Can you reconcile these two statements (part I)?

Question

"I know I am right because I have faith"

-- and --

"Atheists have more faith than we do."

Answer 1

LOL...

Nope. I can't do it.

Did God say that?

Is it in the Bible?

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/Randall_Fleck/Class_of_the_atheist_GIF-1.gif

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
.

Answer 2

I think it's more accurate to say that I have faith, and believe that I am right.

The second comment is in response to atheist claims that faith doesn't work, or cannot be accepted as a basis for a belief. In response to these comments by atheists, the person making the statement that 'atheists have more faith than we do', in my opinion, is just trying to point out a conflict that the atheist has in their own belief system, because theirs requires faith too.

I don't think that there is any belief system that does not require some level of faith. With the 'some level' fairly easy to establish, the next question is how far does faith penetrate the belief system.

Answer 3

What is irrational here is the implication that someone would say that they are right because they have faith. I know of no one who makes this assertion, especially considering the fact that the very definition of faith makes no mention of right or wrong. So your first statement is pretty much meaningless.
As for the second statement, it deserves no attention at all.

Stop asking for reconciliation between statements that serve no rational purpose. Not having "faith" in no way implies that atheists are somehow more rational than believers. Find something else to do with your time.

Answer 4

The first one is okay for theists to say because the faith they are placing is in a being that they have a relationship with. This being is (usually) an omnipotent, omnipresent being who loves and cares for them. For an atheist to say they have faith is placing their faith in things created or thought up by men. One cannot have a good two way relationship with an idea, I think...

I think the second one is supposed to be an ironic statement showing that atheists, who sometimes criticize or ridicule theists for their faith in God, must have some degree of faith in what they believe as well.

Answer 5

No.. I am an atheist, and have no faith, I don't need faith, I prefer to rely on facts.

the quote was first written by Bertram Russel, who accused his religious peers of saying “I am right and
you are wrong and there will be no negotiations because I know I am right because I have faith.”

the second quote was penned by Ken Freking, "Atheists take bigger leap of faith than ‘believers’", Columbia Daily Tribune, 2005-01-23

The author, of course, is correct when he comments that we atheist have an "absence of a belief in a deity." However, he is incorrect when he implies that "atheists have a belief.

He is unable to comprehend the science behind our model of the universe, thus assumes that atheists have such a belief as "an explanation of the universe" in the theory of evolution.

However, evoloution is so well established now, it is beyond a simple theory, the teory is now in the fine details. For Ken Freking, the idea that the universe and everything in it came about by chance over a period of millions and billions of years, is a gigantic leap of faith. Thus he assumes that we atheists are in the same boat.

Ken Frerking is a retired Lutheran pastor who holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is also personally finds it more rational to believe in an intelligent design than in the 'unpredictable chaos of chance'. Thus despite his skill with words, he is uncapable of making a scientific judgement on this subject. Moreover he has no formal training to do so

he knows what he likes, and likes what he knows!

Answer 6

Both display a lack of critical thinking. Faith is belief despite a lack of evidence, so faith cannot be used as a reliable way to find knowledge. And Atheist don't rely on faith because you don't need faith to not believe something and the burden of proof is on the theists.

Answer 7

Faith is unnecessary.

It's possible to live and think coherently, while carrying about various hypotheses ("that chair is solid and therefore will hold me if I sit on it.") that have varying degrees of certainty, but which are all subject to revision. Many practical propositions are so likely that they are, in effect, certainties.

One must, however, understand that some things are unknown, and that there are some propositions ("God exists") that are unfalsifiable and therefore not worth thinking about.

Faith mostly consists of things that you were taught before you could think, and you continue to believe them because they became part of your mind before you were capable of rational thought. Faith is essentially a social construct---people have different faiths depending on the culture they were brought up in, and having one faith or another is an accident.

Proper consideration of epistemology---in other words understanding the source of your knowledge---will allow you to clear your mind of faith.

Answer 8

tawaen - I don't think *anyone* claims faith is a rational construct. Do they? That goes against its basic definition.

The answer to the question, of course, is no. But I'd never say anything as ridiculous as that second statement (probably not the first either), and unfortunately the people who make claims like that will most likely ignore this question.

Answer 9

You can have faith and trust in anything, even if it's not true, but is just a nice idea to entertain. Lots of people have strong faith in wrong things and deceptions because it supports their lifestyle.

Answer 10

The first is true of all people that accepted Jesus as savior and redeemer (christians).

if atheist have no faith in God that certainly can't have more faith (believing in nothing).

Answer 11

It's amazing how they say that Atheists have no faith... and next minute they say Atheists have more faith...

As if faith was a bad thing, Hmmm...