Should we call for an 'End of Faith'?

Question

Faith, according to Hebrews 11:1, is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." "Faith," according to Harris, "is what credulity becomes when it finally achieves escape velocity from the constraints of terrestrial discourse--constraints like reasonableness, internal coherence, civility, and candor" (65). Religion "preaches the truth of propositions for which it has no evidence," and, in fact, "the truth of propositions for which no evidence is even conceivable".

- Sam Harris, 'The End of Faith'

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/kenneth_krause/end-of-faith.html

But shouldn't we allow people think as they choose? "'Freedom of belief' ... is a myth," answers Harris. "We are no more free to believe whatever we want about God than we are free to adopt unjustified beliefs about science or history" (51). If evidence doesn't choose one's beliefs, after all, some other mechanism surely will. Should we be surprised if such mechanisms prove inconsistent, incoherent and unpredictable? So long as the faithful insist on making pervasive claims about worldly truths, their rational counterparts are morally obliged to subject such claims to both logic and empirical evidence.

But why should we care what our neighbors think? "As man believes," replies Harris, "so will he act" (44). At best, "faith leaves otherwise well-intentioned people incapable of thinking rationally." At worst, "it is a continuous source of human violence" (223). That being the case, "it is time we realized that to presume knowledge where one has only pious hope is a species of evil. Wherever conviction grows in inverse proportion to its justification, we have lost the very basis of human cooperation." Where we abandon reason, "we have lost both our connection to the world and to one another" (225).

Is there any mystery as to the means by which Jesus' principal message of loving one's neighbor and turning the other cheek has morphed into a doctrine of slaughter? Perhaps biblical ambiguity and irregularity are partially responsible. But the real culprit, according to Harris, is the principle of faith itself. Once a person eschews reason, she abandons all hope of meaningful communication with others; the conversation, if it ever began, is now finished.

I believe that 'Faith' allows people to do and think things they ordinarily wouldn't.
They allow faith to be the motive and so they do things out of character.
I.E Extremist and terrorists.

People need to listen to ration and reason.

Answer 1

Faith is the excuse for ignorance and if ignorance is bliss, Christians (and all other religionists) must be having never-ending explosive orgasms.

Answer 2

Everyone has faith. You have faith that when you pick up the remote and press the on button, the TV is going to come on. There is the possibility that the batteries are dead, or the TV is unplugged or just broken, so there is the possibility that it won't come on. When you do something and expect a certain result even though there are other possibilities, you are doing it by faith.

Faith should be based on facts. I trust a close friend of mine because of past observations that have proven to me that he/she is trustworthy.

I have faith that someone supernatural created the universe based on proven scientific research - namely:
Second Law of Thermodynamics tells the universe has a beginning because the usable energy would be gone if it were eternal.
The expanding universe tells us that there has to be a beginning.
Radiation from the "big bang" tells us that the universe had a begining that started with nothing.
Eistein's theory of relativity proves that the universe is not eternal and had to have a beginning.

If it is proven that the universe had a beginning then it must have a Beginner - the Law of Causality.

In the words of astronomer Jarlow; " Astronomers have now painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation...that there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact."

My beliefs, and all of Christianity, have certain verifiable facts that allow me to make a logical conclusion of truth.

Answer 3

I under no circumstances study any Atheist books.. yet studying it does not scare me because i understand God I each from time to time watch episodes of the Atheist experience on you tube.. that's about it although.. human beings ought to appreciate, if human beings position self belief in God, then they trust he's the start and the right, so some thing that guy discovers or any books available that seems an excellent study.. does not replace what God has already planned

Answer 4

I admire Sam Harris for his ability to gather relevant facts, but it seems clear to me from reading _The End of Faith_ that he holds religious freedom and freedom of conscience in contempt. I don't. I am not religious, but I believe, as did the founding fathers, that one's faith is a very personal matter that should be left to the individual and his conscience. Is faith a pitiful excuse for not facing reality? Maybe. I think it is, but that doesn't mean I would presume to "call for an end of faith" and deny my fellow citizens the right to make up their own minds. This is one of the essential freedoms in America, and for all humankind.

