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Medieval Trinitarian Thought from Aquinas to Ockham Russel L. Friedman #trinity

God's goodness and the gift of free will St. John Damascene From his Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV, chapter 13: "God Who is good and altogether good and more than good, Who is goodness throughout, by reason of the exceeding riches of His goodness did not suffer Himself, that is His nature, only to be good, with no other to participate therein, but because of this He made first the spiritual and heavenly powers: next the visible and sensible universe: next man with his spiritual and sentient nature. All things, therefore, which he made, share in His goodness in respect of their existence. For He Himself is existence to all, since all things that are, are in Him, not only because it was He that brought them out of nothing into being, but because His energy preserves and maintains all that He made: and in special the living creatures. For both in that they exist and in that they enjoy life they share in His goodness. But in truth those of them that have reason have a still greater share in that, both because of what has been already said and also because of the very reason which they possess. For they are somehow more dearly akin to Him, even though He is incomparably higher than they.   Man, however, being endowed with reason and free will, received the power of continuous union with God through his own choice, if indeed he should abide in goodness, that is in obedience to his Maker. Since, however, he transgressed the command of his Creator and became liable to death and corruption, the Creator and Maker of our race, because of His bowels of compassion, took on our likeness, becoming man in all things but without sin, and was united to our nature.For since He b estowed on us His own image and His own spirit and we did not keep them safe, He took Himself a share in our poor and weak nature, in order that He might cleanse us and make us incorruptible, and establish us once more as partakers of His divinity." #freewill

Reasons for the Faith Against Muslim Objections (and one objection of the Greeks and Armenians) to the Cantor of Antioch Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P. translated by Joseph Kenny, O.P. #islam #eucharist #penance #freewill

Reasons for the Faith Against Muslim Objections (and one objection of the Greeks and Armenians) to the Cantor of Antioch Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P. translated by Joseph Kenny, O.P. Foreword Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: How to argue with unbelievers Chapter 3: How generation applies to God Chapter 4: How the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son Chapter 5: The reason for the incarnation of the Son of God Chapter 6: The meaning of "God became man" Chapter 7: The meaning of "The Word of God suffered" Chapter 8: The meaning of "The faithful receive the body of Christ" Chapter 9: How there is a special place where souls are purified before receiving beatitude Chapter 10: That divine predestination does not impose necessity on human acts http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/islam/rationes.htm#8 #islam #eucharist #penance #freewill

Teaching Authority in the Early Church (1984) Robert Eno #magisterium

Mastering Logical Fallacies (2016) Michael Withey #logic

Ecclesiology - Modern Secularism and a New Model of Church-State Relationship 1. Secularization as a Functional Liberation of the Church. – Modern secularization removed from the Church political and temporal responsibilities that caused tension with states. By losing functions such as territorial administration, legitimation of rulers, and direct participation in civil governance, the Church recovered its essentially spiritual vocation. Vatican Council II made this redefinition explicit: the Church is not to be confused with political structures and must concentrate on evangelization and the formation of consciences (Gaudium et Spes, n. 42). Modernity, therefore, is not only a threat but also an opportunity to purify the ecclesial mission. 2. The Emergence of “Positive Secularism”. – The Church-State relationship in modernity can take three main forms: (a) Hostile secularism (relegation of religion to the private sphere); (b) State Confessionalism (fusion of powers); (c) Positive Secularism (institutional separation + recognition of the public role of religion). Positive secularism, formulated by Benedict XVI, recognizes that the State should be secular, but not anti-religious. This model allows the Church to contribute culturally and ethically to society without claiming political dominance. 3. Functional Complementarity between Church and State. – The State administers the temporal order, fundamental rights, and civil structures. The Church takes care of spiritual life, moral formation, and ethical guidance on major human issues. The ideal relationship is based on autonomy, not dependence. Cooperation occurs especially in areas such as human dignity, peace, social justice, and humanitarian assistance. This model dispenses with exclusive privileges and avoids confessional conflicts. 4. The Role of the Laity as Mediators Between Faith and Politics. – Vatican II shifted the political protagonism from the clergy to the lay faithful. The laity are called to transform the political and social world "from within", according to moral criteria illuminated by faith. The clergy's role is to provide spiritual guidance, not to exercise direct political power (Apostolicam Actuositatem, n. 7). This distinction prevents the instrumentalization of the priesthood for partisan interests and reinforces the autonomy of the State. 5. Benefits for the Church. – Recovery of moral authority, based on coherence and not on political power. Freedom to act as a critical and prophetic body in the face of injustices or abuses of power. Possibility of evangelizing through persuasion, dialogue, and witness. Autonomy to act in a pluralistic context without depending on state protection. 6. Benefits for the State and Society. – Reduction of internal religious conflicts and tension between confessional groups. Contribution of essential ethical values ​​(human dignity, solidarity, respect for life). Enrichment of the public sphere without violating state neutrality. Maintenance and strengthening of social services promoted by Catholic institutions (education, health, charity). Inclusive model that allows coexistence between diverse religious traditions and secular convictions. Modern secularism has created unprecedented conditions for a Church-State relationship based on autonomy, ethical cooperation, and complementarity. This paradigm differs from both medieval fusion and radical secularism. The Church can exercise its spiritual mission with greater clarity, while the State maintains neutrality and guarantees religious freedom. Positive secularism, combined with the leading role of lay people, constitutes a model capable of integrating Christian faith and democratic pluralism in the construction of the common good.