In ordinary language, a good citizen is a responsible member of a community structured by laws. A good cosmic citizen is a responsible member of the universal family, whose loving and merciful Father is also the sovereign lawgiver. His love and mercy bring joy; his laws teach discipline. Said Jesus, “You should not overlook the fact that even divine love has its severe disciplines.” We are also told, “The satisfying joy of high duty is the eclipsing emotion of spiritual beings.” In other words, this joy puts every competing emotion into the shadows. Discipline that is externally imposed breeds resentment. What transforms the experience of duty is doing the will of God out of love.
The Urantia Book takes us into the Himalayan mountain range of cosmic disciplines and joy. There are foothills, base camps, and invisible Sherpa guides for trips up many mountains. Study the entire book to discover the beautiful, creative design for our evolution on all cosmic levels: material, intellectual, and spiritual. Lasting joy does not come from everyone doing what he pleases.
As a symbol of the art of cosmic citizenship, this photograph shows a woman from Peru. She is weaving a blanket according to traditional patterns from the Incas. She is patient and careful, working with humility and skill, according to a meaningful design, in order to produce beautifully something that is truly good.
For the cosmic citizen, The Urantia Book mentions many projects. Some are social, economic, or political. Of the projects highlighted in the book, I will touch on five that you can participate in.
The introduction to Paper 1 leads us to “know God, receive the divine affection, and love him in return.” On this basis we are ready for Project 1. “From the Universal Father who inhabits eternity there has gone forth the supreme mandate, “Be you perfect, even as I am perfect.” For this we need what Jesus called “faith in the effectiveness of the supreme human desire to do the will of God—to be like God.”
For the outworking of this supreme desire, we have Project 2: “The religious challenge of this age is to those farseeing and forward-looking men and women of spiritual insight who will dare to construct a new and appealing philosophy of living out of the enlarged and exquisitely integrated modern concepts of cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness.”
Cosmic truth has a spiritual heart, a scientific periphery, and a philosophical bridge between them. The goal is to unify spiritual living with scientific and philosophical living. To accomplish this, sharpen the three intuitions that come from the cosmic mind:
- A realistic understanding of the facts of material causes and consequences which operate in our present situation
- The wisdom of insight into what our duty is now
- The joy of actualizing spiritual values
If spiritual idealism neglects scientific realism, philosophical wisdom cannot function. The truths of science guide our understanding of the facts that are important in our lives. Learning about causes and consequences in various sciences, including psychology, sociology and history, can also teach us about our own weaknesses and how they can distort our service to others.
The truth, beauty, and goodness of project 2 prepare us to love, forgive, and serve—essentials in Project 3: Get active in Jesus’ gospel movement—the spiritual key to unlock planetary transformation.
The joy in Latin American family life is a wonderful foundation . . . for Jesus’ gospel of the universal family, the family of God. The Creator relates with each of us in an intimate and personal way, as a loving and merciful Father; we join the family simply by the faith of a child. God’s spirit is within us; his law is love, and his will is that we become like him and serve others in ways that help bring the planet closer to its wonderful destiny.
Jesus repeatedly made it clear that spreading the gospel to the world is a duty for every believer. If we joyously discipline ourselves to obey the truth, the cosmic consequences are awesome. Leaders who depend solely on Jesus and his teachings will sooner or later lead a planetary spiritual renaissance, which will make possible “the social, moral, economic, and political reorganization of the world.”
We proclaim the gospel by our lives and teachings if this is what we most desire to proclaim. There are natural human tendencies to proclaim something else to the world: me, me, me, or my project, my projects, my five projects, or Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, or The Urantia Book, The Urantia Book, The Urantia Book. The apostle Peter, bless him, was enthusiastic, passionate, and spontaneous—but undisciplined. As soon as Jesus was gone, Peter felt inspired to replace Jesus’ original gospel by advanced teachings which appealed to the public by centering on Jesus as the divine Son of God.
Jesus taught us how to spread the gospel effectively when he said to the miller, “In your living and loving ministry serve spiritual food in attractive form and suited to the capacity of receptivity of each of your inquirers.” This receptivity principle calls for factual realism. It implies that we don’t hand an algebra text book to someone who is just beginning arithmetic. In most situations, we introduce The Urantia Book only to those who are safely and securely in the family of God. We should not confuse the gospel movement with the Urantia Book movement.
