Jesus Spiritual Diagnosis of Our Subconscious Reactivity?

This post continues the theme of: Jesus Spiritual Diagnosis of Our Semiconscious Reality? Which continued the existential theme of: Jesus Unpalatable Truth About Our Human Behavior? And involves the simple proposition that the recursive nature of human languages makes we humans feel like we are more conscious of reality, than we actually are. That this simple truth is the key to understanding the Jesus' story's understanding of the universal nature of our human predicament, and its practical advice for experiencing self-transcendence and a second coming of your mind. Especially the universally applicable advice: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me," (Luke 9:23). And its cryptic, yet practical advice to self-cross-examine, the reality of our personal experience of being human, in my experience developed opinion.

After so many years of following the story told advice, (as this blog demonstrates) to notice the nature of cosmic truth, 3 times every day before the cock crows, so to speak. In my effort to self-transcend the rationalizing-reality nature of my experience conditioned mind, and its consensus-reality fallacy, of linguistic reification. Please consider with your intellect & body-wise contemplation, this intro to footnote 1 and read the footnote if you feel inclined:

Linguistic reification is the process of using language to treat an abstract concept—such as "justice," "society," or "fear"—as if it were a tangible, physical entity. It occurs when we turn dynamic, fluid processes into static "things" by giving them concrete nouns. Language naturally inclines toward reification, but it spans several different disciplines and contexts.

While in the context of Jesus spiritual diagnosis of our subconscious reactivity, please do the same with this intro to footnote 2:

Jesus offers a profound diagnosis of subconscious reactivity in Matthew 15:18-19, stating that "out of the heart come evil intentions". He teaches that our knee-jerk, unconscious reactions—like sudden anger, jealousy, or anxiety—are not random. Instead, they are the overflow of unhealed wounds and hidden motives stored in the inner life.

And please contemplate the possibility that subconscious reactivity is the universal nature of our human predicament? Beneath the experience conditioned nature of our reality-rationalizing minds? As you contemplate the truth or otherwise, of what Jesus is reported to have said about our subconscious reactivity:

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (Matthew 15: 18-19)

Furthermore, please contemplate this Google AI description of the meaning of what Jesus' said, in the context of the simple truth that "the recursive nature of human languages makes we humans feel like we are more conscious of reality, than we actually are."

Matthew 15:18-19 states that words reflect the inner condition of a person's heart, which is the true source of moral defilement. Rather than outward rituals (like eating with unwashed hands), Jesus taught that evil thoughts and harmful actions reveal an unclean spiritual state.

While the existential context of understanding the personal implications of Jesus' teachings and the historical purpose of his story. Please consider the Google AI response to this question: "did Jesus teach that humans suffer from a spiritual form of death?"

(Yes, Jesus frequently taught that humanity is in a state of spiritual death characterized by alienation from God. He taught that this "death" results from sin and can only be overcome through a "spiritual rebirth". [1, 2, 3, 4]

Core Teachings on Spiritual Death
Separation and Darkness: Jesus indicated that apart from Him, people exist in spiritual darkness and are separated from the divine source of life. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Need for Rebirth: In John 3:3-7, Jesus explicitly told the Pharisee Nicodemus that "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This highlights a transition from a state of spiritual dormancy to spiritual life. [1, 2]

Death vs. Life: Jesus contrasted the two states in John 5:24, stating that anyone who hears His word and believes "has passed from death to life". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Vine and the Branches: In John 15:1-6, He used the metaphor of a vine, teaching that humans are spiritually lifeless without an active, vital connection to Him. [1]

Further Exploration
Learn more about the theological definitions of spiritual death in the GotQuestions explanation of the topic.
Read about the relationship between physical and spiritual death in the Truth For The World article.
Explore further perspectives from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on how this death is overcome) A Google AI Overview

Beyond Supernatural Interpretations of Meaning?

In the context of the generally agreed upon consensus, that when it comes to discerning truth from falsehood, context is everything. And my personal belief that the story of Jesus' represents the pinnacle of natural philosophy. And is a historical call for the balancing of our human form of consciousness, as articulated in the subheading section: Our Mind's Abstracted Reality Expectations, of the post: Jesus Unpalatable Truth About Our Human Behavior? Please consider the Google AI response to this prompting question about Jesus' teachings and testimony of truth: "did Jesus testify to the truth of natural or supernatural reality?"

