Theology
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Being and becoming. In being, something is, existing as it is. In becoming, one is actively in the process of change. In both, the subject in question is engaged in a dynamic existence marked by transformation, movement, alteration, and transcendence. While this may seem like lofty metaphysics (although to a degree, it is), everything in…
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You are dust, and to dust you shall return. These words are anything but comforting. And what’s worse and that they came from the mouth of God, which makes it sting even more. What’d you just call me? Dust? While not addressed directly to us—the entirety of humanity—in the context of the scriptural passage, God’s…
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Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnipresent. These omnis are terms used to articulate the attributes of God. While these may serve as means of better understanding God and fostering a deeper relationship with Godself to some, I find myself often feeling alienated and distant from the divine because of these terms. Related terms such as immutable and aren’t…
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With religion often comes dogmatism—the meticulous formulation, codification, and propagation of particular beliefs to the degree that rigid adherence to such doctrines is explicitly ordered by the religion’s leadership and structure. However, to strictly define particular beliefs is to limit peoples’ approaches to them; those who adhere rigidly to doctrines can be considered company-line or…
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For much of Christianity’s history, G-d has been characterized as being totally other, completely distant, a non-being, utterly transcendent, and beyond human understanding. This view of G-d has been supported and developed by countless theologians throughout history, from Augustine of Hippo to Thomas Aquinas to Joseph Ratzinger. Related to this understanding of G-d is the…
John Lee Wagas 