Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: nlt@grad17.cs.duke.edu (N. L. Tinkham) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Nominalism and the sacraments Message-ID: Date: 21 Aug 90 02:50:56 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Duke University CS Dept.; Durham, NC Lines: 16 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Cindy Smith, in her article describing the history of Anglicanism, blames nominalism for contributing to the decline of sacramental spirituality, but I can't fill in the implied argument. Clearly, nominalism makes the formal definition of "transubstantiation" meaningless: if there is no "substance", then substance cannot be transformed. But one does not need to accept Aquinas' metaphysical assumptions in order to perceive Christ as present in the consecrated Elements. Why would a nominalist necessarily be less sacramental in his or her spirituality than a Platonist? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "For Christ plays in ten thousand places, Nancy Tinkham Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his nlt@lear.cs.duke.edu To the Father through the features of men's faces." rutgers!mcnc!duke!nlt