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?

Understanding the Lord’s Prayer

To see the difference between having an accurate knowledge of the Bible and having a passing acquaintance with what it says, let us consider what is commonly called the Our Father, or the Lord’s Prayer, recorded at Matthew 6:9-13.

Millions regularly recite Jesus’ model prayer in church. But how many have been taught its meaning, especially the first part of the prayer dealing with God’s name and Kingdom? These subjects are so important that Jesus placed them first in the prayer.

It begins: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified,” meaning hallowed, or made holy. Note that Jesus said to pray for God’s name to be sanctified. To many people, that raises at least two questions. First, what is God’s name? And second, why does it need to be sanctified?

The answer to the first question can be found in over 7,000 places in the Bible in its original languages. One is at Psalm 83:18: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” Concerning the divine name, Jehovah, Exodus 3:15 says: “This is my name to time indefinite, and this is the memorial of me to generation after generation.”a But why does the name of God, which is the very epitome of purity and holiness, need to be sanctified? Because it has been reproached and maligned from the very beginning of human history.

In Eden, God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 2:17) Satan brazenly contradicted God, saying to Eve: “You positively will not die.” Hence, Satan accused God of lying. Yet, he did not rest there. He heaped still more reproach on God’s name, telling Eve that God was unjustly withholding valuable knowledge from her. “For God knows that in the very day of your eating from [the tree of the knowledge of good and bad] your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.” What slander!​—Genesis 3:4, 5.

By partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve took their stand with Satan. Most humans since then, knowingly or not, have added to that original reproach by rejecting God’s righteous standards. (1 John 5:19) People still malign God by blaming him for their suffering​—even though it may be due to their own bad ways. “A man’s own folly wrecks his life, and then he bears a grudge against the Lord,” says Proverbs 19:3. (The New English Bible) Can you see why Jesus, who truly loved his Father, prayed that His name be sanctified?

“Let Your Kingdom Come”

After praying for God’s name to be sanctified, Jesus said: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) Concerning that passage, we may ask: ‘What is God’s Kingdom? And what does its coming have to do with God’s will being done on earth?’

In the Bible, the word “kingdom” basically means a “rulership by a king.” Logically, then, God’s Kingdom would refer to a rulership, or government, by God, with a king of his choosing. This King is none other than the resurrected Jesus Christ​—the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:16; Daniel 7:13, 14) Concerning God’s Messianic Kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ, the prophet Daniel wrote: “In the days of those kings [human governments now ruling] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite,” that is, forever.​—Daniel 2:44.

Yes, God’s Kingdom will take complete control of the earth, ridding it of all the wicked and ruling “to times indefinite,” that is, forever. In this way, God’s Kingdom is the means by which Jehovah sanctifies his name, clearing it of all the lying reproach of Satan and wicked humans.​—Ezekiel 36:23.

Like all governments, God’s Kingdom has subjects. Who are these? The Bible answers: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11) Similarly, Jesus said: “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.” Of course, these ones have accurate knowledge of God, which is a requirement for life.​—Matthew 5:5; John 17:3.

Can you imagine the whole earth filled with meek, mild-tempered people who truly love God and love one another? (1 John 4:7, 8) That is what Jesus prayed for when he said: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” Do you appreciate why Jesus taught his followers to pray that way? More important, do you see how that prayer’s fulfillment may affect you personally?

Millions Are Now Reasoning on the Scriptures

Jesus foretold a global campaign of spiritual education that would announce God’s incoming Kingdom. He said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end [of the present world, or system] will come.”​—Matthew 24:14.

Around the world some six million of Jehovah’s Witnesses are sharing that good news with their neighbors. They invite you to learn more about God and his Kingdom by “carefully examining the Scriptures,” using your power of reason. Doing so will fortify your faith and make your eyes glow with the hope of life on a paradise earth, which will be “filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”​—Isaiah 11:6-9.