I actually finished The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, the pope of contemporary Militant Atheists. I agree with other Atheists that his logic in the book is embarrassing regarding the disbelief in God. If anything, the tone and rhetoric of the book will charge up Atheists to form into a political force and turn ungrounded Theists away from Theism.
I think I’ll continue wading through the book and commenting on some points that Dawkins made. However, I won’t write a post about each chapter like I have done before. Instead, I’ll break it up into small, perhaps arbitrary, book-chronological chunks.
In Chapter three, in very few pages (pp. 77-79), some of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ proofs of God’s existence are addressed. He said that God couldn’t be both omniscient and omnipotent; they are “mutually incompatible”. Why not both? Why couldn’t God act or not act (omnipotence) because He is omniscient? Why shouldn’t God know best when and when not to act, even if we think He should or shouldn’t. Who are Dawkins or myself to say that the omnipotent actions by God are not directed by his omniscience?
“To return to the infinite regress and the futility of invoking God to terminate it, it is more parsimonious to conjure up, say, a ‘big bang singularity’, or some other physical concept as yet unknown. Calling it God is at best unhelpful and at worst perniciously misleading.” (p. 78) He then goes on to say the smallest piece of gold is an atom of gold.
This goes back to my Modified Toddler Theory that is really just a philosophical infinite regress instead of a positivist infinite regress. Dawkins insists that we talk physical and that only physical explanations are able to satisfy him. Without physical proof, nothing would seem to satisfy him. To this end, what would going back to the ‘big bang singularity’ prove to him? Even if it were physically explained, which is really and truly impossible without traveling back in time, one would have to explain from where the singularity originated and so on.
In order to escape from the trap of positivist infinite regress, one must invoke the less physically provable philosophical infinite regress that posits that the physicality of the universe was derived from the non-physical reality of what is called God. Nothing made God because He is not physical. He is existence itself. This existence has a persona that created physicality – in whatever way – as an act of His will.
Of course the question arrives about the current state of His being. Just because physicality is now a reality does not mean that the non-physical reality does not exist. In fact, without the non-physical reality, God, the physical reality that exists as you are reading couldn’t exist.
What about the gold atom? Looking deeper and deeper into it, the term “gold” it too cumbersome. The term “gold” describes, when observing at a near infinitesimal level, a structure that is too general to be relevant at the infinitely small scale. At the limit of the terminal regress, one can only speak of the non-physical derivation of the structure. In fact, all matter has this non-physical derivation. Therefore, God, who is existence itself, created all physical matter.
Since God has a hand in maintaining all physical reality, God is at work with all physical reality. God knows what should become reality since he created all matter in all time.
Dawkins’ problem is that he insists that a physical phenomenon, including natural selection, must explain a question. If we take his approach, we will, in reality, get nowhere. In fact, I will later posit that even using non-physical explanations will get us nowhere unless there is some kind of revelation from the non-physical reality, or there is a revelation from God.
14 August 2008
Prayer Request
Please pray for Fr. Joe Link (formerly of the Pittsburgh Oratory) and his family.
Mary, Our Lady of Consolation, pray for us.
Mary, Our Lady of Consolation, pray for us.
12 August 2008
It’s a Wonderful Tahn
The article below was my first ever article published in any paper. It was published in The Pitt News on Tuesday, 29 February 2000. In my byline, the editor said I was never pessimistic. They didn’t know me very well.
It’s a wonderful tahn [“town” in Pittsburghese]
When’s the last time you heard, “Man, Pittsburgh sucks. There’s nothing to do ‘round here. I can’t wait to graduate and get out of this place”?
Whenever these words hit my ears, I cringe. I love this place enough to stay after graduation. How can there be such extreme perspectives on the boredom scale?
The bored among us can’t seem to find Pittsburgh’s plethora of cures. But as an independent who doesn’t just go out and drink, some small amount of creativity was bound to creep into my little ol’ head. I’ll mention some things here that came to mind.
The most obvious cure for boredom is to join a club or group. After determining things I liked to do, it was very easy to discover what groups were available to quench my active thirst. You can find out about student groups from Pitt’s home page, the student handbook or friends. The main advantage to groups is that they find activities that focus on individual’ interests.
