Psychiana No. 17 [transcript]

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:23:12 Unknown Speaker: What is this word? Psyche Yana, which we hear mentioned so often these days? What does it mean? What does it stand for? If you are a new listener to this series of programs, I’d like to explain it to you. A few years ago, a man living in the little town of Moscow, Idaho, began to lose faith in the doctrines taught by Orthodox religious systems.

00:00:23:14 - 00:00:47:28 Unknown Speaker: He had followed the teachings of Orthodox religion ever since his childhood, and yet for some reason they did not seem to meet his needs, did not seem to mean anything to him. Did not seem to have any direct bearing upon his daily life. So he began thinking and investigating. He discovered that many yes, most of these orthodox teachings were simply carryovers from ancient pagan religions.

00:00:48:01 - 00:01:14:20 Unknown Speaker: But more than that, he evolved a whole new conception of God, a religious philosophy which instead of being meaningless dogma and borrowed beliefs, actually meant something. A philosophy by which a person could live and find happiness. He called that philosophy psyche. In a very short time, the news of it spread across the United States, India, Canada, Mexico, and then on across the ocean.

00:01:14:22 - 00:01:39:16 Unknown Speaker: Until now, it is known in practically every civilized country in the world. Thousands upon thousands of thinking people have adopted it and have found that it works, that it produces practical, tangible, almost immediate results. The name of the man who evolved that philosophy is one which, without much doubt you already know. For he is one of the most discussed figures in the world today.

00:01:39:18 - 00:02:06:08 Unknown Speaker: He is doctor Frank Robinson. And in just a few more moments, you are going to hear his voice, hear him in a discussion of his philosophy. And here is your guide. An old friend of Doctor Robinson who will take you for a visit to Doctor Robinson’s home.

00:02:06:11 - 00:02:13:29 Unknown Speaker: And.

00:02:14:02 - 00:02:34:26 Unknown Speaker: As we arrive at Doctor Robinson’s home, we hear the strains of music from the pipe organ in his study. And we enter without knocking. While we know that music is an expression of welcome. Know that Doctor Robinson is waiting for us.

00:02:34:28 - 00:02:42:18 Unknown Speaker: Wait! Don’t stop. Finish the selection.

00:02:42:21 - 00:02:53:29 Unknown One. More.

00:02:54:01 - 00:02:58:28 Unknown And.

00:02:59:01 - 00:03:19:00 Unknown The.

00:03:19:02 - 00:03:25:11 Unknown Refractive.

00:03:25:13 - 00:03:34:11 Unknown Air.

00:03:34:13 - 00:03:38:19 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, why so serious? Didn’t you like that number?

00:03:38:22 - 00:03:48:07 Unknown Speaker: Oh, yes. Indeed. I was just thinking, you know, Doctor Robinson, at our last meeting, we touched upon a subject which I’d like to continue.

00:03:48:09 - 00:03:49:27 Frank Bruce Robinson: For five subjects present.

00:03:49:29 - 00:04:05:24 Unknown Speaker: Well, you stated that you differed with Orthodox religious systems, not primarily because they were based upon pagan beliefs and superstitions, but because these systems were meaningless, worthless, and couldn’t be applied to our daily lives.

00:04:05:27 - 00:04:10:17 Frank Bruce Robinson: That’s right. And because they make promises which they can’t possibly keep.

00:04:10:19 - 00:04:12:25 Unknown Speaker: What do you mean by that, doctor?

00:04:12:28 - 00:04:31:18 Frank Bruce Robinson: I’ll answer by asking you a few questions to begin with. Orthodox religion asks you to believe certain doctrines, does it not? Yes. Now, even assuming that these doctrines were true, why should you believe them? What reason or incentive have you for believing them?

00:04:31:21 - 00:04:42:25 Unknown Speaker: Well, according to the Bible and the advocates of Orthodox religion, if I don’t believe and follow the precepts laid down, I’ll be punished. Doomed.

00:04:42:28 - 00:04:51:25 Frank Bruce Robinson: And on the other hand, they tell you, do they not? If you do follow the teachings of the doctor religion, you will be rewarded.

00:04:51:27 - 00:04:54:09 Unknown Speaker: Yes, that is what they say.

