Faith.....to each his own

noidea

Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof

As we read many post we see the diversity of faith.
For some it's faith in:

God does exist Vs God does not exist
The Bible being inspired by God Vs. Being mere drivel written by man
Reincarnation Vs. Resurrection Vs. No after life
Faith that if one is sick that they will get better

Our faith is what gives us reason to face another day.

To have faith in our beliefs is a personal decision. As individuals we have that freedom of choice.
To express our faith in our hopes is a wonderful thing.
Our faith can change with knowledge that we take in. To share knowledge is an exemplary thing, if it is done with the right motives.

It is only when we try to undermine and dictate one's faith, for our own gratification that we become guilty of mind control and become a part of what so many struggle to get out of.
One should not be made to feel they should have to defend their faith to others, to prove what directs them in their lives.

Our faith no matter what it is, should not be undermined it is freedom of choice , thought and belief....

Faith...to each his own...

Seeker

The way you've defined things, anything and everything is fair game:

Tooth Fairy vs. No Tooth Fairy
Santa Claus vs. No Santa Claus
etc.

In fact, some of the things you mentioned do have proof. Evolution, for instance, has so much evidence in favor of it that it is considered as much a fact as gravity...unless you consider gravity a matter of faith too since it is also 'only a theory.'

Beyond that, believe what you want and go in peace. But if you say untrue things about subjects, you will get called on it here. This isn't mind control, but setting facts straight. Mind control would be to force you to accept the facts. Believe what you want, no mind control involved.

noidea

Seeker...lol
I knew I would get shredded on this one...

Yes, I agree that some things do have proof..Sometimes not everyone will accept that proof. Again that is their choice, I am talking about faith....what each individual feels. What is proven to you may not stand up to reason with another. We all have the right to believe what we want..

The point I wanted to make is that everyone puts their faith in something..yes, children put their faith in the tooth fairy & santa clause until they gain knowledge of the subjects...Do you force that knowledge on them before they are ready..

I am only saying that mind control is involved depending on the MOTIVE...nothing more nothing less...
I have never considered the DB as mind control...It is knowledge given, a person can accept or not...I have seen things get heated in chat when one does not conform their belief, they can be torn to shreds it benefits no one. Knowledge is one thing...abuse is something else..

gumby

Noidea: I liked the way you worded much of your post.
Quote:"It is only when we try to undermine and dictate one's faith, for our own gratification that we become guilty of mind control and become a part of what so many struggle to get out of".
When the apostle paul preached to the jews he strongly preached jesus to them because they were the ones entrusted with the sacred things of god. Jesus was from their line and the promise was made to them through him, and eventually to include all who would believe.
When he went to greece...he spoke differently to them. He reasoned about their idols vs. what he believed in.
How one shares their faith is very important!
As christians believe....one should feel obligated to share with ones, the good news of grace through faith.But to cram it down anyones throats and make condecending remarks to those who do not agree is wrong.

Seeker

noidea,

I understand what you are saying, and I agree that beliefs shouldn't be forced on anyone, and a person's choice in life should be respected. I do wish to point out that not everyting is based on faith. Science depends on testable data, facts, provable results. That's the opposite of your definition of faith, and therefore science should be set aside in this discussion. Unlike religion, it does not operate on faith.

Well, some fundamentalist Christians claim that science depends on faith, but wishing it does not make it so. There is no definition of faith they can come up with that describes the way real scientists operate, unless you water down the concept of faith to such a degree that it defines every act a human can take from brushing your teeth to crossing the street. And there are many Christians who have no problem reconciling their faith with science. They are two different areas entirely.

noidea

Seeker,
I see your point, And yes you are right, Evolution is based on science and not faith....so as not to ruffle those that firmly believe in Evolution Vs Creation, I have edited that point....But the rest stands....lol

larc

I think forcing ideas on people and trying to engage in mind control is a good thing in certain situations. Good parents do it all the time. All three of my adult children are honest, polite, nice people because me and my wife forced certain ideas on them. Some were simple, such as the use of the words, please and thank you.

Now, if you are talking about adults rather than children, I am not sure what you mean by me forcing my ideas on others and engaging in mind control. First of all, it can't be done. Every adult has the choice to research and evaluate ideas. They choose individualy, what they will accept or reject. If you don't believe what I have just said, then you don't believe in free will.

Cowboy

Whew......I was just sure you were gonna make fun of my infatuation with Faith Hill.Dang that Tim for stealing her away,anyhow..

Seriously though,it seems to me that noidea is trying to say that it's wrong for anyone to ridicule anothers beliefs,especially if the subject is not trying to push his on others....I enjoy watching the ones who come into chat or on the board and try to preach to us get ripped just as much as anyone else,but a lot of us could be a little kinder to those who are genuinely searching for honest answers....Most of us mean well,but often we're a little overzealous too.....

Good post noidea....brings up some things a lot of us need to think about.

'Nuff Said,
Cowboy

We ride and never worry about the fall
I guess that's just the cowboy in us all

larc

Cowboy,

I agree with your comments. When someone comes here to preach to us, we should be kind. There is no value in ripping them to shreads. If that is Noida's point as well, I agree with it.

funkyderek

Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof

Why would anybody believe firmly in anything without proof? If the foundation of a belief system is an arbitrary choice, then how can it be a strong belief?

Our faith is what gives us reason to face another day.

Not for me, I have plenty of real reasons.

To have faith in our beliefs is a personal decision. As individuals we have that freedom of choice.

True, but I have never been able to understand the mentality of a person who would consciously choose a belief system. My beliefs are based on my best interpretation of the available evidence. Anything else is a betrayal of rationality.

Our faith can change with knowledge that we take in.

How can it? If your beliefs are firm without proof, why would more information change that? What usually happens when people's firm but unproven beliefs are challenged is that they claim a right to ignorance, under the guise of ideas such as "freedom of choice, thought and belief".

To share knowledge is an exemplary thing, if it is done with the right motives.

The motives are irrelevant. The knowledge is the important thing.

One should not be made to feel they should have to defend their faith to others, to prove what directs them in their lives.

If people make claims in my presence, I reserve the right to challenge them. If their claims are true, I will learn something. If their claims are false, they will learn something. Why would anyone wish to wallow in ignorance, even if they have the right to do so?

--
Those who can induce you to believe absurdities can induce you to commit attrocities - Voltaire

Faith.....to each his own

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