This creation is properly to be ex nihilo, "out of nothing," thus preserving the distinction in essence between Creator and the world... Herman Bavinck (1854-1921)

This creation is properly to be ex nihilo, "out of nothing," thus preserving the distinction in essence between Creator and the world and the contingency of the world in its dependence on God. The triune God is the author of creation rather than any intermediary. The outgoing works of God are indivisible, though it is appropriate to distinguish an economy of tasks in the Godhead so that the Father is spoken of as the first cause, the Son as the one by whom all things are created, and the Holy Spirit as the immanent cause of life and movement in the universe. Scripture does relate the creation in a special way to the Son through categories of Wisdom and Logos. The Son is the Logos by whom the Father creates all things; the whole world is the realization of an idea of God. The creation proceeds from the Father through the Son and in the Spirit so that, in the Spirit and through the Son it may return to the Father.

Herman Bavinck (1854-1921)
Reformed Dogmatics Vol. 2 (1895-1901)

Why such intellectual gymnastics? To refocus the mind as well body, heart, and soul away from ourselves, to name one objective among others. So much so the persistence then insistence per selfishness, self-absorption, thus covetousness as the rot-at-root, even the Gospel all too often perverted by audaciously positioning ourselves at center-stage, as though Self the main objective, as done for most if not all other Christian doctrines.

Merely consider the astonishing preoccupation with ourselves when studying, pondering, laboring, praying, meditating, as well worshipping. Consequently, not so much "to God be the glory," though routinely uttered the rhetoric, but to God be the glory as Self so effected and benefited. Such preoccupation can be traced to the fountainhead of misdirected, Self-centered ideologies oppose to redirected, God-centered theology.

Seemingly unrelated though actually quite related; until late 19th century, perhaps (very) early 20th century, many within academia oft cited Logic as the Science of Sciences, while Theology the Queen of Sciences. It was not an attempt to place theologians ahead of scientists, rather to properly, rightly, logically, consistently served to remind the thinker regardless his/her discipline to place God ahead of Self. Thereby, preempting else mitigating illogic, inconsistency, inaccuracy, arbitrariness, presumption, arrogance, extreme, perversion, cultism, and more.

To elaborate and propose, the incremental departure then wholesale abandonment of the axiom's second half ergo "Theology the Queen of Sciences" facilitated the axiom's first half "Logic the Science of Sciences" to be consequently regarded less and less so, dismantling the rigid framework for all other studies and researches. Until today with Self as God, inconsistency no longer humbly, laboriously pursued as an unknown consistency yet understood, rather covetously, presumptuously embraced then arrogantly, violently defended as foregone conclusions while slandering, threatening, ruining anyone and everyone who challenge.

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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.

Is 1:18 / Mt 5:9 / 2 Tm 2:15 / Cl 3:23

Video for Proem & Poem Nos. 3 & 4 - What Is Justification (and reprise) by D.C. Quillan Stone (27 January 2025)

TO NOTE... Video first uploaded on 27 January 2025... The recorded and posted text taken from 10th book, 1st of trilogy; 100 Proems & Poems on the Peculiar Human ABILITY to REASON, Singular Human RIGHT to CONSENT & Other Neglected Matters (Aug 2018)... Book available at https://amazon.com/Peculiar-ABILITY-Singular-CONSENT-Neglected/dp/1532053665/

Video at YouTube (too large to upload, click on link)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pkSIKi5UPM


Proem & Poem No. 3 - What Is Justification
by D.C. Quillan Stone

What is the justification of any arrangement intimate, private, philosophical, spiritual, theological, public, social or political between two persons or more if not Consent expressed by each individual? To go further, what is the justification of any arrangement between two dozen, two hundred, two thousand, two million or more people if not Consent expressed initially and continuously by each individual?

Gravely unjust even inhumanely tyrannical is the arrangement if merely one or one-million individuals do not give their Consent yet forced to remain in it. To respect and regard the Peculiar Human Ability to Reason, inseparably the Singular Human Right to Consent, is to also respect and regard the resulting Decision and Action to remain in or leave the arrangement.

