(July 30, 2019 at 3:05 am)Grandizer Wrote: So is every other topic that has been discussed here, Belaqua. I'm not sure why you feel you have to write this many pages to answer any of my questions, as you've been quite good at summarising things in an articulate and adequate manner.
Anyhow if I ever have time, I'll give Aquinas a read and see what hes really saying.
Sorry, I didn't mean to be snippy. It's hard to tell on here who's serious, sometimes.
The short answer is that things divide into natural theology and revealed theology. Supposedly in natural theology we can reason from known facts (e.g. things in the world depend for their existence on other things) to know some truths about God. That he exists, that he must be unchanging, etc.
Revealed theology is all the stuff we could never get to from reason: the Trinity, the virgin birth, the resurrection. In a sense they are admitting that none of this is the least bit logical! But since Catholics, for instance, accept both reason and revelation, they need both types.
Careful thinkers will keep these separate. What they call the God of the philosophers is a lot closer to the God of natural theology.
Catholics weave them together, to show for example how the underlying Cause of things -- the Ground of Being or whatever (natural theology) -- manifests itself to people in three ways (revealed theology). As I say, it's really beautiful, especially if you've been reading Dante for a long time.
Here are a couple of books for the smart layman, that give a good introduction. These would be enough to decide if you wanted to pursue it more.
David Bentley Hart, The Experience of God
https://www.amazon.com/Experience-God-Be...340&sr=1-3
Edward Feser, Aquinas A Beginner's Guide
https://www.amazon.com/Aquinas-Beginners...oks&sr=1-1
Again, sorry if I seemed unresponsive before.
