Project of Revelation 1

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, amen. This is the beginning of the Project of Revelation, a possibly lifetime long project by me initially, and perhaps in the future by many people other than me. The Project of Revelation is an essentially Catholic project to unite natural revelation, that is the truths of the world and God as possibly known through our natural intellect, and supernatural revelation, that is the truths only known through direct communication by God, into a single system of revelation in the Catholic Faith.

What is the purpose of uniting natural revelation and supernatural revelation? To further mankind’s spiritual progress or in other words, to lead mankind back to God and ever closer to God, to sanctify mankind by any means through any means. For natural revelation is given to us for our sanctification as well, to bring us back to God for our union with God that is heaven. Therefore, to utilize everything God offers us for the great purpose of our union with us is to honor God’s Will and also maximize our sanctification, and as such it would maximize our happiness in heaven as well.

Another name for the study of natural revelation is philosophy. However, in this Project of Revelation I will continue to use the term of natural revelation as it fits the context more with the Unity of Revelation under the Catholic Faith. What do we study in natural revelation? We chiefly study God, the contingent reality or the world, and the relationship between God and the world, using our natural intellect. What do we study in supernatural revelation? We chiefly study the same things but as God directly reveal it to us by His own communications to us. There are many things revealed naturally repeated in supernatural revelation but there are also things not present in natural revelation which are only revealed supernaturally by God.

In this first writing of the Project, I shall disclose some truths which I know according to my natural reason as enlightened by God’s grace, for I can do nothing apart from Him. There are 2 ways I shall approach this, from the first truths accessible to man, and from the necessary truth of God. The first truths accessible to man is as follows, the truth of awareness and general existence, which is then followed by other truths such as of difference and change, and finally the truth of the necessary existence that is God.

The first truth accessible by all mankind is awareness. In the past I used the term “experience” but apparently the conventions declare that experience is exclusive to sensation. I personally disagree but I shall stick with the conventions for now for the time being. What is awareness? It is difficult to define it in words precisely, but it is the fact that we can perceive things, either by sensation or by our mind. In this Project, I may use the term perception and awareness interchangeably. Perception is the “act” or “event” or “contact” while awareness is the “capacity” or “power” of perception. From the facts of awareness and perception, we recognize that there exists a thing and that thing is our awareness or perception.

What is existence? This is also difficult to define, but we know that existence cannot possibly be dependent on awareness. As if before the object came to be in our awareness, there must be a cause to our awareness of such object independent of our awareness. We recognize that our awareness has a beginning as well, and so our awareness must originate in an object independent from our own awareness. That object might be another awareness, but it is not us, therefore objects cannot be dependent on any awareness. A hypothesis I have in this stage is that there is a one-to-one correspondence between existence and awareness, and perhaps a union.

We can best define existence as presence which can affect other things if the definition conforms to the reality as we perceive. For example, if we say that there is an invisible unicorn without any effects on the world other than our mind, and that is the reality, then that is true. However, if we say that there is a visible unicorn which has tangible effects on the world and the reality contradicts our conception, then it does not exist. That is a very easy way of ascertaining existence or non-existence of objects. The existence of particular existences as proven by our awareness leads to the idea that existence as a general category exists as well, along with the idea of a general category of awareness and perceptions.

Now, the most immediate truth after the generality of existence and awareness is the particularity of existence and awareness, in other words the differences which we perceive. There are 2 forms of difference which we perceive, that is difference in sequence and difference at once. Difference at once (for a lack of a better term) is difference that we can perceive at one point of existence. While difference in sequence is difference that we can perceive between multiple points of existence being real one after another in a sequence we often call time in the material world. The sequence of differences is also called change.

Difference at once does not conflict each other. However, difference in change excludes each other and so when one is present, the other is not present. This means there is a phasing in and out of existence. How does change happen? We can simply say that change simply happens without any reason. However, this is unreasonable as everything is the way they are by a reason. Since everything which can change indeed has the possibility of ceasing to be, then for something to be sustained, there is precisely another object which limits that object from ceasing to be. However, we cannot know anything about it right now, until we reach the idea of God, which can be proven from motion and causation but the better way is through the necessity of existence.

