The Peerless Perception of Perfection

Commonly referred to as the Philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas revolutionized the Christian faith as both a simple Dominican priest and theologian. He proposed a concept only observed by the Muslims at the time, and it would shake Christianity all the way down to its roots. He argued that by using reason and logic, one could become a stronger believer of the faith. What?! Isn't science the mortal enemy of Christianity as well as any other faith? Was the man crazy? Although some believed him to be so, his doctrine was eventually accepted and he was canonized as a Saint by the papacy. He made his arguments using his Five Ways. There are faults and flaws within these five ways, but they provide a compelling argument against a church of ignorant believers. The most reasonable argument would be that of the FOURTH WAY: THE ARGUMENT from DEGREES and PERFECTION.

In the Fourth Way, Aquinas makes the argument that because relativity is referenced to a perfection or canon, God, the perfect being must also exist. When people make a comparison, there are always atleast two objects being compared.

For example: That car is better than that car.

Here one makes the argument that one car is better than another. Two objects are compared to one another, however, any comparison entails a concept of perfection. If one can make the judgment that one car is better than another, one must also have a perception of what the best car is. Maybe the best car is totally fuel efficient, perfectly designed, with a 0-60mph time of 0.1 seconds. But where does this concept of perfection come from? No such car exists in this world, so how can we possibly make the judgement that one car is better than another? That is where the perception of perfection that is beyond human understanding comes in.

Christians believe that God is the perfect entity, and the universe he created is perfectly designed. It is God who set, sets, and will forever set perfection for he is the Doryphorus of all Doryphoruses, the canon of all canons. God and his kingdom of Heaven is the equivalent of Plato's World of Forms. Perfection does not exist in this universe but rather in another world. A circle can never be perfect in this universe, but in Heaven, every circle is perfect. Heaven is arguably the essence of everything good and pure in this world so it is a perfection that we cannot grasp unless we take the path that leads through God.

If we can build up a relationship with God, we can reach that higher place and find a peerless perception of perfection.