ABSTRACT
It is important at the start of such a philosophical examination to identify what is meant by having ‘a faith’, namely: (i) the beliefs which constitute that faith and (ii) the way of life and commitments which such beliefs entail. At this early stage of the argument, it may help to point to what Rudolf Otto referred to in ‘The Idea of the Holy’, or to what William James revealed in ‘The Varieties of Religious Experience’, or to Emile Pascal’s ‘mysterium tremendum’ in his ‘Les Pensees’, or to Mohammad’s response to the revelations on Mount Hira, or to the way of life presented in the ‘Torah’ – namely, that deep-seated sense of the ‘numinous’ which arises in so many cultures. However, criticisms have to be faced in the light of challenges to the truth of such beliefs, especially within the context of education, and therefore to the reasonableness of such beliefs and of consequent commitments. This is where the epistemological issues of having, and therefore teaching, a faith are raised, prior to further analysis (in Chapters 3 and 4). Can a belief be seen to be reasonable when based upon a powerful sense of ‘the holy’, even where it seems that it cannot be proved to be true?
