How do we communicate our faith in God? What is the role of reason? Pope Benedict II said in his first encyclical, God is Love, what most Christians believe: “Faith by its specific nature is an encounter with the living God – an encounter opening up new horizons extending beyond the sphere of reason. But it is also a purifying force for reason itself. From God’s viewpoint, faith liberates reason from its blind spots.” My observation of history is the exact opposite. It is reason that has liberated faith from its blind spots. Majority faith said Earth was the center of the universe. Reason found Earth to be but a spec in the universe. Majority faith said God wanted slavery. Reason said justice demanded freedom for all. Majority faith said God didn’t want women to vote. Reason said justice required the equality of women. Majority faith said God wanted state laws to ban interracial marriage. Reason said justice meant people should marry the person they loved. Majority faith said God wanted white Americans to live segregated lives. Reason said justice demanded the opportunity for participation by all. Today majority faith says God wants government laws to ban same sex marriage. Reason says justice requires that the benefits of society’s most intimate relationship be opened to all. Today majority faith says God proclaims that all abortion is murder. Reason is pro-balance, balancing the absolute right of a woman over her own body with the absolute reality of developing life in her womb. Majority faith is often used to disguise prejudice and injustice. Reason has been the purifying force to remove these disguises of majority faith. Objective reason, not subjective faith, is the path to justice for all.
Re: Become God's People: Communicate Our Faith in God
I agree with the 'reality check" of your statement. Often, where faith has maintained 'the status quo' of cultural biases, reason has pointed out those faults.
If, however, people of faith took more seriously and literally what one of the prophets wrote, that would not have to be the case; "what doth the lord require of thee, but to love mercy, to do justice, and to walk humbly with they God"
