In the 13th Century, St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian, explained how the human mind seeks different kinds of truths. He described the three as:
Scientific Truth: Known by observation. For example, you know that fire is hot by burning your finger on it.
Philosophical Truth: Truths that can be reached through reason. For example, if something costs $1.50 and you pay $2, you know by reason that you are owed $ 0.50 in change.
Theological Truth: Truth that is known only by faith. This is considered the highest level of truth, since it can't be observed or reasoned. It can only be taken on God's word, because He revealed it.
The First Vatican Council (1870) taught that certain truths, such as the existence of God, can be reached through reason, but it still requires the intervention of a supernatural revelation to provide all the necessary information for your salvation.
St. Thomas Aquinas also delineated five proofs for the existence of God in a massive work known as the Summa Theologica. Since Vatican I taught that God's existence can be proved through reason, it is good to see a physical example of it. Aquinas reasoned that humans can conclude that God exists through motion, causality, necessity, gradation, and governance. Okay, so maybe that won't convert any athiests, but it does provide a strong argument. We'll go over this in some detail in the coming days.
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