Kierkegaard's account(s) of faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kierkegaard's account(s) of faith - Essay Example His philosophy states that infinites passion is capable enough of overriding the seemingly impossible. It goes against the seemingly uncertain and the unlikely Even if there is objective uncertainty, infinite passion has the power to bring about change and make things happen. On the other hand the account of faith discussed by Johannes de Silentio in Fear and Trembling, through Knight of Faith, resides on the premise that through belief in the absurd, even the impossible can be made possible. This is intrinsic faith. We all believe in the absurd. What is absurd? It could be God, it could be the â€Å"universe conspiring for you to connect you with your goal, it could be a holy spiritual energy, it could be coincidence or anything which defies reason. Intrinsic Faith is a concept or a practise that can be cultivated through belief and conscious conviction about a thing happening or an event taking place successfully despite the mammoth obstacles in front. In case of Knight of Faith, he has resigned to the fact that he will never get the princess, but through faith, it is possible to get to his desired destiny. The power of faith is at its fullest application in connecting the Knight of Faith with his goal. ... These two philosophies of faith are different. According to the writer Pojman, the difference in the two account’s of faith, that of Kierkegaard and that of Johannes Climacus is perspective. Their perspectives are different. Kierkegaard writes with an insider-point of view about Christianity, whereas Climacus writes about it from the outside. However both agree on how one becomes a true Christian and on the matter of Christianity. (Sands 17) If a situation or a circumstance or an event is foreseen with infinite passion and belief in the absurd, it gathers positive energy from the ‘doer’ or ‘wisher’ as well as spiritual energy from the unknown power – God. If anything had to happen beyond predictable turn of events, defying reason it had to happen through positive belief in the divine power and through infinite passion. . (Sands 25) What objections might be made to Kierkegaard’s account(s) of faith, and how might he answer them? The objec tion that can be made to Kierkegaard’s account of faith is that by writing from the view-point of an unbeliever, Kierkegaard hoped to ‘beguile’ readers into recognising their own necessity to convert into Christianity. . (Sands 17) Another objection raised against Kierkegaard’s account of faith is â€Å"Kierkegaard's treatment of religious belief is that it fails to distinguish between someone who has a justified belief and someone who is insane.† (Philosophy of Religion 1) To this objection Kierkegaard would say that like existence itself, religious belief has no ultimate rational justification and therefore there is no way to distinguish it from reality. Kierkegaard would say that stage of infinite resignation is the last stage before faith. Therefore, anyone who has not made this movement,