More on creationist Salvador Cordova

Sal making a career teaching (indoctrinating) creationism by the method of persuasion:

From: After the Bar Closes

Why evolution is true.

An interseting account by a former creationist.

Why evolution is true

About the possibility that life is a natural thing.

Earth's first life may have sprung up in ice:

Link here

We also have an eye on other things than evolution!

Something different: Biogeocoenosis We have other interests as well!

Inbreeding shaped the course of human evolution

Click this link: From New Scientist.


"Inbreeding shaped the course of human evolution"

I once had a discussion with YEC Salvador Cordova.

I first ran across the character Salvador Cordova on ARN’s Intelligent Design forum some years ago, he was then, according to himself, a YEC, but claimed that if need be, he might also be comfortable with a middle aged or old earth…

On my suggestion, he bought ‘Life, an Unauthorised Biography’ by palaeontologist Richard Fortey. I pointed him to the page (267) where Fortey writes:

“The Chalk, including all the cliffs from Texas to Dover, the downs that floor much of southern England, the bowl that holds the Paris Basin, all this is made of fossils, the sheer numbers of which boggle arithmetic. Chalk may be a commonplace rock, but it surely is one of the most curious.”

On the same page, the source of this chalk is described:

“minute rosettes of calcium carbonate plates, regularly arranged, like wheels with delicate spokes, or miniscule stony flowers, of which a hundred or so might fit on a pinhead. They are called coccoliths. These are the debris of another single-celled organism, a planktonic ‘algae’. During their life, the coccoliths were secreted by the living cells, many coccoliths to a cell.

I asked Sal if he didn’t think that it would require more than the time available in the context of a young earth to produce such amounts of fossil chalk.


His reply was simply to point out that bacteria have a very high reproduction rate.

I really don’t think that is a valid argument – a biologist may set the record straight.

But that argument made me realize that he was lost to reason and I gave up on him. His outspoken worship of Dembski was (and is) painful to watch. Now it seems like he has been elevated to some sort of sidekick for Dembski, and in his profile on ARN he present himself as ‘scientist’.
Nowadays he is a frequent contributor to Dembski’s blog with absurd claims about things like ‘Perfect architectures which scream design’
They want the ‘Explanatory Filter’ to be some kind of science?
I thought I would make an alternate profile of Sal and searched ARN for documentation of a discussion we had there, but I probably got so frustrated with his nonsense that I deleted the thread. I intended the debate to be about ‘YEC pro or con’s’, but when he (IIRC) in one of his replies used a story about some sort of mysterious event involving a blind girl I realized that for him, faith takes precedence over reason.
Sal:Re: YEC Pro or Con #13112981 - Thu Dec 02 2004 02:58 PM

Thus, even though a point in favor of radiometric dating exists, Creationists do acknowledge a relationship of depth to supposed age, but as you pointed out there are anomalies in concluding that it was because of deposition over time.

Further we have the unfortunate problem that with even reasonable erosion rates, the entire geological column would be wiped out. Several times over......

Therefore from a purely scientific standpoint, there is reason to believe the age to depth relationship could possibly be from an un-accounted for physical phenomenon. That is, in my mind the last major sticking point to YEC.

Me: From a purely scientific standpoint? I don’t have enough question marks on my keyboard….

Sal:
YEC Pros and Cons, Part III #215468 - Mon Nov 22 2004 08:09 PM


This is a continuation of the greatest thread in ARN history (at least in my opinion anyway).

Engineers and Information Technologists: John Wendt, Marc-1961, RBH, Rock, Salvador T. Cordova

The basis for YEC:

1. The existence of an All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Eternal Intelligent Designer is a reasonable conclusion from the laws of physics.

2. Instantaneous formation of Cosmological and Biological features in the universe is more consistent with physical law versus process formation (such as Big Bang plus Darwinian Evolution).

3. Various YEC models can theoretically account for light from distant stars reaching our planet in a short amount of time.

4. One of the mechanisms considered to account for distant starlight is Setterfield's speed of light decay cosmology, and this will result in recalibration of radiometric dates.

5. In addition to the reasonable conclusion of instantaneous formation of various features of the universe, various geological, astrophysical, and biological clocks suggest that, the universe is also young -- less than millions of years, perhaps even thousands of years.

Salvador



In the Pandas Thumb thread ‘Stupid ID statement of the month’ I found Sal nicknamed most appropriately Salzo Panza. May I suggest he is to Dembski what Goebbels was to Hitler, albeit at a less glorious level?

I mean, repeat nonsense often enough, and it certainly will stick in somebody’s mind.
After all, propaganda instead of facts or science is the name of the game for the fundamentalist crowd.

Just look at this:

In http://www.uncommondescent.com/index.php/archives/1316
S. Cordova writes:

"For example, one could easily conclude a lineage is more fit since it survived. Well, it may have survived simply because it was lucky. Thus, by definition it has a survival advantage because it has the quality of being lucky! See David Raup\’s book: Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck"

The origin of creationism.

At Science blogs an interesting piece, link below:

Link

Earth's first life may have sprung up in ice

An interesting article found at New Scientist today:

Link

Facts about radiometric dating methods.

I took the opportunity to clip this from a thread at Pandas Thumb:

you might find this link helpful as it explains the mainstream view of radiometric dating. It is written by a physicist that is also a Christian; the article is posted via ASA which is an organization of Christian scientists.

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/resources/wiens.html

An example of the quality of ID "research" arguments.

At the website After the Bar Closes, a website dedicated to discussing "Intelligent Design Advocates", a visit is made to Mr. Casey Luskin, an atttorney working for the Discovery Intstitute:

A little while ago I linked to Casey Luskin's EN&V attack on Dr. Jennifer Raff (of Violent Metaphors). He was unhappy that she implied that a DI affiliation might be considered relevant to an author's credibility, and impliedly challenged her to take ID research at face value. Challenge accepted!

Violent Metaphors

Mr. Luskins error is that he takes an ID-friendly article of dubious quality at face value and compounds the error by going on to defending it in an attack on Dr. Jennifer Raff.

(This should be of interest to our local cdesignproponentsist, KjellTveter), but he wisely stays away from any debate about his beloved Intelligent Design that he, like Luskin, defends without knowing what he is talking about.)

Former Christian fundamentalist: Science robbed me of my faith

Link to article by Finnish ex-fundamentalist/creationist after experiencing the power of natural selction in genetic algorithms:


salon.com/2013/09/09

A special for ID creationist Floyd A. Lee

A lesson on how not to do “research”.

Scare quotes because Floyd A. Lee, instead of researching his subject just search for arguments to use in creating his preferred view of how evolution works: God, Yahweh, performing magic on Earth over billions of years, creating the appearance of a natural evolution while in fact it all is an illusion. He sees God’s finger as the agent of biological evolution. I suspect he at the same time is a YEC and firm believer in a literal reading of the Bible as the only source of reliable information. All because of a desire to preserve unbounded faith in a literal reading of the Bible.

A critique of Floyd A. Lee’s arguments for Intelligent Design.

Introduction.
Instead of pretending that my words are reliable arguments, I try to provide links to relevant sources. Creationists often reject Wikipedia, claiming it is unreliable. That is a cheap excuse for avoiding uncomfortable questions. My experienced is that Wiki uses lots of links to sources. If there is a will to research a subject, it can be done. I never have any problems researching a subject. I always find more stuff both from evolutionary as well as ID/creationistic quarters than I could possibly use.

But I always look for alternatives to Wikipedia. Well, here we go:

Mr. Lee’s text in blue + italics to differentiate from my interspersed comments.

Sometimes, when I'm discussing or debating issues with online atheists, agnostics, and evolutionists, the huge topic of Intelligent Design comes up, and they ask me to explain the Intelligent Design hypothesis to them.

They ask, "What is the Intelligent Design hypothesis, and why should the ID hypothesis be considered science?" 

That's no small question. Many people -- including young people -- are seriously asking about the ID hypothesis, even today. They already know that the ID hypothesis, if true, would chop and drop the theory of evolution.

