Faith, Reason, and Scripture (Unit 1)

Question 1

What is the Big Search?

Answer 1

Humanity is always driven by the search for the truth, origins and nature of ourselves and the world

Question 2

Catechism definition?

Answer 2

Faith and science= though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason
- God reveals mysteries and gives us faith/reason
- Faith and reason seek the truth, two searches for the truth that work together

Question 3

What are the two approaches of faith?

Answer 3

Blind faith and healthy faith

Question 4

What is blind faith?

Answer 4

Belief that exists in spite of/opposition to reason
- Credulity, belief without purpose/reason

Question 5

What is healthy faith?

Answer 5

Belief and trust in sources of our knowledge (often God) that allows questioning and rational examination of our beliefs

Question 6

What are the three positions of truth seeking

Answer 6

They impact the way we read and understand scripture
- Biblical literalism
- Scientism
- Biblical contextualism

Question 7

What is biblical literalism?

Answer 7

The exact letter/strict literal sense with strict meaning of words (nothing is metaphorical)
- Problematic as it contradicts science
- Rooted entirely in belief/faith rejecting science
- ‘Fundamentalism’

Question 8

What is scientism?

Answer 8

Belief in universal applicability in the scientific method and the view that empirical science constitutes the only authorative approach to seeking truth/knowledge
- Excludes other viewpoints
-Only scientifically provable things are valid
- Rejects almost all religions
- Growing in popularity, but problematic because it limits the search of truth and is deeply irrational

Question 9

What is biblical contextualism?

Answer 9

Emphasizes context in which an action/utterance/expression occurs and says that the action can only be understood in relativity to the context
- Catholic approach to biblical interpretation
- Not solely one way to seek gain truth
- Combines faith in God’s revealed truth and rational approach to scripture analysis

Question 10

Cosmological argument definition?

Answer 10

Philosophical argument that attempts to prove God’s existence
- General arguments say that all things must depend on something else for their existence (which is God)
- St. Thomas Aquinas

Question 11

What are two of Thomas Aquinas’ arguments?

Answer 11

The First Mover, Argument from Contingency

Question 12

What is the First Mover Argument?

Answer 12

1. We can observe motion/change in the world
2. Things that have the potential to move are always moved by an actual thing
3. All the actual movement we observed was once potential movement
4. There must be a first actual mover that leads to all potential/actual movement- God
   - Bases for all movement/change always

Question 13

What is the Contingency argument?

Answer 13

1. There are two types of things- contingent things might/might not exist, necessary things must exist
2. Every contingent thing must have a reason for existing (can’t exist for its own sake)
3. The universe is contingent
4. Thus, the universe must have a reason for existing (God)

Question 14

Why are the First Mover and Contingency theory valid?

Answer 14

Cosmological arguments give reason that there must be a first cause for everything that isn’t due to something else
- Without this, have to look back infinitely for a never ending list of causes for existence (scientific and religious problem)