Book Publication. Forumite Harold
Sherman's first letter to Dr. Sadler concerning
publication of the Urantia Book.
July 29, 1942
Dear Dr. Sadler:
Since you asked me some weeks ago, during one of our
discussions about the future of the Forum and the
publication of the Book of Urantia, to put such thoughts
and ideas as I had in writing for consideration, I am
now doing so following my completed reading of the book
itself and my greater acquaintance with the Forum as a
body.
I have given great deliberation to all possible angles of the
approaching problems which I foresee arising as you near the time when
you feel the Foundation and Brotherhood should be established and when
you are finally instructed that the book itself should be published.
In what I am now to present so frankly, please know that all is said
with the greatest of affection and with no intent of personal criticism.
But, in the absence of any further specific instruction from higher
sources with respect to Foundation, Brotherhood, Forum, Book or general
procedure, I feel that these points I am about to submit should be given
the most sober and considered reflection by you and your associates
before any further steps are taken, that no unwitting great mistake may
be made in the presentation of this Revelation to the world.
First, let me say, that I accept wholeheartedly and without any
reservation whatsoever the Book of Urantia and the Revelation it
contains. And, if what I set down here should ever be "countermanded" by
instructions from higher sources, then would I be the first to withdraw
any objections or suggestions and "go along" with these instructions, so
received, in full spirit.
If, however, we are to be left, as humans, with the problems of
organization and publication to solve, then perhaps my own personal
experience and background—coming into this group with a new and
different perspective—may have a definite value. Please know also that I
have no personal ambitions with respect to the Book of Urantia or its
contents. I suggested some months ago, by letter, without having had
opportunity to read the book, that channels of radio, stage and screen
should and could probably be utilized at the proper time for
dissemination of the truths it contained, under the "guise of
entertainment." I see even greater possibilities in this now—but all of
these developments will eventually come whether I, or any of us, have
anything personally to do with these channels or not. The Truth and its
right presentation to the world is all that matters, and
if it is better for none of us to have any public identification with
this book at any time, then this [illegible].
I cannot conceive how any finer human selection could have been made by
higher intelligences for the faithful fulfillment of a long and arduous
task than that conferred upon you and your wife, whom I shall always
regret not having known in this life. What you and the small group of
devoted "contact commissioners" have accomplished through these long
years will live throughout the whole universe of Nebadon. Not to have
faltered or swerved from your high purposes during this long time is to
have gained a spiritual reward beyond price, for the human is so subject
to err and to "grow faint." It is not necessary for your name or the
names of any of us associated with this Forum to go "ringing down the
corridors of earth time." Your name, and the name of your dear wife, is
established in the realms beyond, wherein is true glory. And
service is our glory here, which is an inner experience that does
not require the plaudits of the multitude.
I say the above because I see, so clearly, the most serious of
complications ahead which, from your own position and viewpoint, may not
yet have become apparent to you.
You have told me that you intend to get out a pamphlet, describing in
part the phenomena attendant upon the origin of the Book of Urantia.
Obviously, either the Urantia Foundation or yourself, as an identity, or
both, must stand behind this statement. You have explained that such a
statement is absolutely necessary to avert all manner of perhaps
well-intentioned but distorted versions of the book’s origin which might
be told by different Forum members. It is your intention that this
pamphlet give the "official version" and that the explanation begin and
end there.
From a totally outside viewpoint, knowing the opposition this book is
bound to arouse in certain quarters and the pressure that will be
brought to bear through newspapers and even special investigators to
"get to the bottom of this" and "discredit it and those associated with
it," if possible, I foresee great, humiliating and devastating
results from the issuance of such a pamphlet.
First, the very nature of your work and practice, which has been such an
asset to you in developing and protecting this Revelation through all
these years, now becomes your greatest liability! You were able
to quietly assemble, through the years, men and women who you knew,
through personal contact, could render a vital service. Some of these
people were your patients. You have even referred to the possible
presence of some "paranoiacs" in the group, as you have mentioned
certain anonymous letters that have been written in. I’d like to say
that, in my association with your Forum members, I have found them to be
an exceedingly devoted and well-balanced group. But
consider how this group, with your own name and background associated,
will be regarded by the outside world!
Newspaper reporters and investigators are certainly going to follow up
on this pamphlet; they are going to request a fuller explanation, an
introduction to the subject himself, a demonstration. The people of
Christ’s day wanted "proof," the performance of "miracles." You will
experience such a demand in intensified force today.
