David C Bellusci

In recent years, there has been a concerted attack on many of the precepts of Western civilization relating to the concept of God, truth, Christianity, morality, sex, the family, and even modern science, especially biology. The concern of this volume is to explore these and other attacks through the tools of philosophy, theology, science, and intuition. It seeks to bring clarity to the ongoing struggle of Western civilization to preserve its values and traditions. The West is crumbling at an accelerated rate. The unfolding erasure of history, objective morality, and truth has paved the way for our current predicament. We are now standing at the precipice of the future of human civilization. The attacks on the human person are unrelenting, malicious, multifaceted, and wide-ranging in their scope and breadth, from the time prior to birth until the moment of death. If you are granted the "right" to live, then you must be prepared for unending assaults on your, mind, body, and soul. Nevertheless, the spirit of man and the greatness of God are infinitely greater than any of these assaults. It is by making sense of nonsense that humanity will be able to navigate out of the West's current quagmire. For those who feel vaguely uneasy about the current direction of our culture andour politics, but can't put their finger on the problem, the fifty-five chapters ofthis book are a wake-up call, and they bring into focus reasons for our currentmalaise. The editor and principal author, Scott D. G. Ventureyra, is joinedby more than twenty others who explore perennial themes of philosophy andtheology enlivened by accounts of personal experience in the quest for the trueand the good amidst the drama of the decay of the West. Topics range from faithand science to gender ideology to the attack on freedom and dignity of persons, to COVID-19 and the New World Order. Pick this volume up for a livelydiscussion of the distemper of our times, and for reflections on the prospectsfor redemption.-David J. Klassen, LL.B., Ph.D. The Western world is intent on defeating reality to vaunt utopian narratives. Theauthors of this impressive work offer a necessary assessment of this "culture war,"while also forging a path for a return to the essential and eternal truths of humanexistence. A copy of this notable book should be on every shelf.-Nirmal Dass, publisher, The Postil Magazine I knew something was deeply wrong with the world prior to 2020, but 2020confirmed it. With the changes in views about sex, marriage, and the economy, we are seeing a direct confrontation with traditional Western Christian values.This continues to be confirmed for those who have eyes to see what politics, medicine, science, and technology are doing to cultural consciousness led byglobalist elite groups (just read the Davos report for yourself )... Making Sense of Nonsenseconfronts many of the issues, motivations, and challenges that continue toupset not only our economy and social interactions but our values. With anhonest look at the issues from a variety of perspectives, Making Sense of Nonsensewill furnish the reader with a host of issues backed by research that aid us inthinking better about the problems in medicine, technology, economics, societyand how they are interwoven, so that we might be better equipped to engagethe new world staring us square in the face. The motivations are no longerdisguised attempts to deceive. At best the motivations are hidden in plain sightfor all to see. For those who have ears to hear, let him hear and see the nonsensebefore us.-Joshua R. Farris, Rev. Dcn., Ph.D, Professor of Theology of Science, Missional University

The Rosary signifies prayer--a form of daily prayer and meditation for millions of Roman Catholics across the world--and has been for centuries. The Rosary unites the followers of Christ as one family in a common faith, baptism, and Lord. The power of the Rosary stems not only from the intercession of the Mother of our Savior, but each of the twenty mysteries finds its source in the Bible. The truth of the word of God teaches us not only that the Father sent his Son to save us from our sins so we may have eternal life, but also how we live our communion with Christ through our daily choices. The Rosary and the Bible lead us to Jesus Christ; the Scriptures point to Jesus, and Jesus is at the very center of the Rosary. And so, the Rosary and the Bible provide us with the armor we need to help us in combat: against Satan's deceptions, lies, and attacks. To know the truth, we need the word of God, and to live in truth Jesus gives us his mother at the cross, "This is your mother." We need the grace of God, Mary's intercession, and the word of God in spiritual combat.

