NERVUN
06-10-2005, 02:35
Something I have been working on.
Faith, defined: For the purpose of this argument, let us define faith as the belief in something (that something is not defined here) that provides a sense of order in the world and its affairs. The something cannot be proven or disproven to exist logically. It cannot be directly observed (but those who believe in it can note circumstances and call them the effects, or results, of the actions of that something). The belief in this something ranges from very strong to weak. The stronger the belief is, the more a person who holds that belief will ignore logical proof and/or arguments to the contrary that might contradict the belief.
Faith then acts as a motivator in human actions, depending upon the level of belief in the something that a particular person holds.
Something, defined: The something in the faith definition can be anything given credence to exist outside of human creation, reason, and knowledge, and that provides some sort of ordering force on humanity. Such things can be the classical representation of God or a pantheon of gods and goddesses, natural spirits, karma, fate, or luck, but also include notions of 'inalienable' or 'human' rights, such as justice, mercy, compassion, or equality.
The something may have attached to it a standard of actions, beliefs, or traditions that those who have faith in it insist must be met. The standards can range from the highly simplistic to the overly complex and may deal with limited spheres of human behavior/civilization, to extending into all spheres.
Ok, now that these have been defined, here are some ideas I have.
We need faith, all of us. We, as a species, need SOMETHING to believe in, something gives order to the world and the universe. We cannot look at the world in a dispassionate way and function only in a scientific mode, accepting that yes, things just do happen. We also need this sense of order to build our civilizations, to assume that there is order in chaos and randomness. This is why anything bucking the order shocks us so much.
What we choose to have faith in varies, some choose a God or supernatural being who guides us all as a loving parent. Some choose gods and goddesses who are a bit more temperamental. Some use the power of the Earth, seeing not random nature in a careful balance, but some force of life that sustains us. Some choose human notions of rights, fighting and working for them, but stating that somehow these rights exist outside of us, that we did not create them and bestow them upon ourselves.
We are, then apes that attempt to set themselves apart from the world and its cycles somehow. We wish to not see that we react as animals do, but that there is something more. Perhaps this is due to our own evolution of becoming tool making and using animals. In learning how to direct our own tools, to build and impose order, we grew to believe that we too were tools of something else, a greater tool maker. As the tool maker ideal grew to be less and less workable in an age of wonders and discovery, we turned to other ideas of that something, but always with the notion that something is out there giving meaning to our lives and existence.
Since we need out faith to function, the battles between faiths, over who is right, must take place. Since faith justifies stating that not only is their meaning to humanity and life, but our own lives in particular, any chance that faith maybe lost or shaken is meet most bloodily. It becomes apparent then that faith wars (not religious wars as religion is but one aspect of faith) will never cease because there will always be someone who does not share the same faith as you do, therefore challenging your meaning.
Where do we go from here? Nowhere, we are bound to have faith, we need it. Even recognizing this need and that therefore all somethings that we have placed out faith in are naught but human creations, we quickly create NEW somethings and very carefully do not question the same shaky foundations that this new something shares with the old something we have just disposed of.
Perhaps then the only way for humanity to move forward is to recognize this need of faith, without shaking the foundations, in an effort to bring about acceptance. But, of course, that too is a something that I hope will impose order on the chaos of humanity. But I do have faith that it might happen, someday.
So... not to sound like a game of Clue, but can anyone show otherwise?
Faith, defined: For the purpose of this argument, let us define faith as the belief in something (that something is not defined here) that provides a sense of order in the world and its affairs. The something cannot be proven or disproven to exist logically. It cannot be directly observed (but those who believe in it can note circumstances and call them the effects, or results, of the actions of that something). The belief in this something ranges from very strong to weak. The stronger the belief is, the more a person who holds that belief will ignore logical proof and/or arguments to the contrary that might contradict the belief.
Faith then acts as a motivator in human actions, depending upon the level of belief in the something that a particular person holds.
Something, defined: The something in the faith definition can be anything given credence to exist outside of human creation, reason, and knowledge, and that provides some sort of ordering force on humanity. Such things can be the classical representation of God or a pantheon of gods and goddesses, natural spirits, karma, fate, or luck, but also include notions of 'inalienable' or 'human' rights, such as justice, mercy, compassion, or equality.
The something may have attached to it a standard of actions, beliefs, or traditions that those who have faith in it insist must be met. The standards can range from the highly simplistic to the overly complex and may deal with limited spheres of human behavior/civilization, to extending into all spheres.
Ok, now that these have been defined, here are some ideas I have.
We need faith, all of us. We, as a species, need SOMETHING to believe in, something gives order to the world and the universe. We cannot look at the world in a dispassionate way and function only in a scientific mode, accepting that yes, things just do happen. We also need this sense of order to build our civilizations, to assume that there is order in chaos and randomness. This is why anything bucking the order shocks us so much.
What we choose to have faith in varies, some choose a God or supernatural being who guides us all as a loving parent. Some choose gods and goddesses who are a bit more temperamental. Some use the power of the Earth, seeing not random nature in a careful balance, but some force of life that sustains us. Some choose human notions of rights, fighting and working for them, but stating that somehow these rights exist outside of us, that we did not create them and bestow them upon ourselves.
We are, then apes that attempt to set themselves apart from the world and its cycles somehow. We wish to not see that we react as animals do, but that there is something more. Perhaps this is due to our own evolution of becoming tool making and using animals. In learning how to direct our own tools, to build and impose order, we grew to believe that we too were tools of something else, a greater tool maker. As the tool maker ideal grew to be less and less workable in an age of wonders and discovery, we turned to other ideas of that something, but always with the notion that something is out there giving meaning to our lives and existence.
Since we need out faith to function, the battles between faiths, over who is right, must take place. Since faith justifies stating that not only is their meaning to humanity and life, but our own lives in particular, any chance that faith maybe lost or shaken is meet most bloodily. It becomes apparent then that faith wars (not religious wars as religion is but one aspect of faith) will never cease because there will always be someone who does not share the same faith as you do, therefore challenging your meaning.
Where do we go from here? Nowhere, we are bound to have faith, we need it. Even recognizing this need and that therefore all somethings that we have placed out faith in are naught but human creations, we quickly create NEW somethings and very carefully do not question the same shaky foundations that this new something shares with the old something we have just disposed of.
Perhaps then the only way for humanity to move forward is to recognize this need of faith, without shaking the foundations, in an effort to bring about acceptance. But, of course, that too is a something that I hope will impose order on the chaos of humanity. But I do have faith that it might happen, someday.
So... not to sound like a game of Clue, but can anyone show otherwise?