Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
arc
()
Date: November 11, 2013 11:31PM
@corboy, thanks for all of your info. Someone never returned the local library's copy and inter-library loan failed. So, I'll definitely look at bookfinder.com for a copy. I already have one Martin Gardner book so I'll be happy to add another to my collection.
@warren, I agree with the moderator about preaching and attacking members but thank you for including your experience with the UB. Although, I personally don't believe in its heavenly or otherworldly origins, one of my curiosities is to find people who are drawn to it or find meaning in it. Also, besides its origin story, I'm trying to find information on how its acts like or different in regards to other religions/cults and their texts.
Besides the fellowship's litigiousness, I'm trying to find if individuals have been harmed in other ways.
@warren, I agree with the moderator about preaching and attacking members but thank you for including your experience with the UB. Although, I personally don't believe in its heavenly or otherworldly origins, one of my curiosities is to find people who are drawn to it or find meaning in it. Also, besides its origin story, I'm trying to find information on how its acts like or different in regards to other religions/cults and their texts.
Besides the fellowship's litigiousness, I'm trying to find if individuals have been harmed in other ways.
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
Michaelz
()
Date: November 12, 2013 04:42AM
Not trying to preach here, but the original question did ask for people with experience with it, so I will try to communicate that here.
I have read the book a couple of times, along with reading a number of other religious texts. When taken as a whole the book makes it clear that each of us has a personal relationship with God, that we do not need intermediaries, and what he wants from us is to choose to follow him the best we can. It doesn't establish traditions or rituals or rites. It doesn't establish a priesthood or church structure. No one tells me where to go or when; no one tells me what to wear, or who to give my money to. From time to time there have been people who have tried to do that, but it hasn't been the URANTIA Foundation, which is the publisher of the book. They are the most laid back, low key, no pressure, here's the book take it and use it if it's helpful and leave it if it isn't kind of group I have ever met. To me it seems like the exact opposite of a cult in that sense.
The text of the book says it isn't perfect, it isn't the final word, it isn't inclusive, and in fact says it has tried to use the highest ideals of human thought whenever possible, no matter the origin. It even warms against the danger of over-zealous individuals who might take their own genuine religious experience and try to insist that's the only way. Again, very much the opposite of a cult.
I see a number of references to lawsuits and criticisms about the book posted earlier. I'm not going to try to read them individually or try to refute them. I will just say that the Christian Church is so much more than the crusades or the inquisition, and I think one would be making an error to extrapolate from those two things to the entire church.
From time to time I have heard of people who have set up communes, or living groups, based on their understanding of the teachings of the Urantia book. I haven't ever lived in one of them and have no personal knowledge of whether people who have done so have been harmed in any way. Personally I think there have been cult-like groups based on the bible, and I think their might be cult-like groups based on the Urantia book, but in neither case does that invalidate the spiritual guidance and positive teachings of the books.
On the whole I just don't see anything cult-like about the book itself. To recap, it says pretty clearly that each of us can communicate with God without need for rites, rituals, or intermediaries; that we are unique, and God doesn't expect us to be identical or have identical beliefs, and salvation doesn't even depend on reading or even knowing about the book.
I have read the book a couple of times, along with reading a number of other religious texts. When taken as a whole the book makes it clear that each of us has a personal relationship with God, that we do not need intermediaries, and what he wants from us is to choose to follow him the best we can. It doesn't establish traditions or rituals or rites. It doesn't establish a priesthood or church structure. No one tells me where to go or when; no one tells me what to wear, or who to give my money to. From time to time there have been people who have tried to do that, but it hasn't been the URANTIA Foundation, which is the publisher of the book. They are the most laid back, low key, no pressure, here's the book take it and use it if it's helpful and leave it if it isn't kind of group I have ever met. To me it seems like the exact opposite of a cult in that sense.
The text of the book says it isn't perfect, it isn't the final word, it isn't inclusive, and in fact says it has tried to use the highest ideals of human thought whenever possible, no matter the origin. It even warms against the danger of over-zealous individuals who might take their own genuine religious experience and try to insist that's the only way. Again, very much the opposite of a cult.
I see a number of references to lawsuits and criticisms about the book posted earlier. I'm not going to try to read them individually or try to refute them. I will just say that the Christian Church is so much more than the crusades or the inquisition, and I think one would be making an error to extrapolate from those two things to the entire church.
