Abraham, the father of all nations, is the perfect model for faith in Fear and Trembling, which is a book written by Søren Kierkegaard. Contains Kierkegaard's obsession with the story of Abraham and his son, Issac, found in Genesis 22. Abraham, a loyal follower of God, was given the task of sacrificing his son, which was the most difficult task he could ever have done. This article will discuss the paradox that includes unethical actions and how Abraham is challenged with a difficult task, that he must choose between sacrificing his son or ignoring God's command and using his faith, courage and ethics to complete the task. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard explains the parable of Abraham and Isaac and how it falls into the parable. In the parable “The Binding of Isaac,” God commands Abraham to offer him his son Isaac as a sacrifice. After Isaac is bound to the altar, a moment with Isaac and God occurs. God stops Abraham before he completes the process of sacrifice, saying "now I know that you fear God." Abraham looks up and sees a ram and sacrifices it instead of Isaac. This shows Abraham's absolute faith and obedience to God. Kierkegaard is particularly attentive to the way the world shifts consideration away from the primary question of trust. He realizes that if he simply registered momentum towards the business legitimately, it would not create the planned impact. As it is written in the Bible: “Always listen, but never understand; you always see, but never perceive...". In this way Kierkegaard decides to address the characters in the illustrations, for example by developing a story that identifies with the message legitimately rather than indirectly. Tell the story of Abraham and Issac to highlight three things: uncertainty, risk, and challenge. Kierkegaard highlighted these three components in his novel to help the reader fully understand that uncertainty, risk, and challenge are necessary for absolute faith. The main component was risk, being the risk of obedience. It is a consideration used by Kierkeegard that offers readers insight into what the paradox entails. Abraham had the choice to obey and disobey, the risk of obedience. Although he chose to comply, there could have been a possibility where he used his ethical mindset and did not carry out the deed. In Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, he discusses the difference between faith and "infinite resignation." People with “infinite resignation” may resign themselves before taking action. This means that, with the help of a famous saying, “they think before they act or do”. “At the crucial moment Agamemnon, Jephthah and Brutus have heroically overcome the agony, heroically lost their beloved, and must only complete the task outwardly.” The act of resignation is now completed before the sacrifice of the child. To have infinite resignation, it is not necessary to perform a particular action, but it is enough to make the mental movement of presenting one's limited will to the unlimited. If Agamemnon's daughter had been struck somewhere by the gods shortly before he abandoned her, he would still have been just as much of a hero, not for his physical sacrifice but for his resignation. Kierkegaard tells us that if infinite resignation is done correctly, no future disappointment can interfere with its infinite nature. This implies that courage is associated with infinite resignation does not originate from the activity itself, but from the previous resignation. Activity is not important to infinite resignation, nor could it annihilate infinite resignation. Pursues that aindividual with infinite resignation is simply not that extraordinary as a result of the activity. Now, by faith, faith requires action. “by virtue of the absurd” – on the journey to Mount Moriah, Abraham had to continue to believe continuously while carrying out the physical actions of preparing the sacrifice, never with doubts. If Abraham had had infinite resignation, however, and not confidence, he would have simply strengthened his spirit towards the loss of Isaac and, in the end, the act would have been only external. On the third day, during the adventure to Mount Moriah, there was plenty of time to properly indulge, thus producing a mental barrier against the torment of misfortune. Abandon Faith and “Action” The central purpose of Fear and Trembling is to move the reader to act. The goal is not to seek intellectual or emotional faith, but faith expressed through actions. “that only he who was anxious finds rest, that only he who descends into hell saves his beloved, that only he who pulls out the knife recovers Isaac”. If someone is not willing to put in the work, they don't see any results or see any improvement. We must strive for will and action of faith, with full respect for God. As for Abraham, he was successful because he acted. “He chopped the wood, tied Isaac, lit the fire, took out the knife...”. This moment was a critical moment when he could involuntarily doubt and lose everything. And if it did, the world would not be the same today. Someone with faith receives everything for his action because his action was not only for him, but for God and his inside. “Each was great in proportion to the greatness of what he struggled with.” This brings us back to “faith,” where the movement of faith is bound to involve some struggles. Kierkegaard says that everyone has a choice in life because, ultimately, that is their life. God gave us free will when Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit of the “forbidden tree.” Free will means freedom. Freedom is about using your thoughts and beliefs to make a choice. Freedom and free will are one. Each of us has the right to speak or not speak and the right to act or not act. In the Bible, faith is an important topic raised several times. Anyone who follows God only needs faith the size of a “mustard seed” – which is achievable and with which he can perform all the miracles he needs for his specific task. “Truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” The growth of mustard seeds is how faith works in our lives. This is how God takes us to the end. What Jesus was trying to show the people of his time, just like today, is that faith can be found in the simplest things. Faith is not something that is unattainable for the basic man or woman. We do not have to 'go straight to God' for Him to care about us and favor us. Indeed, it is precisely when we find ourselves in trials and suffering that we should turn our eyes to God. Furthermore, if we truly trust Christ, all we need is a little faith. “But it takes a paradoxical and humble courage to grasp... the virtue of the absurd...”. Kierkegaard explains that having faith like a mustard seed is on another level, a level that some cannot understand. Some pastors or preachers believe that having a large crowd is the way to share God's Word and convince those who don't live for Jesus to live for Him. But having a faith the size of a mustard seed doesn't mean that. This does not necessarily mean that every preacher today will draw large crowds or every church will boast huge numbers. Al.