What do you think of the following statement? Agree or disagree? Why?

Question

"The very essence of faith is a belief in the existence of something that can't be proven. So, naturally, everyone believes their faith is the "right" one. This makes all faiths equally valid, giving no one the right to claim any religious superiority. So people should just practice their faith in the time-honored tradition of religious tolerance."- From the comic strip "Non Sequitor" by Wiley Miller, 1998.

Answer 1

A valid comment - & given the source, I think following the development of Danaism has been hysterical.

Hitchhiker's guide has somehting similar.

(going on memory)

God: I refuse to prove I exist, because proof denies faith and without Faith I am nothing. [The rest is irrelivant & take way to long to explain]

The point is that humour is a fantastic tool to look at society.

.

Answer 2

There are several statements here to be evaluated.

1) The very essence of faith is a belief in the existence of something that can't be proven. So, naturally, everyone believes their faith is the "right" one.

True. This is a pretty good definition of faith.

2) This makes all faiths equally valid, giving no one the right to claim any religious superiority.

False. Adherence does not validate a faith. For example, some people deny the Holocaust as an article of faith, but that faith is certainly misplaced.

3) So people should just practice their faith in the time-honored tradition of religious tolerance.

True. We need tolerance and forbearance in a free society. Of course, this is a non sequitur, which is why it was humorously placed in its comic strip namesake.

Answer 3

Although I'm a big fan of "Non-Sequitor", I don't agree with the statement that "all faiths [are] equally valid, giving no one the right to claim any religious superiority".

Religious belief can be measured against objective standards or morality. For instance, a religion that focuses on human sacrifice cannot be considered equal to one that focuses on feeding the poor.

This does not actually speak to the truth of religious belief, and an "evil" religion is no less likely to be true than a "good" one, as both are based on faith. Nonetheless, some beliefs are worth more than others, and some are more tolerable than others.

Answer 4

DISAGREE. With the faith of Christianity...it (faith) has to be there and then it can be proven. Some things have to be believed first before they can be seen. My daughter was having seizes when she was two years old. The doctor gave her medication and said if she were to stop taking the medicine then her seizures (obsound seizures) he called them would turn into epileptic ones. I did not like what the medicine was doing to her and how it kept her in a "zombied" state so I said that I was going to have faith that God was going to heal her and the she would not progress into epileptic seizures. I took a step of faith and stopped giving her the medication...she had a few more seizures after that but I confessed that my daughter was healed even though at that point she still had the seizures. A few months after I took that step of faith and stopped giving her the medicine and believed (faith) in her healing...she stopped having the seizures and she never went into an epileptic seizure. She is now 15years old and from that time to this one she has never had another seizures. Since she has been in school she has been a straight A student from the first grade up till now. Her mind is great. So when the faith of the other religions brings for the evidence of their faith then I would be inclined to agree with their beliefs and say maybe they have a point.

Answer 5

This is a very interesting statement. I had a feeling when I read it that the Christians would find fault with it bc it allows for the possibility of other right faiths.

I think that the statement is true in essence but I would change one word, for fun. Suppose it said "everyone believes their faith is A right one" instead of THE right one. Think of it that way and then imagine a goal in the middle of a space with many roads all leading directly toward it, all coming from different directions but all going to the exact same place.

If everyone believes that their road is A correct road, and all roads are in fact correct because they all lead to the ONE place, it would, in my opinion, nourish a TON of religious tolerance.

If only we cold convince the Christians that there are roads other than theirs. Ah well.

Interesting quote, thanks so much for sharing it!

Bright blessings,
Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 6

Well, from a legal or political standpoint that statement is true, certainly. The laws should not favor one faith over another. However, I disagree with the statement "that makes all faiths equally valid". Validity has to do with truth. And by his reasoning alone it is obvious that they cannot all be true. They maybe equally respected, but not equally valid.

Answer 7

I find error in this part of that statement:

"This makes all faiths equally valid"

The error is, if that statement is correct, then more people's faiths are invalidated than validated. In other words, more people are going to hell than heaven.

Say we reduced the number of word religions to 5. For any given religion there is just their one group that believes that they are correct. However, there will always be 4 other religions that say they are incorrect. The ratio of correctness will always be 1 to 4.

Answer 8

The essence of the Christian faith is experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit who lives in Christians. The proof is in the experience.

Answer 9

Agree

Answer 10

No, faith is a belief in something before seeing proof. It is not necessarily true that faith is belief in something without ever seeing proof. God sends you His Holy Spirit only after you first have faith in Christ as your saviour.

Why would the Creator feel He has to prove Himself to you or me? Why would He subject Himself to your opinion of Him when you are His creation? Isn't that like putting the cart before the horse?