Faith and Reason: An Exploration of Authority Sources - Essay Sample

Introduction

Faith and reason are authority sources that guide beliefs in society. Generally, the reason is a principle of methodological inquiry of either intellectual, aesthetic, religious, or moral. It is not logical inference rules or traditional embodied wisdom. Some algorithmic demonstrability is usually presupposed. A real or authoritative proposition is justified when demonstrated. On contrast, faith is a belief of a claim that without empirical evidence or reason demonstration. Therefore, hope is a perception of trust and consent. To understand the declaration of a believer, a person familiarizes himself with the willing act and commitment in the situation. Faith in religion concerns a belief that draws deductions about the source of transcendent. Mostly the trust of individuals comes from revelation authority, which is direct such as infusion or indirect like testimony. Therefore, the paper focuses on the role of reason within theology to aid in the understanding of faith mysteries.

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Religious faith occurs in two categories, which include evidence-sensitive as well as evidence-insensitive. The former type associates faith with demonstrable truths, while the latter presents it as the willingness of a religious believer. Evidence-sensitive requires empirical evidence collected from theological studies and testimonies (Swindal). A person also can maintain a belief basing on faith or reason only. For instance, one without adequate faith in God but firmly finds consolation in religious practice. The standard issue of faith and reason emerge from Revelation from which numerous religion is drawn and examined in terms of sacred pronouncements. The action prevents the Revelation from rational critique, and any attempt of religious verification becomes a category mistake.

There are two approaches to solving questions in theology, which are reasoning and authority appellant. Authority argument does not reveal the truth of a particular revelation but simply supports the existence of a given fact because the authority affirmed. For example, individuals hold a principle because Aristotle provided without further analysis. However, it is the weakest form on which decision making takes place. Despite less probable value, the argument of authority is helpful to learners who are unable to question the fact. Relying entirely on reason for cases will result in no difference from natural theology, which is a philosophy while authority would undermine the value of wisdom (Stefon). Therefore, sacred theology applies both power and reason for better understanding. Theology use authority argument to explain the existence of Supreme fulfilled through faith.

Arguments of philosophy are crucial concerning disclosed truth that is accessible to individual reason. The philosophical logic plays a significant role in mysteries of supernatural transcended to cause. The secrets include elevation of a man to the supreme end, the Trinity, the redemption, the beautiful dream, the incarnation, sanctifying grace, the sacrament, the theological virtues, the church, as well as the scriptural inspiration. The reason aids in comprehending the mysteries in-depth the divine deduction methodology and fittingness argument. Reason makes use of revealed truths as the foundation of deducing some honesty from Revelation. The reasoning of theology commences with faith preamble and progress to deduce existing conclusions.

Just like other sciences, theological deductions do not prove its principle in the argument, which is faith articles, but from the rules, it goes beyond showing other elements. In this case, there are two premises from which reason proceeds. The first premise is Christ resurrected from death while the second was His body head, the church, as well as strongly linked with His body. Therefore, it concludes that the rise of the Body Heady shows body members' destiny as long as individuals tolerate in their bodies until the end. Because Christ resurrected, His body of mystic also rose from death. Another scenario of deduction of theology starts with the faith that Christ is God, who is sincere and human being. Depending on the belief, the early council of Christian examined the doctrine of Trinity and Christology. From the true divinity of Christ, deductions reveal that God is omnipotent, supremely, just, omniscient, and merciful. In terms of true man, the deductions portray Him as a human with a rational soul and intellect. He has free will and passion for a person who is without sins. Human beliefs exist in three forms, which are beliefs based on natural reason, a conclusion based on a compatible basis, and myth based on the incompatible right.

The theological deduction conclusions are explicitly found In Revelation in the form of scriptures or tradition. As an outcome of deduction of theology, individuals know particular mysteries which rely on disclosed truth that is over-arching. This situation arises in the human will that is free and Godly. Additionally, several scriptures unfold the over-arching truth, for example, the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane. Theological deduction views from the broader humanity of Christ's truth. Likewise, the resurrection of Christ, in general, is a revealed truth, which is right. If the conclusion is a revealed fact, the deduction of theology is still significant in evaluating the relationship as well as harmony in the mysteries and providing insights into necessity and hierarchy.

