Palestinian children playing computer games
Video games are in the news again in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut school shootings. As explored in a recent piece on WBUR radio titled, “My Son, The Dragon Slayer: The Risks And Rewards Of Growing Up Gaming,” the debate over positive vs. negative effects of video games on children and adults rages on.
As I said in my previous two-part article, “What Does the Bible Say about Video Games? Part 1 and Part 2, I believe there is more depth to video gaming than meets the eye.
In fact, I’m going to put it right out there:
I believe that video games are a reflection of spiritual reality.
Virtual reality defies physical reality
No, video games are not exactly what we will experience after we die. But they are a product of the human mind. And as I said in my recent article, “Where is the Proof of the Afterlife?” the human mind, with all of its loves, feelings, thoughts, ideas, and motives, exists on the spiritual level of reality.
Of course, everything we humans make is a product of the human mind. However, when we make material objects such as cars, buildings, books, and clothing, they are subject to the material universe’s laws of physics.
The human mind itself is not bound by the laws of physics. We can imagine and contemplate things that we can’t reproduce physically. The laws of the material universe simply wouldn’t allow it. For example, we can easily imagine a whole forest of trees floating in the clouds. But if we tried to reproduce it in real life, they would all come crashing to the earth.
Video games and other virtual realities free us from the limitations of physical matter. They allow our minds to create almost any reality we can imagine. We can then immerse ourselves in that reality and experience it, subject only to the limitations of our current electronics technology.
Future video games may offer us a fully lifelike immersion in virtual realities, similar to the holodeck in the popular Star Trek science fiction series. But with a little help from our imagination, even today’s gaming technology can give us quite a realistic experience.
In other words, video games are a highly popular example of worlds of pure thought projected for our minds to enjoy, free from most of the limitations that the physical world imposes.
That’s why video games and other virtual realities are more like spiritual reality than they are like physical reality.
Physical death, virtual death, spiritual death . . . and rebirth
I mentioned forests of trees in the sky. That’s something virtual reality can do with no problems—but physical reality . . . not so much!
Let’s take another much more common example from video games.
When your character dies in a video game, it’s not necessarily “game over.” Yes, sometimes you get only one life per game. But then you just start a new game with a new life. Many games give you several lives before you actually “die” and have to start over. And in other games, you can die as many times as you want and just pick up where you left off, often with only minor penalties.
That’s nothing like physical reality. If you die in physical reality, you’re dead. You don’t get any do-overs.
But it’s a lot like spiritual reality.
In our spiritual life, we go through cycles of life and death all the time. When one phase of our life ends, another one begins. When one relationship dies, other relationships take its place. When our old ways of thinking and feeling stop working, we adopt new ways of thinking and feeling, and move on with our lives.
This is the cycle of spiritual death and rebirth that is presented in the world’s most ancient and revered spiritual texts, such as the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Rigveda. These ancient texts speak of people going through many cycles of death and rebirth. I believe they are speaking, not of physical reincarnation, but of the many cycles of spiritual death and rebirth that we go through during our lifelong journey of spiritual growth and development here on earth. (For more on this, see “The Bible, Emanuel Swedenborg, and Reincarnation.”)
As we grow and mature physically and emotionally, we continually experience the death of old versions of ourselves that we have outgrown, and the birth of new versions of ourselves that take their place. Yes, there is always some continuity from one to the next. We’re still the same person. And yet, we can become a whole new person even while we carry the memories of our old self with us.
Getting a new life every time we die in a video game completely violates the physical laws of biology. But it is in perfect harmony with spiritual laws that provide for repeated cycles of the death of our old self and the rebirth of our new self.
This is one of the many ways that video games are more like spiritual reality than they are like material reality.
The many realms of video games
The various religions of the world commonly view the spiritual world as consisting of realms of light and realms of darkness. Christianity speaks of heaven and hell, often adding an intermediate state where the two meet and mix.