You may think now that you can "stand pat" and end it all by saying,
"Gentlemen, this is all that can be said or will ever be said. You have
the whole story, all that will be told. You must test the truth of the
Book of Urantia by its contents."
But your interrogators are not going to be satisfied. Not securing
further information from you, with your Urantia Brotherhood then
existent and open to the public, they will invade it. They will contact
original Forum members and question them, perhaps purposely insult them
and their belief in the book—an old reportorial trick to get people to
talk. Then "unofficial explanations" will be offered which will not jibe
with statements made in the pamphlet; then new clues will be developed,
perhaps in ways you do not now anticipate; the identity of the "human
instrument" will be disclosed and his life turned into a hell on earth.
And then, cruelest of all, will appear a newspaper headline something
like this:
spiritual
revelation
PRODUCED BY DERANGED MINDS:
PATIENTS OF FAMOUS PSYCHIATRIST
USED TO CONTACT SPIRIT REALMS.
New Life of Christ Reported
Written by "Angels"; Scientists
Studying Unusual Document
Dr. William S. Sadler Declares
Revelations to be Genuine
And now picture the unfortunate and harassed position you and all
original Forum members find themselves in. You are thrown entirely on
the defensive, your protestations against such an interpretation being
placed upon your group, and the origin of the paper will only then be
destined to make matters worse—since you can offer no further
explanations. The whole Book of Urantia has now been dragged down to a
human basis, associated in the public consciousness with people of
neurotic and mentally unstable tendencies. It is quite possible that one
or more of these Forumites may crack under this emotional strain and
"commit suicide" or "do something" which will add to the unfavorable
publicity. And those interested in discrediting the Book of Urantia will
leap upon such happenings and make the most of them in an attempt to
damn by scorn and ridicule and depreciation this great and true
Revelation.
I see the potentiality of all this happening and more, as though it were
revealed to me, as it has been! This whole picture, as I am
unreeling it, has passed before my inner vision. Not once but many
times, with ever increased clarity.
There is no human way—absolutely none—that you can employ to overcome
this liability. The instant you and your institution are linked with the
Book of Urantia, directly or indirectly, the "heat is on." A terrific
weapon is given all enemies of the Book at the very start which will
discourage literally millions of truth-seeking humans from ever reading
it. To permit yourself to be placed in this vulnerable position is to
assume a responsibility beyond your human capacity to withstand. Knowing
you to be so completely sincere and devoted to this mission as you are,
I am sure it would actually kill you to feel that you had, in any way,
wittingly or unwittingly, taken any action which had impaired the
reception of this Truth by the world at large.
The same holds true for Bill, who has a magnificent mind and a great
capacity for service. But, unless great care is taken, his own ability
to serve will be completely jeopardized and discounted by wrong public
reaction.
This Truth is obviously for all the world, not one little group
or a number of groups. Anything that is done in the presenting of this
book to the public which in any way tends to alienate, directly or
indirectly, the interest of any person of any faith or no faith at all,
is therefore wrong.
The fact that no religion, in past history, has persisted without
an organization, is no indication whatsoever that this revelation
will not so persist.
A study of this very Book of Urantia clearly and unequivocally states
that Christ did not found a religion. He exhorted his followers to
"preach the gospel to all the people," but the instant they
organized for this purpose they confined and segregated the Truth and
created great groups of people outside the fold as against little
groups of people inside the fold, and the true spirit of Christ
was stifled in the body of a church. From the time of that great
mistake, the great value of the life of Christ has largely been lost
upon humanity.
Such a mistake must not be made again. This Book of Urantia must
not have barriers placed between it and its reception by peoples of all
faiths. Unless we are to be self-appointed missionaries of the Book of
Urantia and the truths it contains, we do not have to concern ourselves
with its adaptation to the various orders of religious faith in the
world. This adaptation is the problem of each truth seeker. The
adjustment must voluntarily be made by different church leaders and
members of their congregation who are impressed by the Spirit of Truth
within them and their own Spirit Monitors that they are in the presence
of a new and greater revelation. Anything we can say, as members of the
Urantia Brotherhood setting ourselves up as "authorities," can only
constitute a barrier, in the nature of "priests" who would attempt to
interpret for the multitude outside the church. In other words,
without so intending we will have made the same mistake as the followers
of Christ in his time—our Urantia Brotherhood, no matter how brilliantly
conceived or managed, will be regarded by those of different church
orders as a new kind of church—and unnecessary prejudices and
complications will instantly arise.
