ABSTRACT
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is an example of something that must be accepted on faith, as are other claims about the divine nature. This chapter argues that a brief summary of Thomas Aquinas views will indicate his optimistic and positive attitude toward the relation between faith and reason. Aquinas believes that God has implanted within us the capacity to learn of his existence and nature through the power of reason. At the opposite pole is Soren Kierkegaard, who sees little role for reason in one's quest for faith. For Soren Kierkegaard, faith is essentially commitment involving uncertainty and risk. For the subjective thinker, in contrast, the question of God is not an intellectual problem, but a matter of intense inwardness, and faith is commitment to a relationship that defies objective analysis. Romantic love is essentially a relationship between two persons that, at its most intense, produces a lifelong relationship in marriage.
