“Faith embraces many truths which seem to contradict each other.”
- June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662
- French
- Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Philosopher, Theologian
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Quote
“Faith embraces many truths which seem to contradict each other.”
Explanation
Pascal acknowledges the paradoxical nature of faith, where truths that appear to be in conflict can coexist within a higher unity. While human reason often demands logical clarity and consistency, faith allows for mystery, tension, and complexity, accepting that divine reality may surpass our limited frameworks. What seems contradictory from a rational standpoint—such as justice and mercy, freedom and providence, suffering and love—may, in the realm of faith, be not contradictions, but complementary truths held together in divine wisdom.
This insight reflects Pascal’s broader themes in Pensées, where he wrestles with the limits of human reason and the greatness of God. As a mathematician, Pascal understood logic deeply, but he also saw that spiritual truths often transcend the bounds of reason. His defense of Christianity rested not on eliminating all paradox, but on showing that the apparent contradictions within faith reflect the profound depth of the human and divine condition, not its irrationality.
In modern terms, Pascal’s observation speaks to the ongoing tension between faith and reason, doubt and belief. In a world that often seeks neat explanations, his view invites humility: that not all truths can be resolved into tidy formulas, and that the most profound realities may involve both/and rather than either/or. It is a reminder that faith is not the denial of thought, but the willingness to hold together truths that point beyond our understanding toward a greater harmony.
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