Since eighteenth century writers employed reason to discredit Christian dogma, a "rationalist" in common parlance came to mean an "unbeliever"... But this use of the word is unfortunate since it obscures the fact that reason may be employed to support faith as well as to destroy it.
Carl L. BeckerRelated topics
came century christian common discredit dogma eighteenth fact faith mean parlance rationalist reason support unbeliever unfortunate use well wordRelated quotes
it struck me what quality went to form a Man of Achievement, especially in Literature, and which Shakespeare possessed so enormously - I mean Negative Capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.
John Keats
This fact, that the opposite of sin is by no means virtue, has been overlooked. The latter is partly a pagan view, which is content with a merely human standard, and which for that very reason does not know what sin is, that all sin is before God. No, the opposite of sin is faith.
Søren Kierkegaard
