What is faith?

Question

Does anybody find it ironic that people put down religion, saying things like "how can you believe in something that you can't see?", or, "Why do you believe a book that was written by men?".

Then, they turn around and and say things like "the Earth is millions of years old", or "people descended from apes" and will insist that it is a fact when virtually none of them have done the research to really find out. They are only repeating what other people have said. Isn't that the same thing they ridicule believers for doing?

Incoherent fool: I'm saying that the people that criticize religion are doing what the believers are doing, but instead of putting their faith in God, they're putting it into "scientists" or, science.

Answer 1

A very valid point that you make here. The truth is that it requires more blind faith to elevate evolution from an unproven theory to a stated and accepted fact, than it does to believe in the harmony of holy scripture (the Bible). Mainly because although believing what the Bible says is true may have to be without "visible proof" at the onset, it can be proven to be true again and again by receiving its promises for this life by obeying its commands.

Living a life of obedience to the Bible yeilds love, joy, peace, patience, and hope - among other good things. Believers of the Bible who are moved by their faith to be doers of the word (ie, obedience to its teachings) have lives filled with blessings. This is evident the world over.

People that state their belief in evolution have to believe in things that they have never seen, nor ever will see. They have to believe in "scientific" conclusions that vary greatly (depending upon who you are talking to) and the fact is that none of them are completely in agreement to all of the supposed details of how life was 'synthesized' on this planet. Not only that, but they have no hope for the future, they have no peace, they have no moral compass for their lives, and so what kind of happiness does that produce among them? None. They then have to affirm their 'faith' by trying desperately to tear apart the faith of believers in Christ, because the faith of the Bible is in opposition to what they are trying to convince themselves that they believe.

Answer 2

Faith or belief is a couple of things.

Faith, especially as "blind faith" is a supreme assumption that has not a scrap of evidence to back the assumption up.

Since a person having faith has no evidence of their faith, faith is just another word for ignorance. It is an absolute admission of total ignorance on the most important issues of a person's life.

We know far more about the things in life that we have little faith for.

I find it ironic that people would claim to have the greatest certainty about the things they are the most ignorant of. But this is human nature to believe in things they know nothing about.

What people ought to consider in their faith is whether it is wise to worship a God who would torture people forever just because they would not be servile and submissive to him. What does this tell you about God? That they worship a demon.

The fact that they don't consider such things in their faith indicates that what is really happening in a belief has absolutely nothing to do with religion at all. What is really happening is that people use religions or beliefs as a way of establishing membership in a like minded group of people and dividing themselves and isolating themselves from those they consider less than themselves. So beliefs or faith becomes a divisive process that divides humanity into different and mutually hostile religions and beliefs. The end result is blood shed, whether individually or in religious wars.

You make a mistake is claiming that scientists who have studied how old the earth is are doing it on belief or faith. The important difference is that all facts of science are demonstrated and verified. That cannot be done with faith or beliefs so scientific facts cannot be confused with faith or beliefs.

Any high school student learns, if they do their lessons, how the age of the earth is determined. The genetic basis for evolution is also easily learned in high schools, if not suppressed by the fundamentalists in society. So it is not just an issue of repeating.

The ridicule that belief and faith deserves comes from the fact that NO ONE can verify those beliefs or faith, yet people attach great importance to the thing in their lives they have the lease evidence for.

Answer 3

I have faith in my intuition, because it proves to be right again and again. You have faith in something because you have eyewitness accounts, you see evidence of the wind, although you don't see the wind etc. Don't let anyone kid you. You can try to build faith by squinting and shouting or virtual self hypnosis, but in the long run it is by studying the scriptures until you make them work for you. The interpretation of the churches sounds right, but the verse that says faith is evidence really means that faith is evidence and knowledge. To say faith is evidence doesn't mean literally that it is evidence, but that is so much like evidence that you might say it is evidence. Like God is love, but he is more than that. If he were just love then love would be God. Not a good thought.
The bible is written by people who had left and right brain capabilities. We in the west have strong left brain tendencies and the left brain doesn't understand the things of the right brain. The bible has to be understood from an eastern as well as western view or else you come up with the interpretation that so many have that you must shout and holler or something else to have faith. That may have some validity, but so many in religion are effectively trying to hypnotize themselves to have more faith and the bible means to wake us up. If the scientific method of science were used, the bible would be as well understood as the rocks scientist study. Religions stick their head in the sand and a blind kind of faith or credulity. We have 3,000 christian denominations of 3 churches or more, because of not rigoously studying the scriptures. What a travesty. I know of only 5 or 6 Muslim factions, although I may be wrong.
Hey, if you want to think more like the bible writters, only listen to your intuition and see what you can do with what it tells you. Do that forever. That's where we hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit or God as mentioned by Elijah.

Answer 4

Faith is believing something to be true in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary.

Science demands that hypothesis be tested, repeatedly, and theories be backed with evidence. We who state the earth is billions of years old, and man descended from apes do so because that's what the scientific evidence presents. We don't believe it, or have faith in it (see above), but we do have confidence in such theories. In some cases, very strong confidence. This should never, EVER be confused with faith. Skeptics and scientists are always open to new ideas, but only those which are based on evidence. Very, very few people believe science blindly, those who do aren't scientific.

Answer 5

We have faith in the credibility of the modern scientists. We can see the results of carbon dating. We can see the fossils. Christains put their faith behind a book written over two thousand years ago by men who thought the world was flat because the horizon makes it look that way. I can't see that the world is round, but mathematics can prove it. Thus, I put my faith in testible evidence.

Answer 6

So you're saying that we should accept what scientists say as "faith"? I think you should turn off your computer, take off your clothes and go live in a cave.

By the way, I have done the research to find out the truth. I've read the claims of both sides. I got myself an education. Have you?

Answer 7

You are correct. The creationist by faith believes that the world was created by God. And of course the evolutionist believes by faith that the world evolved.
May I share with you what I have discovered what faith is?
I have discovered faith is believing what you do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Otherwise, faith never walks alone, it has a source.
.

Answer 8

Lol...You know I've never thought about it that way but your absoultely right. As for evolution those who have said it is because of the "scientific proof" lets keep in mind that scientist have never seen evolution taking place. We've seen adaptaion but never evolution. And isn't it funny that if we evolved from apes then why are they still around?!?!?! As for what is faith it is the evidence of things not seen.

Answer 9

Spot on observation! Those "enlightened" folks who put down faith and the religious have a unexplainable faith in the information they have been fed by others. I am far more likely to take as truth the faith of an honest religious person than the condescending objections of a non-religious zealot.

Great powerful question! Thanks for asking.

Answer 10

And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

(see Alma 32:21).