The Cosmic Citizen

Our series continues discussing paper 196: 196:3.20.  Every time man makes a reflective moral choice, he immediately experiences a new divine invasion of his soul. Moral choosing constitutes religion as the motive of inner response to outer conditions. But such a real religion is not a purely subjective experience. It signifies the whole of the subjectivity of the individual engaged in a meaningful and intelligent response to total objectivity—the universe and its Maker. The exquisite and transcendent experience of loving and being loved is not just a psychic illusion because it is so purely subjective. The one truly divine and objective reality that is associated with mortal beings, the Thought Adjuster, functions to human observation apparently as an exclusively subjective phenomenon... True religious worship is not a futile monologue of self-deception. Worship is a personal communion with that which is divinely real, with that which is the very source of reality. Man aspires by worship to be better and thereby eventually attains the best. The idealization and attempted service of truth, beauty, and goodness is not a substitute for genuine religious experience—spiritual reality. Psychology and idealism are not the equivalent of religious reality. The projections of the human intellect may indeed originate false gods—gods in man's image—but the true God-consciousness does not have such an origin. The God-consciousness is resident in the indwelling spirit. Many of the religious systems of man come from the formulations of the human intellect, but the God-consciousness is not necessarily a part of these grotesque systems of religious slavery. Please join us in the continuing discussion and pleasure of engaging with each other in this amazing discovery.

This week we continue with Paper 196 of The Urantia Book - The Faith of Jesus. In the past three weeks we've had some amazing callers like Jim McNelly, Will Sherwood, Annette Crawford and Chuck Thurston, who discussed this remarkable paper with us. We covered the sublime faith of Jesus and the importance of Jesus' humanity. We explored the value of the religion of Jesus, the religion of personal spiritual experience, vs. the religion about Jesus. We marveled at the keen insights and wisdom that comes shining through the authors of this paper its teachings. This week we dive deep into the heart of this paper. We will learn that Jesus, "taught men to place a high value upon themselves in time and in eternity. Because of this high estimate which Jesus placed upon men, he was willing to spend himself in the unremitting service of humankind. And it was this infinite worth of the finite that made the golden rule a vital factor in his religion. What mortal can fail to be uplifted by the extraordinary faith Jesus has in him?"  And in The Supremacy of Religion: "Personal, spiritual religious experience is an efficient solvent for most mortal difficulties; it is an effective sorter, evaluator, and adjuster of all human problems. Religion does not remove or destroy human troubles, but it does dissolve, absorb, illuminate, and transcend them. True religion unifies the personality for effective adjustment to all mortal requirements" Also: "True religious worship is not a futile monologue of self-deception. Worship is a personal communion with that which is divinely real, with that which is the very source of reality. Man aspires by worship to be better and thereby eventually attains the best." We hope to finish this paper this week, but we hate to see it end. What a splendid and lively discussion we've had on it. Please join us!

This week we continue our exploration of Paper 196 of The Urantia Book, The Faith of Jesus. Some thoughts to ponder: Christianity is founded on the personal religious experience of Paul, but the gospel of the kingdom is founded on the personal religious experience of Jesus. We should not literally imitate Jesus' life; we need to trust God as Jesus trusts God and to believe in each other as he believes in us. The greatest of all human knowledge is knowing the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. Jesus' life reveals a pattern of religious growth that started with early primitive awe, moved through personal spiritual communion, and arrived at advanced consciousness of oneness with the Father. He grew from the humble mortal status that prompted his words, "Why do you call me good?" to the sublime consciousness of divinity which led him to say, "Which one of you convicts me of sin?" Jesus had faith in humankind, "He was always ready and willing to stop a sermon or detain a multitude while he ministered to the needs of a single person, even to a little child. Great things happened not only because people had faith in Jesus, but also because Jesus had so much faith in them." There are three evidences that spirit indwells the human mind. The first is love-only a spirit-indwelt mind is capable of altruism. The second is wisdom-only a spirit-indwelt mind can discern that the universe is friendly. The third is worship-only a spirit-indwelt mind can realize the divine presence and seek experience with divinity. The human mind does not create value. It can only discover, recognize, interpret, and choose values and meanings. Man's challenge on earth is to achieve better communication with the fragment of God that dwells within him. Be not discouraged; human evolution is still in progress, and the revelation of God to the world, in and through Jesus, shall not fail!

