Phat writes:
The way that I was taught to understand it all, we are never meant to know perfection unless we surrender to it and let it have us.
Message 153
Phat writes:
The point is that faith requires abandonment of logic and reason, to a degree.
Faith can be the most powerful motivation known to humans.
I agree that faith requires some sort of abandonment of logic/reason at some level.
I wouldn't say we can't know perfection without surrenderring to it. That seems rather cult-like and scammy.
But, perhaps you're trying to say something along the lines of not knowing perfect-
dedication unless you have a certain amount of faith to override any logical/reasonable concerns? or something like that.
That... I also don't agree with... but I will agree that it can
match the most powerful, highest levels of dedication/motivation known to humans.
Faith can be a very good thing, if used for good things like love and caring for your spouse, family or friends.
Faith can also be a very bad thing, if misplaced and misguided.
The problem is identifying when it's good or bad. Making this identification takes some reasoning and sometimes logical analysis. If your faith is overriding this... then you can easily get trapped in some bad-placed faith while thinking it's "really good" all along.
In the context of this discussion, I would label "freethinking" as the reasoned/logical analysis of placing your faith in a good or bad idea.
Faith with freethinking can make sure you end up only placing your faith in good things.
Faith without freethinking may end up with faith in good things, but it has a much higher chance of
unknowingly getting manipulated by our environment or other people into putting that faith into bad things... while all along
thinking that your faith is in a good thing.
Both levels of faith (either with the freethinking or without) are the same. Freethinking is simply a filter
in front of the faith that ensures that no "bad-placed-faith" gets through. It does nothing to diminish the power of the faith itself. Faith will always contain a level of reason/logic abandonment, which is where it gets it's power from.
Side note: I do also think that the motivational-power of faith can be matched (and sometimes exceeded) by the motivational-power of reasoned/logical analysis... but faith can be a lot faster (no education required)