After all, YOU are the biggest confirmation of the ID hypothesis; YOU are the biggest disproof of the theory of evolution. So here's my answer, in my own words, based on the writings of ID advocates such as mathematician Dr. William Dembski and biochemist Dr. Michael Behe.

To begin with, Mr. Lee is using too much rhetoric in the above introduction to his argument for the scope and validity of the “ID hypothesis.” Rhetoric is not informative, it is hype. If you have good information, all you need is that information expressed in clear, understandable terms. Bolding of text goes in the same box, it is superfluous. If arguments are god enough, they stand on their own. If not, no icing on the cake makes it tasty. Let us examine his basic premise:

The ID hypothesis involves two simple concepts and three simple points. Check this out. The two simple concepts are:

1. Specified Complexity -- the best way to describe SC, is like the sentences and paragraphs you're reading here. Each sentence and paragraph is way too specific and at the same time way too complex, to have originated from natural causes.

A strange and irrelevant comparison. Below is link to a professional appraisal of
 Dembski's specified complexity

(Your own DNA is like a complex language communication system or a very complicated computer algorithm, isn't it?  Better start asking how all that complex specified programming popped up inside you!)


No, it isn't. Just more ID suggestive, irrelevant rhetoric. Why don't you tell your audience how it started, and evolved, respective where, how and when the designer aka Yahweh did it?

2. Irreducible Complexity -- it's a special case of specified complexity (Dembski), and the best way to describe IC is like those cheap mousetraps you buy at Wal-Mart. As Behe suggests, all parts of a mousetrap system MUST be present and work together all at the same time, in order for that system to fulfill its purpose. Mousetraps don't appear via natural causes. Each part must be in its proper place all at once, AND all the pieces must work together correctly all at once, or else the system doesn't catch mice, doesn't fulfill its purpose. So when you see a working mousetrap, you're seeing an object that displays Irreducible Complexity.

(By the way, multiple and compelling examples of Irreducible Complexity, can be found inside your own two eyes, right here and now. Go figure!)

Here we are faced with the mousetrap analogy, presented as a strong, incontrovertible argument for the concept that a structure that may be made useless – or made less useful by the removal of one of its parts, must default to be the product of an “Intelligent Designer”.

It is a problem with all of Mr. Lee’s arguments that he completely ignores all the science that constitute a massive body of critical analysis of the arguments used by Dembski and Behe. From the huge amount of scientific responses to claims of irreducibility, I chose at random
The Collapse of "Irreducible Complexity".


Both of the concepts touted by Mr. Lee here have been subjected to so much critical analysis that I find it both short-sighted and irresponsible when he just ignore scientific sources. I understand Mr. Lee’s concern; he is a religious person with the desire to “spread the Gospel” and restore faith in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

So you get the picture.  Specified Complexity and Irreducible Complexity are the markers that signal the presence of Intelligent Design in whatever you're looking at.  So now here's the ID hypothesis:

Aha, Mr. Lee has made his mind up, Dembski and Behe provide all the evidence he need, case shut and closed. But is that really all it takes to scrap 160 years of science? How reasonable is it to assume that a definite conclusion should be drawn without even considering criticism and contrary arguments? After all, the critics are well qualified, professional scientists. Are the biologists and other professionals engaged in evolutionary research less qualified and competent than their colleagues responsible for space flight, exploration of the moon and the solar system, cell phones, LCD television, computers and all the other marvels of the 21^st century?  Of course not.

1.  Specified Complexity and/or Irreducible Complexity are well-defined and empirically detectable.

 Really? Please show us how. Despite repeated claims that “Complex Specified Information” can be calculated (because it is claimed that a value beyond a specific limit is not achievable by natural means, ergo that will be evidence of design.) when presented with simple examples of CSI, no ID proponent have risen to the challenge. Nobody have yet calculated any example of CSI. Why? Because they don’t know how. My guess is that it is not doable.

Look at what your friend  Casey Luskin says: Evolutionnews

Can you spot the obvious confusion in Casey’s mind? He just doesn’t’ know what he is talking about, and anyone using his brain can see it! Can you? I’d say you don’t, because you don’t want to know.

2.  Undirected natural causes, like naturalistic evolution, cannot explain Specified Complexity and/or Irreducible Complexity. 

You might be more trustworthy if you'd bother to qualify your statements! Althought you'd be hard pressed to find what you need to make credible arguments.

It already is established that NS need not worry about SC and IC. They are decoys – to lead the faithful to fairyland. Then one might expect that ID proponents can, but can they? Looks doubtful according to Wikipedia, with lots of links!

Still cocksure you know best?

3.  Intelligent causation best explains Specified Complexity and/or Irreducible Complexity.

That's an actual 3-point scientific hypothesis of Intelligent Design.  And yes, it IS scientific, because that hypothesis makes a testable prediction which can be falsified in the real world.  Here's the testable prediction:

"The concept of intelligent design entails a strong prediction that is readily falsifiable.  In particular, the concept of intelligent design predicts that complex information, such as that encoded in a functioning genome, NEVER arises from purely chemical or physical antecedents. Experience will show that only intelligent agency gives rise to functional information. All that is necessary to falsify the hypothesis of intelligent design is to show confirmed instances of purely physical or chemical antecedents producing such information."

-- philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer with Dr. Mark Hartwig, from the textbook "Of Pandas and People", 2nd ed, 1993.

Okay, read that prediction again, it's important.  THAT is how you would kill ID, especially when it comes to Origin-Of-Life.  Like Wikipedia points out, the observed presence of even ONE black swan will falsify the hypothesis "All swans are white."  So you have now been given a genuine, real-world falsification criterion there.

There is no need to “kill ID” since it never was alive. It was designed as a wedge, remember?

It is right up your alley, go read The Wedge strategy. 

****


So now we can demonstrate that ID is scientifically falsifiable and therefore prove that it's genuine, real science.  Let's pick the "Origin-Of-Life" science arena, because lots of folks are interested in that one.

So how is ID falsifable?  Simple:  You go to your bathroom sink (if you can't afford a fancy science lab), and you scientifically come up with a NATURALISTIC EVOLUTION discovery that accounts for all that "complex language communication system and very complicated computer algorithm" that's found inside your own DNA.  That's it.

Wrong. There is enough evidence for evolution. You falsify ID by showin all that is wrong with it, and by referencing all the nonsense writen by ID-proponents, like Casey Luskin or Stephen Meyer. Add Demski to the rooster as well. Besides, There is no “computer algorithm inside DNA.”

I'm not joking.  Solve the following science-journal-published problem and you WILL actually fulfill the Meyer-Hartwig Prediction and you WILL KILL ID and you'll win a Nobel Prize and a zillion dollars in grant-money from happy evolutionists and atheists all over the world.

"Peer reviewed life-origin literature presupposes that, given enough time, genetic instructions arose via natural events.  Thus far, no paper has provided a plausible mechanism for natural-process algorithm-writing."

(The full details, and all the astonishing things that are involved in that origin-of-life genetic algorithm-writing process, can be found in, "Chance and Necessity Do Not Explain the Origin of Life," J.T. Trevors and D.L. Abel, Cell Biology International; Vol 28 Iss 11, http://www.discovery.org/a/2664 .  )

So, you merely need to come up with that natural-process algorithm-writing stuff in your own bathroom sink, show how it naturalistically came to exist on Earth when it didn't previously exist, and then you'll knock out the Meyer-Hartwig prediction, kill the ID hypothesis, win the game for Prebiotic Evolution, and collect all the cold cash $$$$.
But at the same time, you'll have proven that the ID hypothesis is a scientific, falsifiable hypothesis.  You'll have proven that ID is science.

That was easy, eh? Beg to differ, because you have shifted the goalposts! Does not speak well for your insight and understanding, if not your integrity and honesty.

All you saying the preceding paragraph(s) refers to the question about the Origins of Life (OOL) on Earth. ID makes no distiction, ID covers everything from before the Big Bang through the 21^st century.

