Experience: Vital Ingredient... Often Forgotten

In class last Thursday as many have addressed, we discussed the role of faith and reason in religion, specifically Christianity. However, in this discussion, I believe we forgot to account for the role of experience in Christianity and in life. Experience was the main way through which Cunegonde and Candide learned and what eventually made their philosophy on life change. Cunegonde's experience of rape and loss of loved ones convinced her that this was certainly not the best of all possible worlds as Pangloss had taught her. Candide's experience of encountering natural disasters, wars, religious persecution, and eventually slavery served to convince him of the same thing.

In the same way, experience can convince one of the existence of God, His involvement in the world today, and the infallibility of His Word, the Bible. Experience serves to strengthen both faith and reason and I believe lead them to the same conclusion. I have had in my own life such experience. I have seen answered prayers and miracles. I have felt God's comfort and been challenged by His Word. I have seen my own life and the lives of others change dramatically as God's power has taken control of my heart. No one could ever refute this experience because I have seen it with my own eyes - lived it. This experience makes it only reasonable for me to trust Christ wholly and gives me the faith to believe He will do what He has said He will.