On Faith

Posted on December 6, 2008
Filed Under Philosophy, Religion | 2 Comments

Great quote of Levinas on faith from over at Working Notes.

It is, in fact, my opinion that the relation to God called faith does not primordially mean adhesion to certain statements that constitute a knowledge for which there is no demonstration–a knowledge that would from time to time be troubled by the anxiety of a certainty lacking proof. To me, religion means transcendence, which, as proximity of the absolutely other (i.e., of the one of its kind), is not a failed coinciding and would not have ended in some sublime projected goal, nor in the incomprehension of what should have been grasped and understood as an object, as “my thing.” Religion is the excellence proper to sociality with the Absolute, or, if you will, in the positive sense of the expression, Peace with the other.
(Levinas, “On Jewish Philosophy” in In the Time of the Nations, 170)

Read the full post.

Related posts:

  1. On Causes and Religion
  2. Levinas, Ostler and the Face of the Other
  3. Heidegger vs. Levinas
  4. Levinas, Heidegger & Objects
  5. God, Dasein and Omniscience
  6. Faith Instinct

Comments

2 Responses to “On Faith”

Here’s a million dollar question – If you were to die right now, would you qualify for the celestial kingdom? If you’re like many Mormons, you’re not sure. You try hard to be as good as possible, but you still don’t know if you’ve done enough. If the Book of Mormon is really scripture, this hope will always elude you. Alma 11:37 says God cannot save you in your sins. Are all of your sins forgiven? Moroni 10:32 says you must be perfected in Christ, which can only be done by denying yourself of “all ungodliness”. Have you done that? Do you repent on a regular basis? Is so, then it is clear that you sin on a regular basis, since only those who break the commandments need to repent. 1 Nephi 3:7 states that you are able to keep His commandments. In fact according to D&C 25:15, you are required to keep them continually! Since you haven’t done this so far, why assume you will in the future? Of course, we should all try to be holy; but if you think that sinning less will qualify you to live in God’s presence, you are mistaken (Gal 3:1-11). The assumption that good works are required for forgiveness only cheapens Christ’s atonement, making it nothing more than a partial payment. God chooses to justify us by faith. Jesus alone does the “perfecting” (Heb 10:14). God gives peace to those who trust in Him alone. If you don’t have this peace, it’s probably because at least a part of you trusts in yourself. Questions? Visit us at http://www.gotforgiveness.com

Oh, geeze. If you’re going to go around mischaracterizing Mormon belief in the hope the ignorant will change faiths at least do it on a website not run by people informed about their religion.

The whole point of the atonement in LDS theology is to save us from our sins. None of us on our own would qualify for the celestial kingdom. As Moroni 10:32-33 says, “come unto Christ and be perfected in him … by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ. …if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become dholy, without spot.”

This is pretty basic LDS doctrine.

But if you think Mormons believe we can be perfect on your own you’re simply wrong. And if you think going around telling people that we believe that then you’re being rather uncharitable to say the least.

As for 1 Ne 3:7, yes, it would make no sense for God to give a commandment impossible to do. (That would make him rather capricious to say the least) However the fact we still screw up is due to the flesh. (Indeed this is one of the main themes of Paul in the NT: Say Romans 7-8)

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