2007-05-19 17:33:32 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am a high school science teacher. When my students begin to bring their beliefs into the discussion, I tell them that what THEY believe is right for them. When people genuinely believe in something, it tends to become fact to them.
2007-05-19 17:38:31 · answer #1 · answered by country_girl 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Faith isn't the same as proof. Faith is believing in something which is not seen, but is true.
Once the truthfullness of something has been revealed to an individual through personal revelation received by the Holy Ghost, that person no longer has Faith in that thing and they have knowledge of it - through the Holy Ghost.
Unless you allow yourself to receive those promptings from the Holy Ghost, you cannot and never will receive any personal revelation and cannot gain an understanding of spiritual matters.
I think part of the reason this is so difficult for some people is that there are so many differing opinions and beliefs, that the only seemingly possible solution to them is that there is no God.
Their faith is in man's ability to understand the universe.
2007-05-20 00:47:53 · answer #2 · answered by rndyh77 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Faith is imagined for sure. It can be so powerful in ones life that they can as the bible says move a mountain. Faith is mentally relying on something to be real without question.
The bible says things like " Faith comes from hearing the word of God," or "Blessed are they who see and believe but more blessed are they who don't see and believe." The truth as I know it is, there is proof of life after death and there is proof that there is God but without faith, you will always be looking in the wrong direction trying to prove there is no God at all. I have found proof by first believing and that opened the door, so I could receive for me the proof I was looking for. As the bible says, "you must have the faith of a child." For me and some others, faith is not proof, but without it, you don't stand a chance in Heaven or Hell of finding God or proving his existence. Faith is all we need not as proof , or for proof but as acceptance and surrender to a higher being greater than our self who created all that is. Rev. TomCat
2007-05-20 00:54:57 · answer #3 · answered by Rev. TomCat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whoever posted the statement that faith means "belief without reason" demonstrates ignorance about faith and reason. Why? Because we could not trust even in reason were it not for faith being exercised in a) our own minds b) our own senses c) bodies of knowledge and authorities and d) our philosophical worldview.
When speaking in the general sense, "faith" is "belief without absolute proof". Is lack of absolute proof the same thing as a total lack of reason? Hardly. We all exercise faith on many levels all day long. The honest thinker cannot deny this. So faith and reason go hand in hand. One thinker put it like this. Faith and reason are like two chopsticks with which the mind feeds itself on truth.
But what do we make of exercising faith in spiritual matters? An Oxford professor demonstrated it this way.
Scientific theories each seek to explain a certain limited class of data: Kepler’s laws explained the motion of the planets; natural selection explained the fossil record and various features of animals and plants.
But some scientific theories are on a higher level than others. They seek to explain the operation of the lower-level theories like Newton’s laws explaining why Kepler’s laws operated; chemistry explaining why primitive animals and plants existed in the first place.
A metaphysical theory is simply the highest level of theory of all. It takes a step back and seeks to explain why there is even a universe at all. And it is justified if it leads you to understand the observable phenomena. Once I saw that the criteria of modern natural science and philosophy justified belief in the natural world and its laws, it was right to take yet another step back and show the meaningfulness and justification of belief in spiritual laws, or metaphysical realities.
Faith is exercised (without absolute proof) in order to understand physical laws as reasonable. It is also employed to accept the spiritual laws. And that is reasonable, too.
2007-05-20 02:03:27 · answer #4 · answered by dex_md 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well proof is simple evidence that support one argument. Faith is to trust in something that has a lack off or no know evidence. Many religious people Say they know there is a God based on a person revelation of God. To them God is not an if he is real. Therefore their knowing the existence of God isolated from the opinions of others is not considered faith. Why? Because they know there is a God and the evidence of his existence lies within their person experience and illumination of God. They have faith in Gods performance, just as you may have faith in another’s person abilities, but not in his existence because they know he is real. So why is it called faith? Others that have not had a person illumination of God and thus have no evidence say it is faith. I cannot discredit the believer even if I have what I consider to be a reasonable answer. Why? Bcause I have not experience what he has….what if he is correct in his revelation? I cannot discredit his revelation.
2007-05-20 00:59:35 · answer #5 · answered by Infinite Wisdom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is perhaps just an odd way of describing knowledge via direct experience. Because it is direct --like seeing a tree, or remembering an event-- it is without external, supplementary evidence. Nor is it derived by inference from other claims, beliefs, or evidences. Faith might be the only term a person has for this experience. One might call it an "epistemically basic belief" but that is not helpful to non-philosophers. So, faith it is.
2007-05-20 00:42:42 · answer #6 · answered by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Being one who is of faith and not "religion," that which is proof not faith exists in Egypt, the land of the beginning where "my" faith was given by God to his "chosen." When you can ANSWER all the PROOFS left by the ancient egyptians mathematically, and explain how they accomplished many of the feats you can SEE with LOGIC then and only then will I say to you my faith means NOTHING............
2007-05-20 00:43:45 · answer #7 · answered by Theban 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To Some people.Some people can just pick up a pair of glasses,put them on and they are happy .Some want to go all the way to the factory to see how they are made.
I was one of those who spent years studying Biblical Archeology and manuscript evidence.My brother on the other hand ,heard an eveangelist and that was it!
Everyone's faith is different and of different levels and degrees but one thing is a must and that is the essentials of Christianity(which are different from Mormonism and J.Ws)We agree on essentials with Catholics but differ on the non-essentials ( i.e. non denominational such as I.)
2007-05-20 00:42:31 · answer #8 · answered by AngelsFan 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Faith means to believe without reason. So...those people who think faith is proof, just are unreasonable.
2007-05-20 00:36:58 · answer #9 · answered by AuroraDawn 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hard to explain, but easy too. How do you know when you have a headache? You don't need a doctor to tell you or to see it on an ultrasound (theoretically... don't trip...) but you know for sure you have a headache. No one else can feel it for you. That is the proof, same way with faith, dude.
2007-05-20 00:37:06 · answer #10 · answered by Sleek 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's faith in Christ that gives you the proof that there is a living God who wants a relationship with you.
2007-05-20 00:42:37 · answer #11 · answered by Bill Mac 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