At its core, any belief one has which is valued by that person, requires a leap into the unknown. Whether of faith or not, all of us must land somewhere in the ethic that leads our life. Unfortunately, many of us do so by default. Never exploring the depths of our convictions, we stay comfortable in a gentle ebb and flow of meaning. Yet, even in this, the person makes decisions out of some held (no matter how loosely) system of thought.
“People are kind”
“People are wicked”
“Forgive all”
“Forgive none”
All logic is good, for it uses the endless human resources afforded to us by creation. But with all logic, comes a point of risk. Will it hold up? Where are its limits? Can I trust the ramifications? Faith then is not the opposite of logic, but a required partner in logic. It fills our blindspots.
For the many who have wrestled with their own doctrine, the frustration of the unknown has surely made an appearance. There are human limits to our own understanding. With an endless supply of questions, our minds spin. The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard pointed out a “leap of faith” required at this point. Some translators say it is better understood as a “leap into faith”. A man of faith himself, Kierkegaard touted the absurdity of belief in Christianity especially. Any one objectively looking at the stories and ideas of the Bible would surely dismiss it as lunacy.
Virgin birth
Resurrection
Trinity
Countless miracles
Fully God and Fully Human
All are utterly absurd when filtered through logic. Yet, this does not stop the millions who devote their life to what they leap into. When expanded, all religions and many philosophical ideas require some essence of this leap, but perhaps Christianity is the most bizarre. It challenges every held logic and common sense.
And this is why it works (whether you believe it or not). It forces us to leap over the canyon of what we think, and into the arms of the great unknown, trusting that whatever is on the other side is kind. One can never be fully sure what lay at the other side. By nature, it must remain unknown. This is what refines us, beating our preference and thinking into submission. It is the leap that shapes us, humbles us, redefines us.
Today, be not ashamed of the absurdity. Fear not the logic. Fear not the leap.
Matt simon blog 