From time to time I have heard of people who have set up communes, or living groups, based on their understanding of the teachings of the Urantia book. I haven't ever lived in one of them and have no personal knowledge of whether people who have done so have been harmed in any way. Personally I think there have been cult-like groups based on the bible, and I think their might be cult-like groups based on the Urantia book, but in neither case does that invalidate the spiritual guidance and positive teachings of the books.
On the whole I just don't see anything cult-like about the book itself. To recap, it says pretty clearly that each of us can communicate with God without need for rites, rituals, or intermediaries; that we are unique, and God doesn't expect us to be identical or have identical beliefs, and salvation doesn't even depend on reading or even knowing about the book.
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
Warren
()
Date: November 12, 2013 08:10AM
arc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @warren, I agree with the moderator about
> preaching and attacking members but thank you for
> including your experience with the UB. Although, I
> personally don't believe in its heavenly or
> otherworldly origins, one of my curiosities is to
> find people who are drawn to it or find meaning in
> it. Also, besides its origin story, I'm trying to
> find information on how its acts like or different
> in regards to other religions/cults and their
> texts.
>
> Besides the fellowship's litigiousness, I'm trying
> to find if individuals have been harmed in other
> ways.
Actually, it was the Foundation which was involved with litigation, and it was the Foundation that was harmed by the process. They lost their copyright on the Urantia Book, the original English version of which is now in the public domain, since said litigation. I have some more detail in my previous post. I can't think of a single individual harmed by the Foundation, unless you consider not being able to print and sell copies of the UB harm. And, if you DO consider that harm, the Urantia Foundation has been rendered harmless, as they no longer hold a copyright.
One or two individuals, people I know only too well, got all bent out of shape by not having the right to publish the UB. Among other idiocies, one of them called upon Martin Gardner to do a hatchet job on the Urantia Foundation, and supplied him with most of the bizarrely slanted information that went into Gardner's book. Of course, Gardner being an avowed anti-theist, he was not at all interested in "freeing the readership from the tyranny of the copyright" so they could all publish their own versions -- Gardner wanted to discredit the UB itself, and this individual was either too dull or too hate-filled to see that.
This has been my major frustration relative to the UB -- I have always at least halfway expected that something I find so uplifting would improve other people who at least claim to believe it. Apparently, however, I'm rather far off-base with that idea. The same type of people who make it a pain in the butt to be on, for example, school boards and city councils are present in the UB readership. While it never flies, there are still the occasional attempts by someone to comandeer the readership, and lead them off in some bold new direction. The dismal failure of every such attempt hasn't stopped others from trying. Think of "The People's Front of Judea" versus "The Judean People's Front" conflict from Monty Python's "Life of Brian," and you'll be pretty close.
-------------------------------------------------------
> @warren, I agree with the moderator about
> preaching and attacking members but thank you for
> including your experience with the UB. Although, I
> personally don't believe in its heavenly or
> otherworldly origins, one of my curiosities is to
> find people who are drawn to it or find meaning in
> it. Also, besides its origin story, I'm trying to
> find information on how its acts like or different
> in regards to other religions/cults and their
> texts.
>
> Besides the fellowship's litigiousness, I'm trying
> to find if individuals have been harmed in other
> ways.
Actually, it was the Foundation which was involved with litigation, and it was the Foundation that was harmed by the process. They lost their copyright on the Urantia Book, the original English version of which is now in the public domain, since said litigation. I have some more detail in my previous post. I can't think of a single individual harmed by the Foundation, unless you consider not being able to print and sell copies of the UB harm. And, if you DO consider that harm, the Urantia Foundation has been rendered harmless, as they no longer hold a copyright.
One or two individuals, people I know only too well, got all bent out of shape by not having the right to publish the UB. Among other idiocies, one of them called upon Martin Gardner to do a hatchet job on the Urantia Foundation, and supplied him with most of the bizarrely slanted information that went into Gardner's book. Of course, Gardner being an avowed anti-theist, he was not at all interested in "freeing the readership from the tyranny of the copyright" so they could all publish their own versions -- Gardner wanted to discredit the UB itself, and this individual was either too dull or too hate-filled to see that.
This has been my major frustration relative to the UB -- I have always at least halfway expected that something I find so uplifting would improve other people who at least claim to believe it. Apparently, however, I'm rather far off-base with that idea. The same type of people who make it a pain in the butt to be on, for example, school boards and city councils are present in the UB readership. While it never flies, there are still the occasional attempts by someone to comandeer the readership, and lead them off in some bold new direction. The dismal failure of every such attempt hasn't stopped others from trying. Think of "The People's Front of Judea" versus "The Judean People's Front" conflict from Monty Python's "Life of Brian," and you'll be pretty close.
