times encountered the statement that there were certain exceptions to the general indictments there made, and was referred to this appendix. It now becomes my duty to explain what I had in mind when those footnotes were inserted. In the interests of scientific accuracy on the one hand, and of strict fairness on the other, it becomes necessary to explain that there are one or two exceptions to the general statement that all cases of psychic phenomena which have come under my observation have turned out to be those of auto-psychism. It is true that practically all the physical phenomena have proved to be fraudulent, while the psychic phenomena are almost invariably explainable by the laws of psychic projection, transference, reality shifting, etc. But many years ago I did meet one trance medium, a woman now deceased, whose visions, revelations, etc., were not tainted with spiritualism. As far as my knowledge extends, at no time did she claim to be under the influence of spirit guides or controls, or to communicate messages from the spirits of departed human beings. Her work was largely of a religious nature and consisted of elevated sayings and religious admonitions. I never had the privilege of making a thoroughgoing psychic analysis of this case, and am not in a position to express myself as to the extent to which her revelations originated in the subconscious realms of her own mind. I make mention of the case merely to record the fact that I have met one instance of psychic phenomena apparently of the trance order that was not in any way associated with spiritualism. The other exception has to do with a rather peculiar case of psychic phenomena, one which I find myself unable to classify, and which I would like very much to narrate more fully; I cannot do so here, however, because of a promise which I feel under obligation to keep sacredly. In other words, I have promised not to publish this case during the lifetime of the individual. I hope sometime to secure a modification of that promise and to be able to report this case more fully because of its interesting features. I was brought in contact with it, in the summer of 1911, and I have had it under my observation more or less ever since, having been present at probably 250 of the night sessions, many of which have been attended by a stenographer who made voluminous notes. A thorough study of this case has convinced me that it is not one of ordinary trance. While the sleep seems to be quite of a natural order, it is very profound, and so far we have never been able to awaken the subject when in this state; but the body is never rigid, and the heart action is never modified, tho respiration is sometimes markedly interfered with. This man is utterly unconscious, wholly oblivious to what takes place, and, unless told about it subsequently, never knows that he has been used as a sort of clearing house for the coming and going of alleged extra-planetary personalities. In fact, he is more or less indifferent to the whole proceeding, and shows a surprising lack of interest in these affairs as they occur from time to time. In no way are these night visitations like the seances associated with spiritualism. At no time during the period of eighteen years' observation has there been a communication from any source that claimed to be the spirit of a deceased human being. The communications which have been written, or which we have had the opportunity to hear spoken, are made by a vast order of alleged beings who claim to come from other planets to visit this world, to stop here as student visitors for study and observation when they are en route from one universe to another or from one planet to another. These communications further arise in alleged spiritual beings who purport to have been assigned to this planet for duties of various sorts. Eighteen years study and careful investigation have failed to reveal the psychic origin of these messages. I find myself at the present time just where I was when I started. Psychoanalysis, hypnotism, intensive comparison, fail to show that the written or spoken messages of this individual have origin in his own mind. Much of the material secured through this subject is quite contrary to his habits of thought, to the way in which he has been taught, and to his entire philosophy. In fact, of much that we have secured, we have failed to find anything of its nature in existence. Its philosophic content is quite new, and we are unable to find where very much of it has ever found human expression. Much as I would like to report details of this case, I am not in a position to do so at present. I can only say that I have found in these years of observation that all the information imparted through this source has proved to be consistent within itself. While there is considerable difference in the quality of the communications, this seems to be reasonably explained by a difference in state of development and order of the personalities making the communications. Its philosophy is consistent. It is essentially Christian and is, on the whole, entirely harmonious with the known scientific facts and truths of this age. In fact, the case is so unusual and extraordinary that it establishes itself immediately, as far as my experience goes, in a class by itself, one which has thus far resisted all my efforts to prove it to be of auto-psychic origin. Our investigations are being continued and as I have intimated, I hope some time in the near future to secure permission for the more complete reporting of the phenomena connected with this interesting case."

