Can Belief Be Rational?
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@strega – Interesting perspective. In the April 19th Sunday School thread, you responded to something I wrote and you said:
A religion is by definition a faith based construct, for which belief is required, not reason. [emphasis added]… I suppose Religion could be arational – that might fit.
I agree that human beings often act as irrational creatures. We often following our passions and desires – sometimes constructive & helpful, and sometimes destructive and harmful. So then, based on your overall perspective, the vast majority of humanity is irrational – or, to use your term, “arational?” Arguably, over 70% of the worlds population believe in a god, gods, spirits, or other metaphysical higher powers according to a Pew Research Center study. As a Christian, I am clearly a part of that 70%
Even so, your perspective is intriguing. Can you tell me more? Can belief ever be rational? Is this ultimately a question in philosophy – specifically, epistemology? I’m Just curious.
Fullermingjr:
I don’t speak for Strega, but beliefs are rational if they are based on evidence. Belief in supernatural beings are not rational and many believers, both clergy and laity, will concede that.
Now, not all beliefs held by any given person are irrational or rational. People frequently compartmentalize their beliefs.
As one example, a person could know a automobile’s parts and workings back and forth, inside out based on automotive studies and hands-on training, and could fix anything about the automobile, yet still turn their mind off about the nature of living things and the Natural Universe on Sunday mornings from 9 to 12. Compartmentalization.
How well that compartmentalization is maintained and how healthy and good that is becomes another question. Too often, irrational and arational beliefs spill over into other areas of life and all beliefs about the world go irrational. And to the extent these beliefs are acted upon, the world itself becomes irrational.
Just look at what Islam hath wrought on a whole chunk of the world and on what MAGA hath wrought on our corner of the world
This in part is where the concern about belief in the supernatural arises.
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