Nicene Truth

Inside the Brotherhood, Pts. 1-6

British.

Pope Leo XIII's 'CUSTODI DI QUELLA FEDE' On Freemasonry

Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII promulgated on December 8, 1892.

To the Italian People.

Guardians of that faith to which the Christian nations owe their morality and civil redemption, We must dutifully discharge each one of Our supreme tasks. Therefore We must raise Our voice in loud protestations against the impious war which tries to take such a precious treasure away from you, beloved children. Already taught by long and sorrowful experience, you know well the terrible trials of this war, you who deplore it in your hearts as Catholics and as Italians. Can one be Italian in name and sentiment and not resent these continual offenses against divine beliefs? These beliefs are the most beautiful of our glories, for they gave to Italy its primacy over the other nations and to Rome the spiritual scepter of the world. They likewise made the wonderful edifice of Christian civilization rise over the ruins of paganism and barbarism.

The Importance of the Nature/Grace Distinction, Pt. 3

Considering the Eastern Orthodox View

By: Jay Dyer

Distinction isn't tension and often times this distinction I've been writing about is characterized as an opposition.  Human nature, even fallen, isn't in opposition to grace, but it the effects of the Fall do bring about a tendency towards sin and opposition to God.  In the Catholic view, synergism, which is the human will following and conforming to the divine will is always is always upheld, even if one takes the Thomistic and Augustinian view that there is operative or efficacious grace.  The human will never can and never does lose its own natural energy.  But the natural energy of the human will isn't sufficient to cause divine grace or life, and this is where we differ with both the Calvinist and the Orthodox concerns the need and power of divine grace.  I know the Orthodox would not say that the human will causes divine grace, but in the final analysis, salvation, whether the beginning of faith or the persevering therein is ultimately in the hands of man.  This is the point where we differ.

The Importance of the Nature/Grace Distinction, Pt. 2

By: Jay Dyer

In part one, I was discussing the implications of classical, Reformation Protestantism's skewing of the nature/grace distinction into erroneous views that ultimately end up with a heretical Christology.  I intended on making that post much longer and filled out, but had to leave in the middle.  Let's move to the pre-lapsarian man to further show the implications of these different views.

Oddly enough, both Pelagianism and Calvinism have the same views of pre-lapsarian man.  Man in the garden, for both Pelagius and Calvin, is not in a situation to need grace.  For Catholic readers, I'm not avoiding using the term "sanctifying grace" because I deny it, but because most Calvinists don't know about the Catholic view to begin with, except that whatever the Catholic view is, they hate it.  Anyway, its undeniable that both Calvin and Pelagius viewed man in the garden in the same way-in no need of what Catholics call the donum superadditum, the super-added gift of grace, which is the divine life itself--the Holy Spirit.  Man in the garden was created naturally good and thus needed no grace.  Now where Calvin and Pelagius differ is the fall, and most of us know the rest of this story. 

House Resolution 33: Mason Day

Click here for the link to the article.  And, obviously its resolution 33. 

The Importance of the Nature/Grace Distinction, Pt. 1

By Jay Dyer

We all intrepret phenomena in our experience according to certain criteria that make up our worldview.  This fact is inescabpable, but this is important because I have noticed a common-thread problem in various groups that I have been affiliated with and debated and dialogued with.  The problem I am speaking of is philosophical in nature, and deals with one's perception of others as well as their own psychological/existential situation in the given belief system in which they are involved.  This problem often revolves around errors regarding the all-important nature-grace distinction that is so foundational for Catholicism.  It seems, in my experience, that various anti-Catholic groups all share this same fundamental philosophical flaw (and I myself shared this same flaw for many years). 

Bishop Sheen Audio Library

Click here to listen to mp3 format lecutres.

Gods of the New Age

Old, but more relevant than ever. They are obviously possessed in the screaming sessions...sounds like hell...

Aquinas' Prologue to Dionysius' On the Divine Names

By: Jay Dyer

The question of St. Thomas Aquinas' use of Platonic ideas has arisen often in Thomistic circles. Often, incorrectly, its assumed that St. Thomas was a slavish follower of Aristotle, neglecting truths in the more prevalent neo-platonic tradition of the early middles ages that preceded the Aristotelianism of his day. This is important for East-West issues, including the via negativa, since many might find St. Thomas' discussion of Dionysius quite surprising. In fact, as McInery notes, its Dionysius who is quoted the most in the Summa!

The One and the Many and Modern Social Ontology

[This is my senior thesis from a few years back. Its prior to my knowledge of much of Eastern Trinitarian theology, and is thus deficient and immature in many aspects, but the overall thrust of the paper is still, I believe, true. -Jay]

By: Jay Dyer

Introduction

The philosophical question of the one and the many, or the problem of universals, is not frequently considered in modern philosophy, much less in modern social ontology. This notable absence brings to mind the well-known dictum of David Hume:
When we run over the libraries, persuaded of these principles, what havoc must we make? If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity school, or of metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.