Darwin, and evolutioanry theory is somewhat modest by mereley acknowledging the evidence that there is, and have been for a very long time, life on this planet. Darwin (and Wallace) came up with an explanation about how the evidence of an evolution, the clear signs of , like Darwin expressed it:

“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

Science acknowledge the obvious, life has a beginning - on the order of four billion years ago. Whodunit? Not relevant in the context of evolution. Might as well be God, the ToE would still be the same.

****

So there you go.  Now you know what is the Intelligent Design hypothesis, now you know why it's so powerful and compelling, now you know exactly how the ID hypothesis qualifies as SCIENCE, and now you know that YOU are chock-full of Intelligent Design in every single cell of your body, right this minute. 

Got it? Not just one or a few cells, but every one of them! And right this minute, the minute before, and even the next minute. What a miracle! The mind boggles.

(And don't forget the compelling IC evidence of your own eyes!)

Therefore YOU are the final disproof of Evolution, Atheism, and Agnosticism.  YOU are intelligently designed, by You-Know-Who upstairs.   So send Him an email and talk things over soon!

Not just the eyes, both of them, right this minute, but also your appendix, poor backbone, hernia, hemorrhoids, and the bacteria all both over you outsides and inside- without which you'd not survive.
Don't forget to ask him al thos pertinent questions that FL doesn't mention whn you write. You know he answers all prayers and emails. 

Better believe it, son! FL said it, that clinches it! No science, just religion, no mention of when, where – and how God has been doing it over 4 billion years time? It defaults to God performing magic.

Well, now you have been properly brainwashed. Are loose claims as seen from FL’s eyes all it takes to falsify 160 years of science? Are all the world’s scientists (spiced with a few creationists) complete idiots?

From the bulk of ID-creationist argument it appears that only a handful of scientisits knows what they are doing. Geology, paleontology, biology, genetics, heredity, mathematics, information theory, populations & heredity, radiometric dating, dendrochronoly. There ssesm to be few scientific areas that are totally irrelevant wrt the theory of evolution.

It simply is astonishing; for creationism to be true, there would be thousands of scientists that would be grossly mistaken in their scientific work - but only when it goes against the grain of ID/crationism. Down the drain with research, shut down the laboratories. 

The ID laboratories are all we need? LOL. 

It never ceases to amaze me: Science is trusted with everything, as long as it keeps its hands of biology in a manner that may cast doubt on creationism. They are wizards of physics and molecules, electronics and space flight, computers and cell phones, but in biology they fail miserably against the lawyers of the Discovery Institute?

There is no doubt about it: ID is religion, a companion myth to the two Genesis myths we already have.. 

It is so easy to ridicule all that FL says. The problem is that he is not just a creationist, the problem is that he is grossly ignorant.

……

Legg inn en kommentar om du ønsker stoff på norsk.

Make a comment if you would like some articles in the Norwegian language.

Mineral Kingdom Has Co-Evolved With Life, Scientists Find

Another interesting clue:

Link to Science Daily

What made me want to publish that was my observation that here is another facts going against ideas and beliefs in a young Earth, the YEC position.

Progress in the search for natural origin-of-life pathways

Under the title
Natural Affinities -- Unrecognized Until Now -- May Have Set Stage for Life to Ignite

Read the
Science Daily report here.

Man and his symbols

Below is a translated excerpt of a book by a Norwegian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Arne Duve. I have taken the liberty of translating and publishing. It was written and published in the 1950's and IMHO that ought to be far enough in the past to make copyright issues rather irrelevant. I am quite certain no harm is being done and that nobody's legal toes have been stepped on. I have a full version that I may send if there are anyone interested in reading the whole book

Here goes:

(The Book of Job is discussed at page 167, green text)

  A particular system of symbols is language, which is a recent creation in the evolution of man. Language is a collection of sound-symbols. Utterance of the symbols b-o-o-k as a sequence means “a book”. The aural symbol is associated with the visual concept. Conversely, viewing of the written symbol activates association with the sound symbol. The languages of speech and writing are essential functions for the logical sector of the human mind.

  In a different position stands the much older language, the language of pictures that in the deeper and subconscious layers have to use – such as it appears in dreams, in art, in religion, myths and fantasies. This means of expression can no longer be understood by the human conscious. But still, structures in our inner understands its meaning. It has been shown that a person under hypnosis may understand his dreams, while when awake, they dismiss them as nonsense.*)

  In earlier ages, the understanding of this pictorial language was quite different from the present. Especially in the cultures of the Orient, it has always been part of a proper upbringing to be proficient in this mode of language, which in our part of the world, due to ignorance is been considered nonsense. The Talmud says: A dream not understood, is like a letter one does not open. In the book ob Job it says that dreams are the speech of God. Major figures within Christendom like Joseph and Jesus were masters of this pictorial language. And the prophets used it as their mother-tongue. Freud’s greatest and lasting achievement is maybe that he opens the door for modern man to this secret world.

_______

*) Erich Fromm: The Forgotten Language.

43.

  This language of symbols is the only universal means of communication that man as a species is equipped with. It is based on particular conditions with respect to the way the human mind functions. A peculiarity of the psychic dynamics is that this pictorial language cannot express abstract terms. The development of such terms are quite recent, they are functions of the conscious life’s connection to the intellectual thought process, and more recent layers of the central nervous system. Abstract terms in principle signify a property, a condition or an act. A popular definition is that an abstract cannot be photographed, an explanation that hits the nail right on the head. Whenever the deeper layers of the human psyche, - “the deep” – is faced with the task of articulating its contents of abstract nature, it actually is unable to – since it has only concrete images, pictures at its disposal.

In such cases it has to use associations – symbols – which then employs the concrete picture to express the contents that is hidden within it. Symbols are the objects that the deep has to employ in order to express itself. They are the language of the deep. We say that the real content of the symbol lies hidden in the manifest image. Without knowledge of this mechanism one always are at risk of taking the symbol literally.

  Examples can better than words illustrate this. Dreams are the prototype of this symbolic language, and by the dream we may access the process of symbol creation.

  A man dreamt about a fight between a dog and a silver fox – on the surface, a meaningless dream. And rightly, it is without meaning when we look at the literal contents – the symbols without translation.

  A dream most often refers to the events of the day before. When we learn that the dreamer that day had been preparing his income declaration the meaning begins to transpire – namely the opposing tendencies that had made themselves manifest in the dreamer. The dog, representing faithfulness, honesty and subjugation, had been fighting the silver fox that, besides representing the economical situation, also symbolise “white” cleverness. The important difference between image and contents

……

  When using dreams in this manner, the individuals released conflict energies will be centred with respect to the dreamer and the dream – so that they only in a small degree are being transmitted to other persons. Thereby, unnecessary and difficult processes of transference may be eliminated, - because a large part of the conflict matter is being deflected in and by the dream.

  When a dream has been correctly interpreted, the individual “feels” this, probably because there are inner entities that “knows” the connection, this seems to have been confirmed by experiments with hypnosis.*)

  What is remembered of a night’s dreams after awakening is as a rule subject matter that have matured to a point where it may be addressed by treatment and incorporation into the personality. Or, it may be matter that an inner entity now demands be addressed for revision and treatment.

  Dreams thus are a necessity of life, something that the results of modern dream research have confirmed. If the dream process is prevented by artificial means, this may relatively soon result in more or less serious psychic disorders, probably because a vitalization has not been possible – resulting in the I-force not being supplied with enough energy to uphold a required potential.

  But dreams also have the important purpose of presenting the conflict matter that needs sanitization and transformation into available psychic energy and vitality.

  The Bible expresses these truths in the book of Job with the dream representing God as talking to man – who must understand the language and act in accord with that. Happiness and renewal of psychic and physical life results.

  The fact is unavoidable, that Christian lore to a large extent

_____

*)Erich Fromm

47.

is pictorial in nature, and it’s mode of expression is characterized by the laws reigning in the human mind. To visualize spiritual realities and to express longing, desires and hope – the deep of the soul needs here, as always to utilize concrete pictures from outer reality. No other options exist.

