Adam Williams |
Faith and Logic - part 1
Submitted by adam on Mon, 2006-11-13 19:56
Should a christian rely on logic to make decisions? I am a very logical person. I love to build arguments using clear logic, and it drives me nuts to hear someone arguing a point with lousy logic. This is a question that I have been pondering lately. What place should logic have in my decision making and in determining my understanding of truth?
Of course, I will attempt to answer this question logically.
Actually I am not really attempting to answer the question, but to ask it.
As a Christian I believe that we are to be filled with God's Holy Spirit. He is to be our guide in everything. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. . ." (John 16:13). So our guide should be the Holy Spirit. Wouldn't the Holy Spirit guide us to make logical decisions? Well, I guess that is the problem. Logic is only as good as it's understanding of reality. An argument may be impeccable logically, but if it is built on a faulty premise, then the conclusion may be dead wrong. Our human logic is bound to be deficient because now we only "see in a mirror dimly." "Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have also been fully known."(1Cor. 13:12)
So when it comes down to it, how does this affect me. Let me give a real example. Crissy and I are trying to decide where God is leading in our lives. We would like to start a "branch Sabbath school" and we want to know if and how God would have us do this. I can make a "good" decision based on logic using what I know about the people that would be involved and what the Bible says about fellowship and worship etc. But for some reason I feel that this is insufficient. God doesn't think like us. He asks people to do things that seem illogical.
"Adam, don't eat those apples, but everything else you can eat."
"Noah, build a big boat in that field, it's gong to rain."
"Abraham, go. No, I'm not going to tell you where."
"Moses, go ask the Pharaoh to let all of his slaves go."
"Gideon, you have to many soldier to fight that huge army, let's get rid of a few." "Jesus, I think we'll have you born in a stable."
"Phillip, go run beside that chariot."
If our logic had prevailed in any of these instances the results would not have been worth writing down. Just think if we had planned how Jesus would come. I know I would have some pretty good ideas.
continued. . .
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christopher says:
... and if you do something, though illogical, because the bible says to do it, you are being radical, dogmatic, fundamentalist, closed-minded, presumptuous, etc... and we sure don't want to do that! -- or do we? Would an unlabeled right seem less wrong?
rww says:
If we do something, though illogical, because the bible says to do it, then maybe we are being radical, dogmatic, fundamentalist, and closed-minded.
And no, you are right, we sure don’t want to do that. Although I don’t think we should worry too much about having labels put on us either. Should we do something just because the Bible says to do it? Or should we strive to act in the spirit of the law instead of being bound by the law, by loving God and seeking his approval in the way we live our lives. But I guess this is what the Bible says to do. This argument stands logically on its own.
Lets see where was I. Oh yes I will attempt to answer Adams question.
I can give logical reasons for doing or not doing just about anything. For instance, although I believe lying is morally wrong there may be cases where it could be justified. Or I could justify telling the truth. This is why our behavior or decision-making should not be based on logic. Logic alone cannot tell us Gods Will.
We should listen to our ‘heart’, that part of the mind that is above logic. What allows the heart to make a decision for the good? It depends upon the goodness that is present in it. I believe this goodness comes from knowing God and seeking his approval. This is why we should put first, our efforts into knowing and seeking God. (There’s gotta be a song in there somewhere.) By knowing how God will react to our actions, gives us good guidance. And remember, it's easier to steer a moving ship!