My argument is that a person’s answers to the great questions of their life are greatly influenced by their perception of God, however everyone’s perception of God is based on an incorrect perception of His Word. Even if you perceive that there is no proof of the existence of God, that perception is also the result of either an incorrect or a nonexistent perception of scripture. As such, everyone’s perception of themselves, their purpose, and their future either lacks any understanding at all, or their understanding is misguided. Arguably, the only way for anyone to truly gain the correct perception of their existence is by first adopting God’s intended perspective when reading His Word. So, while you were told to perceive scripture as depicting the image of a young woman, I am arguing that you should at least consider the possibility that God had intended you to perceive a different image. As noted, if you adopt a different perspective of God’s Word, then your perceptions of your existence should also change dramatically.
Obviously, any attempt to understand life is not a minor feat accomplished by an idle mind, and any change to your current perception will likely require an even more thoughtful process. Importantly, Paul refers to a process which he depicts as being the renewing of the mind, thereby indicating that something old is then being replaced with something new. Which begs the questions; what are the old and new things; and, what is the process of renewal? Also, how was the old thing created; and, how do you engage the renewing process that God apparently has instilled in everyone. Arguably, to perceive Paul’s images, you must appreciate an amazing aspect of your life; that is, the power of your imagination.
In this chapter, I will discuss how your imagination creates an understanding, and how our understanding is communicated and understood by others. I will also argue that, when creating your own understanding of life, you allowed your imagination to consider bad information from the wrong sources. Arguably, everyone perceives a different understanding of life based on their unique considerations; yet, what if God had intended that His Word was to be the one and only source of information to form your understanding of life? What if God wants all of us to reconsider our original understanding of life, and to engage the power of our imagination to thoughtfully form His perspective of our life? Notably, your understanding of life will not change unless you first imagine the need to change; and then, only by devoting the necessary time for your imagination to consider the change.
Living life with your imagination
Before I discuss how everyone creates an understanding of life through the power of their imagination, I want you to consider briefly how you live your life with your imagination. Because, your imagination, with all its thoughts and ideas, is arguably the battlefield for the spiritual war that is occurring in you now and into the next life. Of course, you cannot currently perceive the nature of that battlefield, but does that mean that you will never be able to perceive that reality?
I define our imagination as the function of the mind that builds a series of images depicting a thing being done. The fascinating aspect of imagining a thing being done is how closely related it is to actually doing the thing. Everyone has noticed an athlete going through their routine in their mind as practice, and I can recall studies of basketball players improving their free throw accuracy simply by devoting time to imagining their actions. Notably, I suspect that many addicts would acknowledge that just imagining their “acting out” causes a physical reaction; and, I dread to consider, I suspect murderers and rapists also feel sensations when they imagine the act in advance and after. Importantly, Jesus states clearly that just imagining adultery is actually doing it in the heart, and consider how Jesus and John correlate being angry towards another person as being murder. Arguably, if you can imagine doing an action, then you are not as far as you might think from actually doing it.
Certainly, our mind’s ability to literally “build” images with its imagination is clearly a powerful force; arguably, a force in our life that exists in the spiritual realm. Notably, our imagination is even active when we are unconscious, such as when dreams are perceived as being reality. Amusingly, I have woken myself by literally kicking an imaginary ball, and I suspect that many people have been awakened in a sweat that was caused by their imaginary images. Apparently, drugs can significantly impact the force of our imagination, such that a series of images has a more powerful perception of being real. So, in some sense, we have an extraordinary power to imagine our own versions of a reality, and that is what everyone attempts to accomplish with their own imagination in their private moments. We are each building old things in our mind, and they must be renewed.
The root of sin?
Notably, Paul depicts in Romans 1 how man is ultimately given over to his debased mind, so arguably the power of your own mind’s imagination is literally at the root of your sinful nature. If so, then your every sinful act of word or deed was originally conceived from an imagined sinful thought. Which should beg the question; if you want to understand your life, then what is the source of those sinful thoughts within your imagination? Arguably, the root source of every thought is spiritual and not material; yet, like the alien with only an external picture, you were born blind to your internal spiritual nature. Therefore, if you cannot imagine your spiritual nature, then presumably you cannot understand the profound nature of sin. And, if you cannot understand sin, nor perceive why you do what you do, then should you ever have any confidence in your particular understanding of life?
