The Cosmic Citizen

This week's Cosmic Citizen continues with our series on "Dealing with Adversity and Tribulation" as we explore the topic of addiction and the effects it has on our lives, careers, relationships, families and our own spiritual growth. In doing this series, we hope to inspire our listeners, in these tumultuous times, to be of good cheer. We will look at how faith and connection with spirit plays an often essential role in the process of recovery. Some of our guests will be long time Urantia Book students, others will not, but all have experienced dealing with and/or overcoming addiction. We intend to create a SAFE SPACE to discuss this sensitive topic by allowing our invited guests to call anonymously (if they choose) so that they can openly share their personal stories, including tragedies and triumphs, with addiction. The idea is to allow them the space to do this without offering advice, preaching or suggestions. We will do our best to practice our active listening skills. Two of our guests, Jim Barry and Robert Aponte, are long-time students of The Urantia Book. Jim has been in recovery for more than 30 years and has worked for 15 years in the non-profit sector as a Substance Abuse Counselor. Robert says that reading the Urantia Book brought about his decision to get sober and to join the Alcoholics Anonymous community. It helped him not only remain committed to staying sober but also to stay focused on the higher concepts of spiritual growth. He will discuss the many parallels between the AA and Urantia communities. Interesting that both came to be in the same time period and both adhere to "Big Blue Books." Some of our callers may not be familiar with the Urantia Book, so we ask that everyone remember to be respectful of their beliefs and traditions and help us to maintain a safe space on the show this week...and every week. Please call, and remember to Press 1 if you want to speak with the hosts.

This week’s show is a continuation of our series on coping with adversity and tribulation. Our guest is Jonathan Johnson - is a musician, storyteller, and minister who was in the original traveling cast of HAIR. Jonathan lost his spouse and baby to a real HATE CRIME (in the late 60s) when they burned down his hotel while he was in the theater during the show in Cleveland. Not only was his family killed, but another cast member's wife and child were also killed in the fire. Hate is nothing new and neither is discrimination. The irony is that the cast of HAIR was targeted because of a message of loving brotherhood. Tribulation and discrimination, in all forms, has existed in this world from time immemorial. Amazingly, Jonathan and Robin, discovered The Urantia Book and its teachings on the after-life, right before this tragic event. His love of God, the support and comfort he felt from the angels, and what he learned from the revelation helped him deal with the deep depression and isolation he felt afterward. He will share how he learned to forgive and let go of hatred, and ironically, how much he can see that the tribulation of bigotry, racial disparity and lack of spiritual brotherhood is still fomenting in our culture today. We often intellectualize when someone else is suffering, instead of offering sympathy and support. Just because we have faith, and know that life goes on, doesn't mean we don't feel or grieve or have the normal human emotions of sorrow, loneliness, and loss!  We may have tremendous faith, but we all have to live through tribulation and find a modicum of happiness. How shall we do that when there is so much turmoil? How do we deal with the loss of loved ones, especially a child or spouse? Let's explore these questions together. For the next few shows, we hope to inspire you by talking to people who have experienced unspeakable grief and came through it with grace, goodwill, and dignity.

Is the Great Tribulation getting set to plunge us into seven years of global chaos? Is Planet Niburu going to collide with Earth? Is an evil shadow government spinning out deadly hurricanes? Sincere and thoughtful people believe these theories and some think that Saturday, September 23rd, 2017, will mark the end of the world as we know it. Surely the current problems facing humanity are serious. How will we respond? Do we resign to being powerless and hoping that God ends it all? Where's the hope and faith in that? Consider this quote from The Urantia Book: "Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: "To a God-knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?" Temporal securities are vulnerable, but spiritual sureties are impregnable. When the flood tides of human adversity, selfishness, cruelty, hate, malice, and jealousy beat about the mortal soul, you may rest in the assurance that there is one inner bastion, the citadel of the spirit, which is absolutely unassailable; at least this is true of every human being who has dedicated the keeping of his soul to the indwelling spirit of the eternal God." Or this one: "Urantia is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment." Or this: "Urantia society can never hope to settle down as in past ages. The social ship has steamed out of the sheltered bays of established tradition and has begun its cruise upon the high seas of evolutionary destiny; and the soul of man, as never before in the world's history, needs carefully to scrutinize its charts of morality and painstakingly to observe the compass of religious guidance." If the world doesn't end tomorrow, it'll be a great to discuss the hope and encouragement of science, religion, and philosophy of The Urantia Book.

