RELIGION WITHOUT THE LIMITS OF REASON ALONE: Very much dashed-off thoughts from me which need revising and deepening that I don’t have time for right now… so please send any criticism or related thoughts. About this post, Rob Dakin writes: Eve, for openers:

I Corinthians:

1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News–not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void. cb(1,18); 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. cb(1,19); 1:19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”*

cb(1,20); 1:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? cb(1,21); 1:21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. cb(1,22); 1:22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, cb(1,23); 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, cb(1,24); 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. cb(1,25); 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. cb(1,26);

Credo quod absurdum,

–Rob

Me: Thanks! I suppose I could cite “Give a reason for the faith that is in you,” but I don’t think I need to–much of philosophy also appears as foolishness to the world, though it is in fact wise; one of the great functions of reason is humbling the intellect by discerning and mapping its limitations, thus pointing us to mystery; and I distinguish very sharply between the non-rational or beyond-rational (e.g. the sublime) and the irrational or antirational. I think if you combine those three ideas you get some sense of my position. I do not think true religion can be irrational, but it certainly can be more than rational. This belief is in part based on the unity of the true, the good, the beautiful, and of course the One.

Well, before I start sounding even MORE like “The Matrix,” I’ll stop.

Does that help?

Eve