Getting the gospel movement back on track faces more difficulty today. The core of Jesus’ gospel is the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man; but realistically speaking, the father concept and the language of brotherhood are unwelcome in many circles today. Sometimes, I adjust to these facts by clarifying the fatherhood of God—as a top-down revelation of the personality of God, not a bottom-up projection of an image of a biological or sociological male. I often say that each person is free to choose a name for God that fits their discovery of the Friend who is present as the divine spirit within. Speak of God as Creator, Parent, and Friend. Affirm that women and men are equal. Depending on the situation, I speak about the motherhood of God. That said, finding ways to reveal God as a true father, a real father, will help human fathers to be more responsible, and family life to improve.
The gospel movement leads directly into Project 4: “The great hope of Urantia lies in the possibility of a new revelation of Jesus with a new and enlarged presentation of his saving message which would spiritually unite in loving service the numerous families of his present-day professed followers.”
Think of them: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, evangelical, mainline, and charismatic Protestants—and none of the above! Research shows that when persons from these groups gather to pray, listen to God, and support one another in sharing Jesus’ message with their religious groups and surrounding communities, theological differences do not get in the way!
For all four of the previous projects, we find guidance through the last one: to work wisely with The Urantia Book, whose authors reveal this cosmic mountain range, as they help us “to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings.”
Here is one last hard saying, a Mount Everest truth that implies cosmic discipline. “Never, in all your ascent to Paradise, will you gain anything by impatiently attempting to circumvent the established and divine plan by short cuts, personal inventions, or other devices for improving on the way of perfection, to perfection, and for eternal perfection.”
As we learn these things, if we are patient in God, happiness expands. There is no hurry, and we have divine help every step of the way. I now apply the receptivity principle, and propose an ideal dream about introducing people to The Urantia Book. We do not turn ideals into absolutes, and we recognize exceptions to general principles in particular situations. This is a dream which I personally pursue, and which I now dream for you. Please relax in your seats, and—if you like—dream with me.
The first two projects help you become like God; you learn to weave spiritual living together with scientific living. You gain the beautiful wholeness of righteousness, and people are attracted to you. Then, with the next two projects, in teamwork with other followers of Jesus, you help people to get solidly established in the faith of the gospel. Then, a truth-lover comes to you with questions. Wisdom gives you the green light. You joyfully introduce this soul to The Urantia Book, and the person joyfully receives it.
The promise of this presentation is clear: If you accept the disciplines that you discover in The Urantia Book and joyously channel your creativity accordingly, then you are becoming skilled in the down-to-earth art of cosmic citizenship.
Q&A
It is normal to prefer short documents, but if I put the Question and Answer portion into a separate document, some readers would never look—which would be a big mistake. At a university, the teaching staff include professors and teaching assistants. This team of questioners functioned as teaching assistants. They asked for clarifications where I was grateful to have the chance to fill in. They gave me chances to share the ongoing discovery that has been my joy in working on this topic. And they asked for personal examples where I put to practice in my own life what I spoke about above, and I shared things that I have never spoken about publicly before. My heartfelt and enduring thanks to the team of questioners for your significant contributions!
Question. How could we strengthen our core being in order to face the cosmic adventure with joy?
In his lesson on self-mastery (143:2), Jesus teaches us to “believe and rejoice.” Let go of the old methods that don’t work. “By the new way you are first transformed by the Spirit of Truth and thereby strengthened in your inner soul by the constant spiritual renewing of your mind, and so are you endowed with the power of the certain and joyous performance of the gracious, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” And then Jesus tells how to cooperate with the transformation.
Question. Why is it so important to be humble and patient in order to live joyously on earth and attain spiritual fulfillment?
In order to enter the family of God, it is essential to have humility—”the faith and trusting dependence of a little child.” (137:8.8) Jesus says, “Happy are the poor in spirit, the humble, for theirs are the treasures of the universal family.” Cosmic patience is required because of COSMIC SEQUENCE. In other words, some things have to be in place before other things can happen. If I wander away from the faith of a child, sooner or later I have to wake up and go back to refresh my humility in order to progress in the next teachings of righteousness, mercy, and so on. 137:8.8 (1536.5); 140:3.3 (1570.4.)
Question. What do you mean by getting Jesus’ gospel movement back on track?
The gospel movement got off track when beloved Peter and Paul created a religion about the risen Christ instead of Jesus’ gospel.
We help the gospel movement get back on track by study and practice in sharing, teaching, and publicly preaching Jesus’ gospel—in updated language that addresses today’s spiritual difficulties. (194:2.1)
Question. What “truth” should we obey in order to promote the planetary spiritual renaissance? Could you be more specific?