What faithful student of The Urantia Book isn’t excited by the endless vistas of higher learning, relational experience, and cosmic service that it vividly portrays to us? And by the idea that some of the ideas and ideals of our morontia education can begin now for the benefit of our embryonic morontia souls?  And that philosophy–the search for wisdom–is destined to become our chief educational pursuit in future ages? The importance of education balanced with work, loving service, and recreation is mentioned many times throughout The Urantia Book.  Jesus himself is a superb example of the kind of beautifully balanced personality that develops from a well-rounded life of education, loving service, and relational community. The progressive development and integration of our thinking, feeling and doing capacities along cosmic lines, rooted in divine love and aligned with the Father’s Will, leads to soul growth and God-likeness. This frame of reference work captures the mission of UrantiaUniversity Institute as it starts its fourth year of online classes focused on illuminating the stunning cosmology, revelatory theology, and vast array of ideas and ideals presented in The Urantia Book to a spiritually hungry world.  Several of UUI’s founders and instructors will discuss what they have learned through their own studies and developing an online school to meet the growing demand for in-depth education with and from other serious students of the book.   We invite your ideas and practical advice to support the personal spiritual regeneration of others.  If you believe that “the purpose of education should be acquirement of skill, pursuit of wisdom, realization of selfhood, and attainment of spiritual values,” (71:7.1), how might we best go about that? Visit www.urantiauniversity.org.

Join Paula, Andre, Christilyn and Derek as we further explore together Jesus' Spirit of Truth. Last week, we covered only half of what we had selected on this topic and so we're revisiting it. Here's one we missed: "The chief mission of this outpoured spirit of the Father and the Son is to teach men about the truths of the Father's love and the Son's mercy. These are the truths of divinity which men can comprehend more fully than all the other divine traits of character. The Spirit of Truth is concerned primarily with the revelation of the Father's spirit nature and the Son's moral character. The Creator Son, in the flesh, revealed God to men; the Spirit of Truth, in the heart, reveals the Creator Son to men." And this one: "Since the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth, man is subject to the teaching and guidance of a threefold spirit endowment: the spirit of the Father, the Thought Adjuster; the spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Truth; the spirit of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit." It is extraordinary to know that our Bestowal Son is actually present with us because of his Spirit of Truth. That He works, at every dark hour, to guide us and remind us that, "This is the way." Perhaps the most comforting thing that anyone can know, as they begin their search for God on this confusing world, is that the Spirit of Truth is present to help them recognize divine realities. This amazing and beautiful presence that we know as Jesus' Spirit of Truth is here for each of us, and when we sincerely seek truth, this good spirit will lead us and help us to find it We are so blessed! Please join us as we continue to discover and discuss the many wonderful ramifications of Jesus' gift. We'll again be sharing and discussing many terrific Urantia Book quotes on this topic and we hope to hear from you! Also, please pray with us for the victims of hurricane's Harvey and Irma!

This week the entire Cosmic Citizen crew is back from our summer break. Join Paula, Andre, Christilyn and Derek as we explore together Jesus' Spirit of Truth. The Urantia Book says so much about the Spirit of Truth. Jesus said many things about the ministry of His spirit, the Spirit of Truth that he would "pour out upon all flesh."  Consider these words of the Master, ""My little children, I am going away, going back to my Father. In a little while you will not see me as you do here, as flesh and blood. In a very short time I am going to send you my spirit, just like me except for this material body. This new teacher is the Spirit of Truth who will live with each one of you, in your hearts, and so will all the children of light be made one and be drawn toward one another. And in this very manner will my Father and I be able to live in the souls of each one of you and also in the hearts of all other men who love us and make that love real in their experiences by loving one another, even as I am now loving you." Human beings on this lonely planet just naturally feel isolated, they are humanly dislocated; anxious, restless, fearful, uncertain, unsettled and in need of consolation. In consideration of the quote above, is it not a tremendous comfort to know that Jesus is really present with each of us? Is is not extraordinary to know that by becoming spirit-conscious, the Son is actually present, and that his spirit fraternizes with the fragment of God that indwells each of us? Is not amazing that when we truly and sincerely seek truth, His Spirit of Truth is there to lead us and help us to know the truth when we do find it? What a tonic for faith that is! Please join us as we discover and discuss the many wonderful ramifications of Jesus' gift, the Spirit of Truth. We'll be sharing and discussing many terrific Urantia Book quotes on this topic, and as always, we look forward to hearing from you!

WE WILL CONCLUDE our series aimed at analyzing and appraising the characteristic patterns of epochal revelation.  Neal Waldrop will introduce and moderate, and Bob Debold co-moderate, an exchange of insights on Topic 2 of Revelation Revealed, a doc­ument intended to foster interactive dis­cussion of many key prin­ciples the revelators have enshrined in The Urantia Book. THE NINTH and final BROADCAST ON AUGUST 26 will start on page 42 of Revelation Revealed, with this question from Topic 2 : Why did the revelators bring forth the fifth epochal revelation during the first one-third of the 20th century? Do you believe that the timing of the revelation was influenced by one or more of the following circumstances:  the spiritual crisis?  the religious crisis? the philosophic crisis? the political and military crisis? the social and cultural crisis? in part, we will discuss implications of these crises in the context of the following quotation: Mechanical inventions and the dissemination of knowledge are modifying civilization; certain economic adjustments and social changes are imperative if cultural disaster is to be avoided. This new and oncoming social order will not settle down complacently for a millennium. The human race must become reconciled to a procession of changes, adjustments, and readjustments. Mankind is on the march toward a new and unrevealed planetary destiny. [A Melchizedek, 1086:4; 99:1.1] NOTE: You may already have downloaded Revelation Revealed from the web­site of the Committee for the Global Endeavor (www.globalendeavor.net). To follow discussion, please be sure you have it on hand. http://tobtr.com/10220165

