Anti-anthropomorphic Theology

I suppose there are a few reasonable justifications for trying to make God into our own image. Jesus told his disciples to call God “Father” and he addressed God as his own father. Review John 14 for perhaps the most emphatic image of God as “Father.” Then there's Matthew 6 wherein Jesus repeatedly tells the crowd on the mountain that “their Father in heaven ...” sees and hears their every word and action. So it is easy to see why famous artists might picture the Almighty God as a bearded fatherly figure. Easy, but wrong.

Whoa! Did I just deny that God is our heavenly father? No; but seeing God the Father as a elderly gent (even one with a long beard, wearing a robe) is – in my opinion – a serious mistake in judgment. God the Father is so much greater than all human fathers combined, that there is no comparison whatsoever. I believe that when we see God the Father in human frame it opens us to feel that God has human foibles; anger, vengeance, sadness. Seeing God as an elderly relative leads us to think that God can be hurt, offended like our human dads, and perhaps go into a sulk and refuse to listen to us. The Old Testament certainly confirms that those Jews saw God in that light. They were constantly alternating between flattering him and wheedling with him over some imagined slight.

What Jesus taught us is that God the Father is, in some ways, indeed like a human father; having fatherly love for his children – raised to perfection! Like our human parent, God the Father causes us to exist; but not merely physically. Sure, our physical existence comes from the Father but so does our soul, for which our earthly parent takes no credit. Jesus tells us to love, honor and obey God his and our Father; which demands that we do not “offend” him; but unlike an offense against dad or mom here on earth, our sins do not harm God; they harm us. Furthermore, I do not believe tha God is ever angry with us; perfet love leaves no room for anger, and God perfectly understands us so when he punishes it is because perfect love does not preclude perfect justice.

If you need the “warm fuzzies” kind of love, then seeing God as a kind of super-father may allow you to feel closer to him; but if you feel no emotional heart-throbs when you pray, don't be distressed. Love for God is an act of the will, confirmed by doing those things commanded by the Son of our Father, for he and the father are one.

Joseph; Quiet, Strong, Wise, Faithful.

Although there is little “history” in the Bible about the foster-father of Jesus, we can deduce several characteristics which must have marked the man; he was obviously gentle and compassionate, for we know he had planned to quietly “divorce” his pregnant wife-to-be (customs of the Jews of that time called for an espousal or betrothal when the bride-price was paid to the father of the girl, then about a year later, the wedding feast and ceremony would occur and the husband would take his wife home.) Had he divorced her publicly, the girl would likely have been stoned as a sinner. Furthermore, we know that he was a man of his word and one who took his responsibilities seriously, for he undertook a non-trivial journey with his then-pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem (along with all who were required to “be counted” in their places of birth) thus assuring that she and the child would not be censured because of any question concerning the time of the baby's conception.

Then after the birth of Jesus, surely astonishing in so many ways, Joseph made the infant and holy mother safe and, we may be sure, comfortable, for perhaps a year or more. Until came that caravan of rich men to venerate the baby. Who were they and what had brought them to offer gifts, as to royalty? We hear only of the visit and the gifts, but you know Joseph questioned them. Mary probably had no question in her heart about the fact that her child was royal, but she surely was foremost a natural mother, the most loving and pure mother of our entire race! This mother and father were wise; they would have learned all they could from the visitors.

The holy parents now faced a deadly threat to the life of their child; Herod's fear of anything that might trouble the Romans (who allowed him to govern the Jews) now determined him to kill any new “king” important enough to call forth Seers from distant lands. When those visitors failed to report back to him, he no doubt saw that as proof of conspiracy. His solution; sweep up every infant two and younger, kill them all!

Now Joseph proves his wisdom and ability. Surely he used the valuable gifts those rich visitors had left the family to obtain the mounts and supplies needed for the long trip to Egypt. The only safe way to make the trip was as part of a commercial caravan; and that must be done quickly and very quietly to evade Herod's army and his legions of informers. So indeed Joseph succeeded in doing, as we know. Here is was a man of wit and will. A man ready and able to make difficult decisions and implement them quickly. A man guided by God, surely, but who followed the will of God with alacrity. Joseph was someone we should all admire.

