The religion based on the Urantia Book is difficult to delineate because there is no central organization, and informal study groups tend to spring up, then vanish or splinter.
Additionally, those involved in the movement are usually nonsectarian, asserting that people from various religious backgrounds can study the book as a means of enrichment, rather than as a contradiction of their faith.
There are no Urantian churches, reading rooms, temples, or places of worship, and the Urantia Book has not produced clergy or missionaries. Although many have come to believe in the teachings of the Urantia Book, worship is as individual as reading.
The organizations that have grown up around the Urantia Book were created to enforce or contend for the rights to the copyrights, and have been measured in terms of book sales rather than memberships.
Since the book has been in the public domain since 2001, other organizations have also published it, and copies of the text have been published in various formats, for the Internet, Kindle, and iOS applications. Audiobooks are also available.
Reader groups that have come closest to representing organizations of believers are the Urantia Society, Urantia Foundation, Urantia Book Fellowship, Urantia Association International, and Teaching Mission Network, as well as local and regional associations.
The quest for life on other planets has long been a subject of intrigue and speculation, and many have simply assumed that extraterrestrial life is a reality. This belief has spawned a number of religions, fellowships, and organizations. Among them are those that grew out of the Urantia Book.
The origins of the Urantia Book are not well known. Neither the book or its publishers named a human author but presents the book as having been written by seven celestial beings.
The Urantia Book is an exhaustive revelation of the cosmos told from the perspective of highly advanced space beings and communicated to the inhabitants of the earth, which it names Urantia.
In 1911, William and Lena Sadler, both well-known physicians in Chicago, were called to see a man who would fall into a deep sleep, and whose wife reported that she would be unable to awaken him. Sadler, who was also known to be a debunker of the paranormal, observed the man over several episodes. Over time, the man produced verbal communications that claimed to be originating from "student visitors."
By the 1920s, the form of communication became lengthy handwritten documents, which the Sadlers passed around to friends who met for informal Sunday philosophical discussions. The group, known as the Forum, devised hundreds of questions, which were asked of the unnamed celestial entities who communicated through the man, who was never named. These were answered with fully written responses, and these were later assembled to form the Urantia Book. The last Forum gathering was in 1942.
A smaller group of five individuals, including the Sadlers, referred to as the Contact Commission, were responsible for acting as custodians of the manuscripts.
The Urantia Foundation was formed in 1950, and the Urantia Book was published in 1955.
The Urantia Book provides a lengthy background for understanding the physical and spiritual structure of the universe, one that is dominated by spirits, and managed by personalities. The book describes the geography of the universe. The innermost area is the Isle of Paradise. The surrounding area is the central universe, known as Havona. Surrounding Havona are the seven super universes, designated by number. Our planet, known as Urantia, is in the super universe, named Orvonton, super universe number seven. The four outermost areas are the four outer space levels.
According to the Urantia Book, God is the creator, and an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinite, and eternal spirit personality, known as the Father. Parallelling Christianity, the Book teaches that God exists in a Trinity of three individualized personalities who are co-equal: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, also known as the Universal Father, Eternal Son, and Infinite Spirit. The Book identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the Creator Son who incarnated on Earth, and the rest of the Gospel, as well as the theory of evolution, are incorporated into the mindset of the Urantia Book.
The Book's teachings of the history of the world includes its development 4.5 billion years ago, long ages of organic evolution, and mankind occurring about a million years ago, originating from a lemur ancestor. The first humans were named Andon and Fonta.
The progress of human evolution is said to have followed a divine plan that included gifts of revelation by various orders of celestial teachers, who will eventually lead us to an ideal world status of "light and life."
Recommended Resources
The 2010 edition of the book by this name, by Larry Mullins and Dr. Meredith Justin Sprunger, has been updated with forty-six pages of new information and photographs. Highlights of the new edition, a preview, and synopsis of the book, reader reviews, biographies, and promotional videos are included, and the book may be ordered in print form or in a Kindle format. Informational articles are also featured, along with a blog.
http://www.urantiapapershistory.com/
The text of the Urantia Book is available online, along with a study guide, several informational articles, charts, and other study aids, as well as a collection of books related to the Urantia Book, with links to where they can be purchased. Other resources include informational videos, a history of the Urantia movement, biographies of significant people, historic newsletters, and links to other online resources.
https://www.squarecircles.com/
The Urantia Society of Greater New York
USGNY is a non-profit organization formed for the study and dissemination of the Urantia Book, which is displayed here in its entirety, presented in four parts, and sub-sectioned. The book’s content may also be searched, downloaded, or purchased in print form. A glossary and encyclopedia is included. A search engine download section is also available in several translations, and answers to commonly asked questions are included.
