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To: Alamo-Girl
Do I believe that faith can contradict reason? Absolutely!

I do not believe that you are right about this. You use the examples of miracles and the actions of the Holy Spirit. A miracle may appear to contradict reason, in that it is a supernatural event in our natural world. But all reason bases itself on a set of premises (if the premise is wrong, often the conclusion is wrong, witness most of modern politics devoid of God as a premise). Anyway, simply apply the premise that God exists, that God is free to act as he sees fit in this world and outside of it, and miracles flow naturally, and reasonably from that premise. Do we deny God's sovereignty and free will? If the answer is no, then miracles are entirely reasonable, and in fact the assertion that there are no miracles becomes unlikely.

Does this mean we rely on our reason solely? No. The Holy Spirit acts and if we are blessed to be the one that the Spirit acts upon then we know things in a way that a logical argument cannot prove. I think that the simple argument for God that there must be a first cause, since all things have a cause, then since logically the first thing must have a cause, and since it cannot, then the "first thing" is supernatural, outside of our law of cause and effect, and is God. Did I believe that simple argument? Yes, tentatively, in an "isn't that interesting but there is no proof the first cause thinks, it could just be an unthinking force" sort of way. Then the Holy Spirit acted and there is no question now for me regarding the existence of God. You can construct similar proofs for God as a thinking, ordering being. But logic doesn't take you to faith. For me, there is surely a God because he touched me.

"I think therefore I am." Few people know the next step in the proof, because reason only takes you about that far. So reason isn't our only way of knowing, but there is no contradiction in faith and reason. It all depends on the premises you apply when reasoning.

644 posted on 06/15/2007 2:57:26 AM PDT by Greg F (<><)
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To: Greg F; Alamo-Girl

Your assigned reading:
Fides et Ratio, by the late great J2P2
AND
Benedict XVI’s Regensberg Lecture (the one the Muslims loved so much.)

I expect Reports on each from each of you by the end of next week

DISmissed!


648 posted on 06/15/2007 3:47:54 AM PDT by Mad Dawg (Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.)
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