Report 2:
My Understanding of Theistic Psychology
By Tawny Antonio
Instructions for this report are at:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/459-g24-report2.htm
I am answering Questions 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
My Selections: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2006/antonio/antonio-selections.htm
Textbook of Theistic Psychology: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/theistic
THE QUESTION THAT I AM ANSWERING IS QUESTION 1
SECTION A: MY OWN SUMMARY OF THE SELECTIONS
6.3.1.1.1 (I) Mental Biology
Mental biology is referred to the operations of our cognitive and affective organs working together. Our thinking processes come from our cognitive organ and our motivational operations come from our affective organ. These organs working together allow us to eat, move, work; these organs allow us to do and act. In order for us to do and act, our mental operations work together with our physical body. The working relationship between our mental operations and our physical body is referred to as mental biology.
6.1 The Awesome Power of the Affective Organ
When we are born, we are born into two bodies. We have a temporary body and an eternal body. Our physical body is our temporary body. It is considered our temporary body because our physical body will ultimately die. Our mind, on the other hand, is considered to be our eternal body. It is considered our eternal body because it is made out of spiritual substances. Because our thoughts and feelings are not made out of material matter, it cannot be destroyed; it will live on for all eternity. The idea of humans having two bodies is considered substantive dualism.
6.3.1.1.1 (VIII) Divine Speech Descends Through the Discrete Degrees of Every Mind, and Forms Them
Divine Speech is emitted into our minds by God. It descends through the discrete degrees of our mind. This means that Divine Speech and God are within every degree of our mind. They are within our affective and cognitive organs. Our affective organ is made up of love and our cognitive organ is made up of truth. Our affective and cognitive organs work together, and this is regarded as rationality. This is also what creates our heavens and hells in our mind.
6.3.1.1.1 (X) Character Reformation and the Psychology of Cooperation
We will end up in either the heavens or hells of our mind not based on our actions and deeds, but based on our mental biology. It is based on whether or not we go through character reformation before our physical body passes on. To go through character reformations means to keep and gain heavenly traits while rejecting our hellish traits.
6.0.5.1 The Role of Divine Speech in Building Up the New Will
Before us, the spiritual race, there was a celestial race that existed. The celestial race was pure and innocent and possessed no evils. However, this race began to abuse their knowledge of Divine Speech. Because of this, this race became extinct, and created was a new evolution of thought. This new evolution of thought started with us, the spiritual race. This is the reason that we are unable to reject our hellish traits even when we know it is what we should do.
SECTION B: MY ANSWERS TO THE FIVE QUESTIONS
a. 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”? You will need to include several related concepts to give an adequate explanation: e.g., evolution of consciousness, discrete degrees, and substantive dualism. You will need to explain these related terms as well before the whole is comprehensible. Is it important for a theory in psychology to be biological?
b. Diagram A in Section 6.3.1.1.1 is a portrayal of mental biology. Explain what elements of the diagram are useful for you, bringing out new aspects you haven’t thought of yet. And what elements are problematic for you and why: Is the idea too vague? Does it contradict something you believe?
MY ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
a. Mental biology encompasses both the physical world and the spiritual world. It is the combination of our physical body and mental state working together. Mental biology refers to our thinking operations in the cognitive organ and our motivational operations in the affective organ working as one.
Doing and acting must be premeditated by our thinking and our motivations. When we eat, it is because we feel the motivation to eat, we then think about eating something, and then we actually act upon eating something. Because we, as humans, are constantly thinking, doing, and acting, our mental states and physical body are in constant interaction with one another. By understanding such ideas, we can see that there is definitely a direct relationship between our mental operations and our physical world.
It is our thinking and feeling in our minds that make theistic psychology “mental” and our physical body that make it “biological”. Our thoughts and feelings are considered mental as our thoughts and feelings are not physical matter, and our thoughts and feelings do not exist in time and space. Therefore, our mental states are spiritual and eternal. On the other hand, our brain and our physical body are made up of physical matter and do exist in time and in space. It is through the laws of correspondences that our mind and brain are connected.
We are born into two bodies at birth, one is temporary and the other is eternal. Because our physical body will eventually die, it is considered our temporary body. On the other hand, our mind is made up of spiritual substances and will exist for all eternity. The fact that we have two bodies, one temporary and one eternal is referred to as substantive dualism.
God, as the Divine Human, is omnipresent. He exists around us and within us, He is present in us. Through the spiritual sun, God emanates spiritual heat and light unto our minds. Our minds our made up of different layers, or levels. There are three layers- the spiritual mind, the rational mind, and the natural mind. The spiritual mind is the highest level and the natural mind is the lowest. As humans living in a physical world, our mental states are at the natural level. As we begin to read and learn about God and God’s word and truth, our thinking becomes more spiritual.
Divine Speech has a direct connection to mental biology. Divine Speech descends through the discrete degrees of every mind. This is how God, the Divine Human, controls and manages all events and experiences. Divine Speech comes from God. Therefore, the concept of discrete degrees allows us to conclude that God is omnipresent. God’s purpose for emitting his word, Divine Speech, unto the discrete degrees of our mind is to enable us to learn his truth. To learn God’s truth means to obtain personal freedom.
God controls everything, and only He has power. God grants us our ability to think and act. The spiritual heat and spiritual light that is emanating from the spiritual sun creates our unconscious affective organ and unconscious cognitive organ which are both in our spiritual mind. Spiritual heat is love, or good and spiritual light is rationality, or truth. This good and truth is then brought down into our conscious affective organ and conscious cognitive organ which are both in our natural mind. Our feelings and motivations come from our affective organ and our thoughts come from our cognitive organ. Rationality refers to both the affective and the cognitive organs working as one. This is what creates our heavens and our hells in our mind.
