What was even more disturbing for me is that the person who posted this is quite active in her faith, even leading a Christian committee back at her area at the time she posted the posted image.
Whenever phrases or images of this sort goes out, it always baffles me as to how such Christians, who are active in their Church and other ministries, seem to show lack of responsibility on posting messages they think is a genuine “Christian” message. They post and follow whatever moves them, but show little regard in searching deeper into the faith. Such attitude is dangerous as it is bound to mislead others, especially who are new to the faith, beginning from the person who posted it his/herself.
God made everything in the world, and that includes the ability for us to reason. Jesus knew this, and took it into consideration when He went about in His work. Else, He would not have performed miracles, He would not have revealed Himself during after the Resurrection, nor would He give any visible sign of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost. Nowhere in the Bible would you find Jesus saying that to have faith you must discard all reasoning.
To be a witness of the work, the disciples had to first witness the work. Our faith is in a way very much dependant on reason. We believe because of what God has shown and done for us in our lives. A person who has not an encounter with God will find it impossible to truly believe in Him. For one to come to terms with faith, he/she will have to first find his/her reasons to believe.
Blind trust is quite different from true faith. If I were to give an analogy, the former is more akin to a child thinking his biological parent can answer and accomplish everything under and beyond the sun. When St Paul wrote “We live by faith, not by sight” in 2 Corinthians 5:7, he certainly did not mean that we are to walk down a busy street with both our eyes closed. Likewise, such feelings are not led by the Holy Spirit, but by our own unformed conscience and an impulsive heart. A talented charismatic leader can stir up strong emotions in the masses, even if the message in question is misleading.
The laws of God do not depend on how one feels. God willed them to be knowable, even in the absence of strong emotion and apparent miracles. While the mysteries of God are unfathomable and inexhaustible, they are ultimately knowable, since God willed them to be known. If not, why would He reveal Himself in the Scriptures? Would not God be pleased to make Himself known to His children? Why would He have them grasping in the dark? Indeed Isaiah relates some gifts of the Spirit, and that includes knowledge and understanding (Isaiah 11:2).
That said, I will not deny there are times where we have to make a leap into darkness through faith; however, those times are not your everyday ordinary times. Such times are usually major decisive events – cases of emergency – but to the majority, they are not a daily occurrence.
The late Pope John Paul II phrased this meaning beautifully when he 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.” This complements what was written: “Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Romans 1:20).”
If we are to discard reason not only will we be shutting out an important trait God gave us, we will also be closing our eyes to the wonders and marvels the Lord set in place in our physical world. In the words of St Peter himself:
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
(1 Peter 3:15)
RFG always.
Reference:
Hahn, Scott. (2009). Reasons to Believe. New York: Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group.
Paul II, John. (1998, September 14). Fides et Ratio. Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved May 2, 2012, from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_15101998_fides-et-ratio_en.html
