Rational Credibility of the Catholic Faith

RATIONAL CREDIBILITY OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH. - I. NOTION. - Credible means etymologically everything that can be the object of belief or faith. Except that these two words are understood in different senses by today's psychologists. For some, belief is a persuasion without proofs. According to others, belief is an assent that excludes doubt, but that depends more on the will, on feeling, on instinct, on education, on environment, than on reflection; and one even goes so far as to affirm that one is born a believer as one is born an unbeliever. More commonly, belief is taken in the sense of a conviction not founded on solid rational motives, and which therefore does not imply certainty. And it would differ from opinion only because opinion is aware of the insufficiency of the reasons on which it is based. The word faith, moreover, is commonly taken as a synonym of belief.

Applying such concepts to the Catholic faith, it is affirmed that this is adherence to an order of ideas without sufficient proofs; or the certain and invincible persuasion of supposed truths revealed by God, even if shown to be irrational; or a purely subjective conviction, not deduced from reasoning but the work of feeling; or an aspiration of the will toward the infinite; or an almost instinctive need of the divine, etc. These conceptions of the Catholic faith are entirely false.

In theological language, as indeed in common usage, that which is attested by a person worthy of faith, that is, competent and truthful, is reasonably called credible. There is a divine faith and a human faith, according as the attesting authority is human or divine. In either case faith is an act of the intellect, insofar as the knowledge of a truth cannot be the object of a volitive or sensitive power.

The Catholic faith, moreover, is defined by the Vatican Council as « a supernatural virtue by which, with the inspiration and help of God's Grace, we believe to be true the things that He has revealed, not because with the natural light of reason we see their intrinsic truth, but because of the authority of God Himself revealing, who can neither deceive nor be deceived » (Denz-U, 1789).

For the rational credibility of human faith it is necessary and sufficient to demonstrate the fact of the testimony and the competence and sincerity of the attester. An analogous process is followed for the r. c. of the C. f. Once the existence of God, infinite truth, has been demonstrated philosophically, the existence of the divine Revelation is proved historically, as legitimately preserved and authentically interpreted and taught by the Roman Catholic Church. These two demonstrations are the two premises of the following syllogism, whose conclusion constitutes the judgment of c.: everything that God, infallible truth, reveals, is reasonably credible; but God has revealed the truths of the Catholic faith; therefore these truths are reasonably credible.

In this reasoning the will also intervenes, but only indirectly. The will, like the feelings and the passions, has a great influence on our reasonings, especially when it is a matter of truths that require long and complicated investigations, arouse difficulties and objections, and impose grave burdens. Too often it happens that « affection binds the intellect » and that « quod volumus credimus ».

What is needed then is greater attention of the intellect, constancy in study, an effort at objectivity, courage to impose silence on sophistical doubts and vain anxieties, mastery of the passions, love of the truth at any cost. To create such moral dispositions, to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of the recognition of the truth, to lead our whole soul to the truth, are tasks of the will; which, however, does not replace or objectively strengthen any argument of reason.

The syllogism of the c. of the C. f. applies to all the truths contained in the deposit of the divine Revelation. The r. c. is a property common to all and each of the truths of faith. It does not give the intrinsic evidence, the direct vision, the science of the Catholic dogmas or of the Christian mysteries, which remain incomprehensible. It does, however, demonstrate their extrinsic truth, that is, their real existence, insofar as they are guaranteed by the infallible authority of God.

The judgment of c. is not yet the act of supernatural faith. Once the r. c. of the C. f. is known, our intellect performs another act preparatory to this faith. Considering that the religion revealed by God is the only

RATIONAL CREDIBILITY OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH

true one and obligatory for all, and that on its practice depends the eternal salvation of each man, we must logically conclude that the Catholic faith is an inescapable duty of ours. This conclusion is called, in technical theological language, the judgment of credibility. It is distinguished from the judgment of c. because it is motivated by different arguments, such as our dutiful submission to the divine magisterium and our eternal salvation.

And when, with the inspiration and help of divine Grace, our intellect offers to God the free homage of faith, it believes, not because of the motives of credibility, but because of the authority of God revealing, the formal motive of the Catholic faith. One must therefore keep distinct the motives of c. from the motives of credibility and from the formal motive of faith.

II. NECESSITY

The judgment of rational credibility is the necessary condition for every believer, so that his faith may be reasonable, firm, and obligatory, as it must be according to Catholic doctrine. Divine wisdom could not have imposed upon us the acceptance of truths superior to our understanding, necessary for our eternal salvation, to be believed solely on the authority of God revealing and with a faith so firm and irrevocable as to require suffering martyrdom rather than renouncing it, without having given us certain and sure proofs that such truths have truly been revealed by God.

III. DEMONSTRABILITY

The rational credibility of the Catholic faith can be demonstrated with certainty (v. APOLOGETICS). The proofs of this demonstration are called by various names by theologians: they are called criteria (logical), insofar as they serve to distinguish divine Revelation from false human revelations; signs, because they designate the true revelation; motives, because they move the intellect to assent; arguments, in consideration of their demonstrative value.

These arguments are many, of differing probative value, and can be classified in various ways; in some theological treatises long and complicated lists of them are found. Substantially they can be divided, according to their nature, into two classes: intrinsic and extrinsic (to the revealed doctrine); and, according to their demonstrative value, into two further categories: primary and secondary. The intrinsic arguments, also called internal, are drawn from the characteristics or endowments of the revealed doctrine, from the manner of its preaching and from its connatural fruits. The extrinsic, also called external, reduce to miraculous facts, in general, wrought by God for the purpose of proving the divine and revealed origin of the truths that are the object of the Catholic faith. The arguments that give certainty are called primary; those that prove only with probability are called secondary. The latter, although by themselves insufficient, are nonetheless of great importance, insofar as they eliminate prejudices against the revealed doctrine, make it better appreciated and loved, move the intellect to a more attentive examination of the primary arguments, of which they offer confirmation; for this reason they are also called auxiliary and confirmatory. On the primary arguments v. MIRACLE.

