Posted by noa on April 10, 2003, at 19:34:33
In reply to Re: Tolstoi or y » rayww, posted by Dena on March 10, 2003, at 19:59:43
I know I'm coming to this discussion late, but I think it also helps to think about that dilemma of Tolstoy's in the context of his historical time. There is perhaps alwasy a tension between faith and intellect (trusting through faith or needing proof through science) but it was especially acute during his time, I think, in part due to the power of the church and the attempt to break away from that power through the intellectual pursuits of the Enlightenment. I think that nowadays, there is far more tolerance of the idea that faith and intellectual pursuits can be very compatible. But perhaps that tension between "I believe even though I cannot see" and "seeing is believing" is just inherent to the question of faith.
poster:noa
thread:206855
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20021227/msgs/218355.html