Interestingly, the embryo of this entire effort was regarding the matter of sin. Sadly, I had realized that religion itself was the cause for all misunderstanding of sin, so I began to record my arguments against the typical perceptions of the nature of sin. At the time, I had no idea that my effort would lead to an argument against most religious beliefs, yet I still believe that religion’s misperception of sin is one of the great deceptions that prevents the correct understanding of life. Because, if you imagine that sin is a choice made by a “free” will, then your imagination has also been greatly deceived. That insidious deception imposed by religion upon your imagination will be discussed later; however, the remainder of this chapter will discuss how the power of your imagination impacts not just your understanding of this life, but also of your future life.
Our thought life
A person’s life is typically described by their words and deeds; however, would you describe yourself by just what you said or did in your lifetime? Notably, while others might clearly hear what you say, or see what you do, no one else can perceive what you think. Only you know what you are thinking, and that “thought life” is as much of your life as your words and deeds. And, if every word or deed is first conceived within your mind, then your thought life is what gives birth to every moment of your temporal life. Arguably, you thought first; and thereafter, you said or you did.
Of course, many might claim that they do many “thoughtless” things, and we do learn how to operate in an “autopilot” mode; so, fortunately, we do not consciously consider every moment. Presumably, as we mature both physically and psychologically, we consider our prior thoughts, observations, and experiences, and we create an understanding of life that allows us to operate “unconsciously” throughout most of life. Yet, if every person’s experiences, observations, and thoughts are uniquely formed, then everyone’s understanding of life must also be unique, such that everyone’s particular autopilot for their life must likewise be unique to some degree.
Yet, since scientists typically come to a common understanding of a particular concept, then should we not all share a common understanding of life? Arguably, it does not make sense that everyone should perceive life uniquely through their particular “lens” that was created exclusively by their unique thoughts, experiences, and observations. Beauty might be subjective, but certainly our understanding of life should be absolute.
Building an understanding of life
While our understanding of life is typically created early in life, what information was employed to build that understanding? And, while children study the empirical sciences to learn how the observable world functions, when are they taught how the unobservable world functions?
Presumably, sometime earlier in our life, our observations and our personal experiences naturally caused us to engage our imagination to at least consider the first two questions of life. And, when we were mature enough to devote sufficient time for our imagination to consider our thoughts, we eventually formulated our perceptions of this life, and of life after death. Certainly, those perceptions may change somewhat over time; however, perhaps everyone strives to imagine the particular perceptions of reality that somehow comfortably explain their experiences of life and death. Arguably, no one is at peace until they have imagined the comfortable answers to the three great questions of life, so everyone relies on the power of their own imagination to give themselves rest.
Arguably, a distinguishing characteristic of the nature of man is having both the desire and the ability to imagine answers to the three questions. Because, while many animals may have feelings and desires, it is difficult to imagine that a dog ever considers what is the essence of being a dog, or its purpose in life, or what happens after it dies. Notably, I recognized this striving of man’s imagination to explain the meaning of life when, upon visiting men in prison, some of the men shared extensive writings on their philosophy of life. Which indicated to me, at least anecdotally, that without the distractions of life, man will seek diligently to imagine a reality that explains their life’s experiences. Yet, it became apparent that their insights were primarily based on their experiences and observations, rather than on their understanding of God’s Word. And, as expected, they each depicted a different perception of reality, such that they each expressed their own unique understanding of life. However, should anyone have confidence in their own understanding; because, if everyone has a unique perception of reality, then can anyone confidently claim that their particular understanding is absolute truth?
These questions regarding knowledge are debated in the study of epistemology; specifically, what can be known, and how can we know it? However, perhaps the fundamental questions of life cannot be answered in a traditional manner. Presumably, man has considered the questions since the beginning of time, yet man’s observations and experiences have been insufficient in providing any definitive answers. As such, while science will continue to advance in its quest to research and explain the observable world, the application of the empirical sciences will arguably never be able to reveal any meaningful insight into an unobservable world.
Therefore, since science is blind to the unobservable world, man must resort to “logic” in his attempt to fully explain life. And, those attempts to develop a logical explanation invariably consider whether a supernatural agent impacts the answers, so the questions of life often consider whether God exists. And, if God does exist, then how does His existence impact our life? Does God actively interact in our life; and, if so, then how does His role impact the answers to the great questions regarding our nature, purpose, and future life?
