Catholic Intellectuals

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Contarini said:
Decry reason, right or wrong as the irreconcilable enemy of the Gospel of Christ? Whereas what is reason (the faculty so called) but the power of apprehending, judging, and discoursing? Which power is no more to be condemned in the gross than seeing, hearing, or feeling.
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I think, perhaps, you are in the same boat as I am - in that I understand that faith (for me) wavers between mindful self-delusion and the whispers of God.

…
But back to Reasoning!

Reasoning is good and God given!

The trouble with reason is can only digest what comes to it. Some of us are blessed to have a direct experience with God, but not me. At the end of the day my only hope is that God is outside of reason and - and I should be happy in this! For there’s nothing really that reasonable about God dying on the Cross for a bunch of sinners.

Without God, pure reasoning leads me to the permeant death in our rooting animal graves. It’s only though the unreasonableness (to us) merits of God that I have any hope.

Or at least that’s my poor reasoning about reasoning.
 
benjohnson said:
IFor there’s nothing really that reasonable about God dying on the Cross for a bunch of sinners.
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:rotfl: Nothing really reasonable about Him expecting everyone following in some rather creative fashion either.

You must have had some kind of revelation to sign up for that. 😉
 
OK back to Chesterton

“But the comparison of commercial and religious centers is connected with another question that is perhaps more immediately modern than the worship of Moloch. We have not got quite so far as reviving that sort of Eastern mysticism as yet, though there is no saying what we may come to eventually, with a judicious combination of neo-pagan nature-worship and our efforts to restrict the population.”😛
 
Matthew_Light said:
It seems to me that a lot of the brightest and most philosophically inclined Protestants end up becoming Catholic.

I like the intellectual engagement and heritage that Catholicism brings to the table.

It seems that much of the good philosophical defense of belief in God comes from Catholics.

🙂
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There’s also Bishop Henry Graham a convert to Catholicism from Protestantism author of “Where We Got The Bible”.

It was also noted that GK Chesterton’s writings helped bring CS Lewis to Christianity.
 
AbideWithMe said:
I will. MacDonald is one of the chief reasons I still am a Christian, and at peace about remaining a Christian, despite some long-running intellectual doubts, so I probably should visit with him for my own sake. Unfortunately I don’t have all his stories, though I think I’ve read his entire fictional output.
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I think that most of it is on Project Gutenberg, isn’t it? Bob Trexler used to sell a CD-ROM with pretty much all MacDonald’s works for $10.00–I bought it but have since mislaid it, alas.

Edwin
 
Contarini said:
I think that most of it is on Project Gutenberg, isn’t it? Bob Trexler used to sell a CD-ROM with pretty much all MacDonald’s works for $10.00–I bought it but have since mislaid it, alas.

Edwin
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Wow, you’re right. Thanks. I found some work from MacDonald on Project Gutenburg which I haven’t read yet.

I think I will resolve, for this new year, to spend less of my internet time on CAF, where I sometimes get exasperated and annoyed with people 😊, and more time nurturing faith with some old friends like MacDonald.
 
AbideWithMe said:
Wow, you’re right. Thanks. I found some work from MacDonald on Project Gutenburg which I haven’t read yet.

I think I will resolve, for this new year, to spend less of my internet time on CAF, where I sometimes get exasperated and annoyed with people 😊, and more time nurturing faith with some old friends like MacDonald.
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MacDonald is more interesting than we are, IMO.

GKC
 
AbideWithMe said:
Wow, you’re right. Thanks. I found some work from MacDonald on Project Gutenburg which I haven’t read yet.

I think I will resolve, for this new year, to spend less of my internet time on CAF, where I sometimes get exasperated and annoyed with people 😊, and more time nurturing faith with some old friends like MacDonald.
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Over at amazon, there is a lot of MacDonald’s work for free and a $2.99 version that includes 65 books.
 
GaryTaylor said:
OK back to Chesterton

“But the comparison of commercial and religious centers is connected with another question that is perhaps more immediately modern than the worship of Moloch. We have not got quite so far as reviving that sort of Eastern mysticism as yet, though there is no saying what we may come to eventually, with a judicious combination of neo-pagan nature-worship and our efforts to restrict the population.”😛
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GENERALLY SPEAKING, 1st American ed., 1929, Chap. XXXVIL: “On Architecture”, pp.249-250.

GKC
 
GKC said:
MacDonald is more interesting than we are, IMO.

GKC
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Speak for yourself:p

Actually MacDonald is one of the few people who just might be more interesting than you are, and runs neck and neck with your namesake:D

Edwin
 
GKC said:
MacDonald is more interesting than we are, IMO.

GKC
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I’ve learned a good deal here.
Isaiah45_9 said:
Over at amazon, there is a lot of MacDonald’s work for free and a $2.99 version that includes 65 books.
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Thanks, Jose. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought before to check out MacDonald’s books on the internet. He was such a formative influence on me when I was younger. For example, he gave me a foundational understanding of the interwoven relationship of faith and obedience; and of the joy of obedience even when my faith is walking in the dark. I think, because of MacDonald, I’ve seen “faith and works” in terms of “faith and obedience”.
 
Hmm. Hi all. I am not sure is we are being biased. Sure, there are many catholic intellectuals but I must admit if one was to look at either Noble Prize Awards, Impact on Society and Culture, High Ranking Statemen/women etc, you would find a disproportionate no. of catholics. Jewish people for some reason fill the annals of intellectual endeavours, even with their small numbers. I think the Jewish creed involves three things in life. 1. Good Health. 2. Good Family Bonding. 3. Good Education. Catholics I feel put more attention to social issues, helping the poor, praying, being selfless and modest. A bit like Charlie’s mother in Willy Wonka. :). Any comments?
 
GKC said:
Chesterton said that he had thought of writing it. In the introduction to ORTHODOXY. He was making a comment about his writing of that book.

GKC
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At first I thought he was talking about Manalive.
 
I think the term intellectual should be better defined for the point of the discussion. For example, could a person really be considered an intellectual, such as a scientist, if they use the common tools of their trade, which is of course the area of science in which they work, the scientific method and statistical analysis of tests to support theories, to offer “educated” opinions and yet fail to use the same tools of the trade that they use to make a living? In my opinion that is not real intellectuality because of lack of reason made worse in light of their background.

I am speaking of course about opinions from the likes of Hawking that the universe could have started on it’s own because of multiple dimension that overlap thus creating matter. Theories such as this can never be proven of course and worse there is nothing in physical science that would support this. Another good example is Dawkins promoting evolution as an undisputed fact when there are major issues that have not been addressed, nor likely can ever be.

Interestingly, the OT consistently talks about creation and it’s clear evidence to man of a higher power, God of course. Furthermore, quantum physics and genetic biology are supremely complex topics in that they deal with supremely complex and ordered systems which smacks in contrast to the second law of thermodynamics that states that disorder increases with time and this evidence should be even a greater impetus to realize that what we see could not come into being of it’s own yet many scientists who completely understand these issues irrationally ignore them in spite of their clear implications.
 
Catolico65 said:
I think the term intellectual should be better defined for the point of the discussion. For example, could a person really be considered an intellectual, such as a scientist, if they use the common tools of their trade, which is of course the area of science in which they work, the scientific method and statistical analysis of tests to support theories, to offer “educated” opinions and yet fail to use the same tools of the trade that they use to make a living? In my opinion that is not real intellectuality because of lack of reason made worse in light of their background.

I am speaking of course about opinions from the likes of Hawking that the universe could have started on it’s own because of multiple dimension that overlap thus creating matter. Theories such as this can never be proven of course and worse there is nothing in physical science that would support this. Another good example is Dawkins promoting evolution as an undisputed fact when there are major issues that have not been addressed, nor likely can ever be.

Interestingly, the OT consistently talks about creation and it’s clear evidence to man of a higher power, God of course. Furthermore, quantum physics and genetic biology are supremely complex topics in that they deal with supremely complex and ordered systems which smacks in contrast to the second law of thermodynamics that states that disorder increases with time and this evidence should be even a greater impetus to realize that what we see could not come into being of it’s own yet many scientists who completely understand these issues irrationally ignore them in spite of their clear implications.
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This was already posted on another thread, but just in case anyone didn’t see it there, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that The Magician’s Twin: C.S. Lewis and the Case against Scientism is a very good video.
 
Peter_J said:
This was already posted on another thread, but just in case anyone didn’t see it there, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that The Magician’s Twin: C.S. Lewis and the Case against Scientism is a very good video.
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A very good video and observation. As some one who graduated in '92 I am discouraged at the amount that secularism and rejection of God has increased in our institutions based on a conversation with a young man preparing for his doctorate. What I want for my fellow Christians is to not give an inch in any aspect, whether public and private, and recognize what is at stake.
 
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