It is our mental biology that determines whether we will end up in the heavens of our mind or the hells of our mind. Falsities of truth and hellish traits exist in us because of a new evolution of consciousness that began with us, the spiritual split-brained race. The evolution of consciousness has allowed us to choose our hellish traits over our heavenly traits. Whether we end up in the heavens of our mind or the hells of our mind is determined by whether or not we go through character reformation before our physical body dies.
It is important for us to allow ourselves to go through character reformation. By reforming our character, we are attempting to learn God’s truth and to keep our heavenly traits while rejecting our hellish ones. This brings our relationship with God to a higher level. We are able to think more rationally, and this helps us to become more spiritual.
b. The two elements of the diagram that are most useful to me are our affective and cognitive organs. Our affective organ is what provides us with our feelings and motivations, while the cognitive organ is what provides us with our thoughts and consciousness. I have never thought that my feelings and my thoughts come from two different places in my mind. I used to just think of my mind as a whole. These two elements are very useful to me because I have a better understanding of my thoughts and feelings. It helps me to understand that hellish traits are within us all, but that we have to find the will and the courage to reject them.
The other element of the diagram that I find very useful is rationality. Truth comes from being able to think rationally. Thinking rationally also enables us to grow spiritually and to become closer to God. Our natural mind is also made up of three discrete levels- the corporeal level, the sensuous level, and the rational level. The rational level is the highest, the sensuous level is the intermediary, and the corporeal level is the lowest level. By learning to think rationally we are attempting to learn the more spiritual meanings in God’s word.
Prior to studying this course, my idea of the term rational was very different. I used to think that thinking rationally meant thinking logically. I think that this is why I would become so confused when I read about thinking rationally meant finding the more spiritual messages in Divine Speech. I now know that by thinking rationally, I am becoming more open to the ideas presented in this course.
The other element of mental biology that I find useful and interesting is the concept of substantive dualism. The fact that we are born into two bodies is mind-blowing. I have never thought of our mind as a separate entity from our physical body. However, this concept has helped to understand better the causes of things. For example, I am typing a report right now. The motivation to type and finish this report is coming from my affective organ in my mind. The rationality and thinking to type is coming from my cognitive organ. This is causing my fingers to type out the words that are appearing on this computer. Isn’t that amazing??
There are definitely some elements of the diagram that are problematic for me. It’s hard to believe that this tiny diagram can describe and explain the basic ideas of mental biology. The concept of mental biology is a centralizing theme in Theistic Psychology, so maybe the diagram is too vague. I think that it will be very difficult for anyone to understand the concept of mental biology by just looking at this diagram. Therefore, I think that it could be more detailed.
Yes, it does contradict ideas that I once thought were true. It is very difficult to imagine that heaven is not a real place that exists in space. I have never been a very religious person, but I have always imagined heaven as being a real place that exists above our skies. I have always imagined it to be very beautiful and peaceful. However, I am now aware that heaven exists only in our minds and can only exist in our minds if we have learned God’s true word and if we have found a will within ourselves to reject all of our hellish traits.
THE QUESTION THAT I AM ANSWERING IS QUESTION 3
SECTION A: MY OWN SUMMARY OF THE SELECTIONS
3.7.2.3 How Divine Speech Unifies the Human Race
Divine Speech can be understood from the activation of the new spiritual-natural organ. It is through this organ that we can process higher order correspondences in a rational fashion. This is the process that raises our consciousness to the Third Heaven of our mind. These processes enable us to become angels in the afterlife. This process is considered regeneration. Regeneration means reforming our character to prepare ourselves for heaven. If we are incapable of regenerating ourselves, we will not be able to be elevated to the heavens of our mind.
6.3.1.1.1 (V) The Divine Psychologist and Our Character Reformation
The Divine Psychologist interacts with each individual mind. The motive of the Divine Psychologist is Divine Love by enlightening our mind through God’s truth. This enlightenment is followed by regeneration. This is a lifelong process that requires us to cooperate with the Divine Psychologist. We are able to build and strengthen our character through self-witnessing and self-modification. The Divine Psychologist controls our environment and our experiences on a daily basis according to the developmental steps that are required of us to regenerate our minds.
5.1.1.11 Regeneration of the Adult Mind
Regeneration is a developmental process that is controlled by God and requires cooperation by us. Each descending step in our conscious mind is coordinated with an ascending step in our unconscious mind. Our cooperation first requires us to know and understand the truth of doctrine from Sacred Scripture. And second, requires us to apply such understanding to our thinking and willing in our daily activities.
5.3 Ethical Issues in Theistic Psychology
Regeneration is a spiritual process in which its purpose is to prepare our mind for heaven. Although the Divine Psychologist is creating our environment and experiences, it is up to us to cooperate with Him. We are born with hellish traits and thoughts that work against the regeneration of our minds. This is why it is not easy to master the concept of regeneration. It is not so easy for us to be willing to cooperate with the Divine Psychologist, however, theistic psychology presents us with such skills that will hopefully increase our willingness to cooperate with the Divine Psychologist.
3.7.2.1 The Stages of Theistic Psychology
To accomplish regeneration of our minds means to accomplish conjunction with God. To do this, we must obtain God’s truth from Sacred Scripture. We must then apply knowledge of God’s truth to our principles. We must then act in accordance to such principles by learning to love them and act upon them. Learning to love them and act upon them is a very difficult thing to do, and often times we are unsuccessful at it. The reason we are unsuccessful at it is because we are still applying our own ideas as principles instead of God’s truth. When we combine our own principles with the principles that we have obtained from Sacred Scripture, we are committing spiritual adultery.
