Rational Faith

I was watching BYU Television the other day and saw a broadcast of a 1997 BYU Education Week presentation by S. Michael Wilcox on faith, hope, and charity. [The link above is to the audio.] He explains why faith is rational.

Let me say that again - faith is not irrational, as many assert, but is in fact rational.

Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". The point is made that the foundation on which faith rests is not emotion, but is in fact evidence. The presenter identifies three types of evidence which serve as the basis for faith: authority, reason, and experience.

Here are examples of the three with respect to faith in, or a testimony of, the Book of Mormon:

Authority: testimony of the 3 witnesses

Reason: Joseph Smith, an unschooled farm boy, could not have made it up.

Experience: I've read the book on a more-or-less daily basis for 15 or 20 years, and have noticed a dramatic change in my life as I've attempted to follow its teachings.
Faith increases as we act on it, building layer upon layer as we go.

What does it mean to act on faith? My description (not from the presentation) is that we extrapolate some future outcome of some planned or anticipated action on the basis of our faith - that is, on the basis of authority, reason, and past experience. We take the action, and when it yields the desired and expected result, it adds yet another experiential component to the "structure" that is our faith.

Faith can also be enhanced seeking additional understanding of a topic, which contribute both by way of reason and authority. However, it is of limited benefit if no action is taken and there is little or no experiential component to one's faith.