The Cosmic Citizen

An Investigation into The New Testament Bible Whistleblower: From 3 perspectives * The Biblical Worldview * The Academic/Scholastic * The Urantia Book:  How did this new message of Jewish origin, which had almost failed in the land of its birth, so quickly and effectively capture the very best minds of the Roman Empire? The triumph of Christianity over the philosophic religions and the mystery cults was due to: Organization. Paul was a great organizer and his successors kept up the pace he set.  Christianity was thoroughly Hellenized. It embraced the best in Greek philosophy as well as the cream of Hebrew theology.  But best of all, it contained a new and great ideal, the echo of the life bestowal of Jesus and the reflection of his message of salvation for all mankind.  Likewise did the next and later generations of Christian leaders make such further compromises with paganism that even the Roman emperor Constantine was won to the new religion. Wisely or unwisely, these early leaders of Christianity deliberately compromised the ideals of Jesus in an effort to save and further many of his ideas. And they were eminently successful. But mistake not! these compromised ideals of the Master are still latent in his gospel, and they will succeed God's Gumshoe www.godsgumshoe.org On facebook:  Godss Gumshoe Twitter: @godsgumshoe YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/godsgumshoe?feature=mhee Archive of this series at: http://www.urantiabook.org/audio/gods-gumshoe/gg-index.html

This week we continue our series on the afterlife!  Last week we covered the first two Mansion Worlds. Jesus alluded to this phase of the afterlife when he said: "In my Father's house are many mansions." The Urantia Book claims to reveal the truth about what happens when we die. It's says, "...you will resume your intellectual training and spiritual development at the exact level whereon they were interrupted by death. .... You begin over there right where you leave off down here."  This part of the Urantia Book reveals the Morontia levels of existence. It defines Morontia as the level of life that falls between matter and spirit. It says, "Morontia is a term designating a vast level intervening between the material and the spiritual. It may designate personal or impersonal realities, living or nonliving energies. The warp of morontia is spiritual; its woof is physical." The Urantia Book also says, "Love of adventure, curiosity, and dread of monotony—these traits inherent in evolving human nature—were not put there just to aggravate and annoy you during your short sojourn on earth, but rather to suggest to you that death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery." And, "You will work your way through the ascending levels of this vast experiential university by imparting to those just below you the new-found knowledge of your advancing career." Do you believe that only saints ascend?  Do you believe that humans are miserable and wretched beings who largely don't deserve to continue on?  If so, you owe it to yourself to listen in and learn how precious each human being truly is. Come and discover the amazing plan that our beneficent and loving Creator has in store for all who have faith to venture forth.  Join us, and ponder the hereafter.

An Investigation into The New Testament Bible Whistleblower: From 3 perspectives * The Biblical Worldview * The Academic/Scholastic * The Urantia Book: (93:4.8) 2. You shall not doubt that faith is the only requirement for eternal salvation. 3:5.9.4. Is faith—the supreme assertion of human thought—desirable? Then must the mind of man find itself in that troublesome predicament where it ever knows less than it can believe 3:5.10.5. Is the love of truth and the willingness to go wherever it leads, desirable? Then must man grow up in a world where error is present and falsehood always possible. 3:5.13.8. Is unselfishness—the spirit of self-forgetfulness—desirable? Then must mortal man live face to face with the incessant clamoring of an inescapable self for recognition and honor. Man could not dynamically choose the divine life if there were no self-life to forsake. Man could never lay saving hold on righteousness if there were no potential evil to exalt and differentiate the good by contrast. Always in Love God's Gumshoe www.godsgumshoe.org On facebook:  Godss Gumshoe Twitter: @godsgumshoe YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/godsgumshoe?feature=mhee Archive of this series at: http://www.urantiabook.org/audio/gods-gumshoe/gg-index.html

"On the mansion worlds the resurrected mortal survivors resume their lives just where they left off when overtaken by death. When you go from Urantia to the first mansion world, you will notice considerable change,...""...the real and conscious reassembly of actual and complete personality takes place in the resurrection halls of mansonia number one. Throughout all eternity you will recall the profound memory impressions of your first witnessing of these resurrection mornings." [The Urantia Book 47:3.1,5] Welcome Cosmic Citizens to a series on the afterlife!  We'll start this series by beginning right where the vast majority of Urantians will take up the beginning of the full morontia life; the immediate life after life. "From the resurrection halls you proceed to the Melchizedek sector, where you are assigned permanent residence. Then you enter upon ten days of personal liberty. You are free to explore the immediate vicinity of your new home and to familiarize yourself with the program which lies immediately ahead. You also have time to gratify your desire to consult the registry and call upon your loved ones and other earth friends who may have preceded you to these worlds." [47:3.6] It is quite likely impossible to imagine all that has been prepared before us but we are told just enough about the next life by the revelators to "whet our appetites" for more.

An Investigation into The New Testament Bible Whistleblower:  HOW JESUS BECAME CHRISTIAN From 3 perspectives * The Biblical Worldview * The Academic/Scholastic * The Urantia Book Building upon the view that Paul - not Jesus - invented Christianity, our program today demonstrates conclusively where and how this is so. Paul’s religion differed from that of Jesus and his first followers in terms of its origin, beliefs and practices. CHRISTIANITY has very little to do with Jesus - in fact the historical Jesus would be horrified by the religion which sprang up in his name. That is the bold argument put forward by religious historian Barrie Wilson in his fascinating new book.Regardless of whether we agree with Wilson’s controversial conclusions as such, he presents convincing arguments, based on existing historic facts and scriptures. More than anything it brings the credibility of the conventional Christian version into question. And since historic facts play an important role in Christianity, this does of course mean a less stable reference point for contemporary Christian in their interpretations of Jesus’s words and thought in relation to contemporary issues.” -- Scientific & Medical Network Journal (UK)Email:  [email protected] On facebook: Godss GumshoeTwitter: @godsgumshoe  YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/godsgumshoe?feature=mhee

