250. When I say "of use," I mean for those who study scientific matters with the attitude that they cannot believe anything without them; besides its use in schools, where nothing but such material is propounded and taught by philosophers, even by those who are committed to the priestly office. It is also of use because this kind of knowledge is a challenge to youth, promoting their ambitions. An additional use is that by its means, spiritual things let down from heaven are not so readily distorted, so as to blind their minds and lead them unconsciously into a wavering belief or no belief. Because the world today is considered to be scholarly and does not want to believe anything but what it understands, therefore with people of this character, what is spiritual can scarcely function effectively unless the existing false and lying basis is either completely broken up and perishes, or is converted into a basis consisting of natural truths. What these people will be like after death, those of them who possess some discrimination can conclude from the fact that life after death is a continuation of the life of the body, and that distortions of this kind, which are falsities in spiritual matters and concealments [of truth], when specific and individual memories pass away [after death], overlay [the mind] with a sort of crust, and thus virtually corrupt the core, or character [see 245]. So they cannot but become most stupid, and thus the wiser they were in the body, the more stupid [they become] (in fact, more stupid than those who had not learned anything whatever of the sciences), because of having imposed the sciences upon the exploration of spiritual matters. 1747, 14 November (old calendar).