The Concept of Fideism - Assignment Example

1. Explain the concept of fideism, in particular the solution of the problem of faith and reason as this is proposed by fideism. In your view, does fideism deal honestly with the natural desire to understand the ideas that are accepted by faith? What advantages can be derived from a fideistic stance concerning the existence of God? What are the disadvantages? Christianity, the largest organized religion in the world, is strongly rooted by the concept of fideism, which involves the recognition that faith must always come before reason and rationalization. Under the concept of fideism, faith transcends all other elements related to the belief in God, thus maintaining faith should not be interrupted by or affected by attempts to rationalize the irrational. A prime example of fideism is the belief that God will provide all things required to maintain a satisfactory lifestyle, rather than trying to use rationale to determine a way to receive God’s spiritual gifts through one’s own actions or thought patterns. Yes, I believe that fideism does deal honestly with this natural desire, as not everyone who believes in God and maintains faith will necessarily want to rationalize what might be occurring. For instance, consider for a moment that God is responsible for global weather conditions, and a woman who holds strongly to faith is watching her village being ravaged by global weather catastrophes. While others are speculating as to what is occurring and working to combat the danger, this individual is holding fast to her faith and sitting quietly, knowing with her heart that no danger will befall her. Thus, fideism and faith can be represented by what might be considered, by some, to be somewhat foolish behavior. The advantage to having a fideistic stance is that it instills a sense of hope in the faithful believer, who believes that no matter what the consequences, God will protect and nurture them. This would allow a person to always remain positive that God is on their side, making issues such as stress a thing of the past. The major disadvantage might be the chastisement received from other people (those without faith) who cannot understand why this faithful individual is not taking rational steps (such as preparing for weather catastrophes) to protect his or herself. Thus, cultural conflicts are the largest disadvantage. 2. Theism offers a clear way to approach the relationship between faith and reason. This can be seen by considering some of the arguments for the existence of God by theists such as St. Thomas Aquinas. Explain the idea of theism. Do you find theism to be an intellectually satisfactory solution to the issue concerning the meaning and reality of God? Why or why not? In your answer, discuss one of the main arguments for the existence of God. Theism is the notion that there is the existence of at least one omnipotent being who is stronger, more powerful, and wiser than that of the inhabitants of the planet. Theism is basically the notion that a God-like entity does, indeed, exist and transcends every single boundary of the world, thus theism is often characterized by perceptions of divine nurture and judgment. Theism is directly tied to the issue concerning the reality and meaning of God as this is the basic foundation of theism. By recognizing that a divine entity (or entities) exists and believing this to be the case, there is somewhat of an automatic assumption that God is a reality. In relation to meaning, theism does not particularly serve to understand deeper meanings, such as the entity’s intentions, perceptions, or level of interactive behavior with the inhabitants of the globe. For instance, where some monotheistic cultures believe that God is primarily a judgment provider, others believe that nurture and love are the primary characteristics. Thus, simply identifying and believing that a divine entity exists does not begin to shed deeper meaning as to their role in humanity. One of the main arguments supporting theism is the harmonious balance which exists in the universe, in relation to planetary orbits and other cosmic events. The argument exists that such a tender balance could not possibly exist by happenstance, thus it is the main belief that some form of deity keeps this all running harmoniously. 3. Several arguments have been proposed to show that the belief in God is not an unreasonable option. Outline the two major arguments—cosmological and teleological—identifying their premises and their conclusions. Are these arguments convincing? What objections can be raised against their validity? Cosmological arguments deal with the idea of creationism, with one or more deities being directly responsible for the big bang theory, maintaining order in relation to the planetary alignments, and this divine presence is what determines the nature of all organisms which exist on the planet. The moon’s never-fluctuating orbit and the gravitational constants which make up our physical universe are argued, under cosmological thoughts, to stem from a powerful entity. Teleological arguments deal with a more philosophical school of thought, in such a way that human actions are pre-determined and somewhat destined by the will of a theistic entity. Teleological thoughts deal with, in some degree, issues of faith in divine destiny by which the actions of individuals are regulated and controlled by divine forces. Both arguments have their merits, as it is somewhat difficult to explain the cosmological forces which balance this universe by simply applying it to a one-in-a-billion chance that the Earth was placed in exactly the correct position to the sun in order to sustain life. Further, issues such as the fact that meteors, which are constantly ripping through space, are not bombarding the planet on a routine basis, is another example of support for cosmological arguments. The largest question that can be raised against these arguments might be the fact that weather continues to wreak havoc on the planet and the Earth is constantly in a state of flux by which humans are subject to hardship and famine. If a deity was controlling this, what would their intentions be for these actions? However, cosmological arguments are some of the strongest and most convincing. Teleological arguments, however, are somewhat philosophical in nature and deal with the destiny and biology of human beings as divine creations. In today’s society, notions of autonomy and independent will are some of the basic drivers of human needs, where people believe they control their own destinies. However, teleological arguments are so closely linked to issues of belief and faith, that one listening to another person arguing for teleological perspectives might have a harder time securely agreeing in unsubstantiated or highly-philosophical debates. 4. One of the most troublesome arguments adduced by atheists against the belief in the existence of God is the so-called "argument from evil". Explain in detail what is entailed by this argument. Is it possible to find a solution to the difficulties apparently posed by this argument? This was touched on briefly in a previous essay question. The argument from evil involves those who say that terrible earthquakes, murder, chaotic weather systems, and famine (as relevant examples) continue to plague the planet, thus they argue that if a deity existed these things would not be occurring. Most religions, in one form or another, believe that God or their perceptions of a God-like entity involve issues of human servitude, love and fair justice. Though these beliefs vary by religious organization or sect, most believe that God has a responsibility to ensure the well-being of his creations (people). With this in mind, atheists suggest that since God is determined to be more positive, he would not allow these events to continue. Atheists, instead, believe that all of the evil in the world is man-made, meaning that it is the negative characteristics of mankind that are responsible for the horrendous events which occur daily across the globe. It is likely not possible to find a solution, as these atheists actually have a fairly strong argument because their evidence is tangible: Evil and evil acts do exist and occur regularly. However, it is a difference between beliefs in faith that an omnipotent being is both aware of these events and they have some form of divine purpose and the belief of atheists that evil has nothing to do with divine influence whatsoever. Thus, until believers and the faithful can provide ample evidence to support that evil exists for a specific, divine purpose, atheists will continue to have their own justification to argue that no God exists due to the evil which continues to plague the planet. Read More