6.3.1.1.1 (IX) Correspondences to Divine Speech in Sacred Scripture
There are different levels of truth that we are able to understand. Our understanding of God increases as we progress from corporeal-sensuous correspondences of truth to natural-rational, and then to spiritual-natural. Spiritual-natural understanding of truth is the highest level of thinking that we are capable of at our natural mind in consciousness. When we reach this level, we are ready for character reformation and regeneration.
5.1.1.6 Altruism or the Love of Uses
The ruling love in heaven is altruism. Doing things for the sake of others and God is considered altruism. Being truly altruistic means that you have the desire and motivation to do for the sake of others and God. The ruling love of altruism is centered on the truth from Sacred Scripture. Being altruistic also means rejecting thoughts of promoting the self.
SECTION B: MY ANSWERS TO THE FIVE QUESTIONS
a. Why is the topic of “regeneration” so basic in theistic psychology?
b. What are the “character reformation” steps of building a “new will”?
c. What is the difference between the “old will” and the “new will”?
d. What are “heavenly” vs. “hellish” traits?
e. How does this relate to personality theory in psychology as you know it?
MY ANSWER TO QUESTION 3:
a. The topic of “regeneration” is so basic in theistic psychology because this is what we must do in order to reach the heavens of our mind and to be in conjunction with God. We must will ourselves to reform our character to strengthen our character and to bring ourselves closer to God, the Divine Human. Because of the new evolution of thought, we are born with both hellish and heavenly traits. Therefore, our hellish traits are inborn and innate. Our task is to reject these hellish traits, and instead, will ourselves to act upon our heavenly traits and our heavenly thoughts.
Furthermore, the concept of regeneration encompasses a magnitude of other critical concepts in theistic psychology. Regeneration involves many processes. It involves cooperation with the Divine Psychologist, elevating our mind to think rationally instead of naturally in order to understand and know God’s word and Divine truth, and rejecting our hellish traits and accepting and learning to love our heavenly traits through self-witnessing and self-modification. All of these processes will enable us to reach the heavens of our mind, which is what the subject of theistic psychology is ultimately trying to teach.
Because such processes are not easy to master, theistic psychology attempts to teach us what we must do to regenerate our minds. Regeneration of our minds is a spiritual process. Theistic psychology combines science and religion to help us understand such concepts rationally. To understand concepts rationally means that we are learning to understand things on a more spiritual level.
b. The “character reformation” steps of building a “new will” are mentioned above. Before I describe what we must do in order for us to undergo character reformation, I think it is important for us to comprehend that character reformation requires our cooperation. This means that we have to be willing to cooperate with the Divine Psychologist, as He is controlling and managing our environment and experiences. Therefore, our character reformation is dependent upon our willingness to cooperate.
Character reformation is a lifelong process that begins when we become adults. The first step in reforming our character is to understand God’s truth through Divine Speech and Sacred Scripture. When we obtain the truth of God from Sacred Scripture we must apply them as our own principles. Our task is learning to love such principles. We must also act according to these principles. As mentioned before, such tasks are not in the least bit simple. We are born with innate hellish qualities, and such qualities act against the truth of God. When we allow our hellish traits to emerge, we are committing spiritual adultery, as we are integrating our own principles with the principles that we have obtained from Sacred Scripture.
In order for us to comprehend the truth of God from Sacred Scripture, we must first prepare our minds. There are three different levels of thinking that we are capable of at our conscious natural mind. The first and lowest level is the corporeal-sensuous level of correspondence. At this level, we are able to make sense of things only through a literal sense. The intermediary level is the natural-rational level. At this level, we are able to see a deeper meaning to God’s messages. The highest level that we are capable of thinking in is the spiritual-natural level. It is at this level that we can understand God’s underlying meaning to his messages. God’s word is not meant to be understood as literal. We are to find and understand his message on a more spiritual level. When we are able to think at this level, we are ready for character reformation and regeneration.
When we have the ability to think rationally, we can understand that God, the Divine Psychologist, is omnipotent and omnipresent. This means that he is within us and will be present with us for all eternity. When we understand such an idea, we can see how it is that the Divine Psychologist is constantly managing our activities, environment, and experiences. We are to cooperate with the Divine Psychologist through daily self-witnessing and self-modification. Self-witnessing means to become aware of our own behaviors and thoughts. We must also understand our behaviors and thoughts. When we are able to acknowledge our hellish traits, we must modify such behaviors.
It is the combination of all these processes that will help us to regenerate our minds. Understanding God’s truth and cooperating with the Divine Psychologist are critical components. We must also apply our understanding of God’s truth to our behavior, and this will help us in cooperating with the Divine Psychologist by rejecting our hellish qualities.
c. The old will is our will before we undergo character reformation. It is our will when we are unwilling to know God’s truth and reject our hellish traits. On the other hand, we can build a new will when we undergo character reformation. The building of a new will enables us to become closer to God by understanding his truth. We can build a new will by strengthening our old will. To do this, we must be willing to know and understand God’s truth. We must also be willing to let go of our hellish traits and loves.
d. Heavenly traits are traits that are pure and innocent. It is said that the ruling love in heaven is altruism. True altruism means having the desire and motivation to do things for the sake of others and God. It means putting others before ourselves. It also means taking the good and truth of Sacred Scripture and willing ourselves to reject thoughts of promoting ourselves. Such thoughts of promoting ourselves are considered hellish. As mentioned several times before, we are born with hellish traits and loves; however, we must learn to reject such loves.
