Faith and reason however are two inescapable functions of an existing being.
Most famously are the words of Martin Luther.
"Reason is a whore, the greatest enemy that faith has. It never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God"
Luther was referring to his disdain for the scholastics and academia of his age. The problem however wasn't reason, Luther made the mistake of not identifying the problem as man's own sinful hearts. Reason is an implement that serves those who wield it. Reason is not the whore, rather it is man who has whored out his reason to his lusts.
Our contemporary culture buys into this false dichotomy. Ironically the fideist who elevates "faith" (and abandons intellectual thought) has reasoned out that the two are opposed and that he should elevate faith. In essence, he reasoned out that reason is to be avoided. People who take the side of "reason" believe and have faith in that statement (and as they claim, their reason).
The fideist denies the mind which was given him to enjoy the creator and delight in him. Christianity need not run from intellectualism for we have indeed a rich history. Bacon, Duns Scotus, Ockahm, Euler, Descartes, even Keppler and Galileo all founded their work on the belief that God created the universe. With this assumption design is expected and inquiry naturally became a personal act of love and worship. Fideism has led to different forms of mysticism in the church and a fleeing from culture in fear. Critical thought is no killer of faith. Doubt and sinful desire to excuse oneself is the enemy. We have nothing to fear. Reason is actually impossible without a theistic worldview and reason always demands the creator. As a belief system it plays as Scientism/humanism which is really unreasonable and can't account for the very thing it claims to elevate.
The modern secular humanist ironically is incapable of true critical thought and is enslaved to his naturalism. The idea of something existing outside of his "scientism" is unthinkable. Science is said to solve all our problems in an upward evolution as we wield man's reason. He is not taught to question or think critically either so anything "supernatural" and outside of his presumption of materialism is automatically "faith". But he believes his system too for belief at it's core is trust.
It is essentially the false dichotomy of religion vs science as sources of truth. Two worldviews are clashing. Both have their reason and both have their faith.
The abuses we are seeing are in a way two kinds of fideism with their own reason that can't be questioned. What is faith then? Faith at it's core is trust and deeply held trust at that. I trust my family and my friends, and I am FAITHFUL and they are to me. It is also reasonably so considering how I know them. I am reasonable in that I think and inquire into the workings of this world.
Using both faith (essential trust) and reason (thought and inquiry) is unavoidable and a function of being an existing, thinking creature. Both these extremes are really distortions and both are dogmatic and insulated. Neither fit the realm of reality. Buying into this dichotomy is as absurd as asking the question "respiration vs a beating heart, which is it?" If you're alive you will do both and you cannot live without both together. It's the black and white fallacy, offering two options as opposed and the options as faith or reason. In fact a third option exists, a marriage of the two.
Jesus says to "consider the lillies of the field" (Luke 12:27), reason is encouraged and actually points to the creator. The Psalmist writes "when I consider your heavens, the work of your hands" (Psalm 8:3). Reason actually should lead to God himself as creation testifies to him. God tells Isaiah to "come let us reason together" in Isaiah 1:18. I've done a lot of thinking about it, I could keep going but I think the point is made. True knowledge will always point to our creator.
In this age of Reason, it is disturbingly sad how we have become bestial in our morality. Nietzsche was right, without God it all falls apart. We have embraced illogical and damaging lifestyles and morality. Madness has essentially taken over in the guise of liberating intellectualism.
Even Nietzsche, an avowed atheist recognized this.
Until we destroy this false dichotomy of "Facts vs Values", and "Faith vs Reason" we will continue to suffer our increasingly dysfunctional decline. Embrace faith and reason, and love God in so doing. Theology is the queen of sciences, and philosophy is her handmaiden.
All our senses, every faculty are given to us that we may know God and fall completely in love with him. Ask the important questions that we may do as Anselm did.
Anselm's prayer
"O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you.
Where and how to find you.
You are my God and you are my All and I have never seen you
You have made me and remade me
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess
Still I do not know you
I have not yet done that for which I was made
Teach me to seek you
I cannot seek you unless you teach me
or find you unless you show yourself to me
Let me seek you in my desire
let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you, let me love you when I find you
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