Dear Fr Ivo Apropos this discussion, your explanation for the existence of a God is perfectly understandable as from a sincere clergyman. To me, much such explanation is akin to mysticism that one tends to either accept or reject.
For the theist, at its simplest, God exists because of the wonderousness of the world around us that could only rationally be made possible by a supreme creator--generally referred to as a benign God from time immemorial by most established religions. However, the atheist, at the simplest, cannot accept that the wonderousness around us is consequent to a supreme creator and especially a benevolent one because of ever so much nastiness in nature. Rather, the atheist sees human existence in nature as a consequence of perfectly explainable scientific outcomes. Once again, this is believeable or not. Both, the theists and the atheists are generally sincere about their contrasting beliefs and we should be able to respect them for their sincere beliefs in search of truth provided neither tries to debunk the other frivolously. By all means, let us respectfully persuade each other about the soundness of each other's beliefs and I personally want to keep an open mind about the contrasting positions. However, what I find difficult to accept are explanations that are tautological as I received from a highly educated and deeply Catholic Goan who when I asked him, following a long intense discussion on causation--who had caused his supreme God? He insisted that "GOD IS THE UNCAUSED CAUSE THAT HAD CAUSED EVERYTHING AROUND US." Often, my dear Fr Ivo, with the greatest respect to you, I note much underpinning of the above kind of mystical and tautological explanation emanating from your kindly good self! Sincerely Cornel DaCosta --- "Fr. Ivo C da Souza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > "God is the meaning that secures the meaning of all > that I do, all that I am, all that we can be as humankind. His objective reality as goodness, truth and love secures the significance of all that > happens, of all that is. > God is not a fact in the world, as though God could > be treated as one thing among other things to be empirically investigated, affirmed or denied on the > basis of observation. Many who deny God's existence > treat God in this way, and they simply don't know how to ask the proper question about God. God is > why the world is at all, the goodness, truth and > love that flows into an astonishingly complex and beautiful cosmos, and we are the part of that > cosmos, consciously and freely open to goodness, > truth and love; and we are frustrated when this openness is blocked. We are designed for ultimate meaning and purpose...