When the conclusion of theology is indirectly exposed, it becomes virtual or implicitly found in Revelation. From the deduction, an explicit instead of implicitly is reached in the theology. Therefore, the reasoning becomes an essential element as it combats heresies and explains faith. In inferring analogies between natural order truths and truths of Revelation, the reason for theology applies concepts of philosophy and elevates the methods to analogic speak of mysteries of supernatural. The first Nicaea council, for instance, famously implemented the consubstantial, which is a term in philosophy to clarify the understanding of the divinity of Christ as well as separate Arian heresy. Similarly, a person in the analogy associated with the aspects of the Holy Trinity.

The reason has other use of enhancing understanding in the faith mysteries apart from the deduction of theology. Logic provides fittingness arguments to indicate that a particular revealed fact is fitting remarkably. A fittingness argument is an argumentation methodology employed that disregards prove of truth in disclosed mysteries of supernatural because it lacks empirical evidence. As such, it is justified by analogy means to indicate the effect of the sense and worthiness of God. The arguments focus on individuals who are believers because God reveals authority. They presume faith and penetrate to the extent of giving the reason as to why the prevailing circumstances are following God chosen.

For instance, reason alone is limit to prove God's incarnation or that Christ performed so. Nevertheless, when people believe in the principle basing on Christ as well as the church authority, then they question the fitting of God's incarnation. Reason would aid in better understanding of the establishment of a church, institution of seven sacraments by Him, and the suffering He went through on the cross (Maspero 191). Application of reason in fittingness aids in discovering the purpose of God's creation of the universe and cause for human being elevation to His image and likeness. Other fittingness includes sanctification of grace, the institution of old covenant and law of Mosaic, and why God is a trinity.

Although the arguments focus primarily on believers, they are also vital to those persons making inquiry into faith and analyzing the compatibility with confidence. In such scenarios, it should be logical that the fittingness argument is not advanced as a root course of the maintenance or as a certainty source. Catholics rely on mysteries with faith that is firm not because of their solid fittingness of argument but due to their Revelation by God. This category of argumentation of theology is fruitful and probably is the way of principal that faith aids in understanding. The fittingness arguments are elements that are common in the analogy. They engage a principle of philosophy that is sensible in terms of natural order and analogically extends to the spiritual level.

An example is the explanation of the Trinitarian. The theory discusses intellectual as well as will the second and third person of the Trinity. In the human being, the intrinsic knowledge functionality is essential as it brings about the concept. Therefore, it is logical to believe that the operation of external to familiarize in God has an abundance of fruits thus should bring about the word that is interior in God. Nevertheless, all things associated with God are Godly because it is pure for God. Therefore, the message from the Bible is God. Similarly, it is sensible to believe that the operation of external in love is fruitful and produces self-gift that is external. This love procession in God is also the Holy Spirit procession.

This category of reasoning of theology is a sublime fittingness argument for Trinitarian and does not provide evidence that God exists to unbelievers in trinity form. People are knowledgeable from Christ's Revelation that God is the Trinity (Brown 11). Nevertheless, when persons know through faith, they penetrate and try to understand mysteries that make adorable beliefs. Another example of fittingness argument occurs in the seven sacraments put in place by Christ. As some aspects are essential for the human being healthy life, so are the analogous elements in the sense of life that are supernatural. The vital features include significant to the existence of the individual as well as those necessitating a social being. What is critical for each person is birth, maturity, death preparation, nourishment, and healing in moments of diseases. For an individual's social life, government participation and marriage carry the weight, but for the life of supernatural, the following are crucial; spiritual rebirth by baptism, Eucharist spiritual nourishment, spiritual maturity via confirmation, mental death preparation, penance spiritual healing and sacrament matrimony elevation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people rely on their faith and reason as a consideration in believing religious aspects. The two elements have drawn the attention of theologians and philosophers because of their overlapping epistemic function. The groups examine the relationship between attributes and how a rational person behaves from either of the sources. Some argue that there is no conflict between reason and faith in theology. Proper understanding of religion with appropriate employment of reason never brings claims that are neither competing nor contradicting. However, others hold that the two aspects can dispute depending on the approaches and prepositions. The latter oppose the existence of reason and faith in case there is a contradiction. For thinkers, they maintain that reason and faith control their separate domains. If the claim is theological, the resolving mechanism will be through faith, and if the application is empirical, the approach adopted will be through reasoning. Nevertheless, the positivists denied the theory and instead provided that ideas and statements that are meaningful are accessible to comprehensive rational assessment.

Works Cited

Brown, Montague. Faith and reason in anselm: Two models. www.anselm.edu/sites/default/files/Documents/Institute of SA Studies/4.5.3.2i_21MBrown.pdf. Accessed 13 May 2020.

Maspero, Giulio, and Robert Wozniak. Rethinking Trinitarian Theology. 2012.