Does proof constitute faith?

Question

After spending a few days on Yahoo! Answers, I have come to the conclusion that most people choose not to believe in something because that something has not been proven. Or to believe in something because it has been proven. Does this not take away from faith?

If faith does not constitute proof, and proof doesn't constitute faith, why do people denounce the authenticity of spiritual testimonies that are not included in the Bible canon? For instance, the Books of Enoch. I have been told they are not proven to be true, that they are not accepted by the scholars, and that people should not even be reading them. What would be the reason for people saying this? Proof or faith?

Answer 1

You got it.
Proof does not lead to Faith.

Faith is believing w/out Proof.

Edit:
The Council of Nicea is were our "Bible" was "approved".
Books and writting were either said to be Inspired or not inspired.
As a general rule testing the spirit of a teching is proper. Is the writting "of God" ?...does it ring true?...does it bear fruit?
As for the Nicean Council?... I think they did a pretty good job w/ what was included. The other writings? judge for yourself.
But to answer your 2nd question...
Proof would be great for Canon scripture but should not be required to 'believe' it. I think questioning these writings is OK (both Canon and non-canon). Its not heresy. Ask God to reveal the truth. He just might answer you.

Answer 2

No. Faith is belief in the absence of positive proof.

Remember St. Thomas? The first scientist: he insisted that he place his hands in the wounds of the risen Christ before he would believe. But he's painted as a bad example, precisely because most Christians do not have the opportunity to autopsy Jesus to prove to themselves the veracity of the religion.

But even Paul said "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

The schoolboy, meanwhile, defines "faith" as "belief in that which we know not to be true." It is at least the acceptance of any statement as true without criticism, examination, verification, or any other method of test. Faith of this sort is evidently the main symptom of the moron, the half-wit, the village idiot. It is this kind of faith which religious people always insist upon as the first condition of salvation.

Sometimes they're even frank about it, and say plainly that there would be no merit in it if there were any reasonable basis for it! Credo quia absurdum! This position is at the worst both honest and intelligible; the only trouble is that there is no possible means of deciding which of two conflicting statements to accept. There's no reason to choose, e.g., Christ over Dagon, or Huitzilopochtli over Krishna.

Answer 3

Proof does not lead to faith. On the other hand, faith always leads to proof. In Hebrew 11:1, it states this as "Faith is the evidence of things not seen." You can see that truth in everyday life.

For instance, when if a child were convinced that his mother hated him, he would be able to find "proof" in every actions she does that she hates him. The same child, if convinced that his mother loves him, would be able to find "proof" in the indentical actions of her.

So "proof" for anything will never exist - until you first decide to accept that proof. Until you first have "faith" in the proof, the evidence, the arguement, or whatever. Then that "faith" is what lets you see the evidence.

So those who want "proof" of God, or anything else, must first begin with "faith". Otherwise they are incapable of seeing any evidence or "proof".

Answer 4

All forms of belief have a faith element to them. It's merely a question of where your faith is placed. Some people place their faith *solely* in what their senses perceive, others place faith in various traditions, etc. The only people without *any* kind of faith are nihilists, and there is some question as to whether true nihilists actually exist.

Someone mentioned St. Thomas, but the interesting thing about his demanding to touch Jesus' wounds is that it still required faith in the reliability of his senses, and faith that God would not play some sort of cosmic prank on him.

Answer 5

I think you premise is wrong. People either have faith or they don't.

Those with faith (the religious) do not believe because of the evidence. They believe because it was what they were told, and they have good feelings about it.

Those of us without faith require evidence. I don't think that god just hasn't been proven. I see absolutely no evidence of any god at all. I ask people all the time what evidence they have, and usually get no response. When they do respond it is with the good feelings and how beautiful the world is or rather faith.

Answer 6

Proof and Faith are contradictory. Faith is the absence of Proof . Just because we misuse the words it does not mean that, when I say I have faith in gravity, it is a matter of belief, unlike the concept of god gravity is predictable provable repeatable etc.

Answer 7

In fact Faith is inborn. Faith comes first, then only comes proof etc. Without faith you can never get into anything. for instance travelling in a plan and car etc.

Answer 8

Faith is to trust the unproven words of another person. Why would god respect a person's faith?

I believe in god because it would require a greater amount of faith for me to believe in all this order springing up all by itself from space dust.

I believe in Christ because I was born to christian parents...and I dig that philosophy. It comes naturally for me to get on my knees and pray to the christian god. But I still don't see god as having any special respect for someone who believes in him just because in his heart it seems like the right thing. That just seems silly.

Sadly, I have more respect for agnostics than I have for most people of faith. But I think atheists are just as narrow minded as fundamentalists.

Answer 9

Faith is trust and hope in the unseen (Hebrews 11:1 and Romans 8:24 & 25).

Answer 10

One of the definitions of faith is "belief without proof" so yes, proof removes faith.

If you know something exists, faith is unnecessary.