CLE Synthesis Reflection

Richmoune Lavinne Sy 4H 27 Agtarap

July 10, 2012 Fr. Go & Mr.

Choose one (1) way of knowing in Religion, and discuss how this operates. Compare how it works in the other four areas of knowledge. Cite an example and illustrate how this selected way of knowing actually leads to knowing in Religion. Reason in Religion Ever since Adam and Eve, humans have been dependent on reason, as a way of knowing, to validate their ideas and actions. Using reason is actually very ironic as it may lead you the right knowledge but can also deviate you to the wrong knowledge as reason induces many questions. This is exactly the case for using reason in religion because reason can be very effective in gaining knowledge when used well but may be harmful in the process of understanding as well. Reason in religion is mainly for unraveling and making sense out of the big questions in the religious aspect of life like if there is truly a God or if mysticism is true. The role of reason in religion was evidently seen in Pascals Wager particularly Section III, Of the Necessity of the Wager. He made a very logical and sound point regarding the existence of God that it wouldnt hurt to believe in Gods existence because you dont lose anything, but you gain everything. On the other hand, there is no clear disadvantage of not believing in Gods existence. This big question will always remain there unanswered for as long as youre here on Earth, but reason tries to uncover these mysteries through making conclusions from premises and evidences. With the help of reason, we get to be open to different interpretations and eventually narrow down the possibilities. For example, some say that there is no God because he promised a good life, yet there are people suffering while others say there is a God because how does one explain fortuitous events therefore there must really be someone up there who oversees us. The narrowing down process, whatever happens, would solely depend on your own decision of which you believe is

CLE Synthesis Reflection

more valid; reason is not infallible, but it heavily relies on our cognitive skills to rationalize claims made in religion. Reason operates distinctively in each area of knowledge. It serves a larger role in more definite and concrete areas of knowledge such as the Math and Sciences. In natural sciences, society relies on making conclusions from premises and evidences in experiments that serve as the basis for the phenomenon and theories today. In human sciences, we make predictions and rationalize why such events occur based from the possible cause and effect. On the contrary, art doesnt depend on reason that much, but it still contributes to the decision of which art is considered more beautiful. In conclusion, reason helps us rationalize and understand the why aspect particularly knowing why we must believe that God exists, but we must keep in mind that we cant hinge on reason to fully apprehend the different areas of knowledge. We will need to use all the four ways of knowing in order to understand knowledge completely.