In ancient times it seemed obvious that the earth was fixed, and the stars and other celestial objects traveled their paths through the heavens as the seasons changed. It was also noticed that the sun and moon had their own motions, not fixed like the stars. And then there were the star like objects, called the planets which had their own peculiar motions. To explain these curiosities more ideas were developed – more complex but also more successful. The same sort of thing happened in other fields of inquiry. Science, as it came to be called, progressed.
Theology, knowledge of God, is different. By its very nature it can be only known at its core by truths which are accepted as divinely revealed in some fashion. Of course, by the use of reason we can derive other truths as necessarily following from the revealed ones.
Then there are the things which might be true, more or less, but are not known to be so. This is certainly so in science. Things are conjectured, then tested. They are proved or disproved. Thus scientific knowledge progresses.
There are also hypotheses in matters relating to God. But there is no laboratory for testing them. As far as I know there is only reasoning; e. g. reductio ad absurdum.
If you like, you make think of this interrelated collection of brief essays as amateur exercises in speculative metaphysics. I expect that some, perhaps many, will regard much of them as ridiculous and reject them out of hand. If that pertains to you, dear reader, then perhaps you will continue reading just as an entertainment. Be assured though, that I have tried very hard to not assert anything that is contrary to what is de fide. I have also labored to keep any science mentioned here factual. I can, of course make mistakes.
As a side note some of the discussions refer to mathematical concepts. For those who might not be familiar with them I tried to convey the necessary understanding in the appendix.
So, with that said, read on – and at least be entertained.
How big was/is "In the beginning"?
An Existence Concept: A "Wending"
The Dying Reprobate: "Soul You Are Not Yet Lost"
Dimensions: A Conjecture on "n"
Over some period of time, in reading about my faith, I have found myself somewhat dissatisfied with the explanations about Scripture I have encountered: they are seemingly vague about matters explored by scientists, even when apparently covering the same “territory”. Of course we must grant that the early sacred authors could not know modern science and had to write for their own time. Modern theology tries to allow for that by stating that Scripture is not meant to present science, but only to convey sacred truths.
During this same time, though, it has seemed to me that these ancient sacred writers were inspired by a transcendently subtle God, Who is certainly capable of conveying the necessary revelations for all peoples at all times, and in the same Scripture (and its translations) handed down to us now.
So how might we gain a better understanding of this? Perhaps we can try applying modern knowledge and intellectual techniques to the Scriptural texts to see if there is a way of interpreting them in a way that they can both be considered correct – literally, so to speak.
So, over time, ideas about how this might be done have seemingly “popped into my head”. After what I hope is due consideration they appear to me to conflict with neither science nor sacred revelation. What follows is part of what has evolved from this.
As a side note, some of the discussions refer to mathematical concepts. For those who might not be familiar with them I tried to convey the necessary understanding in the appendix.