Report 2:
My Understanding of Theistic Psychology
By Britton Komine
Instructions for this report are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy21/459-g21-report2.htm
How does theistic psychology view “mystical
spirituality”? Why is it called
“mystical”? Include a discussion on
“sensuous vs. rational consciousness” of God.
What evolutionary significance does this indifference imply? How do readers of Swedenborg interpret his
writings?
Section A:
The concept of “mystical spirituality” is based on the idea of a “nonduality” between God and human beings. This is the idea that all human beings are each the “Divine.” This means that each one of us is somehow an evolution of the God that we call the Divine Human. Swedenborg continues to explain that the “path to God” is the “path to Self.” This final concept shows us that finding the Lord among the difficulties in life will help us find ourselves and vice-versa.
Level 1: Materialistic Science (Monism, Negative Bias) (Section 1.1.1)
Theistic Psychology is not yet a fully ration and scientific perspective on God because it does not explain the conflicts among the various religions. Thse various religions not only contradict each other but sometimes want to annihilate each other. If these religions were fully rational, then they would not disagree with one another because they would all be preaching the same principles. The goal of all the religions would be to send all of their believers to the same place, the ultimate heaven, and would not fight over their different standards.
Level 2: Mystical Religion (Section 1.1.2)
In theistic psychology, the
feeling of “having an experience with God” or “sensing a oneness with God” is
referred to as having a sensuous consciousness of the Divine. This sensing takes place in the
corporeal-sensuous portion of the mind, which is close to the natural order of
the physical body but is far from the rational portion of the mind. Therefore this direct experience with God is
a sensuous spirituality that is basically a non-rational experience. This type of experience is then labeled
materialistic because it reflects physical objects, laws, and feelings.
Mystical
vs. Rational Approaches to Theistic Psychology
(Section 1.2)
Rational spirituality or more commonly referred to in Theistic Psychology as rational consciousness of the Divine, is the opposite. The anatomy of our mind shows that the section of the brain that deals with rational things is above the corporeal-sensuous portion. This means that every explanation or meaning that we have about the world is made by the rational part of our mind. This section is exposed to two different stimuli, one from our corporeal-sensuous experiences of our physical body living in a natural universe, and one from our spiritual-celestial experiences of our spiritual body living in a natural universe. Swedenborg concludes that we are dual citizens in two worlds, a natural and a spiritual world.
Mystical vs. Rational Approaches to Theistic Psychology (Section 1.2)
Swedenborg explains that
God placed us in this spiritual world for one reason, to develop our celestial
mind. If God were to appear to us and
reveal his power he would take us back to the days of the New Testament, when
God himself appeared as a man born in history on this planet. The steps of evolution require that God show
himself in our rational consciousness so that we may develop rational proof of
His existence for ourselves. Basically,
if He showed himself to us it would be to easy, because there would be no
decision to make in our head.
Level
1: Materialistic Science (Monism, Negative Bias) (Section 1.1.1)
Section B:
Importance
The
topic of mystical spirituality is the basic definition of what Swedenborg’s
writing’s are all about. My findings on
this topic explain what rational consciousness is and why it is so important to
our human race. If we don’t think about
the Lord rationally, then he will never be able to reach us because our mind
will be on a natural or “materialistic “ level. The Lord doesn’t want us to feel him but He wants us to think
about Him rationally and understand what his purpose is for us.
My Understanding
I further understand that we all have dual
citizenship in both worlds, but our duty is to develop our celestial minds so
we can go to heaven. The Lord gave us
the ability to be able to think about him and then also think that we are
“feeling” him. This is called “sensuous
consciousness vs. rational consciousness.”
He wants us to struggle and then develop our own rational proof of His
existence for ourselves.
Agree or Disagree
I agree that these findings are sound and
that they make sense. I really
understand the concept of “sensuous
consciousness vs. rational consciousness.
Sometimes the concepts are a little confusing, but I grasp the concept
pretty well.
Extra Credit
Question 4
What
are the consequences for society of "materialism" which excludes God
from science? What are "scientific revelations" and what motivates
scientists to exclude them? Discuss whether this motivation is justified and
how theistic psychology proposes to overcome this objection.
Section A:
My Summary of Selections Pertaining to Each Question
When a
person rejects God’s existence, the individual is put into a one sided belief
system. Even though one may still believe
in God, and yet still excludes God from science, this is really like, “a
chemist that would deny that different forms of energy exist.” It would just be total contradictory to
believe in something that has everything to do with anything and everything
that exist then turn around and say, “but I don’t include God in science.” Thinking this way distances you from
rational thinking, which in turn will distance you from reaching higher levels
of heaven. God gives us choices, and we
can make rational ones or irrational ones that will determine where we will
stand in the after life of our minds.
All in all, thinking materialistically which is contrary to rational
thinking cannot help in preparing us for an afterlife in heaven, but just the
opposite.
