Thursday, December 22, 2016

Christ's Infinite Atonement

Dear Readers,

I watched another video on youtube that got me thinking. This one is called Infinity: The Science of Endlessness and though it is quite long, I found it very intriguing. It involves a panel of leaders in their respective fields having a discussion about how their fields interact with "infinity".

Firstly, they have a theologian talk about how infinity works with God. I did notice that it was based a bit off of the Nicene creed with God being every where, rather than eternal. Though, I admit, with the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of God, or even pre-mortal Christ who is Jehovah, there is a way in which that is true within our 3-Dimensional world. Alas, that will be addressed in a later post. The theologian mentioned a Jewish thinker who was ostracized because he mathematically claimed that God has a body, for example: if God is everywhere He is every thing, which includes all matter, thus all matter is His body. Again, this is with the Jehovah train of thought, so I will leave this be for now.
Next up was a mathematician. He addressed the concept of infinite numbers by ascribing it to a hotel with infinite number of rooms. If the hotel is "full" and someone else comes in, that individual can find a room by having everyone in the hotel move one room over. Because there are infinite rooms, there will always be room. Thus we have infinity plus one.

Now, he endeavored to explain adding infinity to infinity, but he did so in a very strange way, using the hotel he would have every person moved to a room twice their current room number: one moves to two, two to four, et cetera. However, I found an easier way of explaining adding two infinities. Like a zipper, you take the first of both infinities, then the seconds, and so forth going back and forth. You would be adding the infinities together for ever, but they can be added.
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What came to my mind with this concept was eternal marriage. Two infinite and eternal being being united for all time and all eternity.
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Not to mention the beautify symbolism of two rings neither of which have an end or a beginning linked together making an infinity symbol.
Screen capture from video edited with arrows demonstrating infinity.

Alas, keeping with this train of thoughts, the mathematician asked if there was a limit to how many people can enter the hotel? What if an infinite number of buses each carrying an infinite number of people arrived at the hotel? How would that problem be solved?
Screen capture from video edited with green lines expressing how it will continue forever.

He found that by taking a kind of zig-zag pattern an infinite number of infinities can be added together into one infinity. Confirming or demonstrating this by having any number, or individual, from any of the buses have a "room number" in the hotel.
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I thought about how this is a prime example of how families can be together for eternity. All of us infinite resurrected beings living together for ever. I also found it interesting that there is "always room" at the hotel. God's plan of happiness was created with the understanding that there is room for all of us to return to our Father's presence. He wants to save as many of His children as will come unto Him.
Screen capture from video with infinity symbol added

As the second speaker continued, he continued to wonder if there is an infinity that cannot be added or enter the hotel. They have found such an infinity, or rather, a number. By taking an infinity, decimal numbers (portions of a whole) there is an algorithm that can change the numbers.
Screen capture from video with numbers and symbols added
For example, N + 1. ( I realize that realistically the algorithm would look something like this [N / 10^N] + 1 or something like that, but for this explanatory purposes N + 1 is satisfactory) For the first number of the infinity, the first decimal place is increased by 1, Second number the second decimal place increases by 1, and so on. As in the picture example, the new first number would be .5271287.... if you took this new number and tried to add it to this "corrupted" infinity, then the decimal place at whatever "N" place in the infinity you place it gets changed. Thus, it will always have one decimal place off, and cannot exist within the infinity. However, this is true for every number in the infinity, creating a possible paradox, an infinity that cannot exist within the infinity. It is not a negative infinity, for that is an infinite lack of something.

This is a paradoxical infinity changed by an algorithm. As I call it, a corrupt infinity. I have decided to use the radioactive symbol to represent the corruption. For me, this new symbol of a corrupt infinity represents our lives in sin. The algorithm, or sin, has changes us making it so that we can no longer be added to God's eternal or perfect infinity. It is also important to note that no matter how large or small the sin (N + 9 or N + 1), the result is the same.

With this terrible notion in my mind, I began wondering how would we have to correct the corrupt infinity? First, we have to remove the corruption from the infinity, aka, no longer implement the algorithm or no longer commit the sin. This is a big part of the repentance process.

However, the damage has already been done, and it has spread throughout all infinity. This is where Christ's infinite atonement comes in. By reuniting our lives with Christ's will, and partaking of His infinite atonement, it is like adding a complete, whole infinity back into us. Like with the zipper analogy, though less of the marriage sense I related it to earlier, His atonement completes and purifies us once again.

The beauty of it all is right there for us. If we can add His atonement or payment for our sins into our lives, then we can become one with Him. No wonder He has compared Himself in parable to the "bridegroom". (Matthew 25:1-13 parable of the ten virgins)

Alas, as we go through our mortal lives, we are imperfect, and we corrupt our infinite selves over and over, in diverse and strange ways. The video goes on to show how even if the universe is infinite, because of the limitations of the speed of light, we will always have an event horizon past which we cannot see. We can only perceive infinity through progression, counting numbers upward forever. Yet, as we sin, the remedy is always the same. Repent of our sins and come unto Christ. We have no choice in this state, but to look and move forward step by step, day by day, in our infinite and eternal progression. I pray that we all may use His Infinite Atonement in our lives that we may come closer to Him, because His arms are always extend out in love for us.