00:04:54:11 - 00:04:57:24 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, when will you be rewarded? Now at one.

00:04:57:26 - 00:05:00:21 Unknown Speaker: Oh, no. not till I die.

00:05:00:23 - 00:05:06:11 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, just what is the nature of this reward which the church holds out to its followers after they die?

00:05:06:18 - 00:05:13:16 Unknown Speaker: Why, that the faithful follower will, well, go to heaven. To Paradise?

00:05:13:19 - 00:05:24:15 Frank Bruce Robinson: Yes. And that is what Orthodox religion promises. And that is the answer. I wanted to get to my question. Now, let me ask you something else. What is heaven?

00:05:24:18 - 00:05:28:23 Unknown Speaker: I’m afraid I can’t answer that of a very much accuracy, doctor.

00:05:28:25 - 00:05:59:04 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, you don’t have to. The scriptures themselves answer it for you. In fact, heaven is defined in the very first chapter of Genesis, which says that on the second day God created the firmament of heaven, dividing the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. In other words, the as solid something which was, as Genesis one six says, in the midst of the waters, to divide the waters from the waters.

00:05:59:06 - 00:06:01:13 Frank Bruce Robinson: Now does that mean anything to you?

00:06:01:16 - 00:06:06:05 Unknown Speaker: No, not very much. In fact, I might say it means nothing at all.

00:06:06:08 - 00:06:16:04 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, in spite of the fact that the definition is rather vague and sketchy, let’s past that point for a moment. Now tell me where heaven is located.

00:06:16:06 - 00:06:18:21 Unknown Speaker: And I’m afraid I can’t answer that either.

00:06:18:24 - 00:07:01:10 Frank Bruce Robinson: And I am afraid you don’t know your Bible. The location of heaven is set forth in any number of instances. For example, the scripture states that it is so close to the earth that living people might, as it says in Amos nine, to climb up to heaven. So folks, that according to Saint Paul, the departed soul flashes from earth to its heavenly home in the twinkling of an eye, so close that man on earth attempted to build a tower, the Tower of Babel, which would reach into it so close that the ladder resting on Earth actually did reach into heaven, and the angels climbed up and down, so close that diabetes and hell could look

00:07:01:10 - 00:07:19:05 Frank Bruce Robinson: up into it and see Lazarus and carry on the conversation with him. So, according to the scriptures, heaven must be pretty close at hand. In fact, we should have no difficulty in reaching it in an airplane. Now, there’s all this. Explain its location.

00:07:19:05 - 00:07:22:04 Unknown Speaker: Do I still have to say it doesn’t?

00:07:22:06 - 00:07:53:13 Frank Bruce Robinson: Nor does it, though. Explain the location of heaven to anyone else. No telescope, no matter how powerful, has ever brought into vision. It’s just for walls, its golden streets and pearly gates. No delicate astronomical instruments have ever measure the distance between it and this Earth. Although science is measured other distances quite accurately. We know that the sun is 93 million miles away, that the planet Neptune is nearly 3 billion miles farther into space.

00:07:53:16 - 00:08:20:19 Frank Bruce Robinson: That the star cluster known as NGC 6822, lies in such profound depths of space that the light from it reaches this earth only after traveling through space for 1 million years. And yet, in plumbing, these depths of space depth so profound that they stagger the imagination. Science has found no trace of a heaven which the Scripture tells us is so close.

00:08:20:21 - 00:08:22:03 Frank Bruce Robinson: What do you say to that?

00:08:22:06 - 00:08:31:22 Unknown Speaker: Well, I did say that the scriptures were wrong, obviously, that the Scripture authorities who told us where heaven was didn’t really know.

00:08:31:24 - 00:08:33:07 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, do you think anyone knows?

00:08:33:11 - 00:08:35:13 Unknown Speaker: No, I do not.

00:08:35:16 - 00:08:39:23 Frank Bruce Robinson: Do you think heaven as it’s described in the scriptures really exists?

00:08:39:25 - 00:08:46:28 Unknown Speaker: No. I don’t see how anyone with any intelligence at all could possibly imagine that such a heaven exists.

