LOL, alright. How does faith compliment reason?
Think of this in terms of being a human being. Do you let logic and reason dictate who you should love, and teach you the meaning of love? "You love me? Well, thank you. Let me check my logic banks and see if I compute that I love you as well". I bet you'd become a lonely soul in your life.
What I mean by complementary (not the same thing as complimentary), means that humans are both rational and nonrational creatures. We need to balance between function and freedom. Beliefs, or reason and logic, are like the rudder on a sailing ship, but faith is like the wind against the sails. They are complementary to each other, and together you are able to be transported by them together to new destinations. That's a rough analogy of what I mean.
The heart and the mind are not opposites, but like the left hand and the right hand, the left brain and the right brain. Trying to place one in a position of supremacy over the other, is misguided, irrational, and unhealthy. It is
unbalanced. Complementary means, they balance out and enhance each other, informing each other, inspiring each other. "All parts move together," is a fundamental rule of Tai Chi practice. It's that same thing. Mind, and body, and spirit all move together and
complete each other.
What function does faith serve? And let's note we are referring to religious faith only, not other definitions which can be applied in secular ways.
I like this quote from Einstein. I see this "emotion" he is referring to as what religious faith actually means, as opposed to conflating faith with beliefs, which I explain the difference between in my other post from today.
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed. The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.”
- Albert Einstein, Living Philosophies
"This knowledge, this feeling", is what I mean by faith. It is that 'wrapped in awe" leaving the rational mind speechless that I mean by faith. It is
transrational, not anti-rational. It complements rationality, by allowing it to see beyond itself with the wings of the heart of inspiration. That's what faith is, which is the "center of true religiousness", and out of which "all true science and art" originate. I agree completely him on all these points.
It's ironic you bring up indoctrination because we see examples of people growing up in homes/communities that are extremist, whether Taliban, or white supremacist, or creationist, etc. Since faith is the basis of these beliefs what tools does a young adult have to question the ideology they are indoctrinated into? You're advocating for them to resist doubt. This is the dilemma and danger of dogma: it is assumed true and authoritative just because it is believed by others. This is the flaw in faith, it offers no test in fact or reality or morality.
Faith is absolutely not the basis for those beliefs. Fear and ignorance are. And I absolutely do not advocate any resist doubt! I say embrace it! Seek it out. Doubt is the arm of faith to get you to grow beyond being stuck in your beliefs and ideas as ultimate truth. Doubting creationism for instance, is good! It serves faith by not demanding it live with irrationality and fear and ignorance. Same thing with these "hate others" groups. Those are not based on faith. They are based on fear. And doubting those teachings that promote that, is in fact an act of faith, ironically.
You are pointing out the severe weakness in faith as it offers no standards to discern truth from falsity.
I offered you those clear standards. "By their fruits you shall know them." "Love works no ill". If you are serving Love, or following faith from the heart drawn to Love, or "God", you will not act in ways that deliberate seek to harm others. If you are following that path, you are not following faith. You are embracing and following fear, and you will bear bad or 'evil' fruit, such as murdering others, hating others, attacking others, etc.
How are those not standards?
If believers want truth and knowledge they defer to a more reliable process like reason. But faith is used precisely because it offers no standard and no challenge to any concept that is desired, even if immoral or criminal. The ends always justify the means.
You, like many others, Christians included, conflate faith and beliefs as essentially one and the same thing, interchangeable terms. They are not. I hope my insights here, which are not mine alone mind you, help untangle some of this. I have presented a rational understanding and giving examples of how they differ, yet interact and complement each other in the past two posts today. Let me know if this helps clarify my thoughts better.