Selections from Writings Thought to be Urantia Book "Sources"

Webmaster's note: Research into the human sources used by the revelators in the construction of the text of The Urantia Book is just beginning. The resources on this page are provided to encourage additional study and exploration and to provide a sense of the way in which human resources have been used in the construction of the text. These materials been scanned from books, some of which are old and not in good condition. Therefore, expect to find typos, including the "-" character where the original was hyphenated. Another frequent problem is the number "5" reproduced as the letter "S." Numbers reproduced as part of Biblical references are relatively unreliable.

 

The Urantia Revelatory Process -- Some thoughts on a possible way in which the text could have been constructed.
by Denver Pearson

• A Source Study of "Instruction for Teachers and Believers" by Matthew Block, The Herald, Summer 2001. (For more detailed and more recent information, visit the Square Circles website. This is the primary resource for information regarding research on Urantia Book authorship.)
• An Introduction to the Idea of Urantia Book Sources: A short study of Henry Nelson Wieman's "The Issues of Life" and Rodan of Alexandria by David Kantor
• Bundy, Walter E., "The Religion of Jesus" (Indianapolis: The Bobs-Merrill Company, 1928.) Compare with Preface and first two sections of Paper 196:
  • Preface
  • Chapter I: The Religious Genius of Jesus
  • Chapter II: The Religious Faith of Jesus
  • Chapter III: The Religious Consciousness of Jesus
  • Chapter IV: The Religious Demands of Jesus
  • Chapter V: The Religious Authority of Jesus
• Bundy's Bibliography
• Hopkins, E. Washburn, "Origin and Evolution of Religion" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1930.) Compare the Preface and Section 1 of Paper 104, "Growth of the Trinity Concept," with the following chapters from Hopkins' book:
  • Chapter XVII: The Triad
  • Chapter XVIII: The Hindu Trinity
  • Chapter XIX: The Buddhistic Trinity
  • Chapter XX: The Christian Trinity
• Wieman, Henry Nelson and Regina Wescott, "Normative Psychology of Religion" (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1935.) Compare the following chapter in Wieman with Urantia Paper 87, section 7 - "Nature of Cultism":
  • Chapter 5: The Cultus and its Emotional Accompaniments Compare the following Wieman chapters with Urantia Papers 99 - 103:
    • Chapter 12: Social Reconstruction
    • Chapter 24: Religious Leadership
    • Chapter 26: Religion Shaping History
• Wieman, Henry Nelson, "Issues of Life" (New York: Abingdon Press, 1930.) Compare the following Wieman material with Urantia Paper 160, "Rodan of Alexandria" and Paper 161, "Further Discussions with Rodan":
  • Chaper I: Growing Up
  • Chapter II: Living Together
  • Chapter III: Maximum Energy for Living
  • Chapter IV: Goods of the Good Life
  • Chapter V: Religion
  • Chapter VI: God and the Ideal
  • Chapter VII: Life and Scientific Method
  • Chapter VIII: Personality
  • Chapter IX: The Last Devotion

• Other relevant studies:
  • Bibliography of the work of Henry Nelson Wieman
  • Intellectual Autobiography of Henry Nelson Wieman -- Contains important insights into the location of Wieman's theology in the twentieth century; he comments on his views relative to both Barth and Tillich.
  • Experiments in Personal Religion -- Excerpts from a study course by Henry Nelson Wieman
  • For a basic introduction to this topic, see: Some Human Sources for Materials Contained in The Urantia Book (Matthew Block, 1994)
  • For biographies and professional histories of individuals thought to be authors of materials used by the revelators in Papers 99 through 103, see Manning, J., "Source Authors of The Urantia Book," 1999. Available from Square Circles Publishing
  • See also: "What does The Urantia Book say about its Origin and Purpose?" by David Kantor
  • See also: Affidavit of Dr. Meredith J. Sprunger regarding the origin of The Urantia Book
  • For background on the general state of Christian theology at the time of the publication of The Urantia Book, see:
    • Niebuhr, H. Richard, "Theology, History, and Culture" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996), chap. 1, "Next Steps in Theology."
    • Niebuhr, H. Richard, "The Meaning of Revelation" (New York: Collier Books, 1941.)
    • Tillich, Paul, "The Religious Situation" (New York: Living Age Books, 1956.) [Note: This book is an excellent resource. It contains an analysis of the current religious situation (1956) in the spheres of science, art, metaphysics, politics and ethics. It also examines the current situation in religion itself with chapters on the development of mysticism outside the churches, eschatological movements, and the general religious situation in the churches. Written by one of the most highly regarded theologians of the mid-century.]
    • Rahner, Karl, "Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity" (New York: Crossroad, 1992), Introduction." [Note: In this introductory chapter, Rahner reviews the problems related to developing a coherent systematic theology during a period of rapid accumulation of new discoveries and information in conjunction with a period of significant social change.]
    • Rahner, Karl, "Theological Investgations, vol. XVI: Experience of the Spirit" (New York: Crossroad, 1983), chap. 1, "The Foundation of Belief Today."
    • For an interesting statement regarding early 20th century perspectives on the requirements of a coherent speculative metaphysics, see Whitehead, A. N. "Process and Reality" (New York: The Free Press, 1929), chap. 1, "Speculative Philosophy."