  Since mankind by and large is similar all over the world, it follows that many symbols are universal in nature. We find realities like: life and death, birth, growth and other body functions. IT is fire and water, air and earth, animals and plants, celestial bodies and forces of nature, freedom and oppression, joy and sorrow, guilt and atonement, salvation and loss and so on. Therefore we also find these symbols used as central symbols in all religions. The elements in which the forces make themselves manifest, are symbols of inner sources of power; they are full of mana, the Melanesian word that has been adopted into international language. It can be likened with a high voltage conduit that one must handle with care and skill. Common people therefore need to protect themselves – with prescriptions of taboo. Whether a man has mana can be seen from how he conducts his life – if he lucky in his endeavours, if he has power and authority. In particular, tribal chiefs are endowed with mana. If he looses it, something that appears as accidents or such, it means that the power must have left him, something that often had direct consequences for his social position.

  For the human mind, there are many things that may be interpreted as support for belief in spirits and a life after death. Firstly, one experiences through dreams that even if the body is sleeping, one still may be active in other locations, as if distance are nonexistent. Also, in dreams one can meet people long dead – a fact that to a large degree has strengthened the belief in spirits and a life hereafter. Besides, the will and thoughts of other people live in you as invisible spirits. The norms of the society is caused by the process of upbringing to be adopted into the child’s mind and will later appear as man’s superego. The words spirit and spirits is related to the term respire or respiration. Respiration is in most religions associated with creation and life. God inspire his spirit into matter, making it alive.

…

167

Unless we know the function of dreams and their mode of expression, religion cannot be the means of salvation that reaches into the centre of man and gives him stamina and power in his everyday life – and create dignified human relations on the social level.

In the bible, however, the function and meaning of dreams are quite clearly described – and with the proper interpretation as a prerequisite for growth, happiness and a prosperous relation to God.

The book of Job therefore may become an important bridge between religion and science – and between Judaism and Christendom – and further on to other religions – because it points directly at the central aspect of human life – the relation to God – dreams – and the common human aspect of religion.

The story of Job is just this:

He was a rich and wealthy man – who was tried – just as we all are sooner or later in our lives.

Satan was given permission by god to test him.

Job lost his rich herds, his 10 children, and personally, he got severe physical challenges in the form of diseases.

Then Job began cursing his life, his God and the entire being. Three friends came to comfort him and to find out what wrong he had done. The only thing they had to offer was hard and condemning words and they therefore were of absolutely no help to him.

Then came the fourth – Elihu – a young man, who by theologians seems to be considered as a false teacher.

He puts his finger on the essential point: Job has not recognized his dreams – and therefore is utterly ignorant about what God wants of him.

I quote from chapter 33 – 14-33 verses: 

For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds,

then he opens the ears of men, and terrifies them with warnings,

that he may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man;

168

he keeps back his soul from the Pit, his life from perishing by the sword.

"Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and with continual strife in his bones;

so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite dainty food.

His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.

His soul draws near the Pit, and his life to those who bring death.

If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him;

and he is gracious to him, and says, `Deliver him from going down into the Pit, I have found a ransom; (Italicized here.)

let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor';

then man prays to God, and he accepts him, he comes into his presence with joy. He recounts to men his salvation,

and he sings before men, and says: `I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not requited to me.

He has redeemed my soul from going down into the Pit, and my life shall see the light.'

"Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man,

to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may see the light of life.

Give heed, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.

If you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you.

If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

Thus spoke young Elihu.

When Job understands and accepts this connection – when he admits to his guilt and god’s wisdom and greatness – he is on the road to salvation.

But the wonder does not take place until he intercedes for his three condemning friends – that god wanted to punish, because they had only hard and condemning words for the one who was in need of help and clarification of the causality and pointing out of the central importance of the contents of dreams symbols.

Job becomes twice as rich as before, he gets 10 new children – his new happiness surpasses all that went before his tribulation.

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And finally, it says that Jobs’ daughters were the fairest in the land – and their father gave them the right to inherit besides their brothers.

This last passage is very revealing when we consider the extreme patriarchic society in which this account of wisdom was created.

For daughter inherited nothing at all.

Some comments are in order for this mythical account – which otherwise speaks for itself.

We see God and Satan operating together, something not in the least strange when we consider the connection that exist between these opposite poles of human life expressions – the right and the wrong side of the one and same reality.

The three condemning moralists were powerless with their harsh words. They even aroused Gods’ wrath by their attitude because they had not understood anything of the nature of God, and therefore neither understood anything of the process of human redemption.

Most interesting is how the young, authoritative Elihu shows dreams as the vehicle for expressing Gods’ will – and that it is necessary that this language is interpreted – and interpreted correctly. This has a wider address – namely to religion as the extension of dreams – and to those who have taken it upon themselves to interpret the religious images and symbols. Redemption and renewal of life comes only with the proper interpretation. That also is the sequence of the process that is the driving dynamics of a living religion.

The Bible – the symbols – must be given the right interpretation – in order to give life, this is what the book of Job tells us.

But the end result comes first when Job intercede for those that God wants to punish.

Not until one does something actively – and have a forgiving state of mind – comes salvation and happiness – also on the worldly level. The story of Job therefore has much to say to us, and above all, it teaches us the importance of an un-condemning attitude – and that what we understand, must find outlet in action.

The book of job also tells us something important about the lack of balance

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a patriarchal society creates. Male arrogance has to go – says Elihu. Last, but not least, the book of Job points to the central fact that we have to understand Gods’ language of images – dreams – and what they may give us. Only then we become human – happy humans – freed from the curses and intellectualized technocracy of the male society.

And religion will become the speech of God and life itself – that can be understood by everyone – because it is the same universal language that is alive in all mankind and may be understood by everybody on this earth – given they will listen and learn.

The full effect of dreams may only be realized when it is fully understood. When this happens, a process of development may begin – a condition that is the driving force itself in a depth-psychological therapeutic context with dreams as primus motor.

A correct interpretation clears room for subconscious and unsolved conflict matter. This process to an extent guides itself with respect to speed and mobilization of conflict matters – ant it stops when the proper interpretation is not reached. Dreams shows in images and the inner trail of development – the obstacles in the way – the possibilities at hand – and which way one has to go.

If we have a series of nightly dreams- this sequence may often clearly be seen.

Dreams in such a process of restructuring have as somewhat different character than regular dreams that often are like snapshots in relation to particular outer events. During the course of a therapeutic process of development, it is quite remarkable how we may see images – themes – and attitudes change character – such that like in a book of pictures may follow this course of development far better than possible with other modes of expression. The proper interpretation is built, among other things, on associations to the various chains of meaning and singular elements. A symbol may never be taken for given – and of a single meaning – for it may have a quite different meaning – depending on the individual history and context present. A rigid system of symbols with fixed translations will not do.

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Each individual speaks his own dialect of dreams, and when one gets on the inside of this, a dream may be read almost like an open book. Whether the interpretation of a dream is correct or not is determined by the dreamer himself, who senses if the interpretation is correct, or not.

In dreams, conflict matters are abreacted with associated affects. Thereby one does not have to enact the conflict in everyday life – in the relation to the therapeut – and in relations to other people.

Dreams see to it that the right and important problems are kept in focus – and stays alive in the process.

In the continuing process, as private conflict matters are shelled off in a more personal formed register of symbols – we come down to the simple, universal central human symbols that are the building blocks of religions and a concentrate of the fundamental forces of life and existence, centered like a pattern around the inner source of power that we conceive as the determining, ordering and cosmic principle of existence – that we also call God.

Religion, as an extension of dreams, share all the moments of dreams.

Religion is, at the literal level, to be likened to a dream that is not interpreted or wrongly interpreted – preventing anything of importance from taking place on the inner arena.

The result is quite different if religion is used as a vehicle for the development of an individual’s consciousness. This requires a correct interpretation of the symbols such that a gradual understanding of what they mean with respect to inner realities may ensue.

