Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason

Many people best understand faith as a religious concept, particularly, the belief in things not seen but that are true (Lewis 56). By contrast, the conventional definition of reason is far from religious; it has to do with the natural sciences deductive thinking and dialectical theories. However, this paper seeks to correct these narrow-minded views and establish a comprehensive position that clearly explains the relationship between faith and reason, since these two qualities are not mutually exclusive.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Faith, as per Thomas Aquinas, refers to the alignment of a person’s being, including his or her mental faculties to â€Å"divine truth† (Aquinas 67). To achieve this state, one has to subject himself / herself to the â€Å"grace of God†. It refers to a state of total surrender to God’s will that almost requires mental or intellectual blindness. One has to forfeit a bit of logic for faith to work. Albl gives several descriptions of faith that can better explain this concept. For instance, he says faith triggers a person to wonder (Albl 32). It is not enough for instance to appreciate the enchanting nature of the blue sky, faith asks who made it blue and why. Another description of faith pertains the view that all that exists because of the creation is a gift to humanity and that all should be grateful for it (Albl 33). It is also the foundation of a person’s trust in anything or anybody else, including self-confidence (Descartes 76). Trusting in what is intangible increases a person’s capacity to believe in what he or she can see or touch. Aquinas imparts that faith requires a portion of the grace of God for it to be fully fledged (Albl 34). This will is what pushes one’s will to defy their logic and succumb to pure b elief. The result is conversion of the whole person, not just their thoughts. Acquiring it is a continuous process that requires a person to train or discipline their minds constantly before it can become a â€Å"habit of the mind† (Albl 37). Reason on the other hand has to do with man’s intellectual faculties. The cause of questioning things in a bid to understand them better, or assessing various options to come up with a sensible decision over what makes sense and what does not. Consequently, Albl posits that faith and reason are actually inclusive of each other and one requires the other to achieve its maximum potential. He puts it succinctly in the statement, â€Å"balanced Christianity needs a body of reason animated by the fire of faith† (Albl 38). This makes clear the jeopardy of being an extremist. Feudists are scholars who restrict the understanding of divine attributes to pure faith and they include theologians such as Tertullian and Soren Kiekegard a mong others. This school of thought is of the opinion that logic muddles up a person’s understanding of God (Hart and Fischer 87).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Their critics are quick to assert that the same God created man a rational being, and expects him be rational about everything, including religion. On the other extreme end are rationalists who believe in cold reasoning at the exclusion of faith. They include philosophy scholars like Rene Descartes and Immanuel Kant among others. However, a modernist view that most people embrace nowadays posits that faith and reason interrelate, with each complementing the other for a fuller understanding of spiritual matters. Albl captures this as â€Å"faith seeking understanding† (33). Thomas Aquinas proposed that anyone seeking to strengthen his or her faith should find an authority upon which to base this faith. For Christians, he proposed the scriptures and by extension the Quran for Muslims. Reason is a necessary ingredient in theology as it enables scholars to apply mental processes while interpreting scriptures and other religious teachings. Employment of rational thinking of logic further strengthens a person’s conviction that whatever they are studying is true (Hart and Fischer 99). This is because people tend to trust what they have deduced for themselves better than what they do not understand. The connection of reason with faith makes it an even more important tool. It takes faith in the rationality of the world to accept the results one obtains from employing reason to deduce truth. Faith and reason are supplementary qualities whose development needs to be at par. When one exceeds the other, one risks acquiring dangerous perspectives that are extremist and close-minded in nature. Theology as a study of religion requires both in equal measure. Reason will enable a scholar to pass judgment on the accuracy of various points of view, whereas faith will turn him or her into believer. Works Cited Albl, Martin. Reason, Faith and Tradition: An Exploration in Catholic Theology. New York: Saint Mary’s Press, 2009. Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Fathers of the English Dominican Province,  Christian Classics. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 1981.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Descartes, Rene. Rules for the Direction of the Mind. Descartes, Rene. Philosophical  Essays: Discourse on Method; Mediation; Rules for the Direction of the Mind.  Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merill, 1964. 192. Hart, Thomas and Fischer, Kathleen. Christian Foundations: an Introduction to Faith in  our Times. New York: Paulist Press, 1995. Lewis, Carl. Surprised by Joy:The Shape of My Early Life. New York: Harcout Brac e, 1955. This essay on Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason was written and submitted by user Dem0g0bl1n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Acid Rain essay essays

Acid Rain essay essays My report is on Acid Rain. I gathered up information from many web sites for this project. This should give u more information on acid rain. I talk about hat is acid rain, who discovered it, how is acid rain created, how is it created, how can it be stopped, why is it a probelm.... and other stuff. I even found pictures to go with this project like what happens to things effected by acid rain. Acid rain is just a way to say several ways that acids fall out of the sky the real term is acid deposition. There are two parts to acid deposition wet and dry. Wet deposition is Fog, Rain and Snow. This type mostly effects plants, animals and water. The strength of the effects depends on its ph level and with what it comes in contact with. Dry deposition is acidic gases and particles. The wind blows these gases and transports them when they come into contact with building, trees... the stick to those things. When it rains the rain washes off the building and the rain becomes more acidic. Acid rain was discovered in 1852 by Scientist when a english chemist Robert Agnus invented the term. They discovered it by testing the ph level of rain 1 day and found out that the ph level was lower than the ph level of rain, it isn't much of a difference but enough so it could actually create a problem. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the primary causes for acid rain. These gases are usually created by electrical facilities and factory's releasing these gasses, these gases are created by burning fossil fuels. Acid rain happens when the gases Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen oxides react with the water in the atmosphere to form acid rain. The sun helps speed up this process. As u can see on the picture below the gases rise up to the atmosphere then mix with the water. There is both dry deposition and wet deposition that occur, the dry deposition increases the effect ...

Major Incident Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Major Incident Management - Essay Example Those who are categorized as serious have a deathly consequence in their circumstances; those categorized as major may suffer from a major permanent loss of function; next comes those who may suffer with a permanent reduction in bodily functions; those categorized as minor require increased level of care; and finally those classified as minimum are patients with no injury or increased level of care (New South Wales Government, 2005). Based on corporate consequence, impact on staff, visitors, services, finances, and the environment shall also be assessed by the first responder. The likelihood of the incident happening again shall also be assessed by the first responder. He shall classify the likelihood from the rating ‘frequent’ (the highest possible rating) to ‘rare’ (the lowest possible rating) (New South Wales Government, 2005). The risk or the magnitude of the incident also needs to be assessed by the first responder. The incident is rated at 1 if the ris k is extreme; 2 if the risk is high; 3, if there is medium risk; and 4 if the risk is low (New South Wales Government, 2005). The initial triage of the first responder is to assess the patients with life threatening conditions. The first responder has to deliver immediate treatment to these patients first by delivering CPR after airway clearance. For those classified as urgent or are unable to walk with RRs at 10 bpm-29 bpm and CRT at 2 seconds or less, urgent treatment has to be delivered by the crew. For those with minor injuries, but are walking, their treatment may be delayed; and for those who are dead, no treatment can be delivered. The crew then has to render appropriate emergency care and then transport the patients to the nearest hospital the soonest time possible, starting with those needing immediate care. In case of possible contagion, the emergency ambulance crew also has the duty of decontaminating the patients and themselves