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anon52328184
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i always thought it was odd that so many students studying for the priesthood study philosophy. most people that study philosophy end up questioning the existence of God.
Does the study of religion and philosophy contradict each other?
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juhothenero
Guest
Studying philosophy is quite necessary for priesthood, hence it gives you capabilities for further understanding what it is that church is actually teaching… philosophy does not contradict religion, in fact it mostly supports it… many people who claim to be skeptics only make such a claim to support their agnostic or atheist point of view, they are not real skeptics, real skepticism goes so far that in the end one just has to start believing in something…
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rossum
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Not always. Some philosophies disagree with some religions, but all major religions have philosophical sides to them. Thomas Aquinas and Nagarjuna are just two examples of religiously inspired philosophers.
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juhothenero
Guest
Rossum is absolutely right on this issue… put a link to Thomas also so as to not unfairly treat a Christian philosopher…
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mizznicole
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From the Regensburg lecture:
Pope Benedict says quite decisively that philosophy (purified and corrected by faith) is inseparable from the teaching of the Catholic church.
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anon52328184
Guest
could you explain further how studying philosophy helps to further understand what the Catholic church teaches? maybe i don’t understand clearly what the study of philosophy is.
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juhothenero
Guest
For example studying St. Thomas Aquintas would help one to learn the classical proof of God existence etc… Philosophy is the love of knowledge, studying a logical and rational way of exploring human knowledge, it doesn’t contradict religion to begin with rather then it offers a different perspective on the issue… Philosophy has been used before to spread the gospel an and it has been fitted to suit gospels revelations…
here are some links to wiki:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomism
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy
Philosophy has always had a major role in the church as means to spread knowledge and also to learn more about Gods revelation
When i studied philosophy it made me question everything, but in the end you have to believe in something so i made a choice and prayed to god to lead me, now i am soon to be a catholic… Philosophy doesn’t contradict religion, some atheist evangelicals use it as a “tool” although they do not always know what things they are talking about… they get good looking terms and words from philosophy without understanding the deeper meaning of those terms…
Skeptic for example is not supposed to believe in anything without hard enough proof, Atheist call themselves Skeptics but they are not since they actually believe a lot of things without proof, skeptic should always find ways to disprove let say evolution, but atheist will not do that… Philosophy and Atheism do not go together… for example JPII and now Benedictus XVI are both well educated philosophers, especially Benedictus XVI, his philosophy goes deeper then any person here i have seen, and he is not an atheist…
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Newbie2
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Correctomundo. It’s important to add that the Church doesn’t endorse any particular philosophy.
Let’s go back to the concept of God…the Church teaches all about God (all that has been revealed, anyway). But the existance of God is also a philosophical concept. Questions such as “Why are we here?” and “Who made us?” and such may not be sufficiently answered through theological methods, so we use philosophical methods in order to attempt to answer such philosophical questions.
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Socrates4Jesus
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I think some philosophers have given philosophy a bad reputation. Socrates said:
Wise, i may not call them; for that name is too great and belongs to God alone. ‘Lovers of wisdom,’ or philosophers, would be a more harmonious and befitting title."
(Phaedrus 278)
For Socrates, to be a philosopher, in the truest sense, is to love wisdom and truth and the One who is the source of all wisdom and truth. Asking tough questions and admitting one does not have all the answers was, for him, the best method of getting closer to God. As Jesus said:
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8)
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anon52328184
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okay. thanks for your responses to my question. i see religion has having to believe in something and philosophy as not having to believe in anything. maybe philosophy is questioning everything and religion is seen as the answer to some of those questions. ???
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Newbie2
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Sort of. Depending on the philosopher, they tend to try to provide answers to many of those questions. Some philosophers make arguments for nihilism, but others not.
Beware, though…good philosophers can make convincing arguments against religion, things we know as true. I’ve read a bit of philsophy, here and there…and sometimes found myself saying, “Gee, that makes sense…that makes sense too”…but then realizing that the particular philosopher’s argument was against one or more of my religious beliefs.
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Joe_5859
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Not exactly. Philosophy literally means “love of wisdom”. Philosophy is all about pursuing truth for its own sake. It asks lots of questions, but not simply for sake of questioning. It asks for the sake of finding answers that are true.
The Christian religion is God’s revelation to us. It is compatible with natural philosophy, but it is not necessarily something we would have come up with on our own. For example, look at the Trinity. Without divine revelation, we would not know that God is a Trinity of persons. And yet, many of the Church’s great philosophers (Augustine, Aquinas, etc.) have written beautifully on how the doctrine of the Trinity can be seen through reason. (Just look at Aquinas’ Part 1 Questions 27-43Summa.)
I forget who said it, but it has been said that philosophy is the handmaid of theology. You cannot have one without the other. This is why all priests and theologians must have a background in philosophy. Our faith is always rooted in reason and is never opposed to it.
For an in depth answer to your question, I recommend reading John Paul II’s excellent encyclical (Faith and Reason)Fides et Ratio.
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anon52328184
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that is what i was always afraid of, that studying philosphy would make me doubt my faith in God.
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anon52328184
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love of wisdom sounds good. i also like philosophy is the handmaid of theology. sometimes, though, too much wisdom is not a good thing and can lead someone away from faith is my feeling. i guess the people who are religious and study philosophy must have a stronger foundation in their faith than i do.
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as-a-child
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deborahaz if i may recommend
peterkreeft.com/audio.htm
great guy to start with when talking about modern christian philosophers.
peterkreeft.com/audio.htm
great guy to start with when talking about modern christian philosophers.
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anon52328184
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thanks for the link. i will try to listen to some of his talks. i see he has one on c. s. lewis’ mere christianity, which i have not read.
i have never heard of this man, but i am a new catholic.
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Socrates4Jesus
Guest
Yes, Deborahaz, i think you are on to something, there. Socrates would say that what separates the fake philosopher from the genuine philosopher is that the fake asks questions to avoid the truth, while the genuine asks questions because she is really looking for the truth.
When i think about it, how can anyone find answers to her questions if she never asks them?
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14). If someone is genuinely seeking the truth about who God is, that search should lead her to Jesus.
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Newbie2
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Well, you just have to be careful. I found it helpful to know a little about the philosophy of the philosopher in order to know what to expect.
As has been said, there are many great Christian philosophers as well, both “ancient” and contemporary.
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Joe_5859
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As philosophers like to do, I would like to make a distinction.
I do not think that too much wisdom can lead someone away from the faith. Wisdom is one of the four cardinal virtues and any increase in wisdom can only increase our faith. However, I think it would be very accurate to say that too much knowledge can lead someone away from the faith. That happens in academia all the time.I think that it’s not a bad thing to be cautious. You have to be careful about which philosophers you read and when, taking into account where you are on your faith journey. For example, I’ve heard it said that reading Nietzsche too early can be poison to the soul. As one of the previous posters said, many of the most influential modern philosophers (many of whom are atheist and/or anti-Christian) are very intelligent people. When you are reading them, it can be easy to get pulled in if you don’t yet know enough about philosophy to see where the errors lie. Of course, the antidote to this is prayer and study. It’s a good practice to pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind before you read anything.
I second the recommendation for Peter Kreeft. He is a Catholic philosophy professor at Boston College and has written some excellent books. If you’re interested in philosophy, you might try Philosophy 101 By Socrates. It’s the first book in a series in which Kreeft uses Socrates (the founding father of philosophy) to cross-examine many of the modern philosophers (Machiavelli, Marx, Sartre, Descartes). It’s a great series because it clues you in to the major pitfalls in the thought of these philosophers that most of us could not hope to notice on our own!
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Michael_David
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Seems to me, all philosophy looks to answer questions, and gain Understanding by the process. The understanding removes doubt, depending on the question asked. Philosophy seeks to answer the question Why… the When, Where, Who, How is answered by other disciplines.
It is not the Where of the Church; nor the Who of the Church; nor the When to be in the Church; nor the How to conduct one’s self while there… but rather, the Why one came to Church in the First Place.
I look at it as the Rudder on the Ship…
It is not the Where of the Church; nor the Who of the Church; nor the When to be in the Church; nor the How to conduct one’s self while there… but rather, the Why one came to Church in the First Place.
I look at it as the Rudder on the Ship…
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