tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post448364675908274026..comments2024-03-22T17:43:18.211-07:00Comments on bionic mosquito: Freedom and Aquinas bionic mosquitohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-25299663763483915912020-10-23T15:21:22.603-07:002020-10-23T15:21:22.603-07:00Aquinas' thoughts on natural law and how they ...Aquinas' thoughts on natural law and how they support political freedom is an enduring good which came out of his life. His theology was problematic though as highlighted in the linked article.<br /><br />https://thecrosssectionrmb.blogspot.com/2020/10/how-should-we-then-live-chapter-4.htmlRMBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13603112499567064214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-15579358771263801032020-10-23T03:27:20.975-07:002020-10-23T03:27:20.975-07:00I have been and remained pleased with the quality ...I have been and remained pleased with the quality of discussion here, Nick. Thanks.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-6459443095540714242020-10-23T03:24:40.908-07:002020-10-23T03:24:40.908-07:00Religion has been removed from the public square, ...Religion has been removed from the public square, meaning religion has been removed from the public.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-3558058418230161072020-10-22T17:26:56.965-07:002020-10-22T17:26:56.965-07:00re: What Is the Relationship Between Divine Sovere...re: What Is the Relationship Between Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility?<br /><br /><b>Consider the Lord’s opening statement in Isaiah 10:5: “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger.” At first glance, this makes no sense. If Assyria is functioning as an instrument of God’s judgment, why is He pronouncing condemnation on the Assyrians? “Woe” is an onomatopoeic word (meaning the word sounds like what it means; in this case, a cry of agony) that warns of calamity or massive judgment to come. But how can a people come under divine denunciation and judgment while at the same time functioning as a rod of God’s anger? The rest of the verse says, “the staff in whose hand is My indignation.” Assyria, this pagan, godless, idolatrous nation, is the instrument of divine judgment against God’s own rebellious people.<br /><br />In fact, the next verse says, “I send it against a godless nation [Judah, the southern part of the kingdom] and commission it against the people of My fury” (v. 6). The Jews are thus designated as the people of God’s fury. God holds Israel fully responsible for their disbelief; fully responsible for their idolatry; fully responsible for their rebellion and their rejection of Him, His Word, and His worship. So He commissions the Assyrians to come against them. Notice verse 6: “To capture booty, and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.” That’s strong, decisive language.<br /><br />Now here you have a divine decree in action. God grabs Assyria by the nape of its national neck and assigns it to be the instrument of His fury against the godless people of Judah who have rejected and rebelled against Him. And then He says in verse 7, “Yet it [Assyria] does not so intend, nor does it plan so in its heart.” Assyria is the instrument of God’s judgment—and the Assyrians themselves are clueless about it. It was never Assyria’s purpose, motive, or intention to serve God. They had no interest in the God of Scripture—they didn’t even believe in Him. Rather, Assyria planned in its own heart to cut off many nations. This was just another opportunity for the Assyrian power to knock off another neighboring nation, as they’d already done to Calno, Carchemish, Hamath, Arpad, Samaria, and Damascus (v. 9). Verses 10 and 11 depict Assyria’s confidence in its ability to conquer Judah: “As my hand has reached to the kingdom of the idols, whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?” All Assyria knows is that it has destroyed other nations who, in its judgment, had greater protection and greater gods than the God of the Bible. The Assyrians simply intended to do to Judah what they had done to the rest of the nations. They thought they were acting in complete independence. They had no idea that God was using them as agents to deliver His judgment.</b><br /><br />source: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-relationship-between-divine-sovereignty-and-human-responsibility/Ahmed Fareshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07105255828394485657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-75582373137941898182020-10-21T16:28:16.777-07:002020-10-21T16:28:16.777-07:00Thank you this.
A very courageous man, Professor ...Thank you this.<br /><br />A very courageous man, Professor Kreeft.<br /><br />And absolutely correct.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-26914771787945455642020-10-21T09:26:15.041-07:002020-10-21T09:26:15.041-07:00Very nice write up. I like the exploration of the ...Very nice write up. I like the exploration of the topic of free will into discussions about what "Freedom" is- it is my opinion that is an area that Catholic church has right despite the many areas of disappointment, especially regarding the current Pope.<br /><br />If we don't have free will, we are nothing more than automatons and our actions have no meaning.<br /><br />That aside, the ending of your write-up is what struck me.<br /><br />I was briefly convinced by my sister in Canada to join "Facebook" in it's early days as a way to keep up with family separated by great distances. (I have close/immediate family in SoCal and Canada while I'm in SC)<br /><br />I think I was a member for 6 months, back in around 06/07 if I recall properly. But I found it an exercise in narcissism and didn't really use it to keep up with family. I like talking on the phone, or on occasion video chat(but I prefer the phone).<br /><br />For the same reason I never signed up for Twitter(nor do I want to) or any other "bloviating" app/platform. I do have a Linked-In account, but I refuse to post my picture and I don't make comments on it. I use it strictly for networking with my customers and the occasional co-traveler in intellectual endeavors. <br /><br />I have no doubt that Kreeft is right regarding many blogs, apps/platforms, etc.<br /><br />HOWEVER, blogs like this one are of a different nature. When you "bloviate", said thoughts are open for discussion among many here- assuming they can keep reasonable decorum. That is the differentiating characteristic between your typical bloviating blog and this one for example.<br /><br />What technology has done is create a global coffee house/pub or dining room table so to speak(HT to Hoppe). The quality of said discussions are still up to the people involved, but this technology is what exposed me to libertarianism back in 06'(despite never knowing it after attending 3 different colleges) via Ron Paul(thank you Dr. Paul!) and the ideas of "liberty" and philosophy in general that I would have had no chance to be exposed to otherwise.(most likely)<br /><br />So "bloviate on", but I think inherently we all know there's a difference between intellectual discussion and bloviation. <br /><br />:)Nick Badalamentihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015961786370759940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-17371350480786727622020-10-21T03:31:42.808-07:002020-10-21T03:31:42.808-07:001. Read the encyclical letter Libertas by Leo XIII...1. Read the encyclical letter Libertas by Leo XIII on free will.<br />2. Read the articles on Faith by Saint Thomas in the Summa. There are three ways to hold something to be true, based on te differing roles of the intellect, the will, and grace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-3994364521063830902020-10-20T22:41:26.372-07:002020-10-20T22:41:26.372-07:00"has grown into keeping the private religious..."has grown into keeping the private religious voices out of the public political square"<br /><br />So true. Freedom for religion has turned into freedom from religion.<br /><br />“Religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free to discuss religion. In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it.” - G.K. Chesterton<br /><br />"Kreeft isn’t a fan of blogs: “people use blogs to bloviate.” I have no comment."<br /><br />Ahh what does he know! =) A lot, but this is more than just a blog.A Texas Libertarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02980539931923054404noreply@blogger.com