Buddhism discourages faith, generally. In it's stead is encouraged discovery.
S
Can we look at FAITH in a more practical way?
by Terry 46 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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sabastious
The history of faith involving the human experience has alway been an obstructive hindrance toward mankind's understanding of himself and the world of which we live in.
This is just a sweeping truthless statement. Faith has never been an obstruction in understanding ourselves, quite the opposite actually. Only when faith is enforced does that hinderance come to be. However, when faith is enforced it ceases to be genuine. So, basically what you are saying is that fraudulent faith is REALLY where the hinderance lies, not in the human capacity for faith itself.
The endeavor to connect to outside spiritual resources to overcome man's problems, fears and ignorances has always lead to manifest accumulative amount of problems as a result of this endeavor.
You are totally ignoring the fact that connecting to spiritual resources HAS overcame man's problems. Not all of them, but to say that faith has not progressed mankind at all is just pure agenda and robs your statement of all credibility.
Better it is for mankind to look for possible answers within themselves in a framework of perceived reality, rather to look for answers from supernatural beings sourced from the human imagination.
Looking within has always been considered a spiritual endeavor. Convincing one's self that there is no supernatural doesn't change this, it only conceals it.
-Sab
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yadda yadda 2
Very good. The truth is often somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of possibilities. Another way to look at all this is on the question of evidence and applying the legal tests of the balance of probabilities or beyond any reasonable doubt. Most of the claims of Christianity fall down on both.
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Finkelstein
So, basically what you are saying is that fraudulent faith is REALLY where the hindrance lies, not in the human capacity for faith itself.
And how does mankind distinguish between fraudulent and legitimate faiths ?, if you say its the Christians who should decide,
I know of a lot of Muslims that would oppose this and say they should be the ones !
What I meant was that all supposed faiths that express a channeled connection to a supernatural divinity(s) are and have been an
culpable hindrance.
Also think about all the structured beliefs that has mankind immersed himself with and the damage that those structured beliefs
has caused through past millenniums and centuries by the virtuous faith and direction of divinities.
Looking for direction and guidance through own man's inherent ignorances and fears, which created divinities in the first place
has to only result toward a folly of regrettable mistakes.
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sabastious
And how does mankind distinguish between fraudulent and legitimate faiths ?
Because we started out tribal, mankind cannot distinguish between complex ideologies without conflict. That's why they have to segregate into cultures. Therefore, it's up to the individuals of these cultures to distinguish what does make sense and what does not. Unfortunately, we exist in a landscape where individual minds are constantly fed varying forms of propaganda.
if you say its the Christians who should decide, I know of a lot of Muslims that would oppose this and say they should be the ones!
I don't say Christian's should decide because the definition of Christian cannot be agreed upon. The same goes for any established revealed religion.
What I meant was that all supposed faiths that express a channeled connection to a supernatural divinity(s) are and have been an culpable hindrance.
Also think about all the structured beliefs that has mankind immersed himself with and the damage that those structured beliefs
has caused through past millenniums and centuries by the virtuous faith and direction of divinities.
Looking for direction and guidance through own man's inherent ignorances and fears, which created divinities in the first place
has to only result to a folly of regrettable mistakes.
So by "faith" you mean an established religion with a hierarchical power structure? Faith, and even religion for that matter, doesn't have to be a power structure. It can simply be people getting together who believe the same thing or share similar mysterious experiences. Think of a UFO group getting together and discussing their experiences and theories. It's faith in extraterrestrials that brings them together in the first place. However, a charasmatic figure, in what started as a harmless research group, could try to create a power structure to make sure a certain ideology is adopted by the group. Often times these types will use a lie to assert their power within an already established "believers landscape." For example they could say that they were abducted and given an alien artifact and use that as proof that they were chosen as a leader of the group. You could use something as simple as a stone and if the group is suggestable enough you could "make something happen."
What I am trying to say is that the hinderance to mankind is the lie, we are POWERLESS against it. So, what starts out innocent and full of potential is turned into a personal pet project by sociopaths. Faith is good, the exploitation of it is evil.
-Sab
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Finkelstein
So by "faith" you mean an established religion with a hierarchical power structure?
Yes, when there is an established power structure to use the JWS as an example, if you are not accepting or subservient to that faith(beliefs) then
you might might be deemed a worthless evil as a nonbeliever or for having a completely different belief system. ( fraudulent verse. legitimate )
Thats why most atheists such as myself rather stick to humanistic values as a held to belief.
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Finkelstein
I guess its more of situation if an established faith contains segments that denigrates people who are not participating
to your own recognized faith. I think thats part of the reason why some Muslims and Christians take up Buddhism as a faith.
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