Joseph was also a man we may envy just a bit! Imagine the pleasure he had in watching his beautiful wife and child during the quiet years we know nothing of! Years of days during which Joseph worked to feed, clothe and house his family, and teach the baby as he learned to toddle, to walk, to run and play . . . and surely to work alongside his “dad.” Years later, neighbors would say; “Is he not the carpenter's son?”

That's nothing to be ashamed of! It is a grace and a joy, to be known as the son of an honorable workman!

From Whence Our Knowledge of God?

     If you are a follower of Jesus the Christ, your answer to this post's title question will almost certainly be, "The Bible." Past experience also leads me to surmise that a few will respond "inspiration" but without insult, I will question that answer. Looking at mankind worldwide and throughout known history, it seems that direct inspiration is seriously flawed when it comes to knowing God. Think of the mythological deities and the mystery-entities of primitive peoples everywhere; they are chaotic, cruel, mischievous; examples of every undesirable character flaw.
     These figures are certainly attempts to account for the forces of nature which so powerfully affected the lives of ancient peoples. Forces that some felt they might control or persuade ... and had just enough apparent success that they were believed and became the shamans, priests, witches, and wizards. When their luck turned against them and the odds caught up with them, their followers, as often as not, sacrificed them to the same gods with which they had claimed to commune.
     More advanced civilized cultures, having leisure time which allowed scholarly and philosophical classes to rise up, conceived of less naturalistic and animistic gods; gods more like themselves, but invisible, or at least unseen in some realm inaccessible to mere mortals. These gods exhibit superhuman powers, and superhuman foibles, with the foibles greatly dominating their activities. Again, it seems that these are efforts to understand the actions of the natural world which so profoundly affect mankind's lives.
     But why is the need to define a god or gods so universal in humanity? Accounting for natural forces is surely one reason, but the uniform general direction of religious culture compels me to think there is a basic root, or seed in every human heart and soul which, like any seed or root, grows toward the source of warmth and light, towards the real, true God who makes us all. That powerful impulse to seek the source of life and self drives humanity, but unguided, it leads down myriad paths to myriad imaginary and ephemeral ends. I believe that God not only creates us, Goa also guides; and that bring me to the Jews.
     That strange family of sheepherders, desert wanderers, cursing, loving, rebellious, worshiping, killing, singing, stiff-necked, faithful children of Abraham. A most unlikely tribe to be "chosen" people, the Jews. This people's view of God, developed over perhaps 2500 years, had some similarities with other ideologies, of course, since all grow from that seed implanted by their Creator. But as the leaders and teachers of the Jews fought the weaknesses and failings of their people, the same central theme, found nowhere else, was always present, forming their understanding of their God.


     God is one, God is eternal, God is all-powerful, God is loving.


     As the centuries passed, the prophets and lawgivers of the Jews saw more clearly how these qualities of their God must affect their lives. The social structures of the Chosen People changed, so also did their understanding of the demands of their religion change in response. But those core beliefs remain constant, understood more clearly, understood in light of new developments in daily life, but unchanged in essence. Core beliefs so totally different from other philosophies and religions that it is impossible to believe they arose from human minds.


     So here we are, back at the Bible. 


                 Oh! Where did we get that?

To Whom Did the Risen Jesus Not Appear?

During these fifty days of celebrating the Easter of our salvation, we read much of Our Risen Lord's appearances to faithful Mary, his Apostles, and disciples. What I find even more interesting is the group he completely ignored. Admit it; if it were you who had been tortured and killed, who would be first on your visit-list? I know that I would be standing by the bedsides of those narrow-minded and viscous Jewish leaders when they awoke! Ho! What pleasure it would give me to watch their reactions as they realized what they had done! Ah ha!

But Our Lord and God allowed those evil-minded leaders to go their way, convinced that he was safely dead, buried somewhere secretly by his followers, no doubt, so that they could claim that he had arisen. It seems to me this is one more sure sign of Jesus's divinity; no ordinary human could have resisted the urge to prove to his tormentors that they were wrong. How about giviing them another chance to repent? Oh sure, to help them repent. Ha!