As a Roman Catholic, I found that I wanted to learn more about Christianity. I searched for a deeper understanding and discovered many Christian fellowships on campus that met during the week, along with finding a group to learn more about Catholicism. In addition, there were also many other religious groups to study Judaism, Islam and others.
Pittsburgh is such a source of diverse cultural events that there are so many things to try – you just have to look a little. On Fridays, I go to an event called “What’s Cooking” at the Catholic Newman Center on campus. I met someone there who recently moved here to dance in the Pittsburgh Ballet Company. When I talked to her, she mentioned that she didn’t think that Pittsburgh, of all places, would be the center of so much art and culture. When I first came here from the Trenton-Philadelphia area, I shared the same sentiments, but I have since changed my mind.
While you’re here as a Pitt student, why not take advantage of free or very cheap student tickets to many cultural events ‘round the ‘Burch? If you think you hate ballet or opera, this is a great chance to actually see if you do. If you find you don’t like them, you would only lose the time spent at the event and maybe a little money. If you do like these events, you’ll be able to go back either with Pitt Arts or on your own. You’d have that many more opportunities to enjoy your newfound love.
There are many free weekly or daily resources that list happenings to suit your taste. In Pittsburgh and the City Paper list weekly events such as music performances, movies, concerts and just about anything that moves you.
You might be tempted to say, “But I don’t have a car to go anywhere.” That may be true, but there is an obvious solution: the infamous Port Authority bus. Pitt students have free bus passes on every Port Authority route. You can get a sightseeing tour of the countryside and the people of Pittsburgh (a cultural experience in itself). Even if you have nowhere to go, why not take an adventure? Take a day trip to the North Side, the South Side or Station Square. Travel to the far reaches of the Pittsburgh universe.
If all else fails, remember to keep your friends in mind. Do you know everything about your friends? Instead of going to a party where loud music is distracting, try just talking or hanging out with you friends, or play some party games such as Pictionary. Ask more serious questions to grow closer to your buddies. If you feel so inspired, break out the “Book of Questions” to get a discussion going.
Don’t put Pittsburgh down as being dead. Those who believe this aren’t asking the right questions. Pittsburgh is a mystery; therefore, there’s always chance to discover [sic]. It’s like people not pursuing their spirituality or being content in their ruts. If you do the same thing all the time and don’t try to expand your understanding or knowledge, of course you will get bored. As a result, you will become complacent about your situation or basically become disinterested in the pursuit and fall away.
Nobody ever accused Gutter Ball Master of being pessimistic.
It’s a wonderful tahn [“town” in Pittsburghese]
When’s the last time you heard, “Man, Pittsburgh sucks. There’s nothing to do ‘round here. I can’t wait to graduate and get out of this place”?
Whenever these words hit my ears, I cringe. I love this place enough to stay after graduation. How can there be such extreme perspectives on the boredom scale?
The bored among us can’t seem to find Pittsburgh’s plethora of cures. But as an independent who doesn’t just go out and drink, some small amount of creativity was bound to creep into my little ol’ head. I’ll mention some things here that came to mind.
The most obvious cure for boredom is to join a club or group. After determining things I liked to do, it was very easy to discover what groups were available to quench my active thirst. You can find out about student groups from Pitt’s home page, the student handbook or friends. The main advantage to groups is that they find activities that focus on individual’ interests.
As a Roman Catholic, I found that I wanted to learn more about Christianity. I searched for a deeper understanding and discovered many Christian fellowships on campus that met during the week, along with finding a group to learn more about Catholicism. In addition, there were also many other religious groups to study Judaism, Islam and others.
Pittsburgh is such a source of diverse cultural events that there are so many things to try – you just have to look a little. On Fridays, I go to an event called “What’s Cooking” at the Catholic Newman Center on campus. I met someone there who recently moved here to dance in the Pittsburgh Ballet Company. When I talked to her, she mentioned that she didn’t think that Pittsburgh, of all places, would be the center of so much art and culture. When I first came here from the Trenton-Philadelphia area, I shared the same sentiments, but I have since changed my mind.
