For generations, great religious minds have debated the relationship between faith and reason. Is one's faith valid even if one supports one's beliefs with rational thought? Is faith even necessary? Or is the ideal a balance between the two? These are just some of the many questions that are asked regarding this topic. I believe that Christian beliefs, to be rationally justified, must be supported by faith and the reasons for that faith. I believe one's Christian beliefs should be supported by faith. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Faith is a fundamental part of Christianity. The Bible repeatedly states that you must have faith to be saved. For example, the apostle Paul writes, “For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you profess faith and are saved” (Romans 10:10). Here Paul commands Christians to outwardly express the faith that is within them. This is a requirement to be saved. Therefore, faith is necessary to believe in Christianity. Galatians 2:20 reveals what we need to have faith in: “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” In other words, one's faith is defined by trusting the Bible and the story of Jesus. Now that we have established the necessity of faith and the substance of faith in relation to Christianity, we must investigate the necessity of reason. Reason is “the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a logical process” (Oxford Dictionary). Many times in the Bible Christians are called to use their minds. For example, Jesus invites us to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). Here Jesus distinguishes the mind as a necessary component for loving God. The mind represents one's intellect. Jesus is saying that to love God, you must love Him through thought and reasoning. Therefore, since Jesus not only calls us to believe, but also to love God with our intellect, we conclude that reason is a necessary part of Christianity. That is, you must not only trust in the Lord, but also have reasons to trust in the words of the Bible. Peter calls Christians to this idea, commanding them to "always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). Peter is saying that to reach people who question Christian beliefs, one must be able to explain why they believe what they believe. Therefore, reason is essential for believing in Christianity. For me, faith and reason have both been vital to my belief in Christianity. I have faith that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died and was resurrected for my salvation. I believe this because I have found the words of the Bible to be true in my life. Outside of the Bible, the most convincing argument for the existence of God is C.S. Lewis's Moral Argument, reported in his book Mere Christianity. The argument states that there is a moral standard instilled in every human being and, because of this, there must be a being who established this law and that being, God, must be outside the universe. These reasons, along with my faith, include my belief in Christianity. In contrast to the idea that faith and reason are necessary components of one's religion, some reject the necessity of reason and see faith as the only essential part of one's faith. One philosopher who famously held this view was Søren Kierkegaard. He believed there was one.