Universal faith based on reason would give meaning to religion

“Religion is a personal thing. … It’s a choice for
each individual to make.”

Those of us who have spent any time here at UCLA have heard this
saying over and over, and you could have read it in Viewpoint on
Sept. 24 in the submission titled, “Amid religious diversity,
belief an individual choice.”

This is the highest and most universal moral of on-campus
religion. To a majority, faith is like hating carrots or loving
broccoli in that it has nothing at all to do with true or false,
right or wrong.

True and false are the realm of science. Religious statements
are not subject to uncompromising rules of logic such as the law of
gravity, but let’s consider the implications of a purely
personal faith.

If faith is nothing more than a personal choice, you are alone
in the world with your faith.

By definition, no one else can experience, identify or agree
with you on religious matters because no one can share your
personal view.

Faith then becomes a solitary cloister.

If faith is solely personal opinion, then it has no real
significance as a social institution.

It is meaningless to discuss your preference for broccoli with a
carrot lover. Religious “discourse” then devolves into
a meaningless expression of groundless opinions, like an argument
between children.

“Broccoli is better.”

“Carrots are better.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Ya-huh.”

But what if faith wasn’t like broccoli? What if it was
more like gravity ““ subject to logic and reason?

Consistent with the law of non-contradiction, such a faith would
be universal. Faith would then be a common system, experienced the
same way by different people. Such a faith would be a transcendent
system, existing above the individual and guiding the behavior of
all humankind.

Only when faith is common can it unify us in this way. With
common faith, we can become members of a community that includes
others with whom we truly share faith, instead of colliding with
others of different preferences on a daily basis.

Then we would not be isolated by our faith, confined to our own
souls.

We could genuinely be members of a society with common beliefs,
able to empathize and connect with our fellows on a deep and
intimate level.

But who can say what is “true faith” and what is
not? We all can as rational beings. Reason is the common
denominator of mankind: black or white, Buddhist or Muslim.

We are all rational beings, equal because we are constrained by
the same laws of logic and reason.

This is our universal language. We cannot speak to each other in
the private language of our feelings, but we can speak to all of
humanity through reason.

“I prefer broccoli” is meaningful for only one
person.

“Broccoli is nutritious” can speak to all of
humanity.

Only with a common faith can we be freed from religious
solitude.

Only with a rational faith can we be liberated from personal
language and gain the freedom to speak to all of mankind.

Faith is far more beautiful when we can be unified by truth,
giving us real community, real goodness and meaningful
discussion.

Carreon is a fourth-year civil engineering student.