Leap Faith Kierkegaard ( Soren Kierkegaard 1813-

¶ … Leap Faith

Kierkegaard ( Soren Kierkegaard 1813- 1855)? How view faith differ conventional religious

Soren Kierkegard's conception of a leap of faith is decidedly distinct from that of traditional religious understanding of this notion. In most religions, particularly Christianity, a leap of faith is simply placing one's belief in a deity that does not exist. Anyone who adheres to a particular organized religion, especially monotheistic ones that include byth Judaism and Islam, in effect is taking a leap of faith because they have decided to worship a deity that they cannot see and have little empirical evidence about.

Kierkegaard's conception of a leap of faith is highly different from this point-of-view, largely due to the internal nature of his idea of this concept. Kierkegaard viewed a leap of faith as an inexplicable conviction about something that is not based on external knowledge or surroundings. Moreover, such a view or belief must be objective in nature -- something that can be achieved in measurable terms that are quite clear but, which there is no evidence to support. Because there is no rational reason for a person to adhere to such a conviction, for one to believe that one can still achieve such a tangible feat requires a leap of faith.

Yet the most important aspect of Kierkegaard's idea of a leap of faith is the degree in which he attributes such a conviction to an intrinsic sense of inner power, or inner belief, in an individual. It is not enough to simply reject or to not be concerned with external evidence regarding the accomplishing of a particular feat; rather a person must also innately fathom that he or she can do so with a power of conviction that is drawn from within. This belief in one's own inner prowess and conviction is what the philosopher regarded as "the highest" (Kierkegaard) form of truth and, with absolutely no rational, tangible reason for believing so, therefore requires a wild, "most passionate inwardness" (Kierkegaard) to truly believe.

Kierkegaard's conception of a leap of faith is highly compelling. It is easy to believe in and accept what the outside world around one can confirm. Empirical evidence and rationalism are extremely objective, and provide concrete evidence to support conventional notions that people believe. Even the conception of a leap of faith as propagated by monotheistic religions is relatively easy to believe because, although one may not have empirical evidence regarding a particular deity, one still has the added conviction of millions of other believers and other forms of evidence (such as books, manuscripts, etc.) that make it fairly logical to adhere to a particular belief.

Yet the truth that one cannot prove, and of which there is little external evidence to support, is certainly higher than those which are readily and rationally believed, for the simple fact that it requires a greater exercise of the human condition. The human condition is that which people possess such as volition, inner perception, intuition, etc. To utilize these powers of one's self in order to fathom an assertion that one truly believes -- which is comparable to madness but which is all the remarkable in someone who is not made -- certainly requires a degree of conviction and even an aptitude for certainty that exceeds that which is demonstrable by physical or external proof.