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Complexity oft airs as perspicacity, as well sagacity
Mendacity as veracity, winking at each inconsistency
Like some rare comedy, yet illogicality’s carousel
Repeats the pell-mell, till night’s toll of Edgar’s bell

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Proem & Poem No. 4 - What Is Justification / Reprise
by D.C. Quillan Stone

What is the justification of any political, economic Ism if not Consent expressed by every seller, buyer, barterer, trader, producer, consumer, investor, entrepreneur, lender, borrower, employer, employee, manager, labor and all other various participants in the economy? Again, to go further, what is Communism, Fascism, Old European Mercantilism, American Cronyism, as well Socialism (always dependent on any of the former), if not imposition, intervention and intrusion upon economic activity, of course lacking unanimous Consent, thus lacking justification?

All political, economic Isms, as well supporting Ideologies, without unanimous Consent cannot claim to respect and regard the Peculiar Human Ability to Reason, inseparably the Singular Human Right to Consent. Instead, injustice therefore Tyranny are the only accurate claims and indictments per the force exacted upon each and every dissenting Individual.

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O the isms’ schisms per statism’s trumpeted chrisms
Despotism cloaked to coax hence hoax the populism
Benevolence by violence, corpulence by fraudulence
Such opulent continuance by malevolent vehemence

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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.

No man has the right to rule over another man, otherwise such a right necessarily, and immediately becomes the right of the strongest... Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)

 

No man has the right to rule over another man, otherwise such a right necessarily, and immediately becomes the right of the strongest. As the tiger in the jungle rules over the defenseless antelope, so on the banks of the Nile a Pharaoh ruled over the progenitors of the fellaheen of Egypt. Nor can a group of men, by contract, from their own right, compel you to obey a fellow-man. What binding force is there for me in the allegation that ages ago one of my progenitors made a ‘Contract Social,’ with other men of that time? As man I stand free and bold, over against the most powerful of my fellow-men. I do not speak of the family, for here organic, natural ties rule; but in the sphere of the State I do not yield or bow down to anyone, who is man, as I am.

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)
Lectures on Calvinism (1898)

Firstly to note, the quote by Kuyper thus his lecture series were delivered at Princeton Theological Seminary, when the institution still stood nearly alone as a beacon for methodical, systematic theology. To historically recall, it was regularly proposed and consistently defended until late 19th and early 20th centuries by theologians, mathematicians, logicians, physicists, scientists (in general), polymaths; while Logic the Science of Sciences, fundamentally Theology the Queen of Science. I studiously contend once such interdependent, inseparable understandings were covetously, presumptuously, arrogantly undone then abandoned, so Logic therefore Sciences incrementally declined then exponentially deteriorated. What we witnessed the last several years was not an one-off, an anomaly, rather the inevitable result of longstanding corruptions even depravities. But I have digressed...

It is fascinating the repeated phenomena throughout history, that such concepts and ideas (Kuyper's quote) must be revisited over and over again. That is to say, concepts and ideas fiercely argued then broadly established decades even centuries prior, however shockingly forgotten later by generations well educated on paper, equally presumptuous and arrogant in practice, consequently yet astonishingly erroneous as well oblivious per actions and behaviors.

Yet, here we stand well into 21st century, naked unashamedly and drenched entirely by our own pride.

I cannot count the times when retorted, usually with much emotion, "Do not tell me what I already know!" As though there is nothing more to experience and learn thus the ego's declaration, "I am modern man, I am sufficiently enlightened thus evolved!"

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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.

Is 1:18 / Mt 5:9 / 2 Tm 2:15 / Cl 3:23

Video for Proem & Poem No. 2 - What Is Tyranny by D.C. Quillan Stone (6 Aug 2023)

TO NOTE... Video first uploaded on 6 August 2023... The recorded and posted text taken from 10th book, 1st of trilogy; 100 Proems & Poems on the Peculiar Human ABILITY to REASON, Singular Human RIGHT to CONSENT & Other Neglected Matters (Aug 2018)... Book available at https://amazon.com/Peculiar-ABILITY-Singular-CONSENT-Neglected/dp/1532053665/

Proem & Poem No. 2 - What Is Tyranny
by D.C. Quillan Stone

What is morality or ethic without consistency if not individual prerogative, mere arbitrariness even heedless whimsy? Logically, consistency demands exhaustive inquires similar to what was asked of murder, rape slavery and theft (see No.1).