Classic fictional literature such as John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy in three parts, Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, depict these spiritual realms and their interaction with human society on earth.
Heaven and Hell, by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), contains the most detailed non-fiction account of heaven, hell, and the intermediate mixed realm that he calls “the world of spirits.” This intermediate realm is where people first arrive after they die, and live temporarily until they are prepared and ready to move on to their final home either in heaven or in hell.
What does this have to do with video games?
Not surprisingly, as products of the human mind and spirit, video games cover the same broad range of human spiritual experience. Those who have experienced the spiritual world often report that reality there is not fixed and static as it is in the material world, but that the spiritual environments we find ourselves in dynamically reflect our particular character and state of mind. Video games have this same quality of immersing us in environments that fit with our character, interests, and mood, and dynamically adapting themselves to our changing interests and inclinations.
A couple enjoys video gaming together
Some video games are quite heavenly. They offer good, clean fun, with little or nothing to object to. Examples are the Sims series and all of its variations, Animal Crossing, and the many popular sports and racing games—not to mention a whole host of educational and puzzle type games. The hugely popular Minecraft dwells largely in realms of light, with only a few relatively minor tinges of the dark and scary.
Some video games are a mix of good and evil. Various massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs), such as Runescape, World of Warcraft, and Maplestory, as well as single-player games such as Skyrim, fit into this category. These games offer both peaceful and constructive activities such as mining, farming, fishing, and cooking, and opportunities for violent combat with other players or with increasingly evil and demonic creatures. Games of this type cover the whole gamut from good to evil, mixing the two together in the same game.
Then there are games that plunge their players into dark, dangerous, and often very scary scenes of war, carnage, and horror. Sometimes these games require players to engage in highly immoral virtual behavior. To excel at Grand Theft Auto, for example, players must check their morals and ethics at the door, and become violent, thieving hoodlums. There are many graphic combat and shooter games such as Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty, and Halo. And in the realms of demons and horror there are such games as Resident Evil, Dead Space, and Slender.
Media attention often focuses on the more dark and violent video games. But the reality is that the virtual realms of video games reflect the full spectrum of the human spirit and the spiritual realms, from the light and warmth of heaven through the mixed bag of the intermediate spiritual realm to the darkness, evil, and horror of the hellish underworld.
Yes, the realms of light and darkness, love and violence are also reflected in the physical world of nature and of human society. However, the virtual universe of video games offers an especially vivid and varied representation of the many spiritual realms and atmospheres that we humans inhabit in our minds and hearts. These video games are often close approximations of the pictures of the afterlife painted for us by the many religions of the world, and by those who have experienced the spiritual world first-hand.
The reality of virtual reality
A common charge made against video games and video gamers is that it is all a fantasy world . . . that people who play video games are running away from reality.
But from a spiritual perspective, in some ways video games are actually more real than this physical world in which we live. As the classic rock group The Police said in their song of the same title, “We are spirits in the material world.”
Though we do live in the material world, we experience that world not directly, but in our minds and spirits. Video games bypass the material world almost entirely, and exist in realms of pure thinking, feeling, and acting. They inhabit the inner mental and spiritual realms where we actually experience the reality of our lives.
Does this mean that we’d be better off ignoring the material world altogether and spending our entire lives embedded in virtual reality?
Not at all. God gave us physical bodies and put us in this material world for a reason. We have work to do here. We must engage in the physical, practical levels of reality as long as we are living here on earth. What we do in the material world lays the foundation for our eternal, spiritual life.
Meanwhile, video games offer us a rich and lively taste of many inner realms—good, evil, and mixed—while we are still living in the physical world.
Kathleen “Kit” Connell playing Nintendo at age 100
When we have finished our daily work and completed our physical tasks, the universe of video games awaits us. Through these human-created virtual realms, we can enter both the higher and the lower levels of the human mind and spirit. We can immerse ourselves in many different virtual environments that both reflect and help to prepare us for the many and varied spiritual environments where, once our life’s labors on earth are complete, we will live to eternity.
