natural theology > VII notes

Notes

[Sunday 6 July 2008 - Saturday 12 July 2008]

[Notebook: DB 64 Gravitation]

[page ]

Sunday 6 July 2008

Monday 7 July 2008

[page 66]

Tuesday 8 July 2008

[page 67]

. . .

God is a very old idea. The key feature of god is the power and desire to make the world and to make it work. A reasonable question to ask such a model is who makes God? Many might answer that God is eternal, without birth or death and so the question is rendered meaningless. An alternative answer is that God makes itself.

We are soon to receive a visit from a world leader in the eternal God camp, the absolute monarch of the Vatican state, a religious leader with some billion followers.

One of the first recorded expressions of the eternal God theory was committed to writing about two thousand five hundred years ago by Parmenides. We have a fragment of a poem describing a journey from darkness to light . . . Parmenides, Parmenides-Wikipedia

Parmenides view lies at the heart of Catholic theology, that is the science of theology seen through Catholic eyes. The alternative to Parmenides eternal reality was expressed by Heraclitus of Ephesus about the same time. Heracleitus of Ephesus, Heraclitus - Wikipedia

This opposition may seem to be merely philosophical, but it has practical consequences. Because it seems illogical to identify an eternal god with our moving world, the eternal model of God requires that God and the world be distinct. It is upon this distinction that the whole business plan of the Roman Catholic Church is based. It claims a monopoly on communication

[page 68]

between the human race and God. God which is by nature common property has been made the property of the Church.

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Thursday 10 July 2008

All I am saying is that I think the Pope is on the wrong track. I think we should listen very carefully to what he says and test it against our own experience of the Universe.

Friday 11 July 2008

Saturday 12 July 2008

-->

Related sites

Concordat Watch

Revealing Vatican attempts to propagate its religion by international treaty

You may copy this material freely provided only that you quote fairly and provide a link (or reference) to your source.

Austen, Jane, and Vivien Jones (Editor and Introduction), Pride and Prejudice, Penguin Books 2003 Amazon Book Description: ' Few have failed to be charmed by the witty and independent spirit of Elizabeth Bennet. Her early determination to dislike Mr. Darcy is a prejudice only matched by the folly of his arrogant pride. Their first impressions give way to true feelings in a comedy profoundly concerned with happiness and how it might be achieved. Edited with an Introduction by Vivien Jones
Amazon back

Sampson, Anthony , The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Made, Penguin USA 1975 Amazon Review: Reviewer: ' This is an excellent primer on the OIL industry. I highly recommend for anyone interested in the history of 20th century Industry and World Politics. This book will help any reader better understand recent Middle East events, as it provides details of the many decisions and actions that have led to the current situations. By providing the historic details and backdrop of the Oil Industry, a reader can gain better context for current actions, tensions and misunderstandings. It's too bad this book has not been updated. My paperback edition ends with the Carter Administration. A Reader.
Amazon back

Links

Heracleitus of Ephesus Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics 'Greek philosopher, born in Ephesus, thought of the Universe as a place of ceaseless change (`becoming'), going so far as to suggest that the Sun was created anew each day. He believed the fundamental element was fire, because it was always changing, and that the Sun and Moon were bowls of fire. So too were stars, at great distances.' back

Heraclitus - Wikipedia Heraclitus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'Heraclitus of Ephesus (ca. 535–475 BC) was a pre-Socratic Ionian philosopher, a native of Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor. Heraclitus is known for his doctrine of change being central to the Universe, and that the Logos is the fundamental order of all.' back

Parmenides - Wikipedia Parmenides - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'Parmenides of Elea (early 5th century BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher born in Elea, a Greek city on the southern coast of Italy. He was the founder of the Eleatic school of philosophy, his only known work is a poem which has survived only in fragmentary form. In it, Parmenides describes two views of reality. In the Way of Truth, he explained how reality is one; change is impossible; and existence is timeless, uniform, and unchanging. In the Way of Opinion, he explained the world of appearances, which is false and deceitful. These thoughts strongly influenced Plato, and through him, the whole of western philosophy.' back