Fr. Spitzer's Magis Center Of Reason And Faith

The word “trinity” is used to describe the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though all three are used in scripture there is no description of the “trinity.” Throughout this paper the concept of the “trinity” will be examined. First, the paper will have a summary of relevant sections from three sources: the New Catholic Encyclopedia, the older Catholic Encyclopedia, and a peer-reviewed theological article from a contemporary journal. Two concise analyses will follow the summary. In the first analysis there will be a comparison between the older and newer Catholic encyclopedias to see how over time theological reflection has changed. In the second analysis there will be a comparison between the New Catholic Encyclopedia and a contemporary theological article to show the differences between the two theological perspectives.

Catholicism: A Very Short Introduction written by Gerald O’Collins is a short read that gives an insight to the Catholic church without getting confusing to the reader. It touches on the basics of Catholicism such as the history, practices, and core beliefs. Through each chapter Gerald O’Collins a research professor in the field of Theology at St. Mary’s University College and Twickenham, as well as formally Dean in Gregorian University for the faculty of Theology, shares his knowledge on the Catholic religion one question at a time.

“Almost every argument against this is from the standpoint of religion. Religion should not stand in the way of science. In order for our society to progress, we need

The advancement in technology and science has triggered a new way of thinking among many people. What seems challenging is drawing the limits of this advancement in terms of what is ideal and imperative for humanity. Science seems to provide concrete evidence for its discoveries. However, the increased reliance on scientific discoveries and technology is diminishing the human morals. All these are amidst the emergence of dualities such as religious fundamentalism and scientific fundamentalism, each trying to convert the other. Scientific advancements continue to trigger concern among many scholars. In his article “God, Science and Imagination”, Wendel Berry discusses how the concepts of religious fundamentalism and scientific fundamentalism are needless and destructive. To a large extent, Beery seems to criticize the scientists who dismiss the existence of God. He claims that science has over time changed to contradict its initial element of factual evidence. In her short story “The Made-to-Order Savior, Lisa Belkin writes about a medical procedure that convinces two couples to get another child in order to save the other child suffering from Fanconi anemia a rare genetic disease. The two families are willing to invest heavily in the scientific research on PGD that would help save the child. Their actions are indicative of the changes in morals introduced by scientific advancements. Although the medical technology helps save the life, it often

The first three time periods in American literature had distinguishing characteristics in their subject matter and writing styles. Puritans wrote about their religious beliefs and daily life during the Age of Faith. During the Age of Reason, the Revolutionary War was going on and much of the writings were political documents as a result of the war. The Age of Romantics brought about the first fictional writings. The three time periods, which have unique characteristics in their subject matter and writing styles, were the Age of Faith, Age of Reason, and Age of Romantics.

Thirteen colonies, united strong and firm to bring down the King of Great Britain, who had been controlling them for a period of time. In these colonies, various people gathered together and formed a document known as The Declaration of Independence, that broke them free from the king and made them a nation, America. But before becoming America, they were held captive by the King of Great Britain, who did no good for the people and brought them nothing but misery. America slowly, but eventually evolved itself since the mid 1700’s and has become one of the strongest nations even till this day. With all these changes and history this nation has become of, so has it’s actions changed and outgrown throughout these years. The nation created in 1776 can be represented in various characteristics, as when the Age of Reason occurred. The Age of Reason focused on reason, individualism, and skepticism, impacting the society in a variety of ways, creating the colonies to react and show several emotions. During this period of time, people were convinced the reason held by humans could make the discovery of natural laws of the universe and natural rights of mankind. And this conflicted with the religious beliefs because people based on their life from the word of God and didn’t believe a discovery like this would prove God wrong. Above all, the two most important characteristics that best represent America during the Age of Reason are inquisitive

If I were to sum up what I have learned from this course it would be focused on Faith and a new understanding of the Bible. Faith is not just part of religion but every aspect of our everyday lives, and is fascinatingly carried through the Bible from the beginning to the end. It began with the Creation, and continued throughout the Fall, Redemption, and Consummation of Christ. It is the foundation of the Christian perspective and what leads God’s people to salvation and good works. Our modern world is so corrosive to faith that Jesus Christ asked, "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). He is there to give his people the gift of faith and to help them to grow in living faith that will last forever.

