Q&A 92
Q. What about it?
A. As with the physical creation, all things spiritual follow spiritual laws that we discover and study about in the spiritual sciences (theology and philosophy). Again, as with the physical sciences and physical laws, theology and philosophy DO NOT invent the spiritual or moral laws, they merely describe them.
Further, as with the physical laws, whether or not mankind knows about or believes in the spiritual laws, they are still effective... For example, before we better appreciated the dignity of the person in practice, slavery was tolerated. Doesn't mean offenses committed against slaves then were not offensive. Each person's inherent dignity has been there from the beginning just like gravity or buoyancy. (The three depend on what something is objectively.)
The analogy continues: whenever any of these spiritual or moral laws is broken, spiritual damage or harm results. For example, if I attempt to infringe on the dignity of a human being and abort an unborn child, damage/harm results: I de-humanise myself, I become a murderer or mercenary (as they themselves admit). I become less than human just the way a broken cup or warped ruler is less a true cup or true ruler. Pain/suffering ensues.
Three things to note here: first, the phenomenon of spiritual damage/harm resulting from breaking spiritual/moral laws is commonly enshrined in proverbs borne from experience of generations upon generations e.g. "pride comes before a fall" or "gluttony is the forerunner of impurity".
Second, the spiritual pain/suffering that follows on breaking the spiritual laws IS NOT a separate "punishment" to the actual lying, being corrupt, gluttony, lust or infringement on the dignity of others. It is naturally part and parcel of the one phenomenon. Murder, lies, corruption, gluttony, lust, abortion, slavery are naturally (spiritually) painful.
Third, the pain lets us know that there is something spiritually wrong with our spirits/souls. It almost forcibly calls our attention to the injury so that we may attend to it before it gets worse.
Hasta luego!
11thApril 2016