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By Susan Willett, UK.
Essay Question
The essay below is an answer to the question:
What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) mean, when concerning arguments for the existence of God,
it speaks of 'converging and convincing arguments' which allows us to attain certainty about the truth (ccc31)? The
Catechism classifies the arguments into two: from 'the world' (ccc32) and from 'the human person'. Assess two
arguments beginning from 'the world', and from 'the human person'.
The question asks to assess the arguments in CCC31/32 'beginning from the world' and 'from the human person',
and the meaning of 'convincing and converging arguments'.
CCC31 explains that we are created in God's image. There is this seed of God in us waiting to become impregnated
by his spirit so that it can grow and come to gestation and be born of God, begotten by God becoming partakers,
sons, heirs, deified. 'Ye are gods if you do not but know it'. Our true inheritance is to be the Total Actuality,
symbolised by the East. We fell away from this symbolised by the 'North'. From 'one language' into a 'confusion of
languages'.
Once we can grasp we are 'more' than the senses, and that we are in a perpetual state of cause and effect by our
wrong actions due to disordered passions not being at rest, but seeking after things that does not leave us satisfied,
but, 'hungry' for 'something'. Seeking but never finding 'rest'. We desire our 'true state' and are 'attracted' to it,
pulling us, drawing us to that source of being, this image of God within us. This is a recurring factor throughout all of
mankind, 'the worship of something greater than man'. The taking of hallucinogens, self flagellation, inducing trances,
to expand and extend man's five senses to show him that things exist beyond the world he immediately sees, which
he knows influences him.
The human being desires immortality even if it is misapplied externally. i.e., plastic surgery. The search for 'eternal
youth'. The search for the 'philosophers stone', which seems to be sought in the external world. Without someone to
guide us and point us in the right direction, we wander blindly in this search. It is like going on a journey without
map, and not knowing where the destination is. Under such circumstances, we will never arrive there.
These factors of wanting to know, CCC also terms 'proofs of existence of God'.
It is an observable fact:
That caught up in the passions and breaking the commandments leads to misery. St Thomas always differentiates
between happiness of man which he thinks make him happy, such as wealth etc., still leaves him restless, whereas
true happiness is our final end when we are at 'rest in God';
That chasing after wealth and what we think makes us happy in the end does not: -
That people pursuing a life away from God, at the time of death, becomes suddenly preoccupied with 'what happens
next';That no one knows when death is going to hit us, it comes unexpected like a 'thief'. It does not distinguish
between young, old, rich, poor, religious, non-religious. At a moments notice, 'it' 'life', can be 'cut off';
A 'brush' with cancer or a nearby accident, changes some people's lives. Suddenly it becomes more meaningful at
how they should live it, how precious it is. How precious little time we have to seek God. The last minute confession
of hardened criminals. These are 'convincing and converging arguments.'
CCC32 is stating that all creation shows the work of God. All creation shows the 'glories of God', the intricate
creations, 'each in its own kind'. Even such a small creature as the house fly, in the sun light its wings show beautiful
colours, it is made exactly how and precisely to work within a given sphere. However, each contributes to the 'other'
kinds, as part of a cycle. - A unity by diversity. Each cannot really do without the 'other' and working together as a
harmony makes a complete whole, a unified consensus. Each individual kind also has its own cycle. It is
'impregnated' 'encoded' in its DNA code exactly what to do to keep the 'cycle' going. It has a 'wisdom' and knowledge
from God and only carries out 'His Will'.
A Bee knows how to make a 'hive'. Even though the Bee has never had a lecture in mathematical precision, it does
this instinctively. It knows how to. A termite knows have to make intricate buildings. A mother knows how to feed her
baby. Although these days, our instincts are taken from us, so that we are incapable of 'thinking for our selves'.
People have lost their 'skills' and knowledge that was handed down 'from generation unto generation', but each cell
in our bodies is endowed also with a knowledge, a complete knowledge that we are not consciously aware o For e.g..,
if you cut your finger, there is a communication taking place that you are unaware of, which sends out for
messengers and gathers the right forces to defend and mend the cut. All this takes place in your own body without
you being aware. God also is there which we are unaware of.
There is the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system, that unknown to us regulates the
rhythm of the body, keeps the heart beating, the bowels pulsating - peristaltic action. If you look at the intricate way
our bodies are put together and the way it functions, the way the foetus develops in the womb, out of nothing a
placenta develops, with the 'complete' knowledge to feed and nourish and take away toxins - poisons of the foetus.
