Science&Faith

The brilliant author and lay-theologian Charles Williams ( CW , see another Blogpost ) stated: "Most people are, effectively, dualists." It is very natural to look at the world in terms of opposites: male / female, light / dark, we / them, good / bad, pleasant / painful. We certainly need to make distinctions in order to make the world intelligible. And we definitely need to have preferences in order to make decisions, to live our lives. One preference we naturally share for sure is that we abhor pain (and emotional probably even more than physical). Pain also makes us feel that the world was not meant that way. As the great apologist G.K. Chesterton remarked: "Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved." Then pain must somehow be a punishment, if not for our personal faults then for those of our anchestors, right? Thus pain is to make us suffer for some bad act and happines...

Short overview of the latest Three Popes showing some interesting complementarities. P.St. John Paul II 1978-2005 Born : May 18, 1920 in Poland as Karol Józef Wojtyla. Elected : October 16th, 1978 as the 264th Roman Pope. Died: April 2, 2005. Well known for helping to end communism, for building bridges with other faiths, his many travels and initiating the World Youth Days.  Philosopher   Motto : Totus Tuus (All Yours). Divine virtue promoted : HOPE Chosen names John & Paul are of two apostles. Given name refers to Charles Borromeo (church reformer) / Charlemagne (Father of Europe) / Charles Martel (The Hammer, repelled muslims) De Labore Solis (Of the Work of the Sun: inspired, connected, travelled) P. Benedict XVI 2005-2013 Born : April 16, 1927 in Germany as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger. Elected : April 19th, 2005 as the 265th Roman Pope. Abdicated: February 28, 2013.  Died: December 31, 2022. Well known for his books Jesus of Nazareth, being a theology profes...

St. Peter (mainly) preached in Rome where he served as its first bishop, was then crucified head downward on the Vatican Hill and his bones rest beneath the high altar of his basilica there; this was  confirmed by  archaeologists  in 1939 when they  found the original tomb with writing “Peter is within.” His feast day is  June 30 ; additionally his (Papal) Seat is celebrated on February 22 .  St. Paul  mainly preached in Turkey and Greece, was beheaded in Rome and is buried  beneath the high altar of  his basilica there on the Via Ostia; in  2009 this was confirmed  by archeological research. His feast day is  June 30  together with St. Peter ; additionally Paul's conversion is celebrated on January 25 .  St. John the Evangelist lived in Ephesus (Turkey, with Mary), was imprisoned on Patmos (Greece) where he wrote the book Revelation, and  died back in Ephesus where he was buried as well, all according to...

Many see in Jesus of Nazareth a (great) prophet or (only) a great moral teacher, but are not aware of His own claims about Himself as reported in the Gospels. C.S. Lewis , famous for his christian apologetics, said: " Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. ... But... not ... a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. ” Here an extensive list of Jesus' claims, see for yourself;-) Origin And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but He that came down from Heaven, even the Son of Man who is in Heaven. (John 3,13) For the bread of God is He that cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (John 6,33) For I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. (John 6,38) Ye are from beneath; I am from above. Ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8,23-24) ...

Of old it  has been emphasized  that the  One (Judeo-)Christian  God  is  Transcendent . That was certainly necessary to make a clear distinction with paganism, which is  often  pantheistic ( i.e. seeing  nature as  divine). Worshipping 'Mother Earth' as a goddess is a prime example. This (feminine) picture of earth as a mother seems very 'natural' as both have associations with the familiar, with sensing, having a connection, with something/someone close by.  The (masculine)  view of the  Abrahamic  God certainly contrasts strongly:  a (more) distant, rational,  fatherly figure, in short Someone T ranscendent. Nevertheless, heresies like  the five solo 's of Martin Luther, are precisely wrong because in stressing this 'only,' they put limits on the God who is Almighty, Unconditional, Omnipresent, in short Unlimited. In the same way, it cannot be said that God is 'only' trancendent; 'He' is immane...

This post discusses the Chronology of the three great christian feasts (Christmas, Easter & Pentecost) that form the backbone of the process of Redemption, that it follows a certain Sequence and what this could teach us. Christmas ,  the first Feast,   is celebrated on December 25, at the beginning of W inter, when the days are shortest, and also in the middle of the Night , so at the darkest moment. The signification of the Feast,  Jesus who enters   into the world  as its  Light ,  corresponds well with that timing in the natural cycle . In the same month,  the 25th day of   Kislev,   Hanukkah  a Jewish festival is celebrated,  commemorating the  rededication of the   Second Temple .   This  also corresponds well with the birth of Christ, the new Temple ( cf . Jesus' words in  John 2:19 : destroy this Temple and in three days I will rebuild it). Incidentally,  Hanukkah is observed for...