Extremeties – Faith & Reason
June 11, 2008
The world of today is a world of extremities, either people are on the far right, or on the far left in their thinking. (Though quite a few tend to ride the fence for a bit. But even then, they eventually fall over onto one side or the other.) But in matters of Religion, people tend to either side with one of two factors:
- Faith
&
- Reason
Ever since the Protestant Reformation, and the Age of the Enlightenment, people have flocked to one of these two groups, either clinging to Faith alone as their guide in life, or forsaking Faith for the sole use of human Reason. This causes a bit of confliction, since reason can only attain so much without the guidance of Faith; and Faith without reason can only lead to fanatical confusion.
Faith
Why confusion? Well, since if we firmly ‘believe’ everything which Christ taught, we will try to live it out; but we must use reason to guide us in these circumstances. For one with Faith alone, who hears the parable about The Talents, (and the Master who gives each servant a certain sum to guard,) might actually take it as a truth that Our Lord was trying to say that it is wrong for one to keep his money without multiplying it. Or one who hears Christ saying “When you pray, go to your room, and close your door,” might actually take it as a literal command. Reasons helps guard and preserve us from such silly misinterpretations as these, but let us now take a look at the sole use of Reason.
Reason
Reason tends to be a big issue in the modern world. Man has rejected the virtue of Faith, and has replaced it with Reason, exalting fallen human nature above that of which God has deigned for us to strive for. Reason allows us to attain a certain amount of knowledge in leading towards God, but other than that, can never attain in itself perfection, namely since man’s nature has been marred by sin. Hence, any attempt to solely reach knowledge of God, and to follow Him with reason alone, shall fail miserably.
Though I don’t want to say that the Catholic Church ‘rides the fence’, but She is the only organized religion which actually uses a combination of Faith and Reason to find God. Protestants often look upon man as a fallen being, (which he is), but make him look as if he is incapable of doing good on his own. (This is partially true, for we are nothing without God.) But many fail to realize that man has been gifted with a free will, hence he can act in the way he chooses. Either for Good or Evil. In using reason, man may actually seek out God in the world, and come to a conclusion that there is a higher force or ‘entity’ responsible for the creation of the world. Yet, when blinded by sin, human reason can lead us to such twists and dead ends as evolution.
Since man in himself cannot attain God, God reaches a helping hand, with the gift of Faith. Faith enlightens reason by providing the truths which are essential, and our reason takes what Christ taught in Holy Scripture, and reasons it out together. Hence, Christ’s words on “Eating His Flesh and Drinking His Blood” do not literally mean we tear apart a man and do such to him, but rather, in connecting it with the words of the Last Supper, “This is My Body” and “This is My Blood,” help us understand that it isn’t the extreme he is demanding, but the reasonable. I’ve got into a few discussing over the net on several occassions, and I can’t help but noticing how people are nearly always on the extreme side of this argument. Faith, or Reason, never seems to be any room for both…
Master Paul Xavier
Illustrious marceg
Miss Angela Rose
Lady Kerin
mjlovesballet
June 11, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Gosh, you should be a public speaker ^_^ Start your own magazine, Paul. Or newspaper or newsletter or something.
June 11, 2008 at 7:42 PM
Ha, I got a blog. And it’s got a bigger outreach than any Newspaper or Magazine. Learned everything I needed to from my “Master” Friar Roderic…
Ha, Marc’s the expert on public speaking.
June 11, 2008 at 9:16 PM
The people in my philosophy class seemed to have a problem with combining faith and reasion and so didn’t many of the philosophers we read about. I never understood how they couldn’t mix so I was really lost in the class when we discussed it.
haha you wouldn’t say I was a good public speaker if you saw my last speach.
