The "Light" of Reason - How Far is too Far? (Bonus Blog) Emma Dalgety

 Toland's ideas were the most succinct and straightforward out of these three readings, but Toland puts forth some rather bizarre statements on the nature of Reason in interpretation of Scriptures. He states, "Reason is the only foundation of all Certitude... we likewise maintain, that there is nothing in the Gospel contrary to Reason, nor above it; and that no Christian doctrine can be properly called a Mystery." (2) The conclusion that naturally follows in the logical progression would be that all of the mysteries and wonders documented in Scripture are understandable by mortals. Reason seems to have been placed higher than God, presenting the new definition, "God is Reason". Thankfully, Toland admits that some elements of the faith are beyond our comprehension; however, with such a pervasive undertone of being able to reason through it, I am not sure if this is a reality that Toland managed to comprehend. The difference continues as John Wesley comes onto the scene. He specifically mentions that "heathens" are guided by nothing but the "dim light of reason" (3). While Toland seems to very clearly value pure and lofty Reason as a basis for his Christian faith, Wesley recognizes that thinking alone will not bring someone to conversion, and brings in more subtle discussion on this topic.

 Wesley himself presents more controversial statements that point the argument's direction back towards Reason. Wesley asserts that God saw the evil in mankind's heart after the Fall, and saw nothing but evil (as light cannot mix with darkness). Within this dark spiral, Wesley highlights that the oracles (prophets) of God taught that imagination (from the heart) was all evil, and he clearly viewed the oracles as current instructors. This presents another subtle turn away from the irrational behaviors produced by the heart and the more logical choice of following God. I am not quite sure if Wesley and Toland are indeed on similar footing in "reasoning" their way through the "nonexistent" mysteries of God, but both of them seem to display at least a tendency in this direction. The only thing I am sure of is that there seems to be a heavily-blurred line between God's omnipotence and man's "supreme" ability to reason and discover things about God's Creation. If we follow Toland and Wesley's arguments in favor of using Reason to interpret every single "mystery" of the Bible, what happens to Isaiah, in which God says, "My thoughts are higher than yours?" Wesley and Toland both seem to draw a line and specify the involvement of the Holy Spirit, but analyzing their statements closely makes one wonder - how far is it safe to go in order to obtain near-perfect knowledge about the Scriptures? 

I commented on Elijah Mahn and Emmett Bryant's posts

Comments

  1. Emory CooperOctober 5, 2021 at 2:44 AM

    I saw the same 'line of reasoning' in Toland's work! I, too, am slow to agree with everything he said. The way I believe it, Scripture is definitely higher in authority than reason. And there certainly are mysteries in the Bible that we cannot comprehend and which even seem to directly contradict our reason, such as the Trinity. How can God be both one and three? But because the Bible, not reason, is our ultimate authority, we have to trust in what the Bible says, and pray that the Holy Spirit may teach us how to correctly interpret it. Good post, Emma!

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