Report 2:
By Chanon Alcon
Instructions for
this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/459-g24-report2.htm
I am answering
Questions 1,3,4,5, and 7
Theistic Psychology Book Online: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/theistic
Compilation of supporting readings from: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2006/alcon/alcon-selections.htm
1a) Explain in your own words how you understand the phrase “mental biology” in theistic psychology. What makes theistic psychology “mental” and what makes it “biological”?
Explain how the concepts of
evolution of consciousness, discrete degrees and substantive dualism make the
whole comprehensible.
Is it important for a theory in
psychology to be biological?
a) The first of the five
criteria that validates a theory in the field of science is the criteria of
Organicity. Organicity is the premise
that all functions of the mind must have a structural basis and must work
together synergistically (T.P. 1.6).
There can be no function without an existing structure of some type,
serving as a medium for “mental” activity.
Before I proceed further, the operational definition for the word
“mental” is synonymous with the spiritual world, which is outside of time and
space. We are not referring to the
chemical and electrical processes that occur within the brain but rather
alternate “mental” activities such as thoughts, feelings, and the existence of
an afterlife spawned from heavens or hells of our minds. These concepts are not tangible in our
physical representation of the world.
According to the negative bias of science, supported by the assumption
of empiricism, “if one cannot see it, feel it, taste it, or physically
experience a phenomenon, then it does not exist” (Karl Minke-Lecture). This contradicts the proposed theories of
Theistic Psychology. As mentioned
previously, concepts like thoughts and feelings, according to the positive bias
of science, are not known to possess mass or energy, and therefore cannot be
measured or restricted to our world of time and space. So how does this alternate definition of
“mental” possess biological qualities that allow this theory to satisfy the
first criteria of Organicity? The
positive bias in science expressed through Theistic Psychology, propose
Substantive Dualism as its’ first theoretical premise. Substantive Dualism states that we are born
as dual citizens in two different worlds, the “Mental”/Spiritual and Physical
Worlds. The mental world is the same as
the spiritual world; it is not of time and space. The physical world is an existence within measurable time and
space. Although these two worlds exist
in three discrete degrees of consciousness, there is an underlying relationship
between these two worlds. The Laws of
Correspondences describes this relationship as 1:1 ratio between the two
worlds. It basically asserts that for
every phenomenon that occurs in the mental world, there is corresponding
phenomenon reflected in the physical world.
Based on this operational definition of correspondences, we can now
understand how it is possible to possess biology in the mental world. The biological existence we are conscious of
in our natural world, has a corresponding “mental biological” existence in the
spiritual world. Through the Laws of
Correspondences, we can explain how the mental world has a biological aspect,
thereby satisfying the criteria of Organicity and qualifying Theistic
Psychology as a science rather than a religion. Interestingly enough, although we are born as dual citizens, we
only have conscious awareness of our natural degree of our mind. I mentioned previously that there are three
discrete degrees within the mind.
Because Theistic Psychology is focused primarily on the “mental” aspect
of our existence, how does it feel about the physical aspect and how can our
level of consciousness evolve. In
Theistic Psychology, the physical aspect of our lives, in time and space,
determines what type of afterlife we will choose when we crossover and
resuscitate in the afterlife. The
resuscitation phase gives us our first glimpse of the spiritual/mental degree
of consciousness, which is not of time and space. If we demonstrate more of a love for hellish traits throughout
our physical existence on earth, then it is most likely that we will choose the
hells of our minds for all eternity.
However if we demonstrate a greater love for heavenly traits during our
physical life on earth, then we will make a wiser choice for the heavens of our
minds for all eternity. Decisions made
or experiences we encounter throughout our physical life that adds to the
process of character reformation, signify what direction the evolution of our
consciousness will take. After second
death, a mental experience, we are given free will to choose our loves for all
eternity. The greater the Love we have
for God and the heavenly traits, we are able to experience the third degree of
consciousness, the “celestial consciousness”.
The ultimate goal of Theistic Psychology is to share this understanding
of rational consciousness with people.
1b) Diagram A
in Section 6.3.1.1.1 is a portrayal of mental biology. Explain what elements of the diagram are
useful to you, bringing out aspects you haven’t thought of yet.
