We generally consider ourselves citizens of a particular location on planet Earth; we may feel we are citizens of the United States, or North Carolina, or India, or England, or whatever. In our shortsighted view we ignore the rest of creation, the rest of the cosmos. Ignorance of a law is no excuse for lawbreaking; if we drive fast through a residential neighborhood we cannot expect the policeman to believe us if we tell him we did not know better. In the same vein we cannot expect God to believe us if we claim we had no clue we are not the center of all creation, the most important person, state or even planet in existence. In the words of John Donne, no man is an island entire of itself. Each one of us is a part of total creation, the cosmos. We are all cosmic citizens whether we realize it or not.
Rights and responsibilities of cosmic citizenship
Liberty is nonexistent apart from cosmic reality….(Urantia Book 613.6) We may think we are free, but if we do not consider cosmic reality, for example the truth that every thinking mortal contains an actual fragment of God within, then we are in fact not free. In our daily lives we might get away with ignoring the rest of the cosmos for a while, ignoring spiritual reality, but there always comes a time when reality exerts itself and cannot be ignored. We are cosmic citizens whether we realize it or not.
What are our rights as cosmic citizens? What do we gain by accepting and activating such citizenship? First is the right to know our Heavenly Father and become more like Him. We have the right to be protected and guided during our earthly life and beyond. We have the right to attain life eternal, to choose unending existence throughout all future eternity. During this eternal life we have the right, even duty, to grow in our understanding of creation and to grow in our service to our sisters and brothers.
We must also become aware of our responsibility as cosmic citizens, citizens of our Heavenly Father’s creation. Some of these responsibilities are: accepting our Father’s primacy, realizing the equal spiritual value of each human being, working to assist those in need, ensuring that everyone has a safe nurturing environment, doing what we can to protect the environment of Earth for all future citizens, seeking to know and do God’s will in all things, and promote the truth that our Heavenly Father is actually and equally present in the mind of each thinking human being on Earth.
The materialistically fixated naysayers will call this a bunch of highfaluting nonsense; they will certainly have fun with it. However, when they do this they ignore spiritual reality, they ignore the truth God is a part of everyone. When these materialistic cynics experience God within they will increasingly become aware of their cosmic responsibility as creatures of God.
Economic necessities tie man up with reality, and personal religious experience brings this same man face to face with the eternal realities of an ever-expanding and progressing cosmic citizenship. (Urantia Book1093.3) Even as we go about our daily activities dealing with economic necessities we can have a personal relationship with God and grow in our awareness of cosmic reality; we know our Heavenly Father is with us.
Individuals who ascribe to a dogmatic religion will also have difficulty realizing cosmic responsibility. They have been so taken in by a particular theological viewpoint they cannot possibly become aware of a wider cosmic reality without gaining a broader perspective, becoming aware of our new revelation.
Changing societal relationships
Our society is currently undergoing many changes in social structure; what was acceptable only a few years ago is no longer condoned. In our recent past, even extending into current society, everything has been controlled mainly by men. The male half of our society appears to feel that females should stay at home and nurse babies; they do not accept the truth women are equal cosmic citizens. Society is currently becoming aware of shifting mores in this area.
New social interactions and customs designed to stabilize marriage are coming into wider use. The role of religion emphasizes the importance of the parental experience, to procreate cosmic citizens for the Father. A new role for science is to make procreation more voluntary. Having unwanted children thrust into society produces an economic and social strain. This has the effect of introducing a new factor in pleasure lures, by refusing to bear unwanted offspring. As a result, those who cannot become proper parents may someday be removed from the reproducing segment of society.[1]
In the final analysis everything boils down to what sort of relationship we have with our Father. Our earthly relationship with our Heavenly Father is the foundation for cosmic morality, the universal sensitivity to, and acceptance of, duty. This is a morality which transcends the temporal sense of relative right and wrong; it is a morality directly predicated on the self-conscious creature’s appreciation of experiential obligation to our Father. (Urantia Book1284.4)
To recognize Deity omnipotence is to enjoy security in your experience of cosmic citizenship, to possess assurance of safety in the long journey to Paradise. (Urantia Book 1300.4) When we fully recognize our Heavenly Father is all powerful we will realize we will be protected, guarded, and guided. God looks after His own; we must base our lives on this truth.
As we joyfully accept our cosmic citizenship, we also accept we are part of God and God is part of us. When this happens we become aware of cosmic morality and universal duty.[2]
The fact that sin can exist in our world proves that we have free will as personalities. It is an example of what happens when we are overwhelmed by the freedom of our free will while being unaware of our obligations as cosmic citizens.[3]
We certainly do not create ourselves, but we absolutely do create our eternal destiny by our free will choices.[4] When we exercise these choices to activate, enhance and implement our cosmic citizenship we become more spiritually real, we become an actual part of the cosmos, we become an integral segment of our Father’s creation. I exist; therefore I am a cosmic citizen and a part of our Heavenly Father’s creation.
Further reading
“Light of Truth: Anticipating the Triumph of Righteousness”