By eliminating all hellish traits, and instead, willing ourselves to behave and think altruistically, we can build up the heavens in our mind. Our behaviors and thoughts are what build up either our heaven or hell in our minds.
e. The concept of regeneration of our minds has a direct relationship to the personality theory in psychology. It is said that the personality theory has an organic basis. This organic basis comes from the fact that our mind is constructed out of spiritual substances. This is the reason that our mind is considered our spiritual body. We are all born with a unique spiritual body. The appearance of our spiritual world is created from within our own individual mind.
Therefore, we will create our own hells in our mind should we choose not to eliminate all of our hellish behaviors and thoughts. Or, we will create our own heavens in our mind should we choose to rejects our hellish behaviors and thoughts. This is the reason that the concept of regeneration is related to the personality theory in psychology. This is also the reason that the concept of regeneration is so basic to theistic psychology.
THE QUESTION THAT I AM ANSWERING IS QUESTION 4
SECTION A: MY OWN SUMMARY OF THE SELECTIONS
3.7.2 Correspondences in Sacred Scripture and Divine Speech
Extracting the spiritual messages out of Sacred Scripture is the foundation of theistic psychology. The process of extracting the spiritual meaning out of Sacred Scripture requires specific procedures. Such processes are possible because of the creation of the interior-natural organ created by the Divine Child.
6.3.1.1.1 (IX) Correspondences to Divine Speech in Sacred Scripture
Divine Speech is understood in its natural-rational correspondences. Divine Speech is within us all as it descends to the lowest level of our consciousness and is raised to the highest level our mind of our natural mind, at the natural-rational correspondences. We are first able to understand the meanings of Sacred Scripture in its most literal sense. As we become more and more enlightened, Divine Speech ascends through our mind, into our spiritual organ. The spiritual organ lies within our natural organ. This is a relatively new organ created by the Divine Child during the Incarnation Event. Because of this new organ, we are able to extract the spiritual messages of truth and regenerate our mind.
6.3.1.1.1 (VIII) Divine Speech Descends Through the Discrete Degrees of Every Mind, and Forms Them
1. To understand truth means to gain ourselves spiritual freedom. To will the truth means to maintain our spiritual freedom. Truth comes to us first, in the form of cultural and social exchanges, and second, in the form of Sacred Scripture as we read it rationally. To understand Sacred Scripture rationally means to understand it spiritually. The spiritual meaning that lies within Sacred Scripture is universal and biological and applies to the entire human race.
2. We become aware at a higher level of thinking that there is a spiritual message within Sacred Scripture. Extracting the deeper meaning within Sacred Scripture is referred to as the sensuous level of thinking. For example, the phrase “there was a famine in the land”, the deeper meaning that God punishes those who disobey can be extracted out of it. However, if we continue to study the phrase, we can see that there is still a deeper message. Understanding the message at an even higher level is referred to the natural-rational level.
4.0 Why the Writings Sacred Scripture Are Written in Correspondences
The Writings of Sacred Scripture are written in correspondences because it is only through the correspondences of enlightenment that we are able to obtain and understand its underlying spiritual message. The ability to extract and understand the spiritual meaning out of Sacred Scripture conjoins us to heaven. That is the reason that the literal understanding is required but is not enough. Therefore, the spiritual understanding of Sacred Scripture describes theistic psychology at its core.
SECTION B: MY ANSWERS TO THE FIVE QUESTIONS
a. What is the perspective of theistic psychology provides on Sacred Scripture?
b. How is it related to Divine Speech?
c. What are correspondences in Sacred Scripture?
d. Give some illustrations of Sacred Scripture and show how they are to be interpreted from the perspective of theistic psychology.
MY ANSWER TO QUESTION 4:
a. Theistic psychology provides a very essential perspective on Sacred Scripture. This is because the writings of Sacred Scripture are central to the subject of theistic psychology. The foundation of theistic psychology lies in our mission to extract the higher order correspondences, or spiritual meanings, out of the writings of Sacred Scripture. To understand Sacred Scripture on a rational level means to understand truth. To understand truth means to understand the word of God. That is the central purpose of Sacred Scripture.
The writings of Sacred Scripture have enabled us to become closer to God, the Divine Human. It has also provided us with a way to extract the truth of God. Furthermore, Sacred Scripture has given us a way to grasp the concept of the spiritual world. For example, most people think and have thought that the spiritual world is an actual place created out of time and space. However, from Sacred Scripture, we can see that heaven and hell are not actual places. Heaven and hell are created in our own individual minds.
b. Sacred Scripture has a direct relation to Divine Speech. Divine Speech descends through each level of our mind. It is then raised to the highest level of our natural mind, at the natural-rational level of correspondences. It is at this level that we are first able to understand the meanings of the writings of Sacred Scripture in its most literal sense. As we continue to learn God’s truth we can become closer to God and we can begin to understand Sacred Scripture on a more spiritual level. When this happens, Divine Speech ascends higher and higher in our minds, into our spiritual organ. Levels in this organ allow us to extract the spiritual meanings of truth.