What
elements of the diagram are problematic for you and why?
Does it
contradict something you believe?
b) I will attempt the answer
to these questions in reverse. Considering that I am a Christian, much of what we have covered in
class does not exactly contradict what I believe. If there are any differences or contradiction, they are due to
human interpretations, which are all subject to flaws. Let me begin by sharing the commonalities
just to emphasize that the class has served more as a supplement for what I
believe because it validates my beliefs utilizing a novel and scientific
approach. Both Theistic Psychology and
my Christian background emphasize that God is all omnipotent and
omniscient. All that we are and all
that we know are derived through his power.
Christianity has known this for many years, and has many followers who have
faith in this premise or belief. The
only real contradiction to my personal opinion was to see how religious beliefs
are sadly stereotyped as “dogma”, while scientific premise is gladly accepted
as “scientific theory”. A premise is a proposition upon which an
argument is based or from which a conclusion can be drawn (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/premise). A cluster of premises, such as the 5
criteria of a valid scientific theory, operationally defines what scientists
believe are necessary to validating a proposed theory. A belief is a mental acceptance of
and conviction in the truth, actuality, or validity of something (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/belief). In my opinion, both Theory and Dogma are
proclaiming to possess generalized, universal truths to phenomenon in life, but
each one derives their version of the truth employing different means of
methodology. Theory and science
requires the assumption of empiricism to validate a premise, while Dogma and
religion requires the application of faith to authenticate a religious
belief. There is a logical process that
is so parallel in the way that both the scientific and religious approaches,
seek to understand and explain life’s universal truths. As demonstrated in Diagram A, both science
and religion are substances of the natural mind. Theistic Psychology falls into the realm of a science therefore
is subject to the 5 criteria of a valid scientific theory. Religion is purely based on faith in
doctrines as extracted from Holy Scripture, the Bible.
The Diagram was
very straightforward to me and was quite complete, accounting for the manner in
which God communicates to us, and how we must rationally come to know his truth
as we are driven by our affective organ (Love) to seek out the rationality
(Truth) utilizing science and religion as the vehicles to a fuller
understanding God and our true purpose.
I had no problems with the concepts in Diagram A; it was self-explanatory
and very informative in explaining the mental biology of the spiritual mind.
I really
appreciate how Theistic Psychology attempts to explain the processes behind the
scenes, which is indicative of a science, of how God’s Love (Good from
Spiritual Heat) and God’s Rationality (Truth from Spiritual Light), finds their
way into our conscious existence in the natural world. The Diagram also provided me with a visual
confirmation of the dynamic and synergistic inner workings of the
mental/spiritual world that we possess in our minds and how they interface with
our physical world. This approach has
not changed my views, but has confirmed much of my beliefs, and is a useful
tool for explaining the concept of spirituality and the afterlife to the many
“doubting Thomases” that shun the concept of faith.
3a) Why is the topic of “regeneration” so basic in theistic psychology?
a) The topic of regeneration is so basic in Theistic Psychology, because it allows each member of the human race to regenerate his or her Proprium in the image of the Lord’s Proprium or Personality (http://www.theisticpsychology.org/books/nonduality/volume3-nonduality.html#_Toc95489921). God has created a mechanism by which we can start living a new life with a new proprium that has been "vivified" or made receptive of God and heavenly life. This is called "rebirth" and the process goes on a lifetime and is called "regeneration." This is an active process of character building that is very challenging and filled with suffering (http://www.theisticpsychology.org/articles/personality.htm). There are spiritual lessons in our daily lives created by the Divine Psychologist for the sole purpose of self-discovery that we may choose to reform our beings in ways that are consistent with God. The goal of Theistic Psychology is to educate people of the rational approach to understanding and preparing for an afterlife with God. Because we are born with both heavenly and hellish traits, we have innate habits to think and behave in both ways. To be with God in the heavens of our minds, we must spend the time on earth to rid ourselves of these innate hellish traits. Regeneration is the Macro process of accomplishing this goal. As we make poor spiritual choices, as we are bound to do in life, we have an opportunity to recover from those choices and reform ourselves through the act of free will.
