Ut quis Fideles Inveniatur

 

TREATISE OF THE TRINE AND ONE GOD. ACCORDING TO SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS

 

Without a doubt one of the great problems of “current civilization” is the denial of the positive and the exaggeration of the negative, or in other words, of what exists and what does not exist, we have gone from the absolute to the relative, from the effect to the cause and not the other way around, we have become engrossed in that saying that says: “the chicken or the egg came first.”

Many today deny the existence of God, of God as the creator of all things that we see and those that we do not see, of his divine providence that governs the universe in three ways: by essence, by presence and by power and are inexorable. in their judgments, but in return they do not offer solid arguments, neither of the theological order, nor of the logical order, but rather they digress into futile arguments resulting from their sick minds corroded by the spirit of Espinosa or another group of pseudo-philosophers or theologians. From where comes another saying that is commonly used in theology: “What is freely affirmed is freely denied.”

Others ashamed of the name of God have stuck to the sophistry and fallacies of the first, unfortunately despite the evidence that God in his infinite goodness often leaves us as vestiges of his irrefutable existence.

Finally, those who have the faith of the "charcoal digger" who affirm the existence of God, but without giving proof of said existence and are easily defeated by the huge swarm of Protestants who have made themselves a God not as God should be known but as the devil should be known. He inspires them and the charcoal burner, because he does not have solid training but rather poor training, agrees to their lies and ends up accepting their false testimonies from these rabble, emissaries of the devil, in this way more and more souls are lost.

My purpose is to settle these two evils in the "current Catholics" not with my arguments but with those of a great saint such as Saint Thomas Aquinas when he deals with this beautiful topic of the existence of God with an implacable and impeccable logic where It gives no respite to the pseudo-brains of today and leaves us with a beautiful, fruitive knowledge of the existence of God. I know, on the other hand, that current Catholics are not accustomed to the language of the angelic doctor, but on the other hand, I will try to be as simple as possible without failing to follow the rigorous arguments of the saint and I sincerely ask that you please leave your comments in the tray expressing your doubts and concerns as well as if I have made a mistake in a matter as delicate as this, I will be eternally grateful because the purpose of these articles is none other than to illustrate your minds and enliven your love without leaving aside the solid arguments of this sound doctrine in your souls to become faithful defenders of the ONE AND UNEQUIVOCAL TRUTH and in this way those words of Our Lord Jesus Christ are realized in you: "Whoever defends me on earth, I will defend him in heaven" that beautiful joy to be defended by our Redeemer in heaven, there is no nobler and more necessary aspiration for our soul than this. May God Our Lord inspire the one who writes this and Saint Thomas intercede both to the one who writes this and to those who read this to be able to explain in simple and simple, but profound language this truth, the unique cause of our existence in this world.

OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

 About the existence of God, Saint Thomas studies the following three problems:

1._ If the existence of God is a truth of immediate evidence (a.1).

2._ If, at least, it is a demonstrable truth (a.2).

3._ How the existence of God is demonstrated (a.3), A truth can be known by way of evidence, either by immediate evidence, or by demonstration (mediate evidence) or by faith (divine or human).

When raising the problem of knowledge of the existence of God, the Angelic Doctor first asks whether the existence of God is an evident truth in itself, which is manifested to our intelligence by the sole apprehension of its terms: being  and existing. .

If it is an immediate truth, (captured by reason) there will be no room for demonstration, nor for human or divine faith in it.

But if this first problem is resolved in a negative sense, another new one spontaneously arises: then, the existence of God is either absolutely unknowable, or it is knowable (known by reason) exclusively through faith and tradition, or it is rationally demonstrable. . If the answer is that the existence of God is rationally demonstrable, a third and final problem arises: what or what are the proofs to demonstrate the existence of God? The doctrine of Saint Thomas, set forth throughout these three articles, is that the existence of God is not evident in itself, but that it can be rationally demonstrated a posteriori, by its effects, starting from five different aspects of the created being and contingent, which constitute five paths or ways that are five to get from the creature to the Creator.      

l. Principle is heresies and errors of the existence of God There are four main errors that have been about the existence of God and his knowability: ontologism, traditionalism, agnosticism and atheism.

Ontologists maintain that our understanding immediately knows God and in Him and through Him, all other things. For them the existence of God is an immediate and evident truth.

Traditionalists suppose that man's reason was so weakened by original sin that it is powerless to demonstrate in a certain and certain way the existence of God. This truth can only be confirmed to us through tradition, based on a primitive revelation. Therefore the existence of God is not naturally demonstrable, at least in a certain lack of subjective means.

