Who Is God According to Catholicism?

TL;DR

In Catholicism, God is defined as the subsistent act of being itself, transcending all entities and existence. This means God's essence and existence are unified, making God fundamentally different from any contingent being. Our understanding of God is inherently limited, necessitating a leap of faith that surpasses pure reason.

Transcript

let's start with the big question who is God according to Christianity according to Catholicism who's God I'll give you Thomas acquaintance definition uh God is ipsum essay subsistence God is the subsistent act of 2B itself another way to state that in Aquinas is God is that reality unique absolutely unique in which Essence and existence coincide t... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧑‍🏭 God is not a being among other beings but the subsistent act of to be itself, transcending being.
• 😃 Believing in God is acknowledging the reason for the existence of the contingent realm, not believing in a big being.
• 🤪 Our knowledge of God is limited and reaches a point where faith, which goes beyond reason, becomes necessary.
• ❓ Language about God is analogical, meaning statements about God are analogous to God's manner of being.
• 💄 God's transcendence does not destroy or consume creatures but makes them more beautiful and radiant.
• 😚 God is both deeply present in the world and beyond it, closer to us than we are to ourselves.
• ❓ The nature of God is beyond human comprehension, and attempts to grasp or hide from God are futile.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Aquinas define God in terms of existence and being?

Aquinas describes God as the subsistent act of to be itself, where God's existence is not limited by any essential principle. God's nature is to be, and this is unique to God.

Q: How does the understanding of God in Christianity differ from the belief in a big being?

According to Aquinas, God is not a being among other beings. God transcends being and is non-competitively transcendent to the world. Believing in God is not about believing in a big being but acknowledging the reason for the existence of the contingent realm.

Q: How can we comprehend or know God if God is beyond our world?

While our knowledge begins in ordinary experience, we can gesture toward the transcendent reality of God through metaphysical analysis and philosophical reasoning. Our language about God is analogical, meaning our statements about God are analogous to God's manner of being.

Q: What is the role of faith in understanding and knowing God?

Authentic faith goes beyond reason and the infra-rational. It involves embracing the darkness beyond the horizon of what we can know and striving to come closer to God. Faith is not about irrationality or superstition but about reaching the limits of human understanding.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• God, according to Aquinas, is the subsistent act of to be itself, beyond being and any particular entity in the world.

• God's nature is to exist, and God's existence is not limited by any essential principle like other beings in the world.

• Our knowledge of God is limited and reaches a point where faith, which goes beyond reason, becomes necessary.