3b) What are
the “character reformation” steps of building a “new will”?
b) Character Reformation is
the Micro process of the Regeneration procedure in which the Divine
Psychologist creates, in our lives, various opportunities to experience
temptations. We are then able to make
choices of our own free wills to either follow the heavenly traits and deny the
temptations before us, or give in to our hellish loves and continue down a
course of behavior that may result in choice of a hellish afterlife. It is a constant process, with many
opportunities throughout our physical lifetime. Our motives and loves that are the causes of our effects, are
derived from the affective organ or the “will”. Each time we experience and successfully overcome a temptation
offered through character reformation, we transcend from the “old will” and
evolve into the “new will”. We continue
this process until we die and pass on into the spiritual world.
3c) What is
the difference between the “old will” and the “new will”?
c) The “old will” represents
the early developmental stage of our affective organ, where we possess both
hellish traits and heavenly traits that are in constant battle over the control
of our “as of self”. Through character
reformation, we expect to move closer to a point where we are denying our
hellish genetics and are making heavenly choices when confronted with
temptations. We undergo constant
reformation of character throughout our natural life and each time we conquer
temptation, we renew the personality of our “will”. In the end, we are hopeful that our personal version of a “new
will” will be a clear indication that the afterlife will involve heaven.
3d) What are
“hellish” vs. “heavenly” traits?
d) We are born with the inherited Fallen
"proprial" tendencies towards evil and denial of God. This is caused
by our having to Inhibit, suppress, and loathe all the loves and enjoyments of
the Fallen proprium to which we are attached by egotistical loves. When people begin pursuing loves and
imaginations that are not consistent with conscience and Divine Commandment,
the as-of self turns itself away from God and good, inverting truth into
falsity, and pursues corrupted forms of love, thus creating hell in the human
mind Hellish Traits are the unrelenting pursuit of our infernal loves, which
are called cupidities and lusts. Every
child inherits an evil proprium connected to hell. But a child also inherits
heavenly traits called "remains." The chief of the remains is called
"innocence" which is the tendency to willingly obey parents and
authority figures. Without this inborn innocence, or willingness to learn, no
child could acquire a civilized personality (http://www.theisticpsychology.org/articles/personality.htm). Heavenly Traits are the unrelenting pursuit
of our heavenly loves, which are called Rational Loves, because they are the
result of a marriage in our mind between our rational thinking and altruistic
motives (http://www.theisticpsychology.org/articles/moral-intelligence.htm).
Innocence, or the willingness and love to obey God, is the ruling love of all
who abide in the highest portion of their mind called heaven. It is in the
willingness to obey God…that we elevate our consciousness to the heavenly state
of mind by willing to be led by God rather than by self.
3e) How does this relate to personality theory, as you know it?
e) Personality Theory, in Theistic Psychology, focuses heavily on the evolution of the “as-of-self” concept. As mentioned previously, all humans are born with both “hellish” and “heavenly” traits. To be born possessing only “heavenly” traits would not be rational because we would be given a one-way ticket to heaven. This nullifies the purpose for an earthly existence and God would not know of our true loves. I am discussing the concept of the “as-of-self” or Proprium, because it represents the focus of our spiritual evolution. When considering a Theory in Personality, in correspondence with Theistic Psychology, it is important to remember that God created man in his own image. In other words, in the end, each individual’s proprium, should be resemble the Proprium of God. This would complete the process of our spiritual evolution so that we are truly created in the image of God. Personality Theory discusses the process through which the proprium undergoes regeneration through character reformation. Man must utilize his free will to either pursue and identify with his infernal, hellish loves, or suppress and deny his evil loves by surrendering to innocence. The free choices we make to either indulge in self-love or to humbly embrace an altruistic selfless love, define our personality or the nature of our character.