So, we are able to understand Sacred Scripture through Divine Speech. The more we study and reflect upon the writings of Sacred Scripture, the higher Divine Speech ascends into our mind. The importance of both Sacred Scripture and Divine Speech are clear, to obtain and maintain spiritual freedom within ourselves. In order to obtain spiritual freedom we must understand the truth. And in order to maintain spiritual freedom we must will the truth.
c. Correspondences in Sacred Scripture refer to our processes and levels of understanding Divine Speech. There are ascending levels in both our natural and spiritual minds. Our goal is to understand God’s word rationally because to understand it rationally means that we are thinking on a spiritual level. That is our purpose, to understand and will the truth in our spiritual mind.
Sacred Scripture is written in correspondences because extracting the spiritual meaning will conjoin us to heaven, whereas understanding only its literal meaning will not. While it is necessary for us to understand the literal meaning of Sacred Scripture, it is not enough. Therefore, our purpose is to extract and understand Sacred Scripture in its most spiritual sense. And understanding the underlying spiritual message is not possible through any other way but the correspondences of enlightenment.
d. One example of Sacred Scripture is the phrase “there was a famine in the land”. If we just take the literal meaning of this phrase, we would take it to mean that there was a famine in a particular place sometime in the past. If we understand it at a deeper level, we can extract that message that God punishes those who disobey. However, if we understand the phrase on an even deeper level, we can see that the underlying message is that God punishes, not just those who disobey, but those who reject his truth.
THE QUESTION THAT I AM ANSWERING IS QUESTION 5
SECTION A: MY OWN SUMMARY OF THE SELECTIONS
2.6 What's the relation between the body, the mind, and the spiritual world?
1. Natural events and spiritual causes were considered as scientific laws of correspondence in the past, however, because of evolutionary changes such correspondences were forgotten. Such correspondences have been discovered and we are now able to use the correspondences for investigations of the causes and effects that the mind and the body have on each other. There is a direct correspondence between the physical body and the spiritual body. The spiritual body is created from the Spiritual Sun and the physical body is created from the natural sun. Therefore, there is a parallelism, or a direct correspondence, between the spiritual sun and its creations and the natural sun and its creations.
2. We are all born with a physical body and a spiritual body. This is what is meant by dual citizenship; we have two bodies, one in the physical world and one in the spiritual world. Swedenborg has reported that those who are consciously in the spiritual world now are able to see the spiritual body of those whose physical bodies are still living on earth. There will be no conscious communication between them until the person’s physical body dies. Our sensations, thoughts, and feelings are considered to be spiritual objects and events because they are non physical objects. Whatever we feel and think in our spiritual body, we feel and think in the spiritual world.
6.3.1.1.1 (V) The Divine Psychologist and Our Character Reformation
The evil intentions and motivations that we experience, we experience because such feelings are being activated by those in the spiritual hells. So, when we have the desire to cheat or steal, these desires are coming from those who are consciously in their hells. If we choose to not reject such desires and give in, we give those in their hells a sense of fulfillment and happiness. However, we choose to reject such desires and not give in, we can hold on to the heavenly mediate influx. We are able to reject such feelings in ourselves by acting in accordance with the divine truth of Sacred Scripture. Such decisions can lead us to enlightenment, and then onto regeneration.
12.6.4 The Role of Our Vertical Community
We can credit our vertical community for whatever mental state we are in. This is because we are reliant on associations with others because no one is able to will or think for themselves. The vertical community interlocks everyone together, no matter if we are spiritually conscious or unconscious. No human or spirit is the source of our thoughts or feelings, it is the God, the Divine Human, who provides us with such things.
SECTION B: MY ANSWERS TO THE FIVE QUESTIONS
a. What is the relation between mind and the spiritual world?
b. How does theistic psychology show their relation?
c. How can the human mind be immortal?
d. Why should people be concerned about the afterlife?
e. What is the “vertical community” and why should people focus on their “dual citizenship”?
MY ANSWER TO QUESTION 5:
a. The mind and the spiritual world correspond directly, although we are not conscious of this. At birth, we are born with two bodies, one physical and the other spiritual. Our brain and physical body is considered our temporary body and is located in the natural or physical world. Our mind is considered our permanent and spiritual body and is located in the spiritual world. Our spiritual body in the spiritual world is visible to those who reside there consciously; however, we are unable to directly communicate with them until our physical body dies.
Our mind is made up of our cognitive and affective organs and these organs are made out of spiritual substances. Our sensations, thoughts, and feelings are derived from our mind, and are therefore, considered to be spiritual objects and events because they are not made out of material substances. Swedenborg discovered that whatever we feel and think in our spiritual body, we feel and think in the spiritual world; though we are not conscious of this amazing discovery. Consequently, it is safe to conclude that our mind and the spiritual world are directly connected to each other, though we are not consciously aware of it.
b. Theistic psychology shows the relation between the human mind and the spiritual world by looking at these concepts rationally. Our mind and the spiritual world must be directly connected to each other because our mind is created from the Spiritual Sun and the Spiritual Sun is located in the spiritual world. Our affective organ is created out of love and good, which comes from the Spiritual Sun. And our cognitive organ is constructed out of truth which also comes from the spiritual sun. Both
organs create our mind.