To promote the spiritual renaissance we get active in the gospel movement. Once, when Jesus was criticizing the apostles, he said, “You obey not the truth.” How shall we live the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man? The other truths of Jesus’ many-sided gospel answer this question. They are truths of faith and humility; self-mastery and joy; truth, righteousness and the quest for perfection; love, mercy, and service; the will of God and planetary destiny; brotherly love and fatherly love; and the golden rule, “Do to others as you want others to do to you.”
Question. What is the planet’s wonderful destiny that we approach by serving others and becoming more like God?
We pray to our Father, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus showed us the way to live the will of God in a heavenly way while living on this earth. Imagine everyone in this world living like that! That is the planet’s wonderful destiny.
Question. It is clear that doing the will of God must be motivated by love; but how do you know what God’s will is for daily life?
Go to Paper 91, section 9, Conditions of Effective Prayer. “You must sincerely and courageously face the problems of universe reality. You must possess cosmic stamina.” Suppose you are trying to decide between option 1 and option 2. You look down each road and see the difficulties! You mobilize cosmic stamina to embrace whatever the Father wills. Next, you do your best to solve the problem. And then! “You must surrender every wish of mind and every craving of soul to the transforming embrace of spiritual growth.” You let go of attachment to your best thinking and your soul’s most cherished spiritual values. God answers your prayer by giving you “an expanded revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness.”
Question. Why do people on Earth wrongly believe that joy comes from doing what one pleases? What do you think or know is the reason for that?
There are three reasons. First, it is natural and normal to enjoy doing what one pleases. Second reason: sin that comes from denying the reality of God and rebelling against the Father’s will. Third reason: a lack of growth in the golden rule: Do to others as you want others to do to you. The next three questions are about this rule. Jesus calls it the rule of living.
Question. Is everything you mentioned in the presentation related to transcending some levels of consciousness, including selfishness, so as to finally be ready to ask God: “How could I truly serve you?”
This is the first of three questions that are answered by Jesus’ teaching of six levels of interpretation of the meaning of the golden rule (147:4/1650). Here are the first three. The level of the flesh is self-centered and material minded. The level of the feelings adds sympathy and pity. Third is the level of mind, which includes experience gained in scientific living.
Question. Regarding the spiritual food we should serve “in attractive form and suited to the capacity of receptivity of those who eat it”—how does this relate to “the golden rule”?
This question leads us into the next two levels of interpretation. The fourth interpretation is the level of brotherly love. This involves wholehearted devotion to the well-being of others in social service, based on the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of all humankind. In that wholehearted love some people may share The Urantia Book with enthusiastic compassion with all kinds of people that they are meeting for the first time. But the fifth interpretation, the moral level, goes higher. There we gain philosophical insight into the eternal fitness of human relationships. We study in order to introduce The Urantia Book in accord with its teachings.
Question. How is serving spiritual food attractively related to fatherly love and not just brotherly love?
This question leads us to the sixth and highest interpretation, the spiritual level of fatherly love, where we treat others as we know Jesus would.
Question. What is it to be a responsible member of the universal family in relation to the Father’s laws?
The sovereign lawgiver, “God is a King, and we are his loyal subjects. But far transcending that fact is the truth that we are his sons and daughters.” When we are merely serving an all-powerful King, motivated by fear rather than love, we are not in the family; but when the Father’s will becomes our will, then we are in the universal family.
Question. Which is the most important universal meaning you have understood, and the most transcendental spiritual value you have grasped? Would you be so kind as to share it with us?
The greatest value ever revealed to me was when I was alone at night, looking above the tree tops into the sky—when the heavens rushed open, and I experienced the truth of the reality of the Universal Father as completely liberating.
The greatest concept I am beginning to understand is the cosmic mind, which enables us to gain insightful intuition of reality on three levels. 1. The laws of material causes and consequences that operate in our present situation. 2. The wisdom of the golden rule: intuition into what our duty is now. 3. The love that governs the spiritual level, as we experience the joy of actualizing spiritual values. And I could add that these insights also come with an intuitive sense of when we need to sharpen one or more of these powers.
Question. Are you saying that “trying to be perfect as God is” is the will of God for us? How can we do this?”
