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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
How to answer a matter of Faith.	Mathew	Monday, December 13, 2010
Question: My Son aged 8 asked me a fundamental question... Who made God ? What was there before God? what was in the darkness and Void ? I had told him it is a matter of Faith and told him that we would understand it only some time after our present life. I quoted an example that he did not know how Mobiles worked as he has as yet not studied any thing about it, but he would understand some day once he studied about it. Was it the right answer? could it have been answered some other way ?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Mathew: I would recommend the Baltimore Catechism for your son. Number 1 is for children the age of your son. Number 2 goes into more detail and is for 6-9 graders As for the immediate questions, I suggest giving the direct and accurate answers. If you leave it to just "it is a matter of faith" that can leave him doubting the faith later. Rather it is a matter of Faith that .... (whatever the answer is) .... that sometimes we can not fully understand. Who made God? BC 14. Q. Had God a beginning A. God had no beginning; He always was and He always will be. No one made God. God has always been. He is the creator of all things, but He himself was not created, but always was. What was there before God? Before God created the world, there was only Himself. He was a community (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who enjoyed the beauty of His Divine existence. What was in the darkness and Void? The darkness and void merely refers to the process of God's creation. It is like starting out with a lump of silly putty right out of the can. It is without any meaningful form, then as we mold it, the putty takes shape. The verse says that the "Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." This means that God was bring order out of chaos, He was molding the brand new creation into meaningful shape. As God continued to shape His creation he first creates light, which dispels the darkness, and so on in the days of creation. What was in the void, in the darkness? the beginnings of Creation. The first few moments after God, by His very Word, brought the world into existence, but before He ordered the universe into a shape and form. These are great questions your son is asking. I hope that helps some. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

How to answer a matter of Faith.

Mathew

Monday, December 13, 2010

Question:

My Son aged 8 asked me a fundamental question...

Who made God ? What was there before God? what was in the darkness and Void ?

I had told him it is a matter of Faith and told him that we would understand it only some time after our present life. I quoted an example that he did not know how Mobiles worked as he has as yet not studied any thing about it, but he would understand some day once he studied about it.

Was it the right answer? could it have been answered some other way ?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Mathew:

I would recommend the Baltimore Catechism for your son. Number 1 is for children the age of your son. Number 2 goes into more detail and is for 6-9 graders

As for the immediate questions, I suggest giving the direct and accurate answers. If you leave it to just "it is a matter of faith" that can leave him doubting the faith later. Rather it is a matter of Faith that .... (whatever the answer is) .... that sometimes we can not fully understand.

Who made God?

BC 14. Q. Had God a beginning
A. God had no beginning; He always was and He always will be.

No one made God. God has always been. He is the creator of all things, but He himself was not created, but always was.

What was there before God?

Before God created the world, there was only Himself. He was a community (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who enjoyed the beauty of His Divine existence.

What was in the darkness and Void?

The darkness and void merely refers to the process of God's creation. It is like starting out with a lump of silly putty right out of the can. It is without any meaningful form, then as we mold it, the putty takes shape. The verse says that the "Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." This means that God was bring order out of chaos, He was molding the brand new creation into meaningful shape. As God continued to shape His creation he first creates light, which dispels the darkness, and so on in the days of creation.

What was in the void, in the darkness? the beginnings of Creation. The first few moments after God, by His very Word, brought the world into existence, but before He ordered the universe into a shape and form.

These are great questions your son is asking.

I hope that helps some.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum