How is God offended?

[ChibiViolet]

Does anyone know how exactly God is offended by sin when He can’t feel negative emotions? Does He maybe ever choose to feel negative emotions for our benefit, or is it against official teaching to believe that? Is it as I have heard–something we simply cannot understand, but in Biblical times, He spoke in human terms of anger and sorrow?

What if we feel, or think we feel like He’s trying to communicate to us that something is displeasing to Him in such terms, when intellectually, the thing in question seems morally neutral or at least not of grave matter? Should we take such seriously, even if we need help with it and have no clue of how to actually go about it?

Please avoid too many specific questions for me. I like my ambiguity.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I don’t have time to elaborate now, but I can easily think of hundreds of ways we offend God.

 

[meltzerboy]

Does anyone know how exactly God is offended by sin when He can’t feel negative emotions? Does He maybe ever choose to feel negative emotions for our benefit, or is it against official teaching to believe that? Is it as I have heard–something we simply cannot understand, but in Biblical times, He spoke in human terms of anger and sorrow?

What if we feel, or think we feel like He’s trying to communicate to us that something is displeasing to Him in such terms, when intellectually, the thing in question seems morally neutral or at least not of grave matter? Should we take such seriously, even if we need help with it and have no clue of how to actually go about it?

Please avoid too many specific questions for me. I like my ambiguity.

I think G-d’s so-called offense as a consequence of our sinning is really sorrow for us. It is similar to a parent’s being angry at their child for doing the wrong thing: the so-called anger is really a sign of sorrow because the parent believes their child is harming themselves. G-d realizes that our happiness depends on our choosing the morally right path, which He has provided for us, and thus he feels sorrowful when we choose otherwise.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I think G-d’s so-called offense as a consequence of our sinning is really sorrow for us. It is similar to a parent’s being angry at their child for doing the wrong thing: the so-called anger is really a sign of sorrow because the parent believes their child is harming themselves. G-d realizes that our happiness depends on our choosing the morally right path, which He has provided for us, and thus he feels sorrowful when we choose otherwise.

very good meltzerboy. I agree.

 

[TK421]

Divine Justice requires punitive action against an action that is contrary to the Divine Nature. God does not delight in punishment for its own sake (“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, saith the Lord”) but he does delight in the fulfillment of His Justice.

In human terms: if a criminal is caught, we may (and ought) to delight in the capturing of the criminal (the service of justice) while simultaneously having no pleasure in the negative consequences incurred upon the criminal. Indeed, even a sense of lose is to be felt, because we see the criminal as he is (in his sinful state) compared to what we imagine the criminal could be, and we mourn that deficit. An impenitent is like a would-be brother or sister that we never got to have.

Emotions are excited via the human body & matter, and God is not matter, so he does not have emotions. When scripture attributes emotions to God, they are similes to convey in human terms the actions of Divine Nature. The “feelings” of God are not something to be comprehended.

 

[pianistclare]

I think G-d’s so-called offense as a consequence of our sinning is really sorrow for us. It is similar to a parent’s being angry at their child for doing the wrong thing: the so-called anger is really a sign of sorrow because the parent believes their child is harming themselves. G-d realizes that our happiness depends on our choosing the morally right path, which He has provided for us, and thus he feels sorrowful when we choose otherwise.

Yup. Nailed it.
God is offended because He has shown us the Way.
When we reject it, it is a rejection of HIM.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

I don’t believe it’s possible to “offend God” the same ways humans get offended.

Things that are sad and destructive happen as a result of nature, if nothing else. “Being offended” requires a human ego. Even Jesus had enough to “become offended” once, but I saw that as a “fully human” man protecting the integrity of the Church, not as “the Boss’s Son” going off.

Jesus made it pretty clear that outward appearances, group identity, and even “righteous behavior” in accordance with presumably God-given law were things that were not important to what God thought of our behavior.

Matt 5
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, **for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. **46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Prov 19:11
It is good sense to be slow to anger, and an honor to overlook an offense.

Job 35:5-7
Look up to the skies and see;
behold the heavens high above you.
If you sin, what do you do to God?
Even if your offenses are many, how do you affect him?
If you are righteous, what do you give him,
or what does he receive from your hand?