Accepting the infinite wisdom of God, we know that what Jesus did was exactly the right thing to do. So what does his failure to tweak the noses of his killers mean for me, in my life? Okay, it is right there in his prayer; “...forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us ...” All right, that's very clear . . . but still, could you have resisted the urge to prove the truth to those unbelievers?

God Loves Satan.

Did someone tell you, years ago, “God hates sin but loves the sinner” ? Theologians assure us this is correct, because God is love, God is flawless, perfect, and therefore unchanging. It follows that, difficult as it might be for us to understand – even impossible in human terms – God does indeed love his created being, the pure spirit Satan. So, does Satan's rejection of God's love make God sad? Nope – can't be; that would be imperfection, capability of change, which is not possible because God is perfect, so nothing can make God “sad.” 

Think of the effect this must have on Satan; its immense intellect knowing without doubt that God loves it, that its rejection of that love hurts only itself. Yet Satan is impelled by its rejection to continually seek to damage God's creation, with full certainty that regardless of its efforts, God's plan will come to perfection . . . because God is infinitely powerful and cannot be “defeated” in any way. It appears then that Satan's sins are their own punishment; and justice is perfectly fulfilled and completely balanced.

Where does this leave us, sinners in time, children of Adam? The keyword here is “time” – we have time on our side! Unlike pure spirits, we were given time to repent and beg forgiveness. Unlike pure spirits, our acts are not instantaneous and eternal, and God thus made it possible for us to be reconciled to his Love.

But reconciliation demands balancing the scales of justice; scales on which our rejections of Infinite Love weigh infinitely. A sacrifice as heavy as the offense is needed, but sacrificing all of humanity could not balance those scales; and the sacrifice must come from the offenders, from mankind. Hopeless . . . unless God will somehow balance the scales for us. 

Does God have a choice? God is love, perfect and infinite Love; love which demands the good of the beloved, love which impels the lover to do everything possible for the beloved, and God is the this lover with infinite power. Choice is not a consideration; God did, God does; God assumes true humanity and allows man to sacrifice God-in-man for mankind.

The infinite weight of our sins is counterbalanced by the infinite sacrificial love of Jesus-God-man, justice is satisfied, we are saved. Satan knows that his rejection of God's love comes to nothing and hates himself all the more . . . which perhaps is really what Hell is all about. We, in our turn, as members of The Christ, living in time, must continue mankind's sacrifice.

In this regard, we are not “independent,” for independence leaves one subject to balance justice all by oneself, an impossible task which has only one possible end; joining Satan in his Hell.

Why Did They Kill Jesus?

The population of Judea at the time of Christ is unknown, with “educated estimates” ranging from 400,000 to as many as 1,500,000. And of course we cannot know how many of those mentioned in the Biblical accounts of crowds are the same as those present for another event, but there is surely a good deal of duplication. Anyone who witnessed one of Our Lord's miraculous feedings or cures would be sure to seek out this marvelous personage at every possible opportunity. On the other hand, in those times everyone walked, with the rare exceptions of the wealthy who owned beasts of burden or had slaves to carry them in a palanquin. Doubtless very few of those eagerly sought out Jesus and his band of fishermen and tax collectors, so perhaps each crowd was largely newcomers.

Regardless; in addition to his disciples, Jesus and his Apostles had an audience of significant size, and that was surely the chief reason for the dislike of the Jewish leadership.

Book	Chapter; verse	Number of persons noted
Matt	15; 38	4,000
Matt	14; 20	5,000
Acts	4; 4	5,000
Acts	2; 41	3,000
	Total	17,000

Furthermore, Our Lord freely admitted that he “...had nowhere to lay (his) head ...” thus making him even less desirable in the eyes of political leaders who were subject to the scrutiny of the Roman governor. That man's concern was the collection of taxes and payment in-kind from valuable olive and grape harvests. Those treasures would be endangered by unrest, so the Roman military were always sensitive to any sign of rebellious troublemakers.

Today, with the advantage of hindsight, and our admitted bias toward Our Lord and his followers, we see his passion and death due to rejection of the Messiah; but to those responsible – Jew and Roman – it was a simple matter of protecting the status quo. Of course they didn't get the message! They never listened from the very first. These were men whose minds were firmly made up, rather pleased with themselves, doing what they had done all their life, and completely uninterested in making any changes!