Level
1: Materialistic Science (Monism, Negative Bias) (Section
1.1.1)
A
revelation is something that is discovered or exposed concerning something not
previously known or realized. In theology, which is the study of the nature of
God and religious truth, revelation is meant to denote a truth previously
unrealized by a person or people that relates to an aspect of God’s Word and in
essence, his Truth. These truths are found when we study God’s Word in
combination with Swedenborg’s code-breaking tool of correspondences. God’s Word
consists of three essential writings: the Old Testament, the New Testament and
the Writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg. Using Swedenborg’s key of correspondences
we are able to take a scientific meaning out of the literal context of which
they are recorded in the Old and the New Testaments. We do this in order to get
the true rational meaning of what God has laid out for human kind as a tool for
attaining an everlasting heavenly existence. The literal story contained in the
Old and New Testaments are actual historically sound events that indeed did
occur. In Theistic Psychology we see beyond the literal translation of the
texts to a higher level of understanding meant for all of humanity at all times
and in all places.
Level
1: Materialistic Science (Monism, Negative Bias) (Section 1.1.1)
Materialistic science derived from
materialistic society regards only the physical matters as the valid scientific
proofs or evidences. It consequently excludes God and a spiritual world from
its realm of investigation. As a
result, in the atheistic psychology from the materialistic science, all the
psychological phenomena are regarded as the “epiphenomena,” which are not real
and will vanish when our physical function starts to lose its function at the
time of our death. In this view of
science, we are merely a “biological robots,” and our minds exist only during
our physical bodies are functioning.
Divine
Management Principles Section 4.1
Section B:
My Commentary
I think that this is an important topic because if
science ends up focusing only on materialistic aspects of the existence of
human race while entirely excluding the spiritual aspects, it could bring us no
hope to live a better life and discourage any motivation to strive to be a
better person. Based on the
materialistic science, there is no ultimate meaning of our existence and thus
no hope in our future.
To be aware of the flaw of the materialistic science in this point helps
me understand why including God and spirituality in the realm of science is
very important. It might be true that
ignoring God in science could bring the superficial benefit such as efficiency,
economic productivity, etc. However, it
can bring no benefit as to the crucially important issue of our salvation in
the afterlife.
I totally agree with the idea that the existence of
our minds is just a by-product of our biological functioning if we choose to
adopt a materialistic science, because it is obvious that modern materialistic
science totally exclude such concepts from the realm of study. This is also
what I was taught at the other psychology classes.
If we look at the media, most of the shows and programs are based on materialism, how to look nice, how to loose weight, reality shows that treat serious matters in a comical manner. Nonetheless, the premises of Theistic Psychology counteracts these social patterns by acknowledging God in the study of human behavior which means that if I do something good, it is because God had sent His power to me to do that which I have done and this works for every individual on earth although some may not readily acknowledge the fact. Because God is the source of all rationality and of all good things, I can receive from Him by cooperating with His commandments that are revealed in Sacred Scripture and I can do this by choosing to be rational in the course of my lifetime here on earth. If I understand that God is the source of all truth by living out the Divine Revelations in my life, then I can assure myself that my decisions are rational.
I similarly agree with these sections and the ideas shared and researched above. At the beginning of class, we discussed the full importance of accepting the positive bias before having the ability to understand the readings and discussions. I truly believe that our class has done a wonderful job in doing so and we have grown as a class in accepting the ideas shared in the texts and in discussion. Without this positive approach to Theistic Psychology, we would not be able to share Swedenborg’s, Dr. James’, and fellow classmates’ concepts. In taking in these ideas we can apply and interpret them ourselves in order to develop a heavenly character.
Why is the topic of “regeneration” so basic in theistic psychology? What are the “character reformation” steps of building a “new will?” What is the difference between the “old will” and the new will? What are “heavenly vs. “hellish” traits? How does this relate to personality theory in psychology as you know it.
Section A:
In Sacred
Scripture, the six days of creation refers to the six phases of mental
development in which we can heal the character that we have inherited through character
reformation efforts.
What’s
the difference between religion and theistic psychology? (Section 2.1)
In applied theistic psychology, the process of “character reformation” is a primary goal. In the writings of Sacred Scripture the psychological traits that make up the human character are said to be inherited. Tendencies like selfishness, cruelty, resentment, rebellion against moral imperatives, insensitivity, laziness, carelessness, and other negative character traits, are not learned. Today, there is plenty to support the idea that physical traits are inherited such as color of skin, eyes, and hair, as well as body build and biochemical characteristics like sensitivities or allergies. There is plenty of information that is well known about the transmitting these traits to offspring. On the other hand, nothing is known about the transmitting of affective traits and tendencies, all of which make up a human character.
