Faith antithesis of rationality

03.365 (02.08.2009) Faith (Photo credit: hannahclark)

People may find it not important how 'the belief' is first acquired.

Many Christians may be persuaded by arguments of some theological writers or some popular figures like C. S. Lewis, or in certain circles much spoken off people like William Lane Craig, or Alvin Plantinga.

The problem for someone first persuaded by these conjurers of religious apologetics arises when they become so convinced that they stop using reason and turn to faith as the final arbiter of what they believe.

Some people may go one way, than an other way and never become sure what to believe or having always doubts. Others may be strongly convinced of certain believes and would like to see others to take over their believes, but this more because than they can be confirmed in their believes.

In the world of so called religious people e can find many sorts adhering many denominations. Sceptics would say that once a person does resort to faith the reasoning capacity becomes limited, because faith is always supposed to override, surmount, be better than reason. Many religions rely on the fact that they have something to offer to the people living in this world. Some religions offer their followers a better life in an other stadium, be it returning again on this earth under an other form or be it going to live in a place called heaven.

You could call 'Faith' the antithesis of rationality, because it demands a believe in things we rationally can't declare. Faith is what you use when you want to believe something, or are otherwise driven to hold a belief. For some faith is the position to be in or the action to undertake when there is no reason or evidence to support the belief. And faith can result in belief in spite of counter evidence and reason. This makes it very difficult to get people to see certain things which could be otherwise than they assume.

Many would argue that there is no logical reason for supposing anything exists that we cannot experience directly or test for in some way. As human beings we can look around us and question the existence of all those things we can see, hear and feel. We can not escape being an element in space which has to undergo certain actions in this world. Some happenings we may steer, but others are totally out of our control. By all those things which happen around us we ask many questions. Several people may form good ideas and bring plausible solutions. By those who offer others their ideas, there are some who really want to impose their thinking to others without objection. Many Christian religious people do not want to allow arguments to come their way. Others evoke protest.

By the 41,000 denominations of Christianity in the world, only a few are known by the general public, and most people do assume that the bigger denominations are the only ones which are right. some like the Roman Catholic Church say that because they are the biggest denomination in Christendom this is also a proof that they are the only right Universal Church  of God. In the West it is Catholic tradition which formed the tradition of the people, which is often a mixture of heathen traditions with church teachings. Many people are proud of their Western roots of Judeo Christian values.

But by those who call themselves Christians, what should mean "Followers of Christ Jesus" the respect for other Christians does not show real brotherhood and often makes you even wonder if they are following the same Master Teacher. When we look at forums or look at the reactions on blogs we do find that there’s no shortage of mudslinging across the ideological divides of religion.

When you hear such persons who call them self saved by the Saviour you would think they will be pleased to live according to the teachings of that person and follow him in his ways. When that person in the early years of this common era  spoke about the way how to behave, you would think his followers would follow that advice this wise man gave. Jesus of Nazareth presented  a way of life. He gave us the study of action with respect to the good for humans, which is happiness. So you would think that once people got to study those teachings and came to understand them, they would follow those directions of ethics. You would think those people their eyes would be opened and that they would accept that all people were made in the image of God, so should all have elements of that God in them. You would also think they would become respectful for all those, who are allowed by the creator God to be here on this earth.

Why is it then that so many who call themselves Christian fight against other Christians, and call each other names, children's ears would better not hear?

Would they not prefer to live in a peaceful world? Would they not do everything to get all different people to live together in the best circumstances? Would they not want to become a more excellent, happier human being?

Please do find out more about it in:

1. Caricaturing and disapproving sceptics, religious critics and figured out ethics
2.  Catholicism, Anabaptism and Crisis of Christianity
3. Morality, values and Developing right choices
4. Are religious and secular ethicists climbing the same mountain
5. Being religious has benefits even in this life
6. History of Christianity  
7. Christianity is a love affair

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Related articles

• Can Faith Ever Be Rational?
• Overcoming the Spirit of Infirmity
• Grounded in Faith
• How to falsify a religion using scientific or historical evidence
• "Your Christianity will be Personal, or it will be Bullshit": Beneath Grisez's Critique of Francis
• Preparing for a future with a mixed-faith education
• Lara Buchak replies: faith can be rational
• Sensus Divinitatis: Nagel Defends Plantinga Against Grayling
• The Faith of Science
• Why Honest Faith Requires Honest Doubt

Who are the honest ones?

Do Christians have to be honest and are they more honest than others? Do you feel that you are working in the right way, having the right ethics about social and work attitude,?
Are you concerned how you treat others and how honest you and others are?
Do you really care about the ethics of the people in the many professions? Does it truly matter to us whether they are honest?

Former attorney, political comedian and frequent commentator on various TV networks including CNN, Dean Obeidallah is left with a few burning questions and writes: "If we actually did care about the moral fitness of Congress, why would we re-elect them to the tune of 91% in 2012? If honesty truly meant something to us, wouldn't we have voted out at least half of them? Even 25%? But no, when given a chance last month to vote out Congress, we sent home only 9% of those up for re-election.".

As the American Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending "fiscal cliff" that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1, one in 10 Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of its members as very high or high. This puts the lawmaking body second lowest on a list of 22 professions measured -- higher only than car salespeople.

Topping the list of professions we find most ethical were nurses, followed by pharmacists and doctors. Dentists came in lower, but I doubt that dentists are truly less honorable than M.D.s; it's just that dentists seem to enjoy causing us so much pain that this may be our way of paying them back.


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We're the ones who are unethical