2007-01-22 05:54:20 · 33 answers · asked by slov72 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You have faith in your significant other, in your family, from the experiences and love you have built for them.
What you are speaking of is blind-faith, which is a crime against the human mind. If there was a God I would hope he would award questioning the truth and skepticism. How can a person who lives their life on blind-faith be trusted?
2007-01-22 05:58:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I have reasons for what I believe. See what you think. There are many more sources than just the Bible that we can rely on (although the Bible is more than sufficient on it's own).
1. Geography
2. Texts
3. Toponymy
4. Archaeology
Geography- If you study the geography of Israel you would see how it affected the settlement patterns, routes of travel commerce, econmy, politics and thus the history of that time. The geography of the Biblical Israel confirms what we read in the Bible.
Texts- There are extra-biblical texts (texts outside the Bible) that also confirm what is written in scripture. Egyptian sources are primarily from the 2nd millenium BCE. There are 4 types.
1) Expedition journal and topographical lists- example is Thutmose III.
2) Literary papyri-example, Journey of Sinuhe
3) Execration texts- 2 sets (ursing)
4) Coorespondance archives- El Amarna letters
Other Extra Biblical texts include Mesopotamian sources, from Syria the Ebla texts, from Transjordan the Mesha Stele, from Israel the Tel Dan inscription.
Also look at authors like the famous historian Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the younger, Julius Africanus, and the Talmud.
Toponymy- the study of place names. If you study the cities and other names in the Bible you will see that they have the Principles of Location which prove they really did exist. Those are:
1) Near a water source.
2) Defensible.
3) Continuity of the name through the centuries.
4) It fits with the geography described in the text.
5) Check data from archaelogical surveys.
No one would settle in a place that did not have these Principles of Location.
Archaeology- If we dig in Israel and find ancient sites that are consistent with where the Bible said we would find them, that shows the Bible's history and geography are accurate. One prominate archaeologist carefully examined Luke's references to 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands, finding not a single mistake. These are only some sites that have been excavated: The Pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-15, the Pool of Siloam from John 9:7, Jacob's well from John 4:12, even Pontius Pilate's identity has been confirmed by archaeology! John McRay PH. D. was asked if he had ever encountered an archaeological finding that blatantly contravene a New Testament reference he responded, "Archaeology has not produced anything that is unequivocally a contradiction to the Bible. On the contrary, there have been many opinions of skeptical scholars that have become codified into 'fact' over the years but that archaeology has shown to be wrong."
2007-01-22 06:07:16 · answer #2 · answered by cnm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith is the ability to accept something without proof. For example - you have 'faith' that when you wake up tommorrow, the world will still be here, and the sun will come up.
Now - you base it on what you have observed on previous days when waking - the sun comes up, the world is still here etc., but you don't actually have any way of knowing.
What you have done, is looked at the facts, and made up your mind that there is a pretty good possibility that what happened yesterday and today will happen again tommorrow. That is the difference between faith in the sun coming up and faith in any religion or deity.
Faith in things that have no tangible proof is a sign of insanity as far as I am concerned. If someone chooses to have faith in a religion or a deity, then I don't have any real problem with it, only when they teach their children (before they are capable of comprehending what they are being told), and expect other people to believe the same as they do.
2007-01-22 06:01:37 · answer #3 · answered by superfunkmasta 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ya know, you really should follow what the last two people said--- in fact, you can be so robotic into believing everything that comes on the television too... faith is denial.... please. The two past readers cant see anything past the fact that there is something bigger than them in this world.
Faith > Hope > Denial.
Do you only believe facts? What is fact to you? Do you believe that we live in a universe if you havent seen it? Or do you believe in it because someone ( a teacher) told you to?
Faith is BELIEVING something is true even though it is not right in front of you.
Remember, religion is only the ship that carries you to your destination, you dont have to believe everything a religion says. Make your own opinions and keep your own faith of what YOU believe is true.
2007-01-22 06:07:42 · answer #4 · answered by amorudence 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To believe or not, it is your choice. But faith is something which comes "after hearing" the Word of God. You should first go to a church. Then there are many facts: all God's creations help us see how good, pious, faithful, truthful He is. I think - am sure - that there are a lot of reasons to believe: the fact itself that Jesus came into the world to save everyone (you too) from sin and devil's grip. Jesus really existed. He is my Saviour. Read every book except the Bible - and include the Bible itself (but study it - not read it) and you will find a lot of reasons and facts to help you believe. Faith is not blind, as you may think. We believe there is a Trinity, by faith. We believe that Jesus will return to earth, by faith.
By the way, have you ever seen the wind? Or the radio waves? Or the internet itself? No. But this does not mean they are not there. So is it with God. He is here, near us, ready to enter our hearts if we let him.
2007-01-22 06:20:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith is belief in something that has no proof, or at least no good supporting evidence. If you're talking about religion, then whether you decide to believe (or can believe) is up to you.
Reasons to believe:
- If you think it will make you a better person
- if you think it will keep you from getting killed (And if you think I'm kidding about this, try looking at what happens in Iran if you convert from islam to anything else)
Reasons to not believe:
- logic
- education - if you study the fossil record and other evidence, you'll probably conclude that it contradicts the christian story of creation.
- don't want to be associated with religious leaders who turn out to be hypocrites, liars, thieves, or pedophiles.
The choice is ultimately up to you.
2007-01-22 06:04:05 · answer #6 · answered by Ralfcoder 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you have no facts or reasons... how could you believe?.... but... The Faith of The True Christian Faith is based upon the certain knowledge of God's existance......I know with absolute certainty that God exists and that His promise to me, which is my assurance, of my salvation is real. I do not have to carve some statue and call it a god to give my Faith substance... My Faith is Based on Fact..............Faith not based on fact is fantasy.
2007-01-22 06:07:08 · answer #7 · answered by idahomike2 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The biblical explaination of faith is found at Hebrews 11:1-"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realties though not beheld."I have faith of the promises of God, because of past biblical examples and historical record. If you did a THOROUGH examination of the bible and made appropriate comparisons with secular texts, coupled with prayer, you too, may develop faith. Faith is also based on concrete evidence. You have faith that the sun will rise again, because it has risen everyday of your life (unless you live in Alaska) You also have faith in tried and trusted friends.
2007-01-22 06:05:49 · answer #8 · answered by C. J. 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's why there is faith. If you saw everything with your own eyes then you would believe, and there would be no need for faith. But having faith in someone or God shows that you trust them.
2007-01-22 06:04:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is the definition of faith; believing without reason. It works well for some people, not at all for others.
2007-01-22 06:02:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
To me, faith is belief in something that can neither be proved or disproved in ways we can experience with our 5 senses. Hence, there are no facts to support faith, but there are reasons. In fact, people believe or have faith in something (whatever that something is) because they have experienced a reason. It could be something they saw, something they heard, or just something they puzzled out for themselves that resonated within them as true.
2007-01-22 06:02:56 · answer #11 · answered by Church Music Girl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