What is god's holy light?

[The Transcended Omniverse]

Most people would think that god's holy light within us would be something such as repenting our sins to Jesus and being saved. This is just to name one example which would be a fundamentalist Christian example. They would say that, without god's holy light within us, then our lives are truly empty and we are damned as sinners. This is not god's holy light we need in our lives. God's holy, divine inner light would be our positive emotions. When we feel a profoundly beautiful positive emotion such as from listening to a moving song or being out in nature, we are experiencing the beauty and joy through these positive emotions. Positive emotions are the only way we can experience the joy, beauty, and good value in our lives. It is a light of pure joy, beauty, and goodness we would be experiencing. This experience is what makes our lives joyful, beautiful, good, and worth living for which means that positive emotions are the one and only things that make our lives joyful, beautiful, good, and worth living for. We need this holy light within our conscious being lest our lives be empty and "dead."

Without this holy inner light, we would be completely dead on the inside and that is what would make our lives completely dead. This means that, unfortunately, people who struggle with clinical depression and other mental illnesses that take away their positive emotions are living empty lives. They would either have very little good value in their lives if they only had a small amount of positive emotions or they would be living lives that are in complete darkness and emptiness if they had no positive emotions. This means that even those genius miserable artists who contributed to the world through their works of art were living empty lives regardless of how much they have helped others and contributed to the world. Many people are delusional and believe that their lives can be something beautiful and worth living for with no need for this holy inner light. This is false. Positive emotions are the inner light we need in our lives while negative emotions would be the inner darkness we should avoid. We should also avoid apathy as well since that would be a state of mind where our lives have neither good nor bad value. That is, just a blank, neutral life.

Lastly, if we do live in a spiritual universe where god, souls, and the afterlife exist, then our brains would be like receivers. They pick up on the divine, holy spiritual energy from the heavens. This spiritual energy is received by the brain and puts us into a divine, holy state of mind that is known as a positive emotional state whether that state be a feeling of excitement from the idea of going to the carnival, a feeling of happiness and enjoyment in doing our favorite hobbies, or feeling sexually aroused. This creates a beautiful, heavenly paradise for us here on Earth. But there are factors that can prevent our brains from receiving this holy spiritual energy we need which would be the factors I mentioned earlier such as clinical depression, brain damage to those areas of the brain, and many other factors. It would be like a radio not getting the signal. But if we live in a purely naturalistic universe where there is no god, souls, or afterlives, then positive emotions would be a secular equivalent to the holy inner light we need in our lives. That is, a metaphorical version of the holy inner light. In other words, positive emotions would still be the only things that can make our lives beautiful even in a purely naturalistic universe.

[Divine Insight]

Most people would think that god's holy light within us would be something such as repenting our sins to Jesus and being saved. This is just to name one example which would be a fundamentalist Christian example.

I wouldn't say that this is "fundamentalist Christianity" but rather it's pretty much the crux of all of Christianity according to the Gospels. Only the most unorthodox fringe factions of Christianity would argue that Christ is not the "God's Holy Light".

But if we live in a purely naturalistic universe where there is no god, souls, or afterlives, then positive emotions would be a secular equivalent to the holy inner light we need in our lives. That is, a metaphorical version of the holy inner light. In other words, positive emotions would still be the only things that can make our lives beautiful even in a purely naturalistic universe.

This is true. You can make this "metaphor". However a Christian who believes in Christianity would simply suggest that it's an empty metaphor simply because according to the Bible you cannot create this Holy Light yourself. It is a gift from God given to us through Jesus and that's the only way to obtain it.

In terms of metaphors I would agree with you. From a secular point of view we could metaphorically say that anything that leads to anything good and positive is "God's Holy Light".

This is simply because we have already defined "God" as that which represents all goodness. And "Holy" as that which also refers to all that is good.

So you may as well replace those two religious terms with their secular terms and then you have the following statement:

Anything that leads to positive emotions and results is "Good Good Light".

But that's because we have also defined "Positive" as being "Good".


So we can even change the slogan to become "Positive Positive Light".

Why bother using terms like 'God' or 'Holy' at all? Are we trying to pacify religious people who refuse to give up those concepts?

So all you are really saying is that the phrase "God's Holy Light" can be replaced with "Good Good Light" without loss of meaning for secularists who don't believe in any gods.

[Kenisaw]

[Replying to post 1 by The Transcended Omniverse]

This experience is what makes our lives joyful, beautiful, good, and worth living for which means that positive emotions are the one and only things that make our lives joyful, beautiful, good, and worth living for.

Water. Water is good for our lives. In fact we pretty much need it. So is oxygen. So is gravity. The melted iron in the outer core of the Earth is a pretty good thing, since it protects us from the solar wind.

Seems like there are a lot of things besides positive emotions that make our lives good...

