Outline of My Fifth Oral Presentation

Heaven

This is a presentation of Theistic Psychology By Dr. Leon James (2005)

Section 6.7 Found at: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/theistic/ch8.htm#learning

By: Malia Tarayao

Instructions for this oral presentation are found at:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/g22-oral.htm

 

Concept One:  Happiness in heaven

A.      Swedenborg has a very unique concept that human beings cannot be happy unless they do something they have an interest in.  His concept is that we would not be happy in a heaven where we praise our God, but in an environment that is similar to our lives today.  In order to be happy we must be able to feel pain so that we know the feeling of ecstasy, have our hearts broken so that we know the feeling of love, and be able to go through hardships to have a sense of accomplishment.

B.      My Opinion 

á          As a strong believer in faith and God, this concept stuck out like a sore thumb.  I chose this concept because I strongly disagree with Swedenborg.

á          This concept was particularly noticeable because Swedenborg mentioned that we could not be happy living in heaven.  If this statement were true, what are we, as people, suppose to have faith in?  It is very depressing to even think that living on earth is our heaven.  What are we suppose to look forward to?

á          When I first read this concept I was astonished.  I thought to myself, how could someone not believe in an afterlife that was not great.  Who would want to live a life thinking that this was the best it was going to get?

á          I completely agree with this concept until he mentions that we would not be happy if we were spirits floating in clouds singing praises to God all day and forever.  I believe we are put here on earth for only a short time and it is heaven that we should be looking forward to.  In heaven there is no suffering or pain, but happiness and comfort.  Living on earth is considered to be hell because of not being able to sit next to God.

 

C.      Example 

It is sad to think that some people do think like Swedenborg.  In todayÕs world there are people who do not believe in an afterlife.  They believe that when we die there is absolutely nothing.  Most likely they also do not believe in a god, having to live a life thinking there is no one looking after them.

 

Concept Two:  Lusts and cupidities

A.      These are the selfish loves and are the opposite of the good loves in heaven.  There are two ways to experience these lusts and cupidities; 1) torturing and abusing others, 2) being associated with the spiritual bodies of those still living on earth.

 

B.       My Opinion 

á          I chose this concept because it stuck out to me because it was not about the heavenly loves but of the hellish loves.

á          The most important aspect of this concept was that when we are in this state of contact we are not aware of their presence in our mind but we can feel the lusts that they are enjoying and feel like they are our own feelings. 

á          My initial reaction to this was unbelief at how this can occur. 

á          I donÕt think that I accept this concept.

 

C.      Example

á          An example of this would be if I were to follow one of my hellish loves like over eating, I would feel that this was my own want and desire but in reality it could be the lust of another who is using me to experience the lust and cupidities.

 

Concept Three:  The use of vertical communities

A.      God uses these vertical communities to help us to become aware of our ruling loves.  Every society of hell has its own lust that is enjoyed more than other lusts.  Each hell is populated by people who share the same lust.

 

B.       My Opinion 

á          I chose this concept because it was an idea that I hadnÕt really thought of before but it makes sense. 

á          What I found most important was that God gives us these experiences of lust along with the conscience that is activated to oppose the lust.  This is so we can increase our self-knowledge and prepare us to be able to reject the enjoyment of the lust as unworthy of our character or the character we wish to have.

á          My initial reaction to this concept was that it seems like a logical way and a good idea on how we can learn for ourselves to reject these lusts.

á          I agree with this concept.

 

C.      Example

á          If my lust was to laugh at people who fell down in front of me, I would be in a hell where others enjoy that as well.  God would give me the chance to enjoy my lust but he would also give me the chance to reject it and see that that is not the kind of person I want to be and that I would rather have a better character.

 

 

 

 

 

My Home Page:              www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459s2005/tarayao/home.htm

 

Additional Links:             http://swedenborg.newearth.org/hh/hh01.html

                                                      http://www.newchurchissues.org/SR/ea73.htm

                                                      http://www.theisticscience.org/leon/theistic.html