C
Crux_Sancta
Guest
I am a person who has considered myself a philosopher, a metaphysician, and an artist who makes art based on (what I have perceived to this point be) “metaphysical reality”, Catholic theology, and mysticism. I have unique position which has allowed me to live a contemplative life, exploring areas of learning which most would consider a waste of time, in that most humans’ learning is focused on acquiring knowledge which would allow them to make a living.
While there are many people who are called philosophers, or lovers of wisdom, I have through various means acquired not only what is called “wisdom”, but also a great deal of “un-wisdom” as well. In retrospect, this was highly necessary to understand this world–if Satan is a deceiver and also the Lord of this World, it would be necessary to acquire not only the Truth, but also a large amount of un-truth (as well as the ability to discern between the two) if I were to understand the world that I live in.
But I do not think I am wise; I do not think that I am wise because I have acquired wisdom, and I do not think I am wise because I know that I am not wise. I rather think of myself as a fool, led into this or that mystery by the grace of God, or this or that deception by the work of the Devil–from the standpoint of God, perhaps an object of amusement or even contempt.
My main question is this: is not having a “view” on metaphysical reality, or a “mental image” which one thinks corresponds to “metaphysical reality” an error? The logic and axioms which we use to live our day to day lives work for the physical world quite well, at least in understanding objects we interact with in our day to day lives. But our God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Increasingly, I’ve been sort of thinking that since God is omnipotent, metaphysical reality is anything God wills it to be, and thus is not necessarily subject to any sort of order or restriction, and that this creates a sort of “void”, which is empty of all characteristics and thus can take on any of them. That is not to say that it is equivalent to Eastern (non-)concepts like the Tao of Taoism, or the Sunyata of Buddhism, it is simply that since God is omnipotent, no aspect of metaphysical reality must remain eternally fixed, although it would be possible for God to make it so if He desired, and scripture is full of things where he has claimed it as so. Via negativa theology attempts to describe God by what He is not, but I’m saying that if God is omnipotent, truth is objective, but it means whatever God wants and He can do whatever he wants.
I may be going on slightly or even highly dangerous teritory here, but here’s a thought: Omnipotence means the ability to do ANYTHING. That means that God could say that the moon is made of cheese, and it would be so. If God is omnipotent, he could then say that the moon has ALWAYS been made of cheese, and it would always have been made of cheese, and He would not have told a lie. Omnipotence means that God could totally contradict everything he ever said, then say that he did not, and he would be correct in stating that he did not contradict himself. God could completely violate every promise He ever made, and then claim that he did not, and if He is omnipotent, then He did not.
Now, I’m not saying God would DO that, I have faith that God is loving, fulfills his promises, loves us, and does not do such things, just that if God is omnipotent, He COULD do those things, since if He is omnipotent, He can do impossible things that are beyond the comprehension of mortals .Now, I have not read that it is a dogma of the Church that He would never do such things, although it would be a comfort to hear that is one and I actually hope that it is. Unfortunately, it seems to me that it is actually completely impossible to escape God being able to do that, because if God is omnipotent, he could still do that and it would still be a dogma of the church that He could not, and it would still be a correct dogma, if God is not subject to any limitations.
One can read the scriptures and understand, but if it is the Holy Spirit that helps us understand scriptures, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent as well, and different people, all baptized into the Holy Spirit have come upon different interpretations, then is it possible that what God means is what God wants a person to understand the words as meaning at the time and place they are read? Surely, it is possible for a person with a heart turned against God to interpret scripture to mean something that God does not intend, but if one is reading with a sincere heart turned toward God and the Holy Spirit, is it perhaps the case that the understanding of what is said is the understanding that God wants? If the Holy Spirit is what helps us interpret the text, and people have interpreted things differently while still being under the influence of the Holy Spirit, are all still comprehending the objective will of God? What I’m sort of asking is, does God use the text to mean what he wants it to be understood as in whatever situation it is encountered, in the person who reads it’s life, or is there some transcendental, eternally fixed, correct reading which the person is in error if their reading in any way deviates from it? I’m increasingly thinking the best answer is: I do not know.
i guess what I’m trying to get at is that God, if He is omnipotent, can do whatever He wants, mean whatever He wants, cause people to interpret whatever He has said however He wants, and thus to sit around speculating about metaphysical reality is foolish? It would seem that only Divine Illumination can comprehend metaphysical reality and even some aspects of mundane reality, if God is omnipotent, and Divine Illumination gives understanding which transcends thought.
