Reflection On The Lense Of Faith

We’ve all been there before, searching for something to watch on TV, 500 channels and nothing catches our attention until we hear the yelling of the televangelist, “YOU JUST GOTTA HAVE FAITH! QUIT TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT ALL! LET GO AND LET GOD!” For some that may be the solution they are searching for. They might be frustrated or let down by their own efforts of understanding. But does faith begin with “letting go (of reason and understanding) and letting God (reveal Himself to us)”? Is there any compatibility between exercising Christian faith and exercising reason? Does reason have a role or should it have a role in the Christian’s acts of faith? This has been a topic of discussion throughout history by many great thinkers. I am going to attempt to show that reason has an active role in exercising the Christian faith; at least attempt to show that reason and faith aren’t mutually exclusive. I will briefly discuss (1) different views of the philosophical divide taken by philosophizers over the ages (2) and biblical evidence of the use of reason (3) definition of biblical faith.

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.

One argues that today we have a crisis of belief, not a crisis of faith. To explain this crisis, I will briefly examine the relationship between faith and belief, explain why cultural shift is important to note when trying to understand religious issues, go into detail on the three hallmarks of each of the two cultures by showing how they compare to each other, show how Tillich’s notion of correlation deals with this idea of culture and a crisis of belief, and explain how Marsh’s notion of a “theology of negotiation” (33) fits with Lonergan’s definition and allows him to argue that film can help us raise theological questions.

Through the story of the king and the sparrow, we come to realize the implications that social justice has on a community. In following the circle of faith-in-action, we realize the king became aware, analyzed, and acted only after his death. The circle of faith-in-action began with the king's awareness of his people's suffering, then he analyzed his options to help, finally he acted by removing his jewels to help those in need. Although the king directly supported those in need through monetary donations, he effectively neglected their long term needs to survive. In relation to the story of the king, American society and culture can be used as a counterpoint to such

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown (1835), is a primary prototype of an allegory. There are populous references to Faith in the symbolic oriented composition, but there is an underlying connotation of Faith. Hawthorne introduces the reader to a newlywed couple, Young Goodman Brown and Faith, as the wife is aptly named. The significance of the wife’s name and the religious references to faith will be explicated accordingly.

Look back twenty-five years ago, on same sex marriage was a ?thought experiment? in our culture. The idea promoted primarily by those on the left and other cultures who?noticed?? amount of?boundaries to personal freedom and behavior. (April 6th, 2013 Dr.Jim Eckman).Just Seventeen years ago Congress pass a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which define a marriage, as a union between a man and women. In recent years, the debate has moved beyond questions of individual rights and proper family formation to include questions that pit religious liberty against non-discrimination policies. While all laws legalizing same-sex marriage contain some conscience protections allowing churches and other religious groups to refuse to marry gay and lesbian couples,

Violence, specifically with murder, is inherently morally wrong in the vast majority of cases. But through analysis of Judah Rosenthal in Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, Kenny and Tub in Tobias Wolff’s “Hunters in the Snow,” and the Grandma and The Misfit in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the traditional sides of good and bad in a murder are blurred. One of the most important ideas seen throughout these pieces is the role of faith (or lack thereof) in decisions, whether in a life or death situation or in general, and that the question of what exactly makes a moral, good individual is not a simple one. As the idiom ‘there is more than meets the eye’ suggests, there has yet to be a completely pure, good human, despite how they might first appear. Despite the contributions of the other characters, The Misfit is the best character to convey these themes, as his struggle with faith in the story requires complex analysis, as the individual presents multiple angles to both the reader and the grandmother.

The first day I was born was on October 2, 2003. I don't really know much but I do know that I was born in Visalia it was 2:43pm when I was born. I'm glad my mom gave life to me and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my mom. My mom told me that I was a better baby than my older brother. The reason is because he was a much louder baby then I was. My mom said that she is lucky to have me.

The development of a new Christian discourse of faith would produce a new religious theology and philosophy within Christianity. The new theology (talk about God) would not only open an expanding discussion concerning spiritual understanding and authority, it would also lead to decades of strife and conflict which would ultimately split the Church asunder. This new theology would also change the course of history and permeate much of what we have come to understand as Western culture.

Saint Augustine, Aquinas, and Dante are all philosophers that question and analyze the balance between faith and reason in human life. All three men are on personal journeys to better understand not only themselves, but their faith as well. Although the three have different writing styles, Augustine’s The Confessions, Aquinas’ Summa Contra Gentiles, and Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, all share the common theme of faith and reason. These pieces of writing are extremely influential, which are why they continue to be studied today. Faith and reason will always be a popular topic for discussion. It can be difficult as a Catholic to accept the connection between the two However, these three writers have used each other’s ideas to build and create theories to show the importance as to why both faith and reason need to work together.

profession of faith in Jesus Christ. I was about six years old, but I believe

The theory that resonates with me the most is the Faith Perspective Theory. I agree that we can only achieve eternal live and happiness when we connect deeply with our God. In the Christian point of view, we can take in consideration Catholic saints like St. Francis of Assisi of whom his connection with the divine is believed to have even physical magnitudes such as stigmata.

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