Many people are not aware of the fact that being irrational does not mean being stupid. There are a number of alternatives and there are more than just feelings. The basis for faith is irrational, in that it is based on our choice, without complete proof. In fact, the Apostle Paul talked about the Gospel as being foolish to the world, because the Greek culture of the time wanted rational justification for faith.
Many people in the Church today are worried that people will come up with heretical ideas or lose their faith, because it is common amongst Christians in America today to expect everyone to be a theologian. Many Christians today do not want to believe this, but to a thinking and feeling person the Bible is complex. This is one of the reasons why I believe the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is so relevant today.
Basing your faith on reason is not only contradictory, but I also believe it is dangerous. When we try to synchronize our faith with Science or with other elements of our culture, it quickly changes our focus from us proving we are faithful to God by our obedience. Instead, the argument shifts to God needing justification, for the decisions He has made.
We as Christians today talk about loving God, because He died on the cross for our sins, but this was not possible throughout most of history, because we only knew about that 2,000 years ago. The Old and New Testaments are both about Christ, but there is so much more to the story than we will ever even fully comprehend.
One of the problems with approaching theology from a rational point of view is that we attempt to put God within our generation and our understanding of the world. God always challenges us and surprises us with how He works. The disciples themselves did not fully understand salvation, like we do today, until 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. If we try to fit God into our culture, then we will likely miss His second coming.
This is very evident, as we try to explain obvious paradoxes, that are at the foundation of theology in the Bible and end up splitting the Church, because we cannot force God into our understanding of the world. Prophecy is even more convoluted, as most Christians throughout history thought God was coming in their lifetime and yet He hasn’t yet.
This synchronization of Science with religion is totally bizarre. Science is a continuous evolving process of discovery, with no absolutes and totally dependent on reproducible experiments. Religion is something that never changes, is full of absolutes, and is based on choosing with a lack of knowledge. It does a disservice to both those fields of study, to force them together.
So you can be a believer in Christ and not believe in the ideas of the modern world. America has nothing in common with Christianity. Combining religion, with our modern world system, is used to excuse our country, for inexcusable behavior, because we believe that the ends justify the means. This is not Christian morality.
So I think, if you want proof for God, look for things God has done in your life and how you have changed morally, because of your faith. Ultimately, you are not choosing whether you believe in God, because that is very obvious to everyone, but whether or not you will obey Him.
People in America today are leaving the Church mostly because it is too focused on image and reputation and does not focus enough on fundamentals. If Christians in America continue to be less than transparent about their struggles, most people are going to find a more relatable faith, that will accept them where they are now.
-- November 2025