Is faith more powerful than reason?

Question

Is faith more powerful than reason?

Answer 1

Most definitely.

I shamefully plagiarize Kierkegaard here by saying that Faith is a passion and "passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things" (Diderot).

Faith, also, comes before reason. We have to have faith IN reason. We have to believe rationality is supremely important. The heart is far more powerful than the mind, and he who acts against his heart, acts unhappily. Faith is of the heart, reason is of the mind.

I shall cast caution to the wind by committing myself such, but, the mind should always be a slave to the heart, otherwise we sacrifice what it is to be human.

Answer 2

This depends on your understanding of the word power. If you hold human actions to be more powerful than the divine, then reason is more powerful.  If you hold divine actions to be more powerful than human actions, then faith is more powerful.  

Answer 3

It's easier to defend an honest emotion than an honest idea.  So sometimes, yes.  Moreover, I agree with Kierkegaard and Bogalot re: passion and faith in reason.

On the other hand, much of the time, faith can't do what reason does.  I suppose I could have faith that I'll have dinner tonight, but unless I rationally go to where ingredients are (the store) and struggle through a recipe, I probably will go hungry.

Answer 4

Faith in God, Yes.

Faith in anything else, No.

Peace

Joy

Answer 5

No. You must have reason to have faith.

So it is the other way round.

Answer 6

Faith in what. your own ability to work out, or somebody to come rescue you?  Those are completely different things.

Answer 7

No, reason is more powerful than faith, since reason has the power to MAKE life better by contributing to our understanding of the world as we actually experience it, whereas faith only makes us FEEL Better by providing something nice to believe in concerning unknowable questions.  It's reason that can help you escape a bear attack.  Notice, nobody attacked by a bear responds by praying.  They only pray after/if they survive.

Answer 8

Definitely!

If you were to fall in love with someone---would you rather have a reason to justify your feelings or to just have faith that your feelings are true?

Answer 9

They are two separate pillars.  Reason is powerful but it can't touch faith.  (and the reverse is also true)

Answer 10

Faith is part of reason sometimes.

Answer 11

I would say its up to the person. If someone asked you to burn a bible or something that was important to you for $5,000 would you do it? It would be reasonable to burn something thats not worth much and get $5,000 but if you are faitfull to your beliefs then you would not do it.

Answer 12

Considering humans don't know many things (such as the mysteries of space) then it is known that reason isn't very powerful.  reason does not hold all of the answers because if it did, the last disease our scientists cured wouldn't be Polio in 1942!  a healthy balance is best.  

Answer 13

Of course.  When Wile E. Coyote goes running off the side of a cliff, you notice he never falls UNTIL he looks down and realizes that he's standing in mid-air. Then he pulls out a sign that says "Uh-oh!"  This is when reason takes over and of course he falls.

Answer 14

different one wins every time... not so big on reason... not so big on faith... now what we're feeling that we depend on...

Answer 15

In an individual faith is usually more powerful.  We can force ourselves to believe anything.  But reason dictates the future of the human race, and the ground it walks on.  So it's really not.

Answer 16

You can use reason to develop faith.  Knowledge builds belief and belief is an intellectual part of faith.

Answer 17

i would say reason is much more powerful for accomplishing tasks,  but true faith is impervious to reason. that's why it is so dangerous. because faith can more easily cause others to have power over you.

sometimes faith is a result of reason, like faith in gravity, or in some result that science predicts. but it's not faith for faith, it's faith that something will happen because you know it will happen, because you know why you know it will happen, because it must happen.

like faith that a certain poison will kill. it must because of what it is and humans are, how humans work, and how the poison works.

maybe faith is not the best word for that and knowledge is better suited, but common language sometimes uses faith this way.

Answer 18

for some people them would say ya but for me no

Answer 19

To be powerful is to be effective. To be effective requires an end or goal in sight.

Is faith or reason more powerful in relation to what goal?

If your goal is to create a structure or to treat an illness, reason has a long track record on the issue. Reason is far more powerful.

People respond to reason, but faith determines the context. You can't just make up the idea that wearing sombreros are an important element of Christian salvation, but if you could somehow demonstrate that this is shown in the gospels, you'll get Christians to wear sombreros without having to personally demonstrate the veracity of the Bible.

Answer 20

this is not a question that has a straightforward answer. if u have time, try to look for the book "the monk who sold his ferrari" and read it. i think u'll find ur answer there.

Answer 21

Yes, faith is definitely more powerful than reason.

It is sometime called blind faith...

Faith seems to come from the source that lies within all of us and is a power onto itself.  

When faith takes hand, reason is negated to the back seat, it eraces all else and we find ourselves leaping into the unknown without fear of the outcome.

I like the old adage..... Fortune follows the brave.

Answer 22

Depends.

Answer 23

no

Answer 24

faith drives reason, reason cant drive it,

faith does not coexist with reasoning there two things that fight eachother reason is everything that the world is faith is everything thats after it.

Answer 25

Sometimes faith is the reason.