Discontinuation of an individual’s conflict matters - the development of consciousness – and activation of human qualities, feelings and creative powers leads to a unification with the inner power source – instead of continuously driving with the brakes on – such as happens when the energy must express itself in deflections and negative expressions. If religion is to be used in this manner – it requires theologians that know their trade – and knows what they are talking about – and know what to talk about.

Nothing human must be alien to them – they must

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know themselves and the human structure fully – in all its diversity.

What must be alien to them are the condemning, hard words – re the story of Job!

The way religion is preached today, it automatically attracts a particular type of people that to a large extent are of just that disposition and little motivation for breaking with the traditional pattern of letters whose slaves they are – and want to be.

When a new perspective enters into religion, it just as automatically will attract another type of people as guides and mediators of the eternal truths.

The church does not require de-mythologizing or historical evidence for its Savior.

What it needs is awareness of the importance of the mythical language of images it – and dreams – employs – so that it may be translated into living language and living people – who may establish the state of consciousness and the mode of co-existence that alone may carry mankind safely through the mess into which it has gotten itself entangled.

Dreams in the night – and dreams in religion – we cannot live without – if there is to be any hope that we shall be able to navigate out of the shipwreck that otherwise may be our fate.

Religion now is like some magic potion consisting of literalisms, symbols, manners of speech, wishful thinking and faith. Religion is however, in its deeper and true aspect no such easy formula. Its truths must be allowed to grow and mature from within. Only thereby they become truths and inner experiences of realization – with corresponding changes also on the outer level.

The road ahead may offer many obstacles – but it is by no means impossible to go it.

 It is not only suffering that is the incentive and driving force; man has an urge for realization lying non-extinguishable within him self. This urge will by and by grow stronger than the fear of changing the established order of life that today is being attacked from so many sides. What it is all about is to trust in oneself – to plan of life – and goals.

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If redemption proceeds along religious or psychological guidelines plays no decisive role – the two roads may indeed meet.

One must go the way oneself – no proxy will suffice. But one may to some extent read the roadmap in one’s inner – by the light of the lamp of Diogenes that search for Man.

Here, as usual, the first step is the hardest to take. If one has got going on the right track, the one step automatically will be followed by the next.

The first step is: End of self-condemnation! As a rule, no one is aware of the mechanisms that automatically project all guilt onto the outer world. Nonetheless, the condemning of others is caused by condemnation of corresponding tendencies in oneself. One must understand the fact that one’s own patterns of behavior – because of earlier experiences that have created it – must be the way that they at present are. To begin with, one therefore has to accept oneself with all one’s “faults” and patterns of reaction. Then, one also becomes without judgment of others – because they also have their behavioral patterns created by the same principles. To understand is to forgive – this applies both to oneself as well as the way in which we look at others.

Self-condemnation and extension outwards into other people was demonstrated and rejected by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount – that road led to perdition. When we see the many patterns of reactions in one self and in others – without guilt and judgment – one has taken the first and decisive step. The second step is: Understanding of symbols. Now, intellect and knowledge may come to play in the process of orientation. Thereby one may gradually be released from bindings and burdens that hinder free expression of life. Then one will discover sight points in life’s course that one have overlooked before – taken just for unevenness and debris in the terrain. When one’s eyes are opened for the importance of the symbols – and their meaning  in personal symptoms, in religion, in dreams and in arts, one sees with new eyes towards the future. Then, one may be released from literalism and bindings of which one have been unaware. One’s own inner bindings and images suddenly are discovered as projected into other people, in institutions and symbol systems – so that one may be freed from them. One then no longer need be afraid the negative expressions of life or their

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concrete expressions, but may release the powers they possess in a positive direction.

Christmas – Easter – and Pentecost will not be empty celebrations, but they will be included in one’s own way of development mediated by the symbols – birth – death and new life directed by living spirit and truth.

The third step on the road to self-redemption may perhaps be the most important and difficult

It is: Take the consequences of what you know! It is so difficult for us to give up our laboriously obtained positions. We cannot cast off the mask. We dare not go in ourselves. We find it so utterly impossible to change our behavioral pattern and inner attitude. We would rather continue acting our more or less badly played roles – to compensate inner weaknesses – instead of accepting them, so that we may be finished with them.

We want to continue our infantilisms, our masochism and other ism’s of this category. Some wants to convert others – because they cannot convert themselves. Others drown the voice of the deep of the soul in a self-indulgent stream of words. Others again will continue their self-condemnation and attack themselves – through their fellow men – to ease the inner burden of guilt. But as always when one on a basis of affect attacks others, the object actually is conditions in one’s own inner. 

The third step consists also of releasing one’s potential in creative action. It may be artistic talents in some direction that have lain dormant – no matter how insignificant they may be. Out in the open with them for one’s own benefit and often also for others as well.

One gains courage and ability to positive doubt – doubt on supposed lack of capabilities, doubt in one’s own quality – doubt in one’s rationalizations – doubt in inherited beliefs and traditional views. Then the true and original in each of us may be exhibited freely.

One gets courage to be unique – to make a fool of oneself if need be – to follow one’s own inner plan of life and intuition.

The third step is to get finished with the bindings of the past. Personal symptoms, inferiority complex and compensating need for self-assertion, anxiety and fear is shelled.

 

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Self-confidence, capacity for love, joy of life and work, creative initiative and social behavior will ensue. The elements will organize into a living pattern. Job was redeemed through forgiveness, understanding and action. Thus, man’s and God’s way become one.

Roads may be just as different as people are. Each one will have to go his own inner necessity’s way, according to capability, environment and experiences. Each one must himself set the pace, terrain and length of stretches. But the goal remains the same for all: Full realization of inborn abilities and talents – full understanding of the intentions of the deep of the soul and the meaning of the symbols – full inner confidence and acceptance – full potency on all levels. Then, God realize himself in our life – then God will be experienced as inner reality – the, guilt and ideals have been converted, burden of guilt lifted and replaced with understanding and insight in life’s continuity.

The split is brought to termination – projections are understood –inner unity, strength and balance is established. Cramps disappear and one is filled with enterprising spirit. Rebirth has been accomplished; the new “eternal” life begins. To subordinate oneself under others may be necessary and wise. But if the will of others are expression of hunger for power, need for self-assertion and other symptoms, it is harmful for both parties if one without purpose succumb.  No man has the right to force his whims and needs for compensation into the life of others. The results will always be disastrous.

When a sufficient number of people have joined the march towards the future on life’s own road, society and inter-human dealings by and by change and come in tune with the course of development – which tends towards greater degree of consciousness. This must also make itself felt in the sphere of religion that now is becoming an impenetrable wilderness of literalism, projection of symbols and half-digested or un-digestible “truths”.

Religion have lost its connection with many living and central realities – and the modern worldview. It therefore no longer seems to be a usable means of redeeming synthesis

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It only functions poorly as re-unifying factor – religio. But maybe new bridge spans may turn out to be able to carry the load. The human psyche is based on a mode of consciousness that uses images as means of expression. That fundament itself cannot be changed – cannot be explained away – and not be cast out, without the causing the fundament of life to fail.

In earlier times man was conformant with this way of experience and recognition. Much of what was created then is met with wonder by modern man; in areas like building technology and arts. But when the subject is a means of manifestation like religion with what belongs to this sector of myths, parables and symbols, it is met with a shrug and head-shaking – because it is no longer recognized what it contains of living realities.

The mode of recognition and the sciences that only depend on human ability for reflection by the outer senses have in this time of ours been put on a pedestal. But this mode of recognition is inadequate for understanding man’s inner life. This may only be achieved by inner senses, by activation of adequate capabilities of consciousness.

Man must – if he is to survive – find the redeeming synthesis between mythos and logos – symbol and consciousness. Only then will there be an organic and creative continuity between past and present.

“Whether we like it or not, we are blind and deaf if we do not recognize that psychology rapidly is gaining ground with respect to theology, yes, that it even surpasses it as attraction, explanation and dominating factor in modern religion,” writes the theologian Potter – who are one of the very few who dare come forth and take the consequence of the insight of depth psychology and the scriptures of the Qumran-sect that was left, and found again.