APPENDIX B

Biographical Information Regarding the Members of the Contact Commission

1) Dr. William S. Sadler, 1875 - 1969. William S. Sadler was born June 24, 1875 at Spencer, Indiana, the son of a Bible salesman. He ran away from home in 1889 to work at the Kellogg's Health Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. (The cereal business was a later adjunct of this health project.) There he met the people, most particularly the Kellogg family, and formed the opportunities which would shape most of his life, including attending medical school, meeting his future wife Lena, and becoming a minister in Ellen White's Seventh Day Adventist Church. In 1906, he graduated from medical school and began a practice in Chicago. A few years subsequent to this, he completed a study of psychiatry and entered this field, practicing psychiatry continuously from this time into his 93rd year. In addition, Dr. Sadler lectured, taught, and wrote numerous books in the field of health and psychiatry. He also had minor vocations mostly in detective and intelligence work over a span of several decades. His office and his residence were both at 533 Diversey Parkway on the near north side of Chicago from 1912 to 1969. Dr. Sadler led the contact group, the Forum, and the subsequent organizations throughout this span of his life. He seemed to enjoy being in charge and at the center of things. He was a natural talker and storyteller and had a dry sense of humor. He died in Chicago on April 26, 1969 after saying farewells to many close friends and Forum associates.

2) Dr. Lena Kellogg Sadler, 1875-1939. Lena C. Kellogg was born June 9, 1875 at Abscota, Michigan. She was a niece of John Harvey Kellogg and became a nurse at the Kellogg Sanitarium in Battle Creek where she met William S. Sadler in 1893. They were later married in 1897. In 1901, they entered medical school together, both completing it at the same time in 1906. Lena practiced along with her husband, lectured with him on the Chautauqua circuit, and collaborated in the writing of several books. She co-led the contact group and Forum with him. Accounts of her suggest she was a calm, quiet and balanced individual and aided those around her by her manner. She died in Chicago at a relatively early age on August 8, 1939. She is said by Dr. Sadler and Forumites to have attempted to communicate with her husband not long after her death, but the request was "wisely denied" by the superhumans concerned.

3) William S. Sadler, Jr., 1907-1963. William S. Sadler, Jr.(Bill) was the only surviving child of Drs. William S. and Lena K. Sadler. One previous child had died in infancy. Bill was born December 15, 1907 at La Grange, Illinois. Like his father, he ran away from home at an early age and entered the marines. Afterward, he played an active part in the Forum. His considerable intellect contributed greatly to the question/answer process. He ran his own management consulting business and travelled substantially. Bill married in 1935; he and his wife Leone had three children, one of whom(William S. Sadler III) died at a young age. Bill and Leone were separated and divorced in the mid 50s. Bill was a founding trustee of Urantia Foundation and the first president of Urantia Brotherhood. In conjunction with his divorce, he broke away from his father and formed the Second Urantia Society of Chicago and Second Society Foundation in the late 50s. He married Florine Hemmings, remaining married until his death. Bill had a gift for rendering the most complex concepts of the Urantia Papers simple and easy of understanding and wrote and taught on these subjects for many years. He died of cirrhosis in Chicago on November 22, 1963.

4) Emma L. Christensen, 1890-1982. Emma L. Christensen (Christy) was born January 29, 1890 in Gem Township, Brown County, South Dakota. She attended college in Minnesota and thereafter moved to Chicago to work. She was in a taxicab accident shortly after the contact group had requested a secretary and her attending physician turned out to be Dr. Sadler who quickly brought her into the contact circle. The Sadlers formally adopted Christy as their daughter and she lived at 533 Diversey from 1923 until her death 60 years later. She worked in the Chicago Loop for the Federal Reserve Bank System and retired as an office manager of the National Bank Examiner's Office in 1950. In her off hours, it was Christy who typed the entire text of the Urantia Papers and revisions therof from handwritten manuscripts. Her typed copies were read by the Forum members until publication of The Urantia Book in 1955. Upon retirement, she started working full-time in the office of Urantia Foundation and continued as office manager until her death in 1982. She was also a founding trustee of Urantia Foundation. After Dr. Sadler's death in 1969, she had to go it alone as the last living member of the Contact Commission. Regardless of the problems that arose, Christy exuded a natural friendliness to all people. She died May 2, 1982 in Chicago after having ample time to say farewells to many Urantian friends.

5) Wilfred C. Kellogg, 1876-1956. Wilfred Kellogg was born October 3, 1876 in Berkshire, Vermont. He came to know William S. Sadler due to Sadler marrying his cousin and sister-in-law, Lena. Wilfred married his cousin Anna in 1912. He served as office manager for the Sadlers at 533 Diversey Parkway. His duties included acting as their agent for their many publications. Another of his duties was monitoring the reading of Urantia Papers during evenings at 533 Diversey Parkway and collecting questions at the Sunday Forum meetings. He was a thoroughly reliable and businesslike individual. He was a founding trustee of Urantia Foundation and served until his death. He died shortly after publication of The Urantia Book in Chicago on August 31, 1956.

