The Virtue of Faith

Religious belief means accepting things which go beyond everyday human knowledge. Nevertheless, it is only possible for someone who has a great deal of everyday knowledge: God can only reveal himself to human beings by using ideas & images we already understand. Having faith is believing certain truths, & doing so on the authority of some person: we have faith when we accept as true what we are told on good authority.

Belief can never be compelled: one of the great truths of philosophy is that no one can believe unless he wishes to. Believers submit to the One whom they trust out of deep love for him & what he reveals. In doing this they perform an extraordinary act: they accept as true facts which they could not possibly check, on the word of One whom they cannot cross-examine.

Non-belief is unfashionable when trusting others is unfashionable & when individualism is exalted. Here, people reject openness to others & prefer to believe only what they can test & accept on their own terms. People of faith accept God’s terms & their lives are changed immeasurably as a result.