While you’re here as a Pitt student, why not take advantage of free or very cheap student tickets to many cultural events ‘round the ‘Burch? If you think you hate ballet or opera, this is a great chance to actually see if you do. If you find you don’t like them, you would only lose the time spent at the event and maybe a little money. If you do like these events, you’ll be able to go back either with Pitt Arts or on your own. You’d have that many more opportunities to enjoy your newfound love.
There are many free weekly or daily resources that list happenings to suit your taste. In Pittsburgh and the City Paper list weekly events such as music performances, movies, concerts and just about anything that moves you.
You might be tempted to say, “But I don’t have a car to go anywhere.” That may be true, but there is an obvious solution: the infamous Port Authority bus. Pitt students have free bus passes on every Port Authority route. You can get a sightseeing tour of the countryside and the people of Pittsburgh (a cultural experience in itself). Even if you have nowhere to go, why not take an adventure? Take a day trip to the North Side, the South Side or Station Square. Travel to the far reaches of the Pittsburgh universe.
If all else fails, remember to keep your friends in mind. Do you know everything about your friends? Instead of going to a party where loud music is distracting, try just talking or hanging out with you friends, or play some party games such as Pictionary. Ask more serious questions to grow closer to your buddies. If you feel so inspired, break out the “Book of Questions” to get a discussion going.
Don’t put Pittsburgh down as being dead. Those who believe this aren’t asking the right questions. Pittsburgh is a mystery; therefore, there’s always chance to discover [sic]. It’s like people not pursuing their spirituality or being content in their ruts. If you do the same thing all the time and don’t try to expand your understanding or knowledge, of course you will get bored. As a result, you will become complacent about your situation or basically become disinterested in the pursuit and fall away.
Nobody ever accused Gutter Ball Master of being pessimistic.
11 August 2008
Pauvre Katie Holmes
I usually don't write about celebrities, but what the hey? It's all over the papers.
Katie Holmes, the latest wife of Scientologist Tom Cruise, has a new hair cut. I can't get over the thought that she went from cute to scary and creepy overnight in this relationship. I hope she's OK and not too Stepford like it seems.
What do I know anyway?
Just wondering.
Katie Holmes, the latest wife of Scientologist Tom Cruise, has a new hair cut. I can't get over the thought that she went from cute to scary and creepy overnight in this relationship. I hope she's OK and not too Stepford like it seems.
What do I know anyway?
Just wondering.
09 August 2008
Catholic Teachings Are Not At Fault
I wrote the letter below in The Pitt News regarding the sex abuse scandal for the campus Catholic student group (the links don't work). This is the latest in the series regarding my writings (as opinions columnist etc.) in The Pitt News.
Letter to the editor
By:
Posted: 3/27/02
Catholic teachings are not at fault
The Newman Oratory Catholic Organization, as the official Roman Catholic organization on the Pitt campus, would like to take this opportunity to formally address the recent criticism the Church has received. We would like to acknowledge the current situation about pedophilic and ephebophilic priests, address the general attack the Church underwent recently in the Pitt News and finally address the Catholics here on the Pitt campus.
It pains us that priests of the Catholic Church violated members of the Church’s innocents in the recent and distant past. In this scandalous sin, they strike at the very God, Church and world they vowed to serve. May God have mercy on us.
We also wish to address the bishops of the dioceses that allowed this crime to continue. In all 50 states, sexual child abuse is a felony. At the first proof of abuse, those priests should have been immediately pulled from ministry and handed over to the authorities.
Of course this criticism is easily assailed in hindsight, as Bishop Wuerl of the Diocese of Pittsburgh reported. “[All the Bishops] were … assured [by psychological scientists] that with proper treatment and oversight, this type of compulsive behavior could be controlled … Nonetheless we know today that the risk is too great.” (see www.pitt.edu/~oratory/citations.html for all article references.)
Now, the policies of the Bishops have changed. The way in which these cases were treated was a grievous error, but the Catholic teachings that deal directly or indirectly with the priesthood are not to be blamed. Other unrelated issues should be addressed separately.
It had been speculated by Catholics and non-Catholics alike that the requirement of celibacy for Catholic priests in the Roman rite is indeed what caused the current situation. According to Dr. Frederick Berlin, M.D., Ph.D., the founder of the Sexual Disorders Clinic at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, there is no evidence that supports the claim that the celibate priest is any more likely to be a pedophiliac or ephebophiliac than any other person, including those who are married.
