Sunday, December 18, 2011

'Religious People aren't Reasonable?'

Quite a few folks really believe this:
"Rational arguments don't usually work on religious people. Otherwise, there wouldn't be religious people."
- Doris Egan
Unhappily, quite a few "religious people" seem determined to prove that Doris Egan is right. I've been over that before:
Faith is not opposed to reason. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 35) But being a Catholic does not guarantee that a person will be reasonable.

With more than 1,000,000,000 of us alive at the moment, I'd be astonished if some of us weren't the sort of "religious people" Doris Egan had in mind. The Catholic Church, though, has no problem with reason. There's more about that under "Background," at the end of this post.

Why are so many folks convinced that religious beliefs can't be reasonable? I think part of the problem is confusing religion with emotion.

Religion as an Emotional High?

Emotions, by themselves, aren't good or bad. But we're supposed to govern our passions with reason. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1767)

The Catholic Church's approach to reason and emotion doesn't fit notions about religion being all about 'spiritual uplift,' 'feeling saved,' or 'being high on Jesus.'

Then there are things like the dark night of the soul, dying to self, and the way our brains are wired: but I'm trying to cut down on how many topics I put in one post.

Related posts:
Sort-of-related posts:
Background:
  • Reason
    • Isn't opposed to faith
      (Catechism, 35)
    • Is a critical part of
      • Conscience
        (Catechism, 1778)
      • Human law
        (Catechism, 1902)
      • Natural law
        (Catechism, 1954-1960)
    • As intellect, an attribute of God
      (Catechism, 271)
    • An ability which makes human beings like God
      (Catechism, 1730)
  • Emotions
    • Are "natural components of the human psyche"(Catechism, 1764)
      • Aren't "good" or "bad" by themselves
        (Catechism, 1762-1770)
    • Should be governed by reason
      (Catechism, 1767)

No comments:

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.