Pope John Paul Ii’s Fides Et Ratio: a Response to Atheism
Pope John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio: A Response to Atheism
Ypril James F. Cabasag
Introduction: When was the time and where was the place when the first races of humans started to believe in God? This question perhaps would trace us back to the point when these people built solid foundation about His existence and how He related to the world. These individuals might conceptualize a God because of their search for the answer about the questions pertaining about the beginning of everything, for instance the Hindus. It might be that these people were conscious that everything appeared to be perfect so it must also be that someone who was accountable of it was more perfect, and that should be a God. These people felt the powerful energy that comprised everything which only possible by that most perfect Being. Way back to the sequence of history up to this present time, the ideal thought about God like what Christians believe, is still carried on. The idea of God becomes more grounded as time passes, it turns so profound compared to its first conceptions, and hence religion has something to do with it. Today, the idea of God is already supported with a lot of theological and even philosophical doctrines. The conviction about God goes out with any dimension of any field of knowledge, which God’s divinity is being highlighted. The idea of God does not only convey sole property that there is only one God, and only produces one universal religion. Every race believes in different concepts of God and subscribes to a particular religion. Hence, if we speak about the specific idea of God, it corresponds to a certain idealism of a religion. There are those who embrace “polytheism”-a belief about gods, “monotheism”- a belief of a God, and “pantheism”- a belief that God is everything. Yet, though there are different convictions of God, they only radiate one thing, “mystery” (Aquino, 1993, p.7). God is something that cannot be totally grasped nor comprehend.
Ypril James F. Cabasag
Introduction: When was the time and where was the place when the first races of humans started to believe in God? This question perhaps would trace us back to the point when these people built solid foundation about His existence and how He related to the world. These individuals might conceptualize a God because of their search for the answer about the questions pertaining about the beginning of everything, for instance the Hindus. It might be that these people were conscious that everything appeared to be perfect so it must also be that someone who was accountable of it was more perfect, and that should be a God. These people felt the powerful energy that comprised everything which only possible by that most perfect Being. Way back to the sequence of history up to this present time, the ideal thought about God like what Christians believe, is still carried on. The idea of God becomes more grounded as time passes, it turns so profound compared to its first conceptions, and hence religion has something to do with it. Today, the idea of God is already supported with a lot of theological and even philosophical doctrines. The conviction about God goes out with any dimension of any field of knowledge, which God’s divinity is being highlighted. The idea of God does not only convey sole property that there is only one God, and only produces one universal religion. Every race believes in different concepts of God and subscribes to a particular religion. Hence, if we speak about the specific idea of God, it corresponds to a certain idealism of a religion. There are those who embrace “polytheism”-a belief about gods, “monotheism”- a belief of a God, and “pantheism”- a belief that God is everything. Yet, though there are different convictions of God, they only radiate one thing, “mystery” (Aquino, 1993, p.7). God is something that cannot be totally grasped nor comprehend.