For way too long into the Summer of my life I was taught that I could not rely upon REASON when it came to spiritual or religious matters. In essence I was being told to NOT think! Or, it was being intimated that there are just some things that one cannot reason out. I got that. What I didn’t get was that I was being asked to have a frontal lobotomy.
While the Enlightenment era didn’t solve all the worlds problems for us, neither did it really hurt us. There’s nothing wrong with reasoning as long as you realize the limitations.
>Inductive- reaching a conclusion on the basis of a particular instance.
>Deductive- reaching a conclusion from “out of” what’s already implicit in an action.
Reason can help us discard that which is obviously and inherently irrational. Listen to its counsel. Reason can reveal flaws in arguments. And reason can lead us to the waters of intuitiveness wherein we must leave it at the banks and dive in spiritually. Faith seeks understanding and God’s reasoning embraces ALL.
In a sense our reasoning about things of God is a mirror- of the mind of God Himself.
But we humans must remember what Paul said in I Corinthians 13. We only see dimly or in part, but let us not discard reason: just use it for as far as we can. My spiritual advice, begins with reason, but certainly does not end there.



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