Cantleave
One can argue the same about the crusades...that they were primarily motivated by political / economical interests, and not by religion. But that's not an excuse for religion, is it? Same goes for Stalin and Pol Pot.
Eden
MIT Survey on science, religion and origins
by Pterist 57 Replies latest social current
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cofty
Not sure I understood that last question of yours. Was I reading that?
No sorry that was unstop. Perhaps you should read it though.
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PSacramento
There is a palce for faith in everything BUT what KIND of faith is the question.
One can certainly place their faith in science, look what it has given to us just in terms of technology alone or medicine.
It would be quite correct to hear someone say, " I have faith that science will find away for space travel" or to hear someone say. " I h ave faith that medical science will find a cure for cancer".
We have faith in all sorts of things every day, in our relationships, in our own abilities to do something.
Why?
Because personal experience has shown that faith to be correct, to be valid.
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cofty
Once again that is a game of semantics.
We are talking about the paucity of evidence for god's existence not about trust.
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PSacramento
I think it is a question of interpretation that leads on to have faith in soemthing.
Based on how the universe is interpreted AND how God can be interpreted, there is no evidence and certianly no proof, that God exists.
But, with a different interpretation of either the universe or God or Both, according to some there is evidence, even proof.
It is up to the individual to understand those interpretations and decided for themselves which ones answer THEIR questions best.
Of course that brings us to the issue of questions.
Still, even trust is soemthing, like faith, that is based on personal experience.
You may have trust and faith in your car to start, but there is no reason for me to have that unless I trust and have faith in you, right?
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cofty
Again we are not talking about trust. You are changing the subject.
Something either exists or it doesn't. Believers in the supernatural use faith to plug the gap that is left by the lack of evidence.
Faith is the opposite of evidence in this context.
On the other hand the word faith can be used to describe your trust in something or somebody that does exist. We are not talking about this.
FIRST you have to show the evidence that god exists THEN you can talk about why you can trust him.
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tec
I do not understand how you come to that definition... I mean, is that what you believed faith to be when you were a believer, Cofty?
Faith is not something that bridges the gap. That would be trust (also given, based on evidence of something/someone being trustworthy).
Faith is based on evidence : experience, truth (in things told/shared/given), Christ, witnesses, etc. Faith hears... and then believes/does.
"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith"
Peace,
tammy
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cantleave
One can argue the same about the crusades...that they were primarily motivated by political / economical interests, and not by religion. But that's not an excuse for religion, is it? Same goes for Stalin and Pol Pot.
Not at all. Pot and Stalin were promoting communism, a political ideal NOT any religion. I repeat - being a non-believer is NOT a religion.
The Crusades were about cleansing the holy lands of infidels.
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cofty
Tammy - Am I talking a foreign language?
There is more than one sense of the word faith.
The definition modern believers like to talk about is synonymous with trust. This is NOT what this thread is about.
The other definition - the one modern believers are afraid to talk about - is believing something with inadequate evidence.
If you have proof god exists you would not need faith that he exists.
This sort of faith is the enemy of reason.
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tec
We are talking about faith in Christ and God... so I am talking about THAT faith.
I don't know what you are talking about, other than what you were taught/or taught others while an evangelical. Which is why I ask about what you considered faith to be when you were a believer, because I have never been taught such things about faith.
peace,
tammy