2006-09-07 10:54:26 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Exactly! Nothing more than a fluffy delusion to help people sleep at night. This is fine if you want it yourself but it is horrible to force it on others if it is a personal FAITH.
2006-09-07 11:03:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Faith is the essence of things hoped for. What this means is that we are placing our faith in promises that we have found in God. Yes, there is some tradition that is involved, as far as principles being handed down from one generation to the next. But, we each have the ability to decide for ourselves what we are going to hold on to. I was raised Catholic, but as I got older started to question some of the teachings. Amazingly, those questions arose when I started to read the scriptures for myself and found that faith was so much simpler than what I had been taught. I now find great freedom and joy in a walk with the Lord, without a lot of my former beliefs and practices.
2006-09-07 18:01:23 · answer #2 · answered by godsgirl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no... people who have true faith can tell you that when they pray, they're not talking to the stale air in the room or the unfeeling, manmade walls. faith is much more than wishful thinking... it's hopeful knowing. i can tell you dozens of times in my life that i knew that God was telling me something, or trying to steer me in the right direction. it's not just a traditional religion, it should be a relationship with God.
let me see if this example helps me to make my point: have you ever seen the movie shallow hal? remember the part where hal's friend gets the hypnontist to see that she's fat? and hal gets amd at him, saying, "if you were in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, would it really matter to you if nobody else thought she was beautiful?" and his friend realizes what he did and says "...no..."? that's, in a small way, how it is with christians. they don't care if people think that God isn't who he is to them... there is nothing that coudl convince them that he's not real. he's real to me, and to pretty much everyone who really gives him a chance. if you're busy being a skeptic, of course he's not going to show himself to you. he didn't show himself to any of the pharisees either, unless you count nicodemus.
anyhow, i hope that what i have said somehow helps you in realizing what faith is... and the reason some christians seem like they're pushing their faith to others is probably partly because it's a command from God to preach the gospel to all people, and partly because they just want them to share with them the joy in eternity. (for the most part, i don't think they mean harm... although that is what happens a lot of the time...)
2006-09-07 18:27:00 · answer #3 · answered by jenn w 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it is not "wishful thinking".
Faith is the unseen belief and trust in God's intervention into our lives offering a result in the most positive, favorable circumstance. While we may pray and desire a specific result, God may answer the prayer differently. His wisdom is much greater than ours, so He answers with the most appropriate result according to His will, not ours. That result may be explained later, or not until we meet in heaven.
2006-09-07 18:11:09 · answer #4 · answered by joe_on_drums 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith as defined in the dictionary states the following :
something that is believed especially with strong conviction; synonym see BELIEF
So, you have to ask yourself this question; does what you believe in consist of wishful thinking? And by asking you to question your own beliefs I mean analyze EVERYTHING you believe in.
Faith and Belief are as personal to the individual as you are individual as a person.
This is just my belief, as yours may differ and I will never ask anyone to change their beliefs, but it is by queationing those beliefs we hold which actually strengthen those beliefs though understanding.
2006-09-07 18:12:12 · answer #5 · answered by Kelly S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without Sanctifying Grace it is impossible to have faith or belief in God or religion. The Holy Spirit withdraws His Grace from us when we are bent on sinning and refuse to listen to our conscience....so he lets us destroy ourselves and then we end up without faith.
2006-09-07 17:58:55 · answer #6 · answered by SeraMcKay 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
faith is having belief and trust in the invisible; unseen. Taking all your trials and tribulations and giving them to God. You know that he will lead you out of the storm. that is faith
2006-09-07 18:16:07 · answer #7 · answered by sanctusreal77 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not at all! God has done awesome things in my life. I'm a Christian, but I hate it that so many Christians focus too much on religion, and not enough on the reality of knowing Jesus.
2006-09-07 18:03:59 · answer #8 · answered by ryanjamesm 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a nut shell.
To have faith in something unprovable that is also extremely unpopular would be called crazy.
2006-09-07 17:59:47 · answer #9 · answered by Subconsciousless 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