What’s the difference between religion and theistic psychology? (Section 2.1)
Character
reformation is described as a process that involves the willingness to resist
the temptations that were put there by the Divine Psychologist every day by day
and hour by hour. Any person who was
born with there old inherited will undergo a process of “regeneration.” In this process, God slowly builds a “new
will” in which we battle against the old loves by using the weapons of
understanding. One tool that God gives
us, the conscience, is an inner voice in our consciousness that flows from
divine speech.
Spiritual Growth: How the New Will is formed (Section 6.0.5)
As we read and study Sacred Scripture throughout our lifetime, our beliefs change from materialistic to spiritual or dualist beliefs, which is called “undergoing reformation” of the understanding or cognitive mind. Then as this new understanding becomes "the doctrine of truth from Sacred Scripture," we apply it in our lives to daily choices. This process of “regeneration,” is mainly focused on overcoming “temptations.” During this regeneration, a “new will” is being created in which we can live both in heaven and on earth.
Flow Chart of How the New Will is Created by Divine Speech (Section 6.0.5.2
All
humans have a will, which is a dominant love, that stands for what we are in
reality rather than in appearance.
During our first death, the physical body drops off and our spirit is
resuscitated into the world of spirits.
This is the place where we realize our true self, for the first
time. We cannot resist the intense
urges of loves that have been held cooped up by social personality, reputation,
or the law. Like a genie out of the bottle, we rush into all sorts of frantic
behavior and new conduct of great passion and intensity. Now is your eternal
destiny sealed. As your second death
quickly approaches, you are compelled by you ruling love from within to act in
a way that pleases that love. If your
ruling love is the “old will” that you were born with, then you are forced to
completely immerse your conciousness into the loves of the “old will.” This is a process that is refer to as
“descending into the hell of your mind.”
Instead,
if you have a new will, you would rather give up any of the old loves and lose
traits like selfishness, pride, love of disobedience, and unfaithfulness in
marriage, etc., etc. With a new will,
we lose all of our old loves from the old will and after the second death, are
resuscitated into the heaven in our mind.
Spiritual
Growth: How the New Will is formed
(Section 6.0.5)
When the old will sees Sacred Scripture, it recognizes it in a cultural and traditional way- but only respects it literal meaning. This is true because the literal meaning of Sacred Scripture allows people to use it to justify their current loves. Sacred Scripture is written in natural correspondences relating to a materialistic view of God and the world. The hellish loves of the old will only relate themselves with only those beliefs that support these loves.
Flow
Chart of How the New Will is Created by Divine Speech (Section 6.0.5.2)
A human
having an understanding of truth from the Sacred Scripture forms the
regenerated will, or new will. Without
this truth in their live, this person’s will will not be regenerated and will
hold on to their old will. We acquire
the motivation and willingness to resist temptations caused by the old will,
from the presence of the Divine Truth in our spirit. If we obey the truth from Sacred Scripture in our rational
understanding, then the new will is being created gradually, and only to the
extent that we make our daily choices according to this rational consciousness
from Sacred Scripture.
Flow
Chart of How the New Will is Created by Divine Speech (Section 6.0.5.2)
The
Writings confirm the fact that mental traits are inherited as well as learned.
All inherited mental traits can be changed by self-modification. The earliest
generations on this earth inherited heavenly or altruistic traits until
aberrant individuals introduced negative loves by inverting their inherited
positive traits. When they passed into the world of spirits they were
segregated from the others in their heavenly mental states. The hells were thus
created. After many generations and succeeding civilizations the negative
traits became so predominant that a life of hell on earth was
established--crimes, wars, sicknesses, famines, abuse of women and children,
deception, discrimination, injustice, and so on, all of which are familiar to
us today. Character reformation has become essential before we can get rid of
our "inherited proprium” and acquire a heavenly proprium from God.
With the cultivation and love of heavenly traits we set up a mind that is
capable of living in conjugial love in heaven to eternity. If we arrive into
the afterlife with the old unregenerate proprium, we automatically sink into
the hells of the mind where we live forever with others in a sorry state (see
Section xx).
The
Conscious Self and Its Development (Section
6.0.1)
Section B:
Importance
Although the idea of “regeneration” in theistic psychology is very simple, it is still very important to a humans existence in the after life. Regeneration is characterized by shedding of the old will, or the negative loves that engross our daily lives. When you gain a new will, you begin to value different loves and lose a sense of your old loves. With the new will we are happy to give up every one of the loves in our old will, so that now, upon our second death, we are resuscitated into the heaven in our mind.
My Understanding
My understanding is that when you have an
old will, the only way to get rid of it is to obtain the meaning of truth from
the Sacred Scripture of God. This new
truth in our mind causes our rational consciousness, or a little voice in our
head that helps us to make the right decisions. As we make better decisions, we constantly are forming a new
will. This new will, which is the true
love of our life, will eventually take over us during our second death and send
us to eternal heaven.