June 11, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Master Paul,
You are wise beyond your years. That was a fantastic blog. In today’s day and age it is nice to see someone of your age actually thinking about such profound issues, and making it clear where you stand. Bravo, young chap bravo. Now that I have pumped up your ego I bet you I can still take your fire
Ok enough small talk. Your Faith vs. Reason blog brings up some very good points. The differences between Catholics, protestants, and Pagans. The last two being one in the same of course. Now I have to say being in the world and not of it, there is a more dangerous lion out there than reason, it is call relativity. Relativists believe that all are equal, that none is higher than the other. Catholicism and Atheism are the same, they claim to be tolerant of all, and they have no qualms with anybody. Whatever floats your boat, so on and so forth? This mindset is quite dangerous do to the fact that it is catching on like wild fire. It is very intoxicating, and very addictive. I can say this because I was once one of them. You can’t win an argument with them because they see everything “your” way, and if it works for you than that is great, if it doesn’t work for you that is great as well because it works for someone else. It is very frustrating to talk to people like this mainly because they agree with you, all the same time disagreeing with you.
This idea comes from the lack of moral development in schools, in the media, and more importantly at home. My job requires me to go out an about and see the good right along with the bad. I see families that have it right on, then I see families that are picking their kids up from daycare at 19:00hrs, only to drop them off at 07:00hrs the next morning. Now I’m not downing those that use daycare for legitimate reasons, wait a second, yes I am. There is NO reason for a child to be in daycare, I can argue with anyone about it and I will stand firm tell them where they have gone wrong and tell them how to fix it. I do it all the time with my co-workers. I first use REASON by telling them that they are wasting time, money and family values by putting your kids into institutions, then they ask me how I do it, after telling them how to cut costs, I say it all boils down to FAITH.
Unfortunately they then say, that works for you and that is great but it isn’t for me. Once again the relativistic attitude, and the lack of “ahem”, the lack of shall we say character, or better yet, Faith.
June 12, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Thank you Skeet, King of All,
It’s always good to get another comment well worth my time reading.
I might as well say, you do have a larger chance of infiltrating our fire. One man might succeed where an army would fail. (Just look at Lord of the Rings.) But anyways, relativism is a beyond disgusting morality. It’s a morality in the sense it’s only “Whatever floats your boat.” The homosexual movement is entirely relativistic, particularly when the only care about what ‘floats their boat’ (gets them what they want,) and whoever challenges what they want, they label as ‘intolerant’ and ‘prejudice.’ The ‘racial/hate’ card is mighty in the social deck. But back onto topic, people tend to lean towards reason as their guide. (Speaking in the sense of some people I know, who only looking at things in the ‘now’ sense. Using a basic reason, not enlightened by faith, where life has no purpose for them.) Actually, I doubt if many people actually use reason as their guide, as many are actually being led along like sheep. Faith is accused of hindering the enlightenment of human reason; but when you get down to it, what is really ‘enlightening’ about reason in itself? Not too much…
Ha, don’t get me going on Daycare. Speaking of which, it may actually be a something worth posting on. It’s the ’scourge’ of our times. Someone else bringing up the children your brought into this world. Who knows what they’re teaching them!?
P.S. Do I have to address you as “Skeet King of All?”
June 12, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Master Paul Xavier,
No you don’t have to address me as Skeet King of All, you may address me as Skeet the Supreme, Skeet Master of the Universe, or my personal favorite, Skeet the one who is better that Illustrious and Master Paul:)
It is quite funny that you bring up the point in your comment about how homosexuals would pull the “race/bigotry” card. In fact they do. I was once delivering to a company, and having a rather lively discussion with on of the receivers, about my family and our plans to multiply the world with Catholics. At that moment I was attacked by a lesbian who was just walking by, (missed the part about me being Catholic) and asked me with a sarcastic tone if I was “Catholic”. I responded by asking her in a slightly sarcastic tone if she was a lesbian. Low and behold she called up my company and complained that I was being a racist bigot. Yadda-yadda-yadda my supervisor asked me what happened I told him how it all laid out, he then told me I can’t do that, I then told him that if anyone is going to attack my faith, that I had every right to defend myself, and if he thought otherwise he was wrong. He agreed with me, told me to watch what I say around certain individuals. I told him as long as no-one attacks my faith, my family, or my life I would be cool.
So I find it funny how these ‘tolerant’ people are actually quite intolerant, and are bigots themselves.
