Knowledge, belief & agnosticism (Agnosticism)

by Mark , Friday, July 25, 2008, 17:06 (5965 days ago) @ Mark

Part 3 of 3 - Finally, I am amused that George considers me to be a mystic! Believe me, no-one else has ever said that about me! Neither has anyone said that it is difficult to reason with me logically. My background is in such thinking ... first degree in maths, doctorate in engineering. A theology degree came later. - I am not basing my faith on a claim to particular direct experiences of God through visions or whatever. There is a place for such mysticism within Christianity, but essentially the faith is carried in the body of the Church, and borne witness to in the Scriptures. My faith in God must be personal, but it is through the Church that God reveals himself, and into the Church that I am incorporated. If you wish to call it mystical to speak of an inner conviction or a sense of God's presence, then this is something which is common to most Christians. - None of this leaves reason behind. Reason is there on the way to faith, and theology has been famously defined as "faith seeking understanding" (in answer to dhw's definition) ... a rational enterprise. But if God exists, and is the ground of reason, then by definition reason alone cannot demonstrate him. Isn't that logical? If B is supported by A, how can B prove A? I am trying to argue that to insist on logic and science is to restrict your vision to this universe, complaining that you can't see anything beyond it, when you yourselves have shut the windows. And, paradoxically, it is not scientific to close down possibilities. - I would argue that Christianity has a rather higher regard for reason than atheism. For atheists, reason is something which just pops out in a few creatures after billions of years. For Christians, reason is there before all things, indeed by the Word or "Logos" (rational principle in Greek thinking) is the world created. The universe is thought before it is thought about. - Another reason why I think Christianity is rational is that to me it makes more sense than any alternative I know ... in an exhilarating way. And we all have to hold on to something, and live by something, which we cannot ultimately defend absolutely by logic. I cannot here explain why it makes such sense to me. To do that I would have to write an awful lot more. There is an asymmetry here ... and there's no easy way round this ... in that the atheist/agnostic position can be very simply stated, since it is essentially a negative, whereas the Christian faith is based on a big story. It's worth bearing that in mind ... it can seem easy to dismiss Christianity, but it actually requires quite an effort to understand it fairly.