6) Anna B. Kellogg, 1877-1960. Anna Kellogg was born at Battle Creek, Michigan. As indicated above, Lena was her sister and Wilfred was a cousin. Anna and Wilfred accompanied the Sadlers to La Grange and several years later to 533 Diversey Parkway and remained with them for the rest of their lives. The Kelloggs were married twice, once in Illinois and once in Wisconsin to ensure the legitimacy of their cousin marriage. They often traveled with the Sadlers on the Chautauqua circuit and were involved in the daily affairs at 533 Diversey from the time they moved in until their deaths. Anna was a comfortable and reassuring person, helping to put people at their ease. She survived Wilfred by four years and died at Chicago on February 24, 1960.

7) Ruth Kellogg, 1915(approx.)-1944. Ruth was the only child of Wilfred and Anna Kellogg and was born deaf. She was married shortly before her death and died in childbirth due to complications with the measles in Chicago in early 1944. Her parents had considerable difficulty in recovering from their grief. Whether Ruth was an active member of the Contact Commission is unknown. Since the members of the Contact Commission were all connected by close family ties, I believe Ruth was either part of the Commission or at the very least had to take the same oath of secrecy.

APPENDIX C

The Universe Energy Pole of Urantia

On page 438-9 of The Urantia Book, reference is made to the universe or spiritual energy pole of a planet. This is the place where universe broadcasts are received at noon of that meridian and where seraphim depart the planet at midnight. It is known that this spiritual energy pole is ordinarily identical with the headquarters of the spiritual government of a planet and thus Urantia's would have been located at Dalamatia in the days of the Planetary Prince. What happened at the outbreak of rebellion is not known though this pole may have been at Van's headquarters until the days of Adam and Eve and then in the garden location. It is well known among Forumites that the Contact Commission was told the current location of the spiritual energy pole. It is located in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park which is located in east central California. This is not only where seraphim arrive and depart Urantia, but also the location of the archangel headquarters. Indeed, due to the rebellion, broadcasts are only received by courtesy of the archangel divisional headquarters. Of course, this is also the location of the headquarters of the current spiritual planetary government of Urantia. Other than the scenic beauty of the place, you will notice nothing unusual there.

If you have specific questions, you may be able to obtain further information by contacting:

Mark Kulieke Morning Star Foundation P.O. Box 9343 Green Bay, WI 54308-9343 (920) 469-8846

Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope to have questions answered.

Net proceeds from the sale of this paper and any contributions received will go toward a variety of other projects including a videotape presentation of this history and to the development of a library of materials relating to the Urantia movement which would be available for public use. Morning Star Foundation is a not-for-profit tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax deductible.

PRICE INFORMATION U. S. Orders - The price of this booklet continues to be $5.00 plus $2.00 for postage and handling for each copy up to five. Five copies is a total of $30.00 including postage and handling. For copies over five, add another $5.00 per copy which includes postage and handling. Thus, for example, ten copies would be $55.00, postage and handling included.

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Also available from the Green Bay address:

1) "The Contact Commission Family and 533". This is a limited edition photographic art print displaying all members of the Contact Commission with a historic picture of 533. Price $35.00 including postage, U.S. or international.

2) Positive Qualities Chart by Jim Downs. This is a full color chart of 984 positive qualities and their relationships to one another, all placed together on a large wheel. This chart was six years in the making and is a beautiful configuration based on the author's study of the Urantia Papers. The price is $18.00 including postage.

3) Funeral Service for Students of The Urantia Book. This service form has been used for many members of the Forum and early students of The Urantia Book. It is bound in a looseleaf form so that an individual biography can be inserted and the whole can be preserved as a memorial copy. Price $5.00 including postage.

4) The New Meaning of Christmas. The superhumans were asked what we should do about December 25th now that we know Jesus was born on August 21st. An extensive answer was given that is reflected in this paper. Price $2.00 including postage.

5) Historical Library Copy Service. We will photocopy and mail any document or book in the Morning Star Historical Library collection for a standard fee of $.10-.20 per page, depending on quantity copying. We will observe such copyright restrictions as may apply. Call or write for details and estimates.

6) Who's Who in The Urantia Book. Written by Joyce Forst. Produced by Norm Duval. A helpful reference tool, particularly for newer readers. Price $3.00 including postage.

7) 'One Worldwide Family of God' poster by Vern Bennom Grimsley. A classic, 14" x 18", suitable for framing and useable in a mixed setting, such as an office. Price $7.00 including postage.

8) Who Will Know compact disk by Chris Sohre. Offers progressive composition and diverse instrumentation creating an introspective tonal landscape of subtle moods and impressions. Price $12.00 including postage.

9) Become Born of the Spirit T-shirts. Three color shirts, medium or large. Purchase supports First Wisconsin Society. Price $12.00 including postage.