For further reading:
- What Does the Bible Say about Video Games? Part 1
- What Does the Bible Say about Video Games? Part 2
- Amazon vs. Walmart: The Spiritual Shift
- Wavicles of Love
- Where is the Proof of the Afterlife?
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Lee Woofenden is an ordained minister, writer, editor, translator, and teacher. He enjoys taking spiritual insights from the Bible and the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and putting them into plain English as guides for everyday life.
Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life 
Thank you for your insights on this subject. I am 41 years old and still an avid gamer. I enjoy a wide spectrum of titles, both family friendly (and some not so much). Many religious and media outlets do try to demonize games. I appreciate the sound perspective you give here.
I just stumbled upon your site and have already enjoyed many of your blogs. I was baptized in a Swedenborgian church as a child and have recently found a stronger interest in spiritual things as of late. I’ve subscribed and look forward to more in the future.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for stopping by, and for your comment. I’m glad the article is helpful to you!
As I say in this and my other two-part article on video games, like other recreational activities, I see nothing wrong with enjoying video games as long as it’s kept in balance with our daily responsibilities and the rest of our life. Relaxation and recreation is good for the mind and body! As the old saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
Thanks for following the blog. I hope you’ll find it helpful as you re-enter the spiritual arena.
Doesn’t the bible say stay away from all forms of evil or something? Would doing magic or murdering some one in a game count as a form of evil?(Or was it appearances of evil)
Hi Mike,
The Bible is a complex book. It does say we should avoid doing, or even intending to do, evil things. And in general, yes, it says we should avoid evil. But that’s clearly not meant to be taken too literally and mechanically, since, as you pointed out in a comment on a different post, the Bible itself contains many evil things, such as rape, murder, and even genocide. Does that mean we should avoid reading the Bible? I don’t think so!
Our life here on earth is a mixture of good and evil. We have to deal with both, and the Bible deals with both. The Bible is actually much more pragmatic about dealing with evil than many Christians are. Many Christians have unrealistic notions about how we can become instantly pure and clean, and never sin again, if we just believe in Jesus. But there’s no real support for that idea in the Bible. The Bible recognizes that we are all fallen and flawed human beings, that none of us is perfect, and that we will be dealing with evil, both within ourselves and in the word around us, as long as we continue living here on this earth.
So basically, yes, we are to avoid and move away from all forms of evil. But that is a lifelong process, and it involves confronting and dealing with evil along the way. And as I say in this and the other two articles here about video games, facing and battling evil in the virtual reality of video games is one of the ways we do that.
I personally think its fine unless you’re actually intending for a real person to die. It doesn’t really matter if its a fake person, because no actual evil is intended. Like you may intend to do a magic spell in a game, but you know it isn’t real, and that it’s not going to do anything in real life. I think when the bible said avoid all evil or whatever the exact quote was, it was talking about doing real life evil, not doing it in a video game, because when you do it in a game it isn’t actually harming any one.
I agree. As I said in one of the articles about video games here, the human mind is quite capable of distinguishing between reality and fantasy. Though there are a few sociopaths who will then go out and kill people in real life, that’s not caused by the video game, but by their own sociopathic tendencies. The overwhelming bulk of people playing video games have a great time shooting ’em up in the video game, and then go out and live generally decent and thoughtful lives in the real world. Video games are fantasy, not reality.
This is the conclusion i came to concerning strict christians pushing for complete purity as well… but recently, someone quoted a part in the bible where Jesus says “sin no more” (cant remember where, just that he said it to a prostitute) and the question was “did Jesus mean what he said?”
Heres the article i found this perspective on, i would love if you could give your opinion, because i cant tell if im being fearmongered, or if its my conscience telling me ive been doing wrong (only big sin I’d say im guilty of at this point in my life is sexual urges [even though im a virgin], and smoking which is bad for the body [i sent in a “spiritual question” about this last week and really hope i can get a reply]).
