1. In this paper I will argue Christianity is a rational belief because it involves relying on
a combination of faith and humility along with reason, rather than mere reason alone due to
the inadequacies in natural reason. In the first part of the paper, I will state Aquinas’s position
that although humans are created with intellectual capacity to find limited evidence about
God through reason, we also have intellectual limitations. In the second part of the paper, I
will discuss an objection from Clifford and many others who agree with the belief, it is wrong
in most if not all cases, to believe anything without sufficient evidence. In the third part of the
paper, I will reply humans were created to be wisdom and truth seekers who yearn to seek
and learn about God but due to inadequacies in natural reason, humans need to be somewhere
in between being too arrogant and or too gullible, thus faith and humility along with reason is
the best halfway solution for this issue.
According to Aquinas, there are two levels to a human’s intellectual ability when
seeking truth and wisdom about God (higher being). One level of ability is that truth is
reachable to the human intellect whereas the other level is when truth cannot be reachable
due to natural reason (human reason/nature) being inadequate. 1 Most things about God
surpasses the natural reason because God is something above what humans can think and he
always will be. 2 Aquinas states that although we cannot fully investigate, understand, and
prove the existence of God through reason, it is also irrational to simply reject all that is said
about him as well. 3
Some such as Clifford could object that believing in anything without sufficient
evidence is wrong almost always. 4 Some further claim that believing in anything based on
mere faith and humility paired with little to no reason, is actually the irrational belief.
1
Aquinas,Summa Contra Gentiles, Book I,70
2
Aquinas,Summa Contra Gentiles, Book I,70
3
Aquinas,Summa Contra Gentiles, Book I,66
4
Clifford,The Ethics of Belief, 387

2. Atheists often debate and question the rationality of people who choose to believe in a higher
being (God) that is all or mostly based on faith and humility and relies on little to no reason
when proving the existence of God. In order for an atheist to believe in something or God,
they rely heavily on mere evidence found through reason because that is rational and right for
them; relying heavily on mere faith and humility is too irrational, naïve, weak, and gullible.
In reply to this objection, humans need to make sure one doesn’t appear too arrogant,
believing only sufficient reason and evidence can prove everything in life, thus we don’t need
faith and humility. When humans believe we can find reason and evidence for everything in
life, and choose to deny the existence of God, this is actually irrational and overly confident
because we forget humans have intellectual limitations to think and reason. This is why faith
and humility are important to rely on. People on the other hand also need to be careful not to
appear too gullible and simply rely on faith and humility that we believe is true, and not use
reason at all. To not search for evidence through reason as to why Christianity is a rational
belief, prevents Christians from being able to defend objections from adversaries. Humans,
are created and given the ability to be wisdom and truth seekers who yearn to learn and know
about God, which is why reason is also important to rely on. However, we can only obtain a
limited amount of knowledge about God which is how we were meant to be created. When
and if people choose to accept the truth that a higher being such as God exist, who far
surpasses our intellectual ability, and knows all there is to know, that is when we begin to
realize we need to rely on faith and humility along with reason due to the inadequacies in
natural reason.
Aquinas’s and my defense as to why Christianity is a rational belief is explained that
in order to prevent ourselves from appearing too arrogant and or too gullible, we need faith
and humility along with reason, instead of simply relying on reason alone due to the
inadequacies in natural reason.

3. Outlines of Paper
Thesis:
Christianity is a rational belief because it involves relying on a combination of faith and
humility along with reason, rather than mere reason alone due to the inadequacies in natural
reason.
Part I
-discuss Aquinas’s two levels of human intellectual capability when seeking truth about God
(higher being).
-mention that despite being unable to fully investigate and prove the existence of God, we
cannot just simply deny what is said about God either.
Part II
-the objection from James Clifford and others who state believing in anything without
sufficient evidence is almost always wrong.
-mention the logic and thinking of atheist who rely heavily on mere evidence and reason
alone when choosing to believe in something or God.
Part III
-discuss the solution to what is in between being too arrogant and or too gullible and why we
cannot be one or the other.
-mention humans were created to be wisdom and truth seekers who yearn to seek and learn
about God but due to inadequacies in natural reason, we need to rely on faith and humility
along with reason.
Conclusion:
Aquinas’s and my defense as to why Christianity is a rational belief is explained that in order
to prevent ourselves from appearing too arrogant and or too gullible, we need faith and
humility along with reason, instead of simply relying on reason alone due to the inadequacies
in natural reason.