The Urantia Book: Holy or Hoax

Galatians 1:8-9
⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ^[a]accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

The Urantia Book was first published on October 12, 1955, by the Urantia Foundation. The text of the book itself was reportedly “received” in Chicago between 1934 and 1935, through a “sleeping subject” via a “Contact Commission”. 

The exact method of its creation remains a matter of debate, with the book’s proponents claiming it is a revelation from various celestial beings, and skeptics suggesting human authorship, possibly by William S. Sadler and Wilfred Kellogg. The text claims to have drawn upon over a thousand existing human concepts and scientific knowledge available at the time, although it does not provide citations. 

The Urantia Book claims to be the fifth “epochal” revelation presented to humankind, authored by a diverse group of celestial and divine beings, rather than human authors. 

Key claims about its origin include:

• Divine and Celestial Authorship: The 196 papers that make up the book are attributed to various orders of “supermortal” personalities, including angels, superangels, and perfected mortals from other worlds.
• A “Contact Commission” and “Sleeping Subject”: The text was allegedly “received” in Chicago between 1934 and 1935 through a human intermediary referred to as a “sleeping subject” or “contact personality”. This individual’s identity was kept anonymous to prevent future veneration of a human source.
• Combination of Concepts and Revelation: The celestial authors claim their work is built upon more than a thousand existing human concepts, representing the “highest and most advanced planetary knowledge,” combined with new, direct revelation where human understanding was insufficient.
• Not a Channeled Work: Proponents of the book assert it is a unique, direct revelation and not a typical channeled work.
• No Human Author: The book itself maintains that no human was involved in producing the actual text, other than the anonymous subject who was used as a transcription medium and the humans who asked clarifying questions. 

The book presents itself as an advanced and expanded version of truth that clarifies and builds upon previous religious understandings, including Christian doctrines, and offers a comprehensive view of the cosmos, history, and destiny of humanity.