Forgot to link the article, haha.
https://activechristianity.org/why-did-jesus-say-go-and-sin-no-more-if-thats-impossible
Here^
Hi Anony,
Thanks for the link. This is excellent material, refreshing to read amongst all the unbiblical chaff that passes as “Christianity” these days. I believe the founder of that church gained real insight from reading the Bible, God’s Word, and established an important principle of Christian faith and practice as a central tenet of his church: Jesus says to sin no more, and that’s exactly what we should do; and because Christ has overcome sin, we are able to stop sinning through the power of Christ working in us.
None of what I said earlier in this thread is meant to imply that it’s okay to keep sinning. Only that overcoming sin within ourselves and in our life is a lifelong task. When we come to see that something we are doing, or are tempted to do, is wrong and sinful, that is a message from God that it is time to stop doing that thing because it is wrong, destructive, and contrary to God’s commandments. Once we successfully overcome that particular sin by the grace and power of God, we can then move on to deeper and more difficult sinful desires that will inevitably rear their ugly heads in our life.
The Christian walk involves first overcoming, or “shunning” in traditional biblical language, our obvious outward behavioral sins, which are all the things forbidden in the plain meaning of the Ten Commandments. Once we have stopped engaging in these “gross sins”—meaning major wrong behavior—we then move on to deeper issues within ourselves such as jealousy, anger, bitterness, hopelessness, and so on. These deeper wrongs will, if we don’t tackle and conquer them, lead to our doing actual wrong, either verbally or physically or both. If we don’t see them in ourselves, sooner or later we’ll be shocked by the things we suddenly say or do in a particularly challenging situation that go contrary to everything we believe about how a Christian should live. That’s when we recognize that we still have more work to do.
In short, as the material you linked says, it is quite possible for us to stop sinning. But just as Jesus took a lifetime of some 33 years to overcome the sinful nature that he inherited from his human mother, so it takes us a longer or shorter lifetime to overcome the sinful nature within ourselves. We do not instantly become sin-free when we confess Christ and become a Christian. That is the beginning of a life of battle against and victory over our naturally sinful lower self.
Just to be clear, there is never a time when it is okay to say, “Well, I’ll sin this time, and repent from it later.” If we recognize that something is a sin, that is a commandment from God to stop doing it now, and eventually to stop even wanting to do it. (But that is something the Lord does within us when we do the work of not acting upon our wrong sinful desires.)
Having said that, unlike Jesus Christ, who “was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), we ordinary humans do sin from time to time. When that happens, our job is to repent from it, and not repeat that sin. The sin itself is meant to show us that we still have work to do, and that we cannot do it on our own, but must turn to the Lord for help and strength to overcome that evil in our life. Sometimes that will involve a long battle, when we are dealing with long-established habit patterns that have gotten their claws deep into our heart, mind, and life.
Hi Anony,
Now about the specific issues you mention:
Sexual urges are not a sin. Every normal person, both male and female, has sexual urges. These are part of the mental, emotional, and physical equipment that we are issued by God along with our creation as human beings.
What is sinful is acting upon them in ways that violate the Bible’s prohibition on adultery, and its discouraging of extramarital sex generally. If you are a virgin, then you are avoiding actual sexual sin, even if all of your thoughts may not be entirely pure. Here are a few articles that might be helpful:
The cleaner we can keep ourselves sexually, the better. However, the situation just isn’t as cut-and-dried as traditional Christians often make it.
About smoking, that is not something specifically condemned in the Bible. It doesn’t rise to the level of the things prohibited in the Ten Commandments, such as murder, adultery, theft, and false witness.
However, smoking tobacco is very damaging to the body, and less so to the mind, while smoking marijuana is damaging to the mind, and less so to the body. Even if it is not expressly prohibited in the Bible, the Bible does say to treat our body as a temple to God (1 Corinthians 6:19–20), which certainly means not doing things that damage our body and our mind.