According to Kevin Nelson, a neuroscientist and the author of “The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain,” adults often have a sense of looking back over a life; young children, lacking that perspective, tend to report “castles and rainbows, often populated with pets, wizards, guardian angels, and like adults, they see relatives and religious figures, too.” It’s hard to convey to anyone who grew up without the idea of God just how fully the language, stories and “logic” of the Bible can dominate a young mind, even perhaps especially the mind of a toddler (Nelson, The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain”20-21.) There have been various accounts taken over the years regarding near death or life after death experiences. A known account of this situation is taken from Colton Burpo, in which a bestseller book published in 2010 and motion picture released in 2014 known as “Heaven is for Real” is based on. In 2003 three year-old Colton claimed to have visited Heaven during a near death experience where an emergency surgery was performed on him to save his life. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks about things that happened before his birth... things he could not possibly know. The next is the story of Dr. Eben Alexander, who is a proclaimed neurosurgeon and writer coming from a lineage of scholars and medical doctors. He

The Doctrine of Justification has been a vital teaching throughout the history of Christianity and it is the fulcrum upon which the Church balances; even minor tweaking could result in drastic changes to our core beliefs. This Doctrine can be summarized to say that Justification is God’s declaration, that only through faith in his son’s suffering are we saved and are righteous in God’s sight. This teaching is as old as our religion and we can see this through its expression from both old and new testaments writers. Justification is at the heart of our faith, so it is important to be able to understand and analyze this fundamental Doctrine.

In the book ‘the varieties of religious experience’, James concluded that religious experience testifies that “we can experience union with something larger than ourselves and in that union find our greatest peace”.  He defined such experiences as “experiences of the divine” and believed that religious experience was at the heart of religion. For James, religious teachings, practices and attitudes are second hand religion, which later develop as individuals reflect on their common experience. It is the actual experiences that directly point to God. However this theory does little to prove religious experiences simply because many of his claims do not stand up to critical analysis.

In Jill Lepore’s chapter “Resurrection” from The Mansion of Happiness, she discusses her encounter with Robert Ettinger and his scientific work on “resurrecting” people who have died through the freezing of bodies. According to the Christian Theological teaching of Jesus’s Death and Resurrection, his act of dying on the cross and rising saved us from our sins and overcame the power of death. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, there was a promise for us, our souls, to be brought to everlasting life in the Kingdom of God when the time comes for each of us. Before death, we are called to live out the Kingdom of God on Earth to build relationships, do good works, and fulfill whatever drives us to live. What makes all of this valuable is that we know our time is not infinite on earth. The idea of cryonics and being able to live forever destroys the significance of time on Earth and the value of what it means to live.

A quote from Sherri Sheared, an article writer, Says, “I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose again, and that's my belief” (1). Jesus was a giving man and he lead religion in a positive way for many people. In this article surveys say that Jesus really did exist on this earth at one time. The statistics say that he was a healer just like the bible said. Jesus was also a helper to anyone in need; therefore, he was the child of God. Although some people do not think Jesus is real, research shows that he did exist and he walked the earth at one point changing the perspective of how people saw him.

In An Examined Faith James M. Gustafson uses a hypothetical student to discuss how studying different subjects affects her thoughts and views of the human and religion. Should she deny new scientific sources and explanations, or accept and deny her religious beliefs, or find some way to accommodate the various sources? I had contact with several different subjects, most about biology, with different explanations during my high school and college time, and I can say it affected me.

Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.” (S&H 468 quoted in “What is Christian Science?”)

In the study of Christian theology, scripture plays an essential role in the revelation of the Doctrine of God. Scriptures are “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) words, written by the Holy Spirit through divine inspiration of prophets. They are necessary for the proper understanding of the doctrine of God, the self-revelation of God, the proof of God’s existence, and for the discernment of false doctrines.