Faith and Evidence (Aquinas 101)

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Is there sufficient evidence to believe in the mysteries of the Christian faith? What we believe is no lie, legend, or lunacy.
Faith & Evidence (Aquinas 101) - Fr. James Brent, O.P.
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This video was made possible through the support of grant #61944 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

[@maxalaintwo3578]

I like CS Lewis' definition of faith; I paraphrase: "I'm not telling someone to believe in Christianity if their best reason tells them not too. Faith is not simply belief without evidence, it's the virtue of sticking to what one's reason and experience knows to be true despite one's changing circumstances and moods."

[@BikeVermont71]

Faith is not just an activity of the mind but of the will: "sticking to." This is why faith can overcome hurdles, doubts, difficulties of the mind.

[@brucerussell7]

It is often easy to get tied in knots listening to apologetics vs atheist rhetoric on utube. The beautiful message delivered here, cuts straight to the heart of our true life, that is that nothing can substitute for our experience of the living Christ. If you want to experience God in your life .. you will and it will transform you. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@ThomisticInstitute]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching! God bless you.

[@roisinpatriciagaffney4087]

We are forever grateful to the triune God for showering upon us, His creatures, His truth, goodness and beauty. Thank you, Father Brent. Pax Christi.

[@Chris-yr8wb]

"The certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives." St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,171,5,obj.3.

[@jasonpalladino1852]

This was so well reasoned! Faith is a gift from God, and because God is truth and truth is one, this faith is confirmed with various signs of credibility.

[@b4u334]

4:50: there is some debate about whether it’s necessary for us to logically understand, to some extent, the truth. I think it can be stated too strongly that our faith is totally disconnected from logic and reason and we have no idea sans revelation why it makes sense to have faith: as if there is no articulable reason to have faith besides “God told me to” closer to Abraham and Isaac (even though Abraham had REASON to have FAITH). Jesus performed many many miracles for this reason. Faith must start with some baseline logic / reason. Faith is the move beyond that into accepting what can never be known without God’s revelation.

[@namapalsu2364]

Keep up the preambule fidei series. We lived in an unbelieving world where religion is look as myth and unreasonable.

[@anonemoose102]

This video couldn't have come at a better time. God Bless 🙏

[@opencurtin]

Nice to see such an intelligent man giving his life to Jesus Christ and explaining the faith ..

[@julesjgreig]

Thank you, Fr. Brent - excellent. Your summary contained interesting references to supernatural signs (e.g. healing). I’m unclear what Thomas thinks about these things and go back to 1Cor12, outlining the variety of manifestations of the Spirit’s power: is this something Thomas talks to? (Coming from Charismatic tradition, it was surprising to me to hear his references to Gifts of the Holy Spirit centring around exegesis of Isaiah 11). Thanks again.

[@davidlbedford]

This one did it. Thank you!

[@ThomisticInstitute]

Our pleasure! Thanks for watching, and may the Lord bless you!

[@jamestyler6911]

What a fantastic explanation of our faith, well done!

[@Kitiwake]

There's great. It requires an act of the holy spirit to open up to God through faith.

[@mrepix8287]

Based

[@maxalaintwo3578]

Redpilled even

[@akostarkanyi825]

Some evidence: Authors of the Gospels might be slandered - with the whole thing being just lies -, but Paul wrote some angry or at least passionate letters to the Galatians and Corinthians mentioning miracles in them happening among those people (2 Cor 12, 12; Gal 3, 4-5). If miracles hadn't happen there, then he would have made himself ridiculous in their eyes - but his purpose was to make them take him seriously. So it is logical that miracles did happen with them and Paul. But if they did why could they not have happened with the other apostles and Jesus, too? And if they did, then why could not be true everything the Gospels describe? Luke, Paul's friend, an eye-wittness wrote about miracles happening with Paul. Was he right then - as real miracles did happen with Paul as we know from his letters? Did Luke tell the truth? But did he still have to lie in connection with Jesus? This would not be logical. Paul's letters are authentic and realistic. And from them a few logical steps lead to the accounts of the Gospels about Jesus being true.