If we become aware that something we’re doing is damaging to our body and mind, it is best to stop doing it. In the case of physically or psychologically addictive substances such as tobacco and marijuana, this may be a battle, and we may need to get help in overcoming it. Tobacco is highly physically addictive. Marijuana not so much, but it is psychologically addictive. Tobacco is a leading cause of death. Marijuana saps motivation and drive and slows down the mind, causing people to be less active, less productive, and less clear-headed than they otherwise would be.
Of course, sometimes there are trade-offs. Alcoholics often turn to cigarettes as a less psychologically destructive fix that helps keep them on the wagon. They’re still addicts, and it will still kill them, but at least they can hold down a job and live a relatively normal life, unlike with alcohol addiction. And yes, marijuana does have medical benefits for some people, and in those cases is probably better than the alternative.
Still, the ideal is not to be doing things that are harmful to our body and mind. And if that means leaving old friends and making new ones, that’s just what a person has to do to move forward with his or her life in a good and healthy way.
The best antidote to harmful physical behaviors to get engaged in a good, healthy, and productive life. Get regular exercise and fresh air. Make sure you have a sense of purpose that involves engaging in some good and useful service to other people. This can be as simple as applying yourself and doing your best in your job, whatever it may be.
I did receive your spiritual conundrum, and hope to respond to it with an article at some point. However, I’ve got a lot in the pipeline right now, so I hope this brief version helps meanwhile.
Thanks for the response! I know this may not be the the subject of the article, I’ve ready read through all the articles you’ve linked on masturbation and porn (this is the sin im dealin with, even though its not a sin yet still “tinged with evil”) previous to this and, sadly, i get completely mixed messages…
I’ve completely stopped masturbation and porn intake for almost 2 weeks now and its causing seemingly more harm than good in my life…on one side you say sexuality isnt bad and “If you are a virgin, then you are avoiding actual sexual sin, even if all of your thoughts may not be entirely pure”,yet, you also say “If we recognize that something is a sin, that is a commandment from God to stop doing it now, and eventually to stop even wanting to do it”
So now that i KNOW pornography is “tinged with evil” i have to completely stop because as you said “there is NEVER a time when it is okay to say, “Well, I’ll sin this time, and repent from it later.” is this not correct? this may be a personal issue, but its seemingly been impossible to be able to get some “sexual relief” without some sort of visual stimulation…
So is it ok or not??? The wording is very confusing, and to be save ive just been penting up till i can get a clear answer on whats ok and whats not ok…
In short: is it or is it not ok to watch pornography now that i know its at least a little sinful? Because its been 2 weeks and (without a girl) unless i have some sort of visual its seemingly impossible to “relieve myself”, especially with all of these religious changes im going through
P.s. Sorry if this a bit too much info, its embarrassing to talk about, but at this point its driving me up the walls
Hi Anony,
Yes, pornography is tinged with evil. So are many things we do every day. We are imperfect beings living in an imperfect world. It is hubris to think that we will be able to live perfectly, and be perfect.
However, just to keep this comment area from getting too off-topic, I would suggest going over to the pornography article, or to one of the masturbation articles, and re-starting the discussion there. Thanks.
One last thing, about the smoking.
The bible seems to except alcohol, in moderation… and seeing that i havent smoked (marijuana) in 2 weeks, does the same apply?
P.s. live in California so its perfectly legal
Also sorry couldn’t find a place where this question is appropriate with the topic
Hi Anony,
How you take care of your body, and what you put into it, is really your choice. Jesus made it clear that it’s not what we put into our body, but what we say and do with our body that really matters.
Still, the ancient ideal of “a sound mind in a sound body” is a good one. If you’re starting a new life, why not leave behind some of your old habits that aren’t good for you?
Hi Lee regarding our reality we live in and not spiritual reality , what is your take on Supposed psychic happenings such as materialisations, telekinesis, clairvoyance etc. ??