We can also see how our mind is related to the spiritual world by understanding that the thoughts,
feelings, and sensations that we experience are being activated by those in their spiritual world. Those
who are consciously in their spiritual world are able to activate feelings and motivations within us, even
if we are on the physical world. When we feel the need to steal or lie, such motivations are being
activated by those in their spiritual hells. When we feel the need to compliment or help others out of
altruistic feelings, such motivations are being activated by those in their spiritual heavens.
c. The human mind is a spiritual body that is located in the spiritual world. So, if we think rationally, we can see that our mind is a spiritual body because it is not made out of material substances in time and space. We can also see that because our thoughts, feelings, and sensations come from our mind; our thoughts, feelings, and sensations are eternal because our mind is eternal. And because our mind is our spiritual body that is located in the spiritual world, our thoughts, feelings, and sensations are also located in the spiritual world. Therefore, our mind and everything that goes on in our mind, is eternal, consequently immortal. Our mind will not and cannot die; it will live on for all eternity.
d. People should be concerned about the afterlife because our afterlife is either heaven or hell. There is no gray area between the two. We cannot just let go of some of our hellish qualities and expect to end up in the heavens of our mind. There are complex processes that we must undergo in order to end up in the heavens of our mind. In order to reject our hellish qualities, we need to be in complete cooperation with the Divine Psychologist. This will be enabling us to regenerate our mind. In addition to rejecting our hellish traits, we must be able to understand and will God’s truth. We can understand and will God’s truth by studying Sacred Scripture. By studying Sacred Scripture, we can elevate our level of thinking higher and higher in our mind through Divine Speech.
As you can see, there is so much that we need to do to prepare our minds for the afterlife. God’s plan is for each and every one of us to bring ourselves to the heavens of our mind; however, we can only do so if we are able to completely master all of the processes mentioned above. We, as humans, need to realize that what we do here, on earth, has a direct effect on our spiritual world.
e. The vertical community resides in the spiritual world. Those who are in the vertical community have already passed on, meaning, that their physical body has died. They are consciously aware of their spiritual surroundings. Those who are in the vertical community can either be in their heavens or their hells. They are able to visibly see and hear our thoughts, feelings, and sensations; though we are not aware of it. They are also able to influence how we feel and what we think based on similar associations. So when we have the impulse to yell at someone we love, this impulse is being activated by those in their spiritual hells.
People should focus on their dual citizenship because whatever occurs in the natural world will have a direct correspondence in the spiritual world. Whatever we do and think while here on earth will affect the spiritual world that we will eventually end up in. That is why we must regenerate our character according to God’s truth. If we can do this, we can end up in our heavens. However, if we are unable to do this, we will end up in our hells.
THE QUESTION THAT I AM ANSWERING IS QUESTION 6
SECTION A: MY OWN SUMMARY OF THE SELECTIONS
6.3.1.1.1 (X) Character Reformation and the Psychology of Cooperation
The concept of as-of self is that God controls and organizes our feelings, intentions, motives, thoughts, conclusion, etc. that we experience on a daily basis. God is omnipotent and omnipresent, he is within us and present around us every minute of every day, and will be for eternity. This is the idea that only God has power. He is the only one who has power. The reason for this is for our protection. God also chooses our behaviors and thoughts according to those who we are connected in the vertical community.
God manages our feelings, thoughts, intentions, decisions, and actions by correspondence to those in the vertical communities according to our ruling love. The ruling love of whatever society we are connected determines what goes on in our cognitive and affective organs. Consequently, we feel as though we are acting on our own, when in fact, God is doing it all. This is why we refer to ourselves as as-of self, and not just the self. This is such a central concept to the idea of regeneration. It is so important for us to understand that we have no power, only God does. In a sense God is also cooperating with us as he cannot change our intentions or motivations.
6.3.1.1.1 (II) God's Omnipotence and the As-of-Self Free Will
We do have the freedom to choose what we want and desire. We also have the freedom to think what we want. Have such freedoms, and God maintains this freedom for us. Everything that we do, God is there cooperating with us. When we feel the need to eat or drink or sleep, God is right there with us, cooperating. This is what it means to be omnipotent. Even when we choose to do something hellish, God is there allowing us to reason about the particular hellish act. God also allows us to feel the sense of freedom.
SECTION B: MY ANSWERS TO THE FIVE QUESTIONS
a. Discuss the concept of the “as-of self”.
b. Why is it difficult for people to accept his idea?
c. Does the concept of as-of self imply that we don’t really have true freedom as human beings?
d. Is human freedom compatible with the concept of God’s omnipotence?
e. How do you react to this concept? Can you accept it? Does it make a difference whether you accept it or not?
MY ANSWER TO QUESTION 6:
a. The concept of “as-of self” holds that God is the Being that is controlling, managing, and determining everything that we do. He controls our thoughts, feelings, decisions, behaviors, actions, etc. He is able to do this because God is omnipotent and omnipresent, so he is always within us and present around us, and he will be for all of eternity. God coordinates our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors to those in the vertical community, connecting and disconnecting us, as our ruling love continually changes. Our cognitive and affective organs are dependent upon the ruling love of whatever society we are connected at any given moment. This is why we feel as though we are acting on our own. However, we must understand rationally that it is God who is providing us with such powers.
This concept is so central to the theme of regeneration. In order for our minds to become elevated to higher levels, we need to be rationally conscious of the fact that although it feels as though we have free will, it is God who is controlling us. It is God who is allowing us to feel, think, act, and behave. To think that we are acting with powers that belong to ourselves means that we are thinking meritoriously. This means that we do not believe that there is another source within us that is controlling us. We don’t believe that God is controlling our actions and thoughts. This is an incorrect way of thinking. However, if we look at the facts rationally, we will see that it is, in fact, God who is cooperating with our daily experiences.
b. It is very difficult for people to accept this idea because it feels as if we are acting on our own free will. And in a sense we are, but we have to rationalize that it is God who is providing us with this sense of free will.
