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Philosophy brings young people to God

Sydney, Australia

As in many parts of the world, young people in Australia search eagerly for truth during their university years. But the lack of guides they can trust and role models often leaves them alone in the face of a life-style that scorns religion and promotes hedonism as a path to personal fulfillment. In this environment, Creston College has undertaken to offer courses and activities for university women that help them to consider the fundamental problems of life from a philosophical perspective.

This year a conference of seven sessions was organized, in which small groups of students analyzed in depth such topics as love, truth, freedom, and the “big bang” theory of the origin of the universe. The participants, some of them non-Catholics and others non-practicing Catholics, discussed the existence of God, the reality of the human soul, the natural law in relation to human nature, and the need for commitment to protect and foster true love.

The students used texts from Saint Thomas Aquinas to cast light on contemporary questions, seeking to overcome relativism with well-reasoned arguments. At the end of the conference, the students said they were grateful for the emphasis given to the possibility of knowing the truth of objective reality and the moral law.

Romana, n. 35, July-December 2002, p. 364-365.

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