We're covering St. Thomas Aquinas's 5 proofs for the existence of God. Here's the fifth: Gradation.
Ever wonder why the Earth is the perfect distance from the sun and has the right balance of gases to maintain an atmosphere that supports life? This balance is very delicate, just like the balance between plant use of carbon dioxide/releasing oxygen and animals' use of oxygen/expelling carbon dioxide. The planets rotate at fixed rates that can be mathematically calculated. Such fundamental laws of physics and biology must be true or life simply would not exist. St. Thomas believed these facts point to a higher intelligence - a being who made these laws; they couldn't just randomly occur.
Beneath its seeming chaos, nature is very ordered. Human DNA, for example, is very orderly and consistent, seeming to indicate a higher intelligence. Life on earth is not the work of chance, but met a set plan. St. Thomas said that the Great Governor of nature is God.
So Aquinas's 5 Proofs are: Motion (something set the universe into action), Causality (something caused the universe to come into existence), Necessity (something is necessary to keep unecessary objects in existence), Gradation (something occupies the highest level of being), and Governance (something caused the universe to work in a way that created sentient life on Earth).
These five proofs probably won't convert an athiest, but it might make them think. Aquinas's goal was to prove that science does not contradict God's existence, and that the idea of a Supreme Being is consistent with nature.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Proof Through Gradation
We're covering St. Thomas Aquinas's 5 proofs for the existence of God. Here's the fourth: Gradation.
There are different levels of existence and being. Look at inanimate matter, like minerals. They represent a basic level of existence, they are merely there. The next level up is plant life- simple, but alive. Farther up is animal life-capable of life and reproduction, but also possessing an awareness based on senses. Animals can detect things with their ears, noses, mouths, and eyes.
Next on the ladder is human life, capable of the animal properties, but also possessing the power of rational reasoning. Humans also have free will.
Up the hierarchy, the next level of beings is angelic - pure spirits with no bodies. Angels have a superior form of existence to humans, since angels possess all the knowledge they will have at once, and have much more powerful minds than mortals. With no bodies, they feel no pain, hunger, thirst, sickness, or sleep. They are immortal and have power over the world as pure spirits.
The final level of existence is a Supreme Pure Being that has no beginning or end. St. Thomas believed that this Being was God. Like angels, God has no body, but is composed of a pure spirit. However, there is a difference: angels have a beginning, since God created them. Also unlike angels, who have limited knowledge and power, God has infinite power, meaning that he's omnipotent; he posseses infinite knowledge (omniscient); and he's everywhere (he's omnipresent).
There are different levels of existence and being. Look at inanimate matter, like minerals. They represent a basic level of existence, they are merely there. The next level up is plant life- simple, but alive. Farther up is animal life-capable of life and reproduction, but also possessing an awareness based on senses. Animals can detect things with their ears, noses, mouths, and eyes.
Next on the ladder is human life, capable of the animal properties, but also possessing the power of rational reasoning. Humans also have free will.
Up the hierarchy, the next level of beings is angelic - pure spirits with no bodies. Angels have a superior form of existence to humans, since angels possess all the knowledge they will have at once, and have much more powerful minds than mortals. With no bodies, they feel no pain, hunger, thirst, sickness, or sleep. They are immortal and have power over the world as pure spirits.
The final level of existence is a Supreme Pure Being that has no beginning or end. St. Thomas believed that this Being was God. Like angels, God has no body, but is composed of a pure spirit. However, there is a difference: angels have a beginning, since God created them. Also unlike angels, who have limited knowledge and power, God has infinite power, meaning that he's omnipotent; he posseses infinite knowledge (omniscient); and he's everywhere (he's omnipresent).
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Proof Through Causality and Necessity
We're covering St. Thomas Aquinas's 5 proofs for the existence of God. Here's the second: Causality.
Our parents caused us to be born. Our grandparents made the decision that created our parents, and so on and so on. So every cause was itself an effect of a previous cause. So, in order to go back to a true "beginning," you'd have to find the cause of all causes. Just as the force that started the motion from potential existence to actual could not have been potential, itself, the cause of all causes could never have been an effect from a previous cause. In other words, the cause of all causes was never an effect, but what philosophers call an uncaused cause. St. Thomas argued that uncaused cause is God. He caused everything by creating it in the first place.
Here's the third proof: Necessity.
If you had never been born, the universe would not have been affected. No one person is necessary to the universe; everything is dependent on something else in order to exist. One example of this idea is the relationship between electricity and lightbulbs. Once a switch is turned off, the flow of electricity is cut off. No electricity, no light. In the same way, if God removed his Being from sustaining us, we'd all be like turned-off bulbs. One being must be necessary to keep the unnecessary ones in existence. Otherwise, nothing would exist at all. St. Thomas said this necessary being is God.
