What is your basis of faith?

Question

Again, I'm asking this to ALL religions to gain insight. Is faith the only way to base your beliefs on, or do you need proof? Why or why shouldn't one be open-minded to all (this is the question I really want to hit on No two word answers, please explain. Here's my last question I asked. This is kind of a follow up to the last one I asked because I didn't quite get everything I was looking for.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An55vq9CCuO.yTO3o06jfBrsy6IX?qid=20060831191455AADILjL

Extra emphasis on the "Why or why shouldn't one be open-minded to other forms of faith."

Answer 1

I don't do faith. It's irrational.

"Open-minded" is a loaded word, and it's used so much in so many ways that it's practically meaningless.

Some use "open minded" to mean "willing to consider new ideas". Is the consideration of an idea even an issue? You have to consider an idea in order to reject it, after all. The real question is, just how much consideration should you put in to it?

Skepticism is generally the way to go. It's basically something you just have to practice with. You have to determine if an idea is reasonable and/or possible, and how probable it is. If it's probable and possible, only then should you bother putting serious thought into it.

Flying saucers, for example. Are visitations from aliens possible? Sure, it could happen.
But is it *probable*? No. There are much more plausible explanations for people seeing flying saucers: optical illusions, hallucinations, delusions, lies, hoaxes, wierd-looking airplanes, etc.

Because the alternative explanations are much more reasonable, and because there's no physical evidence whatsoever supporting it, then you can reasonably conclude that it's a load of bunk and dismiss it.

Answer 2

Faith is based on knowledge and experience. You may have knowledge of something, but when you practically apply it you experience the results, and this strenghtens your faith. Knowledge without practical application is dry mental speculation. On the other hand you may practice something, but have no knowledge why you are doing it - when you follow blindly that is fanaticism and do not achieve the result, and your faith cannot deepen.

An intelligent person is always open minded to accept relevant lessons from anywhere or anyone, and by practically applying those lessons and understanding them in the light of what he/she already knows will deepen that understanding and faith.

I was born in a Christian family, but later accepted the process of devotion to God or Bhakti Yoga as outlined in Bhagavad Gita As It Is because it is a practical philosophy and is relevant to me. We are all spiritual in nature, sat, cit, ananda - eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, and the process of religion should reawaken that original nature. Otherwise it is just armchair philosophy, or blind sentiment.

Answer 3

The basis for any faith should be fact. I am a Christian, so my faith rests on these facts:

God created the heavens and the earth.
God created man for is glory and out of his love
Man sinned.
God out of his love wants to rectify the situation.
He came in the form of Jesus.
Jesus was crucified and buried to atone for sin.
He resurrected from the dead
He ascended into heaven
One day he will come back and we too will be raised from the dead and ascend into heaven

This is the Christian gospel. The Christian faith holds these things to be true as in factually they happened. All of these points have been contested at one point or another. But that's a discussion for another day. But if these statements are indeed facts, then I base by faith on fact.

Faith by definition belief in something. Faith in the sense of blind faith doesn't base faith on fact or anything else for that matter. This is called fideism. A Christian fideist would say “I believe it because the Bible say it's true”, then they say, “I believe the Bible is true because it is the word of God”, then they would say, “I believe the word of God is true because he said it is.” This is essence is a tautology: The Word of God is true because it is the Word of God. One, this isn't really the pattern that is found in scripture, Paul was convinced that the Gospel was true based on historic facts, not on blind faith. Two, at some point a fideist would have to compare his faith to another faith to explain why it is the right faith, which requires rational thought. One cannot simply make the claim that it because it is. That is a tautology, which isn't really convincing at all. If one doesn’t compare religion, then it opens the door for pluralism, which would mean that all faiths are equally valid.

To to summarize, faith is a being convinced that something is true based on some facts. It doesn't mean that the facts are true, but they are convincing enough to believe.

Answer 4

I was born to my faith - just took a round about way to find it but once i did I realized i had believed that way all along and everything else was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I have tried to be open minded to all faiths - there are a lot of ways to look at things and just because I feel my path is correct for me that doesn't mean it is correct for everyone.

Answer 5

Okay, I kind o' see where you're coming from. Open minded is good only until you have looked into the other options. For instance, Islam is a warrior religion. Yes, they teach peace, but this was because you can't control an army if they are killing each other. They are taught to force all other religions and governments to submit to Islam. They are taught to conceal their intentions when in foreign lands until they have sufficient strength to overcome.