In fact, as reported by Deal Hudson of CRISIS Magazine, “…celibacy should be rather easy to defend, especially in a culture where sexual behavior has damaged so many people. The fact that you have 46,000 men in the U.S. and 100,000 men around the world who have dedicated themselves totally to the service of Catholics is a powerful witness to a generation addicted to genital satisfaction.” (ccc#2352)
In “The Ten Commandments: The First Draft”, [M. Derek] Care mentioned that priests in the Catholic church are celibate to remain pure, but in fact, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1579-80 (ccc#1579-1580) priestly celibacy is “‘for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,” to “consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to ‘the affairs of the Lord” and to “radiantly proclaim the Reign of God.” If a priest disregards the Church’s teaching, it is caused by his own sin.
Further, as ignorantly alleged, the church is not hostile toward homosexuals, only opposed to the gay acts they commit (ccc#2357-2359), teachings about birth control are not “arbitrary” (ccc#2366-2372 and Onan’s sin in Genesis 38 (see citations)) and Catholics do not worship idols (ccc#2112-2114), but create art, or icons (see ccc#1159-1162 and 2129-2132) that remind us of Jesus, heavenly beings and the Saints.
In addition, the Catholic Church did not fully ignore the recent scandalous events, but definitely did not ignore the Holocaust. As a matter of fact, Einstein spoke for the Church in Time magazine in 1940 about the Holocaust, saying, “Only the [Catholic] Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth.”
For all those in the Catholic Church on campus, please realize the only response to this and all scandals is holiness. When the Church suffers the most as the Body of Christ from within or by others (John 15:18-20), God calls us all the more to witness to the Church’s real face: as people called into the race for Holiness (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) by the grace of Jesus and guided by the Spirit in the pillar and bulwark of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Even Judas betrayed Jesus, but thank God the other Eleven Apostles found the grace to continue as His disciples to proclaim One Lord, One Faith and One Baptism with Simon Peter as their Rock (Ephesians 4:4-16, Matthew 16:18, John 1:42).
Gutter Ball Master, on behalf of
Ryan Catholic Newman Center
4450 Bayard St.
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213
(412) 681-3181
http://www.pitt.edu/~oratory
© Copyright 2008 The Pitt News
Letter to the editor
By:
Posted: 3/27/02
Catholic teachings are not at fault
The Newman Oratory Catholic Organization, as the official Roman Catholic organization on the Pitt campus, would like to take this opportunity to formally address the recent criticism the Church has received. We would like to acknowledge the current situation about pedophilic and ephebophilic priests, address the general attack the Church underwent recently in the Pitt News and finally address the Catholics here on the Pitt campus.
It pains us that priests of the Catholic Church violated members of the Church’s innocents in the recent and distant past. In this scandalous sin, they strike at the very God, Church and world they vowed to serve. May God have mercy on us.
We also wish to address the bishops of the dioceses that allowed this crime to continue. In all 50 states, sexual child abuse is a felony. At the first proof of abuse, those priests should have been immediately pulled from ministry and handed over to the authorities.
Of course this criticism is easily assailed in hindsight, as Bishop Wuerl of the Diocese of Pittsburgh reported. “[All the Bishops] were … assured [by psychological scientists] that with proper treatment and oversight, this type of compulsive behavior could be controlled … Nonetheless we know today that the risk is too great.” (see www.pitt.edu/~oratory/citations.html for all article references.)
Now, the policies of the Bishops have changed. The way in which these cases were treated was a grievous error, but the Catholic teachings that deal directly or indirectly with the priesthood are not to be blamed. Other unrelated issues should be addressed separately.
It had been speculated by Catholics and non-Catholics alike that the requirement of celibacy for Catholic priests in the Roman rite is indeed what caused the current situation. According to Dr. Frederick Berlin, M.D., Ph.D., the founder of the Sexual Disorders Clinic at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, there is no evidence that supports the claim that the celibate priest is any more likely to be a pedophiliac or ephebophiliac than any other person, including those who are married.