Agree or Disagree
I
believe that when a ruling love takes over someone’s life, they are blinded by
it and refuse to see other things that are around them. I agree that the process of making a new
will in your life will change who you are and eventually send your spirit into
a better place. If you are happy with
you old, negative ruling love, then you will go to a place where it will
thrive, like hell. If your ruling love
is a positive thing then you will go to heaven where it can thrive also.
What is the perspective of theistic psychology
provides on Sacred Scripture? How is it related to Divine Speech? What are
correspondences in Sacred Scripture? Give some illustrations of Sacred
Scripture and show how they are to be interpreted from the perspective of
theistic psychology.
Section A:
My Summary of Selections Pertaining to Each Question
The Old and New Testaments, which are also referred to as “Sacred Scripture,” contain nothing natural, only things that are figurative and symbolic. The language of correspondences that Swedenborg discovered is a totally different style that has different levels of meaning. The meaning of correspondences is a pattern that has been used in Divine Speech throughout the history of man, and it describes the spiritual world and God. This means of communication is at a higher level than humans because we think spiritually, not naturally.
The Nature and Character of God: A Scientific Perspective (Section 3.7)
Divine Speech is considered to be a Divine Rational Language, which can only be understood to the human mind through different types of correspondence. The basic matter of this universe, according to theistic psychology is love and truth that comes down from God. Love and truth becomes the very basis of what an enlightened person is, from their heart and soul, and extends into how they treat the people around them.
What’s the difference between religion and theistic psychology? (Section 2.1)
According to the
scientific laws of theistic psychology, every event that is observable in the
natural world is directly related and caused by an event that takes place in
the spiritual world. Swedenborg claims that the natural and spiritual worlds
have a cause and effect relationship.
This concept also relates to the idea of correspondences within Divine
Speech. This concept describes hiding
ordinary text by changing every word in the original with a totally new
word. For example, whenever the word
"water" is mentioned in Divine Speech or Sacred Scripture we are to
think of "truth." Then the
word "water" disappears and the word "truth" is substituted
for it.
The
Nature and Character of God: A Scientific Perspective (Section
3.7)
Religion is
the basic vehicle for God to get his message across to humans, according to
Swedenborg. Cultures are structured
within the guidelines of time, space, numbers, and materialism. Religion is something that exists in our
culture and society that we can grab and hold on to. The different religions and cultures only exist because of the
different types of people that exist in the world today. Sacred Scripture is interpreted into
different languages, so that the different cultures can understand what our God
is trying to say. When you interpret
all of the different material from the different religions, the message from
the Sacred Scripture is all the same.
Therefore, there is only one religion before us all.
The
Nature and Character of God: A Scientific Perspective (Section
3.7)
Divine
Speech can be very complicated when an individual chooses to think about it in
a natural frame of mind. There are different
levels in which Divine Speech may be interpreted, for example when we read the
word “church.” Most of us view the
church as a societal establishment of the Christian religion. Divine Speech interprets the word “church”
as the “regenerating mind” of every individual. In order to understand the meanings of word according to God, you
must allow yourself to think in a Spiritual sense instead of a natural sense.
The Nature and Character of God: A Scientific Perspective (Section 3.7)
There is a “dictionary
code” for the different meanings of words according to Sacred Scripture. For example, this sentence, “By the way any
time rain stops.”
by
the way = the
any time = attack
rain = will begin
stops = at daybreak
which means: "The attack will begin at daybreak."
The Nature and Character of God: A Scientific Perspective (Section 3.7)
Section B:
Importance
The primary topic of this first question
was Sacred Scripture and its relation to Divine Speech. This topic is very important because Divine
Speech is the words of God. Divine
Speech cannot be directly translated by men because we are living in the
natural world and therefore, are using our natural thinking. If we were living in the spiritual world, we
would here exactly what God meant with his Divine Speech. Therefore, God made its possible for men to be
capable of understanding correspondences.
Correspondences are words that have a direct relationship with the
Sacred Scripture that was written for man.
When this Correspondence code is cracked, only then will man read the
Sacred Scripture, which is the direct translation of Gods Divine Speech.
My Understanding
This new information about Correspondences
and its relationship to Sacred Scripture has enlightened me to God’s use of the
different religions. I learned that
religions have evolved because the different people of the world have evolved
their own cultures. The different
religions have adapted their own form of scripture, which are really their own
interpretations of the Sacred Scripture given to us by God. When all of these scriptures have been
decoded, the meaning is all the same, because it was given to us by the same
God.
Agree or Disagree
I believe this perspective is a very
realistic one because I have always believed that God gives people of different
cultures and religions the same opportunity to go to heaven. I have always believed that God creates
different religions because he is trying to reach out to all the people of the
world.
Describe the perspective that theistic psychology provides on the marriage relationship. How does it describe the relationship between husband and wife? What are some of its methods, models, and finding? Contrast what know with what you know of this topic in psychology.
