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Christianity's Problem Part 3 of 3 · Urantia Radio

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Hey, welcome to The Ranch Radio Podcast.
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I'm your host Jim Watkins and this is part.
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Three of a three-part series. So a conclusion.
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To our discussion. About paper 195, in which we're
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talking about the. Various ideologies that.
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Mankind is struggling with in the modern day and some
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insights. Provided to us by the
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revelators. In the second.
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To last paper of the ranch. Book.
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I know you'll enjoy it. We've covered materialism.
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The Vulnerabilities of Materialism, Secular
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Totalitarianism, which we covered in the last podcast.
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And finally, we get to the final chapter of Paper 195, and it's
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entitled Christianity's Problem. And what could that be?
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We'll talk about that in just a second here.
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I also want to thank you for stopping by and if you ever have
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a comment or a question. Or if there's a certain paper
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that you'd like us to to address, perhaps?
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Feel free to e-mail us anytime your Rancho Book Radio.
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At gmail.com and I promise. Always to reply.
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Welcome back to another edition of The Ranch Radio podcast.
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My name is Jim Watkins. It's.
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Good to be. Here I feel a sense of liberty.
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Today that I. Haven't felt in a long time and
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I've been spending so much time lately.
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Pondering the Paper 190. Five series that.
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We've been doing and I've also been reading some incredible
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writings from this gentleman that I think I mentioned on the
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last podcast by the name of Chuck Thurston.
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And Chuck is a long time your Antic book reader and and you
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may have run across his writings.
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I know that he does write for various urantial organizations
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and publications but some of his stuff is just pretty pretty
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profound. And I do and we did connect and
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he is going to IC23, so he'll. Be there.
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And I hope it's okay for me to mention that.
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And then when he comes back, we're going to have him come on
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and he and and much of his writings that I've.
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Read has to do with. The current times and the.
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The Callagastier role. And some of the things that's
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going on and and and maybe some of the things that are not have
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anything to do with the rebellion.
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But have to do with just the way that the Earth.
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The direction that the earth is going into it and some of the
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reasons why. But he.
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Also, and this is what's really fascinating, and if you're a
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long time you're Angie book reader, you know when you read.
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About the history. Melchizedek and what he did with
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the covenant that he made with Abraham, and then the subsequent
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history. Chuck.
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Does a really good job at. Breaking down what?
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How that period? Ended up affecting.
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The bestowal of Michael and then even today with.
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What we have? And the thing that's interesting
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is we are in the possession of an incredible revelation.
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An incredible revelation. This is an epic revelation, and
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we are the. Early adapters of this
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revelation. So into our hands comes this.
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Great privilege, the. Challenge is that we're in a
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world. That isn't quite.
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Ready to hear? Much of what?
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The Iran Book. Has to say about a spiritual.
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Kingdom who inhabit who inhabits it.
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What they do the history. Of.
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Of the Trinity, the evolution of the universe.
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All of these things are. Are just really.
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Profound religious ideals, but we live in an age that is not
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very religious. Or at least.
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The people that are in charge don't seem to be utilizing the
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strengths of religion, which is what we've been talking about in
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Paper 195, which is entitled after Pentecost.
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We went through materialism, We went through the vulnerabilities
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of materialism. And then in the last segment, I
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think it was Section 8, the revelators went over the dangers
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of secular totalitarianism and and all of.
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These are. Warnings to from our.
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Revelators at the authors of this book.
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And in this case, it's the Midway Commission, and they're
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trying to tell us that in order. For us to.
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Move in the right direction, We're going to have to make some
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changes, and these changes are necessary.
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Otherwise we're going to fall victim to our own nihilistic,
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materialistic tendencies. And so now we want to focus on
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Section 9. And it is entitled in that same
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paper 190. 5 Christianity's. Problem and and it's if you're a
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Christian you know it could it could offend you.
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I don't think it will. I'm a Christian and it doesn't
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offend me. I mean I I've always considered
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myself a Christian in in or Jesus Sonian or am I a follower
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of the master's teachings. Absolutely.
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Do I think he's the son of God? Absolutely so.
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Why wouldn't I qualify as a as a Christian?
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Right. So I I'm looking at this and
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saying okay, what can I do about my own religion and make it
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more? Attractive to other people
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because if we're going through a spiritual abyss if.
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If they're trying to say, you can't do that if you become an.
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Unspiritualized Society. There's going to be all kinds of
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havoc and much of it you're seeing today.
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What was? The last line in the preceding.
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Paragraph. The section on secular
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totalitarianism, the very last line says, And this is only the
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beginning of the dire harvest of materialism and secularism.
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Still more terrible destruction is yet to come.
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And they also talk. About how the first third of
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the. 20th century Your ancients killed more human beings than
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were killed. During the the.
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Whole of the. Christian dispensation up to
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that time. And now we're hearing about all
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these things that are going on culturally.