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: November 12, 2013 11:21AM
And here is an objective examination of how various 'sacred traditions' have been inventioned. I found this reference by going to Google Scholar and putting Urantia into the search slot.
The Invention of Sacred Tradition Paperback
by James R. Lewis (Editor) , Olav Hammer (Editor)
The authors of this sociological study examine several traditions from different parts of the world, including the Urantia Book/Movement. The Amazon description is below:
[www.google.com]
Terminology
"the peculiar sleep"
[www.google.com]
"correcting time"
[www.google.com]
"thought adjusters"
[www.google.com]
"teaching mission"
[www.google.com]
-------------------
The Invention of Sacred Tradition Paperback
by James R. Lewis (Editor) , Olav Hammer (Editor)
Be the first to review this item
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
The dictionary definition of tradition refers to beliefs and practices that have been transmitted from generation to generation, however, 'tradition' can rest simply on the claim that certain cultural elements are rooted in the past. Claim and documented historical reality need not overlap. In the domain of religion, historically verifiable traditions coexist with recent innovations whose origins are spuriously projected back into time. This book examines the phenomenon of 'invented traditions' in religions ranging in time from Zoroastrianism to Scientology, and geographically from Tibet to North America and Europe. The various contributions, together with an introduction that surveys the field, use individual case studies to address questions such as the rationale for creating historical tradition for one's doctrines and rituals; the mechanisms by which hitherto unknown texts can enter an existing corpus; and issues of acceptance and scepticism in the reception of dubious texts.
The Invention of Sacred Tradition Paperback
by James R. Lewis (Editor) , Olav Hammer (Editor)
The authors of this sociological study examine several traditions from different parts of the world, including the Urantia Book/Movement. The Amazon description is below:
[www.google.com]
Terminology
"the peculiar sleep"
[www.google.com]
"correcting time"
[www.google.com]
"thought adjusters"
[www.google.com]
"teaching mission"
[www.google.com]
-------------------
The Invention of Sacred Tradition Paperback
by James R. Lewis (Editor) , Olav Hammer (Editor)
Be the first to review this item
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
The dictionary definition of tradition refers to beliefs and practices that have been transmitted from generation to generation, however, 'tradition' can rest simply on the claim that certain cultural elements are rooted in the past. Claim and documented historical reality need not overlap. In the domain of religion, historically verifiable traditions coexist with recent innovations whose origins are spuriously projected back into time. This book examines the phenomenon of 'invented traditions' in religions ranging in time from Zoroastrianism to Scientology, and geographically from Tibet to North America and Europe. The various contributions, together with an introduction that surveys the field, use individual case studies to address questions such as the rationale for creating historical tradition for one's doctrines and rituals; the mechanisms by which hitherto unknown texts can enter an existing corpus; and issues of acceptance and scepticism in the reception of dubious texts.
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: November 12, 2013 11:49AM
Article from the Skeptic's Dictionary
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
------
Urantia Book
According to The Urantia Book Fellowship (UBF), The Urantia Book (UB) is
an anthology of 196 'papers' indited [i.e., dictated] between 1928 and 1935 by superhuman personalities.... The humans into whose hands the papers were delivered are now deceased. The means by which the papers were materialized was unique and is unknown to any living person.
The UB Fellowship was founded in 1955 as the Urantia Brotherhood and is an association of people who say they have been inspired by the "transformative teachings" of the UB. According to the UBF, these "superhuman personalities" are from another world. They synthesized the work of more than 1,000 human authors in a variety of fields, including an "astronomical-cosmological organization of the universe" unknown to modern science and an elaborate extension (700 pages) on the life of Jesus. The UB also reveals that the "Universe is literally teeming with inhabited planets, evolving life, civilizations in various states of development, celestial spheres, and spirit personalities." In short, the UB is over 2,000 pages of "revelations" from superhuman beings which "correct" the errors and omissions of the Bible. "Urantia" is the name these alleged superhumans gave to our planet. According to these supermortal beings, Earth is the 606th planet in Satania which is in Norlatiadek which is in Nebadon which is in Orvonton which revolves around Havona, all of which revolves around the center of infinity where some sort of god dwells.
