by R.Crusoe 21 Replies latest jw friends
Past and present, intelligent people have believed in things for their whole lives which we now are certain were FALSE!
I believe the Earth is flat!
I believe stars in the night sky are pinholes of light shining through from the next world!
Other things have been believed down the ages and still are because we cannot easily disprove them!
I believe God is watching everyones - every move and thought!
I believe I have been a horse in a previous life!
IS FAITH :
'A BELIEF IN MAKE BELIEVE?'
IS FAITH :
'A BELIEF IN MAKE BELIEVE?'
In short.......yup!
Nvr
Faith is believing the first person who preaches to you, no matter what religion they are
Apostasy is rejecting that faith
I think its a deeper principle than simple verbal assent to an unproven idea.
I'd argue (and in so doing may well simply redefine the word rather than stick to a dictionary definition) that to qualify as faith it needs to have the following qualities:
1/ It must be in something that is true to ultimately have any 'power'. This would discount blind faith in untrue things that are simply asserted dogmatically. Faith that the sun will rise tomorrow would qualify but faith that a passing spaceship will deliver the noodly god tomorrow wouldn't (with hindsight!).
2/ It must enable action, indeed to qualify it must engender action. An architects faith in his skills and the builders abilities can be translated into action and an end result. Likewise a believers faith in a god must enable a change of behaviour with (beneficial?) results. Sitting at home and having faith that the world will order itself around you is one antithesis of faith - laziness. Faith must be manifestable by its fruits otherwise its hot air. Planting crops is a fairly decent analogy of actual faith - belief - action - harvest.
3/ Faith must be in something not the subject itself. Many people bandy the word faith around as if it itself qualified as an object. Faith is like love that requires a target. The quality of your target defines the quality of your faith. Like your first crush you may think you have faith in something until, after a little more time and a whole lot more wisdom, you find that was not what was really desired. Faith in a bad idea (religious or not) will tend to produce poor results and frustrated faith (just like the financial world.)
4/ It is the basis of all action and hope in any sphere of human endeavour. Planned action does not occur without an expression of faith in the outcome.
My definition of faith is similar to yours in a way R.Crusoe. I'd define it as a belief in something not yet proven beyond doubt. That means faith is flexible and is free to explore the possibilities.
In a way you could say the things we do in everyday life are acts of faith - for a simple example, you step out to cross the road believing that you're going to make it to the other side in one piece, but you don't know if you will until you arrive!
FAITH:
No evidence, but; don't let that stop you.
FAITH:
I can't see it, feel it, taste it, hear it or smell it---but, darn it! I'm going to act like it is more real than anything else!
FAITH:
I actually could win the lottery.....I mean....statistically there is a chance!
FAITH:
Wouldn't it be nice if somebody was in charge of everything and we could make friends?
FAITH:
I have needs I cannot meet; consequently, I'm going to imagine they can be met if I engage in ritual behavior.
FAITH:
Even though every person who believes is basing it on conclusions which contradict every OTHER person who believes; I'm going to ignore the contradictions and assume I'm the one who is right!
FAITH:
What I can't prove trumps reality.
FAITH: Whatever
FAITH: Deuces are wild and MY WHIMS always win!!
FAITH: King's X
FAITH: The easy button (I can push it anytime I like to avoid the consequences of the real world).
I dont know because I dont have any.
I believe in what I can see, hear, smell, taste and touch and my intuition.
Once I lost my faith, I found what was right infront of my face the entire time - reality.
I dont know because I dont have any.
I believe in what I can see, hear, smell, taste and touch and my intuition.
Once I lost my faith, I found what was right infront of my face the entire time - reality.
Succintly stated found!
Nvr
thnx nvr.