I have a theory that God is not offended at all when his children behave mischievously. “Being offended” is a sinful human condition IMO that applies a conceptual framework for disunity and inhibits reconciliation. I think we project this upon God, whose mind is clearly not like ours of sending His Son among animals who kill him would have been about the Greatest Offense anybody would ever pull – like an advanced form of child endangerment.

It is folly to assume we know God’s mind and whether He gets offended.

Was Jesus “acting offended” on the cross when He said “forgive them father for they know now what they do?” If Jesus wasn’t “turned off by those offensive people” who did that, it’s pretty hard to imagine how G-d is going to “get offended” by some little thing that causes us guilt. The offense is in our own hearts, and manifests in the guilt, the knowledge that we have done less than we expect of ourselves – or in our outwardly observable judgment of the same in others.

 

[RedFox0456]

I think G-d’s so-called offense as a consequence of our sinning is really sorrow for us. It is similar to a parent’s being angry at their child for doing the wrong thing: the so-called anger is really a sign of sorrow because the parent believes their child is harming themselves. G-d realizes that our happiness depends on our choosing the morally right path, which He has provided for us, and thus he feels sorrowful when we choose otherwise.

As perfect an explanation as I could imagine.

 

[cornbread_r2]

As I understand it, God is perfect and immutable. If that’s true, then it seems that a entity that experiences degrees of sadness or anger or offense is an entity that is not without deficit and is changeable.

 

[ChibiViolet]

I don’t believe it’s possible to “offend God” the same ways humans get offended.

Things that are sad and destructive happen as a result of nature, if nothing else. “Being offended” requires a human ego. Even Jesus had enough to “become offended” once, but I saw that as a “fully human” man protecting the integrity of the Church, not as “the Boss’s Son” going off.

Jesus made it pretty clear that outward appearances, group identity, and even “righteous behavior” in accordance with presumably God-given law were things that were not important to what God thought of our behavior.

Matt 5
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, **for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. **46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Prov 19:11
It is good sense to be slow to anger, and an honor to overlook an offense.

Job 35:5-7
Look up to the skies and see;
behold the heavens high above you.
If you sin, what do you do to God?
Even if your offenses are many, how do you affect him?
If you are righteous, what do you give him,
or what does he receive from your hand?

I have a theory that God is not offended at all when his children behave mischievously. “Being offended” is a sinful human condition IMO that applies a conceptual framework for disunity and inhibits reconciliation. I think we project this upon God, whose mind is clearly not like ours of sending His Son among animals who kill him would have been about the Greatest Offense anybody would ever pull – like an advanced form of child endangerment.

It is folly to assume we know God’s mind and whether He gets offended.

Was Jesus “acting offended” on the cross when He said “forgive them father for they know now what they do?” If Jesus wasn’t “turned off by those offensive people” who did that, it’s pretty hard to imagine how G-d is going to “get offended” by some little thing that causes us guilt. The offense is in our own hearts, and manifests in the guilt, the knowledge that we have done less than we expect of ourselves – or in our outwardly observable judgment of the same in others.

The feelings I mentioned feel spiritual and not from within me. I don’t get them often anymore…I just wanted to make sure they couldn’t possibly mean that what I’m doing is of grave matter…I guess maybe it is, but there is no real way to know…(it involves cursed objects–not using them too much, but basically just keeping them and using some of the more practical ones. Their just ordinary objects in and of themselves. For most of my life I’ve had quite a sensitivity to the demonic; I do not wish to argue about it–whether or not I have the ability so please just don’t–and then of course, there’s the thing I long-ago consecrated informally to Satan myself as a former private individual Satanist. That is one I don’t touch.)

Jesus was indeed offended when nailed to the Cross–He wasn’t angry at those who had done it, but felt sorrow for them and for all of us…But He was mortal then…

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

The feelings I mentioned feel spiritual and not from within me. I don’t get them often anymore…I just wanted to make sure they couldn’t possibly mean that what I’m doing is of grave matter…I guess maybe it is, but there is no real way to know…(it involves cursed objects–not using them too much, but basically just keeping them and using some of the more practical ones. Their just ordinary objects in and of themselves. For most of my life I’ve had quite a sensitivity to the demonic; I do not wish to argue about it–whether or not I have the ability so please just don’t–and then of course, there’s the thing I long-ago consecrated informally to Satan myself as a former private individual Satanist. That is one I don’t touch.)

