Why is This Blog Called "Faith, Reason, and Fiction?"

Faith, reason, and fiction are my three favorite things!

Faith

My faith is the most important thing to me, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning, studying, and teaching it.

As a Catholic, the posts and discussions on faith are based on what I've learned, and from my experiences from teaching others.

My faith is the lens I use to view the world, so this is what’s the most important to me.

Reason

I also spend a lot of time thinking… and thinking… and sometimes overthinking!

Being able to think more clearly is important, because that process of reasoning is how we know a lot of what we know.

Reason helps us to make sense of our world, why we do what we do, and how we can change what needs changing

Fiction

Fiction combines both faith and reason!

We use both the lens of faith, and our ability to reason when we read and try to understand a story.

I love stories, but I don’t love stories that are overly simplistic--the ones where you know everything that’s going to happen within a few pages of the first chapter. I love stories that challenge me, because that’s an opportunity for growth.

I can grow in:

• My faith

• Understanding

• How I see the world

• Finding God in new places in the world

• Understanding the struggles that others have

• Understanding how to overcome my own struggles

I can do all of that without having to risk life and limb, but still enjoy the ride!

For me, fiction is where the “what if” questions can be explored, and I can meet “people” that I would never have an opportunity to encounter in real life—especially if they don’t exist! Ramona is no longer a pest, Aslan has already transformed from being a lion, Laura Ingalls married Almonzo Wilder a long time ago, Anne and Frederick are no longer easily persuaded, Bilbo’s ship has long since sailed, and Harry Ashfield has gone home.

But I can visit all of them anytime I want to just by picking up the book where I met them and share in their experiences again. I can see things differently each time, consider different reasons for why they did what they did, and use what I learn from their stories to make changes in myself.

This is what I hope to share on this blog, and in my courses