[@DistributistHound]

Thank you father Brent, how to reconcile faith and the existence of various religions? If I may ask

[@akostarkanyi825]

Only monotheistic religions believe in a Creation and Creator and the common reality of the world. And among them only Christianity is based on a real story with easily identifiable real witnesses of real miracles.

[@sillythewanderer4221]

All religions have some truth, what must be determined is which one has the most Truth.

[@shadowlinks99]

Great video. Thanks for all your work, Thomistic Institute friends.

[@causalaetitiae]

Cristall clear, illuminating, beautiful, profound and true. Or simply: Thomistic.

[@mvwil]

This is EXACTLY what the world needs right now. And the problem with so much protestant and uninformed Catholic apologetics. The faith is not self-evident. God's bare existence can be shown by reason, but that we believe in Christ at all is due to the supernatural operation of God's grace in our being.

[@xavier.abraham]

After watching these videos, I'm earnestly desiring to be a Dominican (Lay Dominican). Would you have resources to discern the call ?

[@LeslieKlinger]

Where are you located, Xavier?

[@xavier.abraham]

@@LeslieKlinger Michigan

[@LeslieKlinger]

@@xavier.abraham okay. You are in CENTRAL PROVINCE. They probably have a website. On that site would be information on Third Order groups. I am Life Professed Third Order western

[@GilMichelini]

@@xavier.abraham Where? I am in the St. Joseph area. I know there is a chapter in Grand Rapids.

[@xavier.abraham]

@@LeslieKlinger Thanks Leslie. Yes, I checked their website and I could find my neighboring town !

[@renecordero1242]

This is an excellent presentation. Faith is a gift from God, a gift that complemented by reason and the evidence from our senses. Beautiful!

[@tdacosta]

Wonderful video. Thank you. God Bless the Dominicans.

[@daymagtoto959]

This is very very beautiful. This is so true!

[@lauzeladasse]

Jesus is Lord, he died for us!!! Thanks, T.I God Bless you.

[@peterbatterham8522]

Died for us? As I understood the bible stories this guy was crucified by the Romans. So you think dis death has something to do with humans 2000 years later? What a nonsense concept.

[@Isaac_Hess]

I don't quite grasp this view of faith. Multiple religions propose themselves in similar terms. If we do not make the act of faith at least partially based on our reason, how do we judge the case of two religious people, both of whom claim their faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but believe contradictory things? It seems that philosophy, history, and reason must inform our act of faith, giving us some way to judge what is the work of the Spirit in us, and what is not.

[@borispenaloza6788]

I also agree with you. Maybe I misunderstood the argument. I am watching again.

[@borispenaloza6788]

I think they are defining faith as a theological virtue which is given to us as a gift from God. That makes a little bit of more sense.

[@discerningheart1944]

The illumination of the Holy Spirit to the testimony of creation to God, I believe is seen through the intuited first principles of sufficient reason, and our ability to detect intelligent design. His illumination is of the truth that reality exists in creation. Redemptive grace is the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the witness of the apostles and prophets to the coherent Gospel.....a witness and convincing work to the human witness to the Gospel story.

[@LostArchivist]

One must remember that our reason is itself a contingent thing, therefore has its basis from God originally thus the source must come from outside as the water flows from farther upstream. Sacred Scripture says that Faith like Hope and Love are supernatural gifts of God. This means we are not their ultimste arbiters. We must remember we are contingent that is to say, created things. Though I do wonder if a misunderstanding of this concept was a formative influence of Sola Scriptura or at least bolstered it along the way.

[@b4u334]

Isaac, I entirely concur with your view. Faith requires preexisting logic and reason to know what to place our faith in. Our souls were made rational in order to properly come to such consenting acts of faith. The natural light of our intellect points us in the right direction, faith brings us the remaining distance.

[@i3rendonf]

My thanks to you, and the glory to God

[@Duffy153]

Can we get a talk on the hypostatic union

[@LostArchivist]

One must remember that our reason is itself a contingent thing as we are contingent beings. Therefore has its basis from God originally at some juncture as since God is First Cause only He can be the ultimate reference of Himself. Thus asthe source must come from outside as the water flows from farther upstream, so our confidence in our knowledge of God can only come from God Himself. Faith is a theological virtue. Sacred Scripture says that Faith like Hope and Love are supernatural gifts of God. This means we are not their ultimste arbiters. We must remember we are contingent that is to say, created things. Though I do wonder if a misunderstanding or corruption of this concept in a form similar to how it was covered in this video was a formative influence of Sola Scriptura or at least bolstered it along the way.