We do not need to protect the truth. It has a living quality if we do
not kill it by wrong human presentation.
In making the truth available to all, we must anticipate and remove all
possible hazards before we start. The truth is transcendently greater
than any of us. As the last communication from higher intelligences
stated, "We are in a testing period." And we each must question our own
personal feelings and aspirations with relation to this project.
The Forum has completed its dispensation. It is natural and human that
all would wish to continue this inspired association. It is natural and
human that a bigger and finer organization would have been visualized in
the form of a Urantia Brotherhood, perhaps later a Urantia Society. It
is understandable how higher intelligences, those in charge of this
revelation, would have kindly commented upon the plans of organization
at present, although the Angels of Progress demurred. It would have been
most unkind, at the end of this long dispensation, for any severe
criticism or suggestions to have been offered. From my little knowledge
of higher intelligences, their leadership is always kindly; they are
conscious of our human frailties and proneness to err, even with every
good intention.
But—we are rapidly approaching a crossroads at which point the
direction we take can influence the entire world reception of the Book
of Urantia. Should this approach not be examined with great and
impersonal consideration from every possible human angle?
If it is unwise for the public ever to have your name
associated with this Book of Urantia because of the vulnerable
background your profession now represents—is it also wise for this
book to be published by the Urantia Foundation and to be supported by a
Urantia Brotherhood?
This query may come as a shock to you. But let’s proceed further along
the line of human probability. If you had this Book of Urantia placed in
your hands—an entire stranger to this revelation—would you be more
disposed to evaluate its contents if you saw it bore the imprint of an
established publishing house than you would if you saw on the title
page: "Published by the Urantia Foundation"? Would you not think, at
once, there was some new cult or ism or religion behind this the moment
you saw "Urantia Foundation"?
You have stated that it took you a long time to be convinced of the
truth and source of these revelations, even so. How much more difficult
then will the position of the thinking person be who comes in contact
with this Book of Urantia for the first time, with no background
appreciation whatsoever, and particularly if he has anything prejudicial
presented to him at such a time!
"Urantia Foundation" implies a group behind it. "Urantia Brotherhood"
definitely implies a body of people who had a "priority claim" on the
knowledge contained in the book, which sets them up as authorities. If
such a group, in its meetings, is singing "church hymns passed upon by
them" as being Urantian in spirit, this authority is thus demonstrated;
and those on the outside, members of other organizations and church
bodies, are made to feel that they cannot get as close to this truth as
those so especially favored. At the very start then, a schism is
created; a barrier is erected; and prejudicial consideration of the Book
of Urantia begins!
I have not read the incorporation papers of either the Urantia
Foundation or Brotherhood but have been told about them by Bill and
yourself and several members of the Forum who recall certain features
from a previous reading. I understand, with respect to the Brotherhood,
that provision has been made for the issuance of charters to other
groups of people who may wish to form themselves into such a body. Also,
that these charters may be cancelled or withdrawn if the conduct or
interpretation of the members of any chapter is such as to be judged
foreign to the spirit and purposes of the Urantia movement by the parent
organization.
Such a procedure is highly dangerous since it sets up "human
authorities" and "human interpreters" of the truth and develops
organized divisions of opinion when the Truth should be free to all.
This it can never be, when it is organized!
It is clear to me that no one human or
group of humans has been appointed by higher intelligences or will
be appointed to interpret the Book of Urantia and the revelation it
contains. This interpretation was definitely intended to be left to the
individual, and for us to so intercede ourselves, with every good
intention, is in direct violation of the mandate that we are only
custodians and not possessors or owners of this truth.
The truth of the Book of Urantia cannot be distorted so long as it is
contained within the confines of the book itself. But the instant human
organizations are set up to promote and interpret this truth, rather
than permitting humans to seek out the truth from the one unimpeachable
and unchanging source—the book—all manner of human prejudice, distrust
and disunity will result.
The truth content of the Book of Urantia is so mighty and unassailable
in itself that it needs no supporting statement pertaining to its
metaphysical origin. Any attempt to explain it undignifies it, and pulls
it down to an already generally discredited "psychic phenomena level."
And the fact that the origin can never be fully explained or tested or
verified makes the dilemma even worse.
If the pamphlet reveals your own identity to the world as an endorser of
the phenomena and this subjects you to embarrassment and humiliation,
and the Urantia Book to possible wide discrediting because of the
psychiatric and neurotic angle, then the Urantia Foundation and Urantia
Brotherhood opens up similar sources of great vulnerability. The moment
these incorporation papers are filed, the names of the officers of both
organizations are public knowledge to all who wish to so ascertain them.