Master(notice I’m calling you Master like your some kind of Jedi Knight, or Sith Lord)I would like to help on that anti-daycare blog, if you need it, but knowing someone of your skill, education and faith you most likely handle it yourself
June 13, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Skeet, the One Who is Better Than Illustrious and Master Paul,
Yes, and the scary thing about the racial/bigotry card, is that the government will protect them under it. You never see Catholics being protected because some talk show or movie openly blasphemes against it. These are dark times…very. But yes, I can see you getting into a situation like that. (From what I know of you.
) I’m short on time since I just got in, and I have to get back to school; but I’d love to do something about the daycare bit with you. I might even have a place for you as a writer, if you pass our secret initiation… 
June 14, 2008 at 12:25 AM
I’ll have my people call your people, menaing we can talk at M.I.M Sunday.
June 14, 2008 at 1:14 AM
OOoo!! I Wanna be the one to initiate him. . .
June 14, 2008 at 8:53 AM
Ok! Sounds like a plan!
Though we could either work on something together, or you could write something yourself and submit it, or if you actually have time to write often enough, you can join on the blog as a writer. The more Fervent and Practicing Catholics we have, the better.
June 14, 2008 at 9:48 PM
There actually are legitimate reasons for daycare. Single moms with small children who need to work to feed them and pay for schooling? I’d say thats a legitimate reason. I don’t agree with families who do it just so they can have time to themselves, if they wanted a family then they have to put in the time. But I think that in some situations where there is only one parent with small children, there sometimes is no other alternative.
June 14, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Jenny,
“Prior to the 1900’s, day cares were charitable organizations only, and “would not accept children of mothers who worked for any reason but dire financial necessity”. (http://www.daycaresdontcare.org/History/History_page_2.htm)
So if you consider your reason legitimate, and have exhausted all of your possibilities for not putting your child in a communistic institution, than you are one of the few who absolutely have to use day care, and therefore it is excused. There are unforeseen circumstances such as your husband is deceased and you have to provide for your family, your husband is imprisoned and therefore you have to provide for your family, or both you and your husband are in the military and there would be grave and serious consequences to you “leaving” you duties towards your country, to fulfill your duties towards your family. But all of these are viable, so if your in one of these situations than your kosher. Honestly the list could go on and we could debate this until we are blue in the face. All I’m going by is my faith and my values.
Speaking of faith the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
2223 Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues…( http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a4.htm#I)
So as a parent it is not only your obligation, but your REPONSIBILITY, to educate your child. Placing them in daycare you not only give up this God given responsibility, you are placing your child in grave danger both spiritually, and physically. Have you investigated what your daycare brainwashes your child with? Is it a daycare that is right in line with the teaching of the church? Are the other children in daycare, emotionally and physically sound? Are the daycare providers ethical, moral, God fearing providers, or are they just “nice”, and “trustworthy”? You know I bet the Nazi’s of the 40’s and the Russian communists were also “trustworthy”. Just a thought.
I’m not trying to personally attack anyone specific here. My intentions are not to seem uncharitable. The major problem lies in the socio-economic society that we live in, let’s face it if Americans were not so materialistic, so money hungry, so self-destructive we wouldn’t be having this conversation. So if you feel that putting your child into a institution is alright, and justified by the teachings of the church then you have nothing to worry about. If your having second or third thoughts about it then I say pray to St. Joseph and Our Lady they will guide you through difficult times. Stop trusting others and trust in God and God alone.
June 15, 2008 at 9:21 PM
Not to sound like a referee, but let’s try to stick to the topic here, Faith and Reason.
Skeet, it seems we hold the same views on the issue of the Daycare system, and I’ll be glad to explore that in a further blog post.
Though there are some situations where Daycare is ‘required’, it should not be your choice, as Skeet mentions, we don’t know who those people are that are actually watching your children. Are they Catholic? are they morally sound? Or are they actually people who are pushing an agenda on your child at their young age? Whatever happened to Babysitting? You could always find someone you know who is sound in their faith who could easily watch your child just as safely.
Ok, lets hold off on the Daycare comments until we have an official post on it. Thank you!