20 January 2017
There are two worlds important to every human being: The seen world and the unseen world. The seen world is everything we sense here and now. The unseen world is the larger “box” of beliefs about the universe by which we understand and interpret the seen world. The unseen world includes all the past, the future, anything not now sensed about the present, the very large and very small aspects of the universe, plus all ideas about what causes what to happen in both the seen and unseen worlds.
Metaphysics is the study of the unseen world. Metaphysics is the most fundamental of all disciplines, because whatever conclusions one comes to about the answers to the questions of this field determine the possibilities for all work in other fields. Historically, metaphysical thinking has grappled with such questions as: Is the universe matter or ideas only, or is it both, and what are they? What are time and space, and how do they relate to existence, whatever it is? What causes things to be as they are, and to change as they do? Is there a divine realm or is all natural? What are human beings, and how did they come to be? What are the causes of change in the universe, and can they be controlled?
The most interesting thing about all of these questions is that the answers to any of these questions cannot be verified by any human objective means. (Objective here meaning that a conclusion is agreeable and acceptable to all normal human beings.) Thus human beings are divided along ideological lines, depending upon their metaphysical conclusions. Since no metaphysical conclusions can be “proved,” all metaphysical conclusions are matters of faith, an individual trusting in something he or she cannot prove or guarantee. And everyone has and uses a metaphysics. This is the main reason why there is no such thing as “objectivity.”
Thus the most fundamental thing to know about any person is their metaphysical beliefs. Those beliefs are the mental and emotional “box” in which all of our thinking, decisions and actions take place.
Because metaphysics is so fundamental and controls all a given person thinks and does, there is a struggle in society to influence metaphysical thinking. Governments, churches, schools and societies all attempt to affect the metaphysical thinking of their constituents. Affect that is not liked by someone is called by them “propaganda,” and their own ideas are called “truth.” It is interesting to note that in our modern society (2017), news has largely ceased to be the reporting of facts and is now largely propaganda. And that is why the control of propaganda machines (newspapers, magazines, television broadcasts, radio, social media, books and textbooks, schools and clubs) is so much coveted and sought after because it enables political control. And political control (which is influencing the thinking, choosing and acting of other human beings) is the dearest thing to most human hearts.
Some of the most important metaphysical questions and answers are the following:
First: Is there a God over us or not? If there is, what kind of being is it, and how does that affect us as individuals? We know that God is a perfected once-human being who loves us with a pure love and is trying to share with us all that He is and has. Knowing that is true makes a great difference to us. The world believes that all is natural, there is no god, and we exist as chance creations of a blind universe.
Second: How long has man existed, and what is the future of mankind? The world says man evolved from an ape and will probably destroy his own species eventually. We know that Adam was the first man and lived about 6,000 years ago, that all human beings are his descendants, and that the world (meaning those who deny and/or defy God) will be burned in the next few years, which will usher in a thousand year reign of peace by Jesus Christ Himself.
Third: How did man come to be? We know that Adam was created by the God Jesus Christ. I believe that Adam was born to celestial parents with no blood in his veins. One of my former bishops believes God took an ape-like creature with blood in its veins and put a conscience and consciousness into it, and that creature became Adam. This metaphysical problem is very important. Each of us needs to have a satisfying answer which is true. But you and I cannot now prove what is correct and true to anyone but ourselves.
Fourth: Does man live after death? The world discounts the many appearances of deceased and resurrected beings to living humans, believing that we cease to exist because humans are only a physical body, and that evidences of life after death are but evidences of a frenzied mind. We know that as intelligences we have always existed, were clothed with a spirit body by our Father in Heaven, were clothed with a physical tabernacle by our Savior, and are literally of the race of the gods.
Satan sows lies everywhere, but especially about metaphysical things.
We Latter-day Saints have the temple to anchor us in the truth of metaphysical matters. If only we will receive what the Lord is trying to give us. Metaphysics, that is to say, our faith, matters.