Jesus was indeed offended when nailed to the Cross–He wasn’t angry at those who had done it, but felt sorrow for them and for all of us…But He was mortal then…

I apologize if I came across as argumentative. My intent was to respond to the OP questions, hopefully both literal and spirit. You asked to remain ambiguous, and now have provided details I did not ask for but now that you have, perhaps this will be interesting to you. If you want only official Catholic teaching then others are more qualified than me to have an opinion on these matters.

As far as cursed objects, though, would that be anything like meat sacrificed to idols? For a person who believes in idols, it is a terrible thing to eat such meat. But to St. Paul, it is nothing except to the degree that it is useful in order to avoid scandal. So if I don’t believe that satanic cursing has power of me, then it is not a big deal.

Your mileage may vary. Read 1 Cor 9 and it covers my point.

But how do you know Jesus was “offended” while hanging on the cross? So much so that you tell me I’m wrong with no references except your claim, and as far as I can tell the scripture went over your head. What documentation or special insight do you have that I don’t?

If you don’t want my opinions or the scriptural references I offer, than please guide me to better usefulness by clarifying what you are asking and whose opinion you are seeking (CCC, saints, mine, your own, etc) or if you’d prefer I’ll leave the thread.

If you are concerned about satanic tendencies, I recommend go over the gospels, especially John, and especially the “red letter” words of Jesus. Quit trying to think about Him exclusively, and just listen and hear them. IOW do what the Father and Mother said, “listen to Him” and “do what He tells you” respectively – not so much the theology built around HIm. “Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ.” -Rom 10:17.

And if you haven’t already, maybe consider contemplative prayer – see CCC 2700-2724. Some think it’s scary but it’s because of what they make it into.

 

[ChibiViolet]

I apologize if I came across as argumentative. My intent was to respond to the OP questions, hopefully both literal and spirit. You asked to remain ambiguous, and now have provided details I did not ask for but now that you have, perhaps this will be interesting to you. If you want only official Catholic teaching then others are more qualified than me to have an opinion on these matters.

As far as cursed objects, though, would that be anything like meat sacrificed to idols? For a person who believes in idols, it is a terrible thing to eat such meat. But to St. Paul, it is nothing except to the degree that it is useful in order to avoid scandal. So if I don’t believe that satanic cursing has power of me, then it is not a big deal.

Your mileage may vary. Read 1 Cor 9 and it covers my point.

But how do you know Jesus was “offended” while hanging on the cross? So much so that you tell me I’m wrong with no references except your claim, and as far as I can tell the scripture went over your head. What documentation or special insight do you have that I don’t?

If you don’t want my opinions or the scriptural references I offer, than please guide me to better usefulness by clarifying what you are asking and whose opinion you are seeking (CCC, saints, mine, your own, etc) or if you’d prefer I’ll leave the thread.

If you are concerned about satanic tendencies, I recommend go over the gospels, especially John, and especially the “red letter” words of Jesus. Quit trying to think about Him exclusively, and just listen and hear them. IOW do what the Father and Mother said, “listen to Him” and “do what He tells you” respectively – not so much the theology built around HIm. “Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ.” -Rom 10:17.

And if you haven’t already, maybe consider contemplative prayer – see CCC 2700-2724. Some think it’s scary but it’s because of what they make it into.

Yes, well, I didn’t want to be especially detailed in my description as to the why I keep the cursed objects, but other than that, I don’t actually mind providing details. When I did post a similar thread, providing such details, no one responded though and I did want responses…such as it it is, I do not feel a threat to ambiguity…

As far as Jesus being offended, I was just saying He was feeling sorrow for the souls that would be lost and such…I was unaware it was such a special insight…(as I learned it from religious class.) He took upon all our suffering and sin and felt great sorrow from this. I don’t know how such could be denied…I **didn’t **mean that He was angry at us, in case you overlooked what I was saying…

Basically, all I wanted to know, from some (as in ANY) official Catholic source was that God and the saints do not feel negative emotions. I wanted something to prove my feelings null and void so I could chalk it up to imagination and or demons messing with me.