Im torn because alot of supposed psychics and people say its real and have seen it , yet when a-lot of science, and paranormal investigators have gotten involved they never see any evidence even if the psychics do .
Of course alot of these are faked or staged but some stories are quite convincing.
I know swedenborg had proven and well documented experiences such as his knowledge of the fire in stockholm or gothenburg i forget 😂 but as he says all of these experiences were because the lord granted it to him
What are your views and what do you think swedenborg would say ?
Hi AJ749,
First, clairvoyance is different from manipulation of material reality. Swedenborg’s clairvoyant episode of seeing the Stockholm fire from a distance was simply a supernatural awareness of something happening on the material plane. Materializations and telekinesis involve actually changing material reality through mental or spiritual means.
In other words, clairvoyance is a purely mental/spiritual phenomenon, whereas materialization and telekinesis are spirit/mind-influenced material phenomena.
I have no problem with clairvoyance. However, its effects are mostly for the people who experience it either directly or indirectly. It doesn’t have much wider meaning, nor did Swedenborg give it much meaning. Swedenborg generally avoided demonstrating his clairvoyance, considering it to be of little importance. He considered the teachings in his writings to be far more important.
About materialization and telekinesis, I am skeptical of particular claims of it, while not denying that it is possible. But once again, I don’t think it’s all that important or significant. It would have impact primarily for people who doubt the reality of the spiritual world and the powers of the mind. But like miracles, it’s a shaky foundation for spiritual faith. People who are “convinced” by such displays tend to fall away from their belief rather quickly and easily, because they lean toward materialism anyway. That’s why they’re impressed by mental manipulation of physical objects. They’re focused on the physical rather than on the spiritual.
Real, lasting faith and belief must depend upon an inner acknowledgment of God and spirit, not on physical miracles and parlor tricks.
For related reading, see Point 10. “Miracles are unconvincing” in the article, “God Is Unconvincing To Smart Folks? – Part 3.”
Hi lee thanks for the response i will check the link you used, i feel like im in the samw boat as yourself as guranteed their are fakers with Telekenisis or materilisations but some do sound convincing.
What is your take on people who claim they can help develop apparent psychic ability in people for instance those who say they can teach you to develop telekenis or materialisations or how to astral project ?
Hi AJ749,
My main take is, “So what? Why bother?” What actual good is done by telekinesis or materialization? Someone claims they can bend a spoon with their mind. I can bend it with my hands. Neither one accomplishes much.
This may sound “nerdy,” but in an early episode of Star Trek The Next Generation, it was said that “thought is the basis of all reality.”
I take it there’s truth to that, according to Swedenborg?
Hi K,
If you combine The Traveler’s statement in the STTNG episode “Where No One Has Gone Before” that “thought is the basis of all reality” with with Spock’s iconic observation in the Original Series episode “Errand of Mercy” that the Organians are “pure energy,” then you’ll have something approaching the truth about ultimate reality according to Swedenborg.
Thought by itself, Swedenborg says, has no existence at all. It exists only as the form of love—which, by itself, would be “pure energy.” Love by itself is also nothing, because it has no form. Love is the substance; thought, or truth, is the form. Together these are the basis of all reality, according to Swedenborg. However, he usually speaks of love and wisdom rather than love and truth as the basis of reality.
If the Organians truly were “pure energy,” they would have no form, and therefore would not even have the ability to think or be conscious. But if thought were the basis of all reality, then everything would be an abstraction with no actual existence, because there would be no substance to it. You need both together, or there is no actual existence.
If it is possible in a dream, is it possible in the afterlife – like flying or not drowning underwater?
Hi K,
Flying definitely. Swedenborg commonly saw angels and spirits flying, floating, and so on, without the need for wings. Underwater, probably. Swedenborg does describe low-level angels living in the sea, though he also says that to them, it is like an ordinary landscape. The “in the sea” part seems to be a visual appearance from a distance, and not to refer to a literal aquatic community.
