When I was seventeen years old, I came across The Urantia Book for the first time. A massive text, it offered a series of papers written in an authoritative style that spoke to my spiritual desire—a longing for connection. For my birthday, my parents bought me a copy. I then became a reader. The teachings from this book became the framework for my religious views. The book describes in marvelous detail the unique and wonderful personalities that call our universe home as well as the physical aspects of the universe itself—a place created to assist us in evolving spiritually through an endless adventure of growth until we attain eternal life. The book introduced Jesus as a celestial being who did not die for our sins but rather came to Earth to teach us how to have a loving relationship with God as well as with each other. It taught that our universe is inhabited by a myriad of celestial beings that work to bring God to us and through some unique spiritual partnering, help us to attain eternal life. The Urantia Book presented an overwhelmingly positive philosophy that carried me through my life even through long periods when I wasn’t actively studying the text. It answered countless questions about my spiritual growth. It gave me reason to feel secure in my life knowing the universe was here to support me as an enduring spirit. Without question, it was the most important book in my library.

I decided to research the origins of The Urantia Book when a friend (also a reader of the book), asked me to research its origin. My friend wanted something that he could hand to his friends and family with a “straight face.” There were recent challenges to the veracity of the origin of the book, and readers had a difficult time explaining it to others. I was a good candidate. I am very familiar with the book, have a doctorate in American history, and have professional experience using research methodology.

One of the greatest challenges to writing this book was that no direct records remain: the author, William Sadler, had all of his papers burned after his death and no copies of or notes on the original Urantia papers exist. Documents from archival research were therefore used to reconstruct and tell the story. Until now no histories have been written about William or Lena Sadler, although some have written about The Urantia Book. Some were authored by believers who sought to support the oral history about the book’s origin. Other writers sought to shed doubt on its claims of epochal significance. But no writing has yet been done were by a research historian utilizing primary source material.[i] Weigh the evidence I present in this biography about William Sadler. Was he connected with the cosmic mind circuit while writing The Urantia Book or was he a genius? Or are the two connected as one and the same?
http://www.legacyhistory.com/read.html

History of the Revelation:
Decades ago Emma Christensen, an “adopted” daughter to Dr. Sadler, began a history of The Urantia Book which has not been completed. Urantia Foundation is working with historian, Dr Sioux Oliva, to facilitate the production of a history of The Urantia Book from the early 1900s to the time of its publication in 1955. Other members of the Education Committee are contributing to this history project.
http://www.urantia.org/news/2011-09/not ... es-meeting

Knowing that TUB is written by celestial beings matters.

Decades ago Emma Christensen, an “adopted” daughter to Dr. Sadler, began a history of The Urantia Book which has not been completed. Urantia Foundation is working with historian, Dr Sioux Oliva, to facilitate the production of a history of The Urantia Book from the early 1900s to the time of its publication in 1955. Other members of the Education Committee are contributing to this history project.
http://www.urantia.org/news/2011-09/not ... es-meeting

Ernest's contention is, that while W.S. is not the sleeping subject, he is the real person we should be calling the primary "contact personality." The sleeping subject, was merely a means of engaging W.S. in the revelatory process without producing too-overt (perhaps more easily traceable), a conversion point from the celestial to the material. W.S. was the real engine behind the process of give-and-take with the revelators which culminated with the appearance of the papers in 1934 and 1935.
http://sonic.net/~quine/rapaport_moyers_review.html

How I Found the Urantia Book—SIOUX HARVEY OLIVA (1974)

EVER SINCE I was a child I can recall a feeling that is difficult to put into words, but can be described as a need to feel closer to God. Many of my school friends had the same feeling. We attended different church services in our home town of San Diego but had never joined a particular congregation.

In high school in 1974, in eleventh-grade English class, we were each asked to interview a classmate, then give an oral presentation about that person. When my interviewer, a male classmate, asked me what my life goals were, I said, “To grow spiritually as much as possible.” I was the only person in my class to say this, and it was the first time I had ever expressed this need out loud in front of anyone.

Two weeks later, I was attending an auction together with my mom and a friend. The auction featured American Indian rugs and jewelry, and my mom purchased a rug. Afterwards, a man approached us and asked my mom if he could buy the rug from her. This man, whose name was John, and I got to talking and we exchanged phone numbers.

