[Discussion] Faith

[Pavoneo]

So.. I have a question regarding religion & faith.

Mr. Atheist me debates with people of other religions every once and a while, and sometimes when I bring up a valid point, they say that they "have faith", which I can't counter per say due to never having a major experience such as faith occur in my lifetime as of now.

So my question to you is, how do you define faith? What do you put your faith in? How do you know you could trust this person (some personal experiences perhaps)?

I'd just like to get a better grip as to what having faith really means, or if a person just says it to run away from things like rational thinking. No offensive ideas intended.

 

[saaaaaadpanda]

faith |fāθ|
noun
1 complete trust or confidence in someone or something : this restores one's faith in politicians.
2 strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
• a system of religious belief : the Christian faith.
• a strongly held belief or theory : the faith that life will expand until it fills the universe.

Basically, it's accepting something without tangible evidence.

Although, I will say one thing for faith. There have been numerous neurological studies that have shown that people involved in meditation or prayer have a change in their brain chemistry that can create a noted euphoric effect. Therefore something is happening to them, which they construe as evidence.

 

[sasukexx13]

Dont care about it

 

[narutorikudoumode]

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

[Pavoneo]

I'm not asking for the definition ._. I looked it up before I made the thread and many times previous to that. I'm asking .. Well, I'm not sure. I don't have a straight up single sentenced question.. I'm just trying to grasp the concept of faith.. And why people use it in discussions when it's a personal thing to refute things such as scientific evidence.

 

[HiddenSound]

Faith to me is simply believing in a higher power. I would say I have "faith" even though I'm a deist. I believe in some sort of god. If there's not I don't see how humanity got this far without something guiding us.

 

[narutorikudoumode]

I'm not asking for the definition ._. I looked it up before I made the thread and many times previous to that. I'm asking .. Well, I'm not sure. I don't have a straight up single sentenced question.. I'm just trying to grasp the concept of faith.. And why people use it in discussions when it's a personal thing to refute things such as scientific evidence.

who do you talk to?

 

[ShishaMastah420]

Faith is God's way of letting you know that whatever he is doing is right; Even if he did slaughter 12 villages, 2 baby goats and a sheep herd. <----From a religious stand point this is what i would probably tell you but i'm fully atheist so i'm bias ^_^ Teeeheee

 

[narutorikudoumode]

iam a christian

 

[saaaaaadpanda]

I'm not asking for the definition ._. I looked it up before I made the thread and many times previous to that. I'm asking .. Well, I'm not sure. I don't have a straight up single sentenced question.. I'm just trying to grasp the concept of faith.. And why people use it in discussions when it's a personal thing to refute things such as scientific evidence.

Basically, people can believe things without evidence and when they believe something strongly that's part of their identity and they don't have evidence, they call that "faith".

 

[Pavoneo]

who do you talk to?

Care to elaborate on that? I don't talk to a higher power, because I don't believe in them. Although if you mean in general who do I talk to about my problems.. Usually friends/family/internet.

Faith to me is simply believing in a higher power. I would say I have "faith" even though I'm a deist. I believe in some sort of god. If there's not I don't see how humanity got this far without something guiding us.

That's a respectable viewpoint to have on faith, even if I believe the contrary ;3.

Faith is God's way of letting you know that whatever he is doing is right; Even if he did slaughter 12 villages, 2 baby goats and a sheep herd. <----From a religious stand point this is what i would probably tell you but i'm fully atheist so i'm bias ^_^ Teeeheee

He's done much more than that, e.g. commit mass genocide by flooding the planet. but let's not get into that >.>

 

[narutorikudoumode]

Basically, people can believe things without evidence and when they believe something strongly that's part of their identity and they don't have evidence, they call that "faith".

their are instances where things are shown to you if you just have faith and nothing happen or nothing is seen there is no reason to believe

 

[Trinky]

Ooh, touchy subject.
I kind of went off on a tangent here, sorry xD

I've had faith in the past, which turned out...well.
My dad was very ill last February, and I had faith that he'd get better. He died two weeks later. So I haven't really had the best experience with faith. x)

I have a lot of respect for people that have faith and never let go of it, though. It seems that every time I try to keep some element of faith, something goes horribly wrong, and I dismiss it.
Originally I thought faith and hope were the same thing, but while I hope certain things will happen, I don't have faith that they will. Deep down, I know something won't happen, as much as I hope. If that makes sense? o_o I suppose now, I just see faith as a way of not wanting to let go of something. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[ShishaMastah420]

Faith is Propaganda... Ask Jim Jones.

