Faith is trust, gained after certain experiences with that person have earned them your trust. When you step on an airplane you have some faith in the designers. When you loan money to someone it is because you have faith in them that they will repay you, because they have earned that trust. Faith is not just going out and giving your money to a random person. In the same way faith is not saying, "Hmmm so many gods... I'll just pick the Christian one without evidence". Faith is gained when, after praying for instance, you feel your prayer is answered and you have more faith in God because of it. Faith is just another word for trust. The more we trust someone, the more blind faith we can have in them. If we really trust someone we can say, "here is my wallet, take whatever you want" just like we can give God all of what we have if we have faith. If we do not have faith, though, if there is no trust between us, we will give him nothing.
So faith is trust, not "belief without evidence"
2007-08-13 22:03:55 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
well, here's a dictionary definition of faith:
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing.
2. belief which is not based on proof.
3. belief in the doctrines or teachings of religion.
4. the doctrines which are or should be believed.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity (to a person, promise, engagement, etc.): to keep or break faith with.
2007-08-13 22:11:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let's take your very own examples: When You get on an airplane you trust the airplane will fly OK without seeing the plane assembled. Loaning the money out is faith because you have not yet see one penny back.
You have some trust because of prior events. The same can be said about God. You can place your trust in him by faith based upon things that He has already done. For instance He made the sun come up yesterday, by faith you can trust that He will make it come up tomorrow.
If you really get down to it, faith is trusting the truth of God's word without seeing the result already before your eyes.
2007-08-14 09:02:14 · answer #2 · answered by allan b 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree. I'm so sick of the misconception that Christians are merely blind followers or that we believe in God because we've been "brainwashed at an early age."
My faith is a logical belief based on the evidence I've witnessed in my own life as well as in the lives of others. God has made Himself known to me and is still teaching me that I can absolutely trust Him. I think the only time the term "blind follower" could be applied is when a saved person follows the leading of the Holy Spirit without question. This though is after the person has an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Once we know God as our Heavenly Father and we've learned we can trust Him, we can "blindly follow" His instructions because we have faith that He loves us and knows the way.
It's kind of like that game you play where your friend blindfolds you, and you trust them to lead you through the obstacle course without causing you to crash or fall. You're right, it's all about trust.
I've never considered my faith to be a blind, irrational leap in the dark without any supporting evidence - rather, it has been a series of reasoned steps into the light.
2007-08-13 22:29:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Isn't the English language a wonderful thing. As with the word theory there is more than one usage for faith. In the non religious sense it can be used as a synonym for trust, however in the religious sense it is used as belief without evidence, sometimes known as blind faith.
In any non religious sense my faith is always provisional, it is ONLY in a religious setting where having been shown that my faith is not backed by evidence that I could possibly hold on to it without being labelled insane.
2007-08-13 22:23:21 · answer #4 · answered by fourmorebeers 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith in flying is not the same thing as faith in a deity. You see airplanes take off and land daily. We have statistics on people flying and the likelihood of injury and death. We know their are safety regulations and inspections and training for pilots. Any individual can objectively independently verify these facts. Personal revelations only occur to some people and there is a high likelihood that they are psychologically confirming to themselves what they want to believe. People have used mystical experience or revelation throughout recorded history and they seem to have the experiences they are predisposed by culturally conditioning and individual bias to have. Native Americans for instance didn't see Jesus or have the Christian God answer them. They had the experiences their cultural conditioning predicted. I think it likely these personal experiences are merely psychological manifestations caused and created by our own minds.
2007-08-13 22:20:03 · answer #5 · answered by Zen Pirate 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shaolt, from an atheist's point of view the problem is not whether your God is worth having faith in, it's whether he exists.
You can check the aircraft manufacturer's employment records or even visit the designer at home to check whether she exists. And if you would be happy to lend money to someone taking his existence on faith alone, I know some wealthy Nigerian "politicians" who would love to have your email address to discuss some lucrative banking transactions.
Actual people earn our faith by their evident track record, but more importantly, by actually existing. It is the latter leap of faith atheists have trouble with, not the former.
2007-08-13 22:21:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps your question would have been better phrased as the following statement: I disagree with people who define faith as "belief without evidence", and here's why...
"So faith is trust, not "belief without evidence""
It looks like you've already arrived at an answer. Don't ask questions unless you're actually seeking an informative response.
2007-08-13 22:12:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
According to Heb. 11:1, faith is the substance and the evidence--right?
2007-08-14 09:41:45 · answer #8 · answered by olesofety 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are just showing how ignorant you are and a low thinker man and you are considered Id.....to me as I have read your very wrong contention a bout faith and belief.
Faith to God and faith to others have big difference, so with the belief in God and belief to other person.
We have faith in God because we trust him so much more than we trust you and other persons and we
believe the existence of God, believe his teachings in the bible and believe everything about his words because God can not lie which can not be compared to our belief to someones ability, b elief in your b eing so ignorant about things regarding God. and my belief of your illogical thinking and reasoning.
jtm
2007-08-13 22:27:39 · answer #9 · answered by Jesus M 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Belief without action is no faith.
2016-05-17 08:50:56 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