Others aren't so sure of the celestial origin of these writings. Matthew Block, for example, has identified hundreds of passages in the UB that are clearly based on human sources, but which are not given specific attribution. (Some might call this plagiarism, even though William Sadler (the main author) admits on page 1343 that he used many human sources. Others might say that since Sadler didn't lift passages word for word from the many sources he used, what he did isn't, strictly speaking, plagiarism.)
Martin Gardner is also skeptical of the UBF's claims. He believes the UB has very human authors. Originally, he says, the UB was the "Bible" of a cult of separatist Seventh Day Adventists, allegedly channeled by Wilfred Kellogg and edited by founder William Sadler, a Chicago psychiatrist, who is actually the author of most of the work (with the help of his son). According to Gardner, in addition to an array of bizarre claims about planets and names of angels and the like, the UB contains many Adventist doctrines. Sadler died in 1969 at the age of 94 but his spiritual group lives on. Sadler got his start working for Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, Adventist surgeon, health and diet author, and brother of cornflake king William Keith Kellogg. These are the same Kellogg brothers who were featured and lampooned in the movie "The Road to Wellville."
One can easily understand why Gardner suspects that the UB has human rather than superhuman origins. The book has all the traits of humanity upon it. For example, our human philosophers and theologians are mimicked perfectly in passages such as the following:
The philosophers of the universes postulate a Trinity of Trinities, an existential-experiential Trinity Infinite, but they are not able to envisage its personalization; possibly it would equivalate to the person of the Universal Father on the conceptual level of the I AM. But irrespective of all this, the original Paradise Trinity is potentially infinite since the Universal Father actually is infinite. (Foreword XII, The Trinities)
Any medieval casuist would be proud of such writing and thinking.
Primary supernaphim are the supernal servants of the Deities on the eternal Isle of Paradise. Never have they been known to depart from the paths of light and righteousness. The roll calls are complete; from eternity not one of this magnificent host has been lost. These high supernaphim are perfect beings, supreme in perfection, but they are not absonite, neither are they absolute. (Paper 27)
Some UBFers are attracted not so much to the theology, but to its great insights. Here are a few of those insights culled from paper 100, "Religion in Human Experience." Ask yourself if a superhuman being was necessary to reveal these gems.
The experience of dynamic religious living transforms the mediocre individual into a personality of idealistic power....
Give every developing child a chance to grow his own religious experience....
Religious experience is markedly influenced by physical health, inherited temperament, and social environment....
Spiritual development depends, first, on the maintenance of a living spiritual connection with true spiritual forces....
The goal of human self-realization should be spiritual, not material....
Human likes and dislikes do not determine good and evil; moral values do not grow out of wish fulfillment or emotional frustration....
Jesus was an unusually cheerful person, but he was not a blind and unreasoning optimist....
If the philosophical, theological or spiritual insights do not impress you, then you might want to consider the scientific insights of the UB, such as the resurrection of the pre-Adamite thesis of Isaac de la Peyrère (1596-1676), who felt compelled to believe that the Bible is the history of the Jews, not of all people, and that in order to explain things such as racial differences the most reasonable hypothesis is that races of people existed before Adam and Eve.
In addition to the claim that the UB was channeled by Wilfred Kellogg and the claim that it was written primarily by William Sadler, there is the claim of Ernest Moyer, who believes that the UB is a revelation from a god that appeared "out of thin air" in fully developed form, exactly as we know it today. Moyer claims that Sadler was put through a lengthy process by our "planetary supervisors" in order to prepare him to accept the UB as true revelations. The process began by introducing Sadler to the Sleeping Subject (SS), whose nocturnal ramblings would later be understood to be preparatory messages from extraterrestrial "midwayers." According to Moyer, "SS was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, a highly pragmatic, hard-nosed business man who did not believe in 'psychic' phenomena or any such nonsense." Why SS was selected for this task is unknown, but Moyer assures us that the midwayers never took over SS's mind and came only at night when SS was unconscious so as not to disrupt his life too much. Moyer contrasts this with the evil spirit who invaded Edgar Cayce during the daytime, a sure sign that Cayce was a false prophet. Sadler was selected, according to Moyer, because of his personality and training. A more obvious analysis is that Sadler selected himself because he was the source of the SS material.
Moyer is convinced that we are on the verge of a nuclear holocaust and that the UB offers advice on how to save oneself from destruction and what to do afterward. This is all part of some god's plan, as revealed to Sadler. According to Moyer, "God [sic] is using this technique to screen the human race."
