Q: How do you know you and others were not self-deceived?

A. All the techniques I know had no reference to this. After many years of work and attempts to unravel the origin, I failed. Also used other people — Thurston — they all failed. If we were deceived, we were all deceived. Internal evidence in the book shows there is no contradiction.

Q. The Mormons claim to have found gold plates containing their revelation. Is this similar?

A. We didn't find any plates. We had plates made and collected the money for publication — not the same at all. (Someone asked about Ohaspe, which claims to have been done by automatic writing and Dr. Sadler said this wasn't the same.)

Q. Was there any editing?

A. None. The text was not altered. The group had permission to change punctuation or spelling, but nothing else.

Q. You refer to its being produced in English. What was the language it was originally in?

A. We don't know. It might have been in the system, local universe, or super-universe language. But the revelatory commission referred to difficulties in translation.

Q. Was there quite a stir in your group when the scientists discovered the mesotron some years ago (previously mentioned in the book)?

A. Yes, of course we were interested. We are continually interested when things are discovered which the book has included. Especially, the last eighteen months when there has been so much talk about other inhabited worlds.

Q. How did this all start?

A. Can't answer that. Sworn to secrecy. But it was a very commonplace, ordinary beginning.

Q. Has there been any recent contact since the papers came originally?

A. Won't answer that. And if you ask whether the subject is living or dead, I won't answer that.

Q. What is the immediate future (about 25 years) of this, and what is the purpose of this book?

A. To save souls and enlighten the human mind.

Q. Do you think this is a closed book?

A. Yes, I have reason to believe there will not be any additions.

Q. How does this differ from the Bible? That is, saving souls and enlightening the mind?

A. The Bible portrays the religion about Jesus, and The Urantia Book tells the religion of Jesus.

Q. Is The Urantia Book superior to the Bible?

A. (Answered by Meredith Sprunger) The answer is impossible until you read The Urantia Book. We started studying this very critically. The New Testament is continuous with the Old Testament. The Urantia Book is continuous with the New Testament.

Q. Is The Urantia Book more interpretative than it is revelatory?

A. It is both. It interprets both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Q. If this book were generally known, would it be too explosive for most people, too unsettling?

A. So far, it seems to be very comforting, helpful, tranquilizing.

Q. Do the people who sponsored this book believe the world is going to be here for some time? What is the future of the world?

A. Read the paper on Light and Life. We have a long future ahead of us on this planet.

Q. What is in the immediate future? The next 50 or 100 years?

A. Don't know exactly what the immediate future is.

Q. In most religions there is authoritarianism. Even in the Urantia group I get a feeling of authoritarianism. Where does this leave our individual searching?

A. Read Jesus' sermons on the way to Phoenicia. According to the Urantia Brotherhood constitution, this cannot become an authoritarian group.

Q. Why the secrecy of the origin? Do all the members of the Brotherhod know about it?

A. No, they do not. Only a very small group knows. The revelatory commission wants no human association with this book. One reason for secrecy. If we told you all we know, you wouldn't be satisfied.

Q. In the Catholic church, they have taught about seven heavens — seven places after death. What relation to Catholic theology does The Urantia Book have from the standpoint of these worlds the book speaks of? When it speaks of the resurrection of Christ and also refers to the fact that we will have the kind of body Jesus had after his resurrection — what percentage of the average congregation can understand what we are talking about tonight? This concept of life after death is quite different from what the churches believe.

A. (Meredith Sprunger answered this.) First, there is no connection between Catholic theology and ours. Second, the different churches have all kinds of concepts of life after death. The progressive people will not have any trouble with The Urantia Book. For the others, point out that no one goes to the Father except through Christ our Lord and eventually we will meet the Father. This will be enough for them. Keep it simple. Don't go through all the steps which The Urantia Book details.

Q. Do you feel, Dr. Sadler, that you have a particular place in carrying on this work or in connection with the book? Do you feel that you are led, or have a mission?

A. No, I have no such feeling. I think I just happened to be around when this happened.