Kierkegaard and Faith

Prior to my introduction to Kierkegaard, I never really questioned the stories that comprise my faith. Baptized before I was even a year old, I accepted Christianity as an infant, quite an achievement for someone who could neither walk nor talk. My parents baptized me just like their parents had baptized them. This cycle of faith led me to assume that my elders were completely familiar and aware of the Christian stories, and because of this felt strongly that I too must learn from the story’s messages. So why, when I asked my mother and father if they would be gentle as they placed me on the altar for sacrifice, where they so taken aback?

Okay, so I agree that this scenario is a bit extreme and that accepting Christianity does not necessarily entail one to kill their only son, however, it does support Kierkegaard’s belief that certain components of Christianity are “irrational.” It is frightening to think that the story of Abraham and Isaac is the Christian story of faith. When one talks about experiencing ghosts, producing magic, or anything involving the supernatural, most likely, they would be accused of insanity or experimenting with acid. So how is it that there are over 2 billion Christians in the world who believe that Jesus walked on water, turned water into wine, raised people from the dead, and so on. I don’t mean to suggest that Christianity makes fools of its believers or that it shouldn’t be practiced, rather that one should analysis and think hard about what it is that he or she really believes in, and whether or not they are willing to accept the many paradoxes that can be found in Christian principles.

Kierkegaard addresses examples of paradoxes that he finds in the Christian faith, one that Jesus Christ is considered both man and god. The Christian faith states that there once existed a man, Jesus Christ, who was made up of both one hundred percent man, and one hundred percent god. If one chooses to agree that Jesus Christ indeed existed, he or she is disagreeing with the basic principles of logic and reason. Then again, many aspects of science contradict components of the bible.

Kierkegaard does not think that believing in God is foolish; rather, he thinks the opposite. He views the dogmas of Christianity as implausible because “being raised to assent to certain absurd formulations, to attend church with family and friends, and to call oneself ‘Christian’ by right of birth has nothing to do with being a Christian” (91). He doesn’t want society to blindly subject themselves to a religion simply because it is the sociably acceptable thing to do. Instead he thinks one should access their own beliefs, independent from others, and hopefully, he or she will come to the conclusion, like him, that even though Christianity is irrational, God is beyond reason.