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The crime, drug addiction. We just saw sounds of freedom
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last weekend. It's shocking to learn that
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there's more slavery, more human slavery now than there was
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during the time of slavery there.
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A lot of things were wrong, and I don't mean to be a pessimist.
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But what the revelators are. Telling us?
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And what they have been telling us for 100 years.
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Is that a? Society can no longer be held.
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Together without God. Than a solar system without
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gravity And And what is God anyway?
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God is an idea. As we talked.
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About the Supreme Being, the plan of the Supreme is is in
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motion and we are participating in that.
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Process. God's already got a project for
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us. And too many people today have
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their own projects, and they're going to have one short life to
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accomplish. That if.
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They want to go on their own way and go.
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Rogue but. That's not the plan.
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And and so we all know that God's will is.
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Service. Serve others as you would like
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to be treated. Treat people with respect.
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Love your neighbor. Love your enemy.
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These are the basic truths that teaches.
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That that Christ taught and they are still relevant today.
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He still attracts people. And yet despite.
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This the world hates. Christianity many parts of the.
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World. It is a death sentence.
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Why is that? Well, let's take a look at that.
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In section 9 of paper 195, it says do not overlook the value.
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Of your spiritual heritage, the river of.
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Truth running down through the centuries, even to the barren
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times of a materialistic and secular.
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Age. In all your worthy.
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Efforts to rid yourself of the superstitious creeds of past
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ages. Make sure that you.
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Hold. Fast the eternal truths be, but
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be patient when the present superstition revolt is over.
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There is there the truth of Jesus.
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Gospel will persist gloriously. To illuminate a new and better
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way, these present superstition revolt.
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That's scientism asserting. Over faith.
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That's what the ideological struggle today.
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Is scientism which? Is as we.
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Discussed in the earlier paper on materialism is this notion
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that only the material is real and everything else.
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Is relative. The Urantia book writers affirm.
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That. Reality is threefold.
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It is mind, it is matter, and it is.
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Spirit. Those are three parallels.
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Of the same and they constitute total.
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Or the totality of reality? Science doesn't.
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Allow for that. Postulate, and that's why we're
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having the problems that we have.
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Today, because it has. Orphaned the human spirit.
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It's basically said. The human spirit is not real.
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It is a psychological problem. That can be treated, and that's
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from the secularist side. Then you've got the other older
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religions. That are antagonistic against.
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This particular. Brand which is the religion of
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Jesus. Love thy neighbor, love thyself.
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Worship thy God. Have a personal relationship
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with the loving. Father go about.
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Doing good. That's God's will.
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Okay, so let me continue on. But paganized and socialized
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Christianity stands in need of new contact with the
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uncompromised teachings of Jesus.
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It languishes for lack of a new vision of the master's life on
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earth. A new and fuller revelation of
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the religion of Jesus is destined to conquer an empire of
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materialistic secularism and to. Overthrow a world.
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Sway of mechanistic naturalism, Urantia is now quivering on the
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very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epics of
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social readjustment, moral quickening and spiritual
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enlightenment. The teachings of Jesus, even
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though greatly modified, survive the mystery cults.
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Of their birth. Time, the ignorance and the
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superstition of the Dark Ages, and are even now slowly
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triumphing, triumphing over the materialism, mechanism and
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secularism of the 20th century and such times of great testing
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and threatened. Defeat are always.
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Times of great Revelation. Religion does not need, does
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need new leaders, spiritual men and women.
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Who will dare? To depend solely on Jesus and
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his incomparable teachings if Christianity persists in
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neglecting its spiritual mission while it continues to.
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Busy itself with social. And material problems.
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The spiritual renaissance must await the coming of these new
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teachers of Jesus's religion. Who will be exclusively devoted?
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To the spiritual. Regeneration of men and then
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will the Spirit born? Souls quickly supply the
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leadership. And inspiration requisite for
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the. Social.
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Moral, Economic and Political Reorganization of the world, the
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Modern. Age will refuse to.
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Accept a religion which is inconsistent with facts and out
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of harmony with the highest conceptions of truth, beauty and
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goodness. The hour is.
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Striking for A. Rediscovery.
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Of the true and original foundation, a present day
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distorted and compromised Christianity, the real life and
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teachings. Of Jesus primitive.
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Men and man lived a life of superstitious bondage.
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To religious fear. Modern civilized men dread.
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The thought of. Falling under the dominance of
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strong religious convictions. Thinking man has always.
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Feared, Feared to be held by. A religion.
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When a strong and moving religion threatens to dominate
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him, he invariably. Tries to.
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Rationalize, traditionalize, and institutionalize it, thereby
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hoping to gain control of it. By such a procedure.
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Even a revealed religion becomes man made and man dominated.
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Modern men and women of intelligence evade the religion
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of Jesus. Because of their fears.
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Of what it will do? To them and with them and.
