CDT01 | A Lot of Things Came Before Us
Date: January 10, 2022
Welcome back one and all!
It is a brand new year - welcome to 2022!
It's a brand new season on the podcast - Season 3!
And we're jumping right in with a series called Conscience Driven Therapy!
I can't tell you how excited I am right now. This is NOT some series I felt I had to do, or a series people convinced me to do. This is foundational to who I am.
Both Controversy Theory and now Conscience Driven Therapy - are both ideas that I felt called to.
Not to get too woo-woo about it - but have you ever felt so strongly about something that you just knew you were put on earth to do it?
It's like that for me. This is my thing - and if I don't do it - I'll be asked why someday - by my Creator.
God will ask, "What did you do with the things I gave you? With the talents, the skills, the ideas?"
And the last thing I want to say is, "Oh - that. Sorry - I just didn't have time. There were too many other things going on."
So that leads us to today. Me finally doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Letting this content see the light of day.
Special Minute of Transparency: What on Earth is Conscience Driven Therapy?
CONSCIENCE DRIVEN THERAPY
Learning to Transcend the Human Condition
Conscience Driven Therapy is broken into two parts:
PART I: THINGS WE CANNOT CONTROL
Chapter 1: A Lot of Things Came Before Us
Chapter 2: We Were Sent In a Specific Direction
Chapter 3: There Were Landmines & Minefields Along the Way
PART II: THINGS WE CAN CONTROL
Chapter 4: The First Step Toward Health & Healing
Chapter 5: Hold On to the Good - Release the Bad
Chapter 6: Locus of Control & ETOTO
Chapter 7: Understanding the Battle
Chapter 8: Knowing Is Half the Battle
Chapter 9: Transcend Human
Chapter 10: Becoming a CDT Ambassador
Today: Chapter 1: A Lot of Things Came Before Us
The Controversy
The Sin Virus
Our DNA
// 1. THE CONTROVERSY
Two important things to get on paper right here at the beginning:
CT and CDT are based on the Christian world view:
Now some may be asking, "Why did you have to go and do that? Why did you have to pick a religion and in essence alienate those who don't believe the way you believe."
And you're right - that is an issue - but one that I can't really shy away from
Look at it this way:
If I was a Jewish person - I would probably be basing this content on my understanding of the Torah
If I was a Muslim - there would be a strong Quran influence
And so on and so forth
I mean I could just leave everything vague and call it our "Spirituality" - but that to me includes the concept of God, Satan and the Controversy
A concept that may not even exist in every other religion
So in order to write this content I had to base it on my spiritual understanding of the world - my religious world view
And because of this, the CDT Series won't be as generalized as other Transcend Human episodes
It assumes you understand the foundation it is built upon.
CDT is based completely on the foundation of CT:
So it makes sense that we must understand CT in order to use the tools CDT provides:
And, we have to believe that they are true
We can't just hear them and file them away as interesting ideas
We have to believe them so strongly that they remain top of mind - acting as a filter through which we view the world
Only then will CDT make sense - and be useful to us
So let's try to flesh out a few concepts from Controversy Theory as quickly and succinctly as possible. I don't want to spend too much time here - but at the same time it is foundational to the rest of the book.
Let's start with this. It's one of the first statements I wrote when trying to describe the overarching Controversy. And it goes something like this:
“The Controversy is the battle that exists between God and Satan for the allegiance of every human being on Earth – past, present and future.”
If we take that statement apart - we realize that there are some really big concepts we have to wrestle with before we can even get started on this journey through Conscience Driven Therapy:
Starting with the concept of God:
A Timeless Being - One that has always existed and always will exist:
Many people wrestle with this
Trying to wrap our minds around something that isn't possible here on Earth
Here - everything has a beginning and an end
So the concept of God requires a belief in something outside of our understanding
Something science can't prove beyond a shadow of a doubt
And because of this - we have this little thing called "faith"
Dictionary.com defined faith as: Belief that is not based on proof
A Creative Being - One that loves to create new things:
God's fascination with the creative process isn't just artistic
It's relational
God wants to have a relationship with the things He creates
A Loving Being - as we see in the way He interacts with us:
He gives us the one thing required in a loving relationship
Freedom of Choice
Because love without a choice isn't love
We understand this in the marriage relationship
If your partner is with you because they love you and they are choosing to be with you - all is well
But if your partner is staying with you out of fear, or the belief that they don't have any other option - all is not well - because it isn't love keeping them there
Next is the concept of Satan (Originally called Lucifer):
Lucifer was a a created being that had everything going for him in Heaven
But at some point he decided that wasn't enough
He wanted to be more than an angel - he wanted to be like God
So he used his freedom of choice to rebel against God
And in so doing, Lucifer became Patient Zero - the first created being infected with the Sin Virus
He quickly spread the Sin Virus to other angels - turning them against God as well
Eventually, this led to war in Heaven
God, and His loyal angels fought against Lucifer and his new followers
And when the dust settled - God had won - and there was no place left for Lucifer in Heaven
God removed him and his new followers - banishing them to a small planet in the vast universe - a planet called Earth
This is what we refer to as The Fall - Part 1
Next is the concept of the battle:
High level we refer to this as the Controversy, but when it comes to the day in and day out fighting between the two - it's a battle that has raged since Lucifer was removed from Heaven - and one that will continue until he is removed once and for all
People often ask, "Why is it still going on? I mean if God won and kicked Satan out of Heaven isn't it over?"