4a) What is the perspective that theistic psychology provides on Sacred Scripture?
a) According to Theistic Psychology, any written scripture that expresses the Word of God is considered sacred scripture. According to a lecture by Dr. Leon James, it is possible to determine if a piece of literary scripture qualifies as sacred scripture in the field of Theistic Psychology. According to James, if one is able to extract the rational meaning by employing the techniques of correspondences, then we can authenticate the literary piece as official sacred scripture. According to Swedenborg, God is the beginning and end of all things. God is infinite, omnipotent, and omniscient. In the mental world, everything is composed of spiritual substances that are derived from the Spiritual Sun. From the Spiritual Sun, we receive Spiritual Light and Spiritual Love. Spiritual Light corresponds to Truth while Spiritual Love corresponds to Good. Spiritual Light is generated from Divine Speech. Divine Speech is Good and Truth from God, passed on to human consciousness through Sacred Scriptures. Thus far, acceptable sacred scripture, as discussed in Theistic Psychology, are the Old Testament, New Testament, and The Writings of Swedenborg.
4b) How is it
related to Divine Speech?
b) Sacred scripture is the
means by which God communicates his Divine Speech to the human race in the
natural sense from a rational perspective.
Divine Speech originates from the Spiritual Sun, which represents the
ultimate Truth from God. The ultimate
Truth makes its way down through the Spiritual Mind, descending down to the
Rational Mind, and finally occupying the Natural Mind.
4c) What are
correspondences in Sacred Scripture?
c) Correspondences in Sacred
Scriptures are relationships between the literal sense of the Word of God,
within the Bible, and their corresponding Spiritual metaphors intended for our
rational understanding. They allow us
to extract the true, hidden meaning behind the words in the Bible, as a
template and model for daily living. It
also maps out the road to heaven and hell.
4d) Give some
illustrations of Sacred Scripture and show how they are to be interpreted from
the perspective of theistic psychology.
d) I would like to share one
illustration of how sacred scripture was interpreted from the perspective of
theistic psychology. My one example was
that of the marriage and the relationship between husband and wife. At first glance, when one learns of the
model for a relationship between man and woman, it appears to be
chauvinistic. It depicts a male
dominated relationship, where the woman must be subservient to the man. Man is expected to care for his wife in the
same manner as God cares for the church.
Often times this concept gets confused with the idea of control. And so men tend to feel obliged to assume a
controlling role over the woman. From
the perspective of Theistic Psychology, there should be a spiritual unity
between husband and wife. In the
beginning, the woman will be attracted to the outer knowledge of the natural
world that a man possesses. In this
phase, the attention is one-sided and the success of a marriage is a result of
woman’s love for her husband’s knowledge.
If the marriage can evolve past this point, the man learns that he has
love as well, and is now able to recognize that his wife possess a higher level
of knowledge that he does not possess.
The husband, in turn, develops a love for her higher knowledge. This completes the circular model and now
there is equity and a mutual love and respect from both sides.
5a) What is the relation between mind and the spiritual world?
a) According to Swedenborg and Theistic Psychology, the spiritual world actually exists in the mind. The mind is the mental biology of the brain from where our thoughts, feelings, and motives originate. The mind is the mental world and our mental world is our spiritual world. There are actually three levels to the mind and they are the natural mind, the spiritual mind, and the celestial mind.
5b) How does theistic psychology show their relation?
b) During the first day of Spring 2006 semester, Dr. Leon James lectured about the difference between our physical existence and our mental existence. Dr. James used an example of how we could be sitting in class with a keen awareness of our surrounding. Our awareness, however, was not the result of physical brain activity, but the spiritual sense of knowing and understanding our surrounding. Our thoughts and feelings about sitting in the chair came from a mental/spiritual process, which has a corresponding existence in the physical world. Spiritual world is where the Cause or Motives of our physical behaviors originate. If we are operating in the natural mind of our spiritual world, we will be in the lowest level of our minds. If we are operating in the spiritual mind of our spiritual world, then we will be open to regeneration and will be able to live in the heaves of our minds. If we are operating in the celestial mind of our spiritual world, then we will definitely embrace the heaven of our mind and become an angel after second death.