In fact, as reported by Deal Hudson of CRISIS Magazine, “…celibacy should be rather easy to defend, especially in a culture where sexual behavior has damaged so many people. The fact that you have 46,000 men in the U.S. and 100,000 men around the world who have dedicated themselves totally to the service of Catholics is a powerful witness to a generation addicted to genital satisfaction.” (ccc#2352)
In “The Ten Commandments: The First Draft”, [M. Derek] Care mentioned that priests in the Catholic church are celibate to remain pure, but in fact, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1579-80 (ccc#1579-1580) priestly celibacy is “‘for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,” to “consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to ‘the affairs of the Lord” and to “radiantly proclaim the Reign of God.” If a priest disregards the Church’s teaching, it is caused by his own sin.
Further, as ignorantly alleged, the church is not hostile toward homosexuals, only opposed to the gay acts they commit (ccc#2357-2359), teachings about birth control are not “arbitrary” (ccc#2366-2372 and Onan’s sin in Genesis 38 (see citations)) and Catholics do not worship idols (ccc#2112-2114), but create art, or icons (see ccc#1159-1162 and 2129-2132) that remind us of Jesus, heavenly beings and the Saints.
In addition, the Catholic Church did not fully ignore the recent scandalous events, but definitely did not ignore the Holocaust. As a matter of fact, Einstein spoke for the Church in Time magazine in 1940 about the Holocaust, saying, “Only the [Catholic] Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth.”
For all those in the Catholic Church on campus, please realize the only response to this and all scandals is holiness. When the Church suffers the most as the Body of Christ from within or by others (John 15:18-20), God calls us all the more to witness to the Church’s real face: as people called into the race for Holiness (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) by the grace of Jesus and guided by the Spirit in the pillar and bulwark of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Even Judas betrayed Jesus, but thank God the other Eleven Apostles found the grace to continue as His disciples to proclaim One Lord, One Faith and One Baptism with Simon Peter as their Rock (Ephesians 4:4-16, Matthew 16:18, John 1:42).
Gutter Ball Master, on behalf of
Ryan Catholic Newman Center
4450 Bayard St.
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213
(412) 681-3181
http://www.pitt.edu/~oratory
© Copyright 2008 The Pitt News
07 August 2008
So Mature.
What is maturity? My Mom defined it as being able to talk about things besides yourself. A VERY popular definition is that one must be sexy or open to casual or premarital sex (de facto marriage). I think how one defines maturity determines an adult’s attitude and, therefore, actions. Changes in societies' view of maturity change the very landscape of that society since adults act from their view of what society defines as mature behavior.
Remember Debbie Gibson (of the ‘80/90’s)? As a girl and early adolescent, she dressed and carried herself in a respectable manner. When she became older, or, grew up, she dressed and performed more “maturely”. Why must this maturity include an increase in one's 'sex factor'?
It begs to question, how do I define maturity, and, therefore, believe what society should view as mature? Maturity is NOT becoming sexed up. It's a change in attitude wherein one simply takes responsibility for themselves and comes to a realization that they need to respect themselves and their neighbor's freedom, or, better yet, to love their neighbor. An outward sex appeal should not define one's maturity. In actuality, it shows that they are really not so mature.
Remember Debbie Gibson (of the ‘80/90’s)? As a girl and early adolescent, she dressed and carried herself in a respectable manner. When she became older, or, grew up, she dressed and performed more “maturely”. Why must this maturity include an increase in one's 'sex factor'?
It begs to question, how do I define maturity, and, therefore, believe what society should view as mature? Maturity is NOT becoming sexed up. It's a change in attitude wherein one simply takes responsibility for themselves and comes to a realization that they need to respect themselves and their neighbor's freedom, or, better yet, to love their neighbor. An outward sex appeal should not define one's maturity. In actuality, it shows that they are really not so mature.
06 August 2008
God Bless Everyone
I look at bumper stickers a lot. The other day there was a car with an Obama campaign one and a “God bless everyone, no exceptions” sticker. I wonder if they knew that Obama doesn’t think that some people are to be blessed but killed just after they are born in partial birth abortions (intact D&E)? Maybe they’re like many other people who try not to think about it. I don’t know unless I talked to the driver. Do you think they’re just ignorant of Obama’s radical views on abortion?
I say God bless everyone from the moment of conception to their natural death.
I say God bless everyone from the moment of conception to their natural death.
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