Sunday Quote of the Day: "We find in Holy Scripture passages which can be interpreted in very different ways"

                          Image via Wikipedia

“In matters that are so obscure and far beyond our vision, we find in Holy Scripture passages which can be interpreted in very different ways without prejudice to the faith we have received. In such cases, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search for truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it.” -- Augustine, quoted here.

We are told this quote concerns his interpretation of the book of Genesis. If so, it surely applies equally to uncritical proponents of darwinian evolution and biblical fundamentalism.

Augustine's Argument For the Existence of God

                          Image via Wikipedia

You can read a summary of the argument here:

I would characterize this as a variation on the argument from transcendence: there are immaterial realities "out there" in the cosmos that imply a supremely intelligent being.

Note that this argument, like many, is rooted more in philosophy than reductionist science. Science is a wonderful tool, but those who limit their view of reality to what may be demonstrated in a test-tube are limiting themselves. As someone has said, "if the only tool in your toolkit is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail". If God is in fact a person, it is logical that you would need more than a test tube to discover him. Coming to know God is going to entail both reason and intuition.

"The clues are out there".

And that's the way the Augustinian Ball bounces.