Knowing And Naming God

[Khandro]

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) asks how can we know anything about God. He considers whether God may be named by us at all, whether we say things about God properly or only metaphorically, whether our names for God are synonymous univocal or equivocal, and if analogical, is God or the world or the analogue? Whether the names for God are tensed, i.e. is the word 'God' a noun or a verb?

[BlackadderV]

Cue Goodlife. His name is Jehovah, and we are his witnesses.

[ludwig]

The concept of the word 'God' being a verb doesn't make any sense to me. Can you explain it?

[sandyRoe]

This is a bit too profound for me to comment but I shall watch this thread with interest.

[woofgang]

well yeah but we all know he was a pothead.

[BlackadderV]

I was too polite to parse the OP, nor to question his intake of the sauce. The sad thing is, there will be some who will nod their heads in solemn agreement and say, "Good question." They will then write a doctoral thesis on the strength of it.

[mibn2cweus]

Seems to me, the Un-Doubting Thomas’s of this world, could have saved themselves, (along with a host of others), a whole lot of trouble by never having presumed the existence of a god, whatever, in the first place.

[Old_Geezer]

Bully for Thomas. Tell him a name is a noun by definition and be can call whatever God he believes in whatever he wishes. He should find it was easy.

[mibn2cweus]

Better to question what relationship (if any) exists between what one believes and reality than to abandon the process of reason, whereby one determines what is and what can (and should) never be, entirely. Arbitrary unfounded beliefs (no less so those adopted solely for the sake of agreement with the prevailing consensus) are inherently problematic.

[Khandro]

Ludwig; http://www.ctu.edu/word-ctu/article/god-verb

[vulcan42]

Steve Bevans has quoted a number of chapters and verses from the bible to prove his point. I will quote just one, genesis 1:27.

[Old_Geezer]

The affect a God may or may not have does not make a God a verb. It seem to me to be a nonsense suggestion. But there again these things often do rush into muddied waters ASAP, as far as I can see, presumably in order to confound those with a reasoned viewpoint, and encourage them to just give up on any discussion.

[Khandro]

O.G; Loosen up a little please.

flow (fl)
v. flowed, flow·ing, flows
v.intr.
1.
a. To move or run smoothly with unbroken continuity, as in the manner characteristic of a fluid.

b. To issue in a stream; pour forth: Sap flowed from the gash in the tree.

2. To circulate, as the blood in the body.

3. To move with a continual shifting of the component particles: wheat flowing into the bin; traffic flowing through the tunnel.

4. To proceed steadily and easily: The preparations flowed smoothly.

5. To exhibit a smooth or graceful continuity: The poem's cadence flowed gracefully.

6. To hang loosely and gracefully: The cape flowed from his shoulders.

7. To rise. Used of the tide.

8. To arise; derive: Many conclusions flow from this hypothesis.

God as movement, 'to flow' (verb) is not restricted to this particular view of Christianity. it is fundamental to the Taoist canon and others.

Ann Roe, in her beautiful book 'Orpheus, the Song of life', says that a whole philosophical/religious outlook can be summed up in one short Ancient-Greek word rheo - "I flow" or "I flow away".

Or as Heraclitus of Ephesus stated "Everything flows" meaning that everything flows and changes, and therefore there is no permanent reality except the reality of change.

[Old_Geezer]

It's a serious subject, not suited to looseness.

[vetuste_ennemi]

panta rhei, eh, Khandro! Go with the flow.
I like your grammatical point: if God is a noun then I can decline Him, but if a verb He needs to be conjugated. The latter concept touches on the blasphemous, doesn't it?

[vetuste_ennemi]

Looking for the opportunity to say "I parse".

[vetuste_ennemi]

Right, I just invented one.

[vetuste_ennemi]

If God is a noun I MUST decline him.

[vetuste_ennemi]

It's good 'ere, innit!

[vetuste_ennemi]

Ah, got the original: πάντα ῥεῖ.

[vetuste_ennemi]

I'm trying in my usual patient manner, humble seeker after truth that I am, to understand your post, Khandro. You haven't set out deliberately to confuse and mystify, have you? We do know you can be that kind of a b****r.