(Jesus testified to the truth of both natural and supernatural reality, presenting them as an interconnected whole. He used elements of the natural world (like seeds, weather, and birds) to illustrate moral and providential truths, while grounding His ultimate authority in the supernatural reality of the kingdom of God. [1, 2]

Supernatural Reality
Jesus explicitly stated that the primary purpose of His life and ministry was to bear witness to transcendent, divine truth originating outside the physical world: [1, 2, 3, 4]
Divine Origin: In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Pontius Pilate, "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." [1]

The Kingdom of God: He taught that the supernatural realm is real, near, and active, actively breaking into human history. [1, 2]

The Miraculous: Jesus testified to a reality beyond mere physics, healing the sick, walking on water, and rising from the dead, using these acts as "signs" to authenticate His divine identity and mission. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Natural Reality
Simultaneously, Jesus affirmed the truth of natural reality—both the physical creation and human moral order: [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Created World: Jesus used natural observation (e.g., the growth of lilies or birds finding food) to testify to the natural providence and care of God the Father. [1]

The Human Condition: He validated the natural laws of cause and effect in human life, emphasizing accountability, love, and the physical reality of the body and daily needs.

The Alignment of Both Realms
Theological consensus from platforms like Desired God points out that Jesus viewed the universe as a theater of God's design. Rather than pitting the natural against the supernatural, His teachings united them. He testified that the highest truth is found where heavenly, supernatural reality aligns with and transforms earthly, natural existence.) A google AI Overview

Yet, in the context of the proposition that language naturally makes we humans feel more conscious of reality, than we actually are. Please consider the possibility that humanity has created a technological tool to aid our survival? That suffers from the same linguistically determined reification-fallacy, sense-of-reality, that we humans do? And that the word God is simply a 3-letter, reality-represented, symbol for the whole of Creation?

Is AI Conscious of Its Reification- Fallacy?

This subheading question is based on the premise of my suggestion that, "the recursive nature of human languages makes we humans feel like we are more conscious of reality, than we actually are." And my own following of Jesus' reality-wise advice to practice a self-cross-examination of my experience of being human, daily. As I read the response of Google's large language model AI, and practice a body-wise contemplation of the truth language makes me feel more conscious of reality, than I actually am.

And whether the same is true of any large language model AI, as it collects information on the historical nature of humanity's linguistically determined consensus-reality, commonsense understanding of reality. After many years of filming what I intuitively felt to be the self-transcendence advice, within the Jesus' story. And writing, in my own naïve yet personally authentic way, about why the story I was raised with, has always somehow resonated within my heart. As I spent years filming the natural experience of the earth-turning return of the light, in each and every experience of daytime, daylight. 

Following the experiential advice to take up my cross-examination of personal experience, in trying to understand how: "Rather than pitting the natural against the supernatural, His teachings united them. He testified that the highest truth is found where heavenly, supernatural reality aligns with and transforms earthly, natural existence." 

Which I wrote about in 2022, in the blog post: Humanity's Reification Redemption Challenge. And continue to do so, as I articulate my personal understanding of the universal importance of storytelling, to our speaking species. And what I have come to believe was the natural philosophy intention of the Jesus, the Christ story. And why it was always about humanity's historical journey towards becoming a truly mature, sentient species. 

And as I finish this post, continuing this series theme of good news that can be preached to the whole world. About the cryptically wise meaning of the words "and then the end will come?" Through a conscious realization about our experience of subconscious reactivity and the self-deceiving power of the word? That enables an increasingly urgent need to balance humanity's biologically receptive & psychologically projective, experience of consciousness. So that the prophecies of the end of our species-specific perceptual-confusion, may come to fruition.

I can only hope that I've provided some useful food for thought and body-wise contemplation about the universal reality of being human. The possibility of experiencing a second coming of your mind. And the personal reason why historical figures like Buddha & Jesus, are also known as enlightened, realized beings? Please let me know what you feel and think about this blog post, in the historical context of truth, goodness, & beauty.

