Ariel McClary-Weaver
Mrs. Ryan
Religion
6 October 2022
7. What is the relationship between faith and reason?
Before I speak about the relationship between faith and reason, I want to talk about what
faith and reason mean. One of the definitions of faith reads, “complete trust or confidence in
someone or something.”. Another definition is, “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a
religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.”. Both of these definitions confirm
that faith is not based on anything rational or logical. A definition of reason is, “a cause,
explanation, or justification for an action or event.”. Another one is “the power of the mind to
think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic.”. These two definitions are
applicable if the word “reason” is used as a noun, but there is also a definition for if it was used
as a verb. It reads, “think, understand, and form judgements by a process of logic. (all definitions
from Oxford Languages). All of the definitions regarding “reason” have one thing in common
and they are all based on logic. Based on these definitions it seems that faith and reason are
antonyms, but in reality they work together for all people who follow a religion.
No matter what religion you follow, faith is a large part, and most of the foundation of the
religion itself. Some people who do not follow a religion use reason to discredit the belief of a
higher being, when in reality it shows the person's true colors. These people yearn for a reason,
or logic, to believe in God, because they do not have faith. As a believer I have faith, but I am
also a person of reason, so it is not impossible to apply both in life. When you open yourself to
God, and get to know him, there becomes reason in faith and you begin to see the logic in
something that does not depend on it. As relationships with religion flourish, faith and reason
begin to become one, and grow to depend on each other. Those devoted to God begin to gain
reason from faith. For example, the reasoning behind certain behavior is now with God in mind.
Your thought process while making decisions is now bounded by faith, and altering your
decisions. Evidently we see that the relationship between faith and reason is greatly altered by
your status in religion. If you are a non-believer, reason will consume you so much that you are
yearning to make logic of faith. But if you are a faithful person, faith and reason become
intertwined, and change your mentality for the better.
13. What is a virtue and why are virtues important for the development of good moral
character?
By definition a virtue is, “behavior showing high moral standards.”(Oxford Languages).
A virtue is much more than the definition, especially in religious context. In Christianity a virtue
is defined as “conformity of life and conduct with the principles of mortality.” (Britannica). Both
of these definitions tie a virtue to morals, and how our lives should align with such principles. In
Christianity there are seven virtues, which include the four cardinal virtues, and the three
theological virtues. The cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The
theological virtues are believed as gifts from God, and something we were all meant to exhibit,
and they are faith, hope, and charity. To put it simply, these seven virtues are a guide to living a
happy and prosperous life. Even if you do not follow Chrisitianity, any virtues in any religion are
hints on how to develop a good moral character.
My previous paragraph explains what virtues are, and that we should follow them, but not
why they are important. In my opinion, virtues are important because it simplifies the guidelines
to life. Instead of worrying about representing all of the good traits, focusing on these seven
relieves the stress of wanting to model good morals. I want to begin by simplifying the
theological virtues: faith, the virtue of believing that things promised by God are ture, hope, the
virtue of trusting, waiting or desiring, and charity, the virtue of reciprocated love. These virtues
alone are enough to mold someone with a model moral character. The additional four would only
escalate the morals. Now, focusing on the cardinal virtues: Prudence, the virtue of being
cautious, justice, the virtue of equality, fortitude, the virtue of courage, and temperance, the
virtue of self control. The virtues presented to us, as well as any virtues, are directions for a
happy life. Luckily all we need to do it try our best to model them everyday in order to develop
good moral character.