God’s existence and His role
If I recall correctly, my childhood journey towards a simple understanding of life started with the question of the existence of God, and the logical argument of intelligent design was the basis for my belief in God. My belief in an all-powerful God also answered the difficult question of how something could be created out of nothing; yet, that belief also caused confusion and uncertainty. Because, while I could imagine the existence of a supreme being, I also realized that I had no understanding of His nature. Sure, maybe God created me, and maybe I could imagine that He was a good God. However, I was oblivious as to whether He played any further role in my life; and, if so, what is His role? Is He just someone who will be the ultimate judge when I die? And, if I went to heaven, then why should I care to be with Him? In any case, I believed in God; however, He was an unknown God, and imagining an unknown judge is a scary thought if you are brave enough to think about it.
Of course, some within religion emphasize the vague aspect of having a “relationship” with God, however, can anyone truly claim to have any sort of a relationship with someone who does not communicate with them? Presumably, anyone can imagine that they are talking to God; however, should anyone imagine that they are hearing directly from Him? Does scripture give any indication that we can hear God say anything other than His Word; and, does not scripture warn us about adding words to His mouth? Importantly, while I might imagine that I am having conversations with God, how can I know whether I am simply forming an imaginary relationship in my own mind? Obviously, because of my powerful imagination, I can imagine many things, but does that make any of them real?
Critically, I am not saying that we do not make relationships with the voices in our head, however I will argue that “God” is definitely not one of those voices. Presumably, everyone hears thoughts in their head as part of their self-talk; however, what thoughts do you imagine as being the voice of God? How do you know that you are not talking to yourself? Frankly, given the biblical truth that God does not speak to us beyond His Word, could you be forming a relationship with the god of this world, your particular Baal? Therefore, is religion being wise by encouraging you to imagine having a relationship with God? Could religion be an unwitting accomplice to a deception by the god of this world? Arguably, there is a time and a method for “drawing near” to God; however, does religion understand when and how that process happens in your eternal existence?
Obviously, it would be invaluable to understand the sources of your thoughts, so do you think God wants you to understand the nature and the motivations of those sources? Where do you think God would provide that deep understanding? Arguably, until you can imagine how scripture depicts the nature of man, and how we partake of His divine nature, it will be impossible for you to truly understand the various voices in your head. And, without that true understanding of your internal nature, how can you know whether you are forming a relationship with a divine being, or with a god of your own making?
Regarding the existence of God, while it is difficult to explain how something was originally made from nothing, should the lack of information ever be considered sufficient reason to believe in a supernatural agent? I question whether I should have simply pointed to the presumed existence of an invisible supreme agent as being the answer; because, while the various “logical” arguments for the existence of God are perhaps good points to employ in a debate, do any of the arguments provide any meaningful insight into the nature of God? Sure, I can win points by arguing why a supreme being must logically exist; however, even if that assertion is proven, does the assertion result in any meaningful answers to the questions of life, or does it just create more things to debate?
Perhaps Jesus agrees with the premise that if you do not know the nature of God, nor understand His role in your life, then imagining an unknown God is a far worse condition than not knowing whether He exists (Matt 23:15). Therefore, if no one has access to information such that we can know the nature of God and His role, then arguably everyone must be violating the second commandment by imagining their own version of an unknown God. Notably, just stating the attributes of God does not reveal His plan to employ those attributes, so that general information of Him does not provide meaningful information towards an understanding of my life. Sure, Jesus loves me; but, so what? What meaningful information does that fact provide if I have no knowledge of what His love will do for me during my entire eternal life? Arguably, again as implied by Jesus, sharing a vague understanding of the afterlife is far worse than not sharing any understanding.
Obviously, a true understanding of God’s role in my life must include a meaningful answer to the last great question of life; what happens when I die? Oddly, while I hear many debates about the existence of God, there appears to be less debate on the matter of life after death. Apparently, since man’s wisdom cannot explain the real nature of our consciousness, no one can prove that it ceases to exist when the material body dies; therefore, there are multiple hypotheses being considered to explain various possibilities of a continued spiritual existence. Yet, can empirical science ever have the ability to prove how our life continues in any sense after death? If not, then perhaps man can logically argue for the existence of consciousness after death; however, similar to the matter of God’s existence, would that not be just another unknown condition that results in confusion and more debates? Of course, why debate about the existence of consciousness after death if no one can explain the nature of our consciousness while we are alive? Arguably, if the nature of life is not understood, then can death be understood?
