William S. Sadler - Urantia Revelation

Urantia Revelation

Sometime between 1906 and 1911, a woman consulted Sadler about her husband's deep sleeping, prompting Sadler to observe him while he slept. He noticed that the sleeping man made unusual movements; the man then purportedly spoke to Sadler in an unusual voice and claimed to be a "visitor ... from another planet". Observers related that the man later claimed to carry messages from several celestial beings. Sadler suspected that the man's words were drawn from his mind and sought a scientific explanation for the phenomenon. Although he examined the man for psychiatric problems, he was unable to make a satisfactory diagnosis. Sadler and five others subsequently visited the man on a regular basis, speaking with him as he slept. In 1925, a large handwritten document was discovered in the patient's house; papers were said to appear in the house for years afterwards. Sadler brought the papers to his house and did not allow anyone to take them away, although some were allowed to read them on site. Sadler presumed that the documents were the product of automatic handwriting from the man's subconscious, but changed his mind after further analysis. He made no public statements about their authenticity for years.

In 1924, Sadler began hosting Sunday tea gatherings at his home, which could accommodate fifty guests. Many attendees worked in the medical establishment, and typically adhered to a progressive ideology. The group often held a forum to discuss the patient with the sleep issue and devise questions for him. The observers withheld the man's name from the group, but relayed some of his statements. In 1925, the forum, which then had thirty members, closed their meetings to visitors and began to require a pledge of secrecy. Sadler instructed forum members not to publicize what they learned, telling them that they had an incomplete picture of what was occurring. He also feared that the patient would face criticism if his identity were known. His identity has never been confirmed; Joscelyn Godwin, of Colgate University, and skeptic Martin Gardner posit that the sleeping man was Wilfred Kellogg, the husband of Lena's sister Anna.

In 1935, Sadler concluded that the papers found in the sleeping patient's house were not a hoax, citing their "genuineness and insight", and arguing that the sleeping man was not a medium for the dead, but was used by living beings to communicate. Papers ceased appearing in the sleeping man's house in the 1930s; Sadler then took a clear role as leader of the discussion group. The forum discontinued their discussion meetings in 1942, and The Urantia Book was published in 1955; it purportedly contained information from the celestial beings who had spoken through the sleeping man. The Urantia Book presents itself as the fifth "epochal" revelation God has given to humanity, and states that its purpose is to help humanity evolve to a higher form of life. It has four sections. The first section covers the nature of God and the universe, the second describes the portions of the universe nearest to Earth and Lucifer's rebellion, the third details the history of Earth and human religions, and the fourth provides an account of Jesus's life and accompanying doctrines. Sadler maintained that the teachings of the book were "essentially Christian" and "entirely harmonious with ... known scientific facts". Although Sadler had left the Adventist church by the time The Urantia Book was published, its teachings are broadly consistent with some aspects of Adventist theology, such as soul sleep and annihilationism. Journalist Brook Wilensky-Lanford argues in her 2011 profile of the Urantia movement that Sadler's departure from the Adventist church gave him the desire to build a new religious movement, citing the emphasis that Sadler placed on the discussion of the Garden of Eden in The Urantia Book as evidence of his desire to start anew. Sadler hoped that the content of the revelation would convince people of its worth, and did not attempt to win supporters by emphasizing its author. Wilensky-Lanford argues that Sadler attempted to avoid placing an individual at the center of his beliefs owing to his disappointment in Ellen White; however, Gardner believes that Sadler placed his faith in Wilfred Kellogg as he had in White.

Until her death in 1939, Sadler's wife Lena was a regular forum participant. One member subsequently objected to Sadler's leadership, alleging that he became hungry for power after his wife's death. In the early 1950s, the Urantia Foundation was established to publish The Urantia Book. Hubert Wilkins, a friend of Sadler who had a keen interest in the book, contributed the initial funding for publication costs. Rather than create an organized religion, the foundation's leadership opted for what they called "slow growth"; early adherents sought to educate people about the book's teachings rather than found a church-like organization. Sadler also disavowed proselytizing and publicity, although he wrote several works about the content of The Urantia Book. In 1958, Sadler published a defense of the book, citing his experience exposing frauds and maintaining that the book was free of contradictions. Since his death, several reading groups, seminars, and churches have been established to study the book and to spread its message.

The authorship of the Urantia papers is disputed. Journalist Brad Gooch argues in his 2002 profile of the Urantia movement that Sadler was the author of The Urantia Book, citing similarities between some of its passages and contents of Sadler's earlier writings. Gardner believes that Sadler wrote part of the papers, but heavily edited and revised most of them. He also contends that Sadler refused to include some material provided to him for inclusion in the book, and that he plagiarized from other works. Ken Glasziou, a supporter of the Urantia Foundation, contends that statistical evidence of the text and Sadler's other works indicates that he did not write, or extensively edit, The Urantia Book.