A Test Of Faith

Christianity treads a delicate delineation between faith and reason. At times, the two seem mutually exclusive. During the early stages of Christianity, church fathers argued about the roles of Athens and Jerusalem in Christianity. Some, like Tertullian, insisted Christianity consisted solely of Jerusalem, or faith alone. Others, like St. Augustine and Clement of Alexandria, argued that all truth stems from the character of God, and is thus viable to the Christian. They united Athens and Jerusalem, reason and faith. The interplay of faith and reason shines brightest through the work of Thomas Aquinas, who, like Augustine, believed faith and reason play an intertwined role in revealing truth.

As I was watching the Frontline Video, Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, I was immediately faced with the question about evil. It is hard to imagine how someone could do something so horrific in the name of religion. So many lives were forever changed during the events that transpired on Tuesday morning, Sept. 11, 2001. As a believer of God, I could certainly identify with the feelings of the people who lost loved ones during the 9/11 tragedy.

In the documentary “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero,” a number of people were interviewed about how their religious beliefs or non beliefs, were challenged since the events of September 11th. The interviews with priests, rabbis, family members of victims, survivors, lay people, atheists and agnostics, this documentary explores how Americans’ spiritual lives may have changed since the event. When a tragic event happens, people would either grow closer to god or outgrow god. To those people who do not believe in a god, these actions will just prove their beliefs. In the beginning of the film, people immediately started to question God. Some of them started to question why would a god so mighty approve this kind of actions. Dr. Michael Brescia, who is a physician who saw pictures of people jumping off the building, "I wonder how many of them thought if there was a God. And if there was a God, why me? Why this? And where am I going to go?” This kind of questions always come up when something catastrophic happens. Others, however, did not ask any questions and just accepted what has happened. Kim Coleman, who lost her daughter said, “God knows something I don’t, God knows best and knows better than we do.” There were also a couple of people who were not so sure what to think of god anymore. Rev. Joseph Griesedieck, a priest who volunteered at Ground Zero said, “the face of God was a blank slate for me. God couldn't be counted on in the way that I thought God could be

In this narrative we meet three women who come from different walks of life. Each one of them has a different religion, but they all have one thing in common. That is that they all have children and want to explain to them about their different religions, especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks as many children had questions and were left perplexed.

I then went most of my junior without even thinking of what my beliefs were. I went to church a little more that year, basically whenever my parents wanted me to, but I kind of stopped listening to what the priest was saying. For awhile I considered myself agnostic; which is someone who recognizes God, but does not practice any religious

Born and raised in Marion, Iowa and into an evangelical church, my parents “Baby Dedicated” my life to christ. At age 5 my family moved to New Covenant Bible Church. When I was young I didn't think much of church, it was just something you did and was merely going through the motions. But when I hit middle school my parents made me go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. Key phrase, made me. At this point in my life I didn't like church, at all. As I grew older, I wanted to be at church less and less. And I dreaded going every time Sunday morning rolled around. I had the mindset that the world had more to offer me than Christ did. And so I made excuses and put up fights and soon I rarely went to church. My family went but I stayed

Faith and reason can be viewed as opposites. Faith is an element of belief, something an individual does not necessarily require a reason for accepting without reason. For example, an individual’s reason for believing in God may not seem too rational when they are trying to explain them. They may not even stand up to criticism. On the other hand, reason is constructed as a formula. Faith is basically something we believe in, like something we learn in church. Reason is something we learn in school, such as a math formula.

Ever since I was a young boy, my family would pile into our old 15-passenger van and drive to church each and every Sunday, without fail. I didn't really understand it at first, it was just something I had to do. When I was around 6 years old, my mother encouraged me to accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I hardly understood what it meant, but I went through with it, much to my mother’s excitement. Years passed, and my understanding grew. Up until I was around 13 years old, my faith had no correlation to my actions. I could recite bible verses for hours, yet I couldn't say what any of them meant. That all changed one year at Camp Selah, a Then, in the year 2014, my faith took a turn for the worst. I’d had a testing first year of high

When I was growing up, religion was around me but I didn’t really pay too much mind to it. I would go to church rarely, a couple of times with my grandma and sometimes with my dad. My mom didn’t care about

By the time I returned home safe, something miraculous had happened. I still have no recollection of any traumatic incident from my first journey away from the safety of “home.” I never knew until recently that my parents were worried to death. I only have memories of my family going to church, living a Christian life, and my parents active involvement in our home church. God worked in my parents hearts, orchestrating His will with the innocence of a child. Maybe they realized that only God the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator can protect and bless, “He giveth and taketh away (Job 1:21)… All good things are a gift from God (James 1:17).” I don’t know what exactly happened that day, but I do know this one fact. A child named Danielle with enthusiasm and passion to know God, changed a family forever. I attended Beth Eden Baptist School during my later elementary years, I was blessed to be home-schooled by my mother and father in junior High, and attended Maranatha Christian for High School, graduating in 1989. My life has been filled with exceptional events, joy, heartache, surprises, pain, loss, and miraculous

Every December, the alleys which engrossed the basilica would be enlightened with fluctuating lights and colorful banners, and the winter of 2012 was no exception. Before the start of every new year, my family and I would always return to our hometown in Mexico and Celebrate Christmas with my relatives. The main element in our trip would always be to visit the local Virgin Mary (the Virgin de San Juan), which was housed in an extravagantly beautiful basilica. Our hometown had been erected around not only the Virgin’s “house”, but also the Catholic faith.

The drive from Chicago to Arlington Heights was almost an hour long. The whole time in the car I couldn’t keep my mind off the Chicago Blackhawks hockey game. How many times would the opportunity arise that I would be in Chicago and the Blackhawks playing in the Stanley Cup semi-finals? There had to be a way we could find tickets for less than what my dad said they cost. An idea hit me out of no where, I knew my uncle Larry was going to attend the Baptism, after all he is a season ticket holder. I couldn’t be selfish and just run up to him and ask if he had any extra tickets. My entire family was going to be at the church and I wanted to be sure and enjoy the little time with them since I no longer live in Chicago. Plus, the day wasn’t about me or the game, it was all about my cousin Evie accepting Jesus. As my family and I walked into the Church we all immediately went to Evie and congratulated her on the big decision. After greeting with more relatives I found my seat and waited patiently for the Baptism to begin. Out of no where I felt a presence behind me.

The Dynamics of Faith is an in-depth look at what faith is from a theological perspective. Tillich seems to be replying to all of the writers we have read thus far and placing their arguments within the context of faith. Nowhere is this more apparent than on page 24, in his discussion of community. He rightly acknowledges that faith is usually seen in its sociologic setting. He then proceeds to sort out the different claims, saying that

Pope John Paul II once said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties

Faith and reason were two modes of belief that dominated the history of Western Civilization. Both faith and reason were popularized as tools to understand the universe in Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian eras. By conflicting with each other, these two modes of belief sparked a lot of controversy. Reason or rationality is belief based on concrete evidence and logic. The development of one’s reason relies heavily on observation and questioning. Greco-Roman philosophers believed in the power of the human mind to understand the world. So in order to find ultimate truth, Greco-Roman philosophers dedicated their lives to perfecting their reasoning skills and encouraged those around them to do the same. Contradictory to reason, faith is the