Monday, August 17, 2009

The Gospel of the Kingdom in contrast to "philosophy"....

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1st Corinthians 2:14. This scripture often comes to mind when I consider the question of faith and “reason”. In today’s world, there is a clash between “faith” and “reason”, albeit in the observation of this writer the clash is really a false dichotomy. People like Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins posit that if one has faith one cannot be “reasonable”, surprisingly this isn’t a new concept.

Back in the winter of 1619-1620 a philosopher from France by the name of Rene’ Descartes’ developed a new formula for “rationalism” stating in its first principle “Cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am) (Dowley 485).

Some Christians, such as Magistar Archbishop William Temple, considered this philosophical movement to be “the most disastrous moment in European history”. This primarily because Descartes started from a presupposition of doubt, whereas the believer starts at a presupposition that God is an actuality that we accept as our starting point (485). These positions are diametrically opposed, however; one does not necessarily exclude the other. It can be expected that the unbeliever is coming from a position of doubt and may want God “proven” to them in a way that they can measure and or accept. In Descartes case his initial presupposition was: “I entirely abandoned the study of letters. Resolving to seek no knowledge other than that of which could be found in myself or else in the great book of the world, I spent the rest of my youth traveling, visiting courts and armies, mixing with people of diverse temperaments and ranks, gathering various experiences, testing myself in the situations which fortune offered me, and at all times reflecting upon whatever came my way so as to derive some profit from it.” (Descartes, Discourse on the Method). This statement reminds me of another popular Latin phrase: “eventus stultorum magister” as events are often the teachers of fools. Not that Mr. Descarte was a fool, however with that statement he had done what others in the rationality of their atheism do even to this day, that is make themselves their own measure in the subjective perceptions, in essence their own god. This Temple found problematic, yet ironically Temple saw the reformation under Luther as problematic as well as Luther bucked the system which was another form of indivualism as far as Temple was concerned (485).

The problem with Temple’s logic was that unlike Descartes, who was his own god, or who was dependent upon his own subjective apprehension of the temporal and spatial world, Luther was subject to the scriptures, which it appears that Temple was unaware or unwilling to acknowledge that the church was not always in line with what scripture was presenting.

We see these two worlds collide in the person of Blaise Pascal (1623-62). He was one of the greatest thinkers the West has given us as he was a “mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and religious thinker.”. This is something that would be best pointed out in this current world we live in where people like Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins continue to present that rationality (science) and Faith (religion) are “mutually exclusive”. This man made incredible contributions to geometry and the calculus and worked out the theory of probability. “In physics ‘Pascal’s law’ stated the principle which makes possible all modern hydraulic operations” (488). Because this great thinker became a Christian as the result of a mystical vision in 1654.

“Pascal wrote that God can be known through Jesus Christ by an act of faith, itself given by God.”, this mirrors Christ own statements, in particular: “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” Matthew 11.27. This scientist posited that ours need for God is made clear by our misery because of our separation from Him. Though this great thinker posited that “God may only be known by faith”, he was also clear to acknowledge that there is ample evidence to hold up belief: “fulfilled prophecies, miracles, the witness of history, the self–authentication of Scripture, ‘The heart has its reasons, which the reason does not know,’ wrote Pascal (488).

That is what really it comes down to, and as we see from this bit of history, the more things change the more they stay the same.

Bibliography:

Dowley, Tim ; Briggs, J. H. Y. ; Linder, Robert Dean ; Wright, David F.: Introduction to the History of Christianity. Minneapolis : Fortress Press, 2002