The question about the relationship between Christendom and psychology must be put on the agenda such that a process of integration may be begun.

The demands of the atomic age for new, redeeming thoughts seems to stand small chances of being thought and heard. All continues in the same old track as if nothing had happened.

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Racial struggle, ideological infighting and religious animosity thrive under the atomic umbrella.

How did all this blindness come into the world? What is it that keeps it alive? What are the new thoughts that the times require? The questions are calling us from the dark – and disappear in our own darkness. No answer is coming forth, because man lacks sufficient knowledge about himself – about the forces of life – and about the language of images that man’s bound and un-understood forces are left to use as their only means of expression.

We do no know much about this inner field of power from where we get our vitality and life energies. But we conceive it as the force that we call God – and that man has tried to describe, transcribe, dramatize, and portray in a countless number of ways.

This force can only make itself known in a disguise of images and symbols, because we do not know it and because it reside and pulsate in the deepest of deeps – in man’ subconscious. But when the god-force and god is referred to make itself known only in disguise, the danger that they will be taken literally and projected outwards lies very near, - such as we have seen in the concept of god, where the holy hierarchy is placed in outer space.

All that is not recognized by man’s consciousness is doomed to employ this mechanism.

Dreams are such a projection on the inner level – but here one is aware that something is going on in the individual. Religion takes this one step further by creating manifesting and systematized images and symbols – as a dramatization of man’s inner reality.

In dreams, one knows that the dramatization and imaging activity takes place inside oneself.

In religion, awareness of this causal connection may easily be lost – and then it ends with literalism, projections and struggle, about the one true faith. But a struggle like this is just as insane as a struggle for one of earth’s spoken languages as being the right one – or that only one dream is true - while all others are false.

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If for instance a number of persons have been involved in, or have been witnesses to one and the same dramatic event and they subsequently dream about it, all the dreams will be different depending on each persons background, life history and cultural pattern. Bu therefore one dream is no more true or correct than the others – even if they may reveal various degrees of deflected life and degree of consciousness. What really sets people apart actually is the various levels of consciousness. But something can be done about this difference. And all that it takes is that we help each other to gain ever-higher levels of consciousness.

Struggle, self-assertion and war with accompanying affects always will darken the field of consciousness – and therefore is extremely dangerous in the situation of today. It therefore is deeply tragic that the past and the errors of the past keep being dug up again and that people of different races, faith and philosophy of life fight each other unto death – in an age where all struggle should be towards evening out all the artificial differences that have been lasting for thousands of years.

What is required – accentuated by the atomic age – is a higher level of awareness about the essential human problems that we all share. For this purpose a new and above all more correct way of thinking is needed – not least with respect to religion. For religious controversies and lack of awareness in this area is to a large extent responsible for man’s hatefulness and attitude of readiness for fight with other groups. And from this darkness the same attitude has been carried over into the modern replacements for religion – the ideological antagonism.

When awareness of the religious language of form and mans’ conflict matter are not present, the religious systems tend to be a dividing element between different religious groups – instead of being a means of recognition, inner growth and an integrated coexistence also with other religious group who speak a different symbolic language.

The various religions are nothing but different shapes of the same language and the same common human basic needs. For man is one, and mankind a unity.

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The same inner laws apply to all of us – regardless of religion, race, ideology or cultural pattern.

Life is a continuous process of evolution both with regard to species as well as to individuals – a continuous evolution from simple to more complex structures.

With regard to the biological evolution, man may be considered a finished product. The biological fundament with instincts, emotions, psychic apparatus and activities therefore is given – and is what we have for building both our own as well as the life of the collective upon.

But what still may evolve is the human consciousness and understanding of connectivity in life – about causes and effects and insight into symptoms, symbols and patterns of behavior.

What we now above all have to do is to create order in the biological fundaments – in our conflicting relations, projections and developmental factors, and expand our awareness and the bound spiritual power.

Evolution of mankind now has its main center of gravity in the spiritual sector. – The human spirit has a potential for evolution that we today only may guess at. In this area we are underdeveloped with respect to our potential.

Our world mirrors our inner, unsolved conflicts and conditions of struggle. The psychic conflicts create inner blind spots, making them difficult to see and recognize.

We therefore need a cleansing global Pentecostal weather that may enrich being with new and more adequate approaches to conflicts. What is needed now are men and women with courage to come forth with renewal and knowledge about life’s forces and needs. It is demanded of each and every one of us that we are capable of carrying the order of life forth. This require courage, overview and insight to see and declare that the various religions are special creations of the urge for inner unity, power, community and consciousness that is common property of all men, because we all, as human beings, are built to the same specifications under the same laws.

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All the religions are created on the basis of the same psychic apparatus that is common for all mankind. Therefore religion is life’s own means of reconciliation and medium for simplification that may take us from chaos to greater contours of consciousness.

Christendom today builds on a supernatural historical event that cannot either be proven or disproved. Therefore, the belief that this is true becomes of central importance. But at the same time, the common human truth and the inner message that is independent of person, time, place and history, is weakened.

The Christian teaching with history and selection has been taken over and carried forth from the Old Testament, where these elements had their special function. Christendom is permeated with man’s original sin: projection of conflict and energies – up into space – into history – and on to people.

God is no personal being but spirit, life and force. God is the principle of life itself, common to all peoples and at all times. It is only mans’ lack of insight that causes the bitter struggle about the right concepts of God and the right creeds.

The ongoing ideological struggle for power is a direct continuation of the belief in the on right god and the right lore – that therefore must be forced on other people.

But man’s struggle for freedom and peace is not won on the outer arena, but in the inner – against all that blocks, burdens and darkens.

When this inner struggle has been brought to conclusion, the kingdom of God will arrive – the kingdom within; this is one of the Bible’s great and universally valid truths that often are being covered up and explained away. For the road there is narrow and winding. It seems fare easier to fight for the one right concept of god and the only possible solution about the inner conditions – on the outer level.

Selection and belief in historicity is the great enemy and temptation against the kingdom of God.

In addition comes the fact that man keeps stuffing himself with the fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which according to the Bible has brought sin and all human misery into the world. Also her, the Bible is right!

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For thereby dualism – the inner double cloak of guilt and fear, the death-grip on mans soul.

Beside the old, rotten tree of knowledge about the difference between good and evil, struggles a small, crippled bush with bright green longings in bud. That is the tree of knowledge to know the good in evil, the tree of knowledge to know man inside out; the tree of knowledge to see the unity in the learned opposites, the tree of knowledge to see and experience the red thread of God running through all religions as a interdependence in all that divides.

This bush needs time to grow, and it demands proper care and fertile soil – that is living and free human spirits. Even if this tree contains the collected biological force of life, there is something that keeps preventing growth: ignorance – the lack of knowledge about the conditions for growth and cultural conditions.

The fate of mankind depends on just this tree being permitted to grow tall and strong. For the fruits shall not only feed the 5000 in the desert, but all of mankind.

This new wonder of feeding is our only way to salvation and a secure future.

This tree needs skilled care and knowledge that uncovers the depths of man’s mind and the stumbling blocks that stands in the way of knowledge about the laws that reign in the sphere of life and the human psyche. The tree of knowledge to know the unity of good and evil grow its will up into the great light – and has a tiny root-string into each of the earth’s human minds.

It is up to each of us to provide nourishment for the tree, so that in due course it may become strong enough to cover all of mankind with its fullness. Centuries of cutting at the roots have slowed growth.

We have cut at the roots and nationalized the God that was meant to be the redeeming and committing power of consciousness. We have made God to a pawn in the political and theological play of forces.

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The forces of living and the light of consciousness have become a paper god of letters that beats itself and us down.

*

The white man’s root-cut culture with “the unenlightened plutocracy” has been exported to the whole world. The outgrowth has been greedily accepted with the consequence that soon all of the worlds peoples are marching, armed to the teeth, and with hearts and minds full of hatred and wrong faith. That is the heritage we have given. As we have sown, now we reap.