While there are many people who are called philosophers, or lovers of wisdom, I have through various means acquired not only what is called “wisdom”, but also a great deal of “un-wisdom” as well. In retrospect, this was highly necessary to understand this world–if Satan is a deceiver and also the Lord of this World, it would be necessary to acquire not only the Truth, but also a large amount of un-truth (as well as the ability to discern between the two) if I were to understand the world that I live in.
But I do not think I am wise; I do not think that I am wise because I have acquired wisdom, and I do not think I am wise because I know that I am not wise. I rather think of myself as a fool, led into this or that mystery by the grace of God, or this or that deception by the work of the Devil–from the standpoint of God, perhaps an object of amusement or even contempt.
My main question is this: is not having a “view” on metaphysical reality, or a “mental image” which one thinks corresponds to “metaphysical reality” an error? The logic and axioms which we use to live our day to day lives work for the physical world quite well, at least in understanding objects we interact with in our day to day lives. But our God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Increasingly, I’ve been sort of thinking that since God is omnipotent, metaphysical reality is anything God wills it to be, and thus is not necessarily subject to any sort of order or restriction, and that this creates a sort of “void”, which is empty of all characteristics and thus can take on any of them. That is not to say that it is equivalent to Eastern (non-)concepts like the Tao of Taoism, or the Sunyata of Buddhism, it is simply that since God is omnipotent, no aspect of metaphysical reality must remain eternally fixed, although it would be possible for God to make it so if He desired, and scripture is full of things where he has claimed it as so. Via negativa theology attempts to describe God by what He is not, but I’m saying that if God is omnipotent, truth is objective, but it means whatever God wants and He can do whatever he wants.
I may be going on slightly or even highly dangerous teritory here, but here’s a thought: Omnipotence means the ability to do ANYTHING. That means that God could say that the moon is made of cheese, and it would be so. If God is omnipotent, he could then say that the moon has ALWAYS been made of cheese, and it would always have been made of cheese, and He would not have told a lie. Omnipotence means that God could totally contradict everything he ever said, then say that he did not, and he would be correct in stating that he did not contradict himself. God could completely violate every promise He ever made, and then claim that he did not, and if He is omnipotent, then He did not.
Now, I’m not saying God would DO that, I have faith that God is loving, fulfills his promises, loves us, and does not do such things, just that if God is omnipotent, He COULD do those things, since if He is omnipotent, He can do impossible things that are beyond the comprehension of mortals .Now, I have not read that it is a dogma of the Church that He would never do such things, although it would be a comfort to hear that is one and I actually hope that it is. Unfortunately, it seems to me that it is actually completely impossible to escape God being able to do that, because if God is omnipotent, he could still do that and it would still be a dogma of the church that He could not, and it would still be a correct dogma, if God is not subject to any limitations.
One can read the scriptures and understand, but if it is the Holy Spirit that helps us understand scriptures, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent as well, and different people, all baptized into the Holy Spirit have come upon different interpretations, then is it possible that what God means is what God wants a person to understand the words as meaning at the time and place they are read? Surely, it is possible for a person with a heart turned against God to interpret scripture to mean something that God does not intend, but if one is reading with a sincere heart turned toward God and the Holy Spirit, is it perhaps the case that the understanding of what is said is the understanding that God wants? If the Holy Spirit is what helps us interpret the text, and people have interpreted things differently while still being under the influence of the Holy Spirit, are all still comprehending the objective will of God? What I’m sort of asking is, does God use the text to mean what he wants it to be understood as in whatever situation it is encountered, in the person who reads it’s life, or is there some transcendental, eternally fixed, correct reading which the person is in error if their reading in any way deviates from it? I’m increasingly thinking the best answer is: I do not know.
i guess what I’m trying to get at is that God, if He is omnipotent, can do whatever He wants, mean whatever He wants, cause people to interpret whatever He has said however He wants, and thus to sit around speculating about metaphysical reality is foolish? It would seem that only Divine Illumination can comprehend metaphysical reality and even some aspects of mundane reality, if God is omnipotent, and Divine Illumination gives understanding which transcends thought.
