Showing posts with label reason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reason. Show all posts

Friday, November 14, 2014

Faith Does Not Exclude Reason And Reason Does Not Exclude Faith

There are people who vigorously attempt to promote the idea that faith and reason are mutually exclusive or inherently at odds with each other.  This is not true. 

An act of faith does not have to exclude reason.  In fact, everyone exercises faith in the course of life--even people who have no religious belief or affiliation.  We simply cannot have a complete knowledge of everything and, therefore, we all must move through life exercising some measure of faith. 

For example, driving over a bridge is an act of faith.  Sure, it is a reasonable act of faith.  But in the history of the world, bridges have collapsed.  When you and I drive across a bridge we do not first obtain structural reports and conduct safety tests.  We just drive, believing the bridge was designed and constructed in a safe and responsible way.  That is an act of faith on our part.

Faith does not exclude reason and reason does not exclude faith.  They are both aspects of the full experience of life.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Reason And Emotion, We Need Both

Some people seem to want to base every thing on emotions and the feelings of the moment.  On the other end of the spectrum are those who don’t trust emotions and believe they are a sign of weakness.  The truth is in the middle.  Emotions are good and serve an important purpose.  But they work best when they work together with reason.  God created both, reason and emotions.