This week we will begin our show by discussing the afterlife as detailed in The Urantia Book. We will then spend an hour with Dannion Brinkley.  Dannion is a best selling author and a reader of the Urantia Book. In his first book, Saved by the Light, Dannion describes being struck by lightning on September 17, 1975, while using a telephone at his home in Aiken, South Carolina. He was clinically dead for 28 minutes. During these 28 minutes he experienced many characteristic details of a near death experience as well as certain unique ones. His account includes an out-of-body experience with extensive observations of physical surroundings, passing through a tunnel, a detailed life review and an encounter with beings who showed him visions of the future and discussed with him his life mission. Brinkley said he had a strong reluctance to return to his physical body, but he was sent back to fulfill a mission. Shortly thereafter, Dannion told his story to near-death researcher Raymond Moody. In the Introduction to Saved by the Light, Moody wrote that Brinkley's near death experience stands as one of the most incredible he has ever heard. In May 1989 Brinkley had heart failure and went to the East Cooper Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina where he had a second near death experience. Brinkley said he had another life review and was taken by a being to a place with pleasant sounds and smells. He was released from the hospital a few weeks later. On September 17, 1997 Brinkley had brain surgery to remove a subdural hematoma and had a third near death experience. Dannion's life mission since 1975 has been to help people understand how powerful they are and how loved they are by "them up there."  And also that they don't need to be afraid of death. Dannion is an amazing inspirational speaker and you will surely find this show uplifting and interesting. Please tune in.

An Investigation into The New Testament Bible Whistleblower: From 3 perspectives * The Biblical Worldview * The Academic/Scholastic * The Urantia Book : Christianity has elevated the concept of anthropomorphism from the ideal of the human to the transcendent and divine concept of the person of the glorified Christ. And this is the highest anthropomorphism that man can ever conceive. 5:4.10.The Christian concept of God is an attempt to combine three separate teachings: 5:4.11.1. The Hebrew concept—God as a vindicator of moral values, a righteous God. 5:4.12.2. The Greek concept—God as a unifier, a God of wisdom. 5:4.13.3. Jesus' concept—God as a living friend, a loving Father, the divine presence. 5:4.14.   It must therefore be evident that composite Christian theology encounters great difficulty in attaining consistency. This difficulty is further aggravated by the fact that the doctrines of early Christianity were generally based on the personal religious experience of three different persons: Philo of Alexandria, Jesus of Nazareth, and Paul of Tarsus. Email:  [email protected] On facebook: Godss GumshoeTwitter: @godsgumshoe  YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/godsgumshoe?feature=mhee

This week we've invited another trustee of Urantia Foundation, Dr. Gard Jameson. Gard has taught Asian philosophy and religion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and written 2 books on mythology. He's passionate about The Urantia Book, interfaith, centering prayer, spiritual retreats and other deeply spiritual matters. After decades as a CPA and Financial Planner, Gard returned to college to obtain a PhD in Comparative Religion at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Gard bought a copy of The Urantia Book in 1972 in a California bookstore near Stanford University, where he was studying Comparative Religion. His first impression was that it was like no other book of philosophy or religion he had ever encountered. Gard's friend Brian, a fellow student, borrowed it and said, “Gard, do you know what you have here? A revelation.” Gard explores the universe and the world of life with a distinctive perspective, which starts from the myths and poetry of classic antiquity and reaches "the body, the mind, the heart, and the soul." Please join us! CallSend SMSAdd to SkypeYou'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

An Investigation into The New Testament Bible Paul and the Epistles #1 From 3 perspectives * The Biblical worldview * The Academic/Scholastic * The Urantia Book The Apostle Paul, in his efforts to bring the teachings of Jesus to the favorable notice of certain groups in his day, wrote many letters of instruction and admonition. Other teachers of Jesus' gospel did likewise, but none of them realized that some of these writings would subsequently be brought together by those who would set them forth as the embodiment of the teachings of Jesus. And so, while so-called Christianity does contain more of the Master's gospel than any other religion, it does also contain much that Jesus did not teach. Email:  [email protected] On facebook: Godss GumshoeTwitter: @godsgumshoe  YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/godsgumshoe?feature=mhee

This week our show all about the Fellowship's 12th Triennial International Conference, IC'14. The theme of the conference is Grow Godward. The conference coordinator, Angela Thurston, is a student at Harvard Divinity School and an active member of the Fellowship's Youth and Young Adult Committee. Her team: Steve Dreier, Cristina Seaborn, Janet Graham, Tony Finstad, Geoff Theiss and Tom Choquette, will be on to give an overview of the program, worship, music, family life, and young adult options. Grow Godward is about our individual spiritual striving to discover God and do his will. Attendees will come together to explore the diversity of our many approaches to God and to learn from each others’ experiences of growing closer to Him. The program offers different tracks to help inform your decisions about which workshops and activities to attend: Study the Book: For in-depth study of The Urantia Book. Serve with Love: Provides inspiration and hands-on opportunities for outreach and service. Live the Teachings: Offers insights and experiences with regard to making the teachings manifest. Seek Truth: The Truthseekers program has been established as a valuable path for young people to grow in spiritual awareness through meanings and values. Bring the Family: Workshops and activities in this track focus on the Book’s teachings about family life. Grow Personally: The Book teaches that true religion yields personal spiritual growth. This track provides opportunities to explore and share the inner experiences we have on our religious paths. Engage the World: Many Urantia Book students are engaged with our global community.