Between faith and reason. First Questions

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleМежду вярата и разума. Първи въпроси
3. Language term Bulgarian
4. lemma author Nachev, Ivaylo
5. lemma category Orthodox theological tradition and practice - Concepts of knowledge and modes of reasoning > Orthodox gnosiology
6. Publication date 2016
7. lemma work Попмаринов, Димитър [Author]. Between faith and reason. First Questions
8. lemma manifestations Between faith and reason. First Questions - София: Покров Богородичен, 2016.
9. Keywords atheism - pantheism - theism - spiritual crisis
10. Lemma body

    1. The book aims to present key aspects of the Orthodox view for world and man, addressing the questions of interest for a wider public –  both those who embrace religious faith and skeptics. The author approached its subject from the Orthodox viewpoint and tradition but along purely theological questions there were discussed various contemporary problems and relations between secular and theological knowledge. Popmarinov discussed a number of general worldview categories and concepts, concerning relations between faith and knowledge, faith and science, atheism and Christianity, and others.    

       A number of topics were discussed in various parts of the book. Among these was the possibility for coexistence between views of science and religion, supported by the example of prominent scientists who are at the same time believers. In addition, the author commented on different places with criticism the state sponsored atheism in Bulgaria before 1989 whose fundaments included “blind faith in scientific progress”. Spiritual crisis in the modern and post-modern epoch is among the other recurring topics.

       The first chapter discussed main views on belief and unbelief in God. The author examined various positions on religion: theism, pantheism, atheism, agnosticism and others. The atheism in communist countries became political ideology and quasi-religion. Popmarinov made the general observation that knowledge stemming from religious faith, philosophy, science and life practice always interweaves in forming worldviews and unawareness of this interrelation brings troubles. Honest and frank physics leads to metaphysics and many prominent scholars embrace religious faith.

       The second chapter reviews core concepts regarding God, man, reason and the Holy Scriptures. The author argues that both the religious and scientific knowledge is based on faith. Yet, giving a direct knowledge, spiritual logic exceeds rational logic. The author argued that fundamental sciences as mathematics and physics are based on axioms, thus they imply some kind of faith and gave examples for such propositions. Moreover, referring to history, Popmarinov pointed that science has developed from religious knowledge, and scientific terminology still uses many words with religious origin. As for the Bible-science relation, scholars trying to denounce the scriptures with scientific arguments and theologians trying to defend them with scientific methods could be equally unsuccessful, according to the author.  Attempts for understanding the Bible with a rational analysis (applies mainly to the Protestantism), leads to “tragic division between the scientific approach to the Bible and the faith of the Christians” (p.89).  The author also described Darwinism and evolutionary theory as a scholarly speculations and summarized various arguments against them from an Orthodox point of view. The Bible gives answer why the world was created, while human reason and science address the question how it was created.     

       Chapter three dealt with core Christian dogmas and questions of the contemporary people. The author examined Orthodox ideas of personality, good and evil, and God’s providence and made some references to the psychological approach and terminology. Popmarinov also made a distinction between the Christian concept of eternity from one side, and infinity from the other. According to him, infinity is determined by the material world, conditioned on time and space, an idea often used in “contemporary science” which denotes linear development.  Contemporary men try to approach God rationally and even with scientific methods (the example of the CERN’s search of the origin of the Universe), not with direct spiritual experience , which has in itself something “pagan” and “tragic”, as the authors puts it.