14

Dumariae Love-Jackson

Course: Psychology 459, Spring 2007, Generation 26
Instructor: Dr. Leon James
Introduction to Theistic Psychology at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/theistic/ch1.htm
My Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2007/lovejackson/lovejackson-home.htm

Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy26/classhome-g26.htm
Instructions for this Report: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy26/459-g26-weekly.htm

The Semester is Over…This is Only the Beginning

By, Dumariae Love-Jackson

Report 6 for section 1.8.9 – 2.17 plus 6.4 – 6.8

I am answering questions 14.1, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6, 14.9, 15.1, 15.7, and 15.8

14.1. What are people talking about on the Web or in the media when they say the "Bible Code"? Explain it, then show how it differs in method and purpose from theistic psychology. Why is the Bible code called blind in relation to theistic psychology?

I searched google in order to see what the Bible code is and what people are saying about it. In a nutshell the Bible code is an attempt to extract hidden meaning from sacred scripture. This is done by choosing letters that are evenly spaced and seeing what you can come up with. The spacing of letters can be chosen by the interpreter and go forward or backwards. People are claiming that using this methodology will tell us about events that have happened or are going to happen. In fact, there have been numerous findings of events and people found in the Bible by using this method. People are also saying that this methodology can find significant events in any large text.

Theistic psychology and Bible code differ from one another. Theistic psychology uses the laws of correspondences to reveal messages in sacred scripture. These laws are unchangeable. Theistic psychology is also not utilize to simply show the presence of significant events that are either going to happen or have happened in the world. Theistic psychology is utilized to increase the quality of ones lifestyle while in the physical world and in the mental world.

Bible code on the other hand is changeable. You can use a 4 letter spacing to find one event, and a -7 letter spacing to find another. Bible code can also be applied to other large texts. The same significant findings can be found in such text. The laws of correspondence are utilized in sacred scripture and divine speech. I can’t pick up my textbook and start using the laws of correspondence to extract hidden meaning from my developmental psychology text. This would be irrational.

Bible code is blind in relationship to theistic psychology because it does not stem from a rational method. Also, it does not come from God. If I had to guess, I would say that it comes from a human sensuous mentality. By this I mean that human beings want a higher level understanding. They’d like to know more about the afterlife. When they use Bible code as a means of obtaining this information they are attempting to understand higher levels of information that extend in to the spiritual world through a method that has its roots in the natural world.

14.4. Explain the assertions that "there is only one mental world and we are all in it". How do you understand this? What difficulties did you encounter when trying to explain this assertion to another person? What is your conclusion? What are the consequences in your mind of this assertion?

The idea that there is only one mental world stems from ideas presented by Emanuel Swedenborg through his observations. The mental world is a place where everyone’s mind exists. Since the concept of the mind cannot logically be broken down to physical elements, we must assert that the mind must have its roots somewhere. The place is known is the mental world

In the mental world, the minds of all human beings are connected. The human species is the only species that can stake their claim in the mental world. The reason why is that human beings have the ability to rationalize. Other species and objects can exist in the mental world if human beings create them in their spiritual mind. The mental world also consists of heaven, the outskirts of heaven, and hell. Heaven is presented in several layers. The higher layers are the ones that are closer to God. In order for one to enter their heaven one must have a conjugial love. If one does not have a conjugial love, he or she can remain on the outskirts of heaven until he or she finds his or her conjugial partner. Another requirement one must have in order to enter their heaven is too adopt heavenly characteristics while in the natural world and upon resuscitation. If a person maintains a consistent level of heavenly traits, he or she is more likely to give up all of their hellish traits when it is time for their second death. At this point the person is eligible to enter heaven. If they do not give up these hellish characteristics they will live their eternity in hell.

The reason why there can only be one mental world is that God is omnipotent. If there was more than one mental world or no mental world at all, this idea of omnipotence would be challenged. If this is the case, one may ask, why are there so many different religions with different viewpoints? The answer to this question is that the followers of each religion got the message in their sacred scripture misconstrued. The fact of the matter is that God gave sacred scripture to different people, at different times, during different contexts. All sacred scripture has universal meaning that can be tied together through the laws of correspondences.

When I explained this notion to my girlfriend she was able to relate because of the suggestion that the mental world is open to everyone. It is universal. She was able to admit that it is not logical for God to create everyone and choose one religion to be the dominant religion. It also does not make sense for God to create something and potentially doom them from the start because they’ve received the wrong religion. God does not choose who will go to heaven or hell. He does not express favoritism. To suggest this would imply that he is imperfect. We all know that this is not the case.

My conclusion is that there has to be a mental world. The ideas that have been presented in this material makes too much sense and is too rational to not consider the possibility that it exists.

As far as the consequences in my mind, I believe that I am now held accountable for the information that has been presented to me. If I were to take this information, perceive its rationality, then deny it, in a way it would be blasphemous. The reason why is that I would be denying the factual knowledge about God’s existence.

14.5. What is regeneration? How do you relate to the idea of character reformation in your own life? How do you imagine yourself as a "reborn self"? Would your friends like you better? Would you be a better citizen or student?

Regeneration is the idea that we must strive to reform our traits and characteristics toward a heavenly lifestyle. Regeneration begins at conception. Throughout our lives, it is necessary for us to constantly monitor our traits and get rid of anything that is hellish. This is why God gave us a conscience and free will to choose. If God wanted to create robots he would have. Essentially he wanted us to be able to experience life as if it were our own. Consequentially, the results can be great reward or extreme torment. All humans have the opportunity to seek God and be more heavenly. Some of us will see the benefits of what God has to offer fairly easily. Others will see material things in the world as more appealing. Regeneration is the whole process behind what is going on. We can regenerate and become better people or we can simply ignore the need for regeneration and maintain all of the hellish things that are present in our minds. Certainly, all the decisions we make will have their consequences.

With respects to me being reborn, I imagine that I will be less likely to be lazy. This has always been a problem of mind. Growing up has taught me that I need to change my ways in which I have. Although I am still lazy, I am no where near as lazy as I use to be. In the past I have also had a problem with not being able to be on time. This is another area in which I am learning that I need to change in. Being punctual is needed in all areas of life whether I am on time for class or work. Not being on time could be harmful to my development as a person. Last but not least, I have had problems with procrastination. This goes hand and hand with laziness. Sometimes I wait until the last minute to do things. Doing this brings me to the point where I can no longer procrastinate and I have to do what is required of me. This is harmful because I may not do an efficient enough job due to time restrictions.

If I were to regenerate and reform my character, I would expel these traits from my character. This would only make me a better person. It definitely couldn’t harm my character. It may also alleviate some of the stress that has been placed on my life.

I believe that my friends would benefit from this regeneration as well. A lot of times, when I am lazy and tardy, they are affected by it. There is one instance I can recall in which I made my girlfriend late for work. She didn’t receive any extreme discipline from her job because she is normally a punctual person. She did however receive a blemish on her record. This was obviously my fault. Theistic psychology tells us that we should stop doing evil to our neighbor. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the offense is, any kind of evil is considered bad. Regenerating my character would make me less likely to commit the offenses I mentioned above. I believe that my friends and family would appreciate me a lot better.

I do feel that I will become a better person if I regenerate my character. I think I would be better prepared as a student and as a worker at my job. If everyone in the world could do the same we would have a very industrious world

My conclusion is that there has to be a mental world. The ideas that have been presented in this material makes too much sense and is too rational to not consider the possibility that it exists.

14.6. Describe the three methodologies used in theistic psychology. Explain the levels of extractive research. How are these levels related to our mental anatomy or organs? How do you understand all this? What is the potential significance of this method for generating new scientific knowledge?

This week’s readings describe the three methodologies used in theistic psychology as extractive, predictive, and applied. Out of all three of these methodologies the extraction process seems to be the most important out of all of them. The reason why is that it is closest thing we have to actual communication with God (aside from actual communication). This process deals with obtaining the real meaning from sacred scripture. As we receive the influx of good and truth through the upper portions of our mind, the information that is being given gets distorted as it travels to the lower layers of the mind. By the time it enters a level in which we are conscious of it has been extremely misconstrued and taken in the literal sense. The reason why is that we are natural beings who live in a material world. Everything that we experience is something that stems from the natural world. While we are alive, we are unconscious of the mental world and the higher order processes that we become aware of once the attachment to our natural bodies have been severed. Extraction is necessary to, in a sense, regain all of the things we have lost through the filters of the upper layers of the mind. If extraction does not occur, we tend to create a fantasy world that is constructed from our natural mind through the literal meaning of sacred scripture.

In order for a theory to be accepted, there has to be a predictive value. This means that implementation of the theory is used with the knowledge that a give outcome will be expected. If the predictive value of a theory does not exist, it is useless. The reason why is that there would not be a need for practical application of the theory in question.

Last but not least, theistic psychology uses practical application on a general level. This means that the ideas presented in this subject can be beneficial to many facets of life. The biggest application of theistic psychology starts from the premise that one should stop doing evil to his or her neighbor. By doing this, the individual makes his or her first step toward living a harmonious life well after their resuscitation. Application of theistic psychology extends far beyond the natural world. In fact theistic psychology offers a framework that not only tells us how to go to heaven in the after life. It also gives an accurate description of how the afterlife is going to be. This is all due to Emanuel Swedenborg and his observations.

Extractive research applies to the writings sacred scripture. As mentioned earlier, it is necessary extract meaning from the sacred scripture because our minds can only exceed to a natural rational state of consciousness. This isn’t good enough for theistic psychology.

The first level of extractive research is to identify the naked truths. Naked truths are presented in all sacred scripture. Naked truths are higher order correspondences that are mixed with natural correspondences. Many people overlook these naked truths and perceive their full meaning as a mystery.

The second level of extractive research deals with the idea that natural correspondences cannot seep trough to the higher layers of correspondences. The natural correspondences serve as a foundation for the higher order correspondences. These higher order correspondences must be acknowledge before one can begin to understand the meaning that comes along with them. It is important to not confuse natural rational revelations with higher level correspondences. While they may sound complex, enticing, and have great utility, they still cannot be higher order correspondences unless they are initially recognized as such.

These methodologies are related to the mental anatomy in such a way that they operate in the same manner. The reason why is that they have to in order for us to receive things in the natural world. As we receive good and truth from the upper layers of our mind, something has to happen in order for us to receive these things in the natural world. The highest layers of our mind are unconscious. We need a way to make the information received at these levels conscious so that we may utilize it. The extraction process can be used to do this. Through the laws of correspondences, extraction of divine truth is possible. Although we may not receive it in its purest for we do receive it. The predictive method gives motive to the application. It is the reason why we can conceive and conceptualize the importance of the information being given to us. Finally, the applied methodology is how we use the information that we receive in the natural world.

Organizing these thoughts as such helps me to understand the situation quite clearly. It is quite possible that as I write these words, I am getting a few of the facts mixed up. This is probably do to the fact that I am a novice to this subject. As I make attempts to become more knowledgeable about the material, I will become enlightened and able to comprehend the information a lot better.

The significance of these methodologies is great. Generating new scientific knowledge is highly probable because it extends our current level of understanding far beyond anything that anybody has tried to understand in a scientific way. When we begin to talk about the afterlife, people’s minds automatically access a religious framework. This framework is not scientific. This is where we have a major breakdown in our perception of information. This is unfortunate but it is alright. The most important thing is that people grasp one concept which is easy to grasp. This idea is to stop doing evil to their neighbor.

14.9. Who was Swedenborg? Give a brief description of what you know so far. Should one believe Swedenborg? Does it depend on belief or rational understanding and proof? What benefits are there in studying Swedenborg's theistic psychology, which is hidden within the literal sentences of the Writings Sacred Scripture that he authored. Do you think he knew that his sentences were Divine Speech and contained infinite knowledge that the human race could never exhaust?

Swedenborg was an individual who grew up in Sweden. His father was a bishop and the church was a great part of his early life. Swedenborg decided that that he would venture into science rather than religion. Although he made this choice, he still was able to keep God at the forefront of his life. This seems to be his initial step toward making all of his accomplishments. Swedenborg was a science writer and publisher, and an engineer to a name a few things. He also served in the House of Lords of the Swedish parliament. He was well respected, highly traveled, and very influential on the environment around him.

Swedenborg made it a point to keep God as a constant throughout everything he did. He didn’t reduce the scientific facts he obtained to physical phenomenon. He asserted that God created a natural world and a mental world. This is where his scientific thoughts on dualism began. Although he believed this, he was unable to prove it until the age of 57 when he became conscious in the mental world. He took this gift and used it to bring enlightenment through sacred scripture. He published volume after volume, analyzing all the information he received. He also applied strict scientific methodology to his observation. These are the first records we have that shows how God can be viewed scientifically.

I have always been taught to never take someone’s word for it. With that being said, I don’t think one should believe him after only getting a synopsis of his life. I firmly believe that one should examine his writings and study theistic psychology before outright believing what is being said. After all, it seems that one is supposed to maintain constant study of the material in order to gain all of the benefits that it has to offer. After thorough examination of his writing and theistic psychology, I think that one should believe Swedenborg. If he didn’t have the credibility that he had in society during his time, I would probably be reluctant to believe him because I wouldn’t know if I could trust him as an adequate source. If the question were posed to me: Do I believe Swedenborg? My answer would be yes.

I think that there are definitely benefits to studying theistic psychology. It teaches us how to live our lives in a good way and it prepares us for our resuscitation in the afterlife. Theistic psychology also offers universal meaning to sacred scripture and is inclusive of everyone. It is not narrowed to one area of study. It can be utilized in multiple areas. All we have to do is recognize the positive bias and not be so quick to dismiss God from science.

I believe that Swedenborg knew that his sentences were divine speech. The reading states that God came to him and told him that he had been preparing for his divine mission ever since he was a child. This piece of information leads me to believe that he was aware of God’s plan. One thing is to be certain. His words did not come from him. His writings/interpretations are manifestation of God through him.

15.1. Search the Web for Creationism and read some of what is presented. Now in your own words explain what is Creationism. What is the explanation in theistic psychology as to why Creationism is inappropriate?

Creationism is the idea that the world and its inhabitants were created through by a supernatural deity. The existence of this deity extends far past anything that could have been recorded in history so it is considered infinite. Most of the stories of creation are told in sacred scripture. These stories are viewed and depicted their natural, correspondential meaning. An example of a creation story can be found in the book of genesis in the Old Testament. Genesis talks about how God created the heavens, the earth, and its life forms. The reason why this is considered creationism is that it does not offer a scientific explanation as to how life was created. This is also why it isn’t viewed as scientific.

Creationism is not only found in Christianity. Many different cultures around the world have someway concocted their own story of how life on earth began. Some of these cultures do not even obtain their creation stories from sacred scripture. As time passed, culture seemed to have been the biggest influence on their creation stories. An example of this is how certain Native American cultures got their creation stories. (the Iroquois creation story can be found here: http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/naanth/ircreat.htm).

The main reason why creationism isn’t considered scientific enough to be a significant explanation of creation is that there is too much cultural, religious, and political stigma attached to it. The reason why theistic psychology can explain creation in a scientific fashion is that it extracts the hidden correspondential meaning out of its natural, literal interpretation. By doing this, theistic psychology take this hidden meaning away from all of the religious, cultural and political bias. After doing this we can see how it is universal and applicable to everyone in the world. This is how theistic psychology offers a scientific explanation of creation.