The Rosary signifies prayer--a form of daily prayer and meditation for millions of Roman Catholics across the world--and has been for centuries. The Rosary unites the followers of Christ as one family in a common faith, baptism, and Lord. The power of the Rosary stems not only from the intercession of the Mother of our Savior, but each of the twenty mysteries finds its source in the Bible. The truth of the word of God teaches us not only that the Father sent his Son to save us from our sins so we may have eternal life, but also how we live our communion with Christ through our daily choices. The Rosary and the Bible lead us to Jesus Christ; the Scriptures point to Jesus, and Jesus is at the very center of the Rosary. And so, the Rosary and the Bible provide us with the armor we need to help us in combat: against Satan's deceptions, lies, and attacks. To know the truth, we need the word of God, and to live in truth Jesus gives us his mother at the cross, "This is your mother." We need the grace of God, Mary's intercession, and the word of God in spiritual combat.

Greek mythology, schools of psychology, and a child growing up on Oxford Street create the structure for this collection of poems where childhood emotions are explored. The poetic intersection of myth, reality, and analysis offer the hermeneutic framework to unravel "powerlessness" and "fear" of a child. The collection opens to a six-year-old boy's world on "Oxford Street" where the reader enters the boy's home, discovers the rooms, and unlocks the symbols. The mythical figure of Apollo that runs parallel to Oxford Street connects to--and disconnects from--the Greek pantheon of gods in the restructured family relation of gods. Apollo experiences freedom in the open fields of Thessaly but restraint triggered by thoughts of Hestia and Zeus. Interpreting Oxford Street in terms of the relation between the powerlessness and fear of a child, Freud, Jung, Maslow, Adler, Erikson, Sullivan are included in the poetry as avenues of revisiting childhood.

Our rational nature is to ask questions and to understand. We piece together childhood events, relationships, connection with nature, expressions of culture, and human fragility. What does it all mean? The collection of poems, Age of Innocence, starts off with childhood where the child is shielded from the world. The encounter with nature opens the path to metaphysical reflection while relations undergo reanalysis, reassurance, and rejection. Cultures may surprise and delight, but also confuse and disturb. What is the emotional ""impact"" over time? Innocence is progressively shattered as one discovers poverty, loneliness, and discrimination. The adult becomes the innocent ""patient."" Is there refuge behind clinic doors? Fragmented, the person blurs reality and illusion and seeks healing.

Our rational nature is to ask questions and to understand. We piece together childhood events, relationships, connection with nature, expressions of culture, and human fragility. What does it all mean? The collection of poems, Age of Innocence, starts off with childhood where the child is shielded from the world. The encounter with nature opens the path to metaphysical reflection while relations undergo reanalysis, reassurance, and rejection. Cultures may surprise and delight, but also confuse and disturb. What is the emotional ""impact"" over time? Innocence is progressively shattered as one discovers poverty, loneliness, and discrimination. The adult becomes the innocent ""patient."" Is there refuge behind clinic doors? Fragmented, the person blurs reality and illusion and seeks healing.

Pier Giorgio Frassati is situated in the social and political upheaval of early-twentieth-century Italy. The Roman Catholic Church read the warning signs of atheistic Marxism; Mussolini filled Italy's political vacuum with fascists; and Rome was still Italy's disputed capital. The biography draws from a synopsis of selected letters and witness accounts, revealing Pier Giorgio's increasing engagement with the world around him, shaped by his spiritual life. Pier Giorgio belonged to an upper-middle-class family and his parents transmitted fundamental values of truth, courage, and justice. Although he was deeply loved by his parents, they did not share his religious zeal. Pier Giorgio was concerned about helping the poor in the slums of Turin, the needy German students in Berlin, but especially in contributing to world peace. His spiritual maturity was expressed by making sacrifices: his friendship with a young lady offered up, bidding farewell to his best friend leaving for the Air Force, watching his sister depart once married, and his career in mining engineering abandoned. Pier Giorgio stood alone. He remained at home for the good of his parents to ensure peace and unity. He died at twenty-four years old.

