RATIONALITY & FAITH

Welcome to Rationality & Faith

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Faith is not the antithesis of rationality, and "rational faith" is not an oxymoron. Rational faith is trust in what is unproved--not what is disproved. 

However, religious faith is most often dogmatic, and dogmatism is the antithesis of rationality. 

What about spirituality? It is a way of thinking and living, oriented around the concept that a web of consciousness connects all sentient life, such that how we treat others reflects back to ourselves.

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Like faith, spirituality is not the antithesis of rationality, for the idea is conjectural--unproved but not disproved. Acceptance is not mandatory but neither is rejection. There is no evidentiary basis for accepting that a spiritual web of consciousness exists but this way of thinking and living has beneficial effects in the real world: an expanded capacity for kindness and compassion, courage and creativity, rationality and respect.

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The two-fold purpose of this website is:

• To provide a forum for discussion of rationality, faith, and spirituality as distinct from dogmatic religiosity

• To introduce Doctrine Impossible, a book that discusses these issues in depth
   

Doctrine Impossible delves into topics not explored in other critiques of religion—the inescapable self-contradiction in Christian doctrine on sin and salvation, religion’s idolatrous devotion to its sacred texts, and a new look at Jesus’ teachings from the perspective of rational spirituality rather than dogmatic religiosity.

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Although the conclusion—that church doctrine on sin and salvation is self-contradictory—challenges Christianity’s foundational assumption that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God, it does not preclude faith in God or learning from the spiritual teachings of Jesus.