If I have faith in something, does my faith indicate that this "something" is necessarily real and/or true?
What if I have faith in something that you don't believe? Is my faith indicative of truth then? How can you tell if it is or isn't?
Basically... is faith a trustworthy method to ascertain truth?
2007-04-12 09:21:11 · 30 answers · asked by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No. You can have faith in anything, that doesn't make it true.
2007-04-12 09:26:46 · answer #1 · answered by beano™ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Faith can be blind or enlightened. There are many levels of faith, but there are also many levels of truth. Even a single thing that one person argues contains a single, undisputable truth might be shown to contain other truths by those with different points of view. My own philosophy is that "everything is true." This applies to even the most bald-faced of lies, because the very fact that they are being told points to a character truth of the teller. We do not always have to look at what is being pointed at by the words, but the entire interactive "cloud." Even then, we cannot glimpse the entire truth at once; faith is an attempt to do this, but most people do not apply it properly and end up simply dragging down what could be a holographic method of understanding large truths to a dogmatic repeating formula.
Do I know what I'm talking about? Well...not especially. But neither do many others around here...however, I hope the speculation will meet with interest. Basically, faith doesn't prosper if it is blind or narrow. Neither does truth.
2007-04-13 01:28:25 · answer #2 · answered by Black Dog 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hello,
Faith is a principle that is exercise by believers and non-believers, Faith is something that is not seen, however; it is something that you are believing for.
It is trustworthy because it is a method that has been proved time and time again that it works. Look at Bill Gates, faith brought him out in a big way.
There are also biblical references of individual who had a very successful life based on there faith.
2007-04-20 13:24:04 · answer #3 · answered by Lil bit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not necessarily.
I have faith in Shinto, but I am not arrogant enough to think I know the Absolute Truth.
What is true for you may not be true for another. Faith is based on personal perspective.
For instance, there are a few Muslims that have so much faith, they are willing to die to prove it.
Does this mean they have the ultimate truth? No. It just means they have a very deep belief in what they do.
The same goes for every religion - one does not automatically come to a specific religion as a natural process. One must be exposed to that religion, through the people around them or through personal research.
My father is agnostic, my mother is Methodist, and I am Shintoist. We all have our own truths, and we are each as correct as the other.
2007-04-12 16:49:44 · answer #4 · answered by Johnny Sane 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, faith is not trustworthy in ascertaining the truth. Ask someone who has jumped from religion to religion, or from denomination to denomination in one religion such as Christianity. Each time they thought they were discerning. They were by leaving the previous church/religion, I'm sure!
What happens is that you believe, whatever the synergistic conditions are. I suppose a combination of desire to know God, faith in a Creator, and a religion that has appealing attributes are the keys. Sometimes fear plays a part. Ok, fear plays a big part (hell).
2007-04-20 14:11:14 · answer #5 · answered by SarahLynne 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let me define for you what truth is:
Wait.. I'm not God. Truth is something you have to find, personally.
Faith is simply believing in something, often without physical evidence.
Jesus said that people would know that his followers' faith is real by the way they love each other. If you haven't noticed, Christians haven't been doing a good job of that; me included.
"faith without works is dead"--meaning, if you don't reinforce your faith, whatever it is, with acting on your word, it won't ascertain anything
Knowledge puffs up but love builds up...It hurts me far more to see fellow Christians and myself treat non-believers like crap than the simple fact that they don't believe.
2007-04-12 16:27:29 · answer #6 · answered by Doug 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Faith...well how can I say this?
It depends on what you place your faith in.
Some people have faith in man made things and what have you.
As for me, the only thing you can have true faith in is that there is a God, Jesus is the son of God and that one day we shall enter the kingdom.
Thats just me though. This is my truth.
2007-04-12 16:27:28 · answer #7 · answered by You Ask & I Answer!!! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Faith is what you have when you find a gap in what you know. Faith is a belief and belief is an idea with emotion behind it. Ideas are only true on a personal, subjective level. Personal truth will never be on equal footing with fact.
2007-04-12 16:27:18 · answer #8 · answered by Medusa 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is not a trustworthy method to ascertain truth. Children have faith that there is a Santa Claus, (because that's what they're told) but it does not make it so.
2007-04-12 16:25:39 · answer #9 · answered by Jess H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Truth exists irrespective of faith.
Initially, it is faith that generates truth in an individual but his faith in the ultimate and the knowable unknown only gives him strength to reject the falsehood and hold on to the Truth. With out faith and conviction Truth has no meaning for an individual.
But the Truth unfolds gradually, not once and for all.
2007-04-16 09:27:20 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The faith starts where the proof ends. No, it just means that you believe that you know the truth. : )
The faith is personal. No, it tells more about you than it proves what is the truth.
All of us can have faith, or we can choose to place the faith on anything. Just go wit the flow. :)
2007-04-12 16:28:55 · answer #11 · answered by SeeTheLight 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