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On ReasoningReasoning Is Faith’s GuardianReasoning is that facility that allows the use of logic to infer or deduce a conclusion. Reasoning is that ability to extend what is known into the unknown and, by doing so, create something new. What is created can be as complex as an idea or as simple as a new way of doing a task. Reasoning is the act; reason and logic are the methodology. Reasoning allows us to determine the difference between objects or concepts A and B. Reasoning not only allows us to use each object in its customary way but also to use each object in new, unexpected ways. Reasoning is not intelligence; although, intelligence enhances the reasoning ability and may improve its accuracy. While reasoning and intelligence are not the same, some intelligence is required for reasoning. Learned behavior is not reasoning even though at first glance it may seem so. Learned behavior is obtained by watching and copying; reasoning creates that which is copied. Nor is reasoning the same as instinct or intuition. Instinct is an automatic or learned response to a stimuli or a situation. Instincts are usually primal and are lower-brain functions that serve to protect us. Intuition, on the other hand, is a higher-brain function that provides information that often exceeds our current logic and reasoning ability. Intuition jumps from what is known to what was unknown. Intuition is primed by logic, reason, and research. Intuition only appears to operate in a vacuum; it is the higher brain making unexpected connections between known information. For intuition to provide accurate information, the originating data must also be accurate. Reasoning is the ability to separate facts from fantasy and data from dogma. Reasoning prepares the mind for intuition. Reasoning is the fuel that intuition uses for leaping from the known to the unknown. Reasoning keeps us on track until intuition is ready to kick in. Reasoning is often used as the basis for "jumping to conclusions". Actually, the lack of reasoning is the real problem because reasoning is a step-by-step process for reaching a conclusion. When you jump to a conclusion, you usually omit at least one step in the logical chain of reasoned evidence. We often hear of "the voice of reason". This voice is often one of compromise and seeks to find a reasonable solution between two diverging views. Reasoning is used to find an answer acceptable to the extremes. Reasoning is faith’s guardian and the foundation on which belief is built. Faith cannot long endure if reasoning finds fault with its tenets. If reasoning finds faith illogical based on scientifically accepted knowledge or the individual’s education and training then either faith or reasoning must be modified. Faith cannot be sustained without reasoning. Reasoning cannot be ignored at the expense of faith. Without reasoning faith is shallow and apt to desert you in times of crisis. If faith and reasoning cannot be brought into accord, one must be ignored, creating a schism within the mind. Reasoning and faith become compartmentalized and can result in a dysfunctional individual. This dysfunction may lead to fanaticism because the mind does not like to be out of sync with its reasoning. Reasoning assures the mind that faith is valid and real instead of smoke and mirrors. Reasoning maintains a balance between faith and belief, fantasy and reality. Author: Don Miller
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