Section A:
My Summary of Selections Pertaining to Each Question
Theistic
psychology views the marriage as a synergistic relationship between two beings
that have nothing in common. A synergy
is the interaction of two or more forces so that their combined effect is
greater than the sum of their individual effects. It is important to understand that the man and woman a totally
different people who have neither mental nor physical organs in common with
each other. A successful marriage is
one where the two are linked internally to each other for eternity and they
continue to develop their progressive perfection.
Feminizing
the Marriage Relationship: The Unity Model (Section 11.0)
While
describing men and women, Swedenborg states that there is a perfect and total
differentiation of all the mental organs and the physical organs. This reciprocal relationship of
differentiation and unity, is like the relationship between the heart and the
lungs. Although men and women are
totally different in the physical world, if they can become one in the equity
model they will enter a true internal marriage of conjugial love. If they enter this unity model before their
physical body dies in the natural world, they will be in heaven together for
eternity.
Feminizing
the Marriage Relationship: The Unity Model (Section 11.0)
Theistic
psychology recommends the unity model of marriage in oppose to the male
dominance model. In order to reach the
unity model, each of the partners must learn to analyze their threefold self
and adapt to their partners threefold self.
In this type of marriage the two individuals must become one, and force
themselves to put their individual self to the side. This type of marriage cannot be achieved by desire alone, but by
developing in levels with each other.
The final goal of these levels is to achieve a “conjoint self” between
the two individuals. This shows that
each individual has been changed, and dropped off some traits and acquired new
ones that can fit together. The old
traits that were abandoned and the new traits that were acquired consist of
sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective traits in the threefold self. Analyzing
the threefold self is analyzing your own habits of external activities, habits
of thinking, and habits of internal feeling.
Three
Levels of Unity in Gender Relationship (Section 11.3.1)
Women can enter into
conjugial love easier than the men, and if the husband is unwilling to give up
his personal loves and go into that phase she will travel into heaven
alone. While in heaven she will find
another mind, or her true soul mate who is willing to follow her to her
heaven. The man who does not wish to
enter the unity phase with his wife will not be allowed to enter the heaven of
his mind, but instead, he will enter into the hell of his mind. Conjugial Love, as described in the
Writings, is the unity model of marriage is a spiritual and celestial model
that represents the relationship of marriage in the heavens.
Feminizing
the Marriage Relationship: The Unity Model (Section 11.0)
Section B:
Importance
A healthy marriage in theistic psychology can only be achieved through an individual regeneration that results in the achievement of a conjoined self between the two individuals. This type of marriage cannot be achieved by desire alone, but by developing in levels with each other. Although men and women are totally different in the physical world, if they can become one in the equity model they will enter a true internal marriage of conjugial love. This information is very important to know because a couple must enter this unity model before their physical body dies in the natural world, then they will be in heaven together for eternity.
My Understanding
I understand that to achieve a unity model of marriage, each of the partners must learn to analyze their threefold self and adapt to their partners threefold self. This process will help to change individual and lose some traits and acquired new ones that can fit together their partners. The old traits that were abandoned and the new traits that were acquired consist of sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective traits in the threefold self. Analyzing your threefold self is analyzing your own habits of external activities, habits of thinking, and habits of internal feeling. Although men and women are totally different in the physical world, if they can become one in the equity model they will enter a true internal marriage of conjugial love. The couple will then have a synergistic relationship in which they are linked internally to each other for eternity and they continue to develop their progressive perfection.
Agree or Disagree
I really agree with this view of marriage
because I sometimes struggle with my own relationship now. I believe that in order for two people to
get along, they have to come together as a team and sometimes they need to
change some things about the way they think or act. Also, the individuals need to learn how to accept certain things
that their partners do. I think that
this type of conjugial love is the only way to be in a marital
relationship. After all, two heads are
better than one.
Question 8
What is the relation between mind and the spiritual world? How does theistic psychology show their relation? How can the human mind be immortal? Why should people be concerned about their afterlife? What is the “vertical community” and why should people focus on their “dual citizenship.”
Section A:
My Summary of Selections Pertaining to Each Question
God has
created us all with the intention of us understanding God’s rational
truth. God is a rational being and
therefore, everything that he has made in this natural world is rational
because everything fits together rationally.
Therefore to know God rationally is the only way to know God in
truth. God has placed us here on this
earth with a rational mind that allows us to know and understand God through
His Sacred Scripture. God’s wish is
that we love Him more than anything else that he has created.
What’s
the difference between religion and theistic psychology ? (Section
2.1)
Swedenborg
had the awesome opportunity of being conscious in both the natural and
spiritual world. While in this state,
he observed that everything that happened in the physical world, corresponded
to something that occurred in the spiritual world. In the same token, Swedenborg found that everything that happens
in the physical body corresponds to something that happens in the mind. This is true because in the spiritual world
the mind is visible just like the physical body is visible in the natural
world.
