What is Faith?

[Magic Man]

What does the word "faith" mean to you? Are there different forms of it? Are there different degrees of it? Is it inherently good or bad, or neither?

 

[ChristineES]

Faith it total belief in someone or something.

 

[Melancholy]

Faith is a feeling, that some put their trust into.

 

[Magic Man]

Faith it total belief in someone or something.

Does it allow for the possible incorrectness of that something or someone?

 

[ChristineES]

Does it allow for the possible incorrectness of that something or someone?

I am not sure you could have total belief in something that you also doubt may exist. Maybe it is impossible for man to have total belief. :shout

 

[Hema]

Faith is having firm belief. Faith in God means trusting that God will guide you and you need not have any fear...knowing that you are protected.

I have a lot of love and devotion for God, but I need more faith. I get scared easily. I know I shouldn't but sometimes human vulnerability gets the better of me. We should remember that God is already carrying us and our burdens so we should let go and let God.

 

[Ciscokid]

Faith implies "doubt". It is the belief in something that you don't know is absolutely certain. I have faith that my job will be secure for as long as I need it but I could very well be wrong.

 

[cardero]

Faith and belief are two different concepts. Faith is very personal. What one has faith in (and how much) will not respectively be felt by and accurately transferred to another. When someone changes their belief they shed or lose their faith. The belief still remains inconclusive. When someone passes away their faith is no longer applicable to the belief (that remains inconclusive).

Faith is detrimental to the belief process. If someone has applied faith to a belief it is becasue they want something to be one thing and are not hopeful or open to the possibility of it being another. The belief that has faith, becomes unmovable. A person expressing faith is most likely not willing to reason, conclude, compare, debate and in some cases discuss the reason that they believe other than they were told to keep applying faith to the belief.

People who exercise faith, romance and court their beliefs. They allow their beliefs to run and rule their life before they can accurately conclude them to a truth or an untruth. The reason for this can also be expressed in the form of another feeling-fear and uncertainty. They do not have the expectancy that their beliefs will betray or stray from them. When these beliefs are finally proven otherwise they respond as a jilted lover, disappointed not only in their beliefs but themselves and can become very mistrustful of their source.

 

[Sunstone]

What does the word "faith" mean to you?

Faith was a great friend of mine in high school. She and I used to hang out beneath the bleachers during football games and look for dropped wallets to plunder. I can still remember the first time she kissed me. Thanks for bringing back such great memories of Faith, Matt.

 

[Magic Man]

Faith was a great friend of mine in high school. She and I used to hang out beneath the bleachers during football games and look for dropped wallets to plunder. I can still remember the first time she kissed me. Thanks for bringing back such great memories of Faith, Matt.

No problem, Phil. I had a friend named faith, too, and I will always remember the first time she kissed me. Now, let's see some theist tell us we don't know about Faith!

 

[cardero]

Faith was a great friend of mine in high school.

I knew their sisters, Grace and Hope but they never stopped talking about the younger sister Joy who was struck and killed by a church bus.

 

[Sunstone]

No problem, Phil. I had a friend named faith, too, and I will always remember the first time she kissed me. Now, let's see some theist tell us we don't know about Faith!

I know what you're saying, Matt. I will never understand why so many theists think they are the only one's who have known Faith. She had a much better social life than they suspect!

 

[Magic Man]

Faith and belief are two different concepts. Faith is very personal. What one has faith in (and how much) will not respectively be felt by and accurately transferred to another. When someone changes their belief they shed or lose their faith. The belief still remains inconclusive. When someone passes away their faith is no longer applicable to the belief (that remains inconclusive).

Faith is detrimental to the belief process. If someone has applied faith to a belief it is becasue they want something to be one thing and are not hopeful or open to the possibility of it being another. The belief that has faith, becomes unmovable. A person expressing faith is most likely not willing to reason, conclude, compare, debate and in some cases discuss the reason that they believe other than they were told to keep applying faith to the belief.

People who exercise faith, romance and court their beliefs. They allow their beliefs to run and rule their life before they can accurately conclude them to a truth or an untruth. The reason for this can also be expressed in the form of another feeling-fear and uncertainty. They do not have the expectancy that their beliefs will betray or stray from them. When these beliefs are finally proven otherwise they respond as a jilted lover, disappointed not only in their beliefs but themselves and can become very mistrustful of their source.

So, are you only talking about the religious type of faith? Is there any difference to you between that and faith in a spouse? How do you explain, for instance, Christians who have faith in God and the rules of Christianity, but still use reason in their daily lives? Like the difference between Christians who let their children die because they ave faith that God will heal them, as opposed to Christians who seek immediate medical attention when their baby is sick?

 

[cardero]

So, are you only talking about the religious type of faith? Is there any difference to you between that and faith in a spouse? How do you explain, for instance, Christians who have faith in God and the rules of Christianity, but still use reason in their daily lives? Like the difference between Christians who let their children die because they ave faith that God will heal them, as opposed to Christians who seek immediate medical attention when their baby is sick?

This could very well apply to all faith. Faith in a sporting team, faith in the government. The rule of thumb when collecting, encouraging, comparing or reasoning a belief is that a belief can either be true or or a belief can be untrue. Applying any faith or personal preferrence to a belief is not going to conclude it one way or another. This works for every belief.

 

[Magic Man]

This could very well apply to all faith. Faith in a sporting team, faith in the government. The rule of thumb when collecting, encouraging, comparing or reasoning a belief is that a belief can either be true or or a belief can be untrue. Applying any faith or personal preferrence to a belief is not going to conclude it one way or another. This works for every belief.

I'll buy that. Do you think faith is a bad thing?

 

[cardero]

I'll buy that. Do you think faith is a bad thing?

I am trying to come to terms whether faith can be a "good or bad" thing. Since faith is so damn personal and it can be expressed so differently by different people, that answer continues to elude me. My understanding right now is that a belief does not expect someone's personal faith or hope and that applying faith to a belief may be deemed unnecessary. As Sunstone has brought out, I agree that it makes a fine name for someone's daughter.

 

[Starfish]

Belief + action = faith.

Also one cannot have faith in a lie.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb. 1:11

To develop faith, is one of the reasons we are here. This is why God doesn't make it easy.

 

[Willamena]

What does the word "faith" mean to you? Are there different forms of it? Are there different degrees of it? Is it inherently good or bad, or neither?

Faith is present where the outcome of a prediction is uncertain. It is a firm belief in things whose actuality is unknown or variable. We live in a world of probability, and wading through our lives is a practice in prediction. Everything we enact is "an act of faith".

There are not different forms or degrees of it, there is only faith; alternatively, there are as many different forms and degrees of it as we distinguish. Whichever is useful.

It is both good and bad, inherently and not. It is necesssary.

 

[Magic Man]

Faith is present where the outcome of a prediction is uncertain. It is a firm belief in things whose actuality is unknown or variable. We live in a world of probability, and wading through our lives is a practice in prediction. Everything we enact is "an act of faith".

There are not different forms or degrees of it, there is only faith; alternatively, there are as many different forms and degrees of it as we distinguish. Whichever is useful.

It is both good and bad, inherently and not.

I don't know about that last part, but the rest is spot on, at least according to me. Do you mean that it is good and bad, inherently and not because those are things we assign to it?

 

[Willamena]

I don't know about that last part, but the rest is spot on, at least according to me. Do you mean that it is good and bad, inherently and not because those are things we assign to it?

Yes. Everything that is is both good and bad, inherently and not, depending on how you look at it, so faith is, too.

Remember the Smothers Brothers?