5c) How can
the human mind be immortal?
c) The Mind, which plays host
to our spiritual world, exists outside of time and space. When one thinks of dreaming, one can imagine
or recall doing all sorts of different activities within a timeframe that
appears to have no limit. So how do we
create this time in our minds when that time doesn’t exist in our physical
world? The physical world is limited to
time and space, but the mental world is unlimited. Our thoughts and feelings cannot be measured because they are not
of the physical world. They are created
from spiritual substances and can exist eternally. Therefore, we are extremely responsible for the thoughts we
conjure and the feelings we harbor, for they are eternal, and we will be held
accountable for the choices we make in these regards.
5d) Why should
people be concerned about the afterlife?
d) The afterlife should be the
concern of every individual. Every
choice we make or feelings we feel and express originate from our mind. One cannot have a Sensorimotor experience
without the thought to support the action.
In the physical world, the action is the focus for judging something as
being hellish or heavenly. In Theistic
Psychology, the motive behind the action is the focus for something being
hellish or heavenly. This is an
important concept to know because we often don’t consider the possibilities
that we may be accountable for malicious thoughts or feelings even if there are
no corresponding behaviors reflecting our thoughts. Many feel that if I didn’t do it, then I’m ok just thinking
it. In Theistic Psychology, the thought
of something or feelings toward something or someone, are the eternal
components of our Natural lives that we must manage well for they will help
shape the kind of afterlife we choose in the end.
5e) What is
the “vertical community” and why should people focus on their dual citizenship?
e) The “vertical community” is
made up of 5 categories of people and they are Celestial Angels, Spiritual
Angels, New Arrival Spirits, Satans, and Genii (http://www.theisticpsychology.org/articles/dual_citizenship.html). We all enter the World of Spirits after
death, at which point we must decide to accept heaven or hell as our eternal
residence. Should we choose hell, we
would become Satans or Genii, which are two forms of devils. Should we choose heaven, we would become
either Spiritual Angels or the highest level Celestial Angels. The choices we make for an afterlife is a
reflection of our loves in the physical world.
We must be mindful of the choices and live a life that keeps us online
with God so that when we are resuscitated, we will be prepared for a life in
the heavens of our minds.
In what ways is theistic psychology like the psychology
you’ve known prior to this course? What
are the overlapping topics and methodologies?
Give at least two topics or methods that overlap and show how theistic
psychology provides different explanations for them.
Because
Theistic Psychology is a specialized focus in the field of psychology, it
shares many commonalities with other courses.
Theistic Psychology has proven to be a science in the way that it has
approached the concept of God and the Afterlife. Theistic Psychology holds itself accountable to the 5 major
criteria for a valid theory. Like other
courses, Theistic Psychology utilizes direct observations, self-observation, and
single-subject experimental designs. It
gathers information by employing questionnaires and testimonials. Theistic Psychology also offers alternate
explanations for universal topics in Psychology such as “What are emotions? Or
What is Personality?” I would like to focus on two topics that seem to overlap
within Theistic Psychology and let’s say Psychobiology and Psychology of
Personality.
The Split-Brain
Theory that I covered in Psychobiology seems to overlap with the “Split Brain” concept
in Theistic Psychology. Both address
the idea of a Split-Brain, however each specialty has a different approach to
the topic. Psychobiology approaches
Spit-Brain from a physical approach. It
focuses on the brain and the connectivity of the brain via the Corpus
Callosum. The concept Spit-Brain is
derived from the severing of the Corpus Callosum and observing and measuring
the different changes in behavior and thought patterns. The Split-Brain Concept in Theistic
Psychology deals with the spiritual aspect of the mind. The mind is the Cause of the Brain with a
1:1 relationship between the two.
Because of the Laws of Correspondences we can accept Substantive Dualism
or assert that we exist in two worlds, the physical and the spiritual. The spiritual world is split into the
natural mind and the spiritual mind.
In Theory of
Personality, we are taught of all the possible approaches as to why people have
divers personalities. We see shy,
angry, moody, and happy-go-lucky personality types. Most offer negative biased explanations based on genetics, social
experiences, past childhood experiences, or a combination of social-learning
experiences. The negative bias holds
that we are alone without God and that all we think and feel are of our own
doing. Our own personalities reflect
our own choices or our learned choices, holding us accountable to only
ourselves. Theistic Psychology also
addresses this issue, however the source of one’s personality is beyond the human
being. One’s personality is derived from
God himself. The Proprium or the
as-of-self is a reflection of God’s own image.
