Jan 28 Daily Question

According to Wilkin, faith is unavoidable. It is the “portal that leads to the knowledge of God” and is the mark of a genuinely religious person. As we look back at history, the events are unique and we cannot verify what we know to be true. Rather, we must rely on the testimonies of those who lived through history and believe it to be true. Therefore, we understand faith to be “a constituent part of historical knowledge,” which depends on the accuracy of the testimony and our trust in it. If the witness who documents the historical event is reliable and has integrity, it is difficult to not believe them altogether. Furthermore, faith is unavoidable because it is the “sacred bond of the human race” that would be shattered if we only believed “what can be held with absolute certainty.” Faith is beneficial because it allows us to gain a type of knowledge that requires “practices, attitudes, and dispositions and has to do with ordering one’s loves.” The knowledge we gain from having faith is gained slowly “into the mind and heart” and humans can live by it once it is practiced. Faith benefits us when we are able to follow the example of people who “invite us to love what they love,” in order to rightly worship God. We do not need to see to believe and to have faith, which is another important factor. Rather, we gain a different view of God when we believe without having to see physical proof of His existence. We benefit from faith because we gain religious knowledge, but we also benefit with a life in which we can “see the Word,” and enter “into the life of God.” Faith is unavoidable, but it also benefits humans in a way that is unique and desirable because it allows us to know the living God and live in a relationship with Him.