Our own wind has become a global storm. We have exported the power struggle, materialism, war, profit-greed, belief in selection and the right of the strong. What we should have passed on, was an example to be followed, of a quite different character and founded on a religion with global elements and universal in contents that could elevate consciousness and, nourish solidarity and provide for all peoples a rich and vigorous life with inner freedom, equality and brotherhood. We have this religion, but we have not been able to use it the right­ way. We have been browsing in it like naïve and gullible children in a book of pictures, without worrying about the clarifying and obliging text of the symbols in the foreign language of signs.

The result is that what we believe is not what the text says.

This is the reason why the Christian cultural circle has not been able to establish a stable, cultural structure with fresh potency of development. Nor have we been able to get on speaking terms with other cultures or religions, because we do not understand our own. Therefore, we have treated other peoples as heathen and inferior creatures that only had perdition in store unless they were converted to our religion that alone could provide salvation and life. This hubris has made us masters of slaves. “Forward Christian soldiers” is being sung in “Gods own country”. Or in another country, “Gott mit uns”. In Soviet or China there is no official God. Instead, the party, the general secretary of the party and its chairman have become gods.

The Church and Christendom lost its inner power when they lost themselves in history, state and images. For the church may only stay alive

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in the wake of the Holy Spirit of Truth that always needs to be flying. Otherwise, it falls to the ground.

*

The idea of God and the religious phenomena as projections of the human psyche is not new. It was first vented with force and strength by the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach in the book: “Das Wesen des Christentums” published in 1841. It soon became quite important, not least for the young Karl Marx, who carried Hegel’s musings on the so called dialectic principle and Feuerbach’s thoughts about projection and its inherent entfremdung of one’s own forces over on material and economical areas, where the new means of production due to technical progress had lead to a similar entfremdung in relation to means of production and products.

Here we can se clearly how a political ideology stems directly from the write-off of religion – and a lack of knowledge about the meaning of the psychic projections. Marxism eventually became one of the poles of an ideological struggle. Religion was written off as superstition and regarded as a considerable obstacle against brotherhood and justice. The other pole of the worldwide ideological power field that since then have been developing, is capitalism, which also is materialism. But capitalism, in contrast to Marxism, operate with religion as spiritual foundation, which in practice means Christendom, where a tabu still reigns against the mention of the mechanisms of projection in connection with religion.

When these projections are not understood, the result becomes secularism or a faith lacking the contents it should and could be instrumental in bringing about.

In both cases, man has become a stranger to himself and the forces at play inside himself.

Man in the contrary, ideological power fields, thus cling to beliefs about relationships and forces that are quite different from the ones proclaimed by the religious faith and the system.

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Man has spirit and psyche as central functions in his inner life – not politics and living standard. We therefore see, in the ideologicized and secularized areas, a growing political tiredness in spite of the massive propaganda.

In the capitalistic countries, a noisy barbwire-entertainment attempts to keep tiredness away from us. The means of effect continue getting coarser in attempts to counter entfremdung, loss of contact, anxiety and spleen.

Man as a living spirit being and development as intellectual history have gotten into the doldrums.

Men have as never before become strangers to themselves and towards each other, because religion and its political offshoots as phenomena remain the unsolved cardinal issues that whirls up affects and attitudes of animosity from the deep and dangerous subconscious layers of the minds – and from there threaten continued existence.

Therefore, this complex of problems now must find their solution, so that people at last may come on speaking terms with each other. A responsibility is laid on this generation who needs to find the way out of this wilderness, and no longer can let it all slide with armchair-opinions – or bitter struggle and blind fight – full of prejudice and wrong approach to the problems with rigid dogma and assumptions.

A question of whether socialism or capitalism – Christendom or paganism – democracy or other ways of structuring society – are actually outdated problem approaches.

The real frontlines now run inside mans mind, regardless of what creed, race or social order one belongs to.

Man is at last becoming the focal point with respect for life – and with knowledge about central, psychic and physical conditions of causality.

This will by and by enforce the occurrence of social systems and cultural patterns that correspond with this new knowledge.

A new heaven and a new earth – with a new life – may only grow

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from this expanded acknowledgment. But this presupposes spiritual awareness and activity and an open willingness for orientation.

These are in shortage, and therefore development is painfully slow.

*

Because of the common upbringing with restraint and enforced adaptation to the moral norms of the family and the group, men become filled with conflict that on the one hand wants to retain the shape of the personality structure, while on the other they long to settle the inner conflicts and the anxiety, uncertainty, aggression and guilt that always accompany the conflicts, so that the individuals shall not fall to rest with their bindings. Depending on which of these to directions of conflict that dominates, the attitude will be characterized by submission or rebellion.

There is only a small group of people on each flank that manifest these attitudes actively and in extreme degree. Most people become pacified for good and may hardly be awakened from hibernation. The rebels – the radicals – have not given up on their former, unresolved demands. They will not fall to rest with the order of things as they are. This subconscious wish for inner change from the bottom up, will often be carried over to the political arena, because of among other things channeling over to the religious sphere has become so difficult for many that radicalism has become an international movement. If the will for revolt, aggression and the talent great enough in this area, we get the political man of power – the dictator – who drags other people into his own inner play, where the losses may run to millions upon millions of lives.

These rebels often are driven by a father-hatred that often is combined with mother-bindings.

They have a obsessive wish to become the strongest that can enforce on other people their own authoritarian will – such as we have seen in for example Stalin and Hitler.

The father-hatred of Hitler stretched even further generations back. His father was born out of wedlock as the son of a Jew.*)

*) Der Spiegel, p. 43, No. 34, 1966

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The conservative wants to preserve – they are against changes to the existing.

The radicals want to change, down to the root (radix). Since these basic attitudes with subconscious motivations are tied to the way the personality is shaped – these two types of people never can agree about what ought to be preserved – and what should be changed.

As a rule, the law of all-or-nothing will apply. All shall be conserved, also aberrations. Or all should be changed, even if it is conditions that have the right of life.

A consequence of Marx’s lacking knowledge about human nature, was his relationship with religion, as he looked upon as a means of domination and a result of the material distress of the masses.

In a communistic society, religion would fall away by itself.

This has not happened – just as with so many of Marx’s prognostications.

In spite of a persistent atheistic propaganda and the many practical difficulties that have been created, religion still lives in Soviet, so that the authorities have had to handle this complex of problems in quite another manner than before.

A recent survey shows 41% or 91 millions of the Soviet population as being of a religious faith – Christian, Islamic, or Jewish.

When a Russian astronaut after his sky-mission with triumph declare that he could not observe God in space, and thereby thinks he have shown religion to be simply superstition, it shows what naïve and primitive concepts one have about god and the nature of religion.

In order to find out about the problem of religion that refuses to behave according to Marxist doctrine, in the summer of 1965, in Jena, a conference called “First international colloquium on religions-sociology in the socialistic countries.” Plans have been made for further conferences to be held.

On the colloquium in Jena concessions were made, albeit in rather vague terms, that religion not only was dependent on social conditions, but that it also has an independent and different foundation –

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a claim that is quite sensational and maybe signals a new attitude towards the question of religion.

Because an admission like this is in Marxist terminology about equal with the abolishment of a dogma in the Christian world. Under the latest rulers – Kosygin and Breschnew – a marked liberalization in the domain of religion has taken place.

What Marx did not know and that the Marxist ideologues do not know, but maybe senses, is that the religions are the organs that should and could manage mans spiritual heritage and carry it along sight points along the lines of life. But the religions at present have almost no clear elements of consciousness; they have mostly become canalizations for subconscious conflict matters and also partly a means of domination, so that they have a limiting and rigid effect with respect to development and towards other groups of people. The spiritual foundation on which man’s life man’s life needs to rest, therefore have become dissolved.

This again extends outwards to the general tendencies of dissolution that are so abundant in our time.

The Christian churches are aware of their responsibility in this process. But ignorance, defaitism and a faith in a pre-ordained end of time with the creation of a thousand year reign after the horrors, causes the church to remain strangely passive in view of what now needs to be applied of new thinking, power, engagement and ability to see other and greater relationships. The Vatican consistory shows that a certain softening has taken place in the relationship with peoples of other faiths and diverging views. But this is but a small step towards fulfillment of what must come about.

