There are times when you choose to believe something that would normally be considered absolutely irrational. It doesn't mean that it is actually irrational, but it surely is not rational. Perhaps there is suprarationality: reason beyond the normal definitions of fact or data-based logic; something that only makes sense if you can see a bigger picture of reality. Maybe that is where faith fits in. -The Shack
I believe in this. My belief may be irrational to you, but it is my belief not yours, so it's ok, we can still share a cuppa sometime. I believe that my friend Sai can get thousands of dollars in two days from complete strangers and can get the near-impossible approval of a South Africa visa and be on the plane with us in just 11 days. Irrational? No. Faith.
One of my friend's mom is at home dying of cancer. Surgery after treatment has failed, and things were turning very bad very fast. My school leader said that there was nothing else we could do but pray for her-- so for 15 min we stood up and declared strength over her family and healing over her sickness. Speaking mere words out to thin air meant for someone halfway around the world. Irrational? No. Faith. -- And by the way, 9 days later, this friend got a call that every single new test result came back negative, and the doctors had taken her mother into surgery just to see how this was possible, trying to locate the vanishing cancer. They couldn't find, nor explain it, her cancer was gone. Hmm... maybe there's something to this faith?
For the past 5 weeks, we have been drinking something called "long life milk". This is milk that comes in cartons and can last for several years on the shelf--unrefrigerated. It seems that we are under the belief that we can go on drinking this concoction without any unhealthy side effects. This may sound irrational to you----in fact I hope it does, because quite frankly grabbing unrefrigerated, warm milk for your cereal every morning is irrational in every way, shape and form. That said- I'm moving on...
:)
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this is a perversion of what is irrational and what is faith. That quote from The Shack mistakenly uncouples faith from irrationality. Faith *is* irrational by definition because it presupposes supernatural forces. Because we cannot use reason to understand these forces (supposing that they do exist), faith is not part of the domain of rationality. Plain and simple. Does that mean someone shouldn't have faith? Of course not. People who do not choose to live their lives by 'rationality' 100% of the time participate in faith. And of course, they have a right to do so, because no one ever said rationality should rule the day 100% of the time. This does not, however, mean faith is not irrational. It still is. If something makes sense only by seeing a "bigger picture" then it's an 'ends justify the means' approach where rationality does not exist. It doesn't mean that this is somehow 'wrong,' just that it is not related to rationality.
ReplyDeleteI agree. But if you read the quote correctly, it implies that BELIEF is something that normally comes with rational thought. The quote merely conclude's it's point by simply stating all that you tried to get across that yes, faith does not need to be rational, in fact it often isn't. That was the point.
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