The secondary arguments of credibility can be summarized as follows. The doctrine proposed to our faith by the Catholic Church as revealed by God: a) is immune from evident absurdities in the logical order and from evident contradictions with the natural moral law; b) constitutes an organic, coherent, perfect system, sublime, transcending all other philosophical or religious systems; c) responds admirably to the needs, desires, and highest aspirations of human nature, particularly of upright and more virtuous persons; d) when practiced, is inexhaustibly fruitful in every kind of good; e) considered in its essential elements and integrally, it cannot be explained by a natural evolution from other religions or philosophies. Moreover, the revealers of this transcendent doctrine are humble, simple, unlettered persons; they declare that they teach, not a doctrine of their own, but what God has manifested to them; and this claim of theirs appears in itself worthy of belief to anyone who considers their wisdom and their holiness.

The truth, perfection, transcendence, fruitfulness, and originality of the doctrine of faith and the human authority of its revealers are undoubtedly a valid argument for its divine and revealed origin. They are not, however, a certain argument, sufficient in itself, primary, as some apologists claim who make of it the principal and almost exclusive argument of their demonstration. The absence of evident errors and immorality in Catholic doctrine proves only the possibility of its divine origin, insofar as it is not unworthy of God. Absolutely speaking, one could suppose a non-revealed religious doctrine that was in contradiction neither with the certain principles of reason nor with the natural dictates of our conscience. Nor does the transcendent perfection of Catholic doctrine show with certainty its revealed origin. One cannot determine what degree of perfection is required for a doctrine to be necessarily called revealed, not knowing how far a human genius can reach with its natural powers alone or even with divine assistance in the natural order. It must further be borne in mind that most of the truths of faith, and the most fundamental ones, are supernatural mysteries, transcending the human intelligence, whose intrinsic evidence even after Revelation cannot be demonstrated. Moreover, the examination of the sublimity, beauty, and harmony of the ethical-religious system of the Catholic religion requires an intelligence that is capable, cultured, and free from prejudices and passions, mature age, and long study; it is therefore not an argument within everyone's reach. And as for the correspondence of Catholic doctrine with the spiritual aspirations of human nature, it must be observed that it does not extend to all the beliefs, laws, and maxims of Catholic doctrine; that in order to be ascertained by our internal experience it already presupposes the practice of that faith whose rational credibility must already have been demonstrated as certain by other arguments; and that the ascertainment of the identity of Catholic beliefs with the spiritual laws of human life depends greatly on our subjective dispositions, and is wont to be inconstant and a source of errors and illusions. Finally, the beneficial fruits of Catholic doctrine prove that this doctrine is true; but, if everything revealed by God is true, not everything that is true is also revealed by God. And in the demonstration of the rational credibility of the Catholic faith it is necessary to prove that the object of this faith comes from God "through a supernatural revelation," because it must be believed, not for its intrinsic evidence, but for the infallible authority of God revealing, as has already been said.

Only when the effects produced by Catholic doctrine surpass the powers of human nature can one argue from them the divine and revealed origin of this doctrine; but in these cases we are already dealing with miraculous facts and therefore with extrinsic arguments.

IV. THE INTERVENTION OF GRACE IN THE JUDGMENT OF RATIONAL CREDIBILITY OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH

Considered in itself, the judgment of credibility is a natural act, which our intellect can perform with its own powers, since it is the necessary conclusion of a syllogism. This, however, does not exclude the helps of the Holy Spirit, whose reality is taught by the Vatican Council (Denz-U, 1790). The judgment of credibility, an indispensable condition of a faith necessary for the eternal salvation of each man, presents many difficulties, especially in particular cases of apologetic ignorance, of poorly developed intelligence, of consciences steeped in prejudices or entangled by passions. God, who wills the salvation of all, intervenes with internal and external helps, natural and supernatural, according to the needs of each and the designs of his wisdom. And pastoral apologetics must appeal to these individual divine helps, take great account of them and implore them in prayer.

Divine Providence, for example, can place us in the position of being almost forced to examine carefully the foundations of the Catholic faith; it can strengthen our intellect to better understand their demonstrative value; fortify the will to overcome difficulties and hesitations and to restrain the disordered inclinations of egoism, pride, and lust that divert our mind in the search for truth. This action of divine Grace does not replace the rational arguments of credibility nor give them a value different from that which they objectively have, as if an argument in itself logically insufficient could become sufficient through the Grace of God; on the contrary, it presupposes them, helping us to know them more clearly and effectively. Considering divine omnipotence, one must also admit that God can dispense with all the arguments of credibility enumerated above, and directly communicate to one who disposes himself to faith the certainty of the divine and revealed origin of the Catholic doctrine, enlightening his mind and moving his will in an extraordinary manner. There then occurs the so-called internal or spiritual miracle, having the same demonstrative value as the external and physical miracle, provided that one can know with certainty its divine and supernatural origin and its connection with the doctrines of faith. But common experience shows us that the internal miracle is an exceptional fact. Moreover, the internal miracle is by its very nature a subjective and individual argument of credibility, valid only for the one who is favored by it. The economy of divine Providence thus normally makes use of objective, public and universal arguments of credibility, which avoid the dangers of a subjectivism easily given to illusion and fanaticism. Therefore the Vatican Council condemned the doctrine according to which «divine Revelation cannot be made credible by external signs, and that consequently men must be led to faith only by internal and personal experience or by a private inspiration» (Denz-U, 1812).

Giuseppe Monti