By contrast, Christianity teaches peace with believers, with neighbors or unbelievers, with even your enemies. It teaches that we should speak the truth with loving concern for the lost, and let the consequences fall where they may. (meaning if we are persecuted and killed for our insistence on speaking truth about Christ, then so be it, we will have a greater reward for our suffering)

NOTE: This is not the same as laying down and letting invaders over run us to do as they please with our bodies, our families, and our belongings. We are not called to be foolish but prudent.

When the U.S. Treasury wants to train its officers to recognize a counterfeit, they don't hand them a bunch of fakes, they give them real money to examine very carefully. The better they know the real deal the easier it is to spot a fake.

I have looked into other religions as well, but there is only emptiness in them compared to what I know of Christ. I admit that I have not examined every religion, but do I need to examine every false god before I can accept the one True God? When I submitted to the will of God through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I knew without any doubt, without any fear, that I have been accepted into a living relationship with a Living God.

The thing that makes me closed minded is based on examination of what the real thing is.

PS. Islam may teach discipline but I also see it teaching warfare.
There is real benefit in its instructions for personal behavior, but terribly dangerous in international behavior.

http://judgeright.blogspot.com

Answer 6

I made a decision to follow Jesus when I was a very young child. Even then, I understood that I was sinful and couldn't live a sin-free life in my own power. I knew that I needed a savior and was thankful for Jesus dying for me. As I was growing up, I always felt God's presence strongly in my life--comforting, guiding, convicting me of sin, but I mainly understood "following" as not doing bad things.

When I was a teenager, I came to realize that following was so much more. God is more concerned with the attitude of my heart, and so much of the Bible has to do with the things we ought to do or be and not just the things we are to avoid. Following Jesus became then, and has continued to this day, to be about walking and talking with Jesus daily about all aspects of my life.

Should I then be "open-minded" about other faiths? That seems actually very silly to me. I've grown over the years in my knowledge and understanding of God. My walk with Him is very personal. I see His faithfulness in my life every single day. I feel His presence very near. When I read the Bible, He illuminates it for me in a way that is impossible to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. I feel His presence when I pray, and He speaks to me--not in a voice--but in my heart. He's so real to me that I have no desire or need to look any where else, and why would I want to do that when I know that doing so would grieve Him?

So yes, I believe and have faith, but that faith is based on many years of reading the Bible, praying, trying out what the Bible says and finding it to be true, talking to God and having Him respond in very real ways--faith based on personal experience.

Answer 7

the basis of ma faith is logic and ma own conscience.
iam a muslim. not tryin' 2 propagate my religion but just tellin' u that in islam nothin' is forced or fictional. not sayin' it for the sake of sayin' but if u r really interested into gettin' an insight into religions do go througha good islamic website also and decide 4 urself.
go with wat ur mind says is correct. do not go with anybody else's preachings.
I bet u would not find a single sentence against scientific facts in the holy koran. ihave pictures downloaded fom a muslim website which show the names of allah and prophet mohammed (p.b.u.h.) written on the planet mars,etc....
allah says in the holy koran that
verily there are signs for those who are intelligent.
MAY allah swt give u wisdom 2 come 2 the light.

Answer 8

The basis of my faith is searching, experimentation, reading and discussing. I became an agnostic and my faith in myself is very strong and getting stronger.

I have no issues or problems with other people's faith if that is what they want to follow.

Answer 9

Okay... this is definitely not a one word answer... I'm a sixth generation Universalist, not Unitarian Universalist (after the merger of the churches in 1963). The material below, taken from our denominational website at http://uua.org, pretty much sums it up.

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We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:

* Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
* Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
* Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
* Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
* Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatry's of the mind and spirit.
* Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.

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I'm back...

Don't fool yourself into thinking that Unitarian Universalism is easy. We are specifically charged with seeking the truth, to allow our faith positions to be challenged and to re-evaluate and adjust as the truths unfold. This fights human nature which yearns for stasis. Most people don't seek the truth, they seek reassurance. Very few are bold enough to seek real truth.

Answer 10

I don't need proof. I take it all on faith. Maybe I have more faith because my beliefs cannot be proven or disproven.