“Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.” Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 10 August 1787
A man is no good to God or his fellow man if he obeys blindly, without reason. There are those, of course, who will gladly receive that which is given indiscriminately, but far better is the man who serves his fellows or his God after careful consideration and hearty enquiry.
Gregory Hake 
Wikipedia defines reason as the capacity of consciously making sense of things. A heart that is consciously protected to abide in a state of thankfulness, appreciation and patience sets the stage for making sense of things in the immediate moment expanding into the next.
LikeLike
I firmly believe this as well. Someone who has loyalty that comes from deep consideration is the person that you can trust to make well-reasoned decisions based on a similar consideration, and not just on what they think you want to hear. The alternative breeds self-righteousness, and the potential to fear honest skepticism.
LikeLike
Honest inquiry is the beginning of understanding . It helps to provide the depth and breadth necessary to navigate successfully the challenges that inevitably come. Even though we may be inspired by another, we must each live our own lives after all.
LikeLike
Obedience to the Divine Impulse need not be an opposing force to our ability to reason. Intelligent inquiry comes, in fact, from a strict obedience to the elements of Truth. Here is another area where God has been painted in such an unflattering light, but God is not well served by those who fawn and try to obey their concepts of Divine Will.
LikeLike
Thank you Gregg, your blog is so helpful in the sense that it keeps me asking questions of my world, and I think even more importantly of myself. The habitual forces of the world call us to blind conformity at every level it seems, where as you and the precious ones who love what you sound, inspire all to forsake fear based living for the practicality of reality. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this gift!
LikeLike
Obeying without reason, usually, will result in some type of insurrection or the very least regret and blame. The privilege of living comes with the responsibility of reason. We were created as a part of a mechanism that creates and we are the part with free will and a magnificent capacity for reason. I believe human beings are to spearhead that effort on Earth, fueled by the power from our Creator. We are here to continue creating, not to repeat agnosium the vain ideas of a few archetypical scenarios.
LikeLike
Our ability to “think” is a gift possessed by human beings, to allow us to be in position to be the link between Heaven and Earth. I love the quote by Thomas Jefferson, as he seemed to understand that without the capacity of reason, we are unable to properly discern our roles as those who have “dominion” in this world. When we blindly obey without “hearty enquiry” , we most likely will operate without a connection to truth and purpose, causing us to “dominate” instead. In this place there is no true service to God or man. At the end of the day, life and energy spent to no real cause, a very sad path . Inquired and consideration is pivotal, but I have found that I must be cautious not allow the former to turn into stubbornness and judgment. It’s a delicate balance.! Thanks Gregg
LikeLike
I am really enjoying the Thomas Jefferson quotes that you’ve selected to highlight on your blog! This is such an excellent point – that blind faith is not what is required (contrary to popular belief). If we’re not carefully considering and asking questions, we’re blindly following. We were given reason, thought, feelings and many other capacities for a reason. We should let them be activated and utilized in order to understand the core of our purpose and connection with God.
LikeLike