What is it? -- It is a 2,097 page volume comprising the foreword plus 196 distinct papers that describe God, the created universe, the various orders of personalities that inhabit and administer it, the history of our own world (called "Urantia"), the problems that beset it, and the life, teachings, and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. The Urantia Book was published in 1955 by the Urantia Foundation. Much of it was completed by 1935.
Who wrote it? -- The authors of the individual papers are identified as various orders of celestial beings who are identified within the text of the book. These self-identified authors describe a mandate requiring them to make use of extant human sources whenever possible, resorting to "pure revelation" only when these sources were clearly inadequate.
The revelation mandates are described in the following locations scattered throughout the book [use your browser Back arrow to return here]; Pg 1, Pg 16, Pg 354, Pg 865, Pg 1109, Pg 1208, Pg 1258, and Pg 1341
Consequently, the Urantia Book's authors indirectly include those humans whose ideas were adapted for inclusion in the papers.
The papers came into existence by means of a process that has not been clearly described. The human being responsible for facilitating this process was Dr. William S. Sadler (1875-1969), a practicing psychiatrist, lecturer in comparative religion, debunker of psychic powers and spiritual mediumship, and author of numerous books.
Revelation? -- The Urantia Book describes itself as the Fifth Epochal Revelation of spiritual truth to our world. In addition to describing the preceeding four, the Urantia Book reveals that each of us is indwelt by a fragment of the living God, called a "Thought Adjuster." The Adjuster attempts to steer us toward spiritual truth and, to the extent that it is successful, we have autorevelation. (Adjuster Paper, Pg 1118, Pg 1119, Pg 24)
Sometimes, however, truth is revealed by the agency of other beings. Rarely, it is revealed on a grand scale; such revelations are called "epochal" and the Urantia Book is the fifth such "epochal" revelation.
What does this have to do with Jesus? -- The Urantia Book describes the matchless personality of the man, Jesus, and explains his divine status. It offers a detailed chronicle of his mortal life and a fuller representation of his teaching than has previously been available. In doing so, it expands and corrects humanity's present conception of Jesus and his work.
Do people believe it? -- Many who read the Urantia Book find that it resonates with their own sense of truth, and clarifies truths that they had previously only partially grasped. Many who have attempted to put these truths to work in their lives have found their beliefs strengthened as a result of what they have discovered by reading the Urantia Book.
Is this book a religion? -- The Urantia Book is not a religion. However, for believing readers, the Urantia Book is the source of their personal religious convictions and the inspiration for their religious growth. It is not, however, about getting readers to join a church. Believers in the Urantia Book include persons of many different religious traditions and groups.
Is it a cult? -- In modern language, the word "cult" carries the connotation that there is a central person or central group around whom followers flock. In that sense, no — there is no such leader or flock. All readers have equal status in Urantia circles and no person or organization is significantly compensated monetarily in relation to the Urantia Book. However, when considering the broader definition of the word "cult", maybe — but certainly not in the sense that most people think of when they envision the word cult in today's modern society. Even so, by definition, all religions are cults. Here's what the Urantia Book says about cults: Pg 965.