Answer 5

each person who "believes" is programmed into that belief.
any belief, mind you, not only religion, but what is pretty, what tastes good, etc...

we are the sum of our own experiences, our programming from our parents, caregivers, teachers, society, social group, social class, friends, TV & media... the mind, or the ego can be shaped

but i also believe that we all have an internal guidance system, a higher consciousness, a Soul. it is not influenced by the personality, the ego. the soul does not need faith- it has direct connection to the Divine. an enlightened person has dropped the ego, the personality. our goal is to live through the soul as Being.- to be Present. to use the mind as a tool, not let the mind use us.

Answer 6

I think you answered your own question. FAITH is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. If we shouldn't have faith of any kind, then how do you know that you will take a next breath. You have to live on faith for that, right? Also you have faith that "religion" teaches that it has no evidence. How do you know that for sure- that is what you have faith in. What if Christian faith is correct and what we do not see now will be proven later. It will, In Philippians it says "One day every day will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father". I chose to have faith now. If you chose now to have faith in God, then you will be with Him eternally, and know your faith was in the right person. If you chose to have faith, that faith in God is wrong, you too will bow before Him one day, and then you will be seperated from God forever. Your decision what you put your faith in- I chose Him.

Answer 7

How do people live without faith?

What is faith?

My working definition of faith is that spark which allows me to put one foot in front of the other and walk the path Jesus has laid before me. If I possessed no belief in Him who saved me, If I possessed no hope in His promises, If I possessed no promise of His return, I would have no reason for living.

Another aspect of faith is a "rubber meets the road" type of thing. Faith is most evident when the things we have learned in our faith walk are put to the test. Like the martyrs, the girl at columbine and you when someone does or says something that you know is wrong. Do you stand for your beliefs or do you keep quiet.? If your faith is where it should be, then you stand. No question. Daily applications of your faith are the true test of whether you have it or not.

Which is more important, the faith one holds, or the object of the faith one holds:

Faith is more important. It is the motivator that causes me to get up every day. One must remember though, if your faith is misdirected and placed on an unworthy object..Then it is moot. Even those who profess to be atheist have faith--not in God--but in other things like the sun rising in the morning, the love of their family and friends, the TV weather man's prediction. . We of the Christian faith have just realized that faith needs to be correctly directed.

Is Faith blind?

Blind to what? Justice is blind. Faith by virtue of the hope placed in it cannot be blind. I know I see the struggles of people of high intellect to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Their faith is not blind, but it has 20/20 vision. It sees things clearly and completely. Faith knows what is going on and stills stands strong. Part of faith is loyalty. Without loyalty, faith is just a little hope.

What is my personal faith like?

To me my faith is a lot like that of a child. You know the type. The child is standing on the edge of a pool and Daddy tells them to jump that he will catch them. The child jumps into the unknown because the child has faith that Daddy will catch them. That is how I treat everything--God will catch me, he is my Daddy.

There you have it. My thoughts on faith.

Answer 8

What is ration? Is it rational to believe in evolution? Why, it hasn't been proven beyond any doubt yet? So all things that appear to be rational may in fact just be faithful beliefs. Will stem cell research cure diseases? Who knows, those that believe so have faith in science. It is more rational to believe in a Creator than just everything happening by chance. Believing things just happened without any intelligent design have faith stronger than those that believe in God because God is more rational.

Answer 9

Well Dude..I love Sam Harris and I think he is a genius....I think having faith is a weak argument and I think we should stop letting people use that as an excuse and a main basis for an argument.

Answer 10

Yes, I believe we should. In fact I believe we inevitably will recognize faith for what it is. A mental gymnastics game that shouldn't be held as virtuous but as pitiful.

BTW, 'The End of Faith' is a great book.