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.

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). 

Bishop Sheen Audio Library

Click here to listen to mp3 format lecutres.

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.

Husserl’s Four Aguments Against Skeptical Relativism

The Famed Phenomenologist Deals the Epistemic Deathblow to Relativism (in a very presuppositional fashion!)

By: Jay Dyer    

     Unfortunately, modern academia (in particular the humanities) tends to be suffused with relativistic tendencies.  Oddly, this was also the case when Edmund Husserl wrote in 1901 of skeptical relativism, that it was “quite rare to encounter a thinker free from the taint of such erroneous doctrines.”  Although he was referring to “anthropologism,” a specific form of relativism pertaining to the human species, Husserl would proceed to offer a devastating critique of full-blown relativism in his monumental work, the Logical Investigations.  The purpose of this paper is to offer a summary and analysis of his four principal arguments against skeptical relativism, thus demonstrating their contemporary relevance for modern thinking. 
    

Husserl's Synthetic A Priori Argument From Mereology

A Response to Kant's Metaphysical Challenge

By: Jay Dyer

Modern philosophy since Immanuel Kant has tended to deny the possibility of making a synthetic a priori claim about experience. An analytic statement is one in which the concept of the predicate is contained in the subject. Synthetic statements are not this way; here, the predicate is not contained in the meaning or definition of the subject and additional information may be added, based upon experience. Such was Kant’s argument in his Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics. Thus, Kant thought, no necessary, a priori laws of experience could be posited—which are themselves the foundations of metaphysical claims, and, without these, he proclaimed, metaphysics was no longer possible. The purpose of this paper is to present Husserl’s argument from mereology for synthetic a priori truths of experience.

The Demonic Roots of Globalism

[Note: this is an excellent, well-sourced article.  We do not necessarily share Mr. Kah's eschatological views. -Jay] 

By: Gary Kah [Not affiliated with our site]

TheModernHistoryProject.com

The Cosmic Battle

One can view our world and its history...as a crazy quilt of happenstance -- of unplanned, unrelated events. Or we can see in all of this a pattern, a slow moving forward of human history towards a goal, a climactic event... Changes that affect an entire society never happen overnight, although it may seem that way to many people... Over a period of many decades, the foundation has been laid, one stone at a time, for a deception in the minds of men that would engulf not only this nation, but the entire world. (p. 11-12)

We are told in the Bible that there is a being capable of such an undertaking. His name is Lucifer... He was a member of God's highest order of created beings, an angelic prince, and his name means "light-bearer". Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 tell us much about his character and of God's judgement upon him. When he was cast out from the mountain of God, he lost his high and holy position before "the Ancient of Days"; but he lost none of his incredible, supernatural intelligence and power...