What's
the relation between the body, the mind, and the spiritual world? (Section 2.6)
In the
time of the celestial race, people knew the scientific laws of correspondence
between natural event and their spiritual causes. As time went on these correspondences have been forgotten and now
only can be grasped in the Sacred Scripture of the Lord. These Writings often refer to the
relationship between the mind and the body, for example, the correspondence
between the circulatory system and the affective mind, the respiratory system
and the cognitive mind. This
parallelism shows that the mind is a biological organ and has an anatomy that
can be described. The mind has two organs made of spiritual substances that are
not natural because they originate from the Spiritual Sun of the spiritual
world, while natural substances originate from the natural sun near each
planet.
What's
the relation between the body, the mind, and the spiritual world? (Section 2.6)
Basically,
the human mind and the brain differ in one simple way. The mind is an organ that is built from
immortal substances that come from the Spiritual Sun and the brain is built
from temporary matter that exist in this world. While the brain is going through its physical operations, the
mind is going through its mental operations, but both still are linked by what
we think and feel in this natural world.
When the physical body dies, the connection between brain and mind is
cut off and we are left with what the mind takes away from the natural world.
What
about evil, sin, hell, devil, and heaven in relation to theistic psychology? (Section 2.2)
When we
are alive our individual conscious awareness is located in our natural mind,
and it receives input from our physical senses and therefore what we see around
us is the natural world. When our
physical body dies, we lose our conscious awareness of the physical world
because our natural senses are no longer functioning. Now we have a conscious awareness of the spiritual world through
the senses of the spiritual body or mind, and we have immortal life in this
spiritual world.
What
about evil, sin, hell, devil, and heaven in relation to theistic psychology?
(Section 2.2)
The mind is
made out of the same spiritual substances as the spiritual sun, which will
never perish. As we live in the natural
world our mind is in parallel relationship to our brain and the interactions
that we make. While our natural body is
alive, our loves are being set into our mind, and when we perish our spirit
enters the first death. When the second
death comes, our eternal loves comes out.
These are the loves in which we base our existence on, and these are the
things that we normally are not willing to change. An individual is given the opportunity to give up their major
love, and most do not exercise this option, and instead descend into hell. It is very important now, that we think
about our immortality and our eternal life because now is the time when our
loves are being set into our mind. If
we fall to deeply into our hellish loves, then it may be to late to come
back.
What
about evil, sin, hell, devil, and heaven in relation to theistic psychology?
(Section 2.2)
Scientific fact now proves that the mental world is not a private world
as we once thought, but a social world in which we interact with others. Basically anytime that our spiritual mind is
activated, which is most of the time, we are in speech and thought with spirits
in the spiritual world. On the outside
we communicate with men, while on the inside we communicate with the “vertical
community” of spirits. If we did not
have this communication, or it was abruptly taken away from us, we would
instantly die.
We
Are Never Alone—The Vertical Community (Section
5.4.1.3)
While we are in this physical life, our thoughts and feelings are social events, in which we interact with spirits. Swedenborg explains that the basic operation of the mind is a reflection of the character of the spirits that we are connected with in the “vertical community.” Our vertical community is chosen by different societies of spirits that are arranged according to the loves of the spirits within them. Swedenborg explains that a change in our feelings or thoughts is only possible by the rearranging the spiritual societies in which we are communicating. The Writings explain that every single thought or feeling that is in our head comes either from the angels in heaven or the devils in hell. Rational thoughts and feelings come from heaven while negative thoughts and emotions come from hell.
We Are Never Alone—The Vertical Community (Section 5.4.1.3)
When we are born, we are
born into to two worlds simultaneously, the physical and the spiritual
world. The physical world is temporary
while the spiritual world is immortal because it is made of immortal matters. This type of “dual citizenship” is something
that we all have but only Swedenborg has been known to be conscious in both of
those worlds. The Lord puts us into the
physical world to develop our rational consciousness of Him and decide whether
or not we treasure natural things or spiritual things. It is important to know the importance of
this “dual citizenship” because we must not forget why we are really here. The Lord gives us the opportunity to make
our own destiny by deciding whether or not we love him and are willing to give
up what we want for a good salvation.
Spiritual
Psychobiology (Section
1.6)
Section B:
Importance
There are many different, thing that the
last question explored that are all very important towards our
regeneration. The role of the mind in
this natural one is a very active one, one that is a reflection of what goes on
in the spiritual world through the vertical community. To understand what the mind means to
regeneration is the key to getting into the afterlife, because the mind is what
our life reveals after the second death.
My Understanding
It is my understanding that mind is an
immortal, spiritual substance that is in direct relationship with the vertical
community. Basically all of our
thoughts and energy comes from spirits who have lived in this world
before. Also the mind is linked into all
of our cognition and loves. While
living in this natural world, we fall into love with certain things in which
our minds reflect on. When we die
physically, our mind and spirit travel to heaven and express these loves. If these loves are something that you are
willing to give up because they are hellish, then you travel to heaven. If these loves are to important than the
individual travels to hell to be with these loves.