I’m not talking about Paradise perfection in the highest heaven, which takes much, much longer than a human lifetime. I’m talking about the kind of perfection or righteousness or mature character that everyone can develop in this life. “The hunger and thirst for righteousness leads to the discovery of truth, and truth augments ideals, and this creates new problems for the individual religionists, for our ideals tend to grow by geometrical progression, while our ability to live up to them is enhanced only by arithmetical progression. The sense of guilt (not the consciousness of sin) comes either from interrupted spiritual communion or from the lowering of one’s moral ideals. Deliverance from such a predicament can only come through the realization that one’s highest moral ideals are not necessarily synonymous with the will of God. Man cannot hope to live up to his highest ideals, but he can be true to his purpose of finding God and becoming more and more like him.” 103:4.2-3 (1133.2-3) When I recall this passage, it helps me stay positive and moving forward.
Question. How can we be perfect as God commands us to be (1:0.3) in a world of total imperfection?
There are three stages. First, this teaching. “Happy are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (140:3.4) Faith in the promise bring joy now.
Stage 2. On one occasion, Jesus repeatedly commanded his apostles to be perfect and to be righteous, as though these two were the same thing. And then he equated them with the salvation of the gospel, which we receive by faith. This is righteousness as a gift of God. (140:10.1)
Stage 3. We learn to integrate in our daily lives the truths of religion with the truths of science. In this way, we gain the beautiful wholeness of righteousness, which attracts people. (155:1.5)
Question. How has your own family improved by you seeing God as a true father with your own children or nephews and nieces, or with your spouse? (142:2.2)
When my son Ben was three years old, he began to strongly resist many things that his parents wanted him to do. On one occasion, I became very angry with him, and I realized that I could hurt him. Soon, I was able to go to a conference where I openly shared my problem in a workshop. As a result of the conversation in the group, I came home with an idea to try. Whenever I became angry at Ben, I would think of the Father above me and his love and mercy for me. That practice completely solved my problem.
Question. Could you tell us a personal experience in which you have felt the merciful love of the Father, and how did it change your life?
I was feeling hurt by my wife as I walked out toward the living room where she was watching Japanese TV and knitting another blanket for a needy child. Suddenly I saw a column of light of divine mercy from heaven surrounding her. I contemplated that sight and completely identified with that mercy. In that state, I went into the kitchen . . . and remembered: we can experience divine forgiveness for ourselves insofar as we forgive others. (170:3.4) So the same mercy must be there for me, too. And immediately I experienced a column of light surrounding me. Since then, I see my wife differently, and I sometimes imagine that light surrounding others person whom I need to see mercifully.
Question. Could you tell us of creative actions you know that somehow show the “down-to-earth art of cosmic citizenship”?
When I experience fear and anxiety, I often imagine being in the Bethsaida Hospital when Jesus came in to greet the patients. I become one of those expectant and faith-dominated persons in the presence of a strong, positive, beneficent personality whose ministry banishes fear and destroys anxiety.
Question. Could you give us an example of how you integrate cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness in your human, down-to-earth life? (2:7.10)
I follow Jesus, who “possessed the ability effectively to mobilize all his powers of mind, soul, and body on the task immediately in hand.” (127:3.15)
The powers of mind include blessings from the cosmic mind that comes to us through the ministries of the Holy Spirit: the spirits of intuition, understanding, courage, knowledge, counsel, worship, and wisdom (36:5/402). Beginning about twenty years ago, I have been working a lot with these ministries; and they continue to be tremendously creative both for me and in ministry to others. For the powers of soul, I begin with the three functions that Jesus included in his discourse on the soul, which he characterized as “the self-reflective, truth-discerning, and spirit-perceiving part of man.” (133:6.5/1478.4) Then I often recall that my goal is to have the power of love dominate the soul.
Question. How do cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness prepare us to love, forgive, and serve (the basis of Jesus’ gospel)? Could you tell us a practical example?
First, when you experience the Father’s love, you can reflect and find truth, beauty, and goodness; they add up to love. Second, the pattern is to move from the love of the Father, through the mercy of the Son, to the ministry of the Spirit. I associate (eternal) truth with the Father, beauty (expression) with the Son, and goodness with the decision-action of the Spirit. Third, cosmic truth includes truths of science that help us understand others, which is essential to forgiveness. The equation is: Love + understanding = mercy. (174:1.2; 2:4.1)
Now for the practical example. I took an hour to prepare for an important phone call with a long-time friend, whom I had been seeing through the lens of our differences, which I regarded as weaknesses. First, I activated my awareness of our Father’s love. Then I thought for a long time about those characteristics, and the factors in my friend’s life that played a role in forming those habits. As I completed that review, divine mercy surged through me. The conversation that followed with my friend was very productive and spiritually satisfying.