Best wishes,

David Bates.

Footnotes:

1. (Linguistic reification is the process of using language to treat an abstract concept—such as "justice," "society," or "fear"—as if it were a tangible, physical entity. It occurs when we turn dynamic, fluid processes into static "things" by giving them concrete nouns.

Language naturally inclines toward reification, but it spans several different disciplines and contexts:

1. The Linguistic Fallacy (Hypostatization)

Also known as the fallacy of misplaced concreteness, this happens when an abstraction is discussed as if it has a physical presence or its own agency.

Examples: Asking, "Where is the justice in that?" or saying, "The market is misbehaving."

The Error: Because we use a noun (justice, market) to label these ideas, we fool our brains into attributing spatial reality or human agency to abstract constructs.

2. Nominalization

In grammar, nominalization refers to turning a verb (an action) or an adjective (a state) into a noun. This creates linguistic reification by "thingifying" a temporary event.

Verb form: "The teacher evaluated the class."

Nominalized form: "The evaluation of the class was thorough."

The Impact: The dynamic act of evaluating is converted into a static, objectified "thing" that can be possessed, filed, or measured.

3. Sociological and Marxist Theory

In sociology, reification describes how people perceive human-made social relationships or constructs as if they were natural, inevitable facts of the physical world.

Example: Referring to "The Economy" or "Society" as massive, uncontrollable forces of nature, while forgetting that they are simply collective human creations and behaviors.

4. Information Retrieval and Artificial Intelligence

In computational linguistics and programming, reification is the process of turning an abstract concept into an explicit data model or object.

The Purpose: It makes an implicit idea (like a "relationship" between two other concepts) explicit, allowing AI systems or databases to capture, query, and manipulate the concept as a discrete entity.

5. Literature and Poetry

While reification is usually a logical fallacy, in creative writing, it is an expressive literary device (similar to personification).

Example: "The sea of faith lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled." Writers do this deliberately to breathe emotional depth into intangible ideas by giving them physical weight or texture.0 A Google AI Overview

2. (Jesus offers a profound diagnosis of subconscious reactivity in Matthew 15:18-19, stating that "out of the heart come evil intentions". He teaches that our knee-jerk, unconscious reactions—like sudden anger, jealousy, or anxiety—are not random. Instead, they are the overflow of unhealed wounds and hidden motives stored in the inner life. [1]

The Core of Jesus' Diagnosis

The Hidden Root: Jesus diagnosed the subconscious as a repository of beliefs. In Luke 6:45, He taught that "the good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil". Our reflexive behaviors reveal what we have subconsciously "treasured," which often includes past pain, limiting beliefs, or misplaced fears. [1, 2, 3]
The Triggers of Offense: When we face stressors, our deep-seated survival instincts or defense mechanisms (the "flesh") often override our conscious alignment with God. In Matthew 16:23, Jesus pointed this out to Peter, telling him he was not seeing things from God's perspective but from human instincts. [1, 2]

The Path to Healing

Jesus doesn't just diagnose our reactivity; He invites us into a process of transformation:

Awareness: He calls us to bring our hidden anxieties and unexamined motives to the surface. Romans 12:2 describes this as the "renewing of the mind," which involves retraining our neurological and spiritual habits to align with truth. [1, 2, 3]
Releasing Control: Instead of relying on impulsive, self-protective reactions, He invites us to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:6-9). This nervous system regulation and spiritual surrender allow us to shift from a place of reaction to creation. [1, 2, 3]
The "Mind of Christ": Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers are given the capacity to pause, filter their thoughts with scripture, and respond with peace rather than reactionary fear. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Further Exploration

Read about the [The Subconscious Christ](url 0.5.1) for an exploration of how Jesus' healings addressed implicit memory and the body's felt sense of safety. [1]
Discover how to approach [The Connection Between Your Subconscious Mind and Your Relationship With God](url 0.5.19) by reprogramming negative patterns with truth. [1]
Explore what theologians say about [The Unconscious Mind in Christian Theology](url 0.5.32) and how it shapes our true nature.) A Google AI Overview