More specifically, what is tyranny if not any governance without Consent? It matters not the form whether it is theocracy, monocracy, plutocracy, perhaps oligarchy, democracy, ochlocracy or another, only unanimous Consent initially and continuously determines the arrangement as tolerable, acceptable, desirable, justifiable even ethical. If unanimous Consent minus simply one, two, three or more individuals, then intolerable, unacceptable, undesirable, unjustifiable even unethical.

By presumptuous design or causal devolution, tyranny appears in various disguises, however discernible by the disrespect and disregard of others, that is, the disrespect and disregard of the Peculiar Human Ability to Reason, inseparably the Singular Human Right to Consent or Not Consent.

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Questions hued then honed for common consumption
Subsumption of truths-on-stones within the presumption
Contemptuousness upon covetousness sweetly hymned
Deceitfully prim, thus all be damned while all bedimmed

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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.

All "special" revelation, as it is commonly though not altogether correctly called, postulates common grace... Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)... as well Natural Law of Causality upon Creation...

 

To perceive and contend the divinely instituted Natural Law of Causality upon Creation as (at least) a subset of Common Grace if not the equivalent, is to understand Causality both per physical dynamics (sciences) as well human dynamics (economics, ethics) as doing exactly that and so “curbs the operation of Satan, death, and sin.” Hence, the Dutch Reformed theologian and polymath Abraham Kuyper elaborated...

All "special" revelation, as it is commonly though not altogether correctly called, postulates common grace, i.e., that act of God by which negatively He curbs the operation of Satan, death, and sin, and by which positively He creates as intermediate state for this cosmos, as well for our human race, which is and continues to be deeply and radically sinful but in which sin cannot work out its end.

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)
Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology: Its Principles (1898)

Within the category of divinely instituted Natural Law of Causality, is the matter of Individual Responsibility and Risk. To bear such things is to experience the causality of such things, therefore to suffer or benefit by the resulting detriments else increments of such things. Conclusively, there are the lessons learned as well, else lessons missed, ignored or scoffed thereby the same damn errors repeated. Boldy and exhaustively I would say, it is by this particular Causality, we are made capable to discern and judge what is harmful versus beneficial, fatal versus remedial, false versus fact, lie versus truth, fantasy versus reality, perception versus actuality, absurdity versus logic, disparity versus consistency, even wrong versus right, immoral versus moral, unethical versus ethical, collectively thus ultimately to aid us to recognize the sin(s) within ourselves.

To continue down this line of thought is to encounter characteristics appearing as mysterious, though no less logical and applicable. To isolate human dynamics (causalities between two or more individuals) from natural dynamics (causalities throughout nature), there is an interesting observation. To observe one individual on an island (if you will) or isolation, there are no "social" dilemmas regarding individual responsibility and risk, therefore no dilemmas regarding what is right or wrong, moral or immoral. This single individual cannot shirk his/her responsibility nor avoid his/her risk, and surely cannot impose his/her responsibility and risk upon others; for he/she is alone. But to observe the adding of a 2nd, later a 3rd, then more individuals on the same island or isolation, there now appears a set of dynamics that are solely human, quite separate from the rest of nature.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

Matthew 18:20 (ESV)

Interestingly, as declared by Scripture regarding Christ's presence among two or more congregants, so it is observably, logically, consistently, ethically among two or more individuals regarding the aforementioned Law of Causality. I digress, lets exemplify...

To politically, governmentally mitigate individual responsibility and risk via government subsidy, loan, welfare, grant, general expenditure, monetary expansion, exemption of liability, prohibition, sanction/ban and various other forms of force, is to interfere and pervert causality, creating paths of least resistance, thus leaving covetousness unchecked even enabled. Thankfully, God's Natural of Law of Causality, whether equated as Common Grace or a subset thereof, cannot be fully negated by our covetous efforts never-ending, the latter finally stopped cold in tracks preventing total destruction however much suffering we may have to endure nonetheless per our propensities for error and excess to philosophically argue else per our depravities towards various sins to theologically argue.

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Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Study, Ponder, Labor, till last Breath.

Is 1:18 / Mt 5:9 / 2 Tm 2:15 / Cl 3:23

Quote by Albert J. Nock (1870-1945)

 

Constant and frequent questioning is the first key to wisdom... Peter Abelard (1079-1142)

Constant and frequent questioning is the first key to wisdom... For through doubting we are led to inquire, and by inquiry we perceive the truth.

Peter Abelard (1079-1142)
Sic Et Non (1121)