00:08:47:00 - 00:09:18:14 Frank Bruce Robinson: And very well. Now, you say that Orthodox religion rewards the faithful in heaven, a place which neither the scriptural authorities nor anyone else have been able to describe with any accuracy. A place whose location is not known, a place which by all the rules of reason does not exist. If that is my reward for believing the doctrines of Orthodox religion, then I don’t think I’m losing very much or taking very much of a chance by departing from these doctrines.

00:09:18:16 - 00:09:19:18 Frank Bruce Robinson: What do you think?

00:09:19:20 - 00:09:31:06 Unknown Speaker: Well, I think I’m beginning to see what you meant, doctor, when you said that orthodox religious systems are meaningless, worthless and couldn’t be applied to our daily lives.

00:09:31:08 - 00:09:34:07 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, that is precisely the point I am making.

00:09:34:09 - 00:09:40:03 Unknown Speaker: But is there anything, any believe, that can be applied to our daily lives?

00:09:40:05 - 00:10:15:09 Frank Bruce Robinson: There certainly is behind this universe of ours. Must be some force, some principle, some intelligence. And that principle is God. It doesn’t dwell in a house of many mansions on the other side of the sky. It pervades the entire universe. It is here in this room right now, and once we have learned to understand it and put ourselves in accord with it, we do not have to wait until we die to derive benefits from it.

00:10:15:12 - 00:10:21:12 Frank Bruce Robinson: We can secure those benefits every day and every second of the day.

00:10:21:14 - 00:10:26:05 Unknown Speaker: Just what do you mean by putting ourselves in accord with it, doctor?

00:10:26:07 - 00:10:54:18 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, shall I simplify that statement with an example? behind a railway system is a principle, a method. Trains leave certain points at certain times bound for a certain destination, unless you know that method and acted accordingly. You could not make use of that railroad. You would miss trains. You would be carried to the wrong destination. You would not be able to take advantage of the service.

00:10:54:20 - 00:10:55:25 Frank Bruce Robinson: Do you see what I’m getting at?

00:10:56:02 - 00:10:58:16 Unknown Speaker: Yes, I do, and quite clearly.

00:10:58:18 - 00:11:07:14 Frank Bruce Robinson: Well, that’s what I mean by putting ourselves in accord with this God law, so we can take advantage of it in our daily lives.

00:11:07:16 - 00:11:20:07 Unknown Speaker: And it’s one of the most reasonable, intelligent explanations I have ever listened to. And now, if I may ask one more favor, will you play a number on the organ before it’s time for me to go?

00:11:20:09 - 00:11:27:18 Frank Bruce Robinson: That’s a favor. I’ll take a great deal of pleasure in gambling. Are you going to select the number this time, or am I right?

00:11:27:23 - 00:11:29:05 Unknown Speaker: I’ll leave it to you, doctor.

00:11:29:07 - 00:11:37:19 Frank Bruce Robinson: All right. Now let’s see. I think I’ll play, The world is waiting for the sunrise.

00:11:45:06 - 00:11:55:02 Unknown Oh.

00:11:55:04 - 00:12:03:06 Unknown Soon.

00:12:03:08 - 00:12:17:10 Unknown You.

00:12:17:12 - 00:12:39:28 Unknown May.

00:12:40:00 - 00:12:53:15 Unknown You.

00:12:53:18 - 00:13:22:28 Unknown You.

00:13:23:01 - 00:13:28:18 Unknown Will.

00:13:28:21 - 00:13:39:06 Unknown Be.

00:13:39:08 - 00:14:03:26 Unknown Speaker: What do you think of Doctor Robinson’s explanation of the God law? Doesn’t it also appeal to you as being reasonable and intelligent? I’m sure it does. Then why not get the complete outline of Doctor Robinson’s message? You may have it for the asking. Without charge. Without obligation. Simply write a letter or a postcard to Doctor Robinson and say, send me the free outline of Schiano.

00:14:03:28 - 00:14:44:09 Unknown Speaker: Doctor Robinson will mail it to you at once. Address your letter either care of the station to which you are listening or directly to Doctor Robinson. Moscow, Idaho. If you write to Moscow, Idaho, including your address, the words Radio Department, we return you now to your local announcer, who will give you the date and time of Doctor Robinson’s next broadcast.