How is human love deformed in sexual addiction? How can human love be transformed? David Bellusci considers three signs of addiction and then, by looking at neurotic tendencies within a psychoanalytical framework, as well as the neurobiological nature of sexual pleasure, explores the causes of sexual addiction. Behavioral expression of addiction is examined in pornography, masturbation, cybersex, and multiple sexual partners. Working within a Christian anthropology drawn from Thomas Aquinas, Bellusci considers the morality of pleasure; how pleasure suggests an antinomy of satisfaction-dissatisfaction. He explores how the fallen human condition effects the will, and the consent to sin. He concludes with a focus on how the addict may be supported, at the psychological, relational, and spiritual levels. ""With great sensitivity, Bellusci makes clear the mental processes taking place in lust-obsessed individuals. His study fills a very desperate need in the field of sex addiction by supplementing Freudian psychology with the completeness and reality of Aquinas. Bill Wilson once wrote that 'When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically' and Bellusci provides the scientific and philosophical groundwork to sustain this claim. Recommended especially for spiritual directors."" --Andrzej Skulski, Military Chaplain for the Royal Canadian Navy ""With Love Deformed, Love Transformed Father Bellusci offers clinicians a theological approach to the widespread therapeutic and pastoral problem of sexual compulsivity. By providing a detailed but accessible academic analysis of the topic, he advances a needed rapprochement between what secular science can offer, through explanation of Freudian psychoanalysis, and theological wisdom as represented by Thomas Aquinas. Undertaking this important task will hopefully contribute to practical improvement in the lives of many who suffer."" --Wayne Ottenbreit, president, Catholic Psychotherapy Association of Canada David C. Bellusci holds a Licentiate in Theology, a PhD in Philosophy, and a PsyD in Clinical Pastoral Psychotherapy. He belongs to the Dominican Order and teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies at Catholic Pacific College, in Langley, British Columbia.

How is human love deformed in sexual addiction? How can human love be transformed? David Bellusci considers three signs of addiction and then, by looking at neurotic tendencies within a psychoanalytical framework, as well as the neurobiological nature of sexual pleasure, explores the causes of sexual addiction. Behavioral expression of addiction is examined in pornography, masturbation, cybersex, and multiple sexual partners. Working within a Christian anthropology drawn from Thomas Aquinas, Bellusci considers the morality of pleasure; how pleasure suggests an antinomy of satisfaction-dissatisfaction. He explores how the fallen human condition effects the will, and the consent to sin. He concludes with a focus on how the addict may be supported, at the psychological, relational, and spiritual levels. ""With great sensitivity, Bellusci makes clear the mental processes taking place in lust-obsessed individuals. His study fills a very desperate need in the field of sex addiction by supplementing Freudian psychology with the completeness and reality of Aquinas. Bill Wilson once wrote that 'When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically' and Bellusci provides the scientific and philosophical groundwork to sustain this claim. Recommended especially for spiritual directors."" --Andrzej Skulski, Military Chaplain for the Royal Canadian Navy ""With Love Deformed, Love Transformed Father Bellusci offers clinicians a theological approach to the widespread therapeutic and pastoral problem of sexual compulsivity. By providing a detailed but accessible academic analysis of the topic, he advances a needed rapprochement between what secular science can offer, through explanation of Freudian psychoanalysis, and theological wisdom as represented by Thomas Aquinas. Undertaking this important task will hopefully contribute to practical improvement in the lives of many who suffer."" --Wayne Ottenbreit, president, Catholic Psychotherapy Association of Canada David C. Bellusci holds a Licentiate in Theology, a PhD in Philosophy, and a PsyD in Clinical Pastoral Psychotherapy. He belongs to the Dominican Order and teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies at Catholic Pacific College, in Langley, British Columbia.

Amor Dei, “love of God” raises three questions: How do we know God is love? How do we experience love of God? How free are we to love God? This book presents three kinds of love, worldly, spiritual, and divine to understand God’s love. The work begins with Augustine’s Confessions highlighting his Manichean and Neoplatonic periods before his conversion to Christianity. Augustine’s confrontation with Pelagius anticipates the unresolved disputes concerning God’s love and free will. In the sixteenth-century the Italian humanist, Gasparo Contarini introduces the notion of “divine amplitude” to demonstrate how God’s goodness is manifested in the human agent. Pierre de Bérulle, Guillaume Gibieuf, and Nicolas Malebranche show connections with Contarini in the seventeenth-century controversies relating free will and divine love. In response to the free will dispute, the Scottish philosopher, William Chalmers, offers his solution. Cornelius Jansen relentlessly asserts his anti-Pelagian interpretation of Augustine stirring up more controversy. John Norris, Malebranche’s English disciple, exchanges his views with Mary Astell and Damaris Masham. In the tradition of Cambridge Platonism, Ralph Cudworth conveys a God who “sweetly governs.” The organization of sections represents the love of God in ascending-descending movements demonstrating that, “human love is inseparable from divine love.”