Summa Wrestling: Divine Revelation vs the Limits of Human Reason

Hi, Folks.

In the past week, I've spent more time writing on Dom's blog than on my own. The latest discussions have gone from issues concerning communicating God's truth to the question "How do we come to know God's truth in the first place?" Many have posted their comments, and shared some interesting insights. Devoting this particular weblog to fundamental questions, I also hoped to probe deeper into the question of religious truth. Recent talk has got me thinking about Divine Revelation. One of the most popular theologians of the Catholic Church expressed:

"... the intellectual light that is in us is nothing other than a certain likeness of the uncreated light, obtained through participation, in which the eternal reasons are contained." (St-Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica. 1a 84.5c)

Here, Aquinas maintains that Truth is accessible to us as it originates with God Himself. Many Christians still hold to this ontological presupposition. On the other hand, even while granting the possibility that truth begins with God, we still cannot establish that we are capable of knowing every truth imaginable. Yet, many of us speculate over things that are quite beyond us. Sometimes, entities (i.e the soul, Heaven, angels...etc) are postulated, but cannot be distinguished from the gods of Homer. What are the limits to human reason?

Many in the world do not buy into the thought of a Christian God. There are also others who do not even believe a god exists. How can we account for their unbelief? Many have proposed that God reveals Himself to some people through Special Revelation (viz. the Bible, Tradition and mystical encounters) and to all through Nature (viz. plain reason and the five senses). From this, it is supposed that some are called to see God's light, while others remain in darkness. The latter, however, are nevertheless given enough light for moral discernment, which makes them responsible for their actions -- now that's a brilliant way to keep just about everyone in check!

However, the experience of being mistaken in the past cannot be easily dismissed by an appeal to consensus or common sense. The history books attest to our virtuous deeds, but also our sins. We are not infallible (viz. intellectually and morally). Furthermore, there are many views concerning God, let alone His very existence. This plurality of opinions also warrants caution in regards to tracing human reason down to God Himself. Thus, if truths stem from one Source and are accessible to many of us, how do we account for so many worldviews?

Something to think about...

Camardicus