The protestant churches in the summer of 19666 in Geneva held a convention of the World council of churches, where the participants should be updated about the situation of the church in the state of the world today – its relation to the modern society, so changed by modern technology. Emphasis was placed on confronting the church with the modern world and on the basis of this think over the positions of the church. Participation was on a personal basis; the participants had no authority to represent their respective churches.

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Representatives from 87 different countries attended this large meeting. About on third came from USA and Europe, the other two thirds came from Africa, Asia and South America. This distribution tells us something about the change of center of gravity taking place.

The speakers were by and large non-theologians, and the participants were not subjected to any advanced theological problem issues.

The speeches were pre-printed, with contributions from over 80 capacities in various areas. The preprinted literature in English consisted of no less than 4 thick volumes, of which the last one: “Man in Community” of 382 pages purported to cast light on the subject among others from both psychological, psychiatric, anthropologic and artistic aspects

Many words – but relatively sparse in content. Psychiatry was left to a female, Swiss psychiatrist working in India, while psychology was covered by a psychologist in the Syrian church.

None of these papers seemed to contain any views of significance.

Depth-psychological viewpoints or problem definitions were entirely absent.

The only capacity of real format was the American anthropologist Margaret Mead. She concluded her contribution by saying that we must see Christ in all peoples and accept that it is through the differences in human culture that the common human aspect can be found. And this may only become meaningful when we realize that man who time and again fight against the loss of his innocence and today have at his hand powers almost as horrible as those with which Christ were tempted in the desert – needs a stronger and more vital spiritual vision that the times when planted wine-yards and harvested grapes in a cattle-herding society 2000 years ago.

These words probably might easily get lost in passing – and they represent only her opinion. But we would do wise in taking heed.
Arts and man’s creative activities was covered in an inspiring chapter by the American Malvin Halverson.

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 He says among other things that when we begin to consider human life and the symbol-activities the possibility of a dawn for renewal of religions, arts, work and pastime. Halverson quotes Picasso: “Art is a lie that may make us realize truth”. Picasso might well have included dreams and religions, which are also truth in disguise. In contrast to Picasso, the church claims to have the ultimate truth. But this is a truth with considerable limitations, because the truth is wrapped in symbols.

The church believes and teaches that the packaging is the contents. The church is in a way right when it claims to have the truth. But it has not been unwrapped.

Thereby, the church sets itself as a central spiritual factor out of the game. Neither does it become able to incorporate into itself all the new knowledge with new recognition and perspectives – thus rendering it static in an ever-changing world and without the inner guidance that religion ought to be, and which is one of its essential functions.

The beatnik-generation is – probably unknown to may – to some extent very searching in the area of religion and with strong reproach towards the church that offers rocks as bread. So they make a try with marihuana as a surrogate for the missing experience of inner contact. Because the church today because of its lack of recognition of the function of the symbols is not – and neither can be – the fundamental spiritual power, it neither can take a clear and unambiguous stand against war and atomic weapons, even if the Geneva-meeting declared that nuclear war was against the will of God and was the greatest of all evils.

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Another important question needs to be considered. If research into the Dead Sea Scrolls or new findings should make it necessary to assume that Jesus and his teaching have their roots in both the Old Testament and in the Qumran-society wherefrom Christendom under any circumstances have received essential impulses – and that his life and lore not are the unique revelatory quality that the church claims

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– then the intra-psychic, common human aspect at one fell swoop becomes the main point of Christendom; in the way it is shaped and explained.

Mankind has because of it subconscious, unresolved conflict situation and its subconscious symbolic language had use for just this shape where legends, myths and supernatural intervention plays an important role as substance for dramatizing subconscious, central, psychic processes.

The symbolic contents may however also be employed to keep the impulse for change at bay, because one does not know what it is aimed at, and because one senses what it really demands in the way of inner struggle and reorientation.

The legends and the dogmatic faith must gain new life. A de-mythologizing is required, not by writing off the myths, but by understanding them and making them living life.

There are signs that a new age with respect to this may be dawning within the church. Thus conclude the Swedish theologian Egon Åhman in a newly issued book “Sekulariseringsprosessen och kyrkan” (The process of secularization and the Church) that a deep analysis of the symbols is an absolute necessity.

*

The great and fundamental reality and truth is that God is the living and active principle in all men – the center of vitality wherefrom all is governed inexorably according to its own law – regardless of what we believe or not – and regardless of whether we like it or not. To come to terms with this inner principle of government and continuously attempt to live in conformity with it – is humanity’s great task and obligation.

This inner force lives now as before its hidden life. Bu it needs people who want to listen and understand and subject their lives to the great and eternal interrelationship in which we have been put.

God lives! – and he is the same for all human beings. He chastises us in his way, until we understands his will and succumb to it.

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To understand him and his ways we must be guided by the Holy Spirit of Truth.

“God-as father-theology” and “Son-as-God” are stages that now probably are going to lose terrain to spirit – understanding – consciousness about what religion is, and what it tries to say in its own particular way.

For the time being we see only the first buds of this new center of gravity, but they are there.

Thus said James McCord – leader of the catholic seminar at Princeton University, that he believes that we are at the threshold of a new era in theology with main emphasis placed on the Holy Spirit – “the God of this age”.

McCord also says that many people who are not attached to any church society, even declared atheists, are participating in the struggle for this coming kingdom of God on earth – where the spirit is rich and living – and redeeming.

The theme of the Holy Spirit is being treated to in ever growing extent. At a meeting in Frankfurt (Germany) in 1964 held by the World alliance for the reformed and Presbyterian churches, the theme was “Come creator spirit”. In June 1966 an ecumenical meeting in Chicago of Methodists and Catholics treated the same theme. And the World council of churches that is to have its next meeting in 1969, shall have as its theme “See, I make all things new!” – where Gods promise of change from death to life – “resurrection” – for all men through the Holy Spirit.

The spirit that gives life and makes all things new, so that we may get a new heaven and a new earth and a new life – are working with us and in us from many corners and in many ways.

In this perspective, we must test and be willing to change our attitudes, institutions, organizations, cultural patterns, regulations and teachings of faith, so that we may find God in ourselves, in our fellow men and in what happens.

The god becomes a living god. And we ourselves become living in this inner contact.

Christ went against the contemporary. That we also need to in order to try to change all that is wrong.

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He was a spiritual revolutionary and a conservative radical.

That cost him his life. Now, our own lives and the future of mankind is at stake.

He alone overturned a whole world. Together, we may also contribute to anew direction for development.

When religion has become a spiritual function and social consciousness – the new, global era of human history may become fact!

The riddle of religion is actually man’s unsolved problem no. 1. Because this riddle has not been solved, the world goes from bad to worse and worst.

Religious wars – crusades – religious intolerance – superstition – and witch processes have today been superseded with ideological intolerance – political conversion-fanaticism, greed for power and superstition – that all have cost uncounted millions of innocent human lives.

The intellectual elite of the Christian culture has by and large turned its back on Christendom, instead of trying to find out what its elements and message represent of inner forces that demand a place in the sun and will not succumb to the miserable and absurd shadow-life we now are leading at almost every level.

However, there are signs of a vague interest in religious problems also in the area of recognition slowly beginning to awaken in ever growing circles, not least among the brighter of out youth.

Christendom stumbled at the outset of history and on unimportant, ever more disputable data.

It is only today that history reluctantly begins to disclose its secrets by the caves at the Dead Sea where about 400 various scriptures – whole or in pieces – now have been excavated. The spiritual roots of Christendom are piece by piece coming to light. Much of what we have learned must be revised from the bottom. It may be a tough time for many. But, better late than never. It is rather fantastic that it should take almost 2000 years before the solution would begin to come – and in such an unexpected manner.

 

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When Christendom even in spite of all has been able to survive, it has been in spite of the historical apparatus – because it channels mans inner, timeless forces.