On some level yes - there was a resolution to the problem of the Sin Virus being in Heaven
But Lucifer, now called Satan, wasn't done away with for good
He still exists, and is not happy with the way things turned out
So he moved to Plan B: "If you can't beat God, get back at Him by hurting the things He loves."
It just so happened that on this little planet they were banished to - there was another race of created beings
Human beings - created to be special - because they were created in the image, or likeness of God
So Satan set out to destroy these creatures that God seemed to love so much
Satan tricked the humans into believing that God was dishonest, and that He didn't want them to be free
And when the humans listened to Satan - the Sin Virus was passed on to them
Now the entire Earth was infected - no longer the perfect world created by God for His special created beings
This is what we refer to as The Fall - Part 2
Next we have the concept of allegiance:
This battle we referred to above is over something specific
It isn't just an ongoing feud like the one that exists in the Middle East
God isn't worried that Satan will break back into Heaven - it's not a battle over land, or territory
The battle is over us - over the created beings God loves, and Satan wants to destroy
Back when the Earth was perfect - God placed a voting booth on Earth:
It was a tree that held a very important fruit
God asked that we (humans) not eat of the fruit from that one tree
Everything else on Earth was fine - but just stay away from that one tree
Of course - the humans were fascinated with that one tree because it was the one thing they couldn't have
And Satan used that to his advantage - which eventually led to the Sin Virus entering the perfect world
Now, there is no tree - it no longer exists
And it really doesn't need to since it served it's purpose
It provided the first humans their freedom of choice - proof that God is a God of love
So now, the battle isn't to get us to eat some random fruit
The battle is for our vote - our allegiance
It's a battle that exists in the mind of each and every human
God and Satan both present their case, and it's up to us to decide
Team God
Team Satan
It's as simple as that. But as complex as that at the same time:
God's Game Plan is a rescue mission:
He sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth to live a perfect life, die on a cross and be raised from the dead
This death would become the cure for the Sin Virus
All we as humans have to do is accept that gift - the Antidote to the Sin Virus, and we will have chosen Team God
Satan's Game Plan is nothing more than revenge:
Because he lost out on eternal life - he doesn't want us to have it either
So if he can keep us from accepting the Antidote to the Sin Virus - he believes he has won
And the more of us he can take with him - the better!
Finally, we have the concept of past, present and future:
Simply put - the Controversy, the battle that exists is global and total
The Sin Virus isn't a localized outbreak - it's a pandemic that is everywhere, it affects everything, and it affects everyone
There isn't a person on the face of the Earth that hasn't been infected
From the very first people on Earth - to the final generation - the Sin Virus has been there and will be there
This all-Inclusive nature of the battle is important because it means we're all in this together
Nobody gets out of it - nobody is excluded - and nobody has a free pass to opt out
It's referred to as the Human Condition...
And this is the reason for Conscience Driven Therapy in the first place.
Basically, CDT is a field guide to navigate the Human Condition.
We can look at it this way:
The Controversy > The Human Condition > Our Response (Freedom of Choice)
We were created, we fell for Satan's lies, we live in a fallen world, and we all get to choose how we want it to end for us. We never lost our freedom of choice.
// 2. THE SIN VIRUS
Back to the title of this episode: A lot of things came before us...
We just talked about the Controversy - and in doing so mentioned the Sin Virus.
But we need to spend a few more minutes here - because the Sin Virus had a massive impact on the Human Condition - how the world functions, and how we experience the world.
When we walked through Controversy Theory together, we went into great detail on what the Human Condition is.
