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Letters to Theophilus by Dr. Alexander Melnyk
melnykca@aol.com
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Dr. Melnyk is Chairman of the Parish Council of St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Montreal. |
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Introduction Letters are an intimate way to listen in on a conversation and in this book we get to glimpse at letters written from Bar-Abbas to Theophilus, two sojourners in this somewhat puzzling world. The range of discussion is wide, covering many points that arise in discussions between people involved in searching for meaning and a reason to believe. The letters are not systematic and do not develop topics in a thorough, exhaustive fashion. Instead, certain topics are returned to as new questions arise and old doubts raise their heads, again. The material presented in these letters is not original but a restatement of the basic Christian position with emphasis, sometimes, on questions particular to this uneasy century of ours. In this day and age it is important to speak in a language that is understandable and credible for twentieth century man for whom scientific language has become the true gauge of whether something is true and to be accepted or not. Faith cannot be built from knowledge, but, faith can be challenged, and sometimes destroyed by not so much knowledge, as lack of it. The letters are not intended to convert, a process difficult to cause, anyway, but to support and bolster and possibly guide those who are earnestly in the process of searching and are thirsting. It is from this perspective that the topics are discussed. Some of the topics are difficult to understand and it may take some time and effort to get at their essence. This is natural and unavoidable because we are talking about something which is the most profound topic that we will encounter - God, creation, and our selves. If it takes much effort to understand the complexities of creation in studies such as physics and chemistry, why do we think that it will not take any effort to get deeper insights into our faith ? Study, thinking, reasoning are innately human characteristics which to a certain extent define who we are and give us our identity apart from other living members of creation, and when we do not practise them, we do not live up to the full human potential. The question of spirituality and prayer are touched on, but in a somewhat superficial manner. The reason for this is quite clear. Most of those who will read this book are still at an early level of development in spiritual growth. One of the problems is that people pick up a book on spirituality, read it, and leave it, because the authors of these works are not at the same stage of development as most of us are. The intentions of the letters is to lay a basis, and after the foundation is put in place, one can start constructing the rest of the spiritual edifice. I think the central problem of our existence stems from fear which itself originates in our feelings of personal insignificance. I think a lot of damage is done here by science where some scientists seem to revel in tearing down the value of human beings and this is done to uphold some nebulous ideal of objectivity. These scientists have a weak link in their arguments in that they place themselves into an inconsistency which negates the strength of their arguments. Most of the scientists tend to ignore this point and just plow ahead with their views and I use the term views, advisedly. I think that their position is fundamentally wrong, as some of the letters will argue. There are indications of our personal uniqueness and value, and some of these points are written metaphorically and symbolically into the very structure of the universe. Maybe some of the letters will decipher some of these symbols for you. This is one of the main points of the book. The other main argument that I put forward is the importance of the doctrine of creation. This is the linchpin of all the arguments that are made and, far from being a commonly accepted view, what we find is that a true doctrine of creation is really quite a rare occurrence. It is rare because it is difficult to fathom and even within philosophy, the concept of a true other, brings with it difficulties in understanding. One of the strongest metaphorical messages sent to us by creation is the concept of uncertainty. Whether in the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in Quantum Mechanics or the idea of resonance structures and delocalization of electrons in organic chemistry, we get a picture of a dynamic creation unwilling to be pinned down. To me, this is a picture of the fact that faith must eventually be the ground of existence; at the bottom, we don't know but believe. I hope that you, the reader, will find material here to aid you and to answer, at least partially, some of the questions that may have occurred to you. Remember, this is just a beginning and more is required of all of us in order that we may truly become human beings. |
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