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The Interplay of Reason and Faith

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Submitted By GoldenGirl13
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As Christians, our ultimate authority should be God’s reason. God is the creator of all life, and as believers, He is to influence and have control over all areas of our lives. He is the creator of law, as He created the first laws and revealed them to us in His Word. Roger Bern, A BIBLICAL MODEL for ANALYSIS of ISSUES of LAW and PUBLIC POLICY: With ILLUSTRATIVE APPLICATIONS to CONTRACTS, ANTITRUST, REMEDIES and PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, 6:103 Regent U. L. Rev. 108 (1995). The authority of God in an individual’s life is mentioned numerous times in the Bible: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10. “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7. It is clear from these verses that God’s reason is the best ultimate authority for an individual.

Regarding whether the ultimate authority is different for individuals and society as a whole, it is important to remember the type of society that we live in. Our society today is governed by (mostly) secular leaders. In America, the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States calls for separation of Church and State. U.S. Const. n. (1791). In the case of Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court cited Thomas Jefferson as saying that “the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect ‘a wall of separation between Church and State.’” 330 US 855, 91 L. Ed. 711, 67 S. Ct. 962 - Supreme Court, 1947. Because of this, I feel that, although it is what myself and most Christians would prefer, we cannot expect a secular society as a whole to take God’s reason as a final authority. Therefore, it is my opinion that while man’s ultimate authority should be God’s reason, society’s ultimate authority should be, as it already is, man’s reason.

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