http://urantia.nyc/
The Jesusonian Foundation believes that the distribution and promotion of the Urantia Book are critical to the spiritual and cultural transformation of humanity, based largely on the religion of Jesus as portrayed in the Urantia Book. The book may be read in its entirety online, an audio version is also available, along with study aids, informational video, reviews, and several studies on the UB, Jesus, God, heaven, the angels, Adam and Eve, and others.
https://truthbook.com/
Arranged in three sections, entitled UBtheNEWS, UBannotated and UBintegrated, and UBanimated, the first section documents new discoveries and scientific advances that support the presentation of planetary history found in the Urantia Book, while the second provides two ways of accessing the same annotations on the Book, including annotated and integrated, while the third provides a variety of related material, including study aids, historical information, and links to other UB-related projects.
http://ubannotated.com/
Urantia Association International
The UAI was established to complement the work of the Urantia Foundation, for the purpose of fostering in-depth studies of the Urantia Book and to disseminate both the book and its teachings. It is a UB reader membership, task-oriented, social and service organization. An overview of the organization, its projects, fundraising activities, and events are posted here, along with a guide to study groups and an online forum.
https://urantia-association.org/
Urantia Association of the United States
The UAUS represents local and regional Urantia associations in the United States that are operating under charters granted by the Urantia Association International and licensed by the Urantia Foundation. Its organizational structure, governing board, and committee chairpeople are identified, and its membership policies and a list of member associations are included. Study groups, graduations, and informational media are included.
http://www.urantiausa.com/
The UBF is a continuation of the Forum, a social network of people who reviewed the Urantia Book prior to its original publication and formed the Urantia Brotherhood. Its name was changed to the Urantia Book Fellowship in 1990 and is now an independent group of believers devoted to studying the teachings of the Urantia Book, and disseminating the book itself. Its history, constitution, mission, and leadership are outlined, and an online store is included.
http://www.urantiabook.org/
Offering online courses in the Urantia Book for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students of the book, sessions being ten weeks in length and requiring a minimum of five hours per week. Courses cover such topics as the early evolutionary history of Urantia, power-personality synthesis, angels, and the appearances of Jesus in the Urantia Book. Its purpose, philosophy, rules, and procedures are related.
https://new.ubis.urantia.org/
Urantia Book New Reader Services
Urantia Book introductions are available in video, along with excerpts from the book, and options to purchase the book in print form or to download it. Other resources include study guides, daily quotations from the UB, several video messages, and a blog. An overview of the cosmology portrayed in the book, the role of Jesus, and the chief concepts found in the book. A calendar of events is included.
http://ubnrs.org/
The official website of the Urantia Association of Canada is available in English and French, offering its membership policies, board members, objectives, testimonials, and its policies on channeling. The Urantia Book may be read online, including keyword searches, and a directory of study groups and worldwide Urantia associations. Its newsletter, journal, and related writings are displayed, and a calendar of events is included.
https://canada.urantia-association.org/
The Chicago-based organization was founded in 1950, and provides material and guidance to those who are studying the Urantia Book, promotes events, and offers the book and related materials from its online store, claiming to be the custodians of the Urantia Book. Its offices, office hours, and contacts are posted, along with an overview of its purpose and projects, presented in several languages. Volunteer opportunities may be available.
https://www.urantia.org/
Created by readers of the Urantia Book, the site’s membership is spread throughout North and Central America, Africa, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Contributors to informational articles published on the site are acknowledged, and links to other Urantia Book websites are included, along with Urantia videos, and several articles on various topics related to the study of the Urantia Book.
http://urantianow.com/
The tenets and beliefs of those who have read, believe, and follow the Urantia Book as a religion are set forth, including an overview of its practices, which include prayers, study, communion ceremonies, adolescence ceremonies, the age of consent, ordination procedures, age of discretion, the cup of remembrance ceremony, tithing, and death rites, as well as recognized holidays, initiation procedures, and a prayer wall.
http://www.urantiareligion.com/
UUI offers online courses of study in the Urantia Book, as well as the development of workshops and classes that apply the insights of the UB to deal with issues of relationships and everyday living, and other areas of knowledge such as science, cosmology, religion, philosophy, the social sciences, humanities, and others. Its classes, a library of resources, application procedures, and a Thought Leaders forum are set forth.
https://urantiauniversity.org/
