Question

How was the idea of Rationalism different from the usual thought about religion at the time?​

Answer 1

Rationalism distinguishes between empirical knowledge, i.e., knowledge that arises through experience, and a priori knowledge, i.e., knowledge that is prior to experience and that arises through reason. Empirical knowledge depends upon our senses, senses that, the rationalist wastes no time to demonstrate, are unreliable.