I am not concerned so much about Satanic tendencies–mostly just the demons themselves attached to the objects and the potential sinfulness of keeping them.

 

[ChibiViolet]

For most of my life I’ve had quite a sensitivity to the demonic; I do not wish to argue about it–whether or not I have the ability so please just don’t…)

I’m sorry if that seemed if this comment was only addressed to you, Mystical Seeker, or implied that I was angry, but I wanted to reply to you at the same time as ask everyone posting not to do so because I considered it highly likely that someone would.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

I’m sorry if that seemed if this comment was only addressed to you, Mystical Seeker, or implied that I was angry, but I wanted to reply to you at the same time as ask everyone posting not to do so because I considered it highly likely that someone would.

Thank you, but I wasn’t expecting an apology. I flicker in and out between honest curiosity and a little residual egoic effects in my writing that I haven’t mortified yet. I appreciate the clarification, which explains the disparity I must have wondered about.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

Yes, well, I didn’t want to be especially detailed

…such as it it is, I do not feel a threat to ambiguity…

I am fascinated by the idea of cursed objects, to the point I would not mind discussing them. Honestly, I can imagine reasons for keeping them, whether you still do or don’t “place any stock” in their being cursed. So yeah, I’m not saying I know why, or that you need to tell me, but I personally don’t see that it’s an issue.

Because until someone shows me why, I may not believe in “cursed objects” per se, and so I don’t see that they are delivering any power. If you don’t believe in them, it’s no biggie so you don’t need a reason. If you’re still creeped out by them, I could see that as a reason to keep them rather than get rid of them. But I’m pretty weird and went through some pretty weird gyrations during a 14 year tumultuous, psychotic Dark Night and I’m not really afraid of much of anything from a “spiritual” standpoint any more.

As far as Jesus being offended, I was just saying He was feeling sorrow for the souls that would be lost and such…I was unaware it was such a special insight…(as I learned it from religious class.) He took upon all our suffering and sin and felt great sorrow from this. I don’t know how such could be denied…I **didn’t **mean that He was angry at us, in case you overlooked what I was saying…

I can definitely go with “sorrow” as the flavor of “offended” you meant, but I still don’t like the term because to me it implies an act of humen ego and judgment. And “offended” has a special flavor to the extent I have a hard time with the wording in the creed “and most of all because it offends you …”

For example if you do something harmful, I can judge it as harmful or destructive, and I can much regret that you’ve done it. I can even be surprised that you’ve done it. But when I start to say, “your behavior is offensive to me,” then that means a value that my ego (whether based on religious truth or not) has taken personal exception to your behavior. Further, it sees that you have a character flaw or are just being mean or stupid, to the point that my world view is shattered. Maybe it sounds dramatic, by honestly “being offended” has become a huge industry these days and is a tool being used by many powerful groups even against the good of its own members – such as certain black and feminist leaders – and keeping them very angry and victimized.

In other words, if you try to offend me and get it done, I consider that MY problem that I’m offended. It may be YOUR problem that you are mean. And for this reason I just can’t relate to Jesus being offended and at the same time says they do not know what they do. If I am offended by somebody who doesn’t know what they are doing, then I might as well be offended at a tree that falls over onto my car.

I’ve heard a proposal that Jesus suffered physically but not emotionally but I’m not quite ready to buy into that one or why did He ask about His Father abandoning Him? I think something happened at that point to let Jesus know that this one He had to do Himself. Maybe he was wishful thinking that this cup really would be taken from Him – could that be the first time He prayed to His Father and the prayer was “not answered in His favor”? I’ve never actually thought that before now so I’ll share it with you FWIW.

I try to learn, but also to apply myself to the situation so I end up with a lot of hypothetical stuff even though I do find it useful. So I do try to develop “strong” opinions at times to give context and usefulness to what I see, but I reserve the right to completely deny opinions I may have previously expressed, whether last year or last post, because as much as I think I Knew It All then, ummm, apparently I might not have.

