Nicene Truth

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.

Jacques Vallee-On 'Messengers of Deception'

DailyGrail.com

As mentioned recently, Daily Grail Publishing has just released a reprint of Jacques Vallee's UFO classic, Messengers of Deception (Amazon US and Amazon UK). Last week I had a quick chat with Jacques about the book, and the controversy it created in ufology. It was intentionally short - I could talk to Jacques for a couple of days on all manner of topics, but in this case I just wanted to address the elements of his work which have made him, as he describes it, "a heretic among heretics" - namely, his concern about uncritical acceptance of the UFO phenomenon, and also the 'psychic' manifestations found in UFO reports which suggest that they may not be "nuts and bolts" craft.

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. 

PBS Interview with Lisa Randall on Multiple Dimensions

Randall's book is fascinating.  Pay no heed to the old dude and his global warming propaganda...

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). 

The Money Masters

The classic, lengthy documentary on the criminal Federal Reserve.

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!

[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.

[From a discussion a while back in philosophy class. The picture is here as a joke, by the way. -Jay]

By: Jay Dyer

Oddly, immeidately after quantum issues came up in Phenomenology class (the very same day, in fact--how's that for Providence/'synchronicity"), I was confronted by an interesting chapter in a philosophical/theological/social commentary book I had been reading that examined this very issue. Since it has resurfaced in a post I decided to post the following. All I know of this subject is the discussions that took place in my Philosophy of Science class, and various tidbits/articles I have read. I thought it would be relevant to this topic and Dr.-----'s statements below. I don't know enough on this to say I totally agree with the author's analyses (he is, as a side note, a commited non-Christian, so this is not necessarily a theological debate), but it's interesting and insightful nonetheless. I agree with Dr. ----- in his response that randomness in the world does not equate with freedom for a sentient being-it's a non sequitur: but it still may have implications for consciousness, free will, and determinism. Forgive misspellings: I'm typing all of this out by hand.

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.

Quantum Issues, Free Will, Synchronicity, and Determinism

[From a discussion a while back in philosophy class. The picture is here as a joke, by the way. -Jay]

By: Jay Dyer

Oddly, immeidately after quantum issues came up in Phenomenology class (the very same day, in fact--how's that for Providence/'synchronicity"), I was confronted by an interesting chapter in a philosophical/theological/social commentary book I had been reading that examined this very issue. Since it has resurfaced in a post I decided to post the following. All I know of this subject is the discussions that took place in my Philosophy of Science class, and various tidbits/articles I have read. I thought it would be relevant to this topic and Dr.-----'s statements below. I don't know enough on this to say I totally agree with the author's analyses (he is, as a side note, a commited non-Christian, so this is not necessarily a theological debate), but it's interesting and insightful nonetheless. I agree with Dr. ----- in his response that randomness in the world does not equate with freedom for a sentient being-it's a non sequitur: but it still may have implications for consciousness, free will, and determinism. Forgive misspellings: I'm typing all of this out by hand.