Blaise Pascal was a brilliant French physicist, mathematician, philosopher and master of prose who lived in the 1600's.
Pascal had a personal life-changing experience with God one evening in November of 1654. He wrote that he experienced God in a way that he claimed was “not of philosophers and men of science,” but which left him with in his words, “Certainty. Certainty. Feeling of joy and peace. The God of Jesus Christ . . . joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.”
This experience was so important to Blaise Pascal that he sewed a written copy of his description of it into the lining of his clothes. He carried this with him until his death.
In the last few years of his life, he started to assemble notes and fragments he hoped would be woven into a book called “The Defense of the Christian Religion.” But he passed away before it was finished. Those fragments were later published as “Pensees” (“Thoughts”). It is one of the most famous Christian books in history.
I sometimes come across people who look upon faith in God with intellectual derision and scorn. At times like that, I remember Blaise Pascal, who had more intellect in his little finger than many of us will ever have in totality.
I guess my point is this. You don’t have to sacrifice your intellect to believe in God. In fact, Jesus said to love the Lord with all of our “heart, soul, strength and mind.” (Luke 10:27)
To love God . . . with our mind.