Why is reason abandoned when it comes to religion?

Question

Our knowledge of the world and progress as humans is attributed exclusively to our ability to use logic and reason. I think this is a very reasonable statement. We depend on our knowledge to improve our lives. A continued improvement of our lives would lead to increased happiness, which should be the highest goal humankind can aspire to achieve. Using logic and reason reveals truths about the world that directly increase our happiness. From mans ability to create and control fire to our modern medical advancements, it is clear to see how these truths improve our lives.

My question then is, why are logic and reason abandoned when they are in direct conflict with relgion? Why is religion the trump card? Why is it a virtue to hold certain beliefs when the reasons are either absent or terrible? Shouldn't we value truth above all else? If you accept that gaining knowledge to reveal truth about the world is directly attributed to happiness, how could you disagree?

Answer 1

May I refer you to "Language, Logic and Truth, " by Alfred Jules Ayer?

Answer 2

I agree with you totally and i'm religious.

I think the issue is people blindly believe the internet. I'm fortunate myself, i think, to be in school right now and get that internet is full of BS impregnated into my skull.

Anyways...i'm a bad writer.....but i think the counterpoint to religion is science....i'm not sure why ....i think they go hand in hand...but thats what its become. Most people don't really know science.....what you learned in high school and what you read on the internet isn't good enough.

I'm in college for chemical engineering and a bio-engineering minor......i know a ton about biochem and how that relates to evolution, but i recognize i don't know the whole the picture. Most people that know less than me think they do know everything about this topic...because they read biased articles on the internet.

I'm hitting science here hard...but people don't know their relgion either i think. I know when my parents were growing up...they were told to kiss the feet of certain people because they were holy....when they got to america...they realized that was a cultural thing and completely wrong religious wise.....they got lucky on that account. Most people don't get that opportunity.....or even care to find out those things.....

But what i'll disagree with you is that with religion....there doesn't have to be science.....god is all knowing/ all powerful. He can do whatever he wants. If he wants to make the sun flicker a different color every 3 seconds when no science can explain that....he can. He doesn't which i think should be pointed out.....but its possible. And i think people hold onto that too hard.

Answer 3

Gods and demons are invented to fill in the gaps in mankinds knowledge.
They just cannot bear not knowing and this is the impetus behind the scientific mind.
Centuries ago people thought that a solar eclipse was the sun being swallowed by their god so the priests said we must make a human sacrifice so the sun comes back and what do you know, they were right , the sun always came back.
Human progress is very slow and one day our brains will be able to see the stupidity of today's religions.

Answer 4

Neither reason nor logic are abandoned when it comes to faith. Does that mean we can know everything about God? By definition, we cannot fully understand His being. That doesn't mean that furthering science or medicine to help people is bad.

I guess I don't know where you are getting the fuel for this?

Answer 5

reason is abandoned because God tells his followers to follow Him blindly. Some people do that and some people look for reason and logic behind His commandments.