Can We Use Logic to Understand Faith?

JurnalPost.com We live in an era where almost everything requires proof. Before purchasing a product, we read reviews. Before believing a news story, we verify the source. We are accustomed to asking, “What is the evidence?” and “Why should I believe this?” So, what about faith? Does believing in God mean we must stop thinking?

Such questions are important because humans possess both faith and reason. We believe in God, yet we also face many things that are difficult to comprehend. Why do good people suffer? Why have our prayers not been answered as we expected?

These questions do not necessarily indicate weak faith. In fact, questioning can be the starting point for seeking a deeper understanding.

Faith and Reason Walk Together

Logic helps humans think in an orderly fashion. Through logic, we learn not to accept things blindly without reason. We can examine information, observe cause-and-effect relationships, and distinguish between facts and assumptions.

This healthy critical attitude is also important in a life of faith. We do not have to accept a teaching blindly just because someone else says so. We are challenged to read the Scriptures, study Church teachings, dare to ask questions, and engage in discussion.

Through this process, faith does not stop at the dogma of “I believe,” but develops into the resolve of “I strive to understand what I believe.”

Learning from Saint Thomas Aquinas

The thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas demonstrates that reason can assist humans on their journey toward God. He observed that humans can use their capacity for thought to know God and understand some truths about faith.

However, we must also recognize its limitations. Human reason is not an absolute tool capable of explaining everything that is transcendent. There are realities about God that surpass the capacity of the human mind.

Therefore, using logic to understand faith does not mean forcing all of God’s mysteries to have a systematically logical answer. This is where faith requires humility. We think and search to the best of our ability, but we also have the courage to admit, “I do not yet understand everything.”

Believing Does Not Mean Stopping the Questions

Sometimes we are afraid to ask questions because we think they might weaken our faith. In reality, honest and sincere questions can lead a person to learn more earnestly.

A mature faith is not one that fears questions. On the contrary, a mature faith is one that dares to walk hand-in-hand with reason. Reason helps us seek rational understanding, while faith opens itself to divine realities that cannot always be fully reached by human logic.

Therefore, we do not need to choose between being a rational person or a person of faith. Both can walk together harmoniously.

We are allowed to ask, seek reasons, and use logic. However, at the same time, we need to realize our own limitations, acknowledging that not all of God’s mysteries can be solved by the human mind.

Ultimately, logic exists to assist faith, so that what we believe becomes more reasonable and can be accounted for to the world.

References

Setiawan, C. V. (2023). The Dialogue Between Faith and Reason According to John Paul II and Thomas Aquinas.

Grochowska, I. (2023). Faith and Reason in the Unity of Truth.

Riyanto, A. (2001). Fides et Ratio: Initiating the Connection Between Theology and Philosophy.

John Paul II. (1998). Fides et Ratio.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, especially No. 159.