Is Faith Irrational?
Is Faith Irrational?
Episode 2 • Truth Isn't Afraid of Questions
Appears in this episode
New atheists such as Richard Dawkins and others frequently claim that “faith is belief in the absence of evidence,” but is this really the case? On this episode of The Humble Skeptic podcast, Shane Rosenthal takes a deep dive into the true definition of faith and interacts with a variety of perspectives.
SHOW NOTES
• If you would like to listen to Shane’s complete interview with John Dickson, click here.
• The audio clip featuring Greg Koukl was taken from a lecture titled “Truth Is Not Ice Cream, Faith Is Not Wishing” which you can order here. Greg has also written a very helpful book titled Faith Is Not Wishing.
• If you would like to receive a 20 page PDF document by Shane Rosenthal titled What is Faith?, we’ll send it to you for a gift of any amount using The Humble Skeptic TIP JAR. This e-booklet walks through the issues discussed on this program (complete with supporting documentation), and you can also obtain a copy by upgrading to a paid subscription (look for the green button at the very bottom of this page).
• Below is the Google Ngram chart referenced during this episode. This tool chart the occurrence of words or phrases in all the scanned books that Google has in its database. The graph below illustrates the fact that the phrases “blind faith” and “leap of faith,” came to prominence in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Click here to begin playing the next episode, “Is Faith Blind?”
Is Faith Irrational?
Well, Bill Maher stops way short in his indictment of faith per se; he should have included the rest of culture, politics, media, education, and society at large by accusing them as well of 'the purposeful suspension of critical thinking', don't you - uh - think?
Hate to say it, but I don't think we will have a majority of critical thinkers out there until we all become humble skeptics about the onslaught of truth claims that bombard us daily from a variety of sources. We're more inclined to stay in our comfort zones of groupthink (algorithm think?) than spending the time and effort for individual investigation.
Of course, we may lose a few friends and colleagues along the way, but I don't think Christ was a team player, was he? Didn't nearly all of his disciples abandon him at the cross (Mark 14:27)?
Let's not give any more fodder to the critics of our Christian witness by talking drivel. Know what you believe, and articulate why you believe it!