2006-10-23 06:42:09 · 28 answers · asked by sotu 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Isnt most western religions a matter of faith of belief?
2006-10-23 06:46:14 · update #1
The scientists of yesteryear believed with great conviction that the earth was flat.
Good enough example?
The flip side of your question would be to ask if denying something vehemently enough makes it untrue, it doesn't but it gets the person branded as being in denial.
2006-10-23 07:35:31 · answer #1 · answered by Lynn S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm, well lets see.
If you say you believe in something then it goes that yes it should. Because:
Why do you believe in something if it isn't real?
Conviction before belief? Belief before conviction?
Chicken or egg?
I say that yes, if you say you believe in something, then it should be real.
If you say: "I believe I'll have an egg salad sandwich for lunch". But later change your mind and have a chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Does that autmatically name you a liar?
Interesting.
Is belief knowing?
Can you believe without knowing?
Yes.
Can you know without believe?
No.
I do believe that prayer, visualization, and determination do make things happen.
I believe that because it is real.
For some things though there is an element of Faith involved I suppose.
I have Faith in God.
I believe in God.
Are these two separate things? Do they go hand in hand? Can you have one without the other?
I do know ONE thing. I believe I have put off doing some work for long enough today, and I must fly. But I'll be watching this one!
2006-10-23 13:58:32 · answer #2 · answered by Oh, I see 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Platonic idealism holds that there is an unchangeable "real" world behind the world we see, that we see only changeable forms. Surprisingly, this idealism can be bent to say that the belief you come to is what's real, and what you see is not real.
Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work in the world we inhabit. You can believe there's a BMW in your garage for as long as you want, but it won't put one there.
Yes, religions, particularly Western ones, are based on belief systems. Eastern tend to be more based on practices.
Here's an interesting thought I picked up in some of my reading:
"Joseph Kitagawa, the eminent historian of religion, once put the contrast this way: if you ask Asians to describe their religion, they will tell you about their practices; if you ask Christians, they will tell you about their beliefs. Judaism, concluded Kitagawa, in in this respect more like an Asian religion than like Christianity.”
2006-10-23 14:17:37 · answer #3 · answered by Philosph-K 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - unless it is real regardless of whether or not you believe in it. For instance, I can believe with great conviction that the earth is flat until the second coming of Christ, but the belief itself does not make it anymore so, than me believing with all my might that something is false, when it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt by general knowledge and extensive research that it is true.
2006-10-23 13:57:35 · answer #4 · answered by Angie A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Belief is the shield of a confused or fragmented mind and a very strong belief becomes Faith.
The believers and faithful are clinging to what they believe and it is real to them.
Reality created by fragmentation is not the truth.
Truth cannot be realized by a confused mind.
2006-10-23 14:10:51 · answer #5 · answered by ol's one 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends if the person you're saying it to believes you... if for example it's god and you're saying you believe in her/him, then as long as he/she believes you it is real. If you continue to say whatever it is with great conviction... after a short time you're going to believe it yourself and that's the first step taken care of at least.
Also if you're saying it to a kid, then chances are they're going to accept it as reality even if you don't. That is after all how most faiths recruit. hee hee. Moral of the story is... be careful what you say (with great conviction) especially in front of the kids!
2006-10-23 21:23:11 · answer #6 · answered by morrissey24 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, for sure there must be some logical reasons for you to believe it is Real,
in the physical world it is so easy to know whether some thing is real or illusion
but the world of the unseen, like the existence of Allah (God), the here after, heaven and hell fire, we need some sound logic or signs to make us sure it is real, just believing is not enough,
you know dear there are so many believes and believers with so many Gods, it is not logical they are all real gods.
Because if there are so many different Gods each one has his own free well, it is most likely they would disagree on some aspects, and the universe would be subject to drastic changes every now and then,
but in reality, we can see the whole universe is in harmony with unchanging physical laws,
This situation is very clear in our human life, with so many humans each of which has his own free well you notice the conflicts on earth every moment; maps change, governments change, policies change, ...etc.
with similar logic we can find out whether the here after, heaven and hell fire are real or just some thing we created in our minds to satisfy some human need in our hearts
2006-10-24 08:46:36 · answer #7 · answered by latif_1950 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Saying isn't feeling. Feeling it with your heart I suppose makes it real to the one feeling it. Believing in anything at all can always be debated...do you believe you are here...or are you somebody elses dream?...etc, etc...
That being said...if you believe (not just say but feel in your heart - I suppose that could equate to faith)...then it's real to you...your reality is personal though - your reality is not necessarily somebody elses...
It comes down to that ...what is really REAL? Who knows?
2006-10-23 13:52:43 · answer #8 · answered by svmainus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As REAL as YOU want/believe it to be, but does not mean others will have the same level of conviction you may have ~so my answer would be YES to yourself, but NO possibly to others.
2006-10-23 13:50:53 · answer #9 · answered by julie knows 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no. i could believe with all my heart that i am going to jump off a building and fly, but we all know that's not going to happen. now, if you are a woman, and you firmly believe with all your heart that you are proganant, then you are going to start behaving like it. you will even get a bump on your stomach and the other things that go with being pregnant. but you really aren't... so no. believing in something does not make it real, but when you are trying to accomplish a task, if you believe it will happen or get done, you are 53% more likely to have the wanted outcome... it's true!
2006-10-23 13:50:06 · answer #10 · answered by resistance fighter1 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