Rather than judging them as evil, it might be better for us to see ourselves in them. To examine our own moral lethargy, our fear of conflict, and our risk aversion. Are we are thrusting ourselves out of the pleasantly comfortable and secure positions we enjoy? Or are we standing with the rather fearful and timorous Apostles and disciples, huddled together in that locked upper room, hiding from the authorities who had killed their master?

They awaited their reception of “Confirmation” with the arrival of The Holy Spirit; a blessing wihich most of us received years ago. What have I made of The Spirit's gifts? Am I ready to face indifferent governmental leadership whose only concern is prolonging its term of office? Am I ready to risk persecution and loss of comfort by engaging those who disdain my moral and ethical imperatives?

In short, am I ready to be crucified with Christ?

Loving the Unseen?

The Divine Office for Wednesday of the third week of Lent includes a reading from St. Theophilus of Antioch's book to Autolycus*. St. Anthony writes this; “God is seen by those who have the capacity to see him ...” and he goes on, “ ... but some have eyes that are shrouded in darkness ...” 


Well!


I must believe that my “... eyes of the mind are blinded because of (my) sins and evil deeds,” because I cannot see God, I cannot sense God's presence, I cannot feel God's influence. “No one who has sin within him can see God,” writes Anthony. But “... if you will, you can be healed,” he assures Autolycus. St. Theophilus wrote about 177. While we know nothing of Autolycus, I assume he was a Christian who wanted to learn more, just as most of us today. So seeing that this early Christian could not “see God” I find it oddly comforting to realize that mine is not a new problem, caused perhaps by today's rampant godlessness.

Unfortunately, I find nothing much to help me in St. Theophilus's book. The lesson he teaches is that sin prevents me from seeing God, and the cure is a life of purity and holiness, with faith and fear of God in my heart. Those virtues, it seems to me, are possible if I love God as I should; but I cannot love someone who I do not know, and I do not know God because I cannot see him, and I cannot see him because of my sins,and around and around I go, an endless loop of futile frustration.


Since the days of Autolycus and Theophilus there have been many saints who spoke and wrote of seeing God; none of whom are understood to have literally viewed God, but rather, they enjoyed vivid spiritual consolations; visions of God subject to the limitations of human minds. I believe those holy men and women did really experience what they describe and, I have to admit, I envy them. How could one fail to live a life of virtue after having such a vision? Likewise there have been saints in their millions who have not “seen God” but who regardless persisted in sanctity. There is the my consolation! I am forced to admit it is possible to live a holy and righteous life without ever “seeing” the God I worship.


Nevertheless, I do not understand how to love that which I do not see.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

*The "Ad Autolychum", the only extant writing of Theophilus, is an apology for Christianity. It consists of three books, really separate works written at different times, and corresponds exactly to the description given of it by Eusebius as "three elementary works" (www.New Advent/250104.htm). The author speaks of himself as a convert from heathenism. He treats of such subjects as the Christian idea of God, the Scripture accounts of the origin of man and the world as compared with pagan myths. [(C) New Advent]

What Does God Know?

If you read the psalms, you know that the psalmist(s?) often refer to their understanding that "God sees into the depths of my heart..." I find this  both charming and more than a little astonishing. How did these very early and quite primitive theologians reach the conclusion that God knew what they were thinking? There are any number of interesting paths this concept can lead into, but I'd like to combine the philosophical with the technical and point out that "knowledge" is a measurement of data, information.

Here's where it gets interesting; from the viewpoint of some scientists, "information" is all there is (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_physics). The argument against this way of thinking posits that the "information" defining even the smallest part of space would be calculable only by a computer with infinite capacity ... and there are no infinities in the real world.
That's shortsighted and atheistic. God has infinite capability, and it is my belief that God does indeed "know" all of the "information" which makes up the universe as we experience it.

In very fact, God "knows" you and me totally and completely, for it is God's knowledge of us which causes us to exist. God knows each and every subatomic "particle," always has since the beginning of this universe and always will until . . . well . . . until God determines that it is complete. This idea of God's un-limitedness has always been a barrier between me and God, because of my inability to love God who is unimaginably beyond my power of thought, "un-knowable" for me.

