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Fides Et Ratio: A "reasonable" Act of Faith?

Autor:   •  February 17, 2018  •  1,333 Words (6 Pages)  •  569 Views

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Such reasonability of the act of faith can be illustrated with just a couple of the many cases of philosophers whose quest for knowledge led them from an atheistic position to a conversion to faith or at least to theism. One of them is mentioned by John Paul II at point 74 of Fides et Ratio: Edith Stein, the Jewish philosopher who only after being acquainted to St. Thomas’s work and Husserl’s realism left her atheism and opened herself to theism. But it was only after reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila that she took the last step and embraced the catholic faith. As Jude Dougherty beautifully expresses:

“Husserl’s realism opened her to theism; from Thomas she acquired a Christian outlook. Yet it was Teresa of Avila who led her to the final step. Visiting the home of Hedwig Conrad-Martius in the summer of 1921, she read the autobiographical Life of Saint Teresa of Avila. Upon finishing the work in the early hours of the morning, she put the book down proclaiming to herself, this is “Truth.” Thomas’s De Veritate was about “truth” in the abstract; Teresa gave her truth concretely”[16]

Another interesting case of an intellectual conversion, which again shows how it is reasonable to believe in God, is the one of Anthony Flew, a British atheist philosopher who in 2004, after a long-life atheistic position publicly proclaim his belief in God. He never embraced Christianity, but on an interview with Dr. Benjamin Wilker on his book “There is a God” he points out that: “I should clarify that I am a deist. I do not accept any claim of divine revelation though I would be happy to study any such claim (and continue to do so in the case of Christianity).” [17]We can see here how he reached the point where reason is not enough and he needs that act of faith to believe in the Revelation, which is the next logical step, which is why he does not completely disregard it and is happy to study those claims, acknowledging that an act of faith, a free gift from the Holy Spirit, is required for that.

But I have closer examples in my life: A very good friend of mine whom I met whilst we were both studying Law. He was an atheist when I met him, but a very honest and keen philosopher who gradually, slowly and gently became a deist after reading Spinoza and, paradoxically, Nietzsche; always accepting whatever he founded reasonable and verisimilar. In his own words, he did not convert by desire, fear, emotivity, convention or ambition or any supernatural manifestation. Purely through reason. His conversion to Catholicism was slightly more slow and gradual and became effective after reading some Fathers of the Church, amongst others texts.

He could, like me, make his own these words from the Encyclical: “…the act of entrusting oneself to God (is)…a moment of fundamental decision which engages the whole person”[18] and that involves a lifetime, I shall add. I have had to make several acts of faith in my life, and it was thanks to one of them that I am here in Ireland, studying for the priesthood.

References

- Bishop Andre-Muhen Leonard, “Rational Justification of the Act of Faith”, in L’ Osservatore Romano, weekly edition in English, 3rd March 1999, page 6, URL http://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/fides6.htm> [last accessed 12th March 2016]

- Dougherty, Jude, “Edith Stein’s Conversion: How a Jewish Philosopher Became a Catholic Saint” in Crisis Magazine, a voice for the faithful Catholic laity, 1st of December 1992, URL=http://www.crisismagazine.com/1992/edith-steins-conversion-how-a-jewish-philosopher-became-a-catholic-saint>, [last accessed 17th March 2016]

- The New Jerusalem Bible, Study Edition, London, 1994

- Paul II, John, Faith And Reason: Encyclical Letter of Pope John Paul II (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1998)

- Winker, Benjamin, Dr., in How the World most notorious Atheist changed his mind, originally published at TO THE SOURCE, URL= http://www.strangenotions.com/flew/ [last accessed 17th March 2016]

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