Hi Casper, similarly I can say—I finally got back to your post.
If we’re talking about literal beings that exist in another dimension (a spirit realm), I don’t agree—in my experience this realm does not exist, nor do the spirit beings who supposedly inhabit it. On the other hand, if we’re talking about beings (constructs of the subconscious mind) that appear in our dreams and trance states, then we are talking about something completely different. From what I have learned the dreamscape or the trance state and, the beings and objects we encounter there are part of the same phenomenon—the place (the astral plane) and, the beings and objects we encounter there are made up of mind-stuff. Call it what you will—heaven, the spirit realm, the astral plane—it is a place that exists only in the mind. And yes, things that exist in the mind have being and can influence our psychological and physical wellbeing. Therefore, if someone consciously or subconsciously creates negative constructs in the mind (such as demons, vampires, werewolves, etc.) and believes that these entities really exist and can really harm them, their psychological and physical wellbeing can be negatively influenced and impacted. I would refer to this phenomenon as a self-induced spell (a self-induced complex).
Of course, an individual can be placed under a guilt spell by a second party who wishes harm on the person in question (if the person in question is susceptible to this form of attack). I would refer to this form of attack as a personally-induced spell (a personally-induced complex). The attack is usually in the form of retribution for having been insulted in some way. The offending person who is skilled at these psychological ploys is usually aware of who is susceptible to these forms of attacks. It would only be natural to think that this sort of person spends lots of time concocting these dark sentences to later impose upon their prey. Of course, there is the question of defending oneself from a personal attack—this must be taken into consideration. But my finger here is pointing at the bully (the sociopath/psychopath) who preys on the vulnerable—the small, the weak, the meek, the humble, the poor, the different, etc… Many children who have been preyed upon by the bully’s attacks suffer for the rest of their lives because of these personally-induced complexes—still others commit suicide as the loss of dignity becomes unbearable.
A curse is a similar form of psychological attack where someone is warned of dire consequences if some form of respect is not adhered to—I.e. desecrating a burial site, blasphemy against the sacred, the taking of life (murder), etc…
Physiological psychology is a subdivision of behavioral neuroscience (biological psychology) that studies the neural mechanisms of perception and behavior through direct manipulation of the brains of nonhuman animal subjects in controlled experiments.[1] This field of psychology takes an empirical and practical approach when studying the brain and human behavior. Most scientists in this field believe that the mind is a phenomenon that stems from the nervous system. By studying and gaining knowledge about the mechanisms of the nervous system, physiological psychologists can uncover many truths about human behavior.[2] Unlike other subdivisions within biological psychology, the main focus of physiological psychological research is the development of theories that describe brain-behavior relationships.
Physiological psychology studies many topics relating to the body’s response to a behavior or activity in an organism. It concerns the brain cells, structures, components, and chemical interactions that are involved in order to produce actions.[3] Psychologists in this field usually focus their attention to topics such as sleep, emotion, ingestion, senses, reproductive behavior, learning/memory, communication, psychopharmacology, and neurological disorders. The basis for these studies all surround themselves around the notion of how the nervous system intertwines with other systems in the body to create a specific behavior.[2] Physiological psychology - Wikipedia
I agree with you here but will just point out that for the sociopath/psychopath where there is usually no medical means to treat, prayer for spiritual support for individuals who have gone too far with the law is a lost cause (these are a class among sociopath/psychopath who cannot forgive themselves for the transgressions they have committed—therefore they cannot forgive nor can they show remorse (this means they cannot be taught to do so).
Was that an error, or a slip—that spiritual forces extend way (way!) beyond the [thought realm]. If it was a slip then you agree that demons exist [only in the mind], although, through causation can influence physical health. If we stop believing in them [sure] it makes them non-existent within our minds. On the other hand, others who do believe in demons continue to experience their existence and by effect their influence. Therefore, demonic influence comes from others in the world—for the most part the sociopath/psychopath or other individuals they have preyed upon.
Agreed.
Well… yes, they exist anyway, but only in the minds of others because we know they are only a construct of their minds. Being aware of this and the ploys of the sociopath/psychopath is what actually helps in the battle.
Wouldn’t the ostrich policy actually be ignoring the evidence of what the facts are? Satan is content with those who ignore the facts—these are the ones in his pocket, the ones who are deceived. This is the approach that will not help the good guys. And whether you are in Satan’s pocket is not a safe place to avoid the heat of the battle—Satan uses his disciples as pawns to sacrifice.
Although God has transcendent being and is eternal He interpenetrates all aspects of physical reality. The present universe is but one physical reality with its own allotted time (13.8 billion years). I’m an evolutionary creationist therefore I believe God evolves in time since He takes on different forms at different times. I wrote this a little while back in the comments boards.
The cosmological constants of the present universe assumed their values during the birth of this particular universe. During the birth of this particular universe its specific parameters were embraced and could not have assumed any of countless other values because they were determined by the particular attributes of the birth of this universe. Therefore random chance cannot be a factor in this universe, or any other, since each successive universe begins with its own particular values and deterministically adopts the cosmological constants for that particular universe. The precession of universes in a cyclical multiverse scenario has its own cosmological constants which gives each successive universe its own particular values in perpetual motion—the multiverse is a perpetual motion machine. Fine Tuning and Teleology - #4 by Wayne
For me, this is who God [Elohim] is—an eternal perpetual motion machine. God [Yahuwah] is the evolved outgrowth of the universe through cosmic and biological evolution—the personal higher-self who exists within every man and every woman and of whose image we strive to fill.
At first, I thought you agreed that demons exist only in the mind but have influence on the physical plane because you said they extend beyond the thought realm. Usually, when something extends from somewhere, it begins there. So I thought you meant to say that the existence of demons begin in the mind—as I do. However, I see that that is not the case.
I don’t believe there are spiritual entities beyond the human being, and that those also have an influence on us—except if by beyond you mean that they exist in other human beings and thus can have influence upon us (as I explained above in discussing the sociopath/psychopath).
If you would you hear the confessions of any criminal who committed the most heinous crimes you would come to understand that the crimes the criminal commits are carefully thought out [premeditated] before they are carried out. Unless of course, they are committed in a state of insanity—this is usually dependant on self-defense. There is no place for demons (actual spirit beings) any criminal will confess there is no demon who persuades them to commit the crimes they commit. Criminal judges, criminal prosecutors, and criminal defense attorneys would set you straight on the matter… pronto!
We are unique, being both natural and spiritual and we are the crown of God’s Creation. It is therefore to be expected that the cosmic battle for Creation is enacted largely through us: we are the battleground itself. God and Satan are in a constant dispute over us, humans with free will.
I would say that we are mental and physical beings because the universe’s architecture is energy and matter. But, all life has this same composition in different degrees (the mental part of different organisms is expressed in numerous different ways). It’s definitely true though, we humans are the Crown Jewel of God’s Creation. And yes, we are the conscious outgrowth of the universe and therefore the forces of nature are concentrated in and amongst us. Humankind is that battlefield. But doesn’t that tell you something? That since we are the warring factions for God on the one side and for Satan on the other that God’s throne and Satan’s throne are here on earth. And of course, that the spirit realm is here amongst us as well—it is the place where we can travel to the past to bring back knowledge, where we have dreams and visions for the future, and where we live in the present to enact our desires and will for mankind.
Again, I believe spiritual/mental influences in Creation are all caused by humans—unless we bring other life organisms into the picture, or the forces of nature itself, and how these influences affect our spiritual/mental wellbeing. I also believe there is no bigger picture in nature than life forms struggling for scarce resources to survive and flourish.
Thanks for your patience, Casper.