I think that another reason that it is difficult for people to accept this idea is because people do not like the thought that some other source is controlling our behavior and thoughts. I think that people do not like to attribute their actions to someone else, even if it plainly clear that we cannot have such powers. I think that the reason for this is that we have been trained by society to want and obtain independence. Growing up as children, most of us have probably disliked it when our parents told us what to do and what not to do. We wanted our independence.
c. No, the concept of as-of self does not imply that we don’t have true freedom as human beings. We do have true freedom, however, we don’t have complete freedom. We have the freedom to think and behave and act as we desire. And God is maintaining this freedom. Everything we choose to do, God is right there, cooperating with our thoughts and actions. When we want to eat, He is cooperating with us by allowing us to place food into our mouths. When we want to sleep, He is cooperating with us by allowing us to lay our body down and to close our eyes. He is cooperating with us every minute of every day, while allowing us to maintain a sense of freedom.
d. Yes, I think that human freedom is compatible with the concept of God’s omnipotence. As mentioned in the section above, we have true freedom, just not complete freedom. And God allows us to maintain such freedom. We are able to choose what we want to think and choose how we want to act, it is just that God is there cooperating with us.
e. The first time that I read and learned about this concept, I found it a bit overwhelming. I also did find it hard to accept. I have never been a religious person, not by any means, so I have never liked the idea of doing and thinking according to the word of someone else. However, what I found that I needed to realize is that I don’t need to do and think according to the word of God (although I should be as it is the heavenly thing to do) in order for God to be cooperating with me. He cooperates with my actions and thoughts even if He doesn’t agree with them.
After changing my thinking a little bit, I find that I am able to accept such a concept if I think about it rationally. If God is omnipresent and omnipotent, He must be within us and around us, controlling and managing us. I also find that by accepting such a concept, it is easier for me to think and act in heavenly ways. I think that the reason for this is that I want to do right by God, and I want God to be happy with my thoughts, feelings, and actions.
No, I don’t think that it makes a difference whether or not I accept this idea. Even if I don’t accept this idea, it will still be true if it really is true. Does that make sense? For example, if someone doesn’t believe in the existence of a soul mate, doesn’t mean that there is not a soul mate out there for them. Same goes for this idea. Even if I don’t believe in the idea that God is not co-managing my thoughts and behaviors, doesn’t mean that He is not.
SECTION C: MY ANALYSIS OF PRIOR GENERATIONS IN THE GENERATIONAL CURRICULUM
Generation 20:
Tyrone D. ClarK II
Report 1: Can Theistic Psychology Exist in Science?
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459s2004/clark/report1.htm
(i) How Tyrone felt:
Tyrone felt that Theistic Psychology does exist in science. He felt that a lot of the ideas in theistic psychology answers many of the questions that he once had about life and our purpose. He was a practicing Christian, who still had many unanswered questions inside of him. He felt that theistic psychology enabled him to understand and rationalize certain ideas about life and our existence.
(ii) What Tyrone thought:
Tyrone thought that theistic psychology can indeed exist in theistic psychology. He was a person who would go to a Christian Church every Sunday, when he finally questioned many things about his faith. He then turned to the subject of science for answers and studied such things as physics and biology. This too, however, provided no help. Eventually, he came upon this course, theistic psychology, and was amazed to find how much it made sense to him and wondered how he had never heard of the subject before. He full-heartedly believes in the subject and in the writings of Swedenborg.
(iii) What Tyrone concluded:
Tyrone concluded theistic psychology is the answer to all unanswered questions out there. He also concluded that theistic psychology encompasses all the religions that currently exist. He believes that theistic psychology is a subject that successfully combines two subjects that most think should be kept separate- religion and science.
(iv) How Tyrone’s insights apply to myself:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tyrone’s report. He writes very well, and his paper intrigued me very much. He was able to engage me in his report from the very beginning. The other reason that I enjoyed reading Tyrone’s report is that I had much of the same feelings and thoughts as he did prior to his taking the course. Even though I had never attended church as regularly as he did, I too, would consider myself a Christian, as I did go from time to time. However, I stopped when I realized that the ideas taught in church did not satisfy my questions about life, our purpose of life, and the afterlife. I believed there had to be more to it.
Although I cannot accept all the ideas presented in theistic psychology as full-heartedly as Tyrone, I think that taking this course has answered some questions that I once continually wondered about.
Generation 21:
Thalia Stark
Report 2: My Understanding of Theistic Psychology
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459f2004/stark/459-g21-report2.htm
(i) How Thalia felt:
Thalia felt that the subject of theistic psychology better helped her understand things about God and the afterlife. There were many different ideas discussed in her report, much like this report. Her report covered concepts such as materialism, regeneration of our mind, sacred scripture, and marriage, She actually covered a lot of the concepts that I have just covered in my report.
Thalia felt that the concept of materialism is an idea that enables us to understand the basis of theistic psychology. The idea of materialism excludes God from science. Thalia thinks that being able to think in a positive bias perspective will help us to understand and to have an open mind in that God and science, do indeed, exist together. On the subject of regeneration, she believes that she is a good person and she has the desire to be the best person she can. She acknowledges that regeneration is preparing our mind for the spiritual world by rejecting hellish traits and behaving in a heavenly way. However, she does not touch upon the other basic processes necessary for regeneration. She believes that because she understands theistic psychology, she will be more able to choose her heavenly traits over her hellish. Thalia also discussed the subject of marriage. She had never wanted to get married before, however, with her new knowledge on the subject of marriage in theistic psychology, it has changed her perspective. She now views marriage as a partnership that involves love and wisdom.