Agree or Disagree
This whole perspective seems rational because I have
adopted the positive bias. Everything that
is mentioned makes sense and I believe that what we do will affect us in the
next life.
Discuss how prior generation students reacted to and interpreted similar topics
in theistic psychology, rational spirituality, and the Writings of Swedenborg.
Link to list of reports:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/theistic/readings.htm#part2
Chosen Reports:
Can
Theistic Psychology Exist in Science?
Can Theistic
Psychology Exist in Science?
By Josh Cooper
“I must admit that I have had my doubts,
or what I would call now a negative bias regarding this topic during the first
few weeks. However, as the semester
progressed, Dr. James has so kindly answered hundreds (literally) of questions
that we had, and I must admit that I feel a bit more comfortable now and I am
beginning to grasp a better understanding of this topic.”
“What also made this class
fascinating was that this understanding could almost be applied to any
faith! Before I knew it, I found myself
voluntarily staying back after class just to grasp more of a deeper understanding
of Swedenborg’s Writings. Needless to
say, I have since adopted the positive bias and I am full-willing to explore
this new branch of psychology. However,
I must admit that I am still at a very infantile stage and only at the first
step of understanding it as a whole.”
What they concluded
“This assignment has not really changed my view of the relationship between a Divine Being and science. Buddhism and Swedenborgianism share similar views, and I always believed that both entities flowed as one. I was always taught through my religion that there was never a separation between the Buddhism and science. One aspect that was bothersome, however, was that I had to adjust and start acknowledging the term “God” with what I always considered a “Divine Being” in Buddhist terms. By that, I had to relearn that God was not just a Christian God as I always knew it to be, but more of a universal Being that exists.”
How their insights apply to you
As a student in this Theistic psychology class, I often felt the same way as Takashi Nakamura did when he first entered. At first, I had not adopted the positive bias, instead I yielded my own learning by sticking with the negative bias of Swedenborg’s message. Then finally, as the classes went by and Dr. James answered question after question, the concepts started to fit together and started to make more and more sense. Takashi talked a lot about Buddhism and how he thought that God was one being, who was here for everybody. I always had the same concept about the different religions and how they are all interconnected. I believe that the different religions only exist because there are so many different people in the world today. The different religions just have different ways of relaying the same message.
Can Theistic
Psychology Exist in Science?
By Josh Cooper
“As I moved from childhood to adolescence my interest in spiritual matters became less and less important. Like many adolescents I would undergo a stage of rebellion in search for my own autonomy. Growing tired of the ubiquitous religious concepts of Swedenborg I grew a strong distaste for it. I then completely shut out ideas of God and religion. This shunning of religion was solely because of my desire to revolt against my upbringing. During this rather chaotic period in my life I grew the feeling that I did not need anything higher than myself. My life was my own, and no one was to touch it, whether my parents, my society, or God. Although I continued to live in a very religious neighborhood, but my loves for it were distant.”
“My initial response to the exposure of theistic psychology was
excitement and enthusiasm. Being exposed to Swedenborgian concepts throughout
my life I was interested to see how an attempt of bringing Swedenborg and
psychology together would look. I believe it is spirituality that has been the
missing element of psychology for which I have been looking. Theistic
psychology is the most rational and logical way of combing the two that I have
come across. The spiritual aspects of Swedenborg are scientific in many ways.
All the data was gained through discussions, empirical observations, and
experiments. But also, its description of the spiritual world, what it is made
of, how it operates, and how it relates to the natural world, are extremely
rational and coherent. There are specific laws and substances that make up the
spiritual world. Its operation and functioning is extremely rational and
scientific. In this way religion and spirituality are in need of science. It is
the development of the external, rational, scientific mind that allows the
spiritual mind to grow and become alive.”
How their insights apply to you
Like Josh, I also was searching for my autonomy during my first year in college. I then stumbled upon some teachings of Swedenborg caused by some interesting information from a friend. I did some research and found that his material was a little too difficult for me to understand especially when there wasn’t anyone there to guide me. At first, I was a little apprehensive to take this class because of the experience that I had had in the past. Instead, I took the class because I was interested in finding out what I never had a chance to in the past. Towards the second half of the semester, I started to be more enthusiastic and excited about learning Swedenborg’s ideas because they were starting to make sense.
Theistic psychology will be very hard to digest and understand for the non-spiritually oriented mind. Any atheist or monist will have immense trouble understanding the importance of it. However, as stated before, I believe this weakness is not in theistic psychology but in the mind of the reader. The human race is extremely large. There are millions of people that currently live on earth today. This does not even mention the even larger amount that have already passed on to the other world. And in each individual that has ever lived there is a genius that is diverse from every other. From this one can see that there are things that have never even entered into the mind of man. To think that man can, by himself, fully understand how the universe and mind work is extremely illogical. For the universe as well as the diversity of the mind is infinite in variation, and it is only through revelation that man can begin to understand how it all works. Psychology and science today are under the assumption that it can understand the mind and the universe by only looking at what is natural, physical, and material. This denies it from understanding spiritual, mental, and eternal concepts, because they are immeasurable and unexplainable from the monistic perspective. It needs revelation too. This is the importance of theistic psychology.
