The Formula For Losing One's Mind

This reading is quite dense but quite good when you take your time. I particularly liked his take on miracles. In a sense it reminded me of a more hopeful version of David Hume's take on miracles.

On page 68 Kierkegaard states that "The decisive thing it: for God everything is possible. This is eternally true and therefore true every moment."

Thus he has established that miracles are possible at any moment (unlike Hume who establishes the opposite). But from here Kierkegaard expounds upon this truth examining the scenario in which one could hold to this belief. He claims that people always say that with God all things are possible but the true test is when man is "brought to utmost extremity, where in human terms there is no possibility."

He continues, "Then the question is whether he will believe that for God everything is possible, that is, whether he will have faith. But this is simply the formula for losing one's mind; to have faith is precisely to lose one's mind so as to win God."

This, in my opinion, cuts to the core of the mind of one suffering. The person feels as though they are losing their minds in hopes to gain healing, or to "win God." I thought it rather ironic that both Hume and Kierkegaard, though taking very different paths, ended up in the same place. That is, a place of faith. One doubted the existence of miracles completely based upon reason, the other proved their possibility based upon scripture, but both concluded that miracles rely completely on faith whether one sees miracles as completely impossible or completely possible.

Miracles surely prompt the formula for losing one's mind.

P.S. Commented on Jeremy's.