faith and reason

The things that people do in life revolve around faith, whatever faith it is. Whether they are Christians or atheists or whatever, faith is central, because it identifies value.      Some claim to believe only what they see. Not so. The things we see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and feel do not tell us what to believe. It is our faith, how we value things, that determines how we live our lives.      Many people define faith as “blind,” but blind faith does not really exist. There is always a reason for holding to one faith or another even if the reason is unclear. Every belief has a reason behind it.

The Bible describes faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Faith is evidence, not blindness; it is a perception that goes beyond physical eyesight.      Faith is the beginning of knowledge. Faith knowledge is what we have before we can verify anything. It is the prerequisite to reason; it provides the platform for reason. In order to prove something, we must already have axioms: ideas that are self-evident and given to us.      Faith is central to every person’s life. Before you choose to do anything, you attribute value to it, and you do it, because you believe that it’s worth doing.      The things that you don’t like have a relative value. If you don’t like your job, you still do it so that you can get money so you can eat so you can live. Is it life that makes money worth the work, or is it money that makes life worth working for? Does money distract you from eternity, or do your lofty thoughts distract you from your temporal happiness? You can look at it either way.      Our pictures look different but similar; we are all human, living in the same world. We all have faith: a belief that there is more to life than what we see. We all have reason: a standard for judging our thoughts.

Faith and reason work together. Faith looks for a reason to back itself up, and reason itself is a standard taken by faith (A standard does not prove itself). Reason influences your beliefs, because you know intuitively that what you believe ought to make sense.      Faith does not leave you in the dark. It  enlightens you to the fact that you are not the starting point. It proves that you are a finite being, dependent on your surroundings, put into existence by no intention of your own. Someone or something placed you here with your personality, talents, and desires, your mind, and your will.      You didn’t choose to be here, but you do choose how to see the world around you. Your painting is your worldview.