Love,
Jacobugoth


Sunday, August 7, 2016

God Creator Council

Dear Readers,

I think this will be a fun post today. This post is not addressing ideas like Mormons are "godmakers" or anything like that. However, this post is addressing the idea that man created God. Let us begin by imagining that we are creating a perfect God.

So, if there is a God, what would He need to be? He would need to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). He must have the basic all powerfuls: Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient. Thus we have a God that must be all powerful (Matthew 19:26) Check!, is everywhere at once (Psalms 139:7-12) Check!, and knows everything (Isaiah 46:10) Check!.
Creation Hands from The Old Dead Guys blog
If He is all powerful, and is God, or creator of everything (Colossians 1:16), then He has to have a reason for creating everything (Mosses 1:33). Not to mention He had to exist before everything (Colossians 1:17, John 1:1-3) Thus He must have a Master Plan. That plan must include our planet, our lives and all of the life around us.
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However, this is OUR God, so He must have created us in His image, which would make Him a human in form (Genesis 1:26-27). If He created us and we look like Him, then we must be His children (Romans 8:16), which would mean that He is our Father and has a body (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). But, if He has a physical body, then He cannot be omnipresent. Thus He must have more than just a body, lets call that the Spirit of God. This allows Him or at least His presence to be everywhere at once (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).
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If He is everywhere, then He must be within us, and what kind of being would we want within us? We want to feel love, so this Being must have love. "...God is love..." (1 John 4:16) Check!

So, If God is love then He must be kind and considerate, but how do we know, how does God speak to us? Well, maybe some people are lucky enough to see Him face to face (Exodus 33:11), but most of us don't see God. Maybe the Spirit of God talks to us. This would be revelation because God is revealing it to us. He has all knowledge, so He could literally tell us anything we wanted to know (James 1:5).

When God talks to us, what does He say? It is probably things having to do with His Master Plan. If He is also love, then He wants the best for us (Matthew 7:7-11). Thus this plan must be for our happiness. But we are not always happy, why? Because we have the freedom to choose, we all want to be free and we don't want a God who would take that away from us. Which means, if we are making choices that either bring us happiness or misery then there is opposition. If there is a God of love, there must be a source of hate, this is Satan. (2 Nephi 2:27)
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If there are choices we make for good or for bad, then there must be some kind of law that says which is which. If there is a law, there must be consequences. Thus, some of what God reveals are His laws for our happiness. Is happiness our only motivation for living these laws? There must be a better reward than that! How about after we die? Maybe there is an after life in which we receive a wonderful reward. However, laws have consequences when not obeyed. Thus in this after life, there might be a horrible reward as well. Lets call these heaven and hell or paradise and prison.
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Okay, so God has these laws that we must obey to have heaven after this life. However, we all break these laws, and miss the mark, or sin. If we broke the law then we must have hell... but isn't God love, why would He send every one of us His children to hell... so He must be merciful! Notwithstanding His love and mercy, if He forgives all of us for breaking the law, then no one would go to hell, and the purpose of the law would not work. There would be no justice for the law (Alma 42:25). We all want a just God who judges us perfectly, but if He does, then He cannot be merciful.... Hmmm... quite a predicament. (Alma 42:21-22)

Maybe one of these laws is a requirement for mercy, lets call that the law of repentance, but how would that law work? There would need to be a Mediator, someone who is able to pay the price or consequences to justice, so that justice is appeased, and then offers that mercy. So this would be another part of God, an individual pleading to God on our behalf (Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5).
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However, this other Individual must know perfectly what we have gone through, so maybe the Spirit of God could be this Mediator for us? It is inside of us and thus could judge whether or not we are truly repentant. Though, how would it pay the price for sin? No, this Mediator must be a being with a body who also knows what we have gone through. Maybe the Spirit of God is with Him too! Yet, this Individual has to be perfect, not having sinned at all, otherwise it is like someone condemned to death saying, "Hey, I will vouch for that man (or woman), he (or she) is just like me!". Thus, this Mediator must not have to pay for His or Her own sins because they didn't have any. This would enable Them to properly plead our case.
Percy Jackson Image Link
Who among us sinful mortals could qualify for this perfection? That Mediator would need to be super-human. Maybe the Mediator is a physical Child of God. Yet, if the Mediator was pure God, then He too would have to have that strict justice. Thus the Mediator would need to be something in between. Half God and half mortal. A Demi-God. This would enable the Mediator to live in mortality and pay every price for sin having felt it perfectly through the Spirit of God within all of us while escaping the penalties for Himself.

Thus, justice can be satisfied, mercy can be extended, our mortal lives have reason and purpose, and we can have eternal life in the after life. However, this would mean that God is three beings: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Because, if any one of these three is taken away, then God would cease to be God. Yet, they are also three individual beings, One the Supreme Creator, One the Mediator, and One the being that is everywhere connecting the first two. Yet still, they are One Perfect Ideal God.
Grand Council Image Link
Now that we have talked about how and why humans could imagine themselves a perfect God as we know Him to be in the Christian world. Does this shake my faith at all? No. Nor should it you. For, at least in the LDS church, we find that the very first counsel in heaven, in our premortal life, was between God the Father, Jehovah (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. They counseled together to make a Plan of Salvation for all of us. They made sure it met every possible criteria of perfection and of Godhood. Then they presented this plan to us in the Grand Council. This is when we sustained Jehovah (Jesus) as our Savior and Redeemer. This is also when Lucifer rebelled, trying to take Jehovah's position and even The Father's authority unto himself. Surprisingly, 1/3 of all of the spirit children of God like Lucifer's plan and followed him. Lucifer was cast out and became Satan, that opposition to God.