Basically, all I wanted to know, from some (as in ANY) official Catholic source was that God and the saints do not feel negative emotions. I wanted something to prove my feelings null and void so I could chalk it up to imagination and or demons messing with me.

I am not concerned so much about Satanic tendencies–mostly just the demons themselves attached to the objects and the potential sinfulness of keeping them.

Sorry I can’t answer your question with authoritative sources atm, but I can make some noise about it.

As far as saints not feeling negative emotions, I don’t know a lot of saint stuff but I’m pretty sure they did it. Some of them were tormented and got thrown around in their cells and stuff, I’ve heard.

As far as your own feelings, I’ve been “around the block” emotionally and against medical predictions have been healed, through people, events, and processes that I can’t imagine how anything short of a Holy Spirit could have arranged. Or if it wasn’t that, something is clearly influential in my life. Funny thing was about a week after my onset of severe psycho, I was working on data entry for “anonymous private confessions” for the Synod, and suddently I took a break and told the priest in charge that I had overwhelming mathematical evidence of the existence of God. Then I got very scared because I though I would be satan bait until I could dissiminate what I have discovered safely to enough other people it would not be in satan’s interest to get rid of me because the word would have already gotten out. Sound crazy? I’ll tell you it was one tunnel of fun I didn’t ask for, but I’d never want my life to be without that story, now.

So whether it’s demons messing with my mind in a supernatural sense, or just wicked thoughts that have brewed up and want to become obsessive, I’ve used it as a model to learn how to deal with them. I’m interested in the specifics of what you want to know, and I welcome PM on the topic. If we combine our observations, it may help us both.

 

[ChibiViolet]

I am fascinated by the idea of cursed objects, to the point I would not mind discussing them. Honestly, I can imagine reasons for keeping them, whether you still do or don’t “place any stock” in their being cursed. So yeah, I’m not saying I know why, or that you need to tell me, but I personally don’t see that it’s an issue.

Because until someone shows me why, I may not believe in “cursed objects” per se, and so I don’t see that they are delivering any power. If you don’t believe in them, it’s no biggie so you don’t need a reason. If you’re still creeped out by them, I could see that as a reason to keep them rather than get rid of them. But I’m pretty weird and went through some pretty weird gyrations during a 14 year tumultuous, psychotic Dark Night and I’m not really afraid of much of anything from a “spiritual” standpoint any more.

I can definitely go with “sorrow” as the flavor of “offended” you meant, but I still don’t like the term because to me it implies an act of humen ego and judgment. And “offended” has a special flavor to the extent I have a hard time with the wording in the creed “and most of all because it offends you …”

Sorry I can’t answer your question with authoritative sources atm, but I can make some noise about it.

As far as saints not feeling negative emotions, I don’t know a lot of saint stuff but I’m pretty sure they did it. Some of them were tormented and got thrown around in their cells and stuff, I’ve heard.

As far as your own feelings, I’ve been “around the block” emotionally and against medical predictions have been healed, through people, events, and processes that I can’t imagine how anything short of a Holy Spirit could have arranged. Or if it wasn’t that, something is clearly influential in my life. Funny thing was about a week after my onset of severe psycho, I was working on data entry for “anonymous private confessions” for the Synod, and suddently I took a break and told the priest in charge that I had overwhelming mathematical evidence of the existence of God. Then I got very scared because I though I would be satan bait until I could dissiminate what I have discovered safely to enough other people it would not be in satan’s interest to get rid of me because the word would have already gotten out. Sound crazy? I’ll tell you it was one tunnel of fun I didn’t ask for, but I’d never want my life to be without that story, now.

So whether it’s demons messing with my mind in a supernatural sense, or just wicked thoughts that have brewed up and want to become obsessive, I’ve used it as a model to learn how to deal with them. I’m interested in the specifics of what you want to know, and I welcome PM on the topic. If we combine our observations, it may help us both.

The feelings I get from the objects have been consistent for years…I have to get my MP3 player blessed every year, or else it skips over parts of songs that would not ordinarily skip–it has to do with a certain album on there.