Once the Foundation and Brotherhood become operative, anyone may contact
the persons in charge. And the same unhappy result will occur. This is a
human inevitability by the very nature of your past activity and present
setup, highly honorable in itself, but highly damaging in the light of
the world’s concept of psychiatric practice as associated with
consideration of the Urantia Papers.
You may feel that other organizations may spring up for study of the
Book of Urantia if you do not enter the field with the Urantia
Brotherhood, and that since this is apt to happen, it is a lesser evil
or hazard for your organization to be established.
Actually, however, the Urantia Brotherhood, however well designed, if
set up before or at the time of the book’s publication, is like
creating a body before the spirit is born.
The Spirit of Truth, awakened in the consciousness of humanity, must
create its own body. And it cannot do this if a body has already
been formed before this spirit has come alive in the evolving souls of
all who may read this book. What you do have, under such
circumstances, is a stillbirth. The true spirit can never enter
the body of the Urantia Brotherhood because the minds of those
affiliated with other organizations and churches feel themselves
apart from the Urantia Brotherhood, never able to equally share with
those who have been original charter members, associated directly with
the Revelation itself, and thus self-constituted authorities and
"personal possessors," through the Urantia Brotherhood, of this Truth!
The Truth must not and cannot be contained in an organization. The
minute this happens it becomes exclusive, segregated and
perverted. The Truth must come alive and exist in the minds and
hearts of all peoples regardless of their present religious connections
or non-religious tendencies. They must not feel that any "official
interpreters" or organizations stand between them and the Truth. If such
a development is permitted, it will deny the Truth to untold millions in
this present world crisis and postpone its otherwise wide acceptance for
centuries yet to come! If no organization exists, and no identities are
established in association with the Book of Urantia, then the Forum
members cannot be contacted or easily known and a complication of
difficulties arise.
With the Book being published by a recognized
publisher, instead of with the imprint of the Urantia Foundation,
everyone can have access to the book at the same time, including past
Forum members. All persons are thus privileged to organize little study
groups for themselves, unofficially, whether they are contacting the
book for the first time in their communities, or have had a previous
knowledge of it. And the Truth is thus enabled to find its way naturally
and spontaneously into the hearts and minds of people everywhere.
Think of what personal and human hazards are eliminated if no pamphlet,
with its necessary identifying sponsorship, is issued; if no Foundation
bearing the name of Urantia is associated with the printing of the book,
and if no Urantia Brotherhood is permitted to exist!
On the surface, it appears as though the Book of Urantia, in this modern
world, has no chance for proper introduction or survival, unless the
above steps are taken. But consider that the present day and age affords
entirely different means of conveying Truth to the minds and hearts of
humanity than was possible in Jesus’ time.
We have the printed page, the newspapers, magazines, radio, stage,
screen—all mediums for reaching human consciousness quickly,
independently and individually! These mediums have no "motives"
or "axes to grind" such as all organizations must have. Every
organization’s excuse for being is to be "for" or "against" something.
But these mediums of communication exist to be used by Man to transmit
knowledge, in various humanized and dramatic forms, to his fellow man.
And these mediums can readily and mightily serve as the apostles of the
Book of Urantia. In this manner the Truth can be called to the attention
of every human who, unprejudiced by any organization setups which might
cause him to reject the Book of Urantia sight unseen, now makes direct,
undiluted and undistorted contact with the Truth in book form. Once
impressed by the Truth, he is free
to do what he wishes about it at once—in "spreading the gospel,
according to his own light and in his own way, among his own friends and
acquaintances."
Such an individual, receiving the truth in this way, has nothing to
question but the truth as presented in the book. He does not have
to question the character and possible motives of any human individuals
or organizations behind the book. He is in direct touch with the Spirit
of Christ. He does not have to go anywhere or join anything to have this
Spirit revealed. It is in him and of
him and no earthly person or organization can add anything that he does
not now possess. The Life of Christ is having an unrestricted
opportunity to influence him without the interjection of any
well-intentioned Brotherhood with its different, equally
well-intentioned "human ministers or interpreters."
The Book of Urantia, in addition to its being a true revelation, will be
the spiritual source book for truth seekers for ages to come. But, while
we feel assured of this, we must not lose sight of the problems
confronting its proper publication and presentation to the peoples of
this present era.
I, as you know, have had over fifty books published which have sold into
the millions of copies. You also have had a wide publishing experience.