Accepting the reality of God, I can fear and respect God ... I can even honor God but I am unable to relate to God as I would to another human person. This, I believe is at the root of the failure we call Original Sin, and it explains why God allowed our humanity to include his Son. Now there is One God who I can know, One to whom I can relate and who I can love.

Rigid Morality and Disagreeing Catholics

I have been reading letters and other published comments by self-proclaimed "Catholics" who find it impossible to agree with "... the bishops' stand ..." on the health insurance mandate issue. In any controversy I'm interested in the logic and reasoning behind the several positions which the contesting parties take up. But this particular debate about morality casts harsh light on a landscape littered with confusion, misunderstanding and bitterness . . . all of which have little, or nothing, to do with the question under consideration!

Students of debate learn a useful, and often successful, tactic; deflect an opponent away from the main issue, and into a maze of unrelated but apparently similar topics. This may confuse the opponent and prevent him from ever stating a cogent response. This is especially attractive in a public venue if the unrelated issues are brought up by members of the audience supposedly friendly to one's opponent.

Seen this way, Catholics incensed about disallowing female ordination or abusive clerics, add smoke but no light to the haze surrounding the insurance issue. The tenor of the letters I have seen indicate that the writers are generally sincere, so it is a sad reflection on the education of the writers; their lack of good catechesis. Failure to understand the Church's teachings on contraception and abortion can only arise from insufficient knowledge or misinformation. But "...not liking..." the Church's position is no excuse for disobedience.

Those nominal Catholics who refuse to accept what they characterize as the Church's "rigid morality" should consider where a policy of "relaxed morality" will invariably lead, and they should recall that moment when Jesus announced (John 6; 41-67) "I am the bread that came down from Heaven..." John tells us that in hearing this discourse, ". . . many left him." Jesus allowed them to leave, and he even asked his closest friends, his Apostles, "Do you also want to leave?"

My Catholic brothers and sisters, I implore you, do not ask, do not expect, those loyal to the Church to do other than follow her Master. You may, if you insist, walk away with those who left Jesus; your loss will sadden us. Otherwise hold fast to the moral imperative and refuse to submit to any force that takes innocent life . . . regardless of how young or old that life is.

Oh -- please enlighten me if you have certain knowledge of precisely when God breaths a soul into the developing human being. "Certain knowledge" -- not an opinion, please!

Legal Limitations on Religion?

The U.S. Health and Human Services department recently announced that there would be no broadening of exemptions from the requirement for employers to provide insurance plans which pay for birth-control drugs and devices. This caused a shock-wave of awakening in my Church's leadership. We've seen letters, homilies and videos by our bishops. Reactions ranging from outrage, to indignation, to vague threats (the closing of Catholic hospitals, for example, would inundate the nation's public hospitals with patients far beyond their ability to handle.)

There are two aspects of this situation which have not been much noted ... the smug satisfaction of anti-Catholic abortion groups ... and the underlying ethos of the president of our country and his appointed executives. 

Do not, for a moment, think that this issue is merely a misunderstanding, or that the subject is only public health and insurance plans. There is something much darker and more malignant at work here. In past articles  I've suggested that Satan is likely to be less ugly than most art presents him; rather, I believe the Devil is intelligent and presents himself in guises attractively misleading ... I once wrote, "Satan is a banana-split with nuts and cherries, a chocolate-sauce-covered brownie!" And I believe most deeply that today Satan is at work, influencing our government leaders to promote "obviously beneficial" ideas which, they think, will "serve women." 

Nor does it end there! Many are delighted to see limitations placed on religious activities. They say that it is the place of religion to pray, nothing more! The total elimination of religious schools, hospitals, and charitable agencies is their goal. They claim that religion is superstitious nonsense which does no good that they (their government) can not do better. I fear that those who have fallen for Satan's persuasive lie that "abortion is just getting rid of an unwanted fetus" may be all too willing to take this astounding leap downward into his kingdom.

If you think these evil forces are focused only on us Roman Catholics, you should look at the record more closely. Baptists, Jews, Lutherans, Presbyterians . . . all other God-fearing people . . . you are also guilty of "superstition" and disdained as fools.