Faith and Reason

In the Renaissance, I’ve learned, there was a growing attention toward promoting the human mind and the science of the natural world. With it came an attempt to reconcile our faith with both reason and science. These components of human development and consciousness were, unfortunately, often conflicted with the beliefs of the Christian Church. During this era, the Enlightenment was also growing among the intellectuals, particularly in England during the 18th century.

I think that we have learned from the Renaissance era and the Enlightenment the ways we could use human reason and faith in our search for meaning. This could be true for us as individuals, and as a collective body of Christ. It would help determine and prepare us, the Church, for the future. What comes to mind is the upcoming Synod on Synodality, wherein the great minds of the church are coming together to deliberate about the condition of the church today. A side note: I have yet to know the difference between a Synod and a Council. With individualism, I believe the church has opened up an opportunity for an unprecedented diversity, shown by those invited to this gathering. There will be scrutiny of thoughts, good reason, freedom of speech and opening to other cultures that transcend race and geography – all were characteristics of the Enlightenment in the Renaissance.

Although it appears that faith, in the Catholic belief at least, is mainly a combination of revelation, saintly action, and maybe a tinge of some predestination, tradition, and authority. Interests in melding reason with the scientific aspects of the mind and consciousness are growing. The benefits from these seemingly conflicting standpoints could become gifts the Church and the faithful could be utilized to move us into the future. I think, as an individual, I am guided by reason to set boundaries between superstition and belief. I think there has to  be a good and acceptable reasoning to support faith based on learned understanding and logic. Like the way the Church treats an alleged miracle – I guess it requires a tangible proof and a strong foundation that has withstood a thorough scrutiny. Stringent criteria had to be met.

I recall from an earlier study that as early as the Dark Ages, scholasticism had been tried to deal with faith and reason. It was probably the earliest consideration of science with faith. Fast forward, I think of Teilhard de Chardin, who has been involved with several scientific works. The attempt to establish the convergence of faith and science has been alluring and fascinating. Like Galileo and Copernicus, de Chardin’s works, – The Phenomenon of Man, the Divine Milieu, and the discovery of the Peking Man – were evidently attempts to reconcile these two seemingly opposing forces. Some say faith begins where science ends. I want to explore this thought. Although I’m quite limited in my current knowledge, it’s probably safe for me to say that with the Church’s openness, not to mention with some controversies that come with it, reason and science could be used to serve the purpose of faith. I believe this is where thought could expand, wherein critical thinking, philosophy, ethics, and healthy debates come into play. While technology seems to distance us from each other by isolation, it’s ironic that we say the world is now a lot smaller than before. The challenge left to us as individuals is to use our God-given gifts to remain faithful to what Christ is calling us.

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McGonigle, Thomas D. & Quigley, James, A History of the Christian Tradition: From the Reformation to the Present (Paulist Press, 1996). Text used in the course Church History 2 at the University of Dayton’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation.

Ignatius Press, 2002. The Ignatius Bible. Kindle Edition.