So, if man’s wisdom cannot explain the unobservable world by providing meaningful information of God’s nature and His role in our lives, including an understanding of our life after death, then how can anyone attempt to answer the questions of life with any confidence? Arguably, everyone must answer those questions to achieve peace of mind, yet I suspect many people sense that everyone is blindfolded while we each grope around our portion of the elephant. Most people have determined that the wise men are destined to endlessly debate the answers, so they stop searching for meaningful information. Consequently, many simply accept that much cannot be known about life, and they live their life through an autopilot created mostly by their experiences. Hence, we have a world in a very sad condition; a world that is full of people who lack the knowledge of God and themselves, and who have been grossly misguided in their understanding of life because of their past experiences. Is there any source that can provide reliable information such that we can simply yet deeply understand the unobservable world in our effort to imagine the answers to the great questions of life, and to understand the nature of God?
Imagining God’s Word as a source of truth
As you should expect, I am arguing that God’s Word is the only source of true information regarding the unobservable world; however, what do you imagine is the purpose for God’s Word? That question is at the root of my argument, because how you answer that question will greatly influence your approach to scripture. Importantly, do you imagine that God is even trying to provide you with an understanding of life? I am not asking if you believe whether God is telling you “how” to live your life; but rather, do you imagine that He is trying to provide you a simple yet deep understanding for “why” you do what you do? Also, I am not asking if you believe whether God is giving you a vague understanding of your future life; but rather, do you imagine that He is trying to provide you with a simple yet deep understanding of the nature of your life after death. Arguably, if that information does not come directly from the mouth of the creator, then how can anyone ever have any confidence in their understanding of life?
Religion argues that the purpose of God’s Word is to explain the creation of this world, how to live in this world, and how to survive a future judgment. I will argue mostly otherwise; yet, even if all three of the assertions were true, would any of those explanations provide a meaningful understanding of life itself? How would vague information regarding the creation of the observable world, and rules for proper behavior in this world, provide any real understanding of the unobservable world? Profoundly, it was fascinating to realize that religion perceives that God is not even trying to provide an understanding of life, so religion’s inability to provide any meaningful answers to the three great questions of life should not be surprising at all.
Yet, if the purpose of God’s Word is not to reasonably explain the spiritual nature of a person, nor provide any meaningful insight into life after death, then what confidence can anyone ever have in their particular understanding of life? Religion, with its perception of the purpose of God’s Word, can certainly influence a person’s perception of life; however, even religion admits that it cannot provide a meaningful understanding of a person’s life.
Consider again God’s commands to love Him with our whole heart, and to love our neighbor as ourself. Of course, religion parrots those commands, so you might be influenced to try to live a better life; yet, are you being informed in any meaningful way? Arguably, instead of blindly accepting those commands without understanding, you should ask religion two questions. First, how can you accomplish either of those commands if you do not understand the forces that cause you to do what you do? And second, does God provide an understanding of how those forces are overcome so that you can exhibit perfect love?
Religion suggests that God gives believers the Holy Spirit to enable them to overcome the evil in them, yet religion provides no meaningful understanding of how to employ that resource. Instead, religion can only suggest very vague guidance, such as “walk” in the spirit, or “submit” to the spirit. However, if you tell a new convert that they now have a new ability to exhibit perfect love, but you do not provide any meaningful guidance, then is it up to that new convert to try to determine how they should walk or submit? Most certainly, religion is influencing that person’s understanding of life; but is religion providing a meaningful understanding, or is religion placing a huge yolk upon the person?
Of course, religion can recite many theological terms, however religion can provide no meaningful understanding of any of those terms because it cannot find the understanding within God’s Word. Presumably, God does not explain His trinitarian nature, nor what it truly means to be made in His image. Presumably, God does not explain the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, nor the inheritance that is being stored in heaven. Ask a million Christians their understanding of being “born again,” or how and when their “sanctification” occurs, and you will likely get a million different answers because everyone must create their own understanding. Notably, their answers will typically be based on what they read in a commentary written by a “wise” person, and not solely from a clear understanding of God’s Word. Arguably, religion is influencing many people’s perception of God, but religion is not providing a meaningful understanding of God’s nature and His role in their salvation. Consequently, everyone is left to imagine their own particular version of an unknown God, such that everyone imagines their own version of reality.
Ultimately, I am pleading that you “reimagine” the purpose of God’s Word, because you should expect that your loving Father would provide meaningful information about the forces and the voices in your spiritual life, and His plan over time to deal with them. Arguably, you must agree that no understanding of life can be deemed complete without an understanding of both your spiritual nature and your eternal destiny. So, do you believe that God wants you to understand the nature of your life, or do you believe that He wants you to remain in darkness about yourself?