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All such fears are well founded. The.
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Religion of Jesus does indeed dominate and transform its.
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Believers. Demanding that men dedicate
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their lives to seeking for a knowledge.
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Of the will. Of the Father in Heaven, and
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requiring that the energies of living be consecrated to the
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unselfish service of the brotherhood of man.
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Selfish men and women simply will not pay such a.
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Price. For even the.
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Greatest spiritual treasure. Ever offered mortal man only
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when man has become sufficiently disillusioned.
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By the. Sorrowful disappointments
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attendant upon the foolish and deceptive pursuits of
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selfishness, and subsequent to the.
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Discovery of the. Barrenness of formalized
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religion. Will he be?
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Disposed to turn wholeheartedly. To the gospel.
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Of the Kingdom. The religion of Jesus of
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Nazareth. The world needs more firsthand
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religion, even Christianity, The best of the religions of the
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20th century, is not only a religion about Jesus.
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But it is. So largely one which men
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experience secondhand. They take their.
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Religion wholly as handed down by their accepted.
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Religious, religious teachers. What an awakening the world
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would experience. If it could only see.
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Jesus as he. Really lived on earth and no
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first hand is life. Giving teachings, descriptive
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words of things beautiful cannot thrill.
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Like the sight. Thereof, neither can creedal
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words inspire men's soul. Like the experience?
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Of knowing the presence of God, but expectant faith.
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Will ever keep the hope door? Of man's soul open for the
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entrance of the eternal spiritual realities.
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Of the divine values of the world's beyond, and that is the
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difference really between the. Secular world.
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Here and now point of view but when we think about and this
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was. Also discussed.
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In our previous section that. These these revelators of light.
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Are saying you need to expand your view of of reality.
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And it's not just what happens in your, you know, 60-70 eighty
15:12
years of life on earth. There is something more, and
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what you do here determines the fate.
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To a large degree of how you progress if you.
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Progress on that eternal journey.
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Now, it's not a litmus test, but they're saying that the only way
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that we can get. There so that we don't suffer
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under the. Materialistic fetters of being
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finite creatures is through our mind.
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Which is attached to the Spirit of God.
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And it carries us to that next threshold.
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And it. Is a requirement that we and our
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will embrace that idea of eternal values, the spiritual
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Kingdom, or whatever you want to call it, heaven.
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The afterlife. One man described it as an
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elevator, where you get in, get off one floor and you get on
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another. It's all kinds of ways to look
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at it, but the important thing is the concept of the life
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everlasting and that this universe is not.
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Just a haphazard. Random causation event.
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There's a there's a plan going on, there's something in action
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and we are a part. Of that process.
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We'll we'll conclude with these final words.
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Christianity has dared. To lower its ideals before the.
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Challenge of human greed, war, madness, and the lust for.
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Power but the. Religion of Jesus stands as the
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unsullied and transcended spiritual summons.
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Calling to the best there is in man to rise.
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Above all these legacies of. Animal evolution and by grace
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attain the moral heights of true human destiny.
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Christianity. Christianity is threatened by
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slow death from formalism over organization, intellectualism,
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and other nonspiritual trends. The modern Christian Church is
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not. Such a brotherhood.
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Of dynamic. Believers as.
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Jesus commissioned continuously. To affect the spiritual.
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Transformation of successive generations of mankind.
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So-called. Christianity has become a social
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and cultural movement. As well as a religious belief
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and. Practice.
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The stream of modern Christianity drains many an
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ancient Pagan swamp and many a barbarian morass.
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Many old and cultural watersheds drain into this presentday
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cultural stream as. Well as the.
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High Galilean table lands. Which are supposed it to be its
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exclusive source, I've said. Before on on these podcasts that
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Christianity is very much like a Christmas tree.
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The Christmas tree itself is a symbol of many Pagan and
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religious events. Or societies of the past?
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And there's a little bit of everything a.
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Little bit of. Of man's search.
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For religious truth. In a Christmas tree, everything
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represents something. Here's.
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What I'll say to you now in the next section, which we'll save
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for the next episode we're going to.
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Explore the future. Section 10.
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It's the final section in paper 195, and it gives us a road map
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to the. Future.
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And I know you're going to enjoy it.
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I thank you for stopping by. It's.
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Always a pleasure here. It's always a pleasure and I do
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hope that you will share this podcast I told you last.
18:33
Time that. We have surpassed the six.
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Figure Mark. Over 6 over. 100,000.
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People have. Downloaded this podcast?
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Isn't that amazing? That means that people's
18:47
interest in the Ranch book is growing.
18:50
And I am so happy. So thank you.
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E-mail me your Ranch book radio@gmail.com if you want to
18:55
reach out. And I look.
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Forward to our next get together the song called Avalon, which is
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done by Roxy Music and I just. I just love it.
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I think it's a great way to end the segment.
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I hope you enjoy it.