Section D:
Oral Presentations:
By Franklin Whang
September 16th, 2004
The topic of
Franklin’s presentation was the concept of humans beings citizens in both the
natural and the spiritual world.
Swedenborg was the only man to realize this “dual citizenship” because
he was conscious in both of those worlds.
Franklin also says that after the physical body dies, the spiritual body
leaves the physical body and lives in the “afterlife” or spiritual world
forever; taking along his or her personalities and physical characteristics.
Franklin also says that “life would be made easier if the two worlds are closer
together.” I really don’t agree with
this statement because our life is as easy as I think it should be. If we knew about the afterlife then we would
already love God. This is the same
reason that he doesn’t show himself to us, because we need to develop a
rational consciousness of him and decide whether we want to follow his ways and
give up our love. In essence, our life
is as easy as it is going to get and at the same time allowing us the will to
make our own decisions.
Franklin then moves on to the topic of transmissive and productive functions in our life today. He says that Steam is a form of productivity because
it is a function of anything that boils liquid. When the producer is destroyed the production stops. On the other hand, radio waves are transmissive, because when the radio breaks and cannot receive radio waves, the waves are still there. Franklin also says that the brain is transmissive, because when the brain dies, the spirits are still there. I understand what Franklin is saying but I think that the idea of the brain and the mind makes more sense. During our tenure in the natural world our brain and mind are working together to collect information. During this process we are developing our wills and loves, and creating our new state of mind. The brain is made of physical matter and therefore dies when the body dies. The mind, which is made of spiritual, celestial material will never perish. Instead it takes our personality, wants, and loves into the world of spirits.
By Trisha Park
September 9th
2004
Trish presentation focus on the concepts of the positive bias and the dualist approach to psychology. First of all, the positive bias was something that I had a struggle with early on. I describe the positive bias as thinking in your mind that something can be possible, instead of turning it away as soon as you hear it. Sometimes it is hard to go against or even allow yourself to hear things that are new or go against what you have been taught. Trisha said that “when your mind is made up, its made up,” and that is she believes in something strongly enough, it will be true in her mind. I feel that it is hard for people to influence what I have to say or think, but once they get through the outer wall then I really start to listen. Now that we are nearing the end of this class, I am really starting to enjoy the weekly information that I receive on Theistic psychology.
I also learned in this lesson the concept of the dualist approach to science and religion. Trisha said that the Monist approach is more widely accepted due to the influences of science while the Dualist approach is somewhat “under skepticism.” While researching on theistic education for my presentation, I read about the same concepts and ideas. I learned that theistic psychology and its education only encourages the dualist mind, or the mixing of religious and scientific ideas. The only way that they teach anything that is natural or scientific, is if that can be applied to a spiritual concept or lesson.
By Emmy Zukowski
October 14th, 2004
Emmy’s presentation was on
the topic of humans being born into evil and the regeneration process. To me this process relates o the personality
theory of nature vs. nature theory.
This theory explains that some of the traits that we are born with are
genetically passed down and the rest are learned throughout our lifetime. Emmy goes on to explain that humanity is the source of all evil, and that the
purpose is to change this hierarchy and overcome our outward personal
interests. The difficulties in this
process are our own natural desires coming out from within us. The only way to change or regenerate our
desires, is to read Sacred Scripture and try to understand the truth that comes
from God.
Emmy goes over the 6-step regeneration process of
becoming a new person and eventually moving into the heaven of our own
minds. One main point that really
caught my attention was when she said, “our destiny is in our own hands.” I agree with this statement because I have
learned that we are shaping our own mind right now in this natural world. When we read Sacred Scripture and realize
that something in our life needs to be changed, we need to step up to the plate
and change it or we will carry it into the afterlife.
Section E:
While undertaking this paper, I learned a lot of
different things about researching, applying, and understanding theistic
psychology. When trying to answer a
question, I would look for the key words in the question and insert them into
the “edit,” and “find” action. This
would highlight all of the words on the page and I would read all of sentences
around the key word. This method of
reading really helped me to understand the concepts while keeping the amount of
time to a minimum. Also it is important
to research without a negative bias in your mind. Having a positive bias allowed me to fully understand and feel
what the concept mean to me. This
helped me to be able to put my thoughts and feelings into the report rather
than just typing words.
Most importantly, I really encourage all of you as
individuals to take advantage of your opportunity to learn what Dr. James and
Swedenborg have to say. Even if you
don’t fully indulge yourself in the ideas of Swedenborg, listen to his ideas
because they will help you improve the basic relationships in you life.
Class
Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy21/classhome-g21.htm
My
Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459f2004/Komine/