The object I used in Satanic worship I only just recently found and upon reflection have decided to give it to a priest for proper disposal as there is proper criteria for how a cursed object should be disposed. It is a doll I used as a representation of my "old self " in an informal ritual of giving myself completely to Satan–trying to make myself officially bound to him with all goodness in myself being “killed,” or transformed to wickedness…I’ve tucked it away in a place out of sight and since I’ve put it there, at times have felt drawn, as though magnetically to the spot I’ve placed it. I never give into the feelings…When I found it, I thought foolishly that I could keep it and use it as a decoration and told myself the lie that “So what it’s cursed! It’s harmless and I want to keep it!” I played around with it a little in a goofy way and felt a slight burning sensation on my hand and since then, have had it tucked away.

All I really wanted to know was if I was doing something of grave matter in keeping the objects and using some.

About the saints, they are in Heaven now and I was referring to them as they are now.

 

[eazyduzit]

The feelings I get from the objects have been consistent for years…I have to get my MP3 player blessed every year, or else it skips over parts of songs that would not ordinarily skip–it has to do with a certain album on there.

The object I used in Satanic worship I only just recently found and upon reflection have decided to give it to a priest for proper disposal as there is proper criteria for how a cursed object should be disposed. It is a doll I used as a representation of my "old self " in an informal ritual of giving myself completely to Satan–trying to make myself officially bound to him with all goodness in myself being “killed,” or transformed to wickedness…I’ve tucked it away in a place out of sight and since I’ve put it there, at times have felt drawn, as though magnetically to the spot I’ve placed it. I never give into the feelings…When I found it, I thought foolishly that I could keep it and use it as a decoration and told myself the lie that “So what it’s cursed! It’s harmless and I want to keep it!” I played around with it a little in a goofy way and felt a slight burning sensation on my hand and since then, have had it tucked away.

All I really wanted to know was if I was doing something of grave matter in keeping the objects and using some.

About the saints, they are in Heaven now and I was referring to them as they are now.

I believe that there are certain objects that attract demons. Today skulls are a popular symbol. It represents death, something Satan is into. He comes to steal,kill,and destroy. Also anything used as a lucky charm or fortune symbol. It is an alternative to God so Satan would promote it. I get these things out of my house, there’s no reason to have them around.

 

[sepgs2004]

Wishes to you.

If I were you, I would ask God Himself, so that He makes me understand the best way my heart needs.

However, very simple answer is: God is Love. Love gets sad and agony if it is stopped or blocked from doing Love.
Shall we use the word “Offended”? It depends what we mean by the word offended in our heart.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

Wishes to you.

If I were you, I would ask God Himself, so that He makes me understand the best way my heart needs.

However, very simple answer is: God is Love. Love gets sad and agony if it is stopped or blocked from doing Love.
Shall we use the word “Offended”? It depends what we mean by the word offended in our heart.

Yes. It’s kind of hard sometimes to know what the heart needs, though, when the mind is trained to do such a great job of keeping a “bushel basket” to cover it.

As far as “offended” to me it refers to a situation in which I feel that I or someone/something else has been given less dignity than they deserve, and I judge it to be unacceptable and carry a stigma about it until I forget and/or forgive. This is a human weakness IMO, and in this context, attributing that to God is pretty much pure speculation.

 

[ethereality]

There is a great deal that can be said, a pool of philosophy here deriving from the spring of the idea that God is infinite and perfect. It seems better to remain at the practical level when we’re confused, and especially when we’re hurting from sin.

I asked that same question, or nearly so, “I don’t really get how I’ve offended God.” The priest replied simply, “Well, every sin is an offense against God.” Literally, that is the definition of sin: that which offends God, is an offense against God. That’s all we really need to know: We don’t need to know the mind of God to know that we shouldn’t cross Him. How God is offended is not as important to us as that He is offended.

(It seems to me to be an important question only if we’re seeking to validate our faith through understanding, which may not be a good approach – that is to say, I’m referring to the thinking “I’m not sure the Church is correct, but maybe if I understand what she teaches more, I’ll be more comfortable believing it.” Faith in God is perhaps not like faith in natural science, where we adopt such an approach at a theoretical level (before experimentation). If you’re seeking to deepen your relationship with God, that’s fine, but I wonder if there aren’t better ways, and that we ought to leave this question for heaven.)