[@terriekraybill9724]

This one's relevant to me. I've spent some time interacting with unbelievers, trying to use evidence...but it rarely works. There has to be a will to believe; it's an act of the heart. We obviously still have to reach out to people, but it's not a head thing by and large.

[@byron8657]

God reveals Himself to us in different ways in different degrees! He gives Grace gratuitously not according to our Good deeds! K

[@thomascurry4846]

Might one ask then that if faith is not the result of argument and evidence, but a gift, why doesn’t God give this gift to all? Why does He permit some to remain in doubt? My best guess is that argument and evidence removes obstacles to us receiving the gift of faith, but does not directly cause it. If this is so, the reason for people remaining in doubt is the lack of clearing those obstacles. Is this correct?

[@LostArchivist]

In part it can be, but also the person can themselves be the obstacle willfully....we can not know with certainty when that is the case though. The basic point here I believe is we are tillers of the soil, not the seed that itself makes the harvest have life.

[@b4u334]

I believe the conditions for faith does require preexisting logic and reason. The reason one agrees to have faith is because there is good reason to have faith. Faith itself isn't reason, but beyond reason.

[@j.whisper2379]

Faith is irrational! The only definition that matters is in the dictionary! Belief without evidence!

[@mrwater5772]

If jesus didnt really die it doesn’t count as a sacrifice

[@luxither7354]

That's the beauty. He did die. The spirit left his body and went to Hell (not because he deserved it but because he was going to pray for those within it), then it came back 3 days later and Jesus rose from the dead. Its like saying people who came back after they were medically pronounced dead didn't really do much since they're alive now: they still died for a period of time, and them returning despite all signs point to the opposite is a miracle.

[@mrwater5772]

@@luxither7354 Exactly, he came back. There was no sacrifice. He died for three days? Thats not a sacrifice, that's a coma.

[@luxither7354]

@@mrwater5772 So then people who come back from near death experiences are just having a quick nap? We also forget how he died. He was Scourged, had thorns ingrained into his skull, had to carry a cross for several kilometers and then be crucified to that same cross, being on there for 3 hours, dehydrated, wounded and having his wounds recently opened. But he came back from that, he came back from a gruesome death and rose again. Its not like he had a heart attack and his heart restarted, no he died is a matter that no natural science could bring him back and was able to do actions unbecoming of a normal human. His sacrifice was also for our sins, given up and in a fashion in the same way animals were sacrificed for the sins of Israel prior.

[@11kravitzn]

This contradicts the other video where you said faith was also part of science, history, etc.

[@luxither7354]

Faith described in this video pertains to faith of God. Faith, as a general term is integral to science and history, but faith in this video refers specifically to faith in God.

[@griseldarodriguez93]

Beautifully explained ❤

[@michaelanderson4849]

So, faith is different because the church say so? 🤔

[@michaelanderson4849]

@Matthew Jones Why then?

[@tomgreene2282]

Most folk have faith.

[@michaelanderson4849]

@@tomgreene2282 If you are going to chip in, then at least chip in on the same thing as I was asking about. In the video he claimed that what the church means by faith is not the same as the faith I have that the measuring data collected about Jupiter are correct.

[@michaelanderson4849]

@Matthew Jones Why is it then different than any other type of faith?

[@GilMichelini]

@Michael Anderson, could you expand your question? What do you mean by different? Different from what?

[@tomdooley3522]

Mystery , I don't know why , but it says , I have called you by name, you are mine. I am and I want to be. It's not an act of my will , I just do believe and when I got old enough I read the creed , and agreed , yes this I believe. Sit in a darken chapel lit only by a few Holy candles when your life is falling apart and watch the stain glass Windows light up from the outside. Listen to owls hooting outside at two o, clock in the morning. Look around the darken chapel , your alone in the Holy candle light. It's the prayer of silence. There's somethings that you have to know for yourself , to be told just don't do. There's no formula , no set of prayers , there's only placing yourself in GODS presents , eather he reaches back or he don't. The problem is the man down stairs knows your there as will. Don't know when are where I believed , just did , but it got strengthened step at a time until it seems impossible not to believe. Deus vult. Pax Domini

[@opencurtin]

Jesus gave plenty of signs from his birth to his miracles in his life to his death and resurrection which inspired people to proclaim the gospel three have been many supernatural events since Jesus walked the Earth !

