Moses, Paul, and Swedenborg:
Three Steps in Rational Spirituality

   Dr. Leon James   
   Professor of Psychology

    University of Hawaii
    First published on the Web: 1999

   
Revised: 2003 
    Updated: 2007
   
Version 13d

    email:  leon@hawaii.edu 

 

 

 

 

The Web address of this document, along with links to other related documents is:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/instructor/gloss/moses.html  

For copying or use see the Permissions Note at the end of the document.


Contents

 

 

**** Before You start: Diagnostic Test Your Rational Spirituality ****. 6

0.  Introduction. 6

0.1 A Brief History of Rational Spirituality. 6

0.1a  The New Split-brain Race. 10

0.2  But is this Scientific?. 19

0.3  Overview of this Book. 22

0.3a  Diagram of the Mind. 24

0.3b  Three Steps in Rational Spirituality. 25

0.3c  In a Nutshell 30

1.  The Dawning Age of True Science. 31

1.1  Quo Vadis?. 31

1.2  Salvation by Faith Alone vs. Good Works. 36

1.2.a  Diagrams of the Human Mind and Divine Influx. 37

1.2.b  Regeneration -- Shunning Evils As Sins. 46

1.3  Truth Is the Appearance of Love. 48

2.  Swedenborg’s Dual Consciousness. 50

3.  Character Reformation By Means of the Threefold Word of God. 55

God’s Intervention in the Details of Our Lives. 59

Correspondences -- The Secret Code of Rational Spirituality. 61

4.  The Varieties of Religion Under One Divine Human Person. 65

The Inner Spiritual Meaning of the Threefold Word. 66

The Growth of Rational Consciousness of God. 69

5.  Phase 1 – Ritual Faith or the Moses-Phase (Sectarianism, Fundamentalism) 75

6.  Phase 2 – Mystical Faith or the Paul-Phase (Personalism, Universalism) 79

6.2  New Testament Sayings of Jesus and their Spiritual Meaning. 81

6.3  From Mystifying Faith to Rational Spirituality. 92

6.4  Sensuous vs. Rational Consciousness. 103

6.5  Anatomical Diagrams of Consciousness. 107

            *** Take the Rational Spirituality Test Part 1***   122

7.  Phase 3 – Rational Faith or the Swedenborg-Phase (Particularism, Actualism) 130

8.  Sectarianism: The Old Testament State (Hebrew Word) 135

9.  Personalism: The New Testament State (Greek Word) 139

9.1  New Testament Parables– Doorway to Rational Spirituality. 144

9.1a  Rebirth -- Reformation of the Understanding and Regeneration of the Will 144

9.1b  Why Jesus Spoke Only in Parables. 148

9.1c  To Prevent Profanation, Revelation is Individual and Progressive. 150

9.1d  Can There Be a Scientific Proof that the Threefold Word is Divine. 154

9.1e    The Secret Code of Correspondences

9.1f    The Divine Origin and Power of Correspondences

9.1g    The Scientific Status of Correspondences

9.1h    Perception of The Spiritual Sense of Scientific Revelations

9.1i    Natural vs. Spiritual Understanding of Correspondences

9.1j    True Science -- Divine Scientific Revelations of Absolute Truth

10.  Particularism: The Third Testament State (Latin Word) 176

11.  Spiritual Development is Cyclical and Recursive: 184

11.1a  Comparison of Religious Ideas in the Three Phases. 184

11.1b  The Nine Zones of the Ennead Matrix. 189

12.  The Moses Mind:  Three States of Sectarianism.. 194

13. The Pauline Mind:   Three States of Personalism.. 198

14.  The Swedenborg Mind:  Three Phases of Particularism.. 211

14.1  God, Salvation, Sin, Hell, and Devil in Phase 2 vs. Phase 3. 216

        *** Take the Rational Spirituality Test Part 2 ***. 220

15.  The Three Levels in the Mind -- Natural, Spiritual, and Celestial 229

15.1  Spirituality That is Natural, Not Yet Spiritual or Celestial 234

15. 2  True Science Phase 3 Thinking. 238

15.3  Elevation of Consciousness of the Human Race. 252

15.4  The Two Layers of True Science – Theoretical and Applied. 254

15.5  Elevation of Spiritual Consciousness in Every Day Tasks. 257

15.5.a  Sensuous and Rational Consciousness of the Divine. 257

15.5.b  Self-Witnessing One’s Thinking and Willing. 261

15.5.c  Eating. 264

15.5.d  Physical Exercising. 267

15.5.e  Sexuality. 267

15.5.f  Politics and War 269

15.5.g  Entertainment 271

15.6  Chart of Mental Characteristics of Angels and Spirits. 273

15.7  Diagram Showing the Four Windows of the Mind. 277

16.  Anatomical Diagrams of the Mind in Relation to God and Universe. 281

16.1  The Inmost Region:  God, Infinite, Uncreate. 286

16.2  The Middle Region:   Mind and the Spiritual World. 289

16.3  The Outermost Region:   The Natural Mind and Hell 299

17.  Recapitulation and Study Questions and Exercises. 303

17.1  What does the title mean -- Moses, Paul, and Swedenborg: -- 304

-- The Three Phases of Spiritual Consciousness.