April 21, 2017
Lenten Devotions – St. Anselm

On this date, April 21, 1109, St. Anselm died: the church was poorer for losing a great mind and a zealous reformer. Anselm won a name for reform because he attempted to end abuses such as the slave trade. He urged the holding of regular synods and, while he was archbishop, enforced clerical celibacy within his “see” (the term Holy See comes from the Latin Sancta Sedes, meaning “Holy Chair,” i.e. the chair or throne, represents the position and authority of the Holy Father or a bishop, and the place where he resides in the territory of his jurisdiction). Because of his powerful intellect, some scholars consider him one of the creators of scholasticism. But his most notable gift to history was what has become known as the ontological proof for the existence of God. Here is his proof:
Can the existence of God be proven? Anselm’s argument went something like this: When we discuss the existence of God, we define him as a perfect being, greater than anything else which can be conceived. If God does not exist, then the name “God” refers to an imaginary being. This makes the definition of “God” contradictory, for to be real, to be living, to have power is greater than to be imaginary. It is clear I cannot even discuss the word “God” as defined if he does not exist, because I have to conceive of him as really existing in order for him to be greater than anything else, for a God who does not exist is not greater than anything else. In short, no philosopher can legitimately argue that God does not exist if he defines God as a perfect being greater than any which can be imagined; for to be perfect, God must have real existence. Those who acknowledge He exists do not have a problem with self-contradiction when they affirm his existence. Since we can indeed raise the question of God’s existence and argue the point, then God must exist.

Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest logicians and mathematicians of the Twentieth Century and no friend of Christianity, grappled with Anselm’s proof and at one time is said to have thought the proof worked. As Archbishop of Canterbury, the zealous Anselm struggled with King William for church rights. As a theologian, the pious Anselm is remembered for his book, Why Did God Become Man? In it he argued that each of us has run up such a debt of sin that there is no way we can repay God. Christ, as infinite God, has merit enough and to spare to pay our debts. Anselm died surrounded by friends who placed his body in ashes on the floor. He was probably canonized in 1494, although there is debate whether this occurred at all. His beatific status aside, Anselm will long be remembered as the author of the ontological proof.

Do you need proof that G-d exists? Thomas Aquinas wrote five arguments for the existence of G-d. Here is the first:
The “First-Cause Argument”:

– It’s impossible for a thing to be the cause of itself.
– If something is caused by another, then these causes must go back to infinity, or there must be a first, uncaused cause that begins the chain of causes in the universe.
– It’s not possible for causes to go back to infinity.
– Therefore, there must be a First Cause, which everyone calls “God.” (christianity.com website, Anselm’s Subtle Proof of God’s Existence, Dan Graves, MSL)

We have come to trust and believe in the existence of G-d through tradition, through theological expositions, through biblical and personal witness, and through sacraments. No matter how many proofs they develop on the existence of G-d, for me, the existence of G-d is proven each and every day by the presence of G-d in my life. My proof may not be your proof, but that is OK with me – G-d makes G-d’s presence in my life personal, communal, and relational.

Pastor Dave