Hey Lee,
How do you think competition will exist in Heaven? Will it exist? Could something like the World Cup even be possible?
Hi Miles,
It’s important to understand that after we die, we are exactly the same people we were before we died. The only thing that changes is that any outward masks or pretenses we had put on that don’t match our real inner character will be taken away. In the spiritual world, we will say and do exactly what we think and feel. In other words, in the spiritual world we are very much our true self.
This means that people who enjoy competitive sports and other competitive activities here on earth will still enjoy them in heaven. We are the same people there that we are here! So yes, there could be a Spiritual World Cup. 🙂 And though it’s the wrong sport, I don’t think it will look quite like this:
😀
But seriously, Swedenborg does talk about people playing competitive games in heaven. Fear not! You can still enjoy a good game, either as a player or as a fan.
That sounds AWESOME! Thank you for replying, again!
In New Age spirituality, it’s said that the spiritual world – the “astral plane” and other “higher planes” are all around us, but at a “higher level of vibration”. As I understand New Church beliefs, the spiritual world is a different mode of existence altogether from the physical, like a computer simulation or a dream is to physical reality.
Is this how Swedenborg described it, or is it really the “higher vibration” thing?
Hi K,
Swedenborg doesn’t use term “astral plane,” but he does talk about higher and lower planes, or levels, of existence. And though he doesn’t use the term “vibrations” much in his theological writings, one of his earliest (small) scientific works was on the subject of vibrations. So the concept of vibrations is not foreign to his way of thinking.
Regardless of the particular terms, the important thing to know, from a Swedenborgian perspective, is that as you say, the spiritual world, which is the world of the mind, is on an entirely distinct level of reality. It is not simply physical matter at a faster vibrational or orbital speed.
And yet, there does seem to be a sense in which the spiritual world is a plane that takes a jump upward to higher speeds or levels of intricacy from the physical. It is not a smooth analog transition from the physical to the spiritual world, but rather a sudden jump to a higher level. And the two are not entirely foreign to each other, since the physical does contain and respond to the spiritual, just as the spiritual contains and responds to the Divine.
I don’t particularly object to the terms used by New Age folks. The question is, what is the picture in their mind when they use these terms?
Some may say escapism is bad, but I think that it’s not necessarily bad, at least when not in excess. And if one doesn’t use escapism, that can be really bad if one is trapped in an intolerable situation.
Hi K,
Good thoughts. I agree.
So from what I can tell, the spiritual is ultimately the “abstract” – like God the Father – that manifests in a way that’s more real than the physical (that corresponds to the “abstract”) – like God the Son?
(an example would be a kind of truth showing up as a body of water)
In other words, a good analogy is computer data (“the abstract”) that is rendered as a 3D environment in a simulation (the “living manifestation”)?
Hi K,
I would hesitate to use the word “abstract” to describe God or spiritual reality. They may seem abstract to people on this earth whose thinking is limited to the material realm. However, in their own realm God and spirit are not abstract, but are quite substantial, and are even more real than the material objects we commonly call “concrete.”
So is the spiritual an “externalized inner reality” like David Staume put it, or a reality where “concepts” can be “substantial” forms? Like a kind of truth actually being a body of water there?
Hi K,
The whole created universe is an “externalized inner reality.” The inner reality is God, who is the most real and substantial thing of all, and is the source of all other forms of reality, spiritual and material. Spiritual and material realities are “externalizations” of God’s reality.
But less philosophically, in the spiritual world, the distinction between inner and outer reality is much less than it is here. Inner reality—in our case, our loves and beliefs—naturally flow into outward expression so that we can see them, feel them, touch them, and so on with our spiritual senses. However, there is still a distinction between the inner and outer even in the spiritual world. It’s just that once we get past the world of spirits, the two are seamlessly related to one another.
So yes, if there is a certain kind of truth in the mind of a person or group of people, it will be expressed as an actual body of water. It’s still not exactly the same as the truth in the mind, but it is a direct expression of the truth in the mind.