Reason is not a god

German philosopher Immanuel Kant challenged us in his 1784 essay, “What is Enlightenment?”, with, Sapere Aude! [Dare to know!]. He wrote, “have the courage to use your own intelligence! Is therefore the motto of the enlightenment”. He goes on, “The public use of one’s reason must always be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among men.” Unfortunately, this erroneous view of reason has trickled down from the enlightenment period. A period where men were convinced that they were emerging from centuries of darkness and ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason, science, and a respect for humanity. People whose minds are still trapped in this era, consciously or unconsciously, mislead the public into thinking that reason and logic alone are the primary sources of knowledge and truth. Reason and logic are glorified as mini-gods to whom we must look to in order to solve the problems of mankind. If your mind is still trapped in the 18th century: please wake up. In the context of discovering Truth, reason is not something that can enlighten; it is something we do: big difference. This is the more reasonable view: It is only because God lends us the tiniest drop of his reasoning powers that we are able to think at all. Similarly, it is only because He loves us infinitely, that we are able to love others. God is the ultimate principle, not reason, therefore we should look to Him for enlightenment. We should look to the one who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is true enlightenment. You would only, I think, be deceiving yourself, if you believe otherwise.