We can also see how 'delicate' this creation is, when we look at the influence of microwaves, and nuclear fall out
causing mutations. If we really ponder and contemplate the above, there is strong evidence of:
a) A superior being, which 'controls' all this, and
b)'design of a creator'.
The 'inspired' words of the Oracles of God, 'Each in its own kind' is true, because when man tries to tamper with this
he comes up against God the Creator himself. For e.g., Cloning Dolly the Geep, it lived not from being born, but from
the age of the cloned cell. It could not depart from the 'knowledge' that was already in the cell. Cloning creates lots
of problems and suffering. Man tries to create better than God. Man by trying to 'play' God throws out the complete
'balance and harmony' given by God. Instead of learning to 'co -operate' with God, he tries to be God.
If you sit and watch 'nature' one is moved by it. If ever you have gone in the middle of nowhere away from everyone,
there is a majestic presence, that you know you are part of. The 'earth declares the majesty of God'. 'Who can
search its depths' speaks the Psalmist. If we meditate that the earth is moving at speed, the delicate balance of the
whole universe, we are in 'awe' because our minds just cannot cope with the concept of 'infinity'. We are the specks
of dust, a mere 'nothing' in a never-ending universe that is so huge we cannot see an end to it. In fact when the sun
dies out, it looks like a diamond and how like the death of the 'real Son' on a cross is the 'jewel of the Universe'.
When divine fire has purified us, we will sparkle like diamonds, jewels. How the Universe holds Spiritual secrets
wrapped up in the physical! How much it tells us of our journey. The dew sparkling in the sunlight, like a magical
display of lights, means so much to someone who has 'experienced beyond' in deep prayer. It is just like the lights of
angels. God's glory is everywhere. The symbology between the physical and spiritual is everywhere, because the
'essence' is in the physical to give it life, to have its being.
If we study nature, like the early Fathers mention, we will soon find out, we are the crazy ones. Animals do not have
pastry cooks, they are very healthy living off the earth God provided. Clement Alexandria in 'Advice to the newly
Baptized', tells them to eat simply, bread and fruit. Jerome in his letter to the monks states it. The Philokalia states
the same. Daniel in Old Testament lived on fruit and vegetables and not rich food, and they were of better
complexion. It was the same of the early monasteries. The more a person prays, the simpler they become and the
less you eat as you become more in touch with that knowledge God gave us and not mans' knowledge.' In fact the
hermits of old, Elijah clothed himself in animal skins and John the Baptist, lived off wild honey and locust. They lived
like the animals off what God had provided. If we truly contemplate on what 'little ones means', 'You must become like
one of these 'little ones' and in the Old Testament only the 'little ones' who did not yet know good and evil could enter
the promised land'. Jesus states 'you must become like one of these little ones'. This has very deep profound
meaning.
Weeds are only weeds because we want to do it better. The wilderness attracts us more than the beautiful garden
that has to be toiled over. Yet how many weeds are beneficial to us and medicinal, like Dandelion and Burdock?
Also the 'scholars' say that the sparse diet of herbs that hermits lived on created in them hallucinations, yet if you
look at the nutrient content of herbs , there are extremely high concentration of all the vitamins and minerals you
need to be deprived of to experience hallucinations. So this theory cannot be correct. To get all the necessary
nutrients, the hermit would only need to eat little of these high concentrations of vitamins. Included at the back of this
essay to show the high contents of these herbs.
The earth is dying because of the knowledge we sought. This knowledge has created terrible weapons of mass
destruction. We are not better than the animals. The animals live in complete harmony; they have not eaten of the
tree of knowledge. We are the ones that ate of the tree and the least species that on earth live in harmony.
Only on God's Holy Mountain are the lion and the lamb at peace and eat the herbs of the earth. What hermit in a
cave fears wild animals? Man when living amongst them creates a bond. We are the ones who are truly slaves. The
more we go down the path of knowledge the more enslaved we become. The more we depend on this knowledge,
the more we loose this connection with our creator. An example is the doctor does not listen to the patient. He just
looks at results of tests. But what do the tests tell him? The positive and negative readings on scans, the experts
can't agree on, and it depends who is reading the result as to what diagnosis you are given. A blood test shows a
result at a given moment, but when repeated can show entirely different results. An abnormal ECG has led to
surgeons operating only to find a healthy heart. And someone with heart failure otherwise has a healthy ECG, and is
neglected as a consequence. Machines don't lie. But they do. The machines are taking away our natural skills.
