Lesson 14 –
Harmony of Faith and Reason: Seven Principles

Faith in general consists of believing something on the testimony of another, and faith in God consists of believing something on the testimony of God. When God speaks, his Word is addressed to the core of each person and answers our deepest questions and desires. When someone welcomes the word of God in faith, the natural desire of reason to understand the world is not frustrated, but finds rather a friend and an ally.

 

Excerpt from De utilitate credendi by St. Augustine:

[W]e must hold what we understand as coming from reason, what we believe as coming from authority, and what we are opinionated about as coming from error. Anyone who understands also believes, and anyone who is opinionated also believes, but someone who believes does not always under­stand, and someone who is opinionated never understands.

 

 

Course Listening

 

More Videos

 

When is Religious Belief Irrational? On the Harmony of Faith and Reason | Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.

 

Related videos from earlier in the series

 

This episode was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this project are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.


 
 

Enroll now in “Aquinas 101: Science and Faith” to receive each video lesson directly in your inbox as they are released!