This week we will continue to read and study Paper 196 of The Urantia Book, The Faith of Jesus. It is the exquisite capstone of a literary masterpiece on the life and teachings of Jesus and a magnificent summation of Jesus' faith. Jesus magnificently demonstrated living faith in God. He never doubted the certainty of God's watch care. His faith was not merely intellectual; it was a profound conviction which securely held him in the living reality of God and destroyed every desire that conflicted with the will of the Father. Jesus never failed to exhibit unquestioning loyalty to God's will. Jesus did not believe, as Paul did, that the world was fundamentally evil. He viewed humans positively. Jesus saw men as sons of God and knew of the magnificent futures awaiting those who chose survival. Jesus was willing to devote himself to mortal service because of the high value that he placed on people. We are uplifted by his extraordinary faith in us. Jesus was the most truly religious person who ever lived on earth. If the religion of Jesus suddenly replaced the religion about Jesus, the social, economic, and moral transformations that would occur would be revolutionary. We hope you will join this week, as we celebrate and discuss together this magnificent piece of literature. The show airs Saturdays at 10 AM. You can call in live to listen or speak with the hosts. 646-716-8158. You can also tune in to the live show and join in the live chat at www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmiccitizen.

We can't think of a better way to start the new year than with the final paper of The Urantia Book,  Paper 196 - The Faith of Jesus! We want to give particular emphasis in this episode to his life of unselfish service. Paper 196 is the exquisite capstone of a literary masterpiece on the life and teachings of Jesus and what a magnificent summation The Faith of Jesus provides for an epochal revelation of truth.  What could be more sublime than to begin 2016 by exploring together this magnificent piece of literature. The authors of Part IV of The Urantia Book call Jesus "the author and finisher of our faith." Truly, his exquisite life is truly a monumental example of sublime devotion and living faith. Consider the following: 196:1.3.To "follow Jesus" means to personally share his religious faith and to enter into the spirit of the Master's life of unselfish service for man. One of the most important things in human living is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. 196:1.5. It should not be the aim of kingdom believers literally to imitate the outward life of Jesus in the flesh but rather to share his faith; to trust God as he trusted God and to believe in men as he believed in men. Jesus never argued about either the fatherhood of God or the brotherhood of men; he was a living illustration of the one and a profound demonstration of the other. 196:3.33.Be not discouraged; human evolution is still in progress, and the revelation of God to the world, in and through Jesus, shall not fail. We hope you will join this week, as we celebrate and discuss together The Faith of Jesus!

This week, in honor of Christmas we will continue our talk with another Urantia Book student who is passionately engaged in sharing the Urantia Book's teachings of Jesus with the broadest possible audience. Join us this week as we explore this topic together with our good friend, David Kantor. Jesus repeatedly told his followers to take his message of the kingdom to the world. He exhorted them to do so in virtually every one of his post-resurrection appearances. He also said, "And now I declare to you that I, if I be lifted up on earth and in your lives, will draw all men to myself and into the fellowship of my Father."  How can we participate in this unfinished work in the world of today?  Can we, with all of the media tools and internet opportunities we have, "lift up" the Master we know and love from The Urantia Book?  David certainly thinks so. The idea of lifting Jesus up has been a passion for David and we very much look forward to getting an update on his efforts to do exactly that. David will update us on the Joshua ben Joseph project, especially the film, Reimagining Jesus, that is now translated into Spanish and being shown in commercial theaters in Mexico. We'll also talk about social media as a highly viable platform for personal ministry which can be used by anyone. David has also recently made available The Story of Ruth, a delightful original musical about Jesus' baby sister, Ruth. It was written by Angie Thurston, an amazing and accomplished young woman, and a past guest on our show. David filmed the play live at the Fellowship's international conference in 2014 and has now made available for viewing and sharing. Are you serious about participating in the Master's work?  Join us Saturday for a lively discussion with someone who has dedicated his life to this work. Please join us for this important discussion.

The authors of The Urantia Book state that their purpose in producing the narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus was to utilize and to some extent co-ordinate the existing records having to do with his life. This can be clearly observed in their accounts of his parables. Jesus' parables are as well-known to Bible readers as they are to readers of The Urantia Papers. They have been fairly well-preserved in the records of old, but we now hear them retold with rich context and settings; their meanings clarified, their teachings replete. They comprise some fifteen thousand spoken words of our Lord, precisely translated into modern-day English; over twice the number set down in the original record. They are SUBLIME. These seemingly simple stories that Jesus told us so long ago are as timeless as he is himself. They have left an indelible mark on humanity, coming down through the ages as sublime inspiration and instruction, traveling light without doctrine or dogma. Jim English is a long-time reader of the papers and he has produced and published an illustrated version of these parables entitled, The Greatest Stories Ever Told: The Parables of Jesus. He will join us this Saturday to discuss the publication and the stories themselves. You can download a free interactive PDF version of the book at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ut7a9mwtx3bifvb/AAAFeBk6zXdxRGj5Uq3wRD-ea?dl=0 Here you will find just some of the selections in the book of forty parables which Jesus often employed as natural and familiar illustrations of deep spiritual truths. These seemingly simple stories have left their indelible mark on humanity, coming down through the ages as sublime inspiration and instruction, traveling light without doctrine or dogma. Truly a pearl of great price. Join us!

