crivelli

Jesus

guadalupe

Purgatory

Oral report 2: topics and main sources

n  Topiocs

(1) God as the pearl of great price, the greatest good, summum bonum, the definitive value to be preferred over all other goods

•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_Satisfier
•  http://www.scribd.com/doc/227429388/Ethics-A-History-of-Moral-Thought (Peter Kreeft: slides 42-47)
• Love is the Greatest Good

(2) All Christians are called to evangelize. Why we have to evangelize in our daily life

• http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#We_are_all_missionary_disciples (See nos. 120-121 Evangelium Vitae Pope Francis) 
• http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p4.htm#904
• http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm#863

(3) All Christians are kings, priests and prophets - how to practice this

•  http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p4.htm#898
•  http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#We_are_all_missionary_disciples (See nos. 120-121 Evangelium Vitae Pope Francis)

(4) The greatness and beauty of the celibate vocation (superiority over marriage) 

• Familiaries consortio no. 16: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio_en.html 
• http://uaptheo101.blogspot.com/search?q=Celibacy
• http://uaptheo101.blogspot.com/search/label/Vocation%20to%20Love%3A%20Celibacy%20and%20Marriage

 (5) How can we be identified with Christ the savior

• St. Josemaria, That all may be saved: http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/friends_of_god-chapter-16.htm
• http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#We_are_all_missionary_disciples (See nos. 120-121 Evangelium Vitae Pope Francis)
  

(6) The advantages of frequent confession

•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequent_confession
•  http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Sin/Sin_010.htm

(7) Teaching faith in the family

•  http://primacyofreason.blogspot.com/2014/09/teaching-faith-in-family-some.html

(8) Why should we study our Christian faith and theology up to the end of our lives

•  http://uaptheo101.blogspot.com/search/label/Why%20Study%20Theology%20and%20Philosophy
•  http://fatherroy.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-formation-never-ends.html

(9) Why and how to be a 100% Christian everyday

•  http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/friends_of_god-chapter-1.htm
•  http://www.josemariaescriva.info/article/living-life-to-the-fullest

By Peter Kreeft in Summa of the Summa
1.Ontological (Anselm): “God” means “that which has all conceivable perfections”; and it is more perfect to exist really than only mentally; therefore God exists really. The most perfect conceivable being cannot lack any conceivable perfection.

2. Cosmological
A. Motion: Since no thing (or series of things) can move (change) itself, there must be a first, unmoved mover, source of all motion.
B. Efficient causality: Nothing can cause its own existence. If there is no first, uncaused cause of the chain of causes and effects we see, these second causes could not exist. They do, so it must.
C. Contingency and Necessity: Contingent beings (beings able not to be) depend on a necessary Being (a being not able not to be).
D. Degrees of perfection: Real degrees of real perfections presuppose the existence of that perfection itself (the perfect Being).
E. Design: Design can be caused only by an intelligent designer. Mindless nature cannot design itself or come about by chance.
F. The Kalam (Time) Argument: Time must have a beginning, a first moment (creation) to give rise to all other moments. (The ‘Big Bang’ seems to confirm this: time had an absolute beginning 15 - 20 billion years ago.) And the act of creation presupposes a creator.

3. Psychological
A. From mind and truth
1. Augustine: Our minds are in contact with eternal, objective and absolute truth superior to our minds ( e.g. 2 + 2 = 4 ) and the eternal is divine, not human.
2. Descartes: Our idea of a perfect being (God) could not have come from any imperfect source (cause), for the effect cannot be greater than the cause. Thus it must have come from God.
B. From will and good
1. Kant: Morality requires a perfect ideal, and requires that this ideal be actual and real, somewhere.
2. Newman: Conscience speaks with absolute authority, which could come only from God.
C. From emotions and desire.
1. C . S . Lewis: Innate desires correspond to real objects, and we have an innate desire (at least unconsciously) for God, and Heaven.
2. Von Balthasar: Beauty reveals God. There is Mozart, therefore there must be God.
D. From experience
1. Existential Argument: If there is no God (and no immortality) life is ultimately meaningless.
2. Mystical experience meets God.
3. Ordinary religious experience (prayer) meets God. Prayer of the Skeptic: "God, if you exist, show me" - a real experiment.
4. Love argument: If there is no God of love, no absolute that is love, then love is not absolute. Or, the eyes of love reveal the infinite value of the human person as the image of God.

4. The argument from the analogy of other minds, which are no harder to prove than God (Platinga).

5. The practical argument: Pascals wager: To bet on God is your only chance of winning eternal happiness, and to bet against Him is your only chance of losing. It is the most reasonable bet in life.

6. Historical
A. From miracles: If miracles exist, a supernatural miracle-worker exists.
B. From providence, perceivable in history (e.g., in scripture) and in ones own life.
C. From authority: Most good, wise, reliable people believe in God.
D. From saints: You see God through them. Where do they get their joy and power. As with Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
E. From Jesus: If God is unreal, Jesus was history’s biggest fool or fake.[In the report please do not include letter E on Jesus]

The full discussion of 20 Arguments is found here.
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All these show, through reason alone, that God is:
• Most perfect conceivable Being
• First Mover
• Uncaused Cause
• Intelligent Designer
• Highest degree of perfection
• Necessary basis of contingent beings
• Big Banger: Cause of beginning of time
• Cause of idea of perfect being
• Authoritative Voice of conscience
• Eternal, objective and absolute Truth
• Meaning of life
• Revealed by beauty
• Cause of mystical experience
• Perfect moral Ideal
• Object of innate desire
• Perceivable provident Guide
• Dialogue Partner in prayer
• Object of belief of wise people
• Miracle-worker
• Joy and power of saints
• Only chance of winning eternal happiness