What does faith mean to you? (page 7)

cofty

OK putting the "rules" aside can you see how your assertion that atheism takes faith is not valid?

jgnat

I don't see any indication that faith is by nature absolute. In my experience, it's more like play-doh, only more elusive. Like watery jell-o.

caliber

OK putting the "rules" aside can you see how your assertion that atheism takes faith is not valid?

this makes

my head spin because I think all persons would want to be thought of as having faith. What do you think about this quote below

it's reasoning ? Is faith a dirty word ? How can faith not underlie all that we trust and beleive in ?

Beside cold hard facts there must be conclusions that touch your emotions... that motivate you

If we are presented with a lack of evidence in a mystery, how do we go about solving it? assuming this is a mystery which “must” be solved, we first take a look at the evidence. Then when we find out there is a lack of evidence, we create theories. theories are like educated guesses. Once we choose to accept one theory over another, it is purely faith.

If on the other hand you mean a sort of faith that simply means we to proceed with the best current explanation while searching for more evidence, then that is a virtue. But it is misleading in this context to call it faith.

caliber

But it is misleading in this context to call it faith.

choose a better word for me then

Are not the expectations we face daily in life nothing less than a reflection of our faith.. faith in something ?

"

The three grand essentials of happiness are: Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope fo

r." [1]

Is not the idea of hope closely related to faith ?

THE GLADIATOR

cofty " Is faith a dirty word ?"

Tarnished and misunderstood perhaps, but faith has enabled humankind to reach for the stars.

Scientifically speaking and in an, as yet, inconclusive spiritual way.

cofty

As I said early in this thread the word "faith" is much abused.

Believers use it to turn a virtue into a vice. The more tenuous the evidence and the more certain the belief the greater the virtue.

In the context of science, faith is diametrically opposed to this sort of credulity. Inspiration, imagination, ambition are all vital to discovery. To proceed with cautious uncertainty takes "faith" of a sort but it is one that is ready to ditch current beliefs and follow the evidence wherever it leads.

There is no comparison between this and religious faith. To use the same word as if it it was describing the same thing is misleading at best.

jamesmahon

Scientific 'faith' can explode in your face - literally. You have faith the world works a certain way and so test it out, sometimes at the risk to your own life. When you find out you are wrong if you are lucky you get chance to change what you believed. If you are unlucky people don't have 'faith' that what you believed was true and so look for a better explaination or way of doing things.

Religious 'faith' says in the absence of evidence I believe the world is a certain way. And when the evidence stacks up against what I believe I have faith it is wrong, or put more credence in the world as I experience it rather than the world as it can be objectively observed.

I would replace 'something to hope for' with 'something to aim for' or 'something to work towards'. The last two are active and you can do something about. I can hope all I like but it will not get the washing up done.

tec

OK tell us one thing he told you that you could not possibly have kown by physical means.

I have shared some on this board.

The problem here, cofty, is that if I shared something that cannot be known (or corroborated) by phsyical means... then you would conclude that I am lying or deluded. If I share something that I did not personally know but that my Lord told or taught me (but CAN be corroborated and known by physical means, and is known by others)... then you will conclude that I heard and retained it in my subconscious, drawing upon it later. You will not be able to take me at my word, or accept that I know something more about me than you know about me.

NC - the voice of my Lord is always the same. Just wanted to share that.

Peace to all, and I am off for a vacation :) Feel free to slap my fingers if I post over the next week ;). (might not stop me if I find a computer and have something to say though, lol)

tammy

jgnat

The problem with the word "faith", at least in the English language, is that it covers a spectrum of meanings. That is why I qualified my answer to "faith in the divine". I do indeed see that the Merriam-Webster gives five meanings.

Reason provides me a certain degree of faith in natural order. The sun will rise and set on time. That is different than putting store in something that has no proof.

Interesting that many of the definitions tie religious faith to loyalty.

There is less confusion in a topic like this if everyone agrees on what type of faith they are talking about.

What does faith mean to you?

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