It seems to me that some god tried this once before with water instead of nuclear bombs. Well, if at first you don't succeed....
postscript
Harold Sherman published an account of his and his wife's involvement with the Urantia Forum. It makes for interesting reading about how intelligent people get involved in these kinds of groups where somebody claims to have a direct pipeline to some god or realm of knowledge hidden from the rest of us. He asks us "to remember that anything that goes through the mind of man is fallible and subject to possible error or fabrication. For this reason, we suggest that you question any purported 'revelation,' however impressive, whose mediums or sponsors declare it to be 'the infallible word of God or His representatives.'"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
reader comments
further reading
books
Gardner, Martin. On the Wild Side (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1992), chapters 8, 13 and 14.
Gardner, Martin, Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery (Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2008).
Popkin, Richard Henry, Isaac La Peyrère (1596-1676): his life, work, and influence (Leiden; New York: Brill, 1987).
websites
Urantia Foundation
[www.urantia.org]
The Urantia Book
[www.urantiabook.org]
Seventh-day Adventist Home Page
[www.adventist.org]
Ernest Moyer's "Origin of the Urantia Papers"
[www.world-destiny.org]
SquareCircles.com
[www.squarecircles.com]
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
------
Urantia Book
According to The Urantia Book Fellowship (UBF), The Urantia Book (UB) is
an anthology of 196 'papers' indited [i.e., dictated] between 1928 and 1935 by superhuman personalities.... The humans into whose hands the papers were delivered are now deceased. The means by which the papers were materialized was unique and is unknown to any living person.
The UB Fellowship was founded in 1955 as the Urantia Brotherhood and is an association of people who say they have been inspired by the "transformative teachings" of the UB. According to the UBF, these "superhuman personalities" are from another world. They synthesized the work of more than 1,000 human authors in a variety of fields, including an "astronomical-cosmological organization of the universe" unknown to modern science and an elaborate extension (700 pages) on the life of Jesus. The UB also reveals that the "Universe is literally teeming with inhabited planets, evolving life, civilizations in various states of development, celestial spheres, and spirit personalities." In short, the UB is over 2,000 pages of "revelations" from superhuman beings which "correct" the errors and omissions of the Bible. "Urantia" is the name these alleged superhumans gave to our planet. According to these supermortal beings, Earth is the 606th planet in Satania which is in Norlatiadek which is in Nebadon which is in Orvonton which revolves around Havona, all of which revolves around the center of infinity where some sort of god dwells.
Others aren't so sure of the celestial origin of these writings. Matthew Block, for example, has identified hundreds of passages in the UB that are clearly based on human sources, but which are not given specific attribution. (Some might call this plagiarism, even though William Sadler (the main author) admits on page 1343 that he used many human sources. Others might say that since Sadler didn't lift passages word for word from the many sources he used, what he did isn't, strictly speaking, plagiarism.)
Martin Gardner is also skeptical of the UBF's claims. He believes the UB has very human authors. Originally, he says, the UB was the "Bible" of a cult of separatist Seventh Day Adventists, allegedly channeled by Wilfred Kellogg and edited by founder William Sadler, a Chicago psychiatrist, who is actually the author of most of the work (with the help of his son). According to Gardner, in addition to an array of bizarre claims about planets and names of angels and the like, the UB contains many Adventist doctrines. Sadler died in 1969 at the age of 94 but his spiritual group lives on. Sadler got his start working for Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, Adventist surgeon, health and diet author, and brother of cornflake king William Keith Kellogg. These are the same Kellogg brothers who were featured and lampooned in the movie "The Road to Wellville."
One can easily understand why Gardner suspects that the UB has human rather than superhuman origins. The book has all the traits of humanity upon it. For example, our human philosophers and theologians are mimicked perfectly in passages such as the following:
The philosophers of the universes postulate a Trinity of Trinities, an existential-experiential Trinity Infinite, but they are not able to envisage its personalization; possibly it would equivalate to the person of the Universal Father on the conceptual level of the I AM. But irrespective of all this, the original Paradise Trinity is potentially infinite since the Universal Father actually is infinite. (Foreword XII, The Trinities)
Any medieval casuist would be proud of such writing and thinking.