For a deeper dive - go back and listen to CT01: https://transcendhuman.com/podcast/2020/4/ct01-an-introduction-to-controversy-theory
But to summarize:
The Human Condition is defined as:
“The totality of the human experience” as seen in these three areas:
The Life Journey: From birth to death
Major Milestones: Things like childhood, education, graduations, relationships, marriage, divorce, children, retirement, etc.
Everyday Life Experiences: And everything in-between the milestones. Things as simple as a positive interaction with a stranger, to something as traumatic as causing a car accident where someone in the car dies
Our Medical Condition: It includes any medical issues we may or may not experience during our lifetime. And if there are medical issues, the impact it has on our ability to function and remain emotionally stable
Our Mental Health: The way we think, feel and behave in response to the life experiences we go through, and the medical conditions we face
So the Human Condition is our state of existence. It’s “life” as we know it. When people use the phrase, “It is what it is” they’re referring to the fact that some things happen regardless if you want them to or not. And though we do have some level of control over our response to the human condition, the condition itself is largely made up of the things that happen to us. And these things will either be positive or negative. For example:
Life Journey:
Positive: Marriage, having kids, getting your dream job, etc.
Negative: Losing a loved one, getting into a car accident, being fired from a job, etc.
Medical Condition:
Positive: Living big chunks of your life in good health. Being physically fit. Avoiding serious disease like cancer, or Alzhiemer’s
Negative: Experiencing lower back pain at a young age, having to deal with diabetes most of your life, or being told you have an untreatable form of cancer
Mental Health:
Positive: Being raised by loving parents, and being taught good decision-making skills
Negative: Falling for the lie that you are overweight and falling into a lifelong struggle with anorexia
So yes - there is a positive and a negative side to the Human Condition.
My wife said it like this the other day: "How can life be so beautiful, and then not be."
So yes - there is good in the Human Condition. But that isn’t the problem. It’s the bad side of the Human Condition that we focus on - because it’s the part that causes problems.
When you focus on the negative side of the Human Condition - you see that there are three major ways it plays out:
Human Nature:
It’s the underlying “angst" that afflicts the human race
To summarize, “It’s always easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.”
Or, “Being good is usually harder than being bad.”
Most of us would agree kindness, tolerance, and love are not typically part of our human nature, whereas selfishness, self-preservation, greed, and intolerance are
For example, we humans are prone to be selfish
It isn't something we have to learn
We see this illustrated in the lives of our children - who come out of the womb expecting the world to revolve around them
This is human nature at work
Human Suffering:
Given what we just talked about in our Human Nature - the idea that selfishness, self-preservation, greed, and intolerance are more likely to occur than their positive counterparts - we would logically conclude that human suffering is more likely to occur than human happiness
Things like: war, racism, violence, abuse, pollution, littering, defacing the Earth, drug use/addiction, gambling, human trafficking, genocide, religious intolerance, hate crimes, extortion, embezzlement, disease and ultimately death are all things that are produced out of our Human Nature - and lead to Human Suffering
But Human Suffering isn’t just something that is caused by Human Nature
The Sin Virus also impacts the physical Earth which leads to environments that can be hostile, and ultimately cause Human Suffering
Think about the extremes in temperature on the planet. From the subzero temps at the poles, to the excessive heat in the desert regions
And if you believe in global warming you understand why these extremes are actually getting more extreme every year
And then there are the severe weather events: Hurricanes, tornados, fires, earthquakes, etc.
We see diseases that wipe out foliage and species of animals
And the list goes on - all examples of things that can cause Human Suffering - all things we have little to no control over
Human suffering, regardless which form it takes, is here to stay
It exists simply as a byproduct of the Sin Virus
Human Disturbance:
Human Disturbance grows out of our Human Nature - those little things we are born with and need to work through during childhood and adolescence
It starts with our tendency to be selfish - but that's just one piece of it
While growing up we experience all sorts of things - both good and bad
We learn, and we start making decisions about things
And this is where our freedom of choice really comes in
As humans, we are made up of three very important pieces:
Our thinking (our thoughts)
Our behaving (our actions or behaviors)
And our feeling (or the emotions we experience)
It's important to understand that our freedom of choice can only be exercised in 2 of the 3 areas:
We have direct control over our thinking and our behaving
But we only have indirect control over our feeling - the emotions we experience
Emotions happen to us - and we often don't even see them coming
So we are said to have indirect control over them because by making good decisions in out thinking and behaving - we are able to indirectly control our emotions
Much more on this as we work our way through Conscience Driven Therapy
But you should be able to see at this point how Human Disturbance works
When the Sin Virus has a negative impact our thinking, behaving and feeling - we experience Human Disturbance
Most often in the form of mental health problems like anger, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction, etc.
