Should Faith Be Based on Reason?

“There are too many ‘religious’ people who become religious precisely to avoid having to think,” writes the dean of a theological seminary in the United States. “They simply want to accept everything ‘on faith,’” he adds.

THE implication is that most people who profess religious faith give little thought to why they believe what they do or to whether there is a reasonable basis for their faith. It is no wonder that religion has become a topic that many are reluctant to talk about.

Regrettably, such practices as using religious images and repeating prayers by rote also discourage reasoning. These practices, along with impressive architecture, elaborate stained-glass windows, and captivating music, more or less define the extent of the religious experience of millions. Though some churches claim that their faith is based on the Bible, their message of ‘believe in Jesus and you will be saved’ makes light of serious Bible study. Others turn to preaching a social or political gospel. What is the result of all of this?

Concerning the situation in North America, one religion writer said: “Christianity . . . tends to be superficial, [and] its adherents are poorly educated in the faith.” A pollster even went so far as to describe the United States as “a nation of biblical illiterates.” To be fair, these observations would also be true of other countries where so-called Christianity prevails. Many non-Christian religions likewise discourage reasoning and instead emphasize chants, ritualistic prayers, and various forms of meditation that involve mysticism, rather than logical, constructive thinking.

Yet, in their everyday life, the same people who give little thought to the accuracy or truthfulness of their religious beliefs often think other matters through very carefully. Does it not strike you as odd that the person who does extensive research just to buy a car​—which one day will end up on the scrap heap—​would say regarding his religion, ‘If it was good enough for my parents, it’s good enough for me’?

If we are truly interested in pleasing God, should we not consider seriously the accuracy of what we believe about him? The apostle Paul spoke of certain religious people of his day who had “a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge.” (Romans 10:2) Such ones could be compared to a hired painter who works hard to paint a house but uses the wrong colors because he fails to listen to the owner’s instructions. The painter may be pleased with his work, but would it be acceptable to the owner?

What is acceptable to God regarding true worship? The Bible answers: “This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) Some may feel that it is impossible to find such knowledge among the many religions of today. But think​—if it is God’s will that people should come to an accurate knowledge of truth, would he unfairly conceal it from them? Not according to the Bible, which says: “If you search for [God], he will let himself be found by you.”​—1 Chronicles 28:9.

How does God make himself known to those who sincerely search for him? The next article will provide the answer.

Search for God With Your Heart and Mind

True Christianity encourages the use of both the heart and the mind in building faith that pleases God.

IN FACT, Christianity’s founder, Jesus Christ, taught that we must love God with our “whole mind,” or intellect, in addition to our “whole heart” and “whole soul.” (Matthew 22:37) Yes, our mental faculties must play a key role in our worship.

When inviting his listeners to reflect on his teaching, Jesus often said: “What do you think?” (Matthew 17:25; 18:12; 21:28; 22:42) In like manner, the apostle Peter wrote to fellow believers in order to ‘arouse their clear thinking faculties.’ (2 Peter 3:1) The most widely traveled early missionary, the apostle Paul, exhorted Christians to use their “power of reason” and to “prove to [themselves] the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1, 2) Only by such a thorough, careful approach to their beliefs can Christians build faith that is pleasing to God and is equal to the tests that arise in life.​—Hebrews 11:1, 6.

To help others build such faith, early Christian evangelizers “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving by references” the things taught. (Acts 17:1-3) Such a reasonable approach elicited a fine response from honesthearted ones. For example, a number of people in the Macedonian city of Beroea “received the word [of God] with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things [explained by Paul and his companions] were so.” (Acts 17:11) Two things are worth noting here. First, the Beroeans were eager to listen to God’s Word; second, they did not blindly assume that what they heard was correct, but they referred back to the Scriptures. The Christian missionary Luke humbly commended the Beroeans for this, calling them “noble-minded.” Do you reflect such a noble mind in your approach to spiritual matters?

Mind and Heart Cooperate

As mentioned earlier, true worship involves both the mind and the heart. (Mark 12:30) Think back to the illustration in the preceding article of the hired painter who used the wrong colors when painting a house. If he had listened carefully to his employer’s instructions, he could have put his heart and soul into his work and had confidence that his work would have the owner’s approval. The same applies to our worship.

“The true worshipers,” Jesus said, “will worship the Father with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23) Hence, the apostle Paul wrote: “That is also why we . . . have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the accurate knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual comprehension, in order to walk worthily of Jehovah to the end of fully pleasing him.” (Colossians 1:9, 10) Such “accurate knowledge” enables sincere individuals to put their heart and soul into their worship with full confidence because they “worship what [they] know.”​—John 4:22.

For these reasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not baptize infants or newly interested people who have not carefully studied the Scriptures. Jesus commissioned his followers: “Make disciples of people of all the nations, . . . teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) Only after having gained an accurate knowledge of God’s will can sincere Bible students make an informed decision about the matter of worship. Are you striving to gain such an accurate knowledge?