Paper 159 of The Urantia Book is called The Decapolis Tour. This paper is, of course, from The Life and Teachings of Jesus. Jesus has just had his monumental meeting with Gabriel and Father Melchizedek on the Mount of Transfiguration after which he pivots away from teaching the Jews in Judea to teaching the Gentiles in places like the Greek cities of the Decapolis. Section 4 of Paper 159 is called: Instruction for Teachers and Believers. This amazing section cuts to heart of Jesus' ministry and speaks of his overall attitude toward all who would hear his teachings. Quite simply, this section is brilliant! In this amazing section, Jesus says unforgettable things like, "Never should a righteous cause be promoted by force; spiritual victories can be won only by spiritual power. This injunction against the employment of material influences refers to psychic force as well as to physical force. Overpowering arguments and mental superiority are not to be employed to coerce men and women into the kingdom. Man's mind is not to be crushed by the mere weight of logic or overawed by shrewd eloquence." He says, "In bringing men into the kingdom, do not lessen or destroy their self-respect. While overmuch self-respect may destroy proper humility and end in pride, conceit, and arrogance, the loss of self-respect often ends in paralysis of the will."  And "The world is filled with hungry souls who famish in the very presence of the bread of life; men die searching for the very God who lives within them. Men seek for the treasures of the kingdom with yearning hearts and weary feet when they are all within the immediate grasp of living faith." This one section is vitally important to anyone who has ever tried to share or teach The Urantia Book. It's words of wisdom and gems of insight are treasures to be shared and contemplated again and again. Please join Andre and Christilyn to explore them together.

Nadi Burton, our guest this week on Cosmic Citizen, was born in Harlem New York and raised in a Christian household. He rebelled as a teen and ran away from home and though he spent some years as a troubled and confused youth, at the ripe old age of eighteen, he made what was for him the supreme decision to find God; It has become the driving ambition of his life. Nadi became hungry to find and study everything he could to give him a clearer revelation of the Divine Father. At first his spiritual journey took him toward music as a vehicle of expression. This opened doors into a variety of religions and places of worship. He became a serious student of many disciplines, such as metaphysics, parapsychology, new age philosophy, angelic revelations and most of the world religions. It was during this period that he discovered The Urantia Book. For Nadi, cultivating his relationship with God was a deeply personal experience. The book provided the answers he had prayed for, especially to know and be closer to his Universal Father. He began the study and practice of many health and healing modalities and therapies, learning to live God's love in his life and with others. He desired to be like Christ in spirit but still felt painfully inadequate. For decades he studied the Urantia teachings completely in private. Finally, after 30 years his sense of gratitude for the revelation took on a desire to write a blog to share it with others. Three years ago Nadi started a Urantia study group in his home in Harlem. He also began to share his music and read the book online in a weekly podcast called, "Urantia Speaks." He will be sharing his burning desire to know God, the Universal Father, to become like him, and to do his will. Nadi's commitment to the teachings of The Urantia Book, his desire to share, his gratitude for his spiritual destiny, is his supreme commitment to a journey of fusion with the divine spark of God.

This week we continue our discussion on the parental nature of God, more especially the concept of God the Mother based on The Urantia Book's teaching of the Supreme. We've invited to consummate teachers and Urantian scholars to share their thoughts with us on this topic of the Mother Supreme. Dr. Chris Halvorson, who will be with us for the entire show and Mr. David Kulieke, who can spend part of the show with us. Dr. Halovorson says this about the Supreme, "Finally, it has been revealed that the Supreme is the evolving womb of finite creation: The Finite Upholder (evolutionary-experiential deity) and the Universal Mother of all evolutionary creatures." Even a casual acquaintance with Chris' writings reveals that he has keen tremendous insights on God the Mother. Chris Halvorson has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado Boulder and worked as a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder for 24 years. He discovered The Urantia Book in 1990 and started leading a weekly study group in 1995. He founded Perfecting Horizons Institute (PHI) in 2013. PHI is the educational outreach of Perfecting Horizons, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that serves inquisitive-minded people from around the world, challenging them to discover fresh big-picture insights and new ways of thinking about the revelation. David Kulieke is a third generation reader. His family members were students of the Urantia teachings, long before there was a Urantia Book. David has contemplated these concepts and studied them with other sincere seekers for most of his life. David is currently the Chair of the Fellowship's Education Committee and at the Summer Study Session last year he lead a packed workshop entitled, "Our Relationship with God the Father: Knowing Him as Our Universe Father and the Supreme as Our Universe Mother." This should be a lively episode!