[@jrimmer4987]

that was beautiful

[@st.saturninia9179]

So grateful for the Dominicans in this confusing time we live in.

[@damo780]

"God who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist" St Paul

[@JohnR.T.B.]

It's very true, we believe because God called us first, and then we accepted His invitation; no one cay say they came to believe because they have sufficient evidence and enough critical arguments that God is wholly true and present in the Church, if someone says something like that, he or she will lose faith again when God shows something new to learn, just like Jesus' early followers who left Him when He said He is the Bread of Life from heaven for people to eat.

[@elederiruzkin8835]

I see faith as based on the cumulative evidence out of an ongoing dialogue between God and us, called "love".

[@brendangolledge8312]

If the holy spirit gives you your faith, why are there so many different denominations?

[@luxither7354]

Cooperation with the Holy Spirit is a core part of the faith. The Holy Spirit will guide people towards logics that favour the Catholic faith, ergo why many people who read the saints and early church fathers will become Catholic, but it is up to the response of the individual that can often be blinded by emotion.

[@jeffkoehne4852]

The blind faithful

[@JuanRPF]

Interesting!!

[@byron8657]

With his 360 degrees conversion on the way to Damascus to prosecute and arrest Christians St Paul conversion he was blinded by a shinning light and heard a voice Paul paul why are thou persecuting me, he then ask who are you Lord I am Jesus whom your persecuting! This conversion a leap of faith is forever imprinted in his heart and in his mind the faith and belief that Jesus the Son of a living God send for our redemption and salvation of mankind and all his actions all his powers and energy he spends in preaching the Goodnews in Rome and the whole Asia Minor! Amongst all the Apostles he was the one who suffered most in preaching the Gospel! He said in one of his Epistles that vain is our Faith if there’s no Resurrection of the Dead! I like his last prayer before he was beheaded in Rome and may we the faithful can say the same when our time comes, I qoute I have fought the Good fight , I have run the course, I have finished the race, I have preserved the Faith, Now my Good Lord God your humble servant is ready to receive his just reward! K

[@tomgreene2282]

One could look at grounds and say .. no?

[@LostArchivist]

There is free will in this life, so yes.

[@ratio518]

How can you demonstrate change exists? Not just asserting this to be the case and then move from there.

[@ratio518]

@@VACatholic You're not demonstrating that change exists

[@Palo_Duro]

@@ratio518 You are and you don't even know it.

[@ratio518]

@@VACatholic Maybe it's an illusion. Who says that this change actually happened?

[@gerardlegrange237]

I think that you are making the same assumption that the Logical Positivist movement made in the early 20th century: that only statements arrived at through direct observation or logical proof contain truth value. The problem is that logical positivism itself rests on criteria that is not strictly based on direct observation (since it is a universal claim) or logical proof (since it will inevitably rely on first principles or assumptions).

[@affel6559]

Der Beweis: wenn ein Straftäter abgeschoben ist, sinkt die Kriminalität. Der Unterschied von vorher zu nachher ist die Veränderung, welche tatsächlich passiert ist. Solltest Du weiterhin obstinat darauf bestehen, dass Veränderung eine Illusion wäre, sollte man Dich wohlmöglich wie der populäre Spruch geht: "solange mit 20 Ruten schlagen, bis Du Dir eine positive Veränderung wünschst und um Gnade bittest." Bitte nimm dies aber nicht persönlich mein Bruder. Was für ein Segen, dass Du dieses Video gefunden hast!

[@Xgy33]

First!

[@msgoody2shoes959]

This is so so very helpful. Thank you!

[@ThomisticInstitute]

You're welcome! God bless you.

[@msgoody2shoes959]

@@ThomisticInstitute...and may you continue to see, live and love God's grace at work in the world, so that your faith be ever strong. Agape, -Kristy

[@jamiejaegel7962]

Mother Theresa rejected Christ as did JPII. Why use their image when there are amazing Saints from the far past.