The argument from necessity goes like this. We know that existence exists in general. However, we also know that were we to not exist, non-existence would take the place and so there remains something which is true of existence in general. Therefore, existence is necessary for it is always true. This implies that existence must be simple as well as that which is composite has a logical possibility of being separated and thus ceasing to exist. That which can cease to exist is contingent or not necessary in existence. In other words, existence must be simple. That which is simple is also infinite as it is unlimited by other parts or objects. This necessary, simple, and infinite existence is also known as God, therefore God exists.

Now what is the prime relationship between God and contingent existence? Their relationship is that of Creator and creation. All contingent existences, which can be unified as a single system of contingent existence, must not be necessary and thus they cannot be eternal in having no beginning or end. For the very least, they must all have a beginning and so they have their beginning in only God for only God is the necessary existence. God must also be the sustainer of the world for the world’s existence is a decision of God. God can decide to remove His causal power from the world and it will cease to be once again.

Why does God create? For this we must have some fundamental grounding. We understand that we possess power to affect other objects by our will, we possess awareness or knowledge, and we possess some sort of goodness which we can perceive. Therefore, God being infinite, must not only possess all those things but also be all those things in infinity. God is infinite power, knowledge, and goodness at once. That means all things God creates is out of goodness, but for God is infinite, then He creates not out of His own goodness but for the goodness of those He creates. And since He is objective goodness, then the only reason God creates is to unite His Creation with Himself.

However, what does union with God mean? Any union with God must chiefly be spiritual as God possess no natural body of His own. However, what is the nature of the spiritual? The nature of the spiritual is awareness, that is the common nature between God and man, the rational creature. Therefore, union with God can be understood as the awareness and knowledge of God as what He is, Existence. So far, only humans possess sufficient awareness capable of knowing God, even then humans cannot reach God out of their own power for humans are finite, rather it is God who must cause humans to unite with Him. It is this union with God as Goodness that will lead to mankind’s greatest goodness, that is Existence Himself.

As such, it can be said that since the union with God is the knowledge of God, God’s act of causing the union is said to be a revelation to man. This revelation of God Himself to man is the supreme revelation by God and is the final purpose of creation. How do other creatures unite with God though? For there are even bodies without souls or spirits or life in them. The answer to that is not so known through natural or even supernatural revelation. However, we may speculate that the lower creatures unite with humanity to share in the goodness of God.

However, even before that supreme revelation, revelation is given out to man so man can reach that final revelation of God. While the final revelation is clearly supernatural, as it goes beyond the natural capacities of man and any creature which exists in fact, the prior revelations given to man may be natural. As such we have the distinction between natural and supernatural revelation. However, we must understand that the entirety of reality, necessary and contingent alike, are both a single revelation of God by God to mankind. The distinction between natural and supernatural revelation is as follows. Natural revelation is what truths man can obtain by their own natural capacities. Supernatural revelation is what truths man must receive by the aid of God’s supernatural communication, going beyond the natural capacities of man and creatures.

The content of all revelation is the same that is the truths of God and the world necessary for man to eventually reach God. As such, supernatural revelation and natural revelation is meant to be united in a single system of revelation. It is a problem when natural revelation loses the element of revelation that is God, and it becomes mere natural studies. The secularization of science and philosophy is a reflection of man’s separation of his personal life from God, and the division of everything into entirely separate categories. This entire dynamic is a mistake. For when we separate the world from God, we eventually commit idolatry and give our lives to the world instead of to God.

The goal of this Project is then to destroy the artificial divisions that man has created between God and himself, and then return it to the order that God intended for us, the union of all things under the Name of God. For all things attain their full meaning only when we interpret them under God. For I, the author, am a Catholic, I necessarily interpret Catholicism as the fullness of revelation from God and also view it as the most coherent interpretation of God and His revelation in concordance with natural revelation. However, this is sufficient for now. In coming days I shall make research into why Catholicism is the true Faith revealed by God, then the synthesis shall begin. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, amen.

