Divine Illumination and Revelation
Section Three
REALITY
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Part Two REALITY AND TRUTH The ways by which the individual may come into knowledge of God have been discussed above. The nature and content of Revelation by God and the structure of Fundamental Reality are now examined. The objective is to describe how the theologian and student of religion know of God's purposes and God's Acts. The Acts of God are the Act of Generation which brought into being the Holy Trinity and the Moral Universe, functioning in time, and the Act of Ordination which created the Cosmos. Knowledge of God and God's Acts can be achieved by the correct operation of the rational scientific problem solving method. Theological inquiry begins with questions about the origin and meaning of human life. When pursued through the rational epistemological method answers can be obtained to these questions through methodical revelation. The theologian constructs the model of fundamental reality from his understanding of revelation. Fundamental reality provides the framework for created reality as a whole and is the interface between the Infinite God and His creation, explaining God's ongoing relationships to the world. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Reality and Truth Chapter One ULTIMATE REALITY The Revelation of God The explanation for the ability of the theologian to know and discuss the character of God in some detail is God's revelation. Revelation is of two sorts. The first kind is the gift of understanding as a free act of God, and the second is in the form of answers in response to the questions of individuals. The promptings of God which are seen as the operation of the conscience are simple examples of free acts of God. The free acts of God are, by definition, not predictable and are therefore not a matter for epistemological rules. From the position of epistemology, the explanation of revelation is that the theologian, and others, come to the questions of the nature of God and the human situation with some knowledge amounting to an expert understanding, and with clearly defined purposes which give rise to the questions. These questions are defined according to the scientific problem solving method. The questions, both original and supplementary, are submitted to the Source of Understanding in the form of a series of solution specifications. The resulting answers constitute a flow of understanding of God which appears as an act of revelation. The inquiries of individuals whose intellects are developed to the requisite standard of understanding can lead, therefore, to revelation through method. Methodical revelation is a continuing opportunity for individuals to learn about God. Revelation is absolutely true since it emanates from the moral God, and individuals who are qualified by knowledge and experience to pursue studies at this level need no further assurances of truth. To
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◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Reality and Truth Chapter Two THE FUNDAMENTAL THEORY OF REALITY The theological and epistemological model of fundamental reality is based on the revelation of God which outlines the purposes which fundamental reality serves. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ The Act of Generation The Holy Trinity The Act of Generation created the Holy Trinity which exists in eternity and the Moral Universe which functions in time. Revelation describes three divine functions, seen in the Christian model as the roles of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Christ Who together constitute the Holy Trinity of God. The Infinite Spirit manifests in each of the Persons of the Holy Trinity but in a self-imposed restrictive form which is required by purpose and morality. The theology of the Holy Trinity is understood not only from the Acts of God as given in revelation, but from the explanations given by the Creative Source arising from other problems found in experience. Theology, in pursuing the problems of lifeform creation, reaches understandings which indicate the functional division of the creative work of God. Epistemology reaches a similar understanding in seeking an explanation for the struggle for knowledge. These explanations give rise to the idea of Personhood. The essence of personhood is the eternal existence of self-managing rational beings. The community of saints is in this category. The set of persons is divided into the Persons of God and the persons in God. The Persons of God are limited to the three of the Holy Trinity. The persons in God are engaged in the adventure of the exploration of the universe of possibilities, in the care of God the Father. Diagram 3.2.1 shows the relationships of the Persons of the Holy Trinity to the Mind of God which is a creative and communications medium functioning in time. The constructions of the Mind obey the rules of the Moral Universe. This schema is logically set within the Infinite Spirit. Diagram 3.2.2 shows the relationship of the individual intellect to the Mind of God and to the Holy Trinity. The intellect interfaces to the Intellect Support System, and through that system to the Creative Source and the Cosmos. This arrangement functions within the Mind of God, although the intelligence or individual spirit which is the nucleus of the intellect is grounded in the Christ. To
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◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Reality and Truth Chapter Three THE THEORY OF CREATIVE POWER Self-creation and Created Reality People, as self-creating beings, are realising themselves within a reality that the Christ and they have created for their own purposes. That reality is essential to their purposes and therefore valid and permanent, although subject to continuous change. For the individual that reality is the moral universe in its stages of realisation. For the group reality is the culture as the evolving antecedent of civilisation and it is defined by objective knowledge. In this creative process the purposes of the Christ and the true purposes of human beings are always identical. Where they appear to differ people have failed to solve their problems correctly. If true solutions to real problems are insisted upon, which rational beings must do, then they are proceeding in harmony with the Christ. Any mistakes that are made always spring from poor problem solving. The creative power rests on knowledge. Through knowledge individuals and groups create both themselves and their environment. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ The Foundation of Epistemology The division of the Infinite Power of God into the Will and the Power in the Moral Universe is repeated in the birth of every human infant. Children come into the world understanding nothing, but having a will, are therefore capable of forming purposes. By pursuing the purpose of understanding they gain power. The human being, in a similar way to the Christ, has the facility to obtain new understanding from the Holy Spirit, otherwise called the Creative Source, subject only to the ability to specify the understanding that is wanted. Each individual makes use of that facility, generally without understanding its mechanics. The understanding of how it is done can improve the flow of true and useful understanding. Epistemology is that understanding. For epistemology knowledge is power. The creation of knowledge is therefore the creation of power. Power and creativity are the same and the process of creation of the self is also the creation of the individual's power to create. The world that the individual or group inhabits is created by them and reflects what they are. To
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◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Reality and Truth Chapter Four ABSOLUTE TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE Truth is the accurate understanding of reality. Since understanding and meaning are equivalent, truth is the meaning of reality. To know the truth about reality is to know what it means. The meanings of ultimate, fundamental and created realities as given here amount to the truth. Since these meanings are not subject to change they are absolute and the truth they give is absolute. Truthful understanding is equivalent to knowledge and absolutely truthful understanding is absolute knowledge. The status of absolute truth and knowledge is asserted for the understandings of reality as defined above. This must be subject to the usual conditions that govern rational scientific knowledge claims. The Theory of Knowledge given here is derived from the corpus of absolute knowledge and the status of absolute truth is claimed for it. To
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