Where Faith Begins and Ends

Part of my thesis is devoted to the thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a twentieth century Jesuit priest, geopaleontologist, and theologian who wrote prolifically on the subject of evolution and Christianity. While the main thrust of his writing is aimed at creating a synthesis from orthodox Catholicism and evolutionary theory, other portions turn toward mysticism. My favorite passages come from the latter. I can’t help but wonder how his thought may have differed if he did not have the mental obligation to such a strict understanding of Catholicism?

Here is a passage from his 1934 essay, “How I Believe:"

"If, as the result of some interior revolution, I were to lose in succession my faith in Christ, my faith in a personal God, and my faith in spirit, I feel that I should continue to believe invincibly in the world. The world (its value, its infallibility and its goodness) – that, when all is said and done, is the first, the last, and the only thing in which I believe. It is by this faith that I live. And it is to this faith, I feel, that at the moment of death, rising above all doubts, I shall surrender myself."