// 3. OUR DNA
Again, back to the title of this episode: A lot of things came before us...
First, we talked about the Controversy - then we talked about the Sin Virus and the Human Condition.
Both came before us and yet have a HUGE impact on us as people living on planet Earth today.
And the final thing that came before us - is our DNA.
To get all science-y and medical for a minute:
Our DNA is not unique to us
It is made up of genes and gene sequences passed down through our family tree
We get these genes from our biological mom and dad
But they got theirs from their moms and dads
And so it goes all the way back up the chain
For those if you who don't believe me I linked to two articles from the fun world of Dummies.com:
The Structure of DNA
The Genetics for Dummies Cheat Sheet
See references section for links to articles
I don't want to spend too much time here. But genetics is one of those crazy areas of study where science has enabled us to see so many things.
Not only the role genes play in families passing genetic traits down to future generations.
But also the ability to find ancestors through genetic testing!
These days we can sign up for services like 23 and Me, or Ancestry.com and not only see where we came from, but find long lost relatives at the same time!
Amazing how far we've come in the study of genetics.
But let's get back to the real point of this segment...
As with the controversy, the sin virus and the human condition - our DNA came before us.
It is what it is - and on some level it makes us who we are.
Or at least it impacts who we are.
Here is a little more info from an article on verywellhealth.com
The big term for this handing down of genetic material from those before us is called Genetic Predisposition. Or the fact that it is likely that some things our ancestors experienced will be passed down to us.
There is a statistically significant chance that because it ran in your family - it runs in you - and may run in your kids. Making it more likely that you might suffer from the same condition.
So what are these conditions?
Well, most of them are medical - things like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, arthritis, etc.
However, it also includes addiction. And as we're finding - mental health issues like depression, anxiety and schizophrenia may also be genetic - though there is a lot of debate about the role genetics play on mental health diagnoses.
But before we leave this discussion I just want to make a correlation between the science we just talked about a spiritual certainty the Bible talks about.
Now this is a hotly debated topic among Bible scholars - and I don't begin to have all the facts, or the knowledge to say something definitive about it one way or the other.
However, there are a number of verses in the Bible that talk about the sins of the fathers being visited on the sons to the 3rd and 4th generation.
Exodus 34:6-7 - known as the "Generational Curse"
"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
Deuteronomy 5:9 - provides a similar explanation
"...you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me."
Now the debate is typically over whether or not it is true. If God actually punishes future generations for things their parents did. Some believe yes, others believe no.
But I look at it this way:
What if it isn't about God punishing future generations?
What if it simply refers to the fact that we pass things down to future generations?
And that over time, "sinful" behavior can create a pattern - one that winds up impacting our offspring in ways we don't see when we're involved in it?
Let me illustrate:
What if addiction was something my great, great, great grandfather struggled with?
His son saw this behavior and fell into a similar pattern
Then, eventually this personality trait became so embedded in the genetic makeup - that future generations became more susceptible to addiction than the average person
Again, not making any dogmatic claims here. But when you allow the Bible and science to work together - you start to see some things in a different light.
So let’s land the plane:
Chapter 1 of Conscience Driven Therapy explains that before we even start to look at ourselves - we must understand this truth: "A Lot of Things Came Before Us"
This is a requirement, a prerequisite. We can't just read through Chapter 1 as if it's the prologue. It has to be viewed as Step 1.
These things need to become part of our world view. They need to inform how we look at the world, how we look at our lives and why we make the decisions we do.
Without this understanding - we're going to struggle to make sense of the world around us - and continue to muddle our way through the Human Condition.
So this week - ask yourself the following questions:
Where are you at with the Controversy?
God? Satan? The Fall?
Are these things you believe? Or are you still on the fence?
What are your thoughts on the idea of the Sin Virus?
Can you see how this pandemic is what fuels the Human Condition?
And do you resonate with the different parts of the Human Condition? Human Nature? Human Suffering? Human Disturbance?
Have you ever thought about your DNA, and how it affects you?
This idea that your genetic makeup can actually determine some of the struggles you face in your lifetime?
This is a great start - thank you so much for joining us this week. It's always fun to kick off a new series and look down the road at all the good content headed our way.
I hope you're all in - willing to join us each week for the next installment. And hopefully, when we reach the end of the Conscience Driven Therapy Series we'll all have new tool belts we can use when dealing with the Human Condition.
Next week our episode is called: CDT02 | We Were Sent In a Specific Direction
We look at our families of origin. How they not only influenced our past, but possibly our futures as well.
Have a great week, and as always, keep Transcending Human!
References: