St. Thomas Aquinas Essay - 898 Words

Owen Zimmermann 11-20-11 Mrs.Donofree Rel. Pd. B St. Thomas Aquinas Saint Thomas Aquinas was a philosopher, theologian, Doctor of the Catholic Church, and is the patron saint of Catholic Universities, colleges, and schools. He was born in Rocca Secca, Italy, in 1225 and was born into a wealthy family. He even was related to the kings of Aragon, Castile, and France. His journey into Catholic beliefs seemed predestined, for he was told when he was a young child that he would become a friar and no one would be equal to him. He started his questioning of faith and religion when he was a youngster, frequently asking his teachers, â€Å"What is God?† Saint Thomas was a panentheist, meaning that he arrives through logical argument at†¦show more content†¦4) Therefore, there must be an uncaused first cause called God. The third manner of Aquinas’ support of God was that there are two types of beings, contingent beings (humans) and a necessary being (God). Saint Thomas believed that this necessary being (God), was necessary for the cont ingent beings (humans), to exist and without God, we humans would not exist. The easiest way to explain this very confusing subject would be as follows: 1) Contingent beings are caused. 2) Not every being can be contingent. 3) There must exist a being that is necessary to cause contingent beings. 4) This necessary being is God. Saint Thomas Aquinas’ fourth argument of the presence of God came from his observations of the quality of objects. For example one may say that of two paintings one is more beautiful than the other. So for these two objects, one has a greater degree of beauty than the next. This is referred to as degrees or graduation of a quality. From this fact Aquinas concluded that for any given quality (e.g. goodness, beauty, knowledge) there must be a perfect standard by which all such qualities are measured. These perfections are contained and reflected in God. God is the ultimate and everything is insufficient compared to His greatness. The final way that Saint Thomas Aquinas speaks of God’s existence has to do with the observable universe and the order of nature. Aquinas states that common sense tells us that the universe works in such a way, thatShow MoreRelatedThe Philosophy Of St. Thomas Aquinas1367 Words   |  6 PagesSt. Thomas Aquinas was an influential philosopher who strongly incorporated faith into his philosophy. In his Summa Theologiae, Aquinas uses his own arguments along with those of both Aristotle and Plato to strengthen his claims. First and foremost, Aquinas uses his own philosophy to back the Christian faith and the existence of God. However, Aquinas also extends his argument past the initial claim of God and Christianity, and it is here where he uses these other influential philosophers to helpRead MoreSt Thomas Aquinas Unbelievers Essay1837 Words   |  8 Pages Both in the times of St. Thomas Aquinas and in our times, there are many other religions. To avoid an everlasting war many chose to tolerate those o f the different religions. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the true Church and that salvation cannot be found outside of the Catholic Church (Catechism). When St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of unbelievers he speaks of those who are not Catholic. Unbelievers are very different from heretics. While the Church tends to treat unbelievers the same as theyRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas On The Existence Of God1338 Words   |  6 Pagesfocus primarily to proving the existence of God, as well as other religious tenets they held. 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However, in Metaphysics, Aristotle says that essence is in the form, which actsRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas s An Unjust Law1433 Words   |  6 PagesSt. Thomas Aquinas argues that an â€Å"an unjust law is no law at all.† (Aquinas in Dimock, ed., 2002, p.19) However, Aquinas also acknowledges that a human lawgiver may promulgate a command that has the form of law, and is enforced like a law, yet is unjust. This observation leads to the realization that these are two inconsistent claims. Yet Aquinas believes that these inconstancies can be reconc iled. In Aquinas’ view an unjust law is not a law but yet is also able to be issued as law and imposedRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas Of The Personalist / Natural Law Ethics888 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent theories were presented in our Ethical Theory class, the theory that stood out and reignited the most is St. Thomas Aquinas of the personalist /natural law ethics. St. Thomas Aquinas natural laws theory developed from a non-Christian that was Aristotle. Despite many of many Catholic theologian did not agree with St. Thomas Aquinas due to his agreement with Aristotle, but St. Aquinas would become one of the most influential theologian in Christianity history. His theory on natural law startedRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas On God And The Laws Of Nature964 Words   |  4 PagesThe world does not function in absolutes, therefore, I find myself aligning with St. Thomas Aquinas over Immanuel Kant. Aquinas’ Natural Law is based on God and the laws of nature. Aquinas identifies five primary precepts: reproduction, life, education, justice and worship. The primary precepts, then break down into secondary precepts that are flexible and realistic. Aquinas views the laws that affect man as coming from one of four areas. Eternal law is the mind of God and what he was thinking