(ii) What Thalia thought:
Thalia thought that many of the ideas that theistic psychology presents will help her to better herself in many ways. These ideas have also helped to adapt a new perspective on certain subjects. Sacred Scripture, for example, has helped her to see that there are underlying spiritual messages in God’s word. She had previously thought that the text of the Old Testament were just tall tales. She also thought that the purpose of the Old Testament was to teach moral lessons. She understands now that Sacred Scripture aids us in our character reformation of a new will.
(iii) What Thalia concluded:
Thalia concluded that her understanding of theistic psychology has helped her in different area of her life. She is now able to look at the afterlife as a positive thing. She understands now that it is possible for her to one day be reunited with her mother in heaven. She also understands that when our physical body dies, our mind lives on. These concepts allowed her to look forward to the afterlife, instead of wondering about what happens next and dreading it.
(iv) How Thalia’s insights apply to myself:
I thought that Thalia’s insights were very valid and good. However, I did have a difficult time reading her report. She did not really answer the questions in a straightforward manner, and it was difficult to see if she had a good grasp on each of the concepts.
Generation 22:
Jennifer Ikeda
Report 2: My Understanding of Theistic Psychology
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2005/ikeda/459-g22-report2.htm
(i) How Jennifer felt:
Jennifer definitely felt that her understanding of theistic psychology will help her to prepare her for the afterlife. Before taking this class, she had found it difficult to believe in the literal meaning of the Bible. She also had a difficult time understanding how, out of the numerous religions that exist, only one surpasses them all and holds more true. However, she now understands that it is possible for all religions to unite under one truth.
(ii) What Jennifer thought:
Jennifer thought that there were aspects of theistic psychology that have helped her to understand life in a more purposeful sense. For example, she can see that our mind is our spiritual body that resides in the world of spirits. She also understands that what we do on earth is directly linked to what happens in the spiritual world.
(iii) What Jennifer concluded:
Jennifer concluded that although she believes in the ideas and concepts that are the basis of theistic psychology, she did have a difficult time accepting and understanding some of the ideas. For example, the concept of as-of self was difficult for her to comprehend. She had a hard time believing that her thoughts and her feelings were not her own, but instead connected to her through God to the vertical community. However, she found that if she changed the way she thought, she could rationally understand that how this could be.
(iv) How Jennifer’s insights apply to myself:
I think that Jennifer and I hold some of the same thoughts in regard to theistic psychology. She was a person not really sure of the existence of God and the afterlife, and looking for some answers. She learned the basics of theistic psychology and have found that many of the concepts and ideas make sense. Furthermore, it gave her some hope for the afterlife. However, she did find it difficult to really grasp and accept some of the concepts. The concepts that she found difficult to grasp, she looked at rationally (something she learned through) theistic psychology, and concluded that these concepts are indeed valid.
Generation 23:
Melissa Alcover
Report 2: My Understanding of Theistic Psychology
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459f2005/alcover/alcover-459-g23-report2.htm
(i) How Melissa felt:
Melissa felt that the course was difficult to understand and comprehend at first. However, over time she found the subject to be interesting and important. Interesting because she had never before heard such ideas. And important because she finds the ideas valid and understands at a rational level how she can use the ideas to better her own life.
(ii) What Melissa thought:
Melissa thought that the subject of theistic psychology is valid and on-target. She had learned to think more rationally and with an open mind over the course of the subject, and had found that this had helped her. She thinks that is what future generations must do— keep an open mind.
(iii) What Melissa concluded:
Melissa concluded that her understanding of theistic psychology will help her to better her lifestyle and her character. By improving both aspects of her lifestyle, she will also improve her ability of elevating her mind to higher levels. She would like to continue to the study the subject, as she finds it interesting and finds that it pertains to her life.
(iv) How Melissa’s insights apply to myself:
I think that Melissa’s insights are also very similar to my own. She found the subject of theistic psychology a bit overwhelming at first. However, with a better understanding of its core ideas, she is aware of how such concepts can be used to change her life for the better.
I think that most students have much of the same ideas and insights on the subject of theistic psychology as I do. For most of us, the subject will be difficult and overwhelming. However, by learning to change the way you think over the course of time, you can see how theistic psychology makes sense. I also think that the subject gives many of us hope of our afterlife. We are able to pave our own paths, and I think that gives most of us a sense of freedom.
SECTION D: MY ADVICE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS
There are several things that I would like to suggest to future generation. The first thing is DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!! Believe me; procrastination will make it incapable for you to completely comprehend all that you should. Procrastinating will also make it incapable for you to deliver quality work. There are weekly readings that you must complete that are lengthy, so set aside time for yourself to get through them all. There are also outlines and oral presentations that you must keep up with. And finally, the reports. The reports are not too difficult, but they do take an enormous amount of time to complete. So be aware of all that you need to do, and make sure that you are setting aside enough time for all the assignments.
Second, DO YOUR ASSIGNED READINGS. I think that keeping up with the assigned readings will definitely help you to understand the orals that are being presented daily. It will also help greatly when doing your reports. Some of the readings can be extremely long, but reading them will definitely pay off. Plus, most of the readings are pretty interesting and will get you to really think about and engage in the subject.
Third, KEEP AN OPEN MIND. I think that most of the ideas that will be presented to you will overwhelm you, so definitely keep an open mind. You don’t need to accept such ideas, but you definitely need to learn about them and understand them.
Lastly, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and HAVE FUN!! The curriculum for this class may seem difficult, but it is within your capabilities!! Also, have fun. The discussions for this class are very interesting, so take it all in and use the discussions during class to your advantage.
My Home Page:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2006/antonio/antonio-home.htm
G24 Class Home Page:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm