Each elect soul... possesses God directly and finds in that unique possession the fulfillment of his own individuality

Each elect soul... possesses God directly and finds in that unique possession the fulfillment of his own individuality

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit priest and paleontologist, was a visionary thinker who sought to reconcile science and religion. One of his key ideas was the concept that each elect soul possesses God directly and finds in that unique possession the fulfillment of his own individuality. This idea is central to Teilhard's philosophy of the Omega Point, which posits that all of creation is evolving towards a state of unity and perfection in God.

For Teilhard, the idea that each individual soul possesses God directly is a radical departure from traditional Christian theology, which often emphasizes the distance between humanity and the divine. Teilhard believed that God is not a distant, transcendent being, but rather immanent in all of creation. This means that each individual has the potential to experience God directly, without the need for intermediaries such as priests or religious institutions.