By ROGER BRYNER
Roger@newsroom.byu.edu
During yesterday's devotional, Richard N. Williams dissolved the myth that faith is 'what we cling to when we don't know.'
'Faith is knowledge,' Williams said. 'It is not merely a state of mind contrived to fill the void created by the absence of reasoned knowledge, but rather a very important kind of knowledge.'
Williams compared this 'kind of knowledge' to experiences with people or events.
'The 'truth' of events is established by witnesses,' Williams said. So faith, like events, is made 'true' through witnesses and 'sure and certain experience,' Williams said.
Williams also explained where these experiences and witnesses come from. He used Alma 32 to explain, saying that the experiences and witnesses will come from experimenting with 'the seed,' which is the true word of Christ. Those who develop their moral character, like the seed, will experience 'swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow.'
This swelling, sprouting and growing are the witnesses and experiences people have, he said. They allow people to anchor knowledge to Christ instead of reason, Williams said.
'Reason must begin with premises that reason itself cannot validate,' Williams said. 'Truth, I am convinced, can be rendered reasonable, but it does not arise from reason.'
Williams said that by knowing what is true, followers of Christ can then use reason to 'sort out our obligations, anticipate consequences, and persuade others that what we know is true.'
This view of faith being the foundation for reason contrasts the modern view that 'reason and logic ultimately ground knowledge and truth, while faith is what we are forced to rely on when we lack indubitable certainty,' Williams said.
However, this view of reason 'trumping' faith, has found its way into LDS culture. 'Often, even on this campus, we academics divide truth into sacred truths and secular truths,' Williams said.
Rather, Williams said faith and reason can be conceived as two dimensions perpendicular to one another.
'One dimension is anchored on one end by 'reason' and on the other end by its opposite 'irrationality'. The other dimension is anchored on one end by 'faith,' and on the other end by 'despair,'' he said.
He said this concept would allow a person to have great faith while being very reasonable. One can still gain knowledge through sensory experience and reason, but at the same time have knowledge through faith, Williams said.
Williams said the separation of knowledge from reason and from faith is a great blessing.
'The lack of sensory knowledge, and residing in belief is a great blessing, a protection from the condemnation that comes from sinning against certain kinds of knowledge,' Williams said.
He said that faith is not to be used to make one's salvation difficult, but rather makes salvation possible.
'The trial of faith is not to see what we will do without him, but to see what we can do with him.' Williams said.
Anton Rytting, a senior from California, majoring in linguistics, said he found many useful lessons from Williams' talk.
'We suffer from a misconception of faith,' he said. 'Reason may give a plan to accomplish a goal, but faith is needed to make and achieve that goal.'
See related story:
Devotional speaker to address basis of knowledge claims 1/31/2000