 

[Shinobi Train]

I didn't think religious threads were allowed on here.

Faith is the part that we're told to have. However, I don't need faith; I know what's what.

 

[Pavoneo]

Ooh, touchy subject.
I kind of went off on a tangent here, sorry xD

I've had faith in the past, which turned out...well.
My dad was very ill last February, and I had faith that he'd get better. He died two weeks later. So I haven't really had the best experience with faith. x)

I have a lot of respect for people that have faith and never let go of it, though. It seems that every time I try to keep some element of faith, something goes horribly wrong, and I dismiss it.
Originally I thought faith and hope were the same thing, but while I hope certain things will happen, I don't have faith that they will. Deep down, I know something won't happen, as much as I hope. If that makes sense? o_o I suppose now, I just see faith as a way of not wanting to let go of something. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Well, is there such a thing as too much faith? As to let it shroud over the truth? (like you say, deep down you know it won't happen.. Could faith cover that?) & I'm sorry to hear about your dad

 

[ShishaMastah420]

Well, is there such a thing as too much faith? As to let it shroud over the truth? (like you say, deep down you know it won't happen.. Could faith cover that?) & I'm sorry to hear about your dad

Yup...

I watched this show/video on the SyFy network, there is this Religious cult, a branch off of Sikhism i believe, where the followers inflict harm onto themselves; Stab themselves in the head, stab themselves in the jaw but these followers do not show any signs of pain or bleeding.

I believe the program was dubbed; "The God Theory"

A group of scientist were testing faith and what it does to the brain.

I've seen the video with my own two EYES, i Shat-Brix for like 2 weeks.

 

[Trinky]

Well, is there such a thing as too much faith? As to let it shroud over the truth? (like you say, deep down you know it won't happen.. Could faith cover that?) & I'm sorry to hear about your dad

Thank you <3

Hmm, "too much faith"...I'm not sure xD it differs from person to person, of course. Some things require a stronger element of faith than others, so deciding where too much faith lies is difficult.
I do agree that faith clouds a lot of things, though. In my opinion, there's a thin line between faith and denial. With all due respect to those with faith, sometimes I feel like faith is a method of security rather than a Religious belief, because the person in question can't handle potential outcomes of certain circumstances. The death of a loved one, for example. They don't want to accept it's happening.

Sorry if that doesn't make much sense, English isn't my first language ;P

 

[Pavoneo]

Yup...

I watched this show/video on the SyFy network, there is this Religious cult, a branch off of Sikhism i believe, where the followers inflict harm onto themselves; Stab themselves in the head, stab themselves in the jaw but these followers do not show any signs of pain or bleeding.

I believe the program was dubbed; "The God Theory"

A group of scientist were testing faith and what it does to the brain.

I've seen the video with my own two EYES, i Shat-Brix for like 2 weeks.

Wow o_o.. That's crazy.. That somewhat makes faith seem like an infection rather than a belief.

I asked that because I always hear stories of people not doing the right thing because they believe god will fix it in his own way. For example, I heard a story that a small child (2-3 weeks old) had a disease in which he couldn't eat food (forgot the specifics) and he was going to die of malnutrition. The mother said she was taking the child to the hospital and the father said "No, God will sort this out in his own way." Luckily, the woman was smart enough to disregard her husband and take the child to the hospital in which she got a surgery done and the child is alive to this day. The father doesn't talk to his family anymore and says that the bible is his only family now. The child hasn't seen his father for about 2-3 years now.
I know this child via the internet ._.

 

[Trinky]

Wow o_o.. That's crazy.. That somewhat makes faith seem like an infection rather than a belief.

I asked that because I always hear stories of people not doing the right thing because they believe god will fix it in his own way. For example, I heard a story that a small child (2-3 weeks old) had a disease in which he couldn't eat food (forgot the specifics) and he was going to die of malnutrition. The mother said she was taking the child to the hospital and the father said "No, God will sort this out in his own way." Luckily, the woman was smart enough to disregard her husband and take the child to the hospital in which she got a surgery done and the child is alive to this day. The father doesn't talk to his family anymore and says that the bible is his only family now. The child hasn't seen his father for about 2-3 years now.
I know this child via the internet ._.

Oh I'm sure I heard a similar thing a couple of years ago >_> a child with leukemia though, I think.
Faith only goes so far, really. Even then, it can always be debated that these cures and treatments that hospitals provide are God's way of helping. o_o