Primary supernaphim are the supernal servants of the Deities on the eternal Isle of Paradise. Never have they been known to depart from the paths of light and righteousness. The roll calls are complete; from eternity not one of this magnificent host has been lost. These high supernaphim are perfect beings, supreme in perfection, but they are not absonite, neither are they absolute. (Paper 27)
Some UBFers are attracted not so much to the theology, but to its great insights. Here are a few of those insights culled from paper 100, "Religion in Human Experience." Ask yourself if a superhuman being was necessary to reveal these gems.
The experience of dynamic religious living transforms the mediocre individual into a personality of idealistic power....
Give every developing child a chance to grow his own religious experience....
Religious experience is markedly influenced by physical health, inherited temperament, and social environment....
Spiritual development depends, first, on the maintenance of a living spiritual connection with true spiritual forces....
The goal of human self-realization should be spiritual, not material....
Human likes and dislikes do not determine good and evil; moral values do not grow out of wish fulfillment or emotional frustration....
Jesus was an unusually cheerful person, but he was not a blind and unreasoning optimist....
If the philosophical, theological or spiritual insights do not impress you, then you might want to consider the scientific insights of the UB, such as the resurrection of the pre-Adamite thesis of Isaac de la Peyrère (1596-1676), who felt compelled to believe that the Bible is the history of the Jews, not of all people, and that in order to explain things such as racial differences the most reasonable hypothesis is that races of people existed before Adam and Eve.
In addition to the claim that the UB was channeled by Wilfred Kellogg and the claim that it was written primarily by William Sadler, there is the claim of Ernest Moyer, who believes that the UB is a revelation from a god that appeared "out of thin air" in fully developed form, exactly as we know it today. Moyer claims that Sadler was put through a lengthy process by our "planetary supervisors" in order to prepare him to accept the UB as true revelations. The process began by introducing Sadler to the Sleeping Subject (SS), whose nocturnal ramblings would later be understood to be preparatory messages from extraterrestrial "midwayers." According to Moyer, "SS was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, a highly pragmatic, hard-nosed business man who did not believe in 'psychic' phenomena or any such nonsense." Why SS was selected for this task is unknown, but Moyer assures us that the midwayers never took over SS's mind and came only at night when SS was unconscious so as not to disrupt his life too much. Moyer contrasts this with the evil spirit who invaded Edgar Cayce during the daytime, a sure sign that Cayce was a false prophet. Sadler was selected, according to Moyer, because of his personality and training. A more obvious analysis is that Sadler selected himself because he was the source of the SS material.
Moyer is convinced that we are on the verge of a nuclear holocaust and that the UB offers advice on how to save oneself from destruction and what to do afterward. This is all part of some god's plan, as revealed to Sadler. According to Moyer, "God [sic] is using this technique to screen the human race."
It seems to me that some god tried this once before with water instead of nuclear bombs. Well, if at first you don't succeed....
postscript
Harold Sherman published an account of his and his wife's involvement with the Urantia Forum. It makes for interesting reading about how intelligent people get involved in these kinds of groups where somebody claims to have a direct pipeline to some god or realm of knowledge hidden from the rest of us. He asks us "to remember that anything that goes through the mind of man is fallible and subject to possible error or fabrication. For this reason, we suggest that you question any purported 'revelation,' however impressive, whose mediums or sponsors declare it to be 'the infallible word of God or His representatives.'"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
reader comments
further reading
books
Gardner, Martin. On the Wild Side (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1992), chapters 8, 13 and 14.
Gardner, Martin, Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery (Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2008).
Popkin, Richard Henry, Isaac La Peyrère (1596-1676): his life, work, and influence (Leiden; New York: Brill, 1987).
websites
Urantia Foundation
[www.urantia.org]
The Urantia Book
[www.urantiabook.org]
Seventh-day Adventist Home Page
[www.adventist.org]
Ernest Moyer's "Origin of the Urantia Papers"
[www.world-destiny.org]
SquareCircles.com
[www.squarecircles.com]
Harold Sherman and the Urantia Forum 1976
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: November 12, 2013 12:08PM
In 1976 Harold Sherman wrote a book called How to Know What to Believe, which included a chapter on their experiences with the Urantia Forum entitled "Pipeline to God."
[www.haroldsherman.com]
google cache
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
The website generously reproduced the chapter.
[www.haroldsherman.com]
google cache
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]
The website generously reproduced the chapter.
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
Warren
()
Date: November 12, 2013 02:46PM
Well, congratulations...
Y'all seem to have found just about every crackpot who has adopted the Urantia Book - with the exception of the biggest of them all. I would suggest, however, that examination of the crackpots involved doesn't tell you much about the central group itself.
I think you missed "Gabriel of Sedona," who is quite possibly exactly the kind of cultist you are looking for. I point this out because I don't believe the mainstream UB readers bear any responsiblity for those kooks who start building their fantasies upon the UB, any more than the Roman Catholic Church, for example, needs to apologize for David Koresh and the Branch Davidians producing a dangerous Biblical cult. "Gabriel," or Tony Devlin, does seem to have set up a control cult. But, he did not find adequate justification for his shenanigans in the UB, and was forced to produce "continuations" of the Urantia Book, which DID give him various "powers." It's a classic cult, with property grabs from members, a megalomanical leader, sexualization of the women, and whatever you'd care to name. Ugly stuff. I've talked with some of his followers, and in my humble opinion, they are in need of a deprogramming.
I just see it as unfortunate that he started his power-trip riff off of the Urantia Book. He could just as easily started with the Bible, which is much better known than the UB, and people would have KNOWN that his BS wasn't Biblically backed. For all most people know, his crap could be in the UB, though; that goes double for people who come upon the UB via Tony, or our other group of "The UB is not ENOUGH for me" types, the "Teaching Mission." And, both Tony's and the Teaching Mission's referring to "continuing revelation" with new material they've written really is a slur of the UB, which spends hundreds of pages explaining exactly WHY Tony and the Teaching Mission are full of it. Better yet, both Tony and the Teaching Mission should have just written their own crap, called it a new name, and they wouldn't be bothering others, at least.
The Teaching Mission is, in my opinion, a group of self-important, low self-esteem types who need to be "more important" than the rabble. The Urantia Book specifically and repeatedly points out that such an attitude is garbage. So, they have their "transcripts" and read those, and only lightly touch on the UB. They are another group I wish had focused on the Bible, or the Koran, or any other religious text, rather than the UB.
Teaching Mission people, since they think they are working directly (via the chaneling) with celestial beings, are rather more evangelical than mainstream UB readers. This has led to the unfortunate situation that many people, perhaps even a majority of them, find the UB through having dealt with the Teaching Mission first. The carnival atmosphere of the TM colors their view of the UB, and they generally consider the book itself "dull" when they compare it to breathlessly recording a conversation with a real celestial being. But, what comes from these "Transmit/Receive" (TR) sessions is just reheated 19th century spiritualism, and the transcripts of these sessions tend to contradict the UB regularly. The TM tends to appeal to those not quite up to understanding the UB itself, although there are a few very intelligent people involved.
Ah, and Ernest Moyer... If he had found the Bible, and embraced it in the same way he has embraced the UB, he would be a King Hell fire and brimstone preacher, making the children soil themeselves during his sermons. He is perpetually upset that he can't scare UB readers the same way -- at least, that's how I see his reactions. His focus is on "end times," while the UB says that it is not even FOR our time, but for a time perhaps a thousand years from now, and that we are mostly supposed to keep it alive until then, with those interested in it taking it up. That makes it difficult for Ernest to entice UB readers with his Doomsday message. I feel for him, a bit, because I don't think I've ever met anyone more sincere than he is -- mistaken, but sincere.
Y'all seem to have found just about every crackpot who has adopted the Urantia Book - with the exception of the biggest of them all. I would suggest, however, that examination of the crackpots involved doesn't tell you much about the central group itself.
I think you missed "Gabriel of Sedona," who is quite possibly exactly the kind of cultist you are looking for. I point this out because I don't believe the mainstream UB readers bear any responsiblity for those kooks who start building their fantasies upon the UB, any more than the Roman Catholic Church, for example, needs to apologize for David Koresh and the Branch Davidians producing a dangerous Biblical cult. "Gabriel," or Tony Devlin, does seem to have set up a control cult. But, he did not find adequate justification for his shenanigans in the UB, and was forced to produce "continuations" of the Urantia Book, which DID give him various "powers." It's a classic cult, with property grabs from members, a megalomanical leader, sexualization of the women, and whatever you'd care to name. Ugly stuff. I've talked with some of his followers, and in my humble opinion, they are in need of a deprogramming.
I just see it as unfortunate that he started his power-trip riff off of the Urantia Book. He could just as easily started with the Bible, which is much better known than the UB, and people would have KNOWN that his BS wasn't Biblically backed. For all most people know, his crap could be in the UB, though; that goes double for people who come upon the UB via Tony, or our other group of "The UB is not ENOUGH for me" types, the "Teaching Mission." And, both Tony's and the Teaching Mission's referring to "continuing revelation" with new material they've written really is a slur of the UB, which spends hundreds of pages explaining exactly WHY Tony and the Teaching Mission are full of it. Better yet, both Tony and the Teaching Mission should have just written their own crap, called it a new name, and they wouldn't be bothering others, at least.