WE WILL CONTINUE our series aimed at analyzing and appraising the characteristic patterns of epochal revelation.  Neal Waldrop will continue to moderate and Bob Debold co-moderate an exchange of insights on Topic 1 of Revelation Revealed, a doc­ument intended to foster interactive dis­cussion of many key prin­ciples the revelators have enshrined in The Urantia Book. THE EIGHTH (and penultimate) BROADCAST ON AUGUST 19 will start on page 34 of Revelation Revealed, with this introduction by a Mighty Messenger in Paper 118, In the maturity of the developing self, the past and future are brought together to illuminate the true meaning of the present. As the self matures, it reaches further and further back into the past for experience, while its wisdom forecasts seek to penetrate deeper and deeper into the unknown future. And as the conceiving self extends this reach ever further into both past and future, so does judgment become less and less dependent on the momentary present. In this way does decision-action begin to escape from the fetters of the moving present, while it begins to take on the aspects of past-future significance.  How does The Urantia Book, an epochal revelation, contribute to our maturation and self-mastery? What will be the format for the future sixth and future epochal revelation?  What signs of readiness will there be that humanity is ready for revelation 6?  How can we best use The Urantia Book, given the revelation contained in Jesus' life revelation and uncertainty about what comes next? NOTE: You may already have download Revelation Revealed from the web­site of the Committee for the Global Endeavor (www.globalendeavor.net). To follow discussion, please be sure to download it. http://tobtr.com/10206981

WE WILL CONTINUE our series aimed at analyzing and appraising the characteristic patterns of epochal revelation.  Neal Waldrop will continue to moderate and Bob Debold co-moderate an exchange of insights on Topic 1 of Revelation Revealed, a doc­umentintended to foster interactive dis­cussion of many key prin­ciples the revelators have enshrined in The Urantia Book. THE SEVENTH BROADCAST ON AUGUST 12 will start on page 31 of Revelation Revealed, with this introduction, In the final analysis, we do not know why the spiritual administrators who supervise and direct the destiny of our planet Urantia decided that the fifth epochal revelation would be transmitted in writing. This question, however, is puzzling and intriguing, and we are certainly entitled to exchange our own hypotheses and interpretations — while understanding that the entire discussion is speculative, but believing that it may nonetheless yield valuable insights.  We will examine this revelation’s purpose and function, for The Urantia Book is not an epochal revelation associated with the inspirational teachings of a high spiritual Son, but a complex and challenging revela­tion presented in written form and sponsored by many spiritual beings who do not hesitate to identify gaps in their own knowledge and awareness. Participants will consider a range of factors that may have motivated this choice of a highly innovative framework for revelatory teachings. NOTE: You may already have download Revelation Revealed from the modest web­site of the Committee for the Global Endeavor (www.globalendeavor.net). If not, please be sure to download it. This will enable you to read, understand, and follow discussion along with the participants. http://tobtr.com/10186203

WE WILL CONTINUE our series aimed at analyzing and appraising the characteristic patterns of epochal revelation.  Neal Waldrop will continue to moderate and Bob Debold comoderat Topic 1 of Revelation Revealed, an imaginative and innovative doc­ument by Neal (247 pages) intended to foster active and interactive dis­cussion of many key prin­ciples that the revelators have enshrined in The Urantia Book. THE SIXTH BROADCAST ON AUGUST 5 will start with question 19 on page 27 of Revelation Revealed, thereby launching us on the final phase of our analysis of the fourth epochal revelation, the bestowal on Urantia of our beloved Creator Son, Michael of Nebadon, in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth. We will examine that revelation’s purpose and function, and will then begin discussing the fifth epochal revelation. In part, participants will note that The Urantia Book represents a highly surprising departure from the standard pattern of epochal revelations that a Mighty Messenger portrays in Paper 52. After all, The Urantia Book is not an epochal revelation associated with the inspirational teachings of a high spiritual Son, but a complex and challenging revela­tion presented in written form and sponsored by many spiritual beings who do not hesitate to identify gaps in their own knowledge and awareness. In addition, participants will consider a range of factors that may have motivated the revelators to embark on this experimental adventure. NOTE: You may already have download Revelation Revealed from the modest web­site of the Committee for the Global Endeavor (www.globalendeavor.net). If not, please be sure to download it. This will enable you to read, understand, and follow discussion along with the participants. http://tobtr.com/10184183