“Rationality isn’t just what you believe, it’s also why you believe it. I’m quite sure many Christians hold true beliefs for unjustified or even no good reason. A lot of Christians believe in the Trinity but can’t explain it coherently, much less defend it. They don’t really understand it despite believing it to be true. It’s an irrational true belief.” –Melinda Penner
May 22, 2007
Quote of the Day: Irrational True Beliefs
Posted by Jason Dulle under Apologetics, Epistemology, Thinking[3] Comments
Thinking to Believe 
May 22, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I think she’s confusing “irrationally-held beliefs” with “irrational beliefs.”
If I decide the capital of California on a coin flip, heads it’s Sacramento and tails it’s San Diego, and it comes up heads so I believe it’s Sacramento, that doesn’t make it an “irrational true belief” to think that Sacramento is the capital.
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May 22, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Arthur,
Good point. I don’t think she is so much confusing the two, as she is inaccurately describing her concept. Her point is that even true beliefs can be irrational. Saying “irrationally-held beliefs” better describes that phenomenon than does “irrational true beliefs.” Indeed, the latter might be understood to mean that the true belief is itself irrational. Clearly that is not her point.
Jason
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July 10, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Yes, belief in the Trinity is irrational because it is unintelligible. All versions of the Trinity that I’ve heard/read assert logical contradictions.
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