Does it take more courage to ACCEPT "faith" or to REJECT it?

Question

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This is a heartfelt [philosophical] question, with NO insidious intent behind it. ... I am NOT trying to argue against anyone's faith (or lack thereof, as maybe the case), NOR am I referring to any "specific" faith/religion here. ... Serious answers only please - feel free to elaborate/present your argument, but kindly refrain from the standard “cut and paste”/quotation type answers. … I am interested to know about YOUR thoughts on the subject, and NOT something that I can readily find/read in a book. … Thank you for your comments and have a wonderful weekend.
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My dear friends: I know I have said this before, but this time more than ever, I find myself in the unenviable position of having to pick "a" Best Answer out of MANY Best Answers here. It would be utterly disrespectful on my part to just pick a BA for the sake of picking a BA. I think the best way would be for all of us to vote. All I can say is: I truly enjoyed every one of your answers. Thank You All!

Answer 1

This question may be impossible to answer objectively, as it is the nature of every individual to believe his or her path is the most treacherous...

Faith (and I'm not only speaking of the mystical realm), is an acceptance of truth without proof. In an uncertain world, in which doubt is the fashion and "guarantees" are a necessary inclusion in every package, there is undeniable courage in this act. As an atheist, I still admire the commitment of faith--it simply does not resonate with me (especially since its approach is frequently too forceful).

In my personal experience, it was a struggle to break away from the accepted. I had to be willing to disappoint, and to trust my *self* more than convention. Gathering bravery was the longest and most tedious part of my journey.

Therefore, you'll have to forgive my ambivalence when I conclude that neither road is named "Courage". Rather, valor is embodied in an individual who discerns the obstacles ahead, but continues forward.

Answer 2

My thought is that courage is less important, ultimately, than morality or wisdom. There are a great number of things it takes courage to do but would be the wrong thing to do. It may take courage to reject the idea that the earth is round, but this doesn't make the act admirable in any way. Courage is a virtue which depends on the context. Courage to be stupid or evil is not praiseworthy courage.

Doing anything that is unpopular takes courage. We are social animals, and have a very difficult time resisting conformity. So I would say that first, whether it takes more courage to have or reject a faith can only be answered in a social context. If your society is a staunchly secular one, it will take more courage to have faith. If it is a highly religious one, it will take more courage to reject faith. Second, whether these acts of courage are themselves good also depends on the context. Rejecting the beliefs of one's society for no good reason is foolish, but brave. But the courage in this case is a negative - it has made the person foolhardy when they should have been cautious.

Courage doesn't exist abstractly. It exists in situations, and it is these situations that determine what acts are courageous and whether the courage is a good or bad thing.

Answer 3

Excellent question... My own reflection has been influenced by the late philosopher-theologian Paul Tillich (d.1965).

I would say that to have "faith" is to risk my entire being. To "accept" or "reject" is actually not the point. EVERYONE has faith in something. Hope this helps...

What is it that we've risked our entire being for? This becomes the essential difference between those who consider themselves "religious" or "non-religious." The religious person has placed his or her being in the hope that there is at the end a transcendent and supernatural reality that opens up after our earthly life is over.

Foolish as it seems, it is JUST as much a leap of faith to say that there is no transcendent and supernatural reality beyond the material world. It's not something that can be "proven" through rational argumentation.

I'd also suggest reading about "Pascal's Wager" for a different view than Tillich's (cited below).

Answer 4

I think what takes the most courage is to remain open to either possibility. However, under the rejection option I would like to propose the idea of accepting life without faith. Not all people who have no religious or spiritual faith reject faith; for most it is simply a state of not having any. They aren't rejecting what they feel, but simply acknowledging they don't feel it at all.

I think it takes the most courage to stay open-minded, because that removes the strength of embracing a conviction for its own sake and ceasing to question or feel secure in something familiar.

Answer 5

Faith or lack of faith is like the weather, I don't live by what I believe or don't believe, I live by what I do. There is no courage in faith without action, and the faithless who act without true belief feels just like the faithful to those who are hungry. I think courage is formed from action, not beliefs. Now certainly, you could argue that you can't really have actions without faith, whether you accept that faith or not, but hopefully we all can agree that too often people have faith but do very little with it, and in those cases you wonder what good it was. And on the flip side, you have those people who reject faith in God so they can smoke dope in their grandma's basement, and you have those who reject faith and rally for a government that remains blind to religious doctrines. Is one more couragous than the other? Yes, of course! We all want to smoke pot in our grandma's basement, but some people hunger to do more with their lives and risk failure and great pains often for a better life for future generations, and that's what takes courage.

Answer 6

I get two fears from the question one is my human response to leaving a pack and therefore is equal and depends only on the pack you're in.
The next is that conscious voice inside. The one that tells you, you are sinking from the moment, that fear is holding you back from truly living as the pure and god like force with which everybody know elusively and few know intimately. I think this is fearful because it truly is a separation from our own nature, from our human selfish or self serving desires.
If a man have long hair it is a shame unto him--I'm, well, of some other denomination than the Saharanism that sprouts these gems, but on that point, I have to agree.

Answer 7

Acceptance is much harder to fake than rejection, because of the trust issues that we all seem to have at varying levels. I think we all question our own faith at least once or twice in a lifetime, but if you have a strong conviction towards what you believe is right or wrong, then you have intrinsic faith and no one will ever be able to change that.

Answer 8

I wouldn't say that courage was necessary in either case. Wisdom is required to make the best choice for any belief. Rejection leaves little room for error or growth while open mindedness allows growth and correction. Faith requires an open mind.

Answer 9

It depends. If you live and anchored in faith then it's hard for you to reject it since it has become one of your principles. Thus, it takes more courage and even a greater principle( that replaces it that has either or both distorted or surpassed faith ) over faith to reject it. Acceptance happens in either same or reverse way. Reality always play as a key.

Answer 10

Having grown up in the American Bible Belt, my personal experience was that it took tremendous courage to 'reject' the simpleminded faith of others. I was terrified when I began the process at seven, was an atheist by age 11 - all the while having to participate in religious activities. Ultimately it was purposeful because understanding how others succumb to it and the damage it does - culturally - became my passion.