We do not see this beauty of God's creation enough. Even in religion, it masks it. It does not point the way. It, like
the world tells, you to clutter up your lives. The busier you are, the holier you are, that is, in man's eyes. The Lord
does not judge as man judges, the Lord is not deceived by appearances, but knows the secret intentions of the
heart. For all an atheist will argue to the contrary that science is still the answer to the world's problems, they are not
so confident as death approaches.
Problems.
There is only room to focus on one, and I choose Immanuel Kant. Despite our living in total actuality of the Universe
we are only aware of a minute spectrum, we only see what we are limited to with the 5 senses, our 5 objective
faculties. Immanuel Kant , argues that cause and effect can only be applied to our world and may not apply to the
actual world. Basic to his Philosophical system that ideas such as cause and effect only apply to the world as we see
it, our world with the 5 objective faculties rather than the actual world. That we dot know this total actuality.
So according to Kant there is these 'two worlds' one we know, the one that our 5 senses, the five objective faculties
are limited to, but embodied in the total actuality of an invisible world that is outside our experience.
I want to demonstrate they are not separate. There is no two worlds, rather the invisible part is veiled from our vision,
until we awaken to it, until we come to perfect happiness and our true existence, our true inheritance, God. That we
become God by participation.
2 Cor 4:
'that if the veil is not partially removed, we are on
the path of destruction, we are not on the road to salvation'
That Jesus is the 'Bridge' between the two worlds, the mediator. He removed the veil so that we could see God.
Jesus was fully awakened in the total actuality and could use the 'power of the universe' God, to resurrect Lazarus.
The true meaning of the unveiling of the Bride. Philo talks about nakedness in three ways rather like Thomas
Aquinas:
1. True nakedness, the soul stripped of passion which Philo calls TRUE JOY.
2. Foolishness, as in the case of Noah.
3. Ignorance of good and evil as in Adam and Eve.
He also states 'Truth, that is the power which unveils, what is wrapped in obscurity', and that 'unveils' is literally the
celebrating of the unveiling of the bride. St Paul refers to the 'mystical' meaning of marriage, and Jesus says of
divorce, 'that it was not so in the beginning'. This saying of Jesus points to a much deeper meaning. Jesus was the
bridegroom, and God was the Bride. The Jewish new Moon Sabbath prayer begins with 'Come O Bride' it is pointing
to marriage with God. Mystics of Judaism fast at this time , and pray. Jesus was the bridegroom, his Father the
bride. A marriage has to take place between the two, heaven and earth. But it really is no other than an unveiling, a
waking up to a totality, the vision of beatitude.
The Old Testament was always talking about the Israelites playing the 'harlot', divorced from God. Jesus was always
quoting 'it is written'. Divorce from God in the beginning as Jesus states was not so. Man fell from the total actuality
into a veiling. 'The Sabbath, it happened for the sake of man,' reads the Greek, so that he (mankind) could return to
God. God had to show man the way back. The temple had the veil separating the holy of holies. Jesus was the
mediator between man and God. He removed the veil, showing the way, the way of the cross, the way of the cup. As
the high priest's herb on the mitre showed , the calyx had to strip away the outer covering to show the inner. Jesus
took off his outer garment before he washed the disciples feet. It is very profound, full of meaning of our way back to
total actuality. It is not separate; we are asleep, oblivious to it.
Again, symbols stand between both worlds. One cannot speak of the 'other' except as 'symbol' and the symbol is
universal between all religions.
It is only by co-operating with the Divine Will, do we move beyond symbol, which is a gift of grace. By Jesus as man
co-operating with the Father, he put to death in man everything that kept mankind from God. He bound Satan. He
crushed
the serpent's head by the cross and by the word of God. 'It is written'. The authority of Scripture, that the Lord tells
us that will survive the destruction of the earth, as we know it. 'Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will
never pass away'.
The visible symbols:
The Chalice, 'Can you drink the cup?
The cross, 'to deny oneself and take up the cross'.
The Eucharist, Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.
The sword, 'the word of God that cuts between flesh and bones', to cut through the delusions that keep the veil in
place, never seeing the 'face of the bride'. For the promise is that we shall see God 'face to face'
Jesus' life showed visibly the reflection of God the invisible.
That Jesus was the 'Pleroma' the fullness of God.
He demonstrated the 'power of God and his attributes', giving a manifestation of the invisible. Two forces the positive
and negative have to come together in electricity to cause a visible manifestation, an arc of electricity. Heaven and
Earth have to come together to give a manifestation of the visible power of God. Jesus brought both together and
showed the 'Erga' the Works of God - supernatural Miracles, and compassion and mercy.
1 Cor 4:19,20
'I shall find out not what these self important people say, but what power they
have. For the kingdom of God consists not in spoken words, but in power'.
Jesus did not refute philosophers. He demonstrated the Works of his Father, his Power. He did not argue about what
was, what could be. By saying that He was the 'True Vine, True Shepherd, True door', showed the Greeks that 'he
was the True Philosopher Ruler, what a True philosopher was. By his very words he showed he knew of Plato, he
pointed them to himself.
The 'True Door, showed the culmination of all the Temple doors. The steps up the great pyramid which gives, a
pattern of concentric squares when viewed from a height.
The secret chamber. - Jesus showed the only way beyond the veil, through the door. To drink the cup, to strip off
the outer garments of delusion, to show the true nakedness, the total actuality God. The heart as the Secret
Chamber of silent ostentation which God only sees the true intention. Dying on the cross - he did not enter the city
to take possession, he died outside the city, as a victim, he was slaughtered at the entrance to the Temple. Jesus
was showing the five trees of Paradise by the cross - except, - the power of Jesus was the complete opposite, it was a
complete emptying of self, and it is the only Symbol the cross which can save the world from the fate of destruction.
Only that, and if we weigh up all the convincing and converging arguments, we can see what the fulfillment of that
death on the cross really means, True life with God, 'in him, with him, through him. in the unity of the spirit'. As
above, so below. The word 'Thy will' is missing from the Pentagram, As above, so below Jesus adds in the words,
'THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven'.
If we look at the symbology in the Book of Josephus Book 8: Chapter 4 no 1.
"The king himself and all the people and Levites, went before RENDERING THE GROUND MOIST with sacrifices" .
As we can see from above this is pointing to the True sacrifice of the self in an outpouring of service to others. It was
in this manner that the priest carried the ark. "BUT WHEN THEY should TRANSFER IT INTO THE MOST SECRET
PLACES, THE REST OF THE MULTITUDE WENT AWAY, AND ONLY THOSE PRIESTS THAT CARRIED IT
SET IT BETWEEN THE TWO CHERUBIMS WHICH EMBRACING IT WITH THEIR WINGS for they we so
formed by the artificer, they covered it, as under a tent or cupola"
.."(The ark) - but they set the candle stick and the table, and the golden altar in the temple, BEFORE THE MOST
SECRET PLACE in the very same place WHEREIN THEY STOOD TILL THAT TIME IN THE
TABERNACLE……. WHEN THE DOOR WAS OPENED, IT MIGHT BE EXPOSED TO SIGHT AND THE
SACRED SOLEMNITIES AND THE RICHNESS OF THE SACRIFICES MIGHT BE THENCE SEEN AND ALL
THE REST OF THE VESSELS THEY GATHERED TOGETHER AND PUT THEM WITHIN THE TEMPLE".
This takes place once a year. So one needs to understand the 'signs', times and seasons.
Jesus shows the way of reconciliation, to discover the 'true self', 'true happiness', 'true joy' through following him, and
walking in His Footsteps.
Other Problems
There is the problem of the use of language in CCC 31/32 regarding 'Human Person', it is rather ambiguous.
'The human person with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice
of his conscience'.
It gives the impression, all men and women are like this 'naturally'. Taken out of context it makes nothing special
about Christianity, or any religion. If we need the 'supernatural grace to change', and we need Baptism to receive the
Holy spirit, whom leads us into all truth. If the way of the cross is the only way of true reconciliation, which does tend
to suggest there is no fullness of salvation outside of this. That the cross is 'folly' to the rest of the world. If all men
can come to know God anyway, we don't need Jesus and we don't need Christianity, or any religion. After all as
Jesus states even evil parents know how to give good gifts to their children, the 'dead know how to look after one
another'. However, unless we have a spiritual teacher, we will not be able 'to wake up', we will not be able to be made
whole by the supernatural grace of the 'rain' off heaven which cleanses us. We will not understand the spring and
autumn 'rains'.
James 5:7
"Now be patient, brother until the Lord's coming. Think of a farmer, how
Patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the
Autumn Rains and the Spring Rains'.
What is the autumn and spring rain? But the blessing from the water of heaven. When you celebrate the right times
of the year with an open heart to receive that grace, that blessing that flows down from the heavenly sanctuary. That
spiritual communion, that washes us and makes us holy when we come to that Sabbath 'rest', where we turn to God,
cry out to him to 'Come O Bride' create me anew. It is the day when God draws the breath of the Holy Spirit, and
blows it out to renew you. It is at the wedding that the waters of Baptism are changed into the waters of the Holy Spirit.
If we look at the 'evidence, genocide, extermination of millions of people', torture, not all are open to 'truth and
beauty', and as the psalms state, 'the heart is deceitful above all things'
CCC34 'they participate in Being'.
This also is a contradiction of Scripture which talks of Divorce, from God, Harlotry, concupiscence, all terms meaning
'unaware of being'. 'Veil in Temple' Only the Priest could go in the Holy of Holies. We are all called to become Priests,
a Holy people, a Priestly nation, but it is a long process, and not automatic. Hebrews Heb 5:7 shows the long hard toil
of pleading and mortification:
'When he had been perfected he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was
acclaimed by God with the title of High Priest of the Order of Melchizadek'.
The encyclical of pope Benedict XV on St Jerome.
'Students ordained at this time seem not to think how they might get real marrow
of Holy Scripture, but how best they can make people's ears tingle by their
flowery declamations'.
No:58 :
'It would be better, however for you to gather from the lips of the saintly hermit
rather from our words what real spiritual delight be found in the Bible and its
study'.
And in Pope Leo's Providentissimus Deus ,
'Only those will find it who bring to this divine reading not only docility and
attention but also piety and innocent life. For sacred scripture is not like other
books.'
It is as Jesus states 'as the world rejected me, it will reject you'.
There is a gulf between the way the world views the words in the CCC32 and the way a true Christian, or spiritual
person will view it. The way of worldly knowledge enslaves us. We have to become simple in order to have time to
listen to God, to wake up. We have to do with little clothing, simple food, to have time for prayer, for contemplation
upon scripture.
Unless the wood is consumed, there will be no transformation, no purification. Good actions without the enlightened
attitude can in fact enslave us and not free us because the motivation is not pure. Like the widow and the two mites,
Jesus states 'They gave what they are not going to miss', 'she gave all she had'. The world judges by appearances
and lives cloaked in a false mask.
The 'idea' behind CCC32 is that of dialogue with the world, for the common good, but without the grasping of the
significance of the above, it will only enslave, it will not be able to preach truth, it will become not a way of salvation,
but just another worldly institute.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ADLER, MARCUS, NATHAN.DR. The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the
British Commonwealth of Nations. Published under the Sanction of the Chief Rabbi, Dr Nathan Marcus Adler,
translated
by, Rev.S. Singer.Eye and Spottiswoode Ltd, Her Majesty's Printers, London, 5722-1962
COPENHAUER, BRIAN P. Hermetica; The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a new Translation,
with notes & Introduction. Published by the Press Syndicate of the University Cambridge Press. UK 1992
FOCUS. One Remote Corner. Conducted by,Sister Catherine Keighley, Father Aelred Baker, Focus, Prinknash
Abbey,
Gloucester GL4 8EX
HENDRICKS , PAUL Fr. Proofs of God's Existence. Course Material Maryvale
JACOBS, LOUIS, Compiled by. The Schocken book of Jewish Mystical Testimonies, Schocken Books, New York
1996
JOSEPHUS, FLAVIUS, The Complete Works of Josephus, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49501, 1981
McTAGGART, LYNNE. What the Doctors Don't Tell you. The truth about the dangers of modern medicine.
Thorson's, London 1996
NEWHOUSE, SONIA. Complete Natural Food Facts, All you need to know about 600 unrefined foods, Thorson,
London 1991
PHILO, Translated by Colson, F.H. & Whitaker.H. Philo vol I. William Heinemann Ltd, London. Harvard University
Press, Cambridge. 1960
PHILO, Translated by Colson, F.H. & Whitaker.H. Philo Vol III. William Heinemann Ltd, London. Harvard University
Press, Cambridge. 1960
Bibles
READERS EDITION, The New Jerusalem Bible, Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. London. 1990.
DOUAY-RHEIMS VERSION, The Holy Bible,Revised by the Servant of God, Bishop Richard Challoner A.D. 1749-
1742 Baronius Press, London MMIII 2003.
Papal Encyclicals on Holy Scripture
Providentissimus Deus, Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Study of Holy Scripture
Spiritus Paraclitus, Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on St.Jerome
Divino Afflante Spiritu, Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Promoting Biblical Studies, Commemorating the Fiftieth
Anniversary of Providentissimus Deus.
Photos
Jewish Temple Door: Tunisia film site Jesus Nazareth Film, photo by Susan Willett
Tibetan Buddhism: South France. Buddhist Dharma Centre. Photo Susan Willett
Web sites
Yahoo Images search - Nazi.
Copy Right: Susan Willett, UK.
E. mail:
"Susan Willett" <surosean8willett@hotmail.com>
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