If religion perceives that you only need to “trust” God, and that any additional “knowledge” is not required, then why does God repeatedly and emphatically state otherwise? The profound meanings of knowledge are discussed later, but consider which god you are listening to, and which god wants to keep you in the darkness about the essential knowledge of yourself.
Let’s consider the possibility, contrary to religion’s perception, that God’s intent for His Word actually is to provide you with meaningful information of the unobservable world inside you. So, while we certainly have the desire and the powerful ability to imagine many different realities of life, our goal should be to perceive the specific reality that God wants us to imagine from His Word. Arguably, everyone creates an “old” understanding of our life that must be replaced with a “new” understanding; therefore, our minds must be renewed through the power of our imagination, such that we perceive the images as intended. So, how do we reimagine our understanding of life with God’s Word as the only source of information?
Think and imagine
Philosophers generally conclude that our ability to “think and imagine” is an advanced aspect of man’s nature compared to other living creatures. However, the source of our thoughts, and how our mind processes them, is still a mystery. Somehow we are able to consider our thoughts, which we then transform into images to create the perception of an imagined reality. Notably, this process within the mind involves both words and images; yet, arguably, it is the perceived series of images that becomes the perception of a reality.
Being a scientist at heart, I find it fascinating how the power of our imagination has advanced man’s knowledge. For instance, in order to understand Einstein’s theory of relativity, you only need to perceive the thought experiments that he imagined in his mind. He didn’t need complicated mathematical formulas, rather he was able to develop a meaningful understanding of the world around us through a series of images. Certainly, he had to engage his intellect to logically consider the images, but it was the series of images that enabled him to understand and communicate the knowledge.
Similarly, consider your understanding of the math system of calculus. Assuming you know how to solve various equations, perhaps you can find the mathematical answer to a problem; however, does that ability demonstrate an understanding of the significance of the answer? For me, I realize that I never truly understood the significance of calculus until I suddenly perceived images depicting multiple small areas under a curve being measured and accumulated. Arguably, my ability to solve equations did not demonstrate my understanding of calculus; instead, my understanding was demonstrated by the ability to first imagine the series of images, and then by being able to describe the significance of those images with my own words. Critically, my understanding of calculus was not sophisticated, but it was significantly deeper and more meaningful than just having the ability to solve what I had previously considered an “abstract” equation.
Of course, this premise of how to demonstrate understanding is a standard technique employed for effective communication. As I often learned in sales training and marriage counseling; that for me to demonstrate that I had understood the message, I had to enact the feedback process of communicating back in my own words the message that I heard from the other person. Importantly, just repeating what the other person said did not demonstrate a true understanding of their communication; rather, I had to demonstrate not only the hearing of the words, but also that I had the correct perception of the information. Similarly, my understanding of Einstein’s theory would not be truly demonstrated by simply repeating his exact words from my memory; rather, my understanding is demonstrated by the ability to first imagine his complete series of images, and then by clearly communicating in my own words an understanding of the images. So, why is this process involving both words and images required to effectively understand any communication, and what occurs in my mind to enable that process?
I am surely not claiming an expertise in academic psychology, but apparently our minds prefer processing images much more than words. Perhaps the reason for this preference is related to the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, where images are considered more efficient and effective than words. And, in a sense, images do transcend language, because images are arguably language independent, and images do not require any language to exist. However, we communicate with words, so the “sender” must translate his perceived image into words, and the “receiver” must then translate those words back into a image for his mind to formulate. Importantly, the receiver is attempting to “imagine” what the sender is communicating. Of course, ideally, there should be an effective feedback process to confirm the correct understanding of the image. Profoundly, God’s Word provides no explicit images, only words; and there is no apparent feedback process to confirm our understanding.
Perhaps “abstract” concepts are difficult to communicate and comprehend because they cannot be imagined with previously known images. Notably, our imagination can be very creative with familiar images, while it is difficult to imagine something clearly when you have not already experienced or understood it in some sense. So, imagine the difficulties of both the father and the fetus in communicating and understanding a world never before experienced by the fetus. Critically, the challenges are even greater when only words can be used to communicate.
For instance, imagine trying to understand Einstein’s theory of relativity solely from a text book without any images, and then trying to confirm your understanding back to him in your own words. You would first have to imagine your own images of his words, and then be able to communicate your understanding by explaining those images. Notably, Einstein and you are both working with images of the same observable world, so imagine how much harder the process would be if he was attempting to describe images of an unobservable world. Also, you basically know what understanding Einstein is trying to communicate; but, do you basically know what understanding your Father is trying to communicate?
Next: Part 2