Why We Believe

The question “Why do we believe?” should always make us stop and think. Faith is not to be taken for granted. What this question means for us will change, and it will be more pressing at certain times in our lives.

How confident we feel about expressing to others why we believe and what we believe may vary. Sometimes we might simply feel lost for words.

Faith doesn’t always appear rational. For example, many people ask, “How can we believe in God when we see evil and suffering in the world?“

Faith doesn’t always appear relevant: when the world hurries ahead and people seem happy enough with their lives, they sometimes question, “What is the point of faith?” They wonder how someone who lived 2,000 years ago can be important, or how his life and teaching can help us to live good lives today.

Catholicism has an enduring tradition of explaining how faith is reasonable and relevant, despite these objections.

(Photo by Lawrence Jing on Unsplash)

Image of a young man looking out at a cross which is planted in the sea

Christian philosophers and theologians continue to defend sophisticated arguments for God’s existence, and to explain how we can rationally believe that God exists, despite the existence of evil and suffering. Many Christians also bear witness to how active faith in Jesus Christ transforms their lives.

To discover the rich tradition of Christian reflection on the credibility and importance of our faith, you might like to explore the following:

- Alive In God: A Christian Imagination, by Timothy Radcliffe, OP, Bloomsbury Continuum, London, 2019
- Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, HarperCollins Publishers, London, 2012
- Faith within Reason, by Herbert McCabe, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 2007
- Taking Pascal’s Wager, by Michael Rota, InterVarsity Press, Illinois, 2016.

Is It Rational to Believe in God?