You can appreciate it, then, when I tell you that I made the mistake of
trying to publish one book—an adult novel—on my own. I thought my own
name and the market I had builded would be sufficient to enable me to
have the book printed at my expense and distributed through the Union
News Company to booksellers everywhere, and that I could make a large
profit by so doing.
I should have known better. I did not actually learn until then that
book publishing and selling is a tremendously intricate business.
Without a recognized and established publishing house behind you,
without a well-trained and aggressive sales force, without a thoroughly
tested and operating means of distribution, and without competent
publicity experts who know how to exploit your special type of book in a
manner to impress both public and reviewers, the chances of any book,
however good, becoming a best seller today (the production and selling
costs being what they are) are negligible.
This difficulty is almost infinitely increased when your product
is that of a book which appears destined eventually to replace our
present Bible!
It is wise and absolutely necessary and right procedure for this book to
be under your complete editorial control during preparation, and to be
set up in type in such a manner as is now being done. With a manuscript
of this unusual origin and nature, this could not successfully and with
proper protective measures have been accomplished otherwise. But, as I
look into the future, I see great hazards attendant upon the attempted
publishing, exploiting and distributing of the Book of Urantia under
sponsorship of a Urantia Foundation and a Urantia Brotherhood.
In the first place, you need the co-operative aid and publishing
experience of a going publishing concern to avoid the many
pitfalls which any new publishing house would be bound to encounter. The
Book of Urantia cannot and must not get off to a false
start. Your new publishing firm would have no rating with
publishers, booksellers, reviewers or public, and, in addition, would
have to combat the instantly created prejudice of being considered the
possible front of a new religious order—not to mention the other
complications as hereinbefore outlined.
You are in a particularly advantageous position when the right time
comes, should you and your associates decide to follow this procedure,
to call in an established publisher and conclude a most favorable
arrangement. The Book of Urantia will then have been plated, ready for
printing. You have paid the typesetting and plating costs which gives
you a major interest in the publishing venture.
The publisher, if interested, agrees to publish, placing his imprint on
the title page in place of the "Urantia Foundation," which is deleted.
To all intents and purposes, this Book of Urantia then goes on the
publisher’s list as one of his releases for spring or fall. It, of
course, is the featured book on the list and is so represented by
the sales force. The book is distributed by the publishers through the
usual channels and everything is handled in a most regular and
businesslike manner. The fact that this established publisher has had
this unusual manuscript brought to him and has recognized its
extraordinary merit by publishing it, gives to the Book of Urantia an
immediate prestige value in the trade it never could have acquired had
it been introduced by an unheard-of Urantia Foundation and Brotherhood.
Then, too, did you attempt to publish on what must inevitably start out
as a comparatively small-scale venture, with the Urantia Foundation and
Brotherhood sponsoring the book, you run the great risk not only of
widespread discrediting, but of organized efforts to force the book off
the market. Certain religious organizations are immensely strong, as you
know, and if your publishing house is not able to weather a mighty
storm, the Book of Urantia—priced as it would have to be priced, unless
you had great capital—could not stay long in print.
Therefore, unless the plan of publication anticipates the hazards
and is so organized as to rise above them, you are apt to meet with a
crushing and devastating defeat from the forces of evil still active on
this earth.
As I see it, the risk is too great to consider bringing this Revelation
out in a limited, high-priced edition alone, depending largely on
word-of-mouth selling and organization support. It can be too easily
stopped by opposing forces before it really gets started, under such
circumstances.
The only way to make sure that the Book of Urantia is extensively and
firmly launched in human consciousness is to undertake a publicity and
advertising campaign such as no book hitherto has ever received! Such a
campaign requires the donation of large sums of money by individuals
spiritually interested—but such individuals can be found, and
will gladly give of their substances to bring spiritual advancement to
this planet.
Given an established publisher, and the power and right to have your
representatives sit quietly in with him on all developments, yet
remaining always behind the scenes, you can then arrange for the opening
announcement of this book. This announcement should come in the form of
beautifully written, full-page newspaper advertisements, appearing in
every daily paper in the country on the
same day! These ads would be seen by uncounted millions, and copies
of the book would be available, on assignment if not on order, in every
book store or place where books are sold!
Since the Truth must be within the reach of all peoples, the book must
be published in several priced editions at the same time, with a
paperbacked edition selling for $1.00!