Kemuliaan kepada Bapa, dan Putera, dan Roh Kudus, seperti pada permulaan, sekarang, selalu, dan sepanjang segala abad, amin. Inilah awal dari Projek Wahyu, suatu projek Katolik yang menjadi upayaku untuk menyatukan wahyu kodrati dan wahyu adikodrati di dalam satu sistem wahyu Katolik. Wahyu kodrati atau wahyu natural adalah segala kebenaran yang dapat diketahui oleh manusia dengan kemampuan kodrati atau naturalnya. Wahyu adikodrati adalah sebaliknya, kebenaran yang hanya dapat diketahui manusia dengan komunikasi secara langsung dari Allah kepadanya.

Apakah tujuan persatuan wahyu kodrati dan adikodrati? Jawabannya adalah wahyu kodrati hanya memperoleh makna tertingginya saat ditafsir dalam terang wahyu adikodrati atau Allah sendiri. Sebab segala hal yang Allah berikan kepada kita adalah suatu wahyu yang berpuncak pada diri-Nya sendiri. Segala wahyu itu dapat kita pergunakan untuk meningkatkan kekudusan diri kita dan karena kita memaksimalkan kebahagiaan kita dalam Allah. Karena itu adalah suatu kebutuhan untuk menyatukan wahyu kodrati dan adikodrati sehingga kita dapat mencapai kebaikan yang paling tinggi sesuai dengan apa yang Allah telah berikan.

Apakah isi dari wahyu? Wahyu pada dasarnnya berisi 2 hal, kebenaran tentang Allah dan kebenaran tentang jalan menuju Allah. Pada akhirnya kedua kebenaran menjadi satu kebenaran Ilahi yang membantu kita untuk mencapai Allah di kehidupan berikutnya. Kedua wahyu, yaitu wahyu kodrati dan adikodrati memiliki isi yang sama, hanya saja cara penyampaiannya berbeda seperti yang sudah ditulis sebelumnya. Ada beberapa wahyu kodrati yang terulang di wahyu adikodrati tapi ada beberapa wahyu yang yang hanya terkandung dalam wahyu adikodrati.

Pada tulisan pertama dari Projek Wahyu ini, aku akan menulis tentang beberapa kebenaran wahyu kodrati yang dapat secara jelas dicapai melalui penalaran akal budi kita. Perkembangan wahyu kodrati sebagai berikut, pertama dari kesadaran, lalu ke keberadaan, perbedaan, dan akhirnya Allah sendiri. Lalu ditutup dengan hubungan antara Allah dan hal-hal yang bukan Allah. Hal ini disambungkan dengan wahyu kembali sehingga tulisan ini diikat sempurna dalam konsep wahyu Ilahi.

Kebenaran pertama yang dapat dirumuskan oleh manusia adalah kebenaran tentang kesadaran. Fakta bahwa kita sadar adalah fakta yang tidak dapat dibantah dan menjadi dasar segala kepercayaan ataupun pengetahuan yang berikutnya. Namun, apa itu kesadaran? Kesadaran dapat dimiripkan dengan persepsi, atau keduanya memang sama. Kesadaran adalah fakta bahwa kita dapat menyadari kenyataan baik yang ada di luar ataupun yang ada di dalam. Segala bentuk sensasi atau penginderaan dan juga perasaan atau pikiran adalah bagian dari kesadaran. Maka kesadaran ada.

Kebenaran kedua yang dapat kita ketahui adalah keberadaan, dalam kata lain keberadaan kesadaran itu sendiri. Apakah ada keberadaan di luar kesadaran? Jawabannya adalah ya. Sebab kita tahu bahwa kesadaran kita memiliki awal dan akhir, maka harus ada suatu hal yang mengawali kesadaran selain kesadaran itu sendiri, itulah keberadaan yang murni. Namun, apakah itu keberadaan? Cara yang mudah adalah membandingkan antara konsepsi dan kenyataan. Misalnya kita membayangkan ada mobil merah di garasi kita, kalau kenyataannya sesuai maka mobil itu memang ada, jika tidak, maka mobil itu tidak ada. Jadi keberadaan adalah suatu kehadiran yang dapat mempengaruhi kehadiran-kehadiran lainnya jika memang sesuai dengan identitasnya.

