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College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

Theology Faculty Publications

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Transcendent Mind, Emergent Universe In The Thought Of Michael Polanyi, Vincent Smiles Jan 2017

Transcendent Mind, Emergent Universe In The Thought Of Michael Polanyi, Vincent Smiles

Theology Faculty Publications

This essay vindicates two major aspects of the science-based philosophy of Michael Polanyi: 1. His concept of tacit knowing, and 2. His concept of the multi-levelled character of reality. These two notions relate closely with one another, and together support the thesis to be argued here, that when it comes to understanding human beings, and most especially the human mind, science and religion have to meet on the common ground of the transcendent capacities of human beings, which are pointers to the transcendent character of the universe. The mind is an emergent of the universe, as are all of its …

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What Is Life And How Do We Know It? Theological Possibilities In Michael Polanyi's Epistemology, Vincent M. Smiles Apr 2012

What Is Life And How Do We Know It? Theological Possibilities In Michael Polanyi's Epistemology, Vincent M. Smiles

Theology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Second-Grade Children Speak: Artistic Expression Of Sin And Forgiveness In The Sacrament Of Reconciliation, Jennifer Beste Apr 2010

Second-Grade Children Speak: Artistic Expression Of Sin And Forgiveness In The Sacrament Of Reconciliation, Jennifer Beste

Theology Faculty Publications

Despite a long-standing historical debate in Catholicism about whether second grade is an age-appropriate time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there has been a virtual absence of Catholic children's own voices and perspectives about this sacrament and its spiritual and moral effects. Joining a growing number of religious scholars who stress the need to engage in child-centered research, I conducted a qualitative study interviewing Catholic second graders about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The purpose of this article is to analyze their drawings of this religious ritual. According to many psychologists and art therapists, children can best capture how they …

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"The End Of Faith?" Science And Theology As Process, Noreen L. Herzfeld Oct 2007

"The End Of Faith?" Science And Theology As Process, Noreen L. Herzfeld

Theology Faculty Publications

A spate of recent books would claim that science’s only role vis a vis theology is to discredit it. Sam Harris, in The End of Faith, credits religious faith as the source of much of the violence in today’s world. Richard Dawkins, in The God Delusion, views religion as, at best, a profound misunderstanding, and at worst a form of madness. Both find an antidote to such irrationality in science. To Harris and Dawkins religion is a body of accumulated knowledge. However, religion can also be thought of as a process, one based on experience, questions, and results. …

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Terminator Or Super Mario: Human/Computer Hybrids, Actual And Virtual, Noreen L. Herzfeld Jan 2005

Terminator Or Super Mario: Human/Computer Hybrids, Actual And Virtual, Noreen L. Herzfeld

Theology Faculty Publications

Is a human/computer hybrid feasible: If so, in what ways would such hybridization affect our concept of what it means to be human? There are two forms of such hybridization, the actual and the virtual. Actual hybridization involves the implantation of mechanical devices in the human body. In actual hybridization the computer comes to us and to our body to enhance our functioning in our world. In virtual hybridization we go to the computer, projecting our minds into the world of cyberspace and being formed there. Perhaps the most common form of virtual hybridization is the immersion our children experience …

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Creating In Our Own Image: Artificial Intelligence And The Image Of God, Noreen L. Herzfeld Jun 2002

Creating In Our Own Image: Artificial Intelligence And The Image Of God, Noreen L. Herzfeld

Theology Faculty Publications

There is remarkable convergence between twentieth-century interpretations of the image of God (imago Dei), what it means for human beings to be created in God's image, and approaches toward creating in our own image in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Both fields have viewed the intersection between God and humanity or humanity and computers in terms of either (1) a property or set of properties such as intelligence, (2) the functions we engage in or are capable of, or (3) the relationships we establish and maintain. Each of these three approaches reflects a different understanding of what …

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Descensus Christi Ad Inferos: Christ’S Descent To The Dead, Martin F. Connell Jan 2001

Descensus Christi Ad Inferos: Christ’S Descent To The Dead, Martin F. Connell

Theology Faculty Publications

The narrative of Christ’s descent was nearly omnipresent in the early Church. Yet a change of Latin vocabulary from “descensus ad inferos” (Christ’s descent to the dead) to “descensus ad inferna” (Christ’s descent into hell) prompted a change in what was proclaimed. The earlier stratum portrayed Christ preaching to those who, while on earth, did not hear the word of God, while the latter described the reconciliation of sinners. The author here considers the vitality of this creedal statement and what is lost when the descent is absent from Christian experience.

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