15.7. How does theistic psychology, the science of immortality, avoid becoming like mysticism or paranormal phenomena? Contrast the sensuous spirituality of psychics or mediums to rational spirituality in theistic psychology\

Theistic psychology avoids becoming like mysticism and paranormal phenomena in many ways. The first way is that it is based on scientific revelation. Theistic psychology is made up of factual knowledge that has been asserted in the positive bias. Mysticism and paranormal phenomena does not have their roots in science. This is why they have they are called mysticism and paranormal phenomena. They simply can’t be explained in rational terms. They also do not even make an attempt to scientifically prove their claim.

People who are considered to be mystics assert that their ability to see things outside of the physical world or make attempt to explain things that can’t be explained through the physical world attribute their power to themselves. This suggests that God is not omnipotent. Those who study theistic psychology know that this isn’t the case. The reason why they are able to think that is that God is allowing them to perceive their lives through their own terms. Simply put, God knows what they are thinking and how they are attributing their power. He lets them think this way so that they may feel a sense of control over their lives.

When a psychic attempts to give answers to certain phenomenon that have happened in the world, they are attempting to appeal to a person’s need for sensuous spirituality. In other words, people have this need to know. They are willing to go to great lengths to find information that they not aware of. This happens rather often, especially if the psychic can offer an explanation for something that is considered to be important to the individual who is seeking the information. Common examples of this is how people have their palms read in order to see when their next true love will enter their lives or when they will receive a high paying job.

All of these attempts to appeal to this sensuous mentality can be more accurately explained through the efforts of theistic psychology. Take the woman who seeks her next true love for instance. If she studies theistic psychology she will be able to see that it will make her a better person. If she builds her character and makes genuine attempts to live in her heavenly traits, everything will follow suit. Ultimately, she will find her conjugial love in either the natural world or on the outskirts of heaven. Once she has found the conjugial love she will be able to spend the rest of enternity with the love of her life.

Most people can’t see past their natural life on earth. Although eternity is much longer than our natural lives, people have the tendency to be impatient. Instead of seeing the bigger picture of eternal life, they are quicker to make decisions that will affect their current situation. This is what people have to learn to control.

15.8. Is it possible to study God scientifically, according to theistic psychology? Explain. What is your evaluation?

It is possible to study God in a scientific fashion, according to theistic psychology if we are able to make one assertion. We need to be able to accept the possibility that God exists. If we are unable to accept this possibility, studying theistic psychology would be pointless. The reason why is that all of the information that is taken in would be viewed through a negatively biased flow chart. Someone who can’t accept the possibility that God does exist will take all of the information that theistic psychology has to offer, reduce to mysticism, religion, and paranormal phenomena, then make an attempt to discredit with facts that have derived from the negative bias.

If one can take up the positive bias, he or she will be able to see that God can be studied scientifically. Theistic psychology offers and objective and universal view about the world and its inhabitants. It does not exclude anyone or anything. It extends far beyond physical/natural data in to the mental world. Theistic psychology begins with the idea that we are dual citizens and have bodies in the natural and mental world. We are unaware of what is going on in the mental world because of the preoccupation of our natural bodies with the natural world. Once this attachment is gone we will then be able to see this fact more clearly.

All of this information was given to us in Swedenborg’s writings. A common question that has been in the minds of students throughout this course has been; why should we take the word of one person? This seems to be a difficult obstacle to over come because science has taught us that an idea can only be presented as fact if more than one person can reach the same conclusion. While all of Swedenborg’s writings can be proven upon resuscitation, this is seen as insufficient to some people because they don’t want to have to wait to prove something. People have an impatient nature. If one fact was presented from one person to another, the person in which the fact was being presented to will most likely say, “prove it”. This phrase should be changed to “prove it now”.

As far as my own opinion, I definitely believe that God can be studied scientifically. As mentioned earlier, one I’d need to accept the positive bias. This is something that I am making an attempt to gravitate toward. I am no where near an expert on theistic psychology but I can definitely see the usefulness of its application as well as its benefits.