As we are naturally beings who operate through reason, we are incapable of pure faith without using any amount of reason in the back of our minds to satisfy questions of how and why elements are in the spiritual and physical realms. As Pascal states, "Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect" (Pascal 4). Thus, Pascal states that religion and reason are not contrary to each other but must coexist and relate to one another. Similarly, when men are unable to find answers or fulfillment through reason, they find fulfillment through faith.
Pascal declares, "The basis of all this lies in the wretchedness of human existence. Realizing this they have taken to diversions" (Pascal 4). Mankind has naturally taken to continually fulfilling themselves with more substance than they are currently receiving. Similarly, men take to such diversions as religion to provide answers and fulfillment. Reason then cannot exist without faith; however, though it is good to have religion to fulfill as a diversion, religion is not necessarily equal to reason. In turn, faith also requires reason. Much of human wretchedness lies in mankind's establishment of laws and the breaking of his governmental laws in addition to natural laws. As Pascal states, "There no doubt exist natural laws, but once this fine reason of ours was corrupted, it corrupted everything" (Pascal 16). Further, he states, "Merely according to reason, nothing is just in itself, everything shifts with time" (Pascal 17). Reason, thus, must be checked and balanced by faith so that man is not also corrupt within himself. Reason has a tendency to constantly shift and be unstable within itself, making it necessary to have a form of stabilization so that reason itself is not the cause of corruption or flawed on its own basis.