It should remain to be determined whether the Book of Urantia ad should
contain the endorsement of men and women scientists, educators and
others of prominence in all lines of endeavor who have read and reviewed
the book prior to its publication date. Endorsements, if any, should be
in the scientific field but under no circumstances
from the religious field, for any endorsement by the clergy of any sect
or sects, at the start, would make it seem as though the Book of Urantia
specially favored these particular religious orders.
But this advertisement should be as attractive and inviting as some of
the ads prepared for Compton’s Encyclopedia, which show
background scenes of heavenly space, the formation of the earth, lower
forms of life, and evolving man. It is possible, too, that announcements
of this new revelation—the Book of Urantia—could be made over the radio
networks at the same time.
That I might check the feasibility of my own vision with respect to the
way it seemed this book should be handled, I talked confidentially with
a book publisher friend when I was in New York. Without revealing the
exact nature of the book, except to say that I knew of the existence of
a manuscript of such spiritual power that, when properly published in
book form, it should revolutionize world thinking, I asked this
publisher’s opinion of my ideas.
The publisher said: "Not only do I think your ideas are feasible, but
some such spectacular and distinctive method of simultaneously calling
public attention to such a book must be utilized, as any quiet
publication of it will be squelched by different religious groups who
feel it opposed to their interpretation and the commercial existence of
their order. But once the book is so announced, and its importance so
established, it cannot be squelched. It has developed too many
centers of support and interest throughout the country. It may still be
opposed in certain quarters but it is bound to make a place for itself!"
Knowing that such an advertising campaign would require a large sum of
money which the book itself could not hope to earn back in a long time,
if ever, I asked the publisher if he thought such money could be raised.
To my astonishment, this publisher said: "Sherman, I have confidence in
your judgment. If this book is what you say it is and I could be
permitted to read the manuscript and decide for myself, I feel
reasonably sure I can get a close personal friend, worth fifty millions,
who is interested in helping humanity, to donate a million dollars
toward the exploitation of such a volume!"
This publisher will be free in September to visit me here and, if you
have by that time decided to consider this entirely different method of
procedure, you could then confer along the lines indicated.
As you can see, something is developing here of tremendous possible
magnitude!
This would mean that your proposed Urantia Foundation should never be
incorporated under the easily recognizable "Urantia" title, and your
name should not be identified with it. "Progress Foundation" might be
better, and this organization—actually a holding company for receiving
and dispensing funds in relation to the Urantia Book—would be kept quiet
anyway.
The Book of Urantia, if an established publisher handled it, should be
copyrighted in the name of the publisher so this imprint may appear on
the title page and wherever else it has to be used.
Then, the publishing house assigns the copyright and all rights vested
therein to your Foundation. Any individuals or organizations desiring to
gain access to any of these rights are then compelled to approach the
publishing house as the apparent copyright holder, with their
propositions. They cannot get at you personally and your identity never
needs to be disclosed unless some Forum member talks; and, even so, you
are so far removed from any personal connection that you can, under such
circumstances, easily defend yourself and avoid being drawn into any
controversies, which would happen constantly were you "out front" and on
the "firing line."
Representatives, of your choosing, could meet as required to pass upon
proposals made through the publishing house for different adaptations or
uses of the contents of the Urantia Book. The Book of Urantia is thus
strictly "on its own," unencumbered by any human influence or
interpretation—a true revelation—direct from God, the
Universal Father—to each and all of his earth children,
regardless of race, color or creed.
Your "Urantia Brotherhood" incorporation would not be filed. Your Forum
group would be disbanded months before the book is published so that no
connection with it could be established. Members could meet about, as
friends do, in their individual homes, if they so desired, but with the
understanding that they were to hold as secret and inviolate their years
of devotion to this work. Their interest in the book, when published,
must be expressed as though it were on a par with those who have never
belonged to the Forum and are seeing the book for the first time.
Later—it may be pointed out to the Forumites—the public reaction to the
Book of Urantia may become so pronounced and vitalized that a Urantia
Brotherhood may be formed without prejudicing any religion, and with
chapters possibly affiliated with all churches, so that greater unity
rather than disharmony is created.
But, until and if that time arrives, it is thought best not to attempt
to promote the Book of Urantia and its revealed truth through
another organization which is bound to be regarded and opposed by all
other denominations and groups of people as a new religious sect.
Perhaps, if you would care to submit this letter to the Angels of
Progress, they might be disposed to pass upon it, and we all might be
granted that guidance we so direly need for the important work ahead.
This has been written in the most loving consideration and with the
deepest of respect and regard.
* * *