Thus, by reason we can understand why God is who He is, because by perfect reason He became our God.

As a side note, I do not believe Lucifer becoming Satan was part of God's plan that was presented. Of course, knowing all things, He knew it would happen, but that was not part of the perfect plan. I believe that in God's perfect plan, the appetites and carnality of our bodies was enough opposition for us to experience. Yet, because Satan and his angels are also tempting us, I believe that Christ's mercy is that much more extended towards us, because He understands Satan's temptations (Matthew 4:1-11).

I hope that you enjoyed this post. Feel free to leave any comments.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Gravity, Science, and the Spirit World

Dear Readers,

To further my own personal education, in this case mostly informal, I have been watching several science videos on Youtube. Some of my favorites are by Brian Greene. I know he got some criticism on Big Bang Theory, but I am a firm believer in John Taylor's saying, "It is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is mysterious and great in itself and to unfold and simplify it so that a child can understand it." By this definition of intelligence, I do believe that Greene is trying to be intelligent, and we can benefit from it. In return, I am trying to explain my ideas as "intelligently" as I can.

Anyway, this brings me possible ways to prove the scriptures and that spirits do exist. Now, I am going to try to explain it as best I can in roughly the same manner it was explained to me.
XYZ graph Image Link
First up is time. Now, we are all generally familiar with the concept of space, up-down (Y), left-right (X), forward-back (Z). However, most of us do not think about the fourth "dimension" or coordinate of time.
Sheldon Cooper in his spot Image Link
The application of this coordinate was quite exemplified by the character Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory. He determined that the first moment he sat down on his "spot" on the couch it became the 0 coordinate on his time spectrum. From then on, his life was separated in what I call, BS (before spot) and AS (after spot). I know my acronyms might seem funny, but we have something similar today with a meridian of time. BC vs AD. Now, I am familiar with the way most of us remember BC and AD, (Before Christ, and After Death), however AD actually stands for "anno domini" which is Latin that is generally translated as "in the year of our Lord". I think it is important to point out that 1 AD is from Christ's birth to His first year of age, or usually considered that year in which He was born. There is no "year 0". There would be a zero coordinate on a graph, but there is no Year 0. For example right now as I am writing this, it is August of 2016 AD. August, being the 8th month then becomes 8/12 or 2/3 in the year of our Lord 2016. It is a decision of an entire year number 2016. Like August itself, it begins August first and ends August thirty-first. Thus, going back to our meridian of time, seconds before Christ's birth was part of 1 BC and seconds after Christ's birth was part of 1 AD. What does this have to do with anything? It was just semantics I wanted to get off of my chest.

How do we measure time, it all depends on how precise we want to be. It could be a Planck time, which is the smallest unit of time we have because it is the time it takes light to travel a Planck length which is the smallest unit of length we have. It is interesting how time is always measured from one "book end" to another. The beginning when the stop watch was first clicked to when it was clicked again at the end. I believe this is an important key element in what time is to us. Time is simply the measurement between to events. Christ's birth and now has been 2015 2/3 years, give or take a few months or days and hours due to the adjustment with the beginning of a year moved to January 1st at 12 o'clock AM.
Shutterstock selfie Image Link
Thus, though a Planck time is the smallest measurement of time, time itself is made of instants. Easily understood as photographs. Each of these is an instant in time, though, ironically, a photo is countless Planck times after the instant occurred because of the distance the light traveled whether it is a couple feet for a selfie, or miles away for a panorama.
Time Line from Brian Greene on The B-Theory of Time
So, let us pretend that we could actually capture a photo for every single one of these instants, then we lay them all out in a line. Of course, these instants are separated into "folders" or units of time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years. Yet, ultimately, these are all made up of instants. These are set under very specific requirements.

Because science has proved that time is relative usually in correlation to the speed of light. It is interesting how the speed of light is a constant speed throughout all space. The closer one approaches the speed of light, the slower time is experience and is. The slower one moves relative to the speed of light is the faster time passes. This has been proven with satellites moving quicker or slower relative to earth's rotation.

We can also see that light is affected by gravity, especially with black holes drawing in all light creating an absence of light. I will leave this here for now to address a comment from Brian Greene in The B-Theory of Time.

He mentioned that Issac Newton came up with the universal time theory, in essence that there is one time, it is not relative, and it continues to flow unceasingly. Then he mentioned that Albert Einstein with his B-Theory of Time was the first one who had ideas of time being relative. This is not the case.

Though I honorably testify that Joseph Smith Jr. was a true prophet of God, let us pretend for a second that he was not. Under this assumption that Joseph Smith wrote the books of Abraham and Doctrine and Covenants himself, it is interesting how he talks about "...Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's time, according to the reckoning of Kolob." (Abraham 3:4). "In answer to the question -- Is not the reckoning of God's time, angel's time, prophet's time, and man's time, according to the planet on which they reside? I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it. The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth; But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:4-7).

This is almost directly correlated with how we understand time today, and with this B-Theory. According to this theory, time is set. Because someone's now could be someone else's future, those events that take place in between have to be set in time. Thus, if all time is set, all time could be continually "before the Lord". This would also explain how God, knows the end from the beginning (Abraham 2:8). Also, that time is relative to every "planet" which correlates because every planet spins and travels through space as different speeds relative to the speed of light. Here on earth, we are all very close to the same time, though technically none of us are precisely experiencing the same time. We are close enough to interact. This is congruent with both the notion of time being relative to the speeds, mass, and whatever of different planets and this B-Theory.

My point is that Joseph Smith Jr. if he was a fraud, must have been as much of a genius as Albert Einstein to have written these same ideas. One could argue that Joseph Smith stole these ideas, if it were not for the fact that Joseph Smith Jr. was murdered in 1844 while Einstein was not born until 1879. Thus, literally, either one must accept that Joseph Smith was a genius of Einstein's level, or that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and he did receive this truth from the only Being who has all knowledge and that this truth is a constant which Einstein was also inspired with.
Alien's perspective relative to speed and direction. B-Theory Video Link
Now, another aspect of this video I care to comment on is that time is relative not only to speed but direction. Greene uses the idea of an alien, perfectly still in space on the other side of the universe and a human perfectly still in space. In an instant, they are along the same instant photograph. However, if the alien gets up and move away from the human, that alien's time instant changes to a slightly diagonal slice into the past. While if the alien moves towards the human, that instant changes to the future for that human. This seems crazy in theory, but how can we see that today?

Imagine that someone is in a room with you. Right now they are in your present instant and for the foreseeable future they will still be there with you. However, if they begin to leave, moving away, soon they will be in another room. They are no long with you, thus not in you present, and you only have memories of them, thus they only exist in your past. However, if they move towards you and re-enter the room, suddenly they are are going to join you in the future. Like a friend saying they are going to come over to your house, you know they are coming, so they exist in your future, but they are not currently in your present.

Thus, and this is why I like this concept, when two people move towards each other, they are in each other's future, until they meet in the middle. Then, at least for an instant, they share that same time. They are one in an instant frozen in time forever. Yes, this is the romantic in me...

Anyway, mathematically we find that gravity not only effects space, but time as well. This is under a similar principle as that speed vs rotation. Though we do not know for absolute surety what causes gravity, there are the theories of gravitons which most scientist believe exist. These are particles that somehow affect space and time. I do not know if they exist or not, but it is an interesting concept. However, because of the correlation between speed and time, I am leaning toward the rotation and motion creating gravity, though I do not exclude graviton particles having some correlation to it.
Gravitational waves from planets around black hole. Gravity Waves Video Link
This was proven when scientists noticed two planets spinning around a black hole. The black holes' interaction causes gravitational waves.
Green explaining the earth's stretching in an over exaggerated visual. Gravity Waves Video Link
Now, in theory, when these gravity waves hit the earth, they would stretch and compress the earth.
laser experiment test. Gravity Waves Video Link
So, it came to how would we prove it? They set up lasers several miles apart. On this scale, minor shifts in distance change the light frequencies. Instead of matching up, they become inconsistent. This was proved to be the case, and we learned that gravitational waves do compress and expand space itself.

Space in cubes. Brian Greene Gravity Video Link
So, let us imagine the cubes of space. We have these four dimensions, XYZ with T for time just existing un-represented.
Fabric of space. Gravity Video Link
Now let us imagine this from a different perspective, from a two dimensional flat surface called the fabric of space.
Sun and Earth. Gravity Video Link
Around each planet or sphere in space, there is a welt or under cone. The earth spins around the sun's cone. This reflects the earth's actual orbit mathematically.
Earth and Moon. Gravity Video Link
Then the earth has its own cone or sag that the moon spins around.

Gravity effecting space. Gravity Video Link
This sag is actually bending those cube edges of space, compressing it around the earth. This space also transfers the waves of the gravity, again with the gravity experiment above.
Higgs Boson Discovered Video Link
Thus, I will now switch directions to the Higgs Boson. The Higgs Boson is a particle I will compare to a water droplet. It is a portion of the Higgs Field which was, for quite some time, theoretical. Higgs Field was theorized first mathematically by trying to figure out why particles have mass. The only way mass could be calculated would be if the particles are constantly passing through a substance. This substance would have to quite unique in that it does not cause any friction.

With this theory, came the problem of how to prove it. As another function of the Hadron Collider, they documented that, extremely rarely, when particles collided and their components were flung out that there was a particle that lasts barely any fraction of a second before completely disappearing. Though I may not agree that this is the best science going on here for there could be several other reasons or properties not taken into consideration, simply because we do not know to think of them, that could explain it, I do like the idea of this Higgs Field being all around us.
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So, to put this another way, pretend we are trying to figure out what water is, when we are all under water. Thus we take two thing, like a submarine and a torpedo. When the two hit, there is an explosion with the particles creating a gap around a portion of the Higgs Field making a Higgs Boson, or a drop of water.
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Another example is like dropping a rock into a pond. Yes, there is the wripple, but sometimes, the force causes a drop of water to rise up and become temporarily severed from the body of water only to then re-combine with the rest of the water.

This would explain why that particle disappeared because it re-constituted back into the Higgs Field.

So, if this Higgs Field exists, which as far as science has been able to determine it does, then this field spans all of space and is likely space itself, rippling and flowing. Yet, again with Joseph Smith: "Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space--" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:12). Though it is not visibly seen as light, it is a substance that fills the immensity of space.

With Einstein's theories, the math words with gravity effecting all three dimensions of space as well as time, but there is something that is not explained by using these known dimensions. That is electromagnetism. For the math to work with electromagnetism, there is required a fourth, or if time is counted, fifth dimension.

Obviously, we cannot see this dimension, but its existence is the only way we can make sense of this electromagnetism. Now, I would like to point out my theories in magnetism, with a positive and negative pull which I talked about in my Gender post. Yet, to sum up, it was my theory that positive and negative polarization is caused by feminine or masculine intelligences on the other side of the veil. This veil could be considered the difference between our 3rd dimension and the 4th dimension.
tiny dimensions. Hidden Dimensions Video Link
Now, Brian Greene and other Theoretical Physisists are looking for this fourth dimension as tiny dimensions curled up microscopically.
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This would be the equivalent of having an XY graph, only the lines themselves, not taking up any distance left or right, were actually straws, hollow on the inside. The dimensional difference would be so tiny that we could not see it.
Futurama Season 7 Episode 5 "2-D Blacktop" Clip Link
However, I disagree with this concept. As with the Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions idea from Edwin Abbott Abbot, a true 4th dimension would not fit this criteria. In a 2D (two dimensional) plane, a being would only see lines, maybe colored lines, but still lines. However, that same world seen from a 3D perspective, the 3D individual would be able to see inside of the 2D beings. Like seeing the inside of a circle, or seeing the unborn chick in this 2D egg from Futurama.

What I really enjoyed about this episode of Futurama was how they explained how a 2D organism would live. They could not have a digestive system like ours, because it would split them in half.

So they would have to eat like a microscopic organism  creating a membrane around the object, break it down, and then transplant the nutrients.

Now, say, if a sphere were to enter Flatland, the inhabitants would only be able to see a line that suddenly grows and then shrinks as the sphere passes through layer by layer until it is gone. To the inhabitants, it would be a very strange phenomenon that none of them could explain.

So, in comparison, what would be a 4th dimension to us? The fourth dimension would be able to see inside of our bodies. What we could see from its interaction would be limited and confusing, like something appearing and disappearing.

This reminds me so much of the spirit world. The spirit world is all around us (Gospel Principles Chapter 41). Spirit can exist within us, around us, pass through us. "...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7).
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Then we have ghosts, spirits appearing and disappearing and manifesting in any number of peculiar ways.

It seems to me that the spirit world meets quite well the criteria for a proper fourth dimension. If this is the case, then those positive and negative (masculine and feminine) charges would indeed be from intelligences from the spirit world.
human bio-electric field Image Link
This would explain why strong electromagnetic fields can cause sickness in some people, disrupting their connection with their own spirits. It would explain how and why our brains have their own bio-electrical field.
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This would explain why ghost are known for manifesting in strange electromagnetic fields, as expressed in Ghosthunters.
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This would explain why electronic devices are often correlated with other ghostly manifestations like EVP (electronic voice phenomenon).

Really, the spirit world being the 4th dimension would explain so much about science and in essence, prove scientifically that there is an afterlife. However, most scientists seem to be atheists and thus almost immediately dismiss ideas such as this. So, I am sharing with you my beliefs in the hope that you ponder these things out for yourselves. As always, I am happy to read any comments you might have.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Love

Dear Readers,

I have had a problem throughout my life. This problems is "love" or rather, my not understanding what love is. Thus, I am writing this blog post to help others see what my conclusions are, and the blueprints to its discovery. The Heart has been covered in another post, so I will try to steer away from that.

Now, LDS.ORG topics defines love as, "Love is a feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection. The greatest example of God's love for His children is found in the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ. Love for God and fellow men is a characteristic of disciples of Jesus Christ."

This is the greatest single definition of love I could find because it is a universal definition. I have noticed that there are different kinds of love. There is the "brotherly" or "sisterly" love that we are supposed to have for all other human beings. "...Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:39). Then there is closer love, the love of friends, those that we trust to show our full personalities. Following, is the love of parents for their children, which is quite similar though is pale in comparison to God's love for us, which is charity.

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." (Moroni 7:47)
"And Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (Moroni 7:45)

God's love for us is then closely related to our love for Him, and we show that love by Christ's words, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15).

Lastly, and this is the kind of love I wanted to focus on, is romantic love. The best single definition I have found for specifically this type of love is a definition from ArtTrade.TV.
President Gordon B. Hinckley expounded upon his conclusions of love in the 1984 Ensign article And the Greatest of These is Love. "I have since come to know that love is more than a paper heart. Love is of the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is more than the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arches across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. how rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, church, and neighbors."

I think of Hinckley's reference to the rainbow is a parable for life. Too often we hope to eventually reach love, that it is the prize at the end of the journey. However, this is not so, we can have love at the beginning of the journey, and all along the rainbow itself. We are meant to have love.

Hinckley continues, "I am one who believes that love, like faith, is a gift of God. I agree with the expression, "Love cannot be forced, love cannot be coaxed and teased." (Pearl Buck, in The Treasure Chest, ed. Charles L. Wallis, New York: Harper and Row, 1965, p. 165.) "Ignorant people are always saying, 'I wonder what he sees in her [or him]; not realizing that what he [or she] sees in her [or him] (and what no one else can see) is the secret essence of love." (Sydney J. Harris, Deseret News.)

The First Presidency message in the October 1996 Liahona adds, "Love is the catalyst that causes change. Love is the balm that brings healing to the soul. But love doesn't grow like weeds or fall like rain. Love has its price. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life? (John 3:16). That Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, gave His life that we might have eternal life, so great was His love for His Father and for us." (The Doorway of Love)

There are so many people that believe that faith is just something one has. Yet it is a gift from God. Some people have received this gift seemingly from the womb, others have to work and pray for it. Wonderfully, this gift is meant for each and every one of us! Even more magnificent still, the gift of love is the same way. There are those who seem to know love, have love, and share love from their early infantry, alas, I am not one of those. I have been working so hard to gain love in my life. My prayers as of recently have magnified this intent. However, it has been a rough uphill struggle.

From that first night that I poured out my whole soul to God to teach me about love, I have been met with literal spiritual attacks by malevolent spirits. They haunt my dreams trying to obscure and corrupt my thoughts and hopes for love. Through my persistence and strength given to me from God, I feel like I have come to at least identify what love is in my life,

In my daily research I have found this quote from President David O. McKay who in turn quoted George Q. Morris. What is true love? 

"Well, you may ask, 'how may I know when I am in love?'
"... George Q. Morris [who later became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave this reply]: 'My mother once said that if you meet a girl in whose presence you feel a desire to achieve, who inspires you to do your best, and to make the most of yourself, such a young woman is worthy of your love and is awakening love in your heart.'
"I submit that... as a true guide. In the presence of the girl you truly love you do not feel to grovel; in her presence you do not attempt to take advantage of her; in her presence you feel that you would like to be everything that a Master Man should become, for she will inspire you to that ideal. And I ask you young women to cherish that same guide"

That is my current measurement for finding love. If I meet a girl in whose presence or even the idea of being with her fills me with such a desire to better myself, to better myself for her, then I know that I am feeling love.

Currently, I feel that way for a particular girl, however, as far as I know this is one sided. Thus, another term that needs to be brought up is a "crush". From my experience, a "crush" is the first seeds of love that are one sided. Indeed, because these are the first seeds, they can easily be corrupted from love, wanting to become better for that person, to lust or jealousy, even outright objectification. These corrupted seeds tend to quickly die, or if nourished, bring forth a very bitter and blighted tree. A tree whose fruit is void of love.

However, my love for this girl is yet pure and untainted despite being in this crush stage. Ironically, I hold on to this love extremely tightly, for it is the result of all my prayers on the subject, yet I realize that if I hold onto it too tightly, and that love is not shared in return, then my heart will be broken asunder, and could corrupt even further, my hopes of happiness and love.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

I remember hearing Seven Crowder from Louder with Crowder, somewhat offhandedly, say concerning this verse in correlation to physical violence, something along the lines of: Was Christ afraid? I think He was when He was pleading to God to not have to be crucified, not have to suffer for our sins and die. He was afraid, as I would be if someone was trying to kill me or my family. "Fear" is not the same as being "afraid".

Now I say, love casts out fear by enabling an individual to move past fear. Like how "courage" is not the absence of fear, but knowing what has to be done and then doing it. Love transforms fear into courage.

Thus why I straining to keep this love pure and clean, for if I better myself, become the man that she deserves and who is worthy of her love, then maybe, just maybe, she would be able to have love for me in return. If not, then I will be that much more worthy and able to love at my next opportunity to find it.

"I finally understood what true love meant. Love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."
-Dear John

I would not choose my own love for her over her happiness, because that is the nature of love.

This leads me to Elder Marvin J. Ashton's definition of love, or rather, true love.
"True love is a process. True love requires personal action. Love must be continuing to be real. Love takes time. Too often expediency, infatuation, stimulation, persuasion, or lust are mistaken for love. How hollow, how empty if our love is not deeper than the arousal of momentary feeling or the expression in words of what is no more lasting than the time it takes to speak them...."

I agree that "True love is a process." I also know how vainly we can use the word "love". A friend of mine said that love as a word is a verbal contract that we will care about that person. That we will be compassionate, charitable, kind, and be there for them. Another man put it this way. "Love is a commitment to protecting another person's heart with the same passion you use to guard your own." -@RobHillSr

Alas, as I have brought up, there is more than this verbal contract. There is more than just chemicals like testosterone (increases lust and aggression), phenylethylamine (triggers adrenaline and dopamine production), adrenaline (the "zing" like feeling), dopamine (increases energy), serotonin (nostalgia or continued thinking of the individual), oxytocin (cuddle hormone released during orgasm) and vasopressin (anti-diuretic released after sex). There is more than emotions. I believe that as love increases it become a bonding of spirits.

Elder John A. Widtsoe
"Above physical charm, live is begotten by qualities, often subtle, of mind and spirit. The beautiful face may hide an empty mind; the sweet voice may utter coarse words; the lovely form may be ill-mannered; the woman of radiant beauty and the man of kingly form may be intolerable bores on nearer acquaintanceship; or, the person who looks attractive may really have no faults, may excel us in knowledge and courtesy, yet he is not of our kind, his ways are not ours. Under either condition, love wilts in its first stage. 'Falling in love' is always from within, rather than from without. That is, physical attractiveness must be reinforced with mental and spiritual harmony if true love is to be born and have long life--from the Latter-day Saint point of view, to last throughout the eternities? (Evidences and Reconciliations, 297, 299, 302)."

"Soul Mates" as most people define, do not exist. There is not only one chance for any of us to be happy or to find romantic love. However, once we have chosen someone to love, they have chosen to love us in return, then those two, "And they twain shall be one flesh:..." (Mark 10:8). Indeed, a united couple of husband an wife, legally and lawfully by God become Soul Mates. (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: The Reflection in the Water)

Now we see the stages of love, from a crush, to a romance, to becoming soul mates. Now, once a couple becomes soul mates, is that the end of the progression of love? No, indeed, this is where it becomes the most crucial, the most important and vital to maintain that love. To solidify it ever deeper and ever stronger until it is unbreakable, then it still must be maintained. Like and impervious force-field, without continued power, the shield collapses.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?..."
"nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 39)

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;...
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." (Ephesians 5:25,33)

"Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else." (Doctrine and Covenants 42:22)

"If one really loves another, one would rather die for that person than to injure him."
--Elder Spencer W. Kimball

I do not know who said this, but I will close with this quote. "Love is like water; we can fall in it, we can drown in it, and we can't live without it."

Love and happiness, indeed joy, is what I wish for all of you in your lives. Feel free to leave any comments.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Hellraiser, Evil Dead

Dear Readers,

This is a much darker post because I will be taking quite a bit about the demonic realm and my understanding of it. Yet, I hope that an increased understanding can be gained from this. Because of this darker nature and some of the pictures and subject matter, I am putting up a WARNING for MATURE CONTENT! My subject today are the demoniacs from Hellraiser and Evil Dead.

Hellraiser Puzzle Box Image Link
First up is Hellraiser. Now, for those who are unfamiliar with this movie franchise, Clive Barker created a very intriguing new world. The premise is that there are puzzle boxes created that when opened, summon Cenobites or demon possessed bodies to drag the summoner to "hell".
storypick.com hell Image Link
I put "hell" in parenthesis because hell needs to be defined. So, hell to most Christians is an eternal everlasting pit of fire that awaits non believers after this life. However, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we compare hell to two different things. First, the state of unbelievers after death. this is a first judgment in which a spirit is either received into paradise or spirit prison (hell). Most Christians settle this as heaven or hell. However, spirit prison is more like purgatory for spirits. The real, ever lasting, hell would be what Mormons call Outer Darkness. This is where the Devil and his angels will dwell for eternity with those select few who become Sons of Perdition by denying and fighting against Christ while having a full perfect knowledge of who He is. Thus, denying the Holy Ghost place in their hearts.

Admittedly, in the LDS Church, there is one more place or state of being that could be considered hell. This would be the Telestial Kingdom, though it is technically still part of the Kingdom of Heaven, this is where the murderers and adulterers go. I talk more about this in my Bleach Blog about the kingdoms.

Hellraiser Labyrinth Image Link
So, what is hell in Hellraiser? It is a separate dimension, like the hell dimensions form the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. This dimension is called, The Labyrinth. It is basically a giant maze filled with corridors of the damned.
Cenobites Image Link
The rulers, and the eventual evolution of these damned souls, are the Cenobites under the direction of the Leviathan. I define Cenobites as demon possessed humans because, in Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth, the Cenobite Pinhead begins to have his former human self, or his human spirit, Captain Elliot Spencer try to help stop the demon possessing his body from creating hell on earth. Clearly there are two separate entities inhabiting each body, a demon and the host spirit who was "worthy" of hell.

Another classic line of these Cenobites is wanting to "experience" other's flesh. Because demons never have and never will have bodies of their own, they experience sins, pleasures, and pains through us. This is further verified with the demoniac named Legion from Mark 5. He "... always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." (Mark 5:5). They enjoy the pain we feel because they can never experience pain for themselves, the same with pleasure. However, like an addict, they are never satisfied with their own flesh, and want to torture others as well, again to "experience" their flesh.

It is for this cause that when the puzzle box is opened, the Cenobites come forth from the Labyrinth to drag the sinner to their world. I also find it of note worth importance to mention that the one who gives the sinner the box always tells them that the box was always theirs. Though, I do not think that in the moment our choices are set in stone, God does know the end from the beginning and does indeed know who among His children will be saved. Does that mean that He is exempt from having to offer each and every one of us the opportunity to choose Him? No. Indeed, they only reason any of His children would not return to His presence is if they reject Him and their Savior Jesus Christ even after having every possible opportunity. Simply put, they have to prove what God already knows.

