On the decision to develop your mind, you have three choices. First, you can do nothing at all. This choice means that your mind will not be developed by you. Instead, your mind will be developed by external factors such as friends, jobs, entertainment, etc. But, if you
want to develop your mind yourself, you have two choices. You can become either a progressive atheist or a progressive theist. If you choose atheism, you will become an empiricist whose mind becomes an image of sensed things. Since what is sensed by man is real, logic becomes the major tool of reason. If you choose theism, you will become a rationalist whose mind becomes an image of conceived things. Since what is conceived by man builds a conceptual world of God's creation, many tools of reason are necessary. In general, the atheist asks ‘what is the thing?’ whereas the rationalist asks ‘what is the thing and what is its purpose or function?’ Further, the atheist will also say that the sensed thing is an ‘accidental" thing whereas the theist says that a conceived thing is a ‘necessary’ thing. Furthermore, the atheist will say that a person has only one life. But, the theist can say that a person has an eternal life. I say that to do nothing or becoming an atheist is leading to an ugly life of immoralities, wars, crimes, unhappiness and Hell.
On the development of things and mind, I was influenced by the sensual/rational work of Friedrich Hegel. I believe that his work on things and mind is excellent and is aligned to theism. Many new movements among people were originated by Hegel’s work. The latest movement is found in Russia following WWII. But, I do not agree with some of Hegel’s thoughts. Hegel’s work is German. Thus, I had expected to connect Hegel’s work to the German work of Bishop Nicholas of Cusa. However, I haven’t found any connection between Hegel and Cusa even though both speak of God as a thing that unites all opposites.
I reject Hegel’s saying that ‘the rational is real’ because human knowledge cannot be made perfect. I also reject Hegel’s saying that ‘the truth is the Whole.’ I say that God is the only absolute truth. Hegel also says that the Absolute (God) develops. This means that God seeks the conquest of his own self. In the end, God must thus negate all finite things by transforming them into the infinite God. I disagree with this transformation because a monotheistic God cannot be exhausted.
On dialectical thinking, Hegel says that this thinking is the principle of movement. I agree with him. Further Hegel says that man is the measure of reason. However, I believe that God is the only thing that can measure mind. I agree with Hegel on immortality but do not agree with its purpose. Hegel says immortality allows finite man to become infinite; allows Hegel to reject pantheism; and allows Hegel to equate God with All. I believe that the purpose of immortality is give life eternity.
I agree with Hegel that all created things are independent and that this independence requires essential qualities from God. Hegel and I thus agree that God’s essence cannot be known by us. But, Hegel sees ‘oneness’ in every independent thing and that reason can know this oneness. I believe that knowledge of this oneness can be improved with improved lines of reasoning. This does not mean that all independent things can be connected to each other logically. Since each independent thing is purposive, I say that the knowledge of the oneness of each thing should increase as our scientists reject reductionism and expand our knowledge of irreducible complexities, functional relations, and Cantor’s transfinite numbers.
Since each independent thing is not any other thing, each thing contains negativity. Thus, giving medical things to patient, such as pills,, can add dangerous negatives to a patient. As seen, man’s efforts today in all sciences must be reformed. But, Christians, do not equate the Holy Ghost to the Holy Spirit, as some Bible publishers do. Jesus Christ and St. Paul tells me often enough that the Holy Ghost is the Comforter of our minds. We recognize the comforting Holy Ghost when we make rational breakthroughs as a result of conceiving any created thing correctly.
I believe that the current development of the human mind is problematic because a monotheistic God is unknown to most people. If people do not develop their minds, I believe people will reduce human life to a political struggle over power and natural resources.