"Only those human experiences of spiritual value survive--your past life and its memories, having neither spiritual meaning nor eternity value, will perish with the human brain."

   Although the Urantia Papers contain a considerable amount of science-related material, the advanced reader will have recognized that most such content is simply a background setting for the important aspects of the Papers--those concerned with the spiritual values of mankind. And from mankind's viewpoint, that whether this background setting ranks as infallible truth is not as important as that it provides a framework in which we can think. Think about what? About that which is ultimately important--why we are here and what is our destiny?

   Furthermore, all sincere, truth-seeking readers must sooner or later discover that the Papers do present some truly prophetic scientific material having content that was unknown to human scientists at the time of their receipt in 1935. But contrasting with that, the Papers also contain much material that was either outdated at the time of printing, soon to be outdated, or simply erroneous.

   A thorough reading of the Papers also discloses that their authors were amazingly knowledgeable, highly intelligent, and displayed extraordinary wisdom. Therefore their strange way of presentation must have been considered and deliberate. But why, why, why?

   Historically, few early readers of the Papers were qualified to judge the quality of science in the book. Hence most, swayed by the exalted status accredited to their authors, and despite the denials of the authors themselves, assumed that revelation must automatically imply infallibility.

   Since those early days, many readers have discovered that the science content of the Papers includes serious error. And skeptics have leveled the criticism that if enough random guesses are made, some will be correct through lucky guesswork. However there are instances in these Papers where the probability of being right or wrong through random guesswork can be rationally assessed--and in enough instances to cause us to conclude that the "through guesswork" alternative is not really a valid option. For example if there is one chance in 100 of being right then there are 99 ways of being wrong. There are too many instances that the Papers were right for lucky chance to always be the explanation.

   But that still leaves the unanswered question--what is the explanation for this strange mix of prophetic and flawed science material?

   The history of the Urantia Papers as provided by the convener of the so-called Contact Commission, Dr W. S. Sadler¹, and by others^2,3, tells of distinct phases during the receipt of the Papers. The first, a preparatory stage, commenced perhaps as early as 1905 and continued through until 1924; a second, in which questions were asked and new Papers received, was from 1925 until 1935 when the final version of the Papers was pronounced to be complete; a third period lasted until 1943 during which some minor, but important, modifications were made, the contract to print was signed and the galley proofs checked. There then followed a lengthy and unexplained period terminating in 1955 when the book was finally published. During the whole of this final period the completed printing plates remained in the strong room of the publishers, R. R. Donnelly and Sons, awaiting instructions to print.

   If we accept Dr Sadler as our authority, all of the Papers of Parts 1, 2, and 3 were received through a single unidentified person, a patient of Dr's William and Lena Sadler, who either spoke or wrote during a disturbed period of sleep of which he was quite unconscious. Part 4 of