Kierkegaard's relational theory of religion

🃏 Q: What is the central theme of Fear and Trembling?
✅ A: The paradox of faith, illustrated through the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, and the concept of the "leap of faith."

🃏 Q: What does Kierkegaard mean by the "leap of faith"?
✅ A: The act of believing in something beyond reason, requiring total trust in God despite uncertainty or apparent contradictions.

🃏 Q: How does Kierkegaard differentiate between the "knight of faith" and the "knight of resignation"?
✅ A: The knight of resignation accepts loss and despair, while the knight of faith believes in the impossible through faith in God.

🃏 Q: What is the "teleological suspension of the ethical"?
✅ A: The idea that faith can require an individual to suspend universal moral laws in obedience to God, as seen in Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac.

🃏 Q: Why does Kierkegaard use Abraham as an example of faith?
✅ A: Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrates absolute trust in God despite ethical and rational objections.

🃏 Q: How does Kierkegaard’s view of religion differ from rationalist or ethical approaches?
✅ A: He argues that faith is not about ethics or logic but a personal and paradoxical relationship with God.

🃏 Q: What does Kierkegaard mean by the "absurd" in relation to faith?
✅ A: Faith involves believing in something that is beyond reason or contradicts human understanding, such as Abraham believing he would still keep Isaac.

🃏 Q: How does Kierkegaard’s relational theory of religion redefine religious experience?
✅ A: Religion is an intensely personal relationship with God, requiring deep existential commitment rather than adherence to doctrine or moral systems.

🃏 Q: What role does suffering play in Kierkegaard’s concept of faith?
✅ A: True faith often involves suffering, doubt, and isolation, as exemplified by Abraham’s silent anguish.

🃏 Q: How does Fear and Trembling critique institutionalized religion?
✅ A: It challenges the idea that religious faith can be reduced to moral teachings or rational principles, emphasizing individual experience over doctrine.