Agnosticists, denying the Objectivity of the principle of causality, logically reject all connection and dependence between God and the world, and, consequently, place human reason in a condition of absolute impotence to demonstrate the existence of God through created things. . The existence of God is absolutely unknowable to human reason (lack of objective means). Atheists go even further, denying not only the knowability, but the very existence of God.

l. Explicit and formal doctrine of revelation

of the existence of God

A) AGAINST ONTOLOGISM, which maintains the immediate evidence of the existence of God,

1st Doctrine of Sacred Scripture. Holy Scripture teaches that no mortal can naturally see God in himself, but only through the mirror of creatures. "No man will see me without dying" (Ex, 33,20). "No one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son willed to reveal him" (Mt, 11,27), "No one has ever seen God" (lo, 1,18 ), "At present we see God only as in a mirror and under dark images; but then we will see him face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12).

"He alone is immortal by essence and dwells in an unapproachable light: whom no man has seen nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16).

2. Doctrine of the Church. -The Church, through the Holy Office, has proscribed on two separate occasions, September 1861 and December 14, 1887, the ontological thesis that the human soul directly and immediately knows God and, in Him and through Him, all other things (Dz 1659 1662 1891 1927).

 B) AGAINST TRADITIONALISM AND AGNOSTICISM, which deny: the rational demonstrability of the existence of God.

1. Doctrine of Holy Scripture . -"Vain are by nature all men who lack the knowledge of God, and who by the goods they enjoy are unable to know Him who is their source, and by considering the works they did not know the craftsman, but the fire, They took the wind, the light air, or the circle of the stars, the rushing water, or the lights of the sky as ruling gods of the universe.        

Well yes, seduced by their beauty, they considered them gods, they must have recognized how much better their Lord is, since he is the author of beauty, who made all these things, and if they were amazed at the power and strength, they must have deduced hence how much more powerful is its Creator. For from the greatness and beauty of creatures, by reasoning, we come to know their maker.

But such a great reproach does not fall on these, since they err perhaps out of adventure, really seeking God and wanting to find Him. And busy in the investigation of his works, and at the sight of them, they are convinced of the beauty of what they see.

Although they are not excusable, because, if they can achieve so much knowledge and are capable of investigating the universe, how come they do not more easily know the Lord of it?" (Wisdom 13:1-9).

"What is knowable about God is manifest to them, because God manifested it to them: because since the creation of the world, the invisible of God, his "eternal power and his divinity, are known by creatures."

So they are inexcusable, because, knowing God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but they became foolish in their reasoning, their foolish hearts became darkened and, boasting of being wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of God incorruptible through the likeness of the image of corruptible man and of birds, quadrupeds and creeping things" (Rom. 1,19-231).

2. Doctrine of the Church. -Luis Boutais »was forced to subscribe on September 8, 1840, the following proposition: "Natural discourse can demonstrate with certainty the existence of God and the infinity of his perfections" (D 1622).

The traditionalist Ag. Bonnetty, at the proposal of the Sacred Congregation of the Index, subscribed, on June 15, 1855, this proposition: "Natural discourse can demonstrate with certainty the existence of God, the spirituality of the soul and the freedom of the man" (D. 1650).

Finally, the Vatican Council has solemnly defined the rational demonstrability of the existence of God in these terms: "If anyone says that the natural light of human reason cannot know with certainty through created things, One true God, our Creator and Lord, be anathema" (D. 1806).

C) AGAINST ATHEISM, which denies the existence of God.

 1. Doctrine of Holy Scripture. -All the pages of the Holy Scripture from Genesis to the Apocalypse are loudly proclaiming the existence of God, creator and governor of everything that exists in heaven and on earth. Suffice it to quote the following passage, taken from the Epistle a, Hebrews (11,6): "For without faith it is impossible to please God; since he who comes to God must believe that God exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him."

2. Doctrine of the Church.-All the ecumenical councils, from the first of Nicaea to the Vatican, in their Symbols, confess the existence of God: "We believe in one God, omnipotent Father, maker of all things visible and invisible ...Apart from this, the Vatican Council has solemnly defined: "If anyone will deny the one and true God. Lord and Creator of all things visible and invisible, be anathema" in 1801). 83

Consequently, the existence of God and the rational and certain demonstrability of the same by created things are two dogmas that must be believed with divine faith, and, consequently, atheism, and with it also traditionalism and agnosticism, in Whatever they deny that human reason can apodictically demonstrate the existence of God by the works of creation, must be considered truth.