Our parents caused us to be born. Our grandparents made the decision that created our parents, and so on and so on. So every cause was itself an effect of a previous cause. So, in order to go back to a true "beginning," you'd have to find the cause of all causes. Just as the force that started the motion from potential existence to actual could not have been potential, itself, the cause of all causes could never have been an effect from a previous cause. In other words, the cause of all causes was never an effect, but what philosophers call an uncaused cause. St. Thomas argued that uncaused cause is God. He caused everything by creating it in the first place.
Here's the third proof: Necessity.
If you had never been born, the universe would not have been affected. No one person is necessary to the universe; everything is dependent on something else in order to exist. One example of this idea is the relationship between electricity and lightbulbs. Once a switch is turned off, the flow of electricity is cut off. No electricity, no light. In the same way, if God removed his Being from sustaining us, we'd all be like turned-off bulbs. One being must be necessary to keep the unnecessary ones in existence. Otherwise, nothing would exist at all. St. Thomas said this necessary being is God.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Proof Through Motion
We're covering St. Thomas Aquinas's 5 proofs for the existence of God. Here is the first: motion.
Before any person was conceived in their mother's womb, that person was merely a potential being. They did not actually become real until the act that created their life. In the same way, everything now in existence was only potential at one point, since everything has a beginning. In other words, in order to get to the state of matter as it exists today, there must be an actual beginning-a start. At some point long ago, humans - or any form of matter, never existed.
Some force had to start the motion from potential existence to actual existence. Since science cannot account for potential miraculously forming into actual existence (some force had to cause it, which was caused by a previous force, which was caused by a previous force...you get the idea), this would not account for an actual "beginning" of the universe. Still, something had to create the universe as it exists here and now. Prior to the Big Bang, when the universe only existed as potential, what force caused the motion for it to become real? St. Thomas argued that the force was God, the Prime Mover. He moved the potential universe to become an actual one.
Before any person was conceived in their mother's womb, that person was merely a potential being. They did not actually become real until the act that created their life. In the same way, everything now in existence was only potential at one point, since everything has a beginning. In other words, in order to get to the state of matter as it exists today, there must be an actual beginning-a start. At some point long ago, humans - or any form of matter, never existed.
Some force had to start the motion from potential existence to actual existence. Since science cannot account for potential miraculously forming into actual existence (some force had to cause it, which was caused by a previous force, which was caused by a previous force...you get the idea), this would not account for an actual "beginning" of the universe. Still, something had to create the universe as it exists here and now. Prior to the Big Bang, when the universe only existed as potential, what force caused the motion for it to become real? St. Thomas argued that the force was God, the Prime Mover. He moved the potential universe to become an actual one.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Seeking the Truth
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.
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.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Apostles' Creed Explained: Articles 9-12
Article 9: (I believe in) the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints. Catholics believe that the church is more than just an institution. It's a necessary aspect of Christian life. Christ specifically uses the word (ekklesia in Greek) in Matthew 16, when he says, "I will build My Church."
The Church's role is viewed as a continuation of the three parts of Christ's ministry when he was on earth: teach, sanctify, and govern, which continues Jesus's simultaneous roles as prophet, priest, and king. The Church continues Jesus's prophetic method of teaching through the Magisterium, the Church's teaching authority. The Church also continues the priestly ministry of sanctification by celebrating the seven sacraments. Finally, the Church carries on Jesus's role as shephard and pastor by way of its hierarchy. The phrase communion of saints means that the Church doesn't just consist of the living on earth, but the saints of heaven and the souls of purgatory, as well.
Article 10: (I believe in) the forgiveness of sins. Christ came to the world in order to save mankind from sin. Belief in the forgiveness of sins is absolutely essential to Christian faith. Catholics believe that sins are forgiven in the sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also called confession. Catholicism acknowledges that every person on earth is a sinner, and all require God's mercy and forgiveness. Religion and the Church do not exist for perfect people (not that there are any, anyway), but for sinners who require the help that the two provide.
Article 11: (I believe in) the resurrection of the body. From the Catholic perspective, a human being is a union of body and soul. Under this line of thinking, death is only temporary until the end of time when all the dead are resurrected. The just will go, body and soul, into heaven, while the damned go, body and soul, into hell.
So no reincarnation or past lives. Catholics believe that each person is a unique blending of body and soul that cannot be duplicated. This is why Christians don't view death as the final chapter of a person's life. The body and soul will eventually team up again, because the body participated in the good actions that the soul may have performed, or the evil it committed. For this reason, the body is also rewarded or punished, depending on what it did during its existence.
This is why funerals, though sad for humans, are viewed as celebrations. Christians believe that, since humans were made in the likeness of God, their destiny lies in the next world. St. Augustine wrote that humans were not created for this world, but the next.
Article 12: (I believe in) life everlasting. As Christ died, so too will mere mortals. However, as he rose, so will all humans. Death is seen as the only means of transit between this world and the next. When one dies, private judgment occurs; Christ judges the soul. If a person was particularly virtuous or holy while on earth, that soul has the privilege of going directly to heaven. If an individual was particularly evil and dies in the state of moral sin, then that person is condemned straight to hell.