Dari situ kita dapat mengenali adanya keberadaan dan kesadaran secara umum, tapi ada juga keberadaan dan kesadaran secara khusus, atau perbedaan. Ada 2 jenis perbedaan, perbedaan pada satu titik dan perbedaan pada beberapa titik. Perbedaan satu titik atau perbedaan pada satu saat adalah perbedaan yang kita lihat bersamaan. Perbedaan beberapa titik atau perbedaan pada beberapa saat adalah perbedaan yang tidak kita lihat bersamaan tapi mengalir dalam waktu. Peristiwa ini lebih sering kita kenal sebagai perubahan.

Bagaimana perubahan terjadi? Jawaban yang malas adalah segala hal terjadi begitu saja. Namun, kita tahu bahwa segala hal memiliki alasan di luar dirinya sendiri jika suatu hal tidak menjadi alasan untuk dirinya sendiri. Pertanyaan tentang perubahan dapat kita kerucutkan menjadi satu kejadian saja. Bagaimana suatu benda dapat pertama kali ada jika tidak ada yang membuatnya ada? Maka dari segala benda yang memiliki awal, kita harus menyimpulkan bahwa ada suatu benda yang menyebabkan mereka.

Pada akhirnya kita harus menyimpulkan bahwa ada suatu hal yang harus pertama kali menyebabkan segala hal, yaitu suatu Sebab Pertama, dan ini yang kita kenal sebagai Allah. Namun, kita harus memahami Allah lebih dalam lagi dengan argumen berikut. Keberadaan wajib ada karena entah ada suatu hal atau ada ketiadaan. Benda yang wajib ada juga sederhana, karena benda yang komposit dapat terpisah dan menjadi tidak ada. Karena itu benda yang wajib ada harus bersifat sederhana. Benda yang sederhana juga tidak terbatas karena hanya terdiri dari satu bagian sederhana yang tidak terikat oleh bagian-bagian lain. Keberadaan yang wajib, sederhana, dan tak terbatas adalah Allah, maka Allah ada.

Namun, kita melihat bahwa hanya Allah yang dapat memiliki sifat wajib sehingga tidak memiliki awal. Segala hal lain yang tidak wajib memiliki awal dan pada akhirnya awal segala benda adalah Allah sendiri. Jadi kita dapat mengatakan bahwa Allah adalah pencipta seluruh dunia. Namun, karena Allah sendiri tidak terbatas, Dia tidak mungkin menciptakan demi diri-Nya sendiri, melainkan Dia pasti menciptakan demi ciptaan itu sendiri. Karena Allah tidak terbatas dan sederhana artinya Dialah Kebaikan yang Tak Terbatas, artinya tujuan ciptaan diciptakan adalah untuk bersatu dengan Allah.

Persatuan dengan Allah yang kita ketahui sebagai manusia adalah pengetahuan akan Allah. Allah sudah mengetahui kita secara kekal, tapi kita belum mengetahui Allah secara intim, maka persatuan belum lengkap. Persatuan baru lengkap saat kedua pihak, manusia dan Allah saling mengetahui secara intim dalam suatu hubungan kekekalan. Karena yang diberikan Allah kepada manusia adalah suatu pengetahuan, maka ini adalah tindakan pewahyuan paling tinggi oleh Allah. Namun sebelum persatuan akhir itu pun manusia sudah menerima wahyu yang membantu dirinya untuk mencapai pewahyuan tertinggi itu.

Masalah yang sekarang terjadi adalah manusia berusaha memisahkan dirinya dari Allah, dimulai dengan pemisahan segala sistem pemikiran dan pengetahuan dari Allah. Sehingga wahyu kodrati terlepas dari unsur pewahyuannya dan menjadi sekadar pembelajaran kodrati tanpa keterlibatan Allah. Ini adalah awal dari kehancuran manusia dan adalah kematian jiwa manusia itu sendiri. Maka, tugas Projek Wahyu adalah menghancurkan perpisahan itu dan menyatukan kembali sistem pemikiran manusia dengan Allah. Sebab hanya dalam Allah manusia menemukan kebahagiaan yang dia selalu dambakan. Kemuliaan kepada Bapa, dan Putera, dan Roh Kudus, seperti pada permulaan, sekarang, selalu, dan sepanjang segala abad, amin.