ABSTRACT

When philosophers discuss faith and reason, they usually concern themselves exclusively with the epistemic status of the beliefs that the faithful have. Judging the rationality of faith also involves assessing how those who have it and those who reject it respond to what they consider the status of the propositions. The rationality of faith is not only a matter of the epistemological status of the beliefs that are its core. But this matter has always been the center of consideration for philosophers. The chapter aims to discuss another important dimension of the rationality of human attitudes. The life of religious faith demands that one perform actions that include duties toward God as well as duties toward other human persons. In Joseph Butler's language, religion enjoins positive precepts as well as moral ones. These include duties of worship, prayer, and sacramental participation.