The Teaching Mission is, in my opinion, a group of self-important, low self-esteem types who need to be "more important" than the rabble. The Urantia Book specifically and repeatedly points out that such an attitude is garbage. So, they have their "transcripts" and read those, and only lightly touch on the UB. They are another group I wish had focused on the Bible, or the Koran, or any other religious text, rather than the UB.
Teaching Mission people, since they think they are working directly (via the chaneling) with celestial beings, are rather more evangelical than mainstream UB readers. This has led to the unfortunate situation that many people, perhaps even a majority of them, find the UB through having dealt with the Teaching Mission first. The carnival atmosphere of the TM colors their view of the UB, and they generally consider the book itself "dull" when they compare it to breathlessly recording a conversation with a real celestial being. But, what comes from these "Transmit/Receive" (TR) sessions is just reheated 19th century spiritualism, and the transcripts of these sessions tend to contradict the UB regularly. The TM tends to appeal to those not quite up to understanding the UB itself, although there are a few very intelligent people involved.
Ah, and Ernest Moyer... If he had found the Bible, and embraced it in the same way he has embraced the UB, he would be a King Hell fire and brimstone preacher, making the children soil themeselves during his sermons. He is perpetually upset that he can't scare UB readers the same way -- at least, that's how I see his reactions. His focus is on "end times," while the UB says that it is not even FOR our time, but for a time perhaps a thousand years from now, and that we are mostly supposed to keep it alive until then, with those interested in it taking it up. That makes it difficult for Ernest to entice UB readers with his Doomsday message. I feel for him, a bit, because I don't think I've ever met anyone more sincere than he is -- mistaken, but sincere.
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
rrmoderator
()
Date: November 12, 2013 08:04PM
FYI--Tony Delevin once known as "Gabriel of Sedona" now calls himself "Gabriel of Urantia." He leads a group once known as the "Aquarian Concepts Community" now called "Global Community Communications Alliance."
See [www.culteducation.com]
See [www.culteducation.com]
Urantia off shoot Community Communications Alliance
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: November 12, 2013 10:56PM
Gabriel of Urantia and Spiritualution - The American CynicJun 7, 2012 ... Update October 28, 2013: The staff of Global Community Communications
Alliance has published an email they sent to me in response to my ...
americancynic.net/log/2012/6/7/gabriel_of_urantia.html - 30k - Cached - Similar pages
Order in Tubac prepares for apocalypse - AZCentral.comDec 17, 2009 ... Members of the Global Community Communications Alliance practice a unique
blend of New Age theology, old-style Christianity, Buddhism, ...
www.azcentral.com/news/articles/.../20091217commune1217.html - 130k - Cached - Similar pages
Alliance has published an email they sent to me in response to my ...
americancynic.net/log/2012/6/7/gabriel_of_urantia.html - 30k - Cached - Similar pages
Order in Tubac prepares for apocalypse - AZCentral.comDec 17, 2009 ... Members of the Global Community Communications Alliance practice a unique
blend of New Age theology, old-style Christianity, Buddhism, ...
www.azcentral.com/news/articles/.../20091217commune1217.html - 130k - Cached - Similar pages
Re: Questions about the Urantia Book
Posted by:
Warren
()
Date: November 13, 2013 09:49PM
rrmoderator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FYI--Tony Delevin once known as "Gabriel of
> Sedona" now calls himself "Gabriel of Urantia." He
> leads a group once known as the "Aquarian Concepts
> Community" now called "Global Community
> Communications Alliance."
>
> See [www.culteducation.com]
Thanks, Mod! I was unaware of the new GCCA name.
(And, incidentally "Urantia" is the name of the planet we are both on -- I assume.)
-------------------------------------------------------
> FYI--Tony Delevin once known as "Gabriel of
> Sedona" now calls himself "Gabriel of Urantia." He
> leads a group once known as the "Aquarian Concepts
> Community" now called "Global Community
> Communications Alliance."
>
> See [www.culteducation.com]
Thanks, Mod! I was unaware of the new GCCA name.
(And, incidentally "Urantia" is the name of the planet we are both on -- I assume.)
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