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Characteristics Of The Reasonable Human

Decent Essays

Zoey Nelson
American Lit
Mr. Van Peursem
October 29, 2017
The Reasonable Human

A key characteristic of a rationalist is reason. Reasoning is associated with cognition, thinking, and intellect. Reasoning ties other common rationalist attributes together, making it one of the more relevant characteristics.
Many Christians often feel they have a conflict between faith and reason. Faith is described as more of a romantic characteristic. God calls people to have faith. “Do not lean on one’s own understanding, but have faith.” However, God also tells his people to have good reason for what they believe. Christians will often attempt to reason with non-believers, explaining that their belief in scripture is sound and logically defensible. In reality, faith and reason work together seamlessly to help one truly understand and know and love Christ. One cannot lean on faith alone; nor can one lean on reason alone.
Reason is an important characteristic for Christians as they continue to grow in their faith and become more obedient to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Without reason, Christians could easily be attracted or distracted by the next great thing that strikes their fancy. Choices presented by life’s opportunities and the voices trying to influence our choices must always be weighed against scripture, with a logical mind. If this doesn’t happen Christians can easily be drawn into situations that are less than Christianly, and certainly not desirable in the long run.
In the

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