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| Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery | 
 enlarge | Author: Martin Gardner
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Category: Book
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $10.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 907422
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 468
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1
ISBN: 1591026229
Dewey Decimal Number: 299
EAN: 9781591026228
ASIN: 1591026229
Publication Date: August 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: FINE; FINE TRADE-PAPERBACK
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 25 | | NEXT » |
 Interesting overview of an obscure American religion December 28, 2008
Having stumbled across the long and arcane Urantia Book at college, I was interested to read Gardner's skeptical take on the history of this rather obscure document.
He does a good job in summarizing the somewhat bizarre Urantian cosmology and reveals the mindset of it's all too human authors, who came out of the Seventh Day Adventists religion. Doctor Sadler was an intelligent, well read man but his ideas on topics like health (esp sex and eugenics), politics and science seem eccentric to modern readers. Gardner makes a compelling case for Urantia being a continuation of the religious duplicity that caused Dr Sadler to lose faith in Ellen White, the Adventist prophet.
The origins of a religion like Urantia is a familiar story to anyone who has studied new religious movements, and speaks volumes about our need to believe. The 1930's era scientific errors and rampant plagiarism that undermine the Urantia books alleged supernatural origin support Gardner's conclusion. In a postscript to the second edition published in 2008, Gardner reviews the chaos in the Urantia movement in recent years as different factions have formed around new channeled messages.
True believers will likely find this book offensive as a result, in much the same way that Walter Rea's The White Lie caused chaos in the SDA twenty years ago when he revealed the full extent of White's plagiarism in her prophecies. In contrast with other reviewers, I didn't find Gardner to be too acerbic, although clearly he isn't afraid to slaughter some sacred cows. The organization of the book isn't ideal and a good editor could have trimmed down some of the excess material that comes from Gardner's fascination with mathematical puzzles. Chapters on people in Sadler's sphere like the famous Dr Kellog are revealing but deserve a book of their own.
Time has proven that Urantia can be grouped with other 'inspired' documents of the early and mid twentieth century like the Oahspe bible, Ruth and Ernest Norman's Unarius Academy (see When Prophecy Never Fails: Myth and Reality in a Flying-Saucer Group) and the Aetherius Society, and follows in the footsteps of earlier prophets like Swedenborg. The explosion of New Age channeling has rendered this genre commonplace in recent years, stealing some of the Urantia book's unique glamor, but it remains a testament to Dr Sadler's ingenuity. Prophets keep coming up with this stuff, and believers keep believing it.
Fascinating but unorganized read December 20, 2008
If you are a fascinated with home grown religious cults as I am, you will be fascinated with this book. Martin Gardner, who is better known as a science writer, has undertaken his second book on an unusual religious movement. This book is thorough and very complete in it's overview of the Urantia Book movement. My only complaint would be that it seemed at times disorganized. A better editor would have served this project well.
 A book of LIES, Half Truths and Anger To keep you AFRAID September 15, 2007
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
Martin Gardener's book about the URANTIA Revelation is typical of what has kept mankind from reaching his full spirital potential for its entire history. FEAR! Using LIES and Half Truths, and twisted conclusions he's doing what the "Church" has always done keep in CONTROLL and YOU from understanding TRUE spirituality and KNOWING for themselves what it means to follow Christ's teachings.
We are in the Apocalypse people! Thats why these TRUTHs are coming out now! And what is REALLY meant by 'The Truth Shall Set You Free!' I finally can see why, when it comes to TRUTH and INDIVIDUAL SPIRITUALITY - all the nasty, negative, hateful, closed minded, judgmental and ANTI-Christ like noise, comes from so called "Christians" whenever they have anything to say about.... well ANYTHING!!
You WONT find anything Nasty, Hateful, or wrong in the Urantia Book because when reading it, it will 'ring true' like it has for almost everyone with the courage to read it for themselvs. So if your one of those people that cant see REAL TRUTH for themselves because of FEAR they learned in "CHURCH" about a Judgmental, vengeful, Retalitating and Punishing God - Then You WONT like the URANTIA book.
The Urantia book can stand on its own merits and should be read by ANYONE who yearns to fully understand what the Bible fails to do. Understand and make sense of our history as humans and to KNOW GOD/JESUS and the UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, TRUTH, COMPASSION, and the true - I repeat - TRUE CHRISTIANITY of JESUS.
Revealing May 26, 2007
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
For those who are seeking truth, Martin Gardner has done us a great service. He covers the history of those people who brought us the Utantia book. He makes a convincing case that this giant tome was conceived in deception. For those who believe that the Bible is true, will perceive that this possible channeled fantasy contradicts the Bible. For those who don't believe the Bible, they need to know that the creators of the Urantia book sprung forth or evolved from the Seventh day Adventist Church. A denomination with a false prophet and a history full of fanaticism. I highly recommend Martin Gardner's book, for anyone who has looked at the Urantia book or thinking of buying that ultimate grand cosmic fantasy.
EXPOSED January 9, 2007
7 out of 15 found this review helpful
While looking for some alternative to a lot of confusing biblical jargon I got into the Urantia Book and found it to be EUGENICS and NAZISM in DISGUISE! I was thoroughly refreshed to find out that others were intelligent enough not to be bling faith sheep and believe that pack of fabrications. Though many of the stories in the Urantia book are partially true, The Great Cult Mystery points out how they were twisted to fill the agendas of Nazi supportes like William Kellogg, Charles Russell (of the infamous Jehovah's Witnesses, and Bill Sanders (one of the writers of the Urantia Book) into "cleansing the human race" through preferred breeding and ethnic cleansing. For all you peole that believe the Urantia Book, I suggest you read the history of its creators first before you believe the so-called sleeping brother in law subject's view on the universe.
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