We are created to essentially have God’s Personality of Altruism, Love,
and the need for Truth. This
perspective is far less selfish and is inline with God’s Proprium. Our goal is to regenerate our personalities
over the course of our natural existence through character reformation so that
we are in the heavens of our minds.
7a) Give
several contrastive features between theistic and atheistic psychology.
a) Theistic Psychology differs
from Atheistic Psychology in many ways.
First and foremost, Theistic Psychology asserts Theism, the premise that
God is omnipotent, omniscient, and is the source of all physical and mental phenomena. Nothing is completely random; everything is
under the control and watchful eye of God.
This is the positive bias approach, which sharply contrasts Atheistic
Psychology. The Assumption of
Empiricism, which states, if a phenomenon cannot be sensed through our physical
senses, rules Atheistic Psychology then it does not exist. This represents the negative bias approach
that encompasses all of modern science, with the exception of a few fields,
like Theistic Psychology.
Theistic Psychology also
differs from Atheistic Psychology because it asserts the Assumption of
Substantive Dualism. Theistic
Psychology says that all humans are born as dual citizens of the both the
physical world and the mental/spiritual world.
Atheistic Psychology supports the notion that we can only account for
life that is of the physical, tangible world.
Lastly,
Theistic Psychology differs from Atheistic Psychology through its’ source of
facts. Atheistic Psychology gathers
facts through experiments and the formation of theories that have universal
applications. Theistic Psychology
relies on Revelation from Emmanuelle Swedenborg, who conducted 27 yrs of
experiments in the spiritual world. Knowledge and facts with regards to human
behavior and the spiritual world are gathered through this sacred scripture.
7b) Describe
any resistance you experience regarding concepts of theistic psychology,
including:
i)
Substantive Dualism- I often run into people who do not
believe in an afterlife, so do not support the idea of two worlds. I personally understand that there are two
worlds, and I support the idea that the mind and the brain are separate and
that the brain communicates to the body, what the mind wants to happen (Cause
& Effect). I can understand that
the mind is the source of thoughts and feelings, but my personal opinion is
that feel the mind is the soul. Some
say that we are born with a soul and the soul moves to the afterlife after
death, leaving the physical behind. To
me the soul is the immortal component of our existence, the spiritual genetics
given to us from God, as the template for all mental process such as thoughts,
feelings, and heavenly motives. As we
experience life on earth, our heavenly motives become challenged though earthly
temptations, and depending upon how we respond to these temptations, it will
have a direct effect on how we act, feel, and think. These effects will alter the choices we make on a daily basis
netting a cumulative effect when we die and reflect upon our physical life.
ii)
Heaven and Hell- Many scientists and philosophers don’t
exactly embrace the black and whiteness of heaven and hell. Atheists are another group of people who may
not support the notion of a heaven or a hell.
I personally believe that there is a heaven and a hell, and that we
literally have a choice between the two.
Each day through our thoughts and actions, we make that choice. The cumulative effect of all the choices we
made during our physical life will determine our eternity.
iii)
Scientific Revelations- I personally support the both
the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
The Bible is the direct Word of God to the human race. I feel that many truths are revealed to many
people throughout a lifetime. Many
people are able to extract and interpret an authentic interpretation of the
Holy Bible, having not read Swedenborg.
I will support the idea of scientific revelation because like I said, I
feel revelations are made to many people throughout a lifetime. Who is to say that Swedenborg was wrong or
right, all I can gather is that most of what he writes, is a rational
interpretation of the Bible and does not contradict the main points of the
Bible. The scientific approach to
understanding God and the afterlife can only help humanity find its true
purpose for existence.
iv)
The Spiritual Sense Hidden in Sacred Scripture- I
know some people who take Word very literal.
They are unable to extract the metaphors intended by some of the
passages shared in the Bible. This is
one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime. We have the Word of God, with many translations and interpretations. Hence the growing number of spiritual groups
arising today. Each group interpreting
something just a little different from the next, and claiming to possess the
ultimate truth.
v)
Any other concepts of your choosing
7c) Is there a
resolution possible, regarding your conflict?
c) Well for me, there really
is no conflict. I have my Christian
beliefs and I feel that I have learned the “hidden” spiritual sense through the
Christian community. Theistic Psychology
was a supplement to what I already knew, and hardly offered any real
contradictions to the major points of the Bible.
