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"The pluralistic form takes for me a stronger hold on reality than any other philosophy I know of, being essentially a social philosophy, a philosophy of 'co'"-William James
Soren Kierkegaard is known for his "leap of faith" statement in regards to religious claims. Since no one can prove or disprove the existence of a god, it is up to one to chose to commit oneself to this faith, or not.
This idea brought about the discussion for this question:
Do you think a "leap of faith" is required for all religious beliefs?
Is there any rational claims involved in these decisions?
I believe a leap of faith is definitely required in order to believe in a God of any kind. So far there is no tangible evidence of God's existence...meaning that you cannot physically show me the being of God. In order to believe in his existence you simply must have faith.
Rationality is involved to an extent. It would seem irrational to some to believe in a being that there is no tangible, physical evidence for. For others, the universe and our existence as humans is proof enough. It truly depends on what you perceive "God" to be...how do you think this supreme being operates? Is God a separate entity alltogether, or as Spinoza suggested is the universe itself God? You have to rationalize your beliefs to some extent because if you didn't, you wouldn't believe in them. You have to have a reason for believing. Whether or not those reasons are rational or not are simply a matter of individuality. You might think I'm crazy for believing in God, but I would think you're crazy if you didn't believe in anything. Belief is one of those "in the eye of the beholder" things.
I believe that religious beliefs have no claims to truth, but they are not false. The value of the religious belief is in the eye of the believer ( or beholder). It is up to the believer to take the "leap of faith" in the choice to believe because there is no straightforward evidence. I don't believe that any religious decisions can be considered rational or irrational because there are no standards "set in stone" like a measuring system, there is only the reasoning of man. Declaring a belief is not a rational or irrational thing, I believe it is exactly what Kierkegaard stated: " a leap of faith"
I do believe that a lepa of faith is required to believe in a religion. YOu cant come to the conclusion that god exists through an equation or by performing an experiment. You simply have to take a leap of faith. People have long argued whether faith in a religion is rational or irational (see Pascal's wager). But I believe that religion exists for rational reasons even though some parts of it might seem irrational.
I believe a leap of faith is definitely required in order to believe in a God of any kind. So far there is no tangible evidence of God's existence...meaning that you cannot physically show me the being of God. In order to believe in his existence you simply must have faith.
ReplyDeleteRationality is involved to an extent. It would seem irrational to some to believe in a being that there is no tangible, physical evidence for. For others, the universe and our existence as humans is proof enough. It truly depends on what you perceive "God" to be...how do you think this supreme being operates? Is God a separate entity alltogether, or as Spinoza suggested is the universe itself God? You have to rationalize your beliefs to some extent because if you didn't, you wouldn't believe in them. You have to have a reason for believing. Whether or not those reasons are rational or not are simply a matter of individuality. You might think I'm crazy for believing in God, but I would think you're crazy if you didn't believe in anything. Belief is one of those "in the eye of the beholder" things.
Yes, it takes all of your heart to really believe in something and fight for it. You have to put your trust in the unseen.
ReplyDeleteI believe that religious beliefs have no claims to truth, but they are not false. The value of the religious belief is in the eye of the believer ( or beholder). It is up to the believer to take the "leap of faith" in the choice to believe because there is no straightforward evidence. I don't believe that any religious decisions can be considered rational or irrational because there are no standards "set in stone" like a measuring system, there is only the reasoning of man. Declaring a belief is not a rational or irrational thing, I believe it is exactly what Kierkegaard stated: " a leap of faith"
ReplyDeleteI do believe that a lepa of faith is required to believe in a religion. YOu cant come to the conclusion that god exists through an equation or by performing an experiment. You simply have to take a leap of faith. People have long argued whether faith in a religion is rational or irational (see Pascal's wager). But I believe that religion exists for rational reasons even though some parts of it might seem irrational.
ReplyDelete