Introduction
Many people assume Christianity is based purely on blind faith—but is that actually true?
The Misconception
Faith is often misunderstood as believing without evidence. But in Christianity, faith is better understood as trust based on reason.
The Rational Case
- The universe had a beginning → suggests a cause (see St. Thomas Aquinas’ concept of God as the Unmoved Mover in his work, Summa Theologica. Everything in creation seems to follow a design from the nuclear and electron orbital structure of the atoms, the way the human body is designed with its various specialised organs, the Universe consisting of many galaxies etc.)
- Objective morality exists → suggests a moral lawgiver (most sane and sensible people would know that murder and stealing is wrong by what they feel and/ or what their logic tells them so it implies there is a universal standard of behaviour common to all cultures and this in-built sense of right and wrong strongly implies a moral lawgiver imprinted this in all humans)
- Human consciousness → points beyond materialism (ever get that feeling of something other-worldly, sacred and indescribable when you step into a beautiful church or marvel at beauty of creation when you walk on a mountain? That’s called the numinous feeling and this phrase was coined by the theologian Rudolf Otto.)
Conclusion
Christianity isn’t anti-intellectual—it invites deep thinking. Faith and reason are not enemies. Reason can act as a gateway to the existence of God but faith completes our understanding of God.