Regaining Consciousness

"Suppose you were having an operation on your leg, and suddenly you begin to be aware of people talking about you. Someone says, 'I think he's recovering?' You start to feel an ache in your knee. You say to yourself, 'Where am I? What's going on?' And you start to remember you were operated on. What you're doing is regaining consciousness. In short, consciousness consists of sensations, thoughts, emotions, desires, beliefs, and free choices that make us alive and aware."
J.P Moreland, PHD

After I had read this statement made by Moreland who has a degree in chemistry, a doctorate in nuclear chemistry, a doctorate in philosophy and a master's in theology. I came to realize that regaining consciousness physically runs parallel with  regaining consciousness spiritually. The more I began to develop my relationship with God and the more time I spent with Him and helping others and studying His will... the more I regained my spiritual consciousness. But is spiritual consciousness a reality?

What is consciousness?

Definition

consciousness noun (UNDERSTANDING)

/ˈkɒn.t ʃə.snəs//ˈkɑːn-/ [U]

the state of understanding and realising something or the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.

It's when you are paying attention to what is going on inside of you. All of us are aware to some degree or another of our physical consciousness but many have no idea that there is a spiritual consciousness as well, or they just don't want to think about it, or they believe it's all part of this physical world and when we die our consciousness dies too.


What if consciousness didn't exist in the world? What if the physicalists were right by saying, "consciousness is no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules."?


"Apples would still be red, but there would be no awareness of red or any sensations of red." Moreland goes on to say, "The soul is the ego, the 'I', or the self, and it contains our consciousness. It also animates our body..... If everything were matter, then you could capture the entire universe on a graph - You could locate each star, the moon, mountain, your brain, etc.
That's because if everything is physical, it could be described entirely from a third person point of view. And yet we know that we have first-person, subjective points of view - so physicalism can't be true.... there would also be no free will. That's because matter is completely governed by the laws of nature... for example a cloud... It's just a material object, and it's movement is completely governed by the laws of air pressure, wind movement, etc. So If I am a material object, all of the things I do are fixed by my environment, my genetics, and so forth... that would mean I'm not really free to make choices..." (If you would like to read more see 'The Case for a Creator' by Lee Strobel)


We are free to make choices  and we do have a conscience and consciousness. It's our choice to search for truth and it's our choice to not bother. We can be aware or unaware. It's our choice. I choose to believe in a spiritual consciousness because of the books I have read from Quantum Theory to Theology and everything in between and because of experiences, my own and in the lives of those I respect. 


"You can't get something from nothing. If the universe began with dead matter having no conscious, how then, do you get something totally different - consciousness, living, thinking, feeling, believing creatures - from materials that don't have that? But if everything started with the mind of God we don't have a problem with explaining the origin of our mind." Lee Strobel

1 Corinthians 13:12

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.


The foolish are those without questions and a desire to know the truth. 


If you have questions but don't know where to begin, we are here to help Deeds for Needs.


deedsforneeds@yahoo.ca