[The Transcended Omniverse]

[Replying to post 3 by Kenisaw]

You are missing my point. I said that positive emotions are the only mental states where our lives become perceived/experienced as something beautiful. Negative emotions would be mental states where our lives are perceived/experienced as hell, horrible, disgusting, etc. But intellectual mental states would be mental states where we are completely empty and dead on the inside. Thus, intellectual mental states themselves are mental states where we cannot truly perceive/experience any good or bad value in our lives.

[Kenisaw]

[Replying to post 3 by Kenisaw]

You are missing my point. I said that positive emotions are the only mental states where our lives become perceived/experienced as something beautiful. Negative emotions would be mental states where our lives are perceived/experienced as hell, horrible, disgusting, etc. But intellectual mental states would be mental states where we are completely empty and dead on the inside. Thus, intellectual mental states themselves are mental states where we cannot truly perceive/experience any good or bad value in our lives.

So a Jew at Dachau tha never had a negative thought in their life, even as they were sitting in the gas chamber with poisonous air hissing in, could have an experience as something beautiful? Or a skeptic that hates the way a plane looks and doesn't get on it lives while others got on and it went down mid flight, is in some kind of hell?

You might be missing my point. There is no separation between mental and physical. Your mental state IS physical phenomena. The depressed you mentioned in your OP are depressed because of chemical imbalances in their brain. It is due to what is physically going on in their head.

[Divine Insight]

[Replying to post 3 by Kenisaw]

You are missing my point. I said that positive emotions are the only mental states where our lives become perceived/experienced as something beautiful. Negative emotions would be mental states where our lives are perceived/experienced as hell, horrible, disgusting, etc.

Don't you have this backwards?

Isn't it actually true that when things are beautiful this causes us to have positive emotions, and when things are horrible and disgusting this causes us to have negative emotions?

It may be true that when things are mediocre we can "intellectually choose" to focus on the more pleasant things thus causing us to have more positive emotions. But notice that this would be an intellectual choice which you reject below as being useless.

But intellectual mental states would be mental states where we are completely empty and dead on the inside. Thus, intellectual mental states themselves are mental states where we cannot truly perceive/experience any good or bad value in our lives.

What in the world is an "Intellectual Mental State"?

I don't even know what you mean by that phrase.

When I use my intellectual abilities to solve problems and figure things out I obtain great joy from this. So my "Intellectual Mental States" result in me experiencing great joy and pleasure.

There are people who love to solve problems. Why do you think manufacturers of puzzles can sell there products?

I also love reading books by scientists and the problems their are working on and solving. Science itself is the greatest most challenging puzzle to be solved.

I also obtain great pleasure and joy from working out mathematical problems. Obtaining the solutions and understanding why they work brings great joy.

So as far as I can see, when you say that intellectual mental states leave us empty inside is that, apparently for you, having to think anything through logically is an extremely depressing and unsatisfying experience. And I do know there are many people who hate to have to think logically about anything. So this is understandable in terms of humans in general.

But this certainly isn't true for everyone. For some people intellectual thought brings the greatest joy of all.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by The Transcended Omniverse]

I've never actually seen the expression"holy light" in the bible. If you could provide a reference I'll check the context.

JW

[Divine Insight]

[Replying to post 1 by The Transcended Omniverse]

I've never actually seen the expression"holy light" in the bible. If you could provide a reference I'll check the context.

JW

As a former Christian I can't imagine this referring to anything other than Jesus;

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Wouldn't this then make Jesus "God's Holy Light"?

It's not the exact words, but it sure fits the bill.

John 8:12 also claims that anyone who follows Jesus shall not walk in darkness but shall of the light of life.

We see Jesus claiming to be the light of the world again in John 9:5

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

But notice above in John 9:5 Jesus says, "as long as he is in the world". So then the question arises whether the light of the world remain after Jesus leaves to return to heaven.

But then in John 12:46 we see Jesus proclaiming that whoever simply believes on Jesus should not abide in darkness.

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

So apparently if we simply believe in Jesus we will have the light of the world whether Jesus is here or not.

Although in Matthew 5:14 Jesus seems to be a bit confused and proclaims that we are the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

So apparently we are the light of the world.

Remember the song: This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine?

We are the light of the world.

Jesus can never seem to make up his mind about anything actually.

[The Transcended Omniverse]

[Replying to post 3 by Kenisaw]

You are missing my point. I said that positive emotions are the only mental states where our lives become perceived/experienced as something beautiful. Negative emotions would be mental states where our lives are perceived/experienced as hell, horrible, disgusting, etc. But intellectual mental states would be mental states where we are completely empty and dead on the inside. Thus, intellectual mental states themselves are mental states where we cannot truly perceive/experience any good or bad value in our lives.

So a Jew at Dachau tha never had a negative thought in their life, even as they were sitting in the gas chamber with poisonous air hissing in, could have an experience as something beautiful? Or a skeptic that hates the way a plane looks and doesn't get on it lives while others got on and it went down mid flight, is in some kind of hell?

