A Cosmic Gospel: A Cosmic Mind

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A Cosmic Mind

(source: www.mindopenerz.com)

In Arthur C. Clarke's "3001 The Final Odyssey", the prolog opens with a description of the explorations of the "First Born"--the first species to explore space-time:

... [since] in all the Galaxy, they had found nothing more precious than Mind, they encouraged its dawning everywhere. They became farmers in the fields of stars

While this line is from science fiction, this idea (that Mind is the most precious thing in the universe) resonates with the declaration in Moses 1:39. In the Mormon faith, this notion of Mind described here aligns well with the doctrine of Intelligences which are seen as co-eternal with God.

To better understand what God sees in Mind or Intelligences, it is necessary to dive into what the essence of Mind is. From the Seventy's Course in Theology vol. 4 'Intelligence, Intelligences' the following descriptions of attributes are used to define Intelligence (or Mind):

Consciousness

[Intelligence is] conscious of self and of not-self; of the me and the not me. "Intelligence is that which sees itself, or is at once both subject and object." It knows itself as thinking, that is, as a subject; thinking of its self, it knows itself as an object of thought—of its own thought. And it knows itself as distinct from a vast universe of things which are not self; itself the while remaining constant as a distinct individuality amid the great universe of things not self.  It is an awareness of the mind. By reason of it an Intelligence... knows itself as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching; also as searching, and finding; as inquiring and answering; as active or at rest; as loving or hating; as contented or restless; as advancing or receding; as gaining or loosing, and so following in all the activities in which Intelligences, as men, engage.

 

Generalization

Intelligence (mind) can perceive... something that cannot be taken in by sense perception; that is to say, Intelligence can generalize. Sense can get at the individual, concrete thing only: "this triangle," "this orange," "that triangle," "those oranges," etc. By the consideration of the individual, concrete object, however, the mind can form an idea, a concept, a general notion—"triangle," "orange"—which does not specify this or that individual object, but "fits to any individual triangle or orange past, present, or future, and even the possible oranges that never shall be grown. In other words Intelligence can rise from consideration of the particular to the general.

Perception of a priori Principles

There are a priori principles, which the mind can perceive to be incontrovertible and of universal application, by mere reflection upon the signification of the principles and without going into the applications (e.g. 1+1=2, a triangle has 3 sides, etc.) The objects here are mental objects. Their relations are perceptually obvious at a glance, and no sense-verification is necessary. Moreover, once true, always true, of those same mental objects. Truth here has an 'eternal' character. If you can find a concrete thing... then your principles will everlastingly apply to it. It is but a case of ascertaining the kind, and then applying the law of its kind to the particular object.

Imagination

By a mind-power known as imagination, or imaginative memory, Intelligences… can hold before consciousness, in picture, what has been perceived by an outward sense, and this even when the outward sense has been shut off from the outward world of matter. This power of imagination, is also constructive. Intelligences can put before themselves in mental picture, combinations which are fashioned from the varied stores of memory. But by the mere act of [its] will, [it has] the power to project [itself] in thought to any part of the world. Instantly [it] can be in the crowded streets of the world's metropolis, walk through its well remembered thoroughfares, hear the rush and roar of its busy multitudes, fragments of conversation, broken strains of music, etc.—all this the mind may do

Ratiocination

The mind (Intelligence) can combine various general principles or individual facts and principles; and in the combination and comparison of them, it can perceive other facts and principles. In other words, Intelligence is capable of reasoning; of building up conclusions from the data of its knowledge. It has the power of deliberation and of judgment; by which it may determine that this state or condition is better than another state or condition. That this, tending to good, should be encouraged; and that, tending to evil, should be discouraged, or, if possible, destroyed.

Power of Volition

Intelligence, as embodied in man, is also conscious of the power, within certain limitations, to will, and to perform what he wills to do: To rise up, to sit down; to raise his arm, to let it fall; to walk, to run, to stand... to control largely his actions, physical and moral; he can be sober or drunken; chaste, or a libertine; benevolent or selfish; honest or a rogue. Having deliberated upon this and that and having formed a judgment that one thing is better than another, or that one condition is better than another, he has power to choose between them and can determine to give his aid to this and withhold it from that. So that volition, within certain limitations at least, seems also to be a quality of Intelligence

(source: blog.craniumfitteds.com)

These attributes--consciousness, generalization, comprehension of principles/truths, imagination, reason, and the ability to act or choose its own behavior--are all necessary in order for something to be capable of comprehending what God is and for it to be able progress to become like Him.

Abraham had a similar revelatory experience to that of Moses' (described previously). In Abraham's account, further insight was given on God's relationship to intelligences:

21 I dwell in the midst of them all; I now, therefore, have come down unto thee to declare unto thee the works which my hands have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning; I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen.

 22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

 23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

Abraham 3:21-23

And Joseph Smith further declared the eternal nature of Intelligences:

 29 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.

D&C 93:29

And:

God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them.

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith - p. 354

So here we have Minds/Intelligences which are co-eternal with God. And it is these Minds that God sees as "good" with His desire being to "dwell in the midst of them all". This begins to unlock the paradox. Man is physically insignificant compared to God's creations, but the Mind combined with the body of man is that which is most precious to God and to which He devotes his "work" and "glory".

A wonderfully poetic expression of this truth is from the song "My Soul" by Peter Mayer:

That is a profound truth. You and I, our emotions, our thoughts, our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our loves, our imaginations, our reasoning; this life, with our Minds and bodies, is the most valuable thing in the universe to which God devotes His energy. But why would God, who created the universe, has seen countless stars, black holes, precious metals, wisps of nebulae, etc. an infinity of physical matter and energy, also see great importance in the salvation of man?

A clue is found in a word: entropy.

Next: A Cosmic Savior