But there is also a third group of souls- those who were not bad enough to go to hell, but not holy enough to make it straight into heaven. Catholics believe that there is a middle ground between the two, called purgatory, where souls are cleansed until they can properly enter heaven.
The Church's role is viewed as a continuation of the three parts of Christ's ministry when he was on earth: teach, sanctify, and govern, which continues Jesus's simultaneous roles as prophet, priest, and king. The Church continues Jesus's prophetic method of teaching through the Magisterium, the Church's teaching authority. The Church also continues the priestly ministry of sanctification by celebrating the seven sacraments. Finally, the Church carries on Jesus's role as shephard and pastor by way of its hierarchy. The phrase communion of saints means that the Church doesn't just consist of the living on earth, but the saints of heaven and the souls of purgatory, as well.
Article 10: (I believe in) the forgiveness of sins. Christ came to the world in order to save mankind from sin. Belief in the forgiveness of sins is absolutely essential to Christian faith. Catholics believe that sins are forgiven in the sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also called confession. Catholicism acknowledges that every person on earth is a sinner, and all require God's mercy and forgiveness. Religion and the Church do not exist for perfect people (not that there are any, anyway), but for sinners who require the help that the two provide.
Article 11: (I believe in) the resurrection of the body. From the Catholic perspective, a human being is a union of body and soul. Under this line of thinking, death is only temporary until the end of time when all the dead are resurrected. The just will go, body and soul, into heaven, while the damned go, body and soul, into hell.
So no reincarnation or past lives. Catholics believe that each person is a unique blending of body and soul that cannot be duplicated. This is why Christians don't view death as the final chapter of a person's life. The body and soul will eventually team up again, because the body participated in the good actions that the soul may have performed, or the evil it committed. For this reason, the body is also rewarded or punished, depending on what it did during its existence.
This is why funerals, though sad for humans, are viewed as celebrations. Christians believe that, since humans were made in the likeness of God, their destiny lies in the next world. St. Augustine wrote that humans were not created for this world, but the next.
Article 12: (I believe in) life everlasting. As Christ died, so too will mere mortals. However, as he rose, so will all humans. Death is seen as the only means of transit between this world and the next. When one dies, private judgment occurs; Christ judges the soul. If a person was particularly virtuous or holy while on earth, that soul has the privilege of going directly to heaven. If an individual was particularly evil and dies in the state of moral sin, then that person is condemned straight to hell.
But there is also a third group of souls- those who were not bad enough to go to hell, but not holy enough to make it straight into heaven. Catholics believe that there is a middle ground between the two, called purgatory, where souls are cleansed until they can properly enter heaven.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Sunday Off-Topic: Bible Trivia
Every Introduction course always has its off-topic tangents, and Catholicism 101 is no different. On Sundays, we'll delve into some aspects of Catholicism that we might not otherwise get to. These areas are kind of up to my whim, but they will usually focus on unusual parts of Catholicism.
Here's a bit more on the interesting history of the Bible itself:
The actual word bible never once appears in it. Nowhere from Genesis to Revelations does the word appear at all. However, the word Scripture appears 53 times and the phrase Word of God appears 55 times. So why is it called the Bible, then? The word is derived from the Greek word biblia, meaning a collection of books, although the origin also goes even further back to the word biblos (papyrus). In ancient times, there was no paper to write on... only papyrus or stone (yes, stone).
The Catholic Church itself gave the name Bible to the collection of inspired books from the Old and New Testament. The church also decided which books belonged in the Bible and which were left out, since nowhere in the Bible is there a list of what should be in it. Why four Gospels? Why is Matthew first? Why isn't the Gospel of Thomas included? Why exactly 27 books in the New Testament? What happened to the Apocalypse of Moses? The Church had to reach these decisions of Sacred Tradition on its own, since none of the Sacred Scripture revealed them.
Here's a bit more on the interesting history of the Bible itself:
The actual word bible never once appears in it. Nowhere from Genesis to Revelations does the word appear at all. However, the word Scripture appears 53 times and the phrase Word of God appears 55 times. So why is it called the Bible, then? The word is derived from the Greek word biblia, meaning a collection of books, although the origin also goes even further back to the word biblos (papyrus). In ancient times, there was no paper to write on... only papyrus or stone (yes, stone).
The Catholic Church itself gave the name Bible to the collection of inspired books from the Old and New Testament. The church also decided which books belonged in the Bible and which were left out, since nowhere in the Bible is there a list of what should be in it. Why four Gospels? Why is Matthew first? Why isn't the Gospel of Thomas included? Why exactly 27 books in the New Testament? What happened to the Apocalypse of Moses? The Church had to reach these decisions of Sacred Tradition on its own, since none of the Sacred Scripture revealed them.
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