Section
C: My Analysis of Prior Generations in the General Curriculum
By: Melissa
Alcover
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459f2005/alcover/alcover-459-g23-report2.htm
I. How Melissa Felt:
Melissa was a very open-minded individual. She really enjoyed the class that she was a part of and it sounds like there were some really good discussions that went on. She found that Theistic Psychology had a function in her daily life. It made her more aware of the future choices she would eventually have to make, like choosing a life partner.
II. What Melissa Thought:
Melissa thought that Theistic Psychology was a benefit to her life. It helped her gain a sense of direction as well as provide her with a way to get on the correct or rational path to heaven. One of the most important concepts that Melissa learned was the contrast between hellish and heavenly traits.
III. What Melissa Concluded:
Melissa concluded that Theistic Psychology was a class worth taking. She learned valuable life lessons. When asked if she would continue Theistic Psychology in the future, she commented that she would be interested in doing so, of course schedule permitting.
IV. How has Melissa’s Insights Apply to Me:
Melissa’s overall experience of the course was a positive one. A positive result stems from the positive bias. The world we live in is surrounded by biases. Everyone is always leaning to one-side of an issue or another. Melissa was great because she approached this course with an open-mind. I was unsure of what to expect from this course as well, but I promised to keep an open-mind. In the process of trying out the Positive Bias approach, I discovered a new way of relating to God and the afterlife. Melissa also mentions how this course opens up awareness in people that wasn’t there prior to taking the course. That’s what I enjoyed most; it was a fresh and new approach.
By: Sabrina Favors
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2005/favors/459-g22-report2.htm
I. How Sabrina Felt:
I gather that Sabrina experienced a Spiritual awakening in the class. I really enjoyed some of her responses to the questions. She was very smart and brought up great arguments against the negative bias. I agree when she said that sciences in the negative bias are wrapped up in phenomena being repeatable and public in the physical world. Theistic Science is a valid science but not traditional (negative) in nature.
II. What Sabrina Thought:
Sabrina thought that Theistic Psychology is truly going to the root of a problem and fixing something from the inside out. She contrasted this approach with the approach of behaviorism in which the therapeutic process begins from the outside and results in a change internally. If one does a certain behavior consistently, mental changes will also occur. I agree with her when she says that Theistic Psychology really emphasizes starting with a feeling, and improving upon that thought or feeling by wanting to improve.
III. What Sabrina Concluded:
Sabrina is a Roman Catholic who found this course to be a great supplement to her faith. I identify with this idea because I too feel that this course has been more of a building block rather than a stumbling block to understanding God. Much like Sabrina, the course teaches one how to be a better person, and reminds you to persist through temptations and regenerate in preparation for the afterlife.
IV. How has Sabrina’s Insights Apply to Me:
I like Sabrina’s passion for her beliefs and how she maintained an open-mind throughout the course. A good scientist always keeps an open-mind and she was able to blend her newfound concepts in with her life beliefs. Sabrina’s comments on the as-of-self was powerful as she likened the as-of-self to the dipping of God’s fingers into our minds…giving us information, or helping bring the information we already had to our consciousness.
Report 2
By: Christine Ka’ai’ai
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459f2004/kaaiai/459-g21-report2.htm
I. How Christine Felt:
Christine was destined for this course. Early on, it seemed that Christine possessed very little “faith” in religions. How could God want us to fight and segregate one another because of Him? This caused her to be very bitter and skeptical about God in general. She admitted to knowing that religion originated with universal concepts of God and the afterlife in the beginning. People become corrupt and people run religions, so religions become corrupt overtime. But, they evolve again and they fix themselves because they seek to understand God. The evolution of a World Religion and its’ early teachings from Christ will not lose the essence of what God intended for us to know about him because he is omnipotent and all powerful, nothing can stand between God and his Word, not even stupidity.