Although my mom kept the rug, John and I became friends. He traveled frequently and I would house-sit for him. He lived in a fantastic, modern house perched on a hill, a true James Bond-type bachelor pad—at least that is how my high-school friends and I saw it. I loved it when John went out of town, when my girlfriends and I would stay in his beautiful home on the weekends and feel like adults.

The very first time I entered his house I walked in and saw two things on his coffee table: a note that said “Mi casa es su casa,” and the Urantia Book. I still remember picking up the book (it had no dust jacket) and wondering what the heck it was. I opened it, read the first paragraph, and got goosebumps. I knew I had found what I had been searching for.

Though John was a Urantia Book reader, he did not attend a study group. We discussed the book but read independently of one another. I asked for my own copy for my next birthday and my parents bought me one. I read off and on for the next twenty years. In 1990 I devoted myself anew to the revelation and began to attend a study group. My life has forever been enriched and blessed by these amazing teachings.
http://www.squarecircles.com/UrantiaMov ... harvey.htm

“Good writing, the right tone, filled with information and analysis, sympathetic yet objective. From what you sent I was not entirely sure where you stand on Urantia. I sense that you certainly respect the achievement and are inclined to believe that some kind of inspiration is behind it. I think that is a good position from which to write. You will not be compelled to explain it away; on the other hand you can understand the skepticism about its origins.” ~Dr. Richard Bushman, Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University

"Your book arrived yesterday. I’m doing all kinds of moving-related stuff so I didn’t get a chance to look at it. So last night, when I went to bed, I thought "I’ll read the first chapter before I go to sleep." So I did….but then, I couldn’t stop. It was 2 a.m. when I finished.

Sioux, it’s great. There’s so much that I love about it. I love the way you put everything in historical context. You did it so well, and you did it very efficiently. You got a helluva lot across in a very few words. I’m reading and I thought, hey, how does she know all this stuff? Then I remembered: Ph.D., American History. Your depth of knowledge informs the whole book. I remember your telling me about your research, talking about, for example, the eugenics. You did a great job of putting that in context. Your idea to list people and organizations who believed in it was brilliant. You took what seems to us an insane nutball idea, and made us understand how it was such a part of the culture at the time, and convinced us to accept that. Without arguing with us or beating us over the head.

You lay everything out so straightforwardly and simply. I’d even say dispassionately, but the fact that you are passionate about the subject is apparent. I think what I mean is that the tone is so even and measured.

The way you structured it is great. How you took us through both of the Sadlers’ lives and works and careers before you got to explaining the Urantia book. It made them extremely credible people, so when you arrive at the Urantia Book, you’ve gotten us onboard with them, so we’re more willing to accept the fantastic (and I mean “fantastic” not as in “fabulous,” but as in “that which lies way beyond the realm of reality.”)

You also made the decision to do the Urantia section in a very straightforward manner. I mean, you didn’t set it up (hey, folks, what’s coming next is really wacky!), which would have been easy to do. Instead, you simply laid it out. I don’t mean to minimize that. What I’m trying to do is praise your economy of language and your ability to express the cosmic in a simple, explicit manner.

Your sourcing and documentation is meticulous. I know (from what you’ve told me, and, what is in the book) the enormous amount of research you did. You could have made the mistake of “research-dumping” — including everything that you found. You didn’t. You chose what was important to the narrative, and the breadth and depth of the research informs that narrative.

You also artfully slipped things in that I would have thought would have seemed like a glaring interruption of the narrative…but wasn’t. Like the Anthony Grafton info re footnotes. I don’t know how you did that. Seems like it shouldn’t work…but it did.

The book is like a French sauce reduction. I mean that you took gallons and gallons of beef juice and boiled it down to an exquisite, extremely rich broth. (Weird metaphor, but you know what I mean.) I wondered/am wondering whether the book was way longer, and you just kept editing it down and editing it down, compressing and tightening until you got exactly what you needed to tell the story in the most economic and efficient way.

Sioux, I am so happy for you and so proud of you. And (it nearly goes without saying) wildly impressed. It’s a gem."
~Susan Roy, Historian
http://www.legacyhistory.com/testimonials.html

Sadler was an old man when he died. You'd do better to study him when he was at his prime, before Lena died. That's the relevant time in his life.

Near the end, Ms. Oliva gently reminds us that truth seekers must be willing to have their fondest beliefs crushed.

I guess it's the fate of some of us to only observe and marvel at those who never really "get" the essentials - never really connect the dots to reveal the meaningful picture that is otherwise hidden