does research likely result in loss of faith? I mean can you actually lose your faith by questioning?

Question

one fine day while I was in Army in Middle East, my fellow companion said " be careful Sgt, you just might research yourself out of your own faith"

he was right, no longer christian type evangelical, just a seeker and a lover of people irregardless of faith or claims

Answer 1

That's how I became an Atheist.

That's why religion pushes the "Faith" ideal.

Look too closely at it and it all falls apart.

Answer 2

That's interesting. I think it is our duty to question our faith and discover the Truth.

I think if your faith is based on something false then it is likely that you will lose it (you should - why walk around holding false beliefs?!). However, I am a Christian because I think the Christian worldview is actually true and best explains the way things really are in the world.

There is actually a discipline all about this called apologetics!

You should check it out. I've listed a number of sites that discuss Christian apologetics.

I encourage you to research and question the claims you encounter - be honest with yourself and you will find the Truth!

PS. One more thing... even though I'm a Christian, I am not interested in "Churchianity" - which is what many of our culture's churches and Christians are about these days.

Try to keep an open mind and Good luck!

Answer 3

Faith is just an excuse for laziness and ignorance. It's easier to say, "I have faith in xyz" than to spend time researching and educating yourself on xyz.

In all cases, it's better to understand the nature of things directly, than to have "faith" in things. Faith allows you to be taken advantage of. The more you know factually, the less you can be hurt. How do shady mechanics rip people off? They understand the workings of vehicles, specialized knowledge many people don't have. But, people will say they have faith that their mechanic is honest and that he knows what he's doing. But do they really know? Of course not.

The same goes for doctors. People put their faith in doctors all the time. Could a doctor be lying? It's possible (though much more difficult than a misrepresenting mechanic) but how do you know, until it's too late? The only way you know is to become as educated as the doctor or mechanic, so you can always sniff out a lie.

People have faith in their religion, or their clergy, or god. But how do they know they've been told the truth? They don't. They could be being lied to, and they've no way to know the difference, so to rationalize the stupidity of taking this risk, they pledge their unswerving faith. In their minds, the more devout they are, the less likely they are being lied to. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, which is why the most zealous religions and followers are usually the nuttiest. They have to be to get around the illogic.

Answer 4

I think research can lead to the truth if that is what a person is seeking. I believe that if a person doesn't have a strong foundation in the first place that anything can lead to a loss of faith.

I am a believer that is now a seeker. My research led me to keep seeking. It showed me that I need to keep looking for the truth because I did not have all the answers.

Good question.

Answer 5

I think it depends on the person. If one is looking to be proven wrong, they will go to the sources that may seem to proove them wrong. If one is looking to be prooven right, they will go to the sources that may seem to proove them right. If one is generally searching, they may grow in their faith. It all depends on what ideas and motives are behind your research. In the end, however, faith is just that...faith. It cannot be proven or disproved.

Either way, research has expanded my faith in nontraditional ways; frankly, more than the Bible alone ever will do. But I still have my faith, even if it is not in the traditional Christian sense. It has not convinced me out of anything. I still believe there is a God, and pray.

Answer 6

Research can lead you to question your faith, but most people can use it to make their faith deeper and more personal. For instance, someone who looks into a particular event from the bible and finds that it is not a literal description of a real event may begin to see the bible as more symbolic and be able to learn the lessons from it more effectively, and use it to make sense of the world in connection with science rather than in spite of science.
research and blind faith will rarely coexist happily, but a well challenged faith is stronger that one taken on out of tradition.

Answer 7

I think the more you research, the more you start to realize that all religions for the most part have the same central beliefs, and that over time they've just become ways for people to make money off of those who choose to practice their faith in churches and related places.

Answer 8

I didn't lose my faith by researching religion, but rather by studying cognitive science.

True understanding undermines the vast majority of the arguments made in favor of religious. That doesn't prove religious beliefs to be false, but it certainly means that you need a different set of reasons to continue to hold those beliefs.

Answer 9

You are a victim of your emotions. Careful reseach has only affirmed faith. Archeology keeps digging up what the scriptures taught long ago. Sure there are rogue "scholars" with pet theories, but their bias and predetermined objections self-efface the more they publish.
There is no viable evidence in the middle east sufficient to displace your faith, it is your subjective perspective that has changed.

Answer 10

It is possible, but that does not mean it is always the case. Loss of faith has no one cause; neither does gaining faith.