II. What Christine Thought:
Prior to taking this course, Christine was under the impression that science did not need to include the concept of God. In a quotation that she included in her paper, she writes “There is only the usual expectation in academic courses that students show the ability and effort it takes to read critically and to evaluate rationally. Since the topic is “spirituality”, and more specifically “God and the spiritual world of the afterlife”, the first impression one may get is that this is a topic from religion rather than science.” In the end, Christine understood that God is omnipotent and omniscient, and that it would be impossible the exclude Him.
III. What Christine Concluded:
In Christine’s own words, “All information must be taken in stride and critically analyzed before accepting or rejecting an idea (Section B-ii).” Christine dismissed the notion of God without really researching the validity of his existence. She concluded that society manifests problems, conflicts, and confrontations that result from ignorance, and lack of motivation to seek the truth.
IV. How has Christine’s Insights Apply to Me:
I enjoyed Christine’s report because she was a skeptic, who understood the rationale behind the existence of God and the wonderful plans he has in store for us. I’ve mentioned previously that this course had a special function. It helps supplement and strengthen one’s belief in God, and it rationally explains the existence of God to those who can’t or won’t get the Word from religion. Her insights exemplify how necessary it is for God to be introduced from a scientific perspective.
Report 2
By: Jennifer Essig
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459s2004/essig/report2.htm
I. How Jennifer Felt:
Jennifer seemed to have enjoyed her experience with this course. She has asserted to someone who is firmly grounded in her faith and is usually not threatened by direct attacks on her beliefs. This course approached a more rational side of her faith that had a threatening effect. In the end, it was all for the best in that the course solidified her faith even more. Much of what she learned gave her added confidence in her faith.
II. What Jennifer Thought:
Initially Jennifer always thought that God was reserved for the Spiritual part of her life. After taking this course, she now feels that God can also permeate and be apart of her “intelligent” thinking. Jennifer also thought that too many science professors have been disillusioned by the history of Christianity…it would be easier for them to not believe in God. The refusal to acknowledge God’s existence puts them in a place where they are easily led by selfish ambitions. The choice to deny the existence of God makes people feel less accountable for their actions and the motives for their actions.
III. What Jennifer Concluded:
In the end, Jennifer concluded that believing in God in Phase Two, from a Mystical standpoint, was sufficient enough. Does it really matter that we are not in the third phase of rational spirituality? Jennifer posed this question and answered, NO. I agree with her on that. The bottom line is to follow the 2 Greatest Commandments Jesus left behind: Love your neighbor as you love yourself and Love God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and MIND.
IV. How has Jennifer’s Insights Apply to Me:
I enjoyed Jennifer’s Paper the most. Much like myself, she is a Christian who is keenly aware of God’s presence. The course was a great addition to her prior knowledge of God. She seemed confident in her faith and remained open-minded throughout the course. I agree entirely with her in the sense that one can attain the gifts of heaven from either a Phase II or III Spirituality. In fact, I feel it is inaccurate to place them in different levels of a hierarchy. Both offer Sacred Scripture; in fact the Swedenborg Writings confirms that the Bible is the Word of God. I strongly feel that one can be in heaven without the Swedenborg Writings.
Section
D: My Advice to Future Generations
Aloha everyone, just nearly completing Report 2 for Dr.
James Theistic Psychology Course. If
you are reading this, then chances are that you are also taking his course and
that this is a necessary step to doing well in his class. The class is great and you are guaranteed to
learn something new. The key is to maintain
an open mind and share your point of view.
Be a critical thinker and challenge any ideas that don’t blend with your
values or beliefs. If you do these
things, the class will go smoothly.
There are two things I recommend that you do for the
class. Attend class regularly and do
the readings. If you keep up with the
readings, you will breeze through the outlines. I also feel that the readings will allow for more interesting
debates in class. The readings are also
important for a good presentation.
Lastly, my final advice is to not procrastinate. I was given this same advice on the first day of class. I did pretty well for the first part of it, but then my work schedule interfered and made it challenging in the end. Time management is important if you want to do well in this class. The class will be strange at first, but has much to offer, as you will notice in the end. Good Luck and Have Fun because I am done!!!
G24 Class
Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm