Each chapter of the book Philosophy of Religion by Rowe is an attempt to explain people’s decisions either to believe in God or not. Some people consider the role of God through the prism of the Church, as a part of a prophecy life, or an example of a miracle that cannot be ignored. During this week, Chapter 6, “Faith and Reason”, has to be analyzed to contribute to the discussion of theism and atheism and clarify the connection between faith (religious beliefs) and reasons.
In the chapter under evaluation, the author introduced several perspectives, definitions, and principles according to which religion and knowledge are combined. On the one hand, there is an idea that religious beliefs must be judged in the court of reason (Rowe, 2007). On the other hand, religious beliefs can be discussed in the court of reason only if there is enough evidence to support it (Rowe, 2007). Being the developer of a variety of statements, Rowe (2007) tried to criticize both of them in order to find out the truth that can be applicable to modern society. He underlined the importance of evidence that is the root of knowledge and personal opinion. This approach proved that faith is something that is not free (dependent on evidence) and free (dependent on people’s evaluations). Aquinas’, Clifford’s, and James’ studies were evaluated to explain that faith needs reasons as a guide.
After reading this chapter, I would like to conclude that the role of faith is as important as the role of reason. Religious beliefs vary, and people are free to use faith as an attempt to prove that something can exist without evidence or reason as the knowledge to justify their choices. There are always some facts that can be rational without arguments. Still, if a person wants to discover some logic, religion should not prevent such an intention.
Reference
Rowe, W. L. (2007). Philosophy of religion: An introduction (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.