You might be missing my point. There is no separation between mental and physical. Your mental state IS physical phenomena. The depressed you mentioned in your OP are depressed because of chemical imbalances in their brain. It is due to what is physically going on in their head.

My Premise: The premise would be that my own personal definition of good and bad does not say that good and bad are concepts or ideas. Rather, good and bad are actual things like colors. Colors would not be concepts, ideas, or things in the physical world, but are mental states. For example, when you see the color red, that is a mental state. It would be a visual state. According to my personal definition of good and bad, good would be our positive emotional states and bad would be our negative emotional states. Haven't you ever heard people say "I feel good today" or "I feel bad today?" This is to be taken literally, according to my personal definition of good and bad.

Positive emotions would, therefore, be a synonym for good and beauty while negative emotions would be a synonym for bad, horrible, and disgusting. I will go ahead and say that positive emotions would be like cheerful colors such as yellow, pink, and purple while negative emotions would be like colors such as brown, black, and dark red. If you want your life to be in a shade of yellow, pink, and purple, then you need to experience those colors. Experiencing those colors is the only way to perceive (see) those colors. If you cannot see them due to being blind, then you can only perceive the idea of those colors, but not the actual colors themselves. This means you cannot see things in your life as actually being good and beautiful as long as you cannot feel any positive emotion. You can only have the idea of good value and beauty in your mind, but you wouldn't be able to actually see that goodness and beauty.

Likewise, negative emotions color our lives in a shade of somber, angry, sad, miserable, etc. colors such as brown, black, and dark red and this is what we should avoid. With all of this being said, my point here is that, if you want your life to be good and beautiful (or, according to my colors analogy, if you want your life to be in a shade of yellow, pink, and purple), then you need to feel positive emotions in your life. Negative emotions literally make our lives horrible and disgusting and, like I said earlier, we need to avoid negative emotions and have as much positive emotions in our lives as we can. Now that I have shared to you my premise, you can see why I refer to positive emotions as being the inner holy light since they are literally everything to our human existence since they make our whole entire reality something good and beautiful.

Positive and negative emotions are the only real good and bad things in life. It would be no different than saying that the only real colors in life would be the colors we visualize. Not having positive emotions and being in a negative emotional state such as the worst hopeless state of your life would be like a person blind to the colors purple, pink, and yellow who can only see the colors dark red, brown, and black. That was my personal experience and this personal experience is the very reason why I have this definition of good and bad. When people say things such as that we create our own value, heaven, or hell on Earth through our way of thinking alone regardless of our emotional state, this is actually false. It can only be our positive emotions that create a beautiful paradise for us here on Earth and it can only be our negative emotions such as hopelessness and despair that create a horrible hell for us here on Earth.

Therefore, we as human beings are not the ones in charge of creating a beautiful or horrible life for us. It can only be our emotions that do. It's about what is experienced on the inside and not about looking at things on the outside. That is why my personal definition of good and bad is about what experience (mental state) you are having in your life. As long as you do not have the inner experience to make your life beautiful, then your life cannot be beautiful. What we experience on the inside is how we perceive the world on the outside. Therefore, as long as you are completely dead on the inside, then everything else in life will be dead from your perspective. To say that one's life can still be good, beautiful, and worth living when said person is dead on the inside would be nonsense. According to my worldview, a lack of positive emotions is the only way we can become dead and empty on the inside.

Sure, we can become alive in terms of negative emotions such as fear and anger, but we would be dead in terms of having good value and beauty in our lives as long as we are not feeling any positive emotions. Positive emotions are like positive energy that make our entire world positive, negative emotions are like negative energy that make our entire world negative, and being in any non emotional mental state such as making a moral assessment or an intellectual value judgment would be a state of mind where you are dead and empty on the inside as long as you are not feeling any positive emotion to make your world beautiful or a negative emotion to make your life horrible. Lastly, feeling happiness, fun, enjoyment, and profound positive emotions such as love and beauty would bring your life the greatest and most profound beauty, joy, and good while. Feeling a normal, constant, stable positive mood would only bring your life a smaller, basic level of good value and beauty in your life. Therefore, the real goal in life should be to have as much fun and to enjoy our lives as much as we can. I would do so all the while choosing to not make reckless decisions.

[marco]

Lastly, if we do live in a spiritual universe where god, souls, and the afterlife exist, then our brains would be like receivers.

A fine theory. We then attribute our best deeds to an efficient receiver. Presumably inspiration for our bad deeds has been received from the opposite transmitting pole.

I was in a train once and an old man, who had come on without a ticket, was about to be ejected by an inspector when some stranger got up and paid the man's fare. I don't know if at that time the Samaritan had received an ethereal message but I suspect he was just one of the millions of honest, kind humans doing a good deed without divine encouragement.

Sometimes, when we claim God is transmitting, we kill heretics or bomb those who mock prophets. Maybe we are best working quietly as good humans, and occasionally offering to pay for some unfortunate fellow being.