Relationship between Faith & Reason : Dr. William Lane Craig

What is the Relationship between Faith & Reason?

Answered by
Dr. William Lane Craig
Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology

http://www.reasonablefaith.org

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[Reas Reat]

Why would you have to convince someone that your faith is true by reason, when God bears wittness to an individual? If God were somehow to show, that the claims of christianity are true and therefore would reveal himself, everybody should be totally convinced that God exists, making arguments about him totally unnecessary.

[Witherman1]

Based on what evidence? That specimens such as Archeopteryx were suppose to be the missing link between reptiles and birds, which was discovered that it was just another bird. There also existed older specimens of bird prior to Archeopteryx which tells me yet again that we must have faith that the current data collected by science will stand the test of time. In many cases in the many different fields.... it does not. P.S The empty tomb of Jesus Christ is proof enough for me.

[AMWOODco]

I agree, physics explains the natural world in a natural way. As soon as supernatural beings (that is, beings that exist outside the natural world) enter the equation, then physics is at a loss to explain these causes even if it can see the effects.

In fact, the uniqueness of miracles is that we know how things naturally work but that we see an exception. The virgin birth wouldn't be a big deal if we thought women could spontaneously become pregnant without a man.

[Fand421]

I study physics and I would have to say that if acts of the supernatural (miracles) were true then they do conflict with physical laws since one of the main goals of physics is to explain nature in a natural way. If something is so called supernatural, it might just be that we don't understand it very well and we would have to study it more carefully to explain it in a natural way.

[Fand421]

I do not think a self authenticating truth is rational as Dr. Craig says in this video. With that logic I can self authenticate any idea, I feel to be true, to be true.

[AMWOODco]

So belief in miracles is unreasonable? There are metaphysical arguements for the belief in miracles. A classic analogy is if I put $5 in my empty drawer 2 nights ago, $5 in the same drawer last night, wake up and find $0, I don't instantly conclude that the laws of mathematics have been violated, but that someone came in and stole my money! Miracles are the acts of the supernatural on the natural, not the breaking of physical laws.

[AgeOfReasonXXI]

you're equivocating on the way the word "faith" is used. faith can either be trust, as in 'I have faith in my borther', and surely Christians use it in this sense when they say the have faith in Jesus.

However, this doesn't mean they don't use it in the sense of believing in a proposition without evidence: like believing Jesus is the son of God, and was born of a virgin, walked on water, etc. it's this kind of faith that is irrational. and religion employes plenty of it

[gdtownshende]

Faith and reason (or rational thought) are not mutually exclusive. To say that faith is irrational is to not understand the word. The root of "faith" is the Latin "fides," meaning trust or confidence. Thus, to have faith in evolution is to have confidence in it. Does his faith make the evolutionist irrational? If not, then why does having faith in Christ make the Christian irrational?

Therefore, to necessarily equate faith with irrationality is itself irrational.

[lilrat489]

faith is the very thing that causes one to seek God through reason. Today's society always gets faith and belief mixed up.In order to be saved one must have faith. if faith ment just to believe that Jeus is LORD. then the devil is more saved than anyone, because he knows that Jesus is lord. and he hates it. true faith is that which causes one to love and trust in Christ because he is LORD. So the atheist is running from God while the christian seeks God.

[StargateFan414]

That appeal to "objectivity, reason, and evidence"? I'm sorry, which arguments on behalf of Christianity do that?