Dr. Manhattan from the movie Watchmen Image Link
A second way of thinking of this, or explaining it would be with Dr. Manhattan from the DC movie Watchmen. he simultaneously sees his life from beginning to end. This made it difficult for Laurie Jupiter aka Silk Spectre II, his girlfriend, to understand him. Even though he knows everything that will happen to him, including Laurie's admitting that she cheated on him with Nite Owl II, it is not real until that very moment. A way to compare this would be if you know you are going to get fired at work, yet the full impact of your emotions and feelings to not strike quite as potent until your boss tells you that you are fired. It is truly amazing how much weight of emotion there is in a moment, as opposed to simply ideal or knowledge in the mind.

It is this way that these sinners own the puzzle box, though their life was always meant to cross with the box, it takes receiving the box to solidify that choice and feel the full impact of their life long actions. Another curious point to make is that the box "wants" to be opened and that it is the "desire" that calls the Cenobites. Now, this is simply my speculation, but wouldn't it be interesting if the box houses the demonic spirit that is wanting to possess the sinner's body? Thus the box would want to be opened. Also, the sinner's desire to "experience" new highs of pain and pleasure.
Hellraiser Leviathan Image Link
Anyway, the Leviathan's place in all of this is yet a mystery, as far as I am aware. My own suspicions is that it is the vessel or cage for Lucifer himself. I find it interesting that in the LDS version of the scriptures, the heading for Job 41 says that the Lord is describing His powers as similar to the Leviathan's. However, when I was simply reading this chapter on my own, I saw the possible correlation with the Leviathan and Satan. Read it for yourselves and see the comparisons from your own perspective. As for me, Job 41:34 said it simply "... he is a king over all the children of pride." This brings me to a quick point I would like to make, money is not the root of all evil. That saying or cliché is false. Pride is the root of all evil and is the source of all sin. For more information on pride, you could check out my Pride Post.
Frank raising from the dead Image Link
There is one last element of Clive Barker's Hellraiser world I would like to comment on before I wrap it up. A major aspect of the sinners being damned is if living blood falls upon the place or object they were dragged to this hell, that blood acts as a source of life to raise them again in the "real" world. This aspect made for a very intriguing scene when Frank came back from hell. I must admit, it was pretty awesome and gruesome. Alas, though the sinner is now in the "real" world of Hellraiser, they need more blood to become stronger. Thus, the sinner coaxes others to commit murder to give them blood. However, no matter how rejuvenated the damned person becomes, they cannot regrow their skin. Thus, they kill and claim the skin of the one helping them. "...and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell." (Alma 30:60).

Now that I have covered the Hellraiser world, I would like to declare what the Labyrinth is. For simplicity, it is a hell dimension. However, in a drawn comparison with true reality, it would be outer darkness. This is where the Devil and his angels abound and after the final battle following the millennium, those Sons of Perdition who now have resurrected bodies will be cast into this never ending darkness to be tabernacles or vesicles for Satan and his angels forever. Never dying in their perpetual agony which they have chosen for themselves. "...for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (Alma 34:34).

Well, after rambling on about Hellraiser, I would like to quickly talk about Evil Dead.
Deadite Ed Getley from Evil Dead 2 Image Link
In Evil Dead the Cenobites from Hellraiser are now Deadites. Again, they are demon possessed human bodies, yet, as with Evil Dead 2, Ash exhibited how he still had his own spirit. Indeed that evil spirit which possessed him continued to play a part in his life, unrelentingly striving to retake its former house (Ash's body).
Ash's possessed hand from Evil Dead 2 Image Link
Deadites cannot be killed by normal means, indeed the only way, seemingly, to stop them is by dismembering and or burning their bodies. Like Dracula's line from Hotel Transylvania about getting staked in the heart, "Well, who wouldn't that kill?".
Possessed hand from Idle Hands Image Link
However, even the dismembered body parts can act on their own. Much like the hand from Idle Hands, these limbs act like they have a mind of their own. Like a demonic version of Thing from The Adams Family.
Patrick Swayze moving a penny in Ghost  Image Link
Alas, in my own hypothesis on how our spirits interact with our bodies, through brain tissue or at least the central nerve cluster in the brain, this would be impossible. However, as far as I know, spirits can interact with object in the physical world, though this requires much energy. Like the emotional energy used in the movie Ghost. With this kind of spiritual physical interaction, it could indeed be possible for a spirit, even a demonic spirit, to interact with and use a dismembered hand.

Now, with all of the time-traveling, alternate timelines and inter-dimensional stuff, including Ash's mechanical hand, I am leaving that to the reader to figure out, or I might use it in a post about Back to the Future... I am not sure yet.

Anyway, I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post, whether or not you have seen the movies mentioned. Feel free to leave a comment below. Luckily we know that good will defeat evil, God will win, but like Dr. Manhattan, maybe this knowledge does not feel real until Christ actually comes again. Yet, I assure you, Christ will come again. I know this to be true.

Love,
Jacobugoth