Abraham and Reasonable Faith

Posted on October 17, 2007 by Peter

i have long thought about faith and the absense of reason. many people of “faith” really lack any rational backing to that faith. it is essentially a blind leap. many agnostics and atheists conclude such and are driven, as a result, away from this kind of “faith”. but they aren’t the only ones. i, too, have been a part of that kind of blind faith, and i dont want to be blind. i want to see (even in the metaphoric sense).

so let’s think through this. does the Scriptural understanding of “faith” mean “blind faith”?

Abraham, the “man of faith” has a lot to share with us in this regard. Abraham spoke with YHWH. Abraham prepared food for YHWH. Abraham saw YHWH destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. YHWH was VERY real to Abraham and to him there was innumerable proofs of YHWH existence and power. Is it irrational to believe in YHWH? Abraham is commended for his faith, but was it unreasonable?

Filed under: Christianity, Religion | Tagged: ,

« »

3 Responses

  1. valon, on October 18th, 2007 at 3:45 am Said:

    faith doesnt need and cannot have rational backing, important are the results of it in life. faith is feeling

    Reply
  2. PB and J, on October 18th, 2007 at 4:51 pm Said:

    valon

    thanks for the comment, but i am sorry i disagree with you completely. as i pointed out, abraham wouldnt be called “irrational” or “emotional” for scientifically observing and then making a conjecture based upon that. that is reasonable. you are right that faith must change a person’s life, but it also is not just emotional swings. there is most definitely an intellectual aspect to faith as well.

    peter

    Reply
  3. michael, on October 22nd, 2007 at 1:08 am Said:

    Hi Peter,

    Emuna, or faith, is indeed real. I am of the opinion that the American way of life has tainted much of what we see and do because the ‘tangibles’ can just get in the way of ‘faith’. The opposite is true within the Breslov movement. For example, I have been reading a book titled “The Garden of Emuna” and it covers various levels of emuna, or faith, and how to apply it. Well, I have been implementing these principals and it has made a considerable difference in my life. Part of the idea is to recognize that everything, yes everything is from God. In taking on this concept our faith is increased and brought to a new level.

    This is my own experience and so I can share it confidently.
    Here is a link on Lazer Beams, to the book.
    http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2006/08/the_garden_of_e.html

    Be well!

    Reply

Leave a Reply