The Role of Faith in Being Reasonable

July 13, 2016 by Anne Jeffrey

Continued from Page 1

We do a disservice to each other when we remain reticent about our religious reasons for acting as we do, or voting on certain laws and officials, because we remove the opportunity for them to show us deep respect. We also invite caricatures of our political and moral positions. And when we ask others to appeal only to values common to everyone in justifying their decisions we risk communicating that they are only reasonable to the extent that the beliefs and values they have are the same as ours.

This kind of respect makes us vulnerable to each other, and there is no guarantee that religious reasons will be heard. We become liable to misinterpret and be misinterpreted regarding what we hold most dear; worse, we might flat-out fail to adequately esteem others' ways of life as reasonable. But perhaps more honest dialogue, where faith-based considerations are welcome